The Great Tribulation (Signs of the End) - (part one)

None of us want to think that a period of great tribulation is upon us.  None of us want to even dare think of how we as individuals would even handle this terrible time of testing and endurance.  But I say unto you, that if we shall yet be alive at that time, we must definitely will have to strive in all our efforts, by faith, to live through it and endure until the end. 

The great tribulation must come to pass, because it is written.  In this three-part series, of "The Great Tribulation", I pray that I have brought some insight, knowledge and understanding, that those of us who are appointed to take part of this period of tribulation, will overcome and remain faithful.

As the word of God teaches, "he that endureth unto the end shall be saved". 

Transcript

Pastor Rickey Dixon 0:02

Tonight, I want to deal with a chapter in the Bible. It's in the book of Matthew. I'm going to deal with this the entire chapter, 24th chapter of Matthew. An area of study that um a lot of people don't want to touch or want to deal with, but I want to deal with it tonight. And I say tonight, but it's probably gonna be broken up. I want to deal with it in the different first level of study I want to deal with with this particular chapter. I want to deal with the being, the part that Jesus preached about, about that part about being deceived. Then I want to get into, if we have time, to get into that, to not be offended about what's gonna happen or what's coming up on this world. Then next time, next Bible study, I want to get into part two of this particular chapter where it talks about the great tribulation. It also will talk about the abomination of desolation. We need to know what that means. Um Daniel talks about it, John talks about it in the book of Revelation, but I want to deal with that on the next time. Then the third part I want to deal with, the Bible talks about after the tribulation of those days, about those who will remain faithful, those who will be steadfast, those who will continue to hold on to the Lord as best they can. And I want to go into why uh the period of those times is going to be three and a half years, and why the Lord shortened the days to three and a half years. But tonight, let's deal with part one. I want to call this series the Great Tribulation and the Signs of the End of Time. The Great Tribulation and the Signs of the End of Time. Now, when Jesus first spoke of this, he did not speak unto the world. Don't get me wrong now, just stay with me. He he is meant for the world, but when he first sat down and talked about this, he sat down and talked with body, you're gonna see in the Bible say privately with his 12 disciples. He sat down and told them about it first, but he allowed it to be in the Bible so that we who will come along afterwards would also read about this because it's something we need to know, it's something we need to be aware of. And shouting in the church and knocking people over and kicking over pews, that's fine and daddy, but we need to have a uh a developing knowledge of what this life really consists of so that we can better prepare ourselves for when we are faced with it. See, jumping and shouting ain't gonna help you when it comes time when you go through the great tribulation. It's gonna be, it's gonna require a strong faith and a determination to stand on the word of God. And if we're not equipped in that area, we're gonna read also in this chapter, there's gonna be a falling away. Some gonna be deceived, some gonna get offended because they I'm gonna read to you, it's gonna be because we fail. We are failing in equip in the area of equipping ourselves to be rooted and grounded in the word. We ain't got no roots, which means we don't have the sub the stability that is required to live a holy life. Oh, we park a good game and we skim on across the surface. But when it comes down to us being rooted and fixed in our belief, fixed in our faith, the time of testing is gonna come and it's gonna prove to a lot of us that we are not who we say we are, and we are not at where we think we at in the Lord. Because what Jesus is gonna sit down and tell the disciples is not, he ain't talking to the world, he's talking to those who will be believers or say they are because the world is gonna be deceived, but he's gonna tell us we're not supposed to let ourselves be deceived, but even though he says that don't mean some of us ain't still gonna let ourselves be deceived. So get your Bibles tonight. I really want you to get your Bible tonight and follow along with me tonight in the Bible. We're gonna use the Bible and just go to the 24th chapter of Matthew. The 24th chapter of Matthew. And just hold it because uh I'm gonna take my time in uh in reading this so that we all will understand. Twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew. I'm gonna read it to you, but I want you to read along with me to yourself. Then I'm gonna stop, I'm gonna I'm gonna stop at certain places because I'm gonna have to cut stuff up and