The Runaway Train to the Tribulation
About this sermon
Pastor Dean Odle warns that artificial intelligence, surveillance, economic instability, war, and spiritual deception are accelerating the world toward the tribulation described in Scripture. Moving from Matthew 24 and Revelation to the prophets and epistles, he argues that Christians should expect to endure tribulation rather than escape through a pre-tribulation rapture. He calls believers to reject lukewarmness, bring every thought into obedience to Christ, resist the mark of the beast, prepare wisely for disruption, and strengthen themselves through God’s Word. The sermon closes by urging repentance, perseverance, and an unwavering commitment to spend eternity with Jesus.
Chronological teaching outline
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After the opening worship, Odle describes recent media interviews about artificial intelligence and digital surveillance. He argues that current technological developments resemble the world system, speaking image, and buying-and-selling controls in Revelation 13, then reads Jesus’ warning concerning unparalleled tribulation and His visible return after it.
Odle says the world is moving rapidly toward technological control, economic collapse, shortages, and persecution. He recounts a removed social-media post, revisits a 2008 dream he interpreted as warning of a more severe economic crash, and reads James and Zephaniah as warnings against trusting wealth in the last days.
The sermon turns to rising fuel costs, international conflict, and the possibility of nuclear war. Odle interprets the sixth trumpet in Revelation 9 as a future war centered around the Euphrates, then uses Amos to stress that the day of the Lord offers no refuge apart from God and returns to Zephaniah’s call to seek righteousness and meekness.
Odle urges listeners to stop excusing sin, compromise, and spiritual indifference. He presents developing surveillance and neurological technologies as additional pressures on personal freedom and claims that submission to the mark of the beast will carry irreversible spiritual consequences, emphasizing repentance and certainty about one’s eternal direction.
From Daniel 7 and 2 Corinthians 10, Odle argues that the end-time system seeks to wear down the saints mentally. He calls believers to reject destructive thoughts, resist temptation in Jesus’ name, and bring every thought into obedience to Christ, warning that entertained temptation can become a spiritual stronghold and lead to action.
Odle describes modern technology as a revival of ancient knowledge and identifies an implanted mark as the boundary Christians must refuse. Recalling Nineveh’s repentance, he distinguishes between the inevitability of Christ’s return and the possibility that judgment can be delayed, while arguing that political leaders and technology executives are accelerating the present course.
Odle recounts prophetic experiences concerning judgment on America and advises listeners to make practical preparations for disruptions involving food, water, power, and banking. He states that he does not know the timing but believes war or economic crisis is near and frames the period as the final years before Christ’s return.
Returning to Matthew 24, Odle rejects a pre-tribulation rapture and argues that the New Testament term elect includes Christians. He connects Jesus’ gathering of the elect after tribulation with the sixth seal, the last trumpet, the resurrection, and Christ’s visible coming, placing the church’s gathering on the last day.
Odle interprets Revelation 3:10 as God guarding believers through trial rather than removing them from it. He argues for two mass resurrections in Revelation 20, challenges American assumptions of exemption from persecution, and urges listeners to identify first as Christians and to read Scripture rather than rely uncritically on teachers.
Odle testifies that listening to the Gospel of John strengthened him and encourages believers to fill their hearts and minds with God’s Word. Recalling Jesus feeding the multitudes and calming the storm, he expresses confidence that Christ can provide during crisis and emphasizes that being with Jesus matters more than outward circumstances.
The sermon closes with an appeal not to surrender eternity with Christ for sin, money, work, or relationships. Odle cites Jesus’ warning about gaining the world and losing one’s soul, then prays that listeners will repent of lukewarmness and deliberate sin, draw near to Christ, and recognize the urgency of the hour.
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- 00:00:00
Opening worship and music are omitted from this sermon transcript. Pastor Dean Odle begins the message at approximately 11:33.
