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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 bring your life to life. You can reach us toll free at 1-800-576-3771. Online donations may be made through the Bibleline website at calbryoftampa.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.

A book of Revelation, the fourth chapter, The fourth chapter begins the revelation that as far as we are concerned, deals with our future. But when you get to chapter two, chapter three, that’s the churches. So that’s the age in which you and I live. But when we study the fourth chapter, it begins, I believe, with the rapture. And I’ll show you why. I believe that these things are in sequence and it really makes a lot of sense as you look at it and study it.

You know where scripture goes. See without the bone structure in your body, your meat would just be one blob of flesh laying on the floor and be hard to build muscle without bones. And so it’s hard for people to understand you have to have a bone structure. the solid Bible doctrine that we get that builds the bone structure. And then after you figure out sometimes you have a chart and you can see where we came from, where we are, where we’re going.

And you can say, okay, this here, that goes there. And then, well, this goes here. And this goes over here. But when you don’t have that, you don’t know where anything goes. You just know it’s in there, but you can visualize it so much better. Now, when John was on the Alapadmas, that approximately 90 years of age. Many believe that he was just simply in a trance upon the earth, and he just saw it in his mind, but he never really went anywhere.

It was just in his mind, and he wrote down what he saw. And it could be, but I don’t think so. When you study the same thing in the book of Isaiah chapter 6 where Isaiah says that I in the day the king Yuziah died I saw the Lord and the smoke field is temple and so forth and but he said holy holy but he didn’t give a description of what God looked like though he saw the Lord in his holy temple.

And even when you read in the book of Ezekiel, where he was at the river Cheber, and it says that he also saw the Lord high and lifted up and so forth and wheels and sototot wheels. But there’s no description given of God. When you get here to the fourth chapter, there’s no description given of God. And I guess if we had a description given or an image of some kind, we might wind up worshiping some image or some and God says nobody is supposed to make an image of God and you’re not to worship any graven images of man.

I had a phone call yesterday and this guy he calls me up He says, I’ve been listening to you on the radio, but I got a question for you. I said, sure, go ahead. He said, I was out there in my yard and I was digging. And while I was digging, there’s this root and another root. And believe it or not, preacher, it formed a perfect cross. I knew it was a sign. He says, and one of them was even red.

And that, I knew it was the blood of Christ. I knew it. I even asked some of the neighbors to come over and look at it and they came and look at it. But you know, they are so blinded, so hard-headed. They couldn’t see what I was talking about. You know, not everybody can see what we see. He said, I even had a Baptist preacher come over and take a look at it. And he wasn’t very impressed at all.

Just told me that I needed just, you know, uses as a testimony of some kind. Anyway, I could see that I was not going to get anywhere with this guy. I am not into roots and weird things that happens to people. I believe in what this book says. And he says some things he says, stay away from. That was one of them. I believe that I’m going to see the Lord. It’s going to be the way the book describes it.

And he says, there’s many false teachers and false prophets. And because of that, he says in Matthew chapter 24, when he comes to the earth, every eye will see him. The light will shine from the east to the west. There’ll be no mistake. You won’t have to say, hey, he’s in the desert. He’s in the chamber. You won’t have to say anything of that. Every eye will see him. And they’ll know who he is. Now, Revelation 4. Look there in verse 1.

He says, after this I looked and behold, a door was opened in heaven. And the first voice, which I heard was was as it were of a trumpet. Talk with me which said, come up hither and I will show the things which must be hereafter. Now that word hereafter is in line with what is mentioned in chapter 1 and verse 19. Look at it real quick. Revelation chapter 1 verse 19 which I believe is one of the key verses in the book that lays out the book of Revelation in these three points.

Number one, write the things which thou hast seen, which is the first chapter, and it’s the image of Christ and what he saw. Number two, and the things which are, which is chapter two and chapter three, which is the church in which we live. And then he says, and the things which I’ll be here after. So there’s these three things. We see Christ in all of His glory, and then we see the church, which isn’t so glorious because the Lord reveals the need of the church.

