All language subtitles for the_secret_rapture_fallacy

in our study for today we want to deal

with several arguments that are used by

people who believe in the rapture

uh to teach that jesus is going to have

a coming

a secret coming so to speak before his

glorious coming

now there's one passage in the new

testament which those who believe in the

rapture use more frequently than any

other passage

and i've never been able to understand

how they can get a pre-tribulation

rapture out of this passage

i'd like to read

that

portion of scripture as we begin our

study today

first thessalonians chapter 4

and we want to start reading at verse

13.

first thessalonians chapter 4 and verse

13. i believe this is the most

quoted text by those who believe in a

pre-tribulation rapture

it says there but i would not have you

to be ignorant brethren concerning them

which are asleep

that ye sorrow not even as others which

have no hope

for if we believe that jesus died and

rose again

even so them also which sleep in jesus

will god bring with him now that

presents a problem in itself will god

bring with him

uh we are going to deal with this text

in our next series which begins on

september 20th and so i'm not going to

go into the issues raised by the idea

that jesus that god is going to bring

with jesus those who went to sleep in

him verse 15

for this we say unto you by the word of

the lord

that we which are alive and remain unto

the coming of the lord by the way the

word coming there is parusia

shall not prevent

in other words precede them which are

asleep

for the lord himself shall descend from

heaven with a shout

with the voice of the archangel and with

the trump of god

now does that sound like some secret

event

it sounds like everything except a

secret event

and it continues saying and the dead in

christ shall rise first

then we which are alive and remain shall

be caught up together with them in the

clouds to meet the lord in the air and

so shall we ever be with the lord

believe it or not this is the passage

which is used most frequently to teach a

rapture before the great tribulation

now i would like us to take a look

this uh

presentation

at some of the arguments that are used

to try and prove that there will be a

pre-tribulation rapture

the first of these is found in 2

thessalonians chapter 2 and verses 1 to

three

second thessalonians chapter two and

verses one to three

here the apostle paul says this and by

the way we're going to study this whole

passage second thessalonians two one

through ten

later on in our series it says there now

we beseech you brethren by the coming of

our lord jesus christ

and by our gathering together unto him

that ye be not soon shaken in mind or be

troubled neither by spirit nor by word

nor by letter as from us

as that the day of christ is at hand

here the apostle paul is saying don't

let anybody convince you that the day of

christ is at hand that the day of christ

coming is right around the door even at

the door

verse 3

let no man deceive you by any means

for that day that is the day of christ

coming the day of christ for that day

shall not come

except there come

a falling away first

and that man of sin be revealed the son

of perdition

now this expression of falling away

is translated by many of those who

believe in a pre-tribulation rapture

uh in the following way

for example hal lindsey says it's

supposed to be translated the departure

or the snatching away

in other words this word here which is

translated in the king james version a

falling away should be translated a

snatching away or a departure in other

words it's referring to the departure or

the snatching away of the saints at the

moment of the rapture

now is this translation really

acceptable is it really allowable

the fact is that it is not allowable by

any stretch of your imagination

actually the greek word that is used

here is the word apostasia

in spanish we have that exact word

what does the word apostasia mean

apostasia means apostasy

this is not talking about a snatch in a

way of people to heaven it's talking

about a departure yes but a departure

from the faith

an apostasy in other words

notice how this same word is used in the

book of acts chapter 21 and verse 21

acts chapter 21 and verse 21. here we

have the identical word apostasia

and i want you to notice how it is used

it says there

and they are informed of thee

that thou teachest that is that paul is

being accused that thou teachest all the

jews which are among the gentiles to

forsake moses

that word forsake is the word apostasia

what was paul being accused of doing

he was accusing he was accused of

leading people astray from the teachings

of moses wasn't he in other words

apostatizing from the writings of moses

it doesn't have anything to do with the

departure or with a snatching away it

has to do with an apostasy from the

accepted truth and so it says that paul

supposedly was teaching the gentiles to

forsake moses saying that they ought not

to circumcise their children neither to

walk after their customs and by the way

the king james version actually does not

translate the greek the way it actually

is

in the greek it does not say until a

falling away comes it says thee falling

away

this is a specific well known apostasy

to the apostle paul and to the people to

whom the apostle paul was writing

so this first argument that the the

departure so-called here is a departure

from earth to heaven does not hold any

water as you examine the word as it's

found in the new testament it simply

means apostatizing from the truth

abandoning the roots the doctrinal roots

that are accepted

so this first argument that is used in

favor of the rapture that we're studying

tonight does not hold any water

now we need to take a look at a second

argument that those who believe in a

pre-tribulation rapture use

that argument is found in first

thessalonians chapter 5 and verse 9

first thessalonians chapter 5 and verse

9.

