The Rapture of The Church (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Jeff Kliewer)

Cornerstone Church

1 view

February 27, 2022

Sermon Notes: http://notes.cornerstonesj.org The Rapture of The Church

10:09: I have some announcements for us this morning.
10:15: The first is, as many of you have seen, last week after the second service was over, the staff just put out an email early on this week.
10:28: The congregation did authorize to pursue the lands on So and So, and so that's as far as it's at.
10:42: I also want to encourage you that in two weeks, we have our next congregation meeting.
10:48: What we had last Sunday was a special meeting for a special purpose. We're waiting until January for a special meeting that we can vote for you as members.
12:18: If you don't make that, that's fine. There'll be another meeting coming after that. But if you did attend starting point week, that being said, we had 28 people in that session, associated with that session.
12:35: And we already have six more that want starting point class. So we're going to schedule another. It'll be in March.
12:41: If you have not attended a starting point, if you're new to our church, if you would love to learn more about it, contact them.
13:18: It will be on Wednesday evenings from 7, 8, 30, and at least a 12 week session.
13:25: I also want to encourage you to remember our typical routine. We have our prayer meetings tonight.
13:31: We do have our small groups. I would encourage you that if you're not yet involved in a small group, consider that prayerfully.
13:38: We have them on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. They're on our website. You can see where they are.
13:45: Or you can talk to Pastor Jeff, myself, about them. We really encourage you.
13:50: This is a great place to grow in depth of fellowship and in learning of the word.
13:57: Point telling. And ask Matt Holt if he would come forward. Good morning, everyone.
14:08: Good morning. I thought
14:14: I'd ask to come forward. I was blessed to grow up.
14:39: We lived in a small town in Virginia called Branchville.
14:46: And to say Branchville was a small town was fruit. And the 2000 census registered the population.
15:05: So that was – even though it was so small, there were actually two churches in that town.
15:16: One was the Baptist church, which my father – but living in a
15:29: Christian home at an early age, I was in that school.
15:49: I was then baptized.
16:09: From that day onward, as a teenager and a young adult, there were certainly times where – eventually my dad took a pastor's position here in New Jersey, in Voorhees.
16:37: He pastored what was then Emanuel Baptist Church. And then it became New Horizons Community Church.
16:44: That's where, for those of you who don't know, then when
16:53: I was 21 years old, the Lord led me to my wife Dawn. When I say the
17:03: Lord led me to my wife, it's not just that that was part of his plan. It obviously was part of his plan.
17:09: But I look at the orchestration of events that occurred, and it's clear –
17:15: God's hand is clear on – I thought, maybe
17:29: I should make some extra money, take a summer job. And I did it only for that one summer, and that's – and so there were just things that happened in my life that sort of brought us instantly – you know,
17:45: I knew she was – we were married three years later. After we were married, we wanted so much to start a family, but we struggled.
17:54: She actually suffered an ectopic pregnancy. She actually burst, and I still remember the miscarriage.
18:12: And I was really concerned that it was something that both of us really wanted.
18:19: And so I prayed to God that he would bless us. If you do know me, you'll know that he did, in fact, bless us with five boys.
18:28: So we have Nicholas, who's 21, Jacob, who's 18, Luke, who's 15, Caleb, who's 13, and Zachary, who's 10.
18:35: Nick's there, Caleb's there, Jacob's there, Luke's there, and Zach's back in his class. So the
18:42: Lord has truly blessed us with those wonderful boys. My dad ultimately had to stop preaching when he was 60 and had a stroke.
18:52: He ended up going to assisted living facility, and then later on, due to a result in arthritis growing in his back, he ended up being in a nursing home, and I visited him regularly while he was in that nursing home.
19:18: He ended up passing, I said at the beginning of the earlier sentence in 2020.
19:31: One of the good things about having him is that I was able to actually use his own words when
19:43: I spoke at his funeral about the passing of a believer and how death is not. When Jacob was 15 years old, we found out that he was a devastating thing for us.
19:59: It's a chronic illness that has no cure. The Lord was using that in our lives.
20:07: It's clear now. At the time, it was absolutely devastating, but we actually look back on that as a real example of God turning evil into good because it was transformative in our lives.
20:19: It really strengthened our dependence and reliance on God, and it was transformative in Jacob's life as well because it actually changed his focus.
20:43: My journey to Cornerstone has been an interesting one. Our search for another church kind of started when the woke agenda and some of that stuff started infiltrating churches.
20:56: We began to look for a new church. They recommended it.
21:12: As soon as we listened to Jeff's preaching, it was pretty clear that this is where God was leading us to go.
21:22: One of the things that really made it clear was the fact that I was really missing the expository preaching that my father had had.
21:33: It's preaching directly from the Word of God. We visited and felt so welcomed by everyone that was here.
22:07: It is always encouraging to hear testimonies, to hear how God's providence, his sovereignty works in the hearts of believers, those who call upon his name.
22:19: Thank you, Matt, for sharing that. I want to encourage all of you to be prepared to give a word of testimony to neighbors, to friends, to know how to express the love of God.
22:30: You don't have to be a pastor. You don't have to have gone to seminary. You have a testimony of how
22:36: God has dealt within your life. Be prepared. It is always warming and encouraging to hear these words.
22:44: Let's go to prayer, please. Father, this morning we do come to you encouraged by these words that even
22:52: Matt has just shared with us, knowing how lives are transformed, even from a very young age, and then how,
23:00: God, you continue to bless. We look to our own lives and our own relationship with you.
23:06: Lord, we thank you, Lord, that your word is powerful, and we pray,
23:12: Lord, that we would be lights in our own communities. We pray for our missionaries who are around the world spreading this word.
23:19: We pray that you would protect them. Father, this morning we continue to lift up young Ryan.
23:27: Having had that burn accident down in Texas, we pray, Lord, for continued healing.
23:33: You, as the great physician, would touch him. That the families would be comforted and consoled by you.
