Announcer:
Revelation. The time of the end.
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Mysterious signs.
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Strange happenings.
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Confusing numbers.
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Are we facing a new world
order and the mark of the beast?
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Are we living on a
planet in upheaval?
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Are we on the
verge of Armageddon?
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Revelation, what do all the
signs in this mysterious book
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mean? Discover real answers.
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Revelation Speaks
Peace, with Shawn Boonstra.
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+
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I was reading today in the book
of Psalms, and yesterday I was
in 11; guess where I was today.
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12. "The words of the Lord are
pure words, like silver tried in
a furnace of earth, purified
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seven times." There's that
number seven again. His Word is
perfectly pure. And you know
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what's beautiful about it? If
something is man-made, if it is
fabricated, like a tablecloth,
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put it under a microscope, and
the closer you look, the more
you see the flaws, right? If I
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write a book, you'll find the
errors; they'll be in there. I'm
a human being. If God writes a
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book, it's more like a
snowflake. Put that under the
microscope, and the longer you
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look, the more beautiful it is.
And I can tell you that my
experience over the last quarter
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century or so has been, the
deeper I go, the more beautiful
it gets, and it just becomes
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more consistent and more
powerful the longer I look at
this book. I'm glad that
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eternity is all eternity,
because we're going to have a
lot to learn from the mind of an
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eternal God. You cannot defeat
the word of God. Anyway, I
thought I'd share that with you.
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Our subject tonight - one of my
favourites - "The appearing."
What will it be like? Let's bow
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our heads in prayer. Father in
heaven, the thing we want most
is to actually see Jesus, to be
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home, to be reunited with You
forever. As we wait, we look for
Jesus in the words of the Bible.
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We want to see Him there. We
want to hear His voice. And it's
my prayer tonight that You would
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give me the ability to represent
You faithfully tonight, that
what I speak would come from the
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Word of God, not from man's
opinion, not from books, not
from films, but from the Word of
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God. And I'm asking that the
only voice we truly hear tonight
is Yours. Again I ask that You
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would cover me with the blood of
Christ and make me fit to speak
tonight. Forgive my sins. Take a
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call from heaven's altar again,
touch my lips, Father, I ask,
and give me the ability to put a
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smile on Your face because I've
been a faithful servant. And I
ask for that tonight in Jesus
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name, amen. The second coming of
Christ is probably the most
talked-about subject in Bible
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prophecy. I've already mentioned
it, but the second coming of
Christ is mentioned some 2,500
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times in the pages of the Bible.
We have Dwight L. Moody to thank
for that count. He sat down one
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day, went through the whole
Bible, counted 2,500 references.
On average, one out of eight
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passages in the New Testament
makes some allusion to the
second coming of Christ. But
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what's strange about it is that
with all of that data - and I'm
talking now thousands of
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passages - with all of that
data, Christians seem to
disagree about this more than
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just about any other subject. Go
into any bookstore. Buy one
hundred books on the second
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coming. Go ahead, get one
hundred books on the second
coming. I've got at least that
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many. I've got, like, four
thousand titles in my home
library on prophecy, and I open
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them all up. You open up a
hundred of those books, and you
will find one hundred different
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theories. And the question
that's always bothered me is,
how could one hundred different
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theories all be right? Can one
hundred different theories be
right? And the answer is no.
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Well, why do we have so many? Is
it because God doesn't speak
clearly? Sure, He does. Tonight
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I want to put aside all the
books. There are hundreds of
them. We probably have some of
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the same ones in our library,
you and I. I want to put them
all aside, and for once, just
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let the Bible speak, because as
you have seen, God has a way of
speaking very clearly for
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Himself. Tonight, I just want to
deal in what we know for sure. I
want to deal in Biblical
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certainty. And I guess I want to
begin with a question that might
surprise you tonight. The
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question is this: did Jesus
actually say that He was going
to come back? And people say,
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"That's a strange question for
you, Shawn. For seven nights,
you've been telling us Jesus is
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going to come back. Of course He
is. Why would you ask a question
like that?" Well, it's because
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one time, a man was coming to
"Revelation Speaks Peace," about
ten, eleven years ago, and six
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nights in, he came up to me, put
his finger in my face and said,
"Jesus isn't actually coming
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again; He never said He would."
I thought, "Six nights, and you
-" "No, Jesus never said He was
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going to come." So now I always
want to be absolutely sure that
Jesus actually said it. John
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chapter 14. "Let not your heart
be troubled." There's the voice
of Jesus. It's always, "Fear
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not. Let not your heart be
troubled." That's why I call
this "Revelation Speaks Peace,"
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not death and doom and
destruction. Jesus says, "Let
not your heart be troubled; you
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believe in God, believe also in
Me." Read this carefully. "In My
Father's house are [a few little
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huts] many mansions." Does it
sound to you, by the way, that
God's planning to keep everybody
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out of heaven, or is He trying
to get them in? He's making big,
big plans. "In My Father's house
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are many mansions: if it were
not so, I would have told you. I
go to prepare a place for you."
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Jesus has not been on vacation
for the last two thousand years;
He's getting something ready for
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you. "I go to prepare a place
for you. And if I go and prepare
a place for you, I will [what?]
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come again and receive you to
Myself, that where I am, there
ye may be also." Did Jesus say
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He was coming again, yes or no?
Yes, He did. And why is Jesus
coming again? The whole purpose
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is so that you can be with Him.
That is the desire of God's
heart. He wants you in His
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presence. This is not about God
trying to wipe you out. This is
not about God trying to destroy
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the world. This is about God
missing you and He comes because
He wants you where He is. The
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Bible says the second coming of
Christ is an absolute reality.
But what in the world will it be
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like? What exactly should you
expect when Jesus comes? Tonight
I want to deal just with the
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things that we know absolutely
for sure. And when you go
through the Bible, I find five
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things you can stand on
absolutely for sure, rock-solid,
undeniable. Would you like to
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see those five things tonight,
yes or no? Yeah, I knew you
would. Most people would like to
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see those things in America
today. It's an amazing thing
that has happened in our
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generation. Interest in such
things has gone up, especially
since 9/11. Something changed
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that day. People got more
interested in this kind of thing
because they sensed it's not
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business as usual anymore. But
unfortunately, people are going
to all the wrong places for
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their information; they are. I
remember Time magazine put out
an issue shortly after 9/11, the
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next summer, in 2002. They were
astonished, the editors of Time
magazine. They said, "Wow,
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church attendance is way up
after 9/11." And it was.
Unfortunately, it didn't take
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too long for us in America to
stop going to church again,
about five months later. But it
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went way up. And they said,
"Interest in prophecy is way
up." They ran this story. July
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the 1st, 2002. The headline:
"The Bible and the Apocalypse:
Why more Americans are reading
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and talking about the end of the
world." Now, let me show you
something interesting that I
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noticed in this article. This is
now going back, what, this is
fourteen-and-a-half years ago
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already. Can you believe it's
fourteen - it's like, almost
fifteen years ago to 9/11.
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Here's what the article said.
Listen to this. "The experience
of last year - the terrorist
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attacks, the anthrax deaths" -
boy, we didn't even mention that
one when we did Matthew 24.
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Remember the anthrax thing? -
"the anthrax deaths - not only
deepened interest among
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Christians fluent in the
language of Armageddon and
apocalypse. It broadened it as
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well, to an audience that had
never paid much attention to the
predictions of the Doomsday
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prophet Nostradamus." Now, why
did they have to go and mix
Nostradamus with the Bible?
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Everybody wants to do that.
