God, having spoken in many parts and in many ways formerly to the fathers in the prophets,
at the end of these days has spoken to us in the Person of the Son,
Whom He has established Heir of all things,
by Whom also He made the worlds.
But learn the parable from the fig tree:
When already its branch becomes tender and produces leaves,
ye know that the summer is near.
Thus also ye, when ye see all these things,
know that it is near, at the doors.
Verily I say to you, this generation will not have passed away until all these things shall have taken place.
Heaven and earth shall pass away,
but My words shall in no wise pass away.But of that day and hour no one knows,
not even the angels of heaven,
but My Father alone.
But as were the days of Noah,
so also shall be the coming of the Son of Man.
For as they were in the days before the flood, eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark,
and they knew not until the flood came and took all away,
so also shall be the coming of the Son of Man.
Then two shall be in the field; one is taken, and one is left.
Two women shall be grinding at the mill; one is taken, and one is left.
Watch therefore, for ye know not in what hour your Lord comes.
Dear Heavenly Father, as we draw near to Thee through Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, we know that we are accepted in the Beloved. We know that we have access to Thy throne of grace. We know that we can behold the glory of the Lord with unveiled face, and thus be transformed from glory to glory according to His image, by the Lord, the Spirit.
So, our Father, we come this morning with confidence in Thee. We ask Thee, Lord, to bless us, to bless Thy word to our hearts. We pray that we may not only hear the words, but that we may really receive the Spirit that Thou hast in Thy word. We ask Thee, O Lord, that Thou wilt, in our hearts, create something that will respond to Thy own heart. We pray in the name of our Lord Jesus. Amen.
King Solomon, in the book of Ecclesiastes, said that to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose. It is a wise man’s heart that knows the time and manner; or, as the Amplified Version puts it, a wise man’s mind knows when and what to do.
We thank God that, as we go over the Old Testament, we find that there were people living in those days who knew the time they lived in. Because they knew the time they lived in, they were able to understand the purpose of God for their time.
By the grace of God, they responded, fulfilling God’s purpose. And God bore witness to them that they had pleased Him.
Then, the second morning, we mentioned our Lord Jesus. In the fullness of time, He came into this world, born of woman, born under the law, in order to deliver us out of the curse of the law, that we might receive sonship.
When our Lord Jesus was on earth, His whole life was governed by this phrase: “Mine hour.” In other words, you find that He knew the hour He was in, and He knew the purpose of that hour.
The purpose of that hour was that He should come to find His bride. For that reason, He gave Himself on the cross. He poured forth blood and water—His life—in order to sanctify and purify that body of every spot and wrinkle, that He might present to Himself a glorious church, holy and without blemish.
We do not have time to go into the days of the apostles. We have to omit that. This morning, we would like to come to this matter: “Watchman, what of the night?”
We find that in the Word of God there is a phrase: “In these last days,” or, in some versions, “at the end of the days.” This phrase recurs many times in the Bible.
Not only do we find it in the New Testament, in Hebrews 1:1-2, but we find it in the Old Testament too. You may like to put down all these references. For this reason, we do not have time to go into them.
You will find them in Genesis 49:1; Numbers 24:14; Deuteronomy 4:30 and 31:29; Jeremiah 23:20, 30:24, 48:47, and 49:39; Ezekiel 38:16; Daniel 2:28 and 10:14; Hosea 3:5; and Micah 4:1. If you do not jot them down, that is okay.
But anyway, you will find that, throughout the Word of God, this phrase recurs again and again: “In these last days,” “at the end of the days.” Now, what does it mean?
It is a Hebrew expression indicating the ending of the period of law, when Messiah was to be introduced. In other words, it means the introduction of the days of the Messiah. When the Messiah comes, then we enter into the end of the days.
You find Hebrews 1:1-2 saying:
God, having spoken in many parts and in many ways formerly, or in the days of old, to the fathers in the prophets—
in these last days has spoken to us in the Person of His Son.
In the old days, God spoke to our fathers through the prophets. Now, thank God, our God is a God Who speaks. If our God were silent, we would never know Him. If He did not reveal Himself, we would be totally ignorant of Him.
But thank God, our God is a God Who speaks, and He is always speaking. He spoke in the days of old through the prophets to our fathers. Of course, in those days, He could only speak in bits and fragments, in many parts and in many ways. Why? Because the human vessels were so limited.