23:40: And we pray for Bill, who last week had had a fall up in the
23:45: Poconos, hit his head, and they had to have surgery for a brain bleed, and situations continue to be tough.
23:52: We pray, Lord, that you would restore him completely. We pray for his wife.
23:58: We pray for the family, Lord. Lord, we do ask for your wisdom as we as a church continue to move forward, seeking your lead on the question of the
24:08: Phillips Road land. It's your desire, Lord, that those doors would be opened, and if not, we would know.
24:15: And in all things, Lord, we would be unified as a body and following your lead.
24:20: We thank you, Lord. This morning, as Pastor Jeff comes and talks to us about a hope that we know and we can hold on to, that the world does not understand, as he brings us into 1
24:33: Thessalonians 4 .13, and we talk about the rapture, the reality,
24:38: Lord, that we as your bride are coming home to you. We pray all these things in Jesus' name.
24:43: Amen. I will exalt you, my
24:51: God the King. I will praise your name forever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name forever and ever.
25:01: Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise. His greatness no one can fathom. One generation commends your work to another.
25:10: They tell of your mighty acts. They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.
25:24: They tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your greatness. They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.
25:40: The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and wretchedness. The Lord is good to all.
25:47: He has compassion on all he has made. All your works praise you, Lord, and your faithful people extol you.
25:54: They tell of the glory of your name. They speak of your might, so that all people may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
26:07: Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. Your dominion endures.
26:16: The Lord is trustworthy in all he does, and faithful in all he does.
26:24: The Lord upholds all who follow him, and lifts up the eyes of all who look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.
26:39: You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all he does, and faithful in all he does.
26:49: The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him.
26:57: He hears their cry and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love him, and all the wicked he will destroy.
27:05: My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise his holy name forever and ever.
27:17: That was Psalm 145. A lot of great words used to describe praising
27:25: God. We will extol and bless his name. We will speak of his greatness, his mighty acts.
27:34: Let's stand together and sing aloud and give thanks to our God and King. I'll bless your name,
27:55: O God, each day that I awake. From dawn to setting sun, your greatness
28:04: I'll proclaim. Your glory far exceeds all human thought.
28:14: So with each breath I'll bless your name, O God.
28:21: Your name will be revered by children yet to come.
28:28: As generations sing of wonders you have done.
28:35: Your strong and mighty teeth are always near.
28:43: O God, most high will your name be revealed. How great is the
28:53: Lord and greatly to be praised. How great is the
29:00: Lord our God. How great is the
29:08: Lord and greatly to be praised.
29:18: Your gracious hand provides for all who live and breathe.
29:26: Your mercy runs to find the helpless and the weak.
29:33: When we call out to you, you hear our cries.
29:40: And all our needs your gracious hand provides.
29:48: How great is the Lord and greatly to be praised.
29:55: How great is the Lord our God. How great is the
30:06: Lord and greatly to be praised.
30:24: Forever wilt thou tend, creation will rejoice.
30:31: When works of wicked men you finally destroy.
30:38: Your power will proclaim till Christ descends.
30:45: And you will reign forever without end.
30:53: How great is the Lord and greatly to be praised.
31:01: How great is the Lord our God. How great is the
31:11: Lord and greatly to be praised. Let's sing that again, how great.
31:22: How great is the Lord and greatly to be praised.
31:30: How great is the Lord our God. How great is the
31:40: Lord and greatly to be praised. Lord we come to you, you are greatly to be praised.
31:56: You are beyond our understanding as Psalm 145 calls out. We stand and sing praises to your name.
32:06: With humble hearts bow before you. You are the king, full of majesty and greatness.
32:16: Sing with me, how great is the
32:22: Lord our God. The splendor of the king.
32:31: Enclothed in majesty, let all the earth rejoice.
32:38: Let all the earth rejoice. He wraps himself in light and darkness tries to hide.
32:54: And trembles at his voice, trembles at his voice.
33:01: How great is our God. Sing with me, how great, sing with me, how great is our
33:14: God. And all will see how great, how great is our
33:23: God. Sing with me, how great. Age to age he stands.
33:37: And time is in his hands. Beginning and beyond.
33:51: For his fathers speak great.
34:11: He's our God. Sing with me, how great is our
34:18: God. And all will see how great, how great is our
34:27: God. Satan does not want us to sing louder than the
34:33: PA system can allow. But we're going to praise his name and shout the name of God.
34:39: Name above all names. Lord be lifted high this morning. Name above all names.
34:50: Worthy of all praise.
34:57: My heart will sing how great is our
35:03: God. Name above all names. Name above all names.
35:15: You are worthy of all praise.
35:22: My heart will sing how great is our
35:29: God. Then sings my soul. Then sings my soul.
35:39: My Savior God to thee.
35:45: How great thou, how great thou.
35:57: Then sings my soul. My Savior God to thee.
36:09: How great thou art.
36:15: How great thou art.
36:22: Oh Lord my, when
36:28: I in awesome wonder. Consider all worlds thy hands have filled.
36:47: I see the stars. I, praise you
36:59: Lord, I bow throughout. Then sings my soul.
37:10: Then sings my soul. My Savior God to thee.
37:22: How great thou art. How great thou art.
37:36: Then sings my soul. My Savior God to thee.
37:48: How great thou art. How great thou.
38:00: Let's sing how great is our God. Great is our
38:08: God. Sing with me how great is our
38:14: God. And all will see how great, how great is our
38:24: God. Great is our
38:33: God. Sing with me how great is our
38:40: God. And all will see how. Give him a hand clap.
38:57: He's worthy of our praise. Amen. Amen. First Timothy 2 you tell us to pray first of all for kings and those in authority that we may live peaceful quiet lives.
39:24: So Lord we pray for Putin. That he would end this aggressive war.
39:31: We pray for the president of Ukraine Zelensky.
39:37: That you would protect his life. Lord that you would bring peace in his land. That you would bring an end to this conflict.
39:47: We pray for the little children who are cowering and afraid because they're being shelled.
