Participants: Mark Fox
Series Code: AMP
Program Code: AMP000014A
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00:04 We are racing towards the global crisis at the close.
00:09 God is going to set up His kingdom on earth. 00:13 Preparation for the tribulation and the translation 00:17 is to develop a character like Jesus Christ. 00:21 To reach every hamlet, every village, every man, 00:24 every child, every person in India, 00:27 every person in South America 00:28 must hear these three angels' messages. 00:34 These are stories that illustrate 00:36 the kind of fabric of character and perseverance 00:39 that we need to go through the tribulation 00:42 just as certainly as they did. 00:44 The Bible makes it very clear 00:45 we are living in an unusual hour, 00:47 the last grains of sand 00:49 are trickling through the hourglass of time 00:52 and the door of probation is about to swing shut. 01:00 The Millennium. The first second of eternity. 01:06 What is the future of planet earth? 01:11 What is the future of our cities? 01:13 Read this together with me, Amos 3:7. 01:18 "Surely the Lord God does nothing, 01:20 unless He reveals His secrets to His servants the prophets." 01:26 Amos 3:7. 01:29 We know that God revealed the utter destruction 01:34 by a deluge, by a flood to Noah. 01:38 Noah, that lone prophet 01:41 and preacher was building an ark. 01:44 And would you agree when he made altar calls, 01:47 it was punctuated by hammer blows 01:49 and falling timber behind him. 01:51 And there was an open door get into the ark 01:54 and more animals responded in his crusade. 02:00 And Jesus said it'd be just like that 02:01 in the last days. 02:04 The Bible makes it very clear 02:05 that our world is about to be destroyed 02:08 but not by flood 02:09 but by the fiery return of Jesus Christ. 02:13 And so the whole world was destroyed. 02:16 That shows the severity, the magnitude, the enormity 02:21 and the impact of sin 02:23 and the consequences of cherishing sin. 02:27 But let's just look at a litany, 02:30 a little catalogue, a little flyover 02:33 of 15 signs of the times 02:36 and let's see if they once again reaffirm 02:39 and underscore that we are on the edge of eternity, 02:43 that Christ is coming soon. 02:45 We don't know the hour, 02:46 we don't know the day, Matthew 24:36, 02:49 but let's just consider them for a moment. 02:52 Sign number one, failing marriages. 02:55 Marrying and giving in marriage. 02:57 The Bible says in the last days 03:00 mankind would be characterized by being truce breakers. 03:05 And so I'm here to tell you, 03:06 number one, parenthetically God forgives. 03:09 So please, wherever you've been, God forgives. 03:14 God is a God of tomorrows, can you say? 03:17 Not just of the past, 03:20 of the present but also the future. 03:21 So I would say this though, that it's an alarming trend. 03:25 It's an alarming trend, failing marriages 03:28 and the fallout that comes from that. 03:30 Sign number two, 03:32 eating and drinking and carousing around and here-- 03:36 I'm here to tell you that we are trashing our bodies 03:39 like never before. 03:41 I believe this is a sign of the time. 03:43 Sign number three, preoccupied with life and pleasures, 03:47 2 Timothy 3:1-5 contains 19 prevailing sins 03:53 that would characterize earth's final generation. 03:57 One of the characteristics is that people would be, 04:00 men would be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. 04:05 That characterizes our decadent generation. 04:08 Is that true? Yes or no? 04:10 Gambling, we are gambling more than ever. 04:13 It's more acceptable than ever before. 04:15 We are obsessed with movie and entertainment. 04:19 Would you agree we are entertained to death? 04:22 And so sign number four, scoffers. 04:25 People finding it laughable of the idea 04:28 that Jesus is going to come 04:31 but the rain did start to fall in the days of Noah. 04:35 And so sign number five, 04:38 "As Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them 04:42 giving themselves over to" what? 04:44 "Sexual immorality," Jude verse 7. 04:48 Would you agree, today sex sells. 04:52 Would you agree, today wherever you look 04:55 you got to be careful where you look. 04:58 And I'm here to tell you, I want to say 04:59 a little something to the men. 05:01 Be on guard, be vigilant, because your adversary 05:06 the devil is roaring around like a, 05:08 like a, going around like a lurking, prowling, 05:12 predatorial, stalking, 05:15 roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, 05:18 1 Peter 5:8. 05:20 "And whoever looks at a woman to lust after her 05:22 has committed adultery 05:24 already in their heart" Matthew Chapter 5. 05:27 So, men, if your eye offends you, gouge it out. 05:32 That's what Jesus said in Matthew Chapter 5. 05:34 I say this, beloved, whether man or women, 05:38 you got to be careful when you get on the internet, 05:41 you got to be careful what movies and would you agree 05:43 you even have to be careful in the Wal-Mart checkout. 05:49 And so it's sin city Las Vegas? No, no, no. 05:54 It's sin city all over the place. 05:57 And they, "When they say, 'Peace and safety,' 06:00 then sudden destruction comes upon them" 06:02 1 Thessalonians 5:3. 06:05 Absent fathers. Guess who is in prison? 06:09 Good percentage of those that are in prison, 06:12 dad wasn't there. 06:14 Guess who the homeless are? Majority, dad wasn't there. 06:19 And the statistics are incredible. 06:22 No wonder part of the Elijah message 06:24 is to turn the hearts of the fathers 06:26 to their children 06:28 and the children to the fathers lest I come 06:30 and strike the earth with a curse. 06:32 There was a curse from the fallout of dad. 06:34 I say this to any dad here tonight. 06:37 Make sure you go home and you call your children. 06:39 Can you say amen? Sign number-- 06:42 Well, what is happening in our world now? 06:44 Stupendous changes. 06:47 That's why I plan to write a book 06:48 called "Sudden Change." 06:49 Would you agree? 06:51 Change characterizes our generation. 06:54 Sign number seven, war and terrorism. 06:57 "There will be wars and rumors of wars." 06:59 Matthew 24:6. 07:01 The 20th century was the bloodiest of all. 07:04 Millions and millions and millions of people perished 07:07 just in the 20th century alone. 07:09 What will happen here in the 21st century 07:11 if Jesus doesn't come really soon? 07:14 "Jesus will come soon 07:17 and will destroy those who destroy the earth" 07:19 Revelation 11:19. 07:21 And man now has the unprecedented capacity 07:26 to reduce this planet to a spinning globe of ash 07:29 because of a nuclear holocaust. 07:32 But I'm so glad the Bible teaches 07:34 the world is not gonna end that way. 07:36 And so that's Revelation 11:19. 07:38 So there's also a growing threat 07:40 of radical Islamic fundamentalism 07:43 that is an ideology, an extreme religious views 07:47 that you need to be heads up about. 07:50 Will there be a nuclear war in the near future? 07:54 It's been said that man never makes weapons 07:57 that they don't use or something like that. 08:00 Maybe that's the Mark Fox version. 08:01 But at any rate, sign number eight, 08:04 natural disasters wild beyond belief. 