dissect it for for us to get the best understanding that we can. Matthew 24 and 1. It says, and Jesus went out and departed from the temple. They was at the church, they was at church, they was in the temple. And his disciples came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple. Oh, look how nice these churches are. Look how nice the temple is. Okay, but that ain't that ain't that don't even need by our concern. You'd be surprised how many people are caught up in the building that we call churches today. The cathedral like edifices and the nice this and that. And that's fine and good, but don't let that be what your heart is, and don't let that be what your understanding is. Because Jesus is gonna tear all that down. He had to tear it down in the mind of the disciples, he's gonna tear it down in our minds. Let me just follow me with the next few words. Listen what Jesus said. They took Jesus outside and stopped him about that to show him the building of the temple. Okay, here comes Jesus, verse 2. And Jesus said unto them, See ye all these things? Verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down. I agree with you, think this temple is. This stuff is gonna be destroyed. These things that we're putting a whole lot of emphasis on and a whole lot of excitement into, this stuff is gonna be told down. It's not gonna last. You ain't gonna be able to tell that it was a building right there. Jesus let them know because Jesus let them know from what I know. If y'all knew what I know, y'all see, I don't need to get next side of it. This stuff is gonna be destroyed. You it ain't gonna be left one stone on top of another one. That's how bad it's gonna be. This destruction is coming. And what are you trying to do is get in that mind off looking at the things, and really you need to start looking at your life, looking at your soul, and make sure that don't be destroyed because of the sin in your life. Make sure you're doing what you're supposed to be doing for your soul to be saved, not to saving them no temple, not to saving them no building. I don't care how good or you think you don't want in there and had church on Sunday and how nice everything was and how comfortable. Uh-uh. The comfort zone is about to be over. And we need to come out of our comfort zone and prepare ourselves for what is coming, or else we ain't gonna make it. See ye not all these things verily, that's truly, he's saying, truly, I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down. That's Jesus said there, and I believe. And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, now he's gonna sit down and teach them something. Because he's gonna explain to them why he just said what he just said. So he went to the Mount of Olives, one of which was one of his favorite places to uh unwind, take a load off. He loved that spot, and this is where he had the twelve disciples at. Now he's about to sit down and teach, take his time and teach them and prepare them and show them the things that are about to come. And as he sat up on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately. See, this was just private talk between him and his twelve disciples. He was not talking to the world at this time. But I do say, yeah, we know that in time when we read this, it was gonna apply to us too. But at the first saying and teaching of this, he was telling it to his 12 disciples privately. But thanks be unto God, he allowed it to be written by Matthew what he had told them privately. Saying, this was the disciples asked him. They said, Tell us, we want to know, tell us when shall these things be, and what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world? Listen at that. Whether you want to believe it or not, there is a such thing called the end of the world. We have not experienced it yet, but it is coming because the Lord said it is coming, the end of the world as we know it. There is the end of this world that has existed from the time of Adam. Talking about this world. There are other worlds now, and God is preparing us to take us to another world. But this world, this one that we live in here on earth, this one has a set time to end. And it's called the end of the world. And the disciples wanted Jesus to tell him, When shall these things be? When shall be the end of the world? And Jesus is gonna tell them. Every time I have read this, before Jesus really gets into the teaching of what he's about to tell the disciples, this part right here, always do something to me because it makes me think, Lord, could this happen to me? Could this happen to us? And Jesus answered and said unto them, take heed. I mean you need to really be careful. Take heed that no man deceive you. Take heed that no man deceive you. We are in a time, y'all, and I believe some of y'all can relate to what I'm saying, that it's so easy for people nowadays to try to deceive another person. To try to deceive people intentionally. But thanks be unto God, Jesus comes and tells us we need to take heed that no man deceive you. And you can't sit up and say, uh, thank