The Rapture of the Church

Hey, Florence Chadwick was the first woman to swim the English Channel both ways. In 1952, she said, I'm going to take on a new challenge. I'm going to swim from Catalina Island, off the coast of California, to the California mainland, 26 miles.

So she had a team help her to get together, get ready, followed her in a boat. She jumped into the water, and she started swimming. and she swam for 15 hours. At some point, the fog moved in. It's cold, it's foggy.

She can hardly see. She's exhausted. And she finally said to her team, take me out, I can't do this. Team said, no, no, hang it, you're almost there. She said, I can't do this.

And finally, the team pulled her into that boat in that cold, foggy atmosphere. And when Florence Chadwick got into the boat, she realized she was only one half mile away from her destination. She had swam for 25 miles, and she quit that last half mile. And she had a press conference afterward, and she talked about how foggy it was. And she said something very interesting.

She said, I think if I could have seen the shore, I could have made it. If I could have seen the shore, I would have made it. I know it's getting crazy out there. It's foggy out there. It's scary out there.

And what I want to do today is help give you guys a glimpse of the shore as to where we're going. Because I think no matter how messed up this world gets, if you can see the shore, you will make it. How many of y'all believe Jesus is coming back and heaven is our eternal home? You believe that?

So let me help you see the shore this morning. Today, we're going to talk about something called the rapture of the church. For those of you who don't know what it is, I love this definition from Dr. Thomas Ice. He said the rapture of the church is the translation of living believers to heaven without experiencing death in a moment of a time.

The Bible calls it the twinkling of an eye. That's not a blink. A blink is fast compared to a twinkling of an eye. The twinkling of the eye is the time it takes for light to go through the retina. And it's like basically you're here one moment and then the next moment you're in heaven in the twinkling of an eye.

The rapture of the church.

Now, some of y'all say, because this is one of those kind of hotly debated issues in Christianity, in Christian circles, and some of y'all would say, hey, Chad, I looked at my Bible. The word rapture is not even in my Bible. Do you know what other word's not in your Bible? Bible is not in your Bible. That word is not in there.

If you use the Latin translation, the word rapture is in your Bible, because rapture is a Latin word. The Greek word is harpazo. It means the same things. It means to take away. Rapture, harpazo, same thing.

Now, we've been studying the life of Elijah, and I told you last week. In Jewish mindset and Christian mindset, Elijah and his life and his ministry is inextricably linked with end times. The Jews believe that he is an end-time prophecy. He's an end-time prophetic picture. Christians believe he is an end-times prophetic picture.

And I think we see a glimpse of the end times the way Elijah wraps up his ministry in 2 Kings 2.

So turn there if you would. This is the end of Elijah's ministry. And I believe the end of his ministry is a prophetic picture of the end times. And it says in 2 Kings 2, verse 1, And it came about when the Lord was about to take up Elijah by a whirlwind to heaven, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

Now, look at verse 11. As they were going along and talking, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire, which separated the two of them, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind to heaven. Wow.

Now, I take this literally. When it says Elijah went to heaven, did he go into another dimension? Did he go into a parallel universe? It's interesting. the more we know about science, the more science backs up the Bible.

I believe heaven is a literal real place. It may be another dimension. It may be a parallel universe, but heaven is a real place. Don't make this allegorical. In fact, it's kind of interesting.

Several years ago in the magazine Scientific American, there was an article by a physicist. This is not a Christian magazine. The secular magazine and a physicist named Max Tegmark said, parallel universes almost certainly do exist. In other words, physicists are now saying, this isn't the only universe out there. We believe there are parallel universes.

Heaven may actually be in one of those parallel universes. In Discovery Magazine, physicist Brian Greene said that physicists are now beginning to embrace, quote, the unsettling theory that our world is a mere representation of another universe and that our world is a shadow of a realm where real events take place. Isn't that interesting? Even secular scientists are saying, maybe this isn't the real world. Maybe we're just a shadow of the real world.

