Sermon for Sunday July 26th, 2009

BIBLE PROPHECY by Bruce Ball

2 Timothy 3:16-3:17

Pastor Bruce Ball
CrossWinds Bible Church

‘16) All Scripture is given by God and is useful for teaching, for showing people what is wrong in their lives, for correcting faults, and for teaching how to live right. 17) Using the Scriptures, the person who serves God will be capable, having all that is needed to do every good work.’ [NCV]

During this past decade, there has been a revival of interest in the gift of prophecy. If you ask any group of people, especially since 9/11, you will find that over half are very curious about biblical prophecy. This even applies to those who do not necessarily claim belief in the Bible in their lives.

This is one of the several "Spiritual Gifts" which has had it’s hills and valleys since it was first mentioned in GENESIS 20:3, when God told Abimilech that Abraham’s wife Sarah was a prophet. Ever since then, there have been times when prophecy was accepted for the gift it is, and other periods of time when the church all but refused to acknowledge its existence. The truth is, however, that prophecy is a real.

Today, I am going to talk about prophecy. And, I am going to do so in such a manner as to give even those who do not have much information about it the chance to understand the basics of prophecy.

It seems that we are in the age of polls. Every night on the news, it will tell which poll puts which presidential candidate ahead. And, of course, we all have seen how many politicians will forsake their so-called ‘ideals’ just over what the latest poll says the people want. For those of you who have Internet service, many web sites that you visit will offer polls on a variety of subjects for you to take.

Keeping in line with that wonderful information I just gave you, we are going to give you some more information taken from recent polls. According to a recent Time/CNN poll, since 9/11, 35% of Americans are paying more attention to how the world’s daily news might relate to the end of the world.

People have always had a preoccupation with the future. In the world, people gamble on the outcome of a game or a particular stock. Others go to Ouija boards or to horoscopes to see what kind of future they are going to have.

A couple of years ago, there was a TV show that was about a man getting tomorrow’s paper today, and how he went about trying to prevent the bad things that were going to happen.

The need to know about what will happen even included the sex of unborn children. Women used to spit in Sani-Flush. It would turn one color if it were a boy, and another color if it were a girl.

The recent "Left Behind" books and videos have fed this hunger to know what will happen next. One of the earmarks of new religious groups has often been the convincing predictions their founders made concerning the soon coming end of the world.

William Miller, founder of the Millerite movement, which had over a million followers, predicted that Jesus would come on March 21, 1843. There has been some suggestions that Mr. Miller was drunk on his Miller beer. I can say these two men are not one in the same, but I cannot attest to the sobriety of either person.

So, we can see that the lure of knowing the future has been with us for a very long time, and in today’s world, it seems to all be focused on world events and how they are involved in the biblical end times. We are truly living in the day of biblical prophecy.

We are also living in the day of apostates. The apostate in today’s church is defined as a person who has fallen away from the truth and is now leading people in a direction of non-truth.

More than ever before, today’s church is trying its best to keep from telling the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth to its congregations. The Christian church in America is acting very unchristian when it pertains to giving the whole and unabated Word of God to its congregations. Of course, we understand why, don’t we? The fad in America is to have the biggest church in the area, and if we start upsetting our people with the truth, they may not come back to us. Besides, why worry them with something like the truth of what is going to happen to them?

Three of the most-often questions asked by people, including churchgoers, are:

1. What is Bible prophecy?
2. When will the end-times happen?
3. What does all that mean to ‘me’?

People are starting to become more aware than they have ever been before. They want to know what is going to happen in the world so they will know what is going to happen to them. Today, I am going to give you some answers to each of those three questions, so get ready; put the cat out; sit down and hold on tight; for we are getting ready to embark on a very curious journey. A journey you need to know about.

1. WHAT IS BIBLE PROPHECY?

Prophecy is the telling of an event before it occurs. It is akin to forecasting the weather for next month, except Bible Prophecy is accurate and weather forecasting isn’t. I know. I used to be a weather forecaster.

Prophecy is like a fortune teller letting you know what will happen in your future, except Bible Prophecy does not depend on the evil spirits of the occult to do so.

Prophecy is a sign of God’s love for us. He knows what is going to happen in the last days before Christ returns, and it isn’t all going to be fun and games for Christians, so God is forewarning us so that we can be properly prepared and ready. If God did not love us, He would not care if we were prepared or not.

There are many churches today that claim the day of prophets is gone and there are no more prophets. There is nothing in the Bible that substantiates that claim. I think this is just another example of how some of today’s churches are leading their congregations down the path of false teachings. 1 THESSALONIANS 5, it tells us,

"Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt."

Today, there are prophets. According to the book of New Testament, in the later days, some of us will prophecy. And, just as we have prophets of God today, we also have false prophets. These are people who give others the word according to what they think, not what God thinks. And each time we see this, we see evidence that this false prophecy is given from a selfish personal agenda that is not from God.