08:08 And sign number nine, environmental degradation. 08:12 Sign number 10, pestilences like cancer, like AIDS, 08:18 the Ebola virus 08:20 and a host of other horrible death-inducing diseases. 08:26 Sign number 11, growing influence 08:28 of the Vatican in America. 08:30 Stay tuned, there is more about that tomorrow night. 08:34 Sign number 12, the growing ability 08:37 of the government in particular, 08:39 though not exclusively, to control buying and selling. 08:44 Sign number 13, a growing disparity 08:48 between the haves and the have-nots. 08:50 Between the wealthy, 08:52 nothing wrong with being wealthy. 08:53 It's just that nowadays those that are on the top, 08:56 I understand that Buffet-- 08:58 Buffett, Buffett, just the wealthiest person 09:02 on planet earth made in one day 09:05 over $500 million in one day. 09:10 How many agree, there ought to be enough 09:11 for some of us here tonight. 09:13 Don't hold your breath, but at any rate, 09:15 the Bible says in James Chapter 5, 09:18 that there would be a growing economic disparity 09:21 in the last days. 09:22 Sign number 14, the government's ability 09:24 toward high tech surveillance. 09:28 Brush your teeth, you are on Candid Camera. 09:31 Sing number 15, 09:32 that Christian church is sleeping 09:35 amidst all of the alarming signs of the times. 09:39 In other words, what the church is doing today 09:41 the alarm clocks are going off 09:43 and the church is throwing them out the window 09:45 because they don't want to hear it. 09:50 As I was growing up, going to Grandma Fox's house 09:54 from our home in Pennsylvania to her home 09:57 in upstate New York Poughkeepsie, 10:00 was always exciting for my brothers and I. 10:03 I'm one of four boys, I'm number two 10:05 and there is Grandma, Grandma Fox 10:07 and what's not to love? 10:10 And she was born January 1, 1900. 10:14 So I was always able to track exactly how old she was. 10:18 And so then you will see me here up on the screen-- 10:22 oh, yeah, that's not really in good focus 10:24 but I'm there one of these guys. 10:26 I think I'm this guy right here. 10:27 All right, anyway, 10:28 and we eagerly looked forward to her warm hugs, 10:32 yummy homemade cookies and toys to play with. 10:35 And during the long trip 10:38 in the car we would talk, sing, laugh, sleep 10:41 and of course, blurt out the question once in a while, 10:44 "Are we almost there yet?" 10:46 How many are parents and have heard that 10:47 echoing in the back seat? 10:49 My mom and dad would say, 10:52 "When we get to the bridge, we will almost be there!" 10:58 What bridge? The Hudson Bridge. 11:00 Anticipation bubbled over the Fox Family 11:03 as we neared our destination! 11:06 A huge suspension bridge, 3,000 feet long, 11:10 it was thrilling for us as we crossed the Hudson River 11:13 because we knew something, we were almost there. 11:18 This was the sign, this was the sign 11:21 that we were only minutes away from Grandma's house. 11:25 I remember that the bridge was lighted up at night. 11:29 It really made a powerful impression on my mind 11:32 as my parents would tell us the good news, 11:33 "We are almost at Grandma's house." 11:37 How many agree? 11:38 You watch the evening news, you read the newspaper, 11:41 you get the news on the internet, 11:44 you hear what's going on. 11:45 How many agree, things are lit up, 11:47 we are on the bridge. 11:48 Would you agree, the signs of the times are there. 11:51 The final signs of the times 11:53 that Christ is even at the door. 11:56 I believe that we cannot plan our future 11:59 in an ordinary way. 12:00 I believe we need to calculate things 12:02 in such a way that we really believe 12:05 "The night cometh, when no man can work." 12:07 John 9:4. 12:09 I say this, beloved, 12:10 ready or not, Jesus is coming 12:14 and He will come in a time that most people are not expecting 12:18 but those who are waiting for Him will look up 12:20 and say, "Lo, this is our God, we have waited for Him, 12:25 and He will save us" Isaiah 25:9. 12:29 I believe with all my heart and I emphasized this last night 12:32 at the outset of the presentation. 12:34 Jesus died that we might be able to live with Him forever. 12:40 Amen. 12:41 When you think of the cross, 12:43 I'm here to tell you the vertical points up. 12:44 Can you say amen? 12:46 And Jesus reaches out His arms to say, 12:48 "Come on, let's go up to heaven to be together." 12:51 And so the millennium, the first second of eternity, 12:54 have we concluded 12:56 based on two weeks together in Bible prophecy? 13:00 Can we categorically assert we are living biblically based, 13:05 we are living 13:06 in the last moments of earth's history? 13:09 Can we agree with that, yes or no? 13:12 Well, what's going to happen? 13:14 What's gonna happen when Jesus comes? 13:16 The millennium. 13:18 The millennium comes from two Latin words, 13:20 Mille and Annium which means 1,000 years. 13:24 The word millennium is not in the Bible 13:26 but thousand years is. 13:28 And tonight we are gonna look at 13:30 the longest prison sentence ever, 13:32 the longest blackout ever 13:34 and judgment being given to the saints. 13:36 But first let's read it all in the Book of Revelation. 13:39 Go with me to what book of the Bible? 13:42 Revelation 20. 13:44 I love the Book of Revelation tonight. 13:46 John banished on the Isle of Patmos 13:49 was given these panorama sweeping videos or visions 13:54 and he wrote it down so that we can look at it 13:57 and peer into the window of Bible prophecy 14:00 and see what's coming in the horizon. 14:02 Revelation 20:1, 14:04 "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, 14:07 having the key to the" what pit? 14:10 It was a "Bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 14:13 He laid hold of the great dragon, 14:15 the dragon that serpent of old, and the devil and Satan, 14:17 and bound him" for how many years? 14:19 Wow, that's a long prison sentence. 14:21 "Bound him for a thousand years 14:23 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, 14:24 and shut him up." 14:26 How many want to underline that one, shut him up? 14:29 "And set a seal on him," amen? 14:32 "Set a seal on him 14:34 so that he should deceive the nations no more," 14:37 watch this, 14:39 "till the thousand years were finished." 14:42 So he will not be able to tempt anyone for a thousand years 14:46 but then after the thousand years 14:48 he is back to his old bag of tricks. 14:50 And so "But after these things 14:52 he must be released for a little while. 14:55 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, 14:57 and judgment was committed to them. 15:00 Then I saw the souls 15:01 or people of those who had been beheaded 15:03 for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, 15:06 who had not worshiped the beast or his image, 15:08 and had not received the mark on his foreheads." 15:11 In other words, they are the ones who made it. 15:13 So that's why we have a couple of presentations 15:15 that are gonna come up exposing who the antichrist is 15:18 and how to avoid the mark of the antichrist. 