But thank God, at the end of the days, in these last days, God is able to speak in His own Son. When He speaks in His Son, He speaks fully, completely, and perfectly. That is the final speaking, the full revelation of God.
These last days, or the end of the days, really refer to the days of the Messiah—that is, from the coming of the Lord.
Now, of course, we know that the Old Testament prophets saw the coming of the Messiah. They saw the days of the Messiah. But they did not see that the Messiah would come twice. They saw the coming of the Messiah, but they did not realize that there were two comings.
So actually, these last days, or the end of the days, which refer to the days of the Messiah, begin with His first coming and end with His second coming. In between these two comings of the Lord, we call them the end of the days—these last days.
The apostles wrote about such things. For instance, Paul, in 1 Timothy 4:1, said:
But the Spirit speaks expressly that in later times some shall apostatize from the faith,
giving their mind to deceiving spirits and teachings of demons,
speaking lies in hypocrisy,
cauterized as to their own conscience.
In these last days, you will find there will be apostasy. Then again, in 2 Timothy 3:1, the apostle said:
But this know, that in the last days difficult times shall be there.
For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, evil speakers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, profane, without natural affection, implacable, slanderers, without self-control, savage, having no love for what is good, traitors, headlong, puffed up, lovers of pleasures rather than lovers of God, having a form of piety, but denying the power of it.
In these last days, difficult times will be there. Why is it so difficult? Because men become lovers of self, lovers of money, and lovers of pleasure. We live in such difficult times.
Professor Kenneth S. Wuest wrote a book on these latter writings of the New Testament. He entitled his book In These Last Days. He got the suggestion, of course, from 2 Timothy 3:1: “In these last days.” He dealt with five books in the New Testament.
He mentioned that in 2 Timothy Paul predicts the end-time apostasy. There will be a falling away in the church. Then, in 2 Peter, the apostle treats the apostasy through false teachers. These false teachers bring the falling away into the church.
Then the apostle John, in 1 John, tells us what the end-time apostasy is: it is a denial of the Person of our Lord Jesus. In 2 John, he tells us the correct attitude towards those who deny the Person of the Lord Jesus. In 3 John, Diotrephes is presented as a petty tyrant in a local church. Then, in Jude, we find the various characteristics of the apostasy.
In these five books, you get a picture of the church in the days in which we are living. They can serve as a guide to us, telling us the nature of these false teachers and their heretical doctrine, and also warning us against what is going on.
So, dear brothers and sisters, we are living at the end of the days. We are living in these last days. If these last days commenced with the coming of our Lord Jesus two thousand years ago, then I think we understand that we are living at the very end of the days—the very last of the last days.
We are truly living almost at midnight.
When the Lord Jesus was upon this earth, He was the Light of the world. You remember that our Lord Jesus said, in John 9, there was a man who was blind from his birth. When the disciples saw that man, strangely, these disciples had never been to the school of rabbis, they had never learned, but they were natural theologians.
When they saw the man born blind, they began to ask the Lord a theological question: “Now, this man was born blind. Who sinned, his parents or himself?”
Brothers and sisters, you know, it is very strange. Even though not all of us have gone to theological seminaries, we are all born theologians. When we face a situation, immediately we begin to theorize. We begin to develop a kind of theology about it.
But our Lord Jesus said, “It is neither the sin of the parents nor his own sin, but it is for the glory of God.” That clears up all theology.
Then the Lord Jesus said:
I must work the works of Him Who sent Me while it is day.
The night is coming, when no one can work.
As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.
In other words, when our Lord Jesus was on earth, it was day because He was the Light of the world. Then again, in John 11, in the case of Lazarus, you find that our Lord Jesus said:
Are there not twelve hours in the day?
If anyone walk in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
But if anyone walk in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.
After the Lord died, rose from the dead, and ascended up to heaven, dear brothers and sisters, the Sun was gone. So we entered, in a sense, into night. We are now in the night.
In the night, you find the sun is not seen. What is left there is the moon and the stars to give whatever light there is. In typology, we know that our Lord Jesus is the Sun of righteousness, and the moon is a type of the church.
He leaves the church behind on earth. Of course, the stars speak of individual believers, because one star is different from another star. Every one of us is different, but all are supposed to give out light.
Dear brothers and sisters, the world has entered into night. But thank God, He still leaves His church and His believers behind, and they are to give whatever light there is in this world.
