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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