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13 and new may feel that this is kind of a little step backwards and my desire this morning is to kind of
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fill in some of the reasons why I will preach the way I do from for the following uh passage so I'm
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going to read a rather lengthy uh sections to uh to try to set the uh seen for this sermon today so
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pray that you will bear with me as I read Mark 13 starting at verse 9 but be on your guard for they will
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deliver you to the courts and you will be fogged in the synagogues and you will stand before Governors and Kings for my sake as a testimony to them and the gospel must first be preached to all the
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nations and when they arrest you and deliver you up do not be anxious beforehand about what you are to say but say whatever is given you in that hour for it is not you who speak but it is
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the Holy Spirit and brother will deliver brother to death and a father his child and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death and you will be hated by all on account of
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my name but the one who endures to the end he shall be saved but when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be let the reader
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understand then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains and let him who is on the housetop not go down or enter in to get anything out of his
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house and let him who is in the field not turn back to get his cloak but woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days but pray
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that it may not happen in the winter for those will be the a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God
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created until now and never shall and unless the Lord had shortened those days no life would have been saved but for the sake of the elect whom he
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chose he shortened the days and in then if anyone says to you behold here is the Christ or behold he is there do not believe him for false christs and false
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prophets will arise and will show signs and wonders and in order if possible to lead the elect astray but take heed behold I have told you everything in
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advance but in those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light and the Stars will be falling from Heaven and the powers that are in the heavens will
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be shaken and then they will see the son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory and then he will send forth the angels and will gather together his
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elect from the Four Wind from the farthest end of the Earth to the farthest end of Heaven let us pray Our Father we have we have
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sung that Psalm not to us not to us oh Lord but to thy name be glory we are commanded to learn to grow
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in Grace and Faith to strive in the scriptures to understand the word and we do ask that by the the power of the Holy Spirit you would speak to our hearts and
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minds but father we do pray that all the glory and all the honor will be given to you that you would build your church and she would be to you a glory and so we
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ask that you would do these things in Christ's name amen the scriptures speak of the signs of the
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times but only once in the reading that Ariel read this morning from Matthew 15 if you look just
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beyond chapter 15 is chapter 16 and in there the Pharisees and the Sadducees come to Jesus and they they say give us a sign from
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heaven and Jesus response is you know how to discern the appearance of the sky all right they they remember that little thing that my mom taught me red sky in
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the morning sailor take warning red sky at night Sailor's Delight well Delight well the Jesus says you know the appearance of the sky you you can read the signs
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but are you unable to discern the signs of the of the times there were things that were disclosed by Jesus that I consider to be
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signs of the times that I think he was already looking at things that reveal his power his glory his will and some of
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those are in Matthew chapter 15 that uh Ariel read to us the the blind see the the lame suddenly began to walk the the
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the deaf could hear the the dumb could speak these were things that Jesus said the scriptures reveal of me these are
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signs that I have come but over time and I think in our day even the sign of the times has has taken on this meaning of
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the end times when Jesus will appear again when he will come for the second Advent the second coming his perusia his
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appearing and so it's taken on that meaning that all the events that portend to that or that seem to indicate that that time is
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coming and there are some who say that we we can see a series of events or we will be able to see a series of events that will take place shortly before
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Jesus comes Jesus comes again some say that this passage that I read and I believe that it there is a general speaking of the end of time and
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then it tells us the destruction of Jerusalem which happened in ad70 and then moves from there and begins to
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speak again of the end times but some say that that passage indicates that all of these things in this chapter have
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passed they they've been completed already that they happened in ad70 when Jerusalem was destroyed Jesus came and we see the son of man coming in the
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clouds they say well he came but he was invisible we didn't see him but he was there and that all of these things the worst of the tribulations have
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passed some say that we can find here if we study hard enough and we look at all the signs correctly we can determine the
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exact time of Jesus return that we can pinpoint the and if we somehow correctly identify what are the events what
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specific War what specific earthquake what specific nation that rises against other nations then we can set a
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timetable GC burkhow in his commentary warned of what he called the repertorial view of scripture he he he said
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sometimes people read the Bible as if it's I was going to say newspaper but not many of you get that anymore you open and you see your internet browser and you see the
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headlines and he says some people look at it like that it's just reporting things that have happened and assuming that all of these
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things are something that is discernable by us as a timetable of events but we must also not assume that all the
