1 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:08,119 This is Living Waters of Grace, the teaching ministry of Clark 2 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:12,240 Wofford, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Westmoreland, 3 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:16,400 County of Greensburg, PA. Now here's Pastor Clark as he 4 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:18,720 continues teaching through God's Word. 5 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:39,760 God has not appointed us to wrath. 6 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:43,240 Does that make you feel good? I don't like to get in trouble 7 00:00:43,240 --> 00:00:45,840 for something I don't think I deserve. 8 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:49,160 I'm a Sinner just like you are, and the world is centered. 9 00:00:49,160 --> 00:00:52,560 The difference between US and them is that we've received a 10 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:57,400 Savior, right? Christ has taken our guilt in 11 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:00,120 our judgement upon himself. That's the good news of the 12 00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:01,000 gospel. You think? 13 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:04,680 Why wouldn't everybody in the world believe and realize they 14 00:01:04,680 --> 00:01:07,200 need a savior and want Christ to save them? 15 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:10,200 It's like getting a detention in school. 16 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:13,400 You had a penalty coming your way, but then you were given a 17 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:15,720 free pass to get out of detention. 18 00:01:16,200 --> 00:01:20,000 This is how it is with Jesus paying the penalty for your sin. 19 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:23,800 Today, Pastor Clark touches on the fact that when you make that 20 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:28,680 conscious choice to follow after Jesus, the events and judgments 21 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:31,560 talked about in Revelation are not meant for you. 22 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:36,520 They're meant for a world that has rejected Jesus as Savior and 23 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:40,800 has chosen to go another way. So if you haven't yet, get that 24 00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:44,400 free pass out of detention now. Here's Pastor Clark in 25 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:48,400 Revelation Chapter 4 with today's edition of Living Waters 26 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:53,640 of Grace. Revelation Chapter 4 After these 27 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:56,840 things I looked, and behold a door standing open in heaven. 28 00:01:57,120 --> 00:01:59,800 And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet 29 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:02,960 speaking with me, saying, Come up here, and I will show you 30 00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:06,640 things which must take place. After this, immediately I was in 31 00:02:06,640 --> 00:02:10,120 the spirit and behold a throne set in heaven and one sat on the 32 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:14,040 throne and he who sat there was like a Jasper and a Sardis stone 33 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:16,400 in appearance. And there was a rainbow around 34 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:18,560 the throne and appearance like an emerald. 35 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:22,320 Around the throne were 24 Thrones and on the Thrones I saw 36 00:02:22,320 --> 00:02:26,600 24 elders sitting clothed in white robes and they had crowns 37 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:29,840 of gold on their heads. And from the throne proceeds 38 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:34,840 lightnings, thunderings and voices. 7 lamps of fire were 39 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:39,040 burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God. 40 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:43,360 We just covered the seven churches about 3 weeks ago. 41 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:47,960 Then the last days, the churches that are symbolic of what the 42 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:51,560 church will be like in the last days and also what the church 43 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:55,360 was like back in the days shortly after Christ had 44 00:02:55,360 --> 00:02:58,360 resurrected from the dead. And so now we're going to begin 45 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:01,760 to make a transition after these things that we've just studied 46 00:03:01,760 --> 00:03:04,600 in the last few weeks. We're going to begin to now be 47 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:07,920 prepared for what is it going to be like on the earth prior to 48 00:03:07,920 --> 00:03:10,800 the return of the Lord. Now the apostle John is being 49 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:14,240 taken up into heaven. The word caught up is what we 50 00:03:14,240 --> 00:03:19,440 get that word from Latin, which means reptazo, and it's the 51 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:22,040 catching away. We use the word rapture, but if 52 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:24,960 you take the original Greek meaning of that word, it means 53 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:28,720 to be caught up or caught away. And it's important to realize 54 00:03:28,720 --> 00:03:34,400 that in these last days, there's going to be a lot of cataclysmic 55 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:36,200 events that are going to be on the horizon. 