7. Behold, He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and they also would pierce Him, and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him, even so. Amen.
And tonight I want to preach on the subject, He cometh with clouds.
Now, as we look at scriptures in the New Testament that deal with Jesus Christ coming again, you'll often see this theme recurring over and over again of the clouds.
Coming in the clouds, coming with the clouds, coming with the clouds, over and over again.
And nothing in the Bible is coincidental, incidental, or accidental. It's all there for a reason.
There's a great significance in Jesus Christ coming with the clouds, and I want to bring that out to you tonight and show you what that significance is.
First of all, let's look at some scriptures in the New Testament that deal with this.
Go back to Matthew 24, if you would. Matthew chapter 24.
The Bible says, He cometh with clouds, and the first thing I want to point out about that is that it's in the present tense.
He cometh with clouds. Another way of saying that would be, He is coming with clouds.
Now, that's in the present tense. For someone to believe that Jesus Christ is coming a different way between now and then makes absolutely no sense.
Because that's in the present tense. It's a future event, but He's coming, He's about to come with clouds.
And every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him, and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him.
So for someone to sit there and say, well before that He's going to come and it's going to be secret, and everybody's not going to see Him.
No, that's talking about the next time He comes. That's why He uses the present tense. He cometh with clouds.
Now look at Matthew 24. Let me show you the significance here.
Matthew chapter 24, famous verses of course, beginning in verse 29, the Bible reads immediately after the tribulation.
And no, your Bible does not have a misprint in it. It says 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.
And 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 the great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the poor winds from one end of heaven to the other.
Go to chapter 26, just a few pages to the right of your Bible, and this comes up again.
In Matthew 26, 63, the Bible reads,
But Jesus held His peace, and the high priest answered and said unto him,
I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tellest whether thou be the Christ the Son of God.
Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said, Nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power,
and coming in the clouds of heaven.
So notice, He's speaking to the unsaved, He's speaking to the heathen, and He's saying,
You will, hereafter, see the Son of Man coming in the clouds.
You will see the Lord Jesus Christ come in the clouds.
He said, Every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him.
Which is a direct reference to this verse right here.
Go to Mark 13. I mean, this is over and over again.
The Bible brings up the clouds over and over again.
I might not even have time to turn to all of them, so I'm going in order of priority here.
In Mark 13, the Bible reads in verse number 24,
But in those days after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
And then shall He send His angels, and shall gather together His elect from the four winds,
from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
Go to chapter 14, the next page there.
Chapter 14, verse 61, the Bible says,
But He held His peace, and answered nothing.
Again the high priest asked Him, and said unto them,
Aren't thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
Jesus said, I am!
And ye shall see the Son of Man, sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Go to Acts chapter 1.
Acts chapter 1.
Now this is a significant passage in Acts chapter 1.
This is where Jesus Christ ascended up into heaven to be seated at the right hand of the Father.
And look at these important words in verse number 9.
Right after He just finished giving them the great commission, telling them,
Ye shall be witnesses unto Me, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and in the uttermost part of the earth.
It says,
When He had spoken these things, verse 9,
while they beheld, that means while they were watching.
It says,
While they beheld, He was taken up, and a cloud, look at the cloud again,
a cloud received Him out of their sight.
And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven, as He went up,
the old two men stood by them in wide apparel, which also said,
Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?
This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven,
shall so come in life manner, as ye have seen Him go into heaven.
So get the picture.
His disciples are there gathered.
They just received the great commission to go ye therefore and teach all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
And He said,
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you,
and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
He just told them to preach the gospel to every creature.
He told them that the Holy Ghost would come upon them.
There would be witnesses unto Him throughout the world.
And as He finishes sending out these eleven apostles,
He then ascends up to heaven in a cloud.
And they're just standing there looking at Him.
And these two angels come and say,
Wait, why are you standing here gazing up into heaven?
The same Jesus that you've seen go into heaven will so come in life manner,
saying in the same way will He come out of heaven.
Now, think about this.
Jesus Christ, when He ascended up, what received Him out of their sight?
A cloud.
And did you notice how He keeps saying over and over again,
we just looked at a few passages, we'll see more in a moment,
He cometh with clouds.
He's going to be coming in the clouds.
He left in a cloud, right?
He's coming in a cloud.
Now, look, He's coming for His people in a cloud.
Go to 1 Thessalonians 4.
Who was He talking to when He said,
Hey, just like you've seen Him go into heaven,
He's going to come back the same way.
Was He talking to the heathen in Act 1?
Or was He talking to His people?
He said to the disciples.
He said to that first church.
He said to the early believers there,
His apostles that He had just sent out to preach in all the world,
the gospel, He said,
He'll come to you the same way that you've seen Him go.
You're going to see Him come the same way.
Look at 1 Thessalonians 4, of course,
the famous passage beginning in verse 13.
But I would not have you...
Let me get there myself here.
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,
even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with them.
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...
Notice. The what?
The coming unto the coming of the Lord.
He cometh with clouds.
He's coming again in like manner as you've seen Him go into heaven.
He says that those which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord
shall not prevent or come before them which are asleep.
For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel and 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 what?
Clouds.
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.
What's the comfort?
The comfort is you're going to see your loved ones again.
He said, don't mourn like those who have no hope when you lose a loved one.
If we believe Jesus rose again, we believe that when He returns,
He'll bring your loved one with Him.
You will see them again.
Comfort one another.
This is why it's a great passion for funerals.
Because we don't mourn like those who have no hope.
Comfort one another with these words, He says.
But think about this.
Jesus Christ over and over again told us that He's coming in the clouds.
He told the wicked, unsaved heathen.
He said, you'll see the Son of Man coming in the clouds.
He told His disciples through the two angels that He sent,
you will see Him come in like manner.
You will see Him come in the clouds.
He left in a cloud.
He's coming in a cloud.
Now, many people will say this.
Well, Pastor Anderson, you're confusing Christ coming in the clouds with His coming in glory.
And they'll try to say that there's a difference that basically,
when He comes in the clouds at the rapture,
that's different than Matthew 24 and these other passages where every eye shall see it.
And you ask, well, where's the proof?
Because you show them a scripture,
because they'll try to tell you about this false doctrine of a secret pre-trib rapture.
It's a lie.
It's a false doctrine.
And they'll tell you this.
Everybody's just going along their line.
And then all of a sudden, people just disappear,
and nobody knows what happened.
Where is everybody?
And all the believers have disappeared.
And they tell you that this event can happen at any moment,
that people can just disappear any moment,
and nobody will know what happened,
and everybody's going to be wondering where is everybody and so forth.
