A New Beginning

Guest (Male): Are we indeed getting closer to the Lord's return? Pastor Greg Laurie says yes. And coming up today on A New Beginning, he points to the evidence.

All around us are what we would call signs of the times. It seems like every day you turn around—not even every day, every couple of hours—there's a new news cycle, some dramatic event. So how should we react to the things happening in the world today? Here's what Jesus said: Don't freak out. Look up.

A lot of big things have happened in our world recently. In the last weeks, months, and even a few years, we've seen earth-shaking developments, many of which seem to pop up overnight. Well, God's word tells us about some changes coming that we can't even imagine. It'll be a time of great tribulation.

Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie answers our questions and gives us the reassurance we need. We'll see God has a plan, and that plan includes us.

Greg Laurie: Let's turn to two passages together: John 14 and Matthew 24. Jesus and the last days. A number of years ago, I was in Israel leading a tour, and we came to a place called Gideon Spring. Remember the story of Gideon and his 300? He had an army of 10,000 people, and the Lord said, "There's too many people in your army," so the Lord wanted to shrink that army.

They said if you're fearful and afraid, go home, and a lot of people left. The army is getting smaller. Then the Lord had them go down to this little spring of water, and the Lord said, "Choose the ones who are ready and alert," because they went down and got down on one knee and pulled the water up to their face, watching for an ambush or an enemy. "Those are the ones I will save you by," the Lord said.

I'm teaching on this story and I had our youth pastor with us. Now he's a pastor of a church in LA. His name is Steve Wilburn, but at that time, he was our youth pastor. I said, "Steve, demonstrate how they would have drunk the water." So Steve gets down on one knee and he starts cupping the water, pulling it up to his mouth. I said, "See, that's how they did it." Then for the first time, I noticed a sign that said, "Do not drink this water. It is polluted." Fortunately, Steve survived that.

It's good to read the signs. Sometimes we miss what's on them. One time I was speaking at a church on Oahu. I was up next, so I thought I would hit the restroom really fast. They had the weirdest signage I've ever seen. It said men and women. Men door, women door. But what I didn't notice is each one had arrows on it. It said men with an arrow pointing this way to the other door. Same with the women.

I went right into the women's restroom. I didn't notice. I was in a stall, and all of a sudden, I heard all of these female voices. What is going on? Why are these girls in the men's room? Then I realized I was in their room. I was so embarrassed, I pulled my feet up so you wouldn't even see my feet. I'm waiting, and it's getting quieter. There's one girl left, and I peeked through the little crack in the stall, and it's my wife.

I said, "Kathy." She says, "Greg, what are you doing in here?" I said, "It's a long story. Are the girls gone?" "Yes." Boom! You've never seen a man move so fast to get out of that bathroom. I didn't read the signage very well.

All around us are what we would call signs of the times. They're all saying one thing: Jesus is coming. Even skeptics, even non-believers, are asking, "Haven't I heard about this somewhere before? Is this what you Christians call Armageddon or the last days?" They're wondering about it because of the things that are happening. It seems like every day you turn around—not even every day, every couple of hours—there's a new news cycle, some dramatic event. So many of these events are saying Jesus is coming back again.

How should we react to the things happening in the world today? Here is what Jesus says in John 14:1. "Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me. 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. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself."

Here's what Jesus is saying: Don't freak out. Don't worry. The Bible says when you see these things begin to happen, look up for your redemption is drawing near. It doesn't say when you see these things begin to happen, freak out. Look up. Why should I be calm? Why should I be looking up? How can I not have a troubled heart? Number one, He has a place prepared for me in heaven. Number two, He's coming for me.

Let's talk a little bit about this. Now, some people are frightened by this subject, but consider this: Bible prophecy is not given to scare us, but to prepare us. We need to know about these things. These are important topics to discuss. Let's just start with that statement of Christ in John 14. He says, "I'm going to prepare a place for you, and I will come again and receive you to Myself."

Jesus is referring to the Rapture. Now, there's confusion about the Rapture and the Second Coming. They're actually two separate events. I'll explain the Rapture in a few moments because it is somewhat controversial. But the Rapture happens before the Great Tribulation period. The Second Coming happens at the end of the Great Tribulation period.

This is something He's referring to because He says, "I'm going to come and receive you to Myself." That phrase "receive" could be translated "to bring close." It's the same word used in Matthew 24:40 where Jesus describes one being taken and the other left. Two men will be in a field; one will be taken and the other left. Two will be in a bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two will be grinding at a mill; one will be taken and the other left.

Years ago, I was laying in bed with my wife. It's okay, we're married. We were actually newlyweds, and we were talking about the return of the Lord. We were saying we could just be caught up to heaven. We could go to bed and wake up in heaven. Kathy was talking about how wonderful it will be, and I just had this devious thought. Wouldn't it be funny if I quietly slipped out of the bed and she thought she missed the Rapture somehow?

