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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 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.

Now go down there to verse 8. Well, you start there in verse 7, he says, the apostle, he says, says, in this period of time, upon the earth, after you trusted Christ, he says, I have fought a good fight. I have finished my course. I have kept the faith. Now, that’s what you want to be able to say at the end of your life. See, a lot of people who trust Christ as Savior, they don’t live godly lives, but they’re still God’s children.

Disobedient, rebellious, and so your heavenly Father says in Hebrews chapter 12, you’re going to have chasing, maybe take him home before the time. Or to get there and they are ashamed before him at his coming. And that verse I was going to look at just a while ago in the book of 1 John chapter 2 verse 28, but they didn’t do it. I got sidetracked. But it says, abide in him that when he shall appear we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

Not to be ashamed before him at his it’s coming because it could come at any time. So keep that in mind. It’s something that kind of motivates us to keep doing what’s right. Now notice what it says down here in verse eight. Because of what Paul has done, this is at the closing of his life. He says, henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day.

and not to me only, but unto all them also that, and here’s those three little words, love his appearing. That means that you’re living with that joyful anticipation that he could come at any moment. And because of that, it motivates you to stay busy, to watch yourself, take advantage of opportunities, serve a little without your heart, be found faithful. And so that’s what keeps you from just stumbling and falling and staying there. I mean, if he was to walk, can you fall?

What should you do? Stay there for the rest of your life or to get up and start walking again? Well, of course you get up and start walking again. But notice those who love his appearing, but then he connects it with something else. Look right down there in verse 10. For Demas have forsaken me having get this loved, this present world. You see, all the tests that we go through in life is do you love the Lord or this world?

Which one do you love more? In other words, if you live only for this life and you just wanna make yourself happy and please do whatever you dream about and think about and you wanna be whatever you wanna be and go and do whatever you, and you forget all about the Lord and you’re not looking for God. And God left us here so we could seek the lost. Christ said, I come into the world to seek and to save that which was lost.

Well, he left, he left us here. So what are we supposed to be doing with our lives? Seeking to save those which are lost. One way or another, every way we can think of, and I think we ought to take and keep doing what God wants us to do. But to understand is some people, some of God’s children will love this present world more than the things of God. Now take your Bible turn to First Thessalonians in chapter five.

First Thessalonians in chapter five, a couple pages to you left. First Thessalonians in chapter 5, chapter 4 verses 13 through 18 talks about the rapture. But the question is always when is this going to take place? So in chapter 5 he kind of gives us an idea. Look what he says in verse 1, But of the times and seasons brethren, you have no need that I write unto you, for for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.”

Now, look up here. This in the Bible is called the day of Christ. This period of time is the day of grace. This period of time over here is a thousand years long. This is the David Kingdom when he’s going to rule here and it lasts for 1000 years. That’s the kingdom. God promised to the Jews in the Old Testament was going to be set up. So there is a day. Here is a day and what separates two days, a night.

So he says, we, us, are of the day. We, us, are of the day. They and them are of the night. They don’t belong here. We don’t belong here. So he says, there’s something that we need to know about this period of time right here. Look what he says. In verse two, for yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord, so come into the thief in the name. That’s from here on out, the day of the Lord. Now get this.

Verse three, for when they shall say they shall say peace and safety then sudden destruction come up upon them as travail upon a woman with child and they shall not escape. During this period of time the first three and a half years is they say peace and safety because the anti-Christ is going to try to establish peace upon the world and is going to full people and lie to people and promise them peace and prosperity. That’s going to happen the first three and a half years.

Then sudden destruction, which is the great tribulation, is the worst part of time the world has ever known. It’s seven years long. It’s called the 70 weeks of Daniel the 70th week. It’s also called the time of Jacob’s trouble. So this is Israel’s trouble. Now Israel had problems all along, but he told him you’re going to be cast out of the nation. And the Jews would be scattered upon the face of the earth and hated of all nations, but in the end time they’re going to come back to their nation, back to their land, to establish as a nation.

