Now, the Bible repeatedly warns all of us that time is running out, and yet very few people think about it. Very few Christians even think about it. I was on the doors on Thursday there with John and my wife, talking to a number of elderly people. Some of them were out walking. And when you speak to them about the end of the world, the times running out, and particularly for them at their age, some listen. It's true. But many almost sneer at you, not interested. Some will even hand you back the literature and say, I don't want it. We're living in a time where people don't care or are not interested that time is running out. And the hope of every Christian is the second coming of Christ. We look back to the cross with the hope of our souls being redeemed, but we look forward to the second coming of Christ when our bodies will be redeemed and changed forevermore. And we'll cast off this old body that's subject to temptation and sin and disease and decay and old age and death. We're going to have a new body, the Bible says, one like the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. And as Christians, we need to be constantly aware that time is running out for us. Now, I believe, as you study God's Word, there are three key reasons that speak to me that there's a very short time left. And when I say a very short time left, just a handful of years. As I read God's Word, there are three key areas that remind me personally, and I hope you this morning, that there may only be 10, 12, maybe less years left for this planet. The first reason, as I study the Word of God, study it carefully, is that all the sign that the Lord Jesus Christ and the other prophetical scriptures state have to be locked down for Christ to return are all now, for the first time in history, all set down, all locked in. And I will just throw out some of them. I won't take time to go through it, because we would be here all night There's obviously the sign of Israel as a people. The Jewish people, for the first time, 1900-odd years, are back in their land. They're back in control of the city of Jerusalem. They're living in unbelief in their Messiah. All these things must happen before Jesus Christ returns. And that certainly is true. They have to be a nation that wants peace, that's vulnerable, that's susceptible to the seduction of the Antichrist. And today, if you go to the nation of Israel, you'll discover there are two main groups of people. The Orthodox, or the Ultra-Orthodox, that group, and the secular, and both want peace with their neighbors for different reasons. The Orthodox, they want peace so that they can worship on the Temple Mount, and they'll do anything to do a deal with their neighbors, the Arab nations, if they can get access to worship to the Temple Mount. But the secular, which make up about half the nation, They will do anything for peace so that they can pursue their own godly lifestyles, to make money, to build their tech industry, to indulge the flesh. Both groups, very different groups, are in that situation today. They're looking for someone to bring peace to their neighborhood, to their nation. But then another sign, and it's a sign that the Lord Jesus Christ emphasizes, will be wars and rumors of war. Oh, you don't need me to spell out what's going on in the world today. We think of the crisis in Ukraine. We think of the various wars going on in different parts of the world. We think of the Middle East now beginning to erupt. China is poised to grab Taiwan and start another great confrontation with all the great powers of the world. So everything's on edge, just as Jesus said. But then a third reason that we know that the time is running out is that we're living at a moment in history of economic and political chaos, unprecedented. I was listening, reading last week, the head of the World Bank was speaking at a group of all the great financial chiefs in Marrakesh. And he said, the whole world's financial system is teetering on the brink of collapse. And he explained that for the first time in history, the debt of this world, now listen to these figures, the debt of this world has now reached $235 trillion. Hard to imagine that, isn't it? That's the mess of the financial system. And many of the powerful so-called G7 nations, they're in big trouble financially, demographically, socially. They have a generation of young people that don't want to work. They've got a mental health crisis, explosion. There's all these problems. The debt markets and the debt bond markets are all over the place because even the financers recognize we're in a terrible mess. The whole world is looking for someone to solve the conundrum. Not only do we have economic chaos, which will require a fixer, a solution, But we discover, if you turn to the book of Revelation, chapter 11, that before the Lord Jesus Christ returns, Satan will have his false Messiah, the Antichrist. Now, when you see the word anti, it's a word that really has two meanings in the original. sometimes we just think it has the one meaning, but it has two meanings. Ante in Greek means someone or something that replaces something, a person who replaces another person, ante, or it can mean against. So, it means either replaces or against. And in the case of the Antichrist, really, both meanings are appropriate because the Antichrist is Satan's Christ, Satan's false messiah, the man of the flesh, 666. Man was created on the sixth day. And the Antichrist will be the personification of all of fallen men, the greatest of the flesh, 666. And he as Antichrist will replace the real Christ, but he'll also be against the real Christ, the second coming of the Messiah. And the Jews, the Bible tells us, will fall for him. In fact, the whole world