We'll actually talk about
Nostradamus in a coming night,
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like, is he for real? We'll look
at that. "They had never paid
much attention to the
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predictions of the Doomsday
prophet Nostradamus or been
worried about an epic battle
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that marks the end of time, or
for that matter, read the book
of Revelation. Since September
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11, people from cooler corners
of Christianity have begun
asking questions about what the
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Bible has to say about how the
world ends, and preachers have
answered their questions with
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sermons they could not have
imagined giving a year ago."
"And even among more secular
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Americans, there were some who
were prime to see an omen in the
smoke of the flaming towers."
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Today, they're seeing the same
omen in the weather. Forty-nine
percent of Americans now say
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that the weather is an
indication we're moving into the
last days. Forty-nine percent.
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"They saw an omen in the smoke
of the flaming towers." Now,
look at this. "Though it had
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[here's where the preacher's
heart breaks a little bit] it
had more to do with their beach
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reading than with their Bible."
I was all excited reading the
article. "Oh, this is great.
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People are going back to the
Word of God." But where were
people getting their
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information? From their beach
reading. Unfortunately, in this
day and age, our generation runs
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to the internet for information,
and we like it in little
bite-sized pieces, one hundred
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and forty characters on Twitter.
We just like a little here, a
little there. We go to youtube
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and Hollywood for religious
instruction. We run out and buy
religious fiction, which is
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becoming one of the biggest
sections in the Christian
bookstore. Nothing inherently
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wrong with that, but that is not
a substitute for reading the
Bible itself. When it comes to
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the second coming, there's only
one textbook: it's the Word of
God. You have got to be
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absolutely certain. You do not
want to get your information
anywhere except this book. You
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want to be absolutely certain
with the second coming that you
are standing on a "Thus says the
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Lord." You want to be sure that
it's an "It is written" at every
turn. You want to stand here. If
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there's one thing you want to be
sure of in the last days, it's
that you know exactly what this
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book says. Why? Remember what
Jesus said. Matthew 24 verse 23:
"Then if anyone says to you,
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'Look, here is the Christ!' or
'There!' do not believe it. For
false christs and false prophets
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will rise and show great signs
and wonders to deceive, if
possible, even the elect." If
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there's one topic where
deception will be prevalent,
it's the second coming of
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Christ. This is one time you
want to be absolutely sure. The
only safe place to stand is the
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Bible. That's it. And tonight,
the Bible gives us five things
we know absolutely for sure. Are
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you ready to look at them? Are
you ready? Some of you aren't
too sure. Are you ready?
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Alright, make sure your
seatbelts are buckled. Here we
go. Five things we know beyond
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any shadow of a doubt about the
second coming of Christ. These
are the certainties. These are
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the things you can bank on.
Number one: Jesus is literally
going to come back Himself
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physically. It will be the real
Jesus. "Now, Shawn, that seems
obvious. Why would you say
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that?" Well, it's because in
this day and age, there are lots
of people who say, "Oh, Jesus
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coming back, that's just
symbolic. It represents when you
have a spiritual awakening in
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your heart, and that's the
second coming of Christ. There's
a spiritual awakening, and now
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Jesus came for you." There's
another thread of thought that's
been out there on the streets
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for a while saying Jesus came a
long time ago in a spiritual
sense. Attach a date to it, the
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early 20th century. But it's not
true. The Bible teaches the real
Jesus literally comes back. How
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do I know that? Well, the Bible
says so. Listen to this amazing
passage in the book of Acts.
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Acts chapter 1. This is the
ascension of Jesus. He's about
to go - well, He's on His way
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back to heaven by the time we
get to verse 10. And His
disciples are standing there
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watching Him go up. You would be
too, because you're about to
lose Jesus. You've been with Him
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for three-and-a-half years and
He's going up. So they're
watching. "And while they looked
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steadfastly towards heaven as He
went up," the Bible says,
"behold two men stood by them in
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white apparel, [there's that
symbol again] who also said,
'Men of Galilee, why do you
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stand gazing up into heaven?
This same Jesus, who was taken
up from you into heaven, will so
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come in like manner as you saw
Him go into heaven.'" The Bible
says the very same Jesus Who
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went up is the very same Jesus
Who comes down. And the way that
He went up is the way that He
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comes back. So we need to ask
some questions. If it's the same
Jesus that comes back, I want to
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know which Jesus went up. What
was He like? What was that like?
Which Jesus went up? A real,
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physical, flesh-and-blood Jesus,
God in human flesh, went up. And
how do I know that? It's because
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of something that happened after
the resurrection. After the
resurrection, Jesus suddenly
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appears to the disciples, and
they kind of freak out. They go,
"Whoa, what's that?" They're
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having trouble believing that
it's really Jesus. And I guess I
might too. I've had a few
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friends die, tragically. And
after they die, they suddenly
show up in your house while
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you're having dinner? I might
freak out too. They don't know
what to make of it. And here's
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what the Bible says. Luke 24
verse 38: "And He said to them,
'Why are you troubled?'" There's
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Jesus again, "Let not your heart
be troubled. Fear not." "'Why
are you troubled? Why do doubts
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arise in your hearts? Behold My
hands and my feet that it is I
Myself. Handle Me and see, for a
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spirit does not have flesh and
bones as you see I have.'" Jesus
said, "Come on, it's real. It's
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okay. Come over here. Touch Me.
I'm really back from the dead."
And then to underline the point,
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He says, "Fellas, I'm hungry."
"Do you have anything to eat?"
And they feed Him. And the food
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does not drop through to the
floor. Do you know why? Because
Jesus is not a ghost. He really
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rose from the dead as a real
flesh-and-blood human being, God
in human flesh. He really came
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back from the dead. And that's
the Jesus Who went up. They
watched him go. And that same
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Jesus is coming back. I want you
to think about this. The Bible
says, when it talks about the
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second coming, it is the Son of
Man Who comes in the clouds of
heaven. That's one of Jesus'
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favourite titles for Himself. "I
am the Son of Man." He's the
last Adam, Paul says. Do you
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know what this means? He's gone
up that way as a real
flesh-and-blood, physical human
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being still, God in human flesh,
but human. And He comes back the
same way. He's elected to
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identify with us forever. He's
always - He's humbled Himself to
always be one of us. He loves
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you that much. He said, "I'm
stepping into the human race
forever." He didn't give it up
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when He went back to heaven.
Jesus Himself will literally and
physically return. He really
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went and He will really come.
It's the same Jesus raised from
the dead. You will lay your
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eyes on the same Jesus the
disciples saw by the Sea of
Galilee. You will see that same
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Jesus. And it won't be a Bible
story anymore. You're not going
to have to imagine it. You will
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walk and talk with Jesus. You
will see the Jesus the disciples
actually saw. It's really Him.
00:17:44.46\00:17:51.73
Point number one. Point number
two. When Jesus comes, it will
be visible. How do I know? Well,
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the disciples, it said, were
watching Him go, steadfastly
gazing up. The same Jesus will
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come in like manner as you saw
Him go. But that's not it.
Revelation 1:7 says: "Behold, He
00:18:06.92\00:18:12.25
is coming with clouds, and [a
few eyes] will see him." Is that
what it says? "Every eye will
00:18:12.35\00:18:19.53
see Him." Everybody sees Jesus.
Now, I've thought about this.
The book of Isaiah promises that
00:18:19.63\00:18:27.37
in the new kingdom, the blind
eyes will be opened. The sight
of the blind will be restored,
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and it's entirely possible that
for some people, the very first
thing they ever see is the face
00:18:35.14\00:18:41.62
of Jesus Christ. Every eye sees
Him come. But the Bible tells us
more. Matthew 24 verse 30: "Then
00:18:41.72\00:18:50.06
the sign of the Son of Man will
appear in heaven, and then all
the tribes of the earth will
00:18:50.16\00:18:55.76
mourn." What a statement. Jesus
said, "Let not your heart be
troubled." But there are people
00:18:55.86\00:19:06.47
who actually mourn when He
comes. Revelation chapter 6, we
read it. They cry out, "Oh no,
00:19:06.57\00:19:11.25
the wrath of the Lamb has come."
