What Is This World Coming To? Part 6: The Time of the Rapture!

John fourteen one through three. Well, we're in the middle of a series. What is this world coming to? Well, you know, there's a lot of people out there that are wondering that. They see what's going on in the world around us with Isis and and all kinds of natural catastrophes and it seems like the world is is spiraling downward further and further away from God and into, you know, all kinds of violence and and immorality and war is on the horizon and and ask the question, what is this world coming to?

Well, as Christians, we can know. Because God tells us. God tells us in this world in in his word what the world is coming to. Where we're going? What is going to happen?

Now, he's not going to tell you necessarily what's going to happen to you tomorrow when you get up, when you go for that job interview, okay? But he has told us in his word what's going to happen to this world. And as Christians, we can have hope and we can have peace. Amen. Because we have Jesus Christ.

Amen. And we have his word. And we know that he's coming again. For us. We call this the rapture.

It's what we started studying last week. We looked at several things about it. We'll conclude this morning mainly answering the question, when is the rapture going to happen? John fourteen one through three, Jesus said, let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God, believe also in me. In my father's house, there are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you.

I go to prepare a place for you and if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am, there you may be also. Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more. Lord, we thank you for your word today. We pray that you guide in the message. We pray Lord that Jesus Christ would be exalted.

And that we would be conformed to the image of your son today. Pray that you would give hope to your people and peace that passes understanding in a world that seems to be crumbling at the roots and Lord, we pray if there's one in here today that doesn't know Christ as savior, That today would be their day of salvation. That they would put their faith and trust in you. That they may join us when you come to take us home. In Jesus name, we pray.

Amen. Amen. Jesus made a promise here to his disciples recorded here for all of us who know Jesus Christ as savior. He says, you believe in God, believe in me. Jesus said, if you believe in me, you can be assured of this.

Yes, I'm going away but I'm going back to heaven to prepare a place for you and he says, I'm going to come and receive you. Come again and receive you unto myself. Take you to be with me that where I am, there you may be also. Jesus made this promise and Jesus always keeps his promises. As I mentioned last week, this these verses sort of form an illustration from a Hebrew life.

The young man would be betrothed to the young lady and this was a a little more serious than our engagement. It actually involved the commitment that was very close to marriage had could only be dissolved by divorce and after they were betrothed before they came together to be man and wife, the husband would then leave and go and he would prepare a home for his bride and he would he would save up money, purchase place, he would prepare it, and when everything was all prepared and ready, he would come back to marry his bride and take her to be with him in their home that he had prepared. We, the church, or the bride, Jesus Christ is the groom. Jesus Christ went to heaven to prepare a place for us and at the appointed time, Jesus Christ is coming back to receive us who know Christ as savior, his church, his children, and take us home to the place that he has prepared for us. That is a promise from Jesus Christ, our savior.

Now, although there are many things in this world that are troubling today, we can be comfort as Paul said in Thessalonians that Jesus Christ is coming back to take us who who are alive to be with him and to raise the bodies of those who have gone before to be reunited with their souls, to receive a new body, and so shall we ever be with the Lord and receive an inheritance that he has for us, incorruptible, undefiled, and the fadeth not a way reserved in heaven for us. In Jesus Christ. What a wonderful promise. What wonderful promises of God's word. If you will turn in your Bibles to Acts, just a few pages towards the back of your Bible from John, you come to Acts.

Look, if you want in Acts chapter one verses six and seven. Jesus is about to Excuse me. Jesus is about to go back into heaven. He died on the cross for our sins. He rose again from the dead and now he's ascending back to his father in heaven.

And it says here in verse six, when therefore, they were come together, they asked of him saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the father hath put in his own power. The disciples asked Jesus a question. They were naturally curious. Jesus was about to go back to heaven.

He had already died on the cross to redeem those who would put their faith in him. He had rose again from the dead to assure us of not only that he was God and our savior but of one our resurrection someday but Jesus as he was going back to heaven, the next thing, the next event on the timetable is the kingdom. You see, the Jews thought when Christ came the first time that he was coming to root out the Romans and to set up his throne and to rule the world. Why did they think that? Well, because in the Old Testament, the prophets prophesied that the Messiah would come and that he would establish his kingdom on this Earth.

