Where Do We Go From Here

You know what's great about this church? The consistency of our technical difficulties. I mean, it's really impressive when you think about it. How, you know, we nail it.

We just nail that every week. Um, so, uh, let's pray real quick. Heavenly Father, Lord, I thank you so much for this day. I thank you for an opportunity to gather around your word, to listen, to learn, to grow, um, and to just get into your spirit.

Lord, I just pray that you will be with us. you will open hearts and minds and um Lord that we come out of here and and go into uh today and this week um with renewed um zeal for your word and it's in Jesus name I pray. Amen. So last week we talked about the fact that 2026 could be a beginning of a tribulation period.

the tribulation period based on an Old Testament prophecy from Hosea and also um just looking around and seeing what's going on. Okay. And so after that, you've got to figure out, you know, what's what's to come next week? And um I thought, you know, where do we go from here?

And I thought Jesus, why not just go and see what Jesus says about this? Okay. And so, um, Matthew 24 and 25 or what's called the Oliv discourse. We've talked about it before where the disciples come up to him and ask him what's going on.

So, let's let's we're going to dive in there. Matthew 24:3. Now, as he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us when will we these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"

So, they asked him a point blank question. And Jesus answered and said to them, "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, saying, I am the Christ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.

See that you are not troubled, for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these things are the beginnings of sorrows." And so, you could say, "Well, that's been happening ever since we left.

you know, there's been famines, earthquakes, but in Revelation, um, the action gets going in Revelation chapter 6, and we see, let me get there, um, that Revelation, the tribulation period, you see that there's seals that get opened. Okay? And we're going to go there to to um, Revelation 6. There's, this is called the the four horsemen, okay?

Of the apocalypse. And each seal is opened. Um first three chapters of Revelation, they're the letters to Jesus. The fourth one is John being called up to see what's to go next.

And then um the fifth one is is them the deed of the earth, the scroll of the earth and who can open it. And and Jesus is the only one found worthy. And in in chapter six of Revelation, Jesus begins to open the seals. So I'm reading now 6 1-8.

Now, as I saw, when the lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, "Come and see." And I looked, and behold, a white horse who had sat on it had a bow and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer. So, war, right? When he come when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come and see."

Another horse, fiery red, went out, and it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another. And there was given to him a great sword. When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come and see."

So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he sat on sat on it had a pair of scales, and in his hand in his hand, and I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a daenarius, and three quarts of barley for a daenerius, and do not harm the oil and the wine." This speaks to it inflation, it being very expensive, like $200 for a loaf of bread expensive. Okay, so we've seen inflation, but we've not seen inflation like this.

We've seen and stuff, but we've not seen what we're going to see. Um, and then the fourth beast, uh, when he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come and see." So I looked, and behold, a pale horse, and on and the name of him who sat on it was death, and Hades followed with him, and power was given them over a fourth of the earth. Power was given to them, these four horsemen, over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth.

So fun stuff, right? All right. Um, but that's what's coming, okay, at some point. That's what's coming and and it's already begun in a lot of ways.

Okay. So, these things are are happening. And we can pretend they're not happening, but they actually are. I um I noticed something that has nothing to do with scripture, but I want to share it with you because it was very interesting to me.

I believe that World War II, we are in World War II. Okay. I believe that when Putin attacked Ukraine on um February 24th of 2022, that began the third world war in something interesting. If you take the first day of World War I, 728 of 1914, and you add those numbers together, you got a calculator, add seven plus 28 + 19 + 14, you get 68.

Okay? Six is the number of men. scripture eight could be God or infinity. Okay.

Um infinite power man I don't know if you take the first day of World War II 91 1939 9 + 1 + 19 plus 39 you get 68. Okay. If you take the first day when Putin attacked Ukraine which I call the first day of World War II two of 24 20 and 22 you guessed it adds up to 68. Now, that's an incredible coincidence that over a hundred years, three wars started exactly on a day or it was something that was orchestrated by who?

God, the Illuminati, you know, that I don't know, but it seems like there's a lot of synergy in these things. Okay. In fact, between World War II and World War II, there's a lot of synergies. Hitler attacked Poland.