What kind of people don't want
Jesus to come? People like
00:19:11.35\00:19:19.29
Belshazzar, that's who. He
refused to believe. He said,
"Babylon will never fall." And
00:19:19.39\00:19:26.56
then suddenly the writing is on
the wall and his knees are
knocking together. Cyrus is at
00:19:26.66\00:19:30.20
the gates. And now he's
terrified because it's too late.
That's who's afraid. That's who
00:19:30.30\00:19:37.54
mourns. But folks, there's no
sense in being lost because we
have all the information we
00:19:37.64\00:19:44.45
need, and there has been plenty
of time for everybody in this
room to get to know Jesus. "Then
00:19:44.55\00:19:50.32
the sign of the Son of Man will
appear in heaven, and all the
tribes of the earth will mourn,
00:19:50.42\00:19:54.69
and they will see the Son of Man
coming on the clouds of heaven
with power and great glory."
00:19:54.79\00:20:01.03
Everybody sees it. Those who are
ready for Jesus see it, and
those who are not ready for
00:20:01.13\00:20:06.10
Jesus see it, and that much is
crystal-clear from the words of
the Bible. When Jesus comes,
00:20:06.20\00:20:12.41
you're not going to hear a
rumour and then run home. "I
wonder if CNN got anything this
00:20:12.51\00:20:16.91
morning. I heard Jesus came.
Where is CNN again? It's channel
30. There it" - you're not going
00:20:17.01\00:20:22.42
to have to check Facebook.
You're not going to have to
check Twitter. "I wonder if
00:20:22.52\00:20:25.55
anybody got a picture of that on
Twitter." You will see it
yourself. Every eye will see it.
00:20:25.65\00:20:31.09
The Bible says it'll be like
lightning. We saw this passage.
Matthew 24 verse 27: "For as the
00:20:31.19\00:20:36.83
lightning comes from the east
and flashes to the west, so also
will the coming of the Son of
00:20:36.93\00:20:43.71
Man be." You can't miss
lightning. Even if you've got
your back turned, you can't miss
00:20:43.81\00:20:49.08
lightning. You feel the charge.
And even with your eyes closed,
you see the flash. I'm one of
00:20:49.18\00:20:54.82
those guys who runs outside when
there's a thunderstorm. No, I
don't go golfing or anything
00:20:54.92\00:20:58.82
dumb, but I go outside. I love a
thunderstorm. I love a
thunderstorm. I love the way the
00:20:58.92\00:21:03.53
air feels electric, and I'll
stand out there in the soaking
wet rain just to watch that
00:21:03.63\00:21:08.00
lightning show. I love this
stuff. I mean, just a little
while ago, I was in an airplane,
00:21:08.10\00:21:12.57
and the pilot went over top of a
thunderstorm on purpose, and I
got to see it from the other
00:21:12.67\00:21:17.87
side. I got the angelic view.
The angels see the topside, and
I gotta tell you, the top of a
00:21:17.97\00:21:23.31
thunderstorm is even more
beautiful. It's purple and
orange and it flashes
00:21:23.41\00:21:27.22
everywhere, and you don't even
think, "What if it hits the
plane?" I was actually in a
00:21:27.32\00:21:33.12
plane that got hit while we were
doing that. And then you have to
fly around 'til the plane
00:21:33.22\00:21:37.09
dissipates the charge so that
you don't get electrocuted when
you step out of the plane. It's
00:21:37.19\00:21:41.96
beautiful from the top. I went
camping in British Columbia. I
love camping. We drove two hours
00:21:42.06\00:21:48.37
into the bush. We call it the
bush in Canada. The forest,
sorry. We drove two hours into
00:21:48.47\00:21:53.91
the forest, and then we took our
canoes, and we say we portaged
them. Do you say portage or
00:21:54.01\00:21:59.75
portage? Portaged them. You
know, we went for two hours,
portaging our canoes. That
00:21:59.85\00:22:05.45
sounds so weird to me. Six
hundred pounds of gear. And then
we paddled five hours. That was
00:22:05.55\00:22:09.56
the first day. And we found this
place in the middle of nowhere,
and a thunderstorm breaks out
00:22:09.66\00:22:13.66
that night. I'm thinking, "Oh,
good," so I got my sleeping bag
and I laid on the beach. Dumb
00:22:13.76\00:22:17.33
because the sleeping bag is
going to be ruined when it's
wet. But I had to see the
00:22:17.43\00:22:20.90
thunderstorm, and it was
spectacular. It was over the
lake so it was reflecting in the
00:22:21.00\00:22:24.34
water, and it was all around the
tops of the mountains and
flashing everywhere, and
00:22:24.44\00:22:28.54
suddenly, in the middle of that
storm - it's July - and the
clouds opened in the middle and
00:22:28.64\00:22:33.78
the northern lights are right in
the middle of the clouds. Oh,
thank you, Lord, a special show
00:22:33.88\00:22:38.59
for me. You know how rare the
northern lights are in July? I
love it. Love lightning. You
00:22:38.69\00:22:44.49
never miss it, do you? And I
grew up in a place we had big
lightning storms, and every time
00:22:44.59\00:22:48.23
there was one, we all ran
outside on the deck to watch.
And my parents are Dutch
00:22:48.33\00:22:52.70
immigrants. What if I told you
that we went out on the deck and
only the Dutch immigrants could
00:22:52.80\00:22:57.24
see the lightning? Would you
believe me? If I only said only
Christians can see the
00:22:57.34\00:23:02.64
lightning. Only believers can -
no, everybody sees it. Jesus,
when He comes, it's like the
00:23:02.74\00:23:08.02
lightning. Folks, the language
of the Bible is unmistakable.
"But I heard a theory that not
00:23:08.12\00:23:13.02
everybody" - I know, I've heard
the same theory. I've heard the
same theory, but today, I only
00:23:13.12\00:23:17.16
want to deal in certainties.
When Jesus comes, everybody sees
Him. It will be visible. You
00:23:17.26\00:23:23.37
won't miss it. Number three:
Christ's coming will be audible.
You will hear Him come. "And He
00:23:23.47\00:23:29.54
will send His angels with a
great sound of a trumpet, and
they will gather together His
00:23:29.64\00:23:34.91
elect from the four winds, from
one end of heaven to the other."
This is going to be loud. I like
00:23:35.01\00:23:41.58
loud. It's going to be so loud,
that it wakes the dead. It
really does. That's where the
00:23:41.68\00:23:49.59
experience comes from. First
Thessalonians chapter 4: "For
the Lord Himself will descend
00:23:49.69\00:23:54.63
from heaven with [a little
whisper] the Lord Himself will
descend from heaven with a
00:23:54.73\00:24:01.30
shout, with the voice of an
archangel, and with the trumpet
of God, and the dead in Christ
00:24:01.40\00:24:06.61
will rise first." When Jesus
comes, He shouts. Why? Why does
He shout? You know, when I used
00:24:06.71\00:24:13.21
to be on the road an awful lot,
and my kids were little, I'd
come home after a long trip and
00:24:13.31\00:24:18.52
open the front door, throw my
suitcase on the floor. They
heard it and they would come -
00:24:18.62\00:24:22.62
they don't come running now that
they're teenagers. But when they
were little, they would come
00:24:22.72\00:24:25.53
running. "Daddy's home!" they
would shout, and I would shout,
"Daddy's here!" That's
00:24:25.63\00:24:31.00
excitement. They were excited.
