Participants: Scott Moore (Host)
Series Code: LOE
Program Code: LOE000014
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00:01 The harvest truly is plenteous but the laborers are few.
00:03 Pray ye, therefore, the Lord of the harvest 00:06 that He will, He will send forth laborers into His harvest. 00:10 Also I heard the voice of the Lord say: 00:13 "Who shall I send and who will go for us? " 00:17 Then said I: "Here am I... send me, send me. " 00:23 Life on the Edge will enable you to be an effective harvester 00:26 for the Lord. We now invite you into our classroom 00:30 to Come Experience Life. 00:44 We'd like to welcome all of you back here to the classroom. 00:47 We're right now doing our Life on the Edge Bible study course, 00:52 a series. For those of you at home, you're joining us 00:54 here at the Lay Institute for Evangelism. 00:57 The Bible study we are going to go over now is the second 01:00 half of the Bible study on the second coming of Jesus. 01:05 We've already covered in this Bible study that the second 01:08 coming of Jesus is a literal event. 01:12 Let's go ahead and turn in our Bibles to Acts chapter 1. 01:15 We just want to bring us all back up to speed 01:18 and we're going to Acts chapter 1. 01:20 Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts. 01:24 We're going to the first chapter, 01:26 and the reason we're going to 01:27 use Acts to catch us up to speed is because Acts 01:30 right here in verses 9-11 of the first chapter of Acts 01:34 tells us five times that the sense of sight is used 01:38 when Jesus leaves and then when Jesus comes back. 01:42 The same sense will be used for that. 01:45 So we'll just start reading in verse 11... 01:47 or verse 9, rather. 01:48 Acts chapter 1 verse 9. 01:50 "And when He had spoken these things 01:53 while they beheld He was taken up. " 01:56 So what did they do? They beheld or they looked, right? 02:00 "And a cloud received Him out of their sight. 02:04 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven 02:09 as He went up, behold, two men stood by them 02:12 in white apparel. 02:13 Which also said: 'Ye men of Galilee 02:16 why stand ye gazing up into heaven? 02:20 This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven 02:23 shall so come in like manner 02:26 as ye have seen Him go. ' " 02:29 So right here these two beings that come out of that cloud 02:34 that Jesus ascends in 02:36 five times they used a word to describe the sense of sight. 02:40 When Jesus comes back it will be an event that we can see. 02:46 It will also be an event that we can hear. 02:49 Let's go to I Thessalonians chapter 4. 02:53 It will be an event that we can hear: I Thessalonians chapter 4. 02:57 Those of you at home: you want to make sure you are grabbing 02:59 your Bible... that you are looking this up. 03:01 As Miss Elena would say so often: 03:03 "Grab yourself a piece of paper, 03:05 grab yourself a pen, and join us here. " 03:07 Because the texts won't be on the screen... 03:09 you'll have to look those up in your Bible. 03:11 So we are going to I Thessalonians chapter 4. 03:15 And that is, of course, in the T section of the New Testament. 03:19 I Thessalonians chapter 4 03:22 and we will begin here in verse 15. 03:26 I Thessalonians 4:15. 03:29 "For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord 03:32 that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the 03:36 Lord shall not prevent or precede 03:39 those which are asleep. " 03:41 Verse 16: "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven 03:45 with a shout. " Convince me. "with a SHOUT. " 03:49 So when the Lord descends from heaven 03:51 will we be able to hear it? Will we be able to see it? 03:54 Absolutely! We'll be able to hear it so well that even if 03:58 we are dead - as long as we are dead in Christ - 04:00 we'll be able to hear it. Let's keep reading there. 04:02 "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout 04:06 with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God 04:11 and the dead in Christ shall rise first. " 04:15 That's right. So the Bible here has already told us 04:18 that when Jesus comes we will be able to see it. 04:21 We will be able to hear it. 04:24 Jesus is going to come. It is going to be a literal event. 04:29 And by the grace of God we will be alive 04:32 when Jesus comes. Tom, do you want to be alive 04:34 when Jesus comes? Amen. Amen. 04:36 Do you want to live through that Jessica? 04:37 So do I. I think it would be the most awesome thing 04:40 to be able to see Jesus come in the clouds. 04:43 Not be... not be woken up from the grave... 04:45 although that's not a bad alternative 04:49 considering what we're going to study in our next Bible study 04:51 which is the millennium 04:52 and those which are raised at the end of the millennium. 04:55 But I want to be one of those that actually gets to see 04:57 the Lord come in the clouds. 05:00 There seems to be a lot of confusion 05:03 about what is going to happen at the second coming. 05:06 And this second part of the Bible study on the second coming 05:11 is designed to cover those misunderstood concepts 05:16 that lots of people are propagating 05:19 in the Christian world. 05:21 So we're going to cover... today we're going to cover 05:23 the topic of Like a Thief in the Night. 05:26 What does that mean from the Bible? 05:27 What does that mean from scripture? 05:30 Is there a way that we can understand what that means? 05:33 We're also going to understand what it means to be either 05:36 left behind or sincerely taken. 05:39 Now I was doing this Bible study up at the Lady Lake SDA Church 05:43 in Lady Lake, Florida. And there was a lady that 05:45 at the beginning of the study she said: "Oh, yes, 05:47 I want to be taken. " 05:49 And at the end of the study she says: "Oh, no, 05:51 I want to be left behind. " 05:52 And so we're going to cover some things that may be new 05:55 to some of us. And we're also going to talk about 05:58 whether Jesus takes the saints off of the earth 06:02 prior to the tribulation or in the middle of the tribulation 06:07 or after the tribulation. You've heard of those terms 06:10 pre-trib; mid-trib; post-trib? 06:13 That's what all that trib is about: the tribulation. 06:16 So we're going to be talking about that today. 06:18 The purpose of our Bible study... 06:21 We'll just go over this very quickly. 06:37 Now on the graphic there you'll see the texts that we 06:41 went over the first half of this Bible study, 06:43 and there were 12 of them. 06:44 So this Bible study... You will remember, this Bible study 06:47 "ended" in I Corinthians 15 verses 51-53. 06:53 But it only ended because... if somebody has never heard 06:58 about the second coming or they haven't studied 07:01 the second coming, then the second half of this study 07:04 may not even need to be covered with them 07:06 because there's no confusion there. 07:08 You can praise the Lord if you're the first one 07:10 that is able to give this Bible study to somebody 07:12 because you don't have a lot of pre-conceived ideas 07:15 that have been pushed by ministers that simply aren't 07:20 taking what the Bible says and sharing it with other people 07:23 but they're adding to it. 07:24 So these are the first twelve texts in The Second Coming. 