Poland had once been part of uh Germany and it wasn't called a world war when he attacked Poland. Okay, it wasn't called a world war until we got hit at Pearl Harbor. Okay, once we got hit, oh, now it's a world war. I think similarly here, Putin attacked Ukraine.

Ukraine had once been part of Russia. Okay. Um it's not being called the world war right now because we haven't been hit yet. Okay, I believe that could happen this year.

Okay. Especially when you see what's happening with um taking other countries and stuff with Greenland and everything. We talk a little bit about that next week. In World War II, once America got involved, it was four years in in if America gets involved this year, maybe it's four years.

The first World War was four years. The second was six. I think the third is going to be eight. That means if it started in 22, it ends in 23.

Now, that's got nothing to do with scripture. Okay? That's just similarities and But it's it's amazing coincidences. And not only that, if you overlay that with what what we're studying here, okay, and the possible 2033 and a midpoint of 2030, it all kind of lays out pretty nice, okay?

But I want to I want to share something with you that you you you need to understand. And I want to go to Psalm 91 because God says that if we set us our sights on him, okay, when we prepare ourselves that he will supernaturally protect us, okay? Psalm 91 says this, "He who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the almighty. I will say of the Lord, he is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in him I will trust."

All right. So he sets his mind on the Lord. Sets his heart on the Lord. Surely he shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence.

He shall cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you shall take refuge. The truth, his truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by the day, nor of the pestilence that walks in the darkness. We're not to be afraid of these things, okay?

Not to be afraid. God's still in control, and we're on his team, okay? now, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and 10,000 at your right hand, but it shall not come near you.

Only with your eyes shall you look and see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the most high your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your building, for she ha for he shall give his angels charge over you. Isn't that a great passage scripture? I love it.

Okay. So, if we get our stuff together okay we can be supernaturally protected. Jesus says, um, if we love him, we'll obey him. Okay?

And that's what we need to be focused on. And what Jesus goes on in in here in Matthew 24 and 25 is to tell us exactly what we should be doing at this time, how we should be living during this time. And so I'm just going to keep keep going with Jesus here. Okay.

Um this is verse 9 now in Matthew 24:9. Then they will deliver you up in tribulation and kill you and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will be offended will betray one another and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And and we see things like this all around us. Love growing cold, etc.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations. And then the end will come. And then the end will come. Revelation 14.

Okay. God sends an angel out. All right. This is great.

God Jesus told us we are supposed to love God, love others, right? And go and make disciples. Remember, he told us that we're supposed to do that. But God so loves everyone that even if we don't hit everyone, God took care of it here in Revelation 14 verse 6.

Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven having the everlasting gospel to preach having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, "Fear God and give glory to him for the hour of his judgment has come and worship him who made heaven and earth and sea and the springs of water." So there's a verse that says God doesn't want anyone to perish, right? That's proof right here.

He's going to send right at the end, right before he comes, he's going to send an angel around. They'll even go to the Aborigines and, you know, areas where no one's and they're going to speak in in those people's own languages and give them a chance. Now, they'll be like the the thief on the cross. I mean, if they accept Jesus, they'll be in heaven.

But but because they just got there as it's ending, they won't have any real rewards for it, you know? but they'll be in heaven. Okay, what a what a blessing that God still gives everyone a chance. Okay, and then Jesus goes on to talk about something that I think is pretty important.

Um the abomination of desolation. So in verse 15, Jesus says, and this is just Jesus saying what's going to come in answer to what the the disciples asked him. Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who's on the housetop not go down and take anything out of his house.

Let him who's in the field not go back to get his clothes. So he mentions the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet. So in doing that he affirms Daniel's timeline because Daniel is the only one that really gives us a timeline to the tribulation period. Okay.

In Daniel 9:27, he says, "Then he, the Antichrist, shall confirm a covenant with many for one week. But in the middle of the week, he shall bring an end to the sacrifice and offering, and on the wing of abomination shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation which is determined is poured out on the desolate." And you say, "Well, Brian, that's just one week. How's that seven years?"

Because if you go to Daniel 12, he specifies, "And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, remember that happens at the midpoint. from the time it's taken away and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. That's three and a half years. Okay?

So, from the midpoint to the end, there's three and a half years. And from the beginning to the midpoint, there's three and a half years. So, it's a seven-year period. And because Jesus affirms Daniel's prophecy, that's that's that's how it's going to roll, okay?