Now, first of all, it's a lie because the Bible says every eye shall see it.
So when Jesus Christ comes in the clouds and the trumpet sounds,
and we which are alive and remain are caught up together with Him in the clouds,
the Bible clearly said that every eye would see it.
And it also said that all the tribes of the earth would mourn,
and it also said that it's after the tribulation in Matthew 24 in Mark 13.
And so, no, it's not going to happen at any moment,
because first the tribulation's going to happen.
Then He'll come in the clouds at reality.
And here's what people will say.
Well, you're confused, Pastor.
You're mixing it up where He comes in the clouds with the coming in glory.
Now, go to Revelation 19, if you would,
because here's what they say.
They say, well, at the beginning, this is what the false doctrine is that's out there.
And look, the reason I preach against it is because this is what 90-some percent
of your evangelicals so-called believe in.
If you go to your average independent Baptist church,
they're going to teach this garbage, another pre-trib rapture.
And if you go down to the Christian bookstore,
they're going to be promoting it through left-behind films
where people disappear and nobody knows what happened.
Every eye shall see Him.
What don't they understand about the fact that when the rapture takes place,
when Christ comes in the cloud, when that trumpet sounds,
every eye shall see Him.
It's not a secret.
He's not hiding in the cloud.
He's not peeking out of the cloud like,
Hey, you.
Look, I'm going to explain in a little bit why He comes in the clouds.
It's not a twerking device.
There's another reason why He comes in the clouds I'm going to address.
But are you in Revelation 19?
Now, look, when we looked at Matthew 24, we saw a trumpet,
we saw clouds, we saw Christ coming,
we saw the elect or the saved gathered, right?
In 1 Thessalonians 4, the famous rapture passage,
we saw a trumpet, we saw clouds, and we saw the saved gathered, right?
Now, isn't that very similar to one another?
When we saw Jesus go up in a cloud in Acts 1,
we see the believers looking for the Savior to return,
and they're told that He will come in like manner in the clouds.
Over and over again, we see the clouds, we see the trumpet,
we see the believers being gathered.
Notice how different Revelation 19 is.
Because what the pre-trib false doctrine teachers will teach is,
they'll say, well, at the beginning of the tribulation, you know,
is the secret rapture.
Shh, don't tell anybody.
Then, after the seven years is over,
then that's when Jesus comes on the white horse,
and whenever you try to show Him these verses about
every eye shall see Him, the people mourning,
they'll say, no, no, no.
They're talking about when He comes back on the white horse
in Revelation 19 in glory.
The coming in glory, they say.
And they say, don't confuse the coming in the clouds
with the coming in glory at the end of the,
they call it the tribulation.
Now, before I read Revelation 19, let me just quickly explain.
The tribulation does not last for seven years.
That is the biggest lie that anybody foisted on anybody.
And that's where people get confused.
They just hear it over and over again.
Tribulation, seven years, tribulation, tribulation.
In reality, the Bible never, never uses the word tribulation
to refer to the period where He pours out His wrath on this earth.
When He pours out His wrath, when He's turning water into blood,
when He's raining fire and brimstone from heaven,
when He is causing all these horrible natural disasters
to take place and sending locusts from hell
and all these fiery armies,
that is never called the tribulation.
The Bible clearly says in Matthew 24
that after the tribulation, the sun and moon are darkened
and Christ comes in the clouds.
Well, in Revelation 6, the sun and moon are darkened
before He has poured out one bit of His wrath.
He pours out His wrath after the sun and moon are darkened.
Read Revelation 6. I don't have time to go into it.
God's wrath, the seven trumpets and seven vials of God's wrath
have nothing to do with the tribulation.
If you believe that, you didn't get it from the Bible
because the Bible's real clear.
The last time the word tribulation is ever used in the Bible,
the word tribulation is used for the last time in Revelation 7.
Right after the sun and moon are darkened,
He said they came out of tribulation.
He never mentions it again
because after that, He gets to pour out of a wrath.
Now, read this with me in Revelation 19
and tell me if you see any clouds, any trumpets or anything like that.
It has no similarity with these other passages.
Look at it. Verse 11.
And I saw heaven open, 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 and wiped clean,
and out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword,
that 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 an honest vesture and an honest thigh,
a name written, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Now, let me ask you something.
Is that the way that he came,
or is that the way he left in Acts 1 in a cloud?
First of all, in Acts 1, did he leave on a horse?
No.
No horse.
Was there a cloud in Revelation 19 here?
No clap.
Is there a trumpet sounding here in Revelation 19?
No.
You see how it's a completely different event?
See, there are two very different events.
There's Christ coming in the clouds with power and great glory,
with the trumpet sounding,
and when he gathers the saved in the rapture,
and him coming on a white horse are two completely separate events
that have no similarity with each other.
He's on a horse in one.
He's not on a horse on the other.
It's a completely different event.
You can't even find parallels here.
It's different.
And what people will try to say, you'll show them,
and look, it's not that complicated, okay, folks?
Let's pretend, let's let the organ here represent Revelation 19
when Jesus comes on the white horse, okay?
Jesus comes on a white horse,
and he's got the armies of heaven following him, okay?
And he's coming with a vesture dipped in blood,
and he's coming to set up his kingdom at the end of the seven years,
which is not called the tribulations, okay?
He gets there, and then let's let the piano tonight
represent basically the rapture, okay?
And we'll call that 1 Thessalonians 4, okay?
Everybody got it?
So this is 1 Thessalonians 4 right here, okay?
And this is Revelation 19.
Revelation 19, Jesus coming on a white horse
with the armies following him.
1 Thessalonians 4, Jesus comes in the clouds,
the trumpet sounds, and the saved are gathered up unto him, okay?
Everybody got that?
Everybody got the two very distinct different events?
Okay, now what we're going to do is we're going to look at passages
and decide which of these two categories they probably go under.
Just using our brain and common sense, okay?
Here, let's quote one, Revelation 1, 7.
Behold, he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him,
and they also which pierced him,
and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him,
even so, amen.
Well, do we have any elements of this with that?
No, but we do have the clouds,
so this looks like a pretty likely culprit, okay?
Here's another one.
Immediately after the tribulation of those days,
the sun shall be dark, and the moon shall not give her light,
and the stars shall fall from heaven,
and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken,
and then shall they see the sign of the Son of Man coming in the clouds
with power and great glory.
It said, with the sound of a trumpet,
they'll gather together his light,
but yet people say, oh no, that's this event.
Okay, Acts 1.
He comes down, he goes up in a cloud.
A cloud receives him out of his sight,
and he's not on a horse,
and he says he's coming back the same way.
Which one's that referring to?
