Voice of Prophecy Speaks

The Great Escape

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Lonnie Melashenko

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Series Code: VOPS

Program Code: VOPS000013


00:30 Good evening, everyone.
00:31 I want to begin tonight by telling you a story.
00:35 My friend H.M.S. Richards, Jr.,
00:38 my predecessesor in the broadcast
00:40 died exactly three years ago.
00:43 He was just 70-years-old.
00:46 We went down to Brazil together in 1993
00:48 when he got typhoid fever in the Amazon jungles
00:51 and he twice landed in the hospital,
00:53 almost died both times.
00:55 But he finally got home to Los Angeles
00:57 and upon returning home, he never got back on his feet
01:00 because there was a litany of life-threatening diseases
01:03 that just hounded poor Harold, they hammered him, typhoid,
01:07 leaky heart valve, shingles, Parkinsons, kidney failure,
01:10 cancer, ameloid deposits of the kidneys.
01:14 And finally my friend Harold died of heart failure.
01:18 And I want to tell you
01:19 that Harold Richards was a giant.
01:21 He had huge hands, he had a huge heart,
01:25 and he had a huge passion for Jesus.
01:27 In fact, he dreamed one day
01:30 of getting back on his feet and preaching,
01:33 but he never did.
01:35 But one day a serendipitous moment occurred
01:37 and I'll never forget Jeannie and I were at his bedside
01:39 there in the Glendale hospital in Southern California
01:41 when Harold kind of motioned for me and he
01:44 whispered hoarsely for me to come closer,
01:47 so he could tell me something.
01:49 And I leaned in tight
01:50 because he couldn't speak out loud
01:51 and he took my hand and he whispered,
01:53 Lon, Lon, you're God's man.
01:57 God brought you to my side to preach.
02:00 And his breathing was kind of coming in short spurts now,
02:03 heavy and laborious and I must confess
02:06 we were both weeping.
02:08 And I sensed this just might be Harold's final statement to me.
02:13 And it was.
02:14 He said, listen, Lon,
02:16 if God raises me up again, I want to preach again.
02:20 I've even got a sermon in mind,
02:21 got a title for it, you want to hear it?
02:24 Yes, I said. I'd love to.
02:26 Well, brightening right up,
02:27 he spoke a little bit more loud and he said,
02:30 He's on His way. That's the title.
02:34 Not He might be coming or He's gonna come soon,
02:37 but He's on his way.
02:38 Amen.
02:39 And then He gave me a few words that went something like this.
02:42 Far out in space, light years
02:45 beyond the Great Nebula and the Pleiades,
02:47 there's a great stirring and a rush of excitement
02:49 beyond human description, the chariots rumble,
02:52 thunder rolls, it's kettle drums,
02:54 and lightning shakes its fiery white lances,
02:56 the trumpet sound.
02:58 He's on his way.
03:00 And He continued down past unnumbered universe systems
03:04 down to the corridor of the Orion,
03:06 down, down, down toward a blue planet
03:08 hanging out there in space, see it there?
03:11 That lonely one.
03:14 The one that spat on Him, crucified Him,
03:16 but one that He couldn't forget, He's on His way.
03:20 And he laid back in his bed there,
03:22 kind of tired with a twinkle in his eye,
03:24 he heaved a sigh and said, what do you think, Lon?
03:28 I said, Harold,
03:29 I think it's your finest hour, fantastic.
03:33 Well, he said, I think,
03:34 I might be getting a little sleepy now.
03:39 And I'm leaning in with Jeannie and I prayed, dear God,
03:43 please hold Your servant Harold close.
03:46 And then Jeannie and I slipped out of the room.
03:49 We were hardly in the hallway
03:50 before we just held each other and we wept like babies.
03:54 But Harold Richard believed
03:56 in the soon return of Jesus Christ.
03:58 It defined him.
04:00 He believed it with a passion, in the blessed hope,
04:03 in the Jesus who more than anything else in the world
04:06 Harold wishes would be your friend tonight
04:09 because He is on His way.
04:12 Amen.
04:14 Have you ever wondered if the world will end some day?
04:20 And if you have, have you ever wondered just how it will end?
04:24 Will it be like the terrorist attacks
04:26 on New York and Washington on September 11?
04:29 You know, some people think
04:30 the world is gonna end in a nuclear war
04:33 or that human beings will destroy themselves
04:35 and all life on this planet.
04:38 Others think, well, you know,
04:39 the population explosion is gonna come to the place
04:42 where earth just can't support so many people,
04:46 we will all die of mass starvation.
04:49 Still others worry that someday maybe an asteroid
04:52 or a comet is gonna hit this earth and destroy it.
04:56 But do you know that long ago,
04:58 the Bible prophesied exactly how the world will end.
05:03 And friends, the good news is that the human race
05:06 is not going to die out because of war or starvation
05:09 or some plague like SARS,
05:13 or a mysterious microbe that's released
05:15 from some lab in Iraq or some other enemy country,
05:19 not even by colliding with an object in outer space.
05:23 Instead our Bible tells us that the world is gonna end
05:27 with the triumphant return of Jesus Christ to this earth.
05:32 He's gonna return to the same earth
05:34 that He left almost 2,000 years ago,
05:36 and He will return to end time
05:39 as we know it and usher in eternity.
05:44 Now it's very interesting to discover
05:46 what people think when they're asked
05:49 what they think the return of Jesus will be like,
05:52 what will happen?
05:53 Well, opinions are very interesting.
05:56 But they're just that, opinions.
