Sermon: Final Checklist                                                      printer-friendly     MP3     MP3  - Feast      MP4

As the Body of Christ finds itself getting closer and closer to the Great Tribulation and what the Bible calls the end time, certain elements begin to manifest themselves within the Salvation Process.

It is now time we focus our attention on these elements.

Most of them are enumerated in Matthew 24.  Let us read it.

Matthew 24
1 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.
2 And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25 Behold, I have told you before.
26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
28 For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
49 And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
50 The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
51 And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

In verse 3 the disciples ask Jesus a simple, two-part question, “what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world [age]?  What follows are descriptions of events and admonitions for the end time.  This paper will focus on the latter.

The five highest end time elements firstfruits will face
1] Deception…a method
2] False Doctrine…the content of the deception
3] Brother Relations…breaking down
4] Bitterness…firstfruits falling from the faith
5] Coping with Shock…mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually

What we will see revealed in scripture is the fact these elements will dovetail together in various descriptions and manifestations.

End time elements from Matthew 24
Let us see where these are enumerated in Matthew 24:

Verse 4…take heed that no man deceive you.  Items 1 and 2
Verse 5…many shall come in my name.  Items 1 and 2
Verse 6…wars and rumours of wars, see that ye be not troubled.  Item 5
Verse 8…all these [verse 7] are the beginning of sorrows.  Item 5
Verse 9…you shall be afflicted, killed and hated.  Items 3, 4 and 5
Verse 10…many shall be offended.  Item 4
Verse 10…betrayal and hatred by brothers in and out of the church.  Items 3, 4 and 5
Verse 11…false prophets and deception.  Items 1 and 2
Verse 12…iniquity shall abound; love waxing cold.  Items 3 and 4
Verse 21…great tribulation on the highest scale.  Item 5
Verse 23…lo, Christ is here or there.  Items 1 and 2
Verse 24…great signs and wonders.  Items 1 and 5
Verse 26…Christ is in the desert or in the secret chambers.  Items 1 and 2
Verse 29…sun darkened; moon and stars without light.  Item 5
Verses 37-44…as in the days of Noah; one taken, one left and Christ coming suddenly.  Item 5
Verse 48… “my lord delayeth his coming.”  Items 3 and 4
Verse 49…smiting of brothers.  Items 3 and 4

1] Deception…a method: mentioned six times.
2] False Doctrine…the content of the deception: mentioned five times.
3] Brother Relations: mentioned five times.
4] Bitterness: mentioned six times.
5] Coping with Shock: mentioned eight times.

Admonitions from Matthew 24
Along with all the end time events and the five elements listed above, Matthew 24 gives the firstfruit a number of admonitions.  Let us list those the same way we listed the aforementioned elements.

Verse 4…be not deceived.
Verse 6…be not troubled.
Verse 13…endure unto the end.
Verse 15…watch for the abomination of desolation.
Verse 16…if you are in Judea, flee into the mountains.
Verse 17…do not take time to get things from the house.
Verse 18…do not take time to get clothing.
Verse 20…pray your flight be not in winter or on the Sabbath day.
Verse 23…do not believe lies or false prophets.
Verse 26…do not believe lies or false prophets.
Verse 33…look for the events enumerated in Matthew 24.
Verse 42…watch for these events enumerated in Matthew 24.
Verse 43…watch
Verse 44…be ready mentally and spiritually for the return of Christ
Verse 46…be doing the admonitions of Matthew 24 and continuing in the Salvation Process.

End time events from Matthew 24
Since we have enumerated the end time elements and the admonitions from Matthew 24, we should complete these lists with the events Jesus described for the end time.

Verse 5…false prophets, ministers and teachers.
Verse 6…wars and rumors of wars.
Verse 7…wars, famines, pestilences and earthquakes.
Verse 11…false prophets, ministers and teachers.
Verse 14…gospel preached to all nations and the end of the age.
Verse 15…abomination of desolation.
Verse 21…great tribulation.
Verse 24…false Christs, false prophets and miracles done by same.
Verse 27…the return of Christ in the sky.
Verse 29…after the tribulation: sun darkened and moon and stars not giving light.
Verse 30…Christ returns.
Verse 31…sound of a trumpet and angels gather the firstfruits into the sky.
Verse 37…the time leading up to tribulation will be just like the days of Noah were.
Verse 38…eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, i. e. normal life will be going on.
Verse 50…Christ returns.
Verse 51…the lake of fire for those described in Matthew 24 as falling from the Salvation Process.

