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Now, here's today's podcast, From Pathway to Victory. Hi, this is Robert Jeffers and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day on this Bible teaching program. On today's edition of Pathway to Victory, we are not going to be in the darkness. We're not going to be here for the day of the Lord. We don't have to fear the wrath of God because Christ has experienced the wrath of God on our behalf.
There is no condemnation, Romans 8:1 says, awaiting those who belong to Christ Jesus. Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor Dr. Robert Jeffers. Most people tend to live in survival mode. They simply don't have time to worry about far-off events over which they have no control.
But today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffers explains why everyone ought to be paying close attention to signs of the coming tribulation, because it may be closer than you think. But first, let's take a moment to hear some important ministry updates. Thanks, David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. You know, I've tried describing Alaska to people, but words simply don't do it justice.
You have to see it for yourself. That's my invitation to you for our Pathway to Victory cruise to Alaska, June 13th through 20th. Seven magnificent days sailing from Vancouver through the legendary Inside Passage, witnessing God's creation in ways that will leave you speechless. And here's the beautiful part. You'll experience it all with fellow Christian believers.
It all comes together to create something extraordinary. Come experience Alaska with me and the Pathway to Victory family. Sign up today at ptv.org. Our topic this month is Bible Prophecy. And to complement this study, I've written a brand new book for you called Ask Doctor Jeffress about the end times.
Picture yourself sitting across the table from me. Coffee in hand, free to ask any question you've ever had about the end times. No judgment, no complicated charts, just honest biblical answers from a pastor who has spent decades studying God's prophetic word. My book covers the 20 questions people ask me most, and when you give a generous gift to support the ministry, I'm going to send you a copy.
Alright, it's time to get started with today's study. Take your Bible and turn to Daniel chapter 9 as we continue our study on the end times. Today we're looking at the final seven years of Earth's history, a period of time commonly referred to as the Great Tribulation. My message today is titled, When All Hell Breaks Loose. We're examining what God's word says about the events that will precede and follow history's most important event.
the second coming of Jesus Christ. The Bible says, before Christ returns, however, to earth. He has some final business to wrap up here on planet Earth. And that period of time in which God finishes his dealings with Israel and the world as a whole is a period of time we're going to look at today. It's that period of time we commonly call the Great Tribulation.
So, I want you to take your Bibles today and turn to Daniel chapter 9. God revealed to Daniel the future plans for Israel and for the world. Look at verse 22 of Daniel 9. O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding. At the beginning of your supplication, the command was issued, and now I've come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed, so give heed to the message and gain the understanding of the vision.
Now, here's the vision: verse 24. 70 weeks have been decreed for your people, that is Israel, and for your holy city, that is Jerusalem. To finish the transgression, to make an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy place. What was Gabriel saying? He said, Daniel.
God has ordained 70 weeks, 70 sevens, to finish up his plan with Israel.
Now this word that is translated in your Bible, weak, is really a weak translation of the Hebrew word. It's not 70 weeks. That word is better translated seventy-sevens. What is 70 times 7?
Now, 490, what? Is he talking about weeks? Is he talking about days? If you look at the context of Daniel 9, he's talking about years. God said to Daniel, within a 490-year period, God's going to finish his promise to Israel.
All of these things will be accomplished.
So the question is, when is God going to hit the start button on the stopwatch?
Well, it tells us in verse 25.
So that you are to know and discern that from the beginning of the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah the Prince, there will be seven weeks of years plus 62 weeks of years or 69 weeks of years. 483 years is what that figures out to be.
Now, when does the stopwatch begin? It begins when the decree is issued to go and rebuild Jerusalem. The actual decree to go back and rebuild the city of Jerusalem. actually came on March the 14th, 445 BC.
Now what is the time of Messiah the Prince? This is a very clear reference to the prophecy of Zachariah 9:9 that said the Messiah would be presented to Israel riding on the back of a donkey. We know when that happened. It was when Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. We can date that to April the 2nd, 32 A.D.
Guess how much time there is between March the 14th, 445 BC and April the 2nd, 32 AD? It is exactly 483 years. Isn't that amazing?
Now, notice on the clock that we have for you, I've shown that 483 of these 490 years have already passed. But then, when the Messiah was rejected by the people, it's like God hit the stop button, the pause button on that stopwatch. There is a gap. between the first 483 years and the final seven years. And that is the church age, the time of the church age.
