6.The Tribulation And Christ's Return - Zac Poonen

in everything that happens to us in our life or in our church if we seek to understand something spiritual through it we can get a value from it you remember we read once in Luke chapter 13 about some people came to Jesus and said that Pilate when he saw some galilaeans making his sacrifice he killed the Galileans and mixed their blood with the blood of the sacrifice another terrible thing to do and somebody is offering a sacrifice and Pilate goes and kills the Galileans and takes their blood and mixes it with the sacrifice and Jesus said do you think those galilaeans were greater sinners and all the other Galileans that they died no you know when people have accidents it doesn't mean that they are greater sinners than anybody else or somebody killed someone like that in a very crude way he said they're not greater sinners but if you don't repent you will all perish like that whether you die a normal death or a horrible death like those people did Jesus took that opportunity to teach people about repentance and then he said I'll give you another example he says you know that tower that fell in Siloam where 18 people were killed you think they were worse and all the other people who live in Jerusalem no but unless you repent you will all likewise perish so Jesus would take ordinary events like a tower folly I mean we've seen towers falling in our lifetime and Jesus would take that and say that teaches us we must repent what can we learn when the power is cut now we become a very helpless couple of things one is that you see how importance and what an important place electricity has come to have in our life if we can give the same value to the Holy Spirit in our Christian life the question we need to ask ourselves is supposing tomorrow God took away the Holy Spirit from the earth who came on the day of Pentecost he took him away just like and brought us back to Old Covenant times but there was no outward indication of it would you sense that something is missing in your life like you sensed as soon as the power went off everybody became aware of it if the Holy Spirit was removed from the earth my guess is that 99% of Christians and Christian activity and Christian churches will continue exactly like they are going on now and will imagine that the Holy Spirit is still there even though he's being taken away what is it that makes us sensitive you know as soon as electric power goes off we're aware of it I want to be aware like that as soon as the slight loss of the spirit's power in my life I want to be aware of it I want you to pray that it'll be like that in your life too that your life is so dependent on the Holy Spirit's power that if a little bit of it goes you say hey something's happen I am missing something today I I don't have it I want to I want to know why is it something some sin that I didn't confess some area where I didn't humble myself Lord please restore it to me I don't want to discover the loss of power in my life even one day later I want to know it immediately and just like we stopped everything it was used we need power and make so much effort and spend so much money to get there generator and start power again imagine if we were so sensitive to the Holy Spirit's power it say Lord I got to stop everything I got to seek you again I really believe that we need to have that type of sensitivity and one other thing I want to say is many christians when anything goes wrong they say ah that's the devil we glorify the devil so much in our life as if he is almighty and as if a helpless God can't do anything because this almighty devil is going around causing such a lot of confusion I don't believe it is the devil at all I believe some people were careless in maintaining the generator and blame them don't blame the devil for it so in the olden days when I didn't have light I used to blame the devil for everything but I realized I'm giving too much credit to the devil he's a defeated enemy he has no power I believe God is sovereign my Heavenly Father rules this universe and he's no slave to the little things that devil does yah he's allowed the devil to exist but it's like a dog on a leash okay you can run around a little bit but I've got the control here certain you can only move in a certain circle my own life has become so much more at rest and so much more in triumph after I understood that even the devil is on a leash then he can't do what he likes my father runs the universe and the devil was once and for all defeated on the cross so I don't anymore give him credit for anything I believe that being defeated he's going to be under my feet and and if God does not allow us to do certain things okay I accept that when well I didn't know I didn't even know whether we'd have this last session so when the part didn't come I thought well maybe people have heard enough now they need to practice it they don't need to hear anymore but I want to have one last session on the coming of the Lord and that's important Matthew 24 V's see about what Jesus said about his second coming and I want to share a few things in relation to that which I think are very important because it's one of the glorious truths of the New Testament and we need to understand as accurately as possible truths concerning his second coming the first thing as Jesus said is concerning deception in Matthew 24 verse 4 when they asked him about a second coming he said be careful that no one misleads you that means be careful about deception especially