Amelia Church of Christ - Christian Church in Amelia, OH near Cincinnati in Clermont County

Welcome to week #3 of our series called How To Survive The End Of The World. So many people absolutely wig out when it comes to this subject. When you start talking about the end of the world, the wingnuts and the wackjobs come out of the woodwork.

That’s why this series is different and that’s why it’s important. Because we’re not listening to the wingnuts and the wackjobs. We’re not pulling out charts and graphs talking about when this world will end. We’re not consulting the Left Behind series. We’re just listening to Jesus. Anytime you’re wondering what to do or what to believe, here’s a good rule of thumb. Listen to Jesus and do what He says. It really is that simple. Listen to Jesus and do what He says. That’s what this series is all about.

In Matthew 24, Jesus gave some of the clearest, most direct teaching on the end times that you’ll find anywhere in the Bible. It’s not full of mystical or cryptic elements. It’s not a bunch of imagery and symbolism like the book of Revelation. It’s straight, in-your-face, can’t-possibly-misunderstand-it truth.

We’ve done it every week of this series. Let’s do it again. We’re going to read the entire discourse from Jesus in Matthew 24.

“Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"

Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many.

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.

Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:1-14, NIV)

If you want to survive the end of the world, Jesus’ message is simple: hang on. That’s what we’re going to talk about today. It might not sound deep. It might not sound spiritual. But it’s true. If you want to survive the end of the world, Jesus said you’ve got to hang on. Because things are going to get rough. Things in our world are crazy. This world is dark and hard and evil, and it’s only getting worse. Jesus says, “You’ve got to hang on.”

Go back and look at what Jesus said, starting in verse 6 of Matthew 24, Jesus said, “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.

Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:6-13, NIV)

Not exactly happy, feel-good words from Jesus, is it? I thought Jesus was a glass half full kind of guy. I thought He taught us about the power of positive thinking. I thought He was just blissfully optimistic about everything.

That’s a popular view of Jesus, but it’s wrong. Jesus lays out the harsh reality in His words from Matthew 24. But even if they are hard, these words are true. Let’s explore what Jesus said here.

He promised that we would hear of wars and rumors of wars. Nation will rise against nation. Literally in the Greek, it says that ethnos will rise against ethnos. You can translate that to mean ethnic group will rise against ethnic group. Is that going on today? Everywhere you look.

Look at Bosnia, Rwanda, and Darfur. Ethnic cleansing. Genocide. Murder on a massive scale. Jesus said it would happen.

In August of 1945, World War II ended. This was supposed to be the war to end all wars. Since 1945, over 225 armed conflicts have been fought in the world. Some of you fought in Vietnam. My dad is a Vietnam veteran. Some of you fought in the Persian Gulf war. We have men in our church who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In fact, if you have served our country in any conflict from World War II until now, please stand up. God bless you guys. Thank you for everything you’ve done for us.

Don’t tell these guys that World War II was the war to end all wars. They know better. And you know who else knows better? Jesus. Jesus said it would happen.

The Middle East has never been hotter than it is right now. It’s never been hotter. Iran is developing nuclear weapons. In fact, a report was released just this week that said Iran is one year away from having a nuclear weapon. Iran has openly declared that they will attack Israel. Israel has declared that they will not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons and, if necessary, they will act unilaterally to stop them.

Some have suggested that Iraq will be ripe for a civil war within the next decade. Pakistan, a Muslim nation, already has a nuclear arsenal. The Middle East has never been hotter. Jesus said it would happen.

Jesus said there would be famines and earthquakes. Brian talked about that last week. By the way, if you missed the message last week, get on our website and check out the podcast. Brian tore it up last week.

We don’t think about famines because we’re going to go out to eat after church today. In fact, we have a term in America that most people in the world don’t know: leftovers. In fact, a lot of us will complain if we have to eat leftovers. Meanwhile, there are a billion in the world who are living in extreme hunger right now. 41,000 people die everyday because they didn’t get enough to eat. That’s 28 per minute. For perspective, that means that 1,680 people will die during the hour that you are sitting in this room today…all because they don’t have enough to eat. Are you ok with that?

The United Nations reports that the world population is increasing and the world food supply is decreasing. They’re afraid that a famine is coming in the next 20-30 years that will be unbelievable. Jesus said it would happen.

In verse 9, Jesus said that persecution would increase in the end times.

We view persecution differently in America. In America, we feel persecuted because somebody made fun of my Christian t-shirt. They won’t talk to me because I’m a Christian. I lost my job because I’m a Christian. That one actually happened to me. And I’m not saying that it’s easy.