39:53: We ask that you would supernaturally guard their lives and guard their hearts as well. We pray Lord that many of them much of that country would come to saving faith in the
40:03: Lord Jesus Christ. God we pray for peace and we thank you also for peace in our land that we can be gathered here singing then sings my soul.
40:12: Without fear in a peaceful quiet land. Singing praise to your name for you are worthy.
40:21: We pray now as we open the word that you would give us ears to hear and teach us by your scripture in Jesus name.
40:27: Amen. Many of you have asked me what we are to make of Russia's invasion of the
40:36: Ukraine. The first answer I would give to that is to say that to rush to judgment would be folly.
40:46: There are things that come to light over time and the scripture says that the fool rushes in and suffers for it.
40:55: So many things will only come out in time and history and ultimately in eternity we'll have a clear glass to look through as opposed to the dark murky one that we look through now.
41:05: So we don't know everything. Some things seem plain though. One of the things that I think would be helpful for Christians to remember has to do with the
41:15: Jewish people. If you were to take a globe anybody still have an old school globe an actual round globe and tie a thread to the
41:23: North Pole at the top of your globe. Take the other end of the thread and pin that in Jerusalem.
41:30: You would find that the thread runs North directly through Moscow, Russia. In a minute we're going to open
41:39: Ezekiel 38 and we'll find out how that connects to Jerusalem. But many people don't know this about the president of Ukraine.
41:48: If you guys would put up the picture of the Ukrainian president Zelensky here he is at the
41:54: Wailing Wall. What do you notice on his head? A yarmulke. Next picture.
42:01: Here he is at the Holocaust Memorial. Many people don't know about this young man
42:08: Zelensky. He is a Jew and that's significant. Let me tell you a little bit about Zelensky, the president of Ukraine.
42:18: He was a comedian that founded a media company in the
42:24: Ukraine. Around the year 2015 he started to portray a president of the
42:31: Ukraine. Kind of a mock impersonation of what a president would be like. In that he went on a rant against all the corruption in the government because the
42:39: Ukraine is famously corrupt. In its dealings. So he went on this rant and then people loved it.
42:50: And this comedian who had a show called Servant of the People decided not only to be an actor but to actually run for president.
42:59: And in 2019 under a new party called Servant of the People he ran for president and won with a vote of 73 % of the population.
43:11: That's amazing. As the story unfolds. He ran on a platform of overthrowing corruption.
43:18: Now the fact that he is Jewish. Oh. Thank you.
43:25: The fact that he is Jewish is significant for a number of reasons. Timothy Snyder of Yale who we would not agree with in much of his interpretation.
43:35: Says the free democratic election of a Jewish president. Confirms in the fascist mind that the fascist boogeyman of liberal democracy as a tool for global Jewish domination is real.
43:52: He's saying that Putin is a fascist. And in that I think
43:57: Timothy Snyder is right. I think that Putin sees himself as the leader of a revived
44:05: Soviet empire. And it's built not on Christianity but built on being an ethnic
44:13: Russian. You see in the east side of Ukraine 70 % of the people are Russian in ethnicity.
44:19: And so by identifying by his ethnicity. He hopes to recapture what he thinks is rightly belonging to Russia.
44:30: You see the fascism there. In the boogeyman of the
44:35: Jewish people. Much like leading up to the second world war. The Jewish people are often portrayed as being the ringleaders behind a worldwide plot to dominate the world through liberal democracies.
44:50: Hitler exploited this view and of course we know the result was the holocaust.
44:56: The slaughtering of 6 million Jews. Precious people made in the image of God. Because they were portrayed as the nefarious actors behind the scene.
45:08: Leading to everything that was wrong in the world. Local Jews in Kiev have said about Zelensky being a
45:15: Jew that this actually is dangerous for the Jewish people. Because if Zelensky fails the people will blame the
45:24: Jews. And in fact as we sit here this morning the Jewish people are involved in this conflict.
45:31: Remember how I said if you drew a line from Jerusalem to the North Pole it goes right through Moscow?
45:38: Jerusalem is part of the situation that's unfolding today.
45:44: They've shot missiles into Damascus. Damascus and Syria in many ways are aligned with Iran and Russia.
45:53: All of these things come together and we're going to see it now in Ezekiel 38. Turn with me there.
46:00: As we go there understand that the Jewish people have been sent into Diaspora.
46:06: In 70 AD the Jewish people were kicked out of their land and sent to the ends of the earth.
46:14: But wherever they went they've had an outsized influence in the land in which they were.
46:20: In fact of the 900 noble lariats, those who have received the
46:27: Nobel Prize. Fully 20 % are Jewish.
46:33: Now if that doesn't startle you think about this for a moment. 20 % the population of Jewish people 15 million out of 7 .89
46:44: billion people in the world. The Jewish people make up 0 .19
46:50: % of the world's population. And yet they've had this outsized influence wherever they are.
46:59: I will suggest to you that the reason for this is that God is not done with the ethnic people
47:05: Israel. The Israelites are still the apple of his eyes of his eye.
47:12: Even though they've been sent into Diaspora in 1948 May 14th.
47:17: They were given their land back in the promised land. And they came out of Diaspora back to the homeland to Israel.
47:26: God is in all of these things because he's not yet done with ethnic
47:32: Israel. Some people teach that in the church age the church has replaced
47:37: Israel. And there's no more distinction between the Jewish people. That makes no sense of what happened in World War II and in 1948.
47:47: In fact as you look at the world stage Israel is very much the center of attention.
47:54: So I told you to turn to Ezekiel 38. I want to show you how this connects with the war of aggression here in Ukraine.
48:04: Chapter 38 verse 1 the book of Ezekiel. The word of the Lord came to me.
48:11: Son of man set your face toward Gog of the land of Magog.
48:17: The chief prince of Meshach and Tubal and prophesy against him.
48:22: Okay does that clarify everything for everybody? We're good now? Gog. The chief prince of Magog.