what is the sign of your coming they asked him deception there's going to be a lot of deception in the last days now we ask ourselves why does a loving Heavenly Father allow all these deceiving spirits to come to the world to deceive people why does he allow deceiving spirits to come into Christendom and bring division among God's people and produce so many cults there never been as many cults in Christendom as in the last hundred years there's never been as much deception in in counterfeit healings counterfeit baptisms in the Holy Spirit counterfeit gifts of the Holy Spirit as in the last 50 60 years I want to show you a verse in Deuteronomy chapter 13 Deuteronomy chapter 13 it's very relevant to deception in our time if a prophet or a dreamer of dreams or we can say an evangelist or a healer or somebody else arises among you and does a miracle gives you a sign or a wonder that means he healed somebody supernaturally or he does some supernatural miracle that draws your attention and that particular sign or wonder that he prophesized or that he does comes true and then he tells you let us go after other gods and that other God today is money its prosperity the god of money prosperity a comfortable easy life is the other God and he says let's live for that you shall not listen to the words of that so-called prophet then why does God allow him to come into the midst of Christians listen to this the Lord your God is testing you and you listen to that man on television or in a public crusade or anywhere the Lord your God is testing you to see whether you love money or you love God you can't love both Jesus said that whether you love your God with all your heart with all your soul you shall follow the Lord your God and reverence him he's testing you to see whether you love him with everything you have in you whether you reverence him whether you'll keep his Commandments whether you'll go to the Bible and check up what Jesus said what the Apostle said whether you'll go to the Bible and see whether Jesus taught that whether Jesus did that whether the Apostles taught that and did that or whether you will ignore what Jesus and the Apostles taught and did and follow this person was very charismatic in his personality very good-looking like a film star and who can do some signs and wonders that convince you in the Old Testament the Lord said you might put that prophet to death because he's turning you away from the Lord today we don't put people to death but we turn away from such people because they're not leading us to take up the cross and follow Jesus jesus said nobody can follow me unless he takes up the cross every day and follow me but that person never tells me anything about taking up the cross he never tells me anything about putting the flesh to death he never tells me anything about hating money he never tells me anything about keeping my eyes pure from lust he never tells me anything about overcoming anger etc he's not helping me to follow Jesus so don't be deceived that's the first thing Jesus said in relation to the last days beware of deceivers Matthew 24 and then he said that you will hear of wars we're six and roomers Awards there's plenty of that everyday in the newspaper all over see to it that you're not frightened so what's the second thing first of all don't be deceived and second thing don't be frightened see these are the two great dangers in the last days the danger of deception and the danger of being frightened with fear so what should i guard against in the last day deception and fear coming into my heart make sure you are not frightened because they have to take place so when I hear of a war I'm not praying lord stop all the wars in the world because jesus said it will take place how can I say stop it all it says these have to take place they must take place but it's still not the end nation will rise against nation so shall I pray that there'll be no more wars on the earth that'll be when Christ comes again until that day countries will fight countries Kingdom will fight kingdoms and there will be famines I can pray that there will be no more famines on the earth but there will be famines Jesus said so I don't pray that there should be no more famines but Jesus said there will be and I don't pray against what Jesus said I can help people who are in a time of famine but I can't say that there should be no more famines because that will take place and earthquakes that will also happen but these are all only the beginning of birth pangs in John chapter 16 he said I go away you'll have a time of sorrow but then I will see you again and you will rejoice like a mother rejoices over the birth of a baby so Jesus compared his coming the joy of seeing him to the joy a mother has who never had a baby for 20 years or 30 years and suddenly she gives birth to a baby can you imagine what tremendous joy such a mother has that's Jesus compared our seeing him in John 16 to that their mother's joy and seeing a baby and how can you imagine a mother not a mother a married woman who's been married 20 25 years she got married maybe when she was 20 she's 40 years old not had a single baby till now and she's been longing longing every year longing longing maybe this year I'll have a child no conception no conception no conception and all of a sudden she conceives when she's 40 years old and she's so excited oh now the day is nearing it's not tomorrow she's just conceived it's gonna take a little time and she but she knows it's near it's something like that that those