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The End Times Farmer's Almanac
Matthew 24:32-35
Skip Heitzig

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Matthew 24 (NKJV™)
32 "Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.
33 "So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near--at the doors!
34 "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.
35 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Rumblings of War and the Prince of Peace

For years agrarians have consulted the venerable Farmer's Almanac for predictive signs on what this next season would bring, in terms of weather forecasts, threatening bugs and water table levels. It helps them know how to navigate through the growing year. Jesus gave a story to His disciples on how the future generation can tell when the season of judgment is upon them and how they should live during the last days on earth.

For 2,000 years the church has awaited the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. For 2,000 years men have tried to predict the exact moment of His return. Though no man knows the exact hour or even the day He will come back, there are signs to indicate His coming is near. In the teaching series Rumblings of War and the Prince of Peace, Skip Heitzig thoroughly expounds upon Matthew 24, explaining prophecy of what must take place and encouraging the church to always be ready.

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Outline

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I. A Parable is Spoken (Vs 32)
A. A Common Style
B. A Common Sight

II. The Purpose is Given (Vs 33)
A. Notices Observed
B. Nearness Understood

III. The Period will Ripen (Vs 34)
A. Who is that Generation?
B. What will They See?

IV. The Promise is Certain (Vs 35)
A. The World Will End
B. The Word Will Endure

LIVING IT:
1. Learn to view your world through the lens of the biblical writers. What indications can you see that time is short?
2. 1 Chronicles 12:32 describes, "sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do." How could your understanding of the present age and future age help you in making crucial decisions today?

Topic: End Times

Transcript

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The End Times Farmer's Almanac

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Let's pray together. Lord, this is your time. Your spirit can speak to our hearts at a time like this in a very unique manner, when the body of Christ gathers together corporately. So we just want to tell you that our hearts are open to you. We want to know what Jesus said is going to come.

We want to be aware, and we want to be prepared. So Lord, I pray that all other distractions, all other preoccupations, would be very distant at this point, as we focus in on these verses of scripture. Speak to us, Lord, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Back in the late 1700s, a guy by the name of Robert Thomas wrote a book called The Old Farmer's Almanac. Now the publication that he started continues to this day. It's called The Farmer's Almanac. The original idea was to provide farmers with information they could get nowhere else, like weather predictions for the entire year in every region of America, helpful hints on what to plant, when to plant, early frost warnings, et cetera.

And The Farmer's Almanac has some helpful hints. Some of it's good information, but not all of it. Some of it is hyped and superstitious and dubious. But it does point out that people are looking for ways to predict the future by looking at the natural world.

For instance, I heard of a farmer who, in reading The Farmer's Almanac, knew that the spring and summer in his region would be cloudier than normal. And this farmer was out plowing his field, but this same farmer had always wanted to be an evangelist. Never had the opportunity. Well, there he is one day, on a cloudy day, and the clouds are parting, and he's leaning up against a tree, looking up into the sky, and he notices that the clouds seem to form letters.

And the two letters that he saw were a big P and a big C, PC. And he thought, that's it. It's my sign from heaven. God wants me to preach Christ. It's the dream I've always had. So he gets up, leaves the farm, becomes an evangelist. The only problem is, he wasn't a very good preacher.

And after one of his sermons, faltering and fumbling, somebody came up to him, his neighbor, and said, are you sure that God wasn't just trying to tell you to plant corn? It is true that people will often read, into very simple situations, something more complex, something that isn't really there.

And I feel that that even has happened in the verses we're about to read. Jesus was asked a question by his disciples. When will these things be and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? And Jesus gives a very straightforward answer, and now, an illustration of that answer.

And because the illustration is one from nature, pointing to a fig tree, and the branches that come out in the spring, I've called this message, the End Times Farmer's Almanac. Jesus will take from nature an illustration to point about his second coming. Let's look at it in verse 32.

"Now learn this parable from the fig tree. When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near at the doors. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away. But my words will by no means pass away."

