1John 3:2-3 – Watch OUT! – Bible study

1John 3:2-3 Watch OUT! It is hard to believe but 2009 is just about over. We have watched a lot of years come and go out in the time I have been here. (We have even seen a few decades and one millennium go in and out!) Each year, as we approach this time, I ponder what the Lord would have me say. This year, I believe the Lord would have me say, "Watch out!" John is telling us in these verses that there is soon to be an appearance of Jesus Christ. He says that when Jesus appears, two things will happen. 1. We will see Him. 2. We will be made like Him. Of course, John is describing the rapture. Jesus will descend from heaven, either He or an angel will give a shout, and we shall all be changed. But note that John also says, we will see Him. I do not think that the world will see Him, but those who are saved will. We are to keep our eyes to the sky as we wait and watch for the Lord. I NOTE THAT GODS PEOPLE HAVE ONLY BEEN TOLD TO LOOK FOR TWO THINGS SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN. Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. That promise set the faithful to looking for Jesus first coming. From that promise, they would not have known the coming Ones name, who He would be, or what He would do, but we know it would ultimately be Jesus that would bruise the head of Satan. The faithful started watching for His first coming. Acts 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. With this promise, the people of God started looking for the second coming of Jesus. Waiting and watching for Christ to come has then been a promise, a commandment, and a purifier for every generation since the fall of man. Our generation is no different. We have the promise of Jesus coming; it has been given to us as a command; and as long as we dutifully do it, it will keep us pure. But, what should we be watching for? The Bible does not give us an exact date for Jesus’ return. As a matter of fact, the opposite is true. The Bible says we will not know the exact time. Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. We may not know the time Jesus will come, but we do know the events that will be surrounding His coming. We should… I. Watch for abounding sin \#Matt 24:1-14\. A. \#1-3\ The background 1. Jesus makes some prophecies concerning future events. 2. This leads the disciples to ask about His Jesus return. They are not asking about Jesus return for the church for they do not know anything of the church as yet. They are asking about Jesus return to establish His kingdom. B. \#4-8\ Jesus gives a general description of what the world will be like until He returns. 1. Wars and rumors of wars 2. famines 3. diseases 4. earthquakes 5. \#8\ But even as Jesus describes these events, He tells the disciples that these are not the signs of the end but of the beginning of troubles. C. \#9-12\ Signs which will mark the rapture. Why? 1. Because \#13-28\ describe the tribulation. 2. And \#29-31\ describe the beginning of the millennium. 3. What are the signs surrounding the rapture? a. \#9\ Persecution from the world b. \#10\ Betrayals among those who have claimed Christ. c. \#11\ Many false preachers with many deceived "believers." d. \#12\ A cold heart and a loveless generation. D. Some pre-millennialist, pre-tribulationists have the mistaken notion that the church will be taken before troubles start to brew on the earth. 1. I say that the church has no right to think the churchs exit will be any less challenging that the churchs entrance. 2. It is my belief that the picnic is about over and the troubles are about to begin in earnest. II. Watch for a one-world Government \#Dan 7:7-8:\. A. Prophecy is deep and very hard to prove in one or two verses. 1. Most of the things we believe about the end time is from "line- upon-line, here a little, there a little" teaching. \#Isa 28:10\ 2. However, ancient history ended with a one-world kingdom. 3. Daniel prophesied this kingdom before it came to power. Daniel 7:7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. 4. This kingdom was the Roman Empire. a. The exception is that I find nothing in the historical Roman Empire that relates to the ten horns. b. I believe that part of the verse does not apply to the ancient Roman Empire but to the future revived Roman Empire. 5. An interesting tidbit about the Roman Empire is that it was never defeated. It just became dormant and fell a part. 6. However, out of that kingdom, a leader will arise which will revive the old Roman Empire. Daniel 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. a. To most Christians who take the promises of God literally, the little horn is the anti-Christ. b. I believe all the horns relate to end time prophecy. c. Out of the ancient Roman Empire, ten kingdoms or rulers will come and, in due time, one of them be the anti-Christ. 7. We are given more information about him. Daniel 8:23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. 24 And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. 25 And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand. 26 And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days. B. We are in the days of that one-world government being put back together. 1. UN Charters, trade alliances, military cooperation, new common currencies – all things that are necessary to fight terrorism, get the world economy going, and perpetuate world peace. 2. But to achieve this level of cooperation, Christians will have to lay aside their biased beliefs in sin, in salvation, in only One Way to heaven. 3. After all, it should not be that big of a problem. Evolution has already proved that the Bible is a myth and there is no God any way. III. Watch for a falling away \#2Thess 2:1-3\. 2Thess 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; A. \#2\ Paul is talking about "the day of Christ." 1. That is the same as the Old Testament term, "the day of the Lord." 2. In the Old Testament, that term does not refer to the rapture but to the tribulation. 3. However, since the tribulation occurs just after the rapture, the signs being described are likely common to both events. B. There will be a "falling away." 1. The phrase means A DEFECTION, AN APOSTASY. 2. Somebody is going to abandon the Bible and its truths. 3. The text doesnt say who will do it, but it will happen. a. It could be the world in general will turn from the Bible. (1) Of course, it never has been the worlds responsibility to adhere to the Bible. (2) Even so, we are seeing America, an ir-religious nation, turn from a general acceptance of the Bible and the Christian faith toward the Koran and Islam. (3) Whereas our schools used to encourage Christian precepts and expose our children to the Bible, they now encourage Muslim precepts and expose our children to the Koran. (4) Just last month, the Wildmans forwarded a email of a friend whose child had been given a passage to read before the entire school from the Koran. (That is right here in McCalla!) b. It could be the church will turn from the Bible. (1) I believe that is happening. (2) Churches are so focused on being large that they have quit preaching, teaching, and applying the Bible. (3) It is going to get much worse. V. Watch for an increase in demonic activity \#1Tim 4:1-2\. 1Tim 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; A. \#1\ Paul again mentions the apostasy which shall characterize the end times. B. However, he adds several other signs to it. 1. \#1\ There will be an increase of SEDUCING SPIRITS and DOCTRINES OF DEVILS. a. I am amazed with this generations preoccupation in the occult. b. Vampires, ghosts, werewolves, witches, magic – and all of these like-minded things are out of the same well. c. It is occultic; that is, of the dark or hidden world. d. Jesus associated the dark things with evil. Mt 6:23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! e. Books and movies like Harry Potter and the Twilight series are both introducing and indoctrinating children to the occult. f. What will become of it? (1) Perhaps for most, nothing at all. For some people, it is just mindless entertainment. (2) However, for some, a door is being opened which the devil will surely exploit. (3) Personally, I prefer not to take such risks. If the odds were only 1 in 1 million that my child would be killed playing Russian Roulette, I would tell hem to seek another form of entertainment. So it is with seeking entertainment in occultic activity. 2. \#2\ There will be an insurgence in lies and hypocrisy. That is probably prophetic of the church. 3. Consciences will be seared as meat with a hot iron. a. That is, nothing will bother the conscience any more. b. It certainly looks like we are there c. Nudity, perversion, foolishness – These are not the exceptions but the norms our world today. d. What happened to blushing? What happened to shame? VI. Watch for Jesus return! \#1Thess 4:13-18\ A. All of this takes us to the premier passage. 1Thess 4:13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 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. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 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. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words. B. Jesus coming is closer than you think. No one knows the day or the hour, but the signs are looking more and more as though the time is upon us. Keep your hands on the plow but your eyes to the skies.