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Amen. So tonight, I'm gonna teach you how the world is going to end, number one, and how you can recognize that it's happening. Okay? So, look, explaining something that is complicated in a simple way is something that is actually very difficult to do. I'm gonna try to do that this evening. I'm gonna give you, this evening, I'm gonna give you my methodology on how I look at end times events. Jesus, obviously, in Matthew 24, is explaining end times events to His disciples here. So I'm gonna give you my methodology and try to keep things simple for you this evening. The end times itself could be a sermon series where we could go through all the different steps and all the different aspects of the end times, but what we're gonna look at and what we're doing in this Bible study is we are gonna look at things through the lens of Matthew 24, which shows a very nice chronology, a very simple chronology, actually, of how things are going to happen. Okay? And so many things, so many people have gotten this wrong throughout history, continue to get it wrong, and you have to wonder why. So I wanna give you my methodology so we don't get it wrong here. Okay, now this is just the way I look at things. You don't have to adopt this if you don't want. I'm just trying to help you. This is I like to take complicated things and put them in simple context. That's what I like to do, and it makes things easier to explain to people. It makes things easier to work on. It makes things easier to get groups of people to understand complicated situations, and this is definitely a complicated situation. Okay, so let's look at Matthew 24, but first of all, let me give you my methodology. So my methodology this evening, we're gonna talk about clues and milestones. Okay, so remember that. Clues and milestones. Alright, so clues, what are you talking about? Are you just making things up? First of all, here's what a clue is. Okay, a clue is something that is common. A clue is something that is common that, you know, we've probably seen before. So in Matthew 24, I'm gonna point out to you clues and milestones. The clues are kind of common things, okay, that you've seen before that may or may not be a sign of end times by themselves. Okay, but ended together with other things could mean something else. Okay, it could mean that the end is actually near. Now, so that's a clue. Clues are common. Just remember that. The C's. Clues, common. Okay, now milestones, milestones are things that are not common. Okay, milestones are things that just, they don't happen often. Okay, so we're gonna see some milestones in Matthew chapter 24, and when you see a milestone in Bible prophecy that I point out to you, if you see those things happen, a milestone, you better start paying attention. Because they're not common, you better wake up. But look, the bottom line is with clues and milestones, and this is what I really want to get across to you this evening, and it's the mistake that most people make, even whether or not they're honest mistakes or not, but all these things must be taken together. They all must be considered together. Okay, it's the novice. Look, it's the, it's the, the Bible says a pastor is to not be a novice, but it's the by, it's the novice that sees a clue and is like, the end is near. That's a novice. Okay, so that's what I want to get across to you this evening. So we're gonna start, we're gonna look through Matthew 24. Matthew 24 is the backbone of what we're getting at here this evening. My point this evening is not to preach to you Revelation, the entire book of Revelation. We're gonna preach through the backbone of Matthew chapter 24, and we'll go to other places, but I really want to keep the focus on Matthew 24, because look, it's all there. It's all in Matthew 24. So let's start reading. So Jesus, Jesus, where are we at? What's the context of Matthew 24? Jesus is done debating the scribes and the Pharisees. He's, He's torn their face off several times. He just did it for the last time. He's already kicked the money changers out of the temple. He's leaving the temple, and He's done debating with all these people. Turn to Mark chapter 13. I'm gonna read for you Matthew chapter 24 in verse 1 while you turn to Mark 13. The Bible says, And Jesus went out of the temple and departed from the temple, and His disciples came to Him for to show Him the buildings of the temple. So look at Mark 13, which is a parallel passage of Matthew 24. We get a little bit different perspective. That's why it's nice to have four gospels. All right, look at Mark 13 in verse number 1. The Bible says, And as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said unto Him, Master, see what manner of stones and buildings are here. And Jesus said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? There shall not be one stone left upon another that shall not be thrown down. And as He sat upon the Mount of Olives against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked Him privately, Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled? So look, really this is a conversation. Matthew 24 is a conversation between Jesus and the top four right here. Okay, so it's between Jesus and the top four disciples here. And they come out of the temple, and it leads into this because they come out of the temple, and they're just, they're showing Jesus. They're like, look at these amazing buildings. I mean, they're in this big city. These are not big city guys. These are fishermen. These are blue collar guys. And they're just like, I mean, look, have you ever been in a city and felt like that? I still feel like that at times. Like, I can't believe that men can build such things. I've thought that in my head so many times. That's the moment that they're having. They say, Jesus, look at this temple. Look at the amazing building. And He says, He leads right into prophecy from there. And He says, there will not be one stone left upon another. Go back to Matthew 24. And He says, in Matthew 24, verse 2, they're marveling at the building. And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? Verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down. So He's prophesying here the temple being destroyed. So look, let me just talk a little bit about dual prophecies, because you need to understand dual prophecies if you were going to understand end times prophecy. So look, Jesus is going to talk to these four disciples about the end times, but there's also many dual prophecies. It's the same thing with the prophets of the Old Testament. The prophets of the Old Testament, Jeremiah was crying aloud against, you know, the children of Judah, he's like, you're going to be carried away, you know, God has left you, He is He's going to destroy