Evacuation and Invasion (Part B)

In my younger years as a Christian, it was very easy to feel Christianity.

I could feel it when I did sing, I could feel it. But as the years have rolled by and I've taken so many hits, any pastor will tell you this if he's been around long enough. It's more faith than anything else.

It's more of, I know this is the way, the truth, and the life, and I don't care how I feel. I know this is it. This is my God. This is my Savior.

And I don't need anything to help me with this. I have him. This is Cross-Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the Gospel of Mark. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Cross-Reference Radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching.

Today, Pastor Rick will continue his message called Evacuation and Invasion as he teaches through Mark chapter 13. There are some that cannot meet. They cannot assemble. They may have some illness or some other condition.

Of course that's understandable. But there are others that I fear are neglecting a very easy calling. It is hard to go to church and stay, continue to go to church.

Satan hates you doing it. He wants to break down your loyalty. If we could have Christians that had truth and love and loyalty, we'd get a lot more done as a body of believers.

But these things are evasive. Well, that was just part of everything else that's coming. Back to this statement Jesus makes to the church in ancient Turkey in a city called Philadelphia. He says, because you have kept my command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth. Well, when he spoke it to that church, there was no trial coming upon the whole earth and there has not been a trial come upon the whole earth like the one that's coming. He is talking about the great tribulation period. And so he says to this body of believers who have persevered and kept to his command, which is his word, I'm going to spare you from this tribulation that is coming. I'm not going to wrap you in bubble wrap.

I'm going to snatch you out of here. There's a lot of error in human theology due to a misunderstanding as far as making the difference between the church and the nation Israel. They're not the same. They are connected. There are similarities, but they are not identical. And if you cannot make that distinction, you're likely going to be a legalistic person. You're going to miss the emphasis of grace in your Christian walk.

At least that's been my experience. But this tribulation period, the three and a half for Israel, as I mentioned, comes from this verse, one of many, but Jeremiah 30 verse 7, the prophet says, alas, for that day is great so that none is like it. And it is the time of Israel's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it. You see, the original Hebrew says Jacob's trouble.

Well, Jacob's name was changed. We know he's talking about Israel. I have just given you an interpretive rendering of that verse. And it is the time of Jacob's trouble. And how will they be saved out of it?

By the return of the Lord with the armies of heaven, us, along with him. The church age with its removal completes that dispensation, that period of time. But it leaves behind the false church, which is two parts to the false church. It is apostate. In other words, it's fallen away from the scripture, from God's word. It really doesn't even believe in God's word.

That then brings in the second part. It is ecumenical. That means that it can pray with and include and mix in other religions without any disturbance to its conscience because it is dead completely. It is the apostate church. It is the great harlot that is mentioned in Revelation 18 and 19. And the harlot is the one that is unfaithful.

She rides the beast. She is, so to speak, the state church that is tolerated for a while by Antichrist until finally he exalts himself and will have none of that and destroys even that. The true church is not apostate. Again, Revelation chapter 3, the same church that he said, I'm going to spare you this great tribulation. He says, I know your work. See, I have set before you an open door.

When did he do that? Pentecost when the church was born. I'll come back to that in a moment.

And no one can shut it. The church will be here. The true church, there will be at the very least a remnant of the true church preaching the word of God from the word of God. He says, for you have a little strength. Is that not the church? Have kept my word and have not denied my name. You see the contrast between all of these ecumenical churches that are out there that have denied the Lord's name, that are not keeping his word, that are not persevering according to his commandments, that are telling you there are many roads that go to heaven and just pick one.

We're not the only ones with it. You can find it in the Jewish synagogues, in the Muslim mosque. You can find it under some tree. If you're doing Zen Buddhism or something, all these roads lead to heaven. That's the lie that they're telling people.

And you will know them by their fruits and the fruit will be, of course, whether it is true and sweet according to scripture or if it's rotten according to men. The church, the New Testament church, it was supernaturally injected into human history at Pentecost. There's no explanation for it. There's no way it should have survived. Those Jews should have shut it down if it weren't for God. But it was for God.

So it was supernaturally injected. It will be supernaturally ejected. And that is the rapture of the church, the evacuation of believers, the removal of the true assembly, which will be outlawed during Antichrist time anyway. And God knows he sees this happening. And so I believe in the pre-tribulation removal of the church because I believe the Bible teaches it and I'm not ever going to be in a mood to explain it away. Also, who needs 144,000 and the two witnesses if the church is still here preaching the truth? We need these supernaturally or that's divinely protected believers because their message will be intolerant. But God will protect them because there is, again, this assembly of believers outlawed.

