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This program is made possible by the giving of the God called Partners of Renner Ministries. Get ready for a teaching that feeds your spirit and your mind, where the Word is the anchor in uncertain times. And doctrine doesn't bend to culture. We keep it simple, but dive deep, revealing a truth that strengthens us, a love that emboldens, and a mission that touches the world. Let's join Rick Renner.

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Welcome to today's program. I've been waiting for you and I'm so excited because today I'm beginning a brand new 10 part series called How Close Are we to the End? That's a question people are asking. And by the way, people have been asking that for 2,000 years. But in Matthew 24 and Mark 13 and Luke 21, Jesus gives us a list of signs to let us know how close we are to the end. But my friends, I'm so excited about this brand new 10 part series which comes with a wonderful study guide. And I'm so excited about my book called Signs yous'll See Just Before Jesus Comes. It is just wonderful. And you can find out about all these things by going online or giving us a call. And during every episode of this program, we're giving to you an end times timeline. We've designed this just for you. It shows all the prophecies that have already been fulfilled. It shows those that are being fulfilled and then it shows those that are yet to be fulfilled. And we made this for you, so we want you to have it. And all you have to do is go online to download it or if you call us, we'll send you a physical copy. And when you get it, it will really open the Scriptures for you to let you see where we've been, where we are, what's still going to take place. It is an end time timeline. It's for you. All you have to do is call the number on the screen. We'll send it to you, or you can download it by going to our website. But we really want you to get this. I believe we'll help you see the whole view of prophecy in scripture and when you reach out to us, please let us know how to pray for you. We're praying for you anyway. But when you let us know how to pray for you, we're going to do a better job. We're going to be much more effective. And we have so many testimonies from people that have called back to say, wow, you prayed with us and listened to what Jesus did and we believe Jesus has an answer for you. As well. But reach for your Bible now, today, and in the next nine programs, we're really, really going to dive deep into the Scriptures. And I want you to have your Bible and open it, if you would, please, to Matthew, chapter 24. And we're going to begin today in verse one, Matthew 24:1, Jesus has just come out of the temple with his disciples, and he PA to teach on his way out. And the Bible tells us in Matthew 24:1, as Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and his disciples came to him to show him the buildings of the Temple. Now listen to verse two. Jesus said unto them, see ye not all these things. Verily I say unto you, there shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down. Going to tell you the truth, when Jesus said that, there could have been nothing more shocking or stunning for him to say to the disciples, because the temple was enormous. In fact, today, if you go to Jerusalem and you go to the wailing Wall just to see what is left of the retaining wall, the stones are enormous. And it's hard to imagine that those stones would be toppled down onto the ground. But Jesus said, a day is coming when these stones are going to fall and the temple will no longer exist. That seemed unbelievable. It seemed implausible. But in the year 70 AD, that is exactly what happened when Titus sacked the city of Jerusalem. And today, when you go to the city of Jerusalem and you walk along the bottom part of the retaining walls of the temple, guess what's there? The big stones that were toppled from the temple itself. They're laying right there. And every time you look, stones. And it seemed it was so impossible when Jesus spoke that word that that would ever come to pass. But just like Jesus said, the temple was sacked, the stones fell. And when you see that big rubble of ancient, ancient stones, it is like a voice that is shouting to us, just like this happened. Everything else Jesus said in Matthew 24 will also come to pass those stones that are a prophetic declaration that everything in Matthew 24 really is going to happen. Well, that was stunning for the apostles to hear that. But finally, Jesus and the disciples walked across the Kidron Valley and they went over onto the Mount of Olives. And from the Mount of Olives, if you look back across the Kidron Valley, you have a panoramic view of the city of Jerusalem. And it is just beautiful. If you want to have a prophetic view, that is a prophetic view. And when we come to verse three, it says, and as he sat upon The Mount of Olives. His disciples came unto him privately. Notice that when they were alone with Jesus, they felt the freedom to ask questions that he would not answer in front of the multitudes. And let me tell you that when you get alone with Jesus, Jesus will tell you things just for your ears as well. But they asked him privately, saying, now listen to this. When shall these things be? What shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world? Well, at this particular time, there was a great interest and fascination with end time events. The people of Israel were waiting for the coming of the Messiah, and of course he came, but they didn't recognize him. But there really was a general obsession with end time events. And in fact, between the two testaments, between the Old and New Testament, there was a great fixation on all kinds of things having to do with eschatology. So these questions were very fitting to the time. They had a feeling something very significant was about to happen. And the question they asked, when shall these things be? This was very fitting for that age. And that's why they were asking the question. This was a very typical question at that time. And isn't it interesting that as we wait for the second coming of Jesus, once again, there's a fascination, there's a fixation on end time events. The church has a sense that we're coming to the very end of the age. And people are asking the same questions again, when shall these things be? What shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the age? But I want to go to the board and I want to take apart this