07:28 And then you'll notice we have another, an additional 12 texts 07:31 that we are going to cover. 07:33 Now if the first 12 texts lasted an hour 07:36 when giving the study, then the second 12 texts 07:39 should last about the same length of time. 07:41 So today we're simply covering left behind; 07:45 we're covering A Thief in the Night; 07:48 and we're also covering... 07:49 What was the third thing I said we were covering? 07:52 Help me out. 07:54 The pre-trib, mid-trib, post- trib. That's absolutely right. 07:58 So we will start here. You notice on the screen 08:02 on the graphic this is the 12th text in the Second Coming study. 08:06 You're in I Corinthians 15 verses 51-53. 08:10 The text that we just came from was I Thessalonians 4. 08:13 That's what we read earlier. 08:15 And then you notice there the end is in asterisks. 08:18 And the end is in asterisks because 08:21 it's only the end if the person you're giving the Bible study to 08:26 does not have lots of questions about pre-trib, mid-trib, 08:29 post-trib or all these other tribs. 08:31 So we're going to go now to II Thessalonians. 08:35 You'll see on the graphic we'll be in II Thessalonians 08:37 chapter 2 and verse 10. 08:40 II Thessalonians. Again, that's in the T section 08:44 of the New Testament. 08:45 Maybe this is the first time you're joining us here 08:47 for Life on the Edge. But the T section in the 08:51 New Testament is in alphabetical order. 08:53 So we are going to II Thessalonians 08:56 chapter 2 and verse 10. And we will ask Mrs. Gloria 09:02 to read that for us: II Thessalonians 2:10. 09:06 "And with all unrighteousness deception among those 09:11 who perish because they did not receive the love 09:15 of the truth that they might be saved. " 09:17 OK. So keep that microphone there Mrs. Gloria. 09:20 What is the reason that people will not be saved? 09:26 According to that text... go ahead. 09:28 They did not receive the love of the truth? 09:32 They do not receive the love of the truth. 09:36 Go ahead and read verse 11 for us too. 09:38 Would you read that for us? "And for this reason 09:41 God will send them strong delusions 09:44 that they should believe a lie. " 09:47 So notice the text here says that there will be people that 09:50 are lost because they did not receive a love 09:55 of the truth. And because they did not receive a love of the 10:00 truth, God Himself will send them a strong delusion 10:04 that they will believe a lie. 10:07 So in order for us to be saved we must love what? 10:11 We must love the truth. 10:14 So then the question begs to be asked: 10:17 what then is truth? 10:20 If we have to love the truth in order to be saved, 10:24 what is truth? Now why are we... why are we talking about 10:27 truth right here in the middle or the beginning of this 10:30 second half of the Second Coming study? 10:32 Because there are a lot of pre-conceived ideas 10:35 about what the second coming will be like 10:38 and what will happen in, around, or before 10:41 the literal second coming of Jesus. 10:43 And so what we're establishing right here 10:46 is that because people do not love the truth - 10:50 and we're going to show from the scriptures that the Word of God 10:52 is the truth - because people would rather believe 10:54 what they've been told rather than what the Bible teaches 10:58 it's important for people to understand that they will be 11:01 lost. Because God expects us when He shares truth with us 11:06 to take that truth into our lives and to live that truth. 11:11 Now for those of you at home, this may be the first time 11:14 that you're ever hearing any of this. 11:15 And maybe... maybe you belong to a church that teaches 11:19 something different. But I want you to remember 11:21 as you watch this program that I will use nothing but the Bible - 11:25 The Bible and the Bible alone - 11:27 to buttress the points that we are making in class today. 11:31 So I want you to get your Bible. 11:33 Make sure you have it with you because I want you to be able 11:35 to go to work tomorrow, I want you to be able to 11:38 call up your mom or your dad tonight and say: 11:40 "This is what I learned from my Bible. 11:43 Nobody told me this; I learned it from my Bible. " 11:46 So now what we're going to do is we're going to go to 11:48 John chapter 17 verse 17. 11:51 That will be our next reference, and you'll see that 11:54 in the graphic. We've just come from II Thessalonians 2:10. 11:58 The text we will go to after this is Matthew 24:42-44. 12:04 So what we are doing is simply establishing that it is 12:07 a love of the truth that will save us. 12:10 And we are going to go ahead an ask Danielle if she will read 12:13 John chapter 17 and verse 17. 12:17 And I'm almost there. John 17:17. OK, I'm ready. 12:22 "Sanctify them through Thy truth; Thy Word is truth. " 12:25 It's very simple, but what did it say, Danielle? 12:28 "Thy Word is truth. " That's right. So when 12:32 II Thessalonians 2:10 said that people perish because 12:35 they did not receive a love of the truth, " 12:37 Danielle, they did not receive a love of what? 12:40 The Word. The Word of God. 12:43 The Bible. "Sanctify them by Thy truth; 12:46 Thy Word is truth. " 12:48 So it's important for us to love the truth, isn't it? 12:52 What happens, Tom, if you and I have always been taught 12:55 something different and then the Bible teaches us 12:58 that what we've been taught wasn't right? 13:00 Can you phrase that another way? Sure... 13:03 Sure I can. What happens if you and I have grown up 13:06 and what we've always been taught by our parents 13:09 or our pastors does not line up with what the Bible says? 13:13 What are we to do? 13:14 We're to follow the truth. 13:16 We're to... So, even if mom and dad get offended? 13:19 That's right! Even if our grandparents died 13:23 in what they thought was truth, 13:24 God expects us to still follow the truth? 13:27 OK. So that's what we're going to focus on now 13:29 is we're going to focus on the truth about the second coming 13:33 and those three items that we talked about just a moment ago. 13:37 We're going to go now to our next reference. 13:40 And we're going to be in the truth; we're going to be 13:42 studying the truth. We're going to go to Matthew 24 13:46 beginning in verse 42. Matthew 24 and verse 42. 13:51 So Matthew is the first book of the New Testament. 13:55 Matthew 24 verse 42. 14:00 And my beautiful bride just got me this nice new Bible 14:05 so the pages are sticking together. 14:06 And I'm loving it. Did you want to see my new Bible? 14:08 This is my new Bible right there. 14:10 My wife just got that for me. 14:11 All right, we're in Matthew 24 14:14 beginning in verse 42. 14:17 And Shelleta, can you read this for us? 14:21 "Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour 14:24 your Lord doth come. " OK, Shelleta, 14:27 what are we supposed to do? Watch. 14:29 Why should we be watching? 14:31 Don't know what hour the Lord comes back. That's right. 