Participants:
Series Code: CR
Program Code: CR001847A
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00:02 People have set dates for the return of Christ.
00:05 So far, all have embarrassingly failed. 00:09 But is there some way 00:11 we can tell when Christ will return. 00:14 Could Christ return in our day? 00:17 And are there signs that point to this tremendous event. 00:21 What will happen 00:23 when and if He returns soon? 00:30 A question that many people ask is this, 00:35 "Could Christ return in our day?" 00:39 Is it possible that Christ could return 00:44 in this generation? 00:46 Many people think yes. 00:50 But there's one thing that is very, very clear. 00:56 We got to be very, very careful 00:58 about setting dates. 01:00 Because there's been lots and lots of good people 01:04 who have been very good at setting dates. 01:07 Wasn't that long ago, people were saying 01:09 that Christ was going to come in 2000 AD, 01:15 you know this, don't you? 01:16 I had people come to me and they'd say, 01:18 "Christ is going to come in 2000 AD, why? 01:22 Well, the earth is 6,000 years old, 01:25 and the millennium, 01:26 its 1,000 years, about to start. 01:29 And they say, "It's exactly, 2,000 years 01:33 since the birth of Jesus. 01:36 Have you heard this? 01:39 But that's problematic 01:42 because Jesus wasn't born when most people think 01:45 He was born. 01:47 The Bible says, He was actually 01:49 born in the days of Herod the Great. 01:54 And Herod died in March 4 BC. 01:59 Did you get that? 02:00 So Jesus was born at least 5 BC or 6 BC or 7 BC. 02:07 So the year 2000 was actually 2006 years 02:12 or so from the birth of Jesus. 02:15 So that throws that theory completely. 02:20 Of course, you all know about BC time and AD time. 02:24 In conventional circles, BC stands for before Christ. 02:30 AD, what does AD stand for? 02:34 No, no, not after death. 02:36 No, no, no, not after death. 02:39 The Latin, Anno Domini, 02:42 "In the year of our Lord." 02:46 The president gave a pronouncement the other day 02:48 and he said, "In the year of our Lord, Anno Domini." 02:53 So when we say 2019, 2020 AD, 02:57 in the year of our Lord. 03:01 But we got it wrong there by a number of years. 03:03 If you go to Israel, they don't have BC and AD time, 03:08 they have BCE which means before the Common Era 03:13 because they don't believe that Jesus is the Messiah. 03:16 And if you go to China and other places 03:18 that are atheistic, they have BCE time, 03:22 and then they have CE time, 03:24 which is the Common Era. 03:27 But I still stand by BC and AD. 03:31 Would you look at Matthew 2:1, 03:34 Matthew 2:1, my friend, 03:37 if you don't mind? 03:39 Matthew 2:1, it says, 03:45 "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea 03:48 in the days of," what? 03:51 "Herod the king, 03:53 behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem." 03:56 And so Jesus was born, we believe, in 4 or 5 BC. 04:02 When the first millennial came, 04:05 millennium came, 1000 AD, Anno Domini, 04:09 a lots of people in the world 04:10 believed that Christ was going to come then. 04:13 Then in 1844, the Millerites 04:17 thought that Christ was going to come, 04:19 October 22, 1844. 04:24 Right on the date, but very wrong in the event. 04:29 Since then, other time setters, 1874, 04:34 that didn't work, let's try 1878. 04:37 1914 was taught by some of our friends, 04:42 then 1925. 04:44 They actually build a house here in California 04:47 for all the saints to go and live in like Abraham. 04:51 In 1988 that conspicuous 04:56 prognosticator or Bible student 04:59 Hal Lindsey taught that Christ was going to come in 1988. 05:04 This was taught around the world 05:05 on Trinity Broadcasting, 05:07 when it didn't happen, 05:09 well, they just went on doing the same old thing, 1988. 05:13 Would you come with me now to Matthew 24:36 and 42? 05:19 Matthew Chapter 24, 05:24 and verse, you see, verse 36. 05:30 Have you got that? Matthew 24:36 then 42. 05:35 But of that day and hour no one knows, 05:38 not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only..." 05:41 So why do we try to set date? 05:43 I don't know. 05:45 And verse 42, "Watch therefore," 05:48 He says, "for you do not know what hour 05:51 your Lord is coming." 