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Series Code: RSP
Program Code: RSP000008A
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00:01 Announcer: Revelation. The time of the end.
00:04 Mysterious signs. 00:05 Strange happenings. 00:07 Confusing numbers. 00:09 Are we facing a new world order and the mark of the beast? 00:14 Are we living on a planet in upheaval? 00:16 Are we on the verge of Armageddon? 00:24 Revelation, what do all the signs in this mysterious book mean? 00:32 Discover real answers. 00:34 Revelation Speaks Peace, with Shawn Boonstra. 00:39 + 00:41 I was reading today in the book of Psalms, and yesterday I was in 11; guess where I was today. 00:45 12. "The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified 00:55 seven times." There's that number seven again. His Word is perfectly pure. And you know 01:02 what's beautiful about it? If something is man-made, if it is fabricated, like a tablecloth, 01:08 put it under a microscope, and the closer you look, the more you see the flaws, right? If I 01:13 write a book, you'll find the errors; they'll be in there. I'm a human being. If God writes a 01:18 book, it's more like a snowflake. Put that under the microscope, and the longer you 01:22 look, the more beautiful it is. And I can tell you that my experience over the last quarter 01:27 century or so has been, the deeper I go, the more beautiful it gets, and it just becomes 01:33 more consistent and more powerful the longer I look at this book. I'm glad that 01:39 eternity is all eternity, because we're going to have a lot to learn from the mind of an 01:46 eternal God. You cannot defeat the word of God. Anyway, I thought I'd share that with you. 01:51 Our subject tonight - one of my favourites - "The appearing." What will it be like? Let's bow 01:58 our heads in prayer. Father in heaven, the thing we want most is to actually see Jesus, to be 02:07 home, to be reunited with You forever. As we wait, we look for Jesus in the words of the Bible. 02:16 We want to see Him there. We want to hear His voice. And it's my prayer tonight that You would 02:21 give me the ability to represent You faithfully tonight, that what I speak would come from the 02:26 Word of God, not from man's opinion, not from books, not from films, but from the Word of 02:34 God. And I'm asking that the only voice we truly hear tonight is Yours. Again I ask that You 02:42 would cover me with the blood of Christ and make me fit to speak tonight. Forgive my sins. Take a 02:52 call from heaven's altar again, touch my lips, Father, I ask, and give me the ability to put a 03:00 smile on Your face because I've been a faithful servant. And I ask for that tonight in Jesus 03:08 name, amen. The second coming of Christ is probably the most talked-about subject in Bible 03:17 prophecy. I've already mentioned it, but the second coming of Christ is mentioned some 2,500 03:23 times in the pages of the Bible. We have Dwight L. Moody to thank for that count. He sat down one 03:29 day, went through the whole Bible, counted 2,500 references. On average, one out of eight 03:37 passages in the New Testament makes some allusion to the second coming of Christ. But 03:42 what's strange about it is that with all of that data - and I'm talking now thousands of 03:49 passages - with all of that data, Christians seem to disagree about this more than 03:54 just about any other subject. Go into any bookstore. Buy one hundred books on the second 04:01 coming. Go ahead, get one hundred books on the second coming. I've got at least that 04:05 many. I've got, like, four thousand titles in my home library on prophecy, and I open 04:10 them all up. You open up a hundred of those books, and you will find one hundred different 04:17 theories. And the question that's always bothered me is, how could one hundred different 04:22 theories all be right? Can one hundred different theories be right? And the answer is no. 04:28 Well, why do we have so many? Is it because God doesn't speak clearly? Sure, He does. Tonight 04:35 I want to put aside all the books. There are hundreds of them. We probably have some of 04:40 the same ones in our library, you and I. I want to put them all aside, and for once, just 04:45 let the Bible speak, because as you have seen, God has a way of speaking very clearly for 04:50 Himself. Tonight, I just want to deal in what we know for sure. I want to deal in Biblical 04:56 certainty. And I guess I want to begin with a question that might surprise you tonight. The 05:01 question is this: did Jesus actually say that He was going to come back? And people say, 05:08 "That's a strange question for you, Shawn. For seven nights, you've been telling us Jesus is 05:12 going to come back. Of course He is. Why would you ask a question like that?" Well, it's because 05:17 one time, a man was coming to "Revelation Speaks Peace," about ten, eleven years ago, and six 05:22 nights in, he came up to me, put his finger in my face and said, "Jesus isn't actually coming 05:27 again; He never said He would." I thought, "Six nights, and you -" "No, Jesus never said He was 05:35 going to come." So now I always want to be absolutely sure that Jesus actually said it. John 05:39 chapter 14. "Let not your heart be troubled." There's the voice of Jesus. It's always, "Fear 05:46 not. Let not your heart be troubled." That's why I call this "Revelation Speaks Peace," 05:52 not death and doom and destruction. Jesus says, "Let not your heart be troubled; you 05:59 believe in God, believe also in Me." Read this carefully. "In My Father's house are [a few little 06:07 huts] many mansions." Does it sound to you, by the way, that God's planning to keep everybody 06:14 out of heaven, or is He trying to get them in? He's making big, big plans. "In My Father's house 06:20 are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you." 06:30 Jesus has not been on vacation for the last two thousand years; He's getting something ready for 06:35 you. "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will [what?] 06:41 come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." Did Jesus say 06:56 He was coming again, yes or no? Yes, He did. And why is Jesus coming again? The whole purpose 07:04 is so that you can be with Him. That is the desire of God's heart. He wants you in His 07:10 presence. This is not about God trying to wipe you out. This is not about God trying to destroy 07:17 the world. This is about God missing you and He comes because He wants you where He is. The 07:25 Bible says the second coming of Christ is an absolute reality. But what in the world will it be 07:33 like? What exactly should you expect when Jesus comes? Tonight I want to deal just with the 07:40 things that we know absolutely