All right. Back to Matthew 24. Let's read
three verses that will serve as a text. So likewise ye, when ye shall
see all these things, know that it is near, even at the barely or of a truth I say unto
you, this generation shall not pass till all these things be
fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away,
but my words, what I have just said, shall not pass away. When you see all these things,
it or he is near, even at the doors. This generation shall
not pass. That's sobering, isn't it, those
verses? I started to reserve this message
for Sunday night. I still may repeat it. Many people here more people
need to hear this. But. Wednesday night's gathering of
people to me. And to other men that I've talked
to. Most of the time. Wednesday night's
gathering is the church that's the church. I had. Well, my pastor one time said,
if you want to know who the church is and what a church is like
and what shape or condition the church is in, go there on a Wednesday
night. That's the church. It is the
faithful gathering. Faithful. People who faithfully
assemble them do not forsake the assembly of themselves together,
but faithfully. We're called upon to be faithful
in a few things. Now, what is there for us to
be faithful in? Just a few things, and this is one of them. This is the most important thing,
because what we're doing is like I quoted from Hebrews 10. We are exhorting one another. By the gathering together, we
are exhorting one another so much more as we see the day And
I hope we'll see that that day is here it's approaching. And when I say faith you know
talk about the faithful people assembling together what am I
talking about faithful a few things those are faithful those
are full of faith. What is faith. It's not just
a believing doctrine. Everybody gets excited over rousing
preaching and orthodox preaching. Everybody does. Everybody likes
a good, sound gospel message, or at least sovereign gracers
do. But faith is a relationship with
a person. To be full of faith is to be
a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, a follower wherever he
goes. You know what a follower does? A follower Disciple what
were the decide what the disciples do basically what did they do
for three and a third year. Followed him wherever he went
that's where they. Whenever he spoke they were sitting
there. They were his faithful followers. And a faithful follower
I would be and Christ said we're two or three together that's
where I'm going to be by God's grace that's where I want to
be. I'm a disciple. I'm a follower. I love her. I love to hear him speak. At
times when he speaks, and I've heard him, and I don't want to
miss it when he does. It's a relationship with the
living Lord. It's abiding in him. He says, except you abide
in me and my word in you, you have no part in these things.
Loving him and so forth. And like any true love, True love wants to be with the
person it loves. There's just no other way to put it.
True love wants to be with the person it loves. Or else you'd
have to question that love, wouldn't you? And to be with Christ is
to be wherever he is gathered. And I'm not admonishing you all.
If this is your heart's your heartfelt desire to be here tonight,
and you're glad to be here, and you truly rejoice in what I'm
about to say, then take heart from this. You're a disciple.
You're one of those faithful followers. And to be with Christ
is what his people wanted to be and wanted to do, to be with
him and to be with Christ at that great day. That is what
we are chiefly looking forward to. Immediately after the Lord
preached or told these things in Matthew 24, do you know what
comes right after in chapter 25? Just glance at it. Chapter 25, you know the parable
there? And you need to have your Bibles
ready because we're going to look at several scriptures. It
won't take long, but we'll look at several. Right after the Lord
talked about his coming, he gave that parable of the ten virgins,
who represent ten professing believers. Five of them. Fifty percent. And that's serious, isn't it?
That's serious. And he says, look at verse three,
or verse thirteen of Chapter 25, Watch, therefore. Do you remember a message we
did one time on Watch? Watch, therefore. Watch. Well, I'm going to give
you some biblical reasons. The title of this message is
Why I Think Christ is Coming Soon. And I'm not just going
to give you what I think, but biblical reasons. And I couldn't
put all that on tape, on the title of the tape. But biblical
reasons why I think Christ is coming soon. Biblical reasons,
all right? Our Lord gives in Matthew 24 a chronology of events that precede
his second coming. Verse 3, the disciples were interested
and they heard him tell down in Jerusalem, they heard him
say that that temple would be and all the buildings would be
thrown down. Verse three, after they were gathered together on
the mountain, they asked him, Tell us, when shall these things
be? What shall be the sign of thy
coming and of the end of the world? When? When is the end,
Lord? Now, he's talking now, right
here, to his disciples, nearly two thousand years ago. Remember
that. All right, look at verse four.
Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed, take heed, that
no man deceive you. Four, he says, Many shall come
in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many. Take
heed, that no man shall deceive you, for many shall come in my
name. So there's some things that have
to take place. In the future, our Lord is talking
to those disciples. Now, this reminded me of 2 Thessalonians. You don't have to turn there,
but listen carefully. Paul is writing to the Thessalonians
in chapter 2. You remember this? He said, Let
no man deceive you by any means. Let me read the verse before
that. He says, Don't be soon shaken
in mind or be troubled either by spirit or as preacher or by
word as that the day of Christ is at hand. You remember that? Paul wrote that. He said don't
be soon shaken thinking that the day of Christ is soon. Let
no man deceive you. You see the similarity there?
Let no man deceive you, but that day shall not come. Except there
come several things first. All right? So our Lord is talking
to his disciples there. And they say, When? He says,
Well, don't let any man deceive you. His return is not soon.
That was 2,000 years ago. 2,000 years ago. And I'm not deceiving you tonight,
though. His return is soon, because we're going to see these things
have taken place. All right, now look at verses
five through eight. Many shall come in my name, saying,
I am Christ, and shall deceive many. You shall hear of wars
and rumors of war. See that ye be not troubled.
All these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Now, he still taught me his disciples 2,000 years ago, right? And they
were going to see the sacking of Jerusalem, the overthrow of
that whole city, the abomination of desolation. They were going
to see the temples destroyed, the Jews captured, taken away
by their enemies, and so forth. Wars and rumors of wars. The
whole world was going to be in turmoil, and on and on and on
it goes. But he says the end is not yet. Not yet. There's
more to come. Verse 7, there shall nations
arise against nations, kingdoms against kingdoms, there shall
be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in different places.
All these are the beginnings of sorrow. Then shall
they deliver you up to be afflicted, shall kill you, shall be hated
of all nations for my name's sake, persecution, martyrdom.
Every one of these disciples he was talking to, it happened. Every one of them. what he said. Now, we noted before, we studied
this passage before together, and we noted that if you go down,
he continues that down through verse fourteen, the very last
line of verse fourteen says, then shall the end come. He gives a running account, a
very brief running account, OK? of what shall precede his coming,
all right? And now, in verse fifteen, he
starts over again. In verse fifteen, he starts over
again and gives a little more comprehensive talk of what is going to take
place, a little more in-depth of what is going to happen. And
like the Scripture says, if everything he said, and if he He said, I
have many things to say unto you, but you're not able to bear
them now. It would take a volume this big, you know, for him to
tell everything, or the world couldn't contain the volume. But he goes a little more in-depth,
but knowing our faculty, he doesn't go in too deep detail. It's like I'm trying not to do
tonight. I've already seen, I'm losing some people. Well, verses
fifteen and following now, he gives a little more complete
view of what he just said. Or, I love
it, look back to verse eleven. Verse eleven, he says, Many false
prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. Look at verse twenty-four
across the page. There shall arise false christians. magnifying what he'd already
said, because look at it. There shall arise false Christs
and false prophets, and, he said, shall deceive many. Verse 24,
he says, show great signs and wonders, in so much as if it
were possible they shall deceive the very like. I told you this
before. Do you see that? So what it is, he's, you know,
this isn't two different time things. He's just qualifying.
He's just qualifying what he already said a little more in
depth. All right, now here are the reasons, here are many reasons
taken from Scripture, why I think his return is soon, from his
very words. Verse 6 and 7, you shall hear
of wars, rumors of wars, all these things must come to pass.
Verse 7, nations shall rise against nations, kingdom against kingdom,
there shall be famine, pestilence, earthquakes in different places,
wars, famine, pestilence, calamities in different places. He's the
beginning of sorrows. Now, in our day, there have been
wars and rumors of wars, haven't there? I mean wars and rumors
of wars. There have been major wars, continental
wars and worldwide wars, many of them, wars and rumors of wars.
