The Coming Day of the Lord

Let's bow for a moment of prayer together. Father, we thank you, Lord, for tonight. What a great joy you give us to be able to spend this midweek in the word of the Lord. We truly are a blessed people and you've given us your word and you've challenged us through your word to help us understand you. And through that, Lord, how it is we are to live our lives, how we live in light of our great and glorious King. We know that one day you're going to come again. We don't know when that day is going to be, but we anticipate it.

We eagerly anticipate it, knowing that one day we will be home with you. One day we will come back with you and rule and reign on this planet and ultimately for all eternity with our God. We thank you for that assurance. We thank you that your word is very clear about what it means to be a child of the living God. And we are grateful that we can come tonight to learn more about what that means. And so as we anticipate the future, as we anticipate all that's going to happen in the future, that will compel us to tell others about Christ.

Lord, guide us tonight through your word. May your spirit teach us much. May we grow deep. And may we leave here tonight differently than when we arrived because we have learned more about you in the coming day of the Lord. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Okay, if you got your Bible, 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, as we make our way through this long book of three chapters, it's going to take us a while to get through chapter 2 because we want to be able to outline for you the events that are going to come to be in the days ahead.

It's called the church and the coming day of the Lord. In the first chapter, it was all about consolation.

In the second chapter, it's all about correction. In other words, in the first chapter is about consoling those in Thessalonica amidst all their adversity.

We did that by helping you understand that Paul would praise them for what God had done in their lives. And he would also promise them that the Lord was going to come. And upon promising them that, he told them he was going to continually pray for them. That was the consolation that he gave to those in Thessalonica. When you come to chapter 2, it's all about correction. It's all about correcting everything around prophecy. Helping set in order those things so they would understand about the day of the Lord.

And that's what chapter 2 is about. So it begins this way. Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. We don't want you to be disturbed, shaken, worried about the day of the Lord already upon you, already arrived. Which leads us to this. What is the day of the Lord?

How do we understand the day of the Lord? Very important term. It is an eschatological term. That is, it's a term that deals with end times. It's a term that deals specifically with God intervening in human history in order to enact his judgment and wrath upon mankind. That's why it's called the day of the Lord. It's also important to note that the day of the Lord is going to come in a certain manner. It's going to come like a thief. Go back with me if you would to chapter 5 of 1 Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse number 1.

Paul said this in his first letter to the church at Thessalonica. Now as to the times and the epics, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. How does a thief come? A thief does not announce his arrival. A thief doesn't call you on the phone and tell you this is when I'm coming. A thief doesn't send you a text message. A thief doesn't send you an email in advance as to his arrival or a letter or any other kind of communication.

He comes suddenly. He comes unexpectedly. He comes shockingly and terrifyingly because he keeps, he gets you unawares. Well the Bible tells us that the day of the Lord is going to be like a thief in the night. Now that term is also used in the book of Revelation. Revelation 16 verse number 15. Behold I am coming like a thief. Now this is about the gathering together in the valley of Megiddo. In the tribulation when the armies of the east gathered together in that big valley called the Jezreel valley, the valley of Vesderalon, it's the valley of Megiddo.

It has three different names but it's all the same valley. Huge valley. If you've been to Israel with me you've seen it. You've been on top of Megiddo. You've overlooked the valley. You've been on top of Nazareth. Seen the valley and so it's the kings of the east. They gather together in the valley of Megiddo and that's when the Lord says behold I am coming like a thief and blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his but he says behold stand amazed because everybody is gathering together for the great war of the great day of God but he's going to come unexpectedly and yet even though he comes unexpectedly the Bible is very clear and the Lord makes it very clear that there are going to be certain precursors that are going to occur before the day of the Lord.