14:33 Because we don't know when Jesus is going to come. 14:35 Keeping going. "But know this, if the good man of the house 14:39 had known in what watch the thief would come 14:41 he would have watch and would not have suffered his house 14:44 to be broken up. Therefore, be ye also ready 14:47 for in such an hour as ye think not 14:49 the Son of Man cometh. " 14:51 The importance of us loving the truth 14:56 is that the only way for us to watch for the second coming of 15:00 Jesus is for us to be studying the Word of God. 15:06 My friends, if we are studying the Word of God, 15:09 it doesn't matter what mom and dad had taught us. 15:13 It doesn't matter what grandma and grandpa believed. 15:16 It only matters whether we are willing to follow the truth. 15:20 If we love it so much that we will let that truth 15:24 change our lives. And I know Mike, you studied 15:27 and you found out about the Sabbath and you allowed 15:29 God's truth to change your life. 15:32 So much so that you even lost a job over it, didn't you? 15:34 So when we take God's Word literally 15:38 and we believe God's Word and we fall in love with God's Word 15:43 then we will be willing to do anything for the truth of God... 15:47 even if it means learning something again. 15:51 So we need to watch and be ready because we do not know 15:55 when the Son of Man is going to come. 15:58 Now what we're going to do now is we're going to go over the 16:00 concept of a thief in the night. 16:04 So often when you give Bible studies you will hear people 16:08 say: "Well Jesus is going to come 16:10 like a thief in the night. " 16:11 And they have very good Biblical evidence for saying 16:14 that Jesus is going to come like a thief in the night. 16:16 But let's go right back to the reference that we're in 16:18 right now. I hope you still have that there. 16:20 In Matthew 24 it says: "Watch therefore, 16:24 for you know not what hour your Lord doth come. " 16:28 And then verse 43: "But know this: 16:31 that if the good man of the house had known in what watch 16:36 the thief would come, he would have watched 16:39 and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. " 16:44 What's the difference between Jesus coming like a thief 16:48 in the night and you knowing nothing about it 16:52 or Jesus coming like a thief in the night 16:54 and it's a complete surprise? There's a total difference there 16:57 isn't there? One person is expecting Jesus to come. 17:02 The other person doesn't even care if Jesus comes. 17:07 And that's going to be terrifying 17:09 for the person that doesn't care. 17:11 Let's go to our next reference now as we talk about this 17:13 thief in the night. And keep in mind 17:15 that if the good man of the house had known at which hour 17:18 of the evening the thief would have come 17:20 he would have been there... he would have been ready. 17:22 And the Bible says that you and I can be ready 17:25 for the second coming of Jesus. So we'll just go to our next 17:28 graphic there. We're going to I Thessalonians chapter 5 17:33 verses 1 through 5. 17:34 I Thessalonians chapter 5 verses 1 through 5. 17:39 And we'll ask Mike to read this for us. 17:41 I Thessalonians... again, I Thessalonians is in the 17:44 T section of the New Testament. 17:46 And the T section in the New Testament 17:49 is in alphabetical order. 17:51 So Mike, if you could read for us the first five verses 17:54 of I Thessalonians 5. 17:57 "But of the times and seasons, brethren, ye have no need 18:00 that I write unto you for you yourselves know perfectly 18:03 that the day of the Lord so cometh 18:05 as a thief in the night. " Stop right there. 18:06 Mike, stop right there. Close your Bible. 18:08 Just forget about the rest of it. 18:10 Because there you have it... that's what most people will do. 18:15 They will read and they'll say: 18:16 "Well the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night! " 18:18 And then they'll just close the book and that settles it 18:21 for them. But you and I... 18:23 You remember back to the first week here at the Lay Institute 18:26 for Evangelism you and I learned that the context is as important 18:31 as what just one verse says. 18:34 So the verse said that the day of the Lord comes like 18:37 a thief in the night. But as Mike continues to read 18:40 we're going to get the context of it and it will describe 18:43 who the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night to. 18:48 So Mike, if you could keep reading there in verse 3 18:51 and just... I may interrupt you again, I don't know. 18:55 "For when they shall say 'peace and safety, ' then sudden 18:57 destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with 19:01 child... and they shall not escape. 19:03 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness 19:06 that that day should overtake you as a thief. " 19:08 OK. You knew I was going to interrupt you right there, 19:10 didn't you? It says: "But you, brethren, 19:13 are not in... " what? "darkness that that day 19:16 should overtake you as a thief. " 19:19 Now you remember, if the good man of the house 19:22 had been watching, he wouldn't have allowed 19:25 the house to be broken into. 19:28 Here the Bible says: "You brethren 19:30 are not in darkness that that day should overtake... " 19:34 Jessica "like a thief. " 19:36 It shouldn't. Why? Why shouldn't it, Tom? 19:39 Tell me why it shouldn't overtake Jessica like a thief. 19:42 She'll be watching. Because she'll be watching, 19:44 that's right. Go ahead and read verse 5, would you? 19:47 "Ye are all children of light and the children of the day. 19:50 We are not of the night nor of darkness. " 19:53 OK. So evidently there is a group of people 19:56 that are in darkness and there is a group of people 20:00 that are in the what? They're in the light. 20:03 So which group do you and I want to be in? The dark 20:06 group or the light group? 20:08 We want to be in the light group. 20:09 Now what does it mean that they are "in the light? " 20:14 What could that possibly mean? 20:15 The reference we are going to go to right now is not 20:18 going to be on a graphic so you're just going to have to 20:20 pull this out of your Biblically-enlightened mind. 20:24 What is it that keeps people out of darkness and in the light? 20:28 The Word of God. Prove it to me. 20:30 Tom says "the Word of God" but he's not using one 20:32 microphone at all. Pick up that microphone, brother. 20:34 Prove to me... "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet 20:37 and a light unto my path" but I don't know the reference. 20:40 You don't... Does anybody in here know the reference? 20:41 It's in Psalms. Psalm 119; what's the verse? 20:44 105. Let's go there. He quoted it 20:47 but because we want to be people of the Book - 20:49 people that know where things are in their Bible 20:51 and people, praise the Lord, we can quote it 20:53 but what happens if we have to prove it? 20:55 We can make up a quote. I don't think you made it up. 20:57 But... you found it. Well let me catch... Oh, Bill found it 21:02 for you. Well Bill's a good friend to be sitting by 21:04 because he's got a lot of knowledge in scripture. 21:06 You want to read that for us, Tom? 21:08 "Your Word is a lamp unto my feet 21:11 and a light to my path. " 21:13 So remember, our second text in this second half 21:17 was John 17:17. It said: "Sanctify them by Thy truth; 21:21 Thy Word is truth. " 21:23 And here God's Word is described as a what? 21:28 A lamp and a light. 