The next lesson in these first
24 verses of Luke chapter 21 is to calm the people's anxious
thoughts about His second coming. Most of them, as yet, did not
perceive His impending death. They didn't understand that He
had to go to the cross and die. That was a mystery to him, let
alone his second advent. And the questions arose from
his statement about the destruction of the temple. They were just
kind of left hanging. He said not one stone will be
left upon another. Everything you're looking at
here is going to be gone. And we know now that he was talking
about A.D. 70 when he would go in and absolutely
destroy Jerusalem. But I was looking at this and
thinking about it, and I need as a pastor teacher to learn
something here about truth, spiritual truth, and lessons the scripture
says learned in the heart. I need to learn something here.
I'm not to be discouraged when teaching if some do not immediately
grasp what I have said. Nobody grasped what he had said.
But he didn't quit teaching. Nobody responded to it. And these
were things that They had to transpire before
these men could fully understand what it was He was teaching.
They hadn't happened yet. It hadn't come to pass yet. There
was things that had to be manifest. His second coming would have
little meaning until they perceived what His death on the cross was
all about. It would have had little meaning
to them. Christ must go to the cross, suffer and die, be buried
and rise from the dead, and ascend into glory. He must be seen of
them, and then he must ascend up into glory, and then send
to them the Holy Comforter. And even though they were ignorant
of what he was teaching, yet he taught them knowing that in
time these things would be profitable unto them. And I think back on
my own experience hearing Brother Mahan teach and preach the gospel
and how little it seemed at the time, how little impact that
those things had on me at the time. But there was things that had
to transpire. Things that had to be manifest.
Things that had to come to pass, providential things, events and
circumstances before I could begin to glean the full value
of his teaching. But oh, how I draw from him now. I need to think about that when
I'm teaching. And sometimes I look and it just seems like people
are way off somewhere or they're just not following what I have
to say. I don't need to be discouraged.
Things have to happen. They have to happen. But our
Lord told them that certain things must come to pass, but the end
is not by and by. That's what He says over in the
book of Luke, verse 9. In Matthew's account, He says
the end is not yet. There's a time pending. There's
things set in the counsel of God that must come to pass. And
we need to realize that about one another. There's things that
have to transpire. His providence is not just a
general providence, but it's an individual providence. There's a work going on in this
world, and it's going on right now, and a work not seen or understood
by men, a mysterious work, a providential work. And there's a people, a
people chosen of God and being prepared as was the apostles. They're being prepared to minister
to those who shall be heirs of salvation. And every day of their
life was a contribution to that end. Every day. The Lord's providence
was giving them things and sustaining them and restraining them and
everything that He does in His providence, all of these things
was a contribution to their ministry and a contribution to the saving
of the soul. He said, the end is not yet.
There's still things that have to come to pass. And the lesson
this morning is, the time is not yet. And here in Luke, he
said, it is not by and by as these things he describes begin
to come to pass. In Matthew's account, as I said,
he said the time is not yet. And the second advent of Christ
is a mystery, isn't it? It's a mystery. God is not purposed
for any man to know that hour. And though people, I don't know
really, I've never listened to them that close because I'm convinced
that no man knows that hour. It's not for him to know. About time, he has many things
to say. He said, it'll come as a thief
in the night. That's how it's going to come.
You're not a thief in the night. He's not there, and then he is. In an hour, he said that you
think not. Boy, that wipes away all these
graphs and pinpointing the day and the hour. Just throw that
out the window because he said it's going to come in an hour
when you think not. As it was, he said in the days
of Noah, so shall it be in the coming of the Son of Man. Marrying,
giving and marrying, just a normal day. All things continuing just
like they always have. Nothing going on to alert any
unregenerate men of the end of times. But several things coming
to pass to alert believers. Now I want to begin here, we're
living in the last days. Isn't that what Scripture says?
You know, we're talking about what's going to happen in the
last days. You're in the last days. It's happening right now.
