Pastor Greg Laurie presents the Amazon Prime hit series The House of David, now on DVD. The House of David, which has been just a smash hit on the Amazon streaming platform, is now available in a box set format. And you can watch it when you want to. We're also including something called Beyond House of David, which is a four-part documentary series.
So order your copy right now, The House of David. Yours for a gift of any amount at harvest.org. The rapture can happen at any moment, in the twinkling of an eye.
Some people might say, well, I'll just accept Christ when the rapture happens. How fast are you? Coming up today on a new beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie talks about God's plan for the last days and how quickly it could take place. How long does it take an eye to twinkle? That's faster than the blinking of an eye.
You can't even measure it in time. And that's why we always need to be ready. This is the day when the Lost are found. This is the day for a new beginning. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound.
But can you hear all the angels are singing? This is the day, the day will live.
So many of us are procrastinators by nature. Others meant to be, but they haven't gotten around to it. Especially when thinking about the end of life and what lies beyond the grave. People tend to leave that discussion for another day.
Well today on a new beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie says time may be running out. We'll take a close look at the Lord's plans for the end times. How will it affect Israel? How will it affect us? Reliable answers today straight from God's Word.
Yeah.
Okay, we're going to look at two passages today: Romans 11 and 1 Thessalonians 4. Romans 11 and 1 Thessalonians 4.
So you might want to mark those. Passages with a ribbon. If you have one of those fancy Bibles with ribbons. The title of my message is Israel, the Rapture, and the God Who Keeps His Word. Then there's no better illustration of God keeping his promises than with his own people, his chosen people, the Jews.
He established his first covenant with Israel through Abraham, who was the father of the Hebrews. And he said in Genesis 12. To Abraham and his descendants, I'll make you a great nation. I'll bless you and make you famous, and you'll be a blessing to others. I'll bless those that bless you, and I'll curse those that curse you.
So much that we have today has come through the Jewish people. Our Bible has been handed down to us by the Jewish people. Our Messiah was Jewish and came to us. Through the Jewish people. And God has promised that He will keep His promises to them, and He'll also keep His promises to us.
And the Bible says, God is not a man that he should lie, so you can trust the promises of God. I'm not Jewish. I'm a Gentile. as probably most of you are. But we have been grafted into the promises of God.
Romans 11:17, if some of the branches have been broken off, it says. And you, though being a wild olive shoot, have been grafted among the others. You now share in the nourishing sap from the olive tree. Root. And so I've been grafted in to the promises of God.
And it's a wonderful thing. And you know, I feel that my role as a Gentile, but as a Christian more importantly, is to bless the people who have blessed us. Romans 11:14, Paul says, I want you to understand. That we are here to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, that it might save.
Some of them. We should walk with God in such a way that non-believers will say, I want what they have. The greatest compliment a Christian can be paid. Is when a non-believer says, What makes you different? I notice you're kinder.
I notice you're more patient. I notice that you're a loving person. Why are you this way? You're going through this hardship, yet you're doing it with a smile on your face. How can you do that?
And what a joy it is to then say, well, let me tell you all about Jesus. Isn't it funny how when you go out to a restaurant with uh to get a meal. That someone orders something and you become jealous of their food. Has that ever happened to you? I'll go and order whatever I usually order.
I'm not very daring when it comes to restaurants, I have to tell you. My wife shall peruse the menu, ask 3,000 questions, ask if she can substitute this for that, and I'll just say, I love the burger and fries, you know, whatever. But then I'll look at her meal, or maybe someone else doesn't say, that looks so good. And then I wished I'd ordered their food. Then I asked, Can I have a small bite of what you're eating?
Sure, and I try another. Why didn't I order that? See, whatever they're eating, I want that. And that's the idea here. We're having a relationship with God that makes not just Jews jealous of Gentiles, but makes non-believers jealous of what we know as Christians.
Okay, next point. Israel plays a key role in the last days. Look at Romans 11 again, verse 25. I want you to understand, Paul writes. The mystery, dear brothers and sisters, so that you do not feel proud about yourself.