I very quietly slipped out of bed. I was laying on the floor, and she's saying, "Greg, just think about it. We'd just wake up in heaven, Greg. Greg? Greg!" I'm on the floor laughing. Don't try this at home. I am a professional idiot. That's what I am. But it really will happen, and it's no joke. Two will be in a bed shows it will happen for some at night. Two will be in a field shows for others it would happen in the morning or the afternoon. It's a universal event that will take place.

The teaching of the Rapture was given 2,000 years ago by Jesus on the Mount of Olives. He answered a question they asked: "What will be the sign of Your coming?" Let me update that. Lord, how will we know when we're actually in the last days? Jesus gives this long answer. This is the longest answer He gave to any question in the Bible. Sometimes it's called the Olivet Discourse because He said it on the Mount of Olives.

He's telling us what the future will be. Understand when God—I hesitate to use the word predict, because predict suggests that it may or may not be true—when God speaks of the future, it's fact. It's as factual as if He was speaking of the present or even of the past, because God lives in the eternal realm. When He says something is going to happen, it's not as though the Lord is going out on a limb somehow. It's certain. It's absolute.

He gives a flyover of the end times events here in Matthew 24. Let's read a few of those verses starting in verse 3. "As He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, 'Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?' Jesus answered and said to them: 'Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, "I am the Christ," and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.'"

Drop down now to verse 8 of Matthew 24. "All these are the beginning of sorrows." Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place—whoever reads, let him understand—we'll stop right there.

Here's an important thing. God wants us to know about these things. Notice as Jesus mentions the abomination of desolation, which, by the way, is after the temple is rebuilt by the Antichrist. He will do something that offends God. He'll declare himself as God in the temple. That's the abomination of desolation. But notice the Bible says, "Let the reader understand." Like, understand what I'm saying.

Someone would say we can't understand these things. No, that's not true, because it's not God's desire to conceal, but to reveal. We need to know about end times events. I think we need more preaching in pulpits today about end times events. It's very important for us to understand this.

This was talked about so much more years ago. In the Jesus movement, you heard about it all the time. Now it's becoming rare to hear a preacher talk about this, and I think it's unfortunate because I think people really want to know about it. Paul even writes in Thessalonians, "Brothers, I don't want you to be ignorant about these things."

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. We love to hear stories of how lives are impacted through Pastor Greg's studies.

"Pastor Greg, listening to you every day on my way to work reminds me to focus myself on the Lord so that I may serve Him in every way, even at work. One morning as I was listening, you mentioned reading the Bible in a year, and that sparked my need to do the same. So far, I'm halfway through reading the Bible. Thank you, Pastor Greg, and praise God."

Has Pastor Greg heard from you? Why not drop him an email? Send it to Greg@harvest.org. That's Greg@harvest.org. Well, you've joined us for Pastor Greg's message about the end times called Jesus and the Last Days. Let's get back into it.

Greg Laurie: Point number one: The Tribulation period begins with the emergence of Antichrist. Verse 5: "Many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many." There is a period of time coming on the Earth called the Great Tribulation period. It is my firm belief that Christians will not be in the Great Tribulation period. In fact, I don't even think the Great Tribulation period can start until the church—I mean Christians—are removed from this Earth.

The Antichrist is going to emerge on the scene as a great world leader, a man with peaceful overtures, a man with economic solutions. In fact, no one will be able to buy or sell unless you have taken his convenient little mark. It's going to be a cashless society. He's going to do what no other leader has ever been able to do, and some will even hail him as the Messiah.

The prefix "anti" doesn't just mean "against," it also means "instead of." He's a false Christ. He's a false Messiah, masquerading as Messiah. But the Tribulation period lasts for seven years, and at the three-and-a-half-year mark—midway—he shows his true colors, commits the abomination of desolation, and then the judgment of God is poured out upon the planet.

In my opinion, the next event is the Rapture. Then Antichrist, then this seven-year period, this peace treaty is signed, culminating in the Battle of Armageddon fought in the Valley of Megiddo in Israel. Then Christ returns in the Second Coming, and then the Millennium begins. The word millennium means 1,000. The 1,000-year reign of Christ on the Earth. This is where, when you read about the lion and the lamb together and all that, that happens in the Millennium.

Finally, heaven comes to Earth. Effectively, the New Jerusalem, adorned as a bride for her husband, comes down from heaven to Earth. So the Tribulation begins with the emergence of Antichrist. Now, I said I don't think Antichrist can emerge until the church is removed. Why? Because we're told over in 2 Thessalonians 2:7, "He who now restrains will continue to do so until he is taken out of the way. And then that wicked one will be revealed, whom the Lord will destroy with the brightness of His coming."