15:22 Because the Bible says only those, 15:24 who is gonna reign with Christ? 15:25 Those who did not give in to the mark of the beast. 15:29 Now of course, there will many others 15:30 that are gonna be joining us, perhaps millions others 15:34 that never dealt with it 15:35 but those who fail the test of the mark of beast 15:38 will not be reigning with Christ. 15:40 I want you to notice here, "Had not received his mark 15:43 on their foreheads or on their hands. 15:45 And they lived and reigned with Christ 15:47 for a thousand years." 15:49 "But the rest of the dead," those are the unsaved, 15:53 "did not live again 15:54 until the thousand years were finished. 15:57 This is the first resurrection. 15:59 Blessed and holy is he who has part 16:01 in the first resurrection." 16:02 That's the pleasant awakening. 16:04 The other one is the rude awakening. 16:06 Two distinct resurrections. 16:09 "Over such the second death has no power, 16:12 but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, 16:15 and shall reign" or rule 16:17 "with him for a thousand years." 16:21 Powerful prophecy. So here's the little chart. 16:26 You have the millennium and it's bookended 16:31 by a first resurrection and the second resurrection. 16:36 "The rest of the dead did not live again 16:39 until the thousand years were finished." 16:41 Take your Bible and turn with me 16:43 to John Chapter 5, John Chapter 5. 16:48 Did Jesus speak about these two resurrections? 16:52 He did. Verse 28. 16:55 "Do not marvel at this, for the hour is coming 16:57 in which all who are" where are the dead? 17:00 "In the graves will hear His voice 17:04 and come forth - those who have done good, 17:07 unto the resurrection of life." 17:09 So the righteous dead are in the graves 17:11 and they are gonna come forth in the resurrection of life. 17:15 What about the unsaved? 17:16 "And those who have done evil, 17:18 to the resurrection of condemnation." 17:20 So the Bible makes it very clear 17:22 that when Jesus comes, 17:24 there is the stupendous, glorious, 17:26 celebratory resurrection of the righteous dead 17:30 and then thousand years later 17:33 there is the second resurrection. 17:36 That's not a pleasant awakening, 17:37 that's a what? 17:38 That's a rude awakening. 17:40 That's when the wicked are resurrected 17:42 and face the great white throne judgment. 17:46 And so, you say, "But, Mark, wait a minute. 17:49 I thought the righteous 17:51 when they die they go immediately 17:52 to be with the Lord and the unrighteous 17:54 when they die they go immediately to hell." 17:57 Well, the Bible makes it clear 17:58 that ultimately the dead in Christ 18:01 are gonna rise and go to be with the Lord. 18:03 That will happen. 18:05 But it doesn't happen when you die. 18:07 It happens when Jesus comes again. 18:10 And the wicked will eventually go to hell 18:12 but the Bible says, not when they die. 18:15 Jesus said, they are where? In the graves. 18:19 That's what Jesus said, he's in the grave. 18:21 They are in the graves. 18:22 And Jesus conquered the grave. Can you say amen? 18:26 Revelation 1:18 Jesus said, "I am alive forevermore." Amen. 18:32 So fear have to do with torment 18:35 and Jesus set us free from the fear of death. 18:38 How many are thankful He holds your tomorrow? 18:41 And so what happens then when a man dies? 18:44 Snapshot review, what goes back to God? 18:47 "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth, 18:50 in that very day" notice here, I'm sorry. 18:53 "In that very day his thoughts perish." 18:56 So what goes back to God? 18:57 The breath, the spirit that is in your nostrils. 19:01 "The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, 19:03 breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, 19:06 and man became a living soul." 19:08 Genesis 2:7. 19:09 So what did He breathe into our nostrils? 19:11 The breath of life. What goes back to God? 19:14 That which He breathed into our nostrils 19:16 in the first place, the breath of life. 19:18 But that breath of life is synonymous 19:20 with the Spirit of God. 19:22 That's why Job made it very clear 19:24 that all the while the Spirit of God 19:27 is in my nostrils and he called it a breath. 19:30 And so and that's in the Book of Job. 19:33 And so-- Chapter 17 and verse 3. 19:36 So where are the dead? 19:37 Jesus said, "All that are in the grave 19:40 shall come forth" John 5:28, 29. 19:43 Where is King David? 19:44 "David is not ascended into the heavens." 19:47 And he was a man after the Lord's own heart. 19:50 But he is in the grave. Acts 2:34. 19:53 But how many agree David will go to praise the Lord 19:56 when all the righteous dead go to praise the Lord, 19:58 at the same time. 20:00 You know what, righteous dead in the Lord 20:02 and the righteous living, we're all gonna meet in there. 20:06 So as we travel, the Bible says, 20:07 "It's gonna be a seven day journey to heaven." 20:10 Revelation 18:1. 20:12 It's gonna be a seven day trip to heaven 20:14 and I believe while we are flying up, 20:16 we will have questions like, 20:18 "Wow, I wonder where King David is." 20:21 Oh, yeah, guess what? 20:23 You will be able to fly over to him. 20:24 "Hey, David, are we having fun yet?" 20:27 "Abraham, let's see who else is in the sky." 20:30 You know, many times people say, "You know, 20:32 I'll tell you what, I may not see you here in this life 20:35 but I'll meet you around the tree of life." 20:36 How many have ever heard that? That's beautiful. 20:38 Now I'll tell you what, I'll tell you what, 20:41 before I meet you at the tree of life, 20:42 what do you say, the Springfield group 20:44 will meet each other in the air. 20:45 Is that okay? 20:48 All right, I won't hold you to it 20:50 but anyway, we will just go up, up, and away. 20:52 But let's get a little snapshot 20:54 review of the state of the dead. 20:55 Genesis 2:7, Dust + Spirit = Living Soul. 20:59 Job 27:3, Breath= Spirit. 21:03 Psalms 146:4, 21:05 Breath goes back to God, we stop thinking of death. 21:08 Ecclesiastes 12:7, the spirit goes back to God. 21:11 Ecclesiastes 115:17, actually that should be Psalms, 21:17 the dead not in heaven. 21:20 Psalms 13:3, Death is a sleep. 21:23 Acts 7, Stephen's spirit or breath returned to God 21:28 and he fell asleep. 21:29 Luke Chapter 23, 21:31 Jesus gave up His Spirit or breath to His Father. 21:36 John Chapter 11, 21:38 Laz-- Jesus said, Lazarus is dead. 21:41 He was asleep as it were. 21:43 Ecclesiastes 9:5, the dead do not know anything. 21:47 Unconscious sleep. 21:49 Revelation 14:13, 21:51 Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. 21:54 "'Yes,' says the Spirit, 21:55 'that they may rest from their labors, 21:57 and their works do follow them.'" 21:58 Revelation 14:13. 22:01 "The dead in Christ will rise at the second coming of Jesus" 22:05 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. 22:07 John Chapter 5, Daniel Chapter 12, 22:10 "Both the unsaved and the saved sleep in the dust, 22:12 the graves till their resurrection." 22:15 John 14, 22:16 "Jesus receives the righteous not when they die 22:19 but when they are resurrected at the second coming." 