Latest / Topeka Bible Church Audio Archive / November 10, 2021 | Chronological Bible Study with Patty Diliberto - Session 32: The Second Coming

Transcript

November 10, 2021 | Chronological Bible Study with Patty Diliberto - Session 32: The Second Coming · Topeka Bible Church Audio Archive

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: I can't believe it's the last chrono for this year, but I'm so glad that you've joined me.
• 0:06
  SPEAKER_00: Let's pray.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Father God, we thank you that you are the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: And we have seen your faithfulness from the beginning, and we will see your faithfulness all the way to the end.
• 0:23
  SPEAKER_00: And so, God, just give us the ability to completely take in what you want us to take in today as we look at the end times and the second coming.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_00: Might you bless us, we pray.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_00: In the mighty name of Jesus.
• 0:39
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, I have a lot to say, so I'm going to be talking really fast.
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_00: So if you need to stop and start it again, then just feel free to do that.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_00: The Bible has over 800 signs regarding the events leading up to the second coming of Christ.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_00: Today we will look at 18 of the most prominent ones that I have decided are the most prominent ones.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: And there are still things that need to take place that need to happen and come together for the fulfillment of end-time prophecies.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: But with how quickly everything has been coming together in just the past year, it shows us clearly that things could finalize and come together just like that.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: As we get closer to the return of Christ, the pieces will begin to fit together and the picture of Bible prophecy will definitely become more complete, more in view.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: Things that could not have made sense in the past now do.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: That will become, that will be, that will continue to be true as we get closer and closer to the time of the end when these predicted events take place.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: I've used many sources for all of this that I'm talking about, and I have several of them on your sheet.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: Don Stewart is one of them.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_00: He has a wonderful website called Educating Our World, and he has downloadable books that you do not have to pay for on there.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_00: Great resource.
• 2:25
  SPEAKER_00: I've included his link on your handout.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_00: Daniel 12, 10 says that the wise will understand.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: Let me go back.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_00: The wise will understand.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: Who are the wise?
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: The wise are those who take the word of God literally, who and the subject of Bible prophecy seriously, and who study it deeply.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: Matthew 24, 4 through 8, Jesus answered, Watch out that no one deceives you, for many will come in my name, claiming I am the Messiah, and will deceive many.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_00: You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed.
• 3:07
  SPEAKER_00: Such things must happen.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: But the end is still to come.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_00: Nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
• 3:18
  SPEAKER_00: All these are the beginning of birth pangs.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_00: In this famous Mount of Olives discourse, Matthew 24, Jesus plainly speaks about the end times, and he lists a number of things that are just the beginning of birth pangs.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_00: This represents the birth pangs that a woman has when she is in labor.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_00: Toward the end of a woman's labor, those pains increase in intensity and frequency.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: And for anybody that's had a baby, they know how true that statement is.
• 3:53
  SPEAKER_00: It gets more and more intense and painful.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: This is true also for the signs of the end of the times.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: That's why Jesus likened it to this.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_00: Throughout history, we have seen the birth pangs, the signs become more and more frequent and intense.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_00: Now, here's something that is very important for us to understand to understand when studying the end times.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_00: All the scriptural signs that help us clarify the end times in end times is in relation to Israel.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_00: They are in relation to Israel.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: Don Stewart says, God has given us a timepiece, a clock for time and eternity, the nation of Israel.
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: Today we're going to look at just 18 of those signs that will help us determine whether or not we are in the end times.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: And so this is something that as we go along, you're going to be evaluating.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_00: Sign number one in the end times, Israel will be back in the land.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: Against all odds, Israel has survived since the time of Abraham.
• 5:06
  SPEAKER_00: It's amazing, honestly.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: There's so many times that they should have ceased to exist, but they survived.
• 5:14
  SPEAKER_00: The Jews came back to Israel in 1948, and they were acknowledged as a sovereign nation state May 14, 1948.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: This sign is fulfilled.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: This had to happen.
• 5:30
  SPEAKER_00: In the end times, Jerusalem will be united under Israel's rule, including East Jerusalem, where the Temple Mount is.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_00: And we'll see why in a minute.
• 5:48
  SPEAKER_00: Sign two.
• 6:00
  SPEAKER_00: And the world has always hated them and been against them.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: At some point in the future, they will be invaded, and that's the Ezekiel 38.39.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_00: A peace agreement will be made with them, between them and the Antichrist.
• 6:15
  SPEAKER_00: And finally, at the end of the tribulation, the Battle of Armageddon will take place as all the armies of the world gather at the Mount of Meghetto.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_00: Israel has always been in the news.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: Israel will always be in the news, right up to the very, very end.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_00: The third sign, Israel, will continually be searching for peace.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_00: The tribulation will come upon them when they believe that all is well and that they are living in peace and safety.
• 6:49
  SPEAKER_00: That's what Ezekiel 38 says, in a time when they are living in peace and safety.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_00: At that time, the seven-year peace treaty is going to be made with the world ruler who will, and that will start the prophetic clock, and it will end with the return of the true Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: They will always be searching for peace, they will not find peace.
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: Sign 4.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_00: Preparations will be made for the temple to be rebuilt.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: However, Don Stewart says, this temple is not blessed by God, because it will be built in unbelief.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: Unbelief of Jesus, unbelief of the completed Word of God.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: He says, the importance of this third temple, which will be built in unbelief, is this.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_00: Certain events will take place at that temple which will signal that the coming of the Lord is only three and one half years away.
• 7:48
  SPEAKER_00: This is why we have emphasized that Israel's Israel is God's clock, the nation being the hour hand, Jerusalem the minute hand, and the Temple Mount being the second hand.
• 8:04
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus said in Matthew 24, 15 through 21, 22, so when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place, let the reader understand.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_00: Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_00: For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no and never will be.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_00: And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_00: But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus speaks of that abomination that causes desolation as the sign that would signal to anybody who's paying attention that the period of the great tribulation, the last three and a half years, has started.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: Sign number five.
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: In the end times, eight nations will invade the land of Israel.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_00: And this is that Ezekiel 38, 39 war.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: Those passages tell us that these nations will invade Israel, which and which ones will not invade.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_00: What are the odds that someone writing 2500 plus years ago at listing the invaders as well as the non-invaders would correctly state who would be involved and who wouldn't?
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's unbelievable.