2. WHEN WILL THE END-TIME HAPPEN?

Nobody knows for sure exactly when the end-times will occur, but we do have a very good outline of what to expect in those days. In order to fully understand the Scripture, however, we should probably define a few of the key words used to describe Bible Prophecy.

“RAPTURE”
This is the next thing to happen in God’s plan for the end-times. This is when all those people who ever lived that chose to follow Jesus, as their Savior will be taken up into the clouds to meet Jesus, then taken back to Heaven with Him for seven years.

In JOHN 14, Jesus tells us not to worry. He says that in His Father’s house are many rooms, and He tells his disciples that He is going there to prepare a room for each of us. Then, He says He will come back and get us and take us to His Father’s house.

In 1 THESSALONIANS 4, Paul tells us that those who are asleep in Christ will rise first and meet Jesus. Those that are asleep in Christ are those believers that have passed on. Now you want to know where these people have been keeping themselves all these years, right?

In LUKE 16, we read about a rich man and a poor man. The rich man was arrogant and only concerned with the things rich people are concerned with. The poor man was named Lazarus and he was a godly man. They both died.

The poor man was taken to be with Abraham and the people of God. The rich man was taken to hell where he could see the other side, but could not get to it, and he stayed in torment.

The dead in Christ are those that are with the poor man. They are dead, and they are set apart, but have not entered Heaven yet. We normally refer to this area as Paradise. When Jesus comes, He will take those in Paradise first, and then He will call us, the ones who are still alive to be by His side.

“TRIBULATION”
This is the last 7-year period of the world, as we know it. In REVELATION, it tells of the Antichrist coming and striking up a peace treaty between Israel and the surrounding Arabs. Things will be so bad by this time that when he produces this treaty, the entire world will start hailing him as the savior of the world.

It goes on to tell us that even though the treaty will be for seven years, it will fall apart halfway into it and things go from very bad to much worse. This is when the Antichrist will rule the world economically, religiously and politically. This is when the Antichrist will start telling the world that he is God.

“ARMAGEDDON”
At the end of the 7-year peace treaty, all of the world’s armies will come against Israel to completely destroy her. This is the war of Armageddon.

“THE SECOND COMING”
Do you remember in our Communion meditations we sometimes emphasis that Jesus wants us to eagerly await His return? This will be that day, folks! This is the climax of human history on this earth. It will happen after the war of Armageddon. In REVELATION chapter 20, it tells of how Satan, who commands the armies, will lose the final battle and will be cast out so that Jesus will rule the earth for 1000 years.

The most important sign of the end times is unfolding right before our eyes today. Everything in the end times is centered on Israel: Specifically, the return of the Jews to their native land. This is the most prophesied event in the entire Bible. Three of the most prophetic books of the Bible spend a great amount of time telling us about the regathering of Jews to Israel as a sign of the end time. These books are JEREMIAH, EZEKIAL AND ZECHARIAH.

Back in DEUTERONOMY, God warned Israel that He was going to scatter them over the entire world where they would find no rest. And, for 1900 years they have basically been scattered from their homeland and have been persecuted everywhere they went.

Starting in 1897, the Jews started to trickle back into their homeland. By 1947, the United Nations had officially given them their own country. In 2003, over 43% of the world’s 14 million Jews were back in Israel.

Let me give you all this in a synopsis of why this is so important. In DANIEL it says that the Antichrist will make a covenant with the nation of Israel for seven years. For him to be able to make a treaty with a nation, the nation must exist, right? And, if it exists, it must have a government and a citizenry. Therefore, a Jewish nation must exist prior to the Tribulation. For the first time in nearly 2000 years, it does exist again!

Why is Israel so important? The answer is simply because it has the city of Jerusalem in it. Jerusalem is so important, it is mentioned over 800 times in the Bible. 489 of are prophetic statements about the part it plays in end times.

This city has no great agricultural benefits, no great sea ports, and no great industries to speak of, so why is it important enough to start a war over? It is the city that lies at the center of two of the world’s major religions: Judaism and Islam.

Jerusalem is important to Judaism because –

§ God called Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moriah, which is currently called Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
§ King David made Jerusalem the capital city of all Israel.
§ David’s son, Solomon, built the temple in Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is important to Islam because –

§ According to their tradition, the Temple Mount is where their leader, Muhammad went to Heaven on his night journey. The Dome of the Rock now covers the rock where Muhammad left his footprint as he leaped to Heaven.
§ Islam teaches that any land conquered in the name of Allah remains in their possession forever. Since Israel and Jerusalem were conquered ‘in his name’, it is a direct insult to Muslims for these lands to now be in the hands of Jews.

One of the greatest ironies in the world is that the name ‘Jerusalem’ actually means ‘peace’, yet it is the most fought after, and fought in, city in history.