I believe that that real world is called heaven. We're just a shadow of heaven.

So Elijah is taken either into a parallel universe, a different dimension. But the point is he is raptured. He is taken up. In the Hebrew mindset, seven is a perfect number. There are seven raptures in the Bible.

Let me go through those real quickly. Seven times individuals were taken up from planet Earth. Enoch, Genesis says, was taken up. Elijah, we just read this, was taken up. Philip, in the book of Acts, he's preaching to an Ethiopian eunuch.

when it gets through preaching to the eunuch, the Bible says he is harpazo. He is raptured and taken up and transported to another place. The third or fourth rapture that we see in the Bible is Paul. Second Corinthians 12, he said, I was harpazoed. I was taken up into the third heaven.

John in Revelation chapter four, Jesus says, John, come up here. And John is taken up into heaven. Jesus, Acts chapter one, Revelation 12, he is taken up. He is raptured into heaven. and then finally the seventh rapture that we see in the bible first thessalonians 4 the rapture of the church it says verse 16 for the lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of god and the dead in christ will rise first then we who are alive and remain will be harpazod raptured caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.

I want you to understand, the issue is not, are we raptured? The Bible is very clear. We will be taken up. The debate among Christians is the timing of the rapture. When will this happen?

Let me give you an overview. I showed you this last week. Here's an overview of the end times. We are now in the church age. I believe the next thing on the prophetic calendar is the church.

You and me who know Jesus, we're taken up. Then seven years of tribulation. Chad, you mean you don't think we'll be going through the seven years of tribulation? I don't. I'll talk more about that.

Seven years of tribulation. After the seven years of tribulation is the second coming. That's when Jesus comes back to planet earth and sets up his kingdom. A lot of people confuse the rapture and the second coming. The second coming takes place at the end of these seven years of horrific tribulation and Jesus comes back and sets up his kingdom.

Okay.

Now the question, look at it. See You where it says seven years right there? Let's zone in on those seven years.

Some people like me believe that the church will be taken up, taken out of planet Earth, pre-tribulational, before the seven years of tribulation. Others study the Bible and say, no, I believe, because the Bible splits the tribulation into two, three and a half year segments. No, I believe the rapture will take place in the middle after the first three and a half years, okay? Others say, no, I believe we are going to go through the seven years of tribulation and Jesus is going to take the church up at the very end and then come back down, almost like a yo-yo. He takes us up and comes back down, okay?

I believe, again, in the pre-tribulational rapture of the church.

Now, look, I could be wrong, okay?

So this is not, look, there's some things to divide with Christians over. Is Jesus the only way to salvation? This is not something worth dividing over, okay? I could be wrong. We may go through the seven years of tribulation.

And what's the worst that could happen? If I'm wrong, you just endure seven years of unendurable agony and torture on planet earth. That's the worst that can happen.

So look, I do believe we will be taken up before the seven years of tribulation.

Now, there is a Christian scholar. I respect this guy. But he said last week in one of his little blog things, people who believe what I believe in the pre-tribulation right after the church, that's just weird Christianity.

Now, he's a Christian. He loves the Lord, but he says that's weird Christianity. Hey, do you know how much we believe as Christians that really is weird? I mean, a virgin girl who never had sex gets pregnant with the son of the living God. That's weird, but it's true.

A blue-collar construction worker is God in flesh and dies for the sins of humanity and is raised from the dead. That's weird, but it's true. do you know how much of the book of revelation people used to roll their eyes at 150 years ago when people read the book of revelation if a chad harvey said israel one day be a geopolitical nation on planet earth they go yeah he's crazy and yet look where we are or people used to look at the book of revelation one world currency that doesn't make sense a cashless that's where we're at or they'd read the book of revelation you mean there'll be biometric methods of payment where you put marks on your hand and forehead to be able to pay? That's crazy. And yet look where we are today.