21:31 Now go back. I'm sure you kept your finger there... 21:33 I know Mrs. Gloria's pretty good about keeping her fingers 21:35 wherever we've been in scripture. 21:37 Go back to I Thessalonians 5. 21:39 I Thessalonians 5:5 says: 21:42 "Ye are all children of the... " what? 21:46 "light. " What does that mean? 21:49 Children of the Word. 21:51 "You are all children of the light and children of the day. 21:57 We are not of the night nor of darkness. " 22:02 Go back up there to verse 2. 22:05 "For you yourselves know perfectly 22:09 that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the... " 22:13 what? "in the night. " 22:15 But as long as you and I are in the light we are not in the 22:19 night. That's right. As long as we're in the light 22:22 we're not in the night. 22:24 Mercy! We could make up a whole song about that, couldn't we? 22:26 So what we've learned so far is that in order 22:31 to be saved we must have a love of the truth. 22:35 What is the truth? The truth is the Word of God. 22:38 The Bible says that the Lord comes like a thief in the night 22:43 but it's only to those who are not sanctified by the truth. 22:47 Only those... it only comes as a thief to those who 22:51 aren't watching and waiting for the coming of Jesus. 22:55 And the way that you and I watch and wait 22:59 is by taking the Word of God and studying it. 23:02 You know, Pastor Phillip... My wife gave me this 23:07 new Bible the other day and I've been carrying this 23:09 Bible around because somebody told me 23:12 that if I put palm oil in it on my Bible 23:15 it'll get floppy. And so I know that every likes a floppy Bible. 23:19 So I've been holding it... walking around the house 23:21 holding it like this. And then my wife was holding it 23:23 'cause she didn't want my new Bible to just have my palm oil. 23:26 But the more that you use your Bible at home 23:28 the easier it's going to open. 23:30 Sometimes you'll just turn to a text and you'll say: "Oh, 23:34 there I am already. " Because you've taken God's Word 23:36 and you've started to live in the light of God's Word. 23:40 This... this is a fun class; we're glad that you're here. 23:44 But it's very serious because what you are learning today 23:47 is something that God believes you are ready to hear. 23:51 You may have learned something else your entire life 23:54 but today you're going to be in the Word of God 23:56 and you are going to see that God's Word is going to teach us. 24:00 Now one thing that I forgot to do. 24:02 Right now I just remembered it. 24:03 Can anybody tell me what I forgot to do? Pray. 24:05 I forgot to pray. So we'll ask the Lord to forgive us 24:08 and we'll pray so that we can understand it. 24:10 Because without the Spirit of God, not one of us can 24:12 understand His Word. 24:15 Father in Heaven, I pray that You'll forgive me 24:18 in my excitement of just hopping into this topic. 24:20 And Lord we ask that Your Holy Spirit 24:23 will come and be with us now. 24:26 That You will not only be with us but that You will enlighten 24:29 our minds and that You will live in us 24:32 so that our lives can be a reflection of Your Son. 24:37 Thank you, Father, for being with us and for sending 24:40 Your Spirit. In Your name we praise You, Amen. 24:46 OK. So now let's go to II Peter chapter 3. 24:49 We're going to find another one of these thief in the night 24:53 references. II Peter chapter 3 24:57 verses 9 and 10. 25:00 II Peter is, of course, in the New Testament. 25:02 II Peter's in the New Testament. 25:04 It is past Hebrews... past the T section then past Hebrews. 25:08 Then we're going to II Peter chapter 3 25:11 and we're going to ask Bill to read verses 9 and 10. 25:16 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise 25:19 as some count slackness but is longsuffering toward us 25:23 not willing that any should perish but that all should 25:25 come to repentance. " OK, Bill, could I interrupt you? 25:28 What do you believe is the reason that the Lord is 25:32 delaying His coming out of verse 9? 25:35 He wants us to be saved. He wants us to be saved. 25:38 The Bible said "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise. " 25:42 What promise is that referring to? 25:44 That He came to seek us to save us. 25:48 That's right. But you remember there's a very specific place 25:51 and this was in part one of the study. 25:53 It's the very first text we went to. 25:55 What did Jesus promise His disciples in John 14:1-3? 26:00 Oh, that He would come again. That's right. 26:02 That He would come again. So the Lord is not slack 26:04 concerning His promise. That's the promise to return. 26:10 But then it says He is longsuffering toward us. 26:15 And He's longsuffering toward us, Tom, 26:17 because He doesn't want us to perish 26:19 but He wants us to come to everlasting life. 26:21 And so you may be asking yourself: 26:23 "why if God is so good 26:26 all of this bad stuff is happening and it just keeps 26:29 getting worse? " Because the Lord is waiting for the very 26:32 last person to accept Him as their Savior to do so. 26:37 And maybe that person is you. 26:39 And we pray that today you will accept Christ into your hearts. 26:42 Would you go ahead and finish reading that for us? 26:45 "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. " 26:48 Stop! Stop... because that's where most of Christianity 26:54 stops. Every time we read "like a thief in the night, 26:57 a thief in the night, a thief in the night... " 26:59 that's where we stop! 27:01 But the context is what tells us 27:04 what it means for the Lord to come like a thief in the night. 27:07 Now the context here in II Peter is so vividly clear 27:11 the only way you could miss it would be to stop reading. 27:15 But because we want to be people that study the Bible 27:18 and hear what God has to say we're not just going to stop, 27:20 Jessica, we're going to let Bill read the rest of this text. 27:23 "In which the heavens will pass away with a great noise 27:26 and the elements will melt with fervent heat. 27:28 Both the earth and the works that are in it 27:31 will be burned up. " So the day of the Lord 27:34 comes like a thief in the night and then it describes what 27:38 that's going to be like. And what did it describe? 27:41 What did that describe? 27:43 Say that again: the heavens will pass away 27:47 with a what? A great noise. 27:51 So what we are seeing already even in understanding 27:55 like a thief in the night... You know, if a thief came into 27:59 your house and he was rummaging around in your house 28:02 and he was making lots of noise 28:03 you would hear him, wouldn't you? 28:05 The Bible says that the day of the Lord so comes like 28:09 a thief in the night... "in the which" - 28:12 what does it say there? - 28:13 "in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise 28:19 and the elements will melt with fervent heat. 28:23 The earth also and the works that are therein 28:26 shall be burned up. " 28:29 So when you're giving this Bible study 28:33 some people when you're giving the first half 28:36 or the first 12 texts they will agree with you 28:39 that yes, the day of the Lord is going to come 28:41 and it's going to be a great event; it's going to be 28:43 an awesome event, but that's different from the rapture. 