Jesus Is Coming Again — Chuck Smith

Father, we thank you for this promise and for the hope of the coming again of Jesus Christ. Lord, as we look at the world in which we live and we see how so many problems exist, the chaotic condition, terrorism, the various plagues, the wickedness that abounds, Lord, how we long for thy kingdom to come.

The day when your will will be done here on earth, even as it is in heaven. The day when Jesus shall come again and establish the kingdom of God here on the earth. Lord, with John we say, come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Amen. You may be seated. As was announced, tonight we will be taking Ezekiel chapters 40 through 45. I was going to try and finish the book. I told Skip I would finish it while he was gone. I'm going to have to tell him that I just couldn't do it.

I got into it and I thought, no, we don't want to spend the whole night here. So we'll take through chapter 45. The first couple of chapters, 40, 41, 42, you don't need to look at those so carefully. Just really get into chapter 43, 44, 45 in your reading this afternoon.

We will be showing you some diagrams of the temple that will be built to just read the description, the porches, the size of the porches, the number of steps and the number of cubits. And they're not even in feet and inches, the spans, the reeds and so forth.

It's just a little difficult to comprehend. If you're a architect, you might want to go through it and visualize it in your own mind. But if you're not, if you're like me, it's a lot easier just to look at a picture and realize basically what it's going to look like.

And so we'll be having on the screens tonight some visualizations of basically the way the temple will be laid out, the temple that is to be built in Jerusalem. So we invite you to join with us tonight at seven o 'clock and we'll be looking at Ezekiel chapters 40 through 45.

Ezekiel’s Chronological Prophecy of Israel’s Restoration

As we look at Ezekiel in this portion of Ezekiel, we find that it does follow a chronological order. In chapter 36, he prophesies of the beginning of the gathering of the people and the development of the agricultural potential of the land.

That has happened. We read in chapter 37 how that the people will really be gathered back into the land and would become a nation once again. That has happened. As we read in chapter 38, when they're back in the land and become a nation once again, that they will have problems with their Moslem neighbors who will ultimately seek to drive them out of the land.

They will join together in a mass army joined with Russia to drive the Jews out of the land. This has not yet happened, but we can surely see the potential of it happening in the near future. In chapter 38, he deals, of course, after they invade the land with God's intervention, divine intervention, where he will destroy the invading armies that come against Jerusalem.

In chapter 39, it continues to tell of the destruction and devastation of these armies that have attacked Jerusalem. But in chapter 39, the end portion, it tells us that at this time, when God supernaturally rises to defend Israel and to destroy their enemies, that the blindness that has happened to Israel will be removed and God will open their eyes and the Spirit of God will be put upon the nation of Israel once again.

When this happens, the end of 39, it precludes the church being here. Right now, the Spirit of God is working among the Gentiles and Jews to draw out a church, the body of Jesus Christ, who will be the bride of Christ from a biblical standpoint.

Daniel’s Seventy Weeks and the Messiah’s First Coming

As we look at the prophecies in Daniel, which, of course, we will begin when we finish Ezekiel, there in the ninth chapter, the angel came to Daniel and told him that there were 77 or 77 year cycles that God had determined upon the nation of Israel to bring the Messiah, to make an end of sin, and ultimately to bring in the kingdom of God to the earth.

From the time that the commandment would go forth to restore and rebuild Jerusalem to the coming of the Messiah, the Prince, would be 69 seven-year cycles or 483 years. The commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem was given by Artaxerxes in the 20th year of his reign, which was the year 445 BC.

From that day, 483 years later, on Palm Sunday, Jesus presented himself to Israel as their Messiah. But as the angel told Daniel, the Messiah will be cut off and not receive the kingdom, and the Jews would be dispersed throughout the world.

That was fulfilled. But then at the end of chapter 9 of the book of Daniel, it brings up the 70th seven-year cycle, which was not fulfilled. 69 were fulfilled from the commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem to the coming of Jesus, but the 70th remained unfulfilled.

It was though God's time clock stopped, and we have this intermittent time between the 69th and the 70th year of God's dealing with the nation of Israel. This 70th year will begin at the end of chapter 39, when God pours out his spirit upon the nation of Israel once again.

The Rebuilt Temple and the Return of God’s Glory

And one of the first things that will happen is that they will rebuild their temple. And that is why in chapter 40, as you move chronologically ahead, once God's spirit is coming upon the nation again, they will rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.

And of course, we have the description of the temple given to us in chapters 40 through 42. So it shows you the chronological order in which things are moving. And then when you get to chapter 43, after the seven-year cycle, as Ezekiel is standing there in the east gate of the rebuilt temple, he tells us there that he sees, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east.

His voice was like the noise of many waters, and the earth shined with his glory. And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision which I saw when I came to destroy the city, the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Tibar, and I fell upon my face.