When it starts. and I'll be watching and and there's people that are in my sphere of influence that um will be watching and and I'm going to try as good as I can to share with you guys whatever whatever whatever's led to me to share. But but Jesus goes on and um um after that he talks about um false prophets coming etc. And then in verse 29 he talks about his actual coming.

I want to share it real quick because it's it's it's impressive. Okay, this is Matthew 29. Jesus says, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heaven will be shaken."

Remember, he said, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days, then the sign of the son of man will appear in heaven. And then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. and he will send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they will gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other. So there's a trumpet as he comes and they gather the elect, right?

Paul describes the rapture in Thessalonians, but he also describes it in 1 Corinthians and in 1 Corinthians 15 uh let me get there 51. Okay, he's a little bit more specific. He says, "Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkle of an eye, at the last trumpet.

For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall all be changed. So if Paul says it happens at the last trumpet, and Jesus right here says the sound of a trumpet as he's coming, okay? Then a pre-tribulation rapture is impossible unless Jesus is a liar and Paul is a liar which if Jesus and Paul are liars this whole book is a lie. Okay.

So the preachers that are out there that preach preach if any of them are watching this thing I ask you just look at these verses. I don't know how you can justify it. I know you've learned it in seminary preachers, but how can you justify a pre-trip rapture when Paul says it happens at the last trumpet and Jesus says the last trumpet happens right as it's coming. Okay, that means we need to be ready, buckle up, buttercup, for fun stuff that's to come.

Okay, now Jesus segus from there. Okay. And last week we looked at the next part of Matthew where he talks about um no one will know the day or the hour, but you'll know when he's close. Okay.

We talked about that. And then down in 45, we see something very interesting. So what I think is neat is his disciples ask him what's going on. He tells them through about the middle of 24 and then he tells them three parables on how to live and then he ends at the end of 25 talking about the great white throne judgment.

Okay. So he spends fully half of the time that he's explaining the end times in parables talking about how we should live. All right? And so what I want us to focus on now and really going forward, okay, is how we should be living in these times.

All right? Whether I'm right and it's coming soon or whether it's a little ways off, it doesn't matter. If we can learn how Jesus wants us to live and we can live the way Jesus wants us to live right now, okay, then guess what? we're going to be blessed.

Okay? And and and it doesn't matter. The early disciples thought he was coming soon, too. And they changed the world because they lived with an edge.

Okay? Because because it matters. And so, um, Matthew 24, if you have a Bible, grab verse 45. That's where we're going to start in the first parable that he tells.

Who then is a faithful and wise servant whom his master made ruler over his household to give them food in due season. So all of these parables have a similar thing. The master goes away. Jesus back 2,000 years ago went up to be ascended to the right hand of the father, right?

Interceding for us right now in prayers. He went away but he is coming back. And and all of these have master's gone. How are we supposed to live?

And then the master comes back. And so here we are. The first parable. He says we're supposed to be faithful and wise servants whom his master made ruler over the household.

We are stewards. We are what's called stewards. Okay? All of it is Jesus.

All of it is God's. All right? Our money, our talents, our abilities, everything are really we're just stewards of that. Okay?

We're stewards of what he's given us. And so we are to be wise stewards is what he's saying here. He said, "Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find him so doing. We'll find him acting as the way he's as a good steward."

Okay. What are what are what are the things we Jesus asked us to do before he left? The great commission, right? Go and make disciples and the great commandment.

Love God, love others. That's what we need to be busy doing, okay? Loving God and loving others. Okay?

And and and going and making disciples. And that's going to be the focus of most of the rest of the year. Assuredly I say to you that he will make that person who's faithful when he comes. He will make that him ruler over all his goods.

So when we get to heaven, we get to the millennial reign, we'll have jobs. We'll have things to do. We're not just going to sit and play harps, okay, and do nothing and just sit in clouds and just play harps all day and do nothing, okay? We'll actually be productive and it'll be fun, okay?

It's going to be great with no sin, healthy bodies. I mean, it's going to be nice. Um, blessed is that servant. He'll make him ruler over all his goods.