Jesus is excited. That's why He
shouts. "Oh, Jesus doesn't get
00:24:31.10\00:24:37.97
excited. He's so even-keeled. He
doesn't get excited." Sure He
does. Listen to the pages of the
00:24:38.07\00:24:43.58
Bible. Zepheniah 3:17. This is
one of my favourites. "The Lord
your God in your midst, the
00:24:43.68\00:24:49.62
Mighty One will save. He will
rejoice over you with gladness.
He will quiet you with His love.
00:24:49.72\00:24:55.62
He will rejoice over you with
singing." God sings. He's
excited. He's been waiting for
00:24:55.72\00:25:04.27
this. "I'm going to go prepare a
place for you, and then I'm
going to come." Everybody's
00:25:04.37\00:25:08.47
going to hear it and it's loud
enough to wake the dead. John
5:28, Jesus says: "Do not
00:25:08.57\00:25:13.44
marvel at this, for the hour is
coming when all who are in the
graves will hear His voice. Then
00:25:13.54\00:25:22.22
we who are alive and remain
shall be caught up together with
them in the clouds to meet the
00:25:22.32\00:25:26.96
Lord in the air; thus we shall
always be with the Lord." This
is a big commotion. It is huge.
00:25:27.06\00:25:32.03
Let me ask you a question: if
God yells, do you think you're
going to hear it? If a trumpet
00:25:32.13\00:25:38.80
blows, the trumpet blasts for
the second coming, do you think
you're going to hear it? If the
00:25:38.90\00:25:44.07
graves start popping open in the
local cemetery, do you think you
might notice that? It is huge.
00:25:44.17\00:25:52.41
This is the biggest commotion in
the history of our world,
possibly the universe, and you
00:25:52.51\00:25:57.09
will hear it happen. Listen to
the book of Psalms. No one
thinks of Psalms as prophecy,
00:25:57.19\00:26:01.49
but there's lots of them in
there. "Our God shall come, and
shall not keep silent; a fire
00:26:01.59\00:26:08.56
shall devour before Him, and it
shall be very tempestuous all
around Him." Isaiah says the
00:26:08.66\00:26:14.77
ears of the deaf will be
unstopped and the first thing
some people will ever hear in
00:26:14.87\00:26:21.04
their life is the voice of Jesus
Christ. This is a noisy event.
It kind of brings me to my next
00:26:21.14\00:26:30.69
point, point number four. It
will be stunningly glorious. He
will really come, it'll really
00:26:30.79\00:26:39.83
be Him. Every eye will see Him.
Every ear will hear Him. And it
will be glorious. Let's look at
00:26:39.93\00:26:47.17
that text again. "Our God shall
come and shall not keep silent;
a fire shall devour before Him,
00:26:47.27\00:26:55.61
and it shall be very tempestuous
all around Him." This is huge.
Listen to this description found
00:26:55.71\00:27:03.62
in the book of Revelation. We've
looked at this before. "And the
heaven departed as a scroll when
00:27:03.72\00:27:10.16
it is rolled together." Remember
that, the heavens just roll up,
ffft, ffft, ffft, ffft. I want
00:27:10.26\00:27:15.33
you to remember that because
that's going to show up in
another subject. "And the
00:27:15.43\00:27:20.50
heaven departed as a scroll when
it is rolled together; and every
mountain and island removed out
00:27:20.60\00:27:26.41
of their places." When Jesus
comes, the sky comes unglued.
The earth is shaking to its
00:27:26.51\00:27:34.12
core. The mountains and the
islands are moving. And then we
see Jesus. Matthew 16: "For the
00:27:34.22\00:27:42.22
Son of Man will come in the
glory of His Father." Moses
spent just a moment with God on
00:27:42.32\00:27:49.76
the mountain, and when he came
back down, they had to veil his
face because it was too bright.
00:27:49.86\00:27:54.64
"For the Son of Man will come in
the glory of His Father with His
angels, and then He will reward
00:27:54.74\00:27:59.81
each according to his works."
Now, notice that last bit,
because it ties into last night.
00:27:59.91\00:28:05.81
He gives out the rewards when He
comes. Why? 'Cause the judgement
is already over. It's closed.
00:28:05.91\00:28:11.85
And that means when Jesus comes,
it's final. It's too late.
You've already chosen your
00:28:11.95\00:28:16.49
reward and it's too late at that
moment to change your mind. That
means the moment to make up
00:28:16.59\00:28:23.23
your mind is now. Bible says,
when Jesus comes, it's glorious.
He comes in the glory of the
00:28:23.33\00:28:31.51
Father and He comes with the
angels. And how many angels does
Jesus bring? We know the answer.
00:28:31.61\00:28:37.58
"When the Son of Man shall come
in His glory, and all the holy
angels with Him, then He shall
00:28:37.68\00:28:44.29
sit upon the throne of His
glory." We saw this. How many
angels come? All of them. Under
00:28:44.39\00:28:49.69
the seventh seal, heaven is
silent. Why? Because everybody
leaves heaven to come and get
00:28:49.79\00:28:56.06
you. All the angels come. How
many are there, Pastor Shawn?
How many angels are there? Are
00:28:56.16\00:29:01.50
there as many as fifty or a
hundred angels that might come?
How many angels? The Bible tells
00:29:01.60\00:29:06.91
us how many there are.
Revelation chapter 5. "I beheld,
and I heard the voice of many
00:29:07.01\00:29:12.85
angels round about the throne
and the beasts and the elders:
and the number of them was ten
00:29:12.95\00:29:17.75
thousand times ten thousand, and
thousands and thousands." It's
the same number you find in the
00:29:17.85\00:29:24.06
book of Daniel. He numbers the
angels. "Ten thousand times ten
thousand stood before Him: the
00:29:24.16\00:29:30.10
judgement was set." Ten thousand
times ten thousand. That's a
hundred million. And then it
00:29:30.20\00:29:36.67
says thousands and thousands. It
might mean multiplied by
thousands. It may be billions of
00:29:36.77\00:29:43.21
angels coming. Billions of them.
And one angel, one angel at the
tomb of Jesus, was so brilliant,
00:29:43.31\00:29:51.79
it made tough Roman soldiers
swoon and pass out and faint.
One angel. This'll be billions
00:29:51.89\00:29:59.03
of them coming. That's a lot of
angels. They will be the most
beautiful thing you have ever
00:29:59.13\00:30:04.83
seen. When Jesus comes, it's
really Him. He really comes back
in the person. When Jesus comes,
00:30:04.93\00:30:10.44
it is visible. Every eye will
see it. When Jesus comes, it
will be audible. You will hear
00:30:10.54\00:30:15.88
the trumpet blast and the voice
of the Son of God. And it will
be stunningly glorious and
00:30:15.98\00:30:24.55
beautiful. The Fourth of July
will look lame after Jesus
comes. It'll be beautiful.
00:30:24.65\00:30:34.46
Number five. When Jesus comes,
it's over. Marks the end of
earth's history. It's final. I
00:30:34.56\00:30:48.74
mean, we've already seen when
Jesus comes, He rewards
everybody when He comes. He
00:30:48.84\00:30:52.45
brings His reward with Him. The
judgement is over. Notice what
the Bible says in Revelation 22
00:30:52.55\00:30:58.89
verse 11. Follow carefully. "He
who is unjust, let him be unjust
still; he who is filthy, let him
00:30:58.99\00:31:08.73
be filthy still; he who is
righteous, let him be righteous
still; he who is holy, let him
00:31:08.83\00:31:18.77
be holy still. And behold, I am
coming quickly, and My reward is
with Me to give everyone
00:31:18.87\00:31:25.38
according to his work." All the
rewards are handed out at the
same time. You know what this
00:31:25.48\00:31:32.52
means? No more chances. When
Jesus comes, it's over. It's why
they blew the trumpets in Israel
00:31:32.62\00:31:42.60
ten days before the judgement.
