A New Beginning

Guest (Male): Coming up today on a New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie speaks with Bible scholar Don Stewart about matters of the end times.

Greg Laurie: Well Don, the rapture. Sometimes it's scary. Oh, Jesus is coming. So if I'm a Christian, do I have to be afraid of these things?

Don Stewart: No, it's called our blessed hope in Titus 2:13. We're not afraid of it, we're looking forward to the coming of the Lord. It is a real distinct hope, a blessed hope, and it's something to be very excited about, particularly when we're seeing all these signs right now.

Guest (Male): We know Jesus is coming back. We don't know when. The Bible even tells us that none of us knows the day or the hour. But it also advises us to be ready. It will come suddenly and could happen when we least expect.

Today on a New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie welcomes Bible scholar Don Stewart for a revealing discussion of what the Bible says about God's end times plan. Although we don't know the day or the hour of the rapture, there's so much we do know, and we'll talk about that today.

Greg Laurie: Jesus is coming. The Bible talks about this, people being caught up into the presence of the Lord. But we don't hear this as much as we used to, and I want to talk to Don Stewart about this a little bit tonight. But you hear it as young people. Jesus could come at any time, and Bible prophecies are being fulfilled. Do you hear this much?

Guest (Male): No, not really. I feel like whenever anyone brings up any kind of religion, especially the return of Jesus Christ, people kind of just shun that away, probably more because they're nervous or scared about it and they don't want to face that.

Greg Laurie: I think also, sometimes, the people that will sometimes give this message are kind of crazy people, right? They're the guy standing there with the "end is near" sign. So all these people are nuts, or maybe they set dates. Oh, Jesus is coming back in this particular time. And nobody knows the day or the hour, of course.

But I think for our generation, we'll talk about it a little bit later, but it was a big deal to us. And I kind of feel like I want to bring this back to your generation and to people today. Jesus is coming, and guess what? His coming has never been closer than it is right now. Anybody else have a thought?

Guest (Female): I feel like non-believers are just not ready to accept the fact that Jesus could come back at any time because they don't want to be responsible for their sin yet. They're like, if we're running out of time, that's not good because I want to keep sinning and I don't want to own up until the very last second.

Greg Laurie: I think that's right. One of the reasons we're uncomfortable with this subject is because it kind of freaks you out a little bit like, oh wow, Jesus is coming back because you need to be ready. But that's the whole point. That's one of the reasons why we should teach it because number one, it's biblical. Of course, it's true, which is a part of that. But it does impact you in the way that you live, or at least should. So let's all welcome Don Stewart right now.

Don Stewart: Thank you.

Greg Laurie: So Don, I just found out talking with Don in the back room that we both came to Christ and we both came to Calvary Chapel in the same year. 1970.

Don Stewart: Yep, pretty much. 1970.

Greg Laurie: But you still have your hair and I don't. What happened?

Don Stewart: It looks good.

Greg Laurie: No, it doesn't. So here we both came to the Lord in the middle of this full-blown Jesus Revolution, this thing that I didn't know it was a revolution, did you?

Don Stewart: No, not at all. I was brand new to the faith.

Greg Laurie: Me too.

Don Stewart: I had no idea what was going on. All I knew is, Greg, I needed to be there every night. Something was happening that you could not explain. We would actually wait at the door. We would line up a half hour before the doors of the church opened to get in because the place would be filled right away because God was doing something, something wonderful.

Greg Laurie: What are some of the things you remember of that time, Don? Maybe in the worship, maybe in the messages, maybe in just the overall atmosphere. What do you remember?

Don Stewart: The thing that got me the most was the excitement that was there, that the people actually believed what was being taught and their lives were being changed every night. We'd see people come to Christ and we saw lives that were hopeless now became with hope. Just watching the Lord work and just being part of that and realizing it was something supernatural. That's something that really hit me. Something's going on that I've never seen before.

Greg Laurie: Only God can do that. And we pray it will happen again. But I've said before, if you want to see a revival, do revival-like things. It's like marriage. If you want a strong marriage, I think you be romantic. You don't wait to feel romantic, just do those things.