But if that evil servant says in his heart, "My master is delaying his coming and begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour that he is not aware of, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites, and there shall be weeping and nashing of teeth." Whenever I hear weeping and nashing of teeth, I think of hell, right? Sounds pretty hellish. And so his first parable is, "Hey, be watchful.

Be good stewards. Be watchful. Okay. The second parable he tells is is called the parable of the 10 virgins.

And we studied this once a few months back, but I want to read it with a an eye towards the fact that it's an end time parable. 25 verse one. Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to 10 virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Now five of them were wise and five were foolish.

Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them. But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight, a cry was heard, "Behold, the bridegroom is coming.

Go out to meet him." Then all those virgins arose, trimmed their lamps, and the foolish said to the wise, "Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out." But the wise answered, saying, "No, lest there should not be enough for us and you, but go rather to those who sell and buy for them yourselves." And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding, and the door was shut.

Afterward, the other virgins came also, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you. So, this passage, what was what was the problem with those 10 foolish virgins? They didn't have supplies.

Okay? They didn't have um supplies. They weren't ready. And so, if there's going to be wars and stuff like that, there's very likely going to be times when the electric grid, for example, gets knocked out.

Okay? We should have supplies on hand to be able to handle that. Okay. That's just part of being ready like the wise virgins instead of the foolish virgins.

Okay. Um my next door neighbors are here. All right. And if you go by my garage, it looks like I've just, you know, in my garage you see boxes and all this other stuff.

It looks like I haven't unpacked, but I travel light. Everything's in my house. What's in there is actually disruption type stuff. Okay?

Charcoal, oil, gas, a generator. Okay? the things that you need to have to be able to function for a while, okay, with no electricity to there's a freezer full of food. There's dry goods for 30 days.

And if you email me, if you go to our website and email me, um or if you grab one of my cards, I'll shoot you an email with the things that you should probably have because you should have those things ready if you if you have the wherewithal to have them just in case. back I think it was three years ago in Texas a a a freak ice storm came through and it knocked off the electric grid in a whole section of Texas for like three weeks. So this stuff can happen just anyway. So you should have it anyway.

Why is that important? Because this is going to be the one of the greatest opportunities for us to witness to people is when disruption is happening. Okay? Because they're going to be freaking out.

And if we're calm, then we can if we've got our act together, we're we we've got the ability to still eat and everything else. then we can be calm and we can be supportive. You guys, you know, you just come over to my house. We'll grill out.

It'll be fun, you know. Um but but but we should be ready. And then that allows us to be not freaking out, but allows us to be able to witness to people and point them to Jesus because that's this is going to be one of the greatest opportunities to point people to Jesus. Okay?

So prepare yourself. So get ready. And then the last parable Jesus tells is the parable of the talents. Okay, which most people don't realize it's an end times parable.

It's tucked in right here. Okay, and um this speaks to working. And so I'm going to I'm going to read it here. It's uh verse 14 25:14.

For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability. And immediately he went on a journey. Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them and made another five talents.

And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. But he who had received one went and dug it in the ground and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with him again. Master goes away.

He comes back. All these parables have the same same dynamic. So he who had received the five talents came and brought five other talents saying Lord you delivered to me five talents. Look, I've gained five more talents.

Besides them, his lord said to him, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You are faithful over a few things. I'll make a ruler over many things." Okay?

She's going to be a again, there's jobs for us to do in heaven, right? God's going to appoint us stuff based on how we performed here. Enter in the joy of your Lord. He also who had received two talents came and said, "Lord, you delivered to me two talents.

Look, I have gained two more talents besides them." His lord said to him, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things.

Enter into the joy of your Lord. I think it's really important that both people got the same exact reward. Okay? So, you may think you're not you're not like uh that that valuable or that important.

All you have to do is be faithful. Okay? A Jensen Franklin who's preaching a free chapel to 20,000 people might be a five talent preacher and I might only be a two talent preacher. But if if we're both doing exactly what God told us to do with the same faithfulness, we both get the same reward.

Okay? And the same with you guys. All right? You'll get the same reward as long as you're faithful with what you're doing.

So, so be faithful. Then he who had received the one talent came and said, "Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not swn and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours."

But his lord answered him and said to him, "You wicked and lazy servant. You knew that I reap where I have not swn and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers. And at my coming I would have received back my own with interest.