There's plenty of warning. But
when the judgement hour passes,
00:31:42.70\00:31:48.77
that's it. That's it. Folks,
there are only two groups of
people when Jesus comes; that's
00:31:48.87\00:31:57.08
it. Those who are ready and
those who are not. And that's
it. Both groups see Jesus come,
00:31:57.18\00:32:04.85
but they react completely
differently. Revelation 6, we
saw this one: "And the kings of
00:32:04.95\00:32:12.06
the earth, the great men, the
rich men, the commanders, the
mighty men, and every slave and
00:32:12.16\00:32:16.50
every free man hid themselves in
the caves and in the rocks of
the mountains and said to the
00:32:16.60\00:32:21.04
mountains and rocks, 'Fall on
us. Hide us from the face of Him
Who sits on the throne and from
00:32:21.14\00:32:27.68
the wrath of the Lamb.'" Who's
afraid of a lamb? "'For the
great day of His wrath has come;
00:32:27.78\00:32:34.82
who is able to stand?'" What a
tragedy. What a waste. They all
know Who He is. They all know
00:32:34.92\00:32:45.29
it's the Lamb of God, because at
this point, the gospel's been
preached to the whole world.
00:32:45.39\00:32:51.03
They know it's Jesus. But they
passed up the invitation. So now
they're horrified. And you would
00:32:51.13\00:33:01.61
be too, when you realize it's
true; that's Jesus, and I didn't
do anything about it, 'cause at
00:33:01.71\00:33:12.69
that moment, there's nothing you
can do about it. Wouldn't you be
terrified to know that you're
00:33:12.79\00:33:19.89
now forever out of the kingdom?
That's one group. I'm telling
you, you don't have to be in
00:33:20.00\00:33:28.07
that group. There's nobody here
who should be in that group.
There's another one. Isaiah 25.
00:33:28.17\00:33:35.34
"And it will be said in that
day: 'Behold, this is our God;
we have waited for Him. He will
00:33:35.44\00:33:40.42
save us. This is the Lord, we
have waited for Him. We will be
glad and rejoice in His
00:33:40.52\00:33:45.42
salvation.'" They look up and
they see Jesus. "We knew he
would come, we knew it, and He's
00:33:45.52\00:33:51.13
here, and He's here for us."
There's no reason not to be in
this group. They get excited.
00:33:51.23\00:33:56.60
They're shouting, and Jesus is
shouting, and the angels are all
excited. They all come along
00:33:56.70\00:34:02.84
with Jesus and everybody's
excited because this is God's
ultimate family reunion. He has
00:34:02.94\00:34:11.41
ached for that moment. He has
waited for that moment. He has
dreamed of that moment. You are
00:34:11.51\00:34:17.89
everything Jesus wants. It's
you; He gave His life. He waited
for that moment. Five things.
00:34:17.99\00:34:26.19
Jesus will really come, it's
really Him, in the flesh; it'll
be visible, every eye will see
00:34:26.29\00:34:32.07
it; it'll be audible, every ear
will hear it; it'll be
beautiful, glorious; and it's
00:34:32.17\00:34:41.14
the end. Those are five things
we know for sure. There's 2500
passages. We could go on for
00:34:41.24\00:34:47.02
hours. But those are rock-solid.
You can bank on those. Go home
and read them. It's such a
00:34:47.12\00:34:52.29
simple thing. It's so simple,
and we write all these books,
and we make it so complicated,
00:34:52.29\00:34:56.49
but it's so simple. I have a
question for you tonight, based
on those five things. They're so
00:34:56.59\00:35:05.77
obvious when you just open the
Bible and read it, so I have a
question. Those five things, how
00:35:05.87\00:35:10.44
do they match with our
twenty-first century approach to
the second coming, the way we
00:35:10.54\00:35:14.04
have been talking about it? Does
it fit? That's a pretty
important question, because
00:35:14.14\00:35:19.01
there are hundreds of theories
out there. But in the last one
hundred years or so, one of
00:35:19.11\00:35:24.99
those has kind of - well, less
than a hundred years, really, in
its popularity - one of them has
00:35:25.09\00:35:29.86
kind of risen to the surface and
become very popular. And that
theory kind of looks like this:
00:35:29.96\00:35:37.47
the theory says that at some
point, Jesus comes for the
believers, takes them out of the
00:35:37.57\00:35:43.10
world - ffft, where did the
believers go? Where are the
Christians? They're gone. After
00:35:43.20\00:35:46.07
that, there's a period of time.
Some versions say it'll be seven
years, and others say three and
00:35:46.17\00:35:51.11
a half. There are some
variations there. And then they
say, during that time, the reign
00:35:51.21\00:35:54.82
of the Antichrist takes place,
and then Jesus comes back in
glory with the believers and
00:35:54.92\00:36:01.26
gets everyone else who changed
their mind during the seven
years. The question I have for
00:36:01.36\00:36:06.56
you tonight - and I want to
examine it - I grew up on this.
Is it Biblically accurate?
00:36:06.66\00:36:15.10
That's a question you should ask
for everything you ever read. Go
pick up one of my books outside,
00:36:15.20\00:36:20.01
ask yourself, "Is this
Biblically accurate?" Never take
a human being's word for
00:36:20.11\00:36:23.45
anything. Always go with the
Word of God, period. Period. Is
that Biblical? Well, in many
00:36:23.55\00:36:28.65
ways, it is. It's Biblical
because it says that time is
running out more quickly than
00:36:28.75\00:36:33.42
people think. Absolutely true.
It says there'll be a massive
deception in the last days that
00:36:33.52\00:36:38.33
leads people away from God.
We've seen that time and again.
Deception is a major last-day
00:36:38.43\00:36:42.06
issue. It's true. It teaches
that millions will be surprised
by the return of Christ. True.
00:36:42.16\00:36:46.70
Unfortunately surprised.
Alright? It teaches that it pays
to stand on Bible truth.
00:36:46.80\00:36:52.51
You need to come to Christ. That
is absolutely solidly Biblical.
And it teaches that the time to
00:36:52.61\00:36:57.21
decide for Christ is now. Don't
wait 'til the final crisis. All
true. There's a lot in the
00:36:57.31\00:37:01.85
theory that's Biblical, but I do
have some questions about it. I
do. Because it is, after all, a
00:37:01.95\00:37:08.49
theory. And every theory must be
subject to the Word of God.
Every one of them. And the first
00:37:08.59\00:37:15.40
question I want to ask is not
really my question; it was
raised by Rowland Bingham, a
00:37:15.50\00:37:21.27
famous theologian and once
editor of Christianity Today.
His wife comes to him Saturday
00:37:21.37\00:37:26.01
night. He's trying to write a
sermon for in the morning. And
his wife knocks on the door and
00:37:26.11\00:37:30.21
says, "Rowley," and I don't know
if she called him Rowley. I made
that part up just for the sake
00:37:30.31\00:37:34.12
of honesty. "Rowley, I have to
teach Sunday school tomorrow
morning and it's about the
00:37:34.22\00:37:39.29
second coming and I'm supposed
to teach them about that passage
in the Bible where Jesus comes
00:37:39.39\00:37:44.39
and takes the believers out of
the world, and everybody wonders
where they went. And I can't
00:37:44.49\00:37:48.73
find it. I'm wondering if you
could help me find it." He said,
"That's easy. It's First
00:37:48.83\00:37:52.60
Thessalonians chapter 4." "Thank
you, Rowley," and she went back
to her study, and she started to
00:37:52.70\00:37:57.04
read it. And she read this: "For
the Lord Himself shall descend
from heaven with a shout, with
00:37:57.14\00:38:03.78
the voice of an archangel, with
the trumpet of God, and the dead
will - Christ will rise first."