Blindness in part has happened to Israel and will last only until the full number of the Gentiles come to Christ, and so all Israel will be saved. There is a spiritual blindness. In general, among many Jewish people when it comes to Jesus Christ.
However, We're beginning to see a dramatic change. More Jewish people are coming to know Jesus as the Messiah. God has not done with his chosen people, but there's a problem. Romans 11:25 again.
Some of the Jews have hard hearts. This will last until the complete number of the Gentiles. Come to Christ. What does this mean? It means that God is waiting.
For the last people to believe, for these events to take place, which would imply to me that walking this earth somewhere. is perhaps a person. It is holding the whole thing up. And if that person would just believe, we could all go to heaven. Can you imagine if you were sitting next to him at church?
Will you get saved already, dude? Come on. We're tired of waiting around for you. But then God will pour his spirit out on Israel. And then another event's going to happen that to some is controversial, but.
Certainly isn't to me. I've been talking about it for fifty years and Many before me have been talking about it for, well, going back to the first century, we call it the rapture. of the church.
Now, what is the rapture? The rapture is when Christ descends from heaven and we are caught up to meet Him to. Receive our new resurrection bodies and be reunited. With loved ones who have died in faith, who have preceded us.
Now, some would push back.
Well, The word rapture is not in the Bible.
Well. The word Bible isn't in the Bible. The word Trinity isn't in the Bible. And in fact, the word rapture is in the Bible if you happen to have a Latin translation. Because rapture from the root word rapturis is simply a translation of the Greek word harpazo, which is used 13 times in the New Testament.
So don't get hung up on the word rapture. But the Harpazzo, The great escape, if you will. The catching up of believers to see the Lord in the air is spoken of many times in the Bible. It means to take forcibly, to snatch, or to catch up.
Some would say, No, the rapture is a modern invention popularized by J.N. Darby and his dispensational teaching in the 19th century.
Well, no question, J.N. Darby helped. Popularize the teaching of the rapture, but This teaching preceded him going back to the apostles. We're reading about what Paul has said about it. In a moment, we'll read another verse where he addresses it as well.
James talked about it, Peter talked about it, John talked about it, and most importantly, Jesus talked about it. And we already quoted what he said in John 14 when he said, I will come again and receive you unto myself.
So where I am. You may be also. They're sort of a Old Testament prototype of the rapture. Remember the story of Enoch? It says, Enoch walked with God and was not, for God took him.
or literally translated him. Enoch sort of had a solo rapture.
So he would walk with the Lord all the time and they were taking one of their walks one day. Maybe the Lord said, Buddy, we're closer to my house than yours. Why don't you come home with me today? But he was just caught up. to meet the Lord in the air.
And that also happened to Elijah. It was caught up, remember, to a chariot of fire. But Early church fathers spoke of it as well. Irenaeus spoke about it in the second century. A Scipient of Carthage.
Spoke of it in the third century, so this is not a new teaching invented by J.N. Darby, it's a biblical teaching that goes back to the apostles and Christ himself. And I think it's important to talk about it. You know, we've talked about this a lot in the Jesus movement. And we're not talking about it as much today.
And I think that's a mistake because we're missing out on the blessing of this teaching. Why is it important to talk about it? Because it brings much needed hope. In fact, the rapture is called the Blessed Hope. And it brings comfort.
Remember, after Paul says, the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, the trump of God, the dead in Christ, shall rise first, and will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Therefore, comfort one another with these words. Whenever you see the word therefore, find out what it's there for. Paul's drawing in what he is saying. Hey, we're going to be caught up to meet the Lord.
So be comforted by this. Why would I be comforted with this? Because he says the dead in Christ shall rise first. You that have lost a loved one will know what I'm talking about. When I say when someone you care about is suddenly taken from you through death.
It's devastating. and you miss them, and you think about them constantly. And you have experiences, and you wish they could be with you at that moment, having that experience with you. And just imagine this for a moment. You could be going about your business on any given day, and suddenly, in a moment so quick you can't even measure it by time, you would be catapulted into God's presence, into their presence, and you would be together again.