for sure. And when you go through the Bible, I find five 07:45 things you can stand on absolutely for sure, rock-solid, undeniable. Would you like to 07:51 see those five things tonight, yes or no? Yeah, I knew you would. Most people would like to 07:57 see those things in America today. It's an amazing thing that has happened in our 08:01 generation. Interest in such things has gone up, especially since 9/11. Something changed 08:09 that day. People got more interested in this kind of thing because they sensed it's not 08:13 business as usual anymore. But unfortunately, people are going to all the wrong places for 08:18 their information; they are. I remember Time magazine put out an issue shortly after 9/11, the 08:24 next summer, in 2002. They were astonished, the editors of Time magazine. They said, "Wow, 08:29 church attendance is way up after 9/11." And it was. Unfortunately, it didn't take 08:35 too long for us in America to stop going to church again, about five months later. But it 08:40 went way up. And they said, "Interest in prophecy is way up." They ran this story. July 08:46 the 1st, 2002. The headline: "The Bible and the Apocalypse: Why more Americans are reading 08:53 and talking about the end of the world." Now, let me show you something interesting that I 08:57 noticed in this article. This is now going back, what, this is fourteen-and-a-half years ago 09:02 already. Can you believe it's fourteen - it's like, almost fifteen years ago to 9/11. 09:06 Here's what the article said. Listen to this. "The experience of last year - the terrorist 09:13 attacks, the anthrax deaths" - boy, we didn't even mention that one when we did Matthew 24. 09:17 Remember the anthrax thing? - "the anthrax deaths - not only deepened interest among 09:24 Christians fluent in the language of Armageddon and apocalypse. It broadened it as 09:28 well, to an audience that had never paid much attention to the predictions of the Doomsday 09:34 prophet Nostradamus." Now, why did they have to go and mix Nostradamus with the Bible? 09:38 Everybody wants to do that. We'll actually talk about Nostradamus in a coming night, 09:41 like, is he for real? We'll look at that. "They had never paid much attention to the 09:46 predictions of the Doomsday prophet Nostradamus or been worried about an epic battle 09:51 that marks the end of time, or for that matter, read the book of Revelation. Since September 09:56 11, people from cooler corners of Christianity have begun asking questions about what the 10:02 Bible has to say about how the world ends, and preachers have answered their questions with 10:08 sermons they could not have imagined giving a year ago." "And even among more secular 10:14 Americans, there were some who were prime to see an omen in the smoke of the flaming towers." 10:21 Today, they're seeing the same omen in the weather. Forty-nine percent of Americans now say 10:25 that the weather is an indication we're moving into the last days. Forty-nine percent. 10:31 "They saw an omen in the smoke of the flaming towers." Now, look at this. "Though it had 10:36 [here's where the preacher's heart breaks a little bit] it had more to do with their beach 10:42 reading than with their Bible." I was all excited reading the article. "Oh, this is great. 10:49 People are going back to the Word of God." But where were people getting their 10:52 information? From their beach reading. Unfortunately, in this day and age, our generation runs 10:59 to the internet for information, and we like it in little bite-sized pieces, one hundred 11:03 and forty characters on Twitter. We just like a little here, a little there. We go to youtube 11:07 and Hollywood for religious instruction. We run out and buy religious fiction, which is 11:12 becoming one of the biggest sections in the Christian bookstore. Nothing inherently 11:15 wrong with that, but that is not a substitute for reading the Bible itself. When it comes to 11:23 the second coming, there's only one textbook: it's the Word of God. You have got to be 11:28 absolutely certain. You do not want to get your information anywhere except this book. You 11:35 want to be absolutely certain with the second coming that you are standing on a "Thus says the 11:40 Lord." You want to be sure that it's an "It is written" at every turn. You want to stand here. If 11:47 there's one thing you want to be sure of in the last days, it's that you know exactly what this 11:52 book says. Why? Remember what Jesus said. Matthew 24 verse 23: "Then if anyone says to you, 12:00 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets 12:07 will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect." If 12:18 there's one topic where deception will be prevalent, it's the second coming of 12:22 Christ. This is one time you want to be absolutely sure. The only safe place to stand is the 12:31 Bible. That's it. And tonight, the Bible gives us five things we know absolutely for sure. Are 12:39 you ready to look at them? Are you ready? Some of you aren't too sure. Are you ready? 12:46 Alright, make sure your seatbelts are buckled. Here we go. Five things we know beyond 12:52 any shadow of a doubt about the second coming of Christ. These are the certainties. These are 12:56 the things you can bank on. Number one: Jesus is literally going to come back Himself 13:02 physically. It will be the real Jesus. "Now, Shawn, that seems obvious. Why would you say 13:08 that?" Well, it's because in this day and age, there are lots of people who say, "Oh, Jesus 13:12 coming back, that's just symbolic. It represents when you have a spiritual awakening in 13:17 your heart, and that's the second coming of Christ. There's a spiritual awakening, and now 13:22 Jesus came for you." There's another thread of thought that's been out there on the streets 13:28 for a while saying Jesus came a long time ago in a spiritual sense. Attach a date to it, the 13:34 early 20th century. But it's not true. The Bible teaches the real Jesus literally comes back. How 13:42 do I know that? Well, the Bible says so. Listen to this amazing passage in the book of Acts. 13:47 Acts chapter 1. This is the ascension of Jesus. He's about to go - well, He's on His way 13:52 back to heaven by the time we get to verse 10. And His disciples are standing there 13:56 watching Him go up. You would be too, because you're about to lose Jesus. You've been with Him 14:01 for three-and-a-half years and He's going up. So they're watching. "And while they looked 14:06 steadfastly towards heaven as He went up," the Bible says, "behold two men stood by them in 14:12 white apparel, [there's that symbol again] who also said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you 14:20 stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so 