Intro:

When you look out over the landscape of our world, in every sphere you see a planet that is crumbling into pieces and threatening total collapse. We were reminded of the fragility of this planet last Sabbath when the horrific events we have all become aware of took place in Israel — likened to America’s 9/11, over 1,000 Israelites were killed and over 100 hostages were kidnapped by Hamas fighters who bulldozed their way into Israel, Tunneled their way into Israel, and flew like vultures into Israel, reigning down terror, chaos, and death upon the Holy Land — and everyone is saying “How could this happen?”

“In response to [past] attacks by Hamas and… Hezbollah… Israel has fortified schools and bus stops, instituted a coded alarm system, deployed a sophisticated Iron Dome missile shield and constructed a high-tech fence to stop incursions across its border with Gaza.”^[1]

and yet, with all this technology… with the drones, and million dollar missile defense systems, elite army, and a sophisticated intelligence network — Israel was caught off guard! Like a thief in the night, sudden destruction came upon them!

and as this war wages on, even as we speak — threatening to pull in other nations and escalate an already dangerous regional conflict into a global one — we need to pause and ask a few questions:

1. Why was Israel caught of guard? Why didn’t they see this coming? Why weren’t they as fully prepared as they could’ve been?
2. What are the prophetic implications for this conflict in the Holy land?
3. Are we in the End Days? How should we prepare for what is coming ahead?

The Bible warns us of the peace and ultimate disaster that will come to those whose security is in iron domes, and high tech fences. Listen to the prophecy Jeremiah who said:

[Jer 17:5 NKJV] 5 Thus says the LORD: “Cursed [is] the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD.”

Do you think there was a certain level of security in the minds of Israelites, knowing that they had an iron dome, knowing that they had an advanced military, knowing they had the backing of the United States? And yet, the Bible warns:

[1Th 5:3 NKJV] 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.

Here’s the groundwork I want to lay this morning, that Israel was unprepared for the attack of Hamas, not because they were unequipped — but they were lulled into a certain security and peace…  

throughout Biblical times, ancient Israel fell into the same trap — They were given prophecies of the Messiah’s coming, but they didn’t know the time they were living in and so were caught unaware.

They were given the prophecies of the destruction of Jerusalem, and did not know the time they were living in until it caught them unaware..

And friends, I believe that like the sleeping virgins, God has prophesied to his church of what is coming, but if we are not careful we too will be caught unaware… We too will watch the news of “another war” in the middle east, or another outbreak in Asia, or another tornado or hurricane, or wild fire or cyclone — and then how easy to turn off the news, and keep living life as normal… As if, the message we saw and heard was really a message of peace and safety.

It was against this backdrop that we read the Apostle Paul’s message to the Romans and to Christians living to the end of time:

[Rom 13:11 KJV] 11 And that, knowing the time, that now [it is] high time to awake out of sleep: for now [is] our salvation nearer than when we believed.

Paul says, “Knowing the Time”! What was it that they knew about prophecy?

1. They understood clearly the prophecies concerning the Messiah and how Jesus fulfilled each one to the letter.

We know this because the Bible tells us that Jesus opened their eyes to these prophecies:

[Luk 24:27 KJV] 27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Not only did the early Christian Church know about the prophecies which pointed to Jesus as the Messiah — but they knew the prophecies yet to be fulfilled and what would come in our day!

They were looking with eager eyes toward the fulfillment of the next items in prophecy

1. Matthew 24 — The signs of Jesus: Famines, Pestilences, Wars & Rumors of Wars, Lawlessness would abound, hearts would grow cold, and the gospel would be preached to the ends of the earth.
2. The falling away
3. The rise of the antiChrist power

[2Th 2:3 NKJV] 3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for [that Day will not come] unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,

[Act 20:29-31 NKJV] 29 “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 “Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. 31 “Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.

The early church was warned that there would be an apostasy from the truth, that the majority of Christianity would abandon the law of God, and that the man of sin would be revealed who would be at the head of this falling away from Bible truth. They knew!