06:01 You know, I'd really rather prefer to know
06:04 what's going to happen from here, wouldn't you?
06:06 Amen.
06:07 And for that, we need to turn to God's word tonight.
06:09 The word that promises that
06:10 Jesus is going to return to our world to deal
06:12 with all of the problems that we have today.
06:16 But the good news is King Jesus is coming,
06:19 and He's coming soon.
06:21 And that is a great comfort to me.
06:23 Because the problems of this world,
06:25 why, if you look in the morning newspapers,
06:27 they just keep getting worse and worse
06:28 and it seems that all of our efforts
06:30 to make this world a safer and better,
06:32 healthier place to be often makes it worse instead.
06:38 And in fact, it's gotten so rotten
06:41 but the problems of this world are beyond human solution.
06:46 Now I believe with all of my heart,
06:47 it's going to take divine intervention
06:50 to set everything right again.
06:51 Amen.
06:53 I told you the other night that Jeannie and I,
06:55 a few months ago we're on a long journey
06:57 following overseas in the Mediterranean
06:59 in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul
07:02 with Voice of Prophecy group.
07:04 We ended up in the city of Rome
07:07 where both Apostle Paul and Peter
07:10 were executed as martyrs.
07:12 And I'll never ever forget going down
07:14 into the Mammertine prison there
07:16 where Paul was imprisoned.
07:18 Some of you may have been there.
07:19 It's carved out of rock
07:21 and it's shaped like a great big test-tube.
07:24 And the only way in or out of that
07:26 prison back in Paul's day was to be let down by a rope.
07:31 It's interesting 'cause in the floor
07:32 there is an iron grate with a great pick padlock.
07:35 And when that prisoner down there finally starved or died,
07:39 a Roman soldier would be let down by a rope
07:42 and he'd unlock that grate, and he'd open the door,
07:46 he'd kick that body into the hole
07:48 where it tumble down into a conduit canal
07:51 down to the Tiber river
07:53 and then it would wash out to sea.
07:55 Well, I'm happy to tell you
07:56 that Paul did not die in that dark,
07:59 damp Mammertine prison.
08:02 But while he was down there waiting
08:04 for the executioner to behead him,
08:06 he wrote in Titus 2:13
08:09 that he was "Looking for that blessed hope
08:13 and glorious appearing of our great God
08:15 and Savior, Jesus Christ."
08:18 You know, if you ever get down and feeling low
08:21 and I want you to listen to Paul's encouraging letter,
08:23 read that Book of Titus.
08:26 Ladies and gentleman, the most talked-about event
08:28 in the entire New Testament
08:30 is the second coming of Jesus Christ.
08:32 In fact, one out of 25 verses in this book.
08:36 Christ spent more time talking about that event
08:39 than any other topic in the entire New Testament.
08:42 Beautiful promises that Jesus made just shortly
08:44 before His crucifixion and then His ascension.
08:47 In fact most of you probably know this text if you don't,
08:50 you can sneak a peak up at the monitors here.
08:53 John 14:1-3 say it with me out loud, everyone
08:56 "Let not your heart be troubled,
08:58 you believe in God, believe also in Me.
09:01 In My Father's house are many mansions,
09:04 if it were not so, I would have told you.
09:07 I go to prepare a place for you.
09:10 And if I go and prepare a place for you,
09:13 I will come again and receive you to Myself,
09:17 that where I am, there you may be also."
09:22 And let me tell you, over the centuries,
09:24 whenever disappointment and hardship or death
09:26 have threatened Christ's followers, this star of hope,
09:30 the promise of His return has brought courage,
09:32 it's brought strength to endure.
09:35 Well, finally that day came
09:37 when Paul was holed down to that prison,
09:39 in a flash of blinding light
09:41 that executioner's sword took his head.
09:44 But just before, when he was just steps away from dying,
09:48 Paul triumphantly declared in 2 Timothy 4:7, 8
09:54 "I have fought the good fight,
09:56 I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
10:00 Finally, there is laid up for me
10:02 the crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
10:04 the righteous Judge, will give me on that Day,
10:08 and not to me only but also to all
10:11 who have loved His appearing."
10:13 Amen.
10:15 You know, Paul could valiantly face
10:17 that executioner's sword on that fateful day
10:20 because he had faith in Christ's promise
10:22 that Jesus will return.
10:25 And friend, Jesus is promise
10:26 to His disciples belongs to all of us.
10:29 Jesus will come again. Amen.
10:32 But the question tonight is how? When?
10:37 What does prophecy tell us? Will it be soon?
10:41 You know, when the disciples asked Jesus to tell them
10:44 what are the signs of Your coming,
10:46 what about the end of the world, when will that be?
10:49 Jesus gave detailed accounts of events
10:52 that would take just take place
10:54 just before He came, His return.
10:56 I want you to carefully read what Jesus Himself tells us.
11:00 He says, folks, he says,
11:02 there's gonna be a lot of theories out there
11:04 about how and when He will return.
11:08 The event that many refer to as the rapture.
11:13 Even though, ladies and gentlemen,
11:15 that is not a word you'll find in your King James
11:18 or New King James or New American Standard
11:20 or New International Bible.
11:23 There is no such thing in the scripture
11:25 as a secret rapture.
11:28 The dictionary by the way defines rapture
11:31 as a state or experience of being
11:32 carried away by overwhelming emotion.
11:36 But that term rapture has come to be used by many Christians
11:40 in the last few years for a synonym of Jesus' return
11:44 to carry away or rapture the redeemed from this earth.
