man title of a sermon tonight is Bible prophecy foundations Bible prophecy
foundations the Bible says in Psalm 11 3 if the foundations be destroyed what can
the righteous do if we don't have foundations in place we can't build
anything and when it comes to Bible prophecy there are a lot of people that
lack a certain basic foundation which caused them to not be able to
understand anything about Bible prophecy I've noticed that when I talk to people
that are goofed up on Bible prophecy I struggle to even communicate with them
it's almost like we're speaking a foreign language because we don't have
the same foundation you know if you're gonna talk about algebra or calculus or
geometry you have to start out with a basic foundation in arithmetic to
understand that 2 plus 2 is 4 you have to understand just basic mathematics
before you can get into anything advanced okay and so tonight I want to
lay down some Bible prophecy foundations if you don't understand these
foundational truths how can we even have a conversation about Bible prophecy how
can you study Bible prophecy adult and these foundations will be strongly laid
from the Bible other foundation can no man lay then that is laid that is Christ
Christ Jesus is the rock his sayings his word is the rock upon which we stand so
we're gonna lay a strong foundation from the Bible and these are three areas that
people are usually wrong on because they didn't get their definitions as
foundations from the Bible they got it from man-made teaching okay so put
everything out of your mind today that's a preconceived idea and let's just go to
the Bible and build a foundation here on what the Bible actually teaches now the
first foundation I want to show you is right here in 1st Thessalonians 4 we're
gonna turn to some other places to lay this foundation but number one if we're
gonna talk about this we've got to have a vocabulary that's consistent where
we're both speaking the same language here so the first thing that we need to
understand is that when we say the second coming of Jesus Christ we're
talking about what's commonly known as the rapture now right away people would
just shut off at that no this guy's wrong okay why don't we see what the
Bible says right you know instead of just freaking out let's look at what the
Bible says here let's get a biblical foundation so that we can even talk
about you know when the rapture occurs in relation to the tribulation first you
better figure out what the second coming of Jesus Christ even means I mean if
we're talking about the second coming of Jesus Christ we're not talking about
obscure doctrine right we're talking about a major Bible doctrine the second
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the first thing that we have to establish
biblically is that the rapture or what we commonly refer to as the rapture even
though that's not the biblical term is the second coming of Christ look if you
would at 1st Thessalonians chapter 4 which is an undisputed passage about one
agrees that 1st Thessalonians 4 13 through 18 is referring to the rapture
and it says in verse no you know everyone who's a Baptist everyone who
actually believes in you know taking the Bible literally not like these a mill or
preterist or other goofball doctrines I'm talking about people who actually
believe in the book of Revelation look at 1st Thessalonians chapter 4 15 it
says for this we say unto you by the word of the Lord that we which are alive
and remain unto the coming of the Lord now there it is right there that we
which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent
them which are asleep for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a
shout with the voice of the Archangel with the trump of God and the dead in
Christ shall rise first then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever
be with the Lord wherefore comfort one another with these words the Bible's
real clear that the rapture is called the coming of the Lord right there in
1st Thessalonians 4 video well I don't think it's the second coming well is it
coming 1.5 I mean let's count together he came in Bethlehem's manger everybody
got one there okay I'm telling you we got to go to the basics of arithmetic
here because people will sit there and tell you all day long people who believe
in in a pre-tribulation rapture will tell you well don't confuse the rapture
with the second coming well I'm already confused because right here it's called
the coming of the Lord and I know he came once in Bethlehem and I can count
to two this would be the second coming now what we're gonna do we're gonna look
at all the other mentions of the coming of Christ or at least you know we'll go
through as many of them as we can in the New Testament and let's see if this
foundation can be made a little stronger let's put a little rebar into this
biblical foundation by going to chapter 5 look at 1st Thessalonians 5 23 because
what are we saying foundation number one we can't build anything can't talk about
anything until we know what the second coming is look at 1st Thessalonians
chapter 5 verse 23 and the very God of peace sanctify you holy and I pray God
your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ now the second coming being the rapture that makes
sense that we would want to be preserved blameless until that time our spirit our
soul body will be preserved blameless until the time that he comes in the
clouds until the time that we meet him in the air go if you would to 2nd
Thessalonians chapter 2 just right over the page there 2nd Thessalonians chapter
2 verse 1 it says now we beseech you brought brethren by the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto him that you be not soon
shaken in mind or be troubled neither by spirit nor by word nor by letter as from
us is that the day of Christ is at hand let no man deceive you by any means for
that day shall not come except there come a falling away first and that man
of sin be revealed the son of perdition who we know is the Antichrist so the
Bible is talking here about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our
gathering together unto him again consistently relating the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ with us being caught up together with him in the clouds go if
you would to 1st Thessalonians 2 okay well go to Luke 12 also so put one
finger in 1st Thessalonians 2 go to Luke 12 while you're going there for sake of
time I'll read you a few more scriptures 1st Corinthians chapter 1 verse 7 says
this so that you come behind and no gift waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ who shall also confirm you unto the end that you may be blameless in the
day of our Lord Jesus Christ so this is really consistent we're waiting for the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ that's what we're looking forward to and he