you, you're going to be taken over even by, you know, Babylon. And he's just prophesying. But there's a lot of end times prophecy there, too. But there was also a real time application to what the prophets of the Old Testament said. So look, there's lots of dual prophecies. So there's a real time aspect of what Jesus especially at the beginning half of Matthew 24 is going to say to these men, but then there's end times prophecy that he is he's telling them as well. Look, there's no way they could have understood this, just so you understand, just so you know, okay, we can look back on things and say, Oh, yeah, that was a dual prophecy. There's no way they could have understood this, it's likely that they thought most of these things would happen in their lifetime. That's likely of what they thought. Okay, but look, I mean, it was on purpose, what Jesus said, so it gets right into the end of the world prophecy. All right, all that to say this, if Jesus look, if Jesus wanted to be clear, he could have. If Jesus what prophecy is not meant, that's another thing. prophecy is not meant for us to know just exactly how it's going to happen. And when it's going to happen. Okay. I mean, it sells books, though. Okay, so be careful with people that come out and just say, I know exactly when this is going to happen. I know exactly what that means. You know, I mean, not necessarily what the Bible means, but just taking these things and just running with one thing. That's what we're going to talk about clues and milestones. Okay. So look, this particular prophecy that Jesus just prophesied to the four disciples here, it happened in 70 AD. Jesus is prophesying something that happened less than, you know, about 35 years later. It happened, you know, the Jews revolted, and there was this seven year war. Now, I highly recommend that you go back and listen to my Daniel 70 weeks sermon if you know you're confused by some of this this evening. But look, this was also look, the Jews revolted, there was this seven year war between the Jews and the Romans. And in the midst of that seven year war, the Romans destroyed the temple. Okay, this was a dual prophecy of Daniel's 70th week. So what are the 70 weeks? Let me give you the 70 weeks in 30 seconds. Okay, Daniel prophesied 70 weeks, the first seven weeks were the the building of the the the order to build the temple and the city, which took 49 years. So 70 weeks, every day is a year, seven times seven is 49. So basically, the time from the building that the captivity of Babylon ending and allowing them to go back and builds a ruble builds the temple. And you know, Nehemiah goes back and he builds the wall and the streets and he builds the city. That was a 49 year construction period. The Bible shows us that. So that's the first seven weeks, this next 62 weeks, there's a time gap of some kind, the next 62 weeks are from then to the Messiah being cut off to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, that is the next 62 weeks. So now we've got seven weeks gone, we've got 62 weeks gone, we got 69 weeks gone, and we are waiting for the 70th week. So they're just like there was a gap between the seventh and eighth week, there's a gap between the 69th and the 70th week, the 70th week is famous in the Bible, it is the end times, it's the end time seven year period, okay. Now, the Jews, the Jews revolting and having the temple destroyed in the midst of that week, which we'll look at this a little bit more detail, is a shadow of the end times 70th week, okay. So look, other things weren't fulfilled, that's how we can say that it wasn't the end times 70th week. So look, if we didn't have the New Testament and we didn't have all these other prophecies that also needed to happen, many people make the mistake and say, oh it already happened, that was that 70 AD, that was the 70th week. But look, it's another dual prophecy, that's the way prophecy works, if you study prophecy enough, you will see that it's just it's just shadowed and shadowed and shadowed, but that's why we have to look at all things, because all things will be fulfilled in the end times prophecy. If all things aren't fulfilled, but you see a few clues here and there, we might just be in a dual prophecy shadow type situation. You see what I'm saying? I'm sure many people, even the disciples, when the temple was destroyed and all these different things were like, this is it. Throughout history, just imagine, I mean imagine, you know, with the things that we're gonna talk about, I won't give it away, but if you take these clues and run with them on their own, you're gonna mess up, you're gonna think you're in the end times, period. Look at verse number three of Matthew 24. All these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. Keep that in mind, keep that statement in your mind, in verse number six. That means all over the place, in diverse places. So look, it's not super definitive, verses four through seven are all clues, not milestones. Okay, so look, these are things that happen in our time. These are things that happen in our world all the time. Wars, earthquakes, famines, pestilences, nation rising against nation, these things are kind of always going on. They're clues, but something to note for sure. Okay, now look, I mean if we had a trend, I mean look, I'm an expert on trends, I'll tell you that, but here's what you need for trends, you need data. So we had a trend on every earthquake that ever happened in the history of mankind, and I had, you know, a control system that was tracking those earthquakes since the beginning of the world until now, I'm pretty sure I could see a trend there, but we don't have that data. So we just have to look at these as clues, alright, they're always happening, they're all around us, but it's something to note. Look at verse eight of Matthew 24, let's move on. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Now pay attention to the first word of verse number nine where it says then. So now it's something after this, so we're moving on in time, it says then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted and shall kill you and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. So he's saying then, so later you have to pay attention to these words then, after, in Matthew chapter 24, because it gives you a clue that we're moving out of the dual prophecy zone into end of the world type stuff. But look, this is still a dual prophecy, because all of these disciples, except John, were killed. They were afflicted, they were killed, they were tortured, they were all martyred. It was a dual prophecy, this actually did happen to them in their lifetime. So it's, you know, it's a dual prophecy again that we see. Look at verse number 10. What do you see in the first two words of verse number 10? We just had another dual prophecy, but then he says and then shall many be offended and shall betray one another and shall hate one another and many false prophets shall arise and shall deceive many and though because the iniquity shall abound and the love of many shall wax cold. Turn to 2nd Timothy chapter 3. Notice and then, so here we have another time shift, another after these things, it's saying then this is gonna happen, okay? Implying a different time, which also happened in their lifetime, but a definite shift happened here. Look at 2nd Timothy chapter 3 in verse number 1. The Bible says, this know also that in the last days, so this is talking about the end of the world, the last days, perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, prideful, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof from such turn away. So look, this gives us a clue and this kind of starts to match up with what he's talking about in Matthew chapter 24. He's talking about what people are going to be like and 2nd Timothy chapter 3 relates it to the last days. In the last days men will be like this and in Matthew chapter 24 he's saying, look, and then men will be like this. So men will be a certain way and Matthew 24, the way men will be in those last, in that time, is very close to what 2nd Timothy chapter 3 talks about men being. So look, does this one fit today? This one sort of fits today. Okay, so look, I mean it's another clue because people have been, you know, like this throughout history to one degree or another, you know, despising those that are good, lovers of them own selves, you know, reprobates, you know, unnatural reprobates, all these types of people. But look, this fits. It's another clue but this particular clue fits us today. It fits our time. Look at verse 13. The Bible says, but he that shall endure until the end shall be saved. So it's talking about, you know, you have to endure because look, they're already going through hard times. In verse number 9 he said that, you know, you're gonna start going through hard times. They're gonna afflict you, they're gonna kill you. So these hard times, even though it was a dual prophecy back then, it implies that the hard times are also going to be during the end times. So he's saying, but he that shall endure to the end, the same shall be saved. Now look, I'll explain this in another verse. So I'm just gonna leave this one alone for now. But look at verse 14. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations. And then shall the end come. Okay, so that's a very important verse right there because has verse number 14 now he has left the time of the disciples has the gospel of the kingdom been preached in all the world during the time of the disciples. Definitely not. So he has now left. So he's like and then and then and then and then. Well he's gone now. He's in the future now as far as where he's talking to the disciples. So look, verse 10 through 14, Jesus basically shifted from the present into future prophecy, talking about the end coming. That's why it's tied in verse 14, and then the end shall come. So look, it's just another clue that Jesus is talking about a different time. Now could we say this today? Could we say today that the gospel has been preached throughout all the world? I think we could say that today. I mean we could do a better job. We could, you know, hit more places and start more churches, which is exactly what we're gonna do. But the gospel has been preached, especially with the internet and media the way it is. The gospel's been around the world, folks. So this applies today. It applies to the last few decades, actually. So look, it could be more thorough, but we're there. We're in verse 14 today. So it's a clue that we should pay attention to, okay? So we have Jesus at this point. He's giving some clues. Some of these clues apply to them. Some of these clues don't apply to them. But look at verse 15. When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, who so readeth, let him understand. So here he is talking about another thing that happens. He's talking about this abomination of desolation that is really what I'm gonna call the first milestone right here when this man comes on the scene. So look, turn to Daniel chapter 9. Turn to Daniel chapter 9. Now we remember the 70 weeks, right? So we're in between the 69th week and the 70th week. And the 70th week is the last seven years. It's the last seven days, every day being a year. So the key is, when does that last week start? That's what everybody wants to know. And it starts in Daniel chapter 27 or Daniel chapter 9 in verse number 27. And the Bible says, And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week. There it is. That's the 70th week right there. When this man, this beast as Revelation calls him, the Antichrist, shows up on the scene and confirms a covenant with many. He makes some sort of peace deal that's a worldwide thing or whatever it is and then he goes forth to conquer. This is the start of Daniel's 70th week right here. And then the Bible says, And in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate even until the consummation that determined shall be poured out upon the desolate. So now it's talking about, here's the 70th week. So Daniel's, Daniel 9 27 is talking about the beginning of the 70th week and then he talks about the midst. The middle of the 70th week is when this abomination happens. This abomination of desolation. There's your second milestone right there. He's causing the sacrifices to cease. Now look, this one, this abomination of desolation when somebody comes into the temple and you know desecrates the temple. In the case of the Antichrist he declares himself to be worshipped and all these things and he causes the sacrifices to cease. This happened before. This was a dual prophecy as well. This happened, now this is a perfect example of why you need to take all things together. In 167 BC before Christ there was a Greek ruler named Antichokos Epiphanes who desecrated the Jewish temple. He erected a statue of Zeus and he sacrificed like a pig or something in the name of Zeus in the Jewish temple. This was a foreshadowing of this event. But let me ask you a question, was the gospel preached throughout the whole world at that point? The Messiah hadn't even come yet. We were still in that 62 week period. We weren't even to a point where we could be possibly in the 70th week. The gospel hadn't been preached. The Messiah hadn't even come yet. But you can imagine, I'm sure books were being written at that time about all, you know, I'm sure YouTube videos were being made about this is it. I mean that's an extreme event when you have a foreshadowing of a milestone. I mean it happened, so it can happen. Okay, in 70 AD the temple was destroyed. A