here it says

for god hath not appointed us to wrath

but to obtain salvation by our lord

jesus christ question has god appointed

his people to experience his wrath

according to this text

will god's people fall under god's wrath

no the apostle paul says for god hath

not appointed us to wrath now let me ask

you during the tribulation will god pour

out his wrath without mixture of mercy

yes revelation speaks about the seven

last plagues and it actually says that

he pours out his wrath unmixed with

mercy

and the argument goes that if god pours

out his wrath without mixture of mercy

how can god's people be on earth earth

if they're not appointed to experience

god's wrath are you understanding the

argument

the problem with that argument is

that god can protect his people from his

wrath even though he pours out his wrath

let me give you some examples

let me ask you when the plagues were

poured out upon egypt did those plagues

fall among god's people

no the plagues were for whom for the

wicked egyptians that opposed god and

his people

so if god was able to preserve his

people while he was pouring out his

wrath upon egypt why can't he preserve

his people at the end while he's pouring

out his wrath upon the earth

also let me ask you do you remember the

story of daniel and his three friends

when daniel was thrown into the lion's

den his three friends were thrown into

the fiery furnace well the fact is that

in the fiery furnace those who threw the

three young men in were burned up in an

instant but what happened to those who

were thrown into the fire

they were preserved by whom by jesus

christ himself because nebuchadnezzar

said that the fourth was like the son of

god in other words jesus entered the

furnace and he preserved his people

whereas the wicked who threw them in

were burned by the fire

and by the way this story of daniel 3 is

a symbol of what's going to take place

at the end of time

nebuchadnezzar for a while was a beast

or he acted like a beast he raised up an

image he commanded everyone to worship

the image who would not whoever would

not worship the image would be killed do

we find that scenario in revelation

chapter 13 on a worldwide scale

is there going to be a beast who raises

an image who commands the whole world to

worship the image to the beast and

whoever does not worship the image to

the beast will be killed yes or no

absolutely so the story of daniel 3 will

be repeated if god preserved the three

young men in daniel 3 why can't he

preserve his people at the end of time

when his wrath is being poured out are

you following me also psalm 91 which has

been called the tribulation psalm and by

the way even people who believe in the

rapture except that psalm 91 is

describing uh the the wrath that will

fall and the tribulation that will come

during this period psalm 91 and verse 10

says there shall no evil befall thee

neither shall any plague come nigh thy

dwelling

i want you also to notice isaiah chapter

26 and verses 20 and 21 and i wish i had

time to go into the context of this uh

passage of these two verses because

isaiah 24 to 27 has been called the

little book of revelation in the old

testament the little apocalypse because

everything uh basic that is found in

revelation is found in isaiah 24 25 26

and 27. uh actually let's notice isaiah

chapter 26 and i would like to read

verse 19 and then we'll read verses 20

and 21 isaiah chapter 26 verse 19

thy dead men shall live

together with my dead bodies shall they

arise

awake and sing ye that dwell in the dust

for thy do is as the dew of herbs and

the earth shall cast out her dead

is this speaking about the resurrection

of the dead that the apostle paul speaks

about in first thessalonians chapter 4

in different terms absolutely but now i

want you to notice that there will be

some people alive when

this event takes place it says in verse

20 come my people

enter thou into thy chambers

and shut thy doors about thee

hide thyself as it were for a little

moment until the indignation be

overpassed that word indignation in the

old testament refers to the outpouring

of god's wrath

verse 21 why do god's people need to

hide for a moment while god's wrath

passes over

verse 21 for behold the lord cometh out

of his place to punish the inhabitants

of the earth for their iniquity the

earth also shall disclose her blood and

shall no more cover her slain

are god's people going to be on earth

during the tribulation but will they

hide will they be protected from the

wrath of god during the tribulation

these two verses indicate that this is

so

now there's a third argument which is

used by those who believe in a

pre-tribulation rapture it's based on

revelation chapter 3 and verse 10. go

with me to revelation chapter 3 and

verse 10.

here these words are given to the church

of

philadelphia

and it says

because thou hast kept the word of my

patience

i also will keep thee

from the hour of temptation

that which shall come upon all the world

to try them that dwell upon the earth

so

god's promise to the church of

philadelphia is that because they've

kept the word of his patience he will

keep them from the hour of temptation or

from the tribulation

and those who believe in the trivial

pre-tribulation rapture say see it says

that god is going to keep his people

from the tribulation

is that really what the text is saying

is it saying that god is going to keep

his people from the tribulation or is he

going to preserve his people in the

tribulation

well let's go to john chapter 17 and

verse 15. john chapter 17 and verse 15

where the same expression keep is used

the same expression keep

uh

is used in john chapter 17 and verse 15.

it says here

uh

the following

i pray

not

that thou should take them out of the

world

but but that thou shouldst what

keep them the identical expression keep

them from evil

let me ask you can god

leave his people on earth

and still preserve them from evil

from the evil absolutely

in fact jesus actually says here i'm not

praying that you take them out of the

world he's saying there's i'm not

praying that you have a pre-tribulation

rapture here i'm praying that you will

preserve them even though they are in

the world

also galatians chapter 1 and verse 4

i'll just mention it in passing it says

that uh jesus gave himself for our sins

that he might deliver us from this

present evil world what does that mean

deliver us from this evil present world

does it mean that it's he's going to

take us out of this evil world that we

live in no it means that he preserves us

in the midst of this evil world so can

god preserve his people in the midst of

the tribulation

can he keep them from evil can he keep

them in the hour of tribulation the

bible says yes

now a fourth argument which is used by

those who believe in a pre-tribulation

rapture is based on first thessalonians

chapter 3 and verse 13. first

thessalonians chapter 3 and verse 13. it

says there

to the end

he may establish your hearts unblameable

in holiness before god

even our father at the coming of our

lord jesus christ

with all his saints

when jesus comes he's going to come with

whom

he's going to come with all his saints

and those who believe in the tribulation

like to say he cannot come with his

saints unless he came for them first

so this is an evidence that when jesus

comes his saints have already previously

been taken to heaven at his glorious

coming seven years after the tribulation

he comes

with his saints because he took them to

heaven seven years before are you

understanding the argument

now the problem with this argument is

that there is a verse in the old

testament where this

text comes from

deuteronomy chapter 33

deuteronomy chapter 33 and verse 2. see

we have to look at everything the bible

has to say

deuteronomy chapter 33 and verse 2.