says that we want to be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ now if the
day of Christ or the coming of Christ was at some later time seven years later
as people try to teach well then there'd be no danger in us not being blameless
on that day because we've already been up in heaven for seven years according
to people who are mixed up on this makes more sense if we're actually living on
this earth where there's a question of whether we're going to be found blameless
on that day and that's what we'd be looking for does everybody understand
what I'm saying James 5 pretty much says the same thing verse 7 it says be
patient therefore brethren unto the coming of the Lord behold the husband
man waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth and hath long patience for it
until he received the early and latter rain be also patient stablish your
hearts for the coming of the Lord draweth nice so the Bible is real clear
that the coming of Christ the coming of the Lord it's something that we're
looking forward to it's something that we're waiting for it's defined as being
gathered together with him it's equivalent to Christ coming in the
clouds the trumpet sounds were caught up together to be with him we're hope you
know we want to be found blameless in that day we want to be living for Christ
and so forth Luke chapter 12 if you're there look down at verse 40 be ye
therefore ready also for the Son of Man cometh at an hour when you think not now
people who mix up what the second coming is they still turn to this verse all day
long and talk about the rapture with this verse but it's like they don't put
it together that the coming is when he cometh see just because it says cometh
it's still the coming right the coming of our Lord verse 42 and the Lord said
who then is that faithful and wise steward whom his Lord shall make ruler
over his household to give them their portion of meat in due season blessed is
that servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing so again when
Jesus Christ comes the coming in the clouds the second coming when he comes
you know he wants to find us doing right which makes sense right if we're on this
earth and we're we're living our lives and he wants to show up and find us
doing what we're supposed to do find us blameless we're looking forward to it
etc everything in the Bible on this is consistent okay look down at 1st
Thessalonians 2 where I had you turn it says in verse 19 for what is our hope
or joy or crown of rejoicing are not even ye in the presence of our Lord
Jesus Christ at his coming for year our glory and joy see the Apostle Paul is
talking to people that he and Timothy and Silvanus had won to Christ and he's
saying you're gonna bring us great joy at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
you know when we're reunited with you when we're gathered together with you
when we meet you in heaven that's gonna be a joyful reunion you are our hope and
glory and joy and crown of rejoicing at Christ's coming which makes sense it all
fits perfectly with 1st Thessalonians 4 being the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ go to 1st Thessalonians chapter 3 it's been very consistent up to this
point hadn't it very consistent but yet all day long you'll hear people try to
tell you the difference between the rapture and the second coming and
they'll try to tell you it's two different things and you know you're
confusing the rapture and second coming no you can't count is it the second if
it's the coming that's the second coming or is it the first coming then you're
denying that Christ even came you're not even saved there's coming one coming two
but this is a foundational truth and you're gonna misunderstand a lot of
scripture if you try to say well no the second coming is revelation 19 and
Armageddon and putting his feet on the Mount of Olives and all you know they've
got all these ideas that they didn't get from the Bible because what did the
Bible say is the coming it all points to 1st Thessalonians 4 here's another
popular saying and I remember them just pounding this into us in Bible College
over and over again this is what they said at the rapture Christ comes with
or he comes for his own and at the second coming he comes with his own
right who's ever heard that one just hands all over the building they say at
the rapture he comes for his own but on the contrary on the second coming he
comes with his own okay well let's see if that's true okay 1st Thessalonians
3 13 it says to the end he may establish your hearts unblameable and
holiness before God even our Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with
all his saints there it is right there at the second coming he comes with his
own but at the rapture he comes for his own huh now 1st Thessalonians 3 is
parallel with Jude you don't have to turn to Jude but in Jude there's
something very similar where it says and Enoch the seventh from Adam prophesied
of these saying behold the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints to
execute judgment upon all etc ok so does the Lord come with his own at the second
coming amen okay but guess what at the rapture he comes with his own also why
because that have you been listening for the past ten minutes because the rapture
is the second coming okay look at 1st Thessalonians 4 for the
proof 1st Thessalonians 4 verse 13 it says but I would not have you to be
ignorant brethren concerning them which are asleep that you sorrow not even as
others which have no hope for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again
watch this even so them also which sleep in Jesus watch this will God bring with
him for this we say unto you by the word of the Lord that we which are alive and
remain under the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep
for the Lord himself shall descend from men with a shout etc so in the rapture
passage here we have the Lord coming with his own second coming with his own
rapture with his own now look this is not a complicated sermon but some people
who hear this preaching will will resist and fight it oh just relax and let the
Bible teach you something here point one is that the rapture is the coming of the
Lord and therefore basic math tells us that's the second coming okay point two
which this point leads us directly into point two foundation number two okay we
got that thing laid down really solid and you'll never find a verse on the
coming or cometh that's gonna contradict what we just laid down as foundational
but number two is that the resurrection is a bodily resurrection it's a bodily
resurrection okay this is the next important foundational truth that we must
lay down about Bible prophecy because there's a resurrection associated with
