Complete Broadcast Transcript
Welcome to The Prophet Daniel’s Repor. This is Daniel Whyte III here to remind you that Jesus Christ is coming back one day and that you need to be prepared.
First, today, let’s look at some Signs of His Coming.
The disciples asked Jesus in Matthew 24:3, “What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” Jesus Christ then went on giving them (and us) some concrete signs that show us that the time for Jesus’ return to earth is drawing near. Looking at world events through the lens of Scripture let’s consider a couple of headlines from today’s news.
Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood has Vowed that They Will Not Recognize the State of Israel. The Jerusalem Post reports: “Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood will not recognize Israel ‘under any circumstance,’ the party’s deputy leader Dr. Rashad Bayoumi told Arabic daily al-Hayat in an interview published on Sunday. When asked whether it is a requirement for the government in Egypt to recognize Israel, Bayoumi responded by saying: ‘This is not an option, whatever the circumstances, we do not recognize Israel at all. It’s an occupying criminal enemy.’ ‘The Brotherhood respects international conventions, but we will take legal action against the peace treaty with the Zionist entity,’ he told the paper.
We know that the hostility of other nations to the State of Israel is a clear sign that Christ is about to return. Ever since Israel returned to her homeland in 1948, the Arab nations surrounding her have repeatedly stated that they would like to drive the tiny country of God’s chosen people into the sea.
Russia’s Vladimir Putin Dreams of a Sweeping Eurasian Union. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has a vision for a Soviet Union-lite he hopes will become a new Moscow-led global powerhouse. But, his planned Eurasian Union won’t be grounded in ideology: This time it’s about trade. The concept of regional economic integration may be losing some of its allure in Europe, where a debt crisis is threatening the existence of the eurozone. But some countries across the former Soviet Union, still struggling economically 20 years after becoming independent, are embracing Putin’s grand ambition.
We know that when the antichrist comes, he will unify the nations of the earth into a one-world government. This, is another sign that the times are drawing nigh for Christ to return.
You can get more Second Coming-related news on our website at www.SecondComingHerald.com
Now, it’s time for Prophecy Bootcamp.
Today, we are going to begin a study on “The Rapture” from John MacArthur, and in the next few broadcasts, we will discuss the the Pillars of the Rapture, the Participants in the Rapture, the Plan of the Rapture and the Profit, or benefit, of the Rapture.
Our Bible passage for this study is 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, which reads: “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. 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 shall not prevent 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: 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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
This launches Paul then to discuss this event which we call the Rapture. You say, “Now where do we get that concept, the Rapture?” Look at verse 17, the verb there “shall be caught up,” is the verb harpazo, which means snatched. It means to snatch up, to seize, it means to carry off by force. And it has the idea of a sudden swoop of irresistible force that just sweeps us up. From a Latin word connected to this word comes our word rape, to give you the idea of the force, the seizure, the snatching concept. And so there is coming a snatching away, a seizing by force, the swooping us off, gathering us together to the Lord in the future. And Paul says in order to eliminate your ignorance and your consequent grief and to bring you comfort, I’m going to tell you about it.
All right, now he’s going to tell us four things about it. The pillars of the Rapture, the participants in the Rapture, the plan of the Rapture and the profit, or the benefit of the Rapture. Let’s look at the first one — the pillars of the Rapture. What is it built on? We’ve got to have a foundation for this. It isn’t philosophical speculation, it isn’t religious mythology, it isn’t some kind of fable fabricated by well-meaning people who want to make folks feel good because of their sorrow. What is this great promise that Jesus is coming to gather us all together built on? He gives us three elements — the three pillars, which are: the death of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, and the revelation of Christ.
Let’s look at the death of Christ in verse 14. “For if we believe that Jesus died…” Stop right there. In this case, the “if” could be misleading. It doesn’t suggest any doubt, it’s only there to indicate logical sequence…the logical sequence of believing, if you believe…and in this case that condition is fulfilled so you could say, “Since you believe that Jesus died…” Or, “Based on the fact that Jesus died…” So if you believe, or if we believe that Jesus died…that’s where it all begins.
In order to believe in the Rapture and in order to understand the coming of Jesus to snatch away His church, you have to believe in the death of Christ. But what does he mean by that? Well it was the death of Christ that paid the penalty for our sins. So it was the death of Christ then that brought us into the possession of eternal life. It is because Jesus bore our sins in His own body, it is because He became sin for us, it is because in His death He fulfilled all the conditions that God required to pay the penalty for sin, it is because of that that we can be gathered together by Christ into God’s presence. So we have to start at that point. It was in His death that He fulfilled all the conditions. So when Paul says if we believe that Jesus died, he’s not simply talking about the death of Jesus in some flat one-dimensional martyr kind of mentality. He is summing up in it the whole atoning work.
If we believe, as it were, in the full implications of the death of Christ, then we know that judgment for sin has been satisfied. We know then that we by virtue of that have been made acceptable to God. And if we have been made acceptable to God, then there is a pillar on which the gathering together can occur. If we are not acceptable to God, He’s not going to gather us to Himself. If we don’t belong to His Son by substitutionary death and faith in that person and work, then He’s not going to gather us together. But because in His death we are saved from death, we believe in the gathering together. In fact, Jesus died — and you notice he doesn’t refer to Jesus using the word sleep — Jesus died feeling the full fury of death in all of its dimensions as He bore in His body our sins, in order that He might turn death for us into sleep. One writer puts it this way, “Death has been changed to sleep by the death of Christ. It is an apt metaphor in which the whole concept of death is transformed. Christ made sleep the name for death in the dialect of the church,” end quote. Christ made sleep the name for death in the dialect of the church.
Why? Because He paid for our sins. You say, “What does that have to do with it?” The wages of sin is death. If the wages are paid, then we no longer face death, only temporary sleep. The sting of death is what? Sin — it’s like a bee and when the bee stung Jesus and He died, the stinger was there and there’s no sting left. And so there’s no death. We need to say not So-and-so died but So-and-so in spirit is alive with Jesus Christ and their body is asleep waiting for the gathering together. That’s what happens to Christians when they die. Their spirit goes immediately to be with the Lord. Their body goes in to repose, sleeping. That’s the first great pillar. That hope is provided for us in His death.
We will continue this study on the Rapture tommorrow, on The Watchman’s Minute.
In closing, let’s consider what God wants you to do in light of His Second Coming.
If you do not already know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, God wants you to get to know Him before He returns. If you desire to be saved, you will be glad to know that it is very simple. First, understand that you are a sinner. In other words, you have broken or transgressed the law of God and because of that you stand guilty before God. In Romans 6:23, the Bible states that “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” Due to our sin, regardless of how much or how little, we are headed to eternal punishment in a place called hell. God states in the Holy Bible, Revelation 21:8, “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolators, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone; which is the second death.”
That is the bad news. Here is the good news — the gospel of Jesus Christ:
God did something wonderful for us poor sinners so that we would not have to go to that awful place called hell. What did He do for us? Well, He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to shed His Holy blood for our sins and die in our place. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Dear friend, all you have to do is believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died, was buried and rose again by the power of God, for you. And He will save you.
The Bible states clearly in Romans 10:9 and 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raise him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Friend of mine, the first thing that God wants you to do in light of the second coming of Jesus Christ is to get saved if you are not already saved. Please do it today, for tomorrow is not promised to you. If you are willing to trust Christ as your Savior today, please pray with me the following prayer: Heavenly Father, I realize that I am a sinner. For Jesus Christ’s sake, please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life. Amen.
That’s all for us today. Let me leave you with the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:42, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come…Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”
