Participants: Christopher Hudson
Series Code: FRC
Program Code: FRC000019
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00:44 Hi, and you're now with the "Forerunner Chronicles."
00:48 All right, everybody, so the Bible tells us 00:51 in the Book of 2 Peter 3:3 "Knowing this first, 00:57 that there shall come in the last days scoffers, 01:00 walking after their own lusts, and saying, 01:02 where in is the promise of His coming? 01:05 For since the fathers fell asleep, 01:07 all things continue as they were 01:09 since the beginning of creation." 01:12 And what the Bible is teaching us here 01:13 is that in these last days 01:15 in which we are currently living 01:17 there is a class of individuals which are in existence. 01:20 And by the way, it appears as though this class has become 01:24 the dominating majority of our world's population. 01:28 So I pray that you're not one of these individuals 01:30 because these poor souls are people 01:34 that have adopted a cement like form of ignorance 01:38 which is leading them not only to reject 01:40 the reality that Jesus Christ is in existence 01:44 but also to reject that, that same Jesus Christ 01:47 one day very shortly from now 01:49 is going to return to planet earth 01:51 to redeem His faithful children from this sin cursed world. 01:56 But ladies and gentlemen, 01:57 I want you to understand something. 01:59 Just as certain as death is an event 02:03 which every breathing human will eventually have to come 02:06 face to face with, it is even as certain 02:10 that all humanity will have to come face to face 02:14 with the event of the second coming of Jesus Christ 02:17 because it is inescapable, it's going to happen. 02:21 Even the Bible makes this reality known to us. 02:24 In the Book of Hebrews 9:27 the Word of God tells us there 02:30 "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, 02:34 but after this the judgment, 02:36 so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many 02:39 and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time 02:43 without sin unto salvation." 02:46 Ladies and gentlemen, it's a fact. 02:48 Almost 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ walked 02:52 upon the face of planet earth. 02:53 He died on the cross for our sins, 02:57 He rose again from the grave 02:59 that we might be partakers of His eternal life 03:01 and even now, He is in the courts of heaven 03:05 anxiously awaiting His second return to this world. 03:09 And some people maybe saying, 03:11 if Jesus Christ really cares about human beings so much 03:15 then why isn't Jesus involved in the daily affairs 03:19 that are taking place on planet earth? 03:21 Why isn't Jesus Christ involved 03:24 in the intimate details of my life? 03:26 That's what some people say. 03:27 But I want you to understand something friend, 03:30 Jesus Christ is involved 03:32 in the intimate affairs of your life 03:35 and the undertakings of all that is going on in this world. 03:39 You see the Bible tells us in the Book of Romans 8:34, 03:44 "Who is he that condemneth? 03:45 It is Christ that has died, 03:47 yea rather, that is risen again, 03:49 who is even at the right hand of God, 03:52 who also maketh intercession for us." 03:55 You see, after Jesus Christ died 03:58 and rose again from the grave 04:00 He ascended to heaven to go to the right hand of the Father 04:05 and He's not just there aimlessly floating 04:08 around on some cloud strumming the harp, 04:11 but He's acting as our intercessor. 04:15 And the Bible dwells deeper into this reality 04:18 in the Book of Hebrews 8:1 beginning at verse 1, 04:22 where there Word of God tells us, 04:24 "Now of the things which we have spoken 04:26 this is the sum, we have such an high priest, 04:29 which is set at the right hand of the throne 04:31 of the Majesty in the heavens, a minister of the sanctuary, 04:35 and of the true tabernacle, 04:37 which the Lord pitched, and not man." 04:41 My friends, Jesus Christ is now in the heavenly sanctuary, 04:46 located at the right hand of the Father, standing 04:49 as our high priest. He is interceding for us. 04:53 And you know, an intercessor is one 04:55 that mediates between two parties. 04:58 An intercessor is like a negotiator that pleas 05:01 on the behalf of another individual. 05:04 Jesus Christ is our great mediator. 05:07 He is our great negotiator, 05:09 pleading with the Father for us. 05:12 And what is that Jesus Christ is pleading 05:14 on our behalf with the Father for? 05:17 The Bible tells us in the Book of John 17:24 05:21 that Jesus plea is this. 05:23 "Father, I will that they, whom thou hast given me, 05:28 be with me even where I am, that they may behold my glory, 05:33 which thou hast given me, for thou lovedst me 05:36 before the foundation of the world." 05:38 Jesus Christ is pleading with the Father 05:41 that we might have the blessed privilege 05:44 of being with Him where He is, and as certainly as we know 05:48 that right now, Jesus Christ is in heaven, 05:51 in the sanctuary, at the right hand of the throne of God 05:54 then we may know of a surety that it is in heaven 05:58 where Jesus Christ desires for us to be with Him as well. 06:02 And He is not just verbally communicating 06:04 His desires with the Father 06:07 for us to be with Him in heaven. 