So you know what? Maybe you shouldn't roll your eyes at this. Maybe the Bible actually knows what it's talking about when it says we'll be raptured up into heaven.

Okay.

Now, um, here's some criticisms. I heard somebody the other day say, this has not been taught through 2000 years of Christianity. Do you know what they said?

Okay.

You ready? Keep in mind, the Jews are the cause of all the problems on planet Earth today, okay? It's the Jews. The Rothschild family paid a man in the early 1900s named John Nelson Darby to come up with this weird doctrine called the pre-tribulational rapture of the church because it really does elevate Israel. It's the Jews.

This hasn been around since the early 1900s No actually you can look throughout church history Now y don understand I being facetious when I say the Jews are the cause of all the problems I'm getting so tired. I'll be honest with you. I'll talk about the Jews in a second. Can we just put a pin to that grenade and we'll talk about the Jews in just a second. This is not a recent doctrine.

You can find a pre-tribulational rapture taught throughout Christianity over the last 2,000 years. 306 AD the hymn writer Ephraim the Syrian said quote 306 AD for all the saints and elect of God are gathered prior to the tribulation that is to come and they are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that's about to overwhelm the world that's a pre-tribulational rapture taught in 306 Hippolytus in the second century alludes to it the epistle of Barnabas first century alludes to it over and over and over again. We do see this.

Now, it's not a strong thread, but it is a thread throughout the 2,000 years of Christianity.

So Bannister said, well, the idea of the rapture, it's not even in the Old Testament. And that's true, it's not. But when Paul is talking about the rapture in 1 Corinthians 15, 51, he says this idea of the rapture, listen to it, here's what he calls it. It is a mystery. The Greek word is mysterion.

It doesn't mean like an Agatha Christie novel. Musterion means something that was hidden in the past and is now revealed. I don't think Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, I don't think they knew about the pre-tribulational rapture of the church. Paul says that was a mystery. That was hidden in the Old Testament, and now it is revealed.

And so why do I believe this? Why do I believe in a pre-tribulational rapture? that is why do i believe that we won't be here during the seven years of tribulation i could give you 15 reasons let me just give you four or five here this morning first reason i believe this is something called the doctrine of eminence do you know what i mean by that the doctrine of eminence teaches this jesus christ could come back at any moment we don't know when jesus is coming back it could be today how many of y'all believe the man might come back today y'all ready. He could come back today. Y'all believe in the doctor of eminence.

You don't know when Jesus is coming back. Congratulations. You are a pre-tribulational rapturist. Jesus says in Matthew 24, 42, therefore keep watch because you do not know what day your Lord will come back. And I can give you a dozen verses.

Now, let me tell you how this doesn't make sense. If you're a mid-tribulationist or a post-tribulationist. I want you to look at this diagram again. Daniel 9 says, what starts the seven years of tribulation is the Antichrist will sign a peace treaty in Israel with the Jewish people. Can I be honest with you?

I get a little bit nervous when I hear Steve Wyckoff or Trump or whoever start talking about peace treaties in the Middle East. Forgive me, it makes me a little bit nervous. It says the Antichrist will sign a peace treaty, a seven-year peace treaty. That begins the seven years of tribulation, not the rapture of the church, the signing of the peace treaty.

Now watch this. If you believe that Jesus Christ is gonna come back from the church in the middle of the seven years of tribulation, then you know the exact day Jesus is coming back. Just take the date that the Antichrist signed the peace treaty, move it forward three and a half years, and you know that's when Jesus is coming back. Or if you're a post-tribulational rapturist, you know exactly when Jesus has come back. You find the date on which the Antichrist signed the peace treaty, fast forward seven years, and you know Jesus is going to come back somewhere around this date.

Does it make sense? The only way that you cannot know the day or the hour is if you believe that the rapture of the church could happen at any moment. You are a pre-tribulational rapturous.

Okay.

Second reason.