4. Destruction of Jerusalem

The early church knew about the coming destruction to Jerusalem by the Roman armies in 70AD. Had the rest of God’s people been awake to prophecy they too would’ve been spared from destruction and Jerusalem would not have come to ruins. How do I know, Jesus told them:

[Luk 19:41-44 KJV] 41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things [which belong] unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.”

Jesus had warned the Christian church of this coming destruction, and all who heeded the prophetic warnings of Jesus knew the time.

[Mat 24:15-16 KJV] 15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place…16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

What is the abomination of desolation? It’s clarified in the gospel of Luke:

[Luk 21:20-21 KJV] 20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. 21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.

It was because the early church believed in prophecy, and followed the guidance given to them that not a single Christian was destroyed when Rome burned Jerusalem.

“Not one Christian perished in the destruction of Jerusalem. Christ had given His disciples warning, and all who believed His words watched for the promised sign… After the Romans under Cestius had surrounded the city, they unexpectedly abandoned the siege when everything seemed favorable for an immediate attack… Events were so overruled that neither Jews nor Romans should hinder the flight of the Christians. Upon the retreat of Cestius, the Jews, sallying from Jerusalem, pursued after his retiring army; and while both forces were thus fully engaged, the Christians had an opportunity to leave the city… Without delay they fled to a place of safety—the city of Pella, in the land of Perea, beyond Jordan.” — Great Controversy,

30.

The early Christian church is given to us as an example of what we should be today — If they were saved from destruction because they knew the prophetic time they were living, so should we!

Do you know the prophetic time we are living in? I’m not talking about conjecture or hype… I’m not talking about date setting, and connecting prophecies with events that are just guesses… I’m talking about real prophecies of Scripture that are clear — Like Jesus prophecy of increased wars, increased famine, increased disease — Are you paying attention to these things?  

Did you know that even Satan knows the prophetic time we are in? SATAN KNOWS THE TIME:

[Rev 12:12 NKJV] 12 “Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

Now how does the devil know? Listen to what the demons said to Jesus when he cast them out of a man:

[Mat 8:29 NKJV] 29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”

What? The demons even knew the time of their torment? How does Satan and his host of evil angels know the time? — The same way you and I can know the time… They have been studying the prophecies of the Bible. And if even the devil studies the prophecies of the Bible, and can know the time, how about you friend? Shouldn’t we too study Daniel and Revelation and seek God to open these books to us? Shouldn’t we be wide awake to what is happening in our world today?

“We have no time to lose. The powers of darkness are working with intense energy, and with stealthy tread Satan is advancing to take those who are now asleep, as a wolf taking his prey. We have warnings now which we may give, a work now which we may do, but soon it will be more difficult than we imagine….” — Evangelism, 218

Now is the time to awake out of sleep — Now is the time to work while it is day — Now is the time to get ready for the Lord’s Appearing — Now is the time to preach God’s message.  

[Rom 13:11 NKJV] 11 And [do] this, knowing the time, that now [it is] high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation [is] nearer than when we [first] believed. and if it was near during the time of the apostles, it is imminent in today!

Do you realize what is happening in our world right now that is fulfilling Bible Prophecy and moving us toward the final events. Let me just cover a few things that are happening on the prophetic landscape:

[Mat 24:7 NKJV] 7 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.

Global Wars: We are all still shaken from the events in Israel, but Israel is not the only one in a war, and not the only nation watching carefully on when they will jump into a present war… We have the war still going on in Ukraine with Russia. We have tensions rising with China… and the possibility of a war with Taiwan — which is fully backed the US….

Pandemic: New diseases are hitting our world — however you feel about the pandemic we can say with certainty that it was felt around the globe. There is no country, no island, no place where COVID has not drastically hit the lives of people.

Not only was a global health crisis a key part of Jesus prophecy regarding the end of time, but another key part of this pandemic that we see in prophecy is the loss of religious and civil freedoms.

Loss of Religious, Civil, & Economic Freedom:   

[Rev 13:7 NKJV] 7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them.

And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.