56 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:39,680 All the loss of life. It seems every day there's some 57 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:42,760 kind of cataclysmic event that is occurring around the world. 58 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:46,840 The frequency of these things will grow in increasing 59 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:49,840 dimension as we move closer to the return of the Lord. 60 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:53,400 So as we see these things occurring, Jesus said, look up 61 00:03:53,760 --> 00:03:56,880 your redemption draws nigh, meaning that the return of 62 00:03:56,880 --> 00:04:01,440 Christ is clearer and nearer than we've ever imagined before. 63 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:04,880 But some things to consider. And there's different positions 64 00:04:04,880 --> 00:04:07,440 on this, how this is all going to to play out in the end. 65 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:11,000 These are futuristic events. We have some capability of 66 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:15,120 looking into the future regarding prophecy, prophecy 67 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:18,120 that's been fulfilled and also prophecy that is yet to be 68 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:19,959 fulfilled. The way we gather the 69 00:04:19,959 --> 00:04:23,840 information and make some degree of determination on what 70 00:04:23,840 --> 00:04:28,000 possibly might transpire is based upon historical fact 71 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:30,440 throughout the Old Testament and into the New Testament. 72 00:04:30,840 --> 00:04:34,040 But one of the things that Calvary Chapel ascribes to, and 73 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:37,120 we're not alone, some of the leading Bible noble teachers on 74 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:40,560 the radio that you might respect the day like John MacArthur, 75 00:04:40,560 --> 00:04:45,200 Chuck Smith of Calvary Chapel or David Jeremiah, Charles Stanley, 76 00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:50,520 Chuck Swindoll, these men are all pre Trib, pre millennial men 77 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:53,120 of God. We believe that Christ will come 78 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:56,320 and take the church out before the great tribulation. 79 00:04:56,320 --> 00:04:59,400 We don't believe we're going to be here to have to endure that. 80 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:01,760 And I'm going to give you some proof texts this morning, some 81 00:05:01,760 --> 00:05:07,240 verses that might help you come to that same conclusion and not 82 00:05:07,240 --> 00:05:10,160 be confused, I trust. But Romans chapter 5. 83 00:05:10,160 --> 00:05:13,840 I, I was thinking about that earlier this morning as I was 84 00:05:13,840 --> 00:05:15,720 finishing up this minute message. 85 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:19,760 And it says that God commendeth his love toward us, and that 86 00:05:19,760 --> 00:05:23,480 while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us much more 87 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:25,880 than in verse 9 of chapter 5 of Romans. 88 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:31,000 Then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from 89 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:34,880 wrath through him. God has not appointed his bride, 90 00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:39,960 his kids, to wrath. God doesn't marry us in the 91 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:43,680 sense of bringing us into the Kingdom and calling us his bride 92 00:05:43,680 --> 00:05:47,760 to abuse us. There's no knowledge of that in 93 00:05:47,760 --> 00:05:50,120 the Scriptures anywhere. God loves us. 94 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:53,960 The wrath of God is going to be poured out upon a rebellious, 95 00:05:54,200 --> 00:05:57,520 unbelieving, ungodly world that we're still living in, right? 96 00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:01,280 We're frustrated at times because of why things go the way 97 00:06:01,280 --> 00:06:03,600 they they go. The horror on the face of the 98 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:05,640 earth, the unfairness, the unjustice. 99 00:06:06,040 --> 00:06:09,600 Sometimes those who represent us in government frustrate us and 100 00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:13,560 we wonder why people can make the decisions on behalf of us 101 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:16,000 that they make. And it's difficult at times to 102 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:20,600 accept it, isn't it? But one day God's justice will 103 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:24,840 be vindicated and one day his wrath will be poured out upon 104 00:06:24,840 --> 00:06:27,360 the whole earth. I think of David when he prayed 105 00:06:27,360 --> 00:06:32,240 he said Lord, why to the wicked rage and imagine vain thing. 