"AGAIN
THE WORLD IS BEING READIED FOR A GLIMPSE OF THE 'END TIMES.' RECENT NEWS
REPORTS TELL OF THE GROWTH OF ALIEN VIRUSES AND PLAGUES AROUND THE GLOBE…
COULD THIS BE A SIGN OF THE 2nd COMING OF THE LORD?"
I’m Dennis
Finnan, host and speaker on the World the Word & You! Broadcast and in a
moment we’ll talk about it…
…Hello and welcome again to another broadcast edition
of the World, the Word & You! Speaking today is you host and commentator
Dennis Finnan. Our program comes
to you by the kind support and care of our many listeners and friends of the
broadcast. Each week in honor of our Lord Jesus Christ we attempt to bring you
interesting and informative messages and commentary on events and happenings,
coupled with a biblical perspective for busy thinking people like you…
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Well, with that natural introduction, I want to share
with you today some thoughts that lit up my mind as I was reading the
newspapers the other day. Here we are now more than half way through the first
year of the new century and already events and happenings are beginning to
show a pattern for discerning students of the Bible. What kind of pattern?
Well after we pause for our first musical moment, I'll return with my message
entitled: ALIEN VIRUSES. Stay tuned…
…In the New York Times, dated August 8th,
2000, I ran across an interesting article that reported on the entrance into
America of a strange new alien virus, that was attacking people. This virus is
now known as the "West Nile" Virus, a mosquito-transmitted disease
that causes severe brain inflammation and death in human beings. This new
virus apparently has struck in the East Coast area, especially in the State of
New York, and particularly the area surrounding the City of New York.
Scientists have learned from this virus that it is a globe-hopping virulent
disease that originated in Africa, and now appears ensconced in the new world.
Since last fall, dozens of scientists have scrambled to identify and
understand West Nile's origin and destiny. However, little has been discovered
about it. It is a strange "new" and alien virus that in the days
ahead, I’m sure we will hear more about.
Robert G. McLean, a government biologist studying West
Nile's impact on the bird population that is first infected, says "We're
beyond containment now!" He further stated,
"We have to live with it now and do the best we can." Well,
is this simply a new virus unrelated to anything else? I believe the answer to
this and other new plagues and diseases appearing in our world, it may be a
"sign" of the end times when our Lord Jesus Christ promised He would
return. But before I share with you further on this subject from a biblical
perspective, let's pause again for another moment of music, then I'll return
with today message entitled: ALIEN VIRUSES …
…In the Bible, I believe the most startling and
revelatory words ever spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ were given as the He
approached Jerusalem with His disciples for the last time. On the Mount of
Olives, as they rested overlooking the great city of Jerusalem, one of
Christ's disciples saw the beauty and splendor of the temple gleaming in the
rays of the sun. We read in …
Mat
24:3 (NIV) “As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples
came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and
what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?””
Two questions were asked of Jesus as He prepared to enter
Jerusalem to suffer and die for the sins of the world. The first was
"When will this happen?" We must ask what were the disciples
referring to? The answer is found in the previous verses when Jesus said,
Mat
23:38 (NIV) “Look, your house is left to you desolate.”
Mat
24:2 (NIV) “”Do you see all these things?” he asked. “I tell you
the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be
thrown down.””
Jesus was referring to a future event, when that great
temple Herod built would be totally destroyed. When that "event"
occurred, the followers of Christ were to realize the "Last Days"
and "the End" would begin. Now it's important to understand in
Scripture that when such terms are spoken, all references do not mean the same
thing! Phrases such as "last days," "end times," etc.,
found in the Bible, depending upon their context, often refer to different
things. Jesus in Matthew chapter 24 was referring at that moment to a near but
future event He prophesied would happen. The Jewish Temple King Herod had
built, was going to be destroyed in their lifetime. This was historically
fulfilled in 70A.D., and particularly as literally as Jesus spoke. He
predicted "
not one stone will be left on another, every one will be thrown
down."(Mat. 24:2).