During this lull, this gap, God has turned away from Israel and turned his attention to Gentiles so that we have an opportunity to be saved. But it's only a partial turning away. God is giving us the opportunity to be saved. But when the last Gentile has been saved, who will have been saved, Then God is going to rapture us, 1 Thessalonians 4, 13 through 18. We're going to be snatched away to meet the Lord in the air, and God hits that stopwatch for the final seven years of Earth's history to complete his program for Israel.
Now This time, this final seven years on God's stopwatch. goes by several different names in scripture. Jesus called it, we often call it the Great Tribulation. But the most common reference to this period of time in both the Old and the New Testament is the phrase, the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is a day not a bright sunlight of the return of Christ.
It is a day of God's judgment upon the earth. And perhaps one of the most detailed New Testament explanations at this time is found in 1 Thessalonians 5. Paul reveals three very important things we as Christians need to know. about the day of the Lord. First of all, Paul reminds us that the day of the Lord follows the rapture of the church.
It follows the rapture of the church. Guys, this is so simple, and yet so many people who believe the church is going through the tribulation miss this. Many Christians believe, as you know, that the church does not escape the day of the Lord. We have to experience the day of God's wrath. And yet all you have to do is read the scripture simply to see why we're not going to be here to experience God's wrath.
In 1 Thessalonians 4, 13 to 18, Paul is talking about the rapture. We've talked about that the last several weeks. Look down at verse 16 of 1 Thessalonians 4. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with a voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, and then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up, hypotzo, rapturo, raptured, to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Therefore, comfort one another with these words.
Now he's talking about the rapture. Then chapter 5 begins. Remember, there were no chapter designations in the original text. Paul didn't sit down and write, okay, chapter 5. He didn't do that.
He was writing a letter. He said, okay, I've talked about the rapture.
Now look at what he says in chapter 5 about a brand new topic.
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.
Now that English phrase, now as to, It's a translation of the Greek phrase peri dei. Paul, if you look at his writings, always uses that phrase, now concerning, or now as to, peri-day. It is always used as a transition to introduce a new topic of discussion. The day of the Lord is not a part of the rapture. Paul has already explained the rapture.
Christians are gone. And now he's going to talk about the day of the Lord. And what does he say about the day of the Lord? Look at 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 2. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.
Did you know that phrase, thief in the night, is never used about the rapture. We use that as we're referring to the rapture. No. It's the time of judgment. He's saying to the world, after the Christians have gone, the day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night.
The day of the Lord comes after the rapture of the church. Number two, the day of the Lord is a time of judgment upon unbelievers. Look at verse 3. While they are saying, peace and safety, then destruction will come upon them. And suddenly, like birthpangs upon a woman with child, they shall not escape.
And thirdly, and most importantly for you and for me today, Christians do not need to fear the day of the Lord. We have no reason to fear the day of the Lord. Paul says in verse 4: But you, brethren, are not in the darkness that the day should overtake you like a thief. I mean, could that be any more clear, folks? We are not going to be in the darkness.
We're not going to be here for the day of the Lord. We don't have to fear the wrath of God because Christ has experienced the wrath of God on our behalf. There is no condemnation, Romans 8:1 says, awaiting those who belong to Christ Jesus. That's the day of the Lord.
Now, the most extensive discussion of the day of the Lord and what happens during that time is found in Revelation chapters 6 through 19. This is a record of those seven years, seven final years of Earth's history, and of the catastrophes, the chaos, and the condemnation from God that will categorize that time.
Now We're just getting revved up here, but we're going to go into next week and look at the specific details. But what I want you to see is that this entire seven-year period, the day of the Lord, the tribulation. can be outlined like a three-act drama. Act 1 is the beginning. Daniel 9:27 says there are really three acts to this thing.
There's what happens at the beginning of the seven-year period of time. Then there's something dramatic that happens in the middle after the first three and a half years. And then finally, there is a conclusion to it, the last three and a half years.
Now this morning, we only have time to look at part of Act 1, the beginning of the tribulation. And the Bible says three things are going to happen at the beginning, at the outset of these final seven years of Earth's history. What are they? We're going to look at one of those things this morning. First of all, it will be during this time that there will be the rise of the Antichrist.
The rise of the Antichrist. Back in 1993, when. A Middle Eastern peace treaty was ratified under Bill Clinton. One popular television evangelist announced The tribulation has begun. Obviously, he was wrong.
