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Bibleline Bibleline, here God’s word on Bibleline, 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 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 first part of this two-part message will be a blessing to you and your family.

You probably think we’re going to talk about prophecy. We are. But I want you to take your Bible and turn to the book of John, the Gospel of John in chapter 1. The Bible describes something in the Gospel of John chapter 1, like he does in the book of Genesis chapter 1, that there was darkness upon the face of the earth and the spirit of the Lord moved and let there be light and there was light. And God separated the light from the darkness.

So there is darkness and there is light and they are not the same. But He uses that in teaching in the New Testament in the Gospel of John that people who do not know the Lord, those that do not know the Lord walk in darkness. They are in darkness, born in darkness. It means that you were born separated from God. You do not have the light, the knowledge, the understanding that you should have. So therefore the Bible says the light came into the world.

Now you and I that know the scriptures we know that there is a a time coming very soon, where we are looking for the Lord Jesus Christ to catch us out of this world and take us to heaven. But the Bible also states that the world is going to be looking for someone else other than Jesus Christ. The world is looking for a Messiah also. They’re looking for a one world leader. If you’ll notice, and I don’t believe as an accident, of all the nations that are struggling to stay alive and the overthrow of so many nations, and I believe that you and I are watching the overthrow of our own country, America itself.

It doesn’t have to happen from outside. It’s been done inside by people who no longer believe that this Bible is true or that we’ve been blessed by God, and therefore they are turning our nation into something that’s evil and I don’t like what I see coming but just like their nations of guess you could call it the United Nations of Islam that will be joined together and they’re looking for a man also a caliph which is what they’re looking for so isn’t it that they’re looking for someone and we’re looking for someone.

But the one we’re looking for is the light of the world. The one they’re looking for is the king of darkness. The prince of darkness. When we are lost we are in the kingdom of darkness and God says in Colossians chapter 1 that when we trust Christ as Savior we have been translated into the kingdom of light. So we’ll look there in the Bible to the book of John the gospel of John in chapter 1. John chapter 1, and notice in verse 1, in the beginning, was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God the same was in the beginning with God.

All things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life and the life was the light of men. This phrase is mentioned a little bit further over and we’ll look at it, but eternal life. Is the light that men need? To have eternal life, God says, is to know God. And to know God, you must know Jesus Christ. Knowing Jesus Christ is what gives to you an eye, eternal life. And eternal life is the lens by which we can discern the Scriptures.

But this eternal life that is the light of the world is only shed through one main thing. gospel of Jesus Christ. So when you give the gospel of Jesus Christ, it’s how people can have eternal life and eternal life is the source of light. So without this light you cannot understand and so many people living today do not understand the times even in which we live. Don’t understand what the Bible is talking about. But look what he says here down there in verse 4 again.

was life and the life was the light of men and the light, shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not. Shinning in darkness is talking about the people who do not understand, cannot comprehend what God is talking about. People that do not know God through the gospel cannot see. They’re walking in darkness and all they have to guide them is their own sinful nature. And the sinful nature, the Bible says, is desperately wicked and who can understand it.

But you and I can understand things because we have the light of the gospel. So he makes a statement down here in verse 7, the same came for a witness talking about John to bear witness of the light that all men through him might believe. So the reason for the light coming to the world is so that everybody in the world would believe on the light. Believe the light, but you got to see the light. Hear the light. Understand the light what God’s talking about because it’s an understanding.

You and I must understand we are lost. We cannot save ourselves. Jesus Christ died to pay for our sins to give us eternal life. And having eternal life is the light that you can go to the Scriptures and understand. And a lot of people study the Scriptures without eternal life. Without eternal life, you have no light. You cannot see, you cannot understand what God is talking about. Now in verse nine it says, that was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

See the Bible says that God says, going to all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Through this preaching of the gospel, people can see and understand who God is, what He thinks about us, how to have eternal life and become a child of God and go to heaven whenever we die. He also says in verse 10, He was in the world, the world was made by Him and the world knew Him not. And verse 12, but has been has received Him.

Some will, some won’t. But unto them is given, as He says here, the power to become the sons of God. And the Word became flesh in verse 14 and we beheld His glory. The glory is of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth. Now take your Bible and turn to John chapter 3. John chapter 3 and look there in verse 17. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world because the world is already condemned.