And in our day, right now, there are little skirmishes still going
on, wars and rumors of wars all over the continent, or all over
the world. This globe is a powder keg. It really is. And I could give
you a listing of them, but I'm not going to take the time. Famine.
He said famines and pestilences and earthquakes in different
places, different places. different places. There's never
been such a widespread or more frequent occurrences of
all of these things than that in our day. Never before has
there been such widespread stories of earthquakes the world over. nor of famines and pestilences
and calamities, nor of more frequent occurrences of these things."
You used to, you would only hear of an earthquake ever, so every
now and then. Right? Just every twenty years,
some major earthquake. You're hearing them now about
every two months. Right? And what about pestilences? You know, many of the diseases
we thought we had eradicated are on the rise again. Smallpox. We thought we got rid of it.
Tuberculosis. We thought we got rid of it. There are strains
of diseases now coming up we don't have a clue about. Don't have a clue. They say AIDS
is not the real killer itself. What is it that starts with an
H? There's a form of hepatitis that's
killing more people than that. Famine, pestilences, calamities,
and so forth. Never has there been more frequent
or more widespread occurrences of these things than now in nature
itself. Nature itself seems to be totally
in turmoil, doesn't it? Paul said in 1 Corinthians, he
said, the whole creation grown And it's never grown like it's
growing now, is it? This is one reason, all of these
things. One reason, all right? Here's
another reason. Look at verse 11. He says, Many
false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. Many false
prophets shall rise and deceive many. There have never at any
time since the beginning of time been more false prophets on the
face of this planet than now. Many, the brother and I were
talking about before we came in here, how that there's some
little religious group gathering together in some building under
some wild name on every street corner. And whoever the dude
is behind that pulpit is a false prophet. Many false prophets shall rise
and shall deceive many. Where are the many? They're not here tonight, are
they? Where the gospel is preached,
where the word of God alone is proclaimed Sunday after Wednesday,
they're not here, are they? are many, they shall deceive
many. This reminds me of what Paul
said in 2 Timothy. Listen to this. He said in 2
Timothy 3, he said, evil men and seducers shall wax worse
and worse, deceiving and being deceived. Deceiving and being
deceived. Listen to this. It says, the
time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine. Brother Ed, there was a time
when men would come out and hear a man like me preach, wouldn't
Why? Well, he preaches the Bible.
They at least recognized to some extent orthodoxy, didn't they?
Just twenty years ago, or maybe a little longer than that. I'm
getting a little older. Maybe thirty years ago. It says
the time will come, and now it is, when they won't endure a
sound doctrine. You can't get a crowd where the
only attraction is going to be God. You can't get anybody to come
in and hear anything where the only attraction is Bible preaching.
You're going to have to have something else. They won't endure
just good old sound preaching anymore. Doctrine. After their
own lust, they're going to eat to themselves. Teachers have
an itch in their ear. Turn away their ears from the truth, the
whole truth and nothing but the truth, plain truth, and turn
them to fables. There's never been a time when
that's more clearly spoken of than this. Has there? Never. Widespread heresy is the
reason. Widespread heresy. Our Lord said,
if it were possible, it would deceive the very elect. And you
may have caught yourself at times saying, well, he said some good
things. If it were possible. He said
they'll show signs and wonders. Signs and wonders. This is the
day of signs and wonders. Never been a time of more signs
and wonders. Right? All right? Here's another reason. Thirdly,
look at verse 12. Verse 12. He says, Because iniquity
shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Iniquity shall
abound. Now there have been wicked ages. There have been times of open
wickedness down through the years, medieval times, times when the
scriptures were not very prevalent, wicked times. But those were times when that
wickedness was pretty much isolated in one parts of Europe or here
and there, I'm telling you folks, this whole world is vile. From the recesses, the cesspool
of Brazil to London, England, just Australia, you just go anywhere,
go anywhere on this globe and you'll see hell. All hell has broken loose on
this planet. All restraints are gone. Iniquity,
how could it get any worse? It says, Iniquity shall abound.