Now you said, Chad, I need some practical stuff. I'm going to get practical in a second, but listen to me. All practical living must be based on good theology.

So I got to give you the theology first. And I'm going to tell you how this applies to you. Second reason why I believe in the pre-tribulational rapture of the church is this. It's the doctrine of the church. If you really want to get into end times prophecy, You need to study two groups of people Israel, five, six of the Bible deals with Israel You need to study the nature of Israel And you need to study the nature of the church Here's why I do not believe That we will be on planet earth During the tribulation We're going to go through persecution You do understand that, right?

Just ask your brothers and sisters Getting slaughtered in Igea right now If we're going to go through persecution We will go through persecution. Persecution originates from people or demonically inspired people. People and demons are the source of persecution. God is the source of wrath or punishment. And there's a difference.

You see what I'm saying? We are not destined toward wrath. We will be persecuted. People will persecute us. But if you are part of the bride of Christ and the seven years of tribulation, Have you ever asked yourself this question?

How can God be letting all this injustice, horrible stuff just go? How can he let it go?

Well, he's not letting it go. God's wrath is like a dam, and the water is backing up day by day behind that dam. And God is being patient. He's being kind. He wants people to get saved.

But one day, the dam is going to break. And when it breaks, his wrath is going to be poured out on planet Earth. Listen to me. The seven years of tribulation is not about persecution. It's about God's wrath.

Are you part of the bride of Christ, the body of Christ? Then I want you to listen to this verse. 1 Thessalonians 1.10. Jesus who rescues us from the coming wrath. 1 Thessalonians 5.9.

The church has promised God did not appoint us to suffer wrath, but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5 9 since we have been justified by his blood how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him the seven years of tribulation is about the wrath of God and the Bible says right there the wrath of God is not for you if you're a follower of Jesus Christ if you believe see the Bible talks about this thing called the wedding supper of the lamb we finally get to heaven we're the bride of Jesus there's going to be a big wedding supper if you believe that the bride of Christ is going to go through the seven years of tribulation. In essence, what you're saying is Jesus is telling us, I love you.

Now let me beat you for the next seven years. And after the seven years of a good whooping, I'm going to go to heaven with you and we'll have a good supper together. That's not biblical. If you're a follower of Jesus Christ, you have not been destined for wrath.

Okay.

Third reason why I believe in the pre-tribulational rapture of the church is, here's what I call it, it's the argument of silence. The book of Revelation chronologically walks us through the seven years of tribulation. That's what the book of Revelation is about. In the first three chapters of the book of Revelation, the church is mentioned 19 times in those three chapters. The church, the church, the church, the church.

And then when the book of Revelation shifts to talking about the seven years of tribulation, you never hear the word church mentioned again until the very end when Jesus sets up his kingdom on earth. Explain that to me. The church is the subject of the first three chapters of the book of Revelation. And then when the book of Revelation talks about the tribulation, church isn't mentioned anymore on planet earth. And in fact, in Revelation, the church is symbolized as lampstands.

And we see these lampstands on planet earth. It's very clear that when the book of Revelation talks about lampstands, it's talking about the church. And yet in Revelation chapter four, where the tribulation begins, do you know the next place you see the lampstands? Up in heaven, not on earth. Let me give you a couple more reasons why I believe in a pre-tribulational rapture of the church.

And that's John 14, one through three. Turn there if you would. John 14, one through three. There's Jesus talking. and Jesus says to his disciples, do not let your heart be troubled.

Believe in God. Believe also in me. In my Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. For I go to prepare a place for you.

If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself that where I am, there you may be also. No, Jesus is saying, where I am, I will take you to be with me. And what's he talking about?

Well, some people say, well, he's talking about the second coming. That's what he's talking about. Hey, look at this overall diagram again. I want you to see this. At the second coming, Jesus does not take us to be where he is.

