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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, everywhere, every time. Here God’s truth on Bibleline. Welcome to Bibleline with Dr. Ralph Yankee Arnold, pastor of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida. Clearly declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the radio and the Internet. Your regular prayers and monthly support make it possible for Bibleline to continue on the air. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bibleline website at calvaryoftampa.org. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ and that today’s first part of this two part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

Turn in your Bible to the book of Matthew, the book of Matthew, Chapter 24, Matthew chapter 24. A lot of interesting things in the book of Matthew, and especially chapter 24, because it talks about when Jesus Christ is going to come back again. And in view of some of the things that have been said lately, I think it’s important that Christians take another look at this. I am not going to tell you when he’s coming. I’m not going to do that.

But I do want to tell you what he said. I’ll just tell you what he said, and you can go from there. But in the book of Matthew chapter 24 and verse 32, Now learn a parable of the fig tree when his branch is yet tender, put a fourth leaves, you know that summer is nine. Now many take this as a reference to the nation of Israel, and it can be a reference to the nation of Israel. It could also mean that it’s a parable of the fig tree that you’ll know that summers near when it starts putting forth the leaves.

Just the possibility. It might just mean that. Nothing more. But he says in verse 33, so likewise, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near even at the doors, talking about when Christ is going to come back. But when He says, when ye shall see all these things. But one of the things that they will see is there in Matthew and chapter 15, when ye shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place.

Well, there has to be a temple and there has to be the antichrist standing in the holy place. So we know that Christ isn’t coming back to the earth until that. So it’s talking to the people that will see that, and that’s doing the tribulation period. Now we will have already been gone three and a half years before the Antichrist shows up in the temple and claimed himself that he is God and demands that people worship him as such.

We are living at some very interesting times in our history that there’s no doubt about it. But the last half of the tribulation period says in verse 21, For then shall be great tribulations such as was not seen upon the earth, and nor shall ever be.” So it’s the worst period of time the world has ever known, and that’s coming down the pipe. That has not yet happened. And so there’s a few things that would help us to understand that we don’t have to be sitting a day down when the crisis comes into the earth.

Now he comes for you and I seven years before that. That’s called the Rapture. And there are no signs given for the rapture, only that we are taken out before the tribulation period starts. So here in the book of Matthew and chapter 24, he says in verse 31, heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. In other words, God’s word is forever settled in heaven. God has spoken, it will be the way God says it will be.

at that day and hour, no if no man, no nor the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” So the Bible says that the only one that knows will be the Father and he knows when it’s going to take place. Now this is talking about when he comes to the earth. We’re not talking about the rapture, talking about when he comes to the earth, in power and in great glory and every eye will see him. And he says there in verse 27, for as the lightning cometh out of the east, shineth even to the West, social also, the coming of the Son of Man beeth.

That’s how you’ll know when He comes back. Then we’ll appear the sign of the Son of Man. The Son of Man coming and powering great glory in every eye will see Him. That is the sign. So you don’t have to look for any others. That is the great sign of His coming. Now, there’s things that will happen up until then. But he refers to two events that most people had already heard about. One was the flood and one was Sodom and Gomorrah.

And as it was in the days of the flood, all of a sudden, boom, it happened. But they knew it was coming because they were told. Now, also concerning Sodom and Gomorrah, all of a sudden, boom, it happened. And it says they were in eating and drinking, living their lives, and all of a sudden it happened. Now when it comes to Christ coming back to the earth, there’s some thing that He had mentioned to us. Look there in verse 42.

Verse 42, watch therefore. In other words, what’s gone before is important to know because it’s teaching us to watch. So there’s some things that God’s going to say that I want you to watch for, because I want you to be ready. It is in the Bible and it is true that Christians are to be ready. So I believe that we ought to be ready. You don’t have to know when he’s coming, but you still ought to be ready. So he makes a statement here in verse 42, watch therefore for ye know not what hour your Lord death come.

But know this, that if the good men of the house had known. If he had known and what watched the thief would come, he would have watched and would not have suffered or permitted or allowed his house to be broken up. If you did know, if you knew what time the thief was going to come, you’d be ready, right? But you’d never know when the thief’s going to come. Whenever he says Christ is coming back, but you don’t know exactly when he’s coming.

So it’s always important to always be ready. That’s why you and I are supposed to not say or do or be anywhere we wouldn’t want to be when the Lord comes. And we wouldn’t want to be saying something or doing something we wouldn’t want to be doing when the Lord comes. That’s why the Bible tells us in the book of 1 John chapter 3 that this hope of Christ’s coming is a purifying hope. That is the biggest motivating force in a Christian’s life to live a holy, godly life because you don’t know when he’s coming.

