Apply Within

Bob Davis: Any minute Jesus will come. He promised to take his church out of and away from the trouble. And he will. I believe it will be before the tribulation begins. So, we are so close to the tribulation right now, you better put a scarf on so your hair doesn't get messed up. It is going to be fast. You laugh, and I say it is true. I just cannot give you a day or an hour. Jesus did not either. What did he say? Soon. Be ready, get ready, soon.

Guest (Male): Welcome to Apply Within, a verse-by-verse study of the word of God with Pastor Bob Davis of North Country Chapel. We invite you to join with us as we, by the power of God's Holy Spirit, apply his word within our own hearts as we study line upon line, precept upon precept, verse-by-verse through the Bible. As we begin 2 Timothy chapter 3, Paul warns of difficult times that will come in the last days. Here is Pastor Bob.

Bob Davis: We are going to go slow here, but here is why. This know also. Let me put it in American: you need to know this. You, Christian, personally need to know it. He is talking to Timothy, and when you read it that way, you miss the point. You say, "Well, I am not Timothy, I am not a pastor, I am not a teacher, this isn't for me." It is for all of us. This is for every one of us. We are the prophets. We are the teachers. If you are born again, you know a lot more about Jesus Christ than any non-believer knows.

So, look at this: this you also know. What is it? That in the last days, perilous times will come. We are in them. Paul said he was in them. It has been that hard all the time. So, Christian, this know also. I looked that up. You could say it this way: you need to know this. You need to know this, Christian. You say, "Well, I am not a teacher." Everybody is a teacher. You need to know this. If you do not know it, why don't you know it? You have got your Bible. You know it.

Know this also. When we talk about know, if you want to look to the Greek, *ginosko*. It means to know, not just to think. This I know. Jesus loves me; this I actually know. Not "I wonder," not "I heard the song," but *ginosko* means to know, to gain or receive an understanding. Timothy, not just Timothy, but Bob, and all of us. This is something you need to know. Maybe you never read it that way before, but that is exactly what it is saying. This know also. Not just Timothy, but you. You need to learn and know this.

Paul is saying to Timothy, but not just Pastor Timothy, but to you and me. Now you are sorry that you are here in this study, huh? Because now you are held responsible too. If I just be quiet and you read it to yourself, you still are required to know. That is what I love about this. Paul gives Timothy and every one of us a description of the conditions that will exist in the world right before Jesus comes back for his church.

This also know, that in the last days perilous times shall come. In other words, it must happen, not it could happen if things go bad. Paul is telling Timothy, and you, and me what to look for and what to expect in the last days. You are living in them. Look around. We are living in the last days. Jesus could come now. Are you waiting for something else? "Well, I am not smart enough and I do not read my Bible enough." Take a minute and start, because this is it. We are in the game. This is the Pro Bowl. We are in it now.

This is what we should be looking for. You need to know this. You need to know it and understand it. To gain or receive an understanding, you need to learn and know these things. Why? Because somebody you work with, or that goes to school with you, or that you have friends with while having coffee might ask you. You should be the answer person. You are the answer girl. You are the answer guy. We have all the answers here. We may not know them all, but we know how to find them.

We have to answer people's questions. I do that for a living online, in emails, in texts, in everything, and in phone calls with people I have never met in my life. Somehow they got the phone number and they ask questions and they really want to know the answer to those questions. You take them to the word of God. You show them what the word of God says. They need to see that with their own eyes and then read it again when nobody is looking. That is how we do it. Paul tells Timothy and me and you what to look for in the last days.

I am still in verse one in case you are wondering where we are at. Pick up your Bible and see for yourself. This know also, in the last days. The last days of what? The last days of the earth? No, the last days of the church, because the church is going to be raptured. And it is going to be soon. I do not have a date or an hour, and neither do you. So, you should be ready now. We are ready now.

I think too much of the church, looking at some churches, does not believe in the rapture. You know they are going to believe it when they go, though. You do not have to believe it to get raptured. You have to believe in Jesus Christ to be saved. Everything else, just hang on and comb your hair. Get ready to go. Put a hat on, do something, because this know, that in the last days perilous—mark the word—perilous times will come. Not might, but will.

We are in it. Have you ever seen the danger that is going on all around the world now? There is fighting on almost every continent. Fighting and wars. Notice that? It is picking up. It is getting bigger. As my son used to say, and worser. It is getting worse. Because of Jesus Christ's promise, that means the days preceding the rapture of the church. That is what he is talking about. Know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. A rapture is coming.