14:29 come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.'" The Bible says the very same Jesus Who 14:37 went up is the very same Jesus Who comes down. And the way that He went up is the way that He 14:43 comes back. So we need to ask some questions. If it's the same Jesus that comes back, I want to 14:50 know which Jesus went up. What was He like? What was that like? Which Jesus went up? A real, 14:56 physical, flesh-and-blood Jesus, God in human flesh, went up. And how do I know that? It's because 15:04 of something that happened after the resurrection. After the resurrection, Jesus suddenly 15:08 appears to the disciples, and they kind of freak out. They go, "Whoa, what's that?" They're 15:13 having trouble believing that it's really Jesus. And I guess I might too. I've had a few 15:18 friends die, tragically. And after they die, they suddenly show up in your house while 15:24 you're having dinner? I might freak out too. They don't know what to make of it. And here's 15:27 what the Bible says. Luke 24 verse 38: "And He said to them, 'Why are you troubled?'" There's 15:33 Jesus again, "Let not your heart be troubled. Fear not." "'Why are you troubled? Why do doubts 15:39 arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and my feet that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a 15:49 spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.'" Jesus said, "Come on, it's real. It's 15:55 okay. Come over here. Touch Me. I'm really back from the dead." And then to underline the point, 16:01 He says, "Fellas, I'm hungry." "Do you have anything to eat?" And they feed Him. And the food 16:05 does not drop through to the floor. Do you know why? Because Jesus is not a ghost. He really 16:11 rose from the dead as a real flesh-and-blood human being, God in human flesh. He really came 16:20 back from the dead. And that's the Jesus Who went up. They watched him go. And that same 16:25 Jesus is coming back. I want you to think about this. The Bible says, when it talks about the 16:32 second coming, it is the Son of Man Who comes in the clouds of heaven. That's one of Jesus' 16:39 favourite titles for Himself. "I am the Son of Man." He's the last Adam, Paul says. Do you 16:46 know what this means? He's gone up that way as a real flesh-and-blood, physical human 16:51 being still, God in human flesh, but human. And He comes back the same way. He's elected to 17:01 identify with us forever. He's always - He's humbled Himself to always be one of us. He loves 17:12 you that much. He said, "I'm stepping into the human race forever." He didn't give it up 17:18 when He went back to heaven. Jesus Himself will literally and physically return. He really 17:26 went and He will really come. It's the same Jesus raised from the dead. You will lay your 17:32 eyes on the same Jesus the disciples saw by the Sea of Galilee. You will see that same 17:38 Jesus. And it won't be a Bible story anymore. You're not going to have to imagine it. You will 17:44 walk and talk with Jesus. You will see the Jesus the disciples actually saw. It's really Him. 17:51 Point number one. Point number two. When Jesus comes, it will be visible. How do I know? Well, 18:02 the disciples, it said, were watching Him go, steadfastly gazing up. The same Jesus will 18:06 come in like manner as you saw Him go. But that's not it. Revelation 1:7 says: "Behold, He 18:12 is coming with clouds, and [a few eyes] will see him." Is that what it says? "Every eye will 18:19 see Him." Everybody sees Jesus. Now, I've thought about this. The book of Isaiah promises that 18:27 in the new kingdom, the blind eyes will be opened. The sight of the blind will be restored, 18:35 and it's entirely possible that for some people, the very first thing they ever see is the face 18:41 of Jesus Christ. Every eye sees Him come. But the Bible tells us more. Matthew 24 verse 30: "Then 18:50 the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will 18:55 mourn." What a statement. Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled." But there are people 19:06 who actually mourn when He comes. Revelation chapter 6, we read it. They cry out, "Oh no, 19:11 the wrath of the Lamb has come." What kind of people don't want Jesus to come? People like 19:19 Belshazzar, that's who. He refused to believe. He said, "Babylon will never fall." And 19:26 then suddenly the writing is on the wall and his knees are knocking together. Cyrus is at 19:30 the gates. And now he's terrified because it's too late. That's who's afraid. That's who 19:37 mourns. But folks, there's no sense in being lost because we have all the information we 19:44 need, and there has been plenty of time for everybody in this room to get to know Jesus. "Then 19:50 the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn, 19:54 and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." 20:01 Everybody sees it. Those who are ready for Jesus see it, and those who are not ready for 20:06 Jesus see it, and that much is crystal-clear from the words of the Bible. When Jesus comes, 20:12 you're not going to hear a rumour and then run home. "I wonder if CNN got anything this 20:17 morning. I heard Jesus came. Where is CNN again? It's channel 30. There it" - you're not going 20:22 to have to check Facebook. You're not going to have to check Twitter. "I wonder if 20:25 anybody got a picture of that on Twitter." You will see it yourself. Every eye will see it. 20:31 The Bible says it'll be like lightning. We saw this passage. Matthew 24 verse 27: "For as the 20:36 lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of 20:43 Man be." You can't miss lightning. Even if you've got your back turned, you can't miss 20:49 lightning. You feel the charge. And even with your eyes closed, you see the flash. I'm one of 20:54 those guys who runs outside when there's a thunderstorm. No, I don't go golfing or anything 20:58 dumb, but I go outside. I love a thunderstorm. I love a thunderstorm. I love the way the 21:03 air feels electric, and I'll stand out there in the soaking wet rain just to watch that 21:08 lightning show. I love this stuff. I mean, just a little while ago, I was in an airplane, 21:12 and the pilot went over top of a thunderstorm on purpose, and I got to see it from the other 21:17 side. I got the angelic view. The angels see the topside, and I gotta tell you, the top of a 21:23 thunderstorm is even more beautiful. It's purple and orange and it flashes 21:27 everywhere, and you don't even think, "What if it hits the plane?" I was actually in a 21:33 plane that got hit while we were doing that. And then you have to fly around 'til the plane 21:37 dissipates the charge so that you don't get electrocuted when you step out of the plane. It's 21:42 