Turn back with me if you would to Matthew chapter 24. Matthew 24 verse number 42 the great Olivet discourse. It's that great teaching that our Lord had on Wednesday of Passion Week when he would talk to the disciples about his coming again and in it he says these words in verse number 42 therefore be on the alert for you do not know which day your Lord is coming but be sure of this that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into for this reason you also must be ready for the son of at an hour when you do not think he will in other words we can pinpoint the exact hour when Jesus is going to come again he's going to come at the exact hour that you don't think he's going to come so if you're thinking he's going to come he's not going to come but if you don't think he's going to come that's when he's going to come that's what he said he's going to come in an hour that you don't think he's going to arrive that's because he's going to come like a thief now note that phrase is never used of the translation of the church or the rapture of the church when it comes to what we would say and if you look at your outline what or on the thing what we see as the rapture of the church or the translation of the church into glory we're talking about the second coming very important because here's a question people always ask it's a great question where in the new testament does it tell us about two second comings right we know he's already been there once he came he died he was buried rose again he's coming again but if there are two comings okay that is he's going to come and we're going to meet him in the air okay and then we're going to come with him back down to earth okay why is it the bible does not spell that out well let me ask you a question in the old testament there was no detail concerning two comings of the messiah every prophet saw the arrival of the messiah as one coming that's why when the messiah came they didn't like the messiah because he didn't do what they thought he was going to do based on old testament prophecy oh yes he healed everybody and yes he fed everybody and yes he did all these miraculous kinds of things but he preached an offensive message was the message against their religious establishment so because he didn't do what they wanted to do even though they hailed him as their king when he came into jerusalem on that triumphal monday some 2 000 years ago and they hailed him as as their king and they took off their garments and they waved the palm branches because they wanted him to have all of them because they're willing to surrender him blessed is he who comes in the name of the lord you are the coming one we're going to bless you hosanna to the king that was on monday but on friday he was crucified because the king didn't fulfill their expectations remember luke 19 when it talks about that triumphal entry they praised him because of the miracles they had seen they never praised him because of the message that he spoke they loved the miracles they just didn't like the message but he was the king he came and presented the kingdom but they rejected the king and his kingdom so they crucified him but both comings of the messiah are very clearly taught in the old testament just like the translation of the church into heaven and the second coming to earth are very clearly taught in the new testament it's what theologians call biblical harmonization biblical harmonization is a very important way to interpret scripture that is biblical uh the bible is very harmonious and so when you look at all the different aspects of scripture you come to a conclusion as to the truth for example the triune nature of god we believe that god is three in one he is one god manifests himself in three distinct persons god the father god the son and god the holy spirit we know that because god the father god the son god the holy spirit are all called god they all have the same attributes they all experience all the same things so you can go through the new testament and the old testament understand the triune nature of the living god although the bible never says that god is triune bible never says that god is a trinity right that's the word we use but the bible never says that god is triune we call it the tri unity of god one god manifests himself in three persons but it doesn't mean that god is not triune because he is so we can go through new testament say well the bible never says there's going to be a quote rapture of the church answer to that is true that's true but there is a catching away of the church that's what paul teaches in first testimony chapter 4 verse number 17 when we hear a lie remain shall be caught up the word is harpazo a word used uh 14 different times in the new testament it's used of philip in act chapter 8 when he was caught up from where he was with the ethiopian eunuch and landed in caesarea maritima there on the mediterranean sea in israel same word used the apostle paul when he was caught up into heaven second corinthians chapter 12 he was translated from earth into heaven and he received this vision of heaven so great that he could not even speak about it so harpazo was a word used it's the catching away of an individual and it's a word of violent catching away which i will show you in a moment why that's important when it comes to the catching away of the church so even though the phrase thief in the night is not a phrase associated with the rapture of the church into glory it's always associated with the return of christ and the revelation of christ back to the earth that's what matthew 24 is about it's revelation 16 is about that is what uh first thessalonians 5 is all about make sense so biblical harmonization helps you understand biblical truth and so why there might not be a specific word that's used of quote the rapture of the church it's a latin word anyway but the catching away of the church is a phrase used 14 