I know what you are saying: "Well, Pastor Bob, you always say that." I have been saying it since 1973. And it is going to happen. You are going to be shocked and stunned unless you are ready. Tie your shoes. You do not know when you are going to have to fly. Listen closely, though. This is still verse one. We are killing it, aren't we? Throughout the history of the true church, not the false churches that pop up everywhere, but throughout the true church, the greatest men and women of the faith have all lived their lives believing that the Lord's coming was near.

Did you know that? Paul expected to be raptured in his lifetime. So did Peter and James and John. And that was 2,000 years ago. Think about it. The greatest men and women of the faith all through the centuries believed that the Lord's coming was at any minute. All of those people died expecting to be raptured. You know which part of the church is not expecting it? The one we are living in right now. Something has happened and most people do not even believe there is a rapture.

It is still in the Bible. You cannot erase it. You cannot take it away. But people say, "That is not going to happen. It is going to be a mid-trib. It is going to be a post-trib. There is going to be no trib at all." We have the kingdom people all over the place. The kingdom now. Their plan is to get everybody saved, and once everybody is saved, Jesus is going to go, "Oh good, it is safe for me to come down." Like he was afraid. Stay away from that kingdom now stuff, would you please?

I am starting to get old and I am getting tired of playing with it. Quit messing with the stuff. Get out of it, stay away from it, throw your books away, and burn them if you have to, because you have got your Bible. And the whole true church, Paul expected to be taken to heaven. He says, and we that are alive and remain will be taken up. He expected to go. I am expecting to go. If I die, you keep expecting to go, because it is going to be any minute at a time you do not know.

Throughout the history of the true church, way back there with Peter, James, John, and Jesus Christ himself saying it, the greatest men and women of the faith have all lived their lives believing the Lord was coming soon. They were looking for him. Are you looking for him? In the last days, perilous times are coming. I say they are here. It is the worst I have ever seen it in my tiny little life. I have never seen anything like it.

Even though the Lord did not come when those people thought he would, looking for his return impacted their lives in such a way that they left a mark in history. Peter and the saints of the church were true followers of Jesus Christ. Listen, or you can turn there if you are quick because it is just in the next chapter, but I am going to throw that in right here. Listen to Paul in 2 Timothy chapter 4, verses 6 through 8.

Listen to Paul. This is Paul the apostle who is telling Timothy and all of us these things. Listen: "For I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand." He knows he is going to be put to death, or either get raptured right before they put him to death. He says, "I am ready now to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand." Any time now.

"I have fought a good fight. I have finished my race. I have kept the faith. Henceforth, from this part on, 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 love his appearing." Did you hear the last words? We are supposed to love his appearing. Do you know most of the churches today are not looking for Jesus to come back?

Did you hear what Paul said? That he will give me at that day the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, and not only to me but unto all them also that love his appearing. I ask you a question: do you love his appearing? Are you looking for Jesus Christ to come back? Or are you saying, "He is not going to come back, I will probably go ahead and die and it is just never going to happen"?

Wait, those that love his appearing are going to get special rewards because we were still looking for him. Are you looking for him, or do you just say, "I'll do this and that, I want to retire and I hope I can do this"? Are you looking for Jesus to come back? That is what all those saints for the last 2,000 years were doing. That is why some of them went into the ministry. You go into the ministry, you have got to be insane, but that is why they did it. It was a calling in their life. Look at you, you are a Christian. Like it or not, you are part of the Christian mafia. You know too much to get out. You are going to walk in it by faith for the rest of your days.

Think about the people. I did not make a big list, but I have got a list. Think about the people who expected to be raptured: Paul, Peter, James, John, Luther. He did not go that far, but at least he came out of the Catholic Church and knew what was not correct. So, Luther, Calvin. Remember way back, Calvin. You know, the Calvinists today are five-pointers. Calvin could not fit in. He would not even be called a Calvinist because they have gone so far over into the twilight zone.

But that is Luther, Calvin, and Spurgeon believed Jesus Christ would come in his lifetime and take the church away. He did. Finney. Remember Finney? How about Dwight Moody? How about Torrey? Now we are coming up to the people I know: Dave Hunt, Chuck Smith. All of those people that I just listed—and there are thousands of others, but those are names you ought to know—all of them felt the Lord's coming was close at hand.

You could put Bob Davis in there too if you want. I am absolutely nobody, but I am still believing that me and all the rest of the saints right now are looking for Jesus Christ to come back now. We were doing rapture drills back there in 1980 and it looked stupid and I loved it. We all jumped in the air. Somebody yells and we all jump in the air. Why? Because I really figured it was going to happen. Now I am old and I still think it is going to happen. You will have to throw me up because I cannot jump as hard. And we will be cool. I do not have a lot of hair like I used to, so that will not hold me down.