06:08 He is actively engaged in the work of preparing 06:12 a place for us in the courts of heaven even at this time. 06:15 You see, the Bible tells us in John 14:1 Jesus said, 06:20 "Let not your heart be troubled, 06:22 ye believe in God, believe also in me. 06:24 In my Father's house are many mansions, 06:27 if it were not so, I would have told you. 06:30 I go to prepare a place for you. 06:32 And if I go to prepare a place for you, 06:34 I will come again, and receive you unto myself 06:38 that where I am, there ye may be also." 06:43 Jesus' desire is for us to be where He is. 06:48 Oh, I can't wait for the day 06:50 when I have the opportunity to see Jesus Christ 06:54 descend from heaven to planet earth 06:57 to receive His faithful children. 06:59 Can you imagine what's that's going to look like? 07:02 Well, the Bible actually gives us a little insight 07:04 into what that event will be like. 07:07 In the Book of Acts 1:9 the Bible tells us this. 07:13 "And when he had spoken these things, 07:15 while they beheld, he was taken up 07:18 and a cloud received him out of their sight. 07:21 And while they looked stedfastly 07:23 toward heaven as he went up, behold, 07:25 two men stood by them in white apparel, 07:28 which also said, 'Ye men of Galilee, 07:30 why stand ye gazing up into heaven? 07:32 This same Jesus, which is taken up from you, 07:35 shall so come again in like manner 07:38 as ye have seen him go into heaven.'" 07:41 Now these verses of scripture give us some very good insight 07:44 into how the second coming of Jesus Christ will take place 07:48 because we are told in like manner 07:49 as He went, He will come again. 07:52 So His disciples were able to visibly see this event 07:56 letting us know that we will visibly see 07:58 the second coming of Jesus Christ. 08:00 It was that same Jesus that they walked with 08:03 for three and half years. 08:05 And so it will be the same Jesus that died on the cross 08:08 and rose again and ascended to heaven 08:10 that will come again the second time. 08:12 It won't be a hologram, 08:13 it won't be some type of mental spiritual awakening, 08:16 it will be the very literal, personal, physical Jesus 08:20 that will come back to planet earth. 08:22 And as He was taken up in a cloud we can know 08:25 that when He comes the second time, He will come in a cloud. 08:29 Matter of fact, the Bible tells us 08:32 that Jesus Christ will come in a cloud 08:34 and that it will be a very visible event. 08:36 In the Book of Revelation 1:7 which tells us 08:40 "Behold, he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him, 08:45 and they also which pierced him 08:47 and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. 08:50 Even so, Amen." 08:52 It will be visible world round 08:55 when Jesus Christ comes back to planet earth 08:58 with the clouds of heaven. 09:00 Matter of fact, the Bible says in the Book of Matthew 24:27 09:07 "As the lightning cometh out of the east, 09:09 and shineth unto the west, 09:11 even so, the coming of the Son of man shall be." 09:14 It will be a globally visible event 09:18 that no one will be able to miss. 09:21 And what will make this scene even more imposing 09:25 for the eyes of moral men to behold 09:27 is that when Jesus Christ returns the second time 09:31 He's not going to be coming back 09:32 to this world all by Himself. 09:35 For the Bible tells us in the Book of Matthew 25:31 09:41 "When the Son of man shall come in His glory, 09:44 and all the holy angels with Him, 09:47 then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory." 09:51 When Jesus Christ returns to planet earth 09:53 He will come with all of the angelic hosts 09:56 surrounding Him like a massive royal guard 10:00 ushering Him towards this tiny spec 10:03 of a planet within His grand universe. 10:05 Matter of fact, every time the Bible says 10:08 that the Son of man, 10:09 Jesus Christ will come with clouds, 10:12 those clouds actually stand 10:13 as a symbol of the angels escorting Him. 10:17 The Bible tells us in the Book of Psalms 104:4 10:21 concerning clouds "Who layeth 10:23 the beams of his chambers in the waters, 10:25 who maketh the clouds his chariot, 10:28 who walketh upon the wings of the wind." 10:31 The Bible tells us 10:34 that God makes the clouds his chariots. 10:38 Then in the Book of Psalms 69:17 10:41 concerning the chariots of God, the Bible tells us, 10:45 "The chariots of God are twenty thousand, 10:47 even thousands of angels, the Lord is amongst them, 10:51 as in Sinai, in the holy place." 10:54 The clouds are God's chariots 10:56 or rather the clouds are the angels carrying God 11:01 like a massive celestial chariot. 11:04 Oh, men and women, brothers and sisters, 11:07 can you imagine how men are going to react 11:10 when they see a massive flaming chariot of angels 11:13 carrying Jesus Christ to planet earth? 