Christ And The Second Coming - B

Jack Hibbs: The Holy Spirit is holding down evil. The church is in the earth. When the church gets raptured, the Holy Spirit steps aside. And there you have the unveiling of the antichrist and all the evils of the tribulation period.
David Jay: This is Real Life. Welcome to Real Life Radio with Pastor Jack Hibbs. I'm David Jay, thanking you for joining us today as we listen, learn, and are challenged by God's word, the Bible. Everybody, we want you to be aware of a great book, and please listen up. Our friend Charlie Kirk, right before he was assassinated, Charlie Kirk had finished up a book titled Stop in the Name of God. And I gotta tell you, friends, you're going to want to get a copy. It teaches you how to rest in our Lord Jesus Christ. Stop in the Name of God by Charlie Kirk. Get a copy for yourself. It's the featured item for this September. That's Stop in the Name of God by Charlie Kirk. Get your copy today at jackhibbs.com. On today's edition of Real Life Radio, Pastor Jack continues now in his series called "The Life and Times of Jesus Christ" and his message titled "Christ and the Second Coming." Now, this is a series about who Jesus really is. Not the Jesus of popular opinion, but the Jesus of the Bible, God himself, who stepped into our world. And that same Jesus, who once came in a manger, has promised us he'll come again, but this time in power and glory. So today, Pastor Jack teaches us that Christ will return at a time of great unbelief, when religion is popular but hearts are far from him. But for the Christian, this is not a day to fear, since we'll be coming again with Jesus himself. Now, with his message called "Christ and the Second Coming," here's pastor and Bible teacher, Jack Hibbs.
Jack Hibbs: That's the second coming. Undeniable events will take place on the earth. People will physically see it. How many people have you and I talked to, and "If God would just show me a sign"? Well, give them Acts chapter 2. You want a sign? First of all, I'm going to be here one day and the next day I'm not going to be here. That'd be a sign. Secondly, the earth is going to be so devastated that the sky, the atmosphere is going to be somehow polluted to the point, maybe through fire or through earthquake or whatever, that the moon and the sun are going to be darkened and appear to be as blood. Did any of you, were any of you this week near any fires and see the sun at noonday, how it looked like a bloody ball? The sun and the moon. Interesting. Undeniable events. Let's mark some of these down. Via geological events. Yep, geological events. Matthew chapter 24, we read it, verse 1 on, but look with me, Matthew 24, look at verse 22: "And unless those days are shortened, no flesh would be saved. No flesh would remain alive." Matthew 24:22. It's a time of incredible upheaval. Jesus says in that earlier portion of that chapter, "You're going to hear about wars and rumors of wars." Do you right now even hear about wars and rumors of wars? Well, you might say, "Well, Jack, that's always gone on." It's true, it has. But on a global scale. All this is global. He says that don't get upset because this is not yet the end. Still some things must happen. Ethnic groups will rise against ethnic groups. "Nation" in your Bible, in the English, it's nation versus nation. Sounds like US versus Russia, doesn't it? That doesn't appear until kingdom versus kingdom. Politics versus politics. Ethnos versus ethnos. Ethnic groups will become more hostile toward different ethnic groups. Is that not happening worldwide? It's increasing, isn't it? Just as Jesus said. Man, I hope you're an unbeliever in here today and you're thinking, "I better become a believer because I'm watching this stuff take place." Famines, pestilence. Famines, most famines in the world today are political famines. Did you know that? You know one of the great problems we have right now in dropping food into the Sudan to stop the famine is that the Muslim terrorists are killing—they let the food drop and let the Christians run to the food, then they machine gun them down and take the food. Geological effects. The earth is going to be in an upheaval. Isaiah 24:19 says, "The earth shall be broken up, and it will split asunder. The earth shall be thoroughly shaken at its core. The earth will reel to and fro like a drunk man. It sways like a hut in the wind. So heavy is it of its guilt and of its rebellion that it will fall, never to be risen again in that great day of the Lord when he punishes the powers of the heavens above and on the kings of the earth beneath." Isaiah 24:19 to 21. Ezekiel 38, verse 20: "The fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and the beasts of the field, every creature that moves along the ground and all the people upon the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. The mountains will be overturned and the cliffs will crumble and every wall will fall to the ground." And in the book of Revelation, it says during the tribulation period near its end, God will send a great earthquake that will be felt in all of the earth. It ain't going to be our