106 00:06:32,280 --> 00:06:35,920 Why do people seem to get away with what they get away with? 107 00:06:35,920 --> 00:06:40,200 But one day God will definitely deal with those on the face of 108 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:43,320 the earth that have shaken their fists at him, who have cursed 109 00:06:43,320 --> 00:06:46,880 him, who have forsaken him, who have hated him and have ignored 110 00:06:46,880 --> 00:06:50,960 them him throughout their life. First Thessalonians chapter 5 111 00:06:50,960 --> 00:06:55,960 verse 9 says For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to 112 00:06:55,960 --> 00:06:58,840 obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. 113 00:06:59,080 --> 00:07:03,800 Again a great proof tech text. God has not appointed us to 114 00:07:03,800 --> 00:07:05,720 wrath. Does that make you feel good? 115 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:09,040 I don't like to get in trouble for something I don't think I 116 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:12,160 deserve. I'm a Sinner just like you are 117 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:15,040 and the world is centered. The difference between US and 118 00:07:15,040 --> 00:07:17,360 them is that we've received a Savior right? 119 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:22,720 Christ has taken our guilt in our judgment upon himself. 120 00:07:22,720 --> 00:07:24,200 That's the good news of the gospel. 121 00:07:24,200 --> 00:07:26,280 You think? Why wouldn't everybody in the 122 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:29,880 world believe and realize they need a Savior and want Christ to 123 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:31,960 save them? What is it in our hearts that 124 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:34,200 causes us to push the love of God away? 125 00:07:34,600 --> 00:07:38,280 What's our pride and our sin? Jesus says men love darkness 126 00:07:38,280 --> 00:07:40,400 rather than light because their deeds are evil. 127 00:07:40,400 --> 00:07:43,720 There was a time in my life that I like doing evil things. 128 00:07:43,840 --> 00:07:46,760 I enjoyed it and I knew that there was a God. 129 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:50,360 I was a fully aware there was a God, but I thought he doesn't 130 00:07:50,360 --> 00:07:52,840 see or he doesn't pay attention or it's no big deal. 131 00:07:53,560 --> 00:07:57,400 But the wages of sin is death. The more my life became consumed 132 00:07:57,400 --> 00:08:01,200 with sinful pattern and sinful activity, the emptier I became 133 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:06,920 in my heart, The more mixed up I was, the more anxious I was, the 134 00:08:06,920 --> 00:08:10,640 more lost I became. And I one day with this, go out 135 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:13,720 and look at the stars at night and say, there's got to be more 136 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:15,720 to this life than what I'm living. 137 00:08:16,320 --> 00:08:19,400 There's got to be something behind us that would make sense 138 00:08:19,640 --> 00:08:23,000 because the way life appeared to me before I knew Christ, it 139 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:26,280 didn't make sense. I mean, even your best friends 140 00:08:26,280 --> 00:08:28,360 that you had, they'd stab you in the back. 141 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:31,560 I mean, at this everything seemed to be upside down, right? 142 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:37,280 I couldn't find any example of love or real love until Christ 143 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:41,440 came into my life. And so God has not appointed his 144 00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:46,640 bride to wrath his church. The pre tribulation rapture is 145 00:08:46,640 --> 00:08:49,760 that the church will be caught up before the seven-year 146 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:54,600 tribulation and the entire seven-year tribulation period is 147 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:56,720 a time of pouring out of God's wrath. 148 00:08:56,880 --> 00:09:00,800 It's God's time where he says enough's enough, right? 149 00:09:01,160 --> 00:09:07,040 And he basically allows the whole universe to explode in the 150 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:12,160 sense of his indignation against sin and against man's rebellion. 151 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:15,360 You know, God didn't create us to be this way. 152 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:19,880 We made that decision ourselves in the garden when we said we 153 00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:22,880 want to go our own way and God let us go our own way. 154 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:25,760 He's a loving, merciful God. You want to do your own thing, 155 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:28,680 make your own choices, fine, go ahead. 156 00:09:28,680 --> 00:09:30,880 But there's consequences to do that. 157 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:35,680 In Revelation chapter 617, it says the great day of His wrath 158 00:09:35,680 --> 00:09:38,600 is come and who shall be able to stand? 159 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:40,320 We'll get to that in a few weeks. 160 00:09:40,320 --> 00:09:42,600 Chapter 6. But this day of wrath is going 161 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:46,240 to be so tough guys, that the human beings that are on the 162 00:09:46,240 --> 00:09:49,440 earth at that time are going to be turned upside down. 163 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:51,120 They're not going to know which way to turn. 164 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:53,600 Every day there's some new horrendous thing that's 165 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:56,120 occurring and they're going to fear for their lives. 