11:49 We're not gonna worry about terminology tonight
11:51 because we want to just take our Bibles
11:53 and focus what Jesus taught His disciples
11:56 about how and when He would return, would that be okay?
11:59 Amen.
12:00 He knew that there would be theories,
12:03 concepts, ideas, many incorrect dangerous ideas,
12:06 some even deceptive, even frauds.
12:09 And so He warned in Matthew 24:4, 5
12:13 "Take heed that no one deceives you.
12:16 For many will come in My name, saying,
12:18 'I am the Christ, and will" what?
12:22 "Deceive many."
12:23 In verse 24, Jesus elaborates on this issue,
12:26 notice "For false Christs,"
12:29 we could say, "false preachers,
12:32 false prophets, false evangelists.
12:35 "...Will rise and show great signs
12:37 and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."
12:43 Now, folks, if we don't know how to tell the difference,
12:46 how to spot a counterfeit,
12:48 what Jesus says is we just might attach ourselves
12:52 to an imposter, thinking he is Christ.
12:56 And Jesus warned that that could happen.
12:58 By the way, He wasn't talking about a few clumsy deceptions.
13:01 He was speaking about incredible impersonations
13:05 even about the rapture,
13:08 so carefully planned and executed
13:10 that almost He said,
13:11 the whole Christian world will be deceived.
13:15 Our preachers are not telling you that today.
13:18 Jesus said many of these preachers
13:20 will be out there even working miracles,
13:22 healing the sick, giving supernatural demonstrations
13:25 to back up their claims,
13:27 preachers will be doing this
13:28 in churches with hymn singing.
13:31 But Jesus says, watch, there'll be imposters.
13:34 You say, well, how could I? I haven't been to the seminary.
13:37 How could I know the difference?
13:40 Friend, that is why these
13:42 Voice of Prophecy speaks meetings.
13:45 We want to have you turn to the Bible and recover
13:48 how you are supposed to discover truth.
13:50 Because the Bible is so crystal clear,
13:52 if you learned how to study it,
13:54 your little, their little,
13:55 comparing scripture with scripture,
13:56 but it's very clear.
13:58 So no one needs to be confused about the second coming.
14:02 In fact, Paul says again in 2 Corinthians--
14:08 11:13, 14
14:13 "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers,
14:17 transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.
14:20 And no wonder!
14:22 For Satan himself transforms himself
14:25 into an angel of light."
14:27 Can you imagine what that would be like,
14:30 to have the Devil himself stage
14:32 a counterfeit second coming of Jesus?
14:37 Every now and then someone appears
14:39 on the scene claiming to be Christ.
14:42 They wear the clothing that they think
14:43 Christ would wear or might have worn.
14:45 They speak like they think He might of spoken,
14:48 in a very kind, very melodious voice.
14:51 And they quote scripture, they quote a lot of it.
14:54 They seem very wise
14:56 and attract large followings of people.
14:59 When my folks moved to California to sing
15:02 in the King's Harold's Hotel
15:03 at the Voice of Prophecy back in 1940,
15:06 I'll tell you how old I am. '48, I was one.
15:10 They moved to California,
15:12 they told me that a man appeared out
15:13 near Palm Springs claiming to be the Messiah.
15:17 People were going out there by the carloads
15:19 till one day somebody in the crowd said
15:21 where are the nail prints in your hands and your side,
15:24 he kind of disappeared and we never saw him again.
15:26 Amen.
15:28 But such persons might even look like
15:30 what you'd expect Jesus to look like.
15:33 They might talk as you'd expect Jesus to talk.
15:35 Why, they might even heal people
15:37 and do marvelous signs and wonders,
15:39 and the temptation maybe overwhelming
15:42 to doubt what the Bible says.
15:45 But what we're trying to tell you tonight
15:47 is we dare not in these last critical days trust our senses,
15:52 what we hear, what we see, how we even feel.
15:56 In fact in Matthew 7 when Jesus says
15:58 that He's gonna separate the sheep and the goats.
16:01 He says some people are gonna be put over here
16:03 on the left side with the lost
16:06 and they're gonna protest, Lord,
16:08 what are we doing over here.
16:09 Didn't we prophesize in Your name?
16:11 Didn't we even cast out demons in Your name
16:15 and do many wonderful miracles in your name?
16:17 And He will say to these religious people,
16:20 depart from me, I never knew you.
16:24 You workers of what? Iniquity.
16:28 Listen, friend, there is only one safe guide
16:32 for determining whether someone is genuine
16:35 or an imposter when you go to any churches,
16:38 you got right here in your hand.
16:40 Amen, praise the Lord. The Bible.
16:42 The question is are they preaching the truth,
16:45 the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
16:47 Amen.
16:48 Tonight from the Voice of Prophecy speaks,
16:51 please notice some careful details
16:54 unique to Christ's second coming
16:56 so that no one need to be deceived.
16:58 Number one, the Bible tells us
17:01 that Christ's second coming is a visible coming.
17:07 I know that there are many sincere Christians
17:09 who believe in the secret rapture,
17:12 so secret that the dedicated pilot on a 747
17:17 will suddenly disappear through the cockpit walls
17:20 while the terrified passengers
17:22 plunge screaming to a fiery death.
17:26 I say this kindly, friend,
17:27 but there's not a word of that in the Bible.
17:31 The secret rapture is a man-made theory
17:34 that's been developed only
17:35 in the last couple of centuries.
17:37 The apostles didn't believe in it.
17:40 Martin Luther didn't believe in it.
17:41 John Calvin did not believe in it.
17:43 The Wesley brothers, John and Charles,
17:45 they never even heard of it.
