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[0:00] Good morning. Welcome here this morning. Good to see each and every one of you come out to fellowship, to worship, to be encouraged to go forward in the days to come.

[0:22] We've had an interesting week, especially the last few days, with all the smoke and fires, and we can't help but turn our thoughts to our Creator, who creates the lightning, who also allows these things to happen.

[0:43] And ultimately, many of these things are out of our control and belong to God. And so, yeah, we can pray for rain, and we need to.

[0:56] It's getting quite dry out there. But I trust, as we've gathered here this morning, that we will be encouraged to look ahead.

[1:09] Last week, we finished the Book of Romans, and you may have a question in your mind, what's coming next?

[1:19] And so, Lord willing, I'm going to do an introductory sermon on eschatology, or kind of the end times teaching.

[1:34] And it'll be a fairly lengthy one as well. But why don't you look at the whole of Scripture, and what does it teach us on what's to come?

[1:47] And we know that in the last year and years, in a few years, a lot of the world events have really grabbed our attention.

[2:02] And it makes us focus and wonder what's coming. Are we close to the end? What's going to happen to us? And the Bible has much to teach us about things to come.

[2:20] And so, as we ponder on this, I want to begin this morning with maybe the deepest question that we can ask ourselves.

[2:38] If you knew that the Lord Jesus was coming tonight at 8 o'clock, what kind of day would you have?

[3:01] One of anticipation? Would our answers all be the same? Likely not.

[3:15] Mr. Tycho says with anticipation. And this is hypothetical. I'm not suggesting that the Lord is coming at 8 o'clock today. But it's for the purpose of drawing our attention to live in this moment.

[3:35] In this moment. And so, if you knew that today was your last day, would it be a day of joy?

[3:48] Of hope? And I like the word anticipation. Or would it be a day of fear?

[4:01] Of dread? Of anxiety? Or somewhere between? This is a question that affects each and every one of us.

[4:19] from our junior youth to Mr. Tycho. He's likely the oldest person here this morning.

[4:34] It affects every one of us. And our response is dependent on my relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

[4:46] So, as we look at that, we need to be able to answer and to face the concept that Jesus might be coming today.

[5:03] We are to live each and every day as if it is our last. Amen?

[5:20] This is how the Lord would have us to live. The imminent return of Christ, he can come at any time. And whether it's in the form of the rapture or you personally, we don't know which will come first.

[5:40] We don't. And yet, as we look at all the signs in the world, we know that the time of the rapture also is coming closer.

[5:53] It is at hand. And yet, in the Lord's timing, not in ours. And so, we need to look at this very seriously.

[6:10] It is life and death. It is heaven and hell. It is does the Lord want us to fear?

[6:48] He does not. He wants us to anticipate to have joy over the prospect of His coming.

[7:00] Absolutely. If there is fear in our hearts, it is an indication that my soul has not made peace with God.

[7:16] that I need to bow before a holy God and have receive Him as my personal Savior from sin so that peace and joy can live in my heart.

[7:40] if you are a believer and lack teaching or understanding of things to come, sometimes there is some feeling of not exactly unknown.

[8:03] Apprehension. Good word. Apprehension. We don't know what to expect. and hence this is why I wanted to do this from the pulpit.

[8:14] I've never preached this from the pulpit before even though I've taught it many times in a classroom setting. And so Lord willing we're going to embark on that in the months to come.

[8:32] and so we need to look and I'm just going to do this morning a kind of a summary of what God's plan is and to point us in the right direction and then the next time I speak we're going to dig in and start in the series.

[8:59] And so question number two does God have a plan for humanity? Does God have a plan?

[9:13] We need to understand that. We need to believe that that God had a plan before Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden.

[9:24] He had a plan for humanity. Before he created Adam and Eve he knew they would disobey.

[9:37] He knew they would disobey him and fall from grace. Lose their innocence and no good and evil.

[9:49] We are the proof of that. God knew that and in his wisdom in his love in his character he decided that I will or we will as in the Godhead create humanity in our likeness so they can fill the earth and subdue it.

[10:20] God's plan is that his creation worship him as almighty.