166 00:09:56,720 --> 00:09:59,720 And this is the issue of what's going on at this time. 167 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:03,720 Rebellious man desires to live without God. 168 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:07,680 Has anybody ever in here desired at one time in your life to live 169 00:10:07,680 --> 00:10:08,960 without God? Raise your hand. 170 00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:14,440 Most of us. We didn't need His love, We 171 00:10:14,440 --> 00:10:19,760 didn't need His mercy. But yet in His great love, as He 172 00:10:19,760 --> 00:10:24,440 looks down upon us today, all of us here, His intention for us is 173 00:10:24,440 --> 00:10:28,720 to pull us out of this world. Before this event occurs, He 174 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:33,280 will withdraw us, being His restraint upon sin right now on 175 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:35,760 the face of the earth. Guys, whether we realize it or 176 00:10:35,760 --> 00:10:40,000 not, as weak as our testimony is at times, as Christians, God 177 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:43,040 uses us because the Holy Spirit lives in US. 178 00:10:43,960 --> 00:10:46,400 Every time you're around someone that doesn't know Christ, they 179 00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:48,200 know there's something different about your life. 180 00:10:48,200 --> 00:10:50,520 They can't put their finger on it, but they know you're wired 181 00:10:50,520 --> 00:10:54,960 differently and you're called Jesus said in the Gospel, salt 182 00:10:54,960 --> 00:10:57,520 and light. When the salt and light, that's 183 00:10:57,520 --> 00:10:59,120 us. We're taken out of this world at 184 00:10:59,120 --> 00:11:01,720 the rapture. That's why so much evil is going 185 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:03,920 to come down upon the earth because there's going to be no 186 00:11:03,920 --> 00:11:05,680 balance anymore. There's going to be no 187 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:09,320 constraining force right now in the midst of our society, as bad 188 00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:14,320 as things are and as ungodly as the human race is, we still have 189 00:11:14,320 --> 00:11:17,800 influence, don't we? There's people that are becoming 190 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:22,200 Christians every day because of people like us and others that 191 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:26,920 love the Lord and follow him. But the constraint will be drawn 192 00:11:26,920 --> 00:11:28,480 out whenever the rapture happens. 193 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:31,280 It doesn't mean the Holy Spirit still won't be present, working 194 00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:34,520 on the face of the earth to bring people to himself, but the 195 00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:36,440 influence of the church will be gone. 196 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:40,800 And then what will happen is this wrath of God will be poured 197 00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:44,360 out upon the heads of all those people that have been worn 198 00:11:44,360 --> 00:11:48,160 throughout their lives, that one day this would come upon the 199 00:11:48,160 --> 00:11:51,400 face of the earth, the tribulation period, seven years 200 00:11:51,400 --> 00:11:54,680 of lies and wars and famine and death. 201 00:11:55,040 --> 00:11:57,320 I don't want any of my loved ones to be there to you. 202 00:11:57,560 --> 00:11:59,760 I don't want anybody I know to be there. 203 00:11:59,800 --> 00:12:02,640 But I can't make people believe any more than you can. 204 00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:04,960 All I can do is give them my testimony. 205 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:07,800 Then tell them, this is what Christ has done for me and this 206 00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:11,600 is what He would like to do for you too, if you would ask Him to 207 00:12:11,600 --> 00:12:14,320 be your Savior and to come into your life, turn from your sin. 208 00:12:15,240 --> 00:12:18,120 Now, a picture of this illustration actually happened 209 00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:23,640 back in Genesis chapter 19. And this was a time whenever God 210 00:12:23,640 --> 00:12:27,120 was warning Lot and His family to get out of Sodom. 211 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:30,560 Sodom was a picture of this ungodly world that we live in 212 00:12:30,560 --> 00:12:34,040 today. And God's telling Lot and His 213 00:12:34,040 --> 00:12:37,000 family that you got to get out of this town because I'm going 214 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:39,280 to destroy it. He's warning them ahead of time, 215 00:12:39,560 --> 00:12:42,920 just like the Scriptures today are warning you if you're here 216 00:12:42,920 --> 00:12:46,560 today without Christ, to come to Christ so that you're not left 217 00:12:46,560 --> 00:12:50,120 here during this time of wrath. And the Lord literally had to 218 00:12:50,120 --> 00:12:54,480 drag them out by the power of the angels to get them out of 219 00:12:54,480 --> 00:12:56,880 that town. And this is a picture of God 220 00:12:56,880 --> 00:13:00,560 sparing His elect from wrath as God looks down upon the face of 221 00:13:00,560 --> 00:13:02,640 the earth. There's a large group of people 222 00:13:02,800 --> 00:13:07,120 that live here right now that are his kids, and he's focused 223 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:10,760 on his kids every day, just like I'm focused on my kids or my 224 00:13:10,760 --> 00:13:13,560 grandkids every day. I don't want anything to hurt 225 00:13:13,560 --> 00:13:15,200 them. I don't want anything to come 226 00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:19,040 into their life to influence them that would destroy their 227 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:21,440 lives. And I'll do everything I can as 228 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:25,800 a follower of Jesus Christ to persuade those I love the most 229 00:13:25,960 --> 00:13:30,120 to be prepared and to be living for Jesus Christ in these last 230 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:33,880 days, to see people spared from this eventual wrath. 