dual prophecy of the 70th week. He shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease. Look, this is why by the way, Daniel 9 27, most people today think that a third temple has to be built at some point. I mean it makes sense, right? It's just it's the extrapolation of, you know, this Antichrist, this beast is gonna come on the scene, he's gonna be a world ruler, he's gonna conquer the world, and in the midst of that week he's gonna cause the sacrifice to cease, he's gonna desecrate the temple, the abomination of death, well there is no temple. So we have to assume that one is going to be built. We have to assume that at some point if the sacrifices are going to be stopped, that the temple needs to be built, and the sacrifices need to start. So that's probably something we should pay attention to if that happens. Turn to Revelation chapter 13. Let's look at this first and second milestones have to do with this this beast, this person who is going to, you know, be this abomination in the temple. Look at Revelation chapter 13 and look at verse number one. This is where Revelation talks about the beast, and the Bible says, and I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy, and the beast which I saw was unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth the mouth of a lion, and the dragon gave him his power and his sea and great authority, the dragon being Satan. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death, and his deadly wound was healed, and all the world wondered after the beast, and they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast, and they worshipped the beast saying, who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make war with him? So it's a super powerful leader. It's a super powerful leader. He somehow gets wounded, and he's not killed by it, and you know everyone's just in awe, and not only that, they worship Satan and they worship him. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and power was given him to continue forty and two months. Now look, in the midst of the week is when the abomination of desolation happens, and then he's allowed to continue 42 months after that with guess what? It's three and a half years. So at the midst of the week, three and a half years, and he continues for another three and a half years. How long is this guy around? Seven years. Look at verse 14 of Revelation chapter 13, and I don't want to get into all the details of this. I just want to show you these milestones. Look at verse 14. And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast, saying to them that dwell on the earth that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by the sword and did live. So he erects an image as well, and he had power to give life unto the image of the beast. The image of the beast should both speak and cause that as many would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads, that no man might buy or sell, that he hath the mark nor a name of the beast or the number of his name. So look, that hasn't happened before. For sure. I mean, look, this guy comes on the scene, he makes a covenant with many. That's your milestone for the start of the 70th week. Three and a half years later, in the midst of the week, he stands in the temple, he's getting worshiped at that point, he's desolating the temple, the Bible says it's the abomination of desolation, that marks the center point, then he makes everyone take this mark at some point, and then he continues 42 months, which is seven years. Turn to 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. In verse number 3. Let's look at one more verse about this, and then we'll continue on. In 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, look at verse number 3. Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first. Now look, that's a clue, okay? That's a clue. Because, I mean, is there a falling away today? Yeah. Were the majority of people ever really saved throughout history? I doubt it. I doubt it. Okay, so you could always say that, you know, the devil was kind of always winning this spiritual war on this earth. So that's a clue. There's a call, a falling away first. And that a man of sin shall be revealed the son of perdition. Here's the beast, who opposeth and exalted himself above all that is called God. This man makes himself God. Thus he is worshipped in Revelation chapter 13, or that is worshiped so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. So when he erects an image to himself as people worship himself, that's the blasphemy. That's the abomination of desolation. That's who this person is. Like, we're not gonna miss that. We are not gonna not notice that, all right? Now, then, look at Revelation 19 in verse 20. Okay, let's not even go there yet. Let's not even go there yet. But basically, we have the first milestone. The beast comes on the scene. He makes a covenant with the world. The second milestone, he desecrates the temple, he declares himself to be God. The mark of the beast happens somewhere at that point. Then, look, then we've already been in trouble. In verse number nine of Matthew 24, it says that, look, you're gonna be afflicted, all these things. Dual prophecy for the disciples, but also dual prophecy for this 70th week. So, look, we're already in trouble as soon as this man comes on the scene. We're already in trouble. We're already in affliction, as verse 9 says. But look, when the mark of the beast happens, at that point, go back to Matthew chapter 24 and look at verse number 16. Look at verse number 16. At that point, real trouble begins, the Bible says. The Bible says in Matthew 24 verse 16, then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains. Let him which is on the housetop come not down to take anything out of his house, neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child and to them that give suck in those days. But pray that your flight be not in the winter neither on the Sabbath day. For then, here we go again, for then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. So, look, verse number nine already has tribulation going on. So, in my Bible, I have, you know, you could basically circle verse number nine as, you know, the start of the tribulation, verse number nine, and draw an arrow down, right? Now, this is what's called, you know, the Great Tribulation. Now, look, I don't like really dig too deep into this because here's why. If you're being killed after verse number nine, and someone's like torturing you and cutting your head off, you know, you're not gonna be like, well, this isn't that bad, at least I'm not in verse number 21. You know, I mean, look, that's Great Tribulation to you. This is just a visual for us looking at it to know, you know, looking at the top level of the situation, okay? So, we