In the same way, we sought to kind of recreate a little of the sense of it. But I know a big deal at that time, and this is what I want to talk to you about, a big deal at that time was the teaching that Christ could come back any moment. The number one book of the entire decade of the '70s was The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey, which was a book about the end times. Why did we believe that back then? Why was that such a big thing and what impact do you think it had?

Don Stewart: We believed it because it struck a chord in our hearts. Things were happening in the world. This is the '60s. We had all the revolution: sex, drugs, rock and roll, the Beatles, transcendental meditation. It didn't work. We tried everything. It didn't work.

Then someone told this simple message about Jesus and Christ coming back and that He is alive. I'd never heard that before in my entire life. I'd never heard anybody say "praise the Lord" my entire life. I never went to a church where people believe what was being taught my entire life. And I got there and I found this is it.

Greg Laurie: Well Don, the rapture. It was taught a lot back then and a lot of it was things we still talk about today. But everything has moved forward dramatically. Of course, May 14, 1948, Israel—the regathering of the Jewish people is not just a sign of the times, it's a super-sign.

We were relatively close to it back then. And then there were various wars that Israel had: the War of Independence, the '67 War when they were attacked, the '73 War, also called the Yom Kippur War, with the backing of Russia. Why did we care about a war fought on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, that the Egyptians and others came against Israel with the backing of Russia? So what?

Don Stewart: Because the Bible talks about a war that's going to happen in Ezekiel 38 and 39 that's with those participants in it. And so when that happened in '73, that was huge because we had been taught that in 1967, Jerusalem was united. The next big war maybe the war that Ezekiel talked about. And we had a lot of the players in that, so we were very, very thrilled.

Greg Laurie: It was almost like a dress rehearsal. It showed you how quickly things could fall into place. My understanding of last days events is they're sort of like dominoes that are closely stacked together. When the first one falls, they're going to start falling in rapid succession. And so we're waiting for the big domino. In the prophetic calendar, the next event that could happen, we talk about the emergence of Antichrist or the attack against Israel who's regathered in her land, or the rapture. What do you think would be the next event potentially?

Don Stewart: The next one, the dead in Christ rise first, then the rapture of the church. They happen almost simultaneously according to the scripture. But there's other things that could happen, but they don't have to happen, Greg. Christ could come back tonight. We don't know.

Greg Laurie: So now you mentioned how many years it's been. So here we are today. There have been so many things that have happened not only in the decades since but in this decade and in the last even five years. Incredible things. So tell us some things that are happening right now for someone that maybe is listening saying, well, I don't know, I've heard this whole thing about Jesus is coming forever. I think my mom believed it, my grandmother believed it, and her mother believed it. But tell them why this is a more relevant teaching than ever.

Don Stewart: It's more relevant in a number of ways. Number one, the stage is set so precisely, so well, it is literally mind-boggling. For example, in the 38th and 39th chapter of Ezekiel, it talks about a last days battle. When you read through the chapters, there are 10 specific things that are said the world would be like in the last days.

Now, this is 2,500 years ago that was written. So you go and read those chapters. Israel will come back to its ancient homeland. They'll come back to a land that's been made desolate, that they will make into great wealth, which will cause this invasion to come. There are 10 specific things in those chapters the Bible says will happen before this invasion. Every single one of them has already happened right now. In other words, miraculously fulfilled. So you've got that number one.

The players number two. In 1973 when we were there with the Yom Kippur War, Iran was Israel's best friend. But as our Pastor Chuck taught us, they're going to become Israel's worst enemy someday. How can that be? They're the best friend of America. Well, you had the Iranian Revolution in '79, the Shah was deposed, and now they're the biggest state sponsor of terrorism in the entire world.