48:33: Some of you have heard of Gog and Magog. That does not refer to two distinct places. Gog is the leader of Magog.
48:42: A place. And Magog is historically by all Bible scholars recognized to be
48:48: Russia. The people north of the Black Sea. The chief prince in fact that word
48:54: Rosh prince could come as an antecedent to prince. It could be the prince of Rosh Russia.
49:01: And all recognize that Meshach and Tubal refer to the northern peoples. Far north of the
49:07: Black Sea. Russia. And say verse 3. Thus says the
49:12: Lord God. Behold I am against you O Gog. Putin. Chief prince of Meshach and Tubal.
49:21: I don't know if Putin himself is Gog. But there will be a world ruler from Russia.
49:27: Referred to here as Gog. Who will lead an aggressive attack against Jerusalem.
49:33: Let's keep reading verse 4. And I will turn you about. And put hooks into your jaws.
49:40: And I will bring you out and all your army. Horses and horsemen. All of them clothed in full armor.
49:47: A great host. All of them with buckler and shield. Wielding swords.
49:54: Now our text says in verse 4. That Gog the leader of Russia will be drawn out as with a hook in his jaw.
50:03: Something is pulling him. Something is drawing him. There wouldn't be anything in Jerusalem to attract him prior to 1948.
50:11: Because Mark Twain described that land as a complete wasteland. But since Israel resettled.
50:17: And according to Ezekiel 36. It began to revive and the land came forth.
50:23: And now it's growing grape vineyards. Where there used to be desert. And they've discovered vast quantities of oil.
50:35: And natural gas. Now there's something that Putin is interested in.
50:41: As he is in Ukraine. What is the hook in the jaw of Gog in this text?
50:47: Something is drawing him out. A little bit more clearly. It is greed for taking possession of natural resources.
50:55: So they come out. Now who's in league with Gog according to verse 5? Persia, Cush and Put are with them.
51:03: All of them with shield and helmet. Who's Persia? Iran. You guys know this.
51:11: Awesome. Persia is ancient Iran. Iran is the modern iteration of ancient
51:17: Persia. But Iran and Russia could be cooperating.
51:22: At any point in the future. Of course the Bible saw this 2 ,400 years.
51:30: 2 ,500 years prior to it coming to be. Cush and Put are
51:35: Libya, Ethiopia. It's the northern African Muslim region.
51:41: So that when the attack comes down from the north. There's also a southern attack. Can you imagine that the country surrounding
51:48: Jerusalem. Would join in on this parade? Of course there is great hatred.
51:54: And the desire of the Muslim country surrounding Israel. Is to drive them into the sea. So here you have
52:01: Russia with Iran. And the northern African Muslim countries. Coming against Israel.
52:07: This also happened not with Russia. But in 1967 in the Six Day War. All the surrounding nations tried to destroy
52:14: Israel. And the same fate will meet. These who surround them in the future.
52:20: All of them with shield and helmet. Now verse six. Gomer and all his hordes. Beth Togermar from the uttermost parts of the north.
52:28: With all his hordes. Many peoples are with you. Again you guys good right?
52:37: These peoples of the north. The uttermost parts of the north. Are Eastern Europe.
52:42: Ukraine, Georgia. The Eastern European countries. Now controlled by Gog.
52:50: Of the land of Magog from Russia. Working in league together. Against the people of Israel.
52:57: From the uttermost parts of the north. With all his hordes. Many people with you. Then we see in verse seven.
53:03: Be ready and keep ready. You and all your hosts that are assembled about you. And be a guard for them.
53:10: After many days you will be mustered. When does this refer to? In the latter years.
53:18: You will go against the land. That is restored from war. Now I cannot. Underscore this enough.
53:25: How significant these words are. In the book of Ezekiel they're in exile.
53:30: And they'll come back into their promised land. But again they'll be sent into Diaspora. In the 70.
53:35: In 70 AD. In Ezekiel 36 we see a picture of the new covenant.
53:41: And then the restoration of the land. In the latter days. In Ezekiel 37 we see a valley of dry bones.
53:50: And God asked the prophet Ezekiel. Son of man. Can these bones live? Ezekiel said.
53:57: You alone know Lord. Why are you asking me? You know. And God said that they will live.
54:04: And then in this vision. Ezekiel was shown by God. This valley of dry bones.
54:11: Snapping back together. And then. The bones formed a human skeleton.
54:18: Skeletons. And then sinews formed on the bones. And then flesh and skin.
54:24: And then breathe on them. Speak. Life to them. According to the word of the
54:30: Lord. Ezekiel speaks. And they stand up. Receive the breath of life. And there they stand as a living army.
54:38: What to make of this? Ezekiel is told that one stick.
54:43: Is the northern kingdom. And the other stick. Is the southern. Take the two and put them in their hand.
54:50: One united Israel. This did not happen. When they came out of captivity. In the days of Ezekiel.
54:57: After Ezekiel. When they went back to the promised land. This refers to when the northern tribes.
55:02: And the southern tribes are united as one. Back in the promised land. This happened in 1948.
55:11: When Israel was reestablished. As one people. In the land of Israel.
55:17: So look again at Ezekiel 38 .8. In the latter years. You will go against the land.
55:23: That is restored from war. Israel has been restored from World War II. They're in their land.
55:30: The land whose people were. Were gathered from many peoples. Upon the mountains of Israel. Which had been a continual.
55:38: Waste. Its people were brought out from the peoples. And now dwell securely all of them.
55:44: You will advance. Coming on like a storm. Okay you guys following? Who will advance? Gog and Magog.
55:52: With all of Iran. And the Caucus Mountain European peoples. Will advance down to Israel.
56:00: With the northern African tribes. Helping from the south. To conquer the land of Israel. And you will be like a cloud.
56:08: Covering the land. You and all your hordes. And many peoples with you. Verse 10.
56:14: Thus says the Lord God. On that day. Thoughts. Will come into your mind.
56:22: And you will devise an evil scheme. And say. I will go up against the land.