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signs are going to be abnormal or catastrophic or some spectacular event in Luke
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17 Jesus said the kingdom of God is not coming with signs that can be observed they wanted to know what are what are the signs of your kingdom he said some
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will say there it is that's not it and some will say it's over there he's saying that's not it for behold the kingdom of God is in your midst so the
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question is what does the scripture actually say how should Christians think about these
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things well what we know for certain is there will be signs there will be signs for Christians of opposition signs in scripture often tell us us historically how God has dealt
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with his with his people it's calling God's people to be ready for anything to keep the faith to keep hope and keep the promise of the
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future alive in our hearts we see in other places in scripture and I I think we see it here that history is moving yes toward an end
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but what is that end a revelation of Jesus Christ at the end of the age but we also see the antithesis that's going on the enemies of God the
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fight between the kingdoms the power of evil versus An Almighty God the forces of Darkness against the Kingdom of Light
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those things the enemies the principalities the powers against the lordship of Jesus Christ so there will be trouble for
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believers again there are those who take this passage and say Christians will not experience all of these things they may be experienced
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by others but not Believers but what is tribulation I it's the things that the people of people of God experience because of their Devotion
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to Christ tribulation I believe is not going to be limited to a specific time or or age we must expect them at any
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time Jesus in the Beatitudes of Matthew 5 says blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness blessed are you when
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people insult you and persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me he's saying it it is a
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it's something that you receive in John 15 and 16 when Jesus speaks to his disciples he
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tells them if they persecuted me they're going to persecute you as well in this world he says be certain you will have tribulation you will have
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persecution and I think the primary emphasis in this certain sections of Mark 133 specifically 14 through 20
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21 is on the destruction of Jerusalem in ad70 but there seems to be this moving on a a
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transition after that into what we would call the end times extended till the end now there again some of you
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understand we talked about is there meat and milk in a sermon well I had looked this up but the there are those it's called The pedist View basically what it
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is is a pasttime reading of scripture that says these signs as I say have already been already been fulfilled and the things that we read in
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Mark 13 have nothing to do with our current day they have nothing to do with Christians in the 21st
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century but I find the expression in the scriptures the End of the Age refers to one event the second coming of Christ and so how can these
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things be the end the deciples and again there is some debate to this but as I read it the disciples when they asked the question at the beginning of Mark 13
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tell us when these things will be and what will be the sign when all of these things are going to be fulfilled I I
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believe that they do not see them as a whole but as separate events and so there seems to be some understanding to them that there will be
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a day a b day of appearing when Christ returns Jesus tells us even in this own passage but of that day and and that
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hour no one knows it seems to indicate the second coming and not that something has already passed in the parallel passages in
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Matthew 24 and 25 they describe a final judgment and a whole period leading up to the to the perusia there are signs there are
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General signs I believe that will attend to some Christians in every age before Christ's returned and we see those here in this passage in verse 9
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they will deliver you to the courts you will be fogged you will stand before Kings and governors some of us perhaps will experience some of those things you
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will be hated by everyone because of my name Jesus says I think these are General things for Christians in every age specifically again what does
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tribulation mean it means the distress that Christians will meet because they love the Lord Jesus Christ because of their commitment to him and to his word
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the the idea behind it is a disruption of your of your life because you are devoted to Christ you want to obey him you want to
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Proclaim him you want people to know the hope that is within you
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but remember Christ's words when he speaks to his disciple of these things there are those who cry peace peace where there is no peace but why is there no peace because Jesus Christ has come
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he says I did not come to bring peace but a sword it's because of Christ it's it's not his fault it's because there is opposition to him
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so when we read of tribulation we're not just talking about circumstances that that irritate you or frustrate you or distress you but what we're talking
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about is you will be hated because you are related to Christ and this will take many forms I believe some for some of us it will be
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open persecution there will be hostility at work in your own family in your neighborhood you will be hated because they are opposed to Christ and
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so as Jesus said because they hate me they'll hate you also it can mean illness
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imprisonment ridicule inner emotional sorrow for those around you who hate Christ and take it out on you it can result in
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poverty you may lose your job you may lose your lose your home the suffering and persecution the church receives is according to the
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victory that Christ has won for us on the cross see that's how it's related and yet in Revelation 12 we read
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of Michael and his angels how they we see the serpent fall it says the serpent of old who has called the devil
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and Satan who deceives the whole world he was thrown down to the Earth but note what happens he has come down to you meaning