beautiful from the top. I went camping in British Columbia. I love camping. We drove two hours 21:48 into the bush. We call it the bush in Canada. The forest, sorry. We drove two hours into 21:54 the forest, and then we took our canoes, and we say we portaged them. Do you say portage or 21:59 portage? Portaged them. You know, we went for two hours, portaging our canoes. That 22:05 sounds so weird to me. Six hundred pounds of gear. And then we paddled five hours. That was 22:09 the first day. And we found this place in the middle of nowhere, and a thunderstorm breaks out 22:13 that night. I'm thinking, "Oh, good," so I got my sleeping bag and I laid on the beach. Dumb 22:17 because the sleeping bag is going to be ruined when it's wet. But I had to see the 22:21 thunderstorm, and it was spectacular. It was over the lake so it was reflecting in the 22:24 water, and it was all around the tops of the mountains and flashing everywhere, and 22:28 suddenly, in the middle of that storm - it's July - and the clouds opened in the middle and 22:33 the northern lights are right in the middle of the clouds. Oh, thank you, Lord, a special show 22:38 for me. You know how rare the northern lights are in July? I love it. Love lightning. You 22:44 never miss it, do you? And I grew up in a place we had big lightning storms, and every time 22:48 there was one, we all ran outside on the deck to watch. And my parents are Dutch 22:52 immigrants. What if I told you that we went out on the deck and only the Dutch immigrants could 22:57 see the lightning? Would you believe me? If I only said only Christians can see the 23:02 lightning. Only believers can - no, everybody sees it. Jesus, when He comes, it's like the 23:08 lightning. Folks, the language of the Bible is unmistakable. "But I heard a theory that not 23:13 everybody" - I know, I've heard the same theory. I've heard the same theory, but today, I only 23:17 want to deal in certainties. When Jesus comes, everybody sees Him. It will be visible. You 23:23 won't miss it. Number three: Christ's coming will be audible. You will hear Him come. "And He 23:29 will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His 23:35 elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." This is going to be loud. I like 23:41 loud. It's going to be so loud, that it wakes the dead. It really does. That's where the 23:49 experience comes from. First Thessalonians chapter 4: "For the Lord Himself will descend 23:54 from heaven with [a little whisper] the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a 24:01 shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ 24:06 will rise first." When Jesus comes, He shouts. Why? Why does He shout? You know, when I used 24:13 to be on the road an awful lot, and my kids were little, I'd come home after a long trip and 24:18 open the front door, throw my suitcase on the floor. They heard it and they would come - 24:22 they don't come running now that they're teenagers. But when they were little, they would come 24:25 running. "Daddy's home!" they would shout, and I would shout, "Daddy's here!" That's 24:31 excitement. They were excited. Jesus is excited. That's why He shouts. "Oh, Jesus doesn't get 24:38 excited. He's so even-keeled. He doesn't get excited." Sure He does. Listen to the pages of the 24:43 Bible. Zepheniah 3:17. This is one of my favourites. "The Lord your God in your midst, the 24:49 Mighty One will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will quiet you with His love. 24:55 He will rejoice over you with singing." God sings. He's excited. He's been waiting for 25:04 this. "I'm going to go prepare a place for you, and then I'm going to come." Everybody's 25:08 going to hear it and it's loud enough to wake the dead. John 5:28, Jesus says: "Do not 25:13 marvel at this, for the hour is coming when all who are in the graves will hear His voice. Then 25:22 we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the 25:27 Lord in the air; thus we shall always be with the Lord." This is a big commotion. It is huge. 25:32 Let me ask you a question: if God yells, do you think you're going to hear it? If a trumpet 25:38 blows, the trumpet blasts for the second coming, do you think you're going to hear it? If the 25:44 graves start popping open in the local cemetery, do you think you might notice that? It is huge. 25:52 This is the biggest commotion in the history of our world, possibly the universe, and you 25:57 will hear it happen. Listen to the book of Psalms. No one thinks of Psalms as prophecy, 26:01 but there's lots of them in there. "Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; a fire 26:08 shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him." Isaiah says the 26:14 ears of the deaf will be unstopped and the first thing some people will ever hear in 26:21 their life is the voice of Jesus Christ. This is a noisy event. It kind of brings me to my next 26:30 point, point number four. It will be stunningly glorious. He will really come, it'll really 26:39 be Him. Every eye will see Him. Every ear will hear Him. And it will be glorious. Let's look at 26:47 that text again. "Our God shall come and shall not keep silent; a fire shall devour before Him, 26:55 and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him." This is huge. Listen to this description found 27:03 in the book of Revelation. We've looked at this before. "And the heaven departed as a scroll when 27:10 it is rolled together." Remember that, the heavens just roll up, ffft, ffft, ffft, ffft. I want 27:15 you to remember that because that's going to show up in another subject. "And the 27:20 heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island removed out 27:26 of their places." When Jesus comes, the sky comes unglued. The earth is shaking to its 27:34 core. The mountains and the islands are moving. And then we see Jesus. Matthew 16: "For the 27:42 Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father." Moses spent just a moment with God on 27:49 the mountain, and when he came back down, they had to veil his face because it was too bright. 27:54 "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward 27:59 each according to his works." Now, notice that last bit, because it ties into last night. 28:05 He gives out the rewards when He comes. Why? 'Cause the judgement is already over. It's closed. 28:11 And that means when Jesus comes, it's final. It's too late. You've already chosen your 28:16 reward and it's too late at that moment to change your mind. That means the moment to make up 28:23 your mind is now. Bible says, when Jesus comes, it's glorious. He comes in the glory of the 28:31 Father and He comes with the angels. And how many angels does Jesus bring? We know the answer. 