28:46 And then they'll go to these references here like 28:49 I Thessalonians 5 and II Peter 3 28:52 to say that there's going to be a rapture... but not so. 28:56 Because when we read the context of those verses 29:00 we see that the day of the Lord comes like a thief to people 29:04 that aren't ready. 29:07 And all it takes for us to be ready 29:10 is to have a love of the what? Of the truth. 29:14 That's absolutely right. Of the Word of God, that's right. 29:18 So we're going to look at the last reference. 29:20 We will have looked... If I'm not mistaken we will have looked 29:22 at every thief in the night reference in scripture. 29:26 I don't think we've missed one of them. 29:28 This will be the last one. Let's go to Revelation 29:31 chapter 3 and verse 3. 29:33 Revelation chapter 3 and verse 3. 29:36 And we are going to let Jessica read this. 29:39 So we're turning to the last book of the Bible. 29:42 Revelation the 3rd chapter and the 3rd verse. 29:48 And can you read that for us? 29:49 "Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard 29:54 and hold fast and repent. 29:56 If therefore thou shalt not watch, 29:59 I will come on thee as a thief 30:01 and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. " 30:06 OK. So what is it that you and I need to be doing 30:09 so that the day of the Lord does not take us 30:11 or overtake us like a thief? 30:13 We need to be watching. 30:16 And the only way for us to be watching 30:18 is to turn the light on. 30:20 Now have you ever gotten up in the middle of the night 30:21 and... because you needed to go to the bathroom... 30:24 and you don't turn the lights on because you're afraid 30:27 the light's going to hurt your eye. 30:29 And then you kick the door jamb 30:31 or you kick a piece of furniture. 30:32 Has that ever happened? 30:34 Oh she said she sees well in the dark. 30:35 Has that ever happened to you, Jessica? 30:36 Jessica says yes it's happened to her. 30:38 It's happened to me, too. 30:39 If I had just turned the light on, 30:42 I could have avoided a lot of pain. 30:45 But because I didn't turn the light on 30:48 not only did I stub my toe but then I had to turn the light on 30:52 to look at my toe and thereby my eyes began to hurt. 30:54 So it was doubly bad, right Bill? 30:57 So even though you and I learn things from scripture that 31:01 may be different from what we've always known 31:03 and it may even hurt to know that we have been lied to 31:08 about what it means for the Lord coming like a thief 31:11 in the night... Even though it hurts us 31:15 it's an awful lot better to turn that light on 31:18 and find out the truth than to kick the door jamb 31:23 then turn the light on and realize that the damage 31:26 has already been done. 31:27 So we must love the truth. 31:31 And it is our hope that you will love the truth 31:34 about the second coming of Jesus. 31:37 So now when somebody says: "Yeah, the day of the Lord's 31:40 going to come like a thief in the night, " Tom, 31:42 pick up the microphone and tell me what you're going to 31:43 tell them. What are you going to tell them? 31:45 What do you remember? Give us a review here. 31:46 Ask me the question again. All right. 31:49 You're good about this. I'll ask it again. 31:51 That way you can think about it, right? 31:52 So what is it that you're going to tell someone 31:56 when they say: "Well you know, I'm going to be raptured 32:01 and I really don't have to worry about this 32:03 because, you know, Jesus is going to rapture me 32:05 so I don't have to worry about it. You know, 32:07 He comes like a thief in the night, so... " 32:09 Well I'll tell them that that day is going to be a loud 32:12 occurrence. There's going to be shouting. 32:14 That's right. The heavens will pass away. 32:17 Things will be burned up. It's not going to be a quiet event. 32:21 Can you remember any of the references 32:22 that we just looked at... listened to? 32:24 Uh yes, there's one in Peter... II Peter 3:9-10. 32:27 You just looked at the screen. That's good. 32:30 And those of you at home, you have the opportunity 32:32 to back this DVD up or to go forward 32:35 and you can get those references as well. 32:36 But it would be a good idea because we're teaching you 32:39 how to mark this in your Bible 32:41 it would be a good idea for you to go ahead and mark that 32:43 in your Bible so if somebody does come to you with 32:45 a thief in the night reference and says: "But the day of the 32:48 Lord comes like a thief in the night, " you can say 32:50 "OK, can you show me your reference? " 32:52 And then you have somewhere to go backwards and forwards 32:55 from that reference because we've looked at all these 32:57 other references for a thief in the night. 33:01 Now when we started this class here 33:04 you remember I told you that there are some people that say: 33:06 "Jesus is going to come pre-trib or before the tribulation. " 33:10 Then there's some people that say: "No, He's going to come 33:12 right in the middle of the tribulation. " 33:14 And those would be mid-trib people. 33:16 And then there are people that say Jesus is going to come 33:18 at the end of the tribulation. That would be post-trib. 33:22 So how do you know if Jesus is coming pre-trib, 33:24 mid-trib, or post-trib? 33:26 What was that? Look in the Word... 33:28 because this is the light that keeps us out of darkness. 33:33 That's right. So we will go to the next reference 33:35 that you see there on the screen. 33:37 We are going to the 19th Second Coming study... 33:41 or second coming text. And we're in Revelation 14 33:44 and there's quite a bit of stuff for us to read here. 33:46 And you can see all that on your screen. 33:48 So we're going to go to Mrs. Gloria. 33:51 And Mrs. Gloria if you could read for us 33:54 Revelation 14 verses 6-12. 33:57 Now I told Mrs. Gloria this probably 10 or 15 times: 34:01 that Mrs. Gloria is going to need to come to my house 34:04 and read for our children for our evening devotionals. 34:08 Because I want you to listen to the way this lady reads. 34:10 She's got one of those voices like my grandma had 34:13 and she could just read to me forever. 34:15 So we're reading verses 6 through 12 of Revelation 14. 34:19 You've got quite a bit of stuff to read there. 34:21 And we may... we may break it up into a couple of us reading 34:24 or I just may interrupt you. 34:26 OK. So we're ready for you now. 34:28 Start in verse 6 of Revelation 14. 34:33 "Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven 34:37 having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell 34:41 on the earth. To every nation, tribe, tongue, and people. 34:47 Saying with a loud voice: 34:49 'Fear God and give glory to Him 34:52 for the hour of His judgment has come. 34:55 And worship Him who made heaven and earth, 34:59 the sea, and the springs of water. ' 35:03 And another angel followed saying: 35:05 'Babylon is fallen, is fallen. 