it says here and he said this is

speaking about the giving of the law on

mount sinai and he said the lord came

from sinai and rose up from seer unto

them

he shined forth from mount peren

and he came notice this with ten

thousands of his what

of his saints from his right hand went a

fiery law

for them

it says here that when god gave the law

he came with ten thousand of his what of

his saints

now the question is who were those

saints

people that have been raptured to heaven

before he gave the law on mount sinai

obviously not

those saints ten thousand of his saints

refers to what to the angels in fact

revelation speaks of them as ten

thousand times ten thousand and

thousands of thousands of thousands

so the saints in deuteronomy 33 verse 2

refers to what refers to angels by the

way do you know that

the angels are called

saints

you say the angels are called saints

yes they are go with me to mark chapter

8 and verse 38

mark chapter 8 and verse 38.

it says there

whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of

me and of my words in this adulterous

and sinful generation of him also shall

the son of man be ashamed when he cometh

in the glory of his father with thee

what

holy angels

now you say where's the word saints

there the fact is that the word holy

is the word saints

in spanish

we we have only one word

for holy what is the spanish word for

holy

santo santos

same as the word saints

in other words this could be translated

that jesus is going to come with his

saintly angels

so are the angels called saints or are

they called holy absolutely by the way

when jesus comes is he going to come

with the heavenly armies

revelation chapter 19 john sees heaven

opened and jesus is seated on a white

horse he's coming from heaven to earth

in verse 14 it says that the armies of

heaven followed jesus on white horses

what were those armies of heaven that

john saw following jesus from heaven to

earth they are the what they are the

angels so when first thessalonians

chapter 3 and verse 13 says that jesus

will come with all of his saints it's

talking about him coming with whom

coming with his holy angels biblically

because there is no tribulation rapture

now a fifth argument which is used in

favor of a pre-tribulation rapture is

based on luke chapter 21 and verse 36

luke chapter 21 and verse 36 it's based

on the word escape

it says there the following

watch ye therefore and pray always jesus

is speaking

that he may be accounted worthy to what

to escape all these things that shall

come to pass

and now comes a very important

expression and to what to stand before

the son of man

did you catch that

two key words escape and what stand now

does this necessarily mean that people

are going to escape the world because

these things are going to take place on

planet earth

or can you escape from these things

while you're on earth

obviously you can escape while you're on

earth and by the way i want you to

notice something very interesting in

this verse

is it true

that you escape from these things and

then you stand before the son of man do

you notice the order you escape these

things in the tribulation and then you

stand in front of the son of man let me

ask you

does the tribulation take place before

the second coming of christ

is that clear in the bible

it's absolutely clear now are god's

people going to escape before they stand

before the son of man according to this

text absolutely now when will god's

people have to stand before the son of

man notice revelation chapter 6 and

verses 16 and 17. revelation chapter 6

and verses 16 and 17 this is speaking

about the second coming the glorious

second coming of christ by the way this

is not talking about about the rapture

even according to those who believe in

the pre-tribulation rapture this is

speaking about the glorious coming of

christ and it says here in in revelation

6 verses 16 and 17

about the wicked and said to the

mountains and rocks

fall on us and hide us from the face of

him that sitteth on the throne and from

the wrath of the lamb for the great day

of his wrath is come and who shall be

able to what

who shall be able to stand is there

going to be a group on earth that will

be able to stand when jesus comes

according to this text yes is the

expression to stand used also in luke

the passage that we used in luke

absolutely so you have the tribulation

and people escape the tribulation which

means that they are not impacted by the

wrath of god in the tribulation and then

at the end of the tribulation there's a

group who is able to what to stand

before the son of man or it speaks to

hear about standing before

the lamb as he's sitting on his throne

is this point clear

now

let's go to a sixth argument that they

use and we're gonna deal with seven

arguments tonight

the sixth argument is based on

revelation chapter four and verse one

let's read that verse revelation chapter

four and verse one

it says after this i looked and behold a

door was opened in heaven

and the first voice which i heard was as

it were of a trumpet talking with me

which said come up hither and i will

show thee things which must be hereafter

now believe it or not those who believe

in the pre-tribulation rapture say that

this verse is talking about the rapture

when john is told come up hither

it means that john is a symbol of the

church and is talking about the rapture

of the church have any of you read that

before

in the writings of those who believe in

the rapture that's what's taught and

then they say that the rest of

revelation has to do with the jews it

has nothing to do with the christian

church because the church will be

raptured away to heaven john represents

the church when he is invited to go to

heaven actually it means that the church

will be raptured to heaven

now there are serious problems with this

view

and what are the problems

well

the problem the major problem is

that from chapter 4 to chapter 19

john is not in heaven all the time

actually if you read revelation he goes

to heaven in the spirit by the way it

says in chapter 4 and verse 2 that he

goes to heaven in the spirit

do you know what that means to go to

heaven in the spirit

it means that he's going in what

in vision exactly because visions and

dreams are a gift of the holy spirit