I mean, it's just so obvious.
I don't understand how somebody cannot see how simple this is.
Two very different events,
and it's really easy to tell which is which,
and when Jesus said, you'll see the Son of Man coming in the clouds,
which one's he talking about?
The only one that ever mentioned clouds.
Now, why the clouds?
I only read you a very small sampling of verses
to talk about Jesus coming up.
Even in the book of Daniel, it says in Daniel 7.13,
you don't have to turn there,
I saw in the night visions, and behold,
one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven
and came to the ancient of days,
and they brought him here before.
Now, do you really think it's a coincidence
that Daniel 7, Matthew 24, Matthew 26,
Mark 13, Mark 14, Acts 1, Revelation 1,
1 Thessalonians 4,
all mentioned Jesus coming with clouds or in the clouds.
Do you think that's a coincidence?
Why does he bring up the fact that there are clouds there?
And then not only that,
but when Jesus Christ is transfigured before his disciples,
do you remember when Peter, James, and John are taken up on the mount,
and he's transfigured before them,
and his face shines bright like the sun?
And remember they are so dumbfounded that Peter says,
let's build three tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses,
and one for Elijah?
Remember that story?
And notice they're surrounded by a cloud.
And basically they were told right before that
that some of them would see the Son of Man coming in glory.
Some of them that were standing there would see that,
and then that's what they saw about six days later.
Now, what's the significance of clouds in the Bible?
Why is it that he brings it up over and over again?
Well, let me give you some scriptures on clouds.
Now, go back to Exodus 16,
and I'm going to show you why it's significant
that Jesus Christ comes in the clouds.
It's also brought up again in Revelation 14,
when the Bible says,
I looked and behold a white cloud,
and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of Man,
having on his head the golden crown,
and in the sand a sharp sickle.
And, of course, he reaps the earth.
Of course, that's the harvest of the same, very clearly.
But look, if you would, at Exodus chapter number 16.
I'm going to show you what clouds represent in the Bible.
Very significant.
Over and over again, this symbolism is used.
Look at Exodus 16, 10.
And it came to pass, as Aaron spake
unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel,
that they looked toward the wilderness,
and behold, the glory of the Lord appeared in the cloud.
So what appeared in the cloud?
The glory.
Look at chapter 24, verse 16.
The Bible reads,
And the glory of the Lord, again,
abode upon Mount Sinai,
and the cloud covered it six days.
Notice, what is he equating the cloud with?
The glory.
He uses the two interchangeably.
He says,
The glory of the Lord abode upon Mount Sinai,
and the cloud covered it six days.
And on the seventh day,
he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
Go to chapter 40.
Exodus chapter number 40.
And the Bible reads in verse 34,
Then a cloud covered the tents of the congregation,
and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
Look at verse 35.
And Moses was not able to enter
into the tent of the congregation,
because the cloud abode thereon,
and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
You don't have to turn to these,
but listen to this.
Numbers 16, 42.
It came to pass when the congregation
was gathered against Moses and against Aaron,
that they looked toward the tabernacle of the congregation,
and behold, the cloud covered it,
and the glory of the Lord appeared.
1 Kings 8, 11.
So that the priest could not stand to minister,
because of the cloud,
for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.
2 Chronicles 5, 14.
So that the priest could not stand to minister,
by reason of the cloud,
for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of God.
And the Lord,
Isaiah 4, 5.
The Lord will create upon every dwelling place at Mount Sinai,
and upon her assemblies,
a cloud and smoke by day,
and the shining of a flame of fire by night,
for upon all the glory shall be a defense.
Ezekiel 1, 28.
As the appearance of the bow
that is in the cloud in the day of rain,
so is the appearance of the brightness round about.
This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.
And when I saw it, I fell upon my face,
and I heard a voice of one that's fake.
He compares again the glory of the Lord
to being a cloud and a rainbow.
Ezekiel 10, 4.
Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub,
and stood upon the threshold of the house,
and the house was filled with the cloud,
and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord's glory.
Are you starting to see a connection?
How many scriptures?
The glory, the cloud, the cloud, the glory, the cloud, glory, glory,
cloud, cloud, glory, glory, cloud,
over and over again.
Go to Luke 21.
Luke chapter number 21.
Over and over again,
the cloud represents the glory of God.
In fact, it doesn't even represent.
It is the glory in many of these scriptures.
And when the Bible mentions over and over again,
He's coming with clouds.
He's coming in a cloud.
It's because He's coming with glory.
That's why it said in Matthew 24
that the Son of Man would come in the clouds
with power and great glory.
Look at Luke chapter 21, verse 27.
And then shall they see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with what?
Power and great glory.
So do you see why it's so significant
that He comes in clouds?
Because He's coming in glory.
And yet these people will tell you all day long,
don't confuse the coming in the clouds
with the glory of superior.
Well, I'm getting really confused by Exodus
and by Numbers and by 1 Kings and by Isaiah
and by Jeremiah and by Ezekiel
and by Matthew, Mark, and Luke
that keep saying over and over again,
the glory, the glory, the cloud, the glory, the cloud,
the glory, the cloud, the cloud, the glory.
And they say, oh, don't mix up the coming in the clouds
with the glory.
It is the glory.
And when the Bible says, looking for that blessed hope
and the glorious appearing.
Did you hear me?
Appearing.
The glorious appearing of the great God
and our Savior, Jesus Christ.
That's the blessed hope, the glorious appearing.
Not a secret appearing.
First of all, that doesn't make sense
because to appear means you're seeing.
Isn't that what appear means?
If nobody sees it, then it didn't appear.
Okay?
And so He says,
every eye shall see Him when He comes in the clouds.
Look, if you would, at verse 25.
And tell me if this reminds you of Mark 13 and Matthew 24.
And there shall be signs in the sun
and in the moon and in the stars.
Remember the sun and moon being darkened
and the stars falling from the sky?
And upon the earth, distress of nations with perplexity,
the sea and the waves roaring,
men's heart failing them for fear.
Right?
This is all things that we see in Matthew 24,
Mark 13, and Revelation 6, which are all parallel passages.
And He says,
and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth,
for the powers of heaven shall be shaken,
and then shall they see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
And when these things begin to come to pass,
then look up and lift up your heads
for your redemption draweth nigh.
Now look, did He say your redemption
already happened years and years ago?
No.
He said, when you see these things come to pass,
and what are the things?
Verse 27.
How about the Son of Man coming in the clouds
when they see?
When they see the Son of Man coming in the clouds,
He says, when these things come to pass,
He says, look up for your redemption.
Look up and see what?
Jesus coming in the clouds.