Listen, we just saw—listen, I hope you've been listening—we just saw in our country, in the world, citizen pitted against citizen to make sure you're wearing your mask the right way. Well, in the time of Antichrist, they're going to be citizen pitted against any citizen who decides they're going to preach from the Bible what it says. My point is, there will be those to make sure there's no preaching of the truth without consequence. And thus the tribulation converts and the tribulation martyrs and the tribulation 144,000 who are protected and the two intolerant preachers of God's truth who lead the 144,000 to Christ, they will be protected only for a while and then they too will not be tolerated. So, the return of Christ—well, the return for his church is the evacuation, the return seven years later with his church is the invasion.

Jude chapter—pardon me, Jude 14, the 14th verse of Jude. Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints. That goes along with what Jesus was saying here in verse 24, but in those days after the tribulation and he talks about the sun being dark and he says, then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory and that will be us with him. He's not coming alone, though he could. Revelation 19, 14, and the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him on white horses, taking no nonsense. It doesn't say that last part, but that's what's happening. Now, hold that into your thoughts, that part about clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

Just bookmark that. The objective when he returns with us is to rescue Israel from extinction and to rescue humanity, what's left of it from extinction. Second Thessalonians chapter one, these shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power. Now, if you say, I don't like that, it's too bad.

Your not liking is not going to make it go away. Not liking what the Bible teaches does not stop it. It continues on and it will outlive everybody who is against it, but there in Second Thessalonians, Paul is saying God is going to come deal with this. He is not going to wink at injustice and corruption and all the evil done to his people and the blasphemy against his name. And then he continues, when he comes in that day to be glorified in his saints and to be admired among all who believe. To be admired. Yes, the beauty of the Lord. Something to behold.