the rapture because he said that we which are alive and remain under the
coming of the Lord shall not prevent prevent means come before them which are
asleep why because the Bible says the dead in Christ shall rise first then we
which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air so shall we ever be with the Lord wherefore
comfort one another with these words so the second foundational truth is that
the resurrection is a bodily resurrection now why is that important
well the reason why that's so important is to understand the difference between
the body and the soul okay here's why the moment that you die if you're in
Christ if you're a saved child of God the moment you die your soul goes to
heaven right at that moment you don't have to wait for the resurrection you
don't have to wait for the second coming you're not waiting for the rapture your
soul immediately goes to heaven at that point you say prove it well here's the
proof Paul said in Philippians I have a desire to depart and to be with Christ
which is far better nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for
you and right in that context he said for me to live is Christ and to die is
gain I have a desire to depart and be with Christ he didn't say I have a
desire to lay in the earth for a couple thousand years and wait seven desire to
part be with Christ he said in 2nd Corinthians 5 that he desired to be
absent from the body and to be present with the Lord see for the believer being
absent from the body is being present with the Lord the body remains here the
soul goes straight to heaven now for the unbeliever the unsaved when he dies
his body remains here also see when someone dies nobody's body disappears
it's not like they die and then their body just totally fades away and there's
this clothing the body remains right it's the soul that departs and it either
goes to heaven or it goes straight to hell because remember the rich man in
Lazarus in Luke 16 it says in hell he lift up his eyes being in torment that
fast you either go straight to heaven or straight to hell now this is why
people get confused on the whole with his own for his own thing here's why
they get confused on that because they don't understand that at the Raptor he's
coming both with his own and for his own here's why if you look down at your
Bible there verse 14 it says at the end them also which sleep in Jesus will God
bring with him now if Christ is coming in the clouds and he's bringing them
with him where is he bringing them from from heaven right he's coming from
heaven because right now Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father in
heaven one day he's coming again and when he comes he's gonna bring them with
him because they're where heaven now that shouldn't surprise us because of
the fact that when a person dies they go to heaven not the body but the soul but
then it says the dead in Christ shall rise first now rising first that's not
coming from heaven is it that's coming from earth rising so that's referring to
their body see what I'm saying so the body dies is left behind the soul is
carried by the angels into heaven they're in heaven they're waiting then
at the second coming at the Rapture Jesus brings them with him the souls
then the bodies rise and in a moment in a twinkle of an eye they're changed
they're reunited with their body but it's a new glorified resurrected body
that's immortal that will never die again okay but this is where people get
confused because go over if you would to Revelation chapter 6 here's where people
get confused on this they they say to themselves well you know if Jesus Christ
gonna bring them with him if they're already in heaven what's the point of
even having a resurrection well the point is to resurrect the body that's
the point it's a bodily right it's all about the body it's bodily resurrection
the soul is already there the Bible also says in Hebrews chapter 12 that we're
compassed about with a great cloud of witnesses so let us run with patience
the race that is set before us and I believe that's a reference to the people
who've gone on before us looking down on us and observing and seeing the works
that we do and so forth that's what I believe that's referring to in Hebrews
chapter 12 verses 1 & 2 but if you go to Revelation chapter 6 we can see an
example of this okay this is when the fifth seal is open starting in verse
number 9 and this is when a lot of people are going to be killed for the
cause of Christ during the tribulation and it says in verse number 9 when he
had opened the fifth seal I saw under the altar the souls of them that were
slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they held and they cried
with a loud voice saying how long Oh Lord holy and true does that not judge
and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth and white robes were given
unto every one of them and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for
a little season until their fellow servants also and their brethren this
should be killed as they were should be fulfilled now there's a lot of things
that we can learn just from these three verses first of all we notice that he
saw the souls of them which were slain for the Word of God and for the
testimony which they held why because this is a period in time when people are
being martyred for the cause of Christ people are being killed during the
tribulation and so he sees them right away they're already in heaven and not
only that but they're awake and they're waiting because they're saying how long
I mean if somebody's saying how long that means they're experiencing time
they're experiencing a wait how long Oh Lord holy and true does that not judge
and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth the next thing we see white
robes were given unto every one of them now notice this is the soul this isn't
bodily this isn't a resurrection of the body the souls of them which were slain
for the Word of God appear in heaven but they're able to wear a white robe okay
so we now understand that the the person who is a soul isn't just mist or
something you know it's not just like a cloud of mist or some kind of a spirit
in that sense but rather the soul can put on clothing so the soul is going to
look like a person it's just not going to be flesh and bone it'll be the soul
and yet the soul can put on a white robe and rest and wait and and be patient so
this doctrine of soul sleep is a false doctrine where the the Jehovah's
Witnesses or the Seventh-day Adventists for example would teach that when you
die you're you're just asleep and not conscious of anything and so basically
you know when you go to bed at night if you sleep well you just wake up and it's
the next morning like you lay down and then it seems like two seconds go by
it's like whoa it's the next morning that's how you sleep when you're