He said, look, you're not just gonna disappear, my friend.
First of all, there's gonna be
tribulation upon this earth
that's unlike anything the world's ever seen.
And look, the most frustrating thing
about preaching on this subject
is that there's so much evidence
against the pre-trib.
And there's so much evidence
that we will go through tribulation
that it's just frustrating
to not be able to bring it all in one sermon.
Because I want to bring it all,
but it'd be a sermon of several hours.
Okay? Because there's just so much.
Because I always would love,
every time I preach on this,
I want to go to every time the word tribulation is used.
You know, and I did a sermon like that back in February,
because it just, it'll blow you away.
It's just believers going through tribulation
every time, I mean, I encourage anybody
who has any doubts on this subject,
I don't know, pastor...
You know, just look up
every time the word tribulation is used.
That's all I can tell you.
I mean, if you still believe in it after you do that,
then I don't know what to tell you.
You know what I mean? Because it's so clear.
But we see that there's going to be a time of tribulation,
persecution of God's people.
The anti-Christ will set up this one world government.
People will be asked to take a mark, to buy or sell.
You know, people are going to be put to death
for the cause of Christ.
And then there are going to be these signs
in the sun, moon, and stars.
You're not going to mistake that.
I mean, when you see the sun and moon darken
and the stars falling from the sky,
you're going to notice that.
Yeah, right.
I mean, you're going to notice that.
You're not going to be saying,
where is everybody?
You're going to be saying,
why is the sun darkened?
You're not going to care
where your Christian neighbor is at,
if you're not saying...
You know, you're looking at,
okay, why is there a tidal wave
coming toward our cities?
You're not going to be worried about that other stuff.
You're going to be looking at these things,
the perplexity, the distress of nations,
the signs of the sun and moon being darkened,
okay, when that takes place.
And then, when everybody sees the son of man
coming in the clouds,
he says, when these things begin to come to pass,
these things referring to the signs of the sun and moon
and Jesus coming in the clouds,
when you see the sun and moon darken,
he says, look up
so that you can be the first to see him come in the clouds,
and then you'll know your redemption draweth nigh.
You'll know, here we are.
This is it.
We're about to be...
You're not going to be caught up unawares.
You'll see Jesus.
You know, wouldn't you rather be aware
of what was happening?
You know what I mean?
And obviously, whether we want to or not,
this is the way it is, you know,
so just wishing things away is going to make them go away.
But honestly, you know, to me it's a cooler thought
than to just be going through my life
and all of a sudden I'm just going to disappear.
You know, I'll tell you what,
whenever I'm going to eat a good meal or something,
don't you like to psych up for it?
You know what I mean?
Let's say you have a good meal coming,
you think about how good it's going to be,
you know, you get your mouth all ready for it and everything,
and then you enjoy it, okay?
The anticipation is part of the fun.
And imagine the excitement seeing Jesus coming in the clouds
and you're like, this is it!
I mean, imagine how it draws out
the excitement of the situation.
I mean, if it's just over that fast,
oh, man, it's already over.
And I'm being a little bit facetious,
but honestly, those are probably going to be
some of the greatest moments of your life.
Imagine the excitement and the thrill
of watching the sun and moon be darkened
and seeing Jesus coming in the clouds
and just knowing I'm going to be caught up with Him.
You know what I mean?
Buckle your seat belt.
You're about to be caught up with Him.
I mean, that's going to be an amazing feeling.
That's going to be an amazing sight.
Now, what kind of an emotion is going to come over you
It's not going to be dread.
It's not going to be sorrow.
It's going to be joy.
Excitement.
The thrill.
Wow, this is it!
We made it!
But what if you're not saved?
What's that feeling?
Terror.
Dread, terror, fear,
and all these horrific signs that are taking place.
And the image of Jesus Christ coming in the clouds
will put fear and dread in the hearts of men.
There's so much evidence.
We could go on and on.
But there are those out there that teach this other false doctrine.
Let's keep reading in verse 29.
It says,
He spake to them a parable, behold the fig tree.
By the way, I just love verse 28.
Let me just read it again just because I like it.
And when these things begin to come to pass,
then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draws nigh.
What a great moment that's going to be.
What a thrilling few moments as we wait to be caught up.
He says in verse 29,
He spake to them a parable,
behold the fig tree and all the trees.
When they now shoot forth,
ye see and know of your own self that summer is now nigh to end.
So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass,
know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
Verily I say unto you,
this generation shall not pass away till all be fulfilled.
And of course he's talking about when these things start to happen,
it's all going to happen over one generation.
People try to say it's dragged out over hundreds of years.
No.
When you begin to see these things at best,
that generation will not pass away.
It's all going to happen in a short period of time.
He says heaven and earth shall pass away,
but my words shall not pass away.
Now if you would, turn to Daniel chapter 11.
Daniel chapter number 11.
And it's always funny to me how even though there's all this mountain of evidence
that flat out says when Jesus comes, every eye is going to see him.
Oh, he's coming in the clouds?
Well guess what? That represents his glorious appearance,
because the clouds represent the glory.
The present tense of Revelation 1.7.
He cometh with clouds.
And you know, after the other coming that's coming first,
he cometh with clouds.
What kind of a nonsense would that be?
After the secret coming.
And people will still just, even though it flat out says after the tribulation,
and you say, well pastor, when did you figure out this doctrine?
When I was 12 years old, the first time I read the book of Matthew cover to cover,
that's when.
Because, you know, I just picked up my Bible,
and my goal was to read the whole New Testament.
I was just a 12-year-old boy.
And I decided to start in Matthew and read Matthew.
I got to chapter 24, I read it, and I said, you know what?
What I'm being taught about the rapture and church is not true.
This flat out says that it's after the tribulation.
I've never believed in it since.
Never has convinced me of it since.
I kept reading it and reading it, and it just proves to me further.
But even though there's just this mountain of evidence,
and look, where's the verse that says that the rapture's at before the tribulation?
Nowhere to be found.
I've done it where we look up every term where it says tribulation.
There's no, there's not even one shred of evidence.
I'm constantly asking people, give me one verse.
They can give you a chart.
They can give you a big, long explanation, a big story about all the reasons why,
you know, all the logical, man-made, man's arguments of why the rapture comes before the tribulation.
But they can never just point to a hard-hitting verse that just, bam!
And you say, where's your hard-hitting verse?
Matthew 24.
After the tribulation.
2 Thessalonians 2.
Hard-hitting.
Mark 13.
They just clearly, bluntly, and then this is what they'll try to say, too,
when they start getting, you know, beat up one side and down the other with the truth.
Well, there's not really a clear verse on either side.