will be seduced by him, because he will come to solve the financial, the economic, the social chaos that will be in the world when he comes to the fore. But in Revelation chapter 11, we're told something very interesting about him and about the time that he operates. It describes the murder of two witnesses. I won't get into who they may be. But it says in verse 8, and their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, Jerusalem, which spiritually is called Sodom, and Egypt where also our Lord was crucified. And then it says something very interesting in verse 9. And they of the people, and kindreds, and tongues, and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and a half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another, because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth." Now, do you notice something about the death of these two men, their bodies. It says everybody on the earth will see their death, will see their dead remains. Everybody on the earth will rejoice. Now that could only happen at a moment in history, in fact in the last few years of history, when the whole world is globally connected through global communication. You couldn't have had this situation 50 years ago, because the whole earth couldn't see, particularly parts of Africa that weren't connected to the internet and smartphones. So just a little hint there, even in Revelation chapter 11, that what you're going to see in the last of the last days can only occur at a moment in history when the whole world is interconnected in the communications. Don't need me to explain. As you walk around, what do we see? All the young people, and not just all the young people, all the old people, see as they're stuck in the phone, aren't they? All connect. And all these social media companies having control of what they see, what images that are sent to them, what messages that are sent to them. First time in history. The Bible says, when you see all these signs, it's right now. It's coming soon. The end of the world. But then not only do we see global communications, but we see global monitoring. And whatever social media you're in—Facebook or Instagram or Twitter or whatever—you You just mention something you're interested in, and within seconds, you get adverts coming from the things that you have been talking about, searching for. And all the CCTV, and all the Alexa and Sirius, and all these things are monitoring us 24 hours a day. And it goes further, Revelation chapter 13. Go to a couple of chapters later. And I'm just going to jump into the chapter because of time. And speaking of the Antichrist, it says in verse 14, and he, well, verse 13, he doeth great wonders so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles. And then in verse 15, it says, and he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark on their right hand, or on their foreheads, that no man might buy or sell, save he that hath the mark, or had the mark. or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Two things there. Very interesting. Describes the Antichrist when he comes. He'll come at a time when he has power, and those who work alongside him, the false prophet, have power to fool the world that an image can speak. Now, you've heard of these two initials just suddenly come into our vocabulary. In just recent years, in fact, recent months, AI, artificial intelligence, where governments and organizations can manipulate video to make what is fake look as if it's real. It's only just happened. The Bible describes that these types of things will be used by the Antichrist. It also says that he will take control of the commerce and banking sector of this world, that any who do not have the mark of the beast will not be able to trade. And really, for the very first time in history, we've just seen it in the last couple of years, Great corporations, government powers, have started shutting down people's bank accounts, using a digital currency to bypass cash and try to erode and even remove cash from the society, so that if you don't have the correct views, the accepted views, you'll be canceled. You can't trade, you can't buy, you can't sell. And even prominent figures like Nigel Farage discovered he was not immune from this. So the Bible tells us when the Antichrist comes, there'll be a system of interconnectedness of the world's financial systems whereby he can shut down anyone who opposes or disagrees with him. And we're living right at that moment in history. In fact, this is the first time in history that we are living at that moment that these things can happen. And the devil will be able to manipulate videos, manipulate reality, so you don't know what's fake and what's real. Of course, COVID in many ways was a demonstration of just the abilities of these great bodies to shut everything down and shut information down. We saw something unprecedented that in just one week, listen to this, 195 nations, completely shut down, just one week. Something they said would never happen, never could happen. People couldn't be controlled. People wouldn't obey. And yet during COVID, in just one week, 195 nations were shut down. It was almost like a dry run by the devil, testing out the systems. for the Antichrist to come. But then there's another sign, and I don't need to remind you of this, because those of us who live in this part of the world are bombarded with the propaganda of this. The rise of Sodom and Gomorrah. It's everywhere, isn't it? From McDonald's to the schools to even the churches, so-called churches, and they're plastering their logos and their statements, and they're boasting in their pride. Now, people say, well, we've always had this type of sin. Yes, we've always had this type of