and so he goes to heaven supposedly here

but then a little bit later on in

revelation chapter 14 it says i saw an

angel descend from heaven oh oh he's on

earth now

revelation 18

uh this mighty angel that fills the

earth with his glory he says i saw an

angel descend from heaven

in revelation chapter 17 and verse 3 it

says that the angel takes john in the

spirit and he takes him to the

wilderness i guess that means that the

church that has been raptured to heaven

during the tribulation is going to be

transported to the wilderness

does that make sense and revelation 9 21

verses 9 and 10 it says that john is

transported in the spirit to the new

jerusalem

so here he's going to the new jerusalem

he's coming down to the desert he see

this angel coming down from heaven

obviously as on earth so obviously

revelation 4 verse 1 does not mean that

the church was raptured to heaven and

stays in heaven for seven years because

in revelation there is a back and forth

of john are you understanding my point

furthermore there's another problem with

this view

you see people like hal lindsey they

take a stringent literalism they apply

astringent literalism to the book of

revelation they say that everything is

to be taken literally

and they say that after revelation four

verse one everything applies to the jews

whereas in revelation one to three

everything applies to the church

they say the only part of revelation

that has to do with the church is

revelation one to three the seven

churches and most of them say that the

seven churches represent uh the history

of the christian church from the days of

the apostles until the end of time at

least how lindsey believes that

but now hal lindsey has a very very big

problem

because when you go for example to the

church of thyatira

whom hal lindsey believes to be the

papal church the period of the middle

ages

it says that that church allows that

woman jezebel to entice my servants

to sacrifice to idols and to commit

fornication now we've got a problem

because this is happening according to

hal lindsey himself it's happening

during the 1260 years as we know it it's

happening during the period of the

middle ages or the dark ages now where

was jezebel during the middle ages

where was literal jezebel

she was dead

long time dead

and yet it says there that the church of

thyatira allowed the one gen woman

jezebel who is an old testament person

needs that has to do with literal israel

and she's enticing the church to do

these things let me ask you is jezebel

being used symbolically here

yes so what allows hal lindsey to say

jezebel

is symbolic here but when you get to the

two witnesses in revelation chapter 11

they are literal

i mean you have to have principles when

you study scripture the book of

revelation is speaking in symbolic

terminology you have to you have to

interpret the symbols you have to get

beyond the literal symbol and find out

what it means and so this idea that

revelation 4 verse 1 is referring to the

rapture simply

is not in harmony with scripture do you

understand this point that i've shared

with you okay

now let's go to our last point and this

is going to take us longer than all of

the previous points this is point number

seven let's go to matthew chapter 24 and

verses 32 and 33

matthew chapter 24 and verses 32 and

33. it's speaking here about the fig

tree

and i'm going to read the verse and then

i'm going to make an explanation it says

jesus is speaking

now learn a parable of the fig tree

when his branch is yet tender

and putteth forth leaves

ye know that summer is nigh

so likewise ye when you see all these

things know that it is near even at the

doors

so as a fig tree begins to bud

and it's a sign that the summer is near

this is a sign that uh when you see all

of these things in matthew chapter 24

that the end is near and basically the

argument goes like this the fig tree

represents israel and by the way that's

true the fig tree represents israel

and the budding of the fig tree

represents the reestablishment of the

state of israel in 1948

and they believe that this is the

greatest sign

that jesus is coming soon to rapture his

church it's the greatest sign there are

many signs but this is the greatest one

of all now those of you who have heard

these views am i being accurate in the

way that i'm projecting this

yes i heard an amen you know that i'm

projecting this accurately

now

the fig tree does represent israel but

the question is

is the reestablishment of israel in

harmony with the plan of god and is it

really a sign that the rapture is close

by

well let's examine this in the light of

the gospels go with me to matthew

chapter 3 and we've got to really go

quickly matthew chapter 3 and verses 9

and 10 matthew 3 verses 9 and 10.

here john the baptist is preaching by

the way john the baptist began preaching

six months before jesus was began his

ministry at his baptism now we can't go

through the chronology right now you

have to accept that by faith john the

baptist began his ministry six months

before jesus began his

now i want you to notice matthew chapter

3 verses 9 and 10 john the baptist is

preaching in the wilderness it says

there

and he's speaking to the jewish leaders

and think not to say within yourselves

we have abraham to our father for i say

unto you that god is able of these

stones to raise up children unto abraham

and now also the ax is laid onto the

root of the trees notice there's an ax

and the x is going to be

laid at the root of the trees in other

words the tree is going to be what

cut down which trees are going to be cut

down let's continue reading therefore

every tree which bringeth not forth good

fruit is hewn down and cast into the

fire

which is the tree which will be hewn

down or chopped down and chopped off and

thrown into the fire

it is the tree which does not bear what

fruit and he's speaking to whom here

he's speaking to the religious leaders

of the jewish nation he's saying you are

a tree

and if that tree does not produce fruit

it's going to be what it's going to be

chopped down

now we don't know at this point

how the message of john the baptist was

received because the story was taking

place at that point go with me now to

luke chapter 13 and let's notice another

tree episode luke chapter 13 and verses

1 through 9.