you so good, or you you so this and so that that it's impossible for you to be deceived. But I tell you this, no one is above being deceived. If we're not careful, if we're not watchful. All of us are capable of being deceived. But we also are capable, if we do what Jesus requires of us and what the word tries to tell us, we also, everyone can prevent themselves from being deceived if they go through the the steps according to the word of God to prevent yourself from being deceived. But it's gonna really cause some really putting attention to, really putting some take heeding to you. Your life, your actions, and what you let others say to you. But the biggest weapon against being deceived is you need to know the word of God for yourself. Because when the deceiver tries to deceive you through other people, he's gonna be trying to deceive you because of your lack of knowledge of the word of God. And gonna try to deceive you by causing you to believe that what he is saying or what they are saying is the real truth. But if you don't know the real truth, you'll you you run the risk of being deceived. And Jesus himself plainly states to us take heed that no man deceive. I don't care if it's your uncle, I don't care if it's your closest relative, I don't care how much they you love them, you we got to be careful what comes out of the mouth of people if it's not in line with the word of God. Take heed that no man deceive your child, don't let your child deceive you, don't let your mama deceive you, don't let your pastor deceive you, don't let the missionary deceive you, don't let nobody deceive you. Just because they're talking, if they ain't talking the word of God, do not believe them. Please don't believe. Because there's a part also in this chapter 24 about there are gonna be false prophets, false pastors, false church leaders that rise up or gonna be working along with the Antichrist to deceive the church and to deceive the people of God. We gotta get away from those days, and I mean no harm when I said this. If I come up in a time where people, if the pastor said it, you just believe whatever came out of his mouth, not knowing if it was the truth or what it was. But I'm here to tell you, in this day we live, we cannot afford to just, you better do like Paul said. He said, Follow me as I follow Christ. He also told them that they need to go behind him, read behind him, study behind him, go back and check behind him if I said something false. Check behind me in the word. Because false prophets and teachers and pastors are multiplying daily, we must safeguard our hearts and minds with the truth of the word of God. And just don't take verbatim just because you're a superintendent or bishop or wherever you think you is, that I'm gonna believe everything come out of your mouth. If it ain't the word of God, for all I know, you could be a false prophet, false bishop, working for the devil, working for the antichrist. And my soul is too important to me to let myself to be set up and be deceived by any man. Because my Lord and Savior just told me, take heed that no man deceive you, no woman deceive you, no whoever deceived you. Listen to what he said, verse 5. For many, here you go, shall come in my name. See, a lot of people come in the name of Jesus, but they ain't studying Jesus. But they use in the name of Jesus as a cloak to deceive. Because people always ready, when you talk about Jesus, people are always ready to see Joe. You say, gee, okay then. Now realize that some people will use the name of Jesus as a cloak to disguise their craftiness, their devil tree. They just they feel devil, but they got this, they can't come at you as a devil because you'll see them. So they have to try to disguise their devil tree, they tricks it, they deception. So they say, I come in the name of Jesus. But just because you come in the name of Jesus, you don't that don't mean nothing. Them just worried. I'm watching your life, I'm listening to what you're saying. Because like we was talking about, like I was talking y'all on last time, the devil cannot speak the truth. He just can't, because the Bible says ain't no truth in it. You can't speak nothing in you, but see, these deceivers, these that's gonna rise up and come before us in the name of Jesus, they're gonna be crafted and twisting and rewording the truth so much so that we're gonna think it's the truth, but we're really gonna be deceived. That's why it's so imperative that we know the truth, so that the truth will make us free from being deceived, from being fooled, from being making merchandise of. Now that's bold. Now we ought to know, we ought to have good sense to know. If anybody comes up to you telling you they Jesus, we ought to know they lying. But the boldness of the false prophets and teachers and preachers and bishops and superintendents and missionaries, the boldness of those that are followed carrying those titles, and they're not gonna, they're not gonna hesitate to say that they're Christ. Because they're gonna rise up not having a fear of God, not having a reverence of God, that they're gonna take even the name of Jesus and play with it. I'm gonna show you later on, probably in part two, I'm gonna show you. I probably won't get to my, I'm gonna show you even the Antichrist gonna rise up and call himself God. So these these imps of here, these workers of iniquity along with him, it's not nothing for them to call themselves Christ. But for those of us who don't know and understand the word and really know who Christ is, we're gonna sit up and believe it. I'm not. But the world is gonna believe that. How I know that because Jesus just told us that they're gonna rise up and say that I they Christ. Let me go back again. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ. And when they say they're Christ, look what he said, and shall deceive many. In other words, many are gonna believe what these false people are saying. These false evangelists, these televisions, and I'm telling you, I can get back to me all you want to. A lot of these televangelists, that's all they're doing. That's all they doing. Making merchandise of people for gain. Got them thinking that they're concerned about their soul, but they really are concerned about lying in their pockets from the people and fleecing them, making merchandise out of them, but deceiving them by giving them what appears to be the word of God and the understanding of God's word, but actually it's a lie and it's a deception. How I know Jesus just said, He said they're gonna deceive many. How do you deceive? You lie to people. That's how you deceive people. You lie to them, you pretend with them, you show a sign of hyper. You pretend to be somebody you're not. You pretend to believe in something you don't believe. They're gonna say they Christ, but not believe it. They don't believe in Christ at all. But they know you and I do. So they use that area or avenue of understanding to deceive us. Because they know we we love talking about the Lord, we love talking about Jesus. So they use what they think we believe in against us to deceive us. But if we know the word of God, when they speak about our Lord and Savior, which does not line up with his word, when they speak about the Lord God Almighty, which does not line up with the word, we will immediately know that that is a lie and a deception, and we'll automatically know not to believe it nor put our trust in it. That being said, sadly, there's still gonna be many that are deceived. And when you are deceived, you have been made to believe a lie. And sadly, because I see this all the time, when some when you get a group of people who have set up and believed a lie for years, it's hard to show them something different because they believe what I've been believing all this time got to be right. That's how I believe I've been believing all my life. Why change not? But you can sit up and be deceived and believing a lie for years. The devil can keep us deceived for years, which is his intent, along with the Antichrist, to keep us deceived, not only for years, but to keep us deceived until Jesus comes. Why? So that our souls will be lost. Jesus starts out telling us plainly, take heed that you be not deceived, because the deceivers are coming. The false prophets are coming, the false pastors are coming, the false bishops are coming, the false superintendents are coming, the false mothers are missing, they're coming, the false church members are coming. And he's telling us take heed that you be not deceived. Because their deception is gonna be so strong, they're gonna have the boldness and the audacity to say that they me. They're gonna say, I'm Christ. And the and the deception is gonna be so believable, many gonna believe it. It's why Jesus said, Many will be deceived. Because he said that's not gonna be me. Because I done told you how I'm coming. And if anybody trying to come in the other way, I'm telling you, don't believe them. Okay, that was verse five. He said, and yeah he's talking to the science, but he's talking to us. He's talking to us too. He said, and ye shall hear a war and rumors of wars. War is gone on now, y'all. Before the great tribulation comes, which I want to talk about in part two of next time about before the great tribulation gets here, there's gonna be a movement of signs or indicators letting us know that we're heading that way, that it's getting close to that time, if you would. Wars and rumors of wars are gonna be one of those signs that you know it's getting close to that time. Earthquakes and diverse places are gonna be a sign. The climate change, the way the climate is not normal now. You you have you still have to hear about a tornado up north. I remember years you never would hear about that. But now it can happen anywhere. Destruction. Can't hardly put the fires out in California. Now they spread into California, other states. Can we go a week without hearing about a school being shot up, a church being shot up? Can we go a day without hearing about somebody being gunned down? These are all signs, y'all. I'm gonna get to that part there about