And there’s something else that we’ll take a look at in just a second. But notice what else he says here in verse 4. But ye brethren, so we know we’re talking about two groups of people here. They are of the night. we are of the day. We’re not of this period of time. So the church, I believe, is we do not go into the tribulation period. Now get this in verse 4, but ye brethren are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief.

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 others, but let us watch and be sobering because we’re looking for the upper taker. We’re looking for that coming of the Lord Jesus Christ in the air and take us out of here and He says they will not escape. We will escape, but if we go through the tribulation we did not escape the tribulation.

God says He has not appointed us to wrath and this is the wrath of God upon the nation of Israel because they rejected their Messiah, the King. The reason that this kingdom is going to be out here is because they killed the King back there. And so they had time in the Old Testament of a hard time, I should say, trying to distinguish between the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. So they didn’t understand. They thought he was going to deliver them from the iron hill of Rome and set up the kingdom, but he didn’t.

He came the first time as a lamb, meek and lowly. He didn’t defend himself, he let them do whatever they wanted to him and he was led as a lamb to the slaughter and they slaughtered the lamb. But the lion is coming back. The lion is coming back. Now get what he says here. In verse 8, but let us who are of the day be sober, put it on the breastplate of faith and love and for a helmet to hope or the joyful anticipation of this deliverance that’s coming because he said in verse 9, for God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain deliverance by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Every time you see the word salvation does not mean beingTPSaved from hell. So who died for us that whether we wake or sleep we should live together with Him. All right now look up here. Over there we got Bob Gilbert. If Bob Gilbert was to die right now. Ask them from the body, present with the Lord. So he said, well, where is he? Well, absent from the body, present with the Lord. Death is separation, not annihilation. So he’s with the Lord.

And when Christ comes back, he’s going to bring them women. And the bodies that are in the graves, Don’t worry about it, it’s the same body. It says a body was planted and from a seed will come. And it’s just the seeds that are planted all over the world, and God’s going to bring back. Don’t figure out how he’s going to do it. I don’t know how he’s going to go. Don’t care how he does it. He’s God. And he says he’s going to, bodies are going to come back from the dead.

They’ll get a glorified body. And we that are alive, when this takes place, he says, I’ll be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye, and will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air. So this is something that’s going to happen when he appears for his children. This is when he comes back in the revelation. He’s revealed and every eye will see him. He comes all the way to the earth. Here he comes in the air so it’s not the same coming.

It’s a different period of time separated by seven years. So he says that He has not appointed us unto this time of wrath that’s coming up on the year. Now, why we’re right here? Look there in 2 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians. And notice what he says when Christ comes back again. He is coming and this is going to be revealed. But look what he says here in verse seven. Second Thessalonians chapter one, verse seven, and to you who are troubled, rest with us when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels.

Now this is a different thing. He’s going to be revealed. This is coming back. He’s coming back with his army. He come back with his angels and there’s going to be people on horses behind him. And if you look close, I’ll be right behind him. And Jesse Martinez and Peter and all the rest of them, they’ll be about a mile and a half back. Lord says, I’m going to get you for that. No, no, no. I’m on a joke in Lord.

But now, notice what he says here in verse 8, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that no, not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. So you have to obey the gospel. You see that? I knew it was going to be by works. No, no, no. To obey the gospel is to believe the gospel. What does the gospel tell you to do? Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. That’s all I have to do.

So those who believe on Christ has everlasting life, they get to go to heaven. But what about all those people who do not believe it? Do not accept Christ as their Savior. He says in verse 9, Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, from the glory of His power? See death is separation. People going to be separated from God for all eternity. Christ came to pay for our sins so that we could be together with the Lord.

So it’s either you’re going to be together with the Lord and never separated. That’s why he says in the book of Romans in chapter 8, nothing can separate us from him. Once you trust Christ to save you, you’re in his hand and nothing can ever separate you from him. illustration I use a lot is this, this is the Lord and this is me and I guess you could say anybody, but most people think that you know to go to heaven you got to get a good grip on God.