Greg Laurie: Let's shift gears over to the explosion of technology with the emergence of the smartphone. I mean, let's just take one particular prophecy in particular. In the book of Revelation, after Antichrist is revealed, the Bible talks about how the Lord raises up two prophets. We don't know who they are—Moses and Elijah, maybe, we don't know. But the prophets are killed by the Antichrist and they're laying dead in the street of Jerusalem and the Bible says all the world will see them. Now, back in the day, we had satellite technology. But now literally all the world could see them because we reach in our pocket and pull out that little smartphone and we can all watch something stream simultaneously. This is a fairly recent development.

Don Stewart: It assumes that's the case because all the world will not only see them, there'll be three days when the whole world will rejoice over their death. Now how in the world could the word get out all over the world in three days 2,000 years ago, or even 100 years ago, even 50 years ago? Now we see it in real time.

So that assumes a worldwide technology where in real time people can be seen. And how it happens, well we know now because of the technology. Interesting, I was reading these Bible commentators 100 years ago. It was fascinating. One guy said, I don't know how it's going to happen. I can't imagine, but I don't want to twist God's word. Someday, somehow this will come to pass. He never saw it. We did. We live in that age right now.

Greg Laurie: Okay, so this is all very exciting. But like I was talking with some of these young kids up here, sometimes it's scary. Oh, Jesus is coming. Antichrist is coming. So if I'm a Christian, do I have to be afraid of these things?

Don Stewart: No, it's called our blessed hope in Titus 2:13. We're not afraid of it, we're looking forward to the coming of the Lord. Now let's face it, the world in which we live in, it's getting worse and worse all the time. I think we can all acknowledge that. Won't it be great when there's no more sin, no more death, no more tears, no more dying? That's what it's all about.

And that's something to look forward to. It's a wonderful time. And so as believers, we have a fabulous hope whether we see it in our lifetime or whether we go to meet the Lord, we're going to be there in His presence. It is a realistic hope, a blessed hope, and it's something to be very excited about, particularly when we're seeing all these signs right now.

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie and his guest Don Stewart will have more of this presentation in just a moment. We're so thankful to hear from listeners who share how Pastor Greg's message is touching lives.

Guest (Female): Pastor Greg, my brother is a youth pastor. He and a small group of adults were able to bring 16 kids from his youth group to one of your Harvest Crusades. At the end of your message, 10 of the kids answered the altar call to follow Jesus. One of the girls expressed that she wanted to be baptized, and even my husband, who watched the livestream of the crusade, felt the Holy Spirit urge him to get baptized too. Thank you so much for these opportunities to grow closer to the Lord. God is moving.

Guest (Male): We're grateful to hear of the changed lives through Harvest Ministries. If you have a story to tell of how Pastor Greg's messages have touched your life and that of a family member, I hope you'll contact us. Email Pastor Greg. Send it to greg@harvest.org. That's greg@harvest.org. Well, today Pastor Greg is joined by author and Bible scholar Don Stewart. They're talking about the questions many have about the end times. Let's continue.

Greg Laurie: The rapture. Critics of the rapture say, well you can't find the word "rapture" in the Bible.

Don Stewart: Actually you can. 1 Thessalonians 4:17, it's there.

Greg Laurie: In Latin?

Don Stewart: Yes, it's in Latin. *Rapturus*, is that how you?

Greg Laurie: *Rapere* is the verb and *raptio* is the first noun out of it.

Don Stewart: And *harpazo*?

Don Stewart: *Harpazo* is Greek. He reads Greek, so I always ask him, am I pronouncing it right? You got it right.

So tell us about the *harpazo*. Tell us about the rapture. What is it? How long does it take? Could it happen at any moment? What will it be like when it happens?

There are three passages that teach this. John 14:1 to 3, Jesus alluded to it on the night of His betrayal. He said, "I'm going to prepare a place for you, and if I prepare a place, I will come again and receive you unto Myself." Now He didn't develop that.

It's developed by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:51 to 58 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13 to 18. Basically, what he says is this: there'll come a time when the dead in Christ will rise first. All right, those who have died in Christ will rise. They will receive their glorified body at that time. Right now, they're in the presence of the Lord, but in a non-bodily form. They will rise and as they rise from the dead, we who are alive will be caught up. This is the word *harpazo*, *repere*, that's the rapture. We made a noun out of it, "the rapture." We'll be caught up.

