The Day of the Lord, Part 2 B

Why an unimaginable thought will the world believe false prophets who say this is just the dawning of a wonderful new time of peace?

I'll tell you why. Because those false prophets will do great what? Signs and wonders.

Whatever capability hell has to put on a show, it'll put it on them. There's an old saying, red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky in the morning, sailor's warning. Well, if you're keeping an eye on the weather, world politics, or Wall Street, or your physical wellness, it's possible to spot the signs of what's ahead, and that certainly is true when it comes to the Lord's judgment. So what are the signs of Christ's return, and should you really be concerned about them? John MacArthur helps answer those questions on grace to you as he continues his study of prophecy yet to be fulfilled, titled The Rapture and the Day of the Lord. And with that, let's get to the lesson.

Here's John. We find ourselves in chapter 5, and I would invite you to turn to chapter 5, and we look again at the first three verses of this chapter. 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5, verses 1-3.

Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. While they are saying, peace and safety, then destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. This reference to the day of the Lord in verse 2 keys this entire text all the way down through verse 11. The prophets of the Old Testament also spoke of the day of the Lord, as I pointed out in our last study. They called it the great and terrible day of the Lord.

Amos, for example, is one of the prophets that writes about the day of the Lord, along with others like Isaiah, Ezekiel, Zephaniah, and Malachi. And Amos, for example, shows us that the day of the Lord will be darkness and not light. It will be judgment and not mercy.

It will be wrath and not blessing. He shows us that the day of the Lord will bring a disruption of the physical order, a cosmic catastrophe caused by God Himself as He overrules the natural process. Amos tells us that under the fury of divine judgment on the day of the Lord, the whole earth will be devastated and will become like a turbulent sea or like the rising and falling of the Nile River which overflows its banks for miles, drowning and submerging everything in its wake. Amos tells us that the sun will go out at noon and cover the whole world in darkness.

And then Amos says supernatural fire will come to destroy the sea and the land. Timing details are not given. No man knows the day nor the hour, not even the Son of Man, but the Father only, Jesus said. So like the rapture, we can know about the event but we can't know when it's going to happen. And so the day of the Lord, we can know about it but we can't know when it's going to happen. Such information is not available because the Lord has not chosen to give it.

Now let me go on and give you some insights that you need to have. No passage, no passage dealing with the rapture gives any preliminary signs that the rapture is about to happen. John 14, 1 Corinthians 15, 1 Thessalonians 4 are the rapture texts of the New Testament.

None of them gives us any preliminary sign. No passages talk about precursors, preliminary events, nothing like that. On the other hand, follow my thinking, on the other hand, passages dealing with the day of the Lord do mention precursors, preliminary events, signs, signals so that a person should have some general idea that it's near.

You say, well, what are these preliminary events? There are none given in the rapture passages. There are numerous ones given in the day of the Lord passages.

Let me give you a sampling. In Malachi 4, 5, don't turn to it, but in Malachi 4, 5, Malachi says that before the day of the Lord can come, an Elijah-like forerunner must come first, like John the Baptist came before the coming of Christ, a forerunner. Malachi 4, 5 says the day of the Lord cannot occur until this Elijah-like, this prophetic person, this sort of John the Baptist type comes to announce the coming of the Messiah. So God is actually going to send a forerunner before the day of the Lord to announce His coming, Malachi 4, 5. So if the forerunner isn't here yet making that announcement, then the day of the Lord isn't near yet. Secondly, in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 and verse 3, the Apostle Paul says the day of the Lord will not occur until the apostasy, which is a worldwide rebellion against God and Christ and Scripture. There will be a worldwide rebellion against God first. Then comes the day of the Lord. Second Thessalonians 2, 3, and 4 also says the day of the Lord will not come until the man of sin be revealed.

The Antichrist. And until he set himself up in the temple, which means that he goes into the temple in Jerusalem, abominates the temple, called the abomination of desolation, then sets himself up as the authority, as the one to be worshiped. Now Daniel tells us about it and Jesus reiterates it in Matthew 24 and says that in the middle of a seven-year period called the Tribulation, in the middle of that 70th week, that seven-year period, Antichrist will rise, desecrate the temple, set himself up as God in the temple.

That's at the midpoint. The day of the Lord will happen toward the end of that Tribulation, sometime toward the end of that last three and a half years. So when the abomination of desolation takes place by the Antichrist in Jerusalem, you know the day of the Lord is not far away. And then sometime in that same period, the great apostasy will take place, the rebellion against God orchestrated no doubt and led by Antichrist.