different times in the new testament to speak about the snatching away of an individual or a group of individuals as the church is and therefore we understand that there's something different about meeting the lord in the air and then coming with the saints coming with him back to the earth there's something uniquely different there in john 14 he says let not your heart be trouble even the eve of the crucifixion the disciples are all afraid of what's going to happen next he says what calm down don't let your heart be trouble if you believe in god believe also in me for in my father's house there are many mansions many dwelling places if it were not so i would have told you but i go and i prepare a place for you and if i go and prepare a place for you i will receive you unto myself that where i am there you may be also now that is uniquely different than the saints coming back with him back to earth during the quote day of the lord okay one we go to meet him here we come back with him very unique as the lord explains that so we have john 14 one to three you have first corinthians 15 first session four that speaks specifically of the church being caught up being translated into glory because there is a marriage supper of the lamb that's revelation 19 uh yeah revelation 19 verses one to six so you have the marriage supper of the lamb well where does that take place it takes place in glory as you understand what is going on with a jewish wedding and how the bridegroom is going to present the bride to his father and then he brings the bridegroom with him and presents the bridegroom to the earth that's what happens in a jewish wedding which lasts by the way seven days tribulation lasts seven years and so biblical harmonization helps you understand and decipher what is the difference between the what we call the rapture of the church and the revelation of the christ but it's still one coming manifesting itself in two phases our lord in the old testament was going to come and he did all about the incarnation of the messiah but what the old testament prophets saw or what they didn't see was the church age that's why it's called the mystery in the new testament a mystery is something concealed in the old revealed in the new and so because it was concealed in the old the prophets never saw the church age and so when daniel had a prophecy the 70 weeks of daniel's prophecy in daniel chapter 9 the church wasn't included in the first 69 weeks because there was no church but there's coming to 70th week a 70th week of daniel's prophecy that's yet to be fulfilled that 70th week is this section here called the seven-year tribulation and daniel explains that tribulation in daniel chapter 9 verses 27 and following and so because he does because the church wasn't in the first 69 weeks great chance the church is not in the 70th week of daniel's prophecy either because daniel had no idea about the church age and that's why the church isn't here during the tribulation but more on that as we go so the phrase biblical harmonization is very important to understand so when you look at the phrase thief in the night you may see the movie the thief in the night back in 1972 it came out raise your hand real high see how old you guys are yeah 1972 it came out in 1978 came out a distant thunder that was the sequel to a thief in the night in 1984 came out uh the image of the beast that was the sequel off of the sequel okay and then came out and i didn't see the fourth one it was called uh the prodigal planet i never saw that one they were supposed to come out with the fifth one which was armageddon they never did but they came out with this trilogy of of movies to depict the end times and we used to gather together for a christ a new year's eve service and and we'd get together we'd have communion and then we'd show the movie a thief in the night and then the next year we'd show a distant thunder and next year we show the image of the beast as we anticipate a new year and maybe the arrival of the messiah but the thief in the night had a lot of errors in it theologically so did the image of the beast so did a distant thunder and so you always have to keep your finger in the text when you're looking at prophecy and trying to understand all that the bible says concerning the arrival of king so there's this coming this day the day of the lord it's going to come like a thief in the night when it comes to the translation of the church into glory it's never described as a thief in the night the lord's going to take us home it's going to be the last trump the dead in christ will rise first we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the air and so shall we ever be with the lord that's in first thessalonians chapter four but it's never described as christ coming like a thief because you're not coming to steal anything he's coming to retrieve his bride that his bride might be with him in glory and it's a word that speaks of the imminency of his return because with the rapture of the church we know that jesus is going to come there are 17 different passages in scripture that describe the imminent return of christ all dealing with the church leaving we going home to be with the lord it's called our blessed hope in titus chapter 2 17 different times in the new testament we're talking about going to be with the lord and being in his presence very important because the new testament writers lived in anticipation of the imminent coming of christ that's why in first john chapter john says he who has this hope in him purifies himself even as he himself is pure what is it about the imminent return of christ that causes us to live a pure life you just never know when he's going to come it's like when you're you're home alone and your parents say they're going to come right they're going to be home but you don't know when they're going to be home but you know they're coming right you just don't know at what