05:53 So the Bible is very plain. 05:55 Nobody knows the day or the hour 05:59 when Christ is going to come. 06:02 But note this, we do not know when, 06:08 but we do know that His coming is an absolute certainly. 06:14 We're absolutely certain that He is going to come 06:18 because everything in creation 06:21 moves towards that great final event. 06:26 When you go and study history, 06:28 we know that the universe was made by the hand of God. 06:31 We know this is a fact. 06:34 Then the Bible says that Christ came 06:38 the very moment the clock of heaven struck. 06:43 The Bible says, "In the fullness of time." 06:46 And the Bible tells us that God has got a plan 06:50 and a purpose for this universe, 06:53 a plan and a purpose for this planet, 06:55 and a plan and a purpose for us. 06:58 And Christ is going to come exactly at the right time 07:02 because God has got a plan and a purpose. 07:05 Would you look at Galatians 4:4, 5, 07:09 words of the Apostle Paul? 07:11 Galatians 4:4, 5, 07:16 "But when the fullness of the time had come," 07:19 you notice that? 07:20 "Fullness of the time had come, 07:22 God sent forth His Son 07:24 born of a woman, born under the law, 07:27 to redeem those who were under the law, 07:29 that we might receive the adoption as sons." 07:32 The Bible says, 07:34 "It happened in the fullness of time." 07:40 So God has got a time for everything 07:43 and for every person. 07:45 So we cannot tell the exact time 07:48 when Christ is going to come, 07:51 but we can know. 07:52 I want you to know this, 07:54 we can know when His coming is near. 07:57 Would you come to Matthew 24:33, 08:01 Matthew 24:33 08:07 to the words of Jesus. 08:11 Jesus said, "So you also, when you see," 08:17 what does He say? 08:18 "All these things, when you see all these things, 08:23 know that it is near at the doors!" 08:27 So if I'm at the door, I'm pretty close. 08:32 And so in the Bible, in the Bible prophecies, 08:37 God through the prophets gave certain great signs. 08:42 We're going to notice some of these today. 08:44 And Jesus said, "When you see 08:47 all these great signs being fulfilled, 08:50 you will know that My coming is near, 08:53 right at the very door." 08:55 And today as we move along, we're going to notice 08:58 some of those great signs. 08:59 But firstly, 09:01 great truths about the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. 09:06 Some great truths about His return. 09:08 Number one, this is amazing. 09:12 When He returns, 09:14 He comes back 09:15 as the king of the universe. 09:19 He comes back as the Almighty Creator 09:22 who made the universe. 09:24 He doesn't come back as a tiny little baby, 09:27 but He comes back as King of kings, 09:30 and Lord of lords. 09:32 And I want you to turn to this text. 09:33 I want you to come to Revelation 19:11-14. 09:38 And people say, 09:39 "Why do you have so many texts?" 09:41 Because our authority is not the teaching of the church, 09:45 our authority is the teaching of the Word of God, the Bible. 09:50 So please notice Revelation Chapter 19, 09:54 "Now I saw heaven opened," 09:56 now this is a symbolic picture. 09:59 "And behold, a white horse." 10:01 You don't take this literally. 10:03 This is like just a great 10:05 panoramic picture, great parable. 10:09 "And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, 10:13 and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 10:17 His eyes were like a flame of fire, 10:21 on His head were many crowns. 10:24 He had a name written that no one knew 10:26 except Himself. 10:28 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood," 10:33 because He died for our sins on the cross. 10:38 He's got a robe as it were dipped in blood. 10:41 Then it says, 10:42 "His name is called the Word of God. 10:45 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, 10:48 white and clean, followed Him 10:51 on white horses." 10:56 Great prophetic portrayal. 10:59 It's the picture of the King of the universe 11:02 coming with tremendous power, 11:05 and coming with tremendous glory. 11:07 I want you to notice this. 11:10 This is not the little baby born in Bethlehem. 