17:47 In fact, the founding fathers of America,
17:49 George Washington, Thomas Jefferson,
17:51 Benjamin Franklin, they never heard of it
17:53 because it hadn't been invented yet
17:55 when they were alive.
17:56 No one had ever thought of it.
17:59 It's not a scriptural interpretation
18:01 that's kind of obvious in the Bible,
18:02 it doesn't jump out at you as you read it.
18:04 In fact the first people to come up
18:08 with that theory and believe in it
18:09 didn't discover it in studying their Bibles.
18:12 It came to them by what they considered...
18:16 a special revelation.
18:20 Now listen, my friends,
18:21 you can look this up in any history book,
18:23 but may I issue just a little word of caution here?
18:27 If someone ever comes up to you
18:28 and says they have a special revelation
18:32 about how the Bible should be interpreted,
18:34 what should you do?
18:37 Do you just accept it without question?
18:39 Or do you go back to the scriptures
18:41 and study it out carefully to see whether it agrees
18:44 with the basic teachings of the Bible?
18:45 Amen.
18:47 Well, let's take this special revelation,
18:50 the idea that Jesus is going to come back to earth quietly,
18:53 secretly, and spirit away His followers
18:56 without anybody seeing Him, let's take that to the Bible
18:59 and see how biblical it is, shall we?
19:01 Matthew 24:27 Jesus says
19:05 "As the lightning comes from the east
19:07 and flashes to the west,
19:09 so also will the coming of the Son of Man be."
19:13 In fact, in Revelation 1:7,
19:16 we read, "Behold, He is coming with clouds,
19:19 and every eye will see Him come."
19:23 I know that there are some people
19:24 who come knocking at your doors,
19:25 they're usually two by two
19:27 and they say that means
19:29 those with spiritual eyes will see Him
19:32 but this says every eye will see Him.
19:33 It even says those who put Him to the cross
19:35 and nailed Him to the cross will see Him come.
19:39 Does that seem like something secret
19:42 that would leave those who were left behind puzzled,
19:46 wondering what on earth happened?
19:47 Where did all of those people disappear.
19:49 That doesn't sound very secret to me, does it?
19:51 Let me tell you, there's a very good reason
19:54 why Jesus plans to come back
19:56 in such a public and visible way.
19:58 It's because He knew there would be imposters
20:01 who would claim to be Him.
20:04 But believe me, no imposter
20:06 can come in the clouds of heaven
20:08 so that every eye can see them, see Him come.
20:12 Jesus told His disciples exactly how He would come,
20:16 so that they wouldn't be deceived
20:17 and so that we wouldn't be deceived either.
20:19 I want you to listen very carefully tonight.
20:22 After Jesus' death on Calvary's cross,
20:26 we know that He rose from the grave.
20:28 And then just before He ascended to heaven
20:31 to begin His work as our intercessor before His Father,
20:34 first it says that He took His closest followers
20:37 out to the Mount of Olives and He gave them
20:38 some final instructions, to His disciples.
20:41 And then He said His last farewell,
20:43 I imagine it was kind of emotional
20:44 but then the Bible says,
20:46 very slowly He began to lift up into the sky
20:51 and He was taken into the heavens.
20:53 I want you to please notice what the Bible says
20:56 about this event in Acts 1:9-11
20:59 many of you know this already by memory.
21:01 "It is now when He had spoken these things,
21:05 while they watched, He was taken up,
21:09 and a cloud received Him out of their sight."
21:14 What I want you to notice here is that it was a visible event.
21:18 Amen. They could see it.
21:20 You could have seen it if you were there.
21:21 And there were clouds involved.
21:24 Continue with me, it says
21:25 "...And while they looked steadfastly
21:28 toward heaven as He went up,
21:31 behold two men stood by them in white apparel."
21:33 I imagine those were angels.
21:35 "Who also said, 'Men of Galilee,
21:37 why do you stand gazing up into heaven?
21:40 This same Jesus who was taken up into heaven
21:44 will so come in like manner
21:47 as you saw Him go into heaven.'"
21:49 Amen, praise the Lord.
21:50 In other words, You can see Him.
21:52 Amen. And it will involve clouds.
21:56 Two angels from God assured
21:57 those flabbergasted disciples of the promise of Jesus
22:00 that He'd given them would be fulfilled.
22:03 And Jesus had plainly said to them
22:05 that they would see Him come.
22:08 It says "Then they will see the Son of Man
22:10 coming in a cloud with power and great glory."
22:15 Friend, this is so important.
22:18 No one will have to tell you when Jesus comes.
22:21 You will see Him coming on the clouds.
22:25 Christ isn't going to suddenly appear in some remote place
22:28 or step out of a flying saucer.
22:30 Remember this, number 1: His coming will be visible.
22:35 You'll see Him and clouds will be involved.
22:41 And that's the sign that the devil cannot duplicate.
22:45 Number 2: Our Bible tells us
22:48 that His coming will be absolutely glorious.
22:52 And Jesus will not be coming back alone.
22:55 In fact He said
22:58 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory,
23:01 and all the holy angels with Him,
23:03 then He will sit on the throne of His glory."
23:07 By the way, why does Jesus bring back
23:09 all the holy angels with Him?
23:11 Well, He gives the answer.
23:12 Matthew 24:31 "And He will send His angels
23:16 with a great sound of a trumpet,
23:19 and they will gather together His elect from the four winds,
23:21 from one end of heaven to the other."
23:23 All the holy angels will accompany Jesus
23:26 filling the sky with glory indescribable.