In Israel, and that he would rule from there with a rod of iron. However, what they didn't understand was that first, before he could establish a kingdom, he first had to have subjects to rule. You see, all of us are sinners. We're not his children. We're not born that way.

We're born children of the enemy. Sold under the slavery of sin and on our way to a place called hell and the lake of fire. Jesus Christ came and set up his kingdom without dying on the cross to redeem us from our sins. Eventually, all of his subjects would have died. It would have been lost forever in hell.

He wouldn't have had much of a kingdom. So, first, he had to die The just for the unjust, then, he might bring us back, reconcile us with God that we might be saved and it's it says in John one, as many as received them, to them gave you power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name. So, first, he came to die so that we might be saved, that we might become part of his family and the subjects of his kingdom and then he rose again and now he's going back and his disciples asked him, are you going to restore the kingdom now? Yes, you died on the cross. You rose again that we might be saved.

Now, you can do what? Now, you can restore the kingdom. Now, you can rule. But that wasn't that wasn't Jesus's intent. Wasn't God's intent at this time?

He told them, he said, it's not for you to know the times, the season, which the father hath put in his own power. Jesus was going to heaven. Jesus would come back to restore his kingdom in his time. The kingdom that would be inaugurated in just a few days at Pentecost Pentecost was a different type of kingdom. Not Israel but the church.

Not an earthly kingdom with thrones and palaces but a kingdom in the hearts of the redeemed of Christ Jesus. And although this kingdom of which you and I who know Christ are a part of is just as real as if Jesus was ruling today in Jerusalem. The day when he does come to rule, has yet on this Earth, on a throne, has yet come to pass. This is yet to come and this was the kingdom on Earth of which the disciples asked Christ concerning. When are you going to set up the kingdom on earth?

And this kingdom will not come unless first several things happen which are recorded in God's word including the rapture of the church. There are several things that God records in his word that God tells us will happen before Christ comes back to the Earth and rules for a thousand years and then for all eternity on a new heaven and a new earth. There are several things. They're recorded in Revelation. We're going to look at a few of them in the coming weeks.

They're recorded in Matthew 24. We'll look at few of them in the coming weeks. They're included in the book of Joel. We'll look at a few of them and Daniel and Isaiah and Zechariah. The Bible tells us there are things that will come to pass before Christ comes to restore his kingdom, before he comes back to this Earth and sets his feet on the Mount Of Olives.

And rules and reigns for a thousand years. One of those things is the rapture and that's what we're going to focus on today. Although God has not told us nor will he when the day of his return to Earth will be as in a date. He has given us a clear list of things that will proceed it, will proceed it. Beginning with the prophecies, we find in Daniel chapter nine.

Daniel chapter nine. Look there if you would with me. Our guest this morning told me they had to leave early. Glad So, they could come. Hope they'll come back.

If you're sitting in the back, you noticed. Daniel chapter nine verses 24 to 27. Let's read this again. We read this a few weeks ago. Verse 24 of Daniel nine.

Seventy weeks are determined. Now, seventy weeks are not seventy weeks of days or seventy weeks of? Years. Years. Thank you.

Four ninety years, okay? Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and who is thy people? Daniel's people, that's Israel and upon thy holy city, what city is that? Jerusalem. To finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring an everlasting righteousness, to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy.

Essentially, that brings us to the point in that verse of Christ's return, okay? He said, seventy weeks are determined four ninety years before this will happen before Christ returns to set up his kingdom. Know therefore and understand that from the going forth, the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem, that is their return from exile in Babylon. Unto Messiah, the prince, until Jesus comes shall be seven weeks and three score and two weeks. That's sixty nine weeks or four hundred and eighty three years.

So, from the time of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Jesus comes and actually presents himself as the Messiah in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday was four hundred and eighty three years just like this prophecy, just like it foretold. Look in verse 26 and after three score and two weeks, shall the Messiah be cut off. That is after the sixty ninth week, seven plus sixty two, Jesus will be cut off. What does that mean? Somebody help me out.

Was crucified. He'll die. But not for himself, not for his sins but for ours and the people, the prince that shall come, death shall destroy the city, that is Jerusalem, and the sanctuary that is the temple, okay? That happened in AD 70 when Rome came in and destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. Verse 27, and he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week.