and we'll go through this quickly

it says there were present at that

season some that told him of the

galileans

whose blood pilate had mingled with

their sacrifices

and jesus answering said unto them

suppose ye that these galileans were

sinners above all the galileans because

they suffered such things

i tell you nay but except ye repent ye

shall all likewise perish

or those 18 upon whom the tower of

siloam fell and slew them

think ye that they were sinners above

all men that dwelt in jerusalem now do

you think they're you're better than

they are because this calamity came to

them and hasn't come to you

i tell you nay but except ye repent ye

shall all likewise perish and now he's

going to illustrate his point with a

parable he spake also this parable

a certain man had a fig tree

planted in his vineyard

and he came and sought fruit thereon and

found none

what is the problem of this fig tree

it has no fruit now let's continue

reading

then sent he unto the dresser of his

vineyard

behold

these three years i have come seeking

fruit now we need to stop there a minute

these three years

most scholars who have studied the

chronology of the gospel of luke agree

that this parable was told by jesus two

and a half years into his ministry

now how long has the call been made for

the tree to produce fruit

three years

how long did john the baptist preach

six months

how long has jesus been preaching when

he tells this parable two and a half

years how many years is that

three years

had

this tree which represents the jewish

nation had it borne fruit yet

no let's continue it says then said he

unto the dresser of this vineyard behold

these three years i have come seeking

fruit on this fig tree and find none

what's the council by the way this is

god the father speaking to his son

what cut it down does that fit what john

the baptist said every tree that does

not produce fruit will be cut down

absolutely

why cumbereth hit the ground in other

words why should we even allow it to

occupy a space

he answered and said unto them unto him

lord notice that the divine dresser is

is concerned about his tree

and he says lord let it alone this year

also how many more years

one more year how much longer was the

ministry of jesus going to last how long

did jesus minister in this earth and i'm

not talking about when he grew up from

the point of his baptism

three and a half years and till this

point two and a half years of his

ministry has fast how many years are

left

interesting chronology isn't it

and so it says here

uh let it this year also till i shall

dig about it and dung it that is

fertilize it and if it bear fruit well

and if not then after that thou shall

cut it down and the parable ends

nobody knows what happened to this fig

tree at this point

did it bear fruit for three years it

hasn't it hasn't responded to the

message of john the baptist it has not

responded to the message of jesus now is

it just possible that we'll meet this

fig tree again

if the parable leaves us in suspense it

must be that at some point we're going

to know what happened to this fig tree

whether it bore fruit or not go with me

to mark chapter 11. mark chapter 11

verses 19 and 20. see you have to thread

all these things together you can't just

say oh yeah the fig tree is israel and

the budding is the establishment of the

nation of israel 1948. well that's a

real stretch

isn't it a stretch

tremendous

notice mark chapter 11 verses 19 and 20.

it says there

speaking about jesus and when he saw a

fig tree in the way he came to it

and found nothing thereon

but leaves only by the way this is

happening three days before the death of

christ

has just about a year passed

yes or no

just about that year

and so it says and when he saw fig tree

in the way he came to it and found

nothing there on but leaves only and

said unto it let no fruit grow on thee

hence forward forever

what part of forever don't you

understand

and then it says

and presently the fig tree what

withered away

and when even was come he went out of

the city

and in the morning as they passed by

they saw the fig tree dried up from the

roots

what happens when a tree dries up from

the roots

is it ever going to live again

it is not going to live again let me ask

you what does this fig tree represent

it represents what

israel

had jesus come seeking fruit from israel

yes had israel born any fruit

absolutely not and so what is the

council

no fruit from now on will ever come from

you again

and the fig tree withered away because

it dried up from its what from its roots

in other words is this fig tree going to

play a role in the future

absolutely not

now

we need to go to luke chapter 21 and

notice a very important detail

luke chapter 21 and verses 29 and 30.

this is the parallel passage to what we

read in matthew 24 about when you see

the budding of the fig tree now

notice what we find in luke chapter 21

and verses 29 and 30.

it says

and he spake to them a parable

behold

the fig tree

and all the trees

when they when they now shoot forth ye

see and know of your own selves that

summer is now nigh at hand

so likewise ye when you see these things

come to pass know ye that the kingdom of

god is nigh at hand what is the

difference between matthew and luke

did you catch those of you who are

careful readers matthew said only the

fig tree when you see the fig tree bud

what does it say in luke

behold the fig tree and all the trees i

guess that means that that uh there's

going to be many nations established in

1948.