So you go down to the front and you’re told to hang on and endure to the end and don’t do anything wrong and try to live a good God in life all your life and if you hang in there to the end you get to go to heaven. But if you mess up in between and you do something wrong then Now you lost your salvation. You got to get saved again. And then you lost it again. Then you got to get saved again.

And then you lost it again. Then you got to get saved again. Well, see, that’s not the Bible. The Bible says, if I trust Him, He saves me. See the difference. I’m not going to heaven because I’m hanging on the God. I’m going to heaven because He’s got me. And He says, and no man can pluck you out of His hand. And He says that once you trust Christ to save Him, He says He’ll never cast you out, He said, he’ll never lose you.

So if he won’t cast me out, won’t lose me, and nobody can pluck me out of his hand. Am I secure? See, my going to heaven depends upon him, keeping his word. He promised to take me to heaven. All I got to do is trust him. All I did that 57 years ago. I’m not there yet, but his word still true. And I know that I’m going to heaven. So once you trust Christ to save you, he gives you eternal life.

And people who do not trust the Lord are not going to be with the Lord the Lord or in heaven forever. They’re gonna be separated from God. So look what he says here in verse 10. When he shall come to be glorified in his saints and to be admired in all them, that do what? That believe, that believe. Because our testimony among you was believed in that day. See, here we are in this period of time. 57 years ago, a man witnessed to me, He let me be Christ.

Since that time, I’ve talked to this person, that person, so forth, and they’ve trusted Christ of Savior. Well, everyone who trusts the Lord, it can’t be undone. I’m so glad God couldn’t change his mind. God couldn’t say, well, I mean everybody but you. No, he can’t get rid of me. I can’t get rid of God. God can’t change this. He can’t alter it. I have eternal life and everyone that I’ve led to the Lord, you know what I like about it?

It can’t be undone. Once you get saved, you cannot undo it. There might even be some people going to heaven that don’t want to go, but it’s too late. Once you trust the Christ is saved, I think some people are going to be really surprised. There’s a lot of people who expect that they’re going to heaven and all of a sudden they find that they didn’t go because they’ve listened to somebody tell them that they just do the best you can and hang in there and pay money and do good works.

And salvation is always by grace and grace alone. Now, notice when he comes back, it’s for a reason looking verse 11, wherefore also we pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power. That the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and yet in him according to the grace of our God and our Lord Jesus Christ because of the grace that God has bestowed upon us.

God wants us to magnify him before others. You see you and I are just to be a magnifying glass. We are the magnifying glass. We’re supposed to reveal Christ because see he was the light of the world when he was here and when he left he says ye are the light of the world. We are the light of the world. We have the gospel, the message on how people can go to heaven. And if I was the devil, I’m not.

But if I was the devil, I’d do everything in my power to keep you from shining for the Lord. Spend your life doing a thousand things but don’t tell people how to go to heaven. Because they might hurt the gospel and trust Christ as their Savior. So I’d want to ruin as many Christians’ lives as I possibly And that’s what the devil does. He blinds people. And next thing you know, you forget all about what God’s going to do, and you think about, you know what you want to do with your life and what I want to be.

And don’t you realize you could be dead tomorrow. You could be dead before the service is over. Yeah, but Lord, I’m up here, but Lord, you ought to see that house I had. Lord, you ought to see my bank account. How much money I had? Oh, God will be so impressed. And God looks around and says, where’s the fruit? I mean, where’s the fruit? I left you down there for 10 years, 20 years, 40 years. Where’s the people that you’re supposed to bring with you?

Did you win anybody to the Lord? Won’t that be a shame? You’re gonna be so ashamed that you go to heaven and you’ve lived for 20, 30 years upon this earth and you have no fruit. And that’s what God left us here for. So it’s not a game. It’s very, very important. Now, take your Bible in turn to the book of Revelation in chapter 11. Those were just my introductory remarks. Now we’ll get into the sermon. Some of y’all just got cardiac arrests, I know.

I’ll just bring out a couple thoughts, and I know we’ll have to quit. Revelation chapter 11, we’ll continue a little bit of this here next Wednesday night, but Revelation chapter 11, I want you to notice this. Revelation chapter 11 is like in the middle of the tribulation period. That’s where this takes place. And so he says there in verse one, and there was given to me a read, lack into a rod, and the angels stood, sayin’, rise and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and then that worshiped therein.