can match things up to the beast, the midst of the week, and how everything plays out, all right? So, look, tribulation, if you're in the midst of it, is tribulation. I mean, if they're killing you and afflicting you, it probably doesn't get any worse than that, right? But, I mean, that is quite a statement, right? That it's the greatest tribulation since the beginning of the world at this time, no, nor ever shall be. So, it's saying it's gonna be worse than it ever was, and, I mean, you know, read The Martyr's Mirror. Worse than it ever was, I mean, you got to read that book in small steps because it's like, whoa, what those people went through, and then he says it's never gonna get worse. So, it's worse than it ever was, and it will never be worse than what it is right here in Matthew chapter 24 in verse number 21. That's as bad as it gets right there. So, look, things are not great, but after the desolation of the temple it gets really bad. Look at verse number 22 of Matthew chapter 24. The Bible says, except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved, but for the elect's sake, those days shall be shortened. Look back at verse number 13. So, just draw an arrow with a double-ended arrow between verse 13 and verse number 22 because they're both talking about the same thing. They're talking about going through tribulation where people are killing you and people are persecuting you to death, basically, and in verse number 13 says, but he that should endure to the end the same shall be saved, and the same thing is said in verse number 22 about the Great Tribulation where it says, except for those days should be shortened, it's like nobody would make it. No flesh shall be saved. So, basically, the no flesh be saved clarifies verse 13. So, it doesn't mean you have to do certain things right and you're going to lose your salvation. It's not talking about spiritual salvation, even in verse number 13. So, those two things tie together. So, look at verse number 23. Then if any man shall say to you, lo, here is Christ, or there, believe it not, for there shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch that if it were possible they shall deceive the very elect. That's very interesting because that's the same way the mark of the beast is going to work. It's just like you're just gonna you're just gonna know that it's not Jesus, the Bible says. You're just gonna know that, I mean, there's no Christian that's gonna take the mark of the beast. So, the question is like, what if a saved person takes the mark of the beast, man? It's not gonna happen. The Bible says it's not gonna happen. So, I mean, it's one of those stupid questions that people are just being stupid, asking. The Bible says it's not going to happen. All right, so look, behold, I have told you before, wherefore if I shall say to you, behold, he is in the desert, go not forth. Behold, he is in secret chambers, believe it not, for as lightning cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of man, son of man be. It's like gonna be like a lightning storm. It's that everyone will see this. It will not be in a hidden place. You know, it will not be in a closet. It will not be in, you know, Waco, Texas. It will not be in, you know, some, you know, Jim Jones's camp or whatever, you know, on an island somewhere. It will be in the sky like a lightning storm. I mean, you ever, I mean, you live in California, so you've probably never seen it, but you ever seen a real lightning storm, like where lightning is just going all across the sky? That's what it will be like. No one is going to miss it. Look at verse 28, and the Bible says, Wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together. Here's what this means. I mean, people read too much into this one too. It's like where the, where the, where the bodies are, the birds of prey will find them. But there's a, I mean, where the, where the, where the bodies are, there's no hiding from this, is what the Bible is saying here in verse number 28. There's no hiding from when Jesus comes back. So if you're unsaved and Jesus comes back and you crawl into your bunker, the eagle is going to find you. There's no hiding from it. Like the, wherever the carcass is, the birds of prey will find the carcass. I mean, that is such a huge analogy used in the Bible of birds like coming after, you know, the birds are going to eat you, and the dogs are going to eat you in the streets, and the birds, you know, the, you're not going to even be buried. You know, there's so many, the birds of prey are going to eat. I mean, that's what it's talking about. There's no hiding from this. There's no hiding in the woods from Jesus when he comes back. It just means that, you know, so look, look at verse 29. The Bible says in verse 29, Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. Look, there's your third milestone right there. I mean, does that happen every day? I mean, does that happen every day where the sun is darkened? Look at all these things. We're not talking about any eclipse here, okay? Where the sun is darkened, the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven. I mean, does that happen every 27 years when there's a lunar eclipse or whatever? No. I mean, this is, this is a milestone. And look, this third milestone will definitely be, like, prove you correct on the other two. So when this one happens and you look back and you're like, I got two ticked off, this is the third one, you're good. I mean, you know you're on the right track here. You see what I'm saying? It's hard to make a mistake when you follow this milestone clue methodology, all right? When the stars of heaven fall down, you just look back and you're like, all right, do I have the, the beast was there, and he's done that, and everybody's got a mark except me, and it's like, you know, here we go, right? So that's why the earthquakes, the wars, the famines, they're, they're all just clues, okay? They're not milestones. It's just another thing that doesn't happen every day. Turn to Revelation chapter 6. So we see that after the tribulation of those days, which is basically that three and a half year give or take whatever tribulation, and then that really bad great tribulation at the end, and then after that tribulation, it says, look, if it goes on forever, no one's going to make it. He's saying in, in Matthew 24, if this goes on, he's like, unless, you know, I shorten those days, everyone will die. Every saved person will be killed. I mean, that's pretty bad, right? I mean, they're going to find everybody, and so he's like, it's going to be shortened, but it gets shortened. Look at Revelation 6 and verse number 9, and the Bible says, and when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held, and they cried with a loud voice, saying, how