And so he talks about this glorious coming again of Jesus Christ and his reaction and response as he sees him coming really to the Mount of Olives, which is on the east side of the city of Jerusalem. So as we look at the prophetic picture, we are waiting now for, of course, the invasion of Israel and the attempt by the Muslim nations to fulfill their vow of driving the Jews back into the sea.

And when that comes, then we will see chapter 38, 39 fulfilled, moving right into chapter 40, the sequence of events will move right along. Seven years in the seven-year cycle being fulfilled, they will build their temple, they will start their worship again, they will start the daily prayers and the daily sacrifices in their rebuilt temple.

But then things happen that change things completely. As they are there, it would seem that according to the prophecy of Daniel, that when God intervenes and their enemies are destroyed supernaturally, that he will come and make a covenant with the nation of Israel, no doubt will make the covenant and grant to them the privilege of rebuilding their temple there on the Temple Mount, which, of course, they are anxious to do.

He will probably suggest that in order to keep the Muslims happy and at bay, that they build a wall just north of the Dome of the Rock Mosque, and that the Jews can have the whole northern section of the Temple Mount to rebuild their temple.

And they will leave the Dome of the Rock and Al-Asqa Mosque intact for the Muslims to worship, and thus the Temple Mount will be used both for the Muslims and the Jews with a wall separating the two.

In the 42nd chapter of Ezekiel, verse 20, we are told that he measured by the building of the temple, the four sides, it had a wall round about it that was 500 long. In your King James, it says reads, but notice that's in italics, which means it's not in the Hebrew manuscript.

It was added by the translators, and most of the modern translations read cubits, which would mean a wall of about 450 feet square. Notice the purpose of the wall. It is to separate the holy place of the sanctuary from the profane place.

So it's interesting that the solution to the problem of who has charge of the Temple Mount area will be answered already in the scriptures by this wall north of the Dome of the Rock Mosque. However, though this treaty has been made by the leader of the European community, after three and a half years, in the middle of this seven year cycle, he will come to Israel, and he will come to the rebuilt temple, and he will enter the rebuilt temple, and there he will cause the daily sacrifices and the daily prayers to cease, and he will set up an image of himself in the Holy of Holies, and he will demand that they worship him as God.

The Antichrist and the Abomination of Desolation

Daniel tells us he'll confirm the covenant with many for the seven years, but in the middle of the seven years, he will cause the sacrifices and prayers to cease, and in the temple, he will set up the abomination which will cause the desolation.

This sacrilege by the Antichrist and the terrible abomination of setting an image of himself and demand that he be worshiped as God will be the final straw of man's rebellion against God. It will trigger the desolation or the great tribulation that the Bible speaks about, a time of great trouble such as the world has never seen before or will ever see again, as the wrath of God and the judgment of God will be poured out upon this Christ-rejecting world.

Paul speaks about this event in his second letter to the Thessalonians. He said, I don't want you to be shaken or troubled, neither by spirit nor by word, nor by a letter that was supposedly written by us, as to the second coming of Christ that it is at hand.

Let no man deceive you by any means, for before that day comes, there will be a departure first, and the man of sin will be revealed, who is the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or is worshipped, so that he as God sits in the temple of God and declaring that he is God and demands to be worshipped as God.

It does seem interesting to me how strong Satan's desire is to be worshipped. Here in the man that he gives his authority and power to rule over the world in this last period of time. The whole purpose is and desire is to be worshipped, the setting of the image of himself and demanding that everyone worship this image of the beast there in the temple.

You remember when Jesus came, how that he took him to the high mountain, showed him the kingdoms of the world and said, I will give you all of these if you'll bow down and worship me. How he longs for worship.

And how strange it is to me that there are worship centers for Satan around the world today. People that are consciously worshipping Satan. I cannot understand that, but such is the case. Now from the day that the Antichrist comes to the temple and stops the daily prayers, it will be 1290 days until Jesus comes again in the second coming.

We read in Daniel chapter 12, beginning with verse 8, that Daniel said, Oh my Lord, when will be the end of these things? And he said, your words are to be closed up and not understood until the time of the end.

And at the end, many will be purified, but the wicked shall become even more wicked. Surely that's happening today in the world in which we live. As you look around and you see evil abounding, wickedness abounding.

But none of the wicked will understand what's going on, but the wise will understand. For from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away and the abomination which causes the desolation is set up, it will be a 1290 days to the end.

Jesus’ Teaching on the Great Tribulation

So as we follow the chronology again in Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39, the attempt to destroy Israel by their enemy nations that surround them, and God's divine intervention prophesied also in Zechariah chapter 14, the beginning of the rebuilding or the building of the temple in chapter 40.