I could give you more if you need a list. You can look them up. Look at the pastors, the people, the missionaries that have served knowing any minute Jesus will come. He promised to take his church out of and away from the trouble. And he will. I believe it will be before the tribulation begins. So, we are so close to the tribulation right now, you better put a scarf on so your hair doesn't get messed up. It is going to be fast. You laugh, and I say it is true. I just cannot give you a day or an hour. Jesus did not either. What did he say? Soon. Be ready, get ready, soon.

The church. I am still in verse one. You thought I forgot, huh? Know this, Christian, right now. In the last days. We are in them right now. Perilous times will come. Paul is not just picking words that sound cool, he is using the words that you need to understand. The church is headed for more and more troubles every day. It is worse today than it was yesterday. It is getting absolutely insane.

If you do not think so, take a look at the news. It is nuts out there. It is not safe out there. Your children are not safe. Nobody is safe. The government opened up the borders and all kinds of things came in. Critters and demons, etc., all kinds of things are in. You are not going to get them out. This is not the America that you even know anymore. Do not act like it is or you are in trouble. I mean, it is collapsing. Look at it. I am not afraid of it. I am looking forward to going home. The church is headed for more and more troubles as the minutes go by.

Remember Paul's words to the leaders of the church at Ephesus. His heart was broken. He wept as he gave them the speech. I won't do the whole thing for you, but remember the words that Paul told the leaders of the church at Ephesus. Paul spoke to the elders and he wept when he said it. It is Acts chapter 20, verses 29 through 31. Acts 20:29-31. Do not mess with it. Listen to what it says.

Paul says, "I know this, after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock." He says, "I'm going to Jerusalem." And he is talking to the elders. Go give this message to the church at Ephesus. I know this for a fact, God has told me, he says. After I leave shall grievous wolves enter into the flock, the church, not sparing the flock. They are going to rip that church to pieces like the church in America is.

I mean, they do not have the gospel anymore. They do not know what the gospel is. They are using these different additions and they are changing everything. Grab a Bible that is good and solid and do not give it up for the next new cool thing, because you are going to lose the truth. That is what is happening in churches. Now they are not using the Old Testament more and more. Even some of the Calvaries. Those are my brothers and I love them and they know better, but they are not doing the Old Testament. It is a waste of their time. I am thinking, Lord, strike them dead in love, though, because they are going to hurt people.

He says there are going to be grievous wolves enter into the flock and destroy it. Also of your own selves, in your own fellowships, shall men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them. They do not want you to follow Jesus, they want you to follow them. They want you to listen to them and them only. We are going to look at the Bible and the Bible only. That is where we are going to live.

And verse 31. Therefore, when you see therefore, look and see what it is there for. Here he says therefore, watch. Because of what I just told you, Christian, you should be watching. You should be paying attention to what is going on in the country, what is going on in the state, and what is going on in this city of ours, as they are crazy. Ever notice how everybody is a Christian when you vote for them? Then you vote for them because they said they were Christians and they get in a town council and they do just the opposite of what a Christian should do? I think, got me again, didn't they? I believed those idiots, God bless them.

But that is what he is saying. Therefore, watch. You, Christian, stay in the word. Put your nose in there and keep in there and keep learning. Therefore, watch and remember. He says the space of three years, Paul said, I ceased not to warn everyone of you night and day with tears. Paul wrote it in all kinds of books in the New Testament. Watch out, everything's falling apart. It is getting worse as we go. Watch out.

Paul warned and warned and warned. He expected to be raptured. I gave you a list: Torrey did, Moody did, Calvin did, Spurgeon did, Finney did, etc. I should count your name in there too. We are expecting Jesus Christ to come and get us. Why? Because he said so. I cannot tell you when.

Guest (Male): Thank you for listening to Apply Within with Pastor Bob Davis. Apply Within is a radio outreach ministry of North Country Chapel. Our Sunday morning Bible studies are 9:00 and 11:00 AM. We also have a Friday evening Bible study at 7:00 PM and a Monday evening Bible study at 7:00 PM.

You can download today's message in its entirety at NorthCountryChapel.com/studies. That is NorthCountryChapel.com/studies. If you would like a copy of today's message, write to us and ask for the message with today's date. The address is: Apply Within, 2281 West Seltice, Post Falls, Idaho 83854. Or call us at 1-800-572-8851. That number again is 1-800-572-8851.

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