time they're going to arrive but it helps you live a clean and pure life until they get there because you never know when they're going to show up well there's something about the arrival of the messiah to take us on to be with him that causes us to live a pure holy life we never know when he's going to come again we live in anticipation of that we live in expectation of that it's called the imminent return of christ and there's nothing that has to happen before this event there are things that will happen but on the prophetic calendar nothing has to happen before the translation of the church into glory nothing there will be things that do happen but in terms of prophecy nothing has to happen but when you talk about the revelation of christ to earth him coming like a thief in the night there are certain precursors that must take place that will move you that direction toward the end and even though you'll be in the midst of a tribulation not we won't we'll be gone but those who are here on earth will be in the midst of a tribulation they still not will not know the day nor will they know the hour they can guess but no man knows about the arrival of the messiah when he comes for his people israel very important to understand that the day of the lord let me tell you about the day of the lord the day of the lord is called the time of jacob's trouble jeremiah chapter 30 it's called the 70th week of daniel's prophecy daniel 9 27 it's called jehovah's unusual and extraordinary work in isaiah 28 it's called the day of israel's calamity in deuteronomy 32 obadiah 12 to 14 it's called the tribulation in deuteronomy 4 the indignation isaiah 26 the overflowing scourge isaiah 28 the day of vengeance isaiah 34 the year of recompense isaiah 34 verse number 8 a time of trouble daniel 12 1 a day of wrath distress wasteness desolation darkness gloominess clouds thick darkness the trumpet the day of the lord all in the old testament 19 times in the old testament the day of the lord is referred to but it's described as a day of gloominess a day of distress a day of darkness look what it says back in the book of zephaniah zephaniah zephaniah was a contemporary of jeremiah and when you read old testament prophecy remember when the old testaments prophet old testament prophets prophesied they prophesied about an upcoming prophecy and also about an extended prophecy because the first one will be fulfilled you can trust their word for the second one and so when zephaniah would prophesy along with jeremiah about the captivity of judah which was the babylonian captivity uh he would prophesy not just about their captivity but he would prophesy beyond that to the coming day of the lord so they would understand how severe their sin was and what would happen if they truly did not repent and so in zephaniah chapter 1 it says near is the great day of the lord near now remember zephaniah is prophesying okay he's prophesying about the babylonian captivity but he's talking about the day of the lord that phrase eschatological phrase used 19 times in the old testament six times in the new testament 25 times altogether in the bible to speak about the time that god intervenes in the history of man to enact his wrath and judgment upon man but zephaniah sees it as near remember enoch way back in genesis chapter 5 talked about him a couple of weeks ago what did he prophesy about jude 14 and 15 he prophesied about the son of man coming with all of his holy ones to deal out retribution on all the ungodly people because he prophesied about the second coming of the messiah and so zephaniah in talking about judah and the upcoming babylonian captivity which was a few years yet away was also prophesying about the coming day of the lord and he says near is the great day of the lord near and coming very quickly listen the day of the lord in it the warrior cries out bitterly it's a day of wrath is that day a day of trouble and distress destruction desolation a day of darkness and gloom a day of clouds and thick darkness a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities in the high corner towers i will bring distress on men so they will walk like the blind because they have sinned against the lord and their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the day of the lord's wrath and all the earth will be devoured in the fire of his jealousy for he will make a complete end indeed a terrified one of all the inhabitants of the earth so in zephaniah's prophecy about judah's captivity in babylon that's how he begins he prophesied during the reign of king josiah he also incorporates within that prophecy the day of the lord and it's coming quickly and what's going to happen when the messiah intervenes in human history in the new testament the day of the lord is ascribed as the wrath of god in revelation 15 1 the hour of trial revelation 3 10 the great day of the wrath of the lamb of god revelation 6 16 the wrath to come first thessalonians 1 10 the wrath first thessalonians 5 9 the great tribulation matthew 24 21 the tribulation matthew 24 29 in the hour of judgment revelation 14 7 so as you see the day is a specific time an event a series of events where god is always known how by the judgment he executes remember psalm 9 verse number 16 the lord god of israel is known by the judgment he executes we will tell you this over and over again god is best known not in the blessings he gives but the judgment he bestows he is best known in the judgment in which he executes and god will be best known during this time there we go right here the tribulation with the seals and the trumpets and the bowls in his return because he will put himself on display and everybody will know that it's him revelation 6 look at this revelation 6 the sixth seal remember in the book of revelation there are seven seals there are seven trumpets and there are seven bowls of judgment seven seals are broken first when the seventh