As we're caught up, we're transformed from mortal to immortal, from corruptible to incorruptible. 1 Corinthians 15 tells that. And so not everyone will sleep in death. There will be people, a generation, that will see the coming of the Lord face to face. As quick as you can blink or snap your fingers, you're gone. Just like the song, "I wish we'd all been ready." One second you're there, the next second you're not. That is what the Lord promises and it's going to happen sometime.

Greg Laurie: Why is it important to believe that the rapture could come in our lifetime? Because you know, it's fallen out of fashion with some and some don't teach it at all anymore. Why does it matter?

Don Stewart: It's really important because it gives us something to look forward to, to hope. Because we can live with a lot of things, but I tell you what we can't live without, and that's hope. You've got to have hope to keep you going. And this is a realistic hope. Like again, it's called a blessed hope. And so we need that.

But it's true. Sometimes, Greg, you read something, you hear, "this is too good to be true." No, this is true. It is actually true. Someday we will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Those of us who are alive, those who have passed will go to be with the Lord with a—well the bodies and spirits will join. There'll be one great reunion. 1 Thessalonians 4:18 says, "comfort one another with these words." Because someday there'll be that great reunion in heaven where those that have gone before us, we'll see them again. The word "goodbye" is not in the Christian vocabulary for believers in Christ. It's just "see you later" because we're going to see each other. We're going to see our loved ones someday again face to face with the Lord.

Greg Laurie: That's very true. Thank you so much, Don. How does a person know that they're ready for the rapture, or for that matter, just ready if life were to end? If they were to die, how can you know I'm ready to meet God no matter what happens today or tonight?

Don Stewart: Real simple. The Bible gives us the answers to the three basic questions: Who am I? Why am I here? What's going to happen to me after I die? We can know that we have eternal life. 1 John chapter 5 verse 12 says, "the one that has the Son of God has life; the one that does not have the Son of God does not have life."

But then verse 13 of chapter 5 says this: "I've written these things that you might know that you have eternal life if you've believed on the name of the only begotten Son." So all of us tonight can know by faith we have eternal life if we have believed in Jesus.

And it's a real simple thing to do. That night for me at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa in March 1970, I just said, "I want it." And that was it. It's like the thief on the cross says, "remember me." So it's not so much the words, it's just God reads our heart. That's why when I give the sinner's prayer, I tell people to repeat these words: "Lord, I want to believe in You and trust You the best way that I know how." Just the best way I can do it. And God honors that.

Greg Laurie: That's right. That's right. Let's pray. Father, thank You for this hope we have, this blessed hope that one day everyone will be there that has put their faith in You. We're so thankful for that. The family of God over generations will all be united. We ask You to speak to us as we open Your word now. Speak to us we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Why don't you grab your Bibles and turn with me over to the Gospel of Luke, the 12th chapter. Many years ago, over legal documents and especially financial documents, they used to write these words: *Memento Mori*. And *Memento Mori* means "think of death." It was not there in a morbid way, but there as a reminder like, hey, you may have a lot of money in the bank but *Memento Mori*, think of death.

In the same way, we should just remind ourselves, yeah, it's great whatever you have going on in life, but make sure you're living pure before Him. The Bible says he that has this hope—that is the hope of the Lord's return—purifies himself even as He is pure.

So I think a lot of times we'll study these events like the rapture and the tribulation period and talk about Armageddon and the Antichrist, but it won't affect us. And if it doesn't affect you in the way that you live, man, you've missed the point.

Heard a story about an old man that was walking along and suddenly he heard a voice say to him, "Pick me up and kiss me and I'll become a beautiful princess." He's looking around. Who said that? He thought, "I'm imagining things." He walks a little bit further and hears it again. "Pick me up and kiss me and I'll become a beautiful princess." He looks again. He sees a frog.