Right now. And there is but one advent left
on the calendar of Holy Scripture, and that's the second coming
of Christ. He's going to come and gather
all his elect out of this world, both who are in the grave and
who are still alive on this earth. And he'll come before the judgment
of this world and gather his people to himself, body, soul,
and spirit. In John 14, he says, let not
your heart be troubled. You believe in God? Believe also
in me. In my father's house are many
mansions. If it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for you. That's why I left. And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I'll come again and receive you unto myself, that
where I am there you may be also. Think of it. Just think on that for a minute,
a place in glory reserved for you. You can't even imagine such
a thing, can you? A place in glory. A place for
me, prepared for me. Not an unwanted alien, but a
fellow citizen. Not some stranger, but a son,
an heir. And what a comfort to dying men
and women who believe on the Son of God. I go to prepare a
place for you. I don't have to wonder is there
a place. He went to prepare it. He who
cannot lie says, I'm coming again. And I'll come again and receive
you unto myself. I'll never forget as long as
I live my first day at school. I don't know if any of you had
this experience, I was the baby of nine. And I was all alone
in the house. I'm comfortable with the house.
I get up. Mom's fixing breakfast, everything
going. I know everybody there. The bread
man comes, the milk man comes. I know them all. I'm just comfortable
as I can be. All of a sudden, she dresses
me up, takes me down to the school, opens the door and kind of pats
me on the behind. Get on in there, I'll be back
after a while." And turned around and left. I tell you, I'll never
forget that as long as I live. I didn't know anybody there.
I didn't know how they were going to react to me or how things
were going to be and what I had to go through. But oh, listen
to this. He said, I will come again. and receive you unto myself,
that where I am, there you may be also." Well, what's that mean? That
means if he is no stranger here, he won't be a stranger there.
That's what that means. I will come. The only place there's
any comfort, the Holy Spirit don't discomfort you like a seasoning
on a plate of food, you know, put a little this and a little
that. The Holy Spirit makes us to know, personally know. That
word know has to do with an intimate relationship. And the Holy Spirit
causes us to enter into an intimate relationship with a person. And He says, I'll never leave
you. I'll never leave you. I'll never forsake you. I'll come again. I'll receive
you unto myself where I am." But to all the deceived
and unbelieving world, he'll say this, depart from me, you
workers of iniquity. I never knew you. You think he's
just talking to the thieves and the murderers and convicts Ungodly
men, you think that's who he's talking to here? Yes, he is talking
to them, but he's talking past that. He's talking about religious
men. Men who have staked their whole
lives and their eternity on falsehood and lies. You made lies your
refuge, that's what our Lord said. You laid your soul, you
trusted your soul on a lie. On a lie. I never knew you. Eternal life
is to know Him. It's to know Him. Do I know Him?
Well, to know Him is eternal life. Have I heard His Word?
The Word of Truth? The Word of the Gospel? And if I have and I do believe
on Him, it says I pass from death unto life. I passed. I'm not in darkness anymore.
I'm not in tied up and shrouded mysteries anymore. We have light. He has made us meet to be partaker
of the inheritance of enlightened saints. We have light. Do I have eyes to see and ears
to hear, a heart to understand? And God has given me the ability
to do so. The ability. And I don't know
of a single believer in whom the Lord has given sight and
ears to hear and given them a heart to understand. I don't know of
a single one who hasn't confronted family and friends with that
and stood in amazement as they didn't believe anything they
said. It just seems unbelievable, don't it? It's so clear to you.
