There's a popular myth that the
second coming of Jesus Christ
can happen at any time--maybe
even tonight.
Do you realize dear friends,
that this is a false doctrine?
He will not come tonight--not
according to the Word of God!
But wait, you may think.
Doesn't He return in a secret
rapture that can happen at
any moment to protect
His true servants from the
great tribulation?
Again, not according
to the Bible.
On today's Tomorrow's World
program, instead of looking to
popular "Left Behind" novels,
we'll open up the Bible and
see what it actually says
about this subject.
We'll see that Jesus Himself
listed specific signs that must
precede His return.
What are they?
And more importantly,
what is the warning He gave
along with that first sign?
It's an important one!
No, Jesus will not come tonight,
tomorrow, this year, next year
or the year after.
You or I may die tonight, and
we'll meet Him in our next
conscious moment, but He will
not return to earth tonight,
not even in a secret rapture.
I'll show that on
today's program.
And I'll also be offering you a
free DVD -- "Is the Rapture Your
Incredible Future?"
So be sure to take down our
contact information that will be
shown at various times
during this program.
Stay with me as I'll be back to
answer these important questions
from the pages of the Bible.
And I'll also reveal what Jesus
gave as the first sign of the
end of the age, and just as
importantly, the warning He gave
that accompanies that sign.
Stay tuned.
♪
A warm welcome to all of you
from all of us here at
Tomorrow's World, where we ask
serious questions and give solid
answers--straight from the
pages of the Bible.
We're pleased that you have
joined us on today's program,
and we give a special welcome
to those of you tuning in
for the first time.
Today, I'm asking and answering
the questions:
You've likely heard someone,
perhaps a professing
Christian minister,
say that Jesus can come at any
time--maybe even tonight.
Setting aside the subject of the
rapture for a moment, some have
concluded this based on a
misunderstanding of Matthew 24,
where it tells us in verse 36...
Then in verses 42 to 44
we read what appears to
many as confirmation...
It's true that no one knows the
day or the hour, but that is not
the same as saying He can
come at any time.
These verses must be taken in
the context in which they are
written--in other words, what
goes before and what follows.
If we start at the beginning of
Matthew 24, we find Jesus'
disciples asking about the
destruction of the temple and
the time of His return.
Notice, beginning in verse 3...
His disciples understood that a
series of events must take place
before the climax at the end,
and He confirmed this with a
list of signs to watch for that
would precede His return.
A number of these signs are
ongoing, taking place throughout
human history.
That is why He tells us
in verse 6...
And then in verse 8...
However, when we compare these
signs that Jesus gave in Matthew
24 with the famed
"Four Horsemen" of Revelation
chapter 6, we must conclude
that such catastrophes as war,
famine and disease will take on
greater significance in the near
future as they are precursors
of the Day of the Lord
when Christ returns.
And among the signs given,
it would do us well to
note a very specific one
found in verse 15...
Notice that Jesus refers
to the prophet Daniel
regarding this sign.
We read of it in Daniel chapter
12, where it clearly shows
the time setting to be
"the time of the end."
Notice it in verse 4...
Then, in verse 9 we read...
In verse 11 Daniel records this
message that gives a specific
time between when this
abomination is set up and the
end when the Messiah--Jesus
Christ--returns...
That is 3 years and 7 months.
There are three
settings involving the
abomination of desolation.
Two are past tense and the
third is yet to come.
#1: In 168 B.C. it took place
under Antiochus Epiphanes.
#2: The destruction of the
Temple and Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
And the third one is yet to
come: 1,290 Days before
Christ returns.
Since that destructive
abomination has not yet
occurred, and that takes place
1,290 days prior to the end,
when the Messiah Jesus Christ
returns, we know that He will
not come tonight, or,
at the very least,
another 3 years and 7 months.
But that is merely one sign.
Others precede the Abomination
of Desolation, as shown in
Matthew 24 and elsewhere.
How ironic it is that people
conclude that Jesus can come at
any time when a chapter they
use as proof is devoted
to describing what
must first happen!
It is in the context of these
signs, that Jesus admonishes us,
in verses 32 and 33...
It is only after He gave this
parable of the fig tree that He
mentions that no one would know
the exact day or hour.
But what about a secret
rapture that we are told
can come at any time?
Does the Bible teach it?
And what is the first sign that
Jesus gave signaling the end of
the age and the warning that
accompanies that sign?
I'll answer these questions in a
moment, but first I want to
offer you our free DVD titled:
"Is the Rapture Your
Incredible Future?"
Anyone looking forward to
the Rapture needs this
important resource.
It's free for the asking.