verse so you really understand exactly what they were asking. So let's go to the board. Going to get my marker. And first of all, they said, when. The word when is a very important word in Greek. It is the word pote. Now, if you want to write this down in English, it's spelled like this. But the word poteh is very specific. Exactly when. Now remember, now they're alone with Jesus, nobody else is listening, so they feel the freedom to really get specific. And they said, lord, when Poteh, tell us exactly when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming of the end of the age? Then they said, what? And the word, what is the Greek word Tea? If you're taking notes and you want to write it in English, it's spelled like this. The word tea describes the most minute, minuscule detail. It was the equivalent of saying, lord, we don't want a general answer. Lord, we want you to get really specific with us. First, when. Poteh, tell us when exactly and what shall be the sign of thy coming? What the little Greek word T. Exactly what? Lord? Please no fuzzy details. Get down to specifics. Exactly what shall be the sign of thy coming? And the word sign is also very important. It is the Greek word Simeon, spelled like this in Greek. If you want to write it down in English, you would spell S E, M, E, I, O, N. This word Simeon described a sign to let you know where you were on the road. Just like when you're traveling today, there are signs to let you know where you are. I'll give you an example from my own life. Let's say this is the city of Moscow, and in the middle of Moscow is the Kremlin. Well, Denise and I, and our offices are just outside the city, seven and a half miles. As we take that road into the city of Moscow, we begin at where we live and where our office is. And there are trees, there are pastures, there are forests. It's just so beautiful where our office is. But as we take this road into the city, there are signs to let us know that we're entering into a new atmosphere, a new environment. First, we begin to see more industry. Then we begin to see taller buildings, and finally, it's more dense, dense, dense with more industry and tolerance, taller buildings. And finally we cross this major highway called imcod. And when you cross that road, you're no longer traveling toward Moscow, but you've entered Moscow. But there's something else. As you drive that road, there are little road signs that tell you where you are on the road and how far you have to go before you get to the city of Moscow, if there were no signs, you would have no idea where you were on the road. But because of what you see as the environment and the atmosphere is changing, and because of the signs which tell you where you are and alert you to how much further you have to go, you're always able to measure where you are. And finally, when you come to this juncture, there's a big sign that says Moscow. And you know you're no longer heading toward the city, but you've entered into the territory of Moscow. Well, this word, Simeon, describes what I just described for you, either road signs or signs of different sorts, which you see along the way. And now we find that as we journey from where we are to the end of the age, to the close of this season, things are going to begin to change. The environment's going to change, society is going to change. We're going to see changes in culture, changes in politics, all kinds of changes. And in Matthew 24, Jesus gives us a list of the changes that we will see. And if we pay attention to the signs, we can determine where we are on this prophetic road heading to the close of the age. And that's why Jesus gave us signs. He wants us to be informed about where we are and how much further we have to go before we come to the close. That's what this word sign means, the word Simeon. But they particularly asked, what will be the sign of thy coming? The word coming is the Greek word parousia. It's spelled like this. If you want to write it in English, it's spelled like this. The word parousia means to be present, or it describes the coming of the Lord. Now, people argue about this word, and some people say, well, this word only describes the second Advent, the second coming at the end of the tribulation. And certainly it is used to describe that. But when you study the New Testament, you find this word Paris is used to describe both events. The rapture of the Church and the second Advent, or the second coming, which is seven years later. And the way you understand which one it is describing is by the context of the verses. But I want to read to you from my notes about this word parousia, or the word coming. Listen to this. The word parousia is a technical expression for the royal visit of a king or emperor, or the arrival of one who alone has the authority to deal with the situation and to put things in correct order. And as I noted, many state that this word parousia only describes the second advent of Christ. But a survey of its use in the New Testament shows it describes the coming of Christ at the time of the Rapture and. And also his second coming, which we also call the second advent. But here they're asking, Lord, how will we know when we come to the very end of the age? When poteh, exactly when shall these things be? What the little Greek word t. Exactly what Lord gets specific will be the sign, the word Simeon, which describes our road sign. How will we know where we are on the prophetic road as we're heading to the close of the age? What will be the sign of thy coming? The word parousia, Lord, when you're going to come, you're going to write every wrong, you're going to put everything in order. And then it says the end of the world. That's what the King James Version says. But the word end is also very Important it is the Greek word sun teleos, tsun teleos. In English it would be spelled like this. Now let me tell you, there's never going to be an end of the world. This word end, the word suntaleos would be better translated, the closure, the consummation or the wrap up. And that's what they were asking. And very importantly, the word world, which is how it's translated in the King James version, is actually the Greek word aionas spelled like this in English. And the word ionos does not describe the world like the planet, but it describes the age. I want to tell you to relax. The world's never going to end now. There's a day when it's going to be refined by fire and it's going to be changed, but the world itself is never going to