Is The Virus A Sign Of The End?

So here we go just a quick discussion because it comes up a lot I've noticed that as coronavirus has spread so has the hysteria and so has the eschatological fervor the end times fervor you have people who are suggesting

Oh, these are the plagues and pestilences promise These are the things that Jesus promised Matthew 24

Luke 21 mark 13 and then people start sharing Here's the earthquakes that are happening and all the rest that you brothers and sisters

Let me just say this as humbly and respectfully as possible 2 ,000 years of church history. Do you realize that this is what everyone always does?

Do you think people weren't referring to this during the time of the Spanish flu? Do you think that 200 years ago Christians weren't weren't trying to appeal to earthquakes happening in their days or?

Pestilences and plagues that were happening in their days as the we are in the end times at any moment the tribulation all the rest

Listen what we're seeing right now with coronavirus is another example of a fallen world

We deal with it all the time every year millions and millions of people die from communicable communicable diseases and viruses

And we have to ask the question. Does that mean that now? This is it.

This is what it looks like for Jesus to put all of his enemies under his feet Really first Corinthians 15

Paul gives a timeline of history. I'll challenge you to go look at it Just go read it inspired Apostle. Don't take pastor

Jeff's word for it. Go read the inspired Apostles timeline of history He says Jesus is reigning now

And he must reign and he quotes the most popular verse from the Old Testament Quoted from in the

New Testament and that is Psalm 110 1 he must reign until all of his enemies are made of footstool

For his feet and then he says and the last enemy defeated is death So death is finally defeated after all of Jesus enemies are defeated and he's ruling and reigning on the

Davidic throne Now his kingdom is a present reality and that gospel the Bible teaches must go to the ends of the earth

Isaiah 42 The the coastlands are waiting for his law. He is going to establish justice in the earth

There's there of the increase of his government Isaiah 9 6 through 7 There will be no end to the increase of his government and of peace

He shall have dominion from sea to sea from the river to the ends of the earth Psalm 72. Listen The Bible has a very clear vision about Abraham's descendants being more numerous than the stars

That this Shiloh who is to come Isaiah 52. I'm sorry, Isaiah 49 10 10

Shiloh to him shall be the obedience of the nations Jesus call of the Great Commission is to go win the world all the nations to him and to teach them to obey

After baptizing them in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit You see the Bible has a vision of the future that's very different from what we have currently in the modern and I want to Say that Matthew 24

Has a specific context he's condemning religious leaders in his day telling them what's about to befall them and he tells them that their

Generation will not pass away until all these things take place. What things all the things he discusses in the

Great Tribulation passage the persecutions All the things that related to all of the destructive consequences to society all those things

Jesus says all these things will take place before that generation passes away and he connects by the way all those things to the destruction of the second temple

Second temple is gonna be destroyed not one stone left upon another. Here's all the things that are gonna take place

And if you're wondering How does it all work out go listen to the series that we did it only took us like 10 years through Matthew 24

My church likes to always remind me of that we spend a lot of time there I think because it's an important issue and people will wonder

Pastor Jeff Why are you spending so much time on the Great Tribulation Matthew 24? My church might even be asking the question

Pastor Jeff. Why so much detail? Why so much do you why two weeks on one verse in Matthew 24 and my answer is because of times like this

Because of times like this you see We can see Matthew 24 as something that actually vindicates

Jesus as a prophet because he knew the future and he nailed it and it vindicates him as Messiah and it's something that already occurred in history that was promised in history at a particular time or We could totally do damage to the text and we could sell it as fear like Jim Baker does

Right, we could profit off of it. I'll tell you what right now the the profitable eschatology

The one that's most profitable is the eschatology of fear Tastes like queso.

Jim Baker. What's her name? Mrs. Baker. What's her first name? No, it's not. That was the 80s

I can't anyway, but the eschatology that sells well, it's profitable. Yeah is is that eschatology?

It's very profitable It doesn't really profit you financially much to say that Jesus is going to have victory over the world

And that his gospel is gonna fill the whole earth and conquer the whole world one King over the whole earth The Bible teaches very plainly that the gospel is like a mustard seed that becomes a large tree

It's like leaven and a lump of dough. It permeates the entirety of the loaf. That's you know We're at a stage in history people.

Let me say this way people say hey, how's that post -millennialism working for you? Same way it's been working for 2 ,000 years

Jesus is ruling and reigning. His gospel is bringing the nations Nothing about post -millennial eschatology teaches that life is going to be

Wonderful and beautiful and awesome all the way through as the kingdom of God expands around the world. There's gonna be persecutions there's gonna be difficulties there's gonna be death there's gonna be disease as Jesus has that leaven work its way throughout that loaf

And it will and I'm saying this It's beautiful Jesus is putting every single enemy under his feet making them a footstool for his feet and that's what's happening right now

You know, you can believe in the victory of the Messiah because the Bible promises it And endure all the trials and difficulties and sufferings that this fallen world has to offer but he is reigning and he shall have dominion and That's what