History records that when General Titus' army broke into
Jerusalem and destroyed it, they started fires everywhere to burn it. The
intense heat in the temple caused all the golden artifacts to melt and pour
into the cracks of the blocks of the temple. Titus had not wanted the building
to be destroyed, but the soldiers seeking that gold, tore every stone apart to
reclaim that gold, and the thus prophesy was fulfilled!
This marked of course, the "end times" of
Israel dynasty and spiritual operation of the temple and the Levitical
priesthood. You see, all the records of Israel's lineage and priesthood were
destroyed that day. Now, no longer could any Jew "prove" his tribal
heritage. No longer could anyone come, and prove he would be the Messiah ¾
Yes, Israel's glory and operation had ended that terrible day! Now the second
question the disciples asked was,
Mat
24:3 (NIV) “… what will be the sign of your coming and of the
end of the age?””
Jesus' answer would have to span time, and describe what
would occur along the way till the moment when He would return in glory. His
purpose was to gather His lost people, Israel and the nations, and set up His
kingdom that would last forever and ever.
Basically, the predictions Christ gave in Matthew 24
reveal events that have occurred already and events that still have not
occurred. However, we don't have the time to properly go over all the signs of
His coming, but one in particular relates to the ALIEN VIRUS report found in
the newspaper late in the summer of 2000 AD. We read Jesus' words,
Mat
24:4-8 (NIV) “Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5
For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ, ‘ and will
deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that
you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7
Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be
famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of
birth pains.”
In a similar synoptic passage of Scripture describing
Jesus' words that day Luke's Gospel adds,
Luke
21:11 (NIV) “There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences
in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.”
Here and other portions of prophetic Scripture Jesus
predicts that one of the signs of His soon return, and the end tines that
accompany it, will manifest a rapid growth of PLAGUES & PESTILENCES. If
one just examines the medical news of the latter half of the 20th
century it is easy to conclude that our world has been inundated with new
strange alien viruses and plagues now killing tens of thousands worldwide. CNN
reported some time ago "only about 6,500 of the potential 1 million
Americans have been notified they may have been infected through blood
transfusions with the INCURABLE Hepatitis C virus." The report when
on to say that Hepatitis C, a virulent deadly incurable virus, is estimated
now to affect 4 million Americans and 170 million people worldwide… The
Associated Press reported some time ago that in Africa, Nambian medical
authorities confirmed an outbreak of deadly Bubonic Plague, also known as the
“Black Death,” has now been revived… In the country of Uzbekistan the
Associated Press also reported "Locusts have ravaged crops over
815,000 acres of Uzbekistan.. spreading across the area at the astonishing
speed of 30 miles an hour…" What's worse is the amazingly under
reported, and ignored plague and deadly alien virus ¾
AIDS, which is now growing worldwide, and is virtually unstoppable.
In the country of Zimbabwe, Africa, more than 1,200 die each week due
to the AIDS virus. The CDC, reports, "Almost one fourth of the
population of Zimbabwe is infected with the HIV virus." Is this it?
Hardly, all one has to do is read and collate the news…
The Associated Press reported in another article some
time ago, that 90 people have died in Malaysia due to a new virus that
is believed to have originated in pigs. Virologists have been unable to
determine how the virus spread. A spokesman for the Centers for Disease
Control said, "this is anew, previously unrecognized virus found in
humans. This virus has never been see before." Well I could go on but
the point is our world today is experiencing what I believe are the prophetic
words of the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, these signs, which one was identified
as "plagues and pestilence," would be the "beginning of
sorrows" (Matt. 24:8). In other words, they will mark the time period
preceding the coming of the Lord in glory.
Now it's important to state, no one knows the day, the
time or hour when Christ will return. No matter how you search the Scriptures,
you will NOT FIND the answer. Rather one can only find, the “preparatory”
signs of His coming. Now does this mean Christ will return in seven years, or
40 years as some modern day prophets have tried to tell us? The answer is no!