28:37 "When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He shall 28:44 sit upon the throne of His glory." We saw this. How many angels come? All of them. Under 28:49 the seventh seal, heaven is silent. Why? Because everybody leaves heaven to come and get 28:56 you. All the angels come. How many are there, Pastor Shawn? How many angels are there? Are 29:01 there as many as fifty or a hundred angels that might come? How many angels? The Bible tells 29:07 us how many there are. Revelation chapter 5. "I beheld, and I heard the voice of many 29:12 angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten 29:17 thousand times ten thousand, and thousands and thousands." It's the same number you find in the 29:24 book of Daniel. He numbers the angels. "Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the 29:30 judgement was set." Ten thousand times ten thousand. That's a hundred million. And then it 29:36 says thousands and thousands. It might mean multiplied by thousands. It may be billions of 29:43 angels coming. Billions of them. And one angel, one angel at the tomb of Jesus, was so brilliant, 29:51 it made tough Roman soldiers swoon and pass out and faint. One angel. This'll be billions 29:59 of them coming. That's a lot of angels. They will be the most beautiful thing you have ever 30:04 seen. When Jesus comes, it's really Him. He really comes back in the person. When Jesus comes, 30:10 it is visible. Every eye will see it. When Jesus comes, it will be audible. You will hear 30:15 the trumpet blast and the voice of the Son of God. And it will be stunningly glorious and 30:24 beautiful. The Fourth of July will look lame after Jesus comes. It'll be beautiful. 30:34 Number five. When Jesus comes, it's over. Marks the end of earth's history. It's final. I 30:48 mean, we've already seen when Jesus comes, He rewards everybody when He comes. He 30:52 brings His reward with Him. The judgement is over. Notice what the Bible says in Revelation 22 30:58 verse 11. Follow carefully. "He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him 31:08 be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him 31:18 be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me to give everyone 31:25 according to his work." All the rewards are handed out at the same time. You know what this 31:32 means? No more chances. When Jesus comes, it's over. It's why they blew the trumpets in Israel 31:42 ten days before the judgement. There's plenty of warning. But when the judgement hour passes, 31:48 that's it. That's it. Folks, there are only two groups of people when Jesus comes; that's 31:57 it. Those who are ready and those who are not. And that's it. Both groups see Jesus come, 32:04 but they react completely differently. Revelation 6, we saw this one: "And the kings of 32:12 the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, and every slave and 32:16 every free man hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the 32:21 mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us. Hide us from the face of Him Who sits on the throne and from 32:27 the wrath of the Lamb.'" Who's afraid of a lamb? "'For the great day of His wrath has come; 32:34 who is able to stand?'" What a tragedy. What a waste. They all know Who He is. They all know 32:45 it's the Lamb of God, because at this point, the gospel's been preached to the whole world. 32:51 They know it's Jesus. But they passed up the invitation. So now they're horrified. And you would 33:01 be too, when you realize it's true; that's Jesus, and I didn't do anything about it, 'cause at 33:12 that moment, there's nothing you can do about it. Wouldn't you be terrified to know that you're 33:20 now forever out of the kingdom? That's one group. I'm telling you, you don't have to be in 33:28 that group. There's nobody here who should be in that group. There's another one. Isaiah 25. 33:35 "And it will be said in that day: 'Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him. He will 33:40 save us. This is the Lord, we have waited for Him. We will be glad and rejoice in His 33:45 salvation.'" They look up and they see Jesus. "We knew he would come, we knew it, and He's 33:51 here, and He's here for us." There's no reason not to be in this group. They get excited. 33:56 They're shouting, and Jesus is shouting, and the angels are all excited. They all come along 34:02 with Jesus and everybody's excited because this is God's ultimate family reunion. He has 34:11 ached for that moment. He has waited for that moment. He has dreamed of that moment. You are 34:17 everything Jesus wants. It's you; He gave His life. He waited for that moment. Five things. 34:26 Jesus will really come, it's really Him, in the flesh; it'll be visible, every eye will see 34:32 it; it'll be audible, every ear will hear it; it'll be beautiful, glorious; and it's 34:41 the end. Those are five things we know for sure. There's 2500 passages. We could go on for 34:47 hours. But those are rock-solid. You can bank on those. Go home and read them. It's such a 34:52 simple thing. It's so simple, and we write all these books, and we make it so complicated, 34:56 but it's so simple. I have a question for you tonight, based on those five things. They're so 35:05 obvious when you just open the Bible and read it, so I have a question. Those five things, how 35:10 do they match with our twenty-first century approach to the second coming, the way we 35:14 have been talking about it? Does it fit? That's a pretty important question, because 35:19 there are hundreds of theories out there. But in the last one hundred years or so, one of 35:25 those has kind of - well, less than a hundred years, really, in its popularity - one of them has 35:29 kind of risen to the surface and become very popular. And that theory kind of looks like this: 35:37 the theory says that at some point, Jesus comes for the believers, takes them out of the 35:43 world - ffft, where did the believers go? Where are the Christians? They're gone. After 35:46 that, there's a period of time. Some versions say it'll be seven years, and others say three and 35:51 a half. There are some variations there. And then they say, during that time, the reign 35:54 of the Antichrist takes place, and then Jesus comes back in glory with the believers and 36:01 gets everyone else who changed their mind during the seven years. The question I have for 36:06 you tonight - and I want to examine it - I grew up on this. Is it Biblically accurate? 