Come Lord Jesus!
I. Prophecy in the Old Testament.
A. There are approx. 333 prophecies in the O.T. about the first coming of Jesus.
b. Many of them fulfilled on the day He died.
c. Prophecies that are fulfilled prove the credibility of the Bible.
d. Show chart of Law of Compound Probability. From Dakes’ Bible = Page 731
II. Genesis 5 contains the first 10 generations from Adam to Noah.
a. The Holy Spirit has hidden the story of redemption of man in the meanings of the names from Adam to Noah.
b. (Following gleaned from Chuck Missler teachings) A prophetic picture of the Plan of Redemption hidden in the meaning of the names of men in the first Ten Generations of Genesis, Chapter 5:
1. verse 3 Adam means . . . . . Man (in Hebrew)
2. " 6 Seth means. . . . . Appointed
3. " 9 Enos means. . . . . Mortal
4. " 12 Cainan means. . . . Sorrow
5. " 13 Mahaleleel means. . Blessed God
6. " 18 Jared means . . . . Shall Come Down
7. " 21 Enoch means . . . . Teaching
8. " 25 Methusalah means. . His Death Brings
9. " 28 Lamech means . . . .Despairing
10. " 32 Noah means . . . . .Rest
Reading the Hebrew meanings in order it would read like this: Man (is) appointed mortal sorrow; (the) Blessed God shall come down teaching; His death brings (the) despairing rest!
III. Let’s look at scriptures about the Rapture and His 2nd Coming.
A. 1 Cor. 15:51-52, Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
b. Matt. 24:27, For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
1. Speed of light is over 186,000 miles per second.
2. The earth is 25,000 miles in circumference.
3. If lightning could strike and go around the world it would travel around 7 ½ times in one second.
4. Anyone who is not saved and thinks he will have time to repent when the Rapture happens has got to be a fast talker.
5. John the Baptist announced His first coming but when He comes at the Rapture there won’t be anyone to announce it.
6. Only those who are watching and listening for the shout, the voice and the sound of the trump will be raptured.
7. Not everyone will hear the same thing at the Rapture. One time Jesus was praying and He asked God to glorify His Name. John 12:28-30, Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. 29 The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.
8. Some people said it was thunder. They were watching the weather.
9. Some said it was an angel.
10. But John 10:27 says, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me"
11. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. We’re His flock of sheep and we know His Voice. When that call comes at the Rapture we will know Who it is and we will follow Him back to Heaven.
IV. WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM A VULTURE?
Matthew 24:28 , "For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together"
WHAT IS THIS TALKING ABOUT?
a. Turn to Is. 34:1-3, Come near, ye nations, to hear; and hearken, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth of it. 2 For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter. 3 Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood.
b. This is talking about the battle of Armageddon.
1. After the Rapture we are in Heaven for 7 years. There we will go to the Judgment Seat of Christ.
2. Meanwhile on earth, towards the end of the 7 years of Trib. The Battle of Armageddon will be fought.
3. Before men destroy the whole earth with their weapons of mass destruction, Jesus will come back on a white horse to stop the battle with the Words of His mouth.
See Rev. 19:15, "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations:
c. Go to verse Rev. 19:17-18, And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; 18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
1. The word for eagles is actually vultures in the original Gr. The angel in verse 17 is calling the vultures to “come and dine” on the bodies of dead men who have been killed during the Battle of Armageddon.
d. Back to Matthew 24:28 , For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
1. In the spring and fall, billions of birds fly over Israel migrating from Europe & Asia to Africa and back again.
2. For the first time in centuries, vultures are nesting in Israel. This began in the 1990’s.
3. Something very unusual is happening. Vultures usually lay one egg but now they are laying 2 or more.
4. God is increasing the population of the vultures to fulfill the prophecy concerning the Battle of Armageddon!!!
5. When we went to Mt. Gilboa in Israel and overlooked the Valley of Armageddon we saw flocks of vultures circling over the valley as if they are just waiting for their call to supper.
V. ONE TAKEN THE OTHER LEFT
Matthew 24:37-43, But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, (putting out in today’s language) until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
a. Some teach that this is about Jesus Coming back after the Tribulation to set up His 1,000 reign on earth.
1. They say that the people in the parable who are taken are the unsaved. They have taken the mark of the beast. They are sent to hell with the False Prophet and the Antichrist.
2. The ones who are saved and were not taken will be present to rule with the Lord in His 1,000 reign.
3. The same ones who believe and teach this usually say there are no O.T. scriptures or in the 4 Gospels of the N.T. about the Rapture.
b. But others teach that verses 37-43 are talking about the Rapture before the Tribulation.
1. Verse 42 Jesus says, “Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come”
2. Verse 43 says, “But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
3. Goodman of the house means Master of the house, or World. The devil is the master of the world.
4. Who is the Thief?
a. 1 Thess. 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. Verse 4 , But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this day should overtake you as a thief.
b. 2 Peter 3:10, But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night;
c. Rev. 3:3 (last half of verse), "I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee."
d. When Jesus comes back at the Rapture He will come like a thief in the night to steal some valuable goods from the devil’s world.
e. What are those valuable goods? It’s the Bride of Christ.