Jesus comes back to planet Earth where we are. But he said right there, I'm going to take you to where I am. second coming he's coming to us what somebody's oh no no what jesus is talking about is when you die jesus comes and gets you and takes you to heaven okay that's a beautiful thought but that's really not taught in scripture that jesus personally comes for every believer who dies the bible says in luke 16 angels take us to heaven not jesus personally comes down so he's not talking about what happens when you die so he's not talking about the second coming because of the second coming, he comes to be where we are. If he's not talking about what happens at death, then your only other choice is the rapture of the church. Jesus says, I'm ascending to heaven.

And one day I'm going to take you to heaven to be where I am. Pre-tribulational rapture of the church. Let me give you one more reason why I do not believe we will be here during the tribulation. Why I believe in the pre-tribulational rapture of the church. And it's, we're going to do a quick, deep dive in second Thessalonians 2, 1 through 3.

Now let me give you the background of this. There's a church in Greece called the church at Thessalonica. In fact, actually I was going to invite y'all, but we've packed out this trip. We're all you fool. In April, I'm going to be taking some of y'all to the very spot where this church was.

The church at Thessalonica, Paul had been teaching them about end times. It's interesting. He was only there for two weeks and yet he gave them the deepest teaching on the end times that we find in the Bible Don tell me somebody got to walk with Jesus for 15 years before you start talking about the book of Revelation Paul talked about the second coming of Jesus and the end times in the two weeks that he was there And somebody told the church, I am writing this letter, this is the apostle Paul, and I want you to know that the rapture has already occurred and all of y'all been left behind.

Now y'all about to go through seven years of hell on planet Earth.

So Paul has to write this church and said, I didn't write that letter. Look what he says in 2 Thessalonians 2, 1.

Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to him, that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Watch this. let no one in any way deceive you for it, the day of the Lord, will not come unless the apostasy comes first and a man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.

Now watch verse two, he says, the day of the Lord will not come. What does it mean by the day of the Lord? It's not a 24 hour period. When the Bible talks about the day of the Lord, it's talking about the seven years of tribulation. That's a shorthand way of saying the seven years of tribulation.

It's the most prophesied period of time in the entire Bible.

So Paul says the seven years of tribulation, the day of the Lord will not come until do you see verse three, the apostasy comes first.

Now, what does apostasy mean? There are two meanings of the Greek word. The Greek word is apostasia. Two meanings in the New Testament. Number one, apostasia can mean to walk away from the faith.

What Paul may be saying is these seven years of tribulation, it's going to come on the heels of a mass defection in the body of Christ. People just walk away from Jesus left and right. That's what that word can mean. Do you know there's a second meaning of the word apostasia, that Greek word? Apostasia can literally mean the departure.

Listen, the verb is used 15 times in the New Testament. Of those 15 times, only three times does that word have anything to do with walking away from the faith. All the other times, it just means to depart. For example, in Acts chapter 12, verse 10, have you read this story before? Peter is released from prison by an angel.

Angel walked with him. And then in Acts 12, 10, it says, after he walked Peter out of the city, the angel apostasia departed. Doesn't mean the angel walked away from the faith. It simply meant he departed. Over and over and over again in the new Testament, that word apostasia simply means to depart.

And for 1500 years, that's how Bible translators translated it. The Latin Vulgate translation, 400s AD, didn't say walk away from faith. It just said departure, apostasia. Wycliffe Bible, 1384, departure. Coverdale Bible, departure.

Cranmer Bible, departure. The Bays of Bible of 1583, departure. Tyndale Bible, 1526, departure. The Geneva Bible, 1608, departure. Over and over and over again, these old translations of the Bible says, watch this, The day of the Lord will not come until the departure.

In fact, Kenneth West, W-U-E-S-T, he is the preeminent Greek scholar of our generation. If you're going to seminary and taking Greek class, you'll use his stuff. Kenneth West says this, quote, I am driven to the inescapable conclusion that apostasia in 2 Thessalonians 2, 3 refers to the rapture of the church, which precedes the day of the Lord. In other words, what Paul may be saying in 2 Thessalonians 2, 3 is this. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it, the day of the Lord, the tribulation, will not come until the departure comes first.