But why would he say such a thing? Because the Bible says That the mark for this seven years beginning will be a peace treaty that is made with Israel.
Now, how will that give rise to the Antichrist? This is a little bit of speculation, but I think it's sanctified speculation. I believe that the rapture which precedes the tribulation I think their rapture will coincide with some worldwide catastrophe. That will explain or try to explain the disappearance of millions of Christians. I think it could be a giant natural disaster, an asteroid, for example.
We're going to talk about that more next week. It may be a nuclear exchange over some battle taking place over the Middle East that is used to explain the disappearance of millions of people. But there's going to be such calamity in the Middle East during this time that the world is going to be clamoring for somebody to bring an end to the standoff. And I think especially it's going to be so if this War, this conflict results in the shutdown of the world's oil production. Think about the economic crisis that would occur if there were no oil being shipped out of the Middle East.
I think people are going to absolutely clamor for it. I mean, you know, people were ready to run for the hills after, you know, a few days of government shutdown. They thought the world was coming to an end because of that. Wait till there's a real catastrophe. Wait till something really happens that affects people in the pocketbook.
They will be clamoring for somebody to bring an end to this, and that will cause the Antichrist to rise to power. He will be able to broker a peace settlement that nobody else has been able to broker in the Middle East. And because of that, people will follow him, they will worship him.
Now The Bible gives us four insights. Four major insights about this figure, this world leader, known as the Antichrist. Write these down. First of all, he will come to power after Christians are removed from the earth. The Bible says he will come to power after Christians are removed from the earth.
Turn over one book to 2 Thessalonians 2, verses 6 through 9. Paul is writing about this figure, the man of lawlessness, the Antichrist. And look at what he says, beginning in verse 6. And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he may be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work.
Only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. That is, the work of Antichrist is going on in the world right now, of rejecting God, of persecuting God's people. It's already at work, but it's being restrained. Evil in the world today is being restrained. You know what's restraining evil in the world today?
It's the Holy Spirit of God. It's the Holy Spirit of God present in the people of God. That is what it's going to, that's what's restraining evil. But can you imagine, as bad as this world is, what it's going to be like when all the Christians are removed at the rapture? Can you imagine the evil that is going to be unleashed?
Look at verse. 8. And then that lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will slay with the breath of his mouth and bring to an end the appearance of his coming. That is the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all powers and signs and wonders. Right now, the real Antichrist is being restrained.
Right now, evil is being restrained. But once Christians are gone, the Holy Spirit is removed, that restraint will be over.
Well, the Antichrist does not rise to power until after the rapture, but. He very well could be alive right now. Number three. The Antichrist, the Bible says, will most likely be a Gentile. Revelation 13, verse 1 says that he comes out of the sea.
I don't mean out of the water. He's talking about the sea. John uses that to refer to the world of turmoil. The political world. He comes out of the sea.
Thirdly, he will rule over a revived Roman Empire that will apparently be in the form of a 10-nation confederacy. Daniel 9, verses 26 and 27. Remember how Daniel refers to the destruction of Jerusalem? He talks about Jerusalem will be destroyed by the people of the prince who is to come.
Now, who destroyed Jerusalem? It was the Romans.
So If the Romans are the people who destroyed Jerusalem, And they are simply the people of the Prince, the Antichrist, who's yet to come. This is telling us that the future Antichrist, his kingdom will have something to do with the Roman Empire. As we saw in our book of Daniel, the Bible says that there will be a 10-nation confederacy that will rule over the world during these final seven years, but those 10 nations will ultimately give. Their leadership, their reign to Antichrist. It is a revived Roman Empire.
Daniel saw the vision of the statue, and the last kingdom was Rome that was thought to be forever destroyed, but will rise again to power. Daniel saw that in his visions. I remember When I was in high school, About 10 years after the assassination of President Kennedy. The rumor got started, I think, in the National Inquirer is where it started. But the rumor was that President Kennedy wasn't dead.
He was still alive. He was on a Greek island purchased by Aristotle Onassis. He was recuperating, and he was going to come back to power and be the Antichrist.
Now where it is such a story Uh get legs. Carry credibility with people.
Well, part of that actually came from a prediction in the Bible that was sorely, I think, misapplied. But it came from Revelation 13, verse 3. And talking about the Antichrist, it says, John says, I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed, and the whole world was amazed and followed after the beast.