36:15 That's a question you should ask for everything you ever read. Go pick up one of my books outside, 36:20 ask yourself, "Is this Biblically accurate?" Never take a human being's word for 36:23 anything. Always go with the Word of God, period. Period. Is that Biblical? Well, in many 36:28 ways, it is. It's Biblical because it says that time is running out more quickly than 36:33 people think. Absolutely true. It says there'll be a massive deception in the last days that 36:38 leads people away from God. We've seen that time and again. Deception is a major last-day 36:42 issue. It's true. It teaches that millions will be surprised by the return of Christ. True. 36:46 Unfortunately surprised. Alright? It teaches that it pays to stand on Bible truth. 36:52 You need to come to Christ. That is absolutely solidly Biblical. And it teaches that the time to 36:57 decide for Christ is now. Don't wait 'til the final crisis. All true. There's a lot in the 37:01 theory that's Biblical, but I do have some questions about it. I do. Because it is, after all, a 37:08 theory. And every theory must be subject to the Word of God. Every one of them. And the first 37:15 question I want to ask is not really my question; it was raised by Rowland Bingham, a 37:21 famous theologian and once editor of Christianity Today. His wife comes to him Saturday 37:26 night. He's trying to write a sermon for in the morning. And his wife knocks on the door and 37:30 says, "Rowley," and I don't know if she called him Rowley. I made that part up just for the sake 37:34 of honesty. "Rowley, I have to teach Sunday school tomorrow morning and it's about the 37:39 second coming and I'm supposed to teach them about that passage in the Bible where Jesus comes 37:44 and takes the believers out of the world, and everybody wonders where they went. And I can't 37:48 find it. I'm wondering if you could help me find it." He said, "That's easy. It's First 37:52 Thessalonians chapter 4." "Thank you, Rowley," and she went back to her study, and she started to 37:57 read it. And she read this: "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with 38:03 the voice of an archangel, with the trumpet of God, and the dead will - Christ will rise first." 38:09 Went back to his study. "Rowley, I was looking for the one where Jesus secretly comes and takes 38:16 everybody away, and that's the noisiest verse I've ever read." So he pulls out his Bible that 38:23 night, puts his sermon aside. Here's what he says: "In sheer desperation, I took my Bible out 38:28 and threw myself helplessly on the Lord. The weeks that followed that innocent query and 38:33 the trouble into which it landed me is a separate story. If you hold the theory of a secret 38:40 rapture of the church, try out that simple question on yourself." Well, what's the 38:44 question? Where does it describe it? Where is it? That's a good question. That question 38:51 bothered me when somebody posed it to me because I was pretty sure it's in there. I was raised 38:56 on this. But I'm telling you, it's not in any of the passages we just read at all. It's not 39:03 there. Jesus literally, physically returns. It will be visible. Every eye will see Him. 39:07 It will be audible. Every eye [sic] will hear Him. It's stunningly glorious and it marks 39:11 the end of this earth's history. The Bible says that everybody sees Him at the same time. 39:16 Remember what we read. "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, then all the 39:22 tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven 39:28 with power and great glory." "Oh, but-but-but that's the final glorious coming. That 39:33 happens after Jesus comes for the church. It's a different event. That happens the final 39:38 time when He comes in glory." I know, I thought that too. But then I read the next verse. The 39:45 next verse. "And He will send His angels to the great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather 39:50 together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." The wicked mourn at 39:56 the same moment Jesus comes and sends His angels to gather His elect. The wicked mourn at the 40:04 same moment, according to the words of the Bible, at the very same moment that Jesus comes for 40:11 His church. That's what the Bible says. Everybody sees it together. There are not two 40:16 phases to this. It's going to be like it was at the flood, Jesus said, "For as in the days before 40:21 the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah 40:26 entered into the ark and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will 40:32 the coming of the Son of Man be." Here's a question. Did the wicked at the flood and the 40:37 righteous experience the flood together, yes or no? Yeah, but from slightly different 40:42 perspectives, right? Noah and his family inside the boat; everybody else outside the boat 40:48 with the water getting past their nostrils faster than they hoped. They were both there in 40:54 the same event. They both knew it was going on. Listen, you can search the Bible cover to cover, 41:00 and I pray you will. Search it cover to cover and you'll only find one phase of Jesus coming 41:05 for His people, one; just one. Now, if that's the way you've always thought, I get it. I 41:10 understand. I was always taught to believe, first Jesus comes, snatches us all out of this 41:15 world, then there's some more time, and some other people make a decision after that. It's 41:19 tougher in that period of time, but they'll make it, and then Jesus comes in glory. But then I 41:24 came across other bothersome questions. Like, when does the Antichrist appear? In the 41:31 popular theory, he comes after Jesus comes for the church. That's when he shows up. Not 41:37 everybody says that, but it's one of the most popular theories. And in that case, 41:42 we're all safe; we don't have to be around for that. There's just one hitch to that thinking. I 41:48 was reading what Paul wrote, and he says the Antichrist appears before Jesus comes to get the 41:53 believers. He says it point blank. Second Thessalonians chapter 2. "Now, brethren, 41:58 concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, [the word in Greek is 'parousia'; that's a 42:03 word they used for a king who makes a grand entrance into a room. Big deal.] Now, brethren, 42:10 concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him 42:14 [that's the church], we ask you not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by 42:20 word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come." This is Second 42:24 Thessalonians. He wrote First Thessalonians first; that's why it's called First Thessalonians. 