October 12, 2014
The Eleventh Plague
Luke 21:20-37 NOTES NOT EDITED
The Eleventh Plague
Luke 21:20-37 NOTES NOT EDITED
SIS – No one can say for sure that any plague IS
the “eleventh” plague but we can say for sure that any plague COULD be the
“eleventh” plague, so we must always be ready.
Everything that has
a beginning has an end
Why is so much of
the Bible prophecy? According to “The
Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy” by J. Barton Payne, there are 1,239
prophecies in the Old Testament and 578 prophecies in the New Testament for a
total of 1,817. These prophecies are contained in 8,352 of the Bible’s
verses. Since there are 31,124 verses in the Bible, the 8,352 verses that
contain prophecy constitute 26.8 percent of the Bible’s volume. That’s about 1 out of every 3 verses. If you do the math by the book instead of by
the verse, they that figure could easily double. God clearly intends for us to have a basic—I said,
“basic” as opposed to exacting—understanding of where the story of humanity is
heading. Plagues, catastrophes,
tribulations all play into this picture in a big way. The story of the exodus of Israel from
bondage in Egypt gives us a picture of man’s deliverance from the bondage of
sin. As most of you know, ten plagues
were needed to convince Pharaoh, the god of Egypt, to let the Israelites
go. These plagues included: blood, frogs, lice, flies, pestilence, boils,
hail, locusts, darkness, and finally, the slaying of the firstborn of every
house not protected by the blood of the lamb.
Now, these plagues are perhaps the most famous such acts of God in the
Bible, but they are not the only ones. Throughout
the Bible the rebellion of man often brought (and continues to bring) judgment
upon man—many times in the form of plagues.
The final “bowl judgments” in the Book of Revelation are seven final
plagues upon the earth because of the continued rebellion of man. Revelation 16:21 gives us insight into why
there have been plagues in the past and will continue to be right up until the “last
plague”:
21 Enormous hailstones, each
weighing about 100 pounds, fell from the
sky on people, and they blasphemed God
for the plague of hail because that plague was extremely severe.
Take note of
mankind’s reaction to this plague of the Seventh Bowl. Instead of softening their hearts and
surrendering to God, they harden their hearts and “blaspheme God” further
insuring their condemnation and judgment.
This is exactly how Pharaoh reacted to the Ten Plagues in the time of the
Exodus. The Bible tells us in Exodus
that Pharaoh, “changed his mind” (14:5) and his heart was hardened just like
after each of the first nine plagues.
Pharaoh pursued the Israelites and in his rebellion against God his
entire army was drowned in the Red Sea.
Plagues are the
result of man’s continuing rebellion against God. The Bible speaks of plagues from the
beginning to the end. In fact, so frequent are these types of occurences that
even the insurance companies refer to “acts of God” to explain (and get out of
paying for) tragedies and disasters.
Many of you
remember the “Black Plague” that struck Europe in the the mid 14th century
(1346-1353). In just under a decade the
estimates are that 30%-60% of Europe’s population was wiped out. The estimate is about 100 million people—in less
than 10 years!
Any of you remember
the “Flu Epidemic of 1918?” Well, know
you don’t. You would have to be over 100
years old to remember. But, this plague
killed an estimated 50 to 100 million people over a two year period. The 1918 flu pandemic (January 1918 –
December 1920) was an unusually deadly outbreak. It infected 500 million people
across the world, including remote Pacific islands and the Arctic, and killed
50 to 100 million of them—three to five percent of the world's population—making
it one of the deadliest natural disasters in human history (Wikipedia).
Another plague has
hit our world in our lifetime. AIDS
sprung onto the scene about thirty years ago and has claimed at least 30
million lives. This is not as
devastating as the “Black Death” of Europe, but each year 1.5 million to 2
million people die. AIDS is primarily a
behavior based disease related to elicit sex (homosexual and heterosexual) and intravenous
drug use. However, no plague is ever
limited to one particular group of people.
They all spill out into the general population to one degree or another.
Now here we are
with Ebola. Ebola was unknown to most of
us until just recently. It is an
extremely brutal disease that is also extremely deadly. Basically, your body just liquefies internally
with severe bleeding. Ebola is between
30% to 90% fatal with the average being 50%.
Up until a few weeks ago, Ebola was only something poor Africans had to
worry about. But, we live in a “global
world” and plagues can now travel first class.
Last Wednesday,
Thomas Eric Duncan became the first person in the United States to die of
Ebola. The news accounts are careful to
say the “only” one to die, as opposed to the “first” to die, for obvious
reasons. Should we panic? Is Ebola on the next plane from Africa? The fact is that nobody knows the answer to
that question. A plague anywhere is a
potential threat everywhere because our world is a “global,” not a “tribal”
community. In these days someone can
contract Ebola in Africa and in less than a day be a threat to people in
Dallas. That’s the story of Thomas Eric
Duncan.