231 00:13:34,520 --> 00:13:37,720 Now, Hebrews tells us that there's a group of people and 232 00:13:37,720 --> 00:13:41,200 we, we are that people, that we're not of them who draw back. 233 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:44,920 Lot's wife, even though she was delivered from Sodom, that she 234 00:13:44,920 --> 00:13:49,680 was warned not to look back and longing for that old wicked part 235 00:13:49,680 --> 00:13:53,320 of life, Sodom, all the experiences she had there, she 236 00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:55,400 was warned not to look back, as was Lot. 237 00:13:55,680 --> 00:13:58,440 And she unfortunately looked back and she became a pillar of 238 00:13:58,440 --> 00:14:01,520 salt and she was gone. God's judgement upon her. 239 00:14:01,960 --> 00:14:06,880 The cataclysmic events on Sodom and Gomorrah were like one of 240 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:10,720 the worst nuclear Holocaust that mankind could ever experience. 241 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:14,240 And it was all done not by a bomb made by man, but by the 242 00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:18,120 great power of our God. God is awesome, His power and 243 00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:21,160 His power is designed to show forth His glory and His love. 244 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:26,560 His power was not initiated, intended for a destruction upon 245 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:29,160 the human race. But we have made our own 246 00:14:29,160 --> 00:14:33,440 decisions and we have said we will roll in reign independent 247 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:36,920 of the God of creation, right? The majority of the people in 248 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:39,760 the face of the earth don't believe in God anymore. 249 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:42,160 They don't want to have anything to do with him. 250 00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:44,160 They want to be their own final authority. 251 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:46,640 They want to make up their own mind, their own decision every 252 00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:51,360 day, do their own thing and as a result suffer the consequences. 253 00:14:51,640 --> 00:14:55,400 Now as we go back to chapter 4 and verse one, this is the 254 00:14:55,400 --> 00:14:59,360 spirit speaking to John. It says come up here and I will 255 00:14:59,360 --> 00:15:01,840 show you things which must take place after this. 256 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:05,080 There's a voice of a trumpet that's occurring here. 257 00:15:05,080 --> 00:15:10,400 It says he hears this voice that is like a trumpet speaking, 258 00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:14,560 saying come up here, I will show you things which must take place 259 00:15:14,560 --> 00:15:17,360 after this. Now to me, I mean, I've studied 260 00:15:17,360 --> 00:15:18,880 this. I'm excited about it. 261 00:15:18,880 --> 00:15:20,560 You guys might think, well, who cares? 262 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:22,880 This is nice. One time's a sermon over today. 263 00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:25,520 You know, I'm going to go watch the masters later, whatever. 264 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:29,120 But I'll tell you when you, when you study this stuff, this rocks 265 00:15:29,120 --> 00:15:30,120 your world. It does. 266 00:15:30,320 --> 00:15:32,560 And I trust it'll rock your world a little bit. 267 00:15:32,560 --> 00:15:35,040 The day this hearing about some of this stuff because it's, it's 268 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:38,120 just fascinating. So he's, he's giving John the 269 00:15:38,120 --> 00:15:40,320 privilege to be able to look into the future and see what 270 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:42,880 it's going to be like when these things come to pass. 271 00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:47,240 We're recipients of this opportunity today. 272 00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:50,640 Just sitting here hearing this and getting a heads up from what 273 00:15:50,680 --> 00:15:55,160 God had shown the apostle John. Daniel Chapter 9 in the Old 274 00:15:55,160 --> 00:15:59,960 Testament, verse 27 talks about this issue of the evil 1 275 00:15:59,960 --> 00:16:03,720 confirming a covenant with many. And this will be over in the 276 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:09,120 Mideast between Israel and their enemies for one week, symbolic 277 00:16:09,120 --> 00:16:12,520 of seven days, which means a tribulation period of seven 278 00:16:12,520 --> 00:16:14,720 days. There'll be a false peace like 279 00:16:14,720 --> 00:16:19,280 right now, President Obama, President Bush, President 280 00:16:19,280 --> 00:16:22,480 Clinton, President Carter, as far as you can go back. 281 00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:25,280 Remember growing up watching the news, there was always this 282 00:16:25,280 --> 00:16:27,680 excitement about a potential Treaty of peace. 