The Bible is clear that our freedoms will be restricted as a prophetic sign that the end is here. The Bible goes so far as to say that there will be a global restriction on buying and selling for those who do not conform and receive the Mark of the Beast:  

We see these movements happening right now friends — and the vehicle being used to secure to the beast is none other than Climate Change — and preserving our earth —

Pope — Laudate Deum “To All the People of Good Will on the Climate Crisis”

— 8 years ago the Pope wrote Laudate Si, urging the world to address our climate crisis…

Now it is true that our climate is changing — but if you have eyes to see and ears to hear the prophetic moments that are behind these two letters you will discern a power re-positioning itself as the global authority, the world-wide uniter and self-proclaimed savior…. And just watch, Governments, political powers, kings and presidents, are bowing to these letters and making major adjustments to align with the Papal church on this issue.

Why are the CEO’s of the largest technological companies meeting with papacy? Why are the largest companies on the planet joining hands together to follow the steps outlined by the

Pope?  

This is more than just coincidence — and if you read both letters you see that the Papacy is turning this issue into a deeply spiritual issue — going so far as to say that there must be a Sabbath rest for creation, and then pointing to Sunday as a day which this rest could be instituted.

I won’t expound more on this — but I will say this: Next year we are planning a weekend outreach series that focuses one “The Climate Change Agenda & Revelation” — First part of

March!

[Luk 21:36 KJV] 36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.

“The coming of the Lord is nearer than when we first believed. The great controversy is nearing its end. Every report of calamity by sea or land is a testimony to the fact that the end of all things is at hand. Wars and rumors of wars declare it. Is there a Christian whose pulse does not beat with quickened action as he anticipates the great events opening before us? Ev 219.1 The Lord is coming. We hear the footsteps of an approaching God, as He comes to punish the world for its iniquity. We are to prepare the way for Him by acting our part in getting a people ready for that great day.” —The Review and Herald, November 12, 1914.

So if we realize the times we are living, what are we supposed to do?

Let’s read Paul’s admonition to the Romans:

[Rom 13:11-14 NKJV] 11 And [do] this, knowing the time, that now [it is] high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation [is] nearer than when we [first] believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to [fulfill its] lusts.

JESUS WORK IN THE MOST HOLY PLACE

• Holy Place (Pardon for Sin)
• Most Holy Place (Write His Law in our Hearts)

Now is the time friends! If Alcohol is in your life, now is the time to stop. If Lust is in your life, now is the time to break free. if anger or envy consume you now is the time to find the peace of Jesus  and forgive. Reconcile with those who you have wronged, and who have wronged you. If your entertainment is worldly, if your carnal nature is in the driver seat, if you dress provocatively, if you speak with a lying or cursing mouth, now is the time when we confess our sins before a holy God. Now is the time! Now is the Time! Now is the Time…

Appeal Story: There was once a reporter working in his hotel room in Chicago, when he heard a terrible racket in the hallway. When he opened the door to investigate he found people fleeing for their lives because of a fire that had broken out in that very hotel.

quickly, he closed the door, went back into his room, and called his editor. “you won’t believe this but I am on the 18th floor of a burning hotel, and we are going to get the story of a lifetime.”

“You fool,” said the editor “Get out of there, you’re going to die”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got my escape route all planned out.”  

There was no talking the reporter out of it, so the editor started taking notes as the reporter describe what it was like listening to people trying to get out of a burning building.

Eventually the time had come for the reporter to make his escape. he opened his hotel door and crawled down the hallway only to discover that his route of escape had been cut off. he crawled back to his hotel, and in a panic opened his window and began to cry out for Help!

a Fireman, way down on the sidewalk below, heard him and looked up. He couldn’t believe that someone was still in the building, when everyone had time to get out.

“You’re going to have to jump” He said. The firefighters spread a net, and as the report positioned himself on the edge of the window seal, he jumped… And you know, he missed the net and died.

Millions of people are battling sin, all the while the prophetic clock is ticking and they say, “It’ll be alright” I’ll change when things get really bad, I’ll turn my life around someday, I’ve got it all planned out. But all too late they find that their plans aren’t going to cut it, and they’ve lost out on everything because they didn’t make a decision when they had time. Prophecy calls everyone to MAKE A DECISION FOR CHRIST and to turn from sin today. Now is the Time.

What is your decision today?  Why wait for another opportunity? You know what sin is in your life… Why not call on Jesus today, and by faith give your life to Him?

PRAYER

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