23:30 Now you know why these people
23:32 who claim to be Christ can't possibly be.
23:36 They'd have an impossible time
23:37 trying to duplicate Jesus' return.
23:40 Not even with virtual reality, no one can.
23:44 It will be stupendous, it will be glorious.
23:48 But there are more events
23:49 connected with the coming of Jesus.
23:50 Number 3: It will be an audible coming.
23:54 Everyone will be able to hear it.
23:57 1 Thessalonians 4:16
24:00 my favorite passage is Paul's writing there in Thessalonians.
24:03 It says "For the Lord Himself
24:06 will descend from heaven with a shout,
24:09 with the voice of the archangel with the trumpet of God
24:11 and the dead in Christ will rise first."
24:15 So Christ coming will not only be visible,
24:18 not only will be glorious, it will be audible,
24:21 it will be heard by everyone.
24:22 In fact, Number 4: it will be so penetrating,
24:26 that call of God, so awesome
24:28 will be the fanfare of Gabriel's trumpet
24:31 that the dead in Christ will be awakened
24:34 from their graves and they'll come forth.
24:37 Can you imagine what joy that will be?
24:41 When the graves are opened,
24:44 and our families are reunited.
24:48 You know what would be the happiest place
24:49 on this planet when Jesus comes.
24:51 Praise the Lord.
24:54 The cemeteries. Amen.
24:58 I can't wait to see my grandfather I've never meet.
25:01 I can't wait to see George
25:02 and Nelly Wandum and again Connie,
25:04 your mom and dad.
25:06 But you see how impossible would be
25:08 for Satan to counterfeit the real coming of Christ?
25:11 But there's still more good news.
25:12 Number 5: The righteous living,
25:15 that's us, if we are still alive then,
25:16 will be caught up to meet Jesus.
25:19 Notice what happens to the righteous living
25:21 at Christ's second coming
25:22 according to 1 Thessalonians 4:17
25:25 "Then we who are alive and remain
25:28 shall be caught up together with them
25:30 in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
25:32 And thus we shall always be with the Lord."
25:36 What that's saying is that
25:37 the faithful followers of Jesus, you and I,
25:40 if we're still living will be caught up together
25:42 with all of those resurrected dead
25:44 to meet the Lord in the air and what a happy reunion
25:47 that will be for many, many families.
25:49 Amen.
25:51 Number 6: All of the saved then will be changed.
25:57 In fact Paul gives explicit details of what happens
26:00 when Jesus returns in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53,
26:05 he says "Behold, I shew you a mystery,
26:09 we shall all be changed, in a moment,
26:13 in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump;
26:16 for the trumpet shall sound,
26:17 and the dead in Christ shall be raised incorruptible,
26:20 and we shall be changed.
26:22 For this corruptible must put on incorruption,
26:27 and this mortal must put on immortality."
26:31 Number 7: God will give every follower of Jesus
26:37 His ultimate gift of love, life everlasting.
26:42 You know, folks all other gifts are meaningless
26:45 without this gift of immortality.
26:47 But then, number 8:
26:49 There is something else God will give His people.
26:51 Philippians 3:20 says "We look for the Savior,
26:56 the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body,
27:00 that it may be fashioned like His glorious body."
27:05 Boy, can I do with one of those right now.
27:09 A perfect new body, no more aches,
27:13 no more pains, no more disease,
27:16 no more cancer, Lonnie.
27:19 No more AVMs inside your head, Lonnie.
27:22 Jeannie's wrist broken, other problems we've all had.
27:26 I mean, what could be more welcome news than that,
27:28 brand new bodies, eternal vigor, eternal youth.
27:32 But number 9, something else happens.
27:34 The Bible says there will be a great earthquake.
27:37 Revelation 6:14-17,
27:41 it says "The heaven departed as a scroll
27:45 when it is rolled together,
27:46 and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
27:49 And the kings of the earth,
27:50 and the great men, and the rich men,
27:52 and the mighty men hid themselves in the dens
27:54 and in the rocks of the mountains,
27:56 and said to the rocks and the mountains,
27:58 'Fall on us, hide us from the face of him
28:01 that sitteth on the throne.
28:02 For the great day of his wrath is come,
28:04 and who shall be able to stand?"
28:07 In Revelation 16:18 says,
28:11 "And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings,
28:15 and there was a great earthquake,
28:17 such a mighty and great earthquake
28:19 as had not occurred since men were on the earth."
28:23 Friends, that's gonna be an earthquake
28:25 so powerful it shakes every city on the planet
28:29 and no one could possibly miss an earthquake like that.
28:33 For it ushers in the second coming of Jesus Christ.
28:38 But now here's where that secret part comes in.
28:43 Jesus warned that His coming would also be at a time
28:48 when no one expected it.
28:52 And in that sense it is a secret rapture.
28:57 But the secret is in the timing,
29:00 not in the event.
29:02 Matthew 24:30, Jesus told us when He returns,
29:06 "...all the tribes of the earth will mourn..."
29:09 You see, that's the reaction,
29:10 of course, for all of those who aren't ready for that day.
29:14 They are lost and they know it.
29:16 You talk about shock and awe. Talk about a sad, sad picture.
29:22 When it could have been so different.
29:24 Friend, that day will be real.
29:28 There will be no waking up to find out
29:29 that well, it was just a dream.
29:32 That's why nothing, absolutely nothing
29:35 is more important on earth tonight
29:37 than being ready to meet Jesus when He comes.