00:38:03.88\00:38:09.68
Went back to his study. "Rowley,
I was looking for the one where
Jesus secretly comes and takes
00:38:09.78\00:38:16.26
everybody away, and that's the
noisiest verse I've ever read."
So he pulls out his Bible that
00:38:16.36\00:38:23.70
night, puts his sermon aside.
Here's what he says: "In sheer
desperation, I took my Bible out
00:38:23.80\00:38:28.67
and threw myself helplessly on
the Lord. The weeks that
followed that innocent query and
00:38:28.77\00:38:33.48
the trouble into which it landed
me is a separate story. If you
hold the theory of a secret
00:38:33.58\00:38:40.08
rapture of the church, try out
that simple question on
yourself." Well, what's the
00:38:40.18\00:38:44.19
question? Where does it describe
it? Where is it? That's a good
question. That question
00:38:44.29\00:38:51.46
bothered me when somebody posed
it to me because I was pretty
sure it's in there. I was raised
00:38:51.56\00:38:56.36
on this. But I'm telling you,
it's not in any of the passages
we just read at all. It's not
00:38:56.46\00:39:02.94
there. Jesus literally,
physically returns. It will be
visible. Every eye will see Him.
00:39:03.04\00:39:07.51
It will be audible. Every eye
[sic] will hear Him. It's
stunningly glorious and it marks
00:39:07.61\00:39:11.51
the end of this earth's history.
The Bible says that everybody
sees Him at the same time.
00:39:11.61\00:39:16.72
Remember what we read. "Then the
sign of the Son of Man will
appear in heaven, then all the
00:39:16.82\00:39:22.46
tribes of the earth will mourn
and they will see the Son of Man
coming on the clouds of heaven
00:39:22.56\00:39:28.43
with power and great glory."
"Oh, but-but-but that's the
final glorious coming. That
00:39:28.53\00:39:33.17
happens after Jesus comes for
the church. It's a different
event. That happens the final
00:39:33.27\00:39:38.21
time when He comes in glory." I
know, I thought that too. But
then I read the next verse. The
00:39:38.31\00:39:45.08
next verse. "And He will send
His angels to the great sound of
a trumpet, and they will gather
00:39:45.18\00:39:50.42
together His elect from the four
winds, from one end of heaven to
the other." The wicked mourn at
00:39:50.52\00:39:56.62
the same moment Jesus comes and
sends His angels to gather His
elect. The wicked mourn at the
00:39:56.73\00:40:03.93
same moment, according to the
words of the Bible, at the very
same moment that Jesus comes for
00:40:04.03\00:40:11.71
His church. That's what the
Bible says. Everybody sees it
together. There are not two
00:40:11.81\00:40:16.48
phases to this. It's going to be
like it was at the flood, Jesus
said, "For as in the days before
00:40:16.58\00:40:21.82
the flood, they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in
marriage until the day that Noah
00:40:21.92\00:40:26.49
entered into the ark and did not
know until the flood came and
took them all away, so also will
00:40:26.59\00:40:32.36
the coming of the Son of Man
be." Here's a question. Did the
wicked at the flood and the
00:40:32.46\00:40:37.50
righteous experience the flood
together, yes or no? Yeah, but
from slightly different
00:40:37.60\00:40:42.24
perspectives, right? Noah and
his family inside the boat;
everybody else outside the boat
00:40:42.34\00:40:48.54
with the water getting past
their nostrils faster than they
hoped. They were both there in
00:40:48.64\00:40:54.05
the same event. They both knew
it was going on. Listen, you can
search the Bible cover to cover,
00:40:54.15\00:41:00.29
and I pray you will. Search it
cover to cover and you'll only
find one phase of Jesus coming
00:41:00.39\00:41:05.63
for His people, one; just one.
Now, if that's the way you've
always thought, I get it. I
00:41:05.73\00:41:10.60
understand. I was always taught
to believe, first Jesus comes,
snatches us all out of this
00:41:10.70\00:41:15.30
world, then there's some more
time, and some other people make
a decision after that. It's
00:41:15.40\00:41:19.27
tougher in that period of time,
but they'll make it, and then
Jesus comes in glory. But then I
00:41:19.37\00:41:24.88
came across other bothersome
questions. Like, when does the
Antichrist appear? In the
00:41:24.98\00:41:31.29
popular theory, he comes after
Jesus comes for the church.
That's when he shows up. Not
00:41:31.39\00:41:37.73
everybody says that, but it's
one of the most popular
theories. And in that case,
00:41:37.83\00:41:42.60
we're all safe; we don't have to
be around for that. There's just
one hitch to that thinking. I
00:41:42.70\00:41:48.70
was reading what Paul wrote, and
he says the Antichrist appears
before Jesus comes to get the
00:41:48.80\00:41:53.84
believers. He says it point
blank. Second Thessalonians
chapter 2. "Now, brethren,
00:41:53.94\00:41:58.58
concerning the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ, [the word in
Greek is 'parousia'; that's a
00:41:58.68\00:42:03.69
word they used for a king who
makes a grand entrance into a
room. Big deal.] Now, brethren,
00:42:03.79\00:42:10.23
concerning the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ and our
gathering together to Him
00:42:10.33\00:42:14.46
[that's the church], we ask you
not to be soon shaken in mind or
troubled, either by spirit or by
00:42:14.56\00:42:20.40
word or by letter, as if from
us, as though the day of Christ
had come." This is Second
00:42:20.50\00:42:24.77
Thessalonians. He wrote First
Thessalonians first; that's why
it's called First Thessalonians.
00:42:24.87\00:42:29.84
And in there, he described, "The
Lord will descend from heaven
with a shout," and the
00:42:29.94\00:42:33.75
Thessalonians got so excited.
"This is going to happen any
minute." And Paul says, "Wait a
00:42:33.85\00:42:38.75
minute, wait a minute, wait a
minute, slow down. I don't want
you to get the wrong idea. Let
00:42:38.85\00:42:42.02
no one deceive you by any
means." There's that word again.
"For that day will not come."
00:42:42.12\00:42:48.36
What day? Jesus coming for the
church. "That day will not come
unless the falling-away comes
00:42:48.46\00:42:53.34
first," the great apostasy, "and
the man of sin is revealed, the
son of perdition, who opposes
00:42:53.44\00:42:58.57
and exalts himself above all
that is called God or that is
worshipped, so that he sits as
00:42:58.67\00:43:03.35
God in the temple of God,
showing himself that he is God."
Paul couldn't be any clearer.
00:43:03.45\00:43:10.05
Jesus does not come for the
believers, for His church, until
after the Antichrist makes his
00:43:10.15\00:43:15.59
appearance. Now, that does not
fit the most popular theory
today at all. Furthermore, the
00:43:15.69\00:43:22.50
Bible teaches that the
Antichrist is destroyed by the
brightness of Jesus coming, that
00:43:22.60\00:43:27.44
same event. "Then the lawless
one will be revealed, whom the
Lord will consume with the
00:43:27.54\00:43:32.91
breath of His mouth and destroy
with the brightness of His
coming." Parousia. It's the
00:43:33.01\00:43:37.28
same coming as when He comes for
the church. It's in the same
passage. Do you see it? When
00:43:37.38\00:43:43.52
Jesus comes, it's over. There is
no more history for planet
earth. There are no more second
00:43:43.62\00:43:47.96
chances when Jesus comes. But
what we've been saying gives a
second chance. There's another
00:43:48.06\00:43:56.77
chance in there. "Oh,
everybody's missing; I better
get things right with God."
00:43:56.87\00:44:00.17
That's not in the Word of God.