sleeping well you know if you have a rough night you might wake up toss and
turn where but if you sleep well I mean if you're really tired and children the
way children sleep I remember when I was a kid it was just like you're warped to
the next morning so the soul sleep doctrine basically says that when you
die you're just warped you're just warped to the the the second coming you
know you're just warped to that resurrection but that's not biblical
because actually we see here waiting okay and we see people consciously in
heaven we see Paul desiring to depart and be with Christ and so forth so this
this this soul sleep warp doctrine see when the Bible talks about those who are
asleep in Jesus it's the body is what sleeps that's why it says in Daniel
chapter 12 that that many of them which sleep in the dust of the earth shall
awake that's the body that's in the dust of the earth sleeping there okay so the
body is asleep but the soul is alive and well up in heaven there's so much
evidence of that also in the fact that Abraham Jesus said Abraham rejoiced to
see my day and was glad Jesus when he was on this earth said Abraham rejoiced
to see my day and was that that shows that Abraham's not asleep somewhere dead
somewhere no no he was able to observe from heaven Jesus Christ's day and be
glad about it and rejoice about it and they said you know you know you're not
even 50 years old and you've seen Abraham they didn't understand what he's
talking about and he said God is the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob he's not the
God of the dead but of the living they're alive they're up in heaven
observing the great cloud of witnesses right so the Bible is real clear that
when we talk about this resurrection associated with the second coming of
Christ associated with the rapture we're talking about a bodily resurrection the
bodies are being raised up that's the whole point that's the whole purpose
because the souls are already up in heaven here we see they're waiting
they're clothed now this becomes important because people will try to
grasp at straws to prove a pre-tribulation rapture when the Bible
says that the rapture happens after the tribulation immediately after Matthew
24 29 through 31 people who don't want to believe that they come up with all
this logic and reasons why that can't be true they can't ever show you a verse
that says before the tribulation there's nothing even close to that so instead
they have to come up with all these crazy ideas so they'll come out with
stuff like well the rapture has to be before the tribulation because the
tribulation in chapter 6 but in chapter 5 the 24 elders are already up there you
know so to them like well the 24 elders are up there case closed I mean
everybody must have been raptured even though there's no mention of the rapture
the 24 elders I mean 24 guys being there it's got to be it but here's the
thing about that there's it should be of no surprise to us that there's 24 elders
in chapter 5 because everybody who's ever died who's saved is in heaven right
now so finding 24 of them shouldn't shock any of us at all there's nothing
shocking about that say well they have crowns on their head well they have a
white robe well no surprise there either because the souls in chapter 6 are being
handed white robes and told to rest and told to wait no shock that they're
clothed and crowned and whatever because apparently the soul can put on these
type of accessories so the resurrection is a bodily resurrection okay that's
what we need to understand about the rapture the bodies of the of the dead in
Christ will rise and also our physical bodies we will be carried by the Angels
will be caught up together with them in the clouds as well at the rapture we
which are alive and remain you know another reason why it's important
remember it's a bodily resurrection look at chapter 4 verse 1 it says after this
I looked and behold a door was opened in heaven and the first voice which I heard
was as it were of a trumpet talking with me which said come up hither and I'll
show thee things which must be hereafter and immediately I was in the Spirit and
behold a throne was set in heaven and once said on the throne people will try
to say this is the rapture because they're just trying to put it before the
tribulation even though it's not there so let's say well there it is it's right
there one guy John no trumpet just a voice like a trumpet because it's loud I
mean the Bible says lift up thy voice like a trumpet to preachers well if I'm
supposed to preach and cry aloud and spare not lift up my voice like a
trumpet I mean does that mean I'm supposed to get up here go it's just
saying be loud trumpets are loud be loud he's not saying sound like a trumpet
right he's just saying preach loud okay see this is a voice like a trumpet it's
a loud voice okay now that's one guy but look at verse two immediately I was in
the Spirit was John think about this is important John who wrote the book of
Revelation was he physically caught up to heaven did he physically go there did
he bodily take a trip to no he was in the Spirit this was a spiritual journey
God brought him in the Spirit up to heaven showed him all these things he
did not literally physically go there is that what the rapture is gonna be like
just a spiritual trip that we take no the rapture is a bodily resurrection and
a bodily trip you know where we're caught up together in the clouds okay go
to Revelation 19 we're gonna look at the third the third great foundation here
remember the title of the sermon is Bible prophecy foundations look at the
foundations be destroyed what can the righteous do what how can I have a
conversation with somebody about Bible prophecy when every time I say second
coming or the coming of Christ they're thinking about revelation 19 instead of
thinking about the rapture how can I have a conversation with them when they
think the second coming is Armageddon when in reality the second coming is the
rapture that's point one you know otherwise we're speaking a foreign
language here and then and then when I talk about the resurrection if they
don't even understand that the resurrection is a bodily rest and by the
way the resurrection of Jesus was bodily he walked out of the tomb he showed them
the holes in his hands he showed them the hole in his side just to prove hey
this is a bodily resurrection he said a spirit hath not flesh and bone as you
see me to have and then he said children have you any meat and he ate with them
he ate and drank with them to prove that he was there in the flesh he ate fish he
ate honeycomb he dined and drank with them in order to prove that it was a
bodily resurrection so we have to lay that down in order to have an
intelligent conversation about this but the third foundational truth is that