How can it abound any more than now? They're practically running naked
in public now. Well, they do at Mardi Gras and
places like that, and nobody stops them. There are places
in the inner cities where police will not go. Iniquity shall abound. How could
it get any worse? How could it get any worse? And I think this means something
else, too. And this is another reason. Because
iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. The love
of many shall wax cold, iniquity shall abound. I believe this
is also speaking of religious hypocrisy. Religious hypocrisy which our
Lord called iniquity remember when those people he said the
people will someday stand before him. And say we did this we did
that in your name and he said the part for me you workers of. Iniquity now these weren't immoral
people they were more. They were decent people. And I believe the the. What is behind this is prosperity. Prosperity. They do what they
do in the name of Jesus, but it's all for the love of money
and fame and prestige. Prosperity. Because prosperity
shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Our Lord said
to the church at Ephesus, you've left your first love. Now why? Why would anybody leave their
first love and search for something better? They found something
better, something that entices them more. Demas had forsaken
me. Why did you forsake him, Demas? He loved this present world. To the church at Laodicea, he
said, You're not hot or cold. You're lukewarm. Because you
say you're rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing. One of the brethren and I were
talking about this also. And some of you people up in
your fifties and sixties, seventies, Charles, will remember times back during
the war. And how old are you, Ella? Seventy-what? Seventy-one. Well, you lived
during the Depression, didn't you? You sure did. Lean times
like that, troubled times, war times, lean times, troubled times,
men called on God a little bit back then, didn't they? I have books downstairs that
tell of great revivals that went on during the Civil War. how
whole regiments in the South supposedly had revivals. Why? They were about to die. I mean,
they were going to die, and they knew it. Gettysburg and so on,
they knew it. They were going to run wholesale
slaughter into their death. They knew it. They were calling
on God. They listened when the preacher
preached. Oh, and he preached when there was some chaplain
who stood up right before they were to charge into battle. And
they had their little testaments out for him. And buddy, they
were praying. But times of peace and prosperity,
men forget God. They forget him. He said, look
at verse 37 through 39. Verse thirty-seven through thirty-nine
of Matthew twenty-four. He said, As the days of Noah
were, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. And this
is the reason I believe that it will be a time of prosperity
when it comes. It won't be a lean time. It will be a time of prosperity. Noah's day, it wasn't a whole
or worldwide. There wasn't anything to indicate
that there was worldwide famine or any problem. As in the days of Noah were,
Before the flood, they were eating, drinking, marrying, giving in
marriage, till the day that Noah entered in the ark. And then
over in Luke 17, you don't have to turn, but let me read this
to you. Luke 17, he adds this. At the back of that, he says,
Likewise, as it was in the days of Lot, they ate and drank and
bought and sold. And you can't buy anything unless
you've got some money. And sold, and they planted, that
means they had land, and they builded, eating, drinking, Buying,
selling, planting, building—that's prosperity in it. That's times
of prosperity. The same day that a lot went
out of Sodom, it rained fire, even so shall it be when the
Son of Man is revealed. Now, that's prosperity in it.
That tells me it's going to be a time of prosperity. And a day
when you think not. You think Christ is coming back
tomorrow morning. He said, and a day when you think not. You
really think it? There's not many people thinking about it. And a day when you think, no,
any day anybody's thinking about it. Why? Why wouldn't people
be thinking about it? Prosperity. Now, don't let us be like that,
people. Let us not be like them. Let us not sleep as do others,
but let us watch. When the Son of Man comes, shall
we find His servant watching? Watching. That's what we're doing
right now, tonight. This is a watch. I don't care
what they say the little funerals are. This is the watch. What
are they watching for in those funerals? Isn't that what they
call them, you old folks? A watch, a wake. That's it. A
wake, a watch, same thing. They're awake, they're awake
and they're watching, looking at their watches. That's what
it is. Can't wait for the morning. Well, we need to be like David
said, my soul waited for thee, watcheth for thee more than they
that watch for the morning. I say more than they that watch
for the morning. Eating, there's nothing wrong with these things.