Anyway, after our Lord Jesus left, the world entered into night. It has been about two thousand years now. So, no doubt, we are almost at midnight—the darkest of the night.
Now, what are the phenomena of the night? If you turn to Matthew 24, you find that our Lord Jesus, as He went out from the city of Jerusalem, had His disciples point out to Him the temple, built by the remnant and beautified by King Herod. It was a magnificent edifice.
They took great pride in the temple and said, “Look, it is adorned with precious stones, with gifts from all over the world.” But as our Lord Jesus was walking out of the city of Jerusalem on His way to the Mount of Olives, He said to His disciples, “I tell you, the day is coming when there will be no stone upon another stone.” In other words, the temple would be completely destroyed.
Of course, when the Lord said that, it was such a shock to the disciples that they dared not say anything to Him on the way, lest they be heard, because it would be considered blasphemy by the Jews.
But after our Lord Jesus and His disciples came to the Mount of Olives, some of His disciples came to the Lord secretly and whispered in His ear, “Master, Lord, when shall these things be? And what is the sign of Thy coming, and of the completion of the age?”
Then our Lord Jesus told them when these things would be, and also told them of the sign of His coming—of His parousia, of His presence—and of the completion of the age.
Of course, we know that this is recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. Just to help us understand, Luke 21 is mainly the Lord’s answer to the first part of the question: “When shall these things be?” That is, when shall the temple in Jerusalem be completely destroyed?
That is dealt with mainly in Luke 21. But, of course, in Luke 21 it continues on to the sign of His coming and the completion of the age. The emphasis in Luke is to answer the first question.
But when you read Matthew 24, you find that the emphasis of the answer is on the second part of the question: the sign of His coming and the completion of the age. But it also includes the first part: “When shall these things be?” Brothers and sisters, if you remember that, that will be a help.
The reason is that if you read Luke 21, you will find a key, and the key is in Luke 21:24:
And they shall fall by the edge of the sword,
and be led captive into all the nations;
and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the nations,
until the times of the nations be fulfilled.
This is a key, telling you that what has been described before that actually refers to the first part of the question: “When shall these things be?”
But we will focus our attention on Matthew 24. There you find that our Lord Jesus began to tell His disciples:
See that no one mislead you.
For many shall come in My name, saying, “I am the Christ,” and they shall mislead many.
But ye will hear of wars and rumors of wars.
See that ye be not disturbed, for all these things must take place; but it is not yet the end.
For nation shall rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in diverse places.
But all these are the beginning of birth pains.
After the Lord left, the world entered into night. What will be the phenomena of the night? The Lord says there will be people coming, proclaiming themselves as Christ—false Christs—and they will mislead many people.
There will be wars and rumors of wars. There will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes everywhere. But the Lord said these do not indicate that the end has come. Actually, these are just the beginning of the end.
Now, if you compare this portion of Scripture with Revelation 6, then you will find there is a similarity between them. We know that Revelation 4 is the scene of the glory of the Creator, and Revelation 5 is the scene of the glory of the Redeemer.
In other words, in chapter 4 you find the glory of creation, and in chapter 5 you have the glory of redemption.
Whatever your interpretation may be, I think that is not important. But to me, I feel Revelation 5 is the scene of the ascension of our Lord Jesus.
You remember that in Acts 1, the Lord ascended from the Mount of Olives. The disciples were there, seeing Him going up until He was taken by a cloud. He was still going up; they could not see Him because He was in the cloud. Yet they were still looking up.
You remember that two men in white appeared and said, “Men of Galilee, why are you looking up? This same One Who is going up, He will return in like manner, in the same way, to this earth.”
The Lord ascended up to heaven, but nobody saw what happened when He arrived in heaven. But thank God, by revelation, the apostle John was given a vision of the glory of the ascended Christ when He ascended up into heaven.
You know, in Revelation 5:6:
And I saw in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures,
and in the midst of the elders, a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain,
having seven horns and seven eyes,
which are the seven Spirits of God, sent forth into all the earth.
And He came, and He took it out of the right hand of Him Who sat upon the throne.
Here you find a scene. There was One sitting on the throne, and in His hand there was a book; but that book was sealed. Then there was a proclamation. A strong angel proclaimed with a loud voice, so that everybody in heaven, on earth, and under the earth could hear it: “Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?”
But when the proclamation was made, nobody was able in heaven, upon the earth, or under the earth to open the book or even to regard it. Why? Because there was nobody worthy.