seal is broken seven trumpets blow when the seventh trumpet blows seven bowls of judgment are poured out the seals span the seven years of tribulation the first four happen first five basically happen during the first half of the tribulation seal six and seven are basically the latter half of the tribulation it's called the great and terrible day of the lord but when the seventh seal is broken seven trumpets blow and while the seven seals span the seven-year tribulation not one each year but they span the whole seven years by the time you come to the seventh seal the trumpets blow rather rapidly and then the bowls are poured out continuously in constant judgment in rapid succession so it grows with intensity throughout the seven-year tribulational period very important to understand that so when you come to the sixth seal in revelation six okay you're at the latter half of the tribulation listen to what it says i looked when he broke the sixth seal and there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair the whole moon became like blood and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree cast its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind the sky was split apart like a scroll when it's rolled up and every mountain and island were moved out of their places then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and every free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of mountains and they said to the mountains and to the rocks fallen us and hide us from who the presence of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb for the great day of their wrath has come and who was able to stand you see god is known by the judgment he executes so don't think that during the tribulational period people are not going to know who's doing this they are that's why they beg the rocks to follow them during earthquakes because they think they can escape the wrath of the lamb not knowing that once they die they enter the presence of god as judge see they don't understand that but you see they know who it is because god will make himself clearly known all throughout the tribulation and of course when he arrives in all of his glory and all of his splendor the day of the lord but the day of the lord is not the day of christ the day of the lord is not the day of the lord jesus and the day of the lord is not the day of the lord jesus christ that's a different day if you got your bible turn to philippians chapter one we're gonna do a lot of bible study tonight so hopefully your your fingers are nimble and you're licking them and you're ready to go because we're going to go from verse to verse to verse to verse because after all this is a bible study so we want you to study the bible philippians chapter one verse number six for i am confident of this very thing that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of christ jesus now the day of christ jesus is not the day of the lord the day of christ jesus look at verse number um 10 so that you may approve the things that are excellent in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of christ when is the day of christ well turn over to philippians chapter 2 philippians chapter 2 verse number 16 holding fast the word of life so in the day of christ i will have reason to glory because i did not run in vain nor toil in vain the day of christ the day of the lord jesus is not the day of the lord those that particular day is a day in which believers receive their rewards that's why you have a translation of the church into glory and you have the judgment right here the judgment seat of christ the beam of seat where we experience the day of the lord jesus where believers receive the reward you talked about this i think last time the beam of seat it's different than the great white throne judgment that's only for unbelievers this is for believers and they're not going to be together they're uniquely separate and distinct and different and so the day of christ the day of the lord jesus is a day where believers receive their reward so the day of the lord is not the day of christ and the day of the lord in the day of christ is not the day of god okay there's another day it's called the day of god second peter chapter three you got your bible turn there second hurt quickly quickly the slower you are the slower i will be second peter three verse number 12 looking for and hastening the coming of the day of god the day of god because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning and elements will melt with intense heat but according to his promise we are looking for a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells okay so the day of god is the eternal state that's the day of god it's no longer the day of man it's no longer the day of satan it's a day of god where god is all in all first corinthians 15 28 so the day of the lord this day here day of tribulation darkness gloominess wrath all that is not the day of christ that happens before that and the day of god is a new heavens and the new earth because god is all in all see aren't you glad you came tonight now you can separate all those things the day of christ the day of the lord and the day of god very important to understand those things because they all help you understand the return of jesus christ our lord now because the lord is going to come like a thief suddenly unexpectedly people always ask this question how can that possibly happen if there is a seven-year period between the time the church is translated and he comes back again which by the way is not true the seven years does not begin until the antichrist confirms the covenants with israel that's when the seven according to daniel nine that's when the seven year begins so the 70th week of daniel's prophecy is a seven-year tribulation but it does not begin until the antichrist makes a covenant or signs a covenant with israel the peace treaties with israel