When someone comes to you with dates, watch out, they are either foolish
mislead believers, or worse, false teachers raised up by Satan Himself to
discredit God's Word. Hear the warnings of God,
Mat
24:36 (NIV) “”No one knows about that day or hour, not even the
angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
Acts
1:7 (NIV) “He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or
dates the Father has set by his own authority.”
However note that the Lord did say we can know the
general time of His coming. Jesus also said,
Mat
24:33 (NIV) “Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it
is near, right at the door.”
Now note precisely Jesus' words. "When you see ALL
THESE THINGS, you know that it is near, right at the door." In
other words “ALL” the prophetic signs Jesus spoke about must occur,
before, anyone can predict that in their lifetime Christ will appear.
I believe many of the signs Jesus spoke about in Matthew
24, are being fulfilled in our present generation, but not all yet….
However, this growing fulfillment should cause all of us to soberly consider
the truths and claims of Christ's coming again.
Dear listener, do you know the truths and claims of God's
return to this earth, the time when Christ Himself will break through into our
world and take it over? Here is a synopsis of Christ's claims…
1. THE WORLD WE LIVE IN
IS A WORLD OF LOST SINNERS - What the Bible says about that is that
since Adam and Eve, the entire human race has been born in rebellion to God's
original plan for the human race. We need not be told this, for all of us know
we are sinners by birth and by choice. The Bible says,
Rom 3:23 (NIV) “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
Rom
6:23 (NIV) “For the wages of sin is death.."
This is why our world is in a state of chaos, where the
nightly news will never run out of reports of violent crime, outbreak of wars,
and fighting, abuse, dishonesty, corruption, perversions and the like. God has
allowed sinners, such as all mankind, to have a go at ruling the world n
righteousness. What a mess we've made of it too. Yet, God promises that such
sin will be judged, and that He will one day right the wrong and rebellion of
His creation. Hence, the promise of Christ's return to "judge the
world,” and to restore it to His original plan. The question we face then
and is, on which side of His
coming do you stand? Are you still an unsaved sinner, awaiting God's judgment?
Or, are you a saved sinner, who has admitted your sinfulness, and called upon
Jesus Christ to cleanse you of your sin? Only those who are
"believers" in Jesus Christ will ever stand the 2nd
coming of the Lord and enter into His blessed rewards of Heaven, eternal life,
and the sweet fellowship with God for all eternity.
1
John 5:12 (NIV) “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the
Son of God does not have life.”
John
10:10 (NIV) “… I have come that they may have life, and have it to
the full.”
2. GOD IN HIS MERCY HAS DELAYED JUDGMENT FOR THE EXPRESS PURPOSE TO
SAVE MORE SINNERS - Yes, God has delayed for centuries His promised
judgment for sin. He has even delayed judging the fallen angels for the same
purpose that all mankind might be saved. When Jesus stood on the Mount of
Olives overlooking Jerusalem, and gave the prophetic words of His coming
again, He also said,
Mat
23:37-39 (NIV) “”O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets
and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children
together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not
willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you
will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of
the Lord.’””
You see, God's heart is broken because of His highest
creation's rebellion to His rule and ways. Yet, God has delayed punishment for
sin, for centuries, so that some might be saved. Listen to the yearning heart
of God Scripture describes,
2
Pet 3:9 (NIV) “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some
understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but
everyone to come to repentance.”
Do you realize you still have breath in your body only
because God is gracious and long-suffering? Yes, He waits for you to come to
Him, so that He will not have to destroy you in the judgment Hall of Hell.
Yet, know this ¾
God will not wait forever! The Bible warns all who die without Christ
as lost forever! Now I realize some foolish religions teach there is a second
chance after death, such as Purgatory, or Reincarnation, but the Bible says,
Heb 9:27 (NIV) “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to
face judgment,”
Luke
12:5 (NIV) “But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him (God)
who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I
tell you, fear him (God).”
Ezek
18:31-32 (NIV) “Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed,
and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? 32
For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Repent and live!”
