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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.

your Bible to the book of Luke, the gospel of Luke chapter 21. Luke chapter 21, but in the book of Luke in chapter 21, there are scriptures that kind of give us an idea that there are some signs in the heavens before Christ comes in power and great glory to the earth. If you’ll notice here in verse 25, and there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars and upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity the season the ways roaring, men’s hearts failing them for fear for looking after those things that are coming on the earth for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

Then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to past and look up and lift up your heads for your redemption, drawth nine. Now if you just read that with scriptures, you can see why so many people are concerned about these signs in the sky with the sun and the moon. And so we’ll look at some of these things. I believe the feast of the Lord gives us a great insight into what’s taking place.

And because of these feasts that are mentioned in the book of Leviticus chapter 23, kind of gives a layout on the dispensations of time, the dispensing of time, the periods of time. These are a set feast. They are appointed to happen at a certain period of time in history. But every year they were to memorialize these feast days and they were sacred solemn days of which God says projected into the future a particular time period that they meant something.

They were just not a you know a nice little tradition to have not just a ritual to go through. So they all meant something. Well it’s kind of like the Bible. People don’t really understand the Bible unless you have the indwelling Holy Spirit within you. He says the natural man the common cannot understand the scriptures. But he says I have not seen ear have not heard neither has entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love them.

But God hath revealed them unto us by his spirit ye the Spirit searcheth all things ye the deep things of God for what man knoweth the things of a man except the spirit of man which is within him. And even so those things of God no man can know except the spirit of God dwell in him and that he is taught by spiritual things to understand spiritual things. So we have the Holy Spirit living in order to teach us what the Word of God says.

Is the total eclipse a prophetic sign of the return of Christ because outside of that, what are we looking for? Remember this, in the Old Testament, many of the prophets wrote about the coming Messiah, and it talks about the sufferings of the Messiah. And then it also talked about the glory of the Messiah. So whenever they studied, they could not discern the difference between the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. Trying to figure out is there two messiahs or is there one messiah that comes twice?

They could not discern it because you see there were two comings of the messiah. When he came, the first time he came to suffer and to pay for the sins of the world. The next time he comes back in power and great glory and he’s going to set up his kingdom, just like he promised. So because there is the mention of the sun and the moon in the scriptures and about the moon, not giving its light, and the sun turning dark, many people believe that maybe this is a heavenly sign of what’s going to happen right before Jesus Christ comes back to the year.

Now we are looking for the Lord to come back. We also believe that there are many signs that God has given in his word, right before of the Second Coming of Christ to the earth in power and great glory. So we wanna look at this. In Genesis chapter one in verse 14, it says this. And God said, let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night and let them be for signs and for seasons for days and for years.

So the sun determines the length of the days in the years. So we need the sun because they’re both there for a reason. And also the moon determines the length of the weeks and the months because of where the moon is. It can tell us seven days and it boils it down to the 14 and then the 28 days, 21 days, 28 days, all those days that are in a month, but they all start with a, what we call the black moon or the beginning of that month, which is a new moon.

So you have a new moon, a full moon and two half moons. And every month we have at least that. But they were given for a reason so that they would determine the week and months. And so God used both of these signs in the sky to determine these things. It is a better clock than what man can develop. And he keeps perfect time and has for about 6,000 years now. Not bad for a clock, is it? These two phases of the second coming of Christ, we have the rapture, which is the next thing according to God’s timetable is going to take place.

Now the rapture is right here when Christ comes back and takes the church out of here. So the church aid that paired a time in which where we live started on the day of Pentecost because the Holy Spirit came on the day of Pentecost which was one of the feast days and the rapture will take place. Is every person who has trusted Christ’s Savior and are still alive on planet earth will be raptured of taking up out of this world?

Then there will be this seven-year tribulation paired upon the earth And then there’s what we call the revelation of Christ. That’s when Christ is revealed and every I will see him and he comes back in power and great glory. Now he doesn’t do that at the rapture because the rapture we’re caught up to meet the Lord in the air. He comes for his saints. Seven years later he comes with his saints to the earth. So there are many signs that God is going to give.

So when will Christ return? Everybody’s tried to figure this out all these years. And I’ll have to admit, I am one of them. I studied the Scriptures. I’m always looking for that one verse that gives me a clue. Now I know the verse that says, no man knows the day of the hour. Now the day or the hour is a very small limit of time. Doesn’t deal down with the week or the month or the season that you could maybe have a clue.

And does the feast days that God has put in his word, does that limit the time of when something’s going to take place? Now we’ve covered this before, but just very quickly, we talk about the Passover, and that was the Feast of the Passover, they had to come on a certain month, and it has to build a certain day, and Christ was crucified on that day. Then it has the feast of the unleavened bread. His body was in the grave for three days and three nights.