29:40 You know, well, with the tinsel,
29:42 all of the stuff, all of our prized earthly possessions
29:45 and little treasures are just garbage compared to heaven.
29:52 I mean, one earthquake, and it will all be all gone.
29:58 I wonder where you'll be,
30:01 what will you be doing when Jesus comes.
30:04 Where will I be?
30:06 Jesus said He warned He would come at a time
30:10 when no one was expecting it.
30:12 People would be so busy wasting their lives
30:15 in wanton pleasure and wine and women
30:17 and song, marrying,
30:18 giving in marriage, living it up.
30:20 Luke 21:36 "Watch therefore"
30:24 Lon "pray always, that you may be counted worthy
30:28 to escape all these things that will come to pass,
30:31 and to stand before the Son of Man."
30:35 So that we don't miss the "Great Escape."
30:39 I want to review quickly what we've just learned
30:42 as we've studied the Bible
30:43 together about the second coming.
30:45 We've learned that there will be false Christs
30:47 and false prophets that will try to deceive everyone.
30:50 We've learnt that the devil,
30:52 he will try to impersonate an angel of light.
30:55 We've learnt that the second coming will not be secret.
31:00 Every eye will see Jesus coming.
31:03 All the holy angels will come with Him.
31:05 He will come with the blast of a trumpet.
31:08 He will come with a shout of the Archangel.
31:11 And the righteous dead will be resurrected.
31:14 The righteous living
31:15 will be translated without seeing death.
31:18 All the righteous will be given immortality.
31:22 All of the earth's ungodly people
31:24 will mourn when they see Jesus.
31:26 Try to hide.
31:27 A great earthquake will shake the earth.
31:29 And the Bible says,
31:30 we'll get into this on another night
31:32 that all sinners will be slain
31:34 by the brightness of His coming.
31:37 No mortal mind can conceive the splendor
31:41 and the glory of the majesty of Christ's second coming.
31:44 Amen.
31:45 The Bible says no one will expect it.
31:48 That it is suddenly, the heavens roll together
31:51 as a scroll and the earth trembles before Him,
31:53 and every mountain and island is moved out of its place.
31:56 You know, that used to really terrify me.
31:58 I grew up in the islands of Bermuda.
32:02 Where are you from? Judith?
32:05 When I was a little kid
32:06 and I was listening to those sermons
32:08 about every island moving out of their places,
32:09 I really got worried.
32:11 I didn't want to be on the Island of Bermuda.
32:12 But you know what, if you are with the Lord
32:13 and you know Him,
32:14 we will not gonna have to worry about that, right.
32:17 But it says every mountain and island
32:18 will be moved out of their places,
32:20 but soon then the Bible says
32:22 there appears in the east a small black cloud,
32:25 about the size of a man's hand.
32:29 And it says as that cloud draws near the earth,
32:31 it becomes brighter and greater and more glorious
32:34 until it becomes a huge cloud with a rainbow above it.
32:38 And in silence, the people of God
32:40 gaze at that scene speechless, it's breathtaking
32:44 and the sky fills with radiant forms,
32:47 ten thousand times, ten thousand,
32:49 thousands of thousands of angels
32:51 surrounding Jesus on His throne.
32:53 And the splendor of it covers all of the heavens
32:55 as far as the east from the west
32:57 as they come nearer and nearer
32:59 and every eye beholds the coming King.
33:04 And there is no crown of thorns that mars that sacred head.
33:09 No, there is a crown of glory resting on His holy brow
33:13 and on His vesture and on His thigh
33:16 the name is written, King of Kings, Lord of Lords.
33:19 Amen.
33:21 And the kings of the earth it says
33:22 and the great men, and the rich men,
33:24 and the chief captains, and the mighty men,
33:26 and every bondman, every freeman,
33:29 they cried for the rocks and the mountains
33:32 to hide them from the presence of the Lamb.
33:36 In fact, it's very interesting.
33:37 We'll get into this another night.
33:39 The Bible says, that at this moment,
33:43 it talks about another special resurrection
33:47 when Jesus comes.
33:49 Of those specifically who persecuted
33:52 and killed God's people and those who ridiculed
33:55 and rejected Christ as the Son of God,
33:58 and where the ones who shouted crucify Him,
34:00 crucify Him, they are raised to stand up before Jesus.
34:04 And I said, this is another night
34:06 but I'll tell you and they see Him coming,
34:08 their hearts melt, their knees smite together,
34:12 and with an awful, despairing wail they call out,
34:15 He is the Son of God, He is the true messiah.
34:20 Now they behold Him in all of His glory.
34:23 Now they see Him sitting on the right hand of power.
34:27 Now those who derided His claim
34:28 to be the Son of God are absolutely speechless.
34:31 Can you see it over there,
34:32 there is haughty Herod who jeered at His royal title
34:37 and commanded the mocking soldiers,
34:39 Crown Jesus, King of the Jews.
34:43 There are the very soldiers whose impious hands
34:47 placed upon on His fond purple robe
34:51 and smashed on His sacred brow the thorny crown,
34:54 and shoved into in His unresisting hand
34:57 that mimic scepter.
34:59 And then they bowed before Him in blasphemous mockery
35:03 and these men who smote Him.
35:06 Who spat on His face, the Prince of Life?
35:10 Now they turn from His piercing gaze and they try to escape.
35:14 Flee from the overpowering glory of His presence,
35:17 those who drove the nails through His hands and feet,
35:20 the soldier who pierced His side,
35:22 now they behold those scars
35:24 and those wounds that they created with terror
35:28 and remorse, with shuddering horror, the priests and rulers
35:33 remember how wagging their heads
35:35 in Satanic exultation, they exclaimed.