Tells us what we’re doing right and what we’re doing wrong, what we need to correct and what’s going to happen if we don’t. And so you have these seven churches which I believe takes up the church age. Now remember that. In the Old Testament, God gave to Daniel the vision of the 70 weeks, we call it the 70 weeks of Daniel. those weeks we know are a period of years, each week, seven-day, seven years. So each week is seven years long and they’re 70 years, so seven times seven is 49.

490 years from the time that they were issued to the decree to go back and to rebuild the temple in the walls in Jerusalem until the Messiah that shall be cut off, not till his birth. I believe the most people make a mistake by taking that to the time when Christ was born. But in Daniel chapter 9 it talks about and the Messiah shall be cut off. And that goes for 483 years or or 69 weeks. So we know the 69 weeks has already come and gone.

And it ended when Christ died on the cross when he was cut off, but not for himself. So that means that there’s another seven years floating around somewhere. So that seven years is that last week, the 70th So we know we can account for the 69 weeks, but the 70th week is that seven year period of tribulation time. A lot of you like to believe that it’s only going to be three and a half years. No, because whenever the church age, where we are right now, the church age started on the day of Pentecost, 50 days after the resurrection of Christ, and it ends when the rapture takes place.

So we are like a parenthetical expression in a sentence. We should be able to take this out of the sentence, and then we can slide this over here against this. So when the church is taken out at the rapture, the seven-year tribulation period upon the year, which is seven years, will slide right up against the cross. And there is the 70th week. So it goes from the 69th right into the 70th week. But this was pushed out into the future because of the rejection of Christ.

And so we had the church age interjected into this. And so that means that the seven-year tribulation is out here, which is part of the law. and we have the millennial reign of a thousand years out here. So the kingdom belongs to the king. Since they rejected the king, the kingdom was postponed. So whenever God takes this church age out of here, the rapture, then the prophecy will be fulfilled again. Everything starts and stops with Israel. It is God’s time clock.

And so it stopped and it’s going to start again. Now we have 2,000 years of church age and it says we are going to be taken out of here at the rapture. So as we study the book of Revelation, things which thou hast seen, things which are, and the things which I’ll be here after. Now we know that when the rapture takes place if it took place today. We would be caught up and meet the Lord in the air.

So when we meet the Lord in the air, we’re going to go to the judgment seat of Christ. So if this all follows true, then as we start in the fourth chapter with the church age been raptured and the next thing to happen, it should follow right in line. See if it does. Look there in chapter 4 and verse 1. After this, after the church age, I look 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.

Now, so the voice sounded like a trumpet. And a lot of people think that whenever they hear the trumpet, now the, yes, the feast of trumpets can take place seven years apart on the same day and be about the same thing except the gathering of Israel and they call to battle at the Battle of Armageddon. So the trumpets can be a sounding for the gathering of Israel and the warning and so forth and then the time of atonement in here which is a time where God is going to afflict them and they are supposed to have a time of repentance and mourning between them.

So that whenever God gets through with them and he’s going to beat them pretty bad, they will be destroyed if God doesn’t intervene and come into the world. And then they will all see the one that they had rejected and Israel will be saved as in a day. So they will believe on the Messiah. Now, as you go down through here and you see that talking about the trumpet and the voice as of a trumpet, and then it says, which said, come up hither.

Come up here. So I believe that John went up there. He could have had a vision down here, but I believe that because the scripture says, come up here, I hear you went up there. Hold your place right here and look in chapter 11, Revelation in chapter 11. And you’ll notice that in chapter 11 there is verse 3, and I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy 8,203 scored days. That’s three and a half years.

Look there in verse 2, but the court, he says, which is without the temple, leave out and measure it not for it is given unto the Gentiles and the holy city Jerusalem shall they tread under foot forty and two months three and a half years. So this is the middle of the tribulation period when the anti-Christ comes into the city, claims himself he is God and then there’s going to be these two witnesses and the great persecution upon the earth by these two that will bring plagues of all kind.

And there’s a good possibility they could be Moses and Elijah, but if it’s not Elijah, it’ll probably be James Taylor, but it’ll be one of them. Now look there in verse nine, and they of the people in kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and a half. So they’re going to be killed, these two witnesses. Their body is going to be laid in the streets and people all over the earth are going to be able to see them.