Then you had the first fruit, the feast of the first fruits. Fifty days later, you had the feast of Pentecost, which the Holy Spirit came right on schedule after the resurrection of Christ. The next feast is talking about the feast of trumpets. And then the feast after that, the feast of the atomens, then the one after that, the feast of the tabernacles. But the next feast day is the Feast of Trumpets. And the church is waiting to hear the trumpet.

But you also have people that are listening for the trumpet the sound because when Christ comes to the earth, there’s gonna be a sound in the trumpet and we’ll look at that. It’s tries coming for the church determined by the heavenly sign that the world can see. Remember this, for the rapture we do not believe that there’s any signs that has to be fulfilled before the rapture takes place. We believe in the intimacy of Christ. He could come at any time, any moment, any day, right now.

And so we have been looking for Jesus to come and take us out of here. And we believe it could happen. It ain’t even a problem. time. But when you$ talk about Christ coming in power and great glory, as revealed in the Old Testament in some scriptures in like Matthew and Luke, when you’re talking about when you come to the end of the seven-year tribulation, peered up on the earth. So whatever this day is when he comes to the earth, seven years before that could be the rapture.

So there’s no signs before the rapture, but many signs before the second coming of Christ upon the year. Now, if there is no rapture until the end of the tribulation, because you’ll have some people saying, well the rapture doesn’t take place until it right at the end and it’s all the same one. And so the church will go right through the middle of the tribulation period, right to the end of the tribulation period. Then there’s no way to determine when the seven-year tribulation begins, because there would be no signs.

So where does the first sign begin for the beginning of the seven-year tribulation? If it’s not the rapture, what will be that sign? That’s what I want to look at. Now if there is no rapture until the end of the tribulation, why look for Christ? Why look for Christ to return? Because of all the things that must happen before he gets to the earth. You see, there’s to be a peace treaty made with Israel Daniel chapter 9 verse 27.

That has to come before he, Christ comes to the earth. Has that happened yet? Well that sign hasn’t been fulfilled. There’s also be the battle with Russia which is God, it may go, there’s a battle that mentioned in the book of Ezekiel chapter 38 and 39. That battle has not happened yet. But it’s got to happen before Christ come back to the earth. The one-world government and the one-world religion because you see that’s what’s going to happen during this seven-year tribulation period.

Has that happened yet? That hasn’t happened yet. The temple has to be rebuilt. Has the temple been rebuilt yet? No. Because the Antichrist is going to be going to the temple and claim himself that he is God. Has that happened yet? There’s two witnesses that are supposed to show up and they will do miracles and so forth for three and a half years have they shown up yet? So all of these are signs that happened before Christ comes to the earth.

So these signs have not yet been done and if there is no rapture and it’s just we go through the tribulation period then we don’t need to look for the second coming of Christ. We just need to look for all these other things that’s supposed to be fulfilled first and how will you know exactly when it’s going to happen when they sign that peace treaty, then you know you still got seven years. So anyway, there are signs that God has given that will take place.

But what about the signs that are taking place supposedly in the heavens? Then Christ coming to the earth cannot be next month on September 21st. So if Christ isn’t coming back then, could He come back for the rapture and take us side of here. That’s a good possibility. And I wouldn’t mind it at all. It could happen. I’m looking forward to Christ to come back at any time. And if He chooses that date, that’s fine. That’s fine with me.

If He chooses today and I don’t even finish this sermon, that would be fine with me too. Now, can a person believe in the imminency of Christ? That means the return of Christ for the church can happen at any moment. If these signs must happen first, these are signs of course, before the revelation only. In other words, when Christ comes to the earth and power and great glory in every eye, I will see him at the end of the tribulation, period.

All these other signs have already taken place. That’s why he told him in Matthew chapter 24. When you see these things begin to come to pass, these things that we got mentioned right here. You see, in the book of Matthew 24 and verse 15 says, and when you shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel, the prophets, standing in the holy place, then those would be in Judea, flee into the mountain. That happens in the, the middle of the tribulation, and that has not happened yet.

So there’s a lot of things that are going to take place that have not yet happened. The rapture, we are looking for the blessed hope, not the blessed tribulation. You see, if we were going through the tribulation periods, we would go through this most wicked period of time the world’s ever going to know, because there’s There’s never been a time like it. And there’ll never be a time like it after this. It’s the worst part of time the world’s ever known, and it lies right ahead of us.

In other words, as you begin to look at the things that are going on in the world, men’s hearts are failing them. There is no peace hardly anywhere. And things are getting worse and worse and worse, not better and better and better. Now, here are considered to be the Fort Rapture verses. There’s other verses, but just for the sake of today’s message, I just want to show you a few of these. John 14 and 1 Thessalonians 4, 1 Corinthians 15 and Revelation 4, 1.

