Matthew 24:6-8 "You are going to hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, because these things must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these events are the beginning of labor pains."

There has been thirteen years of war for every one year of peace since the time of Christ. Mankind loves war.

"Many will fall away, betray one another, and hate one another." (v.10)

Love grows cold. Lawlessness spreads faster than the gospel. But through endurance the kingdom of God will be preached. And the angels will fulfill this mission:

Revelation 14:6 "Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, 'Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.'"

And just as a side note, for all those people who seem to love claiming that Jesus didn't claim divine nature, here we have Jesus warning all people that others will come in his name...

Matthew 24:4-5 Jesus replied to them, “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many."

...and try to lay claim to his divine authority. The abomination of desolation cannot falsely come into the temple and attempt to claim divine power and authority in Jesus' name if Jesus himself is not indeed The Divine Lord and God, the Messiah. So, for everyone who said that Jesus only says he's divine in the gospel of John...yeah, no. He said it other ways in other places, and it's fully understood to be true. So cut the crap.

Here's The Thing: One thousand two hundred and ninety days of tribulations is coming. Such a horrible time of war and hard times that it will be overwhelming for so many. Too many false teachers and preachers. Deceivers will be abounding. Churches with secret chambers and hidden messiahs will pop up and draw people to them. The wicked people will take the bodies and souls of their victims into their chambers and destroy them there. The worst kind of horrors ever imagined is coming.

Matthew 24:23-24 “If anyone tells you then, ‘See, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Over here!’ do not believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect."

And so, friends,
What does all this horror mean for us? I often read and hear teachings about how we'll (the church) be taken up and exempted from all these things. No need to worry, you're faithful to Jesus Christ. You're his child. You're "in Him" and marked safe from the tribulations.

But are you really?

I find it interesting that Matthew's Gospel follows these warnings of Jesus' second coming and the tribulation period, with another parable. We know Jesus uses these parable teachings to both enlighten the reader who is in Him and confuse the audience that is not. Where do you suppose most folks who claim to be witnesses for Jesus Christ would imagine themselves, which camp?

Get ready...fair warning before you continue to read. You're about to see the hard truth about the liberal theology that is so common today. Steal yourself, because this Jesus isn't the Messiah they've been feeding you. This Jesus has expectations for and of you. Oh sure, he's got a plan for your life. A plan to proper you and save you. And he's also got some things he expects from you.

The Parable of the Faithful Servant

Matthew 24:45-51 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that wicked servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delayed,’ and starts to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with drunkards, that servant’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

What does Jesus expect from you? "To give them their food at the proper time." He expects you to be in the ministry of feeding and shepherding the church of Jesus Christ. To unfold the mysteries and messages of the Bible for them. Milk for the beginner, bread for the more advanced, and strong meat to challenge and nurture the mature. That food is spiritual, it's The Word of God. That "Word" is the Bible which is the revelation of things as they really are. And it is the only instrument provided by God that is adequate to the task.

Timothy 3:16,17 "All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work."

But it's VERY IMPORTANT to understand that the Bible is only a means for revealing the Lord. The book reveals that He is our food. It does this because He alone can save us from that coming tribulation. And so it's very important that we understand his words and recognize and are ready for his coming. Jesus Christ is found in the Scriptures, both the Old and New Testaments. But be careful to work within the instructions of The Holy Spirit when you study his words. It is vital to your understanding and your heart to be aware of what the Spirit is saying to you. Otherwise, you will be a very educated, dull and a bitter reader of the word, and not a doer of that word. The Scriptures are indeed informative, but the Spirit is active. The Holy Spirit helps you embrace the Word and become that Word in action.

"Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions." In another place Jesus says, "You have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much" (Matthew 25:21).

Set over much of what?

"The unsearchable riches of Christ." (Ephesians 3:8)

I read this and I take it to mean that no matter how amazing and majestically great our witness and ministry is for the sake of Jesus Christ, his reward for the faithful is far beyond any of our expectations and therefore not contingent upon any human greatness. In another word, our witness is nothing compared to his glory. And so, we are humbled by his grace, mercy, forgiveness and love. And we are thankful for all he is doing and all he will do. Thankful and faithful to his teachings. That is the makeup of a faithful servant. BUT...

"But if that wicked servant says to himself, 'My master is delayed,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with the drunken..."

The same Word is available to the wicked servants. The same reservoir of truth and justice is given to them to draw from. But these servants are different. These are the servants who have given up hope of his return. They've probably even rejected the idea of Jesus' second coming, and instead have adopted a Liberation theology of social justice humanism. They indulge in their appetites. They quarrel among themselves and divide their loyalties by their tribalism. And the voids of their faithlessness have left behind a shallow hope that has replaced Christ with their pagan identities. When the hope of the Lord's return falls away, it is apparent then that the experience of life in Him has largely ceased, if it has ever existed at all in them. This is why The Lord Jesus stresses so much upon the idea that knowing God, and loving God with all you heart, mind, spirit, and strength is critical to your ultimate survival.

Jesus told us that when he returns there will be many who will say to him, "Lord, Lord, have I not done mighty works in your name?" And everything he has described about being a faithful servant suggests that he will say to them,

"But you have given up on my return."

"You've followed humanism in my name"

"You've rebelled against my commands with your drunkenness and sin"

"Your nakedness is apparent to me, you've taken the fruit of the tree that I said was unholy"

"You deceived yourself and others, and to make matters worse, you did it in my name."

"You've made for yourself a place of frustration and defiance."

Conclusion: In both cases, that of the faithful and that of the faithless servant, it is evident that the return of Jesus Christ simply reveals what men have always been.

"Each man's work will become manifest," says Paul, "for the Day will disclose it" (1 Corinthians 3:13).

Friends, you'll be found out. You'll be cancelled.

Everything real about you will be made known for all to see and hear. Let that sink in. Two choices. Saint or sinner. Sheep or goat. (And goat is not the greatest of all time) Here's the thing...whatever it is that you are found out to be on that day, that is what you will remain and continue to be forever! Today suddenly becomes incredibly rare and vital in light of that eternal darkness.

This Word from God tells us that we aren't on some cyclical endlessly repetitive restoration program. This warning from Jesus Christ tells us that we are moving on a straight timeline, and we can never retrace our steps. He's saying we can become eternally lost in that path we've chosen. If you died today in a highway crash, that's it...your times up.

What will your future be then? Where will you be then?

C. T. Studd, African missionary summed up this truth like this:

"Only one life, 'twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last."

As the song goes, "it's not what you take when you leave this world behind you, it's what you leave behind you when you go."