Bibleline Radio Show – 2013-05-30 – A Thief In The Night Pt.2
Transcription:
This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.
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 by clicking on the donations link on the BibleLineMinistries.org homepage. We pray that you will enjoy our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, and that today’s concluding message of this teaching will be a blessing to you and your family.
The Day of the Lord is talked about in the book of Isaiah in chapter 8, believe it is, where he talks about Christ coming to the earth in power and in great glory and every eye will see him. This is when he’s come back and he is revealed. That’s why I call that revelation. Over here it is the rapture. This is when he comes for his people. This is when he comes with his people. Here he comes in the air and we’re caught up to meet the Lord.
And here he comes to the earth and his feet will touch upon the Mount of Olives and it will cleave in the mist. This is at the end of the seven-year tribulation. Understand that if this is true and if it’s close, the worst period of time in all the world lies right ahead of us. Look at the world today and the people of the world are scared to death because they have no hope. They don’t have any answers. They can’t solve the problems.
And And it says, men’s hearts failing them for fear, seeing the things that are coming upon the earth. And this is where we are. Because see, there can be no peace without the Prince of Peace. Jesus Christ is coming back soon. I don’t know if America will, you know, escape God’s judgment, but I do believe America is going to be judged. I believe that when that happens, I would like to be out of here first. sure you probably think and feel the same way.
So we often think, Lord, just keep us free to the rapture. But I do look forward to the Lord coming. And look what He says in verse 3, for when they shall say, peace and safety, then sudden destruction come up upon them, as to avail upon the woman with challenge, they shall not escape or disappear. When they, those of the night. We are of the day. And you’ll notice as he goes through here, he’s talking about two groups of people, us, we, they, them.
And so when they shall say peace and safety, that’s the first half of the tribulation period. And then Sutton destruction come at the bottom, them, and they shall not escape. So that That means we will escape, because they won’t escape. So the opposite of that is we will. We will not go into the tribulation period. I don’t believe one second of the tribulation period. I believe that the rapture takes place, this is why we call it a pre-tribulational position.
Pre-trib is before the tribulation. The millennium means before the millennium. Christ comes back here. So that’s what we believe. That’s what I believe. So in these scriptures, it makes this statement there in verse 4. He says, but ye brethren are not in darkness. That that day should overtake you as a thief. So we know that if the thief in the night was the rapture, then the thief would overtake us, but we’re not of that period of time where the thief gets us.
This is when this happens. The tribulation period itself is almost like a thief in the night, but it’s referring to when Christ comes back at the end of the tribulation period. Now. He also explains a few other things to us, but I want you to see this in verse 5. Ye are the children of light and the children of the day. We’re not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober to discern the times in which we live.
So you see, we are the children of the day. They are of the night. And there’s another day coming. But this day and this moment here doesn’t come until first of all, there is a catching away, a departure of the children of God. Now look what he says here in 1st Thessalonians chapter 5, and look there in verse 10. In verse 10 it makes the statement, talking about Christ when He comes back, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, so in this period of time, whether we are alive, awake, or if we die.
Look what he says. You ought to underline it. We should live together with Him. So this is another verse that I like to use to let people know that I will still be me and you will still be you. And we, whether we are here or there, we’re all going to be together one day with the Lord. And so we are to comfort one another with these words so that we know and we understand. This is just the dressing room.
We’re just getting ready for eternity. In the Old Testament puts it this way, prepare to meet thy God. Prepare to meet thy God. Now take your Bible and look there in 2 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, and look in chapter 2. Now we know that Christ is going to come back to the earth, and when He comes back to the earth, He’s going to come back in flaming fire, flaming vengeance. See there in verse 8 of chapter 1, first of all, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not or don’t believe the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power.
Now there’s two things that you and I want and God wants us to know and to have. He wants us to see and to behold his glory and he wants us to live in his presence. Isn’t that some of the two great desires? we want to see God and to be with God for all eternity. But it’s because we believe the gospel. We believe that when God sent His Son Jesus Christ and He died on that cross, He paid for all of my sins.
That’s why I made all of this in red because it was the blood of Christ from the very beginning all the way to the end. And only by faith in what Christ did that He shed his blood for our sins. On that cross died and was buried and came back again from the dead, ascended into heaven, and we say he’s coming again. Now we say we believe that. What you really believe will affect the way you live. If this truth, these truth, if it doesn’t affect the way you live, then maybe you don’t really believe it.