Just ask for the DVD
on the Rapture.
And when I return in a minute,
I'll answer the questions:
And,
And just as importantly,
even more importantly,
For today's free offer call...
Or go to...
This clear and straight-forward
resource will help you
understand this vital truth--
straight from the
pages of the Bible.
If you're calling for the first
time, you will also receive a
free annual subscription to
Tomorrow's World magazine.
Ten inspiring issues discussing
news, science, and modern
culture will help you make sense
of your world from
a biblical perspective.
Call today and join millions
around the world who are turning
to Tomorrow's World for truth,
prophecy, and hope in these
confusing times.
Call now!
Or go to...
Welcome back.
Before the break I said I would
answer the questions:
And,
The passage most often used
regarding a secret rapture is
found in 1 Thessalonians 4,
beginning in verse 13...
This is the context: those who
have died in the faith and
why those who know the truth
need not sorrow as others
who have no hope.
That hope is, of course, the
resurrection from the dead.
Paul then gives this further
encouragement and explanation in
verses 15 and 16...
Notice the order of the
resurrection--those already dead
will be resurrected first.
Yet, the man-made rapture
doctrine purports that the
rapture protects believers from
the Great Tribulation by taking
them to heaven.
Why take the dead?
Do they need protection?
And let us not forget
when this occurs...
It is only after the trumpet
sounds and the dead are raised
that those living at the time
will be changed.
Read it for yourself
in verse 17...
Then Paul brings the subject
full circle to the purpose of
this passage...
Yes, the subject is not some
kind of rapture, which is never
spoken of in these verses, but
how to comfort one another over
the death of loved ones.
Furthermore, the New Testament
is absolutely consistent
regarding the coming of
Christ--He returns at the
sounding of a trumpet, whether
literal or figurative, but it is
not just any trumpet.
Let's notice this detail
provided in 1 Corinthians
15:51 and 52...
Did you notice that...
And that leads us to the book of
Revelation where we read of
seven trumpets that portend
natural disasters and warfare,
with a spectacular event
occurring at the
sounding of the last,
that is the seventh trumpet.
Let's read it in Revelation 11
and in verse 15...
So far we've seen that Jesus
will not return at just any time
and that the passage most often
referred to by rapturists
has nothing to do
with a secret rapture.
So let's now turn to
the next question:
What is the first sign
Jesus gave leading up to
His second coming?
I'll answer that question in a
moment, but I first want to
remind you of today's free
DVD--"Is the Rapture Your
Incredible Future?"
The Rapture is one of the most
commonly held beliefs among
professing Christians,
but as we're beginning
to see on today's program,
the Biblical evidence
for it is just not there.
Frankly, my friends,
it is amazing how readily
people accept this totally
unbiblical doctrine.
But don't take my word for it.
Check it out from the
pages of your Bible.
Prove it for yourself.
This DVD "Is the Rapture Your
Incredible Future?"
is yours free for the asking,
as it has already been paid
for by members of the Living
Church of God and our coworkers.
You have nothing to lose and
everything to gain.
After this short 15 second break
I'll be back to answer
the question:
What is the first sign
Jesus gave leading up to His
second coming?
This clear and straight-forward
resource will help you
understand this vital truth--
straight from the
pages of the Bible.
Call now!
Or go to...
Before the break I said I would
answer the question: What is the
first sign Jesus gave leading up
to His second coming?
Perhaps you already know the
answer, but more importantly do
you also know the warning that
Jesus gave along with that sign?
And what relationship does
that have to you?
Three chapters in the Bible,
written by three different
authors, record what is known as
the Olivet Prophecy:
Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21
We find that Jesus and His
disciples had left the Temple
and were going out to the
Mount of Olives just across
a narrow valley.
As they went, the disciples
were in awe of the beauty
of the Temple.
It was then that they asked
Jesus, and He informed them...
That's found in
Matthew 24, and verse 2.
Not surprisingly, the disciples
wanted to know when this would
happen and as they sat on the
Mount, they asked this
two-fold question...
The answer had a former
fulfillment and a
latter-day fulfillment.
The former fulfillment had to do
with the destruction of the
temple that we know from history
took place in 70 A.D.
Incredibly, some scholars
believe the whole prophecy only
applied to the events in 70
A.D., but even a child can
understand that this
prophecy also has an
end-time fulfillment.
Let's read the latter part of
verse 3 once again...
We know the second coming did
not take place in 70 A.D., nor
was that the end of the age.
We also know that some of the
specifics of this prophecy
can only apply to the time
of Christ's return.
As an example, we read
in verses 21 and 22...
There can only be one such time
as this, for as it says,
"nor ever shall be."