11:15 It's not just the gentle Jesus, 11:18 meek and mild, 11:21 this is the Almighty God who made the universe, 11:26 the Almighty God who became a man 11:30 and was crucified on the cross for our sins. 11:35 And the Bible tells us, 11:36 the human race has an appointment with Him. 11:40 And He's going to come back, 11:42 and He's coming back in great power 11:45 and great glory. 11:46 And He comes... 11:48 I want you to notice this. 11:51 He doesn't come by Himself, 11:54 He comes with supernatural armies. 11:58 It's quite astounding, it's quite amazing 12:01 that this is going to happen, and I believe soon. 12:04 Look at Revelation 19:15, 16, please. 12:08 Revelation 19:15, 16, 12:13 "Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword." 12:16 Not literally, not a literal sharp sword. 12:20 This is talking about the mighty power of His words, 12:25 the mighty power of His utterances, 12:29 "that with it He should strike the nations. 12:32 And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. 12:36 He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness 12:40 and wrath of Almighty God. 12:44 He has on His robe and on His thigh 12:47 a name written, 12:48 King of kings, 12:51 Lord of lords." 12:55 I would suggest to you today 12:58 that this is the greatest event in the history 13:04 of the human race. 13:08 One day, everybody is going to kneel before Him. 13:12 You're going to kneel before Him. 13:15 Nebuchadnezzar in the Old Testament, 13:17 he's got to kneel down, 13:19 and Belshazzar is going to kneel down. 13:23 A Caesar is going to kneel down, I'm telling you. 13:27 Herod the Great, 13:28 who killed all the little baby boys, 13:30 he's going to kneel down. 13:32 All the mighty Pharaohs are going to kneel down. 13:37 Ramses the Great, he's going to get down 13:40 on his knees, on his face. 13:42 Ramses is going to kneel down. 13:48 The Caesars, all of them, they're going to kneel down. 13:52 All of the popes are going to kneel down. 13:55 All of the kings and the queens of Great Britain, 13:59 they're going to kneel down. 14:03 Everybody's going to kneel down. 14:05 All the presidents of the United States 14:07 are going to kneel down. 14:12 Stalin is going to kneel down. 14:15 Lennon, President Khrushchev, 14:19 it's like the movie, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. 14:25 The good, the bad, and the ugly, 14:27 they're going to kneel down. 14:28 I've got a message for you today. 14:30 Look at me, you're going to kneel down. 14:33 You may deny His existence today. 14:36 You may say, "I don't believe in the Bible, 14:39 I don't believe in Christ." 14:41 I have news for you. 14:43 You're going to kneel down 14:46 and worship Him, all men and women, 14:49 the weak and the strong, rich and the poor, everybody. 14:55 That's the first great truth, 14:57 He's going to come as a mighty king. 15:00 And here's the second great truth, why He comes. 15:04 He comes to save His own people. 15:08 Did you know this? 15:10 That is why if you truly believe in Christ, 15:13 you're going to have a tremendous joy in your soul 15:19 because the King is going to come. 15:23 Did you know, God has got a book, 15:27 and He's got the names of His people in that book? 15:29 I want you to come to Revelation 20:12, 15:34 last book in the Bible, we call it the Apocalypse. 15:37 Revelation 20:12, 15:42 it says, "And I saw the dead, 15:46 small and great, 15:49 standing before God, 15:52 and books were opened. 15:55 And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. 16:00 And the dead were judged according to their works, 16:04 by the things 16:06 which were written in the books." 16:08 I want you to think about this. 16:10 And the Bible all the way through 16:12 use a symbolic language. 16:14 The Bible is full of parables. 16:19 And the Book of Revelation, especially, 16:20 just full of symbolic language. 16:22 It says, the God has got a book. 16:26 Now, I don't know what this book is like, 16:29 but it means that God has a record. 