That we consider to be and could be referring to the rapture. Now, this verse sometimes is taken to be when Christ comes empowering great glory. But just to look at this one verse, first of all, he says, in my father’s house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. So when the rapture takes place, we’re caught up to meet the Lord to go to a place that He has.

But whenever He comes to the earth, we know where that place is. He don’t have to prepare that. That’s going to be the thousand year reign upon the earth. So I believe there’s a difference between the two phases of the second coming of Christ. Christ comes for the church. Seven years later, he comes to the earth, empowering great glory, and every eye will seereenshots. And if I go into a place where I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also in this place that he has for us.

So I believe these scriptures could refer to the rapture. Now, in the book of 1st Thessalonians in chapter four, he says, for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with a voice of the archangel, of God. So now whether or not how long this Trump last because the regular feast of the last was about 100 blast blast blast blast blast blast blast blast long the person can hold their breath while they’re blown the show for. I don’t know, but it does talk about it happening at a time when there’s going to be they blowing of the trumpet.

Now another scripture 1 Corinthians chapter 15 says in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last for the trumpet shall sound and the dead shall be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed.” So this is talking to the church. This is when Christ comes in the air for His children and we’re going to be changed in a moment. The twinkle of an eye caught up to meet the Lord in the air and there will be the sound of a trumpet.

So the church age will end with the sounding or the blowing of the issue because it’s so clearly written in Scripture. But is it the same one that ends the church age begins the tribulation upon the earth? That’s seven years. Interesting. This is why so many people love studying the Feast of Trumpets that’s mentioned in the book of Leviticus in chapter 23. In Revelation chapter 4 and verse 1 it says, after this I looked and behold a door was opened in heaven and the first voice which I heard was as it were a trumpet talking with me so it said come up hither and I will show the things which must be hereafter or after the church age and so that’s why between this verse and the rest of the verses and up to chapter 19 you don’t find anything mentioned about the church aid

because see we’re in heaven we’re not on the earth so yes I’m looking for the Lord to come back I hope my hearing is fixed that I hate to miss this sound of this trumpet. I think I’m going to be able to hear it. But I don’t know if everybody will hear it, only those who got special hearing in dwelling Holy Spirit. Have you ever seen those little things they blow and only the dogs can hear it? It might be like that.

I don’t know. I’m not God. I just get excited just thinking about it. Is the blowing of the trumpet for the rapture the same as the blowing for the feast of the trumpets, which would begin the tribulation period because it must fall on a certain day of a certain month on a new moon. And all these things are important in the Scriptures. Could the church age end at the same time that the tribulation period begins? Good possibility. But God is going to take this church out of here.

They celebrated this every year. Every year, the Feast of Trumpet, because you see, Rosal Shanna becomes their first day of the Jewish New Year. Now we talk about the religious calendar, then it starts in the month of Nissan, which is March or April, and we have on the 14th is when the Passover is. According to our great-goers and calendar, it changes because it runs off of the sun and the Lord runs off of the moon, the lunar cycle, instead of the solar cycle.

And so there’s two calendars and they do not agree. And that’s why you’ll find out that the new moon, instead of being the first day of the month, can be in one of the days and they don’t always hit the same time. Now, when will he return? All signs point to the feast of tabernacles. When Christ comes in power and great glory, not when he comes for the church. It’s when he comes to the earth. You see that seven years, there’s all kinds of signs that are gonna take place in there.

I would like to be able to say, you can see the signs everywhere. No, no, no, no, the signs aren’t yet. All these signs happen after the church aid, but we can see the things heading up. When the Bible says things are gonna really happen 12 o’clock midnight and we’re looking at it and saying, well, you know, it’s 1159 right now. Then you know things are already looking pretty good and you know what’s going to take place. We know what’s going to happen.

You just look at this world situation and all nations are gonna turn against Israel. How are we doing? Israel wants to rebuild the temple. Well, how are we going? Andulet of the day you will, and Russia wants to come down against Israel and that battle hasn’t taken place yet, but Russia’s moving into Syria. illance. The age of the world is being set to fulfill. And men’s hearts failing them for a fierce, seeing those things that are coming up on them.

There’s no solutions. We may conclude that the seven year tribulation may begin on the same date seven years before. A good possibility. Let me explain this to you. In the book of Leviticus, there’s these seven feasts. There’s three times of the year that every Jewish male was supposed to go to these feast, the travel to Jerusalem, to be there. And so one is Passover, the other one’s Pentecost, and the other one is the Feast of Tabernacles. So there’s these three feasts that they were to go and to be there, and so everybody came from all over.