And a simple reading of the
book of Revelation,
written around 90 A.D.
after Jerusalem fell describes a
time of worldwide trouble far
greater than anything mankind
has ever known.
Daniel 12 also refers to this
worst of all possible times and
connects it with the time of the
resurrection from the dead at
Christ's return...
Clearly, there can be no
two times worse than
anything before or after.
So what is the first
sign Jesus gave?
Right after the disciples asked
about the signs of His coming,
we read in Matthew 24 and in
verses 4 and 5...
So the first sign Jesus gave was
religious deception, but not
just any religious deception.
It's speaking about
Christian deception.
And regarding that deception,
Jesus gave this warning...
We will take a much closer look
at this sign and Jesus'
warning in a minute,
but I want to remind you again
of today's free DVD -- "Is the
Rapture Your Incredible Future?"
You need to know the truth
about the Rapture.
Don't look to the
ideas popularized by the
"Left Behind" books, but to the
Bible itself for the truth of
the matter, and our free DVD --
"Is the Rapture Your
Incredible Future?"
goes into greater detail than I
have time to give you on this
short program and it points you
to the relevant passages of
Scripture that reveal the truth.
Don't take our word for it.
Prove it to yourself from the
pages of your own Bible.
So call now and ask for our
resource on the Rapture or go to
TWTV.org/Rapture.
That's all you need to do.
And when I come back, we will
take a closer look at the
first sign Jesus gave leading
to His return and the
reason behind His warning.
For today's free offer call...
Or go to...
This clear and straight-forward
resource will help you
understand this vital truth--
straight from the
pages of the Bible.
If you're calling for the first
time, you will also receive a
free annual subscription to
Tomorrow's World magazine.
Ten inspiring issues discussing
news, science, and modern
culture will help you make sense
of your world from
a biblical perspective.
Call today and join millions
around the world who are turning
to Tomorrow's World for truth,
prophecy, and hope in these
confusing times.
Call now!
Or go to...
Before the break I said we'll
take a closer look at the first
sign Jesus gave leading to His
return and the reason
behind His warning.
If you're driving down a dark
road at night and see a
sign--"Bridge out"--would you
not take the warning seriously
and take another road?
So why do so few take Jesus'
warning seriously?
Let's read it again
in Matthew the 24th chapter...
Let's analyze this.
Jesus said...
It's not a few, but many who
will come using His name, but
what does that mean?
If someone knocks on
your door and shouts,
"Open up in the
name of the law,"
he is claiming he represents
the law and its authority.
And when ministers
"come in Jesus' name,"
they're claiming to represent
Him and having His authority.
In addition, these
deceivers say...
And by doing so...
There are a few deranged
individuals who claim that
they are the Christ,
but very few follow them.
But false ministers do deceive
many when they claim that they
represent Christ,
even saying that Jesus of
Nazareth is the Christ.
The statement "I am the Christ"
is understood from the context.
Taken alone it could mean that
these deceivers are claiming to
be Christ, but the context shows
that they claim to be
representatives of Christ and
proclaim that Jesus--remember
He is the Speaker here--
is the Christ.
With such tactics, they deceive,
not the few, but the many.
That is why Jesus began this
first sign by saying...
Few claiming to be Jesus will
deceive very many, but if
someone in the pulpit claims to
represent Him, saying that Jesus
is the Christ, that's another
matter, and that's what we see.
False Christianity began almost
immediately following Jesus'
death and resurrection but
wholly took over the Roman
Empire in the fourth century and
continues to the present.
The Apostle Paul describes
the problem on more
than one occasion.
But let's look at what Paul
wrote to those at
Corinth--2 Corinthians 11...
These were believers, but they
were putting up with ministers
deceiving them with a false
Christ and a different
gospel--a Christianity of a
very different spirit.
He continues his warning
about these deceivers
in verses 13-15...
Consider for a moment.
Is it possible that you have
been deceived?
Consider whether the popular
belief in the Rapture is one of
the many deceptions pawned off
on professing Christians.
Don't you be deceived, no matter
how popular an idea may be.
Request our DVD--
"Is the Rapture
Your Incredible Future?"--
and prove the truth
from your Bible.
And be sure to come back next
week when Richard Ames, Wallace
Smith, Rod McNair, and I bring
you more warnings and
good news straight from the
pages of the Bible.
Join us again next week at this
same time and station.
For today's free offer call...
Or go to...
Call today and join millions
around the world who are turning
to Tomorrow's World for truth,
prophecy, and hope in these
confusing times.
♪
The preceding program is
produced by the
Living Church of God.
♪
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