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Believers with great wrath knowing that he only has a short time see there seems to be an intensification going on there in the
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tribulation and the distress and the Affliction of Affliction of Christians we are not immune because you love Christ you will be hated it may take different forms and
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it may be milder with some than others but these things are coming and they come in every age Until the End of the Age to me they are
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signs again do not expect the spectacular and the catastrophic in all of these of these signs but there are signs and you hear them and you read
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them but there is a warning these things need careful study and caution because there are many unknowns and there are many in relation
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to the end times things that are unknowable the period before Christ appearing has and will have its
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tribulations I believe that is true I don't think the scripture allows the view that Christians will be immune that
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we will somehow with the great Rapture escape the Great Tribulation of the end times I don't believe that that teaching
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is correct and I think it's a dangerous teaching but we also know and we've talked about this before that no predictions of T the time of
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Christ's return are valid it's happened it's happened several times in my
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lifetime but Jesus again says but of that day and that hour no man knows not even the Sun so if we hear those voices do not listen to them we need to live as
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though the end could come at any time and any and any day but I what I want you to see is not only is there a caution that we read
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these carefully and we study them and we we look at the scriptures and try to let scripture interpret scripture but I think we also see and I use that word
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because Jesus uses it four times in this passage see be seeing these things tribulation will be a sign of certainty
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that God's kingdom will Prevail it's an occasion for growth of Believers what does James tell us count
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it all joy my friends my brethren when you meet various trials knowing that the testing of your faith produces
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endurance in the signs we have reason to count it all joy at the day of Pentecost Peter
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preaches to those the crowds Jesus the Nazarene a man attested to you by God with Miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through him in your
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midst he he says the there are things accompanying Jesus that we saw and we witnessed and we know that he is true and I think and again I appreciated
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uh reading a commentary by a man named cornelus Vena he says we don't usually think of the signs this way but is not
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Jesus resurrection a sign is not Jesus Ascension into heaven to sit at the right hand of the father a sign is not the day of Pentecost when the Holy
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Spirit came upon them a sign it's a sign of the certainty that God's kingdom will prevail and in suffering we we see a
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pattern we we we reflect the pattern in other words of what we see in Christ Peter tells us since Christ also suffered for you leaving you as an examp
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you an example while being reviled he did not revile in return while suffering he uttered no threats but kept entrusting himself to him who judges
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rightly see we see in here the the purpose of God in suffering the purpose of God in
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Affliction the signs will reveal God's Redemptive purpose and testify to Christ's Triumph yes I believe there will be an intensification of the battle
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between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light but what else will happen what other signs the proclamation of the Gospel will spread to the entire Earth the Gathering of the elect of
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Christ Church will happen the reev ation of the son of man Jesus Christ the righteous coming in glory all of these things testify to certain
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Victory the victory of Christ over death his delivering the kingdom to his God
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Father Paul in Colossians 1 writes now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake and in my flesh I supplementing what is lacking in Christ's Affliction in behalf of his body which is the church now now be for
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sure there is nothing lacking in Christ's atoning work on the cross that's not what Paul meant it doesn't mean that Paul
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somehow became as Christ was a vicarious sacrifice for sins he doesn't mean that at all what he means and we
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might call them the leftovers or what is what comes behind after Christ's work what do we see it's exactly what Jesus said they
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persecuted me therefore they will persecute you because you believe in me that's what Paul says here these are the things that come Behind these are the
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things that are left over is Christ isn't visible ible here I
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Believers the those afflictions of the world toward Jesus will be acted out on Believers but what do we see what's the
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conclusion what do we see results from this that Affliction or persecution of a believer Bel ver is a communion with Christ in his Affliction it's a way to
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show our participation our fellowship our communion with Christ our brother so that's why venoma can write
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therefore rather than being alarming signs of the uncertain prospects of Christ's cause the signs of the times certify the inexorable March of the
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history of redemption toward its consummation at Christ's triumphant Revelation from Revelation from Heaven this is our hope this is the
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promise of the future let us pray our Heavenly Father Again these things are are deep they are hard to
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understand they are hard to get a grasp upon and yes there is a tendency in your people to be
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fearful to be wondering what will happen to us as individuals as a body of Believers here and now and yet father we know the certainty of that great day
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that will come and we look forward to his appearing and to as we sang this morning being caught up with him to rejoice in Wonder Love and praise we
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thank you for these things in Christ's name we thank you for the communion of the Saints and thank you for the participation of that we have the
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opportunity that we have now to participate in the Lord's supper together thank you