you see jesus is not using the fig tree

here as a symbol of israel he's simply

using an analogy or an illustration

he's saying as when you look at a fig

tree and you see it budding you know the

summer is near you need to know that

when you see all these signs by the way

it's not the sign 1948 but when you see

all these signs in matthew 24 and luke

21 then you know that the end is near in

other words he's not making a point that

the fig tree represents the rebirth of

the nation of israel he's simply using

this as an illustration of the necessity

of watching the signs in order to know

when jesus is near even at the door

now go with me to matthew chapter 21 and

verses 12 and 13. this is the triumphal

entry of jesus let's pursue this a

little bit more matthew chapter 21

verses 12 and 13 and we've read this

before

it's when jesus at the end of the

triumphal entry enters the temple in

jerusalem it says and jesus went into

the temple of god what is it called

the temple of god at this point and cast

out all them that sold and bought in the

temple and overthrew the tables of the

money changers and the seats of them

that sold doves and said unto them it is

written

my house what does he call the temple of

god he calls it my house my house shall

be called the house of prayer but ye

have made it a den of thieves

but then a few chapters later actually

two chapters later in matthew 23 verse

38

jesus leaves the jerusalem temple

no longer does it say that he left the

temple of god or that he leaves my house

in fact he's preached in matthew chapter

21 22 and 23 he has made a call to the

jewish nation to receive him as the

messiah

and they rejected his last call and

therefore when he leaves the temple he

says

lo

your house is left unto you what

desolate and then he speaks about the

destruction of jerusalem

what is it that brought about the

destruction of jerusalem

it was the fact that the temple was left

what

desolate and why was it left desolate

because jesus left the temple because

israel rejected him

now let's uh go in our minds to

something that we've studied before

the conclusion of the prophecy of the 70

weeks did you notice that i didn't deal

much with the ending point of the 70

weeks we just basically covered elements

that had to do with the middle of the

week you know the sacrifice and the

oblation would cease and the messiah

would be cut off not for himself we

dealt with that but we didn't deal with

the ending point of the 70 weeks and so

we need to take a look at that

how long of probation did god give to

the jewish nation

he gave them 490 years right

70 full weeks would you agree there was

74 weeks

absolutely 70 full weeks

let me ask you then was the jewish

nation rejected when christ was nailed

to the cross

was it

did it come to an end

why not

it couldn't have come to an end

because he was crucified in the middle

of the last week

and how long was given to the jewish

nation

a full 490 years

and there were still three and a half

years to take place are you with me

yes or no raise your hand if you're with

me

now i read for example matthew 10 verses

5 and 6 where jesus says that he was

sent only to the lost sheep of the house

of israel

not to the gentiles he says to the

disciples don't go to the samaritans

don't go to the gentiles

go only to the lost sheep of the house

of israel by the way do you know that

after jesus was crucified

the door of mercy was still open for the

jewish nation for three and a half years

notice for example acts chapter 5 and

verse 31

here we find

that after the day of pentecost

israel could still repent

it says there in acts chapter 5 and

verse 31

him hath god exalted that is jesus hath

god exalted with his right hand to be a

prince and a savior

for what reason for to give repentance

to whom

to israel and forgiveness of sins

by the way do you know that the first

seven chapters of acts the gospel goes

only to the jews

i don't know whether you were aware of

that

but in acts 1 through 7

the focus of the apostles is jerusalem

and judea

they don't go to the gentiles

are they still going to the lost sheep

of the house of israel they most

certainly are because they're still

three and a half years

now go with me to matthew 23 and verse

34. matthew chapter 23 and verses 34 to

36 very important passage

notice the tense of the verbs

it says there jesus speaking he's

rebuking the scribes and the pharisees

wherefore behold notice this

i send unto you actually that the verb

is in the future tense in the greek

i will send to you

prophets

and wise men

and scribes

what three categories prophets wise men

and what

scribes

that would be theologians

and some of them ye shall what

kill and crucify

and some of them shall ye what

scourge in your synagogues

and persecute them from what

from city to city

now do you notice what we find here

notice the tents of the verbs

it says some of them ye shall kill and

crucify is this future from the time

that jesus is going to die absolutely

and it says and some of them ye shall

scourge in your synagogues is this

future from the time of the death of

christ

absolutely yes

and then notice when they do this when

they persecute the prophets and the wise

men and the scribes then jesus says that

upon you

may come

all the righteous blood shed upon the

earth from the blood of righteous abel

unto the blood of zechariah son of

barackias whom you slew between the

temple and the altar verily i say unto

you all these things shall come to pass

upon this generation

does probation close for the jews after

jesus sends prophets wise men and

scribes to them after his death

according to this passage

absolutely now we need to take a look at

the three categories prophets jesus says

i'll send you prophets let me ask you

was the apostle peter a prophet

was he able to read the mind of ananias

and sapphira

on the day of pentecost did he interpret

prophecy as a prophet he most certainly

did

now it speaks also about um crucifying

and killing certain individuals does the

bible tell us that saul of tarsus went

about killing the christians

before he was converted yes in fact did

he participate in the killing of stephen

he most certainly did

it also says that these would be

crucified from i mean persecuted from

city to city let me ask you did saul of

tarsus according to his own admission go

from city to city to persecute the

christians yes he did it also says that

wise men would be persecuted do you know

that that is referring to the seven

deacons it says that these men who were

whose hands were laid who had hands laid

upon them it says that they were to

choose wise men to lay their hands on

so let me ask you

is the door of probation still open for

the jewish nation

even to the point of what saul of tarsus

is doing

obviously yes the door has not closed

now what is the ending point of the

prophecy of the 70 weeks it has to do

with the fig tree you see in the fig

tree jesus is pronouncing the sentence

but three and a half years he lingers

and he says i think i'll hold off

to see

if my people will accept me or not isn't

he a wonderful god

jesus is a wonderful person i mean even

though he could have closed the door of

mercy right there on the cross of

calvary when when he was crucified he

says i'm going to fulfill my promise in

the book of daniel i'm going to give

them exactly 70 weeks i'm going to give

them three and a half additional years

now let me ask you what is it that marks

the ending point of the 70 weeks

we need to go to daniel chapter 9 and

verse 24.

daniel chapter 9 and verse 24.

there's a very key expression that we

find here which i want to deal with very

briefly

daniel chapter 9 and verse 24.