normal 7.0s that we like. "Oh well, we had a 7.0." Who knows what it's going to be, but the whole earth's going to feel it. Is this scaring you? I hope it doesn't scare you to scare you, but I hope it scares the hell out of you and causes you to run and grab the feet of Jesus and say, "It's heaven I want! Jesus, it's you I want!" Because without Jesus, it's even hell before you get there in the world today. Secondly, not only via geological events, but also celestial events. Luke 21:25: "And there will be signs in the sun"—this is going to be weird—"and in the moon, and in the stars, and on earth, the distress of nations." The word "distress of nations" in the Greek means having no way out of a dilemma. They have no way out. "The sea and the waves will roar." Isn't that interesting? "Men's hearts shall fail them for fear because of the expectations of the things that are coming to the earth." Wow. "For the powers of the heavens shall be shaken, and they will see then the son of God coming with clouds with power and great glory." Not Gray Glory, even though Gray Glory will be there, but great glory. We're coming with him. Isaiah 24, verse 23 says, "The moon will be ashamed and abashed, for the Lord Almighty will reign in Zion and from Jerusalem." The Bible says that the stars are going to flee or appear to the earth dwellers to be fleeing from his presence. Geological events, celestial events. There'll be undeniable events even in the spiritual realm, both for good and bad. There'll be great, great spiritual activity on the earth. John says there'll be so many people saved during the tribulation period that no man can even count them. The Holy Spirit's going to be poured out on the earth, not taken away. I don't know why some people think—I don't know where they got this idea that when the rapture takes place, the Holy Spirit leaves. The Bible doesn't say that. The Bible says "he who hinders will do so until he is taken," what? "Out of the way." Then shall that antichrist be revealed. The Holy Spirit is right now playing the position of a big defensive tackle. He's there. I should say offensive tackle. He's holding back the onslaught of the frontline. When the church is raptured—let's in our little minds here, my little mind, I have to see it this way—let's say the quarterback runs back and the line is doing all the work, and the quarterback jumps into the grandstands. The line turns around and sees that he's not there any longer, turns sideways, turns those five and a half foot wide shoulders sideways, and lets evil run through. Lets that attacking army run through. The Holy Spirit is holding down evil. The church is in the earth. When the church gets raptured, the Holy Spirit steps aside. And there you have the unveiling of the antichrist and all the evils of the tribulation period. But also, on the negative side, there'll be great demonic activity, great demonic events. Demons, invisible, maybe some visible, don't know. But they will deceive people and trick them. There'll be preachers and there'll be teachers and there'll be evangelists and they'll be demonized. And Jesus says they'll perform such great powers that if it were—are you with me? Are you listening?—if it were possible, it would deceive even the very elect. That is those that are those that have gotten saved during the tribulation period. But it's not possible. He says "if it were possible." That means it's impossible. Spiritual events. And thirdly, finally, final point: his second coming is because for many reasons, his throne must be established. Did you know that yesterday we, if Jesus doesn't come back and set up his throne in Jerusalem, we have absolutely done nothing yesterday but got a bunch of gifts for each other and spent money? There is no meaning to Christmas if Jesus doesn't come back and sit on the throne of David. He has to, to be God, to be Messiah. How so? By intervening and earth's affairs. Jesus must intervene in earth's affairs. Here we go. I love this verse. Jot it down. Revelation 19, beginning at verse 11. John says, "I saw heaven opened and look, a white horse. And he who sat on it was called Faithful and True. And in righteousness, he judges and makes war. His eyes were like flame of fire and his head—on his head were many crowns. And he had a name written that no one knew except himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood and his name is called The Word of God." And the armies in heaven—that's us. Read the whole chapter, you'll see how clear it is that it's us. The armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen—this is funny—an army clothed in wedding gowns. What a weird looking army. "Followed him on white horses. Now out of his mouth goes a sharp sword that with it he should strike the nations. And he himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He himself treads the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of the Almighty God and he has on his robe and on his thigh a name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords." Is that awesome or what? Enoch talked about that. You know little Enoch? Old man Enoch? Enoch. It says in Jude 14 through 15 that Enoch was the seventh descendant of Adam. He knew Adam. They knew each other. Prophesied about these things saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment." Listen, "the Lord comes with ten thousand." The word's not "ten thousand" in your Bible. 