long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? So think about these people. Here's people that have been killed for Christ, and they're looking down on the earth, and they're seeing people be killed for Christ. I mean, they're watching this, and they're like, God, how long are you going to let it go on? It's like, when are, you know, they know vengeance is the Lord's. They know that it's not theirs, and they're just like, do it, just do it, right? And then in verse 11, and the white robes were given to every one of them, and it was said unto them that they should rest for a little season until their fellow servants also and their brethren that should be killed as they were should be fulfilled. And I beheld when he opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake clue, and the sun became as black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood. So look, notice the earthquake in there, first of all. By itself, by itself, you know, you're kind of like earthquake, meh, right? But right after that, you know, the sun, you know, became black and stopped giving her light, and you know, the moon became as blood. All right, so look, it's validation. The clue is validation of that milestone. You see what I'm saying? Now look, the clues are evidence, and the stars, look at verse 13, and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth. There, it's the same event. It's very clear. It's very clear it's the same event. Even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs when she is shaken of a mighty wind. The stars just like, they just fall. You think we're gonna miss that? It's a milestone for sure, and the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Look, no, that's not a normal earthquake either. I mean, islands have been moved by earthquakes, like a few inches. You know, if it's out in the middle of the ocean, and it's right underneath this island, they say, oh, it moved this island a little bit. It says, look what it says. It says every, every mountain and island were moved out of their places. That's quite an earthquake. When every mountain is moved, everyone's gonna feel that. Look, God's trying to, this is another reason you're not gonna, you're not gonna miss it, right? I mean, there's lightning in the sky. What about, what about the people that are blind? He's gonna shake the whole world. He's gonna shake the whole world. Everyone's gonna know that something huge is going on. Definitely a milestone. Look at Matthew 24 verse 30. And then, so here we are again. We should put all the and thens together and just have a chain. Because it, and then what happens? We just had this amazing sight. The sun and the moon and the stars just fell out of the sky. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. He shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect, that's the saved, from the four winds, from the one end of heaven to the other. Turn to 1 Thessalonians chapter 4. This is the rapture. This is it. This is when those days are shortened and everybody is taken up with Jesus. Look at 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 in verse 14. The Bible says in verse 14, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. So he's saying that the people that are alive when Jesus comes are not going to prevent those that are asleep in Jesus. Meaning they've died and their souls in heaven, but they've not been you know physically resurrected. It says for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout and with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first. So the dead are going to rise from the dead first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Turn to Revelation chapter 7. So basically Jesus comes back all these great signs and wonders with the sun and the moon and the stars happen. Jesus comes back everybody sees it and then he takes the dead first and then those that are alive and remain he takes next and he takes them all together up to heaven. Look at Revelation chapter 7 and verse number 9. Now this look I have not been polluted with a bunch of of weird end times prophecy stuff because I never really the Lutheran church never really got into end times prophecy. They're just like oh we don't know no one can understand the Bible. But like yeah they looked at Revelation and they're just like yeah we don't really study that book you know that's all happened already. I mean that's a cop-out right. It's all done already. Okay good don't even look at it. But look here's the thing how you could read Revelation and not see Revelation chapter 7 containing the rapture it my mind explodes. My mind explodes when people tell me that the rapture is in Revelation chapter 4 like the the guys sitting around the table. I'm just like what I mean I mean look read it after this I beheld and lo a great multitude which no man could number. How many saved people would you estimate have ever been on earth from even now until the beginning of the world? I mean millions hundreds of I don't know a lot a great multitude that no man could number of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues stood be I mean it makes sense right the gospel has been preached throughout the whole world. All nations all kindreds all tongues look all languages stood before the throne and before the lamb clothed with white robes and palms in their hands and cried with a loud voice saying salvation to our God who is sitteth upon the throne and unto the lamb. Look at verse 14 you say but but yeah but who are they? I mean okay it's a great multitude from you know all around the world you don't know that's the rapture well except the bible tells you it's the rapture right here in verse 14 I'm just like it could not get any more clear look at verse 14 and I said unto him so they're like who are these people and he's like sir thou knowest and he said unto me these are they which came out of great tribulation and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb but there's no other spot in Revelation that you could point to as the rapture other than the dual the dual section in Revelation 14 but look this is a very detailed account of the rapture in Revelation it's very clear it's so clear that not only does it say a great multitude that no man could number from all nations and all kindreds people and tongues did he have to be that specific you know he's saying everybody from all over the world and they're the ones that came out of the great tribulation exactly what Matthew 24 says exactly look at Matthew 24 verse 32 now learn a parable of the fig tree when his branch is yet tender and push forth leaves you know that summer is nigh so likewise when you shall see these things know that it is near even at the door so when you see a tree starting to bud do you know that summer's near