35:08 That great city, because she has made all nations 35:12 to drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. ' " 35:16 OK. Can I interrupt you? 35:18 So those of you at home: now you know exactly why 35:20 I want Mrs. Gloria to come read to my kids 35:22 for evening worship. Go ahead and read there, Mrs. Gloria. 35:25 "Then a third angel followed them saying with a loud voice: 35:30 "If anyone worships the beast and his image 35:33 and receives his mark on his forehead or in his hand, 35:38 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God 35:43 which is poured out full strength into the cup 35:47 of His indignation. He shall be tormented with the fire 35:51 and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels 35:55 and in the presence of the Lamb. ' " 35:57 OK. Now Mrs. Gloria, who is it 36:00 that is tormented with fire and brimstone 36:02 that receives the wrath of God? 36:05 In verse 9 and 10 that you just read, 36:07 who is it that receives the wrath of God? 36:10 The ones that receive the mark. That's right. 36:12 The ones that receive the mark. 36:15 Now you and I are going to be studying in the future 36:17 about the mark of the beast. 36:19 It's definitely something that you and I can see here 36:22 that we want to avoid. Do you want to know more about 36:24 the mark of the beast? How about you guys here: 36:26 do you want to know more about the mark of the beast? 36:28 Well that means you're going to have to keep watching the DVDs. 36:31 You're going to have to keep tuning in to the program 36:33 that you're watching so that you can get those. 36:35 Now Mrs. Gloria, we're going to go ahead and let you finish 36:38 there in verses 11 and 12, then we'll let somebody else read 36:41 some of the other references. 36:42 "And the smoke of their torment ascended forever and ever 36:47 and they have no rest day or night 36:50 who worship the beast and his image 36:53 and whoever receives the mark of his name. " 36:57 And verse 12... 36:59 "Here is the patience of the saints. 37:01 Here are those who keep the commandments of God 37:05 and the faith of Jesus. " OK, so we'll just... 37:08 We'll just take a little glimpse into the mark of the beast 37:11 study right here. As long as we are keeping the commandments 37:14 of God and have the faith of Jesus 37:17 then we don't receive the mark of the beast. 37:20 It's that easy, isn't it? 37:22 And you'll hear us when we finally do cover the mark 37:25 of the beast study you'll hear me say: 37:26 "that's all we need to know. " 37:28 All we have to know is how to avoid it. 37:30 We don't even have to know what it is so long as we know 37:33 how to stay away from it. 37:34 But the purpose of this here is to show that those who receive 37:38 the wrath of God are the wicked. 37:42 Those that have chosen to receive the mark of the beast, 37:45 those that have worshiped the beast 37:47 and continue to worship the beast. 37:49 So let's go to our next reference now which is 37:53 Revelation 15 verse 1. Revelation 15 verse 1. 37:57 And we'll go ahead and let Mike read that for us. 38:00 Revelation 15 verse 1. 38:05 "And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: 38:09 seven angels having the seven last plagues 38:12 for in them is filled up the wrath of God. " 38:14 OK. So what have we just learned? 38:17 That the seven last plagues are the wrath of God. 38:23 Did you see that? Jessica, you see that there? 38:26 It says in verse 1: 38:27 "seven angels having the seven last plagues 38:30 for in them... " in the seven last plagues... "is filled up 38:35 the wrath of God. " 38:38 Now who? Danielle, who is the wrath of God 38:42 poured out on? What was that Jessica? 38:46 The wicked. Those that receive the mark of the beast - 38:50 those that worship the beast - receive the wrath of God. 38:54 So here it says that there are seven angels 38:57 that have the seven last plagues. 38:59 And in those seven last plagues is filled up 39:03 the wrath of God. 39:05 Now I don't know about you, Mike, but I'd rather not 39:08 be one of the wicked that suffer the wrath of God. 39:11 It just doesn't sound like something I want to do. 39:14 So the Bible says that those that are keeping the 39:17 commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus 39:20 will avoid the wrath of God. 39:23 Well if the wrath of God is poured out in the 7 last plagues 39:27 or during the tribulation 39:30 you and I want to be people that are during the tribulation 39:33 keeping the commandments of God 39:36 and having the faith that Jesus had, don't we? 39:40 So the first indication that Jesus comes either mid-trib 39:44 or post-trib is that during the tribulation there will be 39:48 people that keep the commandments of God. 39:50 So let's just keep reading here. 39:52 We're going to go to Revelation 16 verse 1. 39:55 Revelation 16 verse 1, and Shelleta, can you read this 39:58 for us? We will read verses 1 and 2. 40:01 Revelation 16 verses 1 and 2. 40:05 "And I heard a great voice out of the temple 40:08 saying to the seven angels: 'Go your ways 40:10 and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. ' 40:14 And the first went and poured out his vial 40:17 upon the earth, and there fell a noisesome and grievous sore 40:21 upon the men which had the mark of the beast 40:24 and upon them which worshiped his image. " 40:27 OK. So Shelleta, right here we're seeing what vial 40:30 being poured out? Or what angel is pouring out? 40:34 The first. The first. So the reason we go to Revelation 16 40:38 verses 1 and 2 is simply to show that the first angel 40:43 is pouring out the wrath of God. 40:47 The wrath that was filled up in that angel's cup. 40:50 And who is the wrath of God poured out on? 40:53 The wicked. And the wicked are opposite from the saints 40:57 who are keeping the commandments of God 40:59 and have the faith of Jesus. 41:01 Now let's read verse 12. 41:03 And Tom, maybe you could read verse 12 for us. 41:05 Revelation chapter 16 and verse 12. 41:10 "Then the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river 41:14 Euphrates and its water was dried up so that the way 41:19 of the kings from the east might be prepared. " 41:22 OK, Tom: what number angel is pouring what number vial 41:27 in this verse? This is the sixth angel 41:29 and he's pouring out the sixth vial. 41:30 And how many vials and how many angels do we have total? 41:34 Seven angels. That's fine. Seven angels 41:38 having the seven vials full of God's wrath. 41:41 So now we're going to read verse 17. 41:44 And Bill, why don't you read verse 17 for us? 41:46 Can you do that? Revelation 16 and verse 17. 41:50 And then tell me what angel is pouring out his vial here. 41:53 "Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air 41:56 and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven 41:59 from the throne saying: 'It is done. ' " 42:02 OK. So where is Jesus 42:06 when "It is done" is cried out? 42:12 He's in the throne room. That's right. 42:14 He in the throne, isn't He? He's on the throne. 42:16 Do you remember any other time where Jesus cried out 42:20 "It is finished" or "It is done? " 42:22 On the cross. That's right. 42:25 And so here we see the seventh angel is pouring out his vial. 42:30 But something happens between the 6th angel and the 7th angel. 