who have been longing longing longing longing we've been praying that prayer thy kingdom come o God O God when will your kingdom come like a barren woman praying praying praying I don't know how many people here are waiting for the coming of the Lord hmm because many of us we are living comfortable lives doesn't matter if the Lord doesn't come for another twenty years maybe you want to grow up and get married and you've got all so many plans for the future you probably is coming in the Lord and disturb all those plans perhaps some of you are not so keen on the Lord coming before you get married and settle down but those who are really I've got a right spirit they're not thinking of all that they saying Lord come soon thy kingdom come the last prayer in the book of Revelation chapter 22 his come Lord Jesus come quickly and I believe that should be the prayer of all of us Lord I make plans but none of those plans are important can you say that if you come and interrupt all those plans I'll throw it on the garbagemen I'm ready to meet you Lord I want to meet you I'm looking forward to your coming just like a barren wife is eagerly wanting a baby how many of us can honestly say that Lord I'm really looking for your coming not because you'll wipe away my tears or you take away my sorrows but that I'll be able to see you and I will be like you my greatest longing in life has been to be like you and that's not been fulfilled in my life I want to be free from the love of money like you were it's not being fulfilled I want to be free from impurity in my thoughts like you were and Lord it's such a struggle those are the things I'm looking forward to I'm not worried whether the streets of heaven are made of gold or mud it makes no difference to me I'm not worried about the comforts of heaven it's you Lord that I can be with you and I can be like you and be with you I can be like you and be with you I don't care where we go I told the Lord once I'm ready to go to hell Lord if you are there I can be like you and be with you hell is fine comfort is not at all important for me is it for you what are you looking forward to I tell you you'll really be satisfied if you're looking forward to Jesus to be with him and to be like him and if that is your desire the proof of it will be that you'll be wanting to be like him even now cleansing yourself so wars famines earthquakes say well they'll happen they are the beginning verse 8 of birth now in relation to you know when a woman delivers a baby before the baby is actually born she goes through a period of tremendous pain it's so bad that some mothers have told me that they felt like dying it's so bad I don't think any of us men ever know what it is like it's so terrible that some women never want to have another baby imagine so bad such terrific pain and mothers I mean women who get married know about this they say you're gonna have a time of terrible pain you still want to have a baby and they all say yes it's terrible it's so bad you feel like dying you still want to have a baby yes I want to have a baby so you ask a pregnant mother who knows about all these facts of delivery what are you looking forward to none of them will say I'm looking forward to the birth pains which I'm going to go through no they all say I'm looking forward to have a baby but don't you know the birth pains come first yes yes I know but that will only be for a short period after that I'll get a baby remember jesus said that in relation to the second coming these are the beginning of birth pains and then he explains the birth pains listen carefully because this is where 95% of Christians don't agree with us they will deliver you to tribulation verse 9 that's the birth pain before the coming of Christ the Bible speaks about a great tribulation and 95 percent or more of Christians say that before that happens Christ will come and take us up secretly up into the air and all the rest of the world will face tribulation and we'll be up in the air enjoying ourselves and then there are some other Christians who say the half-hearted will be left behind that's pretty unfair only the half-hearted in the last generation of 2,000 years gets left behind what about all the half-hearted you live for 2,000 years in that case the best thing that half-hearted people should praise Lord let me die I don't want to be here no it's not the half-hearted it's not the worldly who's going to go through the birth pains believers they shall deliver you to tribulation every one of the Apostles except perhaps John faced a violent death their heads were chopped down some of them are crucified they were killed multitudes of Christians have been killed I've read statistics that more Christians have been killed for the faith in the 20th century than in all the 19th centuries before that we don't hear so much about it how much do you people know about what's happening in China about the people being killed the people being imprisoned the people being persecuted and in many other countries today right now in parts of North India do you know that Christian Indian Christian missionaries who went to North India have been killed in this year how many of you know about it there were three people murdered in Turkey Christians just few weeks ago by those who hated Christians what shall we say were they half-hearted people know they were wholehearted one of them was a German man who could have lived comfortably in Germany went to Turkey as a missionary to publish the Bible he could have lived in Germany