56:28: Of unwalled villages. I will fall upon the quiet people. Who dwell securely. In their bars or gates.
56:38: To seize spoil. And carry off plunder. To turn your hand against the waste places.
56:47: That are now inhabited. And the people who were gathered from the nations. Who have acquired livestock and goods.
56:53: Who dwell at the center of the earth. Which does he value more? Human blood?
56:59: Or oil? Black oil? Sheba and Dedan. And the merchants of Tashish.
57:05: And all its leaders will say to you. Have you come to seize spoil? Have you assembled your host to carry off plunder?
57:13: To carry away silver and gold? To take away livestock and goods? To seize great spoil?
57:20: There is coming a war. Against Jerusalem. Where Gog and Magog.
57:26: Will come down to take possession. Of Israel. At the center of the earth.
57:33: They're there to seize plunder. They're greedy to take. What belongs to another.
57:39: How will this end? We're not going to read the rest of. Ezekiel 38 and 39.
57:45: This morning. Because I really want to get into the rapture. In 1st Thessalonians 4. But I need you to see this.
57:52: And I'm going to tell you. Spoiler alert. What happens? They come down.
57:57: God wins like he does on every page of the Bible. They come against Israel. God's power.
58:06: Kind of like the 1967 six -day war. Israel completely crushes them. It takes seven months.
58:13: To bury the number of bodies. That are strewn across the land. These things happen.
58:19: At the beginning of the tribulation. This horrible event. Now is
58:24: Putin Gog? We don't know that. But certainly if he passes it off.
58:29: To the next ruler after him. Or maybe he himself is. In any case we know the event.
58:35: That will take place. And it makes sense of what you're seeing. In the world today. Russia rising as a power.
58:41: Allied with Iran. And northern Turkey. That's Togemar. Many other peoples coming together.
58:48: Against Jerusalem. To drive them into the sea. Zelensky now is a
58:54: Jew. And it enrages Putin. That he is.
59:01: In Daniel chapter 9. Verses 24 to 27. 70 weeks. Were decreed for your people.
59:08: That's 77 year periods. 490 years. For your people.
59:14: For the Jewish people. To finish the transgression. Make an end of sin. Usher in everlasting righteousness.
59:21: Anoint the most holy place. God has a plan. For Israel. And that plan is even given.
59:28: A 490 year timeline. After 483 years.
59:35: The Messiah of Israel. The Mashiach. The anointed one. Will be cut off and have nothing. Jesus. The Messiah.
59:44: Came. Was cut off. And had nothing. But after that moment in time.
59:50: We did not see the final. 7 year period. We're still waiting on Daniel's 70th week.
59:58: We read about it in Daniel 9. 24 to 27. That week will be characterized like this.
01:00:04: A prince will arise. And he will make a strong covenant. With the many. He will make a peace treaty.
01:00:11: So don't look to Putin to be the antichrist. Look for a peacemaking ruler in Europe. With the
01:00:17: Jewish false prophet. Beside him. To make peace. In Israel.
01:00:25: And this person. With peace. Even on the Temple Mount. The Dome of the
01:00:31: Rock. With Muslims. Jews. Christians. All living in peace. For three and a half years.
01:00:36: Halfway through that strong covenant. He will commit what is called. The abomination of desolation.
01:00:43: Ever heard of it? If you read Matthew 24. Jesus told you to be aware of it. Halfway through.
01:00:49: The tribulation. The antichrist will proclaim himself to be God. And command the worship of the world.
01:00:57: Probably make a sacrifice. On the altar in the temple. And this marks then the beginning of the great tribulation.
01:01:05: All of this will take place for seven years. And it corresponds to what we have. In the last book of the
01:01:10: Bible. The book of Revelation. The seven years called tribulation. Now I will argue.
01:01:17: That. The church age. From the time.
01:01:23: When Christ came. Ascended to the right hand of the father. And then.
01:01:28: By a supernatural outpouring of the spirit. In fulfillment of Ezekiel 36. Gave.
01:01:34: And Joel chapter 2. Gave his Holy Spirit. And you see on the day of Pentecost.
01:01:39: That the church is born. They begin to speak. And people from all the nations.
01:01:46: Hear them preaching. Or speaking glorifying God. In their own languages. This mystery.
01:01:55: Of the church was not revealed. In the Old Testament. In Daniel 9. 24 to 27.
01:02:02: It looks like the 70 weeks. Just go straight through seamlessly. But a mystery.
01:02:08: According to the Bible. Is not a paradox. It's not something confusing that you can't follow.
01:02:15: A mystery. Is something that was previously hidden. Now being revealed.
01:02:21: And the mystery is this. That God. Will graft in.
01:02:27: His people. The Gentiles. And that the church would be born. Romans 9 through 11.
01:02:34: The hearts of the Jewish people. Will be hardened for a time. Until the full number of the Gentiles come in.
01:02:40: And then the end will come. In Ephesians this is also called. A mystery. That God would save Gentiles like us.
01:02:47: Look at us today. Raise your hand if you're a Messianic Jew. We do have some in the congregation.
01:02:52: A few who were born ethnic. The Jewish believer.
01:02:59: And the Gentile. Who's come to believe in Jesus. Formed the church. And we exist.
01:03:07: As a parenthesis. Between Daniel's 69th. And 70th week.
01:03:13: I know this is hard to follow. But here's what you need to understand. The church wasn't revealed to Daniel.
01:03:21: It was born at Pentecost. And there must come a decisive moment in time.
01:03:26: That ends that parenthesis. That is called the rapture of the church.
01:03:33: And then the last seven years. Daniel's 70th week will come in. Seven years of suffering and judgment.
01:03:40: Indeed the very wrath of God. The day of the Lord prophesied by Joel chapter 2. And trumpeted by Joel chapter 2 verse 1.
01:03:49: This day of the Lord. Will be a day of wrath. Against the world.
01:03:54: God's wrath. Revelation 617. Says the people will hide themselves. And cry out who will save us.