42:29 And in there, he described, "The Lord will descend from heaven with a shout," and the 42:33 Thessalonians got so excited. "This is going to happen any minute." And Paul says, "Wait a 42:38 minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, slow down. I don't want you to get the wrong idea. Let 42:42 no one deceive you by any means." There's that word again. "For that day will not come." 42:48 What day? Jesus coming for the church. "That day will not come unless the falling-away comes 42:53 first," the great apostasy, "and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes 42:58 and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as 43:03 God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." Paul couldn't be any clearer. 43:10 Jesus does not come for the believers, for His church, until after the Antichrist makes his 43:15 appearance. Now, that does not fit the most popular theory today at all. Furthermore, the 43:22 Bible teaches that the Antichrist is destroyed by the brightness of Jesus coming, that 43:27 same event. "Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the 43:33 breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming." Parousia. It's the 43:37 same coming as when He comes for the church. It's in the same passage. Do you see it? When 43:43 Jesus comes, it's over. There is no more history for planet earth. There are no more second 43:48 chances when Jesus comes. But what we've been saying gives a second chance. There's another 43:56 chance in there. "Oh, everybody's missing; I better get things right with God." 44:00 That's not in the Word of God. It's not. What does the Bible say? "He who is unjust, let him 44:08 be unjust still. He who is filthy, let him be filthy still. He who is righteous, let him be 44:11 righteous still. He who is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly. My 44:16 reward is with Me to give everyone according to his work." No more chances when Jesus 44:20 comes, none. Let me propose to you a more Biblical scenario, based on what the Bible just 44:27 basically simply says. At some point in history, Antichrist appears, and then Jesus comes. 44:33 There's more detail in there and we'll look at it. But that's the simple truth the way the Bible 44:40 presents it. I mean, here are the facts. A lot of Bible scholars have started changing 44:44 their minds when they started looking for it in the scriptures. Charles Erdman, 44:47 Princeton Theological Seminary, back when Princeton was still solidly Biblical, he said, "This 44:53 doctrine of Jesus coming and sneaking away with us seems to be founded on a false 44:56 interpretation of the opening verse of Second Thessalonians 2." What's that say? "Now, 45:02 brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him." He 45:07 says, "It's not there. We're getting it wrong. Antichrist comes first. It's obvious." 45:10 Henry Frost, the great, famous missionary, evangelical leader. "This theory [the secret 45:16 rapture] might be held as truth if there were any scripture to confirm it, but it may not be 45:21 held in view of the fact that no scripture even suggests such a process of events." He's right; 45:26 I went looking. It's not in there. Harold Ockenga, founder of Fuller Theological Seminary 45:31 and the National Association of Evangelicals, says, "No amount of explaining can make First 45:36 Thessalonians 4 a secret rapture." He's right. It's not there. What about Left Behind? 45:41 "I heard Left Behind. Two women working in a field, and one is taken and the other is left 45:44 behind. Doesn't the Bible say that?" Yes, it does. But go and read it again. It doesn't say 45:50 that one of them didn't see Jesus. More than that, it says one is taken and the other is 45:55 left, and it's comparing it to the flood. Go and read it. And in the language of the flood, it 46:00 says that the wicked were taken and the righteous were left. You want to be left behind. You 46:08 don't want to be taken. The taken were the ones who died in the flood. Read the whole 46:13 chapter. It is so important to read the whole book. "Well, what about a thief in the night? The 46:17 Bible says Jesus comes as a thief in the night. He's a cat-burglar. He sneaks through 46:21 the window." "Doesn't the Bible say that?" It does say He comes as a thief in the night, that 46:27 the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. Peter does write it. But you have to read 46:31 the whole thing. "The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens 46:36 will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the 46:40 earth and the words that are in it will be burned up." See what happens if you read the whole 46:45 thing? Why does Jesus come as a thief? Not because it's a secret, but because it's a 46:50 surprise. That's what Jesus says. Matthew chapter 24. Matthew chapter 24. Same 46:57 chapter. "Watch, therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming, but know this: 47:04 that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would've watched 47:08 and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is 47:15 coming at an hour you do not expect." It's not a secret; it's a surprise. Look at what it says 47:23 in First Thessalonians 5. "For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so 47:28 comes as a thief in the night [there it is again]. For when they say, 'Peace and safety!" 47:33 then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labour pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will 47:37 not escape." Not a secret, folks; it's a surprise. So where did we get the other idea? 47:48 Remember the four horsemen? The Dark Ages? The Bible started saying some uncomfortable things 47:55 about our Christian history; it really did. Dark horse, pale horse. And those are by - not 48:00 even close to the only passages that describe it. You'll see more of them in a coming night, 48:04 far more of them. The Bible told the truth about the way we would behave in the Dark Ages. And 48:09 there came a point when Bible scholars started to recognize themselves in those prophecies, 48:14 right around the 1500s. They saw themselves there. "Look at this; this is describing us." "That's 48:21 not good." Some people refused to believe it because it's not easy to see yourself that way. 48:27 It's not easy, when you open the Bible, and it describes you and your habits. They said, "That 48:32 can't be," and they argued. Some said, "We need to change. We need to repent." Others said, 48:37 "No, it's not us." So the scholars started arguing it. Some accepted what the Bible 48:43 said and they began to change. Others just tried to change the subject, but they couldn't do 48:49 away with the prophecies that were so clear. So they got to work developing alternate 48:55 explanations 1500 years after Jesus Christ. One guy was named Luis Alcazar. He came up with a 49:03 system of belief that said, "You know what? All that stuff in Revelation has already happened 49:07 in the distant past. It's all over, so it can't possibly be us. Must be Nero, it must be 49:12 Antiochus