VI. TIME ZONES
Luke 17:34-36, "I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left."
a. Two men in one bed (night time) one taken, the other left.
b. Two women grinding together , two men in the field (daytime) in both cases, one taken, the other left.
c. Time zones are implied. In one part of the world it’s night time while in another it’s daytime.
d. West Africa is 6 hours ahead of us. When they are Raptured in Ghana we’ll be raptured too but the time will show 6 hours difference.
VII. The Rod of Iron
A. Ps. 2:8-9, Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. 9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.
B. Rev. 19:15, And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron:
1. After the 7 years Tribulation on earth Jesus will come back and set up His kingdom. It will last for 1000 years.
2. Several times in the Bible it says that He will rule with a “rod of iron”.
3. Some may believe this sounds too harsh for Jesus. We have a picture in our minds of meek and mild Jesus, gentle as a Lamb.
4. That describes the way He was at His first coming.
5. When He comes back the second time He’s coming back to rule and there won’t be any question Who’s in charge.
C. In ancient times the kings would carry a rod called a scepter. It was a sign of authority.
1. In the Army some officers would carry a swagger stick, or riding crop.
2. If you want the horse to move you slap him on the behind.
3. Officers didn’t have to slap, the stick in his hand was intimidating enough.
4. He said, “Jump” and all you did was ask, “How high, sir?”.
D. Jesus will have a rod in His Hand, it will be a sign of authority.
1. When Jesus first sets up His kingdom, it will be mandatory for everyone to go to Jerusalem three times a year to celebrate the Feasts of the Lord.
2. Zech. 14:16-17, "And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. 17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain."
3. The nations that do not go up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feasts will be cut off from the rains.
4. This will be in the early stages of the Mill. Reign. Nations will soon learn to obey or suffer drought.
VIII. The Rapture in the Book of Isaiah
Isaiah 57:1, "The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come."
a. The righteous (Believers) perisheth ("avadh" in the orig. same verb used in Jer. 10:11, means "to disappear") and no man layth it to heart (cares) and merciful men (men of godliness in the ref. col.) are taken away,(gathered up or harvested in the orig. Heb.) none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come. (Tribulation)
b. Here’s how it would read: The Born-Again Believers disappear and no man cares. Believers are harvested or Raptured, no one considering that they are being taken away to avoid the Tribulation.
IX. Rev. 19:5-9 - The Marriage Supper
a. "And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great. 6 And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. 7 Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. 8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. 9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
b. In the book of John (2:1-10) Jesus, His disciples and His mother, Mary, were invited to a wedding in Cana of Galilee.
1. In those days the bride was taken to the groom’s father’s house while the guests celebrated for 7 days.
2. 7 days of celebrating was their custom. It even went back to the O.T. times.
3. The guests would celebrate for those 7 days while the bride and groom would go to the little hut called a “chupah”. It would have been already prepared by the groom for his bride somewhere near his father’s house.
4. For 7 days the bride and groom would have their honeymoon. The honeymoon was a time of intimate discovery of each other.
c. In the Bible the church is identified as a chaste virgin who is engaged to Jesus. (2 Cor. 11:2)
1. When we are taken up in the Rapture we will be the Bride of Christ in a corporate body.
2. Then when we will go to the Judgment Seat of Christ. It’s a time of discovery. It’s our honeymoon with Jesus. It will last 7 years.
3. Jesus will ask each of us individually about our lives since being Born-Again.
4. There will be times of reward and times of regret as our lives are laid bare before Jesus
5. After the honeymoon we are ready to celebrate.
6. Then we will all sit down at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb!!!
X. Song of Solomon 2:8-13, "The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. 9 My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice. 10 My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. 11 For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; 12 The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; 13 The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
A. 1 Thess 4:16, For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
1. The voice of my beloved (the Church hearing the voice of voice of the archangel)
2. he cometh leaping upon upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills (Jesus will come just above the earth)
3. my beloved is like a roe or a young hart (like a deer)
4. behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the the windows, shewing himself through the lattice. (Jesus looking down from the windows of Heaven)
5. My beloved spake, and said unto me, rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
(compare that with Rev. 4:1, “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither” )
6. For lo, the winter is past, (our long wait for the return of Jesus.)
7. the rain is over and gone, (the former and latter rains meeting together in these last days. The rain is symbolic of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Joel 2:23 talks about a great harvest following the former/latter rains: “Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month. 24 And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the fats shall overflow with wine and oil.”)
8. The flowers appear on the earth, ( a great harvest of souls)
9. The time of the singing of birds is come and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land (a time of rejoicing for all of creation, knowing that it will be next to be redeemed when Jesus comes back to set up His Kingdom on earth.
10. The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. (Everything is in God’s time. Eccl. 3:1-2, To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
11. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
(Another call to come away. Why are there two calls to come away? Because 1 Thess. 4:16 says, "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first (call number one) 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: (call number two) and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