Because don’t you believe he could come at any moment, nobody can make you godly. Nobody can make you spiritual. Nobody can make you take these things to heart and nobody can make you change your life. There has to be something on the inside of you that says, I believe this and I want more and I don’t want to be ashamed before the Lord is coming. So look there in verse 1 of chapter 2 of 2 Thessalonians. Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him.
Our look up here. Most Bible teachers believe that this is the gathering unto Him. But this day won’t come until this day happens first. And so that’s why we believe, there in verse two, that you be not soon shaken in mind or be troubled by spirit or by word as from us, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. This is not going to come until first of all this takes place. And you’ll notice what he says in verse 3, let no man deceive you by any means.
For that day shall not come, except there come a fallen away first. That means I believe a catching away. This day will not come until this happens. You see, this is the ending of one day and this is the beginning of another day and it refers to that day. When it says this day is talking about us, this, that is them. Another time. So he makes a statement here. That day shall not come except they’re coming, falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.
So the man of sin is the anti-Christ, who goes into the tribulation period, he goes into the temple and claims himself that he is God. That is the abomination spoken by Daniel the prophet when the anti-Christ stands in the holy place mentioned in the book of Matthew in chapter 24 and verse 15. But it’s a reference all the way back to the book of Daniel in chapter 9 and verse 27. So when the Antichrist, the Man of Sin, reveals himself here.
So it’s possible that we might be able to find out who he is, but in our reality we will be gone three and a half years before he’s revealed to the earth, the people. We may know before that time, but there’s no guarantee that we we will. And sometimes we like to try to figure out who we think it is. I know some people think it’s Jay and some people think it’s John Kent and somebody will think it’s James back here.
But you and I know it can’t be us. Why? Because when the raptor takes place, we’re out of here so it can’t be none of us. So maybe it’s Fred Pena. We don’t know. we don’t know who it is. But we know that one day that will happen. He is going to be revealed before Christ is revealed. Now look what he says here in verse 4. The man of sin that comes who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped so that he as God, sit at the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
So we know know that one day somebody is going to claim that he is God and going to the temple in Jerusalem, so that means the temple will have to be rebuilt somewhere along the line. We know there has to be some kind of a treaty made that will give Israel the right to exist, the right to land, the right to rebuild their temple. So we don’t know how it’s going to materialize, but only that it has to somewhere along the line.
Isn’t it amazing out of all the nations on the earth, God says, I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone to all the nations in the world. Isn’t it amazing that it is? Is it a troublesome stone? Nobody knows what to do with Israel. And look at all these Muslim countries, and their one goal is to destroy Israel. And what has Israel done to them? Nothing. Israel hasn’t done anything to them, They want to destroy them. They hate them. Like I mentioned this morning, I preached this sermon on Sunday on the radio.
Mama, don’t let your son grow up to be a terrorist. It was really a word to the Muslim mothers. You love your children. Don’t teach them to Koran. But I don’t think it’s going to go over very good. But I still thought I would say that. But look what he says here in verse 5. Remember ye not that when I was yet with you, I told you these things. And many believed that he was there about three weeks and he had taught him all these wonderful great truths.
And then we know that he told him those things in the book of 1 Thessalonians and now lo and behold, he’s teaching all these young believers, young believers, all these great truths. See the Apostle Paul really knew the Word of God and he would teach the Word of God. And he expected something to happen in their life because of what they knew. He says in verse six, and now ye know what would hold it that he might be revealed in his time.
What is keeping the antichrist from being revealed in his time? This over here. When God takes his people out of this world, see, we are the salt of the world. We are the light. We are the light that God has put in this world, and we are to be those road blocks those people who walk in darkness. Every one of us are like little lights in this dark world. And one day God’s going to take it all out in the world is going to get mighty, mighty dark.
And he says, when this happens in verse 7, for the mystery of iniquity, death already worked. Now you have the phrase mystery of godliness mentioned in the book of Timothy. The mystery of Godliness is where God became flesh. And dwelt among us. So that is what happened there. The mystery of iniquity, we believe is Satan manifested in the flesh. So Jesus Christ is God manifested in the flesh. And here we have the Antichrist who is going to be Satan manifested in the flesh.
Whether the Antichrist is of the seed of Satan or just someone that yields himself to his authority, whatever it is. This man is the son of perdition. He is going to be destroyed, but he’s going to do a lot of wicked stuff. And that’s why this is called the Great Tribulation. The last part of the Tribulation period is the worst part of time that the world has ever known. In the book of Matthew chapter 24, the Bible states that if God does not intervene, and he’s talking there in Matthew 24 about the coming of Christ, He says, then there’ll be no flesh will be left alive.