all these shootings. The word of God is gonna put it like this, though. It's gonna say the love of many are gonna wait for people gonna, hatred is about to take over the world. It can't take over God's people, but it's about to take over the world. Hate, which causes people twisted in their mind. That's the devil. The devil's twist the spirit in their life, cause them to do things against other human beings. These are all indicators and signs that the great tribulation is approaching. But we wander around, won't somebody do something bad? Yeah, we need to be praying. Those of us whose eyes are supposed to be open, we supposed to be praying that God have mercy. Have mercy now, because when the great tribulation gets him, my Bible is gonna tell us it ain't gonna never be that's gonna be more one of the most terriblest times that ever existed on the face of the earth. The Bible is gonna tell us not from the beginning of this world to the end. As bad as things are now and it grieves us now, the Bible is gonna tell you the great tribulation is gonna top all of that. And you're gonna never see times like that. But now is the time while the world, not for us to operate or to live in fear, but to prepare ourselves that it's coming. Because through Christ, he's gonna be the victorious one, but we've got to be linked to him. This is not a time to be trying to sever your connection with the law. If anything, it's to tighten your grip, to tighten your hold, to tighten your faith, even more so in him. Because I'm gonna show you the Bible say it's for the elect's sake. And if you're not the elect. Anyway, let me get let me get to the rest of this. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many, and ye shall hear of wars and rumors of war. See that you be not healed with all this stuff coming on the earth, the school shooting, the war that's going on in other countries, the fighting that goes on in other countries, the crime rape that's going on all over this world. Jesus just said, Be not troubled. Let me read this. Let me read it, go back and read. So you know Jesus said it. He says, See that you be not troubled. Other words, don't let it, don't let it, don't let it cause you to be scared, don't let it cause you to be fearful. Don't let this trouble. No, he's saying not be concerned, he ain't saying that. He's saying don't let it trouble you, to the point that you don't get created a fear in you. Because no matter what happened in the world, y'all, if our lies, lies are hid in him, we have nothing to be troubled about. Because even if we lose our lives, we're gonna find it again if you stay with Jesus now. Don't let he said, don't let this stuff that the devil, the workers for the devil, the antichrist, these people that will be so full of hatred, don't let that stuff trouble you. Because that's not what you're supposed to have your focus on, to the point that it took your focus off Jesus. Yeah, be concerned. I'm very concerned about what's going on in the world. But my focus stays on him who is Jesus. Because his word done already said this stuff comes to have this come to pass. And the Bible tells us to us who, those who I, whoever the elect is, I can't say who the elect is, but you know who you are. God knows who you are. But the very elect, see, they're not gonna be deceived by this stuff, they're not gonna be troubled by this stuff. They're gonna be more focused on preparing themselves and make sure they got their ducks in the road and make sure they're living up to the word of God and have prepared themselves to endure, hallelujah, the great tribulation. Because the very elect know that only those that endure to the end, now, those are the only ones gonna be saved. Because we get a whole lot of church people gonna fall away, meaning they're gonna turn away from God. The church is gonna lose a whole lot of people. I mean a lot of people gonna stop believing in God, gonna stop trusting in God, gonna stop living for God before this thing over. Because they ain't gonna be able to cut it, they ain't gonna be able to take it, because they're gonna be weak back, because they're gonna become easily offended. Let me read something to you. They'll stay right there in Matthew. I'm gonna read something to you about this being deceived. This is what Paul told the Corinthian church. And if 1 Corinthians, you can write these down, but I really want y'all to study this. 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 18. 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verse 18. Paul told the church in Corinth, he said, let no man deceive himself. Now that's foolish to me, but it's true. We are capable. If we're not watchful, some of us are capable of deceiving our own self. Because we think we all that. We think we we think we tight like that with God. That we got a special place with God. My book tells God ain't no expected person. He don't care no more about you than he can about the next person. You don't hear in the word of God where God run around with no buddy. Don't sit up and see yourself thinking that you got your ticket already. Ain't nobody got no ticket yet. Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise, now listen to what Paul said. I agree with you, Paul. I agree with you for what you finna say. If any man or woman among you seemeth to be wise in this world, if you try to be wise in the world, stand on top of everything, go on, you know, all the ins and outs, what's happening, you better be a fool. If any man seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool. Fool, not in the things of God. He said, Become a fool to the world. That's what he's talking about. I I could care less what's going on in the world. I ain't trying to keep up with more TV. I ain't trying to keep up with what celebrity are doing. I ain't trying to keep up with the who's who. Call me a fool all you want to, because that stuff that you think you you try, you trying to develop a knowledge for the world, you should be could be putting that energy toward developing a knowledge for the word of God. If you can put energy and try to know and get close to the world, you can also flip that thing and use that energy to get knowledge within the word of God. But while you're trying to be wise in this world, you better become a fool before this thing over with. A fool to the world. Let him become a fool that he may be wise, wise in the in God. See, God wants us wise, but not wise in the world. He wants to be wise in the word. That's what Paul was trying to get them hard-headed church folk in Corinth to understand. Then he goes on to tell them, for the wisdom of the world is foolishness with God. You got the people that can tell you everything that goes on in the world, they can tell you what celebs are doing, they can tell you all this. They wise in what's going on. But ask them, ask them who rose from the dead to save their soul. Ask them about something in the Bible. They'll they think stuff in the Bible is a fairy tale. Okay. Do what you gotta do. Let me also give you something Paul said to the church in Ephesus. Ephesians chapter 5. Let me give you something else. Let me get you some more. Ephesians about this deception. Ephesians chapter 5. We'll read two verses. 6 and 7. Ephesians 5, verse 6, verse 7. This is what he told the church members in Ephesus. Saying again, let no man deceive you with vain words. Vain words is empty words. Words ain't got no power. Words don't mean nothing. Stop letting folks deceive you because stuff sounds good. Just because it sounds good, it still can be vain. It still ain't worth nothing. Let no man deceive you with vain words. For because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Lord knows. I'm just waiting for the Lord to give me the message on the wrath of God. Some of us are playing with stuff with, and we're gonna pay the price before this thing over. Trying to be wise in this world, living like children of disobedience, we are setting up ourselves for the wrath of God to come against us. And nobody can stand against the wrath of God that is to come. Nobody. And if we are not covered with the blood of Jesus, we shall suffer the faith of the wrath of God Himself. And nothing will be able to save us. Let no man deceive you with vain words. See, I'll get you out of my face, you up in my face, just talking a whole bunch of empty words. Or I walk off while you're standing there, either one. Because I ain't got time. Time is of the essence, time is too precious for us to let things through our ear gate that we don't really need to hear. For because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Verse 7 tells us when you are aware of these things, he said, Be not ye therefore partakers with them. He said, If people in your face to try to deceive you and convert you over to a child of disobedience, he said, Don't even partake with them, don't you hang around them. Don't even sit there and listen. I'm told y'all, y'all think I'm playing, but I did this and I will do it again. I was at a major convention. Bishop up talking, foolishness. Bragging about how he went on the showroom floor, bought his wife a call, the showroom floor when he won't be up there telling folk about the word, bragging about what he done bought, bragging about what he got. I put my finger up, tipped on out the door, went on back to my hotel room. I'm not finna sit here and listen to foolishness. I want to hear the book. He said, and I wasn't wrong because the word of God begs me up. He said, Be not partakers with them. I ain't got time for them vain words. People's souls on the line. They come to hear the word, they come to be blessed, they come to hear the truth. Stop wasting their time. I will not be partaker of those. And I admonish you not to be partakers of people that do that. Because the word says that. Be not therefore partakers with them. Because they children are disobedient. And the wrath of God that's coming against them, if you hang with them, it's gonna come against you too. Let me give you one more about this. The Bible fooled all this this evening. Let me give you one more what Paul