sin throughout history, but this is a unique moment in history. where it's no longer something that's simply practiced. It's celebrated. It's boasted in. And anybody who disagrees with it is told to shut up, hounded. The Bible says, as in the days of Lot, as in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah, this will be what will be going on What was the days of Lot? A time when that particular sin was celebrated and practiced and promoted by society in Sodom and Gomorrah. And all over this planet, it's been promoted and celebrated from every corner. Never happened before, but it's happening right now in this little window of history. But then another sign that Christ speaks about in Matthew 24, and as I said, I don't have time to go through all of them, he says in verse 37 of Matthew 24, as in the days of Noah, so shall the coming of the Son of Man. Now, what were the days of Noah? Indifference to the cry of judgment. People don't care. Apathy. And even in Noah's family, I mentioned this recently, Noah came from a huge family of descendants through Enoch and Seth. And only Noah and his wife and his three sons and their wife believed God to get into the ark. All his other uncles and aunts cousins and nieces and nephews, and there must have been a huge number of them if you read Genesis chapter 5 and 6. All of them were apathetic disbelief, even among the family of God, God's people. That's what we're seeing, isn't it? You hardly hear of a church today that speaks on the second coming of Christ, that the end is near. hardly a writer that produces, writes a new book, that the time is almost up. The foolish and the wise virgins are both asleep, do you remember? When Christ returned, the parable says. And you're seeing this apathy, this indifference. You're also seeing, as in the days of Noah, it says in verse 38 of Matthew chapter 24, as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage. In other words, they were getting on with life, spending like there was no tomorrow. And what do you see and learn today? As you drove to church, everybody's just getting on with life, aren't they? They're walking the dog. They're doing their jogging. They're heading to the supermarket. They're listening to their music. They can't wait for the football or the rugby to start in a few hours' time. If it could start at 10 in the morning, they would be delighted. Everybody's ignoring God, and everybody's going their way. just as the Bible says, will happen. I was reading just this week, the generation that are spending more money proportionally of their income is the youngest generation. And whatever they're getting, they're just spending. Nobody's saving. Everybody's just living as if there's no tomorrow. And even though there's a debt crisis, even though there's an inflation crisis, even though the housing market is more difficult than ever to get on, everybody is just eating and drinking and getting on with life. Just as the Bible said. But then there's another thing, and I won't dwell on it. If you read the book of Daniel carefully, you'll discover that during the last days, there will be a powerful groups of nations will emerge, nations that refuse to surrender their sovereignty to other nations, nations that are very proud that the Antichrist will have to crush and will continually rebel against him. just look around the world, you can see them in Russia, and North Korea, and China, and places like that, and Africa—these nations that refuse to be kowtow to anybody, refuse to give up their sovereignty, one inch of it. All these things are the signs that have to be in place, the Bible says, before time runs out. And it says, when you see these things—it's not my words, it's what Jesus said—when you see these things, know the time is running out. Know that the end is very, very near. That's the first reason. First reason why we know there's almost no time left for this world. Second reason that you will see that time is almost up is study what the devil is doing. It's always very interesting. Sometimes we don't think like this. If you want to know what the devil thinks, about where we are in history, study what he's doing. Because the devil has the same Bible that you and I have. The devil knows the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. We discover, you remember, when the Lord Jesus Christ was tempted, that Satan was able to quote the Scriptures and twist the Scriptures. So he knows the Bible. But what Satan doesn't know, as we're told here in Matthew 24, is the day or the hour when Jesus will return. He knows he's coming, but he doesn't know exactly when. Satan is reading the book of Revelation in particular, studying it, I believe, and he's guessing when the tribulation period will begin. And he's guessing that from all the signs that are now in place, that is very, very near. And one of the things the devil will have to do during the Great Tribulation period is persuade people that what is happening when the world collapses, and you read the book of Revelation from chapter four all the way through to chapter 19, all these great catastrophes that will hit the world during the great tribulation period, and the economic chaos, and the geographical signs, all of these have to be lied about. to persuade people that this is not the judgment of God. If you listen to what the devil's crowd talk about, their agenda, you'll hear words like this, we need a great reset. You hear them say that, don't you? You'll hear them speak about climate change. Well, that's a big word, isn't it? You hear everywhere. You hear them talk about an economic realignment. You hear them speak about catastrophes. What the devil is doing, I believe, if you listen to him very carefully and just