But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not, for it is given unto the Gentiles and the holy city, and they shall tread underfoot 40 and two months, our look of beer. If it’s right here, 40 and two months is three and a half years. See, all scripture has to perfectly dovetail. We get this from the book of Daniel, but it has to agree with the book of Matthew in chapter 24 and Luke chapter 21 and agree with the book of Revelation in chapter 11, it all has to tie together.

But you’ll notice in this verse, and it says, And the angels saying rise and measure the temple of God. Now, when Christ was here, the temple was standing. when the prophecy was made over 500 years before this, when Nebuchadnezzar came in and well, they destroyed the temple. So, they were going to have to rebuild the temple. So, when they came back, you know Ezra, Nimmai and so forth, from Babylon captivity, they rebuilt the temple. So, when Christ came, the temple was standing and Herod had come along and beautified it a lot more and was called Herod’s temple.

So, when Christ was here, there was a temple standing there. And In Matthew 24, he tells him, this temple will be destroyed and every stone will be moved. Well, that happened. Titus in 68, late siege against the city. And it fell and lo and behold, the temple was destroyed in 78D. That temple has not stood in 2000 years, but here it says the temple is gonna be standing here. It was destroyed back there, destroyed for all the, and Israel has been out of the land for almost 2000 years.

It’s just a coincidence, or maybe the Bible is true. And he says there’s gonna be that temple that’s gotta be rebuilt. So that means that for all of this to take place, you see, this is during this period of time. There’s no prophecy that has to be fulfilled for this to take place because the next thing that happened according to God’s timetable is us being taken out of this world. But there’s a lot of things that’s going to happen here.

And there’s a lot of signs. And it says the Greek seek after wisdom, but the Jews seek after signs. So these are signs for the nation of Israel. And he says, and when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, standing in the holy place, talking about the antichrist, the head of the last world government, going to come together. He talks about in the book of Ezekiel in 37, that is chapter 38 and 39 is talking about how that God’s going to take Judah and you don’t take Israel and put them back together and they’re going to be one nation because you see back then they split after Solomon because of all the wives that he had.

I told you where he suddenly didn’t I? Yeah he’s sending it to the Tower of Babel tongues and confusion anyway we’ll move it along. All these things that God told him is going to take place. And so this temple has got to be rebuilt. So that means it’s got to be a peace tree made with Israel. So this is where they’re going to make a peace treaty and then they’re going to confirm the peace treaty for like seven years.

I mean somebody has to come on the scene and be able to convince the world of having peace. They’re going to have to have something happen in Israel to make the Palestinians and the Arab nations come together and agreed to give Israel the right to exist as a people, the right to the land, and the right to build their temple. Because that’s what’s got to happen. It hasn’t happened yet. But when we see this get closer, we know this has to be even closer.

We’re just like seeing the clock and it says 11.58. And you know this is going to happen at 12 You know, you haven’t got much time. That’s why I get excited about just thinking about these things. In May the 28th, 1948, Israel became a nation, one of the May the 14th. But you talk about going to Israel and it’s been 70 years. I want something to happen so bad. I can, I’d like to die to have something happen. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I hope something happens.

Good, bad, or indifferent? Something exciting to happen. I’m not in charge of this world, but I love this little ride. So let’s just ride. That’s why whenever I feel like, well, I’m gonna die one of these days in a matter of, I don’t wanna go in with a body still well and everything’s cool and so forth. When I get through this body, I want it to be totally worn out. Nothing left, no energy left. You know, there’s nothing more to give.

So I’m looking forward to the Lord coming back again. Anyway, I’ll have to quit right there. We could go on for another hour or two. Now look up here, because this is the most important thing, I know there’s people that are watching by the internet. And we want people to hear the gospel to trust Christ the Savior. But I want Christians to see, there’s a reason for dedicated in our life to the Lord and to serve the Lord. See, nobody can make you serve the Lord.