told to the church at Thessalonica, Thessalonica. And second, second Thessalonians. Chapter 2, verse 3. Paul told this to the church in Thessalonica. You notice how each one of these scriptures he's saying, let no man deceive you. You gotta we gotta stop being deceived, y'all. Some of us gonna be deceived by the very folks we live with in our household. Husband gonna try to deceive wives. Wives gonna be able to try to deceive husbands. Parents are gonna try to deceive children. We better wake up, y'all. This thing is more serious than we think it is. When it comes to your soul, whatever the devil see that he in your house who he can work through, that's who he's gonna work through. And he's so subtle. Read your Bible. It goes all the way back to Jesus. The Bible said he was more subtle than all the caliber. He slick. And but because he knows you love your wife, he knows you still believe it because you batten the eyes. He knows you love your husband over everything. I'm just saying, I'm not saying not believe your husband, why was that? But when they are trying to divert the word of God, the truth from your life, you better distance yourself from them. Pray for them. But don't listen they say when it's going against the word of God. Cool now, y'all. The word of God tells us those who are married, you're gonna be in this day when it comes, the great children, you better be as though you have none. Other words, you better live your life for yourself. Love your husband and wife, but when it comes to your soul, it's as though you don't have no husband, no wife. Because you got to see Jesus for yourself. It's gonna be you're gonna be a parent as though you don't have no children. Because you got to see Jesus for yourself. The book even tells us, y'all, that the very, some of our very foes are gonna be the very people of our household. Mother's gonna be against daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law gonna be against mother-in-law, father against son, mother against daughter. Listen, the Bible teaches this. I don't know why we shouldn't forget and forget that the Bible done said these things. Even Jesus said, Who is my mother, my brother, my sister? It's gonna come down to this, like Jesus said. Your family's gonna have to be those who do the will of the Father, which means those who obey the word of God. That's what we're gonna come down to. He listened to 2 Thessalonians 2 and 3. Paul told this to the church. He said again, let no man deceive you by any means. Look at that. I mean, I don't care what they say, if it ain't the word, don't let them deceive you by any means. For that they shall not Except there come a falling away first. That's why you can simply just be deceived. It's already gonna be enough people fall away as it is. It's already gonna be enough people turn away from Christ as it is. And you you who really want to be the left of God, you sure don't need to let yourself or can afford to let yourself be deceived. Because the day coming, this thing might come, it say shall come. Except there come a falling away first. That's what's gonna happen first. The church is gonna lose a lot of believers. The church is gonna lose a lot of people. And that man of sin, that's another name. If you read your Bible, you study your Bible, if you do like I do, you know when the Bible uses that word, the word that phrase there, the man of sin, that's talking about the Antichrist. The main Antichrist, not the not the small antichrist, but the main guy that's gonna try to overthrow Jerusalem. I'm gonna talk about that on part two now. That's some deep stuff. Comes a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed. That's when the Antichrist is gonna be truly revealed, and everybody's gonna know who he is. That the son, the son of perdition, that's that's another name for him. He cometh, and he's gonna deceive many. Don't let that be you, don't let him receive you. Hallelujah. Now let's go back to let's go back to uh Matthew 24. Matthew 24, verse 6, 24 and 6, I think where I stop. And ye shall hear of wars, rulers of wars. See that you be not troubled. Don't let it trouble you. Don't get scared. Just put your faith in Jesus. Don't you know if you're if you're in Christ, you ain't gotta worry about stuff? Yeah, you're gonna hate to see this happening to the world. You're gonna hate to see it happening to people, but don't you let it trouble you because some people let stuff trouble their heart. You'd be surprised how many saints of God right now are skiddish. They get upset and worry about anything. Let a sickness break out. Let a disease break out. Let a crime just get even worse than it was now. They'd be scared to go to the stove. They let this stuff trouble your heart. Let not your hearts be troubled. Don't sit up and let yourself and say you're serving the Lord, but you sit up here scared of a don't know what. Scared to go outdoors in your own yard. Can't let it trouble you, because Jesus said, See, when you when you have knowledge of something that's coming, you don't have to let it