283 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:30,800 There'd be no more fighting in Israel and everybody be all 284 00:16:30,800 --> 00:16:32,360 excited. And it would last for maybe a 285 00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:33,920 day or a week or a couple months. 286 00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:36,440 And then all of a sudden, the war would start again. 287 00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:39,800 The tension, the fighting, there's no real peace that will 288 00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:44,440 be in Jerusalem, in Israel, in this world until the Prince of 289 00:16:44,440 --> 00:16:46,080 Peace comes back. Jesus Christ. 290 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:48,360 That's the only time they'll be peace. 291 00:16:48,560 --> 00:16:52,880 But man and his energy and his desire to try to be known as a 292 00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:56,800 maybe the next Nobel Prize recipient, I'll be the guy that 293 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:01,200 got the peace established there. Well, this Antichrist will be 294 00:17:01,200 --> 00:17:05,000 the one midway through this great tribulation that will 295 00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:08,839 reveal himself in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. 296 00:17:09,079 --> 00:17:12,720 He has the arrogance and the audacity because he's a very 297 00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:15,240 charismatic individual. He can persuade people. 298 00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:18,440 There's World Peace developing in the 1st 3 1/2 years, 299 00:17:18,440 --> 00:17:20,520 prosperity. Everything's getting better. 300 00:17:20,520 --> 00:17:23,200 Everybody's like, wow, we finally have someone in this 301 00:17:23,200 --> 00:17:25,280 world that's getting things straightened out. 302 00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:28,880 The stock market's going up, values of houses are going up. 303 00:17:28,880 --> 00:17:31,160 Everybody has money and everything's great. 304 00:17:31,320 --> 00:17:34,160 And so people are deceived. The Bible says those days will 305 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:38,960 be so deceptive that even the elect could be deceived if it 306 00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:41,000 were possible. And So what will happen is 307 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:44,200 people be be persuaded to follow this world leader, this 308 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:46,720 Antichrist. He could be alive now. 309 00:17:46,720 --> 00:17:49,520 He could be getting ready to be raised up into leadership. 310 00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:52,160 There's a lot of thoughts on people like who this person 311 00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:55,120 might be. But nonetheless, through this 312 00:17:55,120 --> 00:17:58,720 midway period, this guy will really show his true colors and 313 00:17:58,720 --> 00:18:02,440 he will actually set himself up in the rebuilt, rebuilt temple. 314 00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:04,880 It's called the abomination of desolation. 315 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:08,840 And he will sit on the throne and claim to be God and call 316 00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:11,280 himself God. If you go to a Second 317 00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:13,720 Thessalonians, just for a minute, let's flip over to the 318 00:18:13,720 --> 00:18:18,640 left in your Bible, Second Thessalonians, chapter 2, verse 319 00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:21,880 5, he says, do you not remember that when I was still with you, 320 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:25,480 I told these things to you? This is Paul writing, and now 321 00:18:25,480 --> 00:18:28,640 you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his 322 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:30,520 own time, referring to the Antichrist. 323 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:33,520 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. 324 00:18:33,840 --> 00:18:37,160 Only he who now restrains will do so until he's taken out of 325 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:40,520 the way. Now this spirit of lawlessness, 326 00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:44,440 any anybody that rejects Jesus Christ, it's against his Kingdom 327 00:18:44,440 --> 00:18:47,960 and against his authority, is of the spirit of Antichrist. 328 00:18:47,960 --> 00:18:50,480 We learned that in first and second John when we went through 329 00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:52,320 it. But there will literally be one 330 00:18:52,320 --> 00:18:55,960 who will truly be raised up one day, who will be the real 331 00:18:56,360 --> 00:18:59,600 Antichrist that's being spoken about in the Book of Revelation. 332 00:18:59,920 --> 00:19:04,400 But it's talking about this mystery that is already working 333 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:09,640 in the world, only he capital H, referring to God himself who now 334 00:19:09,640 --> 00:19:12,840 restrains, will do so until He's taken out of the way. 335 00:19:12,840 --> 00:19:16,040 What's restraining all this stuff from occurring right now 336 00:19:16,280 --> 00:19:19,240 to a great degree is still the church in this world. 