[10:34] Number one God's plan is we will worship. We will recognize our creator and live accordingly.

[10:51] second God knew we would fall and before we fell he had a plan of how to lift us up again.

[11:07] And as in the garden they fell into sin and fear and guilt and shame came upon mankind so God in Jesus Christ lifts us back up in him in integrity.

[11:31] Before he created the world he had foreordained Christ to die for us. He has a plan you bet he has a plan.

[11:42] and so just as Jesus fulfilled that and came as a baby to the earth in the same manner he is going to come back a second time for judgment.

[12:03] The first time as a savior the second time to judge all those who rejected salvation.

[12:16] So as we look at the end of this age if I can use that term the closing down of the world as we know it as the book of revelations brings to us we know this too is part of God's plan.

[12:38] The days are numbered he knows predetermined by him before life began when Jesus would come back and he alone knows and there is no one among amongst us as men or women that can set the date many have tried and they're all wrong but the Lord the father he knows so for me this is a huge comfort to know that all the evil that's happening all the fighting that's happening the impact of sin that God has a plan our heavenly father has a termination date where it will come to an end and the

[13:38] Lord Jesus will return we can rest in that we put our hope in that it is our everything and as we look at the details of how God will allow the world to come to an end it's it's somewhat scary the wrath of God being poured out upon this earth is not an exciting prospect and yet the world will taste the fulfillment of sin and its fullness as it comes to an end the judgment of God is God just in judging mankind is he just in doing that in history we only have two accounts of major judgments as

[15:02] God dealt with sin and let's briefly turn to them and the first one would be in Genesis chapter 6 I'm going to read a few verses there Genesis 6 and I'm going to keep it down from verses 5 through 8 then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually and the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth and he was grieved in his heart and so the Lord said I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth both man and beast creeping thing and birds of the air for

[16:04] I am sorry that I have made them but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord from creation to chapter 6 we have 15 to 1600 years of history genealogy you can read in chapter 5 you can track the numbers you can trace it down to that after 1600 years it says God saw the wickedness of man that it was great on the earth and that every intent of the heart was evil continually and God said I'm going to make a new start but Noah found grace Noah and his family and found grace meaning they believed and recognized

[17:13] God as their creator they put their faith in him we have very little details in his personal faith faith but we have a huge testimony that Noah was righteous that he believed God because he built a boat for 100 years when it had never rained on this earth and approximately 500 miles from any large body of water did he have faith absolutely and so God destroyed the earth was it literal did it happen absolutely it happened and just happened God will judge all sin at the end the other account is in a few chapters down in

[18:18] Genesis of Sodom and Gomorrah and God saw their depravity their sinfulness and he says I've come to look and maybe we can turn there to Genesis 18 verse 17 we have the we have three visitors at Abraham's tent we know from the descriptions later that two are angels and one is the Lord himself the Lord Jesus and after Abraham has entertained them and shown hospitality verse 17 and the

[19:18] Lord said shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him for I have known him that he may command his children and his household after him that they keep the way of the Lord to do righteousness and justice that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has spoken to him and and and the Lord said because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and because their sin is very grave I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to me if not I will know so the Lord has come to confirm and and God God knew without being there in the body of the Lord Jesus Christ or physically but he came he came likely for the sake of bringing lot out and the righteous ones if we turn the chapter to 19 verse 24 then the

[20:37] Lord rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord out of the heavens and so he overthrew those cities all the plain all the inhabitants of the cities and what grew on the ground and so again a judgment of the Lord this time not on the world but on cities of of where evil had taken over as we as we contemplate that then we cannot help but wonder how long Lord if we look around us today how long for the same sins the sodomites practiced men with men depraved sexual sins depraved meaning twisted in their minds and today we have countries governments endorsing not only endorsing and supporting but promoting this kind of lifestyle and then we wonder how long

[22:02] Lord before the Lord will come and we know we know that the day is coming why because God says every sin has to be punished every sin not even the smallest sin will go unescaped but have to come under God's judgment and so this is why God is allowing the world to in a way we could say self destruct as evil seems to mount and grow bigger but in the end God will destroy and he will put an end to evil and he will destroy the unbelievers so as we look at every sin being punishable