He that is the prince of the people that shall come, that is the Antichrist, shall confirm, shall make a covenant, a treaty with many for one week. That's the last seven years. That's the seventieth week of Daniel. That's the time of Jacob's trouble we could go on. But we call that most often what?

The tribulation, right? He shall confirm a covenant that is the antichrist with many nations for the last seven years, the tribulation, and in the midst of the tribulation in the middle, he shall cause the sacrifice that's the sacrifice in the temple in Jerusalem and the oblation to cease and for the overspreading of abominations, he shall make it desolate even until the consummation. What's the consummation? That's the end. That's the end of the age and that's the day when Christ shall what?

Return vanquish the enemy and set up his kingdom. That's at the end of the tribulation. The end of the seven years that will begin with the Antichrist making a covenant with who? Israel and other nations which he will break in the middle of that seven year period, okay? Just kind of try to get all that in focus.

So, before Jesus Christ comes back, these things will happen. The rebuilding of Jerusalem following the exile that they were currently experiencing when Daniel wrote that. That's already happened. The first coming and death of the Messiah, that was around AD 30 to AD 32. That has already happened.

The destruction of Jerusalem, that has already happened in AD 70. The commencement of the seventieth week of Daniel, the tribulation, that has not yet happened. That is still future to us. The beginning of that last seven years, the tribulation. The rise of the Antichrist to power and signing of a treaty with Israel that marks the beginning of the tribulation that has yet to happen.

The blasphemy of the antichrist as he sets up an image of himself, we read in Revelation in the temple and commands everybody to worship that image and to take upon themselves the mark of the beast. Has yet to happen. The judgment of the judgments of God that level, the kingdoms of men during the latter half of the tribulation has yet to happen. We'll look more at those in detail in the next few weeks. All of that will happen before Christ returns.

But the particular question I'm asking this morning is this, where does the rapture of the church fit into this timetable? As we observe last week to deny the rapture is to deny what? Is denied the scripture. The scripture teaches that one day, Christ will come in the air and he will take away those of his children that are alive and remain and will resurrect the bodies of those who have died and gone before and we will all be reunited with Christ where? In In the air.

And so shall we ever be with the Lord. To go to the place that he has prepared for us which is where? In heaven. Incorruptible, undefiled, and the fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. The Bible tells us, those who will be taken away are the members of the church, the redeemed, the saved in Christ Jesus, to to be presented in heaven spotless.

And inherit the place which Christ has gone to prepare for us. The Bible tells us that the one taking us away is Christ himself and he will come to this world without warning like a thief in the night. The Bible tells us that the saints of the church who are then alive will be changed in a moment to meet Christ in the air. Along with those who have died and have gone before. To receive a new, incorruptible body.

No sin. No death. No pain. For when we shall see him, the Bible says, we shall be like him. That awaits us who know Jesus Christ as savior.

I tell you this morning with all my heart that I believe that that which the scriptures teach, the rapture of the church, will precede the beginning of the seventieth week of Daniel, the tribulation and here is why. I'm going to list several reasons for you. Number one, the Bible says, that we are not appointed unto wrath. Turn if you would to first Peter, first Thessalonians chapter five. First Thessalonians, chapter five.

Give you a moment to find it. First Thessalonians chapter five and verse nine. It says, concerning those who know Christ as savior. That although the world will be shocked and surprised and be unprepared for the rapture of the church and the coming judgment that follows that the Bible calls leading up to and including the return of Christ that calls the day of the Lord. That all the world will be unprepared, surprised, that we as Christians won't be unprepared.

That we as who know Christ won't be surprised because the Bible tells us it's going to happen and before God brings these terrible judgments upon the world, Christ is going to first take his church home. To be with him. It says, concerning now, I was just talking about in verse nine. It says, for God hath not appointed us unto wrath but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ. The time of tribute, the time of the tribulation is a day of great travail.

The word travail speaks of pain. The pains of childbirth. When this world is going to be turned upside down literally by the judgments of God to prepare for the coming of Christ Jesus back to this Earth to restore his kingdom unto himself. It is a day of God's wrath upon the earth and the Bible says here in first Thessalonians five nine that we who know Christ are not appointed to what? Wrath.