study the titles of the Hollywood movie industry, for example, and you'll see all these things about Armageddon and apocalypse. Satan is preparing the ground to sell the lie. When God begins to destroy this planet in the Great Tribulation period, and God will send unprecedented judgments, plagues upon this earth, Satan has already prepared the ground. Because when people say, well, why is all this catastrophe happening? Satan's men will say, climate change. Didn't we tell you that this would happen if you didn't recycle? You're coke tins. Didn't we tell you this would happen, these famines, if you didn't stop eating cows? And what generation is Satan targeting the most with this type of propaganda? The young, the young. Satan, I believe, is guessing, because he doesn't know. It's not God. He is guessing, because he's read the signs, he's read the moment in history, that we are in the last window of time, and the tribulation is about to begin. And he knows he has to be ready. And whatever else you think about the devil, you have to acknowledge he's very resourceful. He's relentless, and he's the greatest liar and persuader, disinformation and misinformation advocate in all of history. So that's the second reason that I think, believe from God's Word, that we're in the last window of time. Satan watching the devil and his disciples what they're up to, watching the signs that are now all locked in, just in the last, really, 24 months, just locked in now, for the tribulation and the Antichrist to come. But there's a third reason. Maybe this will surprise many of you. If you study the history of this book, And particularly, you look at the numbers in this book, you will discover that God has a number. And I'm not really big on numbers in the Bible. There are a lot of people that get very excited about this number and that number. But there are certain numbers in the Bible that are very, very significant. And the one number that is absolutely central to the Bible is the number seven. You'll discover, for example, in Genesis chapter 1 and 2, that God made the world in the seven-day window, didn't he? And he ordained that this world would be organized in seven days. And how was the seven-day split? There were six days of work for the planet, and then on the seventh day, it says what? God rested. You go right through the Bible, you'll discover seven is the number of completion, perfection in the work of God. For example, there were seven feasts that were given to the nation of Israel. You'll discover that they were to go around the seventh time, seven times the walls of Jericho. You will discover when you come to the last book in the Bible, just as in the first book, that seven is all over it. You have seven churches and seven trumpets and seven bowls of judgment. Seven is a number that's all over the Bible. And then we discover in the book of Revelation, that there's going to be a period in history called the millennium, a thousand years rest for this planet. Now, where am I going with this? If you go to the Jewish writers, and this is a very long tradition, that they have held through generations upon generations before the birth of Jesus Christ in the apocryphal literature, like the book of Enoch. The Jewish writers and rabbis have understood that the world would last for 6,000 years, just as in the six days of creation. and on the seventh day would have the millennium rest, a thousand years of rest. Now, where did they get this thought from? Obviously, because seven is the number, but there's little hints in the Bible. If you go to Hosea chapter 6 and verse 1 and 2, here's one hint. generally ignored by the rabbis because it doesn't suit their view. God is speaking to the Jewish people in Hosea chapter 6, verse 1 and 2, and he says this, come, let us return unto the Lord, for he has torn, and he will heal us. He has smitten, and he will bind us up. And this is speaking about the nation being called back to the Lord, back to the Savior. But then notice what it says in the next verse. After two days, he will revive us. Has this ever happened as a nation? That God has revived the Jewish people since the days of Hosea? No. Wednesday night, we studied Zechariah 12 and 13, where the Bible clearly teaches that the Jews will be back in their ancient homeland, the Jews will be back in control of the city of Jerusalem, the Jews will be surrounded by their enemies, and then the Jews, in unbelief, will suddenly have their eyes opened and be saved as a nation through the fire. through the deliverance of the Messiah. And here in Hosea chapter 6, he says, after two days, two days, the Bible tells us the day is often a thousand years with the Lord. When was Jesus ascending, died on the cross and ascended? Most accept it's A.D. 33, is the date For 2,000 years, almost, the Jewish people have been in unbelief. Jesus was born 4,000 years from the creation of Adam. Four days. There's been two more days, 2,000 years more. The 6,000 years is now almost up. Some say it will be up in about five years' time. Some say it will be 10 years, but everybody agrees that it'll only be a handful of years that are left for the 6,000 years to be completed. Now, there's a few quirks in the calculations, and let me explain why. Many of these calculations of the age of the earth are based around genealogies of this man who lived 500 years, then he had a son, then he lived another 250 years and he died, and then we add up all the genealogies and you get to the age of this earth about 6,000 years. And some of the problems in these calculations is this. If it says the man was 500 years when his child was born or his son was born, we don't know if it's 500 years and one day was his birthday. Or we don't know if it