That’s how bad it’s going to get in this world. So he sees in 2 Thessalonians in chapter 2, it makes the statement there in verse 7, for the mystery of iniquity death already work, only he who now hindrith will hinder those words ledeth will let see there’s certain words in the King James that are not wrong at the time it was used and put it was the perfect word at the time. But as time has gone on after 400 years, words have changed their meanings.
And so you can’t say and you don’t say, and I don’t say that the translators were wrong. They used the wrong word. No, they didn’t. They used the right word. It’s just that the words have changed their meanings. And so now we just simply say, well, this word means, but I don’t say, you know, they made a mistake and it was a bad translate. I don’t believe it was a bad translation in that. I don’t think I am qualified to set in judgment on the King James Version.
I’m not that intelligent that I can go against the wisdom of all those people that God used to put this thing together. I’d have to know more than what they know. But in a ways we’re moving right along. It makes a statement here. Now he who now hindrith will hinder until he’d be taken out of the way. And we believe that’s a reference to the Holy Spirit when we’re taken out. nothing to hold it back. And the devil is going to have his free reign to do whatever he wants to do, and he’s going to do it.
Now look what he says in verse 8, and then shall that wicked be revealed. Now get the order. We are taken out and then that wicked will be revealed. And look at the next part of it. That wicked be revealed whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of what? His coming. So when he comes here in brightness and glory and power, it’s Christ in the revelation. When he comes back here, he is going to destroy this.
This is the stone cut out of a mountain without hands mentioned over there in the book of Daniel in chapter 2, verse 43 and 44. So Christ is going to come back during this period of time, the Antichrist is going to rule. He is the wicked one whom the Lord will come back after He is revealed. So you see, you can’t, you get the order out here and you mess everything up. Everybody messes this thing up. Majority of people that really know the truth of the Scriptures, they teach it the same way I teach it.
You can study most prophetic teachers And most of them will lay it out pretty much the same way that I have. And then look there in verse nine. Even him whose coming is when after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lion wonders and with all these sea will boldness of unrighteousness in them that perish. So Christ coming and powering great glory in Brighton is after this. When He comes for us, He comes in the air and we’re caught up to meet the Lord in the air.
It’s a totally different time. We are of this period of time. They are of this period of time and they are of this period of time. And these are two days separated by night. And that’s why He comes as a thief in the night. Not in the day. It’s a different period of time. And notice what the devil does during the tribulation period. See in verse 9, whose coming is after the work and of Satan with all get to it.
All power signs lie in wonders with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish. Aren’t you amazed? Aren’t you amazed at how ignorant the majority of the people are in America? that can put somebody in place of leadership in the country, and they have no clue about the individual. And how easy it is for people to be deceived. The person they put there doesn’t bother me. It’s the idiot that did it. Because it’s over half of America that don’t understand what’s going on.
Blind is a bat. You can change a man in the White House. But how do you change a hundred or so million people’s minds? And if we don’t take the children back, we cannot preserve our country because there’ll be the next generation coming up. Do you understand the seriousness of the situation, all those occupy Wall Street crowd? Those are going to be your leaders one day. They’re going to be running this country someday. Isn’t that wonderful? Do you like what you see?
because people don’t have a direction. They’re like on sand and people are shifting back and forth. They don’t have any solid something to hang on to. That’s why you and I who know the Bible and know the truth. We hang on this. We may not be able to change a lot of things in this whole world but would believe that it’s true. And so we believe that Jesus is going to come back soon And the world, it sure looks like it’s all getting set up and people are choosing signs.
Now notice why did God, why do you let this happen? This is so bad. Why do you let it happen? Be it people who have rebelled against God’s roadblocks. God’s going to remove the roadblocks and let them just swiftly go and do whatever they want to do. And as he says here in verse 10, he says, with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish. See that next word because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved.
And for this cause God shall send in strong delusions that they should believe a lie. So the Antichrist, he is a liar. He is a deceiver. And why are so many people, even around the world, going to believe this liar? BDC, because they wouldn’t believe the truth. You see, when you and I, when we won’t believe what truth is, we will believe a lie. And this is where we have to be careful. Now look at the last part in verse 10, for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a lie.