• 9:37
  SPEAKER_00: Only God could predict that.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: On your handout are the names of the nations that invade.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_00: And it's it's Russia, Central Asia, Turkey, Iran, Northern Sudan, Ethiopia, Libya, Turkey, and then probably possibly Iraq.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: God fights powerfully against those nations and he totally annihilates them, completely wipes them out.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_00: And that's when Israel begins to understand that God is working powerfully for them because he's protecting them.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: Remarkably, we have seen most of these nations come together in the last 15 to 20 years.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's amazing.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_00: We see the the all of the pieces of this fitting together and coming together, and they have to come together.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_00: I think this battle takes place right after the rapture, during the birth pangs time, right before the tribulation begins, before that that peace treaty is made.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: Of course, we don't know the exact timetable.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: This is just speculation on my part, but it makes so much sense.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_00: If that is the case and this battle is really part of the birth pangs, then that should tell us that everything is lining up perfectly for this event to happen.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: And it has only been an option for it happening since in the last 73 years, since Israel became a nation.
• 11:17
  SPEAKER_00: If this happens, if the rapture happens, the invasion happens, then of course Israel is going to be looking for someone to make a peace agreement.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_00: We'll get into that in a little bit too.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: Sign number six.
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_00: No superpower or nation will defend Israel when this invasion takes place.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: Ezekiel 38 and 39 reveals that there is that there is no concern on the part of the invaders that a great superpower will intervene on Israel's behalf.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: In other words, there is no superpower who can or who will come to help Israel.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: They are left on their own when this attack takes place.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: Up to this point in time, the United States has been a superpower that staunchly supported Israel.
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_00: And one of the reasons that we have had God's blessing on this nation is because we have staunchly supported Israel.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_00: Now we are seeing that if if things continue the way they are going, we could lose that superpower status.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: I never thought that I would live to see the day when this could happen, but this is extremely dangerous territory for the United States to be in.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_00: Extremely dangerous.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: This is important for us to understand.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_00: We need to realize that the only reason any country is mentioned in Scripture is because of their direct relationship with God's chosen people, with Israel.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: In other words, unless there is something they are doing, either good or bad, with reference to Israel, they are not mentioned in the Bible.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_00: Isn't that interesting?
• 13:14
  SPEAKER_00: The fact that the United States is not mentioned in Scripture at all in end-time events or at all, and doesn't come to the aid of Israel in this battle is interesting and also very, very disturbing.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_00: Several scenarios could explain why this happens.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_00: The first one, perhaps the United States will not because they are no longer pro-Israel.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_00: That's a very real possibility.
• 13:43
  SPEAKER_00: Perhaps the United States has experienced a nuclear attack or invasion or had major destruction in some way.
• 13:52
  SPEAKER_00: Also a possibility at this point.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: Perhaps the military are busy in other parts of the world and we won't have the military capability to intervene.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_00: Also could happen.
• 14:06
  SPEAKER_00: Or if this attack on Israel is after the rapture of the church, which I suspect it is, the United States may be decimated, completely decimated, because up perhaps up to 30 to 40% of the population will suddenly have disappeared.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: The United States support of Israel has been a deterrent from those other nations that would have attacked them already, out of hatred for them.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: But as our support dwindles, it leaves Israel vulnerable to the attack of the nations that hate them.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_00: The only response from any other nation regarding this attack comes from Sheba and Dadan, which are northern the northern Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirants.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_00: And all they do is protest it.
• 15:02
  SPEAKER_00: They don't actually invade or intervene militarily in any way.
• 15:08
  SPEAKER_00: All of that is bad news.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_00: The good news is that Israel does have someone who comes to their aid and intervenes on their behalf during this invasion, and it is God Himself.
• 15:21
  SPEAKER_00: Ezekiel 39, 1 through 4.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_00: As for you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, This is what the sovereign Lord says.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_00: Look, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshach and Tabal.
• 15:36
  SPEAKER_00: You will fall dead on the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the people who are with you.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_00: I give you as food to every kind of bird and every wild beast.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_00: You will fall dead in the open field, for I have spoken, declares the sovereign Lord.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_00: I will send fire on Magog and those who live securely in the coastlands.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_00: Then they will know that I am the Lord.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord completely destroys these armies.
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_00: So this is obviously a future fulfillment.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_00: The next sign, sign seven, there will be a one-world political and economic system in place.
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_00: I believe globalism will be the vehicle that will drive the United States and the world into the New World Order.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: Globalism is the agenda of the New World Order.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_00: I think we have all seen that pretty clearly.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_00: The definition of globalism is the attitude or policy of placing the interests of the entire world above those of individual nations.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_00: They want us to be globalists, not nationalists.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_00: The New World Order will most likely be a system of socialism where it's just the elite that rule everyone else.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: I personally believe that what we are seeing with the COVID mandates right now is a way of priming us and has been a way of priming us for this agenda.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: I know the virus is a real virus.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_00: I know that.
• 17:22
  SPEAKER_00: But the real issue is how it's being used to take us to the place that they want us, the globalists want us to be.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_00: Not just here in America, but around the world.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_00: They are not subject to meaningful oversight by any democratic institution or recognized arm of the government.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_00: Governments throughout the world have allowed an unprecedented network of shadow governments to grow and consolidate their power.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_00: While these activities are largely invisible to ordinary citizens, elected governments are aware of this shift in power.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_00: In other words, elected officials around the world know the ones who truly have the power, and that the real power resides with a separate secret group.
• 18:58
  SPEAKER_00: They either go along with the agenda or they are are they ousted.
• 19:03
  SPEAKER_00: Satan is working through these unelected officials, these NGOs, non-governmental organizations, to bring about his agenda.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_00: They think it's their agenda, but it is really Satan's agenda.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_00: He will use them, he will work through them until he doesn't need them anymore.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_00: All the things we are currently seeing and experiencing around the world are part of their agenda.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_00: How clearly we are seeing this right now.
• 19:38
  SPEAKER_00: They have people on the left and they have people on the right.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_00: They are a well-organized, well-funded movement that is working hard to accomplish their agenda behind the scenes.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_00: Satan will use these people.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_00: He will use the wars, the pestilence, the plagues, the natural disasters that Jesus said are coming to the world, and he will use them to his advantage every single time.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_00: This globalist push will be Satan's attempt through man to make his one final rebellion against Almighty God.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_00: Sign number eight.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_00: We know technology increases to include surveillance, all kinds of surveillance, digital scanning, facial recognition, AI, and the ability to instantly see and understand what's going on anywhere on the planet, especially in Israel.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_00: Revelation 13, 11 through 6.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_00: He also caused everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to obtain a mark on their right hand or on their forehead.
• 20:57
  SPEAKER_00: Thus no one was allowed to buy or sell things unless he bore the mark of the beast, that is, his name or his number.