Because see, nations shall see their dead bodies. Now how people in other nations are going to see their dead bodies? This was written 2000 years ago. Is it possible today? Is it possible today? But how did it know that 2,000 years ago it must be an inspired book, just a coincidence. And get what he says. And it says, and shall not permit or suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. So the bodies are dead and they didn’t let them be put in the graves.

Their bodies are just laying there after three and a half days. In verse 10, and they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, make Mary and shall send gifts one to another because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. And after three days and a half the spirit of life from God entered into them and they stood upon their feet and great fear fell upon them which saw them and they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, and here’s those three words again, come up hither.

And when he says, come up hither, oh, well, what happened? Well, look at it. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud and their enemies beheld them. So over here in chapter four, when he says, come up hither, I actually believe he means come up here. And I believe it’s all those who have trusted Christ’s Savior and are alive when the raptor takes place, ready or not, here I come and you’re going to be caught up to meet the Lord.

Now go back here to chapter 4 and get this. He said in 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 the things which must be hereafter. And you’ll notice in verse 2 the very next word and what? Immediately I was in the Spirit and behold a throne was set in heaven and one set on the throne. So now just that quick out of here, immediately changed and I believe appear at the judgment seat of Christ.

So I believe we’re gonna disappear here and appear there. Now hold your place right here and look in 1 Thessalonians in chapter 4, 1 Thessalonians and chapter 4. 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 and notice what he says in verse 13. Oh remember 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 of 13 through 18 is about the Rapture. That’s when Christ is going to come back again. You should be able to show somebody where these verses are found. This could be the most exciting event of all time, not to die.

There is a generation of people living that will never physically ever see death. And look what he says in verse 13, but I would not have you to be ignorant brethren concerning them which are asleep. Those have already died in the Lord. That is sorrow not even as others would 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 them. If we who are alive, if we believe in the Lord, that he died and he rose again, even so them all, even so also them that have already died in the Lord.

But you notice the only requirement here is if you believe. It’s only thing a man has to do. It’s the only thing he can do. If you can’t be saved by your work, you’re going to have to believe and trust somebody else. So Christ died on the cross paid for our sins, came back from the dead and said, if we believe it, then we can have eternal life. and go to heaven. It’s the only requirement to make it for the rapture.

I love it. In verse 15, for this we say unto you by the word of Yankee that, no, this we say unto you by the word of the Lord that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord, alive when the Lord comes back, get this, shall not prevent. That’s the word that’s a little archaic now, but it did mean not, you know, to go before. So we will not go before those that are asleep. Those that are asleep are going to go before us.

He says in verse 16, and even the rest of the verses here explains and tells you that, tells you what he means. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with a voice of the archangel and with the trump of God. And here is talking about there’s three things mentioned here. The first part says, and from heaven with a shout, then the voice of the Archangel and then the Trump of God. When you read it over there in the book of Revelation in chapter 4 and it’s on the voice as of a trumpet and there it says in the first voice as I heard.

And here he’s talking about in the first Corinthians in chapter 15, the last Trump, the last voice, or the last thing that he said right before the raptor takes place. See, many like to take that last trumpet and say that’s the last trumpet in the book of Revelation. And there’s seven trumpets in there, and so the raptor doesn’t take place until the seventh trumpet, and so that means the church has got to go through the tribulation period. No, not unbelievable.

Because I don’t study enough of it to know that it can’t happen that way. It’s because God has everything in order. And there’s a seven year tribulation. And the seven year tribulation period is, I believe, the pale end of the 70th week of Daniel that goes along with the 69th week, which is part of the law. And that the tribulation period belongs to that part of the dispensation. are a different dispensation. For example, why are you right there in 1 Thessalonians in chapter 5?

Look what he says here. In verse 2, for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord, so come unto the thief and the nine, our look of error, that day that the Lord comes to the earth, that’s what the book of Revelation is about. This is the day of the Lord, a specific day. Now, this is the day of Christ. This is when it comes for us, this is when he comes with us seven years later. And he makes the statement and in verse three, for when they shall say peace and safety.

Now that’s the first part of the tribulation period. That’s not us. In these verses you’ll notice that they and of them are we in and us. They in them and we in us. Probably two different types of people here. For when they shall say peace and safety, then Sutton destruction come up upon them. So the destruction is not upon us. It’s upon them. We’re not here. Get what else he says as travail upon a woman with child and they they shall not escape.