So bony.
He come up in clouds, and every eye will see him.
It's clear.
You don't want to see the truth.
And there's all this mountain of evidence that makes it so clear that when he comes,
it's after the tribulation.
And when he comes, it's in the clouds.
And when he comes, it's with the trumpet.
And when he comes, it's to catch up those that are saved.
And when he comes, everyone will see him.
The saved will see him.
The unsaved will see him.
There's all this evidence.
And yet they just stubbornly cling to a lie.
Now look, you know what?
It blows me away because I'll talk to preachers about it.
And any preacher, and look, I've sat down with preachers and talked to them about this.
I've never had one walking away telling me, you're wrong, Pastor Anderson.
Never.
I've never sat down with a preacher and gone over this doctrine and had them walk away
saying, well, you're wrong.
Because they can't.
Because there's so much Bible.
There's so much evidence.
They have no evidence.
And every conversation I've ever had with a preacher, this is what they walk away saying.
Oh, I'm going to have to look into that.
I'm going to have to study that.
I need to look into this.
Because they have to admit that they don't have the answers.
Okay, but here's what's funny.
You talk to them a year later, two years later, and three years later, they're still looking into it.
That's what's funny.
I'm going to look into this.
And I'm not talking about one pastor.
I'm talking about a long list of pastors I can give you that I've spoken to about this.
And then I talk to other people who confront their past.
And by the way, I'm sick and tired of people saying,
well, I can't find a church that doesn't teach the preacher back, so I'm just not going to go to church.
Well, you know what? You need to get your behind in church.
Because the Bible commands you to be in church.
And I'm not condoning of the pre-trib rapture doctrine.
But you know what? I'd rather go to a pre-trib church.
In fact, I did it for my whole life until I started this church.
Because that was what we had here.
That was our local church.
And I didn't like it, but that's what we did.
And I thank God that I went to church.
Because church will do a lot for you spiritually.
Even if you don't agree with certain doctrines.
You're still getting the preaching against sin.
You're still getting the encouragement.
You need to go there.
But you know what?
Honestly, I think someone should talk to...
And the Bible says, rebuke not an elder, but treat him as a father.
I do think that people should take the truth to their pastor on this issue.
Not in a cocky, arrogant way.
But to come to him in meekness.
And to come to him humbly and respectfully to their pastor.
And bring him this information.
Because some are just in ignorance today.
Some have just been brainwashed.
It's not that they're willingly preaching a lie.
They've just been brainwashed on this.
And so people should lovingly and kindly bring this to their pastor.
But constantly.
I'm constantly getting emails and letters and calls from people.
Saying, you know, I talked to my pastor about this.
And over and over again.
He didn't know what to say.
He said he was going to look into it.
Because it really threw him for a loop.
Once he saw all the scriptures.
Once he saw all the mountain of evidence.
And then a year later, they're looking into it.
And two years later, they're still looking into it.
And three years later, they're looking into it.
Look, that's ridiculous.
And you know what I always say to these pastors when they tell me,
like, well, you know, I'm going to have to study this more.
I always tell them, I say, well, you know what I say,
you know, when you go out soul winning,
you show people scriptures about salvation, right?
And you show them how it's all by faith and how it's not by works.
And you show them all these really clear scriptures
that it's eternal life, it's everlasting life,
that you can't lose your salvation.
That it's none of our works.
It's all faith.
It's all belief.
And you show them that.
And I say, when you confront them with those clear scriptures,
don't you expect them to accept it right then and there?
Or do you like it when they tell you,
I'm going to look into this?
Right?
So isn't it hypocrisy that when they show somebody a clear scripture,
well, there it is.
It's right there.
Why don't you just believe it?
But then you show them all this clear scripture over and over,
just clear as crystal.
And they've been in the ministry.
They've already been pastoring.
They've already been to Bible college in many cases.
They've already been preaching.
They already know the Bible.
They already know what you're showing them is true
once you start breaking it down to them.
And then they just have to look into it.
And then they're just forever looking into it.
Why?
Because they don't have the guts to stand up
and preach what I'm preaching right now
because it's not popular.
And there are lots of people who've left our church
because I preach this truth that I'm preaching tonight.
I can list for you people who left the church over this doctrine.
Why?
Because they just stubbornly cling to the lie.
They don't want to accept the truth.
And these pastors know that as soon as they got up and preach it,
they've become about as popular as Pastor Anderson is.
It's true.
So this is what they do.
They hide behind, I'm looking into it.
I'm thinking about, well, you know what?
What do you do, Pastor?
Don't you read the Bible?
Don't you pray?
Don't you study the Bible?
How long does it take you to study this?
It ain't that complicated.
And here's the mistake that they do
when they say, I'm looking into it, I'm going to study up on it.
You go back and talk to them and you know what they do?
They say, well, I read up on both sides.
No, don't read up on both sides.
Read the Bible.
That's how you look into this.
Yeah, I'm sure if you go to your stupid pre-trip bookstore
and your pre-trip articles and your pre-trip sermons
and you get all their lies and garbage pumped into you more,
that's what screwed you up in the first place.
And then you're going to go to the same place
and you're going to read all the writings
of these lying pre-trip doctrines and you read it all
and then you're going to read the other side
and you're going to read both sides.
You're filling your mind with a bunch of man's doctrine.
If you want to know the truth on this issue or any issue,
you need to open the Bible and get rid of all other materials.
I mean, if you really look at this and say, you know what?
I don't know whether it's pre-trip or post-trip.
You know what?
Why don't you do like my good friend in Indiana?
I confronted him on this issue.
And I confronted him on this and he'd never heard it.
He'd never been taught this.
He thought it was a pre-trip rapture.
He'd never heard it, but he was a good guy.
He was a sincere, Bible-believing Christian.
And I confronted him on this doctrine.
And he said, you know what?
He said, wow.
It blew him away.
He'd never heard it.
He called me back two weeks later and he said this.
He said, you know what?
He said, will you hit me with that?
He said, hit me like a ton of bricks
because it was so clear what you were showing me.
He said, I went home and I prayed and said to God,
I'm going to read the whole New Testament
and if there's a pre-trip rapture,
show it to me in this book.
I'm looking for it.
And he went to that Bible and he read the New Testament
just looking at every chapter.
What does it say about this issue?
What does it say about the tribulation?
What does it say about the coming of the clouds?
What does it say about the trump?
He went through the whole thing.
And when he got to the end of it,
he called me back and said, you know what?
That pre-trip rapture is the biggest lie in the world.
He believed it his whole life.
He said, there's nothing in the Bible that teaches that.
Nothing.