But He came into the world that the world through Him might be saved. And only through him can you be saved. You cannot be saved through your good works. You cannot be saved through the church. Your good deeds, nothing except through him. Only through Christ. And he says this in verse 18, He that believeth on him is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already because he have not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

So the light came into the world. Jesus Christ came right on schedule just like he was supposed to. This is why we talk about the first coming of Jesus Christ, the cross. It is His story, history before and history after everything revolves around Jesus Christ. And this is why the light was prophesied to come. And He came right on schedule just like He was supposed to, just like it was promised. He died on that cross to pay for the sins of the whole world.

That means when Christ died, He paid for all the sins from Adam all the way up and also all the way to the last man that will ever be on this earth. Christ died for all men made one payment, not two, He doesn’t come down and pay for the sins that we commit in the future. That’s why whenever I accept the payment Christ made for me, I have a payment for all of my sins, past, present, future. And that’s how you can know that you’re going to heaven because you don’t have any sins to pay for it.

Christ died to pay for my sins. So therefore I don’t have to pay for my sins. You say you don’t deserve that. You got it. I don’t deserve it. You don’t deserve it. Nobody deserves it. It’s by grace or you save through faith. So he says here in verse 19, and this is the condemnation that light is coming to the world. Men love darkness rather than light because they’re these or evil. When you want to do wrong and you want to fulfill the lust of the flesh, you don’t want to go to church.

When you want to live like the devil, you don’t need to study the Bible. Because see the Bible gives you light. Whenever you want to fulfill the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, you don’t need to pray to God. You don’t need to do the things that are right because they’re in opposition. Darkness and light do not mix. They don’t go together. So there’s people who are walking in darkness. And we’re seeing now in our country, there’s people who cannot see and do not understand and they’re destroying our country.

what else he says in verseborder. For everyone that doeth evil hated the light. That means you hate the light, you reject the truth. So there’s people who will reject the light and who is the light? Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the light of the world. And so people reject the light, reject the truth, do not have eternal life. They do not see, they do not understand. So that means without salvation, there’s so many things in this world they cannot see.

They walk in darkness, but those who trust Christ as Savior, they have the light of life because life gives light. And yet there’s some of God’s children that do not walk in the light, they walk after the darkness. They walk as lost men, they walk as blind men, they walk like people who have never known the Lord. Their lives are as wicked as the lost man’s life. And yet God has called us to live a holy, godly life in this present world.

But lo and behold we fail. So he says here in verse 20, and everyone that doeth evil or rejects the truth hates light. Neither cometh to the light, lest his deed should be reproved. But he that doeth truth, come up to the light that his deeds may be made manifest that they are not wrath and God. So there is right and there’s wrong. There’s truth and there’s error. There’s light and there’s darkness. Those who believe do the good thing and those that don’t believe do the wicked thing because it’s a good thing to trust Christ.

It’s a wicked thing to reject Christ and people are doing that. Now take your Bible and turn over there to the book of John in chapter 8. John chapter eight. And notice what he says here in this one verse verse 12, Then spake Jesus again unto them saying, I am the light of the world. He that followeth me, shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. The life is eternal life. The light that eternal life gives.

You see, when you trust in Christ as your Savior, the Holy Spirit indwells you. And He is the light to give you an understanding and teach you the dark sayings of the Word of God, which many people open up the Bible, they read it and don’t get it. There’s so many people today who do not get what God said, that eternal life is freely to all men. It is the gift of God and not of the works. most people and most preachers will take your people that you have to change your life in order to be saved.

You’ve got to stop your sins and start living a holy life and that is works for salvation. That is not the Bible. That’s not the God one. They can’t see. And God says, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever, believe it. That’s all a man had to do. Should not perish but have everlasting life. Now take your Bible and turn over there with me to the book of 1st First Thessalonians in chapter 1.

First Thessalonians in chapter 1. The Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians in chapter 1 that we are, yes, His children, and that we’re to wait for His Son in verse 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven. Look up here. Christ died on that cross. He went into heaven, sent the Holy Spirit down, and the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost. It’s been almost 2000 years during his church age, and the Bible says that the next thing to happen is his son to appear from heaven.