22:22 Acts Chapter 2, "David is dead." 22:24 2 Corinthians 5:8, "Absent from this carnal body 22:28 and will be present with the Lord." 22:29 With a brand new body like Jesus' body, 22:31 Philippians 3:21, when Jesus comes again. 22:35 1 Corinthians 15, when Jesus comes 22:38 we "Receive an immortal body." 22:40 John Chapter 20 and Luke 23, makes it very clear 22:44 that Jesus promised the thief on the cross 22:46 that ultimately He would be with him in paradise 22:50 because Jesus didn't even go to paradise that day. 22:53 He told Mary on Sunday morning, 22:55 "I have not yet ascended to the Father." 22:57 Was that a fast snapshot review but plenty of scripture 23:00 and we've got a handout on that. 23:02 So there are two groups of people in the world, 23:05 the righteous and the unrighteous. 23:07 All right, let's subdivide that. 23:10 There are four categories. 23:12 You have the righteous dead, 23:14 the righteous living and the unrighteous dead 23:16 and the unrighteous living. 23:18 Which group are you? 23:19 You ought to be able to know that one right away. 23:21 Well, we are gonna deal with these four groups of people, 23:24 these four categories 23:26 to unlock the mystery about the millennium. 23:28 What are five events-- 23:30 We're gonna use your five fingers here. 23:33 Five events that begin the millennium. 23:35 Number one, 23:36 the second coming of Jesus Christ. 23:39 The last words of Jesus in the Bible, 23:41 "Surely I am coming quickly." 23:43 Revelation 22:7, 12, 20. 23:49 All right, what will happen to the righteous 23:52 when Jesus comes again? 23:54 "Let not your heart be troubled, 23:56 do you believe in God, believe also in Me. 23:58 In My Father's house are many mansions, 24:00 if it were not so, I would have told you. 24:02 I go to prepare a place for you. 24:04 And if I go and prepare a place for you, 24:06 I will come again and receive you unto Myself, 24:10 that where I am, there you may be also." 24:13 So He doesn't receive us when we die. 24:16 He receives us when He comes again. 24:18 That's the glorious return of Jesus. 24:21 John 14:1-3, 24:22 the righteous go to heaven when Jesus comes. 24:25 Jesus did not say, "I will come again and again." 24:29 He is not gonna come in a secret rapture, 24:31 seven years later in a second coming. 24:34 He said, "I will come again." 24:36 There's only one train bound for glory. 24:39 If you miss it, you are left dead. 24:43 That's according to the scriptures. 24:45 Is there hope for tomorrow? 24:47 "While we wait for the blessed hope" 24:49 what is our only hope? 24:51 "The glorious, the glorious appearing 24:54 of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ." 24:57 Titus 2:13. 24:59 So our only hope is the "Blessed hope" 25:03 is the "glorious appearing" of Jesus Christ. 25:06 There is no room for a secret rapture. 25:09 Five events that begin the millennium. 25:11 The second coming of Christ. 25:12 The resurrection of the righteous. 25:15 When Jesus comes again, will it be in secret-- 25:19 A secret rapture or visible, 25:21 audible, climactic and glorious event? 25:24 Will millions suddenly just be snatched away? 25:29 Will there be a secret rapture, 25:31 seven year tribulation and then the second coming? 25:34 No. 25:36 There will be the translation of the righteous living. 25:38 When Jesus comes what's gonna happen? 25:42 Here are a few key questions. 25:43 Are you ready? If you are ready, say ready. 25:45 Ready. All right, here we go. 25:47 Will it be audible when Jesus comes for His bride? 25:52 Will everyone hear it? What does the Bible say? 25:56 "For the Lord himself 25:57 shall descend from heaven with a shout, 26:00 with the voice of the commanding archangel, 26:05 and with the trumpet call of God, 26:08 and the dead in Christ" 26:11 I like that expression, dead in Christ. 26:14 How many agree, if you die you want to be in Christ? 26:17 You are dead but you don't have to worry about it 26:18 because the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 26:21 So the Bible says, Paul said, 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17, 18, 26:27 "The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, 26:30 with the voice of the archangel, 26:31 with the trumpet call of God." 26:33 What's the point he is trying to make? 26:35 Nothing silent or secretive about Jesus' return. 26:38 That scripture is used to buttress a secret rapture? 26:41 No, it cancels out that theological interpretation 26:45 and it supports the second coming of Jesus Christ. Period. 26:50 No. Exclamation mark. 26:52 "And so the Lord himself 26:54 shall descend from heaven with a shout, 26:55 with the voice of the archangel, 26:57 with the trumpet call of God, 26:58 and the dead in Christ shall rise first. 27:00 Then we which are alive and remain 27:02 shall be caught up together, to meet the Lord in the air 27:07 and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 27:09 Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 27:14 That's the true comfort. 27:15 False comfort, 27:17 oh, we are just gonna be snatched away. 27:18 We don't even have to go through the tribulation. 27:21 It's gonna be a lot of people mad at preachers. 27:25 I would rather be told the truth 27:26 even thought it might not be exactly what I want to hear. 27:30 Mark, get ready, there's a tribulation coming 27:33 and you are gonna go through it 27:35 but I'll never leave you nor forsake you. 27:37 Now think about it, what about thief in the night? 27:42 In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3 27:45 it's talking about the time of the Lord's return 27:49 not the manner of His return. 27:52 Will it be invisible? 27:53 Revelation 1:7, "Every eye shall see him." 27:58 How many agree the blind 28:00 are gonna see everything on that day? 28:01 The Bible says "The Lord's return" 28:03 Matthew 24:27 "will be like lightning 28:06 shining from the east to the west." 28:09 Because my Bible tells me 28:11 He is coming from the eastern sky. 28:12 Can you say amen? 28:15 Sudden changes are about to catch the world by surprise. 28:18 Amazing Bible prophecies are fast fulfilling. 28:22 Do ancient prophecies predict a sudden economic collapse? 28:25 Will the Middle East crisis erupt into World War III? 28:29 Are we living on the eve of Armageddon? 28:32 How will the final moves of the antichrist affect you? 28:35 What is the future of the United States of America? 28:38 How will natural disasters usher in the mark of the beast? 28:42 Now you can watch the entire Amazing Prophecy series of 32 28:48 hope-filled messages on DVD. 28:50 Don't guess about the future, know the future. 28:53 The complete set of DVDs 28:55 is available for a gift of $60 or more. 28:58 Call us at 1-855-336-FREE 29:03 or you could send a check or money order 29:04 to Forever Free Ministries, 2001 Munro Park, 29:08 Corinth, Texas, 76208. 29:11 You can also visit us online at foreverfreeministries.org. 29:17 Are the righteous going to go through the tribulation? 29:20 Don't listen to smooth pudding preaching. 29:23 Amen? 29:25 Yes, we are going through the tribulation. 29:27 Were the children of Israel 29:28 delivered before or after the plagues? 29:30 They were delivered after the plagues 29:32 through the split sea. 29:34 We are delivered after the seven plagues. 