and judged himself and lived a comfortable life gone to a good church and gone for conferences like we go to but he had a passion like Jesus had in heaven a passion that said well there are people in Turkey who haven't heard but just let me go and print Bibles for them so that they can be converted and he went there with his wife and three little children and they killed him they said we are doing this for our religion for these Christians who come here and try to convert us from Islam to Christianity and his wife after her husband was murdered got onto nationwide television and said I forgive these people who killed my husband because they don't know what they were doing I hope they will come to faith in Christ and one journalist a Muslim journalist wrote in the newspaper that woman in one sentence proclaimed Christ in a better way than anybody has done in Turkey for over a hundred years there's an old saying that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church just like that in the early days the blood of the martyrs would be the seed of the church I've heard that in the Roman amphitheaters in the early days when Roman emperors were cruel against Christians they would chase them the Christians would hide in caves and all that and they would chase them find them and bring them into the big amphitheaters where you know like people watch football today they would watch these Christians being eaten by lions they would keep lions in the cages hungry for a few days and then they would open them and release them into this big like stadium and they would send the Christians there and the Christians would sing songs of praise to God and praise the Lord and the Romans watching here would be some of them would be amazed I mean they have seen other people scared when they face the Lions but here these say Christians who are singing songs and going into the mouths of these lions and all of a sudden somebody sitting in the theater in one of the stands would be so convicted that this is the true faith and he would stand up and say I'm also a Christian Jesus Christ is my Lord and they would catch him and throw him to the Lions and one more Widow two three more fatherless children sometimes the widow would also say I'm following my husband I'm a Christian you know this is how many people have faced Christianity through the years and not only there even I remember in the last century when Christian missionaries went into Africa and Kenya they are in China first some of these there was a rebellion in China called the Boxer Rebellion where they turned against all foreigners and there was a couple there called John and Betty Stan it's very amazing story there's a book of their is called the triumph of John and Betty stam godly young couple who went out as missionaries to China the only part of the 1900s and these Chinese people stripped them completely naked paraded them through the streets humiliated them and killed them was God there what was God doing when all this was happening what was God doing when Nero ordered Paul's head to be chopped off there were many times the Lord delivered Paul you read in 2nd Timothy 4 once he was taken to court all the Christians ran away but Paul stood there he says the Lord stood by me it says in 2nd Timothy 4 I think is verse 14 and delivered me from the mouth of the lion and he's Paul knew there was a real possibility that he would be thrown to the Lions and somehow he escaped but a little later he says in 2nd Timothy 4 I know the Lord told me the time of my departure is at hand he was about 67 years old and he had already served the Lord for maybe 37 years done a faithful work I'm sure he'd have been very useful if he had lived for another 20 years the Apostle John lived till he was 95 or so but God has a time for everyone the Apostle James died when he was about thirty thirty-one not because there were plenty of apostles in the world those days but God has a time for each person I don't know why the apostle john apostle james was taken away when he was 31 you read in acts 12 why paul was taken away when he was 67 and white john lived up to 95 i don't know and i don't want to know i know that for each of us god has got a certain timetable and during that period we got to be faithful that's all and they were faithful whether they died at 31 or 67 or 95 they were faithful and they'll get their reward and I don't believe James will get a less reward because he died at 31 then John who lived up to 95 he was faithful right up to the last thing and he'll get as much a reward as the other fellow lived up to 95 it's not length of time it's question of faithfulness and that's why you young brothers and sisters you may not live as old as I let I'm living because Christ will come soon and you may not have the opportunity to travel as much as I've traveled or to go to places that I've traveled to but let me tell you that you can get the same reward that I get if you're faithful Christ may come when you are 30 or 40 what does it matter you can get the same reward that I'll get even if I live up to 90 it's faithfulness it's faithfulness and I heard in Africa there was a tribe called the Kikuyu tribe in which missionaries ran and one of those Kikuyus became a Christian they were animists who worshipped spirits and the chieftain called this man for public ceremony and said you can't be a Christian forsake it you're a Kikuyu and you can't be a Christian hmm otherwise I put your head on this block and chopped it off he said no I'm a Christian the only