When John saw that, he wept. Now, dear brothers and sisters, why did he weep? It must be something of tremendous importance.
If there were no one to come and take the book and break the seals, then you know what would happen? This earth would continue on indefinitely under the usurpation of the evil one.
This book in the hand of the One on the throne is the title deed to this world. Brothers and sisters, God has never given up His ownership. Even though the enemy usurped authority upon this earth and is now called the ruler, the prince of this world, it is a usurpation. He does not possess the earth. He is a squatter, not a possessor.
God still holds in His hand the title deed to this world. But who is worthy to take the book and open the seals? In other words, who is worthy to execute the plan of God to restore the earth, to restore creation back to God’s original purpose?
That means someone must be worthy to do that. But no one was worthy—not only on earth, not only under the earth, but even in heaven. There was no one worthy. When John realized that, he wept because he thought there would be no hope—no hope for the world.
Then he was comforted by one of the elders, saying:
Do not weep.
Behold, the Lion that is of the tribe of Judah,
the Root of David, has overcome,
so as to open the book and its seven seals.
When that word was said, immediately he saw that in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures, in the midst of the elders, there was a Lamb. This Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, is a Lamb—a Lamb newly slain.
In other words, it shows us that our Lord Jesus, after He was crucified on Calvary’s cross, after He had finished the work of redemption, was raised by God from the dead and then ascended up on high.
When He ascended up into heaven, He stepped forward and took out of the hand of God the Father that book, because He was worthy. When this happened, immediately the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell before the Lamb, and they sang a new song:
Thou art worthy to take the book,
and to open the seals thereof:
for Thou wast slain,
and didst purchase unto God with Thy blood
men of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation,
and madest them to our God kings and priests;
and they reign upon the earth.
So, brothers and sisters, this book—the title deed of this world, this earth, this creation—is now in the hand of our Lord Jesus. Can you imagine that, after He took that book in His hand, He would wait and not open the seals for two thousand years? Can you imagine that?
That is the reason I believe that, as soon as He took the book in His own hand, He began to open the seals. In other words, He began to execute the plan of God in recovering this earth and creation back to God.
So there you find He began to open the seals. I personally believe—now, if you do not agree, it is perfectly all right, because it is interpretation—I personally believe that as soon as He took the book in His own hand, He began to open the seals one after another.
When the first seal was opened, you find a white horse, and one sitting on the horse with a bow but without an arrow. Now, if you connect this with Matthew 24, then you will find that the one who sits on the white horse with a bow but without an arrow is a counterfeit.
Why? A bow with no arrow. So this represents the false Christs and the false prophets. After the Lord has left, in the night, you find there will be false prophets and false Christs coming upon this earth to deceive many people.
Then, in the opening of the second seal, you find a red horse. The one who sits upon it has a great sword. In other words, he will take away peace from this earth. The Lord Jesus said there will be wars and rumors of wars.
In the opening of the third seal, you find a black horse. The one who sits upon him has a balance in his hand. In other words, it is famine. There will be famine coming upon this earth.
Then the fourth seal was broken, and a pale horse came forth. The one who sits upon it has the name of Death. He is able to use pestilence, hunger, war, and all these things to kill one fourth of the population of the earth.
So, brothers and sisters, you find there is a correspondence between the four seals and the first part of Matthew 24. There will be false Christs; there will be wars and rumors of wars; there will be famine and pestilence; and there will be earthquakes.
All these disasters come upon this earth. But the Lord Jesus said this is not the end. Do not think that the end has come. These are just the beginnings of the birth pains.
Now, why is it that, when the Lord opened the seals, there were such disasters coming upon this earth? Why? It is because, when God is trying to restore the earth to Himself, there arises such opposition from the power of darkness that disasters come upon this earth.
Actually, these are signs and symbols of the opposition that comes against the kingdom of God.
But, dear brothers and sisters, people always ask the question, “If there is a God, and if God is love, why should there be wars? Why does God allow them? If He does not institute them, at least why does He allow them? If God is a God of love, why should He allow pestilences, famines, hunger, death—all these terrible things that we witness and experience upon this earth?”
Dear brothers and sisters, remember: these are the results of man’s sin. These are the expressions of opposition to the rule of God.
However, misery, suffering, and pain—these things they bring upon this earth. But, dear brothers and sisters, the Lord said, “These are the beginnings of birth pains.” Now, is that not wonderful?