There is something else that is quickly getting into place that will enable the scenario of the end times to begin. All we have to do to see it is to read the daily papers about the European Union, or the EU. What is so prophetic about the EU?

In DANIEL, we find out that the Roman Empire will be established in two different times. The first time was when Rome ruled the world in he 1st century and the second is forecast right before the end time begins.

Mapping all the members of the EU, it now covers almost the exact same area as the original Roman Empire covered! For the first time in 1500 years, the conditions for a reunited Roman Empire are set in place.

Prophecy tells us that the Antichrist will rule over the world. How many times have we heard about a one-world government? We already have the start of a one-world currency, and the UN and the EU are both working on legislation that would create a world court.

I am not conspiratorial by nature, but as I read and study about prophecy, I must be aware of what is taking place, and how that is going to affect God’s church, His people and how it will affect you and me.

Has anybody noticed how Iraq came from being this obscure little nation nobody every heard of to being a world class outlaw in less than 20 years? Here are some of the facts surrounding Iraq that you may not have heard about.

§ Babylon was in what is now known as Iraq.
§ Babylon housed the evil leaders who tried to rule the world.
§ Babylon was the richest of all cities in its time.
§ King Nebuchadnezzar was an evil and ruthless king.
§ Saddam Hussein believed he was a descendant of Nebuchadnezzar.
§ Saddam put millions of dollars into the rebuilding of Babylon.
§ Babylon sits on the worlds 2nd largest oil deposit outside Saudi Arabia.

Remember we said the Antichrist would become the head of the world’s political, religious and economic powers. Here are some situations that “could’ happen.

§ The new Roman Empire becomes the one-world political giant.
§ They institute a one-world religion that appeases everybody and offends nobody (but Christ, that is)
§ Babylon is again occupied by the Antichrist so that he can control the world’s economy by controlling the masses of the oil fields.

At the beginning of this message, I asked three questions.

ü What is Bible prophecy?
ü When will the end-times happen?
ü What does all that mean to ‘me’?

I briefly answered the first two questions by telling you that prophecy is the foretelling of the future as God gives us the prophet the information, and that we do not know when it will actually happen, so it is best to always be ready. Now, let me answer the third question.

3. WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN TO ME?

In today’s world, we hear many people talking of prophecy and world doom. We must understand that it will be doom, but we are also called, as Christians, to focus on Jesus Christ, and not on the affairs of the world.

A true prophet does not just give the negatives of what is happening in the nation they live in, or the part of the world they live in. He does not focus on a part of the end times. A true prophet will tell of the things that are about to happen, but he will give them in a global context, and then he will offer a hope for the people of God.

The Bible also prophesies about false prophets. Those are the people who are scared of what is coming and trying to get in a position so they can control what is going to happen to them. In the Old Testament, they were told to kill false prophets. A lot of people today must be very happy we no longer do that. A true prophet of God will skip the hoopla about what is happening locally, and talk about what is happening globally and how that will affect the believer in Jesus Christ.

Do not make a habit of listening to those who want to tell you about the negatives of prophecy. Instead, read the Bible. God wants you to be aware, not to be scared. God wants you to be informed with the truth, not the lies of false prophets. If you hear someone talking to you about the future in a prophetic tone, listen to see if there is any real and true hope being included for God’s people. If not, you can be assured this is a fake.

I may have told you before about the man who met a lady and asked her out to dinner. She agreed and they set a time of 8:00 pm for him to pick her up at her house.

She put her face on, then put her best clothes on, and all the other stuff that women do to get ready for a date and she was ready a few minutes before 8:00 pm. She sat on the couch and waited for him to show up.

At 8:30 pm, she moved to the kitchen and sat at the table drinking a soda. At 9:00 pm, she was sitting back on the couch, still waiting. At 9:30 pm, she decided she had been stood up and she got undressed, put her hair up in rollers, put the old mud pack on her face and went into the kitchen to get some ice cream. Then, she sat on the couch eating from the carton of ice cream as only those who have been stood up can do.

At 10:00 pm, the doorbell rang. She answered it and there he stood. He said, “I am two hours late and you still aren’t ready?”

It is my prayer that none of us wait until Jesus comes back to get ready. It will be too late. I pray each day for God to secure each of you in the arms of Jesus Christ to make sure you are ready.

I encourage you this morning to get ready for the end – not in a doom and gloom mentality, but in a joyful “I can’t wait to see my Savior” attitude. Do not be scared as we see things unfold around us. Be joyful and bold for Jesus.

As we go into our time of invitation, I want each person in here to bow your heads and close your eyes. Examine your heart this morning. Is it where it should be in relation to Jesus Christ? If Jesus were to come back right now, are you sure you would go to Heaven, or is there some inkling of a doubt? If there is, I plead with you this morning to step up and receive Him as Savior.