35:38 "He saved others, Himself He cannot save.
35:43 If He is the true King of Israel,
35:45 let Him now come down from the cross,
35:47 and we will believe Him.
35:49 He trusted in God;
35:51 let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him."
35:56 I want you to notice something.
35:59 Those who would have destroyed Christ
36:02 and His faithful people then,
36:05 now they witness glory which rests on them
36:08 on these faithful people
36:10 and in the midst of their terror,
36:11 they hear the voices of the saints,
36:13 they are exclaiming in Isaiah 25:9
36:16 "...Lo, this is our God,
36:19 we have waited for Him and He will save us..."
36:23 And amid the reeling of the earth
36:25 and the flashing of lightning,
36:26 and the rocking and the rolling and the roar of thunder,
36:29 the voice of God then calls forth His sleeping saints.
36:33 And as He looks upon all of the graves
36:35 of the righteous there raising His hands to heaven,
36:38 He cries out and the Bible tells us what He will say.
36:42 "Awake, awake, awake, you that sleep
36:48 in the dust of the earth, arise to ever lasting life."
36:53 And throughout the whole earth the dead will hear that voice,
36:57 and they that hear shall live.
37:00 And the whole earth shall ring
37:02 with the tread of an exceeding great army
37:04 of every nation and kindred and tongue
37:06 and people from the prison house of death they come,
37:09 clothed with immortal glory,
37:13 crying as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:55
37:16 "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"
37:23 And the living righteous and those risen saints,
37:25 they unite their voices in a long,
37:27 glad shout of hallelujah.
37:30 All the blemishes and deformities
37:32 are left in the grave.
37:34 Oh, what a glorious, glorious redemption.
37:37 Long talked of, long hoped for,
37:40 contemplated with eager anticipation,
37:43 but never fully understood.
37:46 Paul says, he will be changed in a moment,
37:49 in the twinkling of an eye,
37:51 made immortal and caught up to meet their Lord in the air.
37:56 And angels will be gathering His elect
37:59 from the four winds busy
38:00 from one end to the heaven to the other.
38:02 Little children are gonna be carried by holy angels,
38:07 no doubt, their guardian angels
38:08 and placed back in their mother's arms.
38:12 And friends that have been long separated by death,
38:14 they are gonna be united, nevermore to part,
38:17 and with songs of gladness
38:19 we'll all begin to ascend together
38:22 toward that Holy city up there, the city of God.
38:26 And as they ascend toward heaven,
38:28 the retinue of angels, the Bible says,
38:30 they cry out, holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty
38:35 and the redeemed shout out,
38:36 hallelujah as they move toward that Holy City.
38:41 And throughout the unnumbered hosts of the redeemed,
38:43 every glance is now fixed upon Him.
38:47 Every eye beholds Him, His glory whose
38:52 "...visage was so marred more than any man,
38:55 and His form more than the sons of men."
38:59 And can you imagine it?
39:02 Upon the head of each of the overcoming of us,
39:07 Jesus with His own right hand places our crown of glory.
39:11 Amen, praise the Lord.
39:12 For each of us there's a crown, Bible says, bearing our name,
39:16 our new name, and the inscription
39:18 on that crown reads, holiness to the Lord.
39:22 An unutterable joy fills every heart,
39:26 as each voice is raised in grateful praise,
39:30 there up before the ransomed throng
39:32 is the Holy City and Jesus Himself
39:36 opens wide those pearly gates,
39:38 and the nations that have kept the commandments
39:40 and have the patience of Jesus they enter in there.
39:46 Oh, they behold the paradise of God,
39:49 the home of Adam and of Eve, there is Eden.
39:57 Before they sinned,
39:58 there is the Garden of Eden again.
40:00 And then that voice, richer than any music
40:04 that ever fell on mortal ear is heard saying,
40:09 my children, come, you blessed of My Father.
40:14 Inherit the kingdom prepared for you
40:17 from the foundation of the world.
40:21 Dear hearts, and gentle people, this is our hope.
40:25 This is our destiny!
40:28 We can live forever. Amen.
40:31 And, folks, if we miss eternity,
40:33 we have missed everything.
40:35 And if we're not prepared for Christ's soon return,
40:38 we will miss the greatest event in history.
40:40 But Jesus says tonight come, come for forgiveness.
40:45 Come tonight for mercy, come to eternity,
40:48 come, enter the kingdom prepared for you.
40:53 But you see, friend, the choice is up to you.
40:57 See God forces nobody.
41:01 Will you choose to say yes to Jesus?
41:04 If you desire to live in His kingdom forever,
41:07 make your decision right now as Joey sings.
41:14 I'm not troubled
41:17 I'm not sad
41:19 Jesus promised me
41:23 That wherever He is
41:27 I will be
41:30 And I know that His words are all true
41:37 He said I have a place for you
41:45 Just a chair, or mansion fair
41:50 Jesus I won't care to be near You is all
41:58 That I need Jesus I adore you
42:06 I'm waiting for You
42:09 And deep in my heart
42:13 I believe
42:18 My Jesus is coming
42:22 He's coming again
42:26 Jesus is coming again
42:32 And until forever
42:36 We'll be together
42:41 My Jesus is coming again
42:52 Amen. Let's pray together, shall we?
42:55 Precious Lord, if we miss heaven,
42:59 it will be because of our own choice,
43:01 not to accept Jesus and His wonderful plan for our lives.
43:07 But I want to thank you for your incredible hope
43:09 that you give us in the second coming of Jesus,
43:12 our only escape.