That's how you look into it.
You read the Bible.
You don't read all this other man's wisdom.
Look, you need not that any man teach you.
As the same anointing teaches you of all things,
it is truth and it is no lie,
even as if it had taught you so life.
And nobody is going to pick up Matthew 24
and just read it and say, oh, oh yeah, this is,
we need to separate dispensationally the church
and Israel and we need to understand, you know.
No, because they just read it and just take it for what it says.
Amen.
You know, and when they keep seeing over and over,
he's coming in the clouds.
He's coming with the trumpets down.
He's coming to gather the elect.
They're not going to get all these lies and false doctrine.
They're going to come to the truth.
And they're not going to find a verse
that's teaching the pre-trip rapture because it ain't there.
Now, everything in the book of Daniel
is consistent with the New Testament,
of course, on this doctrine.
Notice the timing in Daniel.
Now, earlier, and I'm almost done,
but earlier in Daniel 7,
I read you a scripture about Jesus coming in the clouds.
First, it talked about the antichrist coming.
Okay, it talks about the antichrist first
in Daniel 7.
Then, you know, Christ comes in the clouds.
So the order is always consistent.
Look at Daniel 11.
You'll see the same order in Daniel 11.
First, the antichrist coming and setting up his kingdom.
Then, the rapture, you know, people call it the rapture.
The Bible calls it the first resurrection.
The Bible calls it Christ coming in the clouds,
or the second coming.
Okay, that's what the Bible calls it.
But look what the Bible says in Daniel 11.
You'll see how consistent this is with everything else.
It says in Daniel 11 31,
an arm shall stand on his part
and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength
and shall take away the daily sacrifice
and they shall place the abomination
that may get desolate.
Okay, so everybody see that?
The abomination that may get desolate there?
Well, in Matthew 24, you don't have to turn there,
and in Mark 13, he says,
when you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation,
spoken of by Daniel the prophet,
he says, you know, head for the hills, basically,
there's going to be great tribulation,
such as was not since the beginning of the world,
nor ever shall be.
Then after the tribulation,
sun and moon are darkened,
Christ comes in the clouds with the trumpets and so forth.
So we see the abomination of desolation, don't we?
He says, such as do wickedly against the covenant,
shall he, talking about the Antichrist,
who set up the abomination of desolation,
shall he corrupt by flatteries,
but the people that do know their God
shall be already gone by them.
They're already gone.
They're not even there.
They've already been removed in the preacher of rapture.
Is that what it says?
No.
No, it says they that be strong and know their God,
it says they shall be strong and do exploits,
and they that understand among the people
shall instruct many,
yet they shall fall by the sword.
Who?
The ones that are strong and know their God.
Someone will say, this is the 144,000.
No, the 144,000 aren't going to fall by the sword.
They're not going to fall by flame.
They're not going to fall by captivity and by spoil many days.
The Bible says that the Antichrist in Revelation 13
will make war with the saints and overcome them.
And that's what this is talking about,
them falling by the sword.
Many will be killed for the cause of Christ.
He said they'll fall by the sword.
They'll instruct many.
They'll win many souls to Christ.
But many will fall by the sword and by flame
and by captivity and by spoil many days.
Captivity is what?
Being thrown in prison.
That's what captivity is, or captive.
Now when they shall fall, they shall be hopen.
Hopen is an old word for helped.
Hopen with a little help,
but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.
And some of them of understanding shall fall
to try them and to purge and to make them white
even in the time of the end,
because it is yet for a title point.
Doesn't that remind you of Revelation 2.10,
when he says,
Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer.
Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison,
that ye may be what?
Tried.
Isn't that what it just said in Daniel 11?
That ye shall be tried.
Ye shall have tribulation ten days.
Be thou faithful unto death, and I'll give thee a crown of life.
He says in verse 36,
And the king shall do according to his will,
and he shall exalt himself
and magnify himself above every god,
and shall speak marvelous things against the god of gods.
And let this sink into your ears.
This antichrist, the king,
this global king,
he's going to magnify himself above every god
and put himself above all gods
and claim that he is god.
And he says,
He shall speak marvelous things against the god of gods,
that's found in Revelation 13,
and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished,
for that that is determined shall be done.
Neither shall he regard the god of his fathers,
nor to the desire of women, nor regard any god,
for he shall magnify himself above all.
Okay, keep that in mind.
Look at Daniel 12.1.
Get the chronology here.
We see the antichrist come.
We see him making war on the saints,
especially after the abomination of desolation
is when many of them are being captive,
killed with fire, with sword, and so forth.
They're instructing many.
They're winning many souls,
but they're being persecuted severely.
Okay?
Then look at verse 1 of chapter 12.
And at that time...
At what time?
He just gave a litany.
This is going to happen, this is going to happen,
this is going to happen, this is going to happen.
And at that time...
Okay, so basically he's saying once all this stuff has happened...
Because look, the chronology doesn't stop.
He goes through chapter 11.
This is going to happen, this is going to happen, this is going to happen.
At the very end of 11 it says,
But tidings out of the east, verse 44,
and out of the north shall trouble him.
Therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy
and utterly to make away many.
And he shall plant the tabernacle of his palace
between the seas and the glorious holy mountains.
Yet he shall come to his end and none shall help him.
And at that time...
So look, we're at the time after the part about God's people being persecuted.
After the abomination of desolation.
And at that time shall Michael stand up,
the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people.
And there shall be a time of trouble,
such as was never since there was a nation even to that same time.
And at that time, thy people shall be delivered,
everyone that shall be found, written in the book.
So deliverance for God's people comes when?
After.
The abomination of desolation.
Now this is what the people will focus in on.
Well he says thy people.
He's talking about the Jews.
I've got news for you.
The Jews are not God's people.
They have rejected Christ.
He said to those that were his people,
you are not my people.
Read Hosea 1 and 2.
Compare it with Romans 9 through 11.
Those people that reject Christ are not his people.
They are not God's people.
They are not our brothers and sisters.
They are not our people.
The Jews today by and large have rejected Jesus Christ.
The kingdom of God has been taken from them and given to a nation,
bringing forth the fruits thereof, period.
They are not his people.
The people that were once not called people
now are called the people of God out of all nations,
out of all kindreds, out of all tongues and tribes.
We, red and yellow, black and white,
who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are God's people.
We are the people of the Lord.
The children of Israel shall be cast into outer darkness.
There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth
because they rejected Christ.
Only those who have been saved, the remnant,
the few that are of Israel that are saved,
will go to heaven.
The rest are on their way to hell today
because they don't believe in Jesus.
Now, what's so funny about this is that, you know,
today, well, I don't know why.