Our Lord is not condemning these things. Eating, not condemning
eating and drinking. He's just stating a fact. Eating
and drinking, this thing's going to go on as usual. In other words,
there's no worldwide calamities taking place. Or famine and all
that, causing men to... No. Things are just going to...
Business as usual. Wall Street's still going. Jobs
still there. And so forth. And... But I think it's... Our
Lord said of some people, He said, Their God is their belly.
Paul said that. And our Lord said to us, now,
people, He said, Take no thought. He said this to Matthew 10, I
believe. He said, take no thoughts what you shall eat or what you
shall do. He said that's what the Gentiles
are worried about. That doesn't mean get up and
throw the first thing that comes to us. He's saying take no anxious
thoughts. Oh my, my, my, my, my, my, my,
my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my,
my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my,
my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my,
my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my,
my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my, my Be consumed
with this. Think on things above. Be consumed
with that. That's what he's saying. And
in prosperity, that's one of my reasons. Biblical reason.
Prosperity. People wax cold to the gospel. And it's never been so more than
now. As I've said before, when the
weather waxes warm, hearts wax cold. Look around you. When the weather waxes warm,
hearts wax cold. And a day when you think, I believe
the Lord may come on a Wednesday night. Or Saturday night, when everybody's
having a big time whatever. Prosperity. I believe that's
a sign of his coming. And now, there's never been a
more prosperous time. This country has never been in
better shape. We don't give Clinton credit for it. Bush, it happens. He just inherited it. Well, whoever, whatever, the
Lord has sent it. Prosperity. It's a trial. You know, prosperity is a trial.
People, everybody in this room is rich. All the clothes we could wear
for months, and money in our pocket to go wherever, and cards
to buy. What do you need? What do you
want? Just get it. We're rich. No, let's not be. Let's not be. Let's not sleep as do others,
okay? We're in the watching business. We're watchmen. Watch women. Prosperity. A time when you think
not. Let us not be like those five virgins, huh? Where does
the oil in your lamp come from? Where does that oil of the Holy
Spirit come from? The gathering of his people and
the Holy Spirit at once, preaching of his word and so forth. All
right, verse 14. Here's another reason. Verse
14, chapter 24. Look at it. Verse 14, this gospel
of the kingdom. shall be preached in all the
world for a witness unto all nations." Worldwide evangelism
is a sign that precedes his immediate coming, worldwide evangelism.
People, the barriers are down. There are no more barriers anywhere
in the world where the gospel cannot go. Now, the walls are
down, the curtains are drawn, the iron ones, right? My pastor
and Bill Clark are getting ready to go to Russia for the second time, maybe
the last, just in a couple of weeks. Be gospel. I'm not talking about be gospel
now. I'm not talking about all this. Be gospel is going all
over the world. It's being preached to all nations. All nations. Look at the last
line now. Then shall the end come. It's at the door. I mean, where can the gospel
go now, hadn't it gone? Huh? Can you think of a place on the
globe where the gospel hasn't gone? Then shall the end come. Why? because our Lord is long-suffering. As in the days of Noah, when
he waited seven days, left the door open, our Lord is merciful. He's waited the long-suffering
of the Lord's salvation. He's waiting for the elect to
come in through the preaching. How are they going to come in?
Through the preaching of the gospel. When we predestinated, he'd be
called by the gospel. After everybody hears this gospel
and the elect hear the gospel and are brought in, Trump shall sing. Then shall
the end come. And there are many other reasons,
many other biblical reasons. Let's just browse down through
here, OK? I've been exactly 32 minutes. That ain't long. We
didn't have to watch for an hour. Look at 1 Thessalonians 5 with
me. Just browse with me, would you?