01:04:02: From the wrath. Of the Lamb. As he opens the seals of judgment.
01:04:08: So turn with me. And I know I spent most of my time there. But I planned on that. We're going to read about the rapture now.
01:04:15: In 1st Thessalonians 4. 13 to 18. The catching up of believers.
01:04:22: To meet the Lord in the air. Which then brings in this last seven years. Of judgment on the earth.
01:04:30: Which would include a war. The breaking out of war. When Gog and Magog come against Jerusalem.
01:04:36: And get slaughtered on the hills. North of Jerusalem. So let's read it.
01:04:42: 1st Thessalonians 4. 13 to 18. It is a mystery. Now revealed.
01:04:49: But we do not want you to be uninformed brothers. About those who are asleep.
01:04:55: That you may not grieve as others do. Who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died.
01:05:01: And rose again. Even so through Jesus. God will bring with him.
01:05:07: Those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you.
01:05:13: By a word from the Lord. That we who are alive.
01:05:18: Who are left until the coming of the Lord. Will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the
01:05:24: Lord himself will descend from heaven. With the cry of command. With the voice of an archangel. And with the sound of the trumpet of God.
01:05:32: And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive. Who are left will be caught up.
01:05:38: Together with them in the clouds. To meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the
01:05:44: Lord. Therefore. Encourage one another. With these words. First of all.
01:05:52: It is a word from the Lord. When Jesus spoke to us in Matthew 24. That was not the end of his revelation.
01:05:59: Concerning the end times. What Paul reveals here. Is a word from the
01:06:04: Lord. It's further details. That we didn't yet understand. The mystery continuing.
01:06:10: To be revealed. These are encouraging words. And so in verses 13 and 14.
01:06:16: For those of you who are grieving. The loss of a loved one. Hear these words.
01:06:24: We don't grieve. Like that those who have no hope. There's no hope.
01:06:32: For an unbeliever in the grave. There's no hope.
01:06:37: In fact the Greeks. Used to put the words no hope. On graves. Because that was the end.
01:06:47: No hope. But Christians do not grieve. Like those who have no hope.
01:06:53: Some here have lost loved ones recently. Wives that recently buried their husbands. And it is painful.
01:07:01: The shortest verse in the Bible. You guys can all memorize it right now. Jesus wept.
01:07:07: It was at the graveside of Lazarus. But it wasn't the end of the story.
01:07:15: He would soon go on to say. Lazarus come forth and there's the resurrection. Because Jesus. Having been buried in a tomb.
01:07:23: Rose from the dead. We know this. He is the first fruits of the resurrection of life.
01:07:30: Having been crucified and buried. He rose on the third day. And the sting of death was conquered.
01:07:36: Oh death where is your sting? He conquered death.
01:07:43: He rose from the dead. In fact Matthew 27 tells us. Right after his resurrection. There were some who had been buried.
01:07:51: Who resurrected right then. And moved about the city. And appeared to many of the believers. The first fruits.
01:07:58: Of the resurrection of life. Jesus brought this through his dying and rising.
01:08:03: It is our gospel hope. We don't need to fear death. The way the world does.
01:08:10: Jesus conquered death. Verse 15. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord. That we who are alive.
01:08:17: Who are left until the coming of the Lord. Will not precede those. Who have fallen asleep.
01:08:24: Does this mean. That the souls of our dead loved ones. Are asleep.
01:08:31: No. This means that their bodies. Are in the ground.
01:08:36: The word cemetery. Means sleeping place. Their physical bodies have been buried.
01:08:42: And the early Thessalonian believers. Are thinking to themselves. Did we miss something? I just buried my loved one.
01:08:50: What of the coming of Christ? Did we miss it? You didn't miss it.
01:08:56: Some will sleep. In the ground. But don't worry. Because they will be resurrected.
01:09:04: To life. Now it says in verse 15. Who are left until the coming of the
01:09:09: Lord. Will not precede those. Who have fallen asleep. So this first resurrection.
01:09:17: Comes in stages. Comes in stages. In Revelation chapter 20.
01:09:22: Verses four to six. We see that there are resurrected ones.
01:09:29: Surrounding the throne of God. And then we see the souls.
01:09:36: Of those who had been beheaded by the Antichrist. Those who came to saving faith during the tribulation.
01:09:43: Now they're called souls. Crying out to God. And according to Revelation chapter 20.
01:09:48: Verses four to six. These then receive the resurrection of life. So there's some who are already resurrected.
01:09:56: Those who are gathered. And then the souls over against those. Who already had their bodies. So when did the first group get their bodies?
01:10:05: The resurrection of the dead. The first resurrection. Comes in stages. Jesus the first fruits.
01:10:12: Matthew 27. Some who rose right after he rose from the dead. The rapture of the church.
01:10:18: And then lastly. Those who are killed during the tribulation. This is the resurrection of life.
01:10:26: Now the second resurrection. Are those who did not believe in Christ. They will be resurrected after the millennium.
01:10:32: For the great white throne judgment. They will receive their bodies. Be judged in the body. And separated from the sheep.
01:10:41: All that to say. There's coming a resurrection. Unto life. And we who are left.
01:10:46: Won't have to die. In a twinkling of an eye. At the last trumpet.
01:10:54: We will be changed. We will be caught up to meet him in the air. Look at verse 16. For the
01:10:59: Lord himself will descend from heaven. With a cry of command.
01:11:06: What's he crying out as he comes down? I don't know the exact words. But based on John 11.
01:11:13: And because John 10. The sheep hear his voice. He is crying out.
01:11:19: Church come forth. In a cry of command. The dead in Christ are resurrected.
01:11:25: And we who are alive. Are called up to meet him in the air. The voice of an archangel.
01:11:31: The angels are sent like unto Elijah. To gather the bodies of the dead. They have some instrumental role.
01:11:37: In calling us and catching us up. To meet the Lord in the air. And with the sound of the trumpet of God.