Folks, I am convinced Jesus is coming back. I am convinced hell is about to come on planet Earth. Wrath is about to come on planet Earth. God's patience is just about done with. He's about to pour out his wrath on planet earth.

And I also believe I have not been destined for wrath. I have escaped the coming wrath through the Lord Jesus Christ. All right, now, Chad, how do we apply this thing? That is great stuff. It's interesting stuff.

How do we apply this? You know, the book of Revelation is the only book in the Bible that says this. Only book in the Bible. Six books of the Bible. It's the only one that says this.

Read me. I'm special. It literally says in Revelation, Blessed is the one who reads and studies the book of Revelation Not freaked out, not scared, not keeping up at night No, blessed is the one who reads the book of Revelation And studies end time prophecy What kind of blessings come with this kind of study?

Well, number one, this kind of study of end times prophecy It gives us perspective We're now able to see current events from God's perspective I want to challenge you to start doing this when you see current events going on in the world First of all look at those current events through the lens of end-time prophecy Now again, this is where I'm getting to the jews for just a second and i'm not i'm not debating this and discussing this anymore I'm tired of christians telling me why i'm a christian zionist Because I just happen to believe that even though the nation of israel is not a perfect nation And we need to call them out when they are imperfect. I still believe that those are god's special people God has a plan for them. And when I start seeing the hatred for Israel, even in the body of Christ, it used to make me mad.

Now it makes me excited because the Bible says in Revelation, in the end times, the entire world will hate Israel. Zechariah 12 through 14, in the end times, everybody's going to hate Israel.

So when I start seeing this anti-Semitism rising up, even in the body of Christ, I start looking at this through the lens of the book of Revelation. And I say to myself, we are living in the end times. When I, there's a rap singer named Skrilla. Hey, when people start telling you who they are, maybe you ought to start listening to them. He says, I sacrifice baby goats to demons.

He's demonic. And yet he has some song that says six, seven, all over the place. And now dictionary.com says six, seven is the word of the year. Our kids are saying it.

Now look, you see the origin of six, seven. It originates with a demon possessed man that practiced Santa Maria and all kinds of demonic stuff. It's part of his little, you know, pronouncing that he makes in his demon religion. And now our kids are saying it. What's going on?

Why do we have a society that is now saturated in the demonic? I look in the book of Revelation and I see in the last days there will be a demonic deluge on planet earth you're just seeing the book of Revelation play out right here before your eyes and when you have people like Joe Rogan and Jordan Peterson and Tucker Carlson who aren't even coming from an evangelical bible believing background talk about the reality of demons now even the world understands there's some kind of demonic saturation taking place on planet earth is the fulfillment of the book of revelation right before your very eyes church can I just tell you something I'm now to the point if there's a trend I didn't know what the six seven was until some leaders talked to me about this the other day I didn't know what that was I'm now to the point where if it's trendy I run the opposite direction because it's probably not of God had a guy tell me a prophetic word God gave him. He said, God told me I have set before the church an open door.

Now we all think open door, oh, that means something to walk into. He said, no, no, no. God told me I've set before the church an open door to walk out of. Maybe it's time to start walking away from some of this junk, start walking out of this demonic stuff. Instead of walking toward it, let's walk away from it.

But you see what I'm saying? When I start to study the end times, things like this start to make sense.

So studying the end times, it gives us perspective. Secondly, it gives us persuasion. How many of you know a friend or family member who is lost, that if the rapture was to occur today, they'll be left behind. If they were to die today, they'd go to hell forever. Anybody have something like that?

The more I study the reality of the end times in the coming judgment, it gives me persuasion to just start. I'm not saying a generic God. That can be anybody, Buddha, all the way there. No, no, no, no. Jesus.

