Sermon Snippet – A Sermon Not Ripped from the Headlines
INTRODUCTION – Many people are rightly concerned about the current world situation. We are staring into the face of evil, and we wonder how long it will be before the promised return of our Savior, Jesus Christ. From the Scripture (not the headlines), let us consider the Second Coming of our Lord.
1. WE NEED TO REJECT UNBIBLICAL SPECULATIONS
When speaking of the End Times, Jesus made the following absolute statement in Matthew 24:36: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” Setting a specific date for our Lord’s return is thus in complete contradiction to God’s Word, as most infamously illustrated by the Millerites in the 1840’s. On the day of His Ascension to heaven, Jesus told His disciples unequivocally, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power” (Acts 1:7). I Thessalonians 5:2 adds “that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.” Anyone who ignores these clear warnings is not worth listening to.
2. HOWEVER, WE MUST DISCERN BIBLICAL SIGNS
Jesus excoriated the religious leaders of His day for their spiritual obtuseness (Matthew 16:1-4). Experts abound in all areas of life; some of them are good at what they do, while others are abject failures (for example, someone should write the definitive book on the recent pandemic and title it Death by Expert). We should recognize, though, that these powerful and perhaps intelligent people have no spiritual insight and no sense of the imminency of the Savior’s return. Remember, Jesus spoke in detail of numerous signs in His discourse in Matthew 24-25. Let us also remember that signs and the exact time are not the same thing.
3. ONE SPECIFIC BIBLICAL SIGN INVOLVES RUSSIA
Ezekiel 38:1-6 directs our attention north of Israel to Russia (“Magog”). It is interesting to note other future enemies of Israel, including Turkey (“Meshech and Tubal” and “Gomer”), Iran (“Persia” – Afghanistan and Pakistan were also part of Persia at that time), “Ethiopia” (which also comprises Eritrea, Sudan, and Somalia), “Libya,” and the area of the Syrian-Turkish border (“Togarmah”). All of these nations are Islamic (a religion that did not even exist until more than a thousand years after Ezekiel’s prophecy). It is also instructive to note that Islam has surpassed the Eastern Orthodox church as the dominant faith in Russia, and at least half of the Russian military is Islamic. All of these names are not ripped from the headlines; they were written down over 2500 years ago in the Bible.
4. WE ARE TO DISCERN THE BIBLICAL SIGNS OF THE TIMES BUT LOOK FOR THE LORD
Titus 2:11-15 provides a good balance to the study of signs. The most important truth is that Jesus is coming back, just as He promised. His return is imminent; that is, it could occur at any time.
CONCLUSION – Are we ready? We have already seen from Scripture that the greatest sign has been fulfilled – the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:4). Each one of us must trust in this Savior for salvation. Then, we are to be “looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”