And it's interesting when Jesus was talking to his disciples about his return, his coming again, he said, when you see the abomination of desolation that was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, when it is standing in the holy place, whoever reads, let him understand.

Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him which is on the housetop not even come down to take anything out of his house. Neither let him that is in the field return back to take his clothes.

And woe to those that are pregnant or those that are nursing mothers in those days. Pray that your flight will not be in winter, neither on the Sabbath day. For then shall come the great tribulation greater than anything that has ever happened since the beginning of the world to this time or shall ever be.

And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the elect sake, those days shall be shortened. Cataclysmic judgments of God, destroying this earth, great earthquakes, meteorite showers from revelation chapter six through chapter 18.

There is a graphic description of the events that will happen. Catastrophic events that will happen upon the earth during this last three and a half years of time before the return of Jesus Christ to set up the kingdom of God upon the earth.

Christ’s Glorious Return to the Mount of Olives

So the temple rebuilt and the temple profaned. And that brings us to Ezekiel 43. After this, he brought me to the gate that looks toward the east. I beheld the glory of the God of Israel, which came from the way of the east.

His voice was like the noise of many waters. The earth shone with his glory. In Revelation, we read the description of Jesus in chapter one. His voice was as the sound of many waters and his countenance or face was like the sun shining in all of its brilliance.

Jesus coming again to the Mount of Olives, where he ascended and the angels said this same Jesus will come again in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven. Zechariah describes this in the 14th chapter, verse four.

He tells us that his feet shall stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives will split in the middle, forming a great valley toward the east and toward the west.

And half of the mountain will move toward the north and half of it toward the south. And the Lord my God shall come and all of his saints with him. And it shall be in that day that the living waters will go forth from Jerusalem, half of them toward the Eastern Sea or the Dead Sea, and half toward the Western Sea or the Mediterranean.

And in summer and in winter shall it flow. And the Lord will be king over all the earth in that day. There shall be one Lord and his name one. And our prayers, thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven, will be fulfilled in this glorious day that Ezekiel sees in chapter 43 verses 1 through 3.

The River of Life and the Trees of Healing

It's interesting that Ezekiel also speaks of this river that's going to flow from the temple there in Jerusalem, as Zechariah tells us of the river. Ezekiel also speaks of it in chapter 47. He declared, afterward he brought me again to the door of the temple, and behold the water issued from under the threshold of the temple toward the east.

Then he brought me out to the north gate on the right side of the temple, and the water ran toward the east. And a man with a measuring line measured 1 ,500 feet, and he brought me through the water which was ankle deep.

And then he measured another 1 ,500 feet, and he brought me through the water, and it was up to my knees. He measured another 1 ,500 feet, and it was up to my lap. And he measured another 1 ,500 feet, and it was so deep you'd have to swim across it.

He said, I noticed that on the bank of the river, both sides, there were many trees. He said to me, these waters issue out toward the east country, toward the desert, and when they come to the Dead Sea, it will be healed.

And it will come to pass wherever the river flows, it will bring life, and there will be a great abundance of fish in the Dead Sea. And they will spread their nets all the way to En Gedi. And the trees that grow by the bank of the river will be for food.

Their leaf will not fade, nor will they cease bearing fruit, a different fruit each month. The fruit shall be for food, and the leaves for medicine.". I have a couple of exotic trees at home. I have a small yard, so not much room for trees.

So I had to sort of get a little inventive. I have one tree that has Alberta peaches and Babcock peaches and goldmine nectarines, all on the one tree. I have another tree that has navel and Valencia oranges and lemons, all on the same tree, so that I conserve the space in the yard by having multiple fruit on each tree.

But these trees aren't nothing like the trees that will be beside this river that flows out from the temple area. That twelve manner of fruit, and a different fruit every month. Interesting, we read of these same trees in the book of Revelation chapter 22.

He showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God in the land. And on either side of the river was a tree of life, which bore twelve different fruit, and yielded her fruit every month.

It's the fruit of the month tree. And the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nation. So basically the same description that we have of the trees there in Ezekiel 47. So as we're looking at this timeline that God has set up, just where are we in the timeline?

Israel, the Prophetic Timeline, and Present Events

Chapter 36 spoke of the agricultural redevelopment of the land. That has happened. Chapter 37 speaks of Israel becoming a nation again, as the Jews gather back into the land. That has happened. So basically in the timeline we are between chapter 37 and 38, and we're waiting for the next major event, which will be the invasion of Israel, and the attempt to destroy Israel by the Muslim nations that surround Israel, who will be joined by Russia in this invasion.

We do realize as we look at Israel that it is a powder keg, you might say. In a couple of weeks the Jews will be evacuating the Gaza Strip, according to this road map. They are hoping for peace. But the Hamas has already declared that first the Gaza Strip, next the West Bank, and then Jerusalem.