And then will appear an Elijah-like John the Baptist proclaimer announcing the coming of the Lord. And then another event will begin to take place as an indication that the day of the Lord is about to come and that is in Joel 3, 9. It says the nations will begin to be assembled in the valley of decision. The nations of the world will move toward the valley of decision and what we know as the ultimate Armageddon will eventually take place.

As the nations of the world begin to move into Megiddo in the Middle East, you don't have to be too bright to know that the focus of the whole wide world is on the Middle East. But all of that is going to happen in the last three and a half years of the Tribulation time just prior to the day of the Lord which comes toward the end of that time. So, the day of the Lord can't come until an Elijah-like forerunner comes, a great world apostasy against God comes, the Antichrist abominates the temple and sets himself up, the nations begin to move and migrate into the valley of decision as it's called when God is going to decide what to do with them.

And then right immediately, we don't know whether it's hours or days or even weeks, before the day of the Lord comes, listen to what else is going to happen. The sun will be turned into darkness, Joel 2 31. The moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. So just before that day of the Lord comes, the sun and the moon go out. Joel 3 15 says this, the sun and moon grow dark, the stars lose their brightness, the stars go out. Isaiah 13 10 describes it, the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light, the sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light. Matthew 24 29 says, immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, the powers of heaven will be shaken. Mark 13 24 in those days after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. Luke 21 25, there will be signs in sun and moon and stars and on the earth dismay among nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves.

How did the sea get into it? Put out the sun and you put out the moon. Put out the moon and you send the tides of the world into absolute chaos. And so you have these precursors, these events before the day of the Lord hits. Unbelievably, absolutely incomprehensibly, the people in the world at that time are going to have an inexplicable response on the surface. Look at verse 3, an inexplicable response. Verse 3, while they are saying, peace and safety, then destruction will come.

Stop at that point. You say, what? They're saying, what?

They're saying, peace and safety. You say, now wait a minute. The Bible says you can't know the day or the hour. That's right. But you can know the general timeframe for the day of the Lord. That's correct. Not the specific day, not the hour, but the general timeframe.

Yes. Why? Because the abomination of desolations has happened, because somebody is announcing the coming of Christ, because of a worldwide apostasy, because of the nations going into the valley of decision, and certainly because everything goes black. But in spite of this, and mark this, even before the midpoint of the seven years, there will be other things to indicate the end. There will be other evidences listed in the first five seals of Revelation that will show that we're moving toward the end. In spite of that, in spite of the Antichrist, in spite of all of those preliminaries, in spite of all of it, the response of people is peace and safety.

What does that mean? Everything will be fine. We're headed for a time of peace.

We're headed for a time of safety. You say, that's absolutely ludicrous. That's absolutely ridiculous. Who in the world would ever come up with that kind of a response? Pretty simple if you think about it. They're being convinced by a special group. A special group of people are working real hard to convince them that peace and safety is coming. Take a wild guess and imagine who that group represents.

Wouldn't be God, would it? Must be the enemy. Peace and safety, peace and safety. Everything's going to be fine. We're moving toward a wonderful time. All this is going to be over. This is the beginning.

I can hear it now. This is the beginning of the new age. The old one is falling apart. It's all disintegrating. And all of the Christians who have been raptured were the problem. We got rid of them and the whole thing is now being reshuffled and we're going to come into the dawning of a new age. Say, who's going to be preaching that? It doesn't take much imagination to answer the question.

Let me give you an illustration of how it works. If you go back into Jeremiah's prophecy with me, let's go back to chapter 6. Jeremiah prophesied about the day of the Lord. Jeremiah warned Judah, the southern kingdom of judgment. And Jeremiah was talking about a historical day of the Lord in which God would come and use another nation to be His judge and executioner. Many of them would be massacred and the rest would be deported off into Babylon. So Jeremiah saw a near historical day of the Lord in anticipation of that ultimate final day of the Lord.

But notice what he had to contend with, right? He was predicting that this army was going to come in and wipe out Judah and dispossess them from their land and haul them off into captivity and all of this. This was Jeremiah's message. But would you please notice, chapter 6, verse 1, he tells them that there are some present signs to indicate what he says is true. By the way, he's crying, he's using object lessons, he was the weeping prophet, he's preaching in the streets, he's warning and warning and warning that God's judgment is coming. And here he says, look, flee for safety, O sons of Benjamin. Run from the midst of Jerusalem, blow a trumpet in Tekoa and raise a signal over Bethacharim.