We think that wars, pestilence, famine, and earthquakes only bring disasters and death upon this earth. What good can come out of these things?
When you look at these things in themselves, it is true: nothing good could come out of them. But God overrules these things. God uses these things. They were stirred up by the enemy; they were the result of the sins of men. Yet God takes hold of these things and turns them into good.
God said, “These are the beginnings of birth pains.” Now, a woman who is bearing a child has conceived, and when she begins to have birth pains, it is terrible, of course—very painful.
But when labor begins and the pains prevail, these birth pains are terrible and painful in themselves. Yet out of the birth pains comes forth a child. When a child is born, the woman forgets all her sorrow. She is happy because she has a child.
Now, dear brothers and sisters, it is true. God allows all these things to happen upon this earth, and God takes hold of these things and uses them as birth pains. Creation, the world, mankind, are in travail today. You can hear the groaning of creation. You can hear the groaning of man.
But in all these groanings and moanings, you will find that God is working out His purpose. There will be a birth. Now, what is to be born?
Out of the travail of creation, out of the travail of this world, God is gathering out of every tribe, every tongue, every people, and every nation a redeemed people to Himself.
God is bringing out of all these painful experiences men and women who are redeemed by the precious blood. God has made them kings and priests unto God. In other words, through the travail of creation, God is bringing forth His own church—the body of Christ, the bride of the Lamb.
So, brothers and sisters, you find the wisdom of God—how God overrules everything. Is it not true that when we are in all these kinds of troubles, men begin to realize the vanity of vanities of this earth? How many begin to turn to the Lord?
These are the beginnings of the birth pains, just the beginnings. You know, these have continued for two thousand years, just like birth pains. It is not that as soon as a woman has pains, the child is born. That would be good, but unfortunately it usually does not happen that way.
You find that the birth pains continue on, subside a little, then come again and subside again, until finally the child is born. Through these two thousand years, this is what is happening in the night.
As the time of birth comes nearer, you find that the pains become more intense and closer together. You find that they repeat faster and faster, and that is what is happening.
In these two thousand years, we have had wars and rumors of wars through all these twenty centuries. We have had famine, pestilence, and earthquakes through all the twenty centuries. That is true.
But, dear brothers and sisters, do you realize that, when it comes to the end of the last days, when you come to the time when the child is going to be born, everything is intensified? It may take a hundred years to have a major war, but then you find it shortens, maybe to thirty years. It will be shortened and shortened.
In old days, a war may have been just a tribal war. It might attack only a small part of the world. But now, you find it will be a global war. Brothers and sisters, everything is intensified. Everything has increased.
You hear earthquakes everywhere. You see famine everywhere—pestilence, wars, and rumors of wars everywhere. Intensified. Increased. As we come to the end of these last days.
Then the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 24:
Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you;
and ye shall be hated of all the nations for My name’s sake.
And then shall many be offended, and shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another.
And many false prophets shall arise, and shall mislead many.
And because lawlessness shall prevail, the love of the many shall grow cold.
But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved.
And these good tidings of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole habitable earth, for a witness to all the nations;
and then shall the end come.
When all these things are happening, you find that there will be tribulation upon those who believe in the Lord. Oh, brothers and sisters, in the twentieth century, you find how God’s people have been persecuted and killed. The blood of the martyrs has flowed through all the centuries.
The world will kill Christians and hate them because of the name of Christ. Whenever something happens, they blame the Christians. You find it in history. For instance, Nero.
We know that Nero actually was the one who burned the city of Rome. When the city of Rome was burning, he was in his palace, playing his harp and singing his song, enjoying the fire. He was mad. Maybe he wanted to rebuild Rome; we do not know.
But when the fire burned and the people suffered so much, there was such murmuring and rebellion in the hearts of the people. Nero knew there was danger, so he tried to find a scapegoat. He began to spread the news that the Christians did it.
Dear brothers and sisters, you find this is not only true in the time of Nero. This has been true over the two thousand years. Whenever anything happened, people blamed the Christians.
All these two thousand years, the blood of the martyrs has continued to flow. But thank God, it is with the blood of the saints that the church is built.
When these things happen, many will fall away. Lawlessness shall prevail. The love of many shall grow cold. But he that endures to the end shall be saved.
