Summary of sermon by Erlo Stegen, 25 Jan 2015
Luke 21:5 – 35
5 And as some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts, he said,6 As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
7 And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?
8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.
9 But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.
10 Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom:
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.
33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.
35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Here are the words spoken by the Lord Jesus Himself about His coming again. We must take careful note.
Rev 6:12-13
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
We read the same in Joel.
These are things we will still experience.
Jesus said there are some standing here that will not die till all these things be fulfilled.
At that time they showed Him the beautiful temple but He said that not one stone will be left on another. And when it happened forty years later, some of them were still alive.
They were in dire straits and the famine in Jerusalem was so severe that some even ate their children. The Romans slaughtered the Jews so that it’s a miracle that any Jew survived that generation.
About the sun and moon turning dark. When Jesus hang on the cross there was total darkness from noon till 3pm, for three hours.
Daniel said in the end times knowledge will increase, and we know how knowledge increased in our time.
These things are the beginning of the last days. On 19 May 1780 a dark day occurred in New England, America. It was even seen in Canada. Till today scientists are trying to figure out what happened. Candles were lit during the day. Some thought judgment day had come. Men feared. People don’t like to talk about it because they cannot explain it. At the same time the moon was full but red.
These events are the signs of the beginning of the end.
We also read in Revelations of the mark in the right hand or forehead (Rev 13:16-18), without which you won’t be able to buy or sell. RFID chips implantation is ready. Your whole medical history can be kept on this chip, and it can be used for many other things. It will be tremendously helpful. But the Bible makes clear that it is the mark of the beast. The number is 666. Six is the number of man, and 666 the mark of the beast.
Nowadays technology is pervasive. It’s not the mark of the beast yet but it’s going before it.
Are we prepared for all these things or will we fall headlong for it?
The words of our Lord will come to pass. We must be prepared. Those who have died won’t go through these things but we who are alive will.
We long for the return of Jesus. Who of us will be able to stand when these things happen?
Let us work while it is day. The Lord said the night is coming when no one can work. So work while it is day before the night comes (John 9:4).
The antichrist hasn’t yet appeared but the spirit of the antichrist is already at work (1John 4:3).
Be ready that that day won’t come upon you as a thief, like the five foolish virgins (Matt 25:1-13).