If I know he was coming on September the 1st, well then I might just live like a dog until the end of August. But because I don’t know exactly when he’s coming, then it behooves me to live godly every day, every moment of my life until he does come. Now, I want you to look there in verse 44. Therefore, well, why did he say this? Therefore, be ye also ready for in such an hour that you know of.

No, he says, as you think not the Son of man coming. So you don’t know when he’s going to come in. God didn’t tell us here when he was coming to come. He says, in an hour that you think not. Well, God doesn’t tell us all of the details. All that we know is for 2,000 years, and every generation they have been looking for the Lord to come back again. I believe Paul was looking for him in his day, but I’ve been looking for the Lord to come back for at least 50 years.

And guess what? I’m still looking for him to come back. I believe that Christ came back from the dead, ascended into heaven, and I believe he will come back. He’s definitely coming back and I don’t know when. So I want to be as diligent as I possibly can with the time that I do have and not sit back and be lazy and say, well, he’s going to come on this date and I’ll just wait until then. No, no, I don’t know what date is coming.

I don’t care what date is coming. I’m not to govern my life by that particular day. I don’t know and I don’t care and neither should you. Did you know you could get hung up on a particular time and so forth and forget to serve a Lord now with what you got? I don’t believe that I should allow my belief concerning the rapture to cause me to become unstable in my life, the way I’m not diligent to do the things that I should do, even as an American citizen.

Well, I don’t care what happens in this whole world. I’m just waiting for the rapture to get me out of here. Well, that’s good. But did you realize the Lord may not come for 100 years? And you’re still gonna have to live here. And you’re still gonna have kids and grandkids. And we should, like I always tell people, look, you pray like it all depends on God, and then you work like it all depends on you, and you get some things done.

I should not let, because I believe the rapture could take place at any moment, I’m not gonna do anything. That’s very unwise. I had a man tell me one time, I despise you people that believe in the rapture because you won’t get involved in preserving our country because you’re just going to let God take care of everything. And Christians sit on the sidelines and then we let the ungodly people get in place of office and then they take over our schools, they take over our counties, they take over our state, they take over our government.

And then they pass laws by which we got to live under because we were looking for Christ to come back And he didn’t come back and then we let our country go down the tube because of it. I Don’t believe that’s the will of God either. I Believe we ought to be diligent in everything that we do in everything that could pertains to our life Now those are just my humble thoughts. I’m just passing over those things Now he uses an illustration in verse 45, who then is a faithful and a wise servant whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household to give them meat and do season?

Now he’s going to use an illustration about a man that has some servants. You don’t try to take everything that’s in a little story and try to make it mean something, but you’re supposed to get the jest of the story. What’s the point? The point is I want you to be ready. I want you to be watched. I want you to be looking and most people don’t. So look what he says, who then is a faithful and a wise servant whom his Lord hath made rule over his household to give them meat and do season?

Verse 40, blessed is that servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing. In the Lord the servant doesn’t know when the master’s coming but whenever he comes he catches him busy. In verse 47, Verily I send you he won’t make him ruler over all of his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, my Lord delayeth his coming and shall begin to smite his fellow servants and to eat in the drink with the drunken, the Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he look if not for him and in an hour that he is not aware of and shall cut him a sunday and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites that there shall be weeping and gnashing of tea.

Now, so there’s There’s a little story here, and it all boils down to one main thing. You don’t know when it’s coming. Keep looking because see, you keep looking is what made the difference in how they lived. How they lived was a result of looking for the master to come and being faithful. So you and I, as a child of God, it is the will of God that we be found faithful. the Lord. He says, occupy till I come.

That means to be found busy serving the Lord until he comes. That’s more important. It doesn’t matter when he comes because if you knew the exact day that he was going to come, don’t mean you’re going to live to that exact day. You could die today. True? So you serve the Lord with the time that you do have. Don’t worry about time that you don’t have. Just the time that you do have be found faithful in certain look. Now in Matthew chapter 25 we have a simple little illustration.

I’ve heard this thing caught a thousand ways I think. In every commentary I’ve ever read I don’t like them. And I’m not sure my view is totally correct. But I do believe there’s a point that I got right. You see it talks about 10 virgins. This was on the earth and believe it or not there must have been a time when there was at least 10 virgins. So we know it had to be before our time. But now here in Matthew in chapter 25 it says, in verse 1, then shall the kingdom of heaven.