one standing against that whole tribe they put his head on the block and chopped off his head then the chieftain called his twelve-year-old son this man's twelve year old son he said what about you you also Christian like your father and that little boy said yeah I'm also Christian Jesus is my Savior he said I'll chop off your head you know what that bited you took off his shirt and he went to the chief and said just to show you that I love you before this shirt gets stained with my blood I want to give it to you as a gift for your son now you can cut off my head and he put his head on the Block and they chopped off his head imagine a 12 year old boy you go to these people and tell them no Jesus will take you away before the tribulation comes they wouldn't believe it you know who started this doctrine that Jesus will come and take people away before the tribulation comes this doctrine started in a map in England 150 years ago a country that had had no persecution of Christians for centuries it went from there to America which has had no persecution of Christians for centuries such doctrines will never originate in China or in the midst of the Kikuyu tribe no no no it's where people live in comfort they read the Bible they interpret the Bible according to their comfortable Christianity where do you think the prosperity doctrine originated do you think it will originate in one of our poor villages in Tamil Nadu no no no nobody believes it over there it is all in rich countries and these preachers who preach prosperity Jesus said it's the sick people who need a physician not those who are healthy why do you preach prosperity two people are already prosperous why not go to the poorest nations of the earth Bangladesh villages of Tamil Nadu Sudan you think these preachers will go there and preach prosperity no because it's a hoax they preach prosperity among rich people because those rich people will give them their tights and they can become rich don't be deceived by all these people you see on television who preach prosperity this is sick who need a physician it's the poor he need need to hear about prosperity why don't they go to the poorest trees doesn't that occurred to you you're all clever people doesn't it occur to you that sick people need a doctor is the four people who need the prosperity message why go and preach health to healthy people why go and preach prosperity to people who already got more than enough money it is one of the greatest deceptions of today's Christendom and there are some people preaching it in India Indian preachers ask them why don't they go to the poor villages in India and preach it there they won't go there where do they preach it they preach it in Bangalore they'll preach it in Bombay they'll preach it in Chennai they'll preach it in Trivandrum inoculum where there are loads of rich people and you go to these churches and see who are sitting there they're not poor illiterate people who need money there are people who already got loads of money they want to ease their conscience because they feel a bit guilty that they are so rich and they are Christians and these preachers come and tickle their ears and say oh you're okay God's blessed you that's why you're so rich yeah and some of you are in that danger because you're getting rich and you may want to hear a message that comforts you as you get wealth to convince you that that was God's blessing you're not going to hear it from me I'll tell you that because that's not the truth because my example is Jesus there was nobody more blessed than him and he was not prosperous even when he wanted to see a coin with Caesars head in it he didn't have one in his own pocket he's a can somebody please lend me a coin whose head is this that's how he lived on earth is he a was he a prosperity preacher did he go around telling people follow me and you'll have wealth and abundance and where do you find it how is it that Christians follow all this I'll tell you because today's Christians do not know the Bible they watch Christian videos no time to read the Bible they listen to so much music more time to read the Bible they ease their conscience by saying it's a Christian video it's a Christian movie it's a Christian this song imagine those two hours you spent watching that Christian video and Christian movie if you had spent those two hours studying the Bible you'd have been more spiritual I'm not against these things but I'll tell you why I don't have time to see all this or listen to all this because I still don't know the Bible well enough some of you you know the Bible better than me that you have time to waste with all this I'll tell you you don't have a hunger for God's Word you have a hunger for entertainment and the devil knows that he knows that he can't some of you he knows that he can corrupt with certain type of movies that he'll make you watch but most of you he knows he can't corrupt with those movies so how to get these people away from the Bible give them Christian movies give them Christian videos give them songs give them this given that end result of weak Christians who don't know the scriptures who can't overcome the devil who will not be ready for the tribulation so Jesus said they'll deliver you to tribulation and they will kill you but Lord don't you have power to stop them from killing us yes but they will kill you and you will be hated verse 9 by all nations because of my name what shall i prophesy for Christians in India you will be hated by people in India because of the