It's not. What does the Bible
say? "He who is unjust, let him
00:44:00.27\00:44:08.88
be unjust still. He who is
filthy, let him be filthy still.
He who is righteous, let him be
00:44:08.98\00:44:11.48
righteous still. He who is holy,
let him be holy still. And
behold, I am coming quickly. My
00:44:11.58\00:44:16.65
reward is with Me to give
everyone according to his work."
No more chances when Jesus
00:44:16.75\00:44:20.42
comes, none. Let me propose to
you a more Biblical scenario,
based on what the Bible just
00:44:20.52\00:44:26.90
basically simply says. At some
point in history, Antichrist
appears, and then Jesus comes.
00:44:27.00\00:44:33.70
There's more detail in there and
we'll look at it. But that's the
simple truth the way the Bible
00:44:33.80\00:44:40.81
presents it. I mean, here are
the facts. A lot of Bible
scholars have started changing
00:44:40.91\00:44:44.35
their minds when they started
looking for it in the
scriptures. Charles Erdman,
00:44:44.45\00:44:47.85
Princeton Theological Seminary,
back when Princeton was still
solidly Biblical, he said, "This
00:44:47.95\00:44:53.29
doctrine of Jesus coming and
sneaking away with us seems to
be founded on a false
00:44:53.39\00:44:56.83
interpretation of the opening
verse of Second Thessalonians
2." What's that say? "Now,
00:44:56.93\00:45:02.73
brethren, concerning the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ and our
gathering together to Him." He
00:45:02.83\00:45:06.97
says, "It's not there. We're
getting it wrong. Antichrist
comes first. It's obvious."
00:45:07.07\00:45:10.41
Henry Frost, the great, famous
missionary, evangelical leader.
"This theory [the secret
00:45:10.51\00:45:16.18
rapture] might be held as truth
if there were any scripture to
confirm it, but it may not be
00:45:16.28\00:45:21.08
held in view of the fact that no
scripture even suggests such a
process of events." He's right;
00:45:21.18\00:45:26.45
I went looking. It's not in
there. Harold Ockenga, founder
of Fuller Theological Seminary
00:45:26.55\00:45:31.16
and the National Association of
Evangelicals, says, "No amount
of explaining can make First
00:45:31.26\00:45:36.67
Thessalonians 4 a secret
rapture." He's right. It's not
there. What about Left Behind?
00:45:36.77\00:45:41.07
"I heard Left Behind. Two women
working in a field, and one is
taken and the other is left
00:45:41.17\00:45:44.64
behind. Doesn't the Bible say
that?" Yes, it does. But go and
read it again. It doesn't say
00:45:44.74\00:45:50.08
that one of them didn't see
Jesus. More than that, it says
one is taken and the other is
00:45:50.18\00:45:55.08
left, and it's comparing it to
the flood. Go and read it. And
in the language of the flood, it
00:45:55.18\00:45:59.89
says that the wicked were taken
and the righteous were left. You
want to be left behind. You
00:46:00.06\00:46:08.20
don't want to be taken. The
taken were the ones who died in
the flood. Read the whole
00:46:08.30\00:46:13.40
chapter. It is so important to
read the whole book. "Well, what
about a thief in the night? The
00:46:13.50\00:46:17.81
Bible says Jesus comes as a
thief in the night. He's a
cat-burglar. He sneaks through
00:46:17.91\00:46:21.18
the window." "Doesn't the Bible
say that?" It does say He comes
as a thief in the night, that
00:46:21.28\00:46:27.15
the day of the Lord will come as
a thief in the night. Peter does
write it. But you have to read
00:46:27.25\00:46:31.39
the whole thing. "The day of the
Lord will come as a thief in the
night, in which the heavens
00:46:31.49\00:46:36.19
will pass away with a great
noise, and the elements will
melt with fervent heat; both the
00:46:36.29\00:46:40.50
earth and the words that are in
it will be burned up." See what
happens if you read the whole
00:46:40.60\00:46:45.40
thing? Why does Jesus come as a
thief? Not because it's a
secret, but because it's a
00:46:45.50\00:46:50.87
surprise. That's what Jesus
says. Matthew chapter 24.
Matthew chapter 24. Same
00:46:50.97\00:46:57.55
chapter. "Watch, therefore, for
you do not know what hour your
Lord is coming, but know this:
00:46:57.65\00:47:03.95
that if the master of the house
had known what hour the thief
would come, he would've watched
00:47:04.05\00:47:08.86
and not allowed his house to be
broken into. Therefore you also
be ready, for the Son of Man is
00:47:08.96\00:47:15.20
coming at an hour you do not
expect." It's not a secret; it's
a surprise. Look at what it says
00:47:15.30\00:47:23.20
in First Thessalonians 5. "For
you yourselves know perfectly
that the day of the Lord so
00:47:23.30\00:47:28.14
comes as a thief in the night
[there it is again]. For when
they say, 'Peace and safety!"
00:47:28.24\00:47:32.98
then sudden destruction comes
upon them, as labour pains upon
a pregnant woman, and they will
00:47:33.08\00:47:37.59
not escape." Not a secret,
folks; it's a surprise. So where
did we get the other idea?
00:47:37.69\00:47:48.13
Remember the four horsemen? The
Dark Ages? The Bible started
saying some uncomfortable things
00:47:48.23\00:47:54.90
about our Christian history; it
really did. Dark horse, pale
horse. And those are by - not
00:47:55.00\00:48:00.54
even close to the only passages
that describe it. You'll see
more of them in a coming night,
00:48:00.64\00:48:04.18
far more of them. The Bible told
the truth about the way we would
behave in the Dark Ages. And
00:48:04.28\00:48:09.15
there came a point when Bible
scholars started to recognize
themselves in those prophecies,
00:48:09.25\00:48:13.96
right around the 1500s. They saw
themselves there. "Look at this;
this is describing us." "That's
00:48:14.06\00:48:21.63
not good." Some people refused
to believe it because it's not
easy to see yourself that way.
00:48:21.73\00:48:27.17
It's not easy, when you open the
Bible, and it describes you and
your habits. They said, "That
00:48:27.27\00:48:32.57
can't be," and they argued. Some
said, "We need to change. We
need to repent." Others said,
00:48:32.67\00:48:37.51
"No, it's not us." So the
scholars started arguing it.
Some accepted what the Bible
00:48:37.61\00:48:43.39
said and they began to change.
Others just tried to change the
subject, but they couldn't do
00:48:43.49\00:48:49.39
away with the prophecies that
were so clear. So they got to
work developing alternate
00:48:49.49\00:48:55.63
explanations 1500 years after
Jesus Christ. One guy was named
Luis Alcazar. He came up with a
00:48:55.73\00:49:03.24
system of belief that said, "You
know what? All that stuff in
Revelation has already happened
00:49:03.34\00:49:07.08
in the distant past. It's all
over, so it can't possibly be
us. Must be Nero, it must be
00:49:07.18\00:49:12.25
Antiochus Epiphanes." He was the
eighth Seleucid king. Never
conquered any territory, never
00:49:12.35\00:49:17.25
did any of the things described
by the Antichrist and those
things and all the negative
00:49:17.35\00:49:21.32
stuff that it says about things
that would - expand and - he
just pushed it all in the past.
00:49:21.42\00:49:27.36
"Gotta be Nero, gotta be
Antiochus Epiphanes, and the
negative stuff about believers
00:49:27.46\00:49:31.30
can't be us. It's all in the
past." Now, that was moderately
successful, moderately
00:49:31.40\00:49:39.67
successful. There's still some
of it around today. But it was
developed 1500 years after
00:49:39.77\00:49:44.91
Christ, invented. Then another
guy by the name of Francisco
Ribera came along. He said,
00:49:45.01\00:49:51.79
"No, I've got another idea.