Christians have been looking for Jesus' second coming ever since he left the first time. Now again, just as a quick reminder, we've already gone through this so far on our studies, but there is a difference between the rapture of the church and the second coming with the church seven years later. I believe the Bible teaches that.

But we have always longed for the time when our savior will come from heaven and make everything right once again on the earth. We love that. And I hope you're looking for it because Paul says, at the end of 2 Timothy, that there is a crown awaiting all of those who are longing for his appearing. Are you longing for that?

Do you perhaps get up in the morning and think, you know, this could be the day. It's great, especially around the beginning of school time. You think, I might not even make it to the test this year. The Lord could come back. Paul wrote to Titus in Chapter 2 of Titus and said, live godly in this present age, looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and savior, Jesus Christ.

So if you think about it, we Christians live with hindsight and foresight. We are looking back, and we're looking forward. We look back to the cross. We look back to our redemption, that once-for-all finished work of Jesus Christ on our behalf, on the cross. But we look forward to the restoration where there is a total do-over, a makeover, on planet Earth, and Jesus Christ rules and reigns.

Now as we're looking forward, how do we live? What do we do? What should we know? What should we be aware of? And what should we trust? There's a pastor in Chicago. He was the pastor of Moody Bible Church. He was getting gas at a gas station, and he pulled up behind a car that had bumper stickers.

Ever seen one of those cars that don't have a bumper sticker, but they've got like every one made? Just-- You think, this person's confused. There's so many messages on there. Well, this guy thought, this guy must be confused because there were two bumper stickers in particular next to each other that they didn't seem to jive.

And the pastor suggested that the guy pull off one of them because one bumper sticker said Jesus is coming, and the second one said escape to Wisconsin. I don't think Wisconsin is where you want to be when Jesus comes back, at least the coming of the tribulation.

Well, we're going to look then in nature this morning at these verses, verse by verse. And we're going to notice the parable and then the purpose of the parable. Look in verse 32. "Now learn this parable from the fig tree. When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near."

You've probably noticed that Jesus loved to use illustrations a lot. He was a master storyteller. And a full one third of Jesus' teaching in the gospels are stories, parables. In fact, in Matthew Chapter 13 alone, there are eight of them. Illustrations are like windows in a building. They let the light in. They magnify things and let you see things much more clearly.

And Jesus used a lot of them simply because, well, you know the old saying, a picture is worth a thousand words. And in those days, this was before television, before DVDs, before movies, before iPods-- the disciples weren't running around with iPods, video iPods-- so people back then saw with their ears, and depended on somebody who was a master storyteller to let them see things, as they would paint the picture in their mind's eye.

And Jesus was a master at that. Somebody once said, the mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The better teacher demonstrates, but the master teacher inspires. No wonder so many people were inspired and motivated by the son of God's teaching in the way he taught.

And you'll notice the word here, parable. You find it very often used in the New Testament. Parable comes from the Greek word that sounds very similar to it, parabole. And parabole literally means to cast something next to, or play something alongside of, something else.

And here's the idea. A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly truth. You take something earthly as an analogy and place it next to a heavenly truth, and since we live in the earthly realm, and we're going to understand the earthly principle, it helps us understand the heavenly truth.

So something is cast next to something else, and when it is, we go, oh, I get it now. And Jesus did this so often, and the parables and illustrations were so simple, they stuck in the heart. People would listen to them and remember them. He wasn't complicated. You never read something like this. Jesus said unto them, I'd like to submit to you the soteriological ramifications of men's faith in God.

But rather, he would say, hey, check out the birds in the sky. They don't worry. And your heavenly Father feeds them. You're of much more value than any of those birds, and people heard those simple stories and go, I get it. It's understandable.

Well, he uses one here about a fig tree. And so we ask the question, what did Jesus mean in using the illustration of the fig tree? And here's why I bring this up-- because there's an awful lot of literature spent on the meaning of the fig tree. And I think people have made something very simple into something very complicated.