end, but the age is going to end. And that's what we're talking about in this series. And here they were asking, Lord, how will we know when it's time for the wrap up, the closure, the consummation of the aionos of this particular age? That is precisely what they were asking. They were fixated on this age. When is it going to end? And guess what? These are the same questions people are asking today. Maybe you've been asking these questions. Here it is. Lord, tell us when, when shall these things be and what specifically, Lord, we want to know down to the most minute detail, what shall be the sign, the road sign along the prophetic road to let us know where we are and how close we are to your coming, when you're going to come and right every wrong and set everything in order at the end or the closure or the wrap up of this current age. Now that's a lot on this verse, but that is specifically what they were asking. And so when we come to Matthew 24:3 specifically they asked for one sign, one sign. What shall be the sign, the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world. But in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21, Jesus gives them a list of more than 20 signs. They asked for one. But that's what happens when you get alone privately with the Lord. You ask him one question, he'll answer your one question. And he'll tell you many other things as well. That's why you need to spend time privately with Jesus. But they said, lord, what is the sign? But when we read these three Gospels, Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21, Jesus gives us the following signs to let us know that we're coming Very, very close to the close of the age. First worldwide deception, that is Matthew 24:4 deception in the church, that is Matthew 24:5 wars Matthew 24:6 rumors of wars Matthew 24:6 commotions Luke 21:9 terrorism Luke 21:9 warring political systems Matthew 24:7 the clash of culture Matthew 24:7 ethnic conflicts Matthew 24:7 famines Matthew 24:7 economic instability Matthew 24:7 pestilences Matthew 24:7 unknown diseases Matthew 24:7 great seismic activity also Matthew 24:7 widespread persecution of believers Matthew 24:9 the legal prosecution of Christians Matthew 24:9 the imprisonment of believers Matthew 24:9 the emergence of false prophets Matthew 24:11 the love of many waxing cold Matthew 24:12 fearful sights. That's Luke 21:11 signs from the heavens. That's Luke 21:11 and finally, the worldwide preaching of the gospel. Matthew 24:14 so they said, lord, what is the sign? And Jesus gave them number one. What is the most important sign that we've come to the end of the age? We're going to be seeing that in the next program. But in addition, Jesus gave us all of these other signs. Now, in Matthew 24, verse 36, Jesus said, But of that day and hour knoweth no man. No, not the angels of heaven, but my Father and my friends. That means we're wasting our time. When we set dates to declare when the rapture of the church is going to take place. And when people set dates, my friends, it causes people to doubt the whole subject of the rapture of the church. If Jesus did not know the date, and if the angels of heaven don't know the date, then who are we to think we can find the date? But that doesn't mean that we can't know the season. And if we will listen to the Holy Spirit, he will alert us to where we are in time. In fact, in John 16, verse 13, Jesus said this about the prophetic ministry of the Holy Spirit. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you and do all of the truth. The word guide is the Greek word hodega. Hodega, actually hodegos. And this is actually from the Greek word hodas, which is the Greek word for a road. It's the Greek word for a road. But when this word hodas becomes hodegos, it's no longer a road, but it is a person who is a tour guide or a road guide. And now Jesus says, the Holy Spirit wants to be your guide, just like you would hire a professional guide to take you on an excursion, excursion or a tour. The Holy Spirit knows everything in front of you. He knows everything that's going to happen eschatologically in the future. And if you will allow him, he'll show you where to go, where not to go. He'll show you what's going to happen next. He will alert you as to what's going to happen. That's what Jesus said. That is the wonderful ministry of the Holy Spirit. And then Jesus went on to say at the end of the verse that he shall speak and he will show you things to come. And the word show is the Greek word annangelo, which means to declare, to make clear, to clearly, vividly portray, or even to rehearse. The first part of the word anengel is the word an. It means to do it again and again and again. And here we find that if we will listen to the Holy Spirit like our road guide, he'll show us where to go and he will tell us. He will declare to us over and over, over and over and over. The King James version says things to come. The Greek actually says the things that are coming. Well, we may not be able to pinpoint a date, but if we will listen to the Holy Spirit and allow him to be our guide, he will quicken to us what's happening really around us. Many times we just see what's happening in the news, but if we listen to the Spirit of God, he'll quicken to us what's happening behind the scenes and how all these events fit together as we come to the very wrap up of this current age. So the question has been asked, how close are we to the end? Well, today we just got started answering that question and we're going to be back tomorrow and we're going to pick up right here. But I'll be back in just a moment and I want to pray for you. Someone has asked the question, why is it important for me to participate in the life of the church? Well, first of all, you are a part of the church whether you go to church or not. The moment you were saved, you were baptized by the Holy Spirit into the church. That's what we read in 1st Corinthians 12, verse 12. So you are a part of the church. But we're also told in Hebrews chapter 10, verse 25 that as we approach the end of the age and things get tough, it becomes even more important for us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, that we need the encouragement of one another. And you need to also remember that Ephesians 4:16 says that when we go to church, every, every part supplies what is needed. My part is important, your part is important. My friends, we don't just go to church. We are the church. We need to participate in the life of the church.