42:34 What is it that happens between the sixth angel, 42:38 Roberto, and the seventh angel? 42:40 Can you read for us verse 15? Revelation 16:15. 42:47 "Behold... " Sixteen, right? 42:51 Verse 15, yeah. Chapter 16 verse 15. 42:53 "Behold, I am coming as a thief. 42:55 Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments 43:01 lest he walk naked and they see his shame. " 43:05 So notice here it says between the 6th and the 7th 43:09 plague... So you had plague 1, 43:12 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 43:17 In between the sixth plague and the seventh plague 43:21 Jesus cries out what? 43:24 "Behold, I am coming as a thief. " 43:28 Is that past, present, or future? 43:31 That's future. 43:33 So, did Jesus come before the wrath of God or the tribulation 43:36 was poured out? No. 43:37 Does Jesus come in the middle of the tribulation 43:40 or mid-trib while the plagues are being poured out? 43:42 No, no, no. It is not completely done or finished 43:45 until the seventh vial is poured out. 43:47 And then Jesus cries out: "It is done. " 43:52 And so my friends, those of you that are studying the Bible 43:55 today, understand that Jesus does not come back 43:59 prior to the tribulation. 44:01 Jesus does not come back in the middle of the tribulation. 44:06 But my friends Jesus comes back after the tribulation 44:10 is over. Now that may cause a question in some of our minds. 44:15 If Jesus comes back after the tribulation is over, 44:18 how are we going to survive the tribulation? 44:22 That'd be a good question, wouldn't it? 44:24 Because all of our lives some of us have been taught 44:26 that Jesus comes back before the tribulation 44:28 so we don't even have to worry about it. 44:30 But this is where you as a good Bible student 44:33 will write this down. 44:34 You're taking notes at home and you're taking notes 44:36 in the class. You write down Psalm 91. 44:39 You write down Psalm 91. 44:42 And when this is over, you make sure that you read that. 44:44 And you will see in Psalm 91 it even says 44:48 that none of the plagues will come near your dwelling 44:51 because you are being kept safe 44:55 under the mighty wings or the mighty arm of God. 45:00 So those of you that are concerned now about living 45:03 through the tribulation, don't you worry 45:05 because Jesus has promised to keep us safe. 45:09 Jesus has even promised that our bread and our water 45:12 will be sure during that time period. 45:14 So we don't have to amass anything today 45:17 as far as food to eat during the tribulation 45:19 because Jesus said that He would provide that for us. 45:21 So we see that Jesus does not come back prior to the 45:25 tribulation. He doesn't come back in the middle of 45:28 the tribulation. Jesus comes back at the 45:30 end of the tribulation. And that's good news for us 45:33 because He has promised that He will keep us safe 45:36 during that tribulation. 45:38 So now let's go to the next concept that we want to cover 45:42 in this study. Let's go to Luke the 17th chapter 45:46 verses 26 and 27. 45:49 Luke the 17th chapter verses 26 and 27. 45:54 Luke... Matthew, Mark, Luke. 45:57 If you go to John, you've gone too far. 46:00 We're going to Luke 17 verse 26. 46:04 Luke 17 and verse 26. 46:07 And we will let Danielle read this for us. 46:11 "And as it was in the days of Noah 46:13 so shall it also be in the days of the Son of Man. 46:17 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, 46:20 they were given in marriage until the day that Noah 46:23 entered into the ark 46:24 and the flood came and destroyed them all. " 46:27 So the flood came and did what to them? 46:29 Destroyed them all. 46:32 The Bible tells us: "Like as it was... " 46:34 What does it say there in verse 26? 46:36 "And as it was in the days of Noah 46:38 so shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man. " 46:43 So when Jesus comes back 46:46 it will be just like it was in the days of Noah. 46:49 Now in the days of Noah, verse 27 of Luke 17 told us 46:53 that they were eating, they were drinking, 46:55 they were getting engaged, they were being married. 46:58 And they didn't know anything until the flood came 47:03 and did what? "Destroyed them all. " 47:07 Let's look at what happened to those people that weren't 47:10 destroyed. Go to Genesis. 47:13 Our next reference: Genesis chapter 7 and verse 23. 47:19 Genesis: the very first book of the Bible. 47:22 And I should have told you to keep your finger there 47:24 in Luke because we're going to come right back to it. 47:26 We're going to go to Genesis chapter 7 and verse 23. 47:31 And we will ask Jessica to read this for us. 47:34 Genesis chapter 7 and verse 23. 47:39 "And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the 47:43 face of the ground, both man and cattle, 47:46 and creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven, 47:50 And they were destroyed from the earth 47:52 and Noah only remained alive 47:55 and they that were with him in the ark. " 47:59 So who was it that got to live during the flood. 48:05 Noah and those that were with him in the ark. 48:08 My friends, you and I right now, 48:11 if we could just spiritualize that text for a moment, 48:13 this is our ark. 48:16 The only way that you and I will remain alive 48:19 during that tribulation is by hiding the truth of God's Word 48:23 in our hearts and loving it. 48:26 Even if it's different from what we've ever known before. 48:29 So this verse here tells us that every living substance 48:34 was destroyed and Noah and his family 48:39 remained alive. 48:41 That's going to be important here in just a minute. 48:43 Everything is destroyed, but Noah and his family remain. 48:48 They remain on the earth or in the ark. 48:52 So let's go to our next reference which is in Luke. 48:55 We're going back to Luke the 17th chapter. 48:57 Luke chapter 17 verses 34-37. 49:01 You can see this is our 22nd second coming reference. 49:05 And again, you don't give all of these references - 49:07 you don't give this entire two halves - 49:10 in one hour. Otherwise you'd be... you'd be going so fast... 49:14 But you don't want to do that. You need to go slow enough 49:18 for people to understand you. 49:20 So Luke 17 verse 34-37. 49:24 Now somebody at home is going to want to read out loud 49:27 but we won't be able to hear you. 49:28 So you read out loud while Mike reads out loud, OK? 49:31 So Mike, why don't you lead us off here? 49:34 "I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed. 49:38 The one shall be taken and the other shall be left. " 49:41 OK, stop right there. 49:43 This is where Christianity 49:46 gets its idea for one is taken 49:51 and the other one is left. 49:52 You know there's an entire series of books 49:55 on left behind or taken. 49:59 The series is called Left Behind, right? 50:02 But we're going to find out that you and I 50:05 want to be just like Noah. We want to remain 50:09 while everything else is destroyed. 50:14 Keep reading for us there, Mike. 50:15 "Two women shall be grinding together. The one shall be taken 50:19 and the other left. Two men shall be in the field. 