And though that you would assume includes the wrath of the judgment of hell and the lake of fire. I do believe in context that also includes the wrath, the judgments upon the world. That happened during the tribulation. Turn if you would to second Peter. First few pages back towards Revelation.

You'll go through Hebrews and you'll find second Peter. Look in chapter two verses seven through nine. In second Peter chapter two and three, God is again talking about judgment that he's going to bring upon this world and he tells us, tells us of an example. Actually, a couple examples. Look in verse five.

Look in verse five and spared not the old world, that is the world before Noah, but save Noah, the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly. We have the example of Noah and then we have the example of Lot and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemn them with an with an overthrow, making them an example and sampler example unto those that should should live ungodly and deliver just lot vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked for the that righteous man dwelling among them and seen and hearing vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawfully, unlawful deeds. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished. In this example, we are given two examples, Noah and Lot. When God was bringing the judgment upon the wicked world of Noah's day, first, he had Noah build a what?

An ark that he would be prepared and while the world was being judged, Noah was floating above the judgment of this world and the ark that God had him prepare. To deliver his family from that judgment. When God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, first, he came to Abraham and he told Abraham what he was going to do and Abraham says, well, Lord, if there's 50 righteous people, will you spare the city? God says, oh yes. If there's 40 righteous people, will you deliver the city?

Will you save, will you not destroy it? Oh, yes. He got all the way down to 10. Lord, if there's 10 righteous people, will you not destroy the city? And God says, oh yes.

There weren't 10 righteous people in all the city of Sodom. But you know what God did do? He sent angels in to bring Lot and his family out before the what? Before the judgment came upon the city of Sodom. And I believe fully that God is going to deliver us.

From the judgment upon this world again. The church is redeemed in Christ Jesus. Before the judgment takes place at the rapture. Speaking to the church at Philadelphia in Revelation three ten, Jesus wrote, because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I will also, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth. Well, what could that be?

Well, I believe that is speaking of the time of the tribulation. For it is judgement that will come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth and he says to this church, I'm going to keep thee from that hour. Well, how is he going to keep us from that hour? He's going to take us out of this place before he pours his judgment upon this earth like he did with Noah, like he did with Lot, and he will do it again. He tells us in first Thessalonians four eighteen, after he tells the church about the rapture, the dead in Christ rising first and we all rising to meet the Lord in the air.

He says at the end of that passage, he says, comfort one another with these words. What great comfort would it be if we had to go through the tribulation before we got to the rapture. No, I think it is a great comfort to know not only are those who have died before us in Christ Jesus, their souls are with the Lord and their bodies will be resurrected and changed like ours will be at the day of rapture but it is also a great comfort because God is coming to take us home before the time of the tribulation. Number three, not to mention the church there there is, let me start that again. There is no mention of the church on Earth in Revelation following the first three chapters.

Which proceed the beginning of John's vision concerning the tribulation. In the first three chapters of Revelation, among other things, you have letters, seven of them, sections that John wrote specifically to different churches but at the end of chapter three, John begins the vision of what will happen during the seventieth week of Daniel, the tribulation and from that point forward, it doesn't specifically mention the church. At least not on Earth. Now, there are 24 elders in heaven that are seen in a couple places during the time of the tribulation. They are in heaven and it would seem that those 24 elders most likely represent the church and where are they?

They're in heaven during the tribulation. They're not. On earth. The Bible speaks of the tribulation as the time of Jacob's trouble. Listen, if you would, Jeremiah 30 verse seven.

Alas, for that day is great. So, that none is like it. It is even the time of Jacob's trouble. But he shall be saved out of it. It is the time of what?

Jacob's trouble. Whose trouble? Jacob's. Who's Jacob? Jacob is Israel.

Israel is Jacob. Jacob's name was changed to Israel. The 12 tribes of Israel make up the nation of Israel. So, the time of Jacob's trouble is a time when God during the tribulation is doing two things. He is destroying the kingdoms of men and judging them and he is bringing Israel back to himself.

At the end of the tribulation, they will repent. At the end of the tribulation, they will welcome with faith their Messiah. It is the time where God is dealing not with the church because the church is where? In heaven. It is time where God is dealing with Israel.