Armageddon is a separate event from the second coming Armageddon is a separate
event from the second here's what happens you tell somebody post
tribulation rapture they're like you're saying the Raptors at Armageddon that's
what they think you're putting the Rapture in chapter 98 even though you
never said any such thing but they'll just automatically pin that on you
because they don't understand the term second coming they don't understand the
term tribulation they don't understand when Armageddon is so they get confused
because they're not speaking the same language number one second coming is the
Rapture crystal-clear number two first Thessalonians 4 case closed chapter 2
or chapter 2 chapter 2 of this sermon point to the resurrection is a bodily
resurrection and point 3 Armageddon is a totally separate event from those events
that happens years later different event okay let's look at the Bible for
ourselves let's understand Armageddon this event is called Armageddon in
chapter 16 he gathers the armies together to battle in a place called
Armageddon chapter 19 is where the battle takes place so the stage is set
in chapter 16 this is where the battle takes place look at verse 6 of chapter
19 you tell me if this has anything to in common with the Rapture or the second
or what the Bible calls the second coming okay look down at your Bible verse
6 and I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude and as the voice of many
waters as the voice of mighty thundering saying Alleluia for the Lord God
omnipotent reigneth let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to him for the
marriage of the Lamb has come and his wife had made herself ready and to her
was granted that she should be arrayed and fine linen clean and white for the
fine linen is the righteousness of Saints and he saith unto me right blessed
are they which are called under the marriage supper of the Lamb and he
saith unto me these are the true sayings of God look at verse 11 and I saw heaven
opened and behold a white horse and he that sat upon him was called faithful
and true and in righteousness he doth judge and make war his eyes were as a
flame of fire and on his head were many crowns and he had a name written that no
man knew but he himself and he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood
and his name is called the Word of God and the armies which were in heaven
followed him upon white horses clothed in fine linen white and clean and out of
his mouth go with a sharp two edges or a sharp sword and with it he should
smite the nations and he shall rule them with a rod of iron and he treadeth the
winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God and he hath on his vesture
and on his thigh and aim written King of Kings and Lord of Lords and I saw an
angel standing in the Sun and he cried with a loud voice saying to all the
fowls that fly in the midst of heaven come and gather yourselves together
under the supper of the great God that you may eat the flesh of Kings and the
flesh of captains and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and
of them that sit on them and the flesh of all men both free and bond both small
and great and I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies
gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse and against
his army and the beast was taken and with him the false prophet that wrought
miracles before him which he had deceived them with which he had deceived
them that had received the mark of the beast and then that worshiped his image
these both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone and the
remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse which sword
proceeded out of his mouth and all the fowls were filled with their flesh so
what we see at this event is pretty clear Jesus Christ is coming on a white
horse and he has the armies of the host of heaven following him on white horses
and he faces off with the Antichrist and his armies in this place called
Armageddon and he destroys them all he kills them all he slaughters them all
and the the beast and the false prophet are put into the lake of fire and the
remnant of them the rest of them are slain with the sword of him that sit
upon the horse which sword proceed out of his mouth so this battle is not
really much of battle you know because Jesus Christ just defeats them all just
destroys them all the armies behind him don't really have a function they're
just riding on his coattails as it were I mean did anybody get something
different from this I mean that's what we read right Jesus came on a white
horse got these armies he faced off against the Antichrist armies all the
bad guys are killed the fowls feast on their flesh vultures scavengers they
come and feast on the flesh of the of the fallen slain pretty easy to
understand this event what's this event called Armageddon that's what it's
called that's the place the name of the place this is the beginning of the
millennium this is where Jesus about to set up his 1,000 year reign on this earth
okay that's why it said at the beginning the Lord God omnipotent reigneth and
and everything you know he's there he's on the white horse he's coming to
conquer you know as the Antichrist had impersonated him earlier in the book
he's the real thing to set up his kingdom on this earth now let me ask you
something where in that chapter was this called the second coming of Christ can
somebody explain that to me where did this chapter say this is the second
coming of Christ or this is the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ where does it
say that it doesn't say it anywhere now let's let's pretend that it said it
let's pretend for a second this is called the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ it would be a third coming if we count it I mean I'm just being honest
with you I'd be the third coming but is it called the coming it's not called the
coming at all but yet today in Bible colleges all over America and churches
all over America they're being just brainwashed with this just over and over
and over to where they just believe it as fact that this is the second coming
of Christ and that when the Bible talks about the second coming this is what
it's talking about and you need to differentiate between the second coming
and the rapture we're saying I'll definitely differentiate between
Armageddon and the rapture they have nothing in common I mean at the rapture
Jesus Christ comes in the clouds a trumpet sounds the dead in Christ rise
first the elect are caught up together with them in the clouds the saved are
caught up together to be with the Lord in the air I don't see any of that in
this chapter I don't see I don't see a resurrection in this chapter I don't see
Christ in the clouds I don't hear a trumpet sounding I don't see any of that