16:34 You say, "I don't believe it." 16:35 Well, whether you believe it or not, 16:37 that doesn't really matter, does it? 16:39 God has got a record of every life, 16:44 and God has got this book that is called 16:46 the Book of Life. 16:49 You know how you get your name in that book? 16:52 You get your name in that book by coming to Christ, 16:55 and by believing in Christ, 16:57 and therefore we should ask ourselves 17:00 this question, 17:01 "Is my name written in the Book of Life?" 17:06 Because when Christ returns, 17:09 it's going to be a day of tremendous celebration 17:12 and a tremendous day of joy, 17:15 if my name is written in the Book of Life. 17:18 Because the Bible teaches when Christ comes back, 17:21 and this is almost too hard to believe. 17:24 The Bible teaches, "When Christ comes back," 17:29 you're listening to this. 17:32 Christ is going to give a shout, 17:34 voice of the archangel, 17:36 and the dead are going to come out of their tombs. 17:40 You say, "It's impossible." 17:42 Impossible for you, impossible for me, 17:46 but we're talking here about the Lord of the universe. 17:51 And He gives a shout, there's a mighty resurrection. 17:54 I want you to come to John 5:28, 29, 17:57 John 5:28, 29, 18:03 John 5:28, 29, 18:07 Jesus said, "Do not marvel at this, 18:10 for the hour is coming 18:13 in which all who are in the graves 18:16 will hear His voice," 18:18 that's you, me, "and come forth, 18:23 those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, 18:27 and those who have done evil, 18:29 to the resurrection of condemnation." 18:32 Or as it says in another translation, 18:34 resurrection of damnation. 18:36 So the Bible teaches, when Christ returns, 18:41 He is going to raise the dead. 18:45 And millions of people are going to hear His voice, 18:50 and they're going to come up out of their tombs 18:52 even if they were buried at sea, 18:56 they're still going to come back. 18:58 The Bible teaches though, in the Book of Revelation, 19:01 that there are two resurrections 19:04 a 1,000 years apart. 19:06 And you can read that in Revelation 20:4, 5, 6, 19:10 Revelation 20:4, 5, 6, 19:14 two resurrections of the good and the bad, 19:19 "And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, 19:22 and judgment was committed to them. 19:23 Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded 19:26 for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, 19:30 who would not worship the beast or his image," 19:32 they didn't follow the antichrist, 19:35 "and had not received his mark 19:37 on their foreheads or on their hands." 19:40 You better understand that. 19:41 "And they lived and reigned with Christ 19:44 for a thousand years." 19:46 So they're resurrected, they come to life, 19:48 they're resurrected, they come to life, 19:50 and they reigned with Christ for 1,000 years. 19:53 But it says, "But the rest of the dead," 19:55 they would be the wicked, you see this? 19:57 "The rest of the dead did not live again 19:59 until the thousand years were finished. 20:02 This is the first resurrection. 20:04 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. 20:07 Over such the second death has no power, 20:10 but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, 20:12 and shall reign with Him a thousand years." 20:14 Now look at me. 20:16 The Bible says, "When Christ comes back, 20:20 it's a tremendous resurrection. 20:23 It's the resurrection of the righteous, 20:26 those who got their names in the Book of Life." 20:30 Then the Bible says, "The earth is desolate for 1,000 years. 20:34 And after the 1,000 years, Christ comes back again. 20:39 And there is the great resurrection 20:44 of the wicked." 20:46 So let me tell you this, 20:49 it doesn't matter who you are, 20:53 you're going to be resurrected. 20:56 You can walk out of this meeting today and say, 20:59 "I don't believe it. 21:00 I don't believe any of this stuff," 21:01 you're still going to be resurrected. 21:04 Every person, every person here, 21:06 every person watching our telecast 21:08 that is now seen on hundreds of television stations 21:11 around the world, every person, 21:13 every person is going to be resurrected. 21:17 As I look around, 21:19 I find that many of my old college friends have gone. 21:24 We're all on a journey to the grave. 21:27 As the hymn says, "We're going down the valley one by one." 21:34 But we have an appointment with God. 21:37 Years ago, Beverley and I took my dad to a little town 21:40 by the name of Esk in Queensland, 21:43 which is just a few miles outside of Brisbane. 