he confirms them he doesn't make them he confirms them very important when you look at the abraham accords that were done under our former president with what was happening with the arab nations right so the antichrist is going to confirm peace treaties with israel not make peace treaties confirm them that's when the seven year begins it doesn't happen as soon as the earth is translated or the church is translated but it's going to happen soon here and so yes it's going to be seven years oh by the way the seven years are counted by 360 days not 365 days when you determine daniel's prophecy in daniel nine about the time in which israel was sent back to jerusalem to rebuild the walls around the city and you begin to add up all the weeks and days that's how you come to an exact day and time messiah would come into israel and if you've been with us for any length of time you know that during passion week we talk to you about the exact day because it it spells it out for you in the book of daniel is prophecy that's why prophecy is so important to understand and so because it's spelled out accurately it's based on not a 365 day calendar because the jewish calendar is 360 days and so you have to remember that so when it talks about three and a half years or 42 months or 1260 days in book of revelation that's three and a half years based on 360 day year cycle not 365 day year cycle make sense some of you guys like wow man i gotta take a nap i am worn out already okay so just stay stay with me follow this through think you always listen on the tape or listen download it listen to it again but that's very important to understand that so even though he's going to come like a thief and even though you might think well seven years oh yeah we can read the book of revelation we know when he's going to come back again not necessarily because jesus said no man knows the day nor the hour because you're going to come in an hour that you do not think he will that's why before that he says as it was in the days of noah so it will be the days of the coming of the son of man how was in the days of noah they were told judgment was coming who told them noah told them methuselah remember we talked about him son of enoch enoch began to walk with god at the birth of bethuselah he lived 90 or 69 years his name means when he dies it shall come what shall come judgment so even though they knew that when bethuselah died there'd be judgment even though noah was a preacher of righteousness and said judgment was coming coming nobody cared nobody cared and there was no wrath there were no seals and trumpets and bowls being poured out on the world you said some old guy with his kids building an ark in the desert where there was no water and never rained before so they're thinking wow this guy's crazy but he warned them and all of a sudden noah went to the ark the door was shut noah did not shut the door bible's very clear god shut the door because if noah shut the door he would open the door for all the screaming people on the outside but god shut the door to make sure no one could get in because he had been warned for 969 years of bethuselah's life it's almost a thousand years they were warned they were warned for 120 years when noah preached the preacher of righteousness preached the gospel but even the patience of god wears thin when he says it's up it's up it's over and yet there are many precursors before this day happens the day of the lord sets up for this magnanimous day this blessed day in which christ comes back to earth what are the precursors well there's going to be an elijah-like forerunner before the messiah comes how do we know that malachi book of malachi that's always a good place to go malachi chapter four malachi chapter four verse number five great prophecy behold i am going to send you elijah the prophet before the coming of the great day and the terrible day of the lord he will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers so that i will not come and smite the land with a curse so there's coming this elijah-like prophet or is it actually elijah is going to come again but it says behold i'm going to send to you elijah the prophet before the coming of the great day of the lord does that mean that elijah is actually going to come back remember he never died right he was translated into glory well let's answer that together let's look look at luke chapter one luke chapter one angel gabriel comes to zacharias the priest while he was doing his priestly duties tells him he's going to have a have a son son's name is going to be what john the baptist right he and his wife were up in years she was barren god did something incredible she was with child and the angel gabriel says you're gonna have a boy you have a boy you know this boy's gonna be like he says he will be great in the sight of the lord verse 15 he would drink no wine or liquor he will be filled with the holy spirit while yet in his mother's womb he will turn many of the sons of israel back to the lord their god it is he who will go as a forerunner before him in the spirit and power of elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous so as to make ready a people prepared for the lord ah so john is not elijah but he's going to come in the spirit and power of elijah very important statement why well go to the book of matthew matthew chapter 11 in matthew chapter 11 these words are spoken christ says truly i say to you among those born of a woman there is not arisen anyone greater than john the baptist yet the one who is leased in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he from the days of john the baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and violent men taken by force for all the prophets in the law prophesied until john and if you are willing to accept it john himself is who elijah who wants to come he has ears to hear let him hear did you get that so is elijah actually