There's a whole lot of explanations as to what Jesus meant with a fig tree. One is that Jesus was referring to the nation of Israel, and that what Jesus meant by this fig tree illustration is that when you see the fig tree, i.e., Israel, blossom, in other words, become a nation-- which happened in 1948. We know that from history-- that that is the sign.

However, if Jesus meant that by this, that would have been obscure to the disciples. You see, they asked him a simple question. And Jesus has been very simple and straightforward up to this point. If Jesus was trying to make them understand and fully grasp, and clear up any confusion, if he meant that, he didn't do a very good job because that would obscure it in the minds of the disciples, not clear it up.

And by the way, up till now, when Jesus wanted to refer to Israel, he said it. Back in verse 16, he mentioned Jerusalem and stated Judea, very plainly. So Jesus could have simply said, hey, let me tell you guys about what's going to happen to the nation of Israel in the future.

Oh, and there's something else. The parallel of Matthew:24 is Luke Chapter 21. It's the same exact account. But you probably know that there are three synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, synoptics because they're very similar in their approach. The Gospel of John is different.

The three synoptic gospels that cover the same basic stuff and approach, you'll find the writer will include something that the other writer doesn't because it's fitting that author's purpose for writing the book. So one will include that this happened. And one will exclude it, but say something else happened. It's not a contradiction. You put them all together, you get the full picture.

Well, Luke's rendition of what we're reading, Jesus pointed to the fig tree and said, look at the fig tree and all the trees. Not just the fig tree. Look at the fig tree and all the trees. So if the fig tree refers to Israel, and the blossoming fig tree refers to its statehood, well, then does Jesus mean, Israel is going to become a nation, and all the other nations are going to become nations too? See, it doesn't seem to fit.

Second explanation, that Jesus was referring to spiritual revival in Israel. The blossoming of the fig tree was Israel. Once they're back in the land-- 1948-- there's going to be a spiritual messianic revival, a blossoming, spiritually, as it were, which is wonderful. And we have seen some signs of openness in that area to Christ.

But by and large, Israel, to this day, is still a very secular state and secularly driven. But just look at what we read so far. Notice that Jesus does not say, interpret what the fig tree means. He simply says, learn a lesson from it. That's all. He didn't say, now, you go to your theological libraries and try to figure out every little meaning of every--

He just said, look at it. Take a lesson from it. So I think there is a simple straightforward meaning here. Here it is. You can tell what's coming ahead by what you see right now. Certain things you can see, like this fig tree and all these other trees. By certain signals that they produce, you can tell what time it is in the general prophetic time calendar.

You know summer is coming every time it's spring. I love the summer. I love when the days get longer. I love that you can spend more time outside. I love barbecuing, all of the things summer represents. Somebody once said, summer is when the kids slam all the doors they left open all winter long.

But I love the summer. And I think simply, what Jesus is saying is, after a time of tribulation, this dark winter of tribulation, there's going to come a summer of blessing. And during the springtime, you know that the summer is just about there. So look at the next verse.

He explains. He gives the purpose. "So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near at the doors." Did you get that? Just like the fig tree tells you summer is coming, when you see these things, it is near, even at the doors. In other words, there are time indicators in the natural world, as there are time indicators in the supernatural world. OK.

Did you know that some people get hung up on the 'it' of that verse? You know that 'it is near?' Some translations say, you know that he is near, and I've read, this week, volumes of literature of, well, it could be 'it.' That means the second coming of Jesus Christ. But then it could mean, he, that is Jesus Christ himself. Can I just tell you, it doesn't matter?

If it is the second coming, and he is the one that is coming, then it and he coming are the same thing. Doesn't matter. Who cares? The point is simple. You can look in the natural world, and you can tell summer is coming by looking at the fig trees and all the other trees. And you can tell by certain other things that I am coming very, very shortly.

Now we've been going through Matthew:24 for about 12 weeks. And we've gone sometimes very slowly. And we've uncovered these signs that Jesus predicts. And we've noticed that, principally, we're dealing with a period called the tribulation period.