So take the talent from him and give it to him who has 10 talents. For to everyone who has more will be given, and he will have abundance. But from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast that unprofitable servant into the outer darkness again where there will be weeping and nashing teeth.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 says, "If you don't work, you don't need." Okay? Jesus wants us working when he comes back. Okay?

We're supposed to be working. It's not uh glorifying to him. If you have the capability to work, okay? Again, if you have the capability to work, um then you should be working and because that workplace is a ministry for you.

Okay? It's an opportunity for you to reach people. All right? um and tithe and give back and all that.

It's it's an opportunity, all right, to serve God. He wants us applying our talents doing what? To love God and love others, to reach the lost. He wants us applying our talents.

We all have different talents. God gives us when we get saved, we we actually are are given a spiritual gift. Okay? Using those gifts, those talents.

All right? And I want you to see something here. Look at the seriousness of of of the penalty for the people that aren't doing the right stuff. Right?

One of them Jesus says he's going to cut them in half. Um another one says he'll he'll toss them out um where there's going to be weeping and nashing of teeth. The other one he just won't open the door for him. Today, you know, Jesus is often portrayed rainbows and kittens and it's all, you know, good and loveydvey.

But actually, Jesus also was a warrior king, okay? He took nails right in his hands for you and me. And he didn't say a word, okay? He he loves us that much.

And he didn't say a word. That's a warrior king. And when he comes back, he's coming as a conquering king. He's not coming hidden in the shadows.

The first time was in a manger. This time it's in the clouds. And we just read about it. It's it's it's in power.

Okay? Jesus comes back in power. So he wants us actively working. He wants us ready.

He wants us to be watchful. Okay? That's what he wants us to do. And the rest of this year, we're going to focus on the aspects of serving God, loving God, and and how to be the best, you know, servants that we can be as he comes back.

But one of the things that Jesus said is that if we love him, we're to obey him. One of the things he said was, "Don't worry." Remember, he says, "Don't worry about tomorrow." All right?

Just because we know a rough timeline, we don't know exacts, but if we know things are coming and things are going to get worse, at least we can be ready for it. And but we're not to worry about it. What did we learn a couple weeks back? Pray, obey, just worry about today.

Just worry about the thing you can control, which is today. Be the best servant of the Lord that you can be today. All right? That's what we have to do.

We're in the great we're in the midst we're at the end of the great battle of all time. You know, for all time there's been a battle between good and evil. All right? It's underlying almost every good story is this battle between good and evil.

And we're near the ends of it and we get to be a part of it. Okay? We get to be a part of the great story. And you if you uh have ever seen the Lord of the Rings or you read the books, okay, the little hobbits were like little halflings, right?

They were not. They were nothing, but they had a part in the story. A big part in the story. And it doesn't matter how you feel about yourself, whether you think you're important or not.

You have a part in the story. Okay? One person's a thumb, another's a according to Paul, one could be a thumb, one could be a finger, one could be a foot. Jesus is the head.

He's the boss. And we just have to um take care of what he's given us each day. just our plot, our friends, our family, our loved ones, and being watchful, being ready, being working. Okay?

Praying, obeying, just worrying about today. You with me? That's what we're going to that's what we're going to shoot to do. So, as the music people come forth, um I want us to uh I want us to um I I try as good as I can to communicate the urgency of the times that we're in.

Okay? Um, the times are urgent and I I really want us to get serious about our relationships with Jesus and about the great commandment and the great commission and and and as we sit here in a in a time of reflection worship, what's keeping you from going all in with Jesus? What is it that's holding you back? What is the thing of the world you're clinging to?

What is it that you're you're you're not wanting to give up? What is what is that thing that's that's holding you back from from being a a soldout servant of the Lord? I just pray that you'll contemplate that as we go. If you don't know Jesus, I think I know everyone here, but if you don't, I'm going to be up front.

If you need a prayer, I'll be up front. Lord will be there. Just feel free to come up and and ask. But um I'll be right there.

But uh Lord, I just pray now that as we go into this time that we just think and pause, thankful that you are the victor that you have already. You're coming. You've already told us how the story ends and that we get to take our part on the winning team. And uh Lord, just let us be uh good servants and let us do our part uh in a way that's pleasing to you in Jesus name.

Amen.