That is a great hope. And that is why we can comfort one another with these words. Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. We're thrilled when we hear from listeners that join us from every background, every profession, every age. Hi, Pastor Greg.
I'm 11 years old and I listen to your podcast almost every day. It has helped me so much, especially with things like guilt and forgiveness. Thank you so much, and bless you. Has Pastor Gregg heard from you? Why not drop them an email and share your story?
Send it to Greg? At harvest.org. Again, that's Greg at harvest.org.
Well, we're glad you're along for a fascinating study today. Pastor Gregg's message is titled Israel, the Rapture, and the God Who Keeps His Word. Another reason. We should talk about the rapture. And the imminent return of Jesus is what motivates godly living.
So it comforts us, but it motivates godly living. 1 John 3:3 says, He that has this hope purifies himself.
Sort of like when you look in the mirror. And you see a spot or something else. Oh no, I better deal with this.
So it has an effect on you. It would be like getting a text from your friend. They say, Hey, I'm in your neighborhood. I'm going to drop by your house in five minutes.
Now, if you're a guy, you'd be like, cool, I'll see you then. If you're a woman, it's a different story. There's going to be some serious house cleaning. Because you want your place to look just right for your friend that's coming by to visit. Unexpected.
And so the idea of this is: if I really believe Jesus could come back at any moment, I'm going to want to keep my house clean. I'm going to want to keep my life clean. I'm going to want to be walking with him and living in such a way where I would not be ashamed of what I am doing if he were to return.
So, this is the great hope. C.S. Lewis put it this way: and I quote: a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not a form of escapism. Or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do.
So it's a good thing to do.
Now, That brings us to the question. When is the rapture? Simple answer, no one knows. No one knows. Oh, I know they'll write a new book.
Oh, I've been looking at the blood moons. and the ashes of the red heifer. And I've cracked the code, and it's going to happen at this time. Nobody knows the day or the hour when Christ will come again. I think one of the reasons we have pushed back against the teaching of the rapture is because some in the past have engaged in date setting, which is always a big mistake.
Someone actually wrote a book in 1988.
Some of you may remember this. And the title of the book was 88 Reasons. Why Christ will come in 1988. It was a very popular book in 1988. Sales kind of dropped off in 1989.
Because it didn't happen. And it wasn't true.
So, when is the rapture? No one knows. It could be the night. It could be tomorrow. It could be in one week.
It could be in a decade. I don't know. but it will happen quickly. 1 Corinthians 15 says, Behold, I tell you a mystery, we shall not all sleep. We will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet.
For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Some people might say, Well, I'll just accept Christ when the rapture happens. How fast are you? How long does it take an eye to twinkle? That's faster than the blinking of an eye. You can't even measure it in time.
That's faster than a teenager hitting delete history when mom borrows his phone. But it's fast. And that's why we always need to be ready. Because we'll be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. There's some confusion about the rapture and the second coming.
And they're two separate events. Actually The rapture will be a stealth event. And the second coming will be a very public one. In the rapture, he comes in the air, and the second coming, he comes to the earth. In the rapture, Christ comes for his bride.
In the second coming, he comes with his bride. In the rapture, Christ comes like a thief in the night, and the second coming, the whole earth will see him. The rapture, he comes before judgment, and the second coming, he returns with judgment. See, two different events.
So the second coming, I can tell you when the second coming is. I don't know the date. But I know the general time. It'll happen at the end of the tribulation period. The Bible says there'll be the Battle of Armageddon, and then Christ will return, and we will return with him.
But we haven't even started the tribulation period yet, and the Antichrist has not yet been revealed, so that hasn't begun. But the rapture that could happen at any moment.
Okay, so in closing, what does this mean to us? How should this affect us? If you are a Christian. You should be spiritually awake and alert. I love what Paul says in Romans thirteen, eleven.
This is all the more urgent for you know how late it is. Time is running out. Wake up. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is almost gone.
The day of salvation will soon be here.