• 21:04
  SPEAKER_00: This calls for wisdom.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_00: Let the one who has insight calculate the beast's number, for it is the it is man's number, and his number is 666.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_00: Fifty years ago it would have seemed impossible to have that kind of system that could do this because technology was just not there at that point.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_00: But it's here today.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 21:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's here and it can monitor buying and selling worldwide through a little chip put in our hand or our forehead.
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_00: The fact that we actually see this happening means this sign is fulfilled.
• 21:44
  SPEAKER_00: Sign nine.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_00: There will be an increase in plagues and pestilence.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_00: Man made plagues, bioterrorism, and chemical warfare will continue to ramp up.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_00: Bioterrorism basically consists of compounds created in a laboratory with the express purpose of using as a weapon to cause sickness, to cause disease, to cause death.
• 22:16
  SPEAKER_00: Think gain of function.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_00: These are created to kill, maim, and to terrorize the people.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: Matthew 24, 7, Jesus says, for nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines, pestilence, and earthquakes in various places.
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_00: All these are the beginning of sorrows.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_00: These plagues have, and they will cause fear, great fear for human beings.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_00: And unfortunately, this scourge will not go away until the Lord's return, until the second coming.
• 23:07
  SPEAKER_00: As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the end times.
• 23:12
  SPEAKER_00: Evil will be called good, and good will be called evil.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_00: That's what Scripture says.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_00: The laws of God and individual rights of people will be ignored.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_00: People will do whatever they want to do, and no one will stop them.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_00: But mark this, there will be terrible times in the last days.
• 23:34
  SPEAKER_00: People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying its power, have nothing to do with such people.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_00: It is only at the return of the Lord Jesus that we will finally experience peace.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_00: And until then, until that time, violence will increase.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_00: The confused world will become a really fearful world.
• 24:19
  SPEAKER_00: How could it not?
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_00: It'll be a world that's looking for peace and looking for answers, but they're going to be looking in all the wrong places for those things.
• 24:30
  SPEAKER_00: They're going to be hopeless.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_00: And unfortunately, they will accept a person who will give them false hope and false peace.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_00: Sign number 11.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_00: There will be a great falling away from the faith.
• 24:46
  SPEAKER_00: This is the great apostasy.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_00: The visible church is going to abandon their core central beliefs, and they will adopt other beliefs.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus asked this question in Luke 18, 8.
• 25:02
  SPEAKER_00: Will he find faith in the world when he returns?
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, the fact that he even asked the question speaks volumes, right?
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_00: Sadly, this is exactly what we are seeing today.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_00: Christianity is being rejected by many, and some are being led into other beliefs.
• 25:23
  SPEAKER_00: There's a term right now called ex-vangelicals, meaning they used to be evangelicals and now they're nothing.
• 25:31
  SPEAKER_00: They've gone away from those, from the faith.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_00: The New Age religion is attracting more and more people.
• 25:39
  SPEAKER_00: Anything that gives false hope or of peace or embraces unbridled tolerance needs to be avoided.
• 25:48
  SPEAKER_00: Definitely needs to be avoided.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_00: Matthew 24 10.
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_00: Let me go back.
• 25:56
  SPEAKER_00: Matthew 24 10.
• 25:58
  SPEAKER_00: At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other.
• 26:03
  SPEAKER_00: Hatred and violence and division is going to characterize the end times.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_00: But there is good news.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_00: Matthew 16, 18.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_00: On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell, Hades, will not overcome it.
• 26:19
  SPEAKER_00: Nothing, nothing can stop the Church of Jesus Christ.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_00: Nothing.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_00: Sign 12, the rise of false prophets, false teachers, and false Christs.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_00: False, false, false, false, false.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus warned that these false people would arise during this age and especially at the time of the end.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_00: Again, Matthew 24.
• 26:45
  SPEAKER_00: For many will come in my name claiming I am the Messiah and will deceive many, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus also said in Luke 21, 8, watch out that you are not misled.
• 26:59
  SPEAKER_00: For many will come in my name, saying, I am He, and the time is near.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_00: Do not follow them.
• 27:06
  SPEAKER_00: That's pretty strong mandate from Jesus.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_00: Do not follow them.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_00: Don't listen to them.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_00: While these false Christs and false prophets have always existed, today we see a huge increase in people falsely predicting what will take place in the future.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_00: Huge increase.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_00: They will be claiming false things about the return of Christ, and these false prophets will likely lead the people of God astray in relation to Jesus' return to the earth.
• 27:43
  SPEAKER_00: I know this is true because I've listened to some of them in the truth or community that are saying these very things.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_00: So if you are listening to anyone who says something that you know is going against Scripture, don't agree with them.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_00: Don't let your spirit agree with what they are saying.
• 28:07
  SPEAKER_00: I listen to some of those things, and after I listen to them, I have to say to the Lord, I reject that.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_00: It doesn't match up biblically with what I know your word says, and so I reject it.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_00: And I say that out loud if I hear something that I shouldn't have.
• 28:25
  SPEAKER_00: These false teachers confuse people.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_00: They hold the gospel up to ridicule, and they cause unbelievers to reject the idea that the Bible accurately predicts the future.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_00: And they do this which with such subtleness and conviction, they are very believable.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_00: That's why you have to know the word of God so that you can stand against that, so that you can recognize deception when you hear it.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't know the word, you're not going to know what deception is.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_00: If you don't know what truth is, you won't know what deception is.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_00: Sign 13.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_00: There will be a rise in antisemitism.
• 29:13
  SPEAKER_00: We see this in many, many ways in our culture and in our world today, with ever-increasing frequency, right?
• 29:23
  SPEAKER_00: Israel is despised by a great part of the world.
• 29:29
  SPEAKER_00: That, and that hatred is only going to get worse and worse at the end of time.
• 29:35
  SPEAKER_00: It'll get worse and worse.
• 29:37
  SPEAKER_00: At times it seems that everyone wants them wiped off the face of the earth.
• 29:44
  SPEAKER_00: They are hated because, because they are Jews, they are gods, still God's chosen people.
• 29:54
  SPEAKER_00: And it is Satan's agenda to destroy them.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_00: That's what he wants to do.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_00: Sign 14.
• 30:02
  SPEAKER_00: Christians will continue to be persecuted.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_00: Matthew 24, 9.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_00: Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_00: Many of us are afraid of persevit persecution, and that is understandable.
• 30:22
  SPEAKER_00: We're afraid that it is going to come to our shores, that it's going to come to us here in the United States.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_00: And it is a fearful thing.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_00: And it may come here.
• 30:35
  SPEAKER_00: If it does, if it does, our faithful God will be with us just and he will manifest himself in powerful ways just as he is doing to the people on the other side of the world who are right now being persecuted for their faith, who are losing their lives because of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_00: Our God will be faithful.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_00: If he calls us to this, he will bring us through this.