There's a restraining force in the world today. It is stopping the wholesale spread of evil, and that restraining force is the Holy Spirit working through the church. We are to do good. We are to love people. We are to reach out to people. We do that every day. But we also have to speak out against that which is evil.

We're a restraining force. Now imagine a world for a moment if the Christians were gone. Who's going to say, "Well, that's not right. No, we shouldn't do that. That's wrong"? No, there'll be very few voices like that. We do that, and I hope we'll keep doing that. But the emergence of Antichrist starts the Tribulation period, which cannot begin until the church is removed. Therefore, don't be trying to figure out who the Antichrist is.

Every now and then, someone says, "I know who the Antichrist is." No, you don't. You don't know. In fact, the Bible never tells us to be looking for the Antichrist, but it does tell us to be looking for Jesus Christ. So that should be our focus, right?

The Tribulation period ends with the return of Christ to the Earth. Verse 30, Jesus says, "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." It doesn't say Greg Laurie; great glory. Though I do expect to be there, because when Christ returns at the Second Coming, the Bible says He'll return with thousands of saints.

I expect to be one of those saints, and I expect you to be one as well. So we will indeed return with Him. This is the promise of scripture, and this is what we should be focusing on. Verse 7: "Nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom. There'll be famines, pestilences, earthquakes in various places." It all culminates in the Valley of Megiddo for the Battle of Armageddon.

Now let's shift gears and look at Matthew 24:36 where Jesus warns about date setting. Why is this important? Because every now and then, someone comes along and says, "I know when Jesus is coming back again." There was a book in 1988 actually titled *88 Reasons Why Christ Will Come Back in 1988*. Millions of them sold until 1989.

No one knows the day or the hour. This is what Jesus says. Look at verse 36. "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and took them all away. So will the coming of the Son of Man be. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour the Lord is coming. Know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect."

Jesus is talking here about the Rapture, not the Second Coming. Listen to this: I know when the Second Coming is. No one knows when the Rapture is. You say, "Greg, what do you mean? You know when the Second Coming is?" It's at the end of the Tribulation period.

In the Rapture, He comes for His church. In the Second Coming, He returns with His church. In the Rapture, He's delivering us before judgment. In the Second Coming, He's returning with judgment. When is the Second Coming? At the end of the Tribulation period. Once it begins, it'll be seven years. No one knows the exact date, I don't think, but you have a general sense of when it will be. Rapture, we don't know when that's going to happen.

That's what Jesus is talking about right here. So if someone comes along and says, "I know the exact date of Christ's return," you can be sure of one thing: they're wrong. It's as simple as that. Now, could this happen in our generation? Yes. Will it? I don't know. But I hope so. I think we need to be ready for it, because I do believe with the events that are happening before our very eyes right now, it could happen at any time.

Guest (Male): Some candid insights on what's to come in God's end-times plan. Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie with a message called Jesus and the Last Days. And there's more to come in this study. You know, this message is eye-opening, and there may be someone listening who knows they're not ready to meet the Lord. How can they take care of that, Pastor Greg? What would you say to them?

Greg Laurie: I would say that God is just a prayer away. It doesn't take years to become a Christian. It doesn't take months. Frankly, it doesn't even take hours. It can happen so quickly. It just starts with you saying to God, "I know I'm a sinner. I know that You love me. I know that You sent Jesus to die on the cross for my sin and pay for those sins, and then to rise again from the dead, and I want Him to come into my life."

So here's my question to you: Have you done that yet? Because Jesus, who did die on that cross and rose again from the dead three days later, is alive and standing at the door of your life right now, and He's knocking. He's saying, "If you'll hear My voice and open the door, I will come in."

Would you like your sin forgiven? Would you like to know that when you die, you will go to heaven? Do you want Christ to come into your life right now? If so, why don't you just stop whatever it is you're doing and pray this prayer with me? You could pray it out loud, you can pray it in the quietness of your own heart. But pray this prayer to God.

Say, "Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, but I know that You are the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. I'm sorry for my sin, and I turn from it now. I choose to follow You from this moment forward. I ask all of this in Jesus' name. Amen."

Listen, if you just prayed that prayer, the Bible promises that God has heard your prayer and has answered that prayer. The Bible says if we will confess our sin, He's faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So God bless you. You've made the right decision, the decision to follow Jesus Christ.

Guest (Male): That's right. And listen, as you begin to live this new life, we want to send you something to help you get started off right. It's Pastor Greg's *New Believer's Bible*. It's in an easy-to-understand translation, plus hundreds and hundreds of study helps, especially for those who are new to the faith. It'll answer the questions you may have.

Get in touch for the *New Believer's Bible*. We'll send it to you free of charge. Just call 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org and click on "Know God."

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Next time, more insight on God's plan for the end times as Pastor Greg answers some questions about the Rapture. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.