So, that when he returns, they will welcome him and he will rule and reign in Jerusalem for a thousand years. Number five, I'm I'm up to five now. We're not appointed to wrath. The rapture is a comfort. There's no mention in of the church specifically in the Book of Revelation past chapter three unless they're the 24 elders in heaven.

Number four, it is called the time of Jacob's trouble, not the churches. Number five, Christ has gone to prepare a place for us. The place he has prepared is the place he is taking us when he comes to get us at the rapture. That if Christ is preparing a place for us in heaven, it makes no sense for us to be raptured at the end of the tribulation just to be sent back to Earth momentarily. No, Christ isn't coming back to rapture us, to take us up, to bring us back down all in the same motion because Christ said he's come to take us where?

To heaven to the place he has prepared for us. The Bible tells us that the saints will return with Christ when he comes to set up his kingdom. Doesn't make sense to have the trip, the rapture at the end because we'll be coming back. It makes sense to have it when. At the beginning, so we will be in heaven during that seven year period.

In the place that he has prepared for us. It says in Revelation nineteen fourteen, and the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white, and clean. Whenever you see those clothed in fine linen, white and clean, that is usually an indication of who? Us, the church, the righteous in Christ Jesus, who are clothed in the righteousness of who? Jesus Christ.

We will return with him. We will return with him. We will go to be with him seven years prior, at least seven years prior and then, number six, there's this passage in second Thessalonians about the restrainer. Turn if you would to second Thessalonians chapter two. Second Thessalonians chapter two.

So, when is the rapture going to happen? Where does it fit in to the prophetic story? Well, it would seem to me based on scripture that it must be before the beginning of the tribulation. And this passage is one that I think fairly clearly presents that Second Thessalonians chapter two, let's begin in verse one. Paul writes to the church at Thessalonica, now we beseech you brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto him.

That you be not soon shaken in mind or be troubled neither by spirit nor by word nor by letter is from us as the day of Christ is at hand. There were some that were telling the Thessalonians that they were in the midst of the tribulation. And they were scared. They had heard the judgments of God that were coming. And they were concerned that these terrible events that are described in Revelation were upon them.

Paul writes to tell them, don't be scared. Don't be shaken in your mind. Don't be troubled in your spirit. Regardless of what somebody else has told you, that you're already at the time of judgement. He says in verse three, let no man deceive you by any means.

For that day, that is the coming of Christ and the judgments that preceded shall not come except there come a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. Now, who is the man of sin and the son of perdition? We usually call him the antichrist and that that's pretty clear. There's very little debate on that. The one who is the focus of this passage is the antichrist and it says here that he will not come and we know that the tribulation begins with him doing what?

Making a treaty with Israel and others. And God says, Paul writes here, he will not come until these things happen, until there come first a great falling away. He says verse four, of the Antichrist who opposeth and exalted himself above that is all that is called God or that is worshiped so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God showing himself that he is God. Halfway through the tribulation, the antichrist is going to proclaim himself God. And he will demand to be worshiped and everybody to take the mark of the the beast.

That's right. That day is coming. He is real. He may be alive today. We don't know.

The Bible doesn't tell us. Verse five says, remember, you not that when I was yet with you, I told you these things and now you know that withholdeth that he might be what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work, only he who now letteth will let until he be taken out of the way and then shall that wicked, that is the antichrist, be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. We read about that day in Daniel and Revelation when Jesus Christ will come and destroy his enemy once and for all. But that day will not come.

The day when the Antichrist makes a treaty with Israel, the day that he breaks the time that he breaks the treaty and the judgments of his, the destruction of this world and the coming of Christ will not come until that which withholdeth is taken out of the way. There is something despite all of the the works of the devil and the sinful wicked world we live in. There is something that is holding the antichrist back from coming. There is something standing in his way that is withholding his appearance on the scene. That is withholding Satan.

From bringing his false messiah the power and it says in verse seven, for the mystery of iniquity doth already work. We see the work of Satan in the world already. Only he who now let it. Now, that word let it is is easily misunderstood by us because we use that word a different way in the English language today than they did when they wrote it. It actually means almost the opposite of how we mean it.