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_00: Don Stewart says history tells us that more Christians were martyred for their belief in Jesus Christ in the 20th century than in the previous 19 centuries combined.
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_00: This will only increase as we get closer to the end.
• 31:28
  SPEAKER_00: Our God is faithful, folks.
• 31:31
  SPEAKER_00: He will see us through this.
• 31:34
  SPEAKER_00: Sign number 15.
• 31:38
  SPEAKER_00: The wicked will scoff at the idea that Jesus Christ will return to the earth.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_00: They will absolutely scoff at it.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_00: They actually are right now doing that.
• 31:48
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus explained the reason why they will never come to a knowledge of the truth.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_00: John 3.19 says, he says, the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil.
• 32:04
  SPEAKER_00: In other words, because they have evil intent in their hearts, they're not really interested in the truth.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_00: You could give them the truth, but they're going to reject the truth because evil is in their hearts.
• 32:17
  SPEAKER_00: They don't want to change.
• 32:19
  SPEAKER_00: Jude said the same thing.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_00: But dear friends, remember that the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold.
• 32:26
  SPEAKER_00: They said to you, In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own godly desires.
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_00: These are the people who will who will divide us.
• 32:36
  SPEAKER_00: These are the people who do not have the Spirit of God in them.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_00: Daniel was told in Daniel 12 10, we've already seen this, but it says, Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the end of time.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_00: Many will be purified, made spotless, and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked.
• 33:01
  SPEAKER_00: None of the wicked will understand.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_00: What is God's agenda for us during this difficult time?
• 33:09
  SPEAKER_00: That we would be purified, that we would be made spotless, that we would be refined.
• 33:15
  SPEAKER_00: That's what persecution does.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_00: That's what difficult trials and things that we are going to be going through.
• 33:23
  SPEAKER_00: That's what it does.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_00: It purifies the pure of heart.
• 33:27
  SPEAKER_00: It refines us and it makes us spotless and ready for the Lord's return.
• 33:33
  SPEAKER_00: The wicked, they're just going to continue to get wicked, more and more and more wicked.
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_00: Sign 16.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_00: There will be a 10 nation confederation in Europe.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_00: This confederation will represent the revised Roman Empire.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_00: And this will be some sort of federation rather than a powerful single realm.
• 33:53
  SPEAKER_00: The ten nations that unite at this time will represent an economic powerhouse for sure.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_00: While Europe in the past has had various coalitions, as it does even today, it has never had a tin nation configuration, um confederation that stayed a tin nation one.
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_00: There for a while there was ten nations and then a bunch of others came in.
• 34:17
  SPEAKER_00: I think that was when the EU became together.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_00: But from these ten will come a powerful leader who will eventually rule the world, and he is that predicted Antichrist of Scripture.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_00: This confederation is described in Revelation chapter 17.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_00: The ten horns that you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but will receive ruling authority as kings with the beast for one hour.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_00: These kings have a single intent, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_00: They will make war with the lamb, but the lamb will conquer them because he is the Lord of lords and king of kings.
• 34:56
  SPEAKER_00: And those accompanying the lamb are called chosen and faithful, or the called chosen and faithful.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_00: From this passage, we learn that this future ten kings or kingdoms will rule with the beast, the Antichrist, for a very short amount of time.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_00: And then they will give all of their power to the beast, to the Antichrist.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_00: Eventually, the Lamb, the Lord Jesus, will conquer them, conquer him and this whole coalition.
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_00: Revelation chapter 19.
• 35:29
  SPEAKER_00: Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and all their armies assembled to do battle with the one who rode the horse with his army.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_00: Now the beast was seized along with and and along with him the false prophet who had performed the signs on his behalf.
• 35:46
  SPEAKER_00: Signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image.
• 35:53
  SPEAKER_00: Both of them were thrown alive into the lake of burning sulfur, the lake of fire burning with sulfur.
• 36:04
  SPEAKER_00: And the others were killed by the sword that extended from the mouth of the one who rode on the horse, from the mouth of the Lord Jesus.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_00: And all the birds gouged themselves with their flesh.
• 36:17
  SPEAKER_00: While different confederations of European nations have come together in the past, it's never numbered ten.
• 36:25
  SPEAKER_00: So we need to be watching Europe.
• 36:28
  SPEAKER_00: We need to pay attention to what is going on in Europe.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_00: And as soon as we see a 10 nation confederation coming together, we can be pretty confident that we are in the last times.
• 36:41
  SPEAKER_00: Sign 7: the world will desperately look for a world leader.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus said that the time of the end, we've already seen it, will include wars and rumors of wars, and they will continue until the end.
• 36:55
  SPEAKER_00: That's what's going to be taking place.
• 36:58
  SPEAKER_00: Matthew 24, 22 says, if those days had not been shortened, cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened.
• 37:10
  SPEAKER_00: That statement seems to indicate that the Lord has to intervene on the sake of humanity, for the sake, for their sake, before they destroy themselves.
• 37:20
  SPEAKER_00: It could be that he's referring to weapons of mass destruction that have already been made and are already here, and that if and that have the potential to be used in devastating ways.
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_00: The world will be in a very desperate place.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_00: And they will readily embrace someone who they are convinced will save the planet and save humanity.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_00: This leader who will guide them into what they they believe will be a time of peace and prosperity.
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_00: That's what he will be preaching.
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_00: A time of peace and prosperity.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_00: All of this chaos is happening, happening, happening.
• 38:06
  SPEAKER_00: He comes on the scene and says, I'll give you peace and I'll give you prosperity.
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_00: And when he comes on the scene, he's going to have seemingly have all the answers.
• 38:18
  SPEAKER_00: Revelation 13, 5.
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_00: And he was given a mouth to speak great things and blasphemies.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_00: Then the king will do as he pleases.
• 38:42
  SPEAKER_00: After that, after he convinces convinces them that he's the answer to all their problems, then he'll do what he pleases.
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_00: He will exalt and magnify himself above every deity, and he will utter presumptuous things against the God of gods.
• 39:02
  SPEAKER_00: He will succeed until the time of wrath is completed, for that was for what has been decreed must occur.
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_00: So once he arrives on the scene, the Bible says that this evil man will succeed, but only for a short period of time, three and a half years.
• 39:24
  SPEAKER_00: Well, seven years.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_00: Revelation chapter 13.
• 39:28
  SPEAKER_00: The beast was given power to wage war against God's holy people and to conquer them.
• 39:34
  SPEAKER_00: And it was given authority over every tribe, every people, language, and nation.
• 39:42
  SPEAKER_00: That is a lot of power over a lot of people.