337 00:19:19,520 --> 00:19:22,440 And when the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will 338 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:25,400 consume with the breadth of his mouth and destroy with the 339 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:28,040 brightnesses of his coming. Even though this Antichrist will 340 00:19:28,040 --> 00:19:31,080 be raised up one day and he'll rule and reign for a period of 341 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:34,600 time on earth, Christ will come back at the second coming in and 342 00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:36,880 deal with Him in a very, very, very dramatic way. 343 00:19:37,120 --> 00:19:39,720 The coming of the lawless 1 is, according to the working of 344 00:19:39,720 --> 00:19:43,720 Satan, with all power signs and lying wonders and with all 345 00:19:43,720 --> 00:19:47,080 unrighteousness deception among those who perish because they 346 00:19:47,080 --> 00:19:48,800 did not receive the love of the truth. 347 00:19:48,960 --> 00:19:51,520 That's what's heartbreaking, all the people in the face of the 348 00:19:51,520 --> 00:19:55,200 earth being deceived to believe and to follow this world ruler 349 00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:59,800 because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they 350 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:02,400 might be saved. I pray today if you're here, you 351 00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:04,240 would receive the love of the truth. 352 00:20:04,720 --> 00:20:07,840 That you can be saved. And for this reason God will 353 00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:10,760 send them a strong delusion. God will send them strong 354 00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:13,680 delusion, and they should believe a lie, that they all may 355 00:20:13,680 --> 00:20:17,800 be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in 356 00:20:18,120 --> 00:20:21,840 unrighteousness. Now, when John is speaking here 357 00:20:21,840 --> 00:20:24,840 in chapter 4 and writing down the things that the Lord has 358 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:29,920 given him to reveal to the body of Christ, he's seeing all this 359 00:20:29,920 --> 00:20:33,040 stuff and living color way ahead of the time it's supposed to 360 00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:35,240 happen. When this book was written, it 361 00:20:35,240 --> 00:20:38,520 was written a long time ago, thousands of years ago, and it 362 00:20:38,520 --> 00:20:41,920 is so contemporary and current with the times that we are 363 00:20:41,920 --> 00:20:44,400 currently living in now. And so he's seeing all that's 364 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:48,520 going to take place as a prelude to the tribulation, which will 365 00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:50,600 actually start in chapter 6, verse one. 366 00:20:50,600 --> 00:20:52,200 We'll get to that in the weeks ahead. 367 00:20:52,720 --> 00:20:55,840 That's when Jesus, a lamb, will open up the first seal. 368 00:20:56,640 --> 00:21:00,440 And the first seal is a picture of this Antichrist on the face 369 00:21:00,440 --> 00:21:03,560 of the earth. He's going to pose as a savior 370 00:21:03,560 --> 00:21:06,600 of the world. And in verse 1 of chapter 4, he 371 00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:09,520 says again, the future is insight. 372 00:21:09,720 --> 00:21:12,800 He says, I will show you the things which must must take 373 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:17,400 place after this. He says he was caught up. 374 00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:22,480 He was told to come up here and God would show him what was 375 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:24,440 going to be revealed. And I'd like you to look at 376 00:21:24,640 --> 00:21:27,880 First Thessalonians chapter 4. This is really an important 377 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:33,120 section of Scripture for us here today who believe that the Lord 378 00:21:33,120 --> 00:21:35,280 will come before this great tribulation. 379 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:39,920 It says in First Thessalonians chapter 4, verse 13, Paul, his 380 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:42,280 passion for the church. He doesn't want people to be in 381 00:21:42,280 --> 00:21:45,200 ignorance. He wants us to know what's going 382 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:47,800 to happen, what's going on. I love what he says here, but I 383 00:21:47,800 --> 00:21:50,680 do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who 384 00:21:50,680 --> 00:21:54,200 have fallen sleep, meaning those who have passed on and who have 385 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:57,280 died, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 386 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:01,520 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, Even so God 387 00:22:01,520 --> 00:22:04,120 will bring with him those who sleep in Jesus. 388 00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:09,160 Now when someone dies, a Christian dies and their bodies 389 00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:13,320 in, you know, the casket that isn't that person anymore. 390 00:22:13,640 --> 00:22:16,640 Their body is a shell. They're out of that body. 391 00:22:16,640 --> 00:22:20,200 The the Bible says to be absent in the body is to be present 392 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:21,840 with the Lord. So as soon as you die, if you're 393 00:22:21,840 --> 00:22:25,400 a Christian, soon as I die, I'm not going into some ground and 394 00:22:25,400 --> 00:22:27,440 the worms are going to get me and you aren't either. 