Their stated goal is driving the Israelis totally out of the country. My personal opinion that the evacuation of the Gaza Strip is a very serious mistake, and will only cause the Hamas to really believe that terrorism is their answer to gaining the territory that they want.

And once the Gaza Strip has been vacated by the Jews, they're not going to stop their terrorist attacks. But I do believe that when the terrorist attacks continue, that the Israelis will send their troops to, as in a war, to really conquer the Palestinian state that has just been established.

And when that happens, when Israel moves with her military might against the Palestinians, that that will trigger the other Muslim nations surrounding to invade Israel. And this battle of chapter 38 will ensue at that time.

With this condition, just within a couple of weeks, the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the Hamas threatening to try to destroy some of the Jews that are evacuating. Sharon has already said that he'll send the IDF forces in and will smite them if they try to stop or to hinder the evacuation.

We could be seeing, really, just the beginning of the end, really, in that area, for the God's clock of prophecy is moving ahead. Then God will destroy the invading army. He'll put his spirit upon the nation of Israel.

Begins the seven-year last countdown. Interrupted in the middle as they build their temple, but then when the Antichrist comes and sets up his image in the temple, demands to be worshipped as God. Then the Great Tribulation, and then the 43rd chapter, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

So that we see that these last events will probably take place in a short period of time. Once the first domino falls, the rest will begin to just fall in sequential order. And the amazing thing is, of course, we're dealing with the Second Coming of Jesus, not the rapture of the church, which will come sometime before the Spirit of God is put upon the nation of Israel.

The Imminence of the Rapture and Readiness for Christ

About the second week or so of last year, in October, Kay and I were driving past South Coast Plaza and they were putting out the reindeer and they were decorating the posts there and all and getting all of the glitter and the streamers and all out.

And as we went by, I said to Kay, oh, look at that. I'm so happy. I love Thanksgiving. It's a great holiday where the family gets together and we have a great fellowship and wonderful meal. Oh, this is exciting.

She said, you nut, that's not Thanksgiving decorations, that's Christmas decorations. I said, oh, I know that, but I know that Thanksgiving comes before Christmas. And if Christmas decorations are going up, then Thanksgiving's got to be real close.

When the signs of the Second Coming of Jesus are around us in the world today, you know that the rapture of the church has to be close. It's an exciting day and age in which we live, and the rapture of the church, I believe, is far closer than any of us could ever imagine or dream.

Jesus said, when you see these things begin to come to pass, look up, lift up your head, for your redemption is getting close. And then Jesus warned and he said, now be careful. Lest at any time you get so involved in just making a living, so involved with the cares of this life, what you're going to eat, what you're going to drink, and that day will catch you unprepared.

And the warning of Jesus. And I wonder, are we prepared for the rapture of the church? Are you ready? We don't know when it's going to happen. Surely it's going to happen soon. Are you ready? That's the big question that you need to be asking yourself today.

Am I ready for these end time events to come? Because, you see, if you're not ready, and you are left when Jesus takes his church out of this world, then you will be facing this great tribulation that is spoken of there in the Bible.

The last three and a half years. You will be facing the power of the Antichrist, who will be controlling the world and demanding to be worshipped. And the death penalty for not worshipping him. And so, I'll tell you what, I want to be ready.

When the Lord takes his church, I don't want to be on the earth after that happens. And by the grace of God, I know I am. Father, we thank you for the wonderful hope of the glorious coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

For the better world that he will establish, the kingdom of God, righteousness, peace, and joy. And Lord, as we look at our world today, how we see the need for your kingdom to come. How we see, Lord, the need that your will is done here on earth, even as it is in heaven.

And so, Lord, prepare us for these last days. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Shall we stand? If God is speaking to your heart about your own spiritual condition, and you're not really certain that you're ready, I would encourage you to come on down and let these men pray with you today.

Just say, I need your prayers. And they'll be happy to pray with you today that God will help you. Maybe you've sort of strayed away. You're a little cold. Maybe you're like the Church of Laodicea. You're lukewarm.

And Jesus said, I'm gonna spit you out of my mouth. You're not ready. Oh, how important that you get right with God fully, completely. You get the slate washed clean, that you're ready to meet him when he comes for his bride.

Maybe you need a touch in your body. You need prayer. Maybe you have financial needs. Maybe there are other things that are troubling you. God wants to help you. These men are here to minister to you today and to pray for you.

And so, I would encourage you, come on down when we're dismissed and let them pray for you today that you might receive God's help and God's deliverance. May the Lord be with you. Watch over and keep you in his love and fill you with his Spirit.

The Lord bless thee. The Lord bless thee. And keep thee. The Lord may. The Lord bless thee.