[23:13] God is just he cannot allow one little sin into heaven and by the way you don't want him to do you we don't do we and so how then can we be sure how then can we face this future without fear and the only answer is is to have our sin taken care of by God himself there is no other way to have God apply the righteousness of his son

[24:15] Jesus Christ upon our lives for he provided a way out redemption to redeem us out of our lost condition Jesus becoming taking on the judgment of God for us death every sin is punishable by death Jesus experienced that death for us aside from that without the Lord Jesus there is no hope it is dark it's fearful and so it's a message for every human being young and old we need to come to grips with this and to make peace with our

[25:23] God and I want to read in revelations 20 just the last judgment that is coming and it's not even the tribulation period but it's the final judgment on mankind revelations 20 the great white throne judgment and this will occur after the reign of Christ the thousand year reign and I'll start in verse 10 of revelations 20 the devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone the beast and the false prophet are and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever and then

[26:25] I saw a great white throne and him who sat on it and from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away and there was found no place for them and I saw the dead small and great standing before God and books were opened and another book was opened which is the book of life and the dead were judged according to their works by the things which were written in the books the sea gave up the dead who were in it and death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them and they were judged each one according to his works and then death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire this is the second and anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire this is the final end before eternity in the new heavens in the new

[27:31] Jerusalem as God brings about all unbelievers before him and judges them according to the books according to their works but preceding them preceding them at the beginning of the thousand year reign the antichrist and the false prophet are cast into the lake of fire hell eternal here were described fire and brimstone and at the end of the thousand years Satan himself joins his two companions

[28:47] God that God cast out of heaven because of disobedience and but then at that last judgment all the dead all those who died from day one right to the great white throne judgment will be resurrected and will stand before God and will be judged according to their works and the works will condemn them and they will join they will join Satan the antichrist and the false prophet in the lake of fire for all eternity God cannot have sin in his presence he is a holy God separated from sin the key in verse 15 and anyone not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire to have your name written in the book of life so brothers and sisters this is what we need to make sure is that my is my name written there have

[30:18] I have I come before my maker with a broken contrite heart and acknowledged my sinfulness acknowledged my sinful nature and said Lord here I am I need you accept me as I am come into my life and be Lord of my life God is the response that God wanted wants from every one of us God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked God is the prophet Ezekiel tells us that a number of times where he says to the children of

[31:25] Israel turn repent I have no death or no joy in your death God's desire is for us to turn to him and likewise in 2 Peter where it says God is long suffering not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance that includes you and that is our ticket to the book of life is your name written there it's a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God if you have not made up to him and I realize this is a very serious message but it is a it's the most serious thing before you and it's it's facing all of mankind and if you have the joy of the

[32:45] Lord this morning praise the Lord praise the Lord live accordingly live with anticipation and and more so tell your neighbor about this for the Lord would want everyone to turn tell others about him and this morning and there's fear in your heart get down on your knees before a holy God and tell him who you are confess and invite him in the Lord is waiting perhaps knocking on your heart and he's he's wanting to give you peace and joy as we as we're going to go this path of this teaching it's not it's not to put fear into believers as to the end but rather the peace that comes through understanding that that will be the purpose and even in judgment we see the grace of God as many many will come to faith in the

[34:29] Lord through what the Lord will work here on earth so I'm going to stop this morning with that and it's it's we have enough to think about and to examine and to ensure and but may the peace with each one of you let's pray Lord it's it's such a somber serious message our future what are we going to do with Jesus Christ and Lord we know there's only two ways it's it's accepting him into our life or it's pushing him away and rejection and and father let us come before you with a heart that is broken that acknowledges who we are as human beings like

[35:50]  Isaiah said come let us reason together though your sins are like scarlet they shall be white as snow father we know you want us to think to meditate to read through and to come to the only logical conclusion that there is that is to embrace you to turn to you father may you have your will in each one of us help anyone that is struggling this morning to find that peace God in Jesus name amen