395 00:22:28,040 --> 00:22:31,720 We're going to be taken out by God's power and taken up to be 396 00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:34,720 with Jesus is the apostle Paul says to be absent. 397 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:38,240 The body is present with the Lord, but the physical body will 398 00:22:38,240 --> 00:22:41,000 still be in the grave. I did a funeral this week and I 399 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:46,280 reminded the people that this dear woman who died at 92, that 400 00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:50,640 love Jesus wasn't at the gravesite going into the ground. 401 00:22:50,640 --> 00:22:54,080 She was already with the Lord, but her physical body, her old 402 00:22:54,080 --> 00:22:58,560 body was going into the ground. And it says for this we say to 403 00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:01,720 you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain 404 00:23:01,720 --> 00:23:05,840 until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those 405 00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:08,240 who are asleep. For the Lord himself will 406 00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:11,120 descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an 407 00:23:11,120 --> 00:23:13,280 Archangel, and with the trump of God. 408 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:16,080 It's interesting that that trumpet shows up every time 409 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:19,400 we're talking about this truth of the rapture being caught away 410 00:23:19,680 --> 00:23:22,240 and it says and the dead in Christ will rise first, meaning 411 00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:25,880 the physical bodies of all those Christians and believers in the 412 00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:28,880 Old Testament, New Testament that died, that their bodies are 413 00:23:28,880 --> 00:23:31,440 in the grave. When Christ comes back, those 414 00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:34,200 bodies are going to be resurrected where the Bible says 415 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:37,840 this mortality will put on immortality, this corruptible. 416 00:23:37,840 --> 00:23:40,760 The old dead body will put on incorruption, and we'll be 417 00:23:40,760 --> 00:23:44,000 receiving these resurrected bodies, those who are dead in 418 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:46,000 Christ at this time. Keeping in mind that we're 419 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:50,520 referring to the body there's. In the Book of Revelation, 420 00:23:50,520 --> 00:23:53,760 Pastor Clark is taking us through all kinds of events and 421 00:23:53,760 --> 00:23:56,720 happenings that are predicted for the future. 422 00:23:57,200 --> 00:24:00,480 But for those who believe and follow Jesus, there's much to 423 00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:03,320 look forward to in heaven with Jesus. 424 00:24:03,800 --> 00:24:07,280 However, for those who are here on earth during the Tribulation, 425 00:24:07,680 --> 00:24:10,680 there's all kinds of chaos that will unfold. 426 00:24:11,120 --> 00:24:15,120 The Bible talks about an Antichrist, false prophet, and 427 00:24:15,120 --> 00:24:19,960 of course that evil enemy Satan. Do you see how there are such 428 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:24,240 clever attempts for the enemy to disguise himself as God and even 429 00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:27,320 the Trinity? The true Savior of the world is 430 00:24:27,320 --> 00:24:32,000 God and how he comes to rescue through his triune nature, God 431 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:36,520 the Father, Jesus the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. 432 00:24:37,360 --> 00:24:40,920 Just like Satan tried to take over for God in heaven and was 433 00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:45,400 cast out, Satan will try to convince people on earth that he 434 00:24:45,480 --> 00:24:48,680 is the triune God to be worshipped instead of the 435 00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:52,520 legitimate God in heaven. It's an attempt, and although he 436 00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:56,600 will capture plenty in his schemes, he will not win. 437 00:24:57,040 --> 00:25:01,320 The true God wins, and Revelation unpacks how that will 438 00:25:01,320 --> 00:25:05,560 all happen in detail. Be encouraged because there's a 439 00:25:05,560 --> 00:25:09,120 way out for all of this madness that will ensue on this earth. 440 00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:12,920 But you don't want to wait indefinitely to make that 441 00:25:12,920 --> 00:25:17,000 decision about Jesus. We don't know when the church 442 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:20,960 will be raptured, and you want to be ready to be with Jesus. 443 00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:26,080 To learn more about this, head over to calvarychapelonline.com. 444 00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:28,840 We're so glad you've been with us today. 445 00:25:29,280 --> 00:25:32,040 And if you'd like to connect further with this ministry, find 446 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:35,640 us on Facebook or YouTube. You can also download our mobile 447 00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:41,200 app at calvarychapelonline.com. Be sure to join us for weekly 448 00:25:41,200 --> 00:25:50,320 services at 400 E Pittsburgh St. Ste. 6B in Greensburg, PA 15601. 449 00:25:50,800 --> 00:25:53,600 This has been living waters of grace.