These are tribulation signs. These are things that are going to happen after the rapture, during a seven-year time period, and especially in the last three and a half years, just before the second coming of Jesus Christ to the earth.

However, even today, we are seeing the world line up, and certain of these signs just starting already, so that we can say, you know what? I know the rapture hasn't happened yet. And I know we're not in the tribulation period yet. But already, by just looking at the landscape in this world, things are shaping up. We're getting a little more excited.

And in Luke Chapter 21, Jesus said to his disciples, when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads because your redemption is drawing near. We also noticed, back in verse 8, that Jesus gave a series of signs. And then he said, these are the beginning of sorrows. And we mentioned that the word sorrows is the word, birth pains, literally. Birth pains.

And if you remember, we said that-- of course, you don't have to say it if you're a woman who's had a baby. You already know-- whenever you have a pain, it doesn't mean a baby's coming. Birth pains are different than abdominal pains. Birth pains are more frequent and more intense. They're timed, and they're intense, and when the birth pains come, you know the birth is about there.

If you ever travel to South Dakota, there's an odd little town situated there known as Wall, South Dakota. It's only got about 200 or 300 people living in Wall, South Dakota. But there is a drugstore in Wall, South Dakota, given the innovative name, Wall Drug. Wall Drug.

Back in the '30s, Ted Husted, who started the store, knew that he had a small town, knew that he wouldn't get much traffic, but thought, how can I get people here? His answer? Signs. I'll put signs everywhere. Everyone will know about my store. It's true. In all 50 states, there are signs that tell you the distance from that place to Wall Drug, South Dakota.

For instance, if you're driving through Memphis, Tennessee. you will read this sign, Wall Drug, 1,192 miles. If you're in Paris, France, there is a sign, Wall Drug, 5,961 miles. And, if you happen to ever get to the South Pole, yes, there's a sign there that says, Wall Drug, 9,333 miles. There's one in Moscow. There's one in Kenya. There's one outside the Taj Mahal in Agra of India.

There are signs everywhere. But if you're driving on Interstate 90, and you're 45 miles outside of Wall Drug, Wall, South Dakota, in that 45-mile stretch, there are 53 signs. You're driving down the road. You see another one, and another one. They get bigger and brighter. And just having a sign that there is Wall Drug isn't necessarily an indication that you're close.

But when those signs become more frequent and more intense, you know you're almost there. You're there very, very shortly. So Jesus gave a whole list of signs, time indicators, that already, we can say, I'm noticing the world shaping up toward that.

Well, I did a little research on figs, as you can imagine. And I found out that figs are very interesting trees. They grow in almost any soil, even dry soil, because they get a hearty root system that'll withstand just about any kind of temperature. And there's two basic types of figs.

One is called a unifary. One is called a bifary. And the unifary produces one crop per year. The other produces two crops per year, one in the early summer, one in the late summer, but both in the summertime, typically. So that after the winter rains in the Mediterranean, which is a cool time, the sap begins to flow, and immediately, right on the main trunk, you see these tender, soft little green shoots.

And anyone living in the Middle East can look at a fig tree and go, you know what? Very soon, those hot weather patterns are going to hit our country. Just looking at that, I know that very soon, there's going to come figs, and it's going to get very, very hot here. So just as you can look at a fig tree and all the trees and see the new growth, you know that spring is near. You can see these things that Jesus speaks about, and you know that my coming is near.

Well, when Jesus says, so you also, when you see all these things, what things is he talking about? All the things we've been reading in Matthew:24, right? We've been doing 12 weeks of this study, but you could read Matthew:24 in three minutes. So it's a very quick answer.

Hey, Jesus. What's the sign of your coming? OK. Boom, boom, boom. He tells him all. The birth pain signs, verses 4 through 8. The massive worldwide persecution, verses 9 through 13. The worldwide evangelization, verse 14. The abomination of desolation and the mass exodus of the Jews from Jerusalem, verses 15 through 20. The cataclysmic catastrophes that occur on the earth and in the heavens, verses 21 through 31.