name of Jesus if you don't mention the name of Jesus and don't say that you're a disciple of Jesus Christ in your office you'll still get your increment and your promotion but you make it known that you're a disciple of Jesus Christ you may lose your job but that will be a drop in the bucket compared to some other suffering they may kill you which is worse being killed or losing your job some people you know they think that they lost an increment one year that's what they call persecution oh brother because I stood up for the Lord I lost my increment it's like somebody saying oh brother this mosquito bit me yesterday mosquito bit me it's terrible what do you think of somebody who comes and tells you the other one ant bit me oh it's terrible his aunt with me Christians are being thrown to the Lions and here's somebody complaining about an ant bite Christians are being killed for the name of Jesus and somebody come think that he didn't get an increment is a persecution and so he decides to not make it to known that he's a Christian and some Christians whose names don't sound Christian are pretty happy then thank God my name doesn't sound very Christian so I'm okay I'll get my promotion in time because the people who think I'm a Hindu uh-huh whoever is ashamed of me and my words Jesus said I will be ashamed of him in the final day you know you come to the church the secrets of your heart will be made manifest in the meetings of the church the things which you secretly love which hinder you from becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ do you want to discover them I want to discover all of them I want to discover everything in my life there's a hindrance to my loving Jesus with all my heart and following him so jesus said at that time what will happen many will fall away some will betray one to the other and they will hate one another verse 10 again he said many false prophets will arise mislead many people and there'll be so much sin and I thinks in particularly in the entertainment world there'll be so much sin on the internet so much sin on television so much sin in the videos that many believers their love for Jesus will become cold you know you can't watch a filthy movie without your love for Jesus becoming coal your love for Jesus has to become cold then you watch that filthy thing on the internet or television or a video this coldness has come first and then only that you can't be on fire for Jesus Christ and have anything to do with the impurity that is in the entertainment world today the devil is out to make your love for Jesus gold don't think oh I slipped up five minutes I watch that it's not a slip-up brother sister your love for Jesus has become cold how did it start he didn't start with the internet pornography and filthy movies you've heard the old parable I don't know whether it's parable or true how to kill a frog in boiling water you put a frog into boiling water it'll jump out but put a frog into water at room temperature it will be comfortable there raise it by two three degrees the temperature to three degrees almost the same make it comfortable keep it there for half an hour in that temperature it's got used to 45 degrees centigrade now after it's used to that raise it to 50 degrees it gets used to 50 degrees after half an hour or one hour raise it to 55 gradually raise it to 100 it will die it's a parable don't suddenly give Christians dirty movies and all that no no no start with little things give them Christian CDs to listen to all the time they'll stop reading the Bible then give them videos not dirty videos Christian videos they'll spend hours watching that Bible has become neglected it's somewhere in a corner you are watching this and they are soothing their content this is Christian three hours of this Bible yeah I read it five minutes in the morning okay conscience disease because I read the Bible five minutes in the morning but my interest is not in the Bible that boring book sees Christian videos and the devil gradually gets us to that and then something which is Christian but it is gone a little bit of dirt in it gradually you know like the Frog raised the temperature a another five degrees another five degrees another five degrees make it little dirtier little dirtier finally you wouldn't believe it this Christian who stood for purity fifteen years ago look at the thing is watching there's that he says oh but it's only ten seconds that they show that sex scene and I always fast-forward it uh-huh you fast-forward it is it and what do you see when it's being passed forward it what do you see when you are fast-forwarding it you see the same thing all you see it with the faster that's all what a work the devil has done I tell you I have to acknowledge the devil is cleverer than any human being the Bible says he is wiser than Daniel he is really smart how did he succeed in getting so many Christians who twenty years ago really study the Bible to go away from that as if they knew the bow they don't know the Bible much now but he's taking them away by telling them areas slowly slowly slowly and finally they are in filth and rubbish but they come for the conference's they think they are holy because they are part of CFC no sir no madam you are not holy you were once upon a time but you have drifted I'm inviting you to come back be ready for the coming days there are two cities two areas of the world mentioned in relation to the last days of wars and rumors of wars one is in the book of Zechariah chapter 14 we read in verse 