Now the phrase kingdom of heaven is that period of time upon the earth. It’s when the king comes to the earth, sets up his kingdom. So that’s why when we’re talking here about the second coming of Christ and these scriptures is talking about when Christ is revealed and power, great glory comes to the earth, sets up his kingdom upon the earth. Now not everybody is going to get to go into the kingdom. And he says that when he comes, the only ones who get to go into the kingdom are those that are ready, those that are looking for him to come back because they believe.

Now there’s other scriptures that I won’t have time to get into everything, but I will try to explain a couple of things. Look there in verse 1. shall the kingdom of heaven be liken unto ten versions which took their lamps, went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, five were foolish. This is a story, an illustration of biblical times that the people would understand. What’s the purpose of this? He says, I want you to be ready because you don’t know when I’m coming.

And the bridegroom would go after he had done proposed and they were going to get married and he was going to prepare a place and then he would come and They were to be ready. The bride was to be ready and they would hear the people Shouting they say he’s coming they see him coming or hear him coming And so they would hurry up and get ready so they go into the wedding They’re gonna go do the wedding. It’s a story, but it’s a story about being ready because the bridegroom’s coming.

Now, the purpose of the story of reality, of the way it really was and what they really did, he’s wants to relate it to something else. It’s like saying, you know the story. You know the way it happens. He says, and when I come, you don’t know when I’m coming. I want you to be looking. I want you to be watching. Because see, that’s what’s supposed to challenge and motivate us to be aware of what we’re doing with our lives.

Because he says, my brethren, don’t be ashamed before him at his coming. So I’ll bide in him, having this confidence. We don’t want to be ashamed before him at his coming. So when Christ comes for us, or is that when he comes the revelation. He’s coming. And you and I are supposed to be ready and serving the Lord. So he says this, he says in verse 2, and five of them were wives, five were foolish. Those that were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them.

But the wives took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom carried, they all slumbered and slept. And at midnight there was a cry made. Behold, the bridegroom cometh, go you out to meet them. Then all those virgins arose, trimmed their lamps, and the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out. But the wise answered saying, not so. Less there not be enough for us and you. But go you rather to them that sail and buy for yourselves, because this was being done at night.

It’s midnight. It’s dark, and some can’t see. And some had oil and some of them didn’t have oil. And so five were wise, five were foolish. Now, you can make this into a whole story about these are the say, these are the laws, but that’s not the point. The point is there are some that were ready. Now get this. And in verse 10, and while they went to buy the bridegroom came and they that were You ought to underline this.

They that were ready went in with him to the marriage. And the door was shut. Saying in verse 11 afterwards came also the other Virgin saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. But he answered and said, Verily I say unto thee, Arne, do you, I know you not. I don’t know you. They couldn’t come in. Now, if you really want to try to figure out What is he really talking about here? This had already been discussed once before about somebody standing at the door knocking.

Lord, Lord, have we not done all these wonderful works? And Jesus says, I know you not. Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity, because these had made the statement, unless your righteousness shall exceed righteousness of the Pharisees, you shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven. You can’t get in. So that means that their righteousness wasn’t good enough. So they had to have a righteousness that would make them good enough. They weren’t ready. And the reason John the Baptist came on the scene was to get the people ready for the kingdom.

the king is coming, the king is coming and that was his message, but they rejected the king. But the king says, I’m coming back. And when I come, the only one gets into the kingdom are those that believe. Now, I want you to take your Bible, look here in chapter 7. Chapter 7, and look there in verse 21, verse 21. The statement is made here by Christ. He says, not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Now we just read this over there Matthew chapter 25. Lord, Lord, open unto us, let us in. And get what he says, shall enter into the kingdom of him, but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Now the will of the Father we find in John chapter 6 when they asked the question, what works must we do to do the work of God? He says, believe on Him whom He hath sent. So they were to believe…

On the one that the Father hath sent, they were to accept Christ as their Messiah. But they had rejected Christ as their Savior. Now, they were doing all these wonderful works because look what he says there in verse 22. Many will say to be in that day, Lord, Lord have we not prophesied in thy name, and thy name have cast out devils, and in thy name done many wonderful works. So what were they using to verify that they had the right to enter into the kingdom of heaven?

Their words. You see, it didn’t say they were trusting Christ, and they say, these were those that were saved, but then they lost it. No. He said, I never knew you. You weren’t saved, and then you got lost, and then you get saved again. No, there’s no such thing in in the Scriptures. They had never trusted the Lord. He never knew them. And then He makes the statement there in verse 23, and then, while I profess unto them, I never knew you.

Depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Now, what was this work of iniquity? Prophecy in His name, casting out devils and doing many wonderful works. You see, when you trust in your works, because of what what those works may be is an abomination to God. He says, all we like sheep have gone astray and the Lord have flayed upon him the iniquity of us all. And it makes the statement that all our righteousness are as filthy rags, Isaiah 64, 6.

So things haven’t changed. God’s word still says the same thing means the same thing. And he says, you do the work of iniquity. So they were not trusting in the Lord. So they were not ready. This is why we do everything we possibly can to present the gospel to somebody. Why? Because everybody’s going to die one of these days. And when you die, are you going to heaven? If you’re not going to heaven when you die, you’re not ready to die.

Do you know when you’re going to die? So then you’re not ready to die. You see, I have accepted Christ as my Savior. I have eternal life. I’m going to heaven, so therefore I’m ready to die. And it doesn’t matter when I die, I’m ready. If it’s today or if it’s tomorrow, I’m ready. I’m as ready as ready can be. And I’m looking for the Lord to come back. But I know there’s a lot of people who are not ready to die, but they’re dying.

They’re dying all the time. Are you ready? But everybody is going to die. Are you ready? Are you prepared to meet God? Life is getting ready. When Christ says, I’m coming back, be ye ready. Be ready. Be ready to meet the Lord. Now go back there to the book of Matthew and chapter 25. Matthew chapter 25, the story here with the 10 virgins, they were virgins, all of them. The thing is when the wedding came, they were not already.

Some were ready, some were not. That’s the point of the whole story. It’s better not to try to make everything mean something because we don’t have the proof that the meaning, their interpretation, would be right. But the point there in verse 10, they that were ready, they that were ready. And that’s the point when you follow it into chapter from chapter 25, be ye ready. Now, in the story of the 10 virgins, has more to deal with what they think, what they believe.

They were not ready. And when you study about the, all of it, this court in verse 14, looking verse 14, for the kingdom of heaven is as a man traveling into a far country who called his own servant. Now this is going to be talking about what they do, what they do. It’s important for a man to be ready because of what he believes, and it’s important for a man to be ready because of what he’s doing, those two things.

These are two stories to illustrate two different points. What do you believe? Two, what are you doing? And knowing that there’s consequences to our belief and to what we do. You can’t just do whatever you want to do, believe it anything you want to believe without consequences. Now, should what we believe affect what we do? Now you and I as a child of God, do you really believe Jesus could come back at any moment? Now, do you prove it by the way?

the way you live. Do you prove it by your attitude? Do you prove it by your faithfulness to God, your actions, the way you talk, the way you walk? Is your life verification of what you internally believe? So you have the story here about the virgins and about how you think. You see, look there in verse 44 of chapter 24 and it says, therefore be ye also ready for in such an hour as you think not. So it deals with how you think.

Now when you go down there to verse 14 for the kingdom of heaven is as a man. Now it’s going to talk about the things that you do but look there in verse 46 of chapter 24. Blessed is that servant whom his Lord when he come it shall find so doing. One deals with the way you think and one deals with the things you do. So now we have a parable that deals with the subject of what you’re doing.

Did you know that God has given to every man in this world different levels of understanding of talents and abilities God has done. God knows what he’s doing. God knows the potential in every individual. God knows what you know. God knows what you could know. God knows what what you could have done if you availed yourself. God knows what would have happened had you obeyed him. God knows what is happening because you did not obey him. So with every one of us in this room, God has given to different individuals, different talents and abilities, different amounts of wealth at different times.

Did you know that there’s a God in heaven that can allow you to become rich and poor? Did you know that it was God that caused Job to become rich? And it was God that allowed Job to become poor. It was God that allowed him to have good health and bad health. God gave him children and God took his children. Now we say we believe the Bible. Don’t you understand that God in heaven is working in our individual lives now?

Because He wants one thing from you and I, to maintain our integrity, our trust in the Lord. Do you love Him? And how do you know you really love Him more than anything else in the world? You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you were blessed by today’s message. Our two of this teaching will conclude with tomorrow’s broadcast. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach by the line and pledge your support to keep us on the air in your area by dialing toll-free 1-800-576-3771.

That’s 1-800-576-3771. If you wish to Here today’s program again, or would like to download a free MP3 of today’s or any previous Bibleline program, go to BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the spinning globe in the upper right corner of our homepage. If you’re in the area, we welcome you to visit us. The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Our Sunday morning services begin at 1030 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by going to our church website, calvaryoftampa.org.

Thanks for joining us on Bible Live, and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound. We will be changed. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. to live today and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon and just keep looking up.