Why is it so clear to you? He'll give you a heart to know
Him. That's why. Called out of darkness, translated
into His Holy Kingdom, born of the Spirit, given power to become
sons of God. It's not about when. It's not
about when, it's about who's coming and why he's coming and
what is to follow this appearance. Mark 12, 37, he said, Blessed
are those servants whom the Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching. Watching for him, looking for
him. Verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself. Who? The Lord of glory. He shall gird himself and make
them sit down to meet, and will come forth and serve them. Oh, my soul! If he shall come
in the second watch or the third watch, and find them so, blessed
are those servants. Be ye therefore ready also, for
the Son of Man cometh at an hour. we're living in the last days. Secondly, what about the signs
of the times? Every time I hear a volcano or
a tornado or somebody says, you know what it says, there's going
to be earthquakes in diverse places. Last day's coming. Last day's coming. Well, yeah,
I know, it's coming. But we're living in the last
day. It's a sign of the times. All
these signs of the times that these people who try to predict
the end of the world, all of these signs are not signs. They're not signs. Turn with
me to Matthew 24. There's a lot of speculation,
theories, and opinions about the last days, but here's what
our Lord says to us. Matthew 24, verse 36. But of that day and hour knoweth
no man, no, not the angels of heaven." They're going to be
participants in this, aren't they? He's coming in all the
glory of his Father's house with all the holy angels. Nobody knows this hour but my
Father only. And Mark adds, not even the Son. But as the days of Noah were,
so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the
days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking,
marrying, giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered
into the ark, and knew not until the flood came and took them
all away, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. The whole
world was under the curse of God. The whole world. They were judged, damned, and
awaiting punishment. The whole world. Every imagination
of the thoughts of men's heart was only evil continually, and
nothing changed in them. Not in their thoughts or in their
lives, but the end was coming soon. The end had already been
manifested. God already pronounced judgment.
They're just awaiting the hangman. Time's coming. But they weren't
aware of it. Did Noah not preach that? Sure
he did. Sure he did. But nothing changed
in them. Nothing changed in their thoughts
or in their lives. But the end was still coming.
The long-suffering of God, Peter said, waited in the days of Noah
while the ark was prepared. But Noah found grace in the eyes
of the Lord. And God called this man to build
an ark to the preservation of his life and all that God commanded
to go in it. God gave him its design and purpose
one board at a time. One board at a time. He didn't
give them, he didn't go down to the lumber company and send
it all up in one board. They didn't have lumber companies.
You had to go cut down the tree and shape the wood. That's what
gopher wood, that's what it's all about. It's a shaped wood. They took the logs and hewed
them and sawed them and chipped away day after day. 120 years
this man and his family worked on this vessel one piece at a
time. It was fashioned together until
shape began to appear and began to take on a form. What you building, Noah? What are you building? I'm building an ark. An ark? What's an ark? It's a vessel
into which God's going to save every man that he's purposed
to save. Everything that God's going to
save and preserve, he's going to put in this ark. Preserve
it from what? A flood? A flood? Well, who ever heard of that? It's never rained. Huh? It's never rained. Judgment's coming and our only
hope is in this ark. Now Noah, can't you just see
some well-meaning citizen? He comes down and puts his arm
around Noah and he said, Noah, he said, I think you could do
more good if you went out here and took that lumber and built
a Christian school. I think you could do more good. I think you win more souls with
a social ministry than just standing here in this one place piecing
together this vessel. Oh, I can just hear the audience,
can't you? I can just hear. A good God wouldn't destroy all
mankind. No, but a just God would. A loving God wouldn't bury the
whole world in a flood. No, but a righteous God would. And the God I preach is a just
God and a Savior. Here's the sign of the time.
Here's a people that had found grace in the eyes of the Lord
and God called some men like Noah to preach. One board at
a time. One doctrine at a time. One thing
at a time. What's the form? What is this
doctrine? What is he trying to preach?
It's the doctrine of Christ. It's His person. And you just
keep pointing to it. Keep pointing to Him. One piece
at a time. God's purpose to save a people
for the glory of His name. And we set this body before men. One sermon at a time. One revelation
at a time. One declaration at a time. And
the world goes on in their wicked imagination. being deceived and
influenced by worldly philosophy and traditional religion and
satanic theology. A false gospel leaves men and
women secure until the storm comes. So what's the sign of
the time? Indifference. You want to know the sign? Here
it is. We ain't interested. Oh, ignorance of God makes people
feel at ease until the sky blackens. Huh? Lies serve as a refuge until
reality sets in. The sign of the time is the preaching
of the gospel to an uncaring, unbelieving, unalarmed world. They're so busy with the world,
they're too busy, too busy with the world to hear the gospel. I got a wedding I have to plan.
I'll see you in a few weeks, see you in a month. I got a boat
I have to buy. I got a crop to plant, a house
to build, a wife to marry, on and on and on it go. I got a
retirement. I have plans for my retirement.