• 39:47
  SPEAKER_00: All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast, all whose names have not been written in the Lamb's Book of Life, the Lamb who is slain from the creation of the world.
• 39:57
  SPEAKER_00: So first we are told that he will go to war against those who have trusted the Lord during this tribulation period.
• 40:05
  SPEAKER_00: Second, the ruling authority will then be given to him for everyone on earth.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_00: And third, the unbelievers in the world will worship the beast.
• 40:17
  SPEAKER_00: The genuine believers in Christ will not worship the beast or his image, and they will be persecuted, probably put to death.
• 40:28
  SPEAKER_00: The Bible believers will understand what is taking place.
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_00: Daniel chapter 12, 8 through 10.
• 40:37
  SPEAKER_00: Go, Daniel.
• 40:38
  SPEAKER_00: For these matters are closed and sealed until the time of the end.
• 40:41
  SPEAKER_00: Many will be purified, made clean, and refined, but the wicked will go on being wicked.
• 40:47
  SPEAKER_00: None of the wicked will understand, though the wise will understand.
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_00: The wise will understand.
• 40:57
  SPEAKER_00: Those who take the Bible seriously, as well as the predictions which it makes about the future, will understand.
• 41:06
  SPEAKER_00: We will.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_00: To the tr into the tribulation.
• 44:03
  SPEAKER_00: The post-tribulation rapture says that the rapture will occur at the end of the tribulation period, right before the second coming.
• 44:12
  SPEAKER_00: So, in other words, the saints will go up and then we will come back down with Jesus.
• 44:19
  SPEAKER_00: I firmly believe in the pre-tribulation rapture for many, many reasons.
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_00: I believe that it just scripturally makes the most sense.
• 44:29
  SPEAKER_00: But here's one of the reasons, here's another reason why, and I'm quoting from 101 Most Frequently Asked Questions on the End Times by Mark Hitchcock, a wonderful book, if you get a chance to read it.
• 44:42
  SPEAKER_00: None of the New Testament passages that deal with the tribulation, that seven-year time of distress right before the second coming, mentioned the presence of the church.
• 44:53
  SPEAKER_00: The primary section of the Bible that describes the tribulation period is Revelation chapters 4 through 19.
• 45:02
  SPEAKER_00: In these chapters, there is a curious silence about the church.
• 45:07
  SPEAKER_00: In Revelation chapter 1 through 3, the church is specifically mentioned 19 times.
• 45:13
  SPEAKER_00: The church is again mentioned in Revelation chapter 22, verse 16.
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_00: But between those two points, the Church of Jesus Christ is strangely absent from the biblical accounts and events of on earth during the tribulation, and all of the judgments that take place, the bowls of wrath that are being poured out on the earth, the activity of the Antichrist and the false prophet.
• 45:41
  SPEAKER_00: In all of that, the church is not mentioned.
• 45:46
  SPEAKER_00: Not once.
• 45:48
  SPEAKER_00: I've looked, it's not there.
• 45:51
  SPEAKER_00: We have to wonder why it's not mentioned.
• 45:55
  SPEAKER_00: The church has played such an incredibly significant role for 2,000 years.
• 46:01
  SPEAKER_00: And so the absence of it in the end-time events leaves many, myself included, to conclude that we are not here.
• 46:12
  SPEAKER_00: The church is not here when those things take place.
• 46:16
  SPEAKER_00: We will be in heaven.
• 46:18
  SPEAKER_00: We will have been snatched away to meet Jesus in the clouds.
• 46:22
  SPEAKER_00: And the Jewish people are the ones that then God is working through during the tribulation period, not the church.
• 46:31
  SPEAKER_00: That's scriptural evidence.
• 46:34
  SPEAKER_00: Why would we be cut out after we've been so integral in God's purpose on this earth?
• 46:42
  SPEAKER_00: So this is how the rapture of the church is described in 1 Thessalonians.
• 46:47
  SPEAKER_00: It's probably very familiar to you.
• 46:49
  SPEAKER_00: Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind who have no hope.
• 46:58
  SPEAKER_00: For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
• 47:06
  SPEAKER_00: According to the Lord's word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
• 47:20
  SPEAKER_00: For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
• 47:32
  SPEAKER_00: After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together, rapturo, with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will be with the Lord forever.
• 47:44
  SPEAKER_00: Therefore, encourage each other with these words.
• 47:47
  SPEAKER_00: When the rapture occurs, those countries with the highest population of believers in Jesus Christ will be devastated in every way.
• 47:56
  SPEAKER_00: Think about the chaos and the pandemic that this pandemic has caused.
• 48:03
  SPEAKER_00: And that this is nothing in comparison to the possibility of 33 to 43 percent of the population of the United States just to suddenly be gone, suddenly disappear.
• 48:17
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's one of the reasons that the United States is not mentioned in End Time Prophecy, because we will be decimated.
• 48:25
  SPEAKER_00: Now think with me for a minute here.
• 48:28
  SPEAKER_00: The rapture of the church has taken place, and possibly right on the heels of that, or simultaneously with that, those mostly Muslim nations come down and invade Israel.
• 48:45
  SPEAKER_00: And all of those nations who cut the people who come and invade are wiped out.
• 48:50
  SPEAKER_00: How much chaos is the world going to be in at that time?
• 48:58
  SPEAKER_00: Huge amount of chaos.
• 48:59
  SPEAKER_00: On your handout, I've put the the populations, the believing populations of all the nations on the earth.
• 49:07
  SPEAKER_00: You can look at it there.
• 49:09
  SPEAKER_00: Someone is going to have to take control, and Satan has been working really, really hard to be ready to insert his man for the job and to bring order, a new world order.
• 49:24
  SPEAKER_00: Globalism, the Antichrist.
• 49:28
  SPEAKER_00: We also know that when Antichrist takes center stage during the tribulation, the restrainer will be removed.
• 49:35
  SPEAKER_00: So that begs the question: who or what is the restrainer?
• 49:39
  SPEAKER_00: 2 Thessalonians, do not let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.
• 49:51
  SPEAKER_00: Don't you remember that when I was with you, I used to tell you these things?
• 49:55
  SPEAKER_00: And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed, revealed at the proper time.
• 50:01
  SPEAKER_00: For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work, but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.
• 50:13
  SPEAKER_00: And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.
• 50:23
  SPEAKER_00: Pretty clear, isn't it?
• 50:26
  SPEAKER_00: Someone or something is holding back Satan's agenda with the Antichrist.
• 50:34
  SPEAKER_00: Mark Hitchcock says, What is God's instrument for accomplishing his will on earth?
