08-21-11 AM - Getting Ready for Rough Times

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Zech. 14:1-21

2 Timothy 3:1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
The NKJV has a note by that word perilous (times of stress.)                     
Matthew 24:8 …all these are the beginning of sorrows.

THREE THINGS IN PREPERATION
1.It often gets worse before it gets better. (1-2)
1 A day of the Lord is coming when your plunder will be divided among you. 2 I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.

Zechariah tells Israel in vs. 1-2. Behold the day of the Lord is coming!...I will gather all nations to battle against Jerusalem…

2 Thessalonians 2:3 …that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin (lawlessness) is revealed, the son of perdition (destruction).

Luke 21:28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”

Matthew 24:9-13 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13But he who endures to the end shall be saved.


2. No matter how bad it gets, the Lord is faithful to His people. (3-8)

3 Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. 5 You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come and all the holy ones with him. 6 On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. 7 It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime--a day known to the Lord. When evening comes, there will be light. 8 On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter.

GOD IS FAITHFUL

“very near” or “the way of escape shall be made easy”. If it is a proper name it may denote some place near the western extremity of the valley.                                                                                                                         

Revelation 19:11; 14 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war…14And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.

Revelation 21:23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.

Revelation 22:1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

In fact,   God’s goal is to give history a happy ending.

3. The Lord will be exalted. (v. 9-21)

9 The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name. 10 The whole land, from Geba to Rimmon, south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up and remain in its place, from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses. 11 It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure. 12 This is the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. 13 On that day men will be stricken by the Lord with great panic. Each man will seize the hand of another, and they will attack each other. 14 Judah too will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected--great quantities of gold and silver and clothing. 15 A similar plague will strike the horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps. 16 Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 17 If any of the peoples of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, they will have no rain. 18 If the Egyptian people do not go up and take part, they will have no rain. The Lord will bring on them the plague he inflicts on the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 19 This will be the punishment of Egypt and the punishment of all the nations that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. 20 On that day HOLY TO THE Lord will be inscribed on the bells of the horses, and the cooking pots in the Lord's house will be like the sacred bowls in front of the altar. 21 Every pot in Jerusalem and Judah will be holy to the Lord Almighty, and all who come to sacrifice will take some of the pots and cook in them. And on that day there will no longer be a Canaanite in the house of the Lord Almighty.

First, there won’t be any disagreements, arguing, or fighting over religion any more. The Lord alone will be worshipped in Spirit and truth, or as vs. 9b puts it …in that day it shall be [confessed] “the Lord is One and His Name is One”…

Secondly, vs. 10-15 tell us God’s people will live in absolute security. Jerusalem will be exalted as God’s capitol city, all of her enemies shall be defeated and destroyed, and for the first time in many centuries, the city of peace will enjoy peace and security.

Finally, vs.16-21  Everybody will worship the Lord as King.             

1 Cor. 16:22 Maranatha!= Come, Lord Jesus!
Revelation 22:20 Even so, come Lord Jesus!

But God is faithful, (REPEAT THAT) and He will walk with you every step of the way, and carry you if He must.