You know, when persecution comes, even believers will deliver fellow believers to be slain. Lawlessness shall be there. The love of many shall grow cold. Dear brothers and sisters, we are in these days. He that endures to the end shall be saved.
But thank God, at the same time there is a glorious picture. When all these things are going on, at the same time you find that the gospel—the good tidings of the kingdom—shall be preached to all the nations.
Now, what is the gospel of the kingdom? There is only one gospel. Paul says that if anyone shall come and preach another gospel, do not listen to it. There is only one gospel: the gospel of Jesus Christ.
But this gospel has many aspects, and there is one aspect called the gospel of the kingdom. In other words, our Lord Jesus is King, and we need to submit ourselves to Him because the kingdom of God is coming.
Dear brothers and sisters, through all these travails, persecutions, and trials, even though many have fallen, thank God, God’s people begin to realize that it is more than just a matter of getting saved.
Sometimes we think the gospel is just a gospel of grace—getting saved. That is all that matters. But, dear brothers and sisters, there is more to it than that. People begin to realize it is more than just being saved.
It is a complete commitment to the Lord: giving ourselves to the Lord and letting Him rule over us. This is the gospel of the kingdom.
Now, brothers and sisters, this has to be a reality—not only preached, but seen and responded to. When the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached to all the nations, God’s people will begin to realize that it is more than just getting saved.
It is to lay down our lives for His name’s sake. It is to put ourselves completely in His hand. That is the only way to get through to the end.
Oh, brothers and sisters, if what you receive is just getting saved, then when all these things are happening, you will not be able to get through. You need to see the lordship of Christ. You need to surrender your life to Him.
Only when you do that will you be kept by His grace. You will be enabled to endure to the very end. The gospel of the kingdom must be preached to the nations, and then the end shall come.
I personally believe the four seals have already been opened. The fifth seal will be opened very soon. Now, why is there such a gap there?
Because, as you read Revelation 6:9-11, you find:
And when He opened the fifth seal,
I saw underneath the altar the souls of them that had been slain for the word of God,
and for the testimony which they held.
And they cried with a loud voice, saying,
How long, O Sovereign Ruler, the holy and true,
dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
And there was given to each one a white robe;
and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet a little while,
until their fellow servants also and their brethren,
who were about to be killed even as they were,
should be fulfilled.
In other words, at the opening of the fifth seal, you see underneath the altar the souls of them that had been slain for the Word of God and for the testimony of Jesus. When the fifth seal was opened, you saw the martyrs of the ages.
The martyrs of the ages—we do not know how many of them. Countless. They were slain because of the Word of God, faithful to God’s Word. They were slain because they had the testimony of Jesus. They would not compromise.
Under the altar, these naked souls were crying out, “How long, O Sovereign Ruler, holy and true, dost Thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell upon the earth?”
Dear brothers and sisters, notice a change of time. What is our time? Our time is a time of grace. Since the Lord Jesus came, He brought in the time of grace, and we are still in this time of grace.
When our Lord Jesus was on Calvary’s cross, when He was crucified, what was His prayer? He said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.” Yes, grace.
What was the cry of the first martyr of the church, Stephen? Before he died, he said, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” So through the centuries, when those people were martyred and killed—some burned to death, some drowned, some thrown to lions, some having oil poured upon them and burned—their last prayer and the last words that came out of their mouths were not vengeance, but forgiveness.
This is the character, the nature, of the time of grace. The church today is praying that God be merciful to this world. Even though we have been mistreated by the world, yet we pray that God would forgive and God would save. This is the character of this time of grace.
But, dear brothers and sisters, one day the time of grace will be ended. The time will change. He will change from the time of grace to the time of final judgment.
How does it begin? It begins with the cry of the martyrs of the ages. You know, whenever heaven is to do something, heaven waits until God’s people begin to pray.
When those people have received the impression from heaven as to what God is going to do, and begin to pray, then the hand of heaven will move. So here you find God is going to change the time from grace to judgment.
Therefore, at the opening of the fifth seal, all the martyrs of the ages begin to cry out, “How long, O Sovereign Ruler, will You not judge the world and avenge the blood that they have shed?”
This is not the prayer of the church today. We cannot pray this prayer today. It would be entirely opposite to the character of the age. But, dear brothers and sisters, one day the prayer of the church will change, and it will ask God to judge the world and avenge the blood that has been shed.
That is the reason I believe they were comforted and told, “Just wait a little while. There will be more to be killed.” Oh, brothers and sisters, we are living at this time.