• 50:40
  SPEAKER_00: It's the church.
• 50:42
  SPEAKER_00: I believe the restrainer should be understood as God's Holy Spirit working in and through the church.
• 50:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's not just the Holy Spirit and it's not just the church.
• 50:53
  SPEAKER_00: It's both working together.
• 50:56
  SPEAKER_00: Donald Gray Barnhouse says, Well, what is keeping the Antichrist from putting in his appearance on the world stage?
• 51:02
  SPEAKER_00: You are.
• 51:04
  SPEAKER_00: You and every other member of the body of Christ on earth.
• 51:09
  SPEAKER_00: The presence of the church is the restraining force that refuses to allow the man of lawlessness to be revealed.
• 51:18
  SPEAKER_00: He goes on to say, when the church is removed at the rapture, the Holy Spirit goes with it, insofar as his restraining power is concerned.
• 51:29
  SPEAKER_00: His work in this age of grace will be ended.
• 51:34
  SPEAKER_00: During the Great Tribulation, the Holy Spirit will be here on earth, of course, for how can you get rid of God?
• 51:41
  SPEAKER_00: But he will not be indwelling believers as he does now.
• 51:46
  SPEAKER_00: Rather, he will revert to his Old Testament ministry of coming upon special people.
• 51:53
  SPEAKER_00: How interesting.
• 51:56
  SPEAKER_00: The rapture is called the Blessed Hope.
• 52:00
  SPEAKER_00: And how it's our hope, our firm hope, that we will be taken out of this mess, this chaos, this tribulation.
• 52:12
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 52:14
  SPEAKER_00: And we will.
• 52:16
  SPEAKER_00: And we will.
• 52:17
  SPEAKER_00: I believe we will.
• 52:18
  SPEAKER_00: And I believe that this verse confirms it.
• 52:21
  SPEAKER_00: 1 Thessalonians 1 10, for God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
• 52:33
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think God has appointed us to wrath.
• 52:39
  SPEAKER_00: We believers in the church age, I don't think we'll suffer that pure wrath of God that is going to be poured out in those seven years of tribulation before Christ's second coming.
• 52:59
  SPEAKER_00: If we were going to go through it, I think Jesus would have been very specific in telling us and warning us about it.
• 53:10
  SPEAKER_00: And this is important.
• 53:12
  SPEAKER_00: The fact that we are seeing the signs for the tribulation and the one world government and the one world currency and anarchy and a calming mark on the hand and instability, et cetera, et cetera, are signs that means that the tribulation is very close.
• 53:35
  SPEAKER_00: If the tribulation is close, the rapture is closer.
• 53:41
  SPEAKER_00: So what does that tell us about the church's role in the end times?
• 53:48
  SPEAKER_00: It tells us that we have the responsibility and the ability to make a difference.
• 53:56
  SPEAKER_00: The Holy Spirit working through individuals individuals and corporately has great power.
• 54:03
  SPEAKER_00: And for 2,000 years, we have seen that power change lives and cultures and change the world.
• 54:13
  SPEAKER_00: It still has great power.
• 54:16
  SPEAKER_00: How many people in the United States would be impacted by the rapture?
• 54:21
  SPEAKER_00: Well, here's the statistics taken from 2018.
• 54:25
  SPEAKER_00: Baylor University says 37%.
• 54:28
  SPEAKER_00: Gallup poll says 43%.
• 54:30
  SPEAKER_00: Pew Research says 37%.
• 54:32
  SPEAKER_00: So somewhere between 33 and 43% of the population of the United States will instantly be gone.
• 54:41
  SPEAKER_00: But I think it could be as high as 50%, especially if you consider that the children who have not reached the age of accountability will also be gone.
• 54:52
  SPEAKER_00: Millions of home mortgages would go unpaid.
• 54:56
  SPEAKER_00: The stock market will crash.
• 54:59
  SPEAKER_00: All markets will crash.
• 55:00
  SPEAKER_00: Millions of productive workers will suddenly be removed from the workforce force.
• 55:07
  SPEAKER_00: Everything will be in chaos.
• 55:09
  SPEAKER_00: Not to mention all the catastrophes that are going to happen when believers suddenly disappear.
• 55:16
  SPEAKER_00: Planes will fall from the skies.
• 55:18
  SPEAKER_00: Trains, everything will happen.
• 55:20
  SPEAKER_00: The US, the United States will be in utter chaos.
• 55:24
  SPEAKER_00: And in essence, we'll become like a third world nation.
• 55:28
  SPEAKER_00: America is probably not mentioned in the Bible in end time prophecy because we will not be a key player in the end times.
• 55:38
  SPEAKER_00: We will only be a part of the Antichrist's Western Confederation at best.
• 55:44
  SPEAKER_00: Ed Dobson says, the primary focus of end times prophecies is on the Middle East and Europe.
• 55:51
  SPEAKER_00: The rest of the world, including the United States, will be involved, but the spotlight is over there, not on the New World.
• 56:01
  SPEAKER_00: Another truth that we need to acknowledge is that the rapture is imminent.
• 56:06
  SPEAKER_00: I've already said this, but it is eminent.
• 56:10
  SPEAKER_00: It's always presented in the New Testament as an any moment event that could occur.
• 56:16
  SPEAKER_00: Only the pre-tribulation rapture view allows for an imminent any moment return.
• 56:23
  SPEAKER_00: The Bible tells us that only the church age believers who have trusted in Christ as their Savior between the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came down and the day of the rapture, when the Holy Spirit and the church is taken up, will be part of the rapture.
• 56:44
  SPEAKER_00: It will only be us.
• 56:46
  SPEAKER_00: This is one of the reasons it's also called the rapture of the church.
• 56:51
  SPEAKER_00: All believers who are alive when the angel calls, when the trumpet sounds, will be caught up, raptured, immediately transformed, and transported to heaven.
• 57:04
  SPEAKER_00: That's what will happen.
• 57:05
  SPEAKER_00: And it will all happen in a twinkling of an eye.
• 57:09
  SPEAKER_00: All the living believers are from the church age, and they are caught up immediately after the dead in Christ.
• 57:19
  SPEAKER_00: Notice it's the dead in Christ, not Old Testament believers.
• 57:25
  SPEAKER_00: So what happens to the Old Testament believers?
• 57:28
  SPEAKER_00: When will they be resurrected and receive their glorified heavenly bodies?
• 57:33
  SPEAKER_00: Mark Hitchcock says, they will be resurrected at the end of the tribulation period.
• 57:40
  SPEAKER_00: The dead will rise, but only after the time of great distress and tribulation.
• 57:46
  SPEAKER_00: That's what Daniel and Isaiah explain.