29:36 There is a parallel there, right? 29:38 And so we are delivered 29:40 after the seven last plagues, right, 29:42 not through the split sea but through the split what? 29:45 Through the opening of the sky. 29:47 And so in Revelation Chapter 16, 29:52 go there with me Revelation 16, 29:55 in the heart of the seven last plagues, 29:57 right there in that context in context of the six plagues 30:02 Jesus says this, "Behold, I am coming as a thief." 30:07 What He is saying is, "I haven't come yet, 30:10 I'm coming after the plagues." 30:12 Sequence is important. 30:15 The Bible says here, "Behold, I am coming as a thief. 30:17 Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, 30:20 lest he walk naked and they see his shame." 30:22 That is the most clearest evidence I can think of. 30:26 It leaps from the page 30:28 and it tells us, "This is clinching evidence 30:30 we are going through the tribulation." 30:32 Jesus comes as a thief after the plagues. 30:37 Now, beloved, you know what that means? 30:39 We need to study in this seminar 30:42 what is gonna happen during the tribulation 30:46 and how do you get ready? 30:48 Preparation for the tribulation. 30:51 It's coming. It's coming. 30:54 And don't listen to these false prophets 30:57 who are gonna tell you, 30:58 "You don't have to worry about that. 31:00 You're just gonna be gone. 31:02 Don't even have to worry about it." 31:03 My Bible tells me that before Jesus comes, 31:07 He is gonna purify His bride 31:09 by the purification of the tribulation. 31:12 Oh, come on now, how does the Lord purify you? 31:16 Through the trials you go through. 31:18 How many agree, the trials do not come without a purpose. 31:22 God never causes suffering 31:26 but He turns it around for our good. 31:28 Romans 8:28, "He works all things together for good." 31:32 So if you are going through trials, 31:34 you know what the Bible calls it? 31:35 The trial of your faith. 31:37 To see if your faith is sincere. 31:39 How many want to cry out, "Lord, I believe, 31:42 help thou my unbelief." 31:43 Amen? Mark 9:23. 31:46 And so yes, we will go through tribulations 31:49 but that is good for us. 31:51 We develop the muscle of faith when our faith is being tried. 31:56 And so when does the separation occur? 32:01 We know the righteous are gonna go up, up and away. 32:04 And we know the wicked are gonna be destroyed. 32:07 But what's gonna happen? 32:09 Is it gonna happen in a secret snatch? 32:11 And then seven years later 32:13 there's another group that go up? 32:15 Here's the scripture. 32:17 Matthew Chapter 13 says, the wheat and the tares, 32:22 the righteous and the unrighteous says there, 32:26 they remain, stay, abide, coexist, 32:31 together until the harvest. 32:36 And the Bible says in Revelation 14 32:38 that the harvest and Matthew 13 32:41 it takes places at the end of the world, 32:44 not seven years prior to the end of the world. 32:46 There's no room for seven year tribulation. 32:48 And by the way, Daniel 9 has talked about that 32:50 seven year prophecy, we will get into that. 32:52 It's already been fulfilled 32:54 and I'll prove that to you on another night. 32:56 But listen, according to the scriptures, 32:59 listen, the Bible makes it clear 33:01 we remain together not some snatched away 33:05 and then some left dumbfounded. 33:06 No, no, no. 33:07 The Bible makes it very clear 33:09 that the righteous are gonna go up at the harvest. 33:12 And my Bible tells me, at the harvest 33:15 the unrighteous are destroyed 33:18 by the brightness of His return. 33:20 Revelation 14:6-16 makes it clear, 33:23 the gospel goes around the world 33:25 pictured by three angels flying around the world 33:28 yelling out with loud voices the end time messages 33:31 to prepare a people ready for the harvest. 33:34 And the Bible says, 33:36 the Lord is pictured there on the cloud 33:38 as a heavenly harvester mixed imagery also 33:41 as the king of kings with many crowns. 33:44 And the Bible says, 33:45 He is gonna harvest up His believers that are ripe. 33:50 And then it talks about the unsaved, they are also ripe. 33:54 They are called sour grapes 33:56 in that scenario in Revelation 14. 33:59 So now you know why some people are sour. 34:03 Sour grapes. 34:04 Now think about this, they are both ripening. 34:08 Let me tell you something. 34:09 This is a very profound thought I'm about to share with you. 34:12 You ought to make a mental note of this, 34:13 this is powerful. 34:15 And this helps you to unlock 34:16 what's going on in the last days. 34:20 In the last days there's a ripening process. 34:24 The Bible makes it clear that in the last days 34:27 the righteous are more rapidly becoming like Jesus 34:32 and the wicked are more rapidly becoming like the devil 34:36 and becoming like the world. 34:38 And the Bible says in 2 Timothy Chapter 3 34:40 and I believe it's verse 13 34:42 that the wicked will get worse and worse. 34:45 How many agree, it's about as worse 34:46 as it can get but it's not quite over. 34:50 And so the Bible makes it very clear 34:52 there is this, this line of demarcation 34:54 between the righteous and the unrighteous 34:56 and that difference between the two 34:58 is gonna continue, "Come out from among them, 35:01 and be ye separate, saith the Lord, 35:03 and then I will receive you and be a father to you 35:06 and you will be My sons and daughters." 35:07 How many agree you got to come out from the world 35:10 in order to say, "You know what, 35:11 I'm gonna follow my Father in heaven," amen? 35:15 That's 2 Corinthians 6:16, 17, 18. 35:18 And so listen carefully, listen. 35:20 And so the Bible makes it very clear, 35:23 the righteous and the unrighteous 35:24 remain together until the harvest. 35:26 There is no room for a secret rapture. 35:28 There is only the second coming of Christ is the harvest. 35:33 Does this make sense? 35:34 That's the harvest of the world. 35:37 So see the wheat and tares, 35:39 go together there on the chart and go up at the harvest. 35:42 The saved go up. What happens to the lost? 35:44 They are destroyed. 35:46 Okay, so then will the wicked 35:48 have a second chance to be saved 35:51 after Christ comes for His bride? No. 35:53 The popular teaching is that if you are not ready 35:55 for the first celestial train of the secret rapture to heaven 35:59 there will be another one coming later 36:01 in the second coming of Christ. 36:02 That's a fallacy. It's lethal. 36:05 It's poisonous. It's deadly. 36:07 The second chance? No. False security. 36:11 And so what about the expression 36:13 "one shall be taken and the other left?" 36:15 Jesus made it very clear 36:16 like it was in the days of Noah, 36:18 the one was taken and the other left. 36:20 And the days of Lot, one was taken another left. 36:22 What's the point? There's just two groups. 36:25 You're either saved or lost when Jesus comes. 36:28 That's what happens. 36:30 All the wicked destroyed at the second coming of Jesus 36:33 just like the wicked were destroyed 36:34 by a flood in the days of Noah. 36:37 And when Jesus comes, 36:39 you go to the marriage supper of the lamb 36:41 and the Bible, the Bible talks about two suppers 36:44 there in Revelation 19. 