I want to introduce as many people to Jesus as possible. In fact, the word of God says, 2 Corinthians 5, 11, therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, knowing that judgment is coming, knowing that wrath is coming we want people to escape that coming wrath knowing that we just start sharing jesus i want listen to me i want to be even more open and bold about jesus than i have been in the past and i know some of y'all saying because some of y'all warned me if you're not careful you know you're a little bit too brash sometimes you lost people to come to our church you'll run them off well they're going to hell already they're lost already where i'm going to run them off to? Hell number one, hell number two, or hell number three? Why don't we just share Jesus with people and let God do the rest here? And so studying the end times, it gives us perspective.

It gives us persuasion. It gives us passion. If you knew with 100% assurity that Jesus Christ was coming back at four o'clock this afternoon, what would your life be like at 3 45 p.m would you be bored tired stressed out and watching stuff you probably shouldn't be watching would you be exciting and ready knowing that jesus christ could come back at any moment today may be the day when you start to understand that and it gets into your brain and gets into your heart you wake up different you're excited you're passionate you're to serve the Lord Jesus, because today may be the day. This gives me passion. It gives me perspective.

It gives me persuasion It gives me passion And finally studying the end time gives me peace See what Jesus just said in John 14 Here what the man just said Don't let your heart be troubled. And then he talks about the rapture of the church, which tells me as I start looking toward my blessed hope, the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, that should destroy anxiety and bring me peace. You see what I just read in 2 Thessalonians 3? Paul says, don't lose your composure. Don't be disturbed.

Implication, studying the end times ought to bring us peace. Hey, I read a book years ago called Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell. The book Lone Survivor is about a Navy SEAL that's dodging the Taliban in Afghanistan and how he hid out from the Taliban. It's one of these on-your-edge kind of books. I read that book and it's pretty amazing I read that book I read the end I see what's going to happen I read the story Lone Survivor I read the book well then they made a movie based on that book and I actually watched that movie with some people and the whole movie they not read the book the whole movie they're on the edge is this guy going to live is this guy going to die you can just see the tension do you know who wasn't tense me because they were watching the movie, but I'd read the book.

Hey, we're living in a world that's watching the movie, but bless God, we've read the book. We know how this ends. Jesus Christ comes back and the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdom of our God and of his Christ and he will reign forever and ever.

So I'm asking you, why are you upset, worried, stressed out, biting your fingernail to the quick, popping antacids. Jesus is in control. He is in charge. The peace that passes all understanding comes when you know who you are, whose you are, and the fact that there is a plan. And like Hannibal would say at the end of every episode of the A-Team, I love it when a plan comes together.

God's got a plan and the day's going to come when all this thing comes to a close and God's going to say, I love it when my plan comes together. He is in charge and he is in control. Stand with me right now. Let me ask you something. Do you know that you have eternal life?

And if you were to die on that interstate right out here today, you go be with Jesus. Do you know that? Do you know that you're right with the Lord? And if Jesus Christ were to come back for his church today, you'd go home to be with Jesus. Do you know that?

I mean that. Do you know that for sure? I was talking to a young Christian the other day and I wasn't irritated with him because he's a young Christian. But in this conversation, he kept saying, I believed in Jesus Christ. I've given him my life and I'm just hoping one day I'm going to go to heaven.

I gave my life to Jesus and I'm thinking, man, if I stay on this path, I'm going to go to heaven. I know Jesus Christ. I've gotten saved and I'm just hoping one day out? Do you know the Bible says this? John says, these things are written that you may know that you have eternal life.

Ain't no hoping about it. You can know without a doubt that when you leave this world, you're going to that world. If you're not certain that you have eternal life and that you're going to heaven when you die, let me give you the bad news first. bad news is heaven is a perfect place and god cannot allow sin into heaven or he'd start this whole mess over again heaven is a perfect place but we're not perfect people we're sinful somebody's got to pay for that sin either you're gonna have to pay for it or somebody else is gonna have to pay for your sin and praise god 2 000 years ago somebody else paid for your sin god became a man that man's name was jesus christ and when he died on the cross every sin that would send you to hell and keep you out of heaven, Jesus paid for. And now if you'll turn from your sins and turn to Jesus and say, Lord, I'm a sinner.