For the third time, this is a true story, for the third time the frog says, "Pick me up and kiss me and I'll become a beautiful princess." And he reached down and he picked up the frog, looked at it for a moment, and tucked it in his pocket and kept walking. The frog said, "Didn't you hear what I said? I said kiss me and I'll become a beautiful princess." He said, "At my age, I'd rather have a talking frog."

Talk about missing the point, right? And so that is how it can be. We don't want to miss the point. It's interesting to talk about these things like Don and I just did, but how does this affect you? Jesus gives us the answer in Luke 12. This is our Lord telling us how we are to live in light of His imminent return:

"Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them and put on an apron and serve them as they sit and eat. He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn, but whenever he comes, he'll reward the servants who are ready. Understand this, Jesus is coming."

So we need to be ready to go. Are you ready for the Lord's return?

Guest (Male): A salient question from Pastor Greg Laurie. That's the point of studying Bible prophecy: to help us be ready for the soon return of the Lord. And there's more to come from Pastor Greg's presentation called "Things to Do Before the End of the World" with Don Stewart.

Also, don't forget this moment in history gave birth to the film called Jesus Revolution. It's actually Pastor Greg's personal story set against the backdrop of the Jesus Movement. It's now available for streaming on many platforms. So it's a good time to ask on a personal level, are you yourself ready for the Lord's return? You can be. Pastor Greg, what would you say to the person listening who wants to get ready right now?

Greg Laurie: Yes, I think they need to make this commitment to Christ. Here's what the Bible says: whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved. So you need to reach out to God. Not just think about it, not just say, "one of these days I would like to," just do it.

In fact, you can do it right now. You say, "Well, how do I call out to the name of the Lord?" You do it through prayer. God is just a prayer away. He desires a relationship with you. He wants you to know Him. He wants to reveal Himself to you. So you just need to call out and say, "Lord, save me and help me."

How about if I lead you in a prayer? And you could pray this prayer after me. You can pray it out loud if you'd like. You can pray it quietly in your heart, but direct this prayer toward God. And you could pray it after me right now. You ready? Pray this after me:

Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that You're the Savior. And I want a relationship with You. So as Your word says, I'm calling on the name of the Lord. I'm asking You to save me from my sin. And I'm asking that we begin a new relationship today. Thank You for loving me and sending Your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sin and then raising Him from the dead. I now put my faith and trust in Jesus Christ. And I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Guest (Male): Amen. Listen, if you have just prayed that prayer along with Pastor Greg and you've meant those words sincerely, let us be the first to welcome you into the family of God. And we want to help you get started off right in this new daily walk with the Lord.

Pastor Greg would like to send you his New Believer's Bible. It's a special edition of God's word for those who are new to the faith with scores of helps for new believers written by Pastor Greg. So get in touch and ask for the New Believer's Bible. We'll send it free of charge. Just call 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514. Or just go online to harvest.org and click the words "Know God."

Pastor Greg, we're so thankful for the work God is doing through this ministry. We are touching lives for eternity. And we're really thankful for our friends who see the fruit of this ministry and invest so this work can reach even further, isn't that right?

Greg Laurie: Absolutely. When you invest in Harvest Ministries, you're investing in the souls of men and women, boys and girls. And what is the value of a soul? Well, let me personalize it. What's the value of your soul? What's the value of the soul of your husband, your wife, your son or your daughter, or your mom or your dad, or your best friend? Well, I would say you probably couldn't put a price tag on it. It's so valuable.

Listen, God says, "All souls are mine." God loves us and sent His Son to die on the cross to pay the price for all of our sin so we could be forgiven and come into a relationship with Him. I can't think of a better investment of my resources, of my money, than in the work of the kingdom of God. So we would ask you to prayerfully consider investing in Harvest Ministries as we continue on to fulfill the Great Commission.

Guest (Male): Yeah, that's right. And you can make your donation right now at harvest.org. Or write us at A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514. Or call 1-800-821-3300. That's a 24/7 phone number, 1-800-821-3300.

Next time, Pastor Greg brings us more insight on being ready for the Lord's return. We'll see a biblical picture of those who are ready and those who aren't. Join us here on a New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.