My wife start working on Sunday. You won't be seeing me on Sunday. So did those in the days of Noah,
and in spite of God's servant warning them day by day, they
knew not until the flood came and took them all away. So shall it also be in the coming
of the Son of Man. The sign of the time is complacency. complacency of the world concerning
the purpose and person of Jesus Christ. They're not interested
in that. Just give me something to do. Give me something to give. Give me an amount. Give me this.
Give me that. Make me a Sunday school teacher.
Do something. Just tell me what you want from
me. They're not interested in Christ. They're not interested
in it. They got total disregard for the messenger and message
of God. And it's the lethargic attitude
brought on by any occasion to exercise the means and message
of God. That's when they get too busy.
Eternal judgment's near and there's no terror, no alarm, no panic,
no anxiety. We're living in the last days.
Nobody's even talking about it. Huh? If you really knew how close
the end was, you'd be trembling in your boots, and so would I.
Huh? You see that out here anywhere?
Total indifference. Oh, I'll get there one day, preacher,
when I get ready. My friend, that's the sign of
the time. It's the preaching of the gospel,
and men's indifference to it. Today, the scripture said, if
you hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
Those men hardened their hearts over, and he said, I think this
is, I can't quote it word for word, but this is the gist of
what he said. These ten times, God said, have you provoked me. Ten times! Over and over and
over. He's sending a rock that followed
him all through his wilderness. Big gigantic rock and water gushing
out of it, feeding all their cats. There's a cloud that follows
them, gives them light at night, protection. Huh? They're totally indifferent
to it. Totally indifferent. God gives
you everything. You sit down at the table and
eat. I don't care who you are or how ungodly you are. God puts
food on your table and you eat it. But you're totally indifferent
to Him. You'll drink His water. He causes
His wrath to fall on the just and the unjust. He said today, if you'll hear
His voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation in the
day of temptation in the wilderness. They tempted me, proved me, saw
my works forty years, and did always air in their hearts because
they were ignorant of my ways. So I swear in my wrath they shall
not enter into my rest." They're not coming in. Take heed, brother, lest there
be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from
the living God. But exhort one another daily
why it's called today. There's a day right now. Ain't that what he's saying?
Today's the day. Or one day. No, it ain't gonna
be a one day. It's today. It's today. An opportunity. An opening. A warning, a manifestation of
God's grace and mercy. His providence has opened an
occasion for you to hear. Don't throw it away. Don't cast
it aside. Is it not an evidence of the
coming of Christ that men and women are so unconcerned with
their own souls? Scriptures speak of a day when
Satan shall be loosed into earth and go out and deceive the nations.
and gather them together against God's saints until the fire of
God falls from heaven and comes down and destroys them all. This
is the sign of the time. So how shall we look for this
great and terrible day? Well, we're not to look for a
certain day. We look every day. Every day. Every day that he
gives us, is another day closer to His coming. We're to look
for it with expectancy, longing for its appearance, not running
from it, not trying to hide from it, longing for it. And we're
to look for it with an urgency, knowing that that time is short.
It's short. Now, He said this 2,000 years
ago. If it was short then, what is
it now? And were to look for his coming
with assurance, he will not appear until all his elect have been
called and brought safe into the fold. Not one drop of rain
fell on that ark till God shut the door. Did it? Not one drop. Come on,
Noah. You and all your house. Come
on in. And God shut the door. Then,
then the rain began to fall. Oh, and I'll tell you, here's
the last thing. Matthew 24, 28 says, where so ever the carcass
is, there will the eagles be gathered together. The carcass
is talking about Christ crucified, dying in our skin. And spiritually,
we feed upon his flesh and we gather together to do so. Oh,
may the Lord give us the right mind concerning his coming. Here's the sign, he said. Just
as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the coming
of the Son of Man. They're just gonna be marrying
and giving him marriage and fixing breakfast and getting the mower
ready to mow. It's gonna be a normal day, just
like every other day, except for one thing. It's gonna be
the last day. May the Lord bless the teaching
of his word. Thank you.