There's too much.
I don't have time to go into it.
But anyway, go to 2 Thessalonians 2.
The last place we'll turn.
2 Thessalonians 2,
and we'll see the same thing we saw in Daniel 7,
same thing in Daniel 11,
same thing in Matthew 24,
same thing as in Mark 13,
same teaching as in Luke 21,
same teaching as in Luke 17,
same teaching as we find in Revelation 6, 7, and 8.
I mean, it's just over and over again.
It's so clear.
And you see, why preach on it?
It's too obvious that so many are deceived, though,
because so many churches and so many Christian bookstores
are promoting the lie that's out there.
We've got to come back to lie.
And secondly, oftentimes, I talk to people
and even if they've heard a lot of sermons on this,
they still don't have a full grasp of these truths.
They don't have a full handle on the truths
that I'm preaching about.
And so it's good to review it and to drive it in,
because you ought to know what you believe about this.
You ought not be confused and say,
and I've talked to many believers that say,
I just shy away from the book of Revelation
because I'm confused.
It doesn't make any sense.
You know, that's wrong.
If there's a book in the Bible that confuses you,
you ought to park it in that book and read it more.
You know what I mean?
Try to learn about it.
Try to figure it out.
Don't ignore it and skip it.
I've even talked to people who skipped it
in their Bible reading,
just because they didn't want to read it,
because I don't understand it.
Well, maybe if you read it more, you would understand it.
You know, I remember when I was a teenager,
I just started doing Bible memory.
I wanted to memorize chapters of the Bible.
And I learned Philippians 3 and 4,
and I decided I want to do something
from the Old Testament.
And I was thinking, you know,
I want to do something that I can memorize
a whole book.
So I went to the Minor Prophets,
you know, all those short books
in the Old Testament.
And I said, you know,
I'm going to memorize some of these short books.
And I remember I chose the book of Habakkuk,
because I thought to myself,
this book makes no sense.
You know, this is a complicated book.
This makes no sense to me.
I'm going to memorize it,
because then I can learn it.
And I was like, you know,
I'm going to learn something here.
I know I'm going to learn a lot,
because this book doesn't make any sense to me.
And then I did the book of Joel.
Both of them confused me,
because they were very deep books.
And I memorized those books,
and by the time I was done memorizing it,
then I understood it.
You know what I mean?
Because if you read and study the Bible
and memorize it,
and then the Holy Spirit will guide you
into the truth, okay?
And so we ought to,
if you don't understand something
about what I'm preaching tonight,
I'm trying to make it clear,
if there's parts of the sermon
that don't make sense to you,
that means you need to do more reading.
You know, you need to get into these books.
Because, again,
nobody taught me any of this.
Did you hear me?
Nobody taught me any of this.
I grew up being taught
the pre-trib rapture my whole life.
Nobody taught me this doctrine
except the Holy Ghost and the Word of God.
And you have the same Spirit of God
and the same Bible I do.
You can go home and learn this
and study it,
and I would encourage you to do so,
and not just blow it off.
Well, it doesn't matter.
Oh, yes, it does matter.
It matters to us more today
than it mattered 200 years ago.
Wouldn't you say that?
I mean, this could be,
and I don't know the day or the hour,
this could be in the generation
that we're living in.
It would not be shocking, would it,
if we're living in the generation
that will see these things come to pass?
I mean, we could definitely see
the signs of the times.
And so if you are...
Can you imagine?
You're living in this generation.
All of a sudden,
this stuff starts to go down.
You know, a lot of people
are going to be really confused
in churches in America
that aren't getting this teaching
that you're getting right now,
that aren't getting this doctrine.
Especially, they've been taught,
the preacher of rapture,
they're going to be so confused,
they're going to be mixed up,
and you say,
well, why does it matter?
They'll figure it out.
Jesus said, I'm warning you
because if I warn you,
you'll not be offended.
And the implication there in John 16
when he said,
in the world you shall have tribulation
but be of good cheer,
I've overcome the world.
The implication is in John 16
that if you don't know
that this is going to come,
and if you have not been warned,
that you are more likely to be offended.
You are more likely to fall
and to fail and to falter
when you don't expect it,
when it comes upon you unaware.
The surprise attack.
Remember December 7, 1941?
The surprise attack.
And I'm not discounting prior knowledge, okay?
But the surprise attack.
It was definitely a surprise
to the Joe Blow, you know,
on the street,
to the guy, the poor guy,
who's signed up to serve his country
because he loves his country
and he wants to protect his homeland.
It was a surprise to him.
And you know what?
If they would have been prepared,
there wouldn't have been
those mass casualties.
Oh no.
If they would have been prepared,
if they would have had the defenses,
but they had the radars turned off,
they had the defenses turned off,
they weren't ready for it,
it struck them on what day of the week?
What day of the week was it?
Sunday.
Somebody tell me.
Sunday, exactly.
Sunday.
When they're not expecting it.
When they least expected it, right?
Their day off.
They're relaxing
and then the bond will begin to fall.
That's why they suffered so badly
because they weren't ready for it.
Same thing.
Why does Jesus warn us over and over?
Why did the apostle Paul warn us
over and over?
So that it would not take us by surprise.
He told us very clearly
in 1 Thessalonians 4 and 5.
He said,
to the unsaved it's going to come
like a thief in the night.
But he said,
you brethren are not in darkness
and that that day should overtake you.
Are we going to be surprised and shocked
when we see a one world government?
No.
Are we going to be surprised and shocked
when they say you can't buy or sell
without the market?
No.
Are we going to be surprised and shocked
when the sun and moon are darkened?
No.
We're going to say,
wow, it's exactly as the Bible said it would be.
And when we see Jesus come into clouds,
are we going to be shocked?
Whoa.
What is he doing here?
We're not going to be surprised at all.
But you know what?
Many people today, unfortunately,
even though they're saved,
preachers are keeping them in darkness
on these subjects
instead of teaching them this stuff.
So the last place I want to look at with you
is 2 Thessalonians chapter 2.
And this ties in nicely with what we read about
in Daniel 11.
Give me a moment to get there here.
2 Thessalonians 2, 1 says this,
Now we beseech you, brethren,
by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ
and by our gathering together unto him.
What do you think we're talking about?
You think we're talking about this stuff over here,
1 Thessalonians 4, or is this Revelation 19 on the horse?
Okay?
Yeah, pretty easy, huh?
It says,
That ye be not soon shaken in mind,
or be troubled.
Look, God doesn't want us to be shaken in mind
or troubled.
Neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter,
as from us,
he's saying pretending to be from us,
as 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 a man of sin be revealed,
the son of perdition.