Now some people take this literally and believe that the Antichrist will have an assassination attempt that will injure his head and he will thought to have died, but then he will miraculously come back to life again. That may or may not be true. I think a better interpretation is: it's not talking about his physical life, it's talking about his kingdom that he rules over. The kingdom he rules over, the Roman Empire. Will have thought to have died.
You know, most people don't talk about the Roman Empire today. Rome is finished, it's over. But the Bible says it will be resurrected in a new form. And this will be the kingdom that Antichrist will rule over. Number four.
Buckle your seat belts. He will oppose the people of God. and attempt to change the laws of God without opposition. Daniel 7, verse 25 says, talking about Antichrist. He will speak out against the Most High.
And he will wear down the saints of the highest one, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law. And they will be given into his hand for a time times and half a time. That's a year plus two years plus a half a year, three and a half years, the last severe time of the Antichrist rule. What is he saying here about Antichrist? This world dictator will be one first of all who attempts to change The laws of God.
Not only that, he will begin a time of persecution against God's people. He will seek to, quote, wear down the saints. I believe that before the Antichrist comes, people will be so conditioned to giving up their rights. They will have given up so many rights. That it'll be very easy for the Antichrist to come in and take over with no opposition.
Not only that, the Bible says. That this future dictator will wear down the saints of God, he will persecute Israel and the people of God, and again, no opposition. How do you explain that? Because the fact is the world will have been conditioned by that time. To be not just apathetic about the persecution of Christians, but even sympathetic.
to the persecution of Christians. who are now labeled as extremist. People will follow the government line. Yeah, these people are not helping us, they're hurting us. They need to be.
diminished. They need to be marginalized. They need to be prohibited from saying what they're saying. That's something that we're seeing right now. There's already begun a persecution of Christians in our country by our own government.
And people are silent about it, absolutely silent. We're seeing the beginning, the laying of the groundwork. for this future time. in which Antichrist will rule without any opposition. And what will he do with all of this power that he acquires relatively easy?
He will unleash. An unprecedented time of attack against Israel and those who become Christians during this time we call the Great Tribulation. It's clear that the world stage is set for the Antichrist to reign. We don't know his name, but we certainly understand his character. and I'm convinced that the day is drawing nearer and nearer.
Well, I'll continue addressing the topic of the tribulation next time. But right now, I'm inviting you to contact Pathway to Victory to request your copy of my brand new book, Ask Dr. Jeffers About the End Times. You know, for more than 30 years, listeners have trusted me to open God's word and speak plainly about the things that matter most. I don't take that trust lightly.
Because these are not abstract theological discussions happening somewhere in an ivory tower. The questions people ask me about the end times are deeply personal. Will I be ready? What happens to my loved ones? Where do I even begin?
I hear those questions everywhere I go. and I feel the weight behind every one of them. In Ask Dr. Jeffers about the end times, I answer those questions and 19 more. with the same honest, deep, and biblical conviction you've come to expect over the years.
No sensationalism, no speculation, just God's Word opened carefully and explained clearly. I believe this book will become one of the most meaningful and well-worn volumes on your shelf. and it's yours. when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory. My friend, I really do believe time is short, so now's the time to double our efforts.
Together, let's ask God to use our partnership so that men and women around the world come to know Jesus as their Savior. Here's David with all the details. Today when you support the Ministry of Pathway to Victory by giving a generous gift, we'll say thanks by sending you Dr. Jeffers' brand new book, Ask Dr. Jeffers, about the end times, with clear biblical answers to the top 20 questions people ask about the end times.
Just call 866-999-2965 or visit online at ptv.org. You can also support this ministry by texting PTV to 78800. And when your gift is $125 or more, you're also going to receive Dr. Jeffers' best-selling prophecy book, Perfect Ending, the Complete Perfect Ending teaching series on audio and video disc, and the stunning full-color resource, The End Times Illustrated, a panorama of Bible prophecy from Genesis to Revelation. To request the complete package of resources, call 866-999-2965 or visit ptv.org.
You could write to us if you'd like. PO Box 223-609 Dallas, Texas 75222. Again, that's P.O. Box 220-3609, Dallas, Texas, 75222. I'm David J.
Mullins. You know, some people struggle to understand how biblical prophecy makes a difference in their life today. But tomorrow, Dr. Jeffress will share why our eternal destiny matters right now with another look at what will take place during the tribulation. Join us again Tuesday for Pathway to Victory.
Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress comes from the pulpit of the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas. You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory, and we're so glad you're here. Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway Partner.
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