Epiphanes." He was the eighth Seleucid king. Never conquered any territory, never 49:17 did any of the things described by the Antichrist and those things and all the negative 49:21 stuff that it says about things that would - expand and - he just pushed it all in the past. 49:27 "Gotta be Nero, gotta be Antiochus Epiphanes, and the negative stuff about believers 49:31 can't be us. It's all in the past." Now, that was moderately successful, moderately 49:39 successful. There's still some of it around today. But it was developed 1500 years after 49:45 Christ, invented. Then another guy by the name of Francisco Ribera came along. He said, 49:51 "No, I've got another idea. Everything in Revelation, especially after chapter 4 and 49:56 verse 1, happens way off in the distant future in the last few years of earth's history. It's 50:00 all in the distant future, so that can't be us either." This doesn't really take root either 50:09 until suddenly, in the middle of the 19th century, a preacher in Europe starts preaching it, and 50:18 it begins to make its way into mainstream Christianity. And in the middle of the 20th century, 50:23 it becomes very popular, becomes the most popular theory. And here's what it did. Here's what 50:29 it did. It was made up. The theory said that the Old Testament prophets couldn't see 50:37 the Christian church at all. They could see the cross - that's how they explained Daniel 50:41 9 - and they say, but then they saw a secret coming of Christ and a tribulation period, and 50:46 the glorious appearing after that, they could see that. So the clock on prophecy stops 50:51 here, and it starts here again, but they couldn't see anything in here at all. So suddenly, 50:58 you start taking the last week off of Daniel 9. "Can't be us. The prophets didn't even see 51:06 us." But folks, that was completely made up during a heated debate 1500 years after 51:13 Christ. I've got the book - I've read the books. It just made its way in the last few generations 51:22 into our discussions. And it went mainstream a few generations ago. A few 51:28 generations ago. And we all assume it's in the Bible. And we're making movies and we're 51:35 writing books. But I'm challenging you tonight, go read the Word of God. Don't take my 51:40 word for it. Go read the Word of God. It's not in there. Not in there. Jesus said, in the last 51:52 days, there'd be deception, particularly with the second coming of Christ. We've been 51:58 saying something that just isn't Biblically true. It's not in there. Go look. I really only 52:07 have two things to challenge you with tonight, two things. The first thing, with all my heart, 52:12 check this book. We are running out of time. Don't take my word for a bit of it; go home, 52:23 please, and read your Bible. Please read your Bible. Just read it. Read the whole thing. 52:31 And the second thing, don't waste a minute. Be ready when He comes. Be ready when He comes. 52:46 There's no sense being lost. There's no sense being lost. After everything Jesus did for 52:52 you, there's no sense being lost. Don't squander it. The gift of Jesus at the cross was 53:00 for you; don't squander it. Be ready for Jesus to come. Grab the cross. It was for you. Are 53:11 you ready for Jesus to come? What does it take? If we confess our sins, He is faithful and 53:20 just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. You can't make 53:27 yourself good enough for Jesus; only He's good enough. It means taking the gift. Are you ready 53:35 for Jesus to come? Tonight, I'm going to ask you a question. We've been looking at the second 53:43 coming of Christ for eight days together. There's no question, He's coming. There's no question 53:51 He gave His life for you. Are you ready for Jesus to come? If it's your determination that 53:59 when you see Him, you will look up and know Him - you might not know everything that's involved 54:08 in a relationship with Christ, but let me ask every heart in here tonight: is it your plan to 54:14 be ready for Jesus to come? By His grace, are you going to be ready for Jesus to come? Who are 54:21 you? Who here is going to be ready, wants to be ready? I'm going to ask you to just rise to 54:29 your feet wherever you are. Let the whole room see that you're planning to be with Jesus. 54:34 Father, we're not just standing because it's prayer time. We're standing because we want to see 54:54 that same Jesus that went up, come back. And we want to greet Him as a friend and be with Him 55:05 for eternity. Lord, I know that You see all, and You're watching this auditorium right now. This 55:13 is the most sacred spot on earth, because people are standing for Christ. Thank You 55:21 for each heart here. There are some standing that have never done that before. They heard you 55:30 speak, and they're determined that they want Christ. There are some here who used to be at home 55:38 with You, church. Things have happened and they're not there anymore. They're standing 55:48 tonight to say, "Lord, it's You and me and I need You." "I'll be ready for Jesus to come." Some 55:58 have walked a long time with Jesus and have been waiting. They're standing and they're 56:02 saying, "I believe He's coming. He's coming, and I'll be ready." Lord, we can just imagine the 56:11 excitement in heaven this moment as angels are saying, "It's gotta be just about time now. 56:15 Can we go?" Come quickly, Lord Jesus, for we pray it in Your most holy and wonderful Name, 56:25 amen. 56:32 Today you have watched just one in a series of "Revelation Speaks Peace" presentations. 56:36 The entire series is available on DVD. Find out how you can order a copy at www.vop.com/rsp 56:44 Or Call.. 877-955-2525 Or if you wish you may request the series by writing to Voice of Prophecy 56:54 PO Box 999 Loveland, CO 80539 Pastor Shawn Boonstra will clearly unlock prophecies 57:03 in Daniel and Revelation -- using the Bible as the key. Experience hope for your future. 57:09 Decode secrets of prophecy in episodes, such as A New World Order, The Ultimate Mind 57:15 Game, and How to Postpone Your Funeral. The world is changing so quickly. Learn how to read 57:22 Bible prophecy for yourself! With the complete DVD series "Revelation Speaks Peace" You 57:30 can also find answers to life's TOUGHEST questions, by ordering Voice of Prophecy's free 57:36 Discover Bible Guides. We'll take you step by step to what you care about most. Study 57:41 online, or have us mail them straight to your house. To order your DVD set or Discover 57:47 Bible Guides go to www.vop.com/rsp, again that's www.vop.com/rsp or call 57:56 877-955-2525. You may also send us a request by mail to: Voice of Prophecy PO Box 999 Loveland, 58:07 CO 80539 58:11 + |
Revised 2016-07-28