But think about persecution in other parts of the world. Perry Noble tells a story about a guy he met on a trip to Kenya. The man’s name was Samson. Samson had holes drilled in his legs and was hung upside down for days. He was beaten senseless for days as his persecutors tried to get him to renounce Jesus. He didn’t do it. In fact, when he tells his story, he smiles and says how glad he is that he could suffer for Jesus.

Recently, there was a girl in Saudi Arabia who gave her life to Jesus. Her father cut her tongue out and burned her alive. This stuff is for real. Persecution is happening.

There were more people killed for their faith in the 20th century than in the previous 19 centuries combined. In the 20th century, there were 45 million people murdered simply because of their faith in Christ. 480 people will be killed today because they love Jesus.

In America, we say, “It’s raining. I can’t go to church today.” In many other countries, there are people being beheaded as they walk to church today. I’ll see you next Sunday.

In verse 12, Jesus said that this world will become so evil that the love of most would grow cold. And it’s happening just like Jesus said it would.

We live in a cold world. We live in a world where 1 in 4 girls are sexually abused before they turn 18. 1 in 6 boys, same thing. 70% of all sexual assaults in America occur to kids under the age of 17. It’s a cold world.

In America, there are 1.3 rapes per minute. More than once every minute, someone in our country destroys another person’s life for an orgasm. It’s a cold world.

But this one just rips my heart out. This one devastates me. I can’t talk about it without tears coming to me eyes. Did you know that sex trafficking is now the third largest illegal industry in the world, behind drugs and guns? Selling people in the sex trade is the third largest illegal industry in the world.

I heard a story this week about a little girl who was just rescued from the sex slave industry. A group from the A21 Campaign went into a brothel and rescued some girls who had been sold into sexual slavery. One of the girls they rescued was five years old. Her mother had sold her into sexual slavery for $240.

This little girl was “servicing” around 30 men per day as a five year old. She’s five years old! My son is five years old! He’s working on writing the letter “S” the right way, and at the same time, a girl that is exactly his age was forced to “service” 30 men a day! It’s a cold world.

Right now, teenage girls are being stolen from their homes. They’re being taken to new lands where they don’t even know the language. They are forced into brothels where they are expected to “service” up to 100 men a day. And if they don’t, they are beaten. When they inevitably get pregnant, the babies are allowed to be born but the births are never recorded. The babies are sold into pedophile rings where they are molested all their lives.

We think it’s not happening because we’re so sheltered from this. It’s happening. In Haiti, human trafficking has skyrocketed after the massive earthquake. Little kids are wandering the streets. Their homes have been destroyed. They can’t find their mommy or their daddy. And then they get picked up by a trafficker and are thrown into sexual slavery. It’s a cold world.

The fastest growing area for human trafficking in the world is Europe. You know…civilized, culturally refined Europe. Not some third world country. Europe.

But try this one for size. I read a report this week that talked about a fast growing hotspot for human trafficking in our country. It’s a city you might have heard of. Cincinnati. It’s happening. It’s happening here.

We live in a cold world. Jesus said it would happen.

Jesus said the love of MOST would grow cold. In other words, the vast majority of people in the world would lose compassion. Their hearts would become hard. Their conscience would become calloused.

And all you have to do is turn on CNN or Fox News to see the end result. A world where love has gone cold is right there for us to see on our TV screens.

And what does Jesus say to all this? Hang on.

Jesus said, “…see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.” (Matthew 24:6b, NIV)

And then later in verse 13, He said, “…he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:13, NIV)

Don’t be alarmed. Don’t worry. Stand firm. Hang on. Don’t give up.

That’s important for us to remember, because this cold world doesn’t just happen on the distant shores of some third world country. It meets us where we live.

Jesus talked about wars and rumors of wars. We recognized those in our church family who have fought in these wars. But for others of you, wars and rumors of wars is intensely personal because you lost someone you love in a war. It’s not something you see on the news. It’s something you live. It’s a cold world and you live that reality everyday.

And there’s also more than one kind of war. Some of you haven’t been personally touched by a political war, but there’s a war going on in your own family. And the casualties of this war are your marriage. Your kids. Maybe your life savings.

Jesus says, “Hang on.”

Jesus said that persecution will ramp up in the last days. A lot of you have experienced persecution on some level. Let me tell you this. If you are a committed follower of Jesus long enough, you will be persecuted. And it’s only going to get worse. It’s only going to get worse.

Jesus says, “Hang on.”

Jesus told us that in the end times, many people would turn away from the faith. If you want to know how devastating this is, talk to any parent who has a wayward child. Talk to a parent who raised their child in the ways and Word of God, only to watch that child rebel against it all in adulthood. For the parent, it is all-consuming devastation.

Jesus told us that people would betray and hate each other in the last days. The interesting thing is that Jesus said this to his 12 disciples, one of which was named Judas. What did Judas do? Betray Jesus. Hand him over to a mob who turned him over to the Romans to be crucified. I think Jesus knew something about betrayal.