Persecution spreads over a great part of the world, and so many of God’s people have already given their lives for the gospel and for the name of Christ, even in our days, until the number of the martyrs is fulfilled.
How close we are living to the end of the last days. Because at the opening of the sixth seal, what happens? Judgment begins to come upon them—the wrath of the Lamb.
So, brothers and sisters, we are actually living at the very end of the last days.
Why is it that these last days continue on for so long? It has been about two thousand years.
You will find that there will be mockers, as you find in 2 Peter 3. People will begin to mock and say:
Where is the promise of His coming?
For, from the time the fathers fell asleep,
all things remain as from the beginning of the creation.
Ah, they do not know. But let not this one thing be hidden from you, beloved:
One day with the Lord is as a thousand years,
and a thousand years as one day.
The Lord does not delay His promise, as some account of delay,
but is long-suffering toward you,
not willing that any should perish,
but that all should come to repentance.
Oh, brothers and sisters, the long-suffering of God. But there will be an end. The day of the Lord shall come as a thief. Suddenly, He will come.
To borrow the phrase from the book of Isaiah, God asks Isaiah, “Watchman, what of the night? What hour of the night is it? What of the night, watchman?”
Isaiah, who is a watchman, is alert. He says, “The morning comes.” Is that not good? The morning comes, and a night also.
In other words, it is approaching the very darkest of the night. But thank God, when the night is entering into its darkest stage, the morning is not too far away.
Brothers and sisters, we are living at this time. We are living at the very end of the end of the days. We are living in the darkness of the night.
But thank God, soon we will hear a cry at midnight: “The Bridegroom comes!” When He comes, the day comes. The morning comes.
How do we know that we are so near to the coming of the Lord? I have to rush; I am just beginning. That is true. Oh, but that is the introduction.
How do we know that the Lord’s coming is very near? Of course, no one knows the hour. The Lord said no one knows. If anyone tries to compute and says the Lord is coming in a certain year, a certain month, or a certain day, he is a false prophet. Do not hear him.
Nobody knows—not even the angels, who are more intelligent than human beings. They do not know. Only the Father knows the time. But one thing we do know: it is near.
How near? In Matthew 24, the Lord Jesus said:
Learn the parable from the fig tree.
When already its branch becomes tender and produces leaves,
ye know that the summer is near.
Thus also ye, when ye see all these things,
know that it is near, at the doors.
You know, the fig tree is a symbol of the Jewish nation. When our Lord Jesus was on earth, about two days before He spoke on the Mount of Olives, as He was going to the city of Jerusalem in the morning, He saw a fig tree.
He was hungry, and He saw a fig tree full of leaves. If a fig tree is full of leaves, even though it may not be the time of harvest, it should have some figs on it. Because it did not have anything on it, He cursed the fig tree: “It will never bear fruit.”
Our Lord Jesus only expected that there would be some figs on it. Now, if you know the fig trees in Palestine, by December the figs begin to shed their leaves and become bare until toward the end of March.
When the end of March comes, you find the leaves begin to come out. When these leaves begin to come out, then on the leaf axils you will find tiny little figs. These tiny little figs are the proof of fruitfulness.
If they do not have these tiny little figs, that proves that the fig tree will never bear fruit. So what the Lord was trying to find were these tiny little figs. It was before the time of harvest, because the harvest came in two crops, one in June and one in August—that is, in the summer.
But when you see the tender branches and leaves, you know that summer is near. It is not yet summer, but the summer is near, because it would be the end of March or the beginning of April.
When the Lord came there and saw no fig—not even those tiny little figs—He knew that the fig tree would never bear fruit, and the Lord cursed that tree. Our Lord never cursed anything except that one fig tree. Of course, we know it is because there is a symbolic reason behind it.
The fig tree is a symbol of the nation of Israel. Our Lord Jesus took care of that nation because that nation did not bear fruit. The owner said, “Let us cut it down.” But the vine dresser said, “Let me try on it a little more. I will put more fertilizer on it and see if it will bear fruit.” But finally, it never bore fruit. So the Lord said, “All right.”
The nation of Israel was cast aside for a time—not permanently, as some people think, but temporarily.
Two days later, the Lord said, “Now learn the lesson from the fig tree.” The fig tree begins to put forth tender branches and leaves; it is beginning to come into life. Now, this fig tree is none other than the fig tree that He had cursed. In other words, it is the nation of Israel.