Now, Paul tells us what to do.
So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes and put on the shining armor of right living, for we belong to the day.
So let us live. Decent lives for all to see. Don't participate in wild parties and drunkenness. Sexual promiscuity in immoral living or in quarreling or in jealousy. Instead, clothe yourselves with the presence of Christ.
I like how the JB Phillips translation puts this final part When he says, let us be Christ's men from head to foot and give no chances for the flesh to have its flame. Be a godly man. Be a godly woman. Jesus is coming. Let this comfort you.
Let this motivate you. Let this wake you up. But one final thought. If you're not a Christian, This is kinda scary. Because some are going to be taken and others are going to be left.
Jesus said, two will be in a field, one will be taken and the other left. Two will be in a bed, one will be taken and the other left. Watch, therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord will come. There will be people that will be left behind, and you will face the tribulation period. And it ain't going to be pretty, I can tell you that.
That's why you want to be right with God and ready to meet the Lord. You say, well, how do I do that? You ask Christ to come into your life. When Jesus Christ has forgiven you of your sins, You can look forward to his return. Remember when you were a kid at You'd get in trouble.
And mom might threaten you with the ominous words: just wait until your dad gets home. Yeah.
You're dreading dad's arrival. But then, when you were a good little boy or girl, daddy got home, you could run to him with excitement. That's how we ought to be living. If we're right with God, we say, yes, Lord, come anytime. Come tonight.
Come as soon as you want. I'm ready. But if we're not right with God, we'd say, hey, could you kind of delay this a little bit, do it a little later? A few things I want to do first, no, no. Live in a state where you're ready for his return.
So you ask Christ to come into your life. What does that mean? It means you acknowledge you're a sinner. and you have broken God's commandments, and you have fallen short of His standards. And you realize that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on the cross for your sin and rose again from the dead.
And now he stands at the door of your life and he knocks. And he says, if you'll hear his voice and open the door, he'll come in. Have you done that yet? Have you asked Christ to come in? You have a choice.
Get right or get left. Get right with God or get left behind.
So be ready. And be alert. And have Christ living inside of you. And if you're not sure, if Jesus is living in you. I would like to close with a prayer where you can invite Jesus into your life.
and he will forgive you of all of your sin. And you don't have to fear the future. You know, like, here's what I know: I know I'm going to heaven. one way or another. Taxi or Uber, I don't care what the transportation is.
Rapture or death, either way. I'm going to get to heaven. That's what really matters.
So live every day as though it were your last day, because one day it will be. What if this were your last day? And imagine What if you miss this opportunity to get right with God for what? a few earthly pleasures, Some other thing you want to continue doing that you know you shouldn't be doing. This is the time to get right with God.
If you want Jesus Christ to come into your life right now. If you want him to forgive you of your sin. If you want to know that when you die, you will go to heaven. If you want to be ready for the return of Jesus wherever you are, I want you to pray this prayer out loud after me. This is where you're asking God to forgive you of your sin.
And you're asking Jesus Christ to be the Lord of your life. Again, pray this out loud after me. Pray these words, if you would, Lord Jesus. I know that I'm a sinner. But I know that you're the Savior.
Who died on the cross for my sin. and rose again from the dead. I turn from my sin now. And I choose to follow you. from this moment forward.
Make me ready for your return. Thank you for hearing this prayer. In answering this prayer, In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Um Such an important prayer from Pastor Greg Laurie.
And if you've just made that decision, well, we want to first welcome you into the family of God, but then we also want to offer some help. Let us send you Pastor Gregg's New Believer's Bible. It's a free resource that'll answer many of your questions and get you started off right in your new walk of faith. It features a concise overview of each book of the Bible. And the Scripture text is in the easy-to-read New Living Translation.
Just ask for the New Believer's Bible when you call 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org and click Know God. And then let us say a word of thanks to those who support us financially. those who make it possible for us to bring you these studies each day.
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Well, next time, Pastor Greg brings us a timely set of studies. He launches a series called God's Answer to Fear, Anxiety, and Worry. Join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.