1,000, 2,000, 3,000—it's not number. It's a number innumerable. The old King James translators put into them a big number. "Ten thousand! That's a big number. Put it in." In the Greek, it's innumerable numbers. Ten thousands times ten thousands, thousands upon thousands. You can't count them. Note this: the saints will come out of heaven with the Lord. A bazillion of them. Bazillion—that's a big number. To execute judgment on some? No, it says all. "To convict all who are ungodly among them and all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way and all of their harsh things which the ungodly sinners have spoken against him." He will intervene in human affairs. Hebrews 11:5. I'm almost done. We're doing pretty good. Hebrews 11:5: "By faith Enoch was raptured, taken away up into heaven so that he did not see death and was not found because God had taken him. For before he was taken from the earth, he had this testimony, and that is that he pleased God." What was Enoch's message? Anybody know? It's an old word that we used to use at Calvary Chapel way back when. Somebody said it over here. Maranatha! Maranatha! That was Enoch's sermon. Maranatha! Maranatha! Maranatha! Behold, he cometh. And this is great. Enoch lived a long time ago. "The Lord's coming!" "Shut up, you old man." "The Lord's coming!" "What a nut he is." "The Lord's coming with bazillions of his saints!" "What a ding dong. Go to bed. You've been in the sun too long." Well, guess what happened to Enoch? The Bible says that he walked with God and he was not, for God took him. I like what McGee—I love what McGee says in his little story about Enoch. They walked—it says that he walked with God and pleased God. And God one day said, "You know Enoch, we've talked so long today. We've walked so far today. As this day comes to a close—of course, it does in that little Bible bust-lang talk there—he said, 'Enoch, it's closer to my house. So let's just go to my house.'" And God took Enoch home. He didn't see death. Stick—give you a little hint—of a people whose message is supposed to be "The Lord's coming!" "Sit down and shut up." "The Lord's coming!" "You've been in the sun too long." "The Lord's coming!" "Weirdo, Jesus freak." All of a sudden, man, we're going to be gone. Enoch, what a message. 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 1 says, "I charge you"—it doesn't mean Paul was charging for his messages—he says, "I exhort you, I'm challenging you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom, preach the word." That's the answer. He's going to intervene in human affairs. He's going to do it by righteous judgment. I'll give you the passages. For time's sake, I cannot read them. For righteous judgment, Jesus must do, Joel chapter 3. Read the whole chapter of Joel chapter 3. It says there that Jesus Christ is going to separate the sheep from the goats. By the way, Joel chapter 3 is in direct correlation and speaks of the same event recorded in Matthew chapter 25. Get that straight. The separation of the sheep and the goats. You can read about it in Joel chapter 3. You can read about it also in Luke chapter 17. Make no mistake about it, Christian. Listen. In Luke chapter 17—this appears in three of the New Testament gospels—Jesus says, "I tell you that in that night, there will be two in one bed. One will be taken, the other one will be left. Two will be gathering together, one will be taken, the other one will be left. Two in the field, one taken and one left." And the disciples answered and said to him, "Where, Lord?" And he said to them, "Wherever the rotting carcass is, there the flesh-eating unclean vultures shall be." That's how it reads in the Greek. Wherever their rotting, stinking, decaying corpses are gathered together, there unclean flesh-eating vultures—the word is Griffins—will be consuming them. Some of your Bibles translate vultures. In Luke 17, many people teach that that's the rapture. It is not the rapture. It's the fulfillment of Matthew 25, the separation between the sheep and the goats. Read it. It takes place at the second coming. And those that are taken away are taken to judgment. It says that where they're taken to, they'll be slain and it says that the birds of the air will come and devour their flesh. But those who pass through that earthly judgment, Matthew 25, will live into the millennial kingdom. Righteous judgment. Jesus must execute from his throne in Jerusalem. And finally this and we're done. His rule, his throne is monarchical. It's a monarchical rule. He's a monarch. He's the king. Revelation 1:7 says that he will judge the tribes of the earth. They'll mourn at his coming. Why? Because he's going to be judging them. And he's the one who's been pierced. Matthew chapter 24, verse 24 through 28: he says that he will come as the lightning comes from out of the east and is visible even