• 57:50
  SPEAKER_00: It reminds me of the parable that Jesus told in Matthew 20, where he said, So the last will be first, and the first will be last.
• 57:58
  SPEAKER_00: He wasn't speaking specifically of this, but it makes a whole lot of sense.
• 58:04
  SPEAKER_00: Those of us who are believers in Christ are last eschatologically, we are last, but we will go up first.
• 58:13
  SPEAKER_00: And then those who were first, the Old Testament saints, will go last.
• 58:18
  SPEAKER_00: Just interesting.
• 58:19
  SPEAKER_00: The rapture comes without any signs or warnings.
• 58:23
  SPEAKER_00: He will come like a thief in the night.
• 58:25
  SPEAKER_00: It is true that there are many signs listed in Scripture, mostly in the books of Daniel, Matthew, and Revelation.
• 58:33
  SPEAKER_00: But all of these signs, like we've seen today already, relate to the second coming of Christ, not to the rapture.
• 58:42
  SPEAKER_00: Again, Hitchcock says, as we see the prophetic signs in Scripture lining up, we must remember that these are the signs not for the imminent rapture, but of the approaching tribulation and second coming of Christ to establish his kingdom.
• 59:00
  SPEAKER_00: However, the fact that we already see the signs of these events obviously indicates that the rapture is probably not far away.
• 59:11
  SPEAKER_00: Then we will see the tribulation begin.
• 59:13
  SPEAKER_00: John Wolver says the second coming of Christ is preceded by a number of world-shaking events that must occur before Christ can return.
• 59:23
  SPEAKER_00: This is in contrast to the rapture of the church, which is which is always presented in Scripture as an imminent event.
• 59:30
  SPEAKER_00: The second coming, however, is a climax of what God is doing with the whole entire world to prepare it for Christ's millennial kingdom, the thousand-year reign of Christ.
• 59:44
  SPEAKER_00: Many detailed prophecies relate to this period, and understanding this helps us analyze current world affairs as shaping up in preparation for these events.
• 59:55
  SPEAKER_00: In Daniel's dream, in of the four beasts in Daniel chapter 7, the four beasts represent four great empires.
• 1:00:07
  SPEAKER_00: The first was Babylon, the second was the Medo-Persians, the third was Greece, and the fourth is Rome.
• 1:00:14
  SPEAKER_00: These visions depict the fifth and final world power of Rome will be united because it makes up the countries that made up the Roman Empire.
• 1:00:27
  SPEAKER_00: So let me remind you of what happened with Rome.
• 1:00:32
  SPEAKER_00: Rome was at the at the time of Jesus, Rome was never destroyed.
• 1:00:38
  SPEAKER_00: It was never defeated.
• 1:00:40
  SPEAKER_00: It just kind of fell apart.
• 1:00:41
  SPEAKER_00: And the Roman kingdom was divided between three generals.
• 1:00:46
  SPEAKER_00: The most famous of them were the Seleucid dynasty and the Ptolemaic dynasty.
• 1:00:53
  SPEAKER_00: The Bible predicts that in the last days the old Roman Empire will be reunited in the form of a ten kingdom confederation led by the Antichrist.
• 1:01:06
  SPEAKER_00: And this will be the fifth and final world empire or union.
• 1:01:12
  SPEAKER_00: So that's how it comes together for the tribulation.
• 1:01:17
  SPEAKER_00: There are three periods between the rapture and the second coming of Christ.
• 1:01:21
  SPEAKER_00: I believe, like many scholars do, that this really does reveal these three time periods.
• 1:01:29
  SPEAKER_00: The first is the period of preparation called the birth pangs.
• 1:01:34
  SPEAKER_00: We've already talked about this.
• 1:01:35
  SPEAKER_00: But we are in the birth pangs time right now.
• 1:01:39
  SPEAKER_00: It starts before the rapture, it continues just a little bit after the rapture until that seven-year agreement starts.
• 1:01:47
  SPEAKER_00: And when that treaty is signed, that begins the second section, which is also called the 70th week of Daniel.
• 1:01:56
  SPEAKER_00: And it's the first half of the tribulation.
• 1:01:59
  SPEAKER_00: Three and a half years in, the world ruler, the Antichrist, is not satisfied with power.
• 1:02:05
  SPEAKER_00: He wants to be worshipped as God.
• 1:02:07
  SPEAKER_00: So he sets up the abomination in the middle of that.
• 1:02:11
  SPEAKER_00: And then that last section, that last time period, is the three and a half years of the great tribulation that leads right into the second coming of Christ.
• 1:02:25
  SPEAKER_00: Hallelujah! The second coming is obviously not the same as the rapture, although they are often confused.
• 1:02:33
  SPEAKER_00: The second coming is when Jesus comes back with his saints, you and me.
• 1:02:43
  SPEAKER_00: There's some interesting statistics on your handout about the second coming and just how prevalent it is in Scripture.
• 1:02:50
  SPEAKER_00: I wish we had time to go over it.
• 1:02:52
  SPEAKER_00: We don't, but you can read it.
• 1:02:54
  SPEAKER_00: How will Jesus return to earth?
• 1:02:56
  SPEAKER_00: He will come personally.
• 1:03:06
  SPEAKER_00: And he will come literally in the flesh again the second time.
• 1:03:11
  SPEAKER_00: He will come visibly.
• 1:03:14
  SPEAKER_00: Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him.
• 1:03:24
  SPEAKER_00: So shall it be.
• 1:03:26
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 1:03:28
  SPEAKER_00: He will come suddenly.
• 1:03:30
  SPEAKER_00: As for as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man.
• 1:03:38
  SPEAKER_00: He will come gloriously.
• 1:03:40
  SPEAKER_00: At that time, the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn.
• 1:03:47
  SPEAKER_00: They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.
• 1:03:56
  SPEAKER_00: He will come triumphantly.
• 1:03:58
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus will return as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, riding on a white stallion.
• 1:04:06
  SPEAKER_00: What will Christ do when he comes back?
• 1:04:09
  SPEAKER_00: He will immediately defeat the Antichrist and his armies.
• 1:04:14
  SPEAKER_00: He will regather and restore Israel.
• 1:04:18
  SPEAKER_00: Christ will judge the living.
• 1:04:21
  SPEAKER_00: All the Gentiles alive on the earth who survived the tribulation will appear before him to determine if they can enter his kingdom.
• 1:04:30
  SPEAKER_00: And Christ will raise, resurrect the dead.
• 1:04:35
  SPEAKER_00: The Old Testament believers and the tribulation believers who have died will be raised and will be rewarded and will reign with Jesus.
• 1:04:46
  SPEAKER_00: Christ will bind the devil.