I took the time to go through the concordance and look all
these up. I did most of the work for you. 1 Thessalonians 5, verse
3. Here's a bunch of other biblical
reasons why I believe he's close. Verse 3, When they shall say,
Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them.
peace and safety, or as the Old Testament prophets used to say,
they shall cry, peace, peace. What is the message being preached
from pulpits today? Peace and safety. God loves you. Jeremiah 23, verse 17, I believe
it is, he said, When they shall say unto you, No evil shall befall
you, God loves you, has a wonderful plan for your life. Then sudden destruction. Peace
and safety. They're going to rush into the
face of a God they think loves them, but who in actuality hates
them. That's where men's hearts are
going to fail. They're going to be absolutely incredulous. That's how people are going to
be in the face of God. Well, we believed. Peace, smooth things, smooth
things. Isn't that what they prophesy,
that smooth thing? Prophesy smooth things. Sudden destruction. And
he says to us, and I've been quoting it, Let us not sleep,
as do others. Let us watch and be sober. Let
us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of
faith and love and so forth and so on. Oh, boy. Watch, watch. 2 Thessalonians
chapter 2. Look over there. 2 Thessalonians
2 verse 3. 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 3. Let no man deceive you by any
mean that day shall not come. I just read this to you a while
ago. That day shall not come except
there come a falling away first. That's apostasy. That's what
that is. There's never been a day of more
widespread apostasy than now. The gospel ran well for years. The gospel was taken to the far
reaches of the globe years ago. It started out, well, it didn't
start, but it started over there in Jerusalem and spread and there
were churches everywhere, right? Philippi and Ephesus and Galatia
and just so on, all over that, where Turkey and all that, Arabia
and all that is, churches everywhere. And it spread. It really caught
hold over in the British Isles. It caught hold there in England,
Ireland, Scotland. Man! Right, Brother Ed? I'm telling you. There were wholesale
revivals everywhere. And it was exported over to this
country. And the great awakening they
talk about in this country, where thousands converted. Well, you'd
be hard-pressed to find the gospel over in Scotland. Bill Clark's
traveled all over the British Isles, and you can count on one
hand the gospel churches in England, Ireland, and Scotland. What about
this country? And the gospel's gone to Africa
now. The Lord's removing the missionaries. Why? To gather this thing up. Got his elect. Got his sheep.
They're smattering the corn on the mountaintop here and there. Falling away. Apostasy. Many
Antichrists. False Christs. Pretended holy
men. Look at, well, you didn't turn there. Listen to this, or
did you? Did you turn to 2 Thessalonians? Yeah, you did. Verse 9, look
here. It says, "...even him whose coming
is after the working of Satan, with all powers and signs and
lying wonders, all deceivableness and unrighteousness of them that
perish." Verse 10, 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 10, "...because they
receive not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. For
this cause God shall send them strong delusions." that they
all might be damned who believe not the truth, that they all
might be damned who believe not the truth. You think you're right
and everybody else is wrong. Yes, I do. Yes, I do. If they receive not
the love of the truth, And what I am preaching is the truth.
What men that we know and love are preaching the truth, the
whole truth, that's nothing but the truth. There is no other
truth. That is the gospel. To any man preaching the other
gospel, let him be accursed, and he will. There are going
to be damned who receive not this truth. And I read to you
where Paul said to Timothy, he said, they will turn away their
ears from the truth. I mean, you can read the Bible
to them now, can't you, Rick? Just read the Bible to them.
For the children being not yet born, either having done any
good or evil, that the purpose of God, according to election,
might stand that said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger,
as the hen that calleth." I don't believe that. I just read Romans
9, I don't believe that. They're all going to be damned.
They're all going to be damned. 1 Timothy 4, look over there. 1 Timothy 4, and I'm almost finished. 1 Timothy 4. And Christ is almost
finished. 1 Timothy 4, verse 1, look at this, 1 Timothy
4, verse 1, he says, "...the Holy Spirit speaketh," or teaches,
"...expressly," very plainly, very clearly, "...that in the
latter time some shall depart from the faith." Now, this is
apostasy, isn't it? They shall depart from the faith
in the latter time, giving heed to seducing preachers and doctrines
of the devil, and so forth, and so on. We have seen them leave
here. Where would they go? Ask them. Most of them aren't going anywhere.
But if they do, they're going somewhere where some Armenian
is preaching. Right? giving heed to seducing spirit.