means he was 499 in his 500th year. Or we don't know if he was 500 years and 11 months and 29 days when the son was born. And if you build all these little errors plus and minus into your calculation you get a little window or margin of error a few years either way and you add them all up it probably gives you five to ten years maybe margin of error so what we do know what we do know is that the six thousand years are almost up isn't that interesting They may be up by 2033. They may even be up before 2033. But there's one other little spanner in the works. Sometimes, oftentimes, Before God sends the final judgment on a people, or a nation, or a city, he gives an extra little window of mercy. If you remember when the great flood came, he shut Noah and his family in the ark, and then he gave them seven more days before he sent the rain. God may do that at the end of this age as well. But you put those three things that I have said today, put them all together. The signs are all locked in. Number two, what the devil is doing, what he's thinking, and the age of the earth. And by the way, I was staggered to read, you can look it up, it's called the millennial age theory. that most of the early church fathers, that's those who lived between 100 AD to about 300 AD, most of them subscribed and taught. And maybe I'll quote one. I'll quote a man called Irenaeus. And I know my time is almost up, but let me read this. Irenaeus was a man who studied under Polycarp. Polycarp was a disciple of John the Apostle. So Polycarp was a man who knew John the Apostle, who wrote the book of Revelation. He taught a man called Irenaeus. And you can look up on the internet later his book, Against Heresies. And Irenaeus said this, and I printed it out. He says, for in as many days as this world was made, in so many thousand years shall it be concluded. And he says, for the day of the Lord is as 1,000 years, 2 Peter 3, verse 8, and in six days created things were completed. He said, it is evident, therefore, that they will come to an end in the 6,000th year of this world. Interesting, isn't it? If you read the Epistle of Barnabas written between AD 70 and AD 150, maybe around 100 AD, they reckon, most people, said to be a writing associated with Barnabas. We're not sure if it was or it wasn't. But it says the exact same thing, that the world that we live in will end at 6,000 years. And then there's 1,000 years of the Sabbath rest, the millennium. So you put all these three things together. Leads me to the conclusion this morning. that time is almost up for this world. We may limp on for another five or 10 years, maybe 15 years, but I suggest to you that the fig leaf is flourishing, the signs are there. And time was running out. Let me finish by saying this. What should be our response to this? What should be? If you're a Christian, what should be your response? Your response should be this. I have only a short window left to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. We have a mission coming up. We have all different types of programs and ministries. Get involved. Get involved. Be in the prayer meeting. Don't be a sleepy Christian. Don't be an apathetic. There's very little time left for you, for your family, for your children, for your grandchildren, before the window of time is closed. If you're here this morning, and you're not saved, oh, it's even more important for you to get right with God before it all is over. If you're a backslider here this morning, it's even more important for you, get back before it's too late. Remember the hymn we sung? when the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more." We're almost there. That's where we are in history. In the last dregs of history, in the last few years of history, where are you spiritually? Are you asleep? You know, on the night before he was crucified, the Lord Jesus, as he faced the cross, and knowing the agonies that were about to befall him and what would happen to his disciples, He said to them, John's Gospel, chapter 14, "'Let not your heart be troubled.'" It's all under control. "'Ye believe, and God believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions.' They went on to say, "'I go to prepare a place for you, that where I am there ye may be also Of course, Thomas says, Lord, how do we know? Where are you going? Jesus said what? I am the way, the truth, the life, not a way. No man cometh unto the Father but by me. Easy days for this world are now over. Hard days are coming. Time is running out for you, for me. Time is running out for Lorne. Time is running out for your family. How much time is left? Not very long. It's time for you to do what it says on the side of this building. It is time. to seek the Lord. Let us pray. Father, we thank you that even as we have studied your Word this morning, studied what's going on around us, there's an excitement in the heart of every child of God. Jesus is coming soon. The King is on his way. And although the Bible says we will not know the day or the hour, it does tell us we will know the season. And all the signs are given to us to know the season. And Jesus says, when you see these things, know that it's at the door. As we look around the planet, we look around Lorne today. God is speaking to all of us that time is coming to an end very, very quickly. Help us to get ready. Help us to get busy. Help us to get active before we run out of time. We pray for any in our midst who have grown cold, indifferent, careless, being seduced by the lie of the devil that there's plenty of time. May you waken them up. May you lift the veil that hangs over their mind and their heart, and may they taste and see that the Lord is good. For these things we ask in Jesus' precious name. Amen.