He that restrains, who is holding back, that is standing in the way of the of the coming of the Antichrist. We'll hold him back until that restrainer is what? Taken out of the way and when the restrainer, when the one withholding, when the one who is standing in the way steps out of the way, then who's coming? The antichrist and then, when he is destroyed, Jesus, okay? Before the Antichrist comes, makes a treaty, and the things of the seventieth week of Daniel occur.

Before that happens, something which is restraining him from coming will have to step out of the way. Who is that restrainer? Well, I believe that restrainer is the Holy Spirit. As he works in the church, the body of Jesus Christ. What else could it be?

Would it be human government? I don't see how human government would stand in the way. Satan already has human government pretty much under his control. I don't think it's human government. Lot of different things have been conjectured through the years but there is one who has the power to hold Satan back and to keep the antichrist from coming and that is God himself and that is the holy spirit as he works in the body of Christ, the church.

You see, on the day of Pentecost, something incredible happened. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came in a way that he had never come before and he baptized the believers there that day into the body of Christ, the what? The church. And he indwelled them and he sealed them until the what? The day of redemption when we stand before Christ in heaven and now, when anybody gets saved, the Holy Spirit comes, baptizes them in the body of Christ, indwells them, strengthens them, guides them to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.

And seals them into the day of redemption. It is the Holy Spirit, not the bylaws and the membership role that makes us one in Christ Jesus. And it is the Holy Spirit in the church that would seem to be the restrainer. That is holding the Antichrist back and one day, when the church is taken out of this world, and the Holy Spirit reverts more back to the way he worked prior to the church. Then, the antichrist will be allowed in.

You see the the tribulation isn't about the church. It's about Israel and about the judgment of the kingdoms of men. The church has its time between the cross, the day of Pentecost, and the rapture. Then the church is going to be taken home and then, that final seven years will begin. That leads up to the return of Jesus Christ and the establishment of his kingdom.

This I believe with all my heart. The Christ is coming to take me home. Before he begins this time of judgement upon the earth. When is that going to be? The Bible doesn't tell us the day or the hour.

It does give us indications of the types of things that will be going on in the world that are going on today as we speak. Leading up to that time. Wars and rumors of wars, false prophets, and false Christ. A world that is bereft of righteousness and morality. Pestilence and disease.

Every time man thinks he has it all under control, guess what he finds out? He doesn't. When things aren't getting better, they're getting worse. And one day, could be today. Christ is going to take his children home and then the final week will begin.

But praise God, I'll be watching from heaven. How about you? Will you be watching from heaven? Or will you be in the midst of it here? There's only one way to escape.

Eternity in the lake of fire. There's only one way to escape the time of Jacob's trouble and the judgments of the tribulation. And that is only through faith. In Jesus Christ. The choice which is before you today is the same choice that has been before those before you and will be before before those after you.

Will you choose to follow Jesus? Or will you choose to follow the counterfeits of Satan? Satan would love for you to think you're going to get to heaven by doing good works. You won't make it. Satan would love for you to think that by joining another religion that teaches discipline or good works or some other means of having apart from Jesus Christ that you're going to make it, you won't.

Satan will one day send his antichrist to deceive the world. And they will take many of them will take upon themselves the mark of the beast. They will not make it to heaven's shores. The question before you today is who will you follow? Who you will choose?

Who will you believe in? Do you know Jesus Christ as savior? Are you his child? When he comes to take his children home, is he coming to take you? Let's pray.

Dear heavenly father, we thank you Lord for your word. We thank you Lord that you have told us what's coming. You've told us, given us words of comfort that before the worst comes, you will come to take us home to be with you. Lord, I pray if there's one here today that's unsure that when Christ comes to take his children home, that they will go. I pray that you would help them to step out during this hymn of invitation.

And come that we might share with them how they can know Jesus Christ and be saved. I pray Lord that you would stir in their hearts their need to follow Jesus today. The one who has prepared a place in heaven for them. If they will but trust in him, the one who is coming to get them, if they will but trust in him. The one who has prepared a place incorruptible, undefiled, and the fadeth not away in heaven for us.

Who follow him. Lord, I pray if there's one here today that doesn't know. That they would be willing to come and talk with us this morning. Be willing to come as we give this hymn of invitation. That they might have that same comfort that you give in Thessalonians to the Christians there, that you will come to take them home.

In Jesus' precious name we pray, amen.