speaking about the accomplishments that

take place during the 70 weeks it says

70 weeks are determined upon thy people

and upon thy holy city

to finish the transgression because

jesus is going to die on the cross

and to make an end of sins

and to make reconciliation for iniquity

did jesus reconcile us to god yes he did

and to bring in everlasting

righteousness did jesus bring in

everlasting righteousness can he become

our righteousness now when he died yes

and now comes the expression i want us

to know less and to seal up

the vision and prophecy

now that expression to seal up

is the exact expression which is

translated early in that verse

to make an end of sins

in other words to seal up prophecy and

vision

is the same expression as to make an end

of sins in other words what is going to

come to an end prophecy and vision for

israel are going to come to an end

now my question is who was the last

prophet given to israel and who was the

one who received the last vision in

israel

i think you know the answer

it is stephen

did he bring

vision and prophecy to an end for the

jewish nation yes was he a prophet

yes he was did he have a vision

he most certainly had a vision of jesus

and he shared it now allow me to share

some very interesting points with you

if you notice in acts chapter 7 where it

speaks about the stoning of stephen

you'll find that stephen gives an

inordinately long discourse about the

history of israel

it goes from verse 2 to verse 53.

remember he's speaking to the jewish

leaders to the sanhedrin

they must have been born to death

when they were hearing the reenactment

of the telling of the story of israel

they say yeah yeah we've heard this

before

why would stephen dedicate all of this

chapter to recite the history of israel

let me tell you why

because

stephen is playing the role

of the prophet you see in the old

testament when the prophets came against

israel you can find this time and again

when they came to rebuke israel for her

sins they would recite all of the

benevolent acts that god had performed

during the history of israel

by the way this is in the material on

daniel 9 there's a whole seven or eight

pages at the end with everything i'm

giving you now uh you know and with

examples of how the prophets in the old

testament would recite the history of

israel and say how god was wonderful

with you but you have abandoned the lord

you have forsaken the lord you have

turned your back on the lord and

therefore god has come against you in

judgment but but if you repent then god

will relent from proclaiming the

judgment in other words stephen is

playing the same role in the book of

acts that the prophets of the old

testament played with israel

are you following what i'm saying he's

playing the exact role of the prophet

and he is speaking to

none less than the jewish leaders the

supreme court of judaism known as the

sanhedrin this is the final

prophet who is making a final call to

israel by making

a recital of the history of israel

now as stephen reaches the end of his

presentation to these leaders to the

supreme court of the jewish nation

he says some very strong words notice

acts chapter 7 and verses 51-53

he says ye stiff-necked and

uncircumcised in heart and ears

you do always resist the holy ghost as

your fathers did so do ye

which of the prophets have not your

fathers persecuted and they have slain

them which showed before the coming of

the just one of whom ye have now

become betrayers and murderers who have

received the law by the disposition of

angels and have not kept it

now there's a very interesting point in

acts chapter 7 you'll notice that all

the way from the beginning of acts 7

actually in verses 11 19 38 44 and 45

stephen when he speaks to them he says

our fathers our fathers our fathers

but when he gets here to the end of the

chapter he no longer says our fathers he

says your fathers

that's an important point what is

stephen doing he is

disconnecting himself from the patrimony

of literal israel

because literal israel is about to be

what

cut off

and he does not want to include himself

among them that's different than the

prophets in the old testament prophets

in the old testament included themselves

in the problem for example in daniel 9

he says we have sinned we have performed

iniquity we have done this please lord

forgive our sin

stephen does that throughout most of

chapter seven but when he gets to the

end now he's indicting israel now he

says your fathers you have done this in

other words he's disconnecting himself

from literal israel notice acts chapter

7 verses 4 54-58 what was the verdict of

the of the sanhedrin by the way when the

supreme court made the decision that was

the final word it was the decision of

the jewish nation

notice

verse 54 when they heard these things

did they repent

no they were cut to the heart and they

gnashed out out on him with their teeth

but he being full of the holy ghost

looked up steadfastly into heaven and

saw the glory of god

is he seeing a vision

yes and jesus standing on the right hand

of god some scholars believe that he's

actually seeing the second coming of

christ

and i believe that that's true because

in matthew 26 64

jesus spoke to the jewish leaders to

annas and caiaphas and he says you will

see the son of man at the right hand of

god standing at the right hand of god

and said behold i see the heavens opened

and the son of man standing at the right

hand of god

then they cried out with a loud voice

and stopped their ears and ran upon him

with one accord

and cast him out of the city and stoned

him and the witnesses laid down their

clothes at the feet of a young man's

excuse me the clothes at the young man's

feet whose name was what

whose name was saul saul of tarsus

has the jewish nation made its decision

through the supreme court

is this the final rejection is this

final call by the prophet yes it is is

it the final vision given to literal

israel it most certainly is

but you know

god is a wise god

the very moment that the door closed for

the jewish nation

god was choosing the champion who would

open it for the gentiles

at that very event

isn't that true the door was closing the

sanhedrin said we don't want him

but there was one there who was

participating in this

who was actually going to be converted

and be god's apostle to the gentiles in

other words when one door closed god is

opening the other door at that very

event

notice acts 22 verses 20 and 21

speaking about about the experience of

saul of tarsus and when the blood of thy

martyr stephen was shed i also was

standing by and consenting unto his

death and kept the raiment of them that

slew him

and now notice and he said unto me

depart for i will send thee far hands

unto the gentiles

do you see how the two are connected the