going to come or is one like elijah who's going to come in the spirit and power of elijah because jesus said if you believe john's message about the king of his kingdom you to believe me as your king and john the baptist would have fulfilled the prophecy of malachi 4 verse number 5 but he's not john the baptist so no wonder elijah's still going to come john even said in john chapter 1 i am not elijah i'm not but he came in the spirit and power of elijah because that's what gabriel said he was going to do that's exactly what he did and so when you come to the book of revelation book of revelation revelation chapter 11 turn there with me if you would please revelation 11 these words are spoken then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff verse number one and someone said get up and measure the temple of god and the altar and those who worship in it leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it for it has been given to the nations that they will tread underfoot the holy city for 42 months 42 months 1260 days three and a half years now why is that important because it's 96 ad john was on the island of patmas we know it's 96 ad because he was sent to patmas by the mission and he was the ruler in rome at time so we know the the the the the approximate time of the book of revelation 95 96 ad which by the way will help you understand matthew 24 and why in matthew 24 none of those events none of those events describe the coming day of the lord because there are people who are millennial who believe that all the events in matthew 24 the element discourse all happened in 70 ad when the roman governor titus came in and plundered jerusalem and and destroyed the city the problem is that what happens in matthew 24 did not take place in 80 70 that's a problem because john in ad 96 sees a temple in revelation 11 because the temple was destroyed in 70 ad he's supposed to measure that temple why is that important because the next line says and i will grant authority to my two witnesses and they will prophesy for 1260 days clothed in sackcloth 1260 days 42 months three and a half years they are going to prophesy why is that important because this imagery is taken from the book of zachariah zachariah chapter 4 where there were two witnesses one joshua and one zerubbabel one was a high priest and was a one was a ruler and so they were the witnesses that would lead israel back to rebuild and be restored once again now when there's going to be this third temple that's going to be built on mount zion in israel in jerusalem this third temple that's going to be built there's going to be two witnesses again and maybe one's going to be elijah or like elijah maybe there's going to be enoch because enoch and elijah never died some think it's going to be moses and elijah maybe it's going to be joshua and zerubbabel i don't know if the lord's looking for volunteers i'll be one i'll be one of the two witnesses because as you read on it says this these are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the lord of the earth and if anyone wants to harm them fire flows out of their mouth and devours your enemies so if anyone wants to harm them he must be killed in this way wow wouldn't it be great open your mouth like a dragon just devour incinerate everybody comes against you wow wouldn't it be great that's what they're gonna do for three and a half years as we read on through the story the antichrist the beast will slay them in the lay in the streets for three days and the world will have the greatest party it's ever had it'll be the day of dead witnesses and after those three days god's gonna take him right up to glory he's gonna rise right up and all the world's gonna see but there's two witnesses one like elijah one like enoch one like moses they do things as it goes on to say these words uh it says these have the power to shut up the sky so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophecy that's why some think it's elijah and they have the power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every plague as often as they desire that's why some think it's moses we don't know that we just know there's two witnesses that god's going to use and why are they important because for three and a half years they're going to share the gospel we're going to preach the gospel and when they preach the gospel there's going to be 144 000 jews that are saved remember when the earth is when the church is translated to glory there are no believers left on earth nobody so how are people going to get saved faith comes by hearing hearing concerning the word about the christ roman says 17 so how they're going to get saved god's going to raise up two witnesses they're going to preach the gospel for three and a half years 1260 days as they do it tells us in the book of revelation the seventh chapter these words and i heard a number of those who were sealed 144 000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of israel says that these will receive a mark from god and these 144 000 will not die how do we know that revelation 14 i looked and behold the lamb was standing on mount zion and with him 144 000 having his name and the name of his father written on their foreheads and i heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder and the voice which i heard was like the sound of harpist playing on the harps and they 144 000 sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders and no one could learn the song except the 144 000 who had been purchased from the earth antichrist is going to mark his people with what is called the mark of the beast the image of the beast god is going to mark his 144 000 jewish evangelists who are going to hear the gospel because of two witnesses and those 144 000 jewish evangelists now are going to begin to preach the gospel but god's going to protect them they cannot die because in revelation 14 you're near the end of