I titled this
message, “The Eleventh Plague,” to point to the fact that if mankind continues
to ignore the previous plagues, we will certainly experience additional plagues,
and they will likely increase until Jesus Christ, Himself, returns to rule over
the earth. And . . . that’s my point—God
has told us over and over and over again in the prophecies of His Word that “horrible
things” are headed mankind’s way and we need to know what to do with about
it. One chapter in the Bible (and there
are many as I said) gives us some helpful information that will help us process
horrible news like the Ebola plague. Let’s
read that passage together:
LUKE 21:20-36
There are two parts
to my message this morning, drawing from this passage in Luke and other
important passages. First, “what we need
to know” about the Last Days of earth; and second, “what we need to do” about
it.
WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW
1. The Coming of the Lord is CERTAIN
Somebody counted
that there were at least 333 prophecies fulfilled exactly by the First Coming
of Jesus Christ. The Bible predicted
when He would come, the circumstances of His birth, the issues of His life, the
details of His death, and of course, His resurrection, just to name a few. Every detail unfolded exactly the way that
the Bible said it would. Therefore, we
have every reason to believe that the Second Coming will happen just exactly as
the Bible says it will. In fact, we see
many prophecies of the Second Coming being fulfilled as I speak. Look at verse 20 again:
20 “When you see Jerusalem
surrounded by armies,
then recognize that its desolation has come near.
then recognize that its desolation has come near.
Let me remind you
that from 70 AD to 1948 AD, these words would have had little meaning to
anybody looking at a map. In 70 AD Jerusalem
was destroyed by Titus Flavius and Israel was scattered among the nations—to
the far corners of the world. It wasn’t until 1948 that Israel was again
established a “geographical” nation.
Now, look at the map. What do you
see? You see a tiny little nation barely
263 miles long, and 70 miles wide at the broadest point (9 miles wide at the
narrowest point). For comparison,
California is 350 miles long and about 250 miles at the widest point. So Israel is about 4 to 5 times smaller than
California and it sits in the vast expanse we call the Middle East. The Arab nations occupy about 325 times more
space than Israel. If Israel was the
first floor of a high rise, there would be over 300 floors above her. She is a
speck in the Middle East.
I said that to say
this: as far as the size of Israel the
nation is absolutely insignificant to the region of the Middle East. Yet, the entire Middle Eastern world crouches
like a lion to pounce on and devour this little nation. Have you ever wondered why? Look at verses 29-33:
29 Then He told them a parable:
“Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they
put out leaves you can see for yourselves and recognize that summer is already
near. 31 In the same way, when you see these things happening,
recognize that the kingdom of God is
near. 32 I assure you: This generation will certainly not pass
away until all things take place. 33 Heaven
and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away
Israel is the
thermometer that indicates the rising temperature of tensions in the Middle
East leading to the boiling point we call the Last Days. It is going to happen—it is happening now.
2. The Coming of the Lord will be SUDDEN
Look at verses
34-35: 34 “Be on your
guard, so that your minds are not
dulled from carousing, drunkenness,
and worries of life, or that day
will come on you unexpectedly 35 like
a trap.
I read somewhere
where a man described the “gradual
suddenness of the Second Coming.” What
he referred to is the fact that the exact day that all this takes place is
unknown to man, but the events leading up to it have been outlined for us in
the Word. You can be ready, if you
realize that the Second Coming could be upon us at any time—either the rapture
for he saved, or the tribulation for those who persist in their rebellion. The very word, rapture—harpazo—means “to snatch away suddenly.”
3. The Coming of the Lord will be SEVERE
Many passages in
the N.T. describe the severity of the events leading up to the Second
Coming: both before the rapture and continuing
on through the Great Tribulation. Notice
Luke gives us a hint as to what the Last Days will be like in verse 10-12:
10 Then He told them: “Nation will
be raised up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be violent
earthquakes, and famines and
plagues in various places, and there
will be terrifying sights and great signs from heaven. 12 But before all these
things, they will lay their hands on you
and persecute you. They will hand
you over to the synagogues and
prisons, and you will be brought before
kings and governors because of My name.
Natural disasters,
famines, persecution of the saints, and plagues will characterize our world as
we get closer to the Last Days. We see
all of these things taking place now and they will continue and even intensify
as the Day of the Lord draws near. Politicians
will continue to put a good spin on very bad situations—we see this on the news
every day. You don’t hear Obama get on
the airwaves and tell us just how bad things are, even when he tells us
anything. Plagues are not good for incumbent
politicians!
This is just a
brief outline of what we know about the last days: they are certain, they are severe, and they
will be sudden. Now, that we know what
to expect we need to ask ourselves:
WHAT
DO WE NEED TO DO?
