2. HOW CAN FEAR BE USED TO MANIPULATE PEOPLE?
Podcast 1-6-23
Could Christ Return Or A Rapture Happen Tonight?
WHAT EVENTS MUST PRECEDE THE SECOND COMING ?
Are there any events that the Bible says must happen before Jesus' second coming? Yes, there are a number of prophesies. In a two part discussion we will cover these issues and look at the conundrum that faces believers in this regard. Will true believers be raptured away from the end time crisis? Our Bible lists a number of events that will happen BEFORE the return of Christ. First remember that Jesus' return will not be a secret event.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NKJV 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
The return of the Messiah is hardly a secret event. Angels will shout the news of HIS ARRIVAL and the event will be preceded by the Trump of God. Therefore, Jesus could not come tonight because a number of prophetic events must come first. The Bible cannot be broken- everything it says must happen. Short of vast unrealistic universal worldly repentance, all will occur as predicted.
John 10:34-35 NKJV 34 Jesus answered them, …to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),
Clearly every prophesy and precondition for Jesus's return will happen as Christ stated.
WHAT WILL BE THE SIGNS OF YOUR COMING ?
The disciples asked the crucial question, what will be the markers seen before you return? His answer is known as the Olivet Prophesy. It is one of the most valuable and instructive portions of the Word of God for true believers.
Matthew 24:3 NKJV 3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"
Jesus gave them the answers. Putting together His words with other biblical information, we get a fairly comprehensive list of events that must happen before or during the return of the Messiah.
Revelation 11:1 NKJV 1 Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, "Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there.
Matthew 24:15 NKJV 15 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" ...let him understand),
Therefore before the second coming a third Temple must both exist and then be violated in an abominable fashion. Further a great evangelistic work must exist and be conducted by two of the greatest prophets of all time in the years just prior to the second coming.
Revelation 11:3-5 NKJV 3 "And I will give power to my two witnesses, ...5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds...And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner.
Before the return of Jesus there must first be a Temple that will later be desecrated and two major prophets of God called the two witnesses who do an unstoppable evangelizing of the world. None of this has yet happened so Jesus cannot return tonight. So far we have four precursors to the second coming.
They are One, the Trumpets of God, second the Third Temple in Jerusalem's holy site existing, Third the desecration of the said Temple, and Fourth the evangelism of the Two powerful Witnesses. Therefor Jesus will not come tonight. Prophetic Trumpets build up to the seventh and final Trumpet that announces the Messiah's coming to crush all opposition and rule in righteousness.
COULD WE BE RAPTURED SECRETLY TONIGHT ?
If at this point, Jesus could not come tonight could we be raptured away secretly tonight? The word rapture is not in the Bible and it is not given as a precursor to the second coming of Christ. The history of the rapture doctrine is unknown to most. It is a new doctrine that did not exist in the long history of the church until recent times.
A minister in Ireland, Mr. Darby, was conducting a healing service when a fifteen year old teenager, named Margret MacDonald had a vision. It stated that Christ's second coming would take place in two parts. The first visit would be a secret rapture into heaven of the Godly and the rest of mankind would be left to suffer. Darby conducted evangelistic campaigns very successfully from 1859 to 1877 in America. Why would this doctrine have gained such popularity? We believe because it appeals to escapism.
1 Thessalonians 4:17 NKJV 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up TOGETHER with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
The only place in the New Testament that mentions the rapture directly they say are the words 'caught up'. These words could alternately be translated in the LATIN AS RAPTUS they assert! A problem with this assertion is the NT was written in Greek not Latin.
1 Corinthians 15:51-52 NKJV 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-- 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound,...dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Remember at the last of a series of shocking Trumpets Jesus returns in power.
JESUS ENCOURGES US TO BE CAUTIOUS BECAUSE
Note that the return of Jesus and those being caught up happen together, simultaneously. There will be no secret advance rapture. However in the Olivet sermon Jesus tells us we must remain spiritually connected and strong. THE DECEPTIONS of the world could lull true believers to spiritually falling asleep.
Matthew 24:41-49 NKJV 41 "Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 "But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
This is the conundrum for believers. True believers are told
to watch for prophetic signs of the end of this age and yet are told that Jesus will come like a thief in the night. Many of us could be caught by surprise! How can both things be true and what will the end time period be like for those keeping an eye on the precursors to the second coming? We will explore this conundrum and more next week in part two. Christ advice to all us is to :
44 "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. 45 "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? 46 "Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.
We must continue to value our contact with God and obeying and doing His work.