We don’t have to worry about what we are not here. So how do you know we’re looking for four? But ye, ye, brethren, brethren. So we’re not them. and talking about the thief and the night, which is when Christ comes back empowering great glory at the end. That’s a different time period at the end of the tribulation period. But he says, but ye brethren are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief. Because see, we’re not going to be in the tribulation period.

The thief in the night is a phrase that’s used in the book of Matthew also, and it’s at the end of the tribulation period. It’s not the rapture. Now I know they made a movie some time ago called Thief in the Night. I watched it. I have people trust Christ to save you because of it. But the thief in the night is when he comes at night. It didn’t come in the daytime, the thief comes at night. Let me show you this.

And get this. In verse 5, ye are all the children of light and the children of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober. Aren’t look up here. This time in which we live, this is a day, the kingdom upon the earth, the millennia rain. That is a day. A day with the Lord is a thousand years is a thousand years. Here’s a thousand years, two days.

But what separates a day from another day over here is a night. The tribulation period is a time of darkness. It’s a night. There’s the day, there’s the night, there’s the night. So these two days are separated by a night. So he’s telling us that are here. Yee are not of this period of time. This darkness can’t come upon you. It’s come to come upon them. Because when the rapture takes place and we’re taken out of here, Then the Antichrist is going to try to win the world by promising safety and peace and prosperity and Then sudden destruction come up upon them Where are we?

We’ve already been taken out of here and we won’t be caught up and meet the Lord in the air Look what he says in verse 17 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. So we have the rapture that’s going to take place. Now go back there to Revelation in chapter 4. So when he says here in verse two, and immediately I was in the Spirit and behold, a throne was set in heaven and one sat on the throne.

So the first thing he sees that when he gets to heaven is a throne. I believe the first thing we’re going to see when we get to heaven is going to be a throne, it’s going to be a judgment seat of Christ. And all of us in this time period will stand at the judgments of the Christ and the judgments of the Christ is a rewarding stand. It’s not to see if you get to go to heaven or hell.

No, that’s already decided you’re in heaven. So this is a judgment that takes place in heaven and it’s a rewarding stand. God’s going to reward you for what you did for him. So that means if he’s going to reward you for what you did, he must be keeping the books on what you’re doing. He knows every thought, every deed, every word, all of it. He keeps the books. That’s why you and I, if we believe this, if we don’t have to worry about what anybody else says or does, we don’t have to worry about what works and don’t work, what the results are.

All we got to do is just be faithful, do what we came with, what we have, where we are. Nothing else will matter. When you and I get to heaven, it’s not going to matter how you and your wife got along. Well, it can make a difference. But there’s some things that won’t make a difference. And how things happen and how people treat you and their meanness and their ugliness. Whether it’s the husband, whether it’s the wife or whether it’s the kid.

If you’ll just be faithful and don’t take vengeance, when you get to heaven, will it be worth it all? So that’s why knowing this is supposed to challenge and motivate us to serve the Lord with all heart because that day is coming. Now remember when he saw this, a throne set there, he says he saw the Lord as a jasper in a sardine stone, which is like a blood red. And whether or not that’s a reference to the robe that he had on, a powering majesty and all that, it doesn’t But there’s no description of what he actually looks like.

And that’s what I would have wanted to focus on, but it doesn’t tell us. It just says he’s there and there’s a throne there. And it looks like this stone in the color, which is usually yellow and red, and a blend of it. But look what else he says in the verse three. And there was a rainbow round about the throne, a rainbow. Where do you think a rainbow in the world is doing up there in heaven? If you remember, there was a time upon the earth where God, well, he kind of poured out a little water here and a little bit of water there.

And there was a flood and there was mud. And God says, I’m going to give you a rainbow. And the rainbow was supposed to be the validation of the promise of God. God promised that He would never destroy the earth again by a flood. 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. Part 2 of this teaching will conclude with tomorrow’s broadcast.

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The address for Calvary Community Church is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Our Sunday morning services begin at 1030 and at six 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. So live today and every day, believing that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.