1. First, we must Prepare
There is an idiom, or
common expression, in the English language that says, “to be forewarned is to be fore-armed.” That is exactly why God has given us so much
information about where the story of mankind is heading. God is merciful. The foundation for His prophecies is “mercy” not
“wrath.” If God simply wanted to punish
and destroy mankind, he never would have given us the many warnings in the
prophetic Scriptures. Look at all the
warnings in Luke 21: v8—“Watch
out!”; v29—“Look at the fig tree (Israel); v34—“Be on your guard”; and v36—“Be
alert.”
While we cannot
know the exact day and time the end will come we can prepare for some very
rough weather. We live in a day when it
would be wise to have some extra food and water on hand. I cannot say how much, but common sense will
help you a great deal. You need to also
prepare financially. If you are in debt—get
out of debt as quickly as possible—especially with credit cards. As the saying goes: “TO BE
FOREWARNED IS TO BE FOREARMED!” The
Bible says:
Pvb
22:3 A
sensible person sees danger and takes cover,
but
the inexperienced keep going and are punished.
That
advice is repeated in Proverbs 27:12 word for word.
Do all you can to
learn all you can about what is taking place in our world and what the Bible
says about what is taking place in our world. Preparation will dispel panic. Knowledge is power.
2. Second, Proclaim
the Word! Look at verses 12-15:
12 But before all these things, they
will lay their hands on you and
persecute you. They will hand you over
to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and
governors because of My name. 13 It
will lead to an opportunity for you to witness.
n 14 Therefore make up your minds not to prepare your defense ahead of
time, 15 for I will give
you such words r and a
wisdom that none of your adversaries
will be able to resist or contradict.
Notice also that
Jesus modeled for us how we should conduct ourselves as plagues, famines,
persecution, trials, and tribulations fall upon our world. Look at verse 37: 37 During the day, He was teaching in the temple
complex. Jesus did not let the
troubles of life deter Him from “teaching the word of life.”
This passage tells
us that people will find the message of the gospel convincing and compelling in
light of what the Bible says about what people are seeing in the news. These Last Days are not times for the church
to don ascension robes and retreat onto a mountain to wait the arrival of the Lord. These days of plagues should be days of
proclamation announcing the only real hope anybody can have in this world.
3. Most importantly, PRAY!
Look back again at
verse 37: During the day, He was teaching in the temple
complex, but in the evening He would go
out and spend the night on what is called the Mount of Olives.
The Mount of Olives
was a quiet place of retreat. Jesus woul
“lodge” there, meaning “sleep in the open air.”
It was a place of rest and reflection.
It was also a place of prayer.
Notice what the Lord says about being prepared and praying in verse 36:
36 But be alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape
all these things that are going to take place and to stand before the
Son of Man.”
The Bible tells us
that Jesus often sought a quiet place to pray—especially when He was about to
make an important decision or face a hard trial. Luke 5:16 tells us:
6 Yet He often withdrew to deserted
places and prayed.
One of the Lord’s
best known times of prayer—and most agonizing—took place at the foot of the
north slope of the Mount of Olives in a Garden called, “Gethsemane.” This would be just a few hours after His
discouse on the Last Days. Look at
verses 39-42:
39 He went out and made His way as usual
to the Mount of Olives, and the
disciples followed Him. 40 When He reached the place, He told them, “Pray that you may not enter
into temptation.” 41 Then
He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, knelt down, and began to
pray, 42 “Father, if You
are willing, take this cup away from
Me—nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.”
Listen very
carefully: if you do not know how to pray fervently and effectively you are not
prepared for what is coming in the very near future.
It was prayer—a passionate
relationship with His Heavenly Father—that sustained Our Lord on the blackest,
most brutal night in the history of the world.
Jesus did not “begin His prayer life” when they nailed Him to the cross—as
would be the case with most of us.
Prayer prepared Him more than anything else to face everything the Devil
and the minions of hell had to throw at Him and still be able to cry in
victory: “It is finished!”
Preparation,
proclamation, and prayer are what we MUST be doing as we see the Day of the
Lord quickly approaching.
I title this
message, “Ebola: The Eleventh Plague” to point out that even after ten horrible plagues, Pharaoh still persisted
in his rebellion against the will of Almighty God. As a result, his army drowned in the Sea of
Judgment—the Red Sea. Ten plagues and he
still did not surrender to God. Even
with an “eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth . . . on down to the umpteenth” plague,
famine, disaster, or devastating event in life mankind still persists in
rebellion against Yahweh.
What about you and
me? What is it going to take to really
get our attention? Ebola? AIDS?
Financial ruin? Heart
attack? What “plague” will be the “Eleventh”
plague that finally gets our attention as people of God so that we get serious
about the work of God?
I would hope that
God does not need an “Eleventh Plague” to get our attention. As bad as Ebola is—or may become—it is not
the worst that God has to offer against those that persist in rebellion against
him.
Let’s think deeply
about what is taking place in our world and prepare accordingly.
No
one can say for sure that any plague IS the “eleventh” plague but we can say
for sure that any plague COULD be the “eleventh” plague, so we must always be
ready.
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