2 Timothy 3, turn over here. Now, there's no passage in all
the Bible that more clearly speaks of this day than this. And he
says to us in verse 1, 2 Timothy 3, this know also, you need to
know this, that in the last days perilous times shall come, dangerous
times, wild times, wicked times, Men shall be lovers of their
own selves. Now, this right here is like—you could put this on
the front page of Roanoke Times. Covetous, materialistic, boasters, boasters, proud, blasphemers. God's name, Christ's name is
on everybody's lips. Everybody's left from little
children to you name it. Disobedient to parents. I mean,
this is in every, nearly every child, even some believers' children.
Flat, disobedient to parents, and disrespectful of all authority.
Just a couple of decades ago, that wasn't so. Disobedient to
parents, unthankful, that is, to God and others. Nobody thanking
anybody. Everybody's getting what they
deserve. Unholy, without natural affection. Homosexuality, whether
it be homosexuality or without that motherly, fatherly, parental
affection that allow people to give their children up and so
forth. Trucebreakers. A man's word doesn't count for
nothing. I mean, nothing. Does anybody's word mean anything? That's laughable, isn't it? Trucebreaker. False accusers. Men gossip. The big selling newspapers of the
day are these trash, these, what do you call them? Slander magazine. Those are the big sellers. Read on. Incontinent. That means they have no restraints
at all to their passions. Fierce, violent, despisers of
those that are good, traitors, children divorcing
their parents. Oh, my. Heady, high-minded, and
this sums it all up, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of
God. People, how could you get a day
that that speaks more clearly than that. No way! No way. So our Lord said, when you see
all these things, know that it's near. It's near. He's near. Even at
the door. At the door. And we need to exhort one another
so much more as we see this day approaching. Do you see tonight,
now, that this day is rapidly approaching, the coming of Christ? What do you say? I believe everyone in here, most
everyone in here, can say this with the peak flare in Revelation
22, verse 20. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. He said, I come quickly. Even so. Let it be so. That's what amen mean. That's
the way I want it. I'm in agreement to that. Come,
Lord Jesus. Even so, come. Now, when you
see all these things, he said, no. It's near. He's near. Even at
the door. Barely I say unto you. Heaven
and earth shall pass away, but my word won't pass away. This
generation, and I failed to say this, and I wanted to go over
to 2 Peter 3, but you've seen it before, where Peter said,
Don't be ignorant of this, brethren. Be not ignorant of this one thing.
Remember that? He said, A day is a thousand
years, and a thousand years is a day. Every Bible student will tell
you that generations in the Scripture were about 2,000 years. This generation, our Lord said. This generation. Come on, Lord. Doesn't that fill
you with excitement, though? I'm not trying to scare anybody. They don't feel like we'll be
some everybody's like everybody will be smiling. Or just with
anticipation, excited about it. Say, my children aren't saved.
When he comes, it won't matter. It won't matter. I know it matters
to you now, but he's going to do what's right with your children
and with all things. He's going to do what's right.
Those children are listening to me tonight. I hope it's been
a means of of shaking them out of their dullness and make them
say, Hey, I don't know him, and he's about to come. If this is
true, what the preacher is saying is true, and he's real close,
and only those that know him will be saved. I don't know him.
Maybe it will cause them to say, Lord, I want to know you. I want
to know you. I want to know you. When you see all these things.
All right, stand with me. Rick Williams, would you dismiss
this inquiry, please? Lord, help us to take heed to
the warning that I'm worried. Lord and Mother, if I hold the
Spirit, we might walk in Thy Word, walk in Thy light. And look, what we have to do
is to put the cradles under our feet. Lord, we owe it all to
You. We're the children of His people. We bless You. Blessings upon
blessings given to old and famished and children. Lord, we thank
You. We thank You for all of these
things. Most of all, we thank You for
bringing word for this gospel. Secondly, like you said, you
know, we ask that your people, your heritage, that your names,
bloodshed, old age, and every other period of time, let there
be heritage, Lord. And as our pastor said, Lord,
we lift our children up to you. They're your heritage. They're
your children. Lord bless you all. God bless you. God bless you all. God bless you all. Take this word as a priest tonight
and get closer to Jesus. In Christ's name we ask and pray
these things. This message is for my love of
you. In Christ's name. Amen. Amen.