It hurts. If you’ve ever been betrayed by someone that you completely loved and completely trusted, you know what I’m talking about.

Jesus said, “Hang on.”

Jesus said that in the last days, the love of most would grow cold. From everything we’ve talked about today, it’s so obvious that Jesus was right about this. This is a cold world, and getting colder everyday.

But it’s not just something that’s happening in our world. It’s happening in the church. The love of God’s people is growing cold.

Why would I say that? Because a lot of us here today heard some of the horrible stories I’ve shared and you thought, “Yeah, that’s pretty bad. I hope he finishes on time so we can beat the crowd to the restaurant.” Love has grown cold.

Love has grown cold when it feels like people in the church would rather kill each other than hug each other. That’s the way it is in a lot of churches. The meanest, nastiest, most underhanded people I’ve ever met in my life…I met in the church. I’m not exaggerating. I’m not kidding. Love has grown cold.

Most people in the church are more concerned about upholding tradition than reaching people. People are dying and going to hell, but a lot of church people are more concerned about the style of music or what the preacher wears. Instead of getting on board with a vision that will save people for all eternity, a lot of Christians are all about keeping themselves comfortable and making church convenient. Love has grown cold.

Jesus said it was going to happen. He told us that all of these things were going to happen.

And his response to all of it is, “Stand firm. Just hang on.” And maybe you hear that and think, “That’s pretty harsh. Jesus told us how this world was going to go to hell in a handbasket and all He could say is ‘hang on?’”

Actually, that’s not all he said. In verse 13, Jesus said, “but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

You’ve got to stand firm. You’ve got to just hang on. But that’s not the end of it. He said you’ve got to stand firm so you can be saved.

Jesus didn’t just say, “Hang on.” He said, “Hang on because I am going to save you. I’m coming back and I’m going to make everything right again.”

In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul wrote, “…we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence. Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:14, 16-18, NIV)

The same power of God that raised Jesus from the dead will raise us so we can live with Him for all eternity. That’s why we hang on. Outwardly, we’re wasting away. Everything in our world is on a downward spiral. It gets colder and darker and more evil everyday. Life gets harder and harder everyday.

But we hang on. The Spirit of God renews us to stand firm. We know that what God has in store for us on the other side of eternity far outweighs any pain or hurt or heartache that we experienced in this world.

Jesus is not going to let things continue as they are. A lot of you got mad at some things you heard today. You heard some stuff that broke your heart today. That’s good. Next week, we’re going to wrap up the series by talking about what to do with your mad and broken heart.

But right now, we need to realize that we’re not alone in this. When the evil of this world makes you mad and breaks your heart, you’re in good company because Jesus is mad and Jesus has a broken heart. And He’s not going to stand idly by and do nothing. When the appointed time comes, Jesus will return and this world won’t know what hit it.

It’s going to happen. The question is are you ready? Are you ready? We’ve been saying all along in this series that Jesus’ return is going to be a shock. No one will see it coming, but everyone will know when it happens. Are you ready?

You don’t have to fear the end of the world. The coming of Jesus doesn’t have to freak you out. It doesn’t scare me, because I know what that means for me. It means that Jesus is coming back for me. It means I get to leave this broken world behind and go where I really belong. I don’t even question it. I’m sure of it.

That’s not arrogant. It would be arrogant if I thought that I deserved to go to heaven. It would be arrogant if I believed that I was good enough to go to heaven.

I know I’m going to heaven, not because I’m good enough, but because Jesus is good enough. Jesus died on the cross for my sin. He rose again to give me a new life. And He’s coming back for me. I can’t wait!

How about you? Are you sure? You can be. You can be sure. You can be ready. We’re calling this series, “How To Survive The End Of The World.” You know the only thing you need to survive the end of the world? Jesus.

What have you done with Jesus? That’s the only question that really matters. Everything else is insignificant minutiae compared to this question. What have you done with Jesus?

If you love Jesus, if He is your Savior and your Lord, then the end of the world is going to be awesome for you. It’s going to blow your mind.

If you choose to reject Jesus, the end of the world will be hell for you. And I mean that quite literally.

The only difference between a Christian and a non-Christian is Jesus. The only difference between being saved or being lost is Jesus. The only difference between heaven and hell is Jesus.

“But I’m not good enough.” No, but Jesus is. “But I don’t have all the answers.” No, but Jesus does. “But I know I’m going to fail.” Yeah, but Jesus never fails.

You don’t have to be good enough or smart enough or religious enough to survive the end of the world. What you need is Jesus.

Mike Edmisten

Tags: end times, How To Survive The End Of The World, Matthew 24, persecution, sex trafficking, war,