Everything in Revelation,
especially after chapter 4 and
00:49:51.89\00:49:56.09
verse 1, happens way off in the
distant future in the last few
years of earth's history. It's
00:49:56.19\00:50:00.83
all in the distant future, so
that can't be us either." This
doesn't really take root either
00:50:00.93\00:50:09.04
until suddenly, in the middle of
the 19th century, a preacher in
Europe starts preaching it, and
00:50:09.14\00:50:18.65
it begins to make its way into
mainstream Christianity. And in
the middle of the 20th century,
00:50:18.75\00:50:23.32
it becomes very popular, becomes
the most popular theory. And
here's what it did. Here's what
00:50:23.42\00:50:29.62
it did. It was made up. The
theory said that the Old
Testament prophets couldn't see
00:50:29.72\00:50:37.07
the Christian church at all.
They could see the cross -
that's how they explained Daniel
00:50:37.17\00:50:41.10
9 - and they say, but then they
saw a secret coming of Christ
and a tribulation period, and
00:50:41.20\00:50:46.68
the glorious appearing after
that, they could see that. So
the clock on prophecy stops
00:50:46.78\00:50:51.71
here, and it starts here again,
but they couldn't see anything
in here at all. So suddenly,
00:50:51.81\00:50:58.82
you start taking the last week
off of Daniel 9. "Can't be us.
The prophets didn't even see
00:50:58.92\00:51:06.66
us." But folks, that was
completely made up during a
heated debate 1500 years after
00:51:06.76\00:51:13.23
Christ. I've got the book - I've
read the books. It just made its
way in the last few generations
00:51:13.34\00:51:22.64
into our discussions. And it
went mainstream a few
generations ago. A few
00:51:22.74\00:51:28.08
generations ago. And we all
assume it's in the Bible. And
we're making movies and we're
00:51:28.18\00:51:34.99
writing books. But I'm
challenging you tonight, go read
the Word of God. Don't take my
00:51:35.09\00:51:40.50
word for it. Go read the Word of
God. It's not in there. Not in
there. Jesus said, in the last
00:51:40.60\00:51:52.54
days, there'd be deception,
particularly with the second
coming of Christ. We've been
00:51:52.64\00:51:58.51
saying something that just isn't
Biblically true. It's not in
there. Go look. I really only
00:51:58.61\00:52:06.92
have two things to challenge you
with tonight, two things. The
first thing, with all my heart,
00:52:07.02\00:52:12.59
check this book. We are running
out of time. Don't take my word
for a bit of it; go home,
00:52:12.69\00:52:23.30
please, and read your Bible.
Please read your Bible. Just
read it. Read the whole thing.
00:52:23.41\00:52:31.01
And the second thing, don't
waste a minute. Be ready when He
comes. Be ready when He comes.
00:52:31.11\00:52:46.23
There's no sense being lost.
There's no sense being lost.
After everything Jesus did for
00:52:46.33\00:52:52.70
you, there's no sense being
lost. Don't squander it. The
gift of Jesus at the cross was
00:52:52.80\00:53:00.48
for you; don't squander it. Be
ready for Jesus to come. Grab
the cross. It was for you. Are
00:53:00.58\00:53:11.59
you ready for Jesus to come?
What does it take? If we confess
our sins, He is faithful and
00:53:11.69\00:53:20.23
just to forgive us our sins and
to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. You can't make
00:53:20.33\00:53:27.00
yourself good enough for Jesus;
only He's good enough. It means
taking the gift. Are you ready
00:53:27.10\00:53:35.24
for Jesus to come? Tonight, I'm
going to ask you a question.
We've been looking at the second
00:53:35.34\00:53:43.25
coming of Christ for eight days
together. There's no question,
He's coming. There's no question
00:53:43.35\00:53:51.53
He gave His life for you. Are
you ready for Jesus to come? If
it's your determination that
00:53:51.63\00:53:59.60
when you see Him, you will look
up and know Him - you might not
know everything that's involved
00:53:59.70\00:54:07.91
in a relationship with Christ,
but let me ask every heart in
here tonight: is it your plan to
00:54:08.01\00:54:14.88
be ready for Jesus to come? By
His grace, are you going to be
ready for Jesus to come? Who are
00:54:14.98\00:54:21.82
you? Who here is going to be
ready, wants to be ready? I'm
going to ask you to just rise to
00:54:21.92\00:54:29.60
your feet wherever you are. Let
the whole room see that you're
planning to be with Jesus.
00:54:29.70\00:54:34.27
Father, we're not just standing
because it's prayer time. We're
standing because we want to see
00:54:34.37\00:54:54.76
that same Jesus that went up,
come back. And we want to greet
Him as a friend and be with Him
00:54:54.86\00:55:05.17
for eternity. Lord, I know that
You see all, and You're watching
this auditorium right now. This
00:55:05.27\00:55:13.14
is the most sacred spot on
earth, because people are
standing for Christ. Thank You
00:55:13.24\00:55:21.48
for each heart here. There are
some standing that have never
done that before. They heard you
00:55:21.58\00:55:30.63
speak, and they're determined
that they want Christ. There are
some here who used to be at home
00:55:30.73\00:55:38.67
with You, church. Things have
happened and they're not there
anymore. They're standing
00:55:38.77\00:55:48.04
tonight to say, "Lord, it's You
and me and I need You." "I'll be
ready for Jesus to come." Some
00:55:48.14\00:55:57.92
have walked a long time with
Jesus and have been waiting.
They're standing and they're
00:55:58.02\00:56:02.26
saying, "I believe He's coming.
He's coming, and I'll be ready."
Lord, we can just imagine the
00:56:02.36\00:56:11.07
excitement in heaven this moment
as angels are saying, "It's
gotta be just about time now.
00:56:11.17\00:56:15.64
Can we go?" Come quickly, Lord
Jesus, for we pray it in Your
most holy and wonderful Name,
00:56:15.74\00:56:25.68
amen.
00:56:25.78\00:56:28.32
Today you have watched just one
in a series of "Revelation
Speaks Peace" presentations.
00:56:32.19\00:56:36.89
The entire series is available
on DVD. Find out how you can
order a copy at www.vop.com/rsp
00:56:36.99\00:56:44.63
Or Call.. 877-955-2525 Or if you
wish you may request the series
by writing to Voice of Prophecy
00:56:44.73\00:56:54.51
PO Box 999 Loveland, CO 80539
Pastor Shawn Boonstra will
clearly unlock prophecies
00:56:54.61\00:57:03.18
in Daniel and Revelation --
using the Bible as the key.
Experience hope for your future.
00:57:03.28\00:57:09.89
Decode secrets of prophecy in
episodes, such as A New World
Order, The Ultimate Mind
00:57:09.99\00:57:15.63
Game, and How to Postpone Your
Funeral. The world is changing
so quickly. Learn how to read
00:57:15.73\00:57:22.60
Bible prophecy for yourself!
With the complete DVD series
"Revelation Speaks Peace" You
00:57:22.70\00:57:30.31
can also find answers to life's
TOUGHEST questions, by ordering
Voice of Prophecy's free
00:57:30.41\00:57:35.95
Discover Bible Guides. We'll
take you step by step to what
you care about most. Study
00:57:36.05\00:57:41.56
online, or have us mail them
straight to your house.  To
order your DVD set or Discover
00:57:41.66\00:57:46.96
Bible Guides go to
www.vop.com/rsp, again that's
www.vop.com/rsp or call
00:57:47.03\00:57:56.87
877-955-2525. You may also send
us a request by mail to: Voice
of Prophecy PO Box 999 Loveland,
00:57:56.97\00:58:07.38
CO 80539
00:58:07.48\00:58:10.62
+
00:58:11.82\00:58:12.85