Forgive me of my sins and become the Lord of my life. I submit to your Lordship, Jesus. I give you my life. At that moment, your sins are forgiven. The blood of Jesus washes you now and forever.

And when you die, you're going to go to heaven to be with him. If you're not certain that you have eternal life, if you're not ready for the rapture of the church, I want you to bow with me right now. And I want you to imagine there's only two people in this room right now, you and Jesus. And I want you to say this to Jesus, but mantras don't save anybody. Jesus saves.

This has to be real in your heart. Say this to Jesus. Jesus, I'm a sinner. I deserve to be punished. Tell him this.

I don't deserve to go to heaven. Say this to Jesus. But I believe you died for my sins. I believe you were buried. Say this to him.

And I believe three days later, God raised you from the dead. You're alive right now, Jesus.

Now this is so important. say to Jesus Lord I turn away from my sins and I turn to you you got to mean this say to him forgive me of all my sins come and take control of my life and when I die take me to heaven in Jesus name amen if you just prayed that prayer the Bible says it's like you're a little baby we gotta get you some food so you can start growing if you prayed that prayer text cross to that number or scan that little code or whatever and what we're going to do is we're going to send you some food some spiritual food we're going to send you some spiritual milk to help you start growing in Jesus Christ this is so important you can't turn your life over to Jesus without taking the second step which is to start growing in him and so text cross to that number or scan that code now I just asked you a question a second ago would your life be different today if you knew Jesus had come back at 4 o'clock this afternoon would it be can I ask you something can we lift our voices lift our hands start shouting praises to Jesus Christ who may actually be coming today at 4 o'clock this afternoon can we celebrate the King of Kings the Lord of Lords can we bless his holy name Let's sing to the Lord right now, our soon coming King. Broken hearts declare His grace. Who can stop the Lord Almighty? Come on, sing.

Our God is the Lion, the Lion of Judah. He's roaring with power and He's fighting our battles. And every year we'll bow before Him. Sing, our God, our God is the Lamb, the Lamb that was slain. For the sins of the world, His blood breaks the chains Every knee will bow before the lion and the lamb Every knee will bow before Him Who can stop the Lord Almighty?

Who can stop? Who can stop the Lord Almighty? No one can stop you, Jesus Who can stop the Lord Almighty? Who can stop the Lord? Come on.

Our God is the Lion, the Lion of Judah. He's roaring with power. He's fighting our battles. And every day we'll bow before. He's our God.

Our God is the Lion. The land that was slain For the sins of the world His blood breaks the chain And every year will bow For the lion and the lamb And every year will bow before you Now if you leave this place today Afraid First of all, that's on you, that's not on me And secondly, you know, I heard a word I said. If you look at the book of Revelation, you say, I'm scared. I'm scared of all these characters in Revelation. The dragon, the antichrist, the beast coming out of the sea, the great whore of Babylon.

I'm scared. I'm scared of Scrilite and 6-7. You're scared. You're not listening to a word I'm saying. Yeah, our Savior is a lamb, but he is also the Lion of Judah.

He is the lion that devours the beast. He's the lion that devours the dragon. He is greater than the demons. He's greater than anything that can come against you.

So I say to you what God said to Joshua before Joshua fought demons. I say to you what God said to Joshua before Joshua fought giants and Nephilim and superior armies. God said to Joshua, what I say to you, soldier, right now. Which means in Hebrew, be bold, be strong, don't be afraid, don't be terrified of anything. Why?

Because the Lion of Judah is going to be with you everywhere you go this week. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, we pray. Amen and amen. God bless you, beloved. Go change this world for Jesus Christ.