I now want to take each of the five end time elements and see what other scriptures outside of Matthew 24 have to say both to their being these elements and admonitions to avoid their impact in our spiritual lives.

The five highest end time elements firstfruits will face
1] Deception…a method
2] False Doctrine…the content of the deception
3] Brother Relations…breaking down
4] Bitterness…firstfruits falling from the faith
5] Coping with Shock…mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually

Element One: Deception
Deuteronomy 11:16
Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;

2 Timothy 3:13
But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

Titus 3:1-6
1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,
2 To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men.
3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,
5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

Matthew 7:15
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Acts 20:30
Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

1 Timothy 4:1-3
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

2 Peter 2:1-3
1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

1 John 2:18-21
18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
19 They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
20 But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.
21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

1 John 2:26
These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you.

1 John 4:1-4
1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.
4 Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

Jude 1:3-4
3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Revelation 19:20
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Element Two:  False Doctrine

Colossians 2:18 
Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

1 Timothy 4:1-3
1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

2 Timothy 3:1-5
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

2 Timothy 4:3
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.

Titus 1:9 
Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

Titus 2:1 
But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:

Element Three:  Brother Relations …breaking down
For this element, we will focus on the verses arising from Matthew 24 and verses 9, 10, 12, 48 and 49.

Verse 9 [they shall deliver you up, kill you and hate you]
Acts 5:40-41
40 And to him they agreed: and when they had called the apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.
41 And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.

Acts 7:59
And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

Acts 12:1 [see verses 2-5]
Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.

Verse 10 [many offended, betrayal and hatred]
John 6:66-67
66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?

2 Timothy 4:16
At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.

Matthew 10:35-36
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

Verse 12 [love waxing cold]
Revelation 2:4-5
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.

Revelation 2:10
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

Verse 48 [“my Lord delays His coming.”]
Ezekiel 12:22, 27
22 Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?
27 Son of man, behold, they of the house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are far off.

2 Peter 3:3-5
3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
5 For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:

Verse 49 [brother smiting brother]
Isaiah 66:5
Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.

2 Corinthians 11:20
For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face.

Element Four:  Bitterness
Bitterness is what enters the heart of a firstfruit as he or she beings the falling away process.  Bitterness is about firstfruits falling away and this will be a frequent thing we witness in the end time.  We must prevent it residing in us even one day.

2 Thessalonians 2:3
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

Hebrews 3:12
Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

Hebrews 10:38
Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

Hebrews 12:15
Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;

1 John 2:19
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.

2 Peter 2:1-2
1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.

1 Corinthians 10:12
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

Psalm 18:21
For I have kept the ways of the LORD, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

Ephesians 4:31 
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

Acts 24:16 
And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men.

Element Five:  Coping with Shock
The way you cope with the coming shock is to know that it is coming, prepare yourself for it happening and invoke faith.  It is Matthew 24:6 where Jesus says to you, "See that you be not troubled."

Psalm 27: 1-3
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
3 Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.

Psalm 91:1-7
1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

1 Peter 3:14-15
14 But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

2 Thessalonians 2:1-2
1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Luke 21:17-19
17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
19 In your patience possess ye your souls.

Habakkuk 3:16-18 [speaking of God using the Chaldeans to punish Israel for their sins]
16 When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice: rottenness entered into my bones, and I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble: when he cometh up unto the people, he will invade them with his troops.
17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls:
18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.

Checklist
All five elements can be stated in a short checklist.

The five highest end time elements firstfruits will face
1] Deception…a method…be fully immersed into the Word of God.

2] False Doctrine…the content of the deception…be fully immersed into the Word of God.

3] Brother Relations…breaking down…be not easily offended.  Take the wrong.  Resolve the issue.  Forgive. Lift up your brothers in the faith.  Cover their sins in the blood of Christ.

4] Bitterness…firstfruits falling from the faith…avoid false doctrine.  Avoid vain jangling and debate.  Stay distant from those departing the faith and who no longer hear sound doctrine.  Displace bitterness and the root of bitterness by increasing amounts of the Holy Spirit.   Stay in the Salvation Process.

5] Coping with Shock…mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually…invoke faith.  Know and understand what is coming and prepare yourself on all these levels.  Pray to God for strength, refuge and providence.

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