11:16 The Bible tells us how men are going to begin to react. 11:19 In the Book of Revelation 6:15 where we are told, 11:24 "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, 11:27 and the rich men, and the chief captains, 11:28 and the mighty men, and every bondman, 11:30 and every free man, hid themselves in the dens 11:32 and in the rocks of the mountains, 11:34 and said unto the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us, 11:37 and hide us from the face of him 11:39 that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, 11:42 for the great day of his wrath is come 11:44 and who shall be able to stand?'" 11:48 Then in the Book of Luke 21:27, the Word of God goes on to say, 11:54 "And then shall they see the Son of man 11:56 coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 12:00 And when all these things begin to come to pass, 12:03 then look up, and lift up your heads, 12:06 for your redemption draweth nigh." 12:09 Notice that there are two extremely different reactions 12:14 that human beings will express 12:16 at the second coming of Jesus Christ. 12:18 One group will react with almost sheer insanity. 12:22 I can't even say almost, 12:23 they will act completely insane, so insane 12:26 that they will call for the rocks 12:28 and the mountains to fall on them 12:29 to hide them from the face of the king of the universe. 12:32 But then there will be another group, 12:34 another group that will lift up their heads 12:37 and will stand in paralyzed awe at the beautiful, glorious 12:41 appearing of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 12:44 They will have their heads lifted up with great hope 12:48 and admiration beaming from their hearts 12:51 because the one whom they prayed to, 12:55 the one whom they studied about, 12:57 the one whom they placed their hope in 13:00 will now be coming to save them. 13:03 You see, ladies and gentlemen, 13:04 what will determine the way that men and women react 13:08 when they behold the glorious 13:10 appearing of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ 13:12 when He comes in the clouds of heaven, is their characters, 13:18 the characters which they are now developing 13:21 while Christ is currently in the courts of heaven 13:25 officiating as our high priest and intercessor. 13:31 Those who reject the validity 13:34 and the perpetuity of God's Ten Commandments, 13:37 those who live a life of lawlessness and refuse 13:40 the promptings of God's Holy Spirit, 13:43 you tried to put away from yourself the conviction 13:46 that God wants you to turn away from your sin, 13:49 you reject the power that God has made available to you, 13:52 in giving His own Son to die so that you might be known 13:57 as a son and daughter of the kingdom of God 14:01 rather than experiencing the eternal destruction 14:04 which you deserve for your transgressions 14:07 and your inequities. 14:08 Instead of accepting these things, 14:11 you desire to live a life of vice and inequity. 14:15 You desire to run around smoking and drinking, 14:18 finding yourselves in all types of adulterous, 14:20 illict relationships, caught up in pornography, 14:24 dishonest business practices, 14:26 lying to your husbands and wives, 14:28 backbiting and gossiping, disobedient to your parents, 14:31 on that day when Jesus Christ returns 14:35 and you see the flaming lamps of fire in His eyes 14:39 you will know that Jesus has not come as your Savior 14:43 but as your vengeful judge. 14:46 But those of you, those of us 14:50 who will now fall on the rock Christ Jesus and be broken, 14:55 who will look to their hills from whence cometh our help, 14:58 who will bathe ourselves in the blood of the Lamb 15:01 that we might be washed of all of our filthiness 15:04 and unrighteousness. 15:05 When Jesus Christ returns, we will know 15:09 that He is not coming to destroy us 15:11 but He is coming to save us. 15:15 And when Jesus Christ begins His descent, the Bible tells us 15:20 in the Book of 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 15:24 "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven 15:27 with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, 15:30 and with the trump of God 15:32 and the dead in Christ shall rise first, 15:35 then we which are alive and remain 15:37 shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, 15:39 to meet the Lord in the air 15:41 and so shall we ever be with the Lord." 15:44 Then the Bible tells us in the Book of Matthew 24:30, 15:50 "And then shall see the sign of the Son of man in heaven 15:54 and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, 15:57 and they shall see the Son of man coming 16:00 in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 16:03 And he shall send his angels 16:05 with a great sound of a trumpet, 16:07 and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, 16:11 from one end of heaven to the other." 16:14 This will be such an awesome scene, Jesus descending, 16:19 letting out this great triumphant shout 16:22 and after He lets out the great triumphant shout, 16:25 then He grabs the trumpet of God 16:28 and as He blows on the trumpet 16:30 giving it a loud and clear sound 16:32 the earth begins to rattle, the earth begins to shake. 