Israel shall be recovered and revived. You know, who would have believed that fifty years ago?
But thank God, in 1917 there was the Balfour Declaration. The British government, through its foreign minister, issued a declaration saying that the British nation was favorable toward the Jews having a land of their own.
This was actually a reward to a Jewish chemist, a young Jewish chemist. During the wartime, the British government found that they lacked a certain chemical needed for gunpowder. So they called upon all the nations, all the chemists, to try to produce it in mass quantity.
They could do it in a small laboratory, but they could not do it in mass production. Finally, a young Jewish chemist discovered the way to mass-produce it. When the British government asked him, “What shall we reward you with?” he said, “Promise us to give us a homeland.”
Then, in November 1947, the United Nations unanimously agreed that there should be a homeland for the Jews in Palestine. In May 1948, the nation of Israel was born.
That fig tree again put forth tender branches and leaves. I do believe there are some tiny figs there too. But the harvest has not yet come, because the summer is near. It is coming.
There will be a day when all Israel shall be saved. You find that in Romans 11. All Israel shall be saved. There is a time when there will be fruit; the crop, the harvest, shall come.
But, dear brothers and sisters, the Lord said, “Learn the lesson.” You know the words He says in the Scripture. There is something more than just the restoration of the nation of Israel. What are we to learn?
The Lord said, “When you see all these things coming to pass, you know that it is near, at the doors.” Now, what is near? It is the kingdom.
If you read the book of Mark, you will find that the kingdom of God is near. When you see these things happening, you know the kingdom of God is near. You know that the Lord is already at the doors.
Probably in the Western world you cannot appreciate it, but we who come from the Orient may know what it means. The word “doors” there is not singular; it is plural.
In this country, if you come to the front door and step over that threshold, you are in the house. You have only one door to the house. But in the Orient it is different.
If you want to come to the place where the family lives, you may have to cross a number of doors. There will be a wall and there will be doors. After you enter the front door, you will be in a courtyard.
If the family is rich, you may have to cross not only one door but a few doors before you reach the place where the family lives. But if you are at the front door, then it is not too far from where the family lives.
So, brothers and sisters, when we see these things happening—in 1948, when the nation of Israel was born—brothers and sisters, the kingdom of God, the King, is already at the doors.
If He is at the doors, it is very, very close—closer than you think.
Another thing: look to Luke 21. Here you find the verse that we have read. Verse 24 marks the division between the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and the destruction of the world—the judgment of the world that is coming.
That verse is the division between these two judgments. What goes before verse 24 tells us of the judgment of the theocracy, the judgment of Jerusalem, of the temple. What follows verse 24 tells us of the judgment that is coming to the nations.
What is the dividing line? The dividing line is the times of the Gentiles.
Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the nations,
until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
Now, brothers and sisters, I cannot go into details. It would take several hours. But let me just say this: after the destruction of the temple of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, only for a few months in A.D. 135 was Jerusalem in the hands of the Jews.
But aside from that short few months, for these almost two thousand years, Jerusalem had been trodden under the nations. In other words, the nations—the Gentiles—controlled Jerusalem.
Not until 1967, the Six-Day War—not until 1967—for the first time, Israel took hold of all Jerusalem: not only the new city, but also the old city. They made Jerusalem the indivisible, eternal capital of the nation.
Brothers and sisters, we have been watching this for years, whether this is the time of the Gentiles being fulfilled. So far as human reasoning goes, the whole world would not allow this. The United Nations said, “Give back the old city.” The Arabs would not allow it.
We were watching whether Jerusalem would again go out of their hand. But since 1967 up to the present time, Jerusalem is still in the hand of Israel. We wonder whether the times of the Gentiles have been fulfilled.
If the times of the Gentiles have been fulfilled, then, brothers and sisters, the coming of the Lord is very, very near. The end is coming.
There are many other things we can talk about, but I think my time is more than over. So anyway, one thing we need to know is the time in which we live.
We are living at the very end of the end days. It is an evil day—perilous, dangerous. But thank God, it is a day that we can look up, for our redemption is drawing near.
Dear Heavenly Father, as the whole world is trembling with fear, men would rather die for fear of what is coming. Oh, how we praise and thank Thee that we can lift up our heads, knowing that our redemption draws near. Oh, come, Lord Jesus, come. Amen.