2 Zechariah chapter 14 verse 2 I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle Bruce Ilham is going to be the center of a lot of conflict in the last days and that was written 2500 years ago jesus said in Luke's Gospel and chapter 21 and verse 24 Jerusalem last part of that verse will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles is fulfilled verse 20 when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies then recognize that her desolation is near that happened once 40 years after Christ's death when Jerusalem was destroyed it's going to happen again at the end of time Jerusalem verse 24 will be ruled by non Jewish people until the end of time let me tell you something about Jerusalem from the time of Nebuchadnezzar five hundred years before Christ Jerusalem came under the control of foreign powers the Babylonians the Greeks finally the Romans in Jesus time it was the Romans and then the Romans ruled Jerusalem for a long time and then other people then the Muslims and finally the British in 1900's it was only in 1947 that Israel came into the hands of the Jews and 1967 that Jerusalem finally came back into the hands of the Jews fulfilling Luke 21:24 that never happened till 1967 it was not even true when Jesus was on earth so something happened 1967 Jesus spoke about it 2,000 years earlier the other part of the world which is mentioned in relation to the last days you read in Revelation chapter 9 Revelation is the book about the last days and there it speaks about revelation 9 it says you know the seventh trumpet is the last trumpet it says the last trumpet Christ will return but here it speaks of the sixth angel sounding a crumpet it's not the last one just before the last one the sixth angel Revelation chapter 9 verse 13 the sixth angel sounded his trumpet the second last trumpet and I heard a voice saying release the four angels verse 14 the demons who are bound near the great river Euphrates you know whether river Euphrates is Iraq release the demons that are bound in Iraq so that war will come the armies of mankind verse 16 will come 200 million of them all over and there's going to be war in Iraq chapter 16 just before the last trumpet again chapter 16 and verse 12 and the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates and the water was dried up the way would be prepared for the Kings for the beasts Kings from the east and they are gathered the demon spirits of demons verse 14 to go out to bring the rulers of the world for war in Iraq so there are only two places in the Bible where it says in the last days that's going to be war Jerusalem and Iraq you know that there was no war in Iraq I mean no worldwide type of war in Iraq until about four years ago it was a pretty peaceful place I mean there was dictatorship they had little in little wars with small wars with Iran and all for a long time but then for the last many years it was in peaceful and in the last century you know there was no war at all in Iraq there's never been wars in Iraq why in the world is the holy why does the book of Revelation talk about war in Iraq I just want to say we are pretty close to the coming of the Lord you know what Jesus said when you see these the beginning of birth pains and I believe when we see the persecution somebody who knows more about Christian missionary work in North India and the many parts of India told me this himself he said I've been watching Christian missionary work and observing at firsthand Christian missionary work in North India and other parts of India he said I have never in the last 20 years seen as much persecution against Christians as in the year 2006 and 2007 we don't know about it because we don't read I keep in touch with it all the time what persecution anywhere in the world I keep in touch because I want to know what's happening to my brothers and sisters and I want to be ready for the last days now I want to say to you have you ever heard of pastors being beaten up in Bangalore it's happened on the outskirts of Bangalore for the first time this year it's never happened before it's moving from the north to the south and will one day cover all nations you shall be hated by all nations for my name's sake the Bible says there'll be a long period of tribulation 6-7 years last three and a half years will be the worst I'll be a person called the Antichrist rules we don't know all the details whether the Antichrist is a person or a system I don't know but I know that he will hate Christians and I know the book of Revelation says there will be people who will hold up to the testimony of Jesus and obey God's commandments in the last days who will be killed by the Antichrist I want to say we must be ready so people ask me brother Zack are you looking forward to the tribulation are you looking forward to the coming of Christ it's like asking this mother who was barren for twenty years are you looking forward over the birth pains oh no I'm looking forward to the coming birth of a baby I'm not looking forward to the birth pains I'm looking forward to seeing my Savior just like that mother is looking forward to the birth of a baby but she knows that before the birth of the baby there will be a period of birth pains and I know that there will be period of difficulty so I want to say if the Lord makes you rich don't set your heart on riches if the Lord blesses you with earthly things in comfort don't set your heart on it it says in 1 Corinthians 7 that those who use the world don't be taken up with the comforts you have use