stoning of stephen and saul of tarsus

going to the gentiles by the way in acts

chapter 1 and verse 8

jesus told the disciples that they were

to go first of all where to jerusalem

to judea

to samaria

and then to the uttermost parts of the

what of the earth do you know that the

book of acts is organized in this

fashion

that's the key verse that gives us the

organization of the book of acts

in acts 1 through 6 the disciples go to

jerusalem in judea you can read it

in acts chapter 7 stephen is stoned

in acts chapter 8 they're going to

samaria

in acts chapter 9

saul of tarsus is converted and in acts

chapter 10

the message goes to the gentiles

and the rest of the book of acts has to

do with paul's travels to the far places

of the roman empire

are you following me

so what is god doing at the starting up

stephen he's saying yes the door of

mercy has closed for the jewish nation

by the way not for individual jews

for the nation for the theocracy how do

we know that it didn't close for

individual jews because saul of tarsus

was later converted and god included him

among his true israel

are you following me

now notice

acts chapter 13

is a very important chapter

it marks the beginning of the ministry

of the apostle paul

i'm going to go through it quickly

because time is almost up in chapter 13

verses 1 and 2 paul and barnabas are set

aside by the laying on of hands this is

the beginning of his ministry

then they go to

antioch of pisidia

and the apostle paul preaches to the

jews in the synagogue that's found in

chapter 13 verses 16 to 41.

when paul preaches

the gentiles are so impressed that by

what paul said to the jews that they

said we'd like to hear the message too

and so the next sabbath the apostle paul

gathers and he preaches to the gentiles

in fact it says in chapter 13 and verse

44 that the whole city

came out to listen to the message of the

apostle paul

there were so many people that the jews

got jealous

and they started blaspheming

and contradicting what the apostle paul

was saying

now i want you to notice what the

apostle paul had to say to them

chapter 13 verses 46 and 47

then paul and barnabas waxed bold and

said

it was necessary that the word of god

should first have been spoken to you

but

why was it spoken first to them why was

it proper for the word to be spoken to

them first

because the 70 weeks applied to them

seeing ye put it from you

and judge yourselves unworthy of

everlasting life lo we turn to the what

to the gentiles for so hath the lord

commanded us saying i have set thee to

be a light of the gentiles that thou

shouldest be for salvation unto the ends

of the earth

is this clear

the stoning of stephen marks the end of

the prophecy of the seventy weeks the

rejection of the jewish theocracy

do you know what the devil did

one of the worst things in history

probably the worst war crime in the

history of the world was was what the

nazis did

the holocaust

over six million jews

killed

many of them incinerated

who do you suppose was behind this

satan

just because they were rejected as a

jewish as the theocracy does not mean

that god is against them and god is

cursing them

god wants to save the jews he loves the

jews

he loves everybody of every nation it's

just that he he put an end to the jewish

theocracy as his chosen nation to

fulfill his purpose and his will

do you know that the devil had a bigger

agenda than just killing six million

jews

when people found out what had happened

in germany and poland and some of these

other places

they were horrified

and there was a movement in the world

that israel should have its own homeland

as a result

and that's why in 1948 the state of

israel was established

do you know that the devil was the one

orchestrating this so that the state of

israel would be established

now you're saying you're saying that

it's the devil's plan that the state of

israel will be established let me

explain the reason why

you see christians protestants today

believe that 1948 is the greatest sign

of the rapture

and they're directing all eyes where

to the middle east let me ask you who do

you suppose is causing these

controversies and conflicts between the

jews and the palestinians

who's causing it

satan is it because he hates the jews

does he hate the jews any more than he

hates anybody else they're not the

theocracy anymore so he doesn't hate

them anymore than anybody else why would

he stir things up between jews and

palestinians why would he lead to the

establishment of the state of israel why

would he lead to 9 11 where from over

there

the terrorists caused this in the united

states

why

is the question

because satan wants people to turn their

eyes where

he wants people to turn their eyes to

the middle east for the fulfillment of

prophecy

because the devil wants to hide the fact

that prophecy is being fulfilled

in rome

and in the united states and people

can't see it because they're looking

where

they're looking in the wrong place

that's the reason why we have so much

turmoil over in the middle east because

the devil wants to direct eyes over

there when prophecy is being fulfilled

in the west

and he tries to he tries to say that the

issues are the oil of the middle east

and and the fact that the jews you know

it's an ethnic battle between the jews

and the arabs

and and it's going to be between the the

russians and the arabs and the chinese

coming against the jews and what does

that have to do with righteousness by

faith

what spiritual issues are involved there

absolutely none

the devil wants to hide the spiritual

issues and i'll end with this verse

revelation chapter 16 verse 15.

jesus is speaking about the moment of

the sixth plague

and he says that we're supposed to watch

and we're supposed to be awake

lest when this time comes

we are found naked

and they see our shame

the issue is whether you're dressed with

the righteousness of christ or not

whether you've received jesus or not

that is the issue

and satan wants to hide it

by bringing into perspective all other

kinds of issues

because he doesn't want people to come

to christ and truly commit their lives

to him

he wants people to believe a totally

unspiritual perspective

of prophecy

did you understand what we talked about

tonight

critical issues

that we must share with those

who misunderstand these things

lest they be found

in the tribulation

the worst period in the history of the

world

without a shelter

without the faith to stand

father in heaven we thank you for the

privilege of studying these things this

evening we ask that you will write them

in our minds and in our hearts you will

help us to share them with others

we thank you lord for hearing our prayer

for we ask it in jesus name

amen

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