the tribulation and they're standing on mount zion so they made it to the end how does that happen unless god protects them and god does that does do that so you're going to have two witnesses that are going to share the gospel for three and a half years and with that 144 000 jews are going to be saved and from their testimony other gentiles will get saved because we know that jews and gentiles will enter into the millennial reign of christ which is right here for a thousand years jews and gentiles enter into the millennial kingdom so we know the gentiles get saved as well in the tribulation because of two witnesses who end up dying in the middle of tribulation 144 000 jewish evangelists and an angel that flies in midheaven revelation 14 verse number six and i saw another angel flying in midheaven having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people he said with a loud voice fear god and give him glory because the hour of his judgment has come worship him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters so what do you have you have people coming to christ in the tribulation because during the tribulation nobody's saved so god raises up two witnesses maybe it's enoch and elijah they come back they never died they never saw death only two people in the bible that never did they come back they begin to preach they had the supernatural power people come to saving faith 144 000 jewish evangelists they begin to preach the gospel gentiles are saved you have an angel flies around him in heaven and people are born again but the precursor is that there's going to be an elijah-like figure that's going to come before the day of the lord that's one precursor there's another there are many of them to be honest with you but there's another let me give you this one there's going to be a worldwide rebellion against god led by the antichrist that's found in our text in second thessalonians chapter two where it says let no one let no one in any way deceive you for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first not apostasy but the apostasy so it's a certain apostasy it's a certain falling away it's a certain denouncement of the faith the apostasy and that apostasy is associated with as you read on and the man of lawlessness is revealed the son of destruction who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object or worship so that he takes his seat in the temple of god displaying himself as being god that's what daniel calls the abomination of desolation it's what christ referred to refers to in matthew 24 as the abomination of dan of daniel's prophecy okay it's when the antichrist who has already come in peace because he comes as the rider on the white horse and the first seal that's broken he comes with a bow but no arrows that means he he conquers without a battle he conquers without going to war he becomes a political figure he becomes somebody appointed to bring peace to the world he comes to bring unity to the world that's the new buzzword today in politics unity how do we bring unity to the world he does that because there is one called the false prophet the false prophet is the religious leader the antichrist is the military political leader until the abomination of desolation where the antichrist devours the prophet sets himself up as god in the temple in jerusalem and demands that everybody worships him that's where revelation 12 comes into play and israel then has to flee to the wilderness isn't it interesting that this past week the pope had gathered together in ur of the caldees he'd gone back to abraham's birthplace because the pope was interested in gathering together by the way ur of the caldees is where there was a a mammoth idolatry and and child sacrifice that's where abraham was was called from remember he was called from ur of the caldees god called him he was a gentile before he was ever a jew right so jews were gentiles before they were ever jews abraham was a gentile he was a pagan gentile god called abraham he crossed the great river that's what it means to be a hebrew to cross the river he crossed the river he became the jew the father of the jewish nation so the pope goes to ur the caldees because why he wants to gather catholics jews and muslims together so that they are able to do what he has called that fraternity that humble fraternity that religious fraternity where all religions come together under the papacy that is the pope's ambition that's the direction in which he's going he's made it very clear that's his purpose and so all that plays into the scenario of beginning to understand how a false prophet will rise to power gaining the religions of the world to unify them together the antichrist has to have a false prophet because he can't get unity just by having a huge military he can't obtain unity just by having a strong economic system he must have the religious establishment because he once he has military power economic power and he has religious power he has all power and that's why the abomination of desolation is a precursor to the arrival of the messiah before he comes again all these things point us to the the great and terrible day of the lord the good news is we won't be here we're not looking for antichrist we're looking for christ anticipating his coming again let me pray with you father we thank you lord for tonight a chance to be in your word thank you lord for the opportunity to examine this scripture so much to study so much to look at so much to think about we pray lord that you remove all the all the cobwebs and confusion that we might be able to clearly understand jesus is coming again and when he comes again what a glorious day that will be and we know lord that you're going to come again in retribution that you might deal out your wrath on those who do not know you and do not obey the gospel of our lord jesus christ may that compel us to preach the gospel we pray in jesus name amen