01:11:44: There were many trumpets blown in Israel. One was for the gathering of the assembly. In numbers.
01:11:51: And then later. There were other trumpets. This one refers to the calling of the church.
01:11:57: To gather with the Lord in heaven. And the dead in Christ. Will rise first. Then we who are left.
01:12:03: To meet him in the air. Let's read verse 17 and 18. We who are alive.
01:12:09: Who are left. Will be caught up. Some say that the rapture is a man -made doctrine.
01:12:18: What do you do with the word. Harpazo. In the Greek. The Latin of Harpazo is rapture.
01:12:26: The Greek is Harpazo. Here the English translates it what? Caught up. It's the catching up.
01:12:32: The seizing. The capturing. As Christ fulfills his promise of John 14 3.
01:12:38: That he will come and retrieve us. Do you notice that word.
01:12:45: We read it again and again. In verse 17. We who are left. Back up in verse 15.
01:12:51: We are who were left until the coming. Of the Lord. That word actually translates left behind.
01:13:00: Remember a book called left behind. Left behind. We were left behind by the
01:13:06: Lord. For a period of time. With the promise. That he's coming back to retrieve us.
01:13:14: Now when he does that. We will meet him in the air. We will meet him. To what is called.
01:13:20: The wedding supper of the Lamb. It's in Revelation chapter 19. Verses 1 to 10.
01:13:27: It's there that the church. Having been caught up to meet him in the air. Retrieved as he promised his bride.
01:13:33: The groom coming for the bride. Catches us up. And takes us to what's called the wedding supper of the
01:13:38: Lamb. Revelation 19 1 to 10. We're not like a yo -yo. An upside down yo -yo.
01:13:44: Where the rapture is. Yo -yoed right back down to earth.
01:13:50: In that same moment. It's a distinct thing. Where we meet the
01:13:56: Lord. We go to the wedding supper of the Lamb. Revelation 19 1 to 10. And then Revelation 19 11.
01:14:02: And following. The Lord riding on a white horse. With the name King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
01:14:08: On his thigh. Bearing a sword. The sword of his word. Coming from his mouth.
01:14:15: He comes in judgment. In tribulation. With us.
01:14:22: Not for us. Jude. We're coming with the Lord. Ten thousands of his holy ones. In a train behind him.
01:14:29: We go to make war. But good news. We don't have to wield the sword. With the breath of his lips.
01:14:36: He slays the wicked. It's the Lord himself who comes and executes judgment. So when you think of the second coming of Christ.
01:14:43: And you read about it in Revelation 19 11. It's a joyful time for Jerusalem.
01:14:51: Zechariah 14 says. When he hits the Mount of Olives. He splits it in two. He splits the mountain in two.
01:14:59: And he slays the wicked. Who remain on earth. Who have been at war against him. He came the first time as the
01:15:07: Lamb. He comes the second time as that lion. That reigning lion. To execute judgment on the earth.
01:15:13: It is. Read it. It is a vicious picture. A violent picture.
01:15:19: Of judgment. His robe is dipped in blood. And Matthew 24 describes.
01:15:24: The vultures gathering. At the second coming. When he sets his foot on the Mount of Olives. So in closing.
01:15:32: Today we've studied the rapture of the church. It's the next thing to happen. It is imminent.
01:15:38: Paul believed. That he would be raptured. He says we who are alive. Who are left until the coming.
01:15:47: Every generation of believers. Should expect. That the rapture could be now. He will come like a thief in the night.
01:15:56: Many will not be ready. Of the ten virgins. Five will have their oil. And five will not.
01:16:04: He's coming soon. How soon? Well Gog and Magog.
01:16:10: Are conquering countries. And gaining alliances with. Persia. And northern
01:16:15: Turkey. And the Muslim countries surrounding. Israel. Ezekiel 38 and 39.
01:16:23: Are a sign of the times. That you're seeing unfold. And Jesus rebuked the Pharisees.
01:16:28: For being able to read the skies. And know when the weather is going to turn bad. He says but you don't know.
01:16:33: The signs of the times. He said to the to his disciples.
01:16:38: When he saw the temple. He said you see this beautiful building. Not one stone will be left.
01:16:46: It's amazing that Jesus said that. And then it happened in 70 AD. All of those stones thrown down from the temple mount.
01:16:53: Well afterwards the disciples came to him. And said well what will be the sign of your coming? When will these things happen?
01:17:01: What's the signs we're to look at? Guys put that picture on the board. He said.
01:17:09: Here's the signs. Many will come. Claiming to be the Christ.
01:17:15: We're going to skip this one for time. Guys take that's in your notes. You're going to take that home. Here's the guy in Russia today.
01:17:22: That many of you have probably never heard of. Vasario. He claims to be
01:17:29: Christ. He's gathered 6 ,000 followers. And they live in a village in Siberia.
01:17:36: And he's not alone in the world. Mexico has a similar character. The Philippines. And most of the major countries of the world.
01:17:44: Has someone who's claiming to be the Christ. You can get him off of here. Because he's a clown.
01:17:54: But Jesus said the sign of the times. Many will come claiming to be the Christ. One. Two.
01:18:01: You will hear of wars. And rumors of war. But take heart. These things must come to pass.
01:18:09: Christian we don't fear death anyway. But it's a sign of the times. With ramping up for war.
01:18:15: And not any war. The third sign. Nation will rise against nation. And kingdom against kingdom.
01:18:23: That's not just individual countries. That's what we saw in 1914 and 1940s.
01:18:30: And will again. World War. Nations and kingdoms.
01:18:35: Versus nations and kingdoms. So you have that eastern block. Led by Gog and Magog. Clashing with the western nations.
01:18:44: And again. There's evil people on both sides. These things must come to play.
01:18:52: And as you see them rising. It's a sign of the times. Then famines. You think of what happened in Ukraine.
01:19:00: That really gave rise to all of this. The famine induced by Stalin's policies.
01:19:06: He starved his own people. And millions died. Mao Zedong with that great leap forward.