You don’t want to believe the truth? God will let you believe a lie. And verse 12, that they all might be damned who believe not the truth but had pleasure and unrighteousness. So they could have believed the truth or they can believe a lie. But see, the truth is being presented because you see, God will have His prophets here. believe 144,000 evangelists, Jewish evangelists will be preaching, and they won’t believe the truth. And then after God brings certain judgments up on the earth, especially you read chapter 16 of the book of Revelation, and it says in the people’s hearts even hardened because of it.
They still would not. Does that mean God doesn’t love you? God loves. But there’s people who don’t understand real love, and they walk in darkness. But while we can, this is what we are about, and this is what we do, is try to win who we can, while we can. You and I are going to be facing the Lord real soon. The world is ripe for the rest of these prophecies to be fulfilled. Hope that helps you just maybe a little bit.
But if you’re here tonight and you’ve never trusted Christ as your Savior, only those who know the Lord have any hope of going to heaven. Those who have never trusted Christ have no hope. So I have trusted Christ as my Savior. And there’s a song called, my hope is in the Lord. My hope is in the Lord. It means that my joyful anticipation rests in Him. Now if you trust in your works to get you to heaven, then you have a lot of reasons to fear.
Because if you’re trusting your good deeds to get you to heaven, you’ll have to live a perfect life. Nothing else will be acceptable. You’ll have to be perfect. And since no one can qualify, you might need to hear from good news. And if you’re watching by internet, Please watch this very carefully because it’s simply to explain how you can know that you’re going to heaven when you die. This hand represents you and me and the wallet represents sin. We all have sin upon us.
God says that He loves us and I hate our sin but He loves us. And to pay for sin is eternal separation from the Lord and God wants us to have eternal life and they go to heaven. But we have to be perfect and nobody’s perfect because of sin we can’t get in. So man cannot save himself by his good deeds. This hand represents Jesus Christ, he’s the Lord, God in the flesh. He came into the world because he loves us and he loves his father.
And he says that the world may know that I love the Father even so I do. I do this because he said I want the world to know how much I love my father. So he took all of the sins upon himself and paid for it on the cross and came back from the dead. And God says if we would believe he did it for us, he would give us as a free gift everlasting life and we get to go to heaven on what Jesus Christ did.
There’s no tricks to it, no gimmicks, best news in all the world. Let’s praise how we are. Whatever you had bowed and every eye closed, no one looking around. If you’re watching by the internet, please understand. There’s nothing that you have to do. You don’t have to stop anything, join anything. All you need to do is change your mind. You can’t save yourself. No religion can save you. Your works can’t save you. Would you believe that if you trusted Christ as your Savior, He will save you.
And if you’ll trust Him right now, He’ll save you right now and give you the free gift of eternal life. And He’ll never cast you out and never lose you. If you trust Him right now, I’d like to know it. I’m going to ask you in just a moment to let me know by an upper raised hand. Raising your hand does not save you. It just lets me know that what I said made sense to you. You say in preach of that made sense to me.
I want to know that I’m going to heaven when I die. So friend, if you’re making that decision, you’re trusting Christ as your Savior tonight for the first time. You’ve never done it before. Would you just slip you in it very quickly and put it right back down? Is there anyone at all? Anyone at all? If you know Christ is your Savior, would you serve Him why you can? Realize how important it is. Father, we thank You so much for this time together.
We ask Your blessings upon each person here. And Lord, there’s so many that do not understand. And Lord, we don’t want to be mean and hard. That Father, we’re so concerned. We know that one day when we get to heaven, there’s going to be so many people that will be ashamed because they didn’t serve Him like they should. They’re going to grieve because there’s loved ones that they could have reached and they didn’t even try. And Father, we know that there’s a time coming when you wipe away all tears from our eyes.
We ask your blessings upon each person here and each family, bless our church. We’ve got some good people and they love you. And bless me, Christ, name me, pray. Amen. You’ve been listening to Bibleline, a teaching ministry of Calvary Community Church in Tampa, Florida with Dr. Ralph Arnold. We pray that you are blessed by today’s message. If you have enjoyed our commitment to the clear gospel of Jesus Christ, you can reach Bibleline 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. To listen to today’s message again or to obtain a free download of any of our Bibleline Just go to our homepage at BibleLineMinistries.org and click on the Radio Broadcast link. If you are 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 10-30 and at 6 o’clock on Sunday evening. Live broadcast of our services may be seen by clicking on the Calvary Community Church link at BibleLineMinistries.org.
Thanks for joining us on Bibleline, and now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friends, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound, and 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, and just keep looking up.