Why? Already, look at the north, evil looks down from the north and a great destruction. Look, the army is camped on the northern border. Can't you see the sign?

Can't you see the signal? Run, flee, get your life right. But he had some other people to contend with. Chapter 6, verse 13, he says in the middle of the verse, and from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely. And they have healed the brokenness of my people superficially, saying, peace, peace, but there is no peace. What are the false prophets saying? Oh, don't worry about that army up there, nothing's...we're just headed into a new era of peace. This is the dawning of a new time of peace.

Everything is going to be wonderful. Where do you think they were getting their message? From Satan himself and his demons who always do everything they can to lie and deceive the people of God. And so these false demon-inspired prophets were running around saying, peace, peace, we're coming to a time of peace, we're coming to a time of peace. Chapter 8, verse 11 says essentially the same thing. They heal the brokenness of the daughter of my people superficially. These prophets can't heal anybody. These prophets can't make people spiritually whole.

Theirs is a superficial ministry because it's filled with lies. They say, peace, peace, but there's no peace. It isn't going to be peace. Chapter 14, two verses, verses 13 and 14. But, ah, Lord God, I said, look, the prophets are telling them, you will not see the sword, nor will you have famine, but I will give you lasting peace in this place.

That's what they're telling the people. Lasting peace, no sword, no famine. Ah, Lord God, he says.

I got so much competition, giving people the wrong information. Listen, believe it folks, in the latter times before the final holocaust of the day of the Lord, the world will literally be crawling with demonically inspired false prophets lying about what is going on. That is why they will be saying, peace and safety, peace and safety. Verse 14, the Lord says, the prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them. They are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility, and the deception of their own minds. Lamentations 2, 14, also written by Jeremiah, says the same thing. Your prophets have seen for you false and foolish visions, and they have not exposed your iniquity so as to restore you from captivity, but they have seen for you false and misleading oracles. Look at Ezekiel. Ezekiel had the same problem. Ezekiel chapter 13, most fascinating.

This is a graphic illustration. In verse 10, God says, God is speaking here, starts speaking in verse 8, but down in verse 10, it is definitely because they have misled My people by saying peace when there is no peace. And Ezekiel was having to compete with the same kind of thing during the time of his prophecy. And so what he does is make a...God makes an analogy. God uses an illustration. And when anyone builds a wall, behold, they plaster it over with whitewash.

And this is his analogy. So tell those who plaster it over with whitewash, that is the false prophets, that it will fall. They put up their prophetic office. They parade themselves as if they are the wall of protection for God's people.

They cover themselves with whitewash to make them look holy and good. You tell them, for me, that wall is going to fall. That false protection, a flooding rain will come and you, O hailstones, will fall and a violent wind will break out. Behold, when the wall has fallen, will you not be asked where is the plaster with which you plastered it?

In other words, wait a minute, what were all those words you said to us that were supposed to protect us? Therefore thus says the Lord, God, I will make a violent wind break out in my wrath. There will also be in my anger a flooding rain and hailstones that consume it in wrath.

I'll tear down the wall which you plastered over with whitewash and bring it down to the ground so that its foundation is laid bare. That is, you'll see that these prophets were false. And when it falls, you will be consumed in its midst.

You'll be unprotected and judged. You will know that I am the Lord. Thus I'll spend my wrath on the wall and on those who plastered it with whitewash. And I shall say to you, the wall is gone and its plasterers are gone, along with the prophets of Israel who prophesied of Jerusalem and who see visions of peace for her when there is no peace." Micah said the same thing. Micah looked at the day of the Lord, chapter 3 verse 5. He says they cry, peace.

There's no peace. Look with me at Matthew chapter 24 again for a brief, brief moment. In Matthew chapter 24, you have a description of the events prior to the day of the Lord.

And I want you to notice this. He's describing the tribulation. He describes here the abomination of desolation in verse 15 where the Antichrist desecrates the temple in Jerusalem and then the persecution that comes as a result of that.

But notice verse 24. He writes, at that time, false prophets will arise, will show great signs and wonders so as to mislead, if it were possible, and it isn't, even the elect. What makes these false prophets believable? Why is the world that has just seen, mark this, wars, famines, earthquakes, pestilences, massacres, abomination of desolation, arrival of a forerunner, worldwide apostasy, gathering of nations into the valley of decision? Why, in unimaginable thought, will the world believe false prophets who say this is just the dawning of a wonderful new time of peace?

I'll tell you why. Because those false prophets will do great what? Signs and wonders.