All of those things are these things that will happen. There's a Jewish prayer, and it's been a prayer they have prayed for generations. Listen to it. I believe, with perfect faith, in the coming of Messiah. And even though he tarries, yet I will wait for him every coming day.

Isn't that a great prayer? I believe he's coming, and even though he tarries, I'll wait for him every coming day. The only problem is, he's already been here once. And he's coming again. And that shocked the disciples because they thought the first time was the only time. So now they say, well, when are you going to come?

And the answer he gives is, when all of the signs that I've given you bud and blossom forth, just like the fig tree. There's a rabbi in Chicago, a pretty famous one. He's a good speaker. He's world renowned in the Jewish community. His name is Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein. And Rabbi Eckstein, in looking at the situation in the world today, believes this.

He said that all of this climactic ferment that is epicentered in the Middle East seems to him to be messianic times. If this is it, he said, if the Messiah appears, Rabbi Eckstein says he can't wait to ask him one question. Is this your second visit or your first? Course, we know the answer. It's his second go around.

He's been here once. He came into his own. His own received him not. He comes the second time, it will be a very different situation. And the signs that Jesus gives here are the indicators. Look at the next verse now. Verse 34 talks about the period itself, the generation, that that period will ripen, assuredly. Or if you have the old King Jimmy, verily I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

So these signs are going to ripen. They're going to worsen. As time goes on, they become very, very intense. And just like figs that hang on the branches of that tree get ripe in the hot weather, it will occur, and one generation will see it all.

Now in verse 34, there's another one of those controversial phrases. And that's the phrase, this generation. And again, it seems that people have gotten really intensely involved in a debate as to what this means. What generation is Jesus speaking about? And elaborate explanations have been made, and it gets more confusing, the more of these things you read, honestly.

I again, I take it to be very simple and very straightforward, not confusing. And I'll admit, eschatology, end time stuff, can get confusing. Doesn't have to be, but it can get that way. It's like the student who is in his seminary class, and the professor was talking about all millennialism and post-millennialism and pre-millenialism, and pre-tribulation rapture, mid-tribulation rapture, and post-tribulation rapture.

And this kid just thought, this is too much. He folded his arms. He sat down, and he shouted out at the top of his lungs, IAK. The professor said, what does that mean? The student says, it means, I am confused. And the professor said, well, confused doesn't start with a K. The student said, yeah, but you don't know how confused I am.

Well, we don't need to be all that confused. What does it mean when Jesus says, this generation? Option number one, It means the disciples' generation. I don't think it means that, but some people think Jesus was talking to the disciples and said to them, this generation, your generation, is going to see all of these signs.

And some people have tried to take those early years and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and say that all of these things were fulfilled back then. Really? You think they were? You think that there was worldwide famine and pestilence and earthquake then? You think the stars fell from heaven, the sun got dark, and the moon lost its light then?

Is there any record of that? Is there any record of worldwide evangelization then? And did Jesus Christ come back then? Nuh-uh. So it can't mean their generation. Then people try to explain it this way. Well, Jesus wasn't talking about a particular generation of time. He was speaking about the Jewish race because the word, generation, is the Greek word, genea, which sometimes can be translated, race or nation.

So what they say is, Jesus wasn't referring to a generation of people, but a race of people, the Jewish race. And Jesus was simply saying, the Jews will always be there and continue as a race until Jesus sets up his kingdom. Can I just say, the Bible does say that. I just don't think it says it here.

You see, if Jesus meant that, that wasn't a newsflash to the disciples. Every Jew, including the disciples, back then knew that God made promises to David and was going to fulfill them in bringing Israel to the epicenter in the future kingdom. I don't think that's what it means.

And again, why wouldn't Jesus have just said it and mentioned it specifically as Israel or Jerusalem or Judea, like he did back in verse 16? No, I think it's pretty simple and obvious. The generation that sees these things will be the generation that sees my coming. Very simple.

In other words, the generation that sees the birth pains will see the birth. That makes sense. If you're around for the birth pains, just hang around a little while longer. The birth will come.

How long is the tribulation? Total of seven years. How long is the great tribulation, the worst part of it? Three and a half years. So if you're here for those signs in that last three and a half years, three and a half years later, you'll see his coming. It'll be around.

And that's the context of the question. When will these things be? What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? And Jesus saying, it's not until all these signs occur, and when they do, that generation will see it all. They'll see it all.

Listen to it in the amplified bible. Truly, I tell you, this generation, that is the whole multitude of people living at the same time in a definite given period, will not pass away until all these things taken together take place. Now look at the very last verse of our paragraph before we close, verse 35.

He ends on a promise, a very certain promise. Heaven and earth will pass away. But my words will, by no means, pass away. There's two parts to that promise. The world of men will end. The word of God will endure. If you're a materialist, I feel sorry for you. If your only hope is that new home or that wonderful garden or the new car, well, enjoy it now, but it's all going to burn.

And the Lord's been faithful to remind me throughout the years of that. I don't know why it is, but it seems that every time I get some new item, some thing I buy, even though I try really hard to take care of my stuff, it gets dinged or scratched. It falls down, gets a bash in it. It still works, but it's as if the Lord is saying, it's all going to burn. Yeah, but it's a new guitar. And now it's got a scratch. It's all going to burn.

Yeah, but it's a new car. Well, why did that guy ding the back fender? But it's just the fender. It's all going to burn. Isaiah:65 says, "behold, I create a new heaven and a new earth and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind."

Again, Revelations says, "I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. And there was no more see." That's a drag. But if this world is temporal, doesn't it make sense that we don't want to live here? If the world is temporal, don't we want to think about and gravitate towards something that is eternal, rather than temporal?

So Jesus said, heaven and earth will pass away, but my word will never pass away. I don't know if you've ever noticed this or not, but Jesus here not only claims that his word is eternal, but in doing so, Jesus is claiming to be God because back in Isaiah, the Lord compares men to God. He says, all flesh is like grass. It's not going to last. And the grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of the Lord endures forever.

So when Jesus comes along and says, my words will never pass away, he is claiming to be the eternal God in human flesh. No mistake about it. My word will never pass away. So let's end up on this note.

In your life, what's your final resting place? When your world is chaotic and your world is coming to an end, where do you go for hope? Have you ever heard somebody say, my world is coming apart, man. I need something to turn to. Give me Darwin's Origin of the Species.

Have you ever heard of anybody requesting that on their deathbed? Have you ever heard of somebody on their death bed, or when their world is caving in, say, get me my chemistry textbook. Get me a good book on Kierkegaardian philosophy. No. I've seen a lot of bibles at death beds. I've seen that because the Bible promises hope and a future. My words will never pass away.

A few years ago, I was traveling back home to the United States, and I happened-- this is really cool. I had to spend one day layover in Cairo, Egypt. I'd never been there before. As I'm flying into Cairo, off to the right side of the aircraft, out the window, I saw something I always wanted to see. The pyramids. They were magnificent.

I had a day to snoop around the pyramids. And as I did, I discovered that that huge one that's called the Great Pyramid in Giza took 100,000 men 40 years to build. 100,000 men, 40 years to build. And the pyramid is just a tomb. And if you've ever been to a museum of Egyptology, you notice that they spend a lot of time, energy, money in tombs, and caskets and all of that stuff.

You know why? Because the Egyptians were wise enough to know that they're going to spend most of their time in the afterlife, rather than this life. OK. Their theology was kooky, granted. Their beliefs were wrong, I agree. However, because they knew they would spend the bulk of their existence in the afterlife rather than this life, they prepared.

The Bible says, God has put eternity, in their hearts. He's put eternity in your heart. Are you prepared? You go home today and take a good look around, the house, the new yard you planted, the car you just bought, and just think, it's all going down. It's all going to burn. It won't last forever.

Be at least as wise as a pagan Egyptian, and prepare for the afterlife. Let's pray. Lord, it was Moses who said, teach us to number our days that we might gain a heart of wisdom. The days on this earth are few in comparison to the life that we will all face and spend in eternity. And I pray that there would be a preparation.

I pray that each one of us, in looking at the texts this morning, and realizing there are time indicators that tell us not only where we're at, but how we should live, that we would begin preparing even now. Lord, we pray for anyone who has come this morning who doesn't know you or is not right with you or who has strayed away from you.

And we pray, Lord, that there would be a commitment, a decision, a crisis point. Whereas eternity hangs in the balance, the smart, wise choice would be made now, in time.

Before we close this service this morning, some have gathered here who don't know Jesus personally, simply because you've closed your heart to him. You've said no to him. Or maybe you said yes to him at one time in your life. You really didn't know what that was all about because you haven't been walking with him.

All the choices we make for eternity are done right here, at times like this. So if you are unsure about where you're going to spend eternity, if you're not sure that, if you were to die today, and you might, where you'll go, you want to be sure you'll be in heaven. It's a simple, Lord, I give you my life. Lord, I surrender to you.

If you're willing to do that, before we close the service, as we're praying, I'd like you to slip your hand up in the air. And we'll pray for you as we close. But you're saying, yes, God, save me. I believe in you. I'm ready to turn my life over to you. We'd love to pray for you. We need to know who you are.

So as we're praying, I want you to raise your hand up, and I'll notice your hand. You're saying, Skip, pray for me because I'm ready to give my life to Jesus, right now. Slip it up high in the air so I can see it, and I'll acknowledge it.

God bless you, to my left. Anybody else? Toward the back, yes, sir. Anybody else? It's a simple indication, a simple desire. Here I am, Lord. Lord bless you, sir. Father, for those hands that have gone up around the room that represent lives, we pray for changed lives that produce great joy and fruit.

We pray. Father, that each one would be solidly rooted and grounded, knowing that you love them, that your plan for them is perfect, and we'll go out rejoicing, in Jesus' name. Amen.

Additional Messages in this Series

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7/23/2006
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Rumblings of War and the Prince of Peace
Matthew 24:1-3
Skip Heitzig
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Message Summary
When you hear of wars and rumors of war what do you think of? When you see TV news of images of the horrors of evil what do you think? Most of us turn to others for comfort and others turn to the bible for answers but the real question is do you believe in your heart that God is your Father? Matthew tells us of the concerns of the disciples as they heard of Jesus speaking of the end times. The disciples are much like you and I for they asked Jesus and He told them plainly but did they really believe? So are you hearing and believing or are you believing what you think you want to hear? Think about it.
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7/30/2006
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Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign
Matthew 24:3-5
Skip Heitzig
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Do you believe signs when you see them? Do you know how to read signs when they are given to you? Jesus, in Matthew 24 tells of His return and the signs we are to look for. If we have a different understanding other than what the bible says then we may miss the greatest happening of all time and be left behind.., the return of Jesus. So, will you read the signs and seek to understand, or will you simply dismiss them and interpret your own signs.
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8/6/2006
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Why We Can't All Just Get Along
Matthew 24:6-8
Skip Heitzig
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War has always been a part of the regular life of humanity since our beginning. So what makes war a sign that Jesus' return is near? And more importantly, why can't people around the world get along? Why is it that strife, conflict, rivalry, and fighting have so marred God's highest creation? Where will it lead and how can we cope?
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8/13/2006
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When Faith Turns Fatal
Matthew 24:9-11
Skip Heitzig
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The Bible extols the benefits of faith. Faith justifies the sinner, appropriates God's promises for the believer and will bring us into eternal joy. But faith can also be fatal - there are consequences to believing! Faith in God brings us into direct opposition with Satan's worldly system and incurs the wrath and opposition of unbelievers and false believers. What will it be like for those who trust Christ just before His Second Coming?
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8/20/2006
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Big Mess; Bigger Message
Matthew 24:12-14
Skip Heitzig
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Whenever there's a mess, a messenger with a message is needed. God has always worked that way. In ancient Israel he sent prophets to herald truth to a recalcitrant nation. In church history God raised up evangelists to proclaim the gospel to sin-hardened and cynical generations. The future Tribulation will be the biggest mess ever, yet God will still have his message heard! Lets notice four human conditions that will prevail in the future of earth's most severe time.
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8/27/2006
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God's House Vandalized!
Matthew 24:15
Skip Heitzig
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This single verse is pivotal in understanding prophecy. It highlights something that is both historic as well as prophetic. This verse, when tied to its historical roots in the prophet Daniel, will help you understand what John wrote in the book Revelation. But it offers more than just biblical information it provides practical inspiration when properly understood.
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9/3/2006
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Holy Land Tour: CANCELED!
Matthew 24:16-20
Skip Heitzig
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For many Christians, a trip to the Holy Land is a once-in-a-lifetime dream. To see where Jesus walked, taught and spoke prophetically of is thrilling. But trouble is in store for Israel's future, in fact Scripture refers to it as "Jacob's Trouble" (Jer. 30:7). What will be Israel's future and what can we learn about the nature of God in adversity? Moreover, what should a believer's response to catastrophic events be?
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9/10/2006
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When God Declares War
Matthew 24:21-22
Skip Heitzig
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War is ugly but sometimes necessary. It's meant to defend the weak and punish deadly aggressors. Jesus' words here depict a time when God wages war on the human race and throws every conceivable judgment to the earth in the Tribulation. These two verses also highlight three prevailing conditions that exist between God and mankind. The first condition has existed since the Fall of Mankind, the second will be a temporary result of the first, and the third condition is rooted in the character of God and takes the edge off of the first two.
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9/17/2006
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The New Dark Ages
Matthew 24:23-28
Skip Heitzig
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Jesus said, "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."(John 9:5) and that His followers were to take up the same occupation: "You are the light of the world" (Matt 5:14). But what happens when the light has been extinguished? What happens when spiritual darkness overshadows everything, everywhere? There's an old saying, "It's always darkest just before the dawn." Jesus tells His followers here that just when the world plummets to its darkest moment, He will be returning!
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9/24/2006
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Ready or Not, Here He Comes!
Matthew 24:29-31
Skip Heitzig
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Children love to play games. One of those games is Hide and Seek where a child, after counting to ten, will call out to his friends, "Ready or not, here I come!" One day, after a time of intense distress, Jesus will return to the earth for the second time and many will not be ready for it. Those who survive and are ready will be gathered together with the rest of God's people to be ushered into God's eternal Kingdom. Are you ready or not?
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10/8/2006
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What Angels Want to Know
Matthew 24:36
Skip Heitzig
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Man's knowledge is impressive but it pales next to God's knowledge. The only things we know for certain are the things that God has revealed to us. Some things must be stored in our hearts in the imaginary file marked, "Wait for further information." As we wait for Jesus to come for us, let's consider what we know and what we don't know; in fact let's see what angels don't even know!
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10/15/2006
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Eat, Drink and Be Judged!
Matthew 24:37-44
Skip Heitzig
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When Noah built his ark, most people thought he was nuts. Only seven others listened to his warning and went with him. Jesus spoke about the fool who thought he was prepared for the future because of his wise investments. This man said to himself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." (Luke 12:19). Jesus also tells us that the world will largely adopt this attitude in the final days of history unaware of what's ahead.
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10/22/2006
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Caught in the Act!
Matthew 24:45-51
Skip Heitzig
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Every parent remembers walking into their child's room catching them in some act either good or bad. The youngster wasn't expecting you to be there and that child's look tells all, betraying innocence or guilt. The return of Jesus Christ will catch some people off guard while others will be diligently involved in the Master's work. Ever wonder what you'll be up to when Jesus returns: what activities, conversations and thoughts you'll be engaged in? Let's consider two possibilities.
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There are 13 additional messages in this series.
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