Christ is going to come back. Now the people of the world are waiting for there, so-called one-world leader. And as you watch, you’ll see the breaking down of nations around the world and almost all of them are in a financial collapse. It is going to be one bad news because right after the rapture is the tribulation period. Seven years, it’s the worst period of time that the world has ever known. It’s right ahead of us. And if you look in the world seeing you can see that this is coming to pass.

How in the world are we ever going to get out of what we’re going through right now? They have no border control, they have no financial control, and all that’s been doing, going on, is done on purpose because it could be stopped. It can be corrected. There isn’t anything facing America that can’t be corrected. They choose not to correct it. They don’t want it corrected. They have got to create crisis after crisis and then we cry out to the government to do something and every time they do it they keep writing little laws that takes away our freedom till after a while we’ll have no freedom in America.

And we are the last stronghold for the whole world, not just for America the whole world. And there’s a lot of nations that look to us. They believed in us. They’re allies of us. But they’re worried because they don’t see our country standing up and doing what we promised that we would do. And they’re in trouble. And we’re in trouble because we are dismantling everything that’s taken 200 years to build. You didn’t think it could happens so fast, did you?

But it’s happening, it’s happening quick. Our lives, the way we live right now, won’t be like this for long. We’re going to see or have a rude awakening in this country. But now, remember this, God told us in advance this is coming. So take your Bible and look there in verse 10, and do wait for his son from heaven whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus which deliverless from the wrath to come. Now there’s several wrath to understand.

I know that I’m not going to hell because I have been delivered from the wrath to come which is hell I’m not going there. There’s another wrath to come which is the wrath of the seven-year tribulation period that God’s is pouring out upon this earth. Remember when they had a choice and they says crucified Christ, give us Barabbas, crucified Christ, and they say, let his blood be upon us and our children. And so for the last 2000 years there’s been great persecution upon the nation of Israel and upon the children of Israel though they’ve been scattered upon the face of the earth.

But the Bible says that in the last days they’ll go back to their land and become established as a nation and they have done so. So in 1948, yes Israel becomes a nation, but they’re still back in unbelief. So God is going to use the nations of the world and gather them together against Israel. And then God is going to come down at the very last minute to deliver Israel from being annihilated because isn’t it true that majority of the nations on the earth today would love to see Israel totally destroyed.

And God is the only one because it says in the book of Zechariah, all nations will gather themselves against my people, against Israel. Look how small Israel is. And yet here’s the Palestinians and the God’s ship lobbing all these missiles and so forth into Israel and the United Nations says nothing. Israel starts defending itself and sending some backward them. Oh, ceasefire, ceasefire, ceasefire. So they can cease fire and here they come again. So Israel retell it. Quick, quick, quick, stop, stop.

I think there’s a lot of going there and wife, every last one of them out of there. My personal opinion and they ought not give any land to anybody. God gave it to them. Hang on to it. Fight for it. But that’s yankology a little bit. So, but anyway. Now in 1st the Solonians in chapter 4. 1st the Solonians chapter 4. Now he says here in verse 13. For I would not have you to be ignorant brother and you’ll notice he said this several times.

why because there are so many ignorant brethren. They should know better but they don’t know better. They should read the word of God but they don’t read it. And he says here, concerning them which are asleep that you sorrow not even as others would have no hope. Let’s take for example some people you know have already died already gone to sleep. That’s their bodies it’s in the grave, action from the body present with the Lord. So whenever you and I leave this swir allah we go immediately to be with the Lord in heaven.

Place called paradise and that’s where we’ll be. That very moment you die you’re not in your body you’re not so sleep that’s the 78th and it’s in Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t believe that junk. You are present with the Lord if you trust the Christ of Savior. Then He says this in verse 14, for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with them. Can’t bring them with them if they’re not up there with him.

So they’re with him. And when he comes back, he’s going to bring him with him. He doesn’t come to the earth. Look up here. Over here, he comes to the earth. It is feet touched on the Mount of Olives. That’s in Zechariah chapter 14. That’s Old Testament. In the Old Testament, they studied the Scriptures and maneucced. 147 They got all of this in the Old Testament. This they do not have because that’s the church age. That’s the period of time in which we live.