36:45 And the other supper. What is that other supper? 36:49 Whoever doesn't make it to the supper in heaven 36:51 is the supper on earth. 36:53 They become food for the birds. 36:56 I don't know about you, 36:57 I don't want to be down here in this supper. 37:00 "The unsaved cannot endure 37:02 the brightness of Christ's return." 37:04 2 Thessalonians 2:8, let's read it together. 37:06 "Then the lawless one will be revealed, 37:10 whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth 37:13 and destroy with the brightness of His coming." 37:16 2 Thessalonians 2:8. 37:18 The cities are gonna be utterly decimated and destroyed. 37:22 There are only two groups of people 37:23 when Jesus comes again. 37:25 The Bible makes it very clear in Revelation Chapter 6, 37:29 those two groups of people are spotlighted. 37:31 Are we learning something tonight? 37:33 I want you to notice here, beloved, 37:35 look here at verse number 14, 37:37 "Then the sky receded as a scroll 37:39 when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island 37:41 was moved out of its place. 37:43 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, 37:45 the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, 37:48 hid themselves in the caves 37:50 and in the rocks of the mountains, 37:51 and said to the mountains and rocks, 37:54 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him 37:55 who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 37:58 For the great day of His wrath has come, 38:00 and who is able to stand?'" 38:02 You can stand. You can stand. 38:06 If you stand for Jesus 38:08 He will stand up for you, Daniel 12:1. 38:11 So there are only two groups of people 38:13 when Jesus comes again, Revelation 6:14-17. 38:17 Have you ever heard the expression, 38:18 "You can run but you can't hide"? 38:20 The ultimate expression of that 38:22 will happen at the second coming of Jesus Christ 38:24 according to the Bible. 38:26 Most will not be ready. 38:28 The Bible makes it very clear, Jesus said, 38:30 you better pray always and watch 38:32 and lest your hearts be overtaken by a surprise 38:36 because you got preoccupied and busy. 38:39 Would you agree there are 38:41 so many distractions and diversions? 38:44 And I'm here to tell you, 38:46 you got to be really focused in the last days 38:49 or the next thing you know, you'll wake up and say, 38:52 "What have I been doing? Why don't I know my Bible? 38:57 Why haven't I got a prayer life?" 39:00 How many agree, 39:01 if you are alive right now it's not too late. 39:05 Jesus is coming soon. We got to get ready. 39:11 We got to get ready, we got to get serious about it. 39:13 So what happens to the lost? 39:15 They are destroyed 39:16 by the brightness of the Lord's return. 39:18 The wicked living are slain 39:21 by the brightness of His return 39:23 and they just lay here during the thousand years. 39:27 It reminds me of Pompeii. 39:29 Talk about a city frozen in time. 39:32 It was a city destroyed 39:34 and lost sight of, it was underneath 39:37 and then just 200 years or so ago was discovered. 39:43 Pompeii AD 79. 39:46 Pompeii was the resort village for wealthy Romans. 39:50 Population 20,000, life in Pompeii 39:53 there were 8,000 slaves out of the 20,000. 39:56 Hundred and eighteen wine shops and bars. 39:58 They liked their drinking. Lewd paintings. 40:01 Gladiatorial fights to death before a cheering, 40:07 applauding, crowded amphitheater. 40:11 Oh, yeah, well, come with me to the last night in Pompeii, 40:14 no one expected it to happen. 40:17 It was August 24, 40:18 it dawned like any other summer day in Pompeii 40:21 a town in southern Italy. 40:24 The sun was shining brightly. The Bay of Naples was tranquil. 40:27 There was buying and selling in the market place. 40:30 Time for lunch came, 40:32 and storekeepers closed the doors. 40:35 A baker shoved eighty-one loaves of bread into his oven. 40:39 A customer laid some coins on a counter in a wine shop. 40:43 No one suspected that the very big hill 40:46 was in fact a sleeping volcano 40:48 that for hundreds of years was building up pressure 40:51 and then suddenly it happened. 40:54 It blew its top off, it erupted. 40:57 The blast-- excuse me, 40:59 shot pumice and ash into the sky 41:04 and then the pumice and ash 41:05 rained down upon Pompeii, blanketing it. 41:10 Most of the 20,000 residents fled to safety. 41:14 Those who escaped through the fields 41:16 tied pillows over their heads to protect them from the rocks 41:20 that were falling out of the sky. 41:24 But some lingered, 2,000. And guess what? 41:30 The ruins tell the tragic story. 41:33 You can actually see as archeologists have helped us 41:38 to be able to see that there were 41:41 those who were burying valuables, 41:42 loading carts with possessions and foolish trinkets. 41:46 And the form of one man was found laying in the streets 41:50 still clutching a handful of worthless gold coins. 41:56 It was an overwhelming surprise and here is a picture 41:59 of lava covered remains 42:02 of a person killed in a volcano. 42:04 You see the victims breathed the deadly sulfur fumes 42:07 and dropped in their tracks, 42:08 where a mixture of rain and ashes 42:11 encircled their bodies like a cast. 42:16 Amazing. 42:18 You can actually see the horror 42:20 on some of the faces of these people 42:23 that lingered and lost. 42:25 Why? 42:27 Why, because they didn't take the warning seriously. 42:30 And I'm here to tell you the Christian church is asleep. 42:40 Pompeii is a beacon of warning. 42:44 Flee, sin, flee this world that's about to be destroyed. 42:50 Get out from the world 42:52 is the message in the word of God. 42:54 Get out from the world like Lot did. 42:57 Get out, be separate from the ways of the world. 43:00 "Love not the world, 43:01 neither anything that is in the world" 43:03 1 John 2:15. 43:06 "He who wants to be a friend of the world 43:08 is an enemy of God" 43:10 James 4:4. 43:13 The Bible says, come out, come out and flee to Christ. 43:17 I say this, "Run and hide in Jesus 43:19 before it's forever too late." 43:20 And so their bodies 43:22 were just been destroyed and then left. 43:26 That's the way it will be during the millennium. 43:31 Now I got a question for you. 43:33 If the righteous dead are resurrected, 43:35 follow with me in this logic, and go to heaven 43:38 and the righteous living are translated 43:40 and go to heaven and the wicked living are slain 43:43 by the brightness of Christ's return 43:45 and the wicked dead remain dead then I've got a question. 43:50 Is there anyone alive on earth during the millennium? 43:55 The answer is no and yes. 43:59 There is no human beings left alive on planet earth 44:03 because all of the wicked have been slain 44:06 by the brightness of the Lord's return. 44:08 They cannot endure all of His glory. 44:11 Our God is a consuming fire, 44:13 unless you are in Christ and then there is no problem. 44:17 Can you say amen? 44:19 And so Jeremiah 25:33, where are the unsaved dead? 44:25 Go there with me very quickly. Jeremiah. 44:27 Come on now, we are in a march here. 44:29 Jeremiah, march for time, Jeremiah 25. 