do you know that look this is a big deal where I grew up it's like you start seeing the trees bud you're like yes winter's over right you're like it's done and then it has another blizzard and it kills all the animals and the tree but anyway trees know in North Dakota not to bud too soon okay they're trained but look it's saying that when this starts to happen when you start to see these things happen it's going to happen very quickly that it's coming and then it says in verse number 34 it says no verse 33 so likewise when you see all these things noted it is near even at the doors verily I say unto you this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled heaven and earth shall pass away but my word shall not pass away I'm gonna go back to that verse don't worry don't freak out that I'm skipping over it but of that day and hour knoweth no man know not the angels of heaven but my father only but as the days of Noah were and so shall be the economy of the son of man be for as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying giving marriage until the day that no he entered into the ark look not everyone's going to notice nobody knows what the bible says nobody believes the bible anymore anyway it's just saying that that people are going to be you know they're just going to be living their lives and doing what they're doing when all this stuff's happening when we're noticing it people are going to be like whatever like that the bible's not true I mean that's our biggest I mean that's our really you know you may not know this but your biggest problem out soul winning is that people don't believe the bible because if people believe the bible when you went to their door and they were just people all these people just believed the bible but they didn't know what it said well you would just be the perfect key every single time you just here's what it says here's what it says you'd just be getting everybody saved but people don't believe the bible their heart is hardened against the word of god so even when they see these things they're going to be like whatever coincidence mo and look most people don't even have any idea we discussed this sunday what the bible says anyway they have no idea and there's so many people out there messing up end times stuff anyways they're not going to know the true combination of events if it if it smacks them in the face with a baseball bat look at verse 39 and knew not until the flood came and they took them all away so shall also the coming of son of the son of man be then shall two be in the field and one shall be taken the other left you know a picture of the rapture two when women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken the other left watch therefore for you know not what hour your lord cometh but know this if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come he would have watched and would have not suffered his house to be broken up therefore be also ready for in such an hour as you think the son of man cometh for who then is faithful and a wise servant whom his lord had made ruler over his household to give them meat in due season blessed is that servant whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing so look if all of this happened tomorrow this is what he's saying what would the lord find you doing that's the question look at verse 47 verily i say unto you that he that shall make him a ruler over all his goods but if that evil servant shall say in his heart my lord delayeth his coming and shall be begin to smite his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunken the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him and in the hour that he is not aware of he shall cut him asunder and appoint his portion to the hypocrites there should be weeping and gnashing of teeth so he's basically saying here look this is kind of he's kind of explaining to you why he doesn't just tell you the answers on everything and when he's coming i'm coming in 1983 on you know february 22nd you know because look these guy you know people would have just taken advantage of that even save people so there's a reason that jesus didn't tell us everything but look he's telling us that we should always be ready we should always be doing what we're supposed to be doing so look let me just wrap this up for you let's talk about these clues and milestones let's just recap this real quickly in matthew chapter 24 our clues and milestones so what are our clues our clues are wars and rumors of wars nation rising against nation many false christs famines pestilences earthquakes persecutions of christians those are clues those things happen all throughout history but they are also going to happen during the end times fairly common right but we must pay attention right i mean people i mean we must pay attention these things are all happening during our time people are offended by the bible the love of many is waxing cold iniquity shall abound it's abounding more and more every day and it's just more clues but these clues remember this these clues are like finding a shell casing on the ground right you find like a spent shell casing on the ground and you pick it up and you're like someone's been murdered here you can't really do that right because maybe you're at the rifle range and there's shell casings everywhere but now look if you pick up a shell casing on the ground and there's a body right next to it well you know i got a clue and a milestone you see what i'm saying so look what's the first milestone the beast comes on the scene the world leader he strikes some sort of covenant with world leaders and at that's at that point you know we will have all those clues with that milestone you see what i'm saying leading to the second milestone the desecration of the temple in between these milestones is three and a half years revelation 13 7 says and it was given unto him to make war with the saints in this three and a half years is going to be tough times for saints is going to be tough times all right look that's you verse 21 then says that there's great tribulation nor you know more than there ever ever shall be or ever was basically all right so then the mark of the beast happens you know that could be considered another milestone but at this point we'll definitely know who he is the beast obviously because only the elect the saved will not be deceived by the mark we'll know who the beast is at that point okay because that definitely hasn't happened before verse 21 then shall be great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time nor nor no nor ever shall be then you know we're out of here the rapture the sun and moon are darkened we're out of here right and we're not going to get into the details on this but after this the last three and a half years where the beast