It is going to happen. You don't, well I'll say it this way, in my younger years as a Christian it was very easy to feel Christianity. I could feel it when I did sing, I could feel it. But as the years have rolled by and I've taken so many hits, any pastor will tell you this if he's been around long enough, it's more faith than anything else. It's more of, I know this is the way, the truth and the life, and I don't care how I feel, I know this is it, this is my God, this is my Savior, and I don't need anything to help me with this, I have him. And so my point is, when the end comes, whether you like it or not it's coming, it's best to be on that side that is going to win, and that is the side of Jesus Christ. So the two stages, and I know I'm repeating myself, and I must, because there are those who do not have a clear understanding of the end times, and to sort of reinforce the lesson I will repeat things, such as, first comes the rapture, the removal of the church, that ignites the powder keg, that lights the wick, and then the seven year period of great tribulation, then the Lord returns, then comes his thousand year reign, and then Satan is let loose again for a little while after a thousand years, and Satan meddles with humans who were born during that thousand year period, and he will gain those who come to his side, and they will rebel against God, and God will take them out instantly, and then God will end the world as we know it, there will be a new heavens and a new earth, and these things won't even come to mind, and he'll all get to that quote later, if you stop slowing me down, so, the two stages of his return, the rapture, launching the great tribulation, just as when the Jews took the Passover feast, while they were eating that meal, the feast of unleavened bread would then start, it would roll, they would merge, they would join together, one would move right into the other, and so in scripture sometimes when they talk about these two feasts, they put them together as though it's one feast, and you'd have to know the details to make the distinction, well the rapture, the rapture starts the great tribulation period, that is, from evacuation and ending when Christ invades the world to take it back, the great tribulation period that is coming is not hell broke loose, hell can't break loose, God is sovereign, and he is not subject to anything from hell, hell is not the opposite of God, there's no yin yang kind of thing going on here, God is sovereign over hell, and he will let it loose, giving those, the world, as a unit, everything they want, they want to listen to the lies out of hell, so God is going to give them the hell that they want to listen to, he sends the messengers to give an alternative, a way of escape, and they're going to kill them, most of them, Isaiah 13 verse 9, the day of the Lord starts with the rapture, behold the day of Yahweh comes, cruel with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate, and he will destroy its sinners from it, I told you I was going to read to you that the great tribulation period was this wrath of God poured out on the earth, and there is one of the verses that teaches us about it, those submitted to God will enter the kingdom of God when he returns, and those who reject him will be taken away to judgment, and so when he says, in Luke, one of these apostles, Mark, then they will see the son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory, okay, then what happens? Then he judges those living during the great tribulation period, and having sent his angels out to preach the gospel, and his servants, they will have no excuse, then Luke 17 verse 35, two women will be grinding together and one will be taken and the other left, two men will be in the field, one will be taken and one will be left, I know that when you read that, it reads as though this is the rapture, well it's true of the rapture, but in the context that it was given, it is the judgment in the beginning of his return, Matthew 25, 46, all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats, and these will go away into everlasting punishment but the righteous into eternal life, so you see there's the context of it being at his return because that does not take place at the rapture. So the three aspects one more time, evacuation, the invasion seven years later, and then the judgment and occupation, so it kind of works out because I'm really that smart, now that's not funny, I got feelings, evacuation, invasion, occupation, that's just too easy, anyway, so the question I was asked about all this last week was will we be raptured with our clothes on, that's a good question, it's cute but it's a good question, because I'm fighting thoughts about full moons and things like that on the way up, yes and no, yeah we will have clothes on, that's the first answer, but they won't be these clothes, and for some of you that will be a great relief for the rest of us, but I see you've been raiding the lost and found again, I mean men's fashion has been dead, okay back to this, second Corinthians chapter 5, if indeed having been clothed we shall not be found naked, that's a dual meaning, it's a spiritual yes, we're covered in Christ, but also remember we're riding back in white linen, that's connected, and aren't we glad that we're not going up that way, first Corinthians 1551, this is where Paul is talking about the rapture, he says behold I tell you a mystery we shall not all sleep but we shall all 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, so we have that justification, sanctification, glorification, these bodies aren't fit for the eternal, for the atmosphere, I mean we can't even make it in places on earth, so the body has to be changed and so will the garment be changed as an indication of all these things, glorified bodies fit for a glorious atmosphere while our present clothing will vanish into oblivion, cotton is just not going to help you out in the spiritual realm and so we're going to have to, first Corinthians, I want to stay on this a little bit because I liked it and I got the okay from God to do it so I hope it's beneficial, go back to with me in first Corinthians where he says we shall not all sleep, we shall not all die but we shall be changed in a moment in an instant twinkling of an eye just like that it's going to take place, when God says when he's the last trumpet sound to change is going to be instant, the last trumpet, the Roman army which Paul uses as his template for these analogies and even the Jews in the wilderness but back to the Roman one, they had three trumpets for their armies, the first trumpet meant break camp, the second trumpet meant line up and the third trumpet said let's march and that's the last trumpet, let's march and so when Christ blows that last trumpet to pull his church out that's the reference, Matthew 9 verse 6, no let's do first Corinthians 53, for this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality, we're not fit for heaven physically so when this corruptible has put on incorruption and this mortal has put on immortality then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written death is swallowed up in victory, we can't die, we're fitted with a new body, the organs won't break down, the things that make us live they'll not fail so Matthew 9 16, no one puts on a piece of untrunk cloth on an old garment for the patch pulls away from the garment and the tear is made worse and of course he's talking about his coming and you know just you can't take old things and put them on new things when it's time for the new thing, it's not a good fit, is there precedence, yes as it's happened before, second Kings, this is Elijah being taken up in that chariot, then it happened as they continued on and talked, it's Elijah and Elisha, his disciple that suddenly a chariot, a fire appeared with horses of fire and separated the two men and Elijah went up in a whirlwind into heaven and Elisha saw it and he cried out my father, my father the chariot of Israel and his horsemen, that's a lamentation and amazement at the same time, so he saw him no more and he took a hold of his own clothes and tore them in two pieces, he also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan, so the cloak that Elijah the prophet had that was discarded and Elisha picked it up and with it he parted the Jordan, it was part of his ministry, his tool, anyway there the great prophet was taken up into heaven, he had no need for a cloak where he was going and back to the white robes, no jeans, t-shirts, dresses, suits and ties and heaven appears and you can cross reference this in Revelation 113 where Jesus himself manifest himself to John and he is clothed with a robe down to his feet and Revelation 4, 4, 7, 9, just throughout Revelation, just take your concordance, look up the word clothed in the book of Revelation and you will see that there is an emphasis placed on our being in proper attire, Matthew 22 verse 11, but when the kings is a parable of Christ and he's speaking about showing up in improper attire, but when the king came in to see the guests he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment, so he said to him friend how did you come in here without a wedding garment and he was speechless and then he was judged and so yeah there it matters, it does count and I thought it was a good question, verse 28, now we begin, now we begin verse 28, now learn this parable from the fig tree, when its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves you know that summer is near, so he's drawing from the surrounding, he's saying look I'm going to lay something to illustrate for you, pound of illustration is worth a ton of explanation, but here's another metaphor with the fig tree which is the Old Testament standard for singling out Israel and making a distinction between Israel and all the other nations, Israel's the fig tree, you wouldn't say that of Egypt, you would not say that of Syria, it was Israel, that's the fig tree and so when he says learn this parable from Israel, you see now we understand that this is making a lot more sense, the fruitless fig tree that he talked about in chapter 11 symbolized the corruption of her leaders, but this is different, this is he's picturing this fig tree with its foliage reviving, indicating a new season, a productive nation, indicating that his return is imminent, it's going to happen and he puts the barrier on or the boundaries on it, this generation which we'll get to and so having taught about his return after the Great Tribulation in verse 24, he now returns to events leading up to the Great Tribulation, that's where we are in the sequence of end times events here in verse 28, what happens before the rapture, rapture is coming, the removal of the church, what happens right before that, that's this 28 verse and he is indicating that those who are going to be living right before that moment, there will be signs that the day of the Lord is about to happen. 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