16:35 Why? 16:36 Because all of His dead, faithful saints 16:39 will begin popping up from the grave. 16:42 They will be resurrected to the gift of eternal life 16:46 and they, with the living saints, 16:48 will be escorted by the heavenly angels 16:51 up into the atmosphere to meet Jesus Christ 16:54 who is hovering there, waiting to be united with them 16:58 for His feet will never touch the ground. 17:01 What an awesome scene this will be. 17:03 Can you imagine what bodies, what forms God will bless us 17:09 with on the day of our redemption? 17:11 The Bible tells us in the Book of 1 John 3:2, 17:16 "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, 17:19 and it doth not yet appear 17:21 what we shall be but we know that, 17:22 when he shall appear, we shall be like him 17:26 for we shall see him as he is." 17:29 Now the Bible doesn't give us very specific minute details 17:32 as to what exactly the redeemed will look like in appearance 17:36 at the second coming of Jesus. 17:38 But we do know that when Jesus Christ returns 17:42 we shall look just like him. 17:46 And you maybe wondering right now 17:48 well, what type of form does Jesus now possess? 17:50 Well, the Word of God says in the Book of Philippians 3:20 17:56 "For our conversation is in heaven, 17:58 from whence also we look for the Savior, 18:01 the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, 18:06 that it may be made and fashioned 18:08 like unto his glorious body, according to the working 18:12 whereby he is able also to subdue 18:14 all things unto himself." 18:16 Therefore, right now, Jesus Christ possesses 18:20 a glorious body in the courts of heaven. 18:23 And as the Bible has already given us 18:26 the affirmative promise that when Jesus Christ appears 18:29 the redeemed will be just like Him 18:33 for they shall see Him as He is. 18:34 The Word of God is letting us know beyond the shadow of doubt 18:38 that when Christ returns the second time 18:41 to save His faithful children from the sin cursed earth, 18:44 He will change their vile, corruptible human forms 18:48 into glorious bodies like His very own. 18:51 And the Bible tells us a little bit more about 18:54 the function of this glorious body 18:56 that the redeemed will receive 18:58 in the Book of 1 Corinthians 15:51 19:03 where the Word of God tells us "Behold, I show you a mystery, 19:07 we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 19:10 in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, 19:12 at the last trump for the trumpet shall sound, 19:15 and the dead in Christ shall raise 19:17 incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 19:20 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, 19:24 and this mortal must put on immortality." 19:27 The glorious bodies that Jesus Christ 19:30 will bless the redeemed with will be immortal forms, 19:34 forms that are not subject to death, 19:36 pain, nor sorrow, forms that cannot experience aging. 19:40 These forms will be just like the body 19:44 that our Lord and Savior, Jesus possess. 19:46 What a gift. What a thing to look forward to. 19:50 But you know, there is one more specific 19:54 and most important characteristic 19:57 that Jesus Christ will possess at His second appearing 20:01 that all those whom desire to meet Him in peace 20:04 must possess as well within their characters. 20:08 The Bible tells us of this in the Book of Hebrews 9:28 20:13 where the Word of God says 20:15 "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many 20:19 and unto them that look for him 20:22 shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." 20:28 When Jesus Christ returns, He will return without sin 20:34 and if ought to be like Him when He appears, right now, 20:39 we must submit our heart to Jesus Christ 20:43 so that when He appears, we can be without sin 20:47 even as He will be without sin. 20:50 Only those who gain the victory over sin 20:54 will have the blessed privilege of being with the Redeemer 20:58 throughout the ceaseless ages of eternity. 21:02 This is why the Bible tells us in the Book of 1 John 3:3 21:08 "And every man that hath this hope in himself, 21:11 purify of himself, even as he is pure." 21:16 My friend, I only can imagine that you may be saying, 21:19 there's no way that I can be pure. 21:22 There's no way that I can obtain 21:23 to this holy righteous standard that God has set for me. 21:27 I'm never going to be prepared 21:28 for the second coming of Jesus Christ. 21:30 I don't even have enough power 21:32 to stop practicing one sin in my life. 21:35 It's hopeless for me. 21:37 Well, my friend, you're partially right. 21:39 You don't possess the power to stop practicing 21:42 even one sin in your life. 21:45 But I do know someone that does possess the power 21:48 and He's more than willing, 21:50 more than willing to give it to you. 21:52 For the Bible tells us in the Book of John 1:12 21:56 concerning Jesus Christ, "But as many as received him, 22:00 to them gave he power to become the sons of God, 22:04 even to them that believe on his name." 22:07 All you have to do is place your total faith 22:12 and dependence in Jesus Christ. 