I can’t make anybody in here do anything because you’re all voluntary and you may not wanna do anything. But you know what I like about serving the Lord? Nobody can stop me either. If you wanna serve the Lord, nobody can stop you. not a soul can stop you from serving the Lord. And if you don’t want to do anything, nobody can make you either. Because see, it’s a personal thing. There’s got to be something on the inside of you that says, I want something, I want more.

And I realize that time is running out and I want to accomplish all that I can while I can. And it should challenge and motivate you. But anyway, this hand represents you and me and the wall of represents sin. We all have sin on us. God loves us. I hate what we do wrong, but he loves us. Just like you love your children, you just don’t love what they do wrong. Well, most parents love their children. Well, some parents love their children.

You know, I never heard my mother and dad ever say they love me. Never. But I just took it for granted, they did. They fed me and they closed me and I guess that’s mean they loved me. So anyway, God loves us, but He hates what we do wrong. And for us to pay for the sin is eternal separation from God. So God says to go to heaven you have to be perfect, no sin. Nobody qualifies. We’re all in the same boat.

We’re all sinners. So we can’t save ourselves. This is Jesus Christ. God in the flesh. He came into the world because He loves us, hates our sin, because it separates us from Him. So Christ took our sins, paid for it on the cross. Says that if we would simply believe that He did it for us, that He paid for my sins, well, if He paid for my sins, then I don’t have to pay for my sins, you don’t pay for something Christ.

I’ve led people to the Lord, just tell them, and look, if I pay for this candy, and how many times do I have to pay for it? It’s only once. I’ll say, well, if Christ paid for our sins, why do I have to go to Him and pay for my sins? And everyone says, you know, I never thought of that. I never thought of that. I said, well, thank God that. So he died and paid for our sins. So if I believe it, I’m accepting a payment for my sins.

So Jesus Christ Himself is my payment. And He’s been pierced in His hands and His feet. He is my living proof of payment. He’s my living receipt. And He says, I’ll never leave you and never forsake you. So I have, wherever I go, I’ve got my receipt with me. I’ve got my sins paid for. You said, what if you do that wrong? got to receive paid. Then what if you commit suicide? All this always gets him. Is it a sin?

Yes, paid. I don’t care what it is, paid. Either Christ died for all of my sins or He didn’t help me at all. But He gave me the free gift of eternal life. People said, well you tell people that there, they just want to live like the devil. I know that and I believe that’s, and I want to serve the Lord and all my heart. Explain that. Because I really believe He really loved me. And I really believe that I don’t have to serve Him.

That’s what makes me want to serve Him, because I don’t have to. Well anyway, let’s pray. Every head bowed and every eye closed, no one looking around. If you’re here tonight and you’ve never trusted Christ to save you, or if you’re watching by the internet, if you’ve never trusted the Lord, trust the Lord right now, just say something simple like this, Lord, I know I’m a sinner, but I believe Jesus Christ died and paid for my sins. And I’m gonna trust Him to take me to heaven I die.

Eternal life is the gift of God. It’s free. Would you trust Him? I pray that you would. Paul, I thank you so much for this time together. Bless each one for being here. And we prayed that these things would challenge and motivate us to see that we are a child of yours. And, Father, we should live a holy, godly life. Not to get to heaven, but because we’re going there. You’re coming soon. Help us to live every day, every moment, expecting that you could show up.

and would be changed in a moment that Trich and I caught up to meet you in the air. What a glorious event that’s going to be. Thank you so much in Christ’s name we pray. Amen. Are you a new listener to Bibleline? Do you enjoy the teachings of Dr. Arnold? Well, if you’ve never contacted us before, we want to give you Dr. Arnold’s book, The Gospel-Driven Man. Every day we receive many emails from folks who have questions about repentance and salvation, about faith in works, and about how to share the gospel with friends and loved ones.

This book, The Gospel Driven Man, covers all those topics, and we want all new listeners of Bibleline to receive a free copy. 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. 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 4081 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. Caught up to meet the Lord in the air. So live today and every day. Believe in that the Lord is coming soon. Just keep looking up.