Great signs and wonders. Whatever capability hell has to put on a show, it'll put it on then. And even with all that's happening, the witless world will buy the satanic lies and go like sheep to a slaughter, even though they've been warned and warned and warned and warned. You say, will we be there at the day of the Lord?

No. We'll be taken out before the day of the Lord. The great promise is that we have not been appointed under wrath. We have been appointed under glory. If you know and love the Lord Jesus Christ, the future you look for is all glorious.

If you don't know Him, the future you look forward to is all terrifying. It is no insignificant thing that the whole world has its eyes on the Middle East. That's where all the consummation of God's history will take place. It could be in this generation. It could be soon. We must be ready. If you know Christ, you'll be taken before it hits.

If you don't, you'll be destroyed when it comes. Let's bow in prayer. Father, we remember that He would be an unfaithful steward who did not so warn people. So, Lord, for those who do not know Christ, who have no blessed hope, we would pray, O God, that in mighty grace you would sweep over them through the convicting work of the Holy Spirit and the belief of the truth that they might come to salvation and to hope. For those of us who are Christians, though we will not experience the day of the Lord, we know people who will.

May we do all we can to persuade them to be reconciled to God in Christ. Further, Lord, because of what characterizes the people of the darkness, may we not live like they live. We're not of the night.

We're not of the darkness. We're not of the day of the Lord. May we not live like those people live, but may this insight into what God will do to people who live like that be a reminder that we are not to live like that. Lord, how could we conduct ourselves in a way that will result in the damnation of other souls? How could we want to identify with their life patterns and so abuse your forgiving grace?

So Father, teach us how to apply these things in our own lives. For Christ's sake, amen. This is Grace to You with John MacArthur.

Thanks for being with us. John has been the pastor of Grace Community Church since 1969. He is also chancellor of the Master's University and Seminary, and his current series is giving a fascinating look at the rapture and the day of the Lord. Well, this study makes it clear the Bible has a lot to say about the tribulation and the day of the Lord.

And certainly, John, those details tell us what's ahead for this world, but how might they also have benefit and be applied practically today? Well, all truth is practical truth. All theology is essential.

You know, orthodoxy we say leads to orthopraxy. That is what you believe to be true in Scripture, basically shapes how you live. So truth is practical in and of itself. I think sometimes we ignore the practicality of eschatology, the practicality of knowing what the Bible says about the future, but again, I remind you that if you have that hope of Christ's return burning bright in your heart, the Bible says that's a purifying hope, that it's part of your sanctification, that it presses on you the necessity to live a godly life because Christ could come at any moment. You need to understand eschatology for its practical usefulness in your life, and you can. A good way to start, I have found, is to get an understanding of the book of Revelation. I've written six, seven, eight hundred pages on the details of Revelation, two volumes. I've written a book called Because the Time is Near, which is a condensed version of the commentary on Revelation. But the best starting point is a small little booklet that will help you capture the whole book of Revelation in about a half an hour, 45 minutes maybe.

It's amazing. It's a jet tour through Revelation. It'll take you from the front to the back, show you it's a cohesive, chronological argument that lays out the future. Who wouldn't want to know the future? Not fantasy, but the real future of this planet. It's a powerful primer that explores where we're going in this world.

Here's the good news. It's free to anyone who asks. Ask for a free copy of a jet tour through Revelation.

That's right, friend. Understanding the book of Revelation will change your life. Knowing the glorious future God has in store for believers will comfort you in trials and motivate you to share the gospel and increase your love for Christ. Again, John's booklet, A Jet Tour Through Revelation, is our gift to you.

Just ask for your copy today. You can call us at 855-GRACE or visit our website, GTY.org. A Jet Tour Through Revelation can help you experience the profound blessing that's promised to those who understand this amazing book. And as John said, we'll send A Jet Tour Through Revelation to anyone who wants a copy. Just call 855-GRACE or go to GTY.org. And for a more comprehensive look at the Bible's final book, let me remind you that John has written a two-volume commentary on Revelation. These commentaries examine every verse in detail, explaining the book's main themes and how its truth applies to your life and much more.

The Revelation volumes are $19 each and shipping is free. To place your order, call 855-GRACE or go to our website, GTY.org. And thanks for remembering to pray for John and the staff. We know that makes a difference and we rely on your prayers. Thank you for your faithfulness. Now for John MacArthur, I'm Phil Johnson. Be here tomorrow at the same time when John looks at God's ultimate plan for the world and why it's pure comfort for Christians. Join us for another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth, one verse at a time, on Grace to You.