50:22 The one shall be taken and the other left. 50:24 And they answered and said unto Him: 50:27 'Where Lord? ' And He said unto them: 50:29 'Wheresoever the body is, 50:31 thither will the eagles be gathered together. ' " 50:33 Now would you consider the disciples to be smart men? 50:37 I mean, they did choose to follow Jesus, didn't they? 50:40 So they're highly intelligent. 50:42 Smart enough. Smart enough! 50:43 Verse 34 says: "I tell you in that night... " 50:46 And the day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the what? 50:49 In the night. "I tell you in that night 50:51 there shall be two men in one bed. 50:53 This is not talking about homosexuality. 50:56 It says: "There will be two... " Men is a supplied word. 50:59 "There will be two in one bed. 51:01 One shall be taken and the other shall be... " what? 51:04 "left. " Now Mike, tell me: where is the one left? 51:13 Well what does it say there? Where is the one left? 51:15 You said it, Jessica. He's left in the bed. 51:18 That's right. And Roberto, 51:20 the two women that are grinding together... 51:23 one of those is taken and the other one is left where? 51:26 Grinding, right? 51:29 Now Shelleta, two shall be in the field. One shall be taken 51:33 and the other left. Where's he left? 51:35 He's left in the field. 51:36 So what you and I see here in this passage 51:38 is we see a person is left in the bed, 51:41 a person is left grinding, 51:43 and a person is left in a field. 51:45 Then the disciples there in verse 37: 51:49 "And they answered Him and said unto Him: 51:51 "Where, Lord? " 51:53 What are they asking? 51:57 They're asking where they're left? 51:59 They know where they're left. 52:01 Where were they left, Mike? 52:02 That's right. In the field, grinding, and in the bed. 52:07 So they're not asking where are they left because the Lord 52:09 just told them where they were left. 52:11 They're asking: "Where are they taken? " 52:14 And Shelleta, Jesus answers that in a very peculiar way, 52:18 doesn't He? How does He answer that? 52:20 Read that for us again. Read verse 37 52:22 there in Luke 17. Are you in the reference? 52:24 All right. Because I was going to hand you my Bible 52:26 if you weren't. 52:28 "Wheresoever the body is, 52:30 thither will the eagles be gathered together. " 52:33 So wherever the body is... Read that one more time for us. 52:37 Read that one more time for us. 52:39 "Wheresoever the body is, 52:42 thither will the eagles be gathered together. " 52:45 So they ask: "Where are they taken, Lord? " 52:47 And He says: "Wheresoever the body is, 52:50 that's where the eagle's going to be. " 52:51 What in the world is Jesus talking about? 52:54 Go to the next reference you see there on your screen. 52:57 Job 39 verses 27-30. 53:02 Job 39. Now Job is in the Old Testament 53:05 to the left of the book of Psalms. 53:07 So we're going to Job 39 53:09 verses 27 through 30. 53:15 Well, I'll go ahead and read this one here. 53:17 I'll go ahead and read this one. Job 39 verse 27 says: 53:21 "Doth the eagle mount up at Thy command 53:24 and make her nest on high? 53:26 She dwelleth and abideth on the rock; 53:29 upon the crag of the rock and the strong place. 53:32 From thence she seeketh her prey; 53:36 and her eyes behold afar off. 53:39 Her young ones also suck up blood 53:43 and where the slain are, there is she. " 53:48 Where the slain are... that's where the eagle is. 53:52 Where the slain are... that's where the eagle is going to come 53:57 and suck up blood. So the disciples asked Jesus. 54:00 Jesus said: "There's two in the bed. One is taken, 54:02 the other is left. There's two at the mill. 54:05 One is taken, the other is left. 54:06 There's two... " what was the third one? Where were they at? 54:10 In the field, that's right. "There were two in the field. 54:12 One's taken, the other one is left. " 54:13 Where are they left? No. They know where they're left. 54:17 Where are they taken? 54:19 And Jesus says that they are taken to destruction. 54:24 Wherever the body is, that's where the eagle will be. 54:28 Our last reference here tells us that there 54:33 is going to be a great feast at the second coming of Jesus. 54:37 How many of you are looking forward to being eaten? 54:41 Uh-uh, yeah. Got to be careful how you answer that question, 54:43 don't you, because you don't want to be eaten. 54:44 There's going to be a great feast at the second coming 54:48 of Jesus. And that feast is going to be the vultures 54:52 and the eagles and all the birds of prey 54:55 eating the flesh of people. 54:58 It's going to be eating those that were taken 55:02 to destruction. So we'll go to our last reference here. 55:05 This is the last reference in the second half of 55:08 this Second Coming study. 55:10 And we're in Revelation 19. 55:12 Revelation 19 and verse 17. 55:17 Revelation 19 and verse 17. 55:23 And Rober... Let's see... who's got this? OK, Tom's got that. 55:27 Tom, if you'll read Revelation 19 verses 17, 18, and then 21. 55:32 "Then I saw an angel standing in the sun 55:35 and he cried with a loud voice 55:37 saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven: 55:40 'Come and gather together for the supper of the great God. ' 55:44 Now what somebody's going to want to do at home is you're 55:47 going to want to read the verses before this because it tells us 55:49 that the Son of Man is coming 55:52 and He has on a vesture that has been dipped in blood. 55:55 His name is called The Word of God there in verse 13. 55:58 Verse 16 says: "He has a name on His thigh 56:02 that is written "KING OF KING AND LORD OF LORDS. " 56:03 So this is at the second coming of Jesus. 56:06 Then there's this angel in the sun that cries with a loud voice 56:09 telling all the birds to gather together to eat. 56:12 And what does it say in verse 18? 56:13 "You may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, 56:19 the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses 56:23 and of those who sit on them, 56:25 and the flesh of all people, 56:27 free and slave, both small and great. " 56:30 Verse 21? Um-hmm. "And the rest were killed 56:33 with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him 56:36 who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled 56:39 with their flesh. " Just imagine, my friends... 56:42 you and I can eat the Word of God now. 56:44 It can become part of our lives. We can love the truth 56:47 or we will be eaten by birds at the end of time. 56:51 God's Word is truth. 56:54 Today we have learned from the Bible - 56:56 not my opinion but from the Bible - 56:58 that Jesus is going to come. It's going to be literal. 57:01 We're going to see it; we're going to hear it. 57:03 He's going to come after the tribulation. 57:06 He's going to come like a thief in the night to those people 57:09 that aren't ready. 57:10 My question to you is do you want to be ready? 57:15 Do you want to be ready, Danielle? 57:17 Mrs. Gloria, do you want to be ready? 57:20 God has told us that as long as we remain in the light 57:26 we will be ready. 57:28 That day will not overtake us like a thief in the night. 57:32 And my friend, you, too, will want to continue to study. 57:36 You'll want to continue to open the Word of God 57:38 so that you can remain in the light of His Word. |
Revised 2014-12-17