Yes "repent and live!" those are God's strong
words to this very generation before His coming again. Are you ready my
friend? Or, are you still living for yourself, disregarding even mocking the
things of God? If so, you are like a lamb ready for the slaughter… When I
read the newspapers and see all the SIGNS OF CHRIST'S COMING being fulfilled,
it tells me all the more everyone needs to be ready. The only way to be ready
is to take Christ now as your Savior and Lord. How? Here's a simple plan of
action God will hear and respond to wherever you are,
1. ADMIT BEFORE GOD YOU ARE
A SINNER, and that every person needs to be saved.
Rom 3:23 (NIV) “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
2.
Admit you cannot save yourself by any good deeds, or righteous religion.
You see the Bible says,
Titus
3:5 (NIV) “he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done,
but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and
renewal by the Holy Spirit,”
3.
Understand the fact that our sins are either paid for by us or someone else.
That someone else can be no other than God Himself in the Person of Jesus
Christ. God has provided a substitute payment for our sins. He, Christ, is the
Lamb of God, He has come to earth as a human being and died for us. The Bible
says,
John
3:16 (NIV) “”For God so loved the world that he gave his one and
only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal
life.”
Acts
4:12 (NIV) “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other
name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.””
Upon believing this, we must,
4.
REPENT OF YOUR SINS BY
EXERCISING FAITH THAT GOD WILL SAVE YOU BASED SOLELY ON YOUR SURRENDER TO HIM
-
Rom
10:9-13 (NIV) “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is
Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will
be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and
it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11 As the Scripture
says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” 12 For there
is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and
richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name
of the Lord will be saved.””
Finally, know for sure that upon your surrender to
Christ, believing in Him as your Savior and Substitute from sin, God promises
you eternal life and the promise of Heaven for all eternity.
John
6:47 (NIV) “I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting
life.”
Now, the plagues and pestilence we read about gaining
ground in our world, will undoubtedly increase, and no amount of man's wisdom
and technology will overcome it. This is just one sign of the promise that the
time is near for Christ to return. Will I therefore set dates? In no way, but
I still feel strongly that since so many signs are unfolding in our midst,
that the time of His 2nd Coming is near, perhaps in our lifetimes.
Yes, when ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE FULFILLED, and the Rapture of the Church
will occurred, the 2nd Coming of the Lord at the end of the
Tribulation will be imminent.
Friend, it is my prayer you are ready and your family and
children are too. I thank God I am, my wife is ready, my children are and grandchildren too. What about you? Today,
is the day of salvation, now is the accepted time. Tomorrow may well be too
late. May God grant you eyes to see Jesus clearly, a heart to yearn for His
forgiveness and a will that is willing to say so and bow to the glorious
presence of Jesus Christ, the Lord God of all eternity…
…As I speak, I believe we will begin to see more new
plagues and deadly alien viruses appear and strike down many of the world's
population. Moreover there is a time coming, after the Church of Jesus Christ
is raptured away, God will pour out His wrath on a Christ rejecting world of
rebellious sinners and the fullness of plagues and pestilence will begin. I
pray you'll not be there, and I've given you God's plan to avoid it. Don't be
a fool and neglect these great truths and mercy of God. Today claim Christ as
your Lord and Savior and enter into His blessing and heart.
- Radio talk #3600
- Broadcast date: September 6, 2000
- Speaker: Dennis L. Finnan, Commentator
- Program: The World, the Word & You! Radio Broadcast
- Address: P.O. Box 40133 Grand Junction, CO 81501
The World, the Word & You! Broadcast is a non-denominational ministry based on the historic fundamental evangelical interpretation of the Scriptures. A copy of our doctrinal statement is available upon request. These weekly radio commentaries are not exhaustive studies of any particular subject due to the time limit of broadcasting. Actual broadcasts can be heard in selected areas around the nation, as funding provides. Dennis Finnan has been the speaker for over
21 years, and serves as General Director.
These transcripts are available free of charge to all who desire them.
Also available are actual radio cassette tapes and printed booklets of each message. A free listing of recent messages is available upon request also.
For further information, reprints, or a listing of all topics, please
write to our speaker, Dennis L. Finnan(dennis@wwy.org),or visit our webpage at http://www.wwy.org/