So they had these things and you can read about that in the Old Testament. Now God says, this is what’s going to take place. He is going to come back in the air and he’s going to take those who have trusted Christ as Savior and do something you’ve never seen before in the life. Now if you watched Star Trek, beam me up Scotty, you may have an idea. You’re here and you’re gone, but they still took a long time because I remember it kind of disintegrating in the ages of it.

This is going to be in a moment, the twinkle of an eye. Change, caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So look what he says here in verse 16, for the Lord in south shall descend from heaven with a shout, with a voice of the archangel, of the archangel with the Trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first. That’s the bodies that are dead separated from the person. We are dead in that we’re separated from God when you’re lost.

But when you trust Christ to save you, you no longer look like that. You talk about being quickened, made alive in Christ. So the bodies that are already dead and the person are going to be united and you have a glorified body. It will be more a heavenly body, a spiritual body, but not spirit body. And so he says here in verse 17, then which we are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the cloud to meet the Lord in the year, so shall we ever be with the Lord.

But he says something in chapter five. But of the times and the seasons, brother, and you have no need that I ride unto you, for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord, so cometh is the thief and the knight. The day of the Lord is talking about something else. This is specific day of the Lord. When the Lord literally comes down from heaven. Now, in some places, Isaiah chapter two, around verse eight, maybe you’ll find it is talking about the day of the Lord, but it can go from here all the way through, it can start with here and go all the way through.

The day of the Lord is a different period of time. God in his word says, this is the day And this is a night and this is another day, a day, a night, a day. So the Bible makes us clear. He says, you, us, you’re not of the night, you’re of the day. Now look up here. The next thing to happen according to the timetable is the rapture will take place. And then the Bible makes a statement about those people they shall say peace and safety.

That’s the first part of the tribulation period. And then Sutton destruction cometh upon them, they and them. But when he refers to you and I, he says, ye. And us, we, totally two different people, two different times. So he comes here for his saints, here he comes back with his saints, and we will rule upon the year for 1000 years. Some people like to try to take this and put it over here. It will not fit. It will not fit.

You have to contradict scripture. So anybody tells you that the church, which is us, we go into the tribulation, They don’t know their Bible. They don’t know it. They talk intelligently, but they don’t get it. But now go back here to chapter 5 and verse 3. But when they shall say, they, peace and safety, then, set destruction come up upon them as travail upon a woman which shall, they shall not escape. So when he’s talking about, they shall not escape here.

But he does say that we have not been appointed under the wrath and we will escape. In the context, you’ve got to keep it that way. Look down in verse 9. For God hath not appointed us to what? But He did appoint them to wrath. They will be here. So we won’t be. To me it just seems like so clear. Look what He says again in verse verse four. Verse four, but ye brethren, ye brethren, so he’s not talking about us being they and them.

Here he says in verse four, but ye brethren are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief. Year 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, let us watch and be sober and so forth to discern what you see when you see coming. Look up here. We are of the day. We are of the light. We’re children of light.

This is the time of darkness. We’re not of this period of time. And therefore he says, when they shall say, not us, we are of the day. Now what usually separates two days a night, and this is a heart from some people to understand. This is one day, this is a day, this is a night, a night separating two days. He says, ye are the children of the day, not of the night. And I think it’s pretty clear. Now take a Bible look in 2 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, and look what he says in verse 7, chapter 1.

2 Thessalonians chapter 1. And notice there in verse 7, He says, and to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels. Look up here. When he talks about being revealed and power and great glory, that’s over here. This is when every eye shall see him, all the people upon the earth. They will see him coming from out of space. Won’t that knock our socks off? They say, hey, somebody’s coming.

They’re coming from out there. Look at it, it’s coming. They’ll see it. And he see him coming. The rapture, he’s coming for his saints. And that’s over in the moment in the twinkling of an eye were caught up to meet the Lord in the year. If the Lord came back right now, all of you that are in this room will be transported right out of here. The rest of you, I hope there’s nobody else left. But the rest of you will still be sitting here.

See, where’d it go? Where’d it go? Where’d it go? And don’t you be scared stiff? Now, it’s going to happen. One day, it’s going to happen. It’s in the Bible. One day, it will happen. 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. 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. To listen to today’s message again or to obtain a free download of any of our Bible line programs, 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 Bibleline, a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. friend 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 believe in that the Lord is coming soon and just keep looking up