and I don't see this being called the second coming so yeah there's a big
difference between Armageddon and the second coming there's a big difference
in Armageddon and the rapture it's not that difficult to see the difference is
it now let's go to Matthew 24 Matthew 24 everybody got revelation 19 down
everybody understand that event revelation 19 this is after God's been
pouring out his wrath seven trumpets seven vials all the wrath is poured out
and then God destroys Babylon in chapter 17 and 18 the wrath is poured out
Babylon's wiped out Jesus Christ is just in chapter 19 delivering the coup de
gras to the Antichrist and the false prophet and all the armies that follow
them are slain now not everybody on the earth is killed just those armies that
are gathered at Armageddon following the Antichrist and false prophet other
people in other parts of the world survive of course but they are slain
okay now let's go to Matthew 24 now Matthew 24 is the key passage where
Jesus Christ himself while on this earth taught on his second coming you know
they asked him at the beginning what shall be the sign of thy coming and of
the end of the world and Jesus Christ teaches this great teaching on the
tribulation and on his second coming let's look at the key passage in verse
29 where it says immediately after the tribulation of those days what was
basically described in all the scriptures leading up to this immediately
after the tribulation of those days shall the Sun be darkened and the moon
shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven and the powers of
the heavens shall be shaken then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in
heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the
Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory and he
shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather
together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other now
when you try to show this passage to people who've been taught false doctrine
here's what they'll say that's not the rapture that's what they'll say and you
say well how do you know that's not the rapture well because it's after the
tribulation that's talking about after the tribulation and we know that the
rapture comes before the tribulation because because it does just does okay
cuz it does don't you know that you know Jesus Christ is gonna return at any
moment and there's gonna be a rapture followed by seven years of tribulation
and then the second coming on the white horse and blah blah blah blah blah just
because you say it though doesn't make it so it's like these people they think
they can just like God speak things into existence only God can do that you can't
do that God can say let there be light and there's light you can't say let
there be light and there's light you if it's dark it's dark you know if it's if
it's crooked you can't make it straight if it's light you can't you know wall
unto them that put light for dark and dark no no you don't have that power to
speak things into existence they just speak things into existence like seven
years tribulation and just there it is no basis in the Bible for the
tribulation lasting seven years zero basis but they just speak it into
existence or that well well the tribulation is called the time of
Jacob's trouble and nowhere look up that term Jacob's trouble it has nothing to
do with the tribulation doesn't it's it's a day it's not seven years yeah
it's all made up folks they speak things into existence and then they just they
put them out there and they're just like case closed with no scriptural support
okay I'm supporting what I believe with scripture the foundation is the rock
that the coming of the Lord is the rapture and so forth but here's what
they'll say well this isn't the rapture that's not the rapture this is the
second coming their second coming which what's what's their said their second
coming is Armageddon the real second comings what the rapture somebody
following the sermon okay so let's ask ourselves this question okay because
because if this is the critical passage that upon which you know this this whole
thing could just be settled I mean you could settle it in other places too but
this is a great place to just put this thing to bed after the tribulation it
says okay the question is is this referring to what we say it refers to
which is what we say this is the rapture trumpet sounds Christ comes in the
clouds the elect are gathered it's a no-brainer that it's the rapture what
do they say it is they say it's revelation 19 they say it's Armageddon
they say it's their warped version of the second coming well here's my
question which event does this passage have more in common with I mean think
about it on one side we have us saying this is the rapture on the other side we
have them saying well it's after the tribulation so it must be revelation 19
okay what does this have in common with revelation 19 does this talk anything
about you know does this talk anything about the events that we read about the
Antichrist and the false prophet being cast in the lake of fire the armies
being slain the birds eating their flesh I mean is that is that what this is
about no okay but what does it have in common with the rapture a trumpet
sounding Christ coming in the clouds and the elect being gathered ding ding ding
we have a winner I mean it's not that complicated right unless you just don't
want to see it unless you just refuse to see it okay and so once you understand
this you see okay this is the rapture happening after the tribulation and
what's the other key event here besides what we would expect to see at the
rapture we'd expect to see a trumpet Christ in the clouds elect gathered
another major thing that's brought out here is the Sun and Moon being darkened
so let me ask you this are the Sun and Moon darkened in revelation 19 at
Armageddon there's no mention of the Sun and Moon being darkened okay but are the
Sun and Moon darkened at the rapture well the Sun and Moon being darkened are
associated with an event known as the day of the Lord all throughout the Bible
many scriptures and guess what the rapture takes place on the day of the
Lord that's why the rapture is also called the day of Jesus Christ or the
day of Christ and if you look up all the mentions of the coming of Christ day of
Christ is used interchangeably the coming of Christ the day of Jesus Christ
the day of the Lord let's close with this go to 1st Thessalonians 4 1st
Thessalonians 4 and let's see another tie-in between the rapture and Matthew
24 1st Thessalonians chapter 4 this is a foundational sermon and you know until
until you can get somebody to figure out some of these basic truths it can be
hard it could be frustrating it's it's like as frustrating as trying to talk to