21:45 We went there because my father wanted 21:47 to go to his father's grave. 21:49 My father at that time was not a believer. 21:51 And as he looked down at his father's grave, 21:54 he said, 21:55 "Well, we all have to come to this place, 21:57 and we all have to go down there." 21:59 It's true. 22:01 But Beverley said, "It's true, dad, 22:04 but we all don't have to stay down there." 22:08 That's something you've got to get in your soul. 22:11 You don't all have to stay down there. 22:14 My father was brought up in the Roman Catholic Church, 22:18 never read his Bible, had no peace, had no security. 22:23 But after a period of time, 22:24 my old father started to read his Bible 22:27 and he found Christ. 22:31 And he's going to come up, 22:32 I believe, 22:34 in the first resurrection. 22:36 This is the word of the Lord. 22:38 Is my name written in the Book of Life 22:41 because the King is coming? 22:43 Now Christ returns, here's the third reason, 22:46 third great truth, "He returns to execute judgment 22:49 on a planet in rebellion." 22:52 And the text I'm going to read is 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, 22:58 He returns to execute judgment upon a planet in rebellion, 23:05 "When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven 23:07 with His mighty angels, in flaming fire 23:10 taking vengeance on those who do not know God, 23:14 and on those who do not obey 23:16 the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 23:18 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction 23:22 from the presence of the Lord 23:24 and from the glory of His power." 23:28 It's pretty strong, isn't it? 23:30 It says that Christ comes back 23:32 to redeem and to save His own, 23:36 but He comes back to execute judgment. 23:40 Now I usually have too much in my talks, 23:44 and I've got some other texts that 23:45 I'm just going to quote them, I'm not going to look them up, 23:48 but if you're taking notes. 23:50 Jeremiah 4:23-26, Jeremiah, 25:32, 33, 23:56 listen carefully. 23:57 The Bible says, when Christ comes back, 24:01 the earth is on fire. 24:04 All the great cities are broken down and destroyed. 24:08 There's a tremendous resurrection. 24:12 God's people are raised. 24:14 God's living saints are translated, 24:17 and they're caught up, and taken home to glory. 24:19 But the Bible teaches 24:21 that those who reject the gospel 24:26 and the love of God 24:29 are met with the fire of vengeance. 24:35 You'll say, "No, no, no, it could, 24:36 it could never happen." 24:37 The Bible says, it is going to happen. 24:42 Some years ago, 24:45 and I want to give you some hope, 24:46 I was in Manila planning to go to Manila again 24:49 to run a series of evangelistic meetings. 24:52 I was there on death row, 24:54 and there were some men 24:55 who had committed terrible acts, murder. 24:58 It is my privilege to preach to them 25:00 the good news of Christ 25:02 that Christ had died for them on the cross. 25:06 I want you to believe this, 25:07 Christ died for you on the cross. 25:11 How can you spurn this love? 25:15 The creator of the universe came down 25:17 and was crucified for your sins. 25:20 As I spoke about this, these young men, 25:22 these young men just tear it up. 25:24 I appealed to them to come to Christ, 25:26 they came to Christ. 25:27 They confessed their sins, they repented of their sins. 25:32 Graham Bradford and I went into adjoining room, 25:36 where they had a tank of water, dirty water. 25:40 We baptized them in the name of the Father, 25:42 Son, and Holy Spirit. 25:44 They came up out of the water, and their faces were glowing 25:48 with a piece of heaven. 25:51 You know why? 25:52 Because one day those young men 25:57 are going to be with Christ in glory, 26:02 and there's much more to come 26:05 when we talk about seven great signs. 26:09 We'll be back. 26:25 The antichrist is in the temple of God. 26:31 I will read you the actual words 26:33 of the great Roman Catholic Church. 26:38 More than a billion people pray to the dead. 26:43 But the Bible talks very plainly about good angels 26:47 and bad angels. 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Revised 2019-02-25