44:32 We got a number of scriptures to look at 44:34 so let's keep the momentum going. 44:36 Jeremiah 25:33, 44:40 "And at that day the slain of the Lord 44:42 shall be from one end of the earth 44:44 even to the other end of the earth." 44:45 Just like Pompeii. 44:47 "They shall not be lamented, or gathered, or buried, 44:50 they shall become refuse on the ground." 44:54 No one left alive on planet earth! 44:59 So the wicked living are slain 45:01 there at the beginning of the millennium 45:03 and Satan is bound 45:04 because you can't tempt a dead person. 45:08 And so the Bible says 45:10 what happens to Satan during the thousand years? 45:12 He is bound by a chain. 45:13 This is symbolic he is bound by a chain of circumstances. 45:17 He has no one to tempt. 45:19 He is confined to planet earth, he's bound here 45:23 but he has no one to tempt for a thousand years. 45:25 What condition is the earth left in? 45:28 What condition is it left in? 45:29 "Behold, the Lord makes the earth empty 45:32 and makes it waste, distorts its face 45:35 and scatters abroad the inhabitants. 45:37 The land shall be entirely emptied, 45:39 utterly plundered, 45:40 for the Lord has spoken this word." 45:42 Isaiah 24:1, 3. 45:44 "The earth is violently broken, the earth is split open, 45:48 the earth is shaken exceedingly." 45:50 These are powerful scriptures. 45:52 Isaiah 24:19. How many agree? 45:54 There are people watching movies right now 45:56 but how many agree, this is a better movie. 45:59 "By His fierce anger. 46:01 For thus says the Lord, the whole land shall be" what? 46:03 Here's a key word. 46:05 "Desolate, yet" 46:07 I'm not done with planet earth yet. 46:09 "Yet I will not make a full end." 46:11 Jeremiah 4:23-27. 46:13 This earth during the millennium 46:16 is like a bottomless pit. 46:18 It comes from the Greek word Abussos or Abyss, 46:22 kind of meaning "Without form and void." 46:24 Similar to how the earth was 46:26 before the Lord put it all together. 46:28 And so desolate cities, there will be desolate cities. 46:33 Satan is bound in chains of darkness 46:35 on a desolate earth for a thousand years. 46:39 Talk about a blackout, 46:41 there is a blackout for a thousand years 46:43 while he is in prison. 46:47 Will the devil stumble across your remains? 46:50 How many agree? 46:51 The devil will roam this planet from one end to the other. 46:55 Thousand years is a long time 46:58 and I don't know how he can travel. 47:00 I don't know if he can fly or whatever 47:02 but all I know is he is confined to planet earth 47:05 and I can see him kicking over the debris 47:09 and the ashes and the demolished buildings 47:12 and so forth and I can see him coming 47:14 to different homes here in Springfield. 47:17 And I can see him kicking over the dirt 47:21 and the debris and the burned out house 47:24 and so forth and I can see him 47:26 stumbling over somebody's remains 47:29 and saying, "I got him, I got him. 47:32 They used to attend church 47:35 but they never fully surrendered. 47:37 I got him, I got him, I got him." 47:40 I can see him go to another home 47:41 and there is a whole family there. 47:44 They never gave their heart to Jesus. 47:46 And then I see them coming, 47:47 I see the devil coming to your house 47:50 and he is looking for you. 47:52 And he is looking for you. 47:54 You are not there, you are in heaven. 47:57 Can you say amen? You're gonna be there. 47:59 How many make that commitment by the grace of God 48:01 you are not gonna let the devil stumble around your remains? 48:04 Can you say amen? Come on, shout amen. 48:06 Amen. And so listen to me. 48:09 And I-- Oh, I can see him-- 48:11 Let me back up. I'm not finished with that yet. 48:13 I can see him coming to your house 48:15 and saying, talking out loud in a frustrated way, 48:19 "I thought I had him. 48:21 I thought I had him. I thought I had him. 48:23 It was so close, I thought I had him 48:26 but they pleaded the blood of Jesus. 48:29 They pleaded the blood of Jesus, 48:32 I couldn't get them." 48:35 The blood of Jesus 48:37 is the power of God unto salvation. 48:41 If you are going through a personal crisis in your life, 48:44 if you are facing financial challenges, 48:46 if you are suffering from a health problem, 48:48 if your marriage is needing a miracle, 48:51 if you have a special concern for your children, 48:53 whatever you need may be, give us a call 48:56 and we will pray with you. 48:57 For your prayer requests call us at 1-855-336-FREE. 49:03 "If the Son sets you free, you are free indeed." 49:06 John 8:36. 49:09 During the millennium the righteous are in heaven. 49:12 The earth is desolate. 49:14 Now when we are in heaven 49:15 what decisions will we make with Jesus? 49:18 Revelation 20:7 says, 49:20 "We will rule or reign with Christ a thousand years." 49:23 "Do you not know 49:24 that the saints will judge the world? 49:26 And if the world will be judged by you, 49:27 are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 49:30 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? 49:33 How much more, things that pertain to this life?" 49:35 1 Corinthians 6:2, 3. 49:37 Now I don't know about you but my Bible tells me 49:40 that we will be made kings and priests 49:43 and we will reign with Christ. 49:45 Now, I don't understand that. 49:47 When we come to the pearly gates 49:50 and the Lord sees us, what does He say? 49:53 Well, I come to the pearly gates there 49:55 and the Lord is welcoming everybody 49:58 and then I'm in line and He is, "Oh, Mark, welcome, welcome." 50:02 "Oh, Lord." 50:03 He says, "Now, Mark, you know you just barely made it." 50:05 "I know, Lord." 50:07 "You know, Mark, I'm gonna let you in 50:10 because you did trust in Me. 50:12 You just barely made it. 50:14 There's little section over here in heaven there. 50:16 You know, there's other that are gonna be 50:17 ruling on My throne. 50:19 You're gonna go with this other group here 50:20 that just barely made it here." 50:21 I said, "Lord, thank you, Lord," it's okay. 50:23 I don't have to go up there, just long as I-- 50:25 How many, how many would be like me, 50:26 Lord, just let me get in 50:28 as long as I can be there with You, amen? 50:30 Lord is not gonna say that. 50:31 The Bible makes it very clear 50:33 that we are all gonna rule with Christ. 50:36 Now, how do you figure this one? 50:37 He's gonna put a crown on your head. 50:42 I don't understand that. 50:43 How can the Lord put a crown on our head as if we are, 50:46 as if we deserve something? 50:48 We don't deserve anything but our Father is proud 50:51 of what we have allowed Him to do in our life. 50:54 We don't get any glory. 50:55 But He is the one that wants to put the crown on our head. 50:58 And what do we do with those crowns? 50:59 We cast them at His feet 51:01 but apparently He puts them right back on. 51:06 And so there will be three big surprises 51:09 when we go to the Lord. 51:10 Surprise number one, Lord, how did that person get in? 51:16 How did my ex-boss get in here? 51:21 The Lord will say, 51:22 "I kept good records, check out the books. 