01:19:14: And the famines that ensued. Famines that follow war. These are signs of the times.
01:19:20: Earthquakes. I looked up how many earthquakes there were just yesterday. 28. A 4 .5
01:19:26: on the Richter scale in Japan. And I know part of it is increased technology to register these things.
01:19:33: But there's no doubt that there's been a vast increase in seismic activity. In recent decades. The tsunami in Indonesia.
01:19:41: That was, yeah. In Haiti. The earthquake recently. And a huge one just a decade ago.
01:19:49: Earthquakes. All of these are signs of the times. Then there will be persecution of Christians.
01:19:56: Did you know that this last century has seen the most persecution of Christians in the history of the world?
01:20:01: And it's only increasing. Read Voice of the Martyrs. What's happening under Putin in Russia.
01:20:09: As Gog has outlawed proselytization. And in the
01:20:15: Ukraine. And especially places like Iran and the Muslim countries. Not to mention
01:20:22: China. Christians are persecuted. How blessed we are to live in a free country.
01:20:27: That came from Christian people. And principles of freedom. But there will be persecution.
01:20:34: And then with that. What follows persecution? Apostasy. People counting the cost and not wanting anything to do with it.
01:20:42: And so you see apostate Europe. Apostasy coming into America. Do you hear the talk about deconstruction?
01:20:50: Deconstruction is the tearing down of the foundation of the Bible. It's aimed at Christianity.
01:20:56: And so you have so many deconstructing their faith. Apostatizing. The killing of Christians in martyrdom.
01:21:05: All of these things. The last sign before the rapture. 2414.
01:21:11: Matthew 2414. This gospel shall be preached to the whole world.
01:21:17: And then the end will come. And some of you. Maybe you're not convinced about Christ.
01:21:25: I don't know how you can read the Old Testament prophecies. Of his virgin birth. And the place in which he was born.
01:21:32: And all the details of the coming Christ. And not believe that he is the Christ. The son of God. But did you know that Jesus himself was a prophet?
01:21:40: When Jesus said this. He had a small band of followers in Jerusalem. And he said this gospel that I'm sending you out with.
01:21:47: Will be preached. Every ethnic group in the world. The whole world will hear.
01:21:53: Guess what? We live in the day in which that has happened. All 195 countries have gospel witnesses.
01:22:01: There are Christians in Ukraine today preaching the gospel. In fact
01:22:07: Iran is seeing a massive revival of Christianity in Persia. Hundreds of thousands coming to faith.
01:22:14: China as wicked as it is. Has a hundred million Christians now. It's only a tenth of the population.
01:22:21: But this gospel goes to all the earth. And then the end will come. The next thing on the prophetic timetable.
01:22:28: Is the rapture of the church. And I think it's soon. And so the exhortation in closing.
01:22:34: They must know. Go tell them. Go tell your neighbors. Go tell your co -workers.
01:22:39: Your school classmates. Jesus is coming. The rapture of the church is just around the corner.
01:22:48: That trumpet will blast. The dead in Christ will rise. We who remain will be caught up to meet him in the air.
01:22:54: And so we will be with the Lord forever. Amen. Let's pray. So Father we're looking at the signs of the times.
01:23:04: Make us like the sons of Issachar. That we would be ready. And motivated to go preach the good news of Jesus Christ.
01:23:14: Again Lord we pray for peace in Ukraine. We know that you're the restrainer of evil.
01:23:21: Until that trumpet blows. Until you say go. You restrain evil. As wicked as are the intentions of the hearts of men.
01:23:30: You're still restraining them. Lord restrain Putin. From taking this any further. We pray that there would not be nuclear war.
01:23:37: Or an escalation of the conflict. But that this would die down. That the gospel could continue to go.
01:23:44: We see it coming Lord. But we're here with a gospel to preach. Good news for the nations.
01:23:51: So we pray for ourselves Lord. That we would be found faithful. That we would long for your appearing.
01:23:58: And we would love your appearing. We thank you Lord for saving us.
01:24:05: Thank you for the country in which we live. Where we can have peace and security.
01:24:11: To live quiet lives and mind our own business. And work with our hands. Thank you for this
01:24:17: Lord. We pray for those who are suffering. We pray that you would bring revival out of this.
01:24:24: That many in Ukraine and Russia and all around the world. Would turn to Christ. That we would see a revival around the world.
01:24:30: That we would see a revival here in New Jersey. Let us lead it Lord. Let us be a part in it.
01:24:37: Preaching the gospel. Let these people go. Jesus is coming.
01:24:43: In your name we pray. Amen. Let's stand and sing. The power of His promise in their hearts.
01:25:40: Of a holy city built by God's own hand.
01:25:47: A place where peace and justice reign. We will stand. We will stand as children of the promise.
01:25:59: We will fix our eyes on Him. Our soul.
01:26:04: Reward. Till the race is finished. And the work is done.
01:26:13: By faith and not by lust. By faith the prophets all obey.
01:26:28: When the longed for Messiah would appear. Oh to break the chains of sin and death.
01:26:41: And rise triumphant from the dead. The church was called to power.
01:26:56: In the power of the Spirit to the lost.
01:27:03: To deliver captives and to preach good news.
01:27:10: In every corner of the earth. The race is finished and the work is done.
01:27:36: With love by faith and not by lust. By faith the mountains shall be moved.
01:27:51: And the power of the gospel shall prevail. For we know in Christ all things are possible.
01:28:03: Through call of heart. We will stand as children of the promise.
01:28:18: Eyes on Him. Till the race is finished.
01:28:38: Amen. And he said to me. Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book.
01:28:45: For the time is near. Let the evildoer still do evil.
01:28:50: And the filthy still be filthy. And the righteous still do right. And the holy still be holy.
01:28:57: Behold I am coming soon. Bringing my recompense with me.
01:29:03: To repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega. The first and the last.
01:29:08: The beginning and the end. Blessed are those who wash their robes. So that they may have the right to the tree of life.