somebody who only speaks Spanish and you speak English that's gonna be
frustrating that's kind of how you feel sometimes when you're explaining things
to people and you're like no no the rapture is after the truth oh so you're
saying the Raptors in Revelation 19 no oh so the rapture is coming after God
pours out his wrath then because they don't even know the tribulation and
God's wrath are two different things totally separate but but but but it can
be frustrating so that's why we got it we got to agree upon some basic truth
and look if we can't agree that the rapture is called the second coming or
the coming of Christ then you you need to just I don't know what you need to do
I mean I mean if we can't even agree on that it's like okay well you know I
can't I can't take you to second grade until you graduate from first grade you
know what I mean like it's like it's like well okay if I can't get you to
agree that 2 plus 2 is 4 when it's right in front of you what good is solving for
X gonna do you know I don't hate you I'm not mad at you but you know what come
back when you know that 2 plus 2 is 4 when you can when you can actually and
it's really not even 2 plus 2 it's actually 1 plus 1 because the first
coming is in Bethlehem and the second coming is in the clouds it's like if I
if I can just if I show someone first that's only four this is the coming of
Lord and they're just like no it's not the second coming what do you do with
somebody like that where do you go next what do you say no the sky is not blue
no 1 plus 1 is 1.5 where do you go next at that point right it's see what I'm
saying but look at first Thessalonians for first Thessalonians for the key
passage verses 13 through 18 look what it goes right into in in verse 1 of
chapter 5 but now what part of speech is but that's a conjunction right so we've
got a little conjunction junction here you know between chapter 4 and chapter
5 but of the times and the seasons brethren you have no need that I write
unto you now let me ask you the obvious question the times and the seasons of
what what we just talked about right so we just talked about what everyone would
reference as the rapture Christ coming in the clouds trumpet sounds were
caught together with but of the times and the seasons brethren you have no
need that I write unto you for yourselves know perfectly that the day
of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night now let me ask you this if the day
of the Lord and the rapture were not the same thing would that make any sense
what he just said that wouldn't make any sense it wouldn't make sense well well
of course you know the timing of you know Garrett's trip to Guyana because
you know that his trip tomorrow he's in April boo that would make he says
there's not about two totally different trips what is the timing of the trip in
Malawi have to do with the timing of the trip to Guyana it's two different
things but if I said well of the times and the seasons of Garrett's trip to
Guyana you have no need that I write unto you because you know that the
forty-day revival starts on January 25th and you know that he's preaching at that
if you already know the dates of the of the forty-day revival that tells you
when Garrett's gonna be down in Guyana preaching everybody understand what I'm
saying that would make sense right cuz I'm about the same thing baby like well
you know of the time and the season of Garrett's trip to Guyana you have no
need that I write unto you because you know about what he did in Botswana or
you know the date of the chili cook-off you know of the times of the seasons of
his trip to Guyana you have no need that right you you all know that the chili
cook-off takes place on October 31st that wouldn't make any sense what it you
be like what what are you talking about he's jumping all over the place talk
about all these different things no no look you have no need that I write unto
you of the times and the seasons of the rapture what we just talked about
because you already know that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the
night for when they shall say peace and safety then sudden destruction cometh
upon them as travail upon a woman with child and they shall not escape but ye
brother in verse 4 are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a
thief he doesn't say that day is not going to overtake you at all he says
not going to overtake you as a thief he's coming as a thief in the night to
the unsaved but unto the saved we are ready for that we expect that we are
waiting for that we look forward to that you're all the children of light and the
children of darkness we're not of the night nor of darkness therefore let us
not sleep as do others but let us watch and be sober for they that sleep sleep
in the night and they that be drunken or drunken in the night and on and on so
the point is that if we know that the day of the Lord is happening at the same
time as the rapture same timing and we know that the big thing about the day
of the Lord whether we're reading Isaiah 13 whether we're reading the minor
prophets Joel chapter 2 Acts chapter 2 we know the big thing associated with
the Lord is the Sun and Moon being darkened and it makes perfect sense when
we're reading about the rapture in Matthew 24 29 through 31 that we're
going to talk about the Sun and Moon being darkened in the same place but are
the Sun and Moon being darkened over in Revelation 19 nope but they claim that's
the end of the tribulation yet there's no Sun and Moon being darkened yet in
the book of Revelation when are the Sun and Moon darkened at the opening of the
sixth seal so you know what that means everything after the sixth seal is not
the tribulation because it's after the tribulation that the Sun and Moon are
darkened everything after the Sun and Moon are darkened is you're no longer in
the tribulation that's the wrath that's God pouring out his wrath so what we end
up with is this tribulation then the Sun and Moon are darkened the rapture takes
place then God pours out his wrath in the seven trumpets and seven vials then
Armageddon then the millennium that's the biblical order that's what you
actually see in Scripture so what you end up with a is a post tribulation pre
wrath rapture so there is no pre tribulation rapture in your dreams buddy
yeah you'd like that wouldn't you just to go from your happy smooth easy life
in America and then all of a sudden you just are warped out of here before
anything goes bad that sounds great send your check now today you know but the
thing is that's not biblical there's a tribulation immediately after the
tribulation Sun and Moon are darkened rapture then God pours out his wrath on
this earth so we do that we are pre wrath it's a pre wrath rapture you say
well why don't you just call it a pre wrath rapture then and I I've taught