it but don't be attached to it nothing is important except doing the will of God if the devil can convince you that something is important you have to have it you can't live without it he's got you and I've got to prove to the devil I can live without that so a lot of people think sex is very important yeah sex is okay when you're married you can have sex but what if your wife dies what do you do then take comfort in the fact that Jesus and Paul never had sex all their life what you call is essential pleasure man like Paul never had it all his life in imagine a man never had it all his life and he did a work for God that proves it's not essential you have it use it you enjoy chicken biryani I don't need Jesus ever eat chicken biryani once in his life if you get it take it but it's not essential that's what I'm saying the Lord of things which are not essential you got a nice dunlopillo mattress Jesus never had one but he still lived you have a car fine Jesus never even had a scooter use these but don't get taken up with it don't think these are all essential to life think of the I often meditate on the things that Jesus never had and he lived such a fulfilled life the things that Paul never had what a fulfilled life he had I say Lord whatever you give me you give me a house you give me a car I use them now I'm not taking up with these things I know that Paul and the Apostles lived without these things I want to fulfill the will of God so what shall I say to you I'm not talking you telling you to be an ascetic no use whatever God gives you whatever God gives you but don't be taken up with it money is not everything sex is not everything Comfort is not everything entertainment is not everything people say all brother we are under such pressure we need to relax okay relax but don't make everything of relaxation and entertainment otherwise the devil will get you he who does the will of God will remain forever be a disciple of Jesus love Jesus more than you love your father mother brother sister wife children your job your money your bank account your house your property love Jesus supremely and you can be a disciple decide that you're going to take up the cross every day and follow Jesus you're going to deny yourself you're going to die to yourself and I'll die to your lusts of your eyes and your ears and you seek to the power of the Holy Spirit every day you can be a disciple and whatever you have of this world be detached from it don't rejoice when your wealth increases because temptation increases with it greatly I'm happy that many of you young people are earning good salaries but I'm scared I'll tell you that I'm really scared I remember when we started out as a church 32 years ago I was the only one who had a telephone I was the only one who had a scooter and among all those who came I was the richest and CFC can you believe that today I'm one of the poorest I praise God for others who are earning so much but I'm scared I don't know that they know how to handle all that they're getting I'm concerned for our young people ok good they get large salaries praise God but I don't know whether they can handle it I don't know whether the devil will lead them astray from Jesus if he succeeds there he doesn't have to be pornography can be well welcomed media away from God to ask God to give you wisdom how to handle the money you get it's very very important let's pray as we seek to be ready for the last days and the excitement of seeing our Savior face to face one of these days the one who loved us died for us on the cross the one about whom we sing so lightly that we shall see him face to face see the wounds in his hands and his feet and see how much he loved us will we have regret about how we loved him in the few days he gave us on earth your brother sister respond to him let us stand let us stand before our Heavenly Father bow our heads and our eyes and say lord I offer my life to you I dedicate my life afresh to you my life is yours from this day forgive me where I've been careless and slipped up I'm yours from today till the day you come back all I have all I am I don't want to say this lightly lord whatever you have in store for me give me boldness in the day of persecution I'm a coward Lord I'm scared I'm scared I'll deny you I'm not like Peter I'm scared but I know you'll give me grace not to deny you and in the little trials that come in my office and in my way before that final day of persecution help me to be faithful in the little things that come my way now little things lord help me to be free from sin to gladly take up the cross help me to impart these values to my children right from that childhood that it's worth it all to live for Jesus lord help me I can't do it fill me with your Holy Spirit not just now but all the time every day fill me Lord with your holy give me power I want to love you I don't want money I don't want comfort I just want to love you with all my heart and live for you because you gave yourself for me thank you Lord Jesus Heavenly Father thank you for your wonderful people here who've taken all the trouble to come here for these 3 4 days I know they've got a heart for you I pray that they will realize their weakness and seek you for your power you'll be glorified in their lives in Jesus name Amen

Channel: CFC India

Views: 29,277

Rating: 4.8571429 out of 5

Keywords: zac poonen, cfc, Christian Fellowship Church, Church, Fellowship, Christian, Zac, Poonen

Id: F2138_DJIBU

Length: 59min 21sec (3561 seconds)

Published: Fri May 09 2014