But these three feasts, Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Food all happened at the right time, right on schedule. These are the spring feast and it happens in the spring. You have the fall feast and those are the trumpets, the atonement and the tabernacle. That’s in the fall. So they had two sets of these feasts. And then you had 50 days from the first fruits. When the first fruit comes up and you got something, you wave it before the high priest and in 50 days from then you had the harvest.

That was Pentecost. which means 50 days from the resurrection of Christ. And it happened right on schedule, right on the very day. Christ came and was crucified on the right day, the right month. Everything happened just like it was prophesied in the book of Leviticus chapter 23. And even though every year they did this, it has to happen at the right time. And it was all about Christ, that’s why it’s called the Feast of the Lords. It’s not the Feast of Man.

God’s wanted to design this and he says the sun and the moon are gonna be signed in the sky of when these things are gonna take place. We’re right on schedule for something. Now, the trumpets, the tommens, the tabernacle, these three, these are many signs that will take place. You see, the Feast of Trumpets is a blowing of the trumpets for the gathering of God’s people together. It can be for war, but the blowing of the trumpets, we believe will take place on a particular day.

It has to be on the seventh month, which is tishery, and it has to be on a new moon, totally black. And this is why so many people are getting excited about what’s coming up very soon in September, because of the day that it falls on. And just happens to be right after any eclipse when it talks about the sun being dark and so on. but understand this. When these things happened in Israel, or should, this is gonna be a total darkness upon the face of the earth.

Not just an eclipse that happens somewhere. No, this has gotta take out the light from the land of Israel, but also I believe for the whole earth. It’s gonna be dark. And I have reason for that, and I’ll show you that. In Revelation chapter 2, and I saw the seven angels which stood before God into them were given seven trumpets. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. Now this is the book of Revelation.

Seven angels, seven trumpets. So many people believe, okay here’s these seven angels. The seventh angel that blows at last trump, that’s the last trump. Well, it sounds good. But when God talks about the trumpet and the blowing of the trumpet, He’s not talking about some man down here on earth blowing the trumpet. And He’s not talking about an angel doing the tribulation blowing that trumpet. This is talking about the Lord God Himself will blow that trumpet. Whether it’s gonna be a literal trumpet or his voice.

I heard the sound of a voice as it were of a trumpet. It’s also mentioned in the book of 1st Thessalonians in chapter 4 verse 13 down to verse 18, those same portions of the scriptures. So he said, and the Lord shall be seen over them and his arrows shall go forth as the lighten and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet. So this is different and the last trump is not because of some angel down here and they’re one, two, three, four, five, six, seven.

Okay, when he blows his trumpet that’s not what he’s talking about in the book of 1 Corinthians talking about at the last Trump. You see, we’re taking out before the angels ever blow their trumpets and they’re not blowing those trumpets until the last part of the tribulation period. Merely after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, moon shall not give a light. See, Christ is the one who said this. They want to know when are you coming back?

What will be the sign of your coming? So he says, this is what’s going to happen. He merely after the tribulation of those days, tribulation of those days. This is what’s going to be taken place. But then he says, and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, but this is at the end of the tribulation period. But now is this really talking about an eclipse or the sun totally not given any light anywhere on the face of the earth?

Are we talking about it being higher or wide they got this little strip going across America? You think that’s that one? And why are we counting that one when it’s in America, when we’re talking about over in Israel, where the Scriptures will be fulfilled there. Anyway, and he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other. Once again, sound of the trumpet, bringing together also for war, and there’s gonna be the battle of Armageddon at the end of this time.

Acts chapter two and verse 20, this is a quote from the book of Joel. He says, the sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood. And this is where you hear an awful lot about this blood moon. And there’s a lot of that stuff going on and talking like, I don’t know and I really don’t care. I just don’t, I’m just looking for the Lord to come back today. I’m not going to be here doing the tribulation period.

And if I knew he was coming back on September the 21st, I would not change one thing about what I do. I keep doing what I do because I believe it’s the right thing to do. But I’m always looking up. If you’ll ever listen to any of my radio broadcasts, the last thing I say on all of my sermons is what? Keep looking up. Keep looking up. Because I don’t believe there’s any signs that needs to be fulfilled. I believe the Lord can come back at any time.

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There’s no obligation, no donation necessary, simply call us at 1-800-576-3771 or write to us and request your free copy of the Gospel-Driven Man. The mailing address is 4811 George Road, Tampa, Florida, 33634. Again, don’t forget to include your mailing address, and God bless you and thank you for listening to Bibleline. Thanks for joining us on Bibleline. 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.

And now a closing thought from Pastor Arnold. Friend, one day it will happen. The trumpet will sound, and we will be changed. Hot up can meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believing that the Lord is coming soon, just keep looking up.