22:15 Come to Him, willing to surrender all of your heart. 22:19 Come to Him willing to yield all of your idols, 22:22 all of your vile appetites and passions 22:25 and vices, all of your unholy desires and practices 22:30 which you know are in opposition 22:33 to God's divine will for your life. 22:36 And when you're willing to surrender all to Jesus, 22:40 when you're willing to lay it all down at His feet 22:43 Jesus will come into your heart. 22:46 He will sanctify your thoughts. 22:49 He will purify your appetites and your passions. 22:52 He will give you new aims 22:54 and new goals for being in existence. 22:56 He will give you strength to break the bondage of sin 23:01 that the devil has you in, so that you might be lifted up 23:05 above the degradation of sin and inequity 23:08 so that you can abide in the atmosphere of holiness 23:13 in which He abides. 23:15 He will give you the power to be a son of God. 23:20 And do you know what power it is that God imparts unto you 23:24 so that you can be numbered as a child of God? 23:27 The Bible tells us in the Book of Acts 1:8 23:30 "And ye shall receive power, 23:33 after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you." 23:37 God wants to fill you with His Holy Spirit 23:41 for the Spirit of God will teach you 23:43 and guide you into all truth as the Bible says in John 16:13 23:49 and when the Spirit of God is teaching you 23:52 and guiding you into all truth, 23:54 you can be nothing else but a child of God. 23:58 That's why the Bible tells us in the Book of Romans 8:14 24:03 "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, 24:07 they are the sons of God." 24:10 My friend, the choice is yours. 24:12 You no longer have to live your life as a child of the world. 24:16 Jesus himself has made a way through His sacrifice 24:21 to deliver you from the bondage of sin. 24:24 All you have to do 24:26 is allow the Word of God to come into your heart 24:30 and transform you into a new creature. 24:33 For the Bible tells us in the Book of 1 Peter 1:23, 24:38 "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, 24:42 but of incorruptible, by the word of God, 24:45 which liveth and abideth for ever." 24:48 The Word of God has the power to transform you 24:51 into a new creature, to make you experience 24:55 a new birth in Jesus Christ. 24:57 And all those who experience 24:59 the new birth experience in Jesus Christ, 25:02 they will be victorious over sin. 25:05 Because the Bible says in the Book of 1 John 5:4, 25:09 "For whatsoever is born of God 25:12 overcometh the world and this is the victory 25:15 that overcometh the world, even our faith." 25:20 Place your total faith and dependence in Jesus Christ. 25:24 Don't listen to the mockers that are saying 25:28 wherein is the promise of His coming? 25:30 For since the Father fell asleep 25:32 all things continue as they were, 25:35 since the beginning of creation. 25:37 What these unfortunate souls are ignorant of 25:40 is what the Bible tells us in the Book of 2 Peter 3:9 25:48 "For the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, 25:52 as some men count slackness 25:55 but is longsuffering to us-ward, 25:58 not willing that any should perish, 26:00 but that all should come to repentance." 26:03 The only reason that Jesus Christ 26:06 has not returned as of yet is because He knows 26:10 that if He was to be turned right now, 26:13 billions would be lost. 26:15 He does not want men to lose their souls 26:18 even when they mock at Him, 26:20 even when they make jokes about Him, 26:21 even when they jest about the reality of His existence 26:25 He does not want men to die 26:28 because "God so loved the world, 26:30 that he gave his only begotten Son, 26:32 that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, 26:35 but have everlasting life." 26:38 He does not want you to perish, He wants you to live. 26:43 So don't give up your hope in Jesus. 26:46 As the Bible says in the Book of Hebrews 10:35 26:52 "Cast not away therefore your confidence, 26:55 which hath great recompense of reward. 26:58 For ye have need of patience, 27:01 that, after ye have done the will of God, 27:03 ye might receive the promise. 27:05 For he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. 27:10 Now the just shall live by faith, 27:13 but if any man draweth back, 27:15 my soul shall have no delight in him. 27:17 But we are not of them that draw back unto perdition, 27:23 but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." 27:29 Hold fast to your belief in Jesus Christ. 27:32 Daily pray and study His word. 27:35 Keep your heart connected with His 27:38 and one day soon you, will see the revelation of your hope. 27:42 Jesus is coming in the clouds of glory to save you. 27:48 God bless you. 27:50 As always, this is the Forerunner 27:53 and whether you like it or not, 27:56 the truth is the truth. |
Revised 2016-03-15