unto the west, so shall my coming be. And wherever the carcasses are—the rotting flesh and all—there you shall see the vultures gathered together. Acts 2, verse 20: it says, "the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon shall appear to be as blood before the coming of that great and awesome day of the Lord." And we'll end with this. 2 Peter, Peter says, chapter 3, he says, "For this people are willingly ignorant that by the word of God, the heavens that were of old and the earth standing out of the water and in the water, whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished in the flood. But the heavens and the earth which are now currently, by the same word are kept in store on reserve unto a fiery judgment day regarding the sons of perdition and all ungodly men. But beloved, do not be ignorant of this one thing: that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years to the Lord is as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promises as some men count slackness, but he is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night to those who are not watching, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat. And the earth and the works of it shall be burned up." And Paul says in Romans 13:11, "knowing then the time that now it is high time for us to awake out of our sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than it has since we first believed." Isn't that true? Father, I pray this morning that no man, no woman, no teenager in this place would just ignore you, blow you off in their thinking. But this morning would realize, man, I don't want anything to do with the things of this judgment period of time. So, Father, I ask in Jesus' name that you, Father, might speak to any heart this morning, encouraging them that now and only now is the moment for it to be okay to be a sinner. It's okay right now if they intend to be declared a saint by you. We're all sinners. But Lord, this morning may someone say, "Yes I am. I personally am. And I want the Messiah to save me." Can you agree with me and the Bible this morning and say, "I've sinned against a holy God. I've erred. I'm unholy. I have evil thoughts, selfish thoughts, angry thoughts, lustful thoughts, or I've done these things. And Jesus, before you come, I want my life right with you. And I want to do it today. I want to receive Jesus as the Lord and Savior of my soul and follow him all the days of my life." While we're praying right now, if that's your desire this morning, would you slip your hand up and I'll pray for you and you can put your hand back down? But you want to give your heart to Jesus Christ this morning. I'll just simply see your hand and ask you to put it down and I'll pray for you. Raise your hand high if you're raising it at all. God bless you in the back. You can put your hand down. Anyone else? God bless you. God bless you. Anyone else? In the back and off to my side, God bless you. Brothers and sisters, brand new. Christian and those who raised your hands, pray this prayer with me out loud and mean it from your heart. "Lord Jesus, save me. Write my name in your book of life. Make me your own. Wash me clean and fill me up with the Holy Spirit and your love. God, change my life. I thank you that you love me and nothing shall separate me from your love. In Jesus' name, and all God's people said, amen."
David Jay: Pastor and Bible teacher, Jack Hibbs, here on Real Life Radio with his message called "Christ and the Second Coming." Thanks for spending part of your day with us today. You know, this message is part of Pastor Jack's series called "The Life and Times of Jesus Christ." It's a series about the real Jesus of the Bible, God in the flesh, and why knowing him more deeply really changes everything. And we'll continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio. So as you heard from our broadcast, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. And if you'd like to know what a commitment to Christ can mean in your life personally, we would love to help you out with that. Go to jackhibbs.com/knowgod. That's K-N-O-W-God. And there you'll be guided through what a commitment to Christ can mean in your life and the freedom that you'll find in knowing God. Don't miss out. That's the Know God tab at jackhibbs.com. Hey, thank you again so much for listening. And if you'd like to hear or see more of what we do here, you can always go to jackhibbs.com for all the latest on what's going on with this ministry. And please, if you're ever in the Southern California area, come see us at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills. We'd love to see you there in person. It has been so good to be with you today, and I pray you find yourself in the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. See you on the next episode. This program is made possible by the generous contributions of you, our listeners. Visit us at jackhibbs.com. That's jackhibbs.com. Until next time, Pastor Jack Hibbs and all of us here at Real Life Radio wish for you solid and steady growth in Christ and in his word. We'll see you next time here on Real Life Radio.