- 00:11:33
Maybe some of you know, maybe some of you don't know. But I I want us to go to Matthew 24. We'll start there. Um, I did an interview a few weeks ago. I think it was September 5th with NBC News. Um, it was interesting. It was about the AI runaway train that we're on. And of course, AI flock cameras, uh, digital currency. at, you know, it was interesting because the reporter, um, her name's Bracie Harris. She's the one who interviewed me and you can look her up, NBC News. Um, we were on the phone for over an hour, like an hour and 10 minutes. And I'm going to tell you what, she did a lot of listening, and she was recording the interview, and so was I. um at times I think she was even speechless. And then this past Tuesday after there were some developments within the AI community and what was going on with President Trump and some of his absolute nonsense that he's saying. Um she called me back while I was at uh taking Faith to piano lessons. So, I was sitting out in the truck waiting on her and interviewed me for another 30 minutes. And what I want to say is what the Lord allowed me to tell her, which I hope she tells the nation through NBC News, is where we really are and where we're really headed. Um, she got real quiet when I started talking about that there were over 300 prophecies that foretold Jesus's first coming. And I gave her some specific examples like Psalm 22 where his hands and feet would be pierced a thousand years before he would be born, where he would be born in Bethlehem. I mean, I started going down the list. I said, you know, just 30 of those prophecies, they did the statistical analysis on that long time ago. just the probability, the statistical probability of Jesus not being the prophesied Messiah, savior of the world said just with 30 prophecies of him being fulfilled, not 300, 30, um the chances that he's not the Messiah would be like burying the state of Texas two feet deep in quarters, painting one orange, having someone jump out of an airplane and land on that quarter. just 30 of those. That's the uh what is it called? The uh compound probabilities something statistics. Um and I told her 300 were fulfilled
- 00:14:33
plus 300 plus at his first coming. But how many of you know that there's over 800 prophecies about his second coming? Now think about that. And to me, one of the biggest and most significant is Revelation 13, which we're going to get to in a minute. Revelation 13. Two things in that passage. Actually, three things in that passage. A world government would form. Then there would be a false prophet that would work with a man that would lead a world government, but that they would have an image, a physical object, an image, an inanimate physical man-made object that would be given the ability to speak and to cause people to die. Now, I always wondered what that was 30, 40 years ago. I wondered what in the world could that be? what what physical object could come alive and actually be able to have people killed now we know right um and then the next thing after that after the image that can speak and cause people to be killed it says that he will cause all both small great rich poor to receive a mark an implant something engraved put in their hand in somebody say in in their hand or forehead that will control whether they have the ability to buy or sell. Now, this has never been able to have happened in the history of mankind that you control all buying and selling worldwide. I mean, just the stupidity of people that believe 70 AD is when Jesus came back or Nero was the the antichrist or the mark of the beast happened. It's just idiotic. It's absolute demonic blindness to believe that little season preterism whatever you want to call it crap. Okay, we are only now at that point. But when I started describing Revelation 13, that stuff to her about the technology and how where it had to get to and that was prophesied from Jesus to the Apostle John written down in AD 95. We're looking at almost 2,000 years ago. She got really quiet because it is upon us. So, um, I want to read this in Matthew 24. I've read many times. They asked Jesus, "What will be the sign of your coming of the end of the age?" I'm not going to read all of this. I want to jump over to verse 21 and read a few verses here. Jesus said for then during that time it's a it's a time frame for then shall be great
- 00:17:33
tribulation that means time of trouble trials difficulties persecution all kinds of things he said there will be great mega is the word tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time nor ever shall be meaning this is going to be worse worse time than the world has ever known. And it will never be this bad again. Think about that for a minute. And then he says this, "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved." Meaning, unless Jesus cut those days short by his second coming, not the rapture. We're going to deal with that in a second. Unless Jesus returned to stop this, mankind would be annihilated. That's what Jesus said. Mankind would cease to exist. That's how bad. And then says this, then if any man shall say unto you, lo, here is Christ or there believe it not. For there shall arise false Christ and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders in so much that if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore, if they say shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert, go not forth, behold, he is in secret chambers. Believe it not, for as lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, so shall the coming also of the coming of the Son of Man be. And then just drop to verse 29. And I'm not getting into the eagles being gathered together. That's about Armageddon. But he says this immediately after the tribulation of those days. Somebody say after. After. Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened. The moon shall not give her light. The stars shall fall. That means all the stars shall fall from heaven. And the powers of the heaven shall be shaken. And then shall appear the sign of the son of man in heaven. And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, for they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And then it's after this he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other. Now why am I reading this? Because I made a post a couple of posts this past week on Facebook. one that was immediately taken down. It was the fastest thing I've ever had taken down on social media. Um, and let's go ahead. I guess we'll put it put up the title. I'm just calling this today uh the runaway train to tribulation.
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