43:14 We desire to be in your kingdom when you come again.
43:19 But now, Lord, we have to make a decision tonight.
43:23 If we're to be loyal subjects
43:25 of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords
43:27 and citizens of Your coming kingdom of glory.
43:32 Well, we must first be citizens
43:34 of your kingdom of grace, today, now.
43:38 Willing to accept Jesus and His charter of membership,
43:42 the sacred truths of the Bible,
43:46 but thank you that You promise to help us
43:49 and empower us to walk in harmony
43:51 with Jesus as day by day you unfold Your divine will.
43:58 I want you to take that response card right now
44:01 as the row captains send those down,
44:04 while we're still in an attitude of prayer,
44:05 and before Joey sings again.
44:09 I hope our message tonight
44:12 has created a brand new hope in your heart,
44:16 and that you want to respond to Jesus,
44:19 take that decision card, there's four boxes
44:23 and I'd like to have you consider
44:24 checking several of them.
44:26 I'm gonna go over them with you,
44:27 you can follow here or on the screen.
44:30 Number one: I hope everyone will check this,
44:34 "I desire to be in Christ's soon-coming kingdom of glory."
44:39 Would you check that.
44:40 I hope everyone's participating
44:42 even if you are a member or you already
44:44 are a dedicated born again,
44:46 saved by grace Christian, you can check that.
44:49 And secondly, there may be some who would like to check this,
44:53 "When I choose to accept Jesus today
44:56 and become a part of His kingdom of grace now."
45:01 Would you check that, please?
45:02 If you are choosing to accept Jesus today,
45:04 we'll have a special booklet for you out there as you leave,
45:08 I'd like to have that shared with you.
45:09 Number three:
45:11 There may be some would like to check this and say,
45:13 "I desire to be baptized like Jesus soon."
45:16 Talked about that the other night,
45:18 you might want to check that.
45:20 And now number four: There may be some here
45:23 who've come from night to night
45:24 or maybe you've come for the first time tonight
45:26 and you say, you know, all of this is kind of amazing
45:30 but I've got some personal problems,
45:33 I've got some hang-ups,
45:34 I've got some real challenges in my life.
45:37 And I would like to ask you to pray
45:39 that God will help and guide me.
45:42 You might even want to put your pray request on the back
45:45 and our staff meets at 10:00 clock every morning.
45:49 We will pray personally for you
45:50 and by the way there are people praying right now
45:53 in different locations for you by name here in this meeting.
45:58 We want to specifically lift up your need
45:59 because prayer changes things.
46:01 Amen. Wonderful things.
46:03 Make your decision, place your name and address,
46:06 place them back in the containers
46:08 and send them to the end of the isle as Joey sings.
46:12 Just a chair or mansion fair
46:16 Jesus I won't care
46:20 To be near you was all that I need
46:27 Jesus, I adore you
46:32 I'm waiting for you
46:35 And deep in my heart
46:39 I believe
46:43 My Jesus is coming
46:48 He's coming again
46:52 Jesus is coming again
46:58 And until forever
47:02 We'll be together
47:06 My Jesus is coming again
47:18 And now as we close, heavenly father
47:22 we've sensed that still small voice
47:25 and the clarity of your word revealing again, prophecy.
47:30 And the Voice of Prophecy speaks to our hearts tonight
47:33 and we do want to be ready to meet our wonderful Savior
47:36 who would be coming as King of Kings, Lord of Lords.
47:40 We don't want to miss that event.
47:42 So bless our commitments tonight
47:43 and keep us safe until we meet again,
47:46 because we pray this in Your wonderful
47:48 and powerful, saving name.
47:52 Amen. Amen.
47:55 We have very special lesson
47:57 that we would like to have every person
47:59 pick up tonight at the Discover Bible table.
48:02 If you haven't received a copy,
48:04 whether you're on a downlink location
48:05 or if you are listening in by satellite,
48:07 if you're listening on the radio,
48:08 you can write for it or punch in VOP www.vop.com.
48:13 We'll get it to you some way.
48:14 But this discover lesson,
48:16 "Discover when Jesus comes for you"
48:19 has some marvelous scriptures,
48:21 one of the most beautiful lessons I've even seen,
48:23 make sure you take a copy home.
48:24 It's complimentary.
48:25 Fill it out if you haven't started
48:27 in your Discover Bible School,
48:28 fill out the lessons, it takes just a few minutes everyday
48:31 and then turn them in.
48:32 We'll give you a diploma,
48:34 I will sign it at the end of this series, all right?
48:36 And that includes those of you in the downlink locations,
48:39 be sure to take that lesson.
48:41 Also we have a special booklet
48:43 for just tonight, that's available.
48:45 It's called "The Rapture-A Second Look."
48:49 Please make sure you take this home tonight.
48:51 It's only available tonight,
48:53 so take a copy of "The Rapture-A Second Look,"
48:56 won't you do that?
48:57 And now remember that
48:58 next Wednesday night is our next meeting
49:01 and I'm gonna be taking on the subject with you
49:03 from God's prophetic word, what happens when you die.
49:09 As we close, our hospitality centers
49:11 and all the downlink locations are available
49:13 for you to come and meet our guests,
49:15 talk with your hosts and hostesses,
49:17 come on over and join a little refreshment
49:19 for just a few minutes at this side,
49:20 we're in our meetings.
49:22 As we say in our broadcast,
49:24 remember, friend, God really does love you.
49:30 Amen. Good night.
49:32 Praise the Lord.


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Revised 2014-12-17