51:25 They gave their heart to me." 51:27 I'm sure people are gonna look at 51:28 the thief from the cross and say, 51:30 "Hey, that guy robbed me in Jerusalem." 51:32 Oh, you weren't there, you didn't hear 51:34 what happened in the dying moments 51:36 of that thief on the cross. 51:37 That thief on the cross gave his heart to Jesus. 51:40 "Oh, he never gave me back my stuff." 51:43 "I didn't have a chance." 51:45 "So get along. 51:47 Come here, I'll introduce you to him." 51:50 Lord, second surprise. 51:52 Lord, where is my Grandma 51:57 or where is my husband? 51:59 Lord, where is my granddaughter? 52:02 Lord, where is my preacher? 52:06 There's gonna be some surprises 52:08 and Lord will say, "I kept good records 52:10 so because I knew you would have questions 52:13 and you have a thousand years, no rush to judgment here. 52:16 Don't be in a hurry. Take your time and ask." 52:19 How many agree when we go to heaven, 52:20 I don't know about you but I'm accumulating questions. 52:22 I studied the Bible but I don't have answers 52:25 to every single question. 52:27 Come on now, don't you have questions like, 52:28 "Lord, why did I go through that?" 52:31 Come on now, how many have questions that you're gonna go? 52:33 Now, we walk by faith but, you know what, 52:35 when we go to heaven we are walking face to face 52:37 and get all our questions answered. 52:39 But right now, "The just shall live by faith." 52:42 Romans 1:17. 52:43 "We walk by faith, and not by sight." 52:45 2 Corinthians 5:7. 52:47 Now listen carefully, third surprise. 52:49 I know this third surprise, "I can't believe I made it. 52:53 I actually made it. 52:55 I'm here." Let me tell you something. 52:56 You know you have eternal life through Jesus Christ 52:58 but wouldn't you agree that when you actually are there 53:01 you are gonna like, "I can't believe I made it." 53:03 Come on now. You know you claim it by faith. 53:06 The Bible says, "Beloved, I write to you 53:08 so that you may know that you have eternal life 53:11 and this life is in his Son." 53:13 1 John 5:11, 12. 53:15 You know, so we claim it by faith 53:17 but when it actually happens we will be like, "Wow." 53:21 All right, anyway, why the books of records? 53:25 Because God wants us to ask questions. 53:28 He wants us to know anything we want to know 53:31 of how He worked and labored to save every single person. 53:35 And it answers the question, can God be trusted? 53:39 God's character will be vindicated 53:41 that God has tried to save every single person 53:45 but He never forced one person into heaven. 53:48 God always gets the blame but not much longer. 53:51 So you can pick a day in your life. 53:53 When you go to heaven you can say, 53:54 "Lord, can I sit down here next to You 53:56 and ask You some questions?" 53:57 Lord will say, "Yeah, I got plenty of time." 54:00 Now I don't know how He can spend time with you 54:02 and spend time with me at the same time. 54:04 I don't know if we are gonna make appointments or what... 54:09 but, you know, you will be able to pick a day. 54:11 March 31st, 1999, 54:15 do you remember March 31st, 1999? 54:17 Anybody? Neither do I. 54:21 But you can pick any day 54:24 and the Lord will tell you exactly 54:25 how He was trying to save you. 54:27 How He was trying to help you. 54:29 How He was there with you on the highway. 54:31 Would you agree, you can pick any day in the life 54:34 and He will show you 54:35 how He never left you or forsook you. 54:39 Hebrews 13:5, 6. 54:41 Now listen carefully, 54:42 before the wicked are eternally destroyed, 54:43 God wants us to see His sovereign wisdom. 54:46 He wants it to be a joint decision. 54:48 You know, I'm married 54:50 and there are some decisions that are joint decisions. 54:53 How many are married and know what I am talking about? 54:55 You know, you just don't go out and buy a house and say, 54:58 "Honey, we are moving, and I got a house." 55:02 And I do marriage counseling by the way. 55:06 Joint decisions, joint decisions. 55:09 The Lord could have said, 55:10 "Now that you have made it to heaven 55:12 I'm just gonna go ahead and annihilate all the wicked." 55:14 He could do that but He doesn't do it 55:17 because He wants to make it clear 55:21 that this is not an arbitrary decision 55:23 that you and I make decisions 55:27 that's what it means to rule with Him 55:30 that God has done everything He could to save the lost 55:34 so that when they are destroyed at the close of the millennium, 55:37 every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, 55:41 Philippians 2, that Jesus Christ is Lord. 55:45 And so the wicked are gonna be raised 55:46 at the end of the millennium. 55:48 "The rest of the dead did not live again 55:49 until the thousand years were finished. 55:51 Now when the thousand years have expired, 55:53 Satan will be released from his prison, 55:54 will go out to deceive the nations," 55:56 the Bible says. 55:57 "Satan is set free to tempt the New Jerusalem with us in it 56:01 descends to the earth. 56:03 I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, 56:05 coming down from God out of heaven." 56:07 Revelation 21. The wicked are destroyed. 56:10 Yes, the Bible says that in Revelation 20:9, 56:16 Revelation 20:9, the Bible says here, 56:19 "They went up, the wicked went up 56:20 on the breadth of the earth and surrounded 56:22 the camp of the saints and the beloved city. 56:23 And fire came down from God 56:25 out of heaven and devoured them." 56:27 And everyone who has ever lived 56:29 will be gathered in or around the New Jerusalem on that day 56:33 and either you are inside the city 56:35 kneeling down praising God or you are outside the city 56:38 acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord, I'm here to tell you, 56:42 if He is on the inside within the walls of your heart 56:45 you will be within the walls of Zion. 56:47 Can you say amen? 56:49 Oh, beloved, how many want to be ready 56:52 when Jesus comes and to be able to go 56:55 and rule and reign with Christ for a thousand years? 57:00 And the Bible says, "The meek shall inherit the earth." 57:03 The Bible says that the fire comes down 57:05 and devours the wicked, reduces them to ashes, 57:08 Malachi 4 and God purifies the earth. 57:11 The fire that destroys the wicked 57:13 consumes sin and sinners, 57:15 God will use it and He will purify the earth, 57:18 the earth made new 2 Peter 3:10, 11. 57:22 I'm here to tell you there's gonna be 57:23 a great brave new world coming. 57:26 The meek-- God is going to set up His kingdom on earth. 57:32 I don't want to miss it, do you? 57:36 Although sudden and alarming changes 57:38 are sweeping across the globe, 57:41 you and your family can be prepared 57:42 to face the future with confidence. 57:45 The complete set of Amazing Prophecies 57:47 on DVD are available for a gift of $60 or more. 57:52 Call us at 1-855-336-FREE 57:57 or send your check or money order to, 57:59 Forever Free Ministries, 2001 Munro Park, 58:03 Corinth, Texas, 76208. 58:07 If you would like to have Mark Fox hold 58:09 an Amazing Prophecy seminar or a marriage seminar weekend 58:12 in your church, contact us today, 58:15 markfox @foreverfreeministries.org. |
Revised 2016-01-21