is still there and he's ruling that's when the two witnesses come on the scene god sends his two witnesses and he's just dumping wrath on the earth and he's pouring out his wrath you say what's the difference between tribulation and wrath because people are so confused by this too but tribulation is like men persecuting us it's it's rulers of this earth persecuting us this is tribulation the saints in heaven are crying they're saying god how long are you gonna let this go on he's like not much longer he pulls us out of here and then god steps in with his seven angels he's like my turn that's the wrath the bible even calls it wrath i mean how could you miss that it's tribulation then the wrath it's like he lets you know the beast gets his punches in and then god says it's my turn now it's my turn now look at now look back at verse 33 and verse 34 i skipped over them and this is the whole conclusion of the matter right here in verse 33 and 34 the bible says so likewise ye when ye see what does it say all these things know that it is near even at the doors that's the tree budding right there when you see all these things verily i say unto you this generation shall not pass till what all these things be fulfilled so look i skip this on purpose because look all means all so not only do we have milestones here but we have a timeline we have a timeline from the beginning of the first milestone that's basically three and a half years is all we have to worry about because we're out of here and then we're going to be watching the show from heaven and look there's all these dual prophecies that people are so confused on today and but when you look at what's happening and wonder is it the 70th week all you have to do is look are all the clues and milestones lining up all of them and that that that used to confuse me verse 33 but what he's saying is once that 70th week starts and you start seeing this all this will happen in one generation the generation that is alive at that time we'll see it happen we'll see it totally fulfilled totally you know what's a generation 30 years or so it's plenty of time there 25 30 years so don't the point is don't be this baby christian who sees a clue and is like the end is near man you know look it sells books i remember the book the blood moons by john haggy the false prophet i mean the a book that you know i didn't read it but i mean a really famous book from the 80s where that i remember is like the late great planet earth it was called by a guy by the name of hal wincy i mean he he he was taking the cold war and making that the tribulation or something and basically saying that you know the whole 1948 thing was this he's basically taking a making up he was making up clues so you can make them up too but basically he said you know the rapture is going to happen in 1985 or in the 80s sometime look this guy is was still writing articles for conservative websites in the in the 2000s i mean what in the world i mean he was wrong he made up false prophecy he made up false interpretations of what the bible says so like it's stupid it's stupid to take a clue and just run with it right this is for false prophets or just scammers or both so all these clues and milestones must happen and look they will happen they will happen so don't just grab one thing and and forget the rest you know especially you know there's there's a temptation to do that in kind of crazy times right especially now there's unprecedented things happening not saying we shouldn't watch but just you know this is how we can tell what's happening for sure it all has to happen right and it helps us also filter out dual prophecy events right i mean like think about you know the mark of the beast i mean all these people i mean think about if somebody comes out i mean i've heard people say that the coronavirus vaccine is going to be the mark of the beast i'm like what in the world where's the beast could you show me the beast first before we have the mark and i mean last time first of all it's a mark i mean you get a shot in your forehead i mean it's like so i mean don't make up clues don't take a clue and just just run a thousand miles an hour with it look i know that um i know that there's temptation to do that there's people out there that want the end to come that want jesus to come like tomorrow you know and look if jesus come he's not coming tomorrow i can tell you that it's like things haven't happened right i mean at the very least he's coming three and a half years from now and if the beast comes on the scene tomorrow that's what i can tell you but look we know that these things won't happen tomorrow and look i mean i hope it doesn't happen for uh of my life i mean i don't know if it does whatever i have no say in it but i mean i got some work to do here so i hope we get some more time to get some more people saved but look here's another thing you know what we did tonight you know what we did tonight look i didn't go to bible college and i didn't get like you know twisted in all these weird directions on all these different things and you know what we did tonight you know what i did for you tonight we just read matthew 24 that's what we did and it's actually very clear to understand and and all the other parts of the bible look you want to get into a deep dive on the wrath and you want to get a deep dive on revelation and the details i mean look that's fun i love doing that type of stuff too but look we just read through matthew 24 and all those deep dive things they match up to all these things that we just talked about tonight it's daniel's 70th week it's that's it so we just have to make sure that we recognize the clues that we recognize the milestones we don't run away with clues because that's that's the methodology that people usually do wrong they take a clue and they have no milestones and they run off with the clue you're like wait there's more clues back here we don't even have any milestones yet come back and they're gone right so look i mean that's matthew 24 it's a very clear uh explanation of look it wasn't clear to them and it's not totally clear to us but it's it's much more clear to us looking back that's how prophecy always works it's always looking back more clear because we can see the dual prophecies and we can see that you know what the tree wasn't budding during their lifetime that and we can see i mean i don't blame them for not understanding for misunderstanding what he was saying but he told them that knowing they wouldn't understand and he told us this as he gives us his word knowing that we're not going to fully understand but as things come closer we will understand more and more we just have to be mature about it clues and milestones matthew chapter 24 let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer