Prophecy - The Three Similar Times of World Conditions

Brethren, here we are, last day of 2022.

Now, we know because of the truth as it was brought out in that first message that God has provided us, that we should test all things and hold fast to that which is good, that this isn't really the end of a year. We know that according to the Bible, God has His calendar and it always starts at the beginning of spring. And that's when life begins to renew itself, everything comes out of this hibernation, and this isn't very practical to have it in the middle of the wintertime. But this is the way the Roman Empire had their feast days, and this is the way it started. So I'll just give you a little rundown on how we got to this New Year's Day.

This is from the website article called Janus is the God of Doors, because that's where the word January came from. It came from a pagan Roman god. As it says in this article, ancient Romans believed Janus ruled over life events such as weddings, births, and deaths. He oversaw seasonal events such as planting, harvests, seasonal changes, and the New Year. And from the Encyclopaedia Britannica, it says, according to tradition, during his reign, this Roman king, Numa, from 1715 to 673 BC, revised the Roman Republican calendar so that January replaced March as the first month. See, the Romans also had the logic to start in March, which is the beginning of the spring. But this king decided to change it to this 1st of January.

And it says, it was a fitting choice, according to him, since January was named after Janus, the Roman god of all beginnings. That's why he's called the god of doors. And actually, when you look at the picture on the coins of Janus, he has two faces. So it's one of the past and one in the beginning. He's the one that opens the door to a new beginning, closes the other door to the past. And it says here, March celebrated Mars, the god of war. And so he wanted to change that and he put it in the middle of this winter time. And that's where we get the names January from Janus. And March for Mars, the god of war. We keep the biblical calendar in regard to God's feasts. While we recognize the civil calendar that people use, so that's the Roman calendar that we use maybe for our agendas or for dates. You know, we can't be using, you know, let's meet at the 14th of Abub or something like this, too. You're talking to people outside the world, they think, this guy's nuts! So of course we're using it, but just in the secular and civil sense.

But we do not observe the pagan Roman feasts associated with the Roman calendar, such as Halloween, Christmas, and the New Year as such. Now, of course, if you've got family gatherings, there's no problem getting together with them, but just recognize what that 12th of hour, that's when things break up and drunkenness and all of these things, excesses go on.

So brethren, what a year we have just passed.

From two years of a global epidemic with the COVID pandemic, which hasn't finished, we actually have, you know, Shelley Thomas has COVID right now again, and so we still have people with them. Please remember her and your prayers as well.

And this year, though, what has replaced this COVID epidemic as the most important news has to do with a war in Ukraine. It's the first land war in Europe since World War II. It has militarily changed nations in Europe, Russia, and even the U.S. because we're involved and we're providing arms, and who knows all the backlash that eventually that can happen. So I was telling my wife today about her geography. You'd think Vladimir Putin would have realized that when he attacked Ukraine, okay, they come from the north and the east. That's the border with Russia.

But to the west, you have Poland. And didn't he think, well, he can't invade Poland because that's part of the NATO countries and all the other countries had to back it. So you got this pipeline of arms and everything going through Poland to the Ukraine. And they are arming the Ukraine greatly by the U.S. to the teeth. But you think before he invaded, he thinks, well, I can't shut off absolute access for them to be able to keep having it. So, he's not attacking an island. There are these borders that he can't control.

So this is a new event, and we are still in the 21st century, and it seems we haven't learned much from the previous, the 20th century. We still have wars from these dictators, these autocrats, that means rule by one person who holds the power. And they are fighting democracies, which are nations ruled by elected people, and at least they have some checks and balances.

But this has all been happening in the 20th century before. For example, World War I was started by a ruler, an autocrat, who was in charge and had the power. His name was Kaiser Wilhelm II. He was a German. And basically, he led the World War I. He could have stopped it, but he wanted more control. As John Visser, who comes from Holland, would say, Kaiser Wilhelm wanted to create this United States of Europe, and he failed. So about 20 years later, we have another autocrat, another guy, a person who establishes one-man rule. His name was Adolf Hitler. And so again, he wanted to create this United States of Europe. And basically, he controlled a lot of Europe for a long time, a couple years anyways. And then that led to World War II.

And now, we have two autocrats that are menacing world peace. One is in Russia, Vlad Putin. He controls the strings of the Russian nation. And the other one is Xi Jinping, who's another autocrat, another dictator, who's in charge of China. That is also threatening countries like Taiwan, Japan, and others. And so it doesn't look like we've learned anything.

But there is a key difference between those autocracies, those rulers of World War I and World War II. These now have nuclear bombs. And that's a game changer. The times are so dangerous now. I don't know how many have heard of the Doomsday Clock in Chicago, the Doomsday Clock. This was established by Albert Einstein and some of the scientists of the University of Chicago in 1945. It's a clock. Once the nuclear weapons were created, you can have annihilation of the Earth. And so these scientists, many of them are Nobel Prize physicists and others, they get together and they analyze how close are we to the hour 12. Which means that that's an annihilation of the Earth. And so this is what, if you go to the website of the Doomsday Clock, it says right now it is less than two minutes before Armageddon. Actually, 100 seconds to midnight. That was 2022. I'm sure they're gonna even get it now closer to 12 o'clock. That's the closest it has ever been.

It means that it will only take less than two minutes for this beautiful world to go up in flames if God allowed it. Now, according to Christ, there have only been three similar times in world conditions that would be this dangerous. Only three in all the history from you know Adam and Eve up to today. Three times that he makes it stand out in history.

Now, why is that the case? There have been all kinds of catastrophes and disasters throughout human history. You had the collapse of the Roman Empire, you had World War I, World War II, but none of those are described by Christ. So, what makes it so special?

And that's what this sermon is about. Let's look at these three times that Christ mentions are so special and what God wants us to learn from them and to prepare ourselves. What are those three times? Christ mentioned them in Luke chapter 17. Let's go to Luke chapter 17 verses 26 through 30.

And this is part of the Olivet prophecy that he covers a lot of these similar things. Luke 17, it's not directly the Olivet, but it refers to things that he mentions in the Olivet prophecy later on. Luke 17 in verse 26 he says, and as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man. This is the first comparison of all the societies that have lived from the time of Adam and Eve to today. He said that first society in the days of Noah will be similar to the time when Christ returns. Why is that? We're going to look at it, but that's only the first of the societies that the world conditions would be very special.

He says, verse 27, they ate, they drank, they married, wives, they were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark and the flood came and destroyed them all. People didn't realize the special times they lived in at that time. It was shocking to them. They just went on like nothing was wrong. Here's the second society described by Jesus Christ. Likewise, as it was also in the days of Lot, they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built, but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom and rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.

In that day, it says, even so it will be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. So the second one was Sodom and Gomorrah. The third time that this repeats itself, the same patterns, will be, as he mentioned here in verse 30, even so it will be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. In that day, he who is in the housetop and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away.

And likewise, the one who is in the field, let him not turn back because the church is going to have to flee. When these conditions are repeated for a third time, then it's time God is going to intervene. Now the first two times God intervened, and that's one of the similarities that we have, and he destroyed the earth and all the people in it except for Noah.

Things got so bad. Did God do the same in Sodom and Gomorrah? Yep, only Lot. And his two daughters survived. And so God also has to intervene in this third repetition of society, or else the whole thing would be destroyed. And so this is the time that we are coming into, and that we don't know how long it's going to last. There are still signs that have to be fulfilled, but many are being fulfilled in our days. And so I'd like to just go over and show you the characteristics of these three societies.

The ones that lived in the time of Noah, the ones who lived in the times of Lot, and the ones who lived before Christ returns. So, first of all, in the times of Noah, there are special characteristics similar to the end times. He said it was going to be similar. Let's look at four of these characteristics during the time of Noah, and why it reminds Christ it's going to be very similar. You're going to see the same characteristics before Christ returns.

The first one is found in Genesis chapter one. I mean Genesis chapter six verse one. Genesis chapter six verse one. This is where the society of Noah started going downhill. It says in verse one, now it came to pass when man began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them. Now, of course, there were daughters being born before that time. You're talking here all the generations that we have. Chapter five, it brings it up, but there was something here. There was this multiplication of human beings.

Actually, the living Bible version, if you have it, it says now a population explosion took place upon the earth. In other words, there was an exponential growth. And what happened? Overcrowding. Because remember, people didn't have all these transportation access to many things, and so as they multiplied, there was crowding. There was overpopulation. And this led, as it says in verse two, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful, and they took wives for themselves, of all whom they chose.

Now, why is it that these sons of God, and you're going to see these are the descendants of the righteous people, Enoch and others, that they called themselves, as it says here in verse 26 of chapter four. It says, then men began to call on the name of the Lord. There was this righteous group, and as long as there wasn't that many people, they had their own wives among that pool.

But when everything multiplied, well, they started looking outside that pool. And hey, there were some beautiful women here that they could mix.

And so, again, this is the best we understand, because of course, as it was brought out, we don't have all the details, but the sons of men are used in the scripture talking about people that follow God. Also, it has to do with angels, but it can't be angels because they're spirit beings. They are sexless, as it mentions in Matthew, that they can't marry as other human beings can do. And here, the context is talking about God being displeased with human beings. He doesn't bring in angels into the equation at all. And it says that the sons of men of God saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. And what happened between the faithful mixing with the unfaithful with the unbelievers?

There was corruption, and the way of God was corrupted. Notice what Gleason Archer, famous authority there, wrote the book Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties. He says, what Genesis 6, 1 through 4 records is the first occurrence of mixed marriages between believers and unbelievers with the characteristic result of such unions, complete loss of testimony for the Lord, and a total surrender of moral standards. So this is what happens. You have a mixed... now you've got a person that doesn't believe the same way you do, and they're going to teach the kids, and pretty soon it's all watered down. They don't have the unity of faith anymore.

And so, as a result, verse 3, it says, and the Lord said, my spirit shall not strive with man. Notice, not with angels forever, for he indeed is indeed flesh, and his days shall be 120 years. This is when God limits mankind to 120 years maximum of a lifestyle, which is still... we've got maybe some lady from Japan who lived up to 120 years, but that's basically the maximum that human beings were, as before they lived hundreds of years.

And so, let's go on to verse 5. What happened? God's people, the way of God, became corrupted. And it says, then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. So, that righteous remnant was no longer there. And this is what can happen. It just... you can water down the faith. Guess what? It doesn't work out in the opposite. The world is not going to strengthen their faith on their own.

And so, the second characteristic was that wickedness abounded. Notice verse 11. It says that the earth was also corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. So, we see here violence is another characteristic of Noah's day. They all became leavened and corrupt, except for Noah and his family.

As it says in verse...

Yeah, verse 12. So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted, and it should say, his way. Like the King James Version and others, it wasn't their way. They were already corrupt. Though his way of life got corrupted, there were fewer and fewer people following that way on the earth. Verse 13. And God said to Noah, The end of all flesh has come before me. For the earth is filled with violence through them, and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. So God was forced into it by the corruption and violence that there is. Look at the violence that we have around us. We just had one of these deputy sheriffs killed just because he stopped somebody in a traffic violation or such, and he was just shot like you'd shoot some vermin. This is the way society is multiplying. Just talking about the four people killed over there in Idaho, that they're finding who did this, murdered them while they were asleep, and just no real sense to it.

We see the violence like never before. Even 30, 40 years ago, people could walk out, didn't have to worry about getting their houses broken into or their cars. This is the reality. The earth is filled with violence. There's no place safe anymore. And the third characteristic is that there's still a small remnant of the faithful that God is going to preserve. In Genesis 6, verse 8, it says, but Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Talking about here, righteous. He had integrity. Noah walked with God. Here's one that didn't get corrupted, that continued God's ways.

And what was the result? Genesis 7, verse 23, it says, so he destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground, both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. So you see the same pattern here. Okay, God waits, he's patient, and things get so bad he has to intervene, but then he separates that righteous remnant from it. So let's go to the second time in society when this is repeated. In the times of Lot, Genesis 18.

So again, the four characteristics that I had mentioned, the population explosion, the violence on the world, the corruption, a small remnant of those obeying his commandments, and God intervening and destroying all of them. They weren't expecting it. There was no repentance, except Noah and his family were righteous. So in the times of Lot, Genesis 18, verse 17, we see the same basic characteristics.

Let's read verse 17. It says, and the Lord said, shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing, since Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him. For I have known him in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord. You see, there's a way of the Lord throughout the Bible that you have to find to do righteousness and justice that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has spoken to. So we see this same pattern, just like there was a Noah. Now here's this Abraham and his family that are following the way of God.

Abraham was in that sense part of the sons of God. They were the followers of God. And in verse 20 through 21, God reveals to Abraham why he's there. And the Lord said, because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to me. And if not, I will know him. God has angels, and they inform God, and they were alarmed, and God decided to go and visit it for himself, see it for himself.

So Sodom's sins were very grave, similar to the days of Noah. The corruption had gotten that bad. And that's the second characteristic, the third, verses 32 and 33.

This is a lot he's speaking. Then he said, let not, oh this is Abraham, rather, let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak, but once more. Suppose 10 should be found there that were righteous. And God said, I will not destroy it for the sake of 10.

So again, we see the same standards of judgment. The righteous can protect the others from total destruction where they dwell. God extends his mercy that way. And then we have the fourth characteristic, verse 19, verse 5.

And they called to Lot and said to him, these are the people from Sodom, Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally. So they basically wanted to assault, rape these men. You can see it was pretty loose society. Rape wasn't considered a big thing anymore. Just like today, it's becoming more and more common that you have all the perversions going on, you can't say anything that's going on. So there's the corruption and wickedness and the result, Genesis 19, 29.

And it came to pass when God destroyed the cities of the plain that God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities to which Lot had dwelled. So again, God protects those that are following his ways. And by the way, doesn't talk too much about Lot's daughters and even the future son-in-laws, there was a chance for them to have followed Lot to get out of Sodom in time. And so through the Bible, it hints that once a person comes to the knowledge of the truth, comes to the repentance as the first message brought out. And by the way, Acts 11, 28 mentions that when Cornelius, who was a Gentile, when he was called and then the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke in tongues and they praised God. And what did the people, what did the members of the church, the leadership in the church, when Peter went back to Jerusalem and told them everything, they said, so now God has granted the Gentiles repentance, the gift of repentance. So again, we see here the importance like Abraham and others. They had the gift of repentance of following God. Notice in 2 Peter chapter 2, it mentions these two societies again. 2 Peter chapter 2. In verse 4, it says, for if God did not spare the angels who sinned but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness to be preserved for judgment and did not spare the ancient world. It's talking about Noah's time. But save Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly. And then the next society, he mentions, and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly and delivered righteous lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked. For that righteous man dwelling among them tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless needs. And that's what we have to do. Yes, we cry and sigh for the abominations that we see around us. Then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment. And so we see the similarities between the society of Noah's day and the society of Lot's day. But what about that third society? That's the one before Christ returns. It will be like the days of Noah and the days of Lot. Here are three characteristics. Remember Genesis 6-1? There was a population explosion. There was overcrowding of the earth, basically crowded cities. They've made experiments in laboratories where they'll take cages and they'll put a couple of mice or rats and they get along well. But then you put 20 rats into the cage and they fight each other for everything. And so we have this overpopulation today. As a matter of fact, in three months, they're calculating we'll get to the eight billionth of inhabitants on the earth. And so with that population explosion today, there's also a corruption of the sons of God and unbelievers. It's harder to find believers in the faith. And the violence filled the earth and man corrupted himself. There's a scripture in Daniel 12 which talks about what happens with this population explosion. The multiplication of corruption happens. Science will multiply itself. I have it here in God's word version. It says, but you, Daniel, keep these words secret and seal the book until the end times. And he mentions two characteristics of the end times. Many will travel everywhere. That didn't happen 120 years ago. People were still in the horse and buggy age. It was hard to get around. There weren't planes. There weren't fast trains. Took you several months just to go from the U.S. to England and across the Atlantic. Now you can do it in just a couple of hours.

Many will travel everywhere and knowledge will grow. There will be a multiplication. With that, high technology. This is the world described in the Bible.

And with the internet, that's about 20 years old, if wrongly used, it will corrupt mankind worse than anything else. Because it gives you access to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. You can see wonderful things and you can see awful things. Your parents or your grandparents would never have imagined, especially the children today. They're having such a tough time. They're getting corrupted. How many sons or children of God will be left? Because Christ said when He comes back, will He find people with faith?

And of course, through the high technology, we have very high-powered weapons. And so people kill easily. And nations kill other people in nations very quickly, very easily. That's not a characteristic 100 years ago.

Also, in Matthew 24, verse 21, Matthew 24, verse 21, if man is left to itself or himself, mankind would destroy itself. But Christ said God is not going to allow it. Matthew 24, verse 21. This is the Olivet prophecy. He says, for then there will be great tribulation such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time. No, nor ever shall be. God's not going to allow these weapons of destruction, of mass destruction in the future either. Just one time that He's permitting mankind to wield these type of nuclear weapons and other types.

He says, and unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened. God will intervene because there's still some people like Noah's family or Lot's or Abraham's that are worth saving on this earth. Not because of any special worth, but because they're following His way of life. That's the difference.

But similar to Noah's and Lot's day, that destruction that is just hanging like the sword of Damocles on top of the world. In this case, God is going to intervene. Yes, He destroyed the world during Noah's day. He destroyed the cities of Lot's time. But in this case, He's not going to allow the earth. It will be tribulation and many other things, but He is going to intervene, or else everybody would be destroyed. Notice in Revelation 3, verse 10. This is one of many scriptures that I could bring up about God protecting His people during this time. Revelation 3, talking about these churches as they progress in time. This church in Philadelphia, it says in verse 10, Because you have kept my command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial, it's a short period, which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. So He's going to protect His people when that big the great tribulation happens and everything else.

So just like in Noah's day and Lot's day, He protects His people, and those around those people are blessed by it. The earth is blessed by it. They don't realize what would happen if the truth was not still being held by a few. And so, also remember these events. Look at Israel this coming year because now Benjamin Netanyahu is back in power. And what is going to happen in Israel? And also sacrificial systems and things like that. Keep your eyes out. As we finish this year 2022 and enter 2023, we know there will be tough times ahead. It's called Jacob's Trouble in Jeremiah 37. Jeremiah 30 verse 7. But as it says, there is light at the end of the tunnel. He's not going to allow that period of time to last too long.

And that light that is coming is Jesus Christ the Messiah. So as I finish, let's go to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. And with this chapter, this exhortation from Paul.

Very encouraging.

Let's start in verse 1. It says, But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. It's going to surprise the world again. They're not going to be ready. They're going to go on like life is going to continue endlessly. For when they say peace and safety, they think, oh, this is a time when we won't have to worry, then sudden destruction comes upon them as labor pains upon a pregnant woman and they shall not escape. Once it starts, the countdown that God establishes, there's no turning back. But you, brethren, are not in darkness. You have this understanding so that this day should overtake you as a thief, that you are not going to be ready for it. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night or of darkness. We're not of this society's wrong teachings. Therefore, let us not sleep. Let us not just relax and take it easy, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night and those who eat, get drunk, are drunk at night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, because when Christ is coming back, it's going to be with anger, righteous anger, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake, we're awake or asleep, if we die, we should live together with Him. We know next moment that we're awake, we will be with Him. We will see Him coming down from the clouds. Therefore, comfort each other and edify one another just as you are also are doing. So brethren, we this new year should usher a lot of things, but we should take hope that we are where God wants us to be. Let's be faithful through this year 2023. Let's be part of that seed and that the descendants of righteous Abraham, of righteous Lot, of the apostles and others that are faithful to the end.