• 1:04:50
  SPEAKER_00: Revelation 20.
• 1:04:51
  SPEAKER_00: And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the keys to the abyss and holding in his hand a great chain.
• 1:04:58
  SPEAKER_00: He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.
• 1:05:06
  SPEAKER_00: He threw him into the abyss and locked and sealed it over him, and to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended.
• 1:05:15
  SPEAKER_00: After that he must be set free for a short time.
• 1:05:19
  SPEAKER_00: And Christ will establish himself as king.
• 1:05:24
  SPEAKER_00: On his robe and on his thigh, he has this name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
• 1:05:31
  SPEAKER_00: What happens after the second coming of Christ?
• 1:05:34
  SPEAKER_00: He sets up his kingdom in the Holy City where he reigns for 1,000 years.
• 1:05:41
  SPEAKER_00: The church, the Old Testament believers, and the tribulation believers reign with him and they help rule the nations with Christ.
• 1:05:58
  SPEAKER_00: So, what should we do now?
• 1:06:00
  SPEAKER_00: What do we do with this time left to us?
• 1:06:04
  SPEAKER_00: If we truly are at the end, and I believe we are, what are we to do?
• 1:06:09
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus tells us.
• 1:06:10
  SPEAKER_00: He tells us what to do.
• 1:06:12
  SPEAKER_00: And it's in Matthew again, 24.
• 1:06:15
  SPEAKER_00: He says, Watch out that no one deceives you.
• 1:06:18
  SPEAKER_00: Be careful that nobody deceives you.
• 1:06:20
  SPEAKER_00: For many will come in my name claiming I am the Messiah and will deceive many.
• 1:06:25
  SPEAKER_00: You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed.
• 1:06:32
  SPEAKER_00: Informed?
• 1:06:33
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 1:06:34
  SPEAKER_00: Alarmed?
• 1:06:35
  SPEAKER_00: No.
• 1:06:37
  SPEAKER_00: Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
• 1:06:40
  SPEAKER_00: Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.
• 1:06:45
  SPEAKER_00: But the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
• 1:06:50
  SPEAKER_00: And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached to the whole world as a testimony to all nations.
• 1:06:58
  SPEAKER_00: And then the end will come.
• 1:07:01
  SPEAKER_00: Things could and will get worse, but Jesus tells us what to do.
• 1:07:08
  SPEAKER_00: Watch.
• 1:07:09
  SPEAKER_00: Watch.
• 1:07:10
  SPEAKER_00: Be consistent in prayer.
• 1:07:13
  SPEAKER_00: Watch for what God might want you to do and to see.
• 1:07:18
  SPEAKER_00: Watch for what God is doing.
• 1:07:20
  SPEAKER_00: He's doing miraculous things right now.
• 1:07:24
  SPEAKER_00: And we are absolutely privileged to be alive right now.
• 1:07:29
  SPEAKER_00: Do you realize that?
• 1:07:31
  SPEAKER_00: The rapture is close.
• 1:07:33
  SPEAKER_00: God has destined you to experience this.
• 1:07:38
  SPEAKER_00: Believers through the church age have wanted to be where we are right now, to have a front row seat of all of this happening.
• 1:07:49
  SPEAKER_00: Rather than being defeated about our times, praise God for them.
• 1:07:55
  SPEAKER_00: We very well could be and probably are the last generation in the church age.
• 1:08:04
  SPEAKER_00: Hallelujah.
• 1:08:07
  SPEAKER_00: What a privilege.
• 1:08:10
  SPEAKER_00: So don't be alarmed.
• 1:08:12
  SPEAKER_00: Don't be alarmed.
• 1:08:13
  SPEAKER_00: Be informed.
• 1:08:15
  SPEAKER_00: The enemy wants you to be alarmed.
• 1:08:17
  SPEAKER_00: He wants you to be scared to death.
• 1:08:20
  SPEAKER_00: He wants you to be terrified.
• 1:08:22
  SPEAKER_00: Don't be alarmed.
• 1:08:24
  SPEAKER_00: Allow the peace of Christ and the knowledge that He is the sovereign of the universe and that He is sovereign over the affairs of the world here in the end times.
• 1:08:37
  SPEAKER_00: Let that work deeply into your heart, your mind, and your soul.
• 1:08:42
  SPEAKER_00: Go to God for what you need and stay on your knees until you find it and get it from Him.
• 1:08:48
  SPEAKER_00: And then stand firm.
• 1:08:50
  SPEAKER_00: God has armed us with Scripture, which informs us so that we can know what to expect, so that we're not blindsided, so that we can take a stand and not give in to the tactics of the enemy.
• 1:09:04
  SPEAKER_00: Jonathan Kahn in his book Paradigm says this incredible quote In the days when a nation becomes radically immoral, the moral will appear to be radical.
• 1:09:18
  SPEAKER_00: When evil goes from bad to worse, the righteous must go from good to great.
• 1:09:24
  SPEAKER_00: We're gonna appear radical, but that's okay.
• 1:09:30
  SPEAKER_00: And the most important thing that Jesus tells us to do is to preach the gospel.
• 1:09:36
  SPEAKER_00: We have to be preaching the gospel to whoever will listen to us.
• 1:09:41
  SPEAKER_00: Warn people that they need Jesus because the time of judgment is coming.
• 1:09:48
  SPEAKER_00: Warn them just like Noah did to his nation, to his generation.
• 1:09:52
  SPEAKER_00: Those are our marching orders from Jesus Christ.
• 1:09:57
  SPEAKER_00: That's what he wants us to do.
• 1:09:59
  SPEAKER_00: Don't be alarmed, stand firm, preach the gospel.
• 1:10:04
  SPEAKER_00: We are at the end of our chronological study.
• 1:10:08
  SPEAKER_00: And this is always such a bitter, sweet time for me.
• 1:10:12
  SPEAKER_00: It's been one of the greatest honors of my life to lead you through God's glorious word.
• 1:10:21
  SPEAKER_00: Be strong.
• 1:10:23
  SPEAKER_00: Be strong in the power of the Lord.
• 1:10:28
  SPEAKER_00: Continue to read his word.
• 1:10:30
  SPEAKER_00: Continue to grow in your faith and in your knowledge of him.
• 1:10:36
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you for joining me on this great adventure.
• 1:10:41
  SPEAKER_00: God bless you all.
• 1:10:42
  SPEAKER_00: Let's pray.
• 1:10:47
  SPEAKER_00: Now, unto the King, eternal, immortal, invisible, the only high God.
• 1:11:00
  SPEAKER_00: Be honor and glory forever and ever.
• 1:11:05
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.