It says don't let anyone deceive you
and lie to you that the day of Christ is at hand.
It's not.
Look, I mean, look,
we could have just skipped the whole rest of the sermon.
We could have just turned here.
We literally could have just opened our Bibles tonight
and just said, you know what?
Let's let you out early tonight.
Let's make this a five-minute sermon.
Turn to 2 Thessalonians 2.
Anybody who tells you that the day of Christ is at hand
is a deceiver.
That day shall not come,
except there come a falling away first,
and that man of sin be revealed,
the son of perdition.
And I love the term that day.
I mean, that term is used so much.
That day in Matthew 24,
of that day and hour,
no one, no man.
That day, that day, that day,
it's talking about the same day.
And it's real clear here
that look up all seven times the word day of Christ.
The term day of Christ is used.
It's crystal clear
that it's the rapture.
He says that day shall not come,
except there come a falling away first.
And by the way, he said in verse 1,
it's the coming of the Lord.
It's our gathering together unto him.
That day shall not come,
except there come a falling away first.
And the man of sin,
talking about the antichrist,
be revealed, the son of perdition,
who opposeth and exalts himself
above all that is called God.
Do you remember reading that in Daniel 11?
Or that is worshiped so that he, as God,
sits in the temple of God,
showing himself that he is God.
Remember ye not that when I was yet with you,
I told you these things,
and now ye know what withholdeth,
that he might be revealed in his time.
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work.
Can we not see these forces already at work?
Already building toward the antichrist,
and toward him now?
He says it's already at work.
It was already at work back then,
and it's still at work.
He says,
But only he who now letteth will let,
until he be taken out of the way.
And then shall that wicked be revealed,
whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth,
and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming,
even in whose coming is after the working of Satan,
with all power and signs and lying wonders,
and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness,
and then the parish,
because they receive not the love of the truth,
that they might be saved.
And for this cause,
God shall send them strong delusion,
that they should believe a lie,
that they all might be damned to believe not the truth,
but at pleasure and unrighteousness.
The Bible's clear here.
The gathering together unto him,
the coming of the Lord the day of Christ,
will not come,
and except first the man of sin,
the antichrist,
be revealed,
who opposes himself and exalts himself,
above all that is called God of his worship.
And at that time,
at that time that he does that,
and at that time that he persecutes God's people,
and at that time that there's a time of tribulation,
such as was not since the beginning of the world,
nor nor ever shall be,
as it's said in Daniel 12.1,
he said,
then thy people shall be delivered.
Everyone whose name is written in a genealogy somewhere,
a hakim, yakim, yoseph somewhere, rabbi, no.
He said,
everyone who's written in the book,
and guess what that book is?
God's book.
The book of life.
Okay?
He writes the book on who's going to heaven,
and who's going to hell.
And you know this thing of my people?
You know who my people are?
It's like when they ask Jesus,
when they told Jesus,
hey, your mother and your brethren stand without
desiring to speak with you.
And what did he say?
Who is my mother?
Who are my brethren?
And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples,
and said,
behold my mother and my brethren,
for as whoever shall do the will of my father
which is in heaven,
the same is my mother and sister and brother.
And you know,
if Daniel would have been sitting right with them,
he would have said the same thing.
He wouldn't have said,
hey brother to the Pharisees.
If Daniel the prophet today
would not stretch forth his hand to a rabbi,
the modern day Pharisee,
the modern day Sadducee of the orthodox Jew,
he would not put out his hand and say,
hey my brother.
He put out his hand to you and say,
hey brother.
Are you listening to me?
He would put out his hand to you,
whether you are red, yellow, black or white,
and say,
you are my brother.
Because we both have God as our father.
We are the brotherhood,
according to 1 Peter chapter 2.
We are the save of all nations,
all kindreds.
And look,
the church here is a family.
It's why we call each other brother.
You know,
somebody heard me preaching
and I referred to brother Dave.
Somebody emailed me and said,
you know,
is that a special title that he earned?
How did he earn the title of brother Dave?
And I wrote back and said,
he got saved.
Amen.
He got saved.
I said,
that's how he achieved that rank.
He believed on Christ.
You know,
because we call anybody who's saved brother.
It's not a special title.
It's just if you're saved,
you're brother.
We're brothers and sisters in Christ.
Okay,
it's a brotherhood.
It's brotherhood.
You ever meet somebody who you've never met before
in your whole life,
but they're a Bible-believing Christian
who loves the Bible,
loves God a lot,
so isn't it like they're just family instead?
I mean,
you just instantly,
there's a bond there.
There's a brotherhood there.
It's like your long-lost brother.
It is your long-lost brother.
Because God is your father,
and we're all saved.
Don't tell me that my people,
and look,
who do you think I'm going to side with more?
Who do you think I'm going to side with more?
My people,
let's say,
okay,
I'm Swedish.
I'm signed with the Andersons.
I don't care if they're a bunch of Mormons in Idaho.
You know,
it's like,
you know,
I probably have a lot more in common
with the people in this church
who are from all parts of the world,
and you know,
we have people in our church.
We have Asians in our church.
We have blacks.
We have Native Americans.
We have Hispanics.
We have all,
you know,
okay,
we don't have every nation and kindred
and tongue and tribe represented.
We do have,
I mean,
we have the basic continents.
You know,
well,
when we had Victor here,
we had all the continents.
We had Australia.
Right now,
we don't have Australia,
but we got the rest of the continents represented.
Who do you think I'm going to identify with more?
My,
my unsaved Mormon Swedish relatives,
or who do you think I'm going to say is my people more?
Faithful or Baptist church of all nations.
You see what I'm saying?
And so,
we identify with God's people,
and God's people are not a certain skin color
or a certain tribe of the children of Israel.
He said avoid genealogies,
because you don't need a genealogy to prove that you believe on Christ.
You just need the word of your mouth,
the word of your testimony.
Let's fire our heads and have a word of prayer.
Father,
thank you so much for your glory,
your God,
and help us to give you the glory due unto your name,
and help us to hang in there
and endure trials and tribulations,
and we may even be the generation that goes through the big tribulation,
but help us to endure whatever trials and tribulations
that we go through here, God,
until you do come in the clouds with glory,
and that glorious cloud surrounds your second coming.
Help us to endure to that day if we're in that generation.
And Father, help us to be warned
and to study to show ourselves approved,
rightly dividing the word of truth,
and thank you for those that are here
that are faithful to your house on Sunday night,
and please bless them with wisdom and skill and understanding
because of their faithfulness to your house
and to be here and hear your word preached.
In Jesus' name we pray, amen.