trouble because it don't catch you as a surprise. It don't catch you off guard because you already know it was coming. You just be prepared for it. And if Jesus said don't be troubled, to be troubled, that's disobedient. Anytime Jesus tells us not to do something and we do it, that is disobedient. Now, if he should have said, Don't be let, if he said of the saying, what how he said, see that you be not troubled. If he said, see that you be not troubled, and you let yourself be troubled, that's disobedient. Now, if you got a prominent air, say, Lord, help me. Help me, Lord, not to let myself be troubled. Just help me, Lord, give me strength. See that you be not troubled. For all these things, listen at Jesus, all these things must come to pass. Don't be troubled because it's got to happen. And don't get me wrong. If Jesus said these things must come to pass, I got to tell y'all the truth. That means ain't nothing can stop it. Ain't nothing gonna stop it. It's coming. But see, our focus is not to try to stop it, no way. Our focus should be on being prepared, be ready. Can't stop it, forget trying to stop it. Be prepared, prepare yourself, get in the word, become a fool to the world so you can be wise in the things of God. For these things must come to pass. But Jesus ain't through as a commoner. He said, But the end is not yet. As bad as these things gonna be, that still ain't the end. That ain't the end. Because something greater is coming even after this great period of deception. This great period of deception. Verse seven. For nations shall rise against nations. We already see that, y'all. Open your eyes. We see that stuff going on now. And kingdom against kingdom. And there shall be famines. We get got some of them now. It's about to be one here in America as empty as these shells is getting in these groceries. So see, we we think everything's gonna be all right. We better open your eyes. All these things and signs are happening for a reason. Now God still gonna take care of his people that miss a family, but you still need to be aware of what is coming. There shall be famines, pestilence, earthquakes in divers places. In various different places, earthquake. All these things are are signs. But listen to this is what Jesus said right here. And I'm gonna pause right here and let you go with verse eight. And I'm gonna take up on verse nine next time we do Bible study. This is what Jesus said. All these are the beginning of sorrow. Lord help us. Lord help. See, I would have thank us these folks, false prophets trying to deceive folks. That's sorrowful to see somebody to send them to see the church. But even Jesus himself said, this just gonna be the beginning. Wait a minute, Jesus. If this just is this the beginning, and that's already bad, how bad is it gonna get? It's gonna get real bad. If this just the beginning, thanks to God. I'm doing this series to make us aware of what the Word of God is trying to prepare ourselves for. We've been jumping around, kicking over folk, and thinking because you leave the church all sweat and mustard that you don't had church. Don't get me wrong, I ain't knocking none of that. But these this time that we're in now, I believe this is a time where we should be becoming more in depth in our knowledge. How can you shout if you don't know what you're shouting about? How can you shout when you don't have the knowledge that you should be equipped with? I'm glad when knowledge comes over me, my heart, that's when my heart rejoices. When the Lord, when the Holy Ghost revealed things to me that I didn't know, that's when my spirit rejoices. Because I say, Oh Lord, I didn't know that, but now I know that. When these times where we're in now are just the beginning of sorrow. There's going to be great sorrow. People are in sorrow right now, seeing their children just shot up at school. Babies. Do you can you even imagine the sorrow of a heavy heart of a parent that has lost a child to such a tragic, by tragic means like that? And even with that, that's just the beginning of what sorrow the hearts of men are gonna feel as far as sorrow is concerned. We can't even imagine the level of sorrow. But our Lord and Savior is giving us a heads up and letting us know this is just a beginning. Some of us are gonna lose a lot of loved ones, close ones. We're gonna lose a lot, but we must stay the course. Our hearts are gonna be heavy, our hearts are gonna be burdened, but we must stay the course and seek our strength from him whose strength is made perfect in weakness, whose strength is made perfect in sorrow, whose strength is made perfect when we're burdened down. We must look to him, that our hearts will be prepared, that we will not faint, that we will not be deceived when this time gets here. That those of us who call and claim ourselves to be the elect, we will stand. When I talk about those who remain faithful and those who remain steadfast in the things of God. Talk about the great tribulation and the signs of those times. When we take up on next time, we begin at verse nine of Matthew 24.