this to pastors I've sat down with a pastor and taught him all this out of
the Bible and he agreed with me and he's just like man you know I'm nervous about
this you know because you know that you all your friends are gonna turn on you
you're gonna be blackballed and I said well yeah he's like is there something
else that we could call it besides post trib rapture that sounds bad and I said
well you could call it pre wrath and he's like oh I like that a lot better
because at least it's got pre in it you know I mean it makes me feel better you
know but you know I don't really use the term pre wrath that much you know why
because I'd rather just take it right to him I'd rather just take to them post
tribulation why because well if you're reading the Bible in Latin that's what
this verse says post tribulation em you know it outside you know cuz that after
because post is Latin for after after the tribulation post tribulation I like
it but you know I like that better it's more biblical because it's straight out
of the Bible post tribulation means after the tribulation straight it's it's
it's a quote from the Bible Matthew 24 29 and you know what let him put that
in their in their Pope and spacking you know let them let them deal with let
them deal with that term post and get all worked up about it somebody needs to
get worked up about something instead of just blindly following stuff that's not
biblical you know well let's just say we're pre-millennial that sounds good
free I'm hey I'm pretty millennial amen pre-millennial pre-wrath post-trib you
know these these pre-trib preachers they're like I'm so pre I don't even go
to the post office I won't even I won't even eat I won't even eat post cereal
they said I won't even eat post raisin bran I'm so pre I've heard get up and
say I'm pretty everything yeah that sounds real cute but it's false it
doesn't say pre tribulation em it's not it's not per it's post post all right
reminds me of when my son told me to preach against the post office when he
was when he was a toddler this has absolutely nothing to do with the sermon
sermons over sermons over so I'm just gonna tell you a funny story sermons
over all right we're done amen anyway so we one time when my son was a toddler I
went to the post office and this guy just picked a fight with me for no
reason and this guy was just you know I don't know sometimes it's like these
homo types it's like they just know who you are or something and they just pick
a fight with you for no reason just because you're you I don't know if the
demons inside of them are telling them that or just you know or they can just
sense that you're just a straight Christian male or something you know but
anyway this this this faggot II guy in the post office just started something
with me you know and I said you know hey listen pal you know what and I told him
off or what I just leave me alone and you know I was just trying to kind of
get the guy off my back and I was you know kind of it was just kind of a not
an altercation but just you know what I mean you know how people just start
stuff with you in public and I'm just trying to diffuse it but I'm telling
this guy telling him off a little bit call and I just say hey listen pal you
know so anyway I get in the car with my with my two sons and one of them was a
toddler is Isaac he's a toddler and we get in the car and we go home and that
you know they didn't say anything about it they didn't mention anything about it
forgot about this this yelling match in the post office you know just that was
kind of weird you just know I didn't say anything about it they didn't say
anything about it was kind of something that happened and we get home and and
you know the next day is church I preach on Sunday morning and Isaac comes to me
on Sunday afternoon he says dad what are you gonna preach on tonight and I said
well you know I don't I don't know you know what have you got any ideas you
know and he said preach on pals and he said and preach about the post office
because there's pals there so he does it is it is toddler mind he's thinking
like he's thinking like well this long-haired sodomite dad's calling him
pal so he he thought pal was like some kind of a derogatory term for homos or
something like it it's like another word for calling him a fag or something you
know like and he's like preach on he preach on pals he said preach about the
post office because there's pals there so yeah nothing to do with the sermon
post all right let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer father we thank
you so much for your word Lord and thank you for making it so simple that even a
theologian could understand Lord and thank you for you know allowing us to
have your word in the English language we can read the King James Bible we can
understand Bible prophecy we can understand all things through the Holy
Spirit and and through the Bible we don't need man to teach us but we can
actually read it and understand it on our own just by allowing the spirit to
be our guide Lord help us to put aside man-made doctrines and man-made teachings
that conflict with your word and help us to base our our understanding on the
rock on the rock of your word have that foundation strongly laid Lord and in
Jesus name we pray amen
all right song number 61 we'll never say goodbye song number 61 let's sing it out
on that first verse
we say goodbye in party with loved ones here below
we always hope to meet again as on our way we go but off to our hearts are
grieving for those we never meet we'll say goodbye in sorrow till we meet at
Jesus feet we'll never say goodbye in glory in the morning over yonder we'll
never say goodbye in glory will well this long-haired sodomite dad's calling
him pal so he he thought pal was like some kind of a derogatory term for homos
or something like it it's like another word for calling him a fag or something
you know like and he's like preach on he preach on pals he's a preach about
the post office cuz there's pals there so yeah nothing to do with the sermon
post all right let's bow our heads and have a word of prayer father we thank
you so much for your word Lord and thank you for making it so simple that even a
theologian could understand Lord and thank you for you know allowing us to
have your word in the English language we can read the King James Bible we can
understand Bible prophecy we can understand all things through the Holy
Spirit and and through the Bible we don't need man to teach us but we can
actually read it and understand it on our own just by allowing the spirit to
be our guide Lord help us to put aside man-made doctrines and man-made
teachings that conflict with your word and help us to base our our
understanding on the rock on the rock of your word have that foundation strongly
laid Lord and in Jesus name we pray amen