HopeLives365

Mark Finley: Please don't put off an encounter with Jesus Christ until it's too late. Make your commitment now. This is your invitation. Think of what it'll be like to look up into the face of Jesus.

Guest (Male): This is Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. Today's message: Longing for Our Home, Part 1. Enjoy and remember you can always catch up with past messages and stay up to date with Hope Lives 365 and Pastor Mark by going to hopelives365.com. And now, Pastor Mark Finley.

Mark Finley: Rwanda is a small landlocked mountainous country in East-Central Africa. Although most people remember Rwanda for its horrific genocide which killed over 800,000 people in 1994, today its varied ethnic groups live peacefully. Recently I visited Rwanda sharing the message of God's love and the hopeful Bible prophecies regarding the future.

One evening after my presentation in the capital city, Kigali, as I was leaving the auditorium, a young boy stopped me. He must have been eight, maybe nine years old. With a touch of sadness in his voice he said, "Sir, I have no daddy. Would you be my daddy?" Orphans throng Kigali city streets. They often beg for a few cents to survive.

But this lad moved me to the core of my being. I got a lump in my throat. There was a knot in the pit of my stomach and a tear in my eye. I put my arm around his shoulder and gently said, "Son, you have a heavenly Father much better than me. One day He will send His Son, Jesus, to come and take you home. You'll never be lonely again."

Soon, many more orphans came. They gathered around me. There were so many of them. And I looked into the eyes of these young boys and I thought to myself, their only hope, their only hope is in this life to get some help, some support, maybe somebody sponsors them to school. That's why my wife and I sponsor orphan children to school in Africa.

But I thought, we've got to help them here, but the ultimate solution is the coming of Jesus. And I thought, these boys are never going to have to roam the streets begging again. They'll never be homeless again because there's a God that loves them. He's coming again for them.

Yes, I believe that we must do everything we can for orphan children and make sacrifices for them. But I know that no matter how many orphans we help, there are more to help. And so as I hugged that little boy that night and I said to him, "There's a God in heaven and Jesus is going to come and He's going to take you home," he smiled back at me as if to say, "I understand."

A faint glimmer of hope pierced the darkness of his life. The thought of our Lord's return lifted his spirits. The second coming of Christ is more than some religious boring dogma. It's much more than an uninteresting tenet of a religious creed. To millions, it's the one thing that keeps them going day after day.

The return of our Lord has buoyed the spirits of people of all ages for centuries. It's the blessed hope for the young couple whose first child was born dead, for the wife whose husband died with lung cancer, for the father whose son was killed by a drunk driver, for the parents whose boy was gunned down in a gangland slaying.

The survivors of earthquakes, floods, and tornadoes who long to be reunited with their loved ones find hope in the second coming of Christ. Bible prophecy foretells the return of our Lord 1,500 times. It's found once in every 25 verses in the New Testament. For every prophecy on the first coming of Christ in the Old Testament, get this, there are eight referring to the second coming of Christ.

The second coming of Christ, the return of our Lord in the clouds of glory, is a certainty in the Bible. For the Bible prophets, the return of our Lord is not guesswork. It's definite. The Psalmist David declares in Psalm 50:3, "Our God shall come and not keep silent." The Apostle Paul adds, "The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven," 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 16.

The Lord Himself shall descend, not He might descend, not it's likely that He'll return, not it's highly possible that He'll return, not the odds are pointing in His favor. No, He says the Lord shall descend from heaven. There's a definiteness about that. The angels testify, in fact, in Acts chapter 1 verses 9 to 11.

When the disciples were standing there watching Jesus ascending into heaven in glory, the angels stood by and they said, "This same Jesus shall come in like manner as you've seen Him go into heaven." And remember Jesus Himself promised. Jesus said, "Let not your heart be troubled." John 14, chapter 1 to 3, Jesus said, "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," Jesus says, "I will come again." We praise God that these promises of the Bible are true.

The second coming of Christ is one of the most prominent themes of the New Testament. It's the blessed hope of every Christian. Yet many Bible-believing churchgoers are totally misled on this subject. Unwittingly, they've accepted a counterfeit which has no foundation in the Bible. They've accepted error in the place of truth.

They've accepted falsehood rather than what the Bible says. They've read books about prophecy rather than the teaching of the Bible itself. Satan is preparing their minds for his greatest deception. You say, "Greatest deception?" One way Satan wants to detour every hoping Christian is to set us up for a bold, convincing impersonation of the second coming of Christ.

Could this really be possible? The Bible says yes, it can be. It will be. Listen. Satan the devil is a fallen angel with awesome supernatural powers. God's Word does its best to warn us. In 2 Corinthians 11:14, it says, "Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." Once heaven's highest angel, Lucifer, Satan won't hesitate to pass himself off as the brilliant, magnetic angel he once was.

He was this majestic angel with this magnetic power personality to draw other angels around him. And the Bible says one-third of the angels fell with him, that were cast out of heaven in Revelation chapter 12. That's why Jesus, after talking to His disciples about His second coming and giving the signs of the times, where Jesus said that you be warned.

He warns us, Matthew 24 verse 25 and 26. He says, "See, I've told you before." He told us when before it would happen. "Therefore, if they say to you, 'Look, He's in the desert,' do not go out. 'Look, He's in the inner chambers,' do not believe it." Jesus knew that an attempt would be made to impersonate His second coming.

Revelation 12 verse 12 says, "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth, for the devil has come down to you having great wrath because he knows he has a short time." The shorter the time to Jesus' return, the greater will be Satan's wrath and his deceptions. As time runs out, Satan will become more desperate to deceive millions with a false second coming.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Hope Lives 365. We'll be right back. And if you like what you're hearing, we invite you to check out our website, hopelives365.com. There you can find many ministry resources, encouraging messages, and even a link to our Hope Lives 365 YouTube ministry. And of course, an opportunity to sow into this valuable ministry. Find out more by going to hopelives365.com. That's hopelives365.com. And now, back to Pastor Mark Finley.

Mark Finley: I want to ask you seriously, what if a cry went out? "Christ is in San Francisco. Christ is in Moscow. He's come, he's in Sao Paulo, or Nairobi, or Rome. He's walking the streets, he's stretching out his hands, he's returned. Come to meet Christ." He's even uttering the words of the Sermon on the Mount.

Thousands are coming to him. They're being healed of cancer, blindness. They're being raised up off beds of illness. Come to Christ. What if he were supposedly in this large stadium with 80, 90, 100,000 people, the great stadiums of the world? What if he were healing people, preaching sermons that seemed like they were very loving?

Would you go? How would you know if it were the true Christ or the devil himself? Someone says, "Oh, Satan could never work miracles, that's how I'd know." Someone else says, "Satan could never heal people of cancer or blindness, only God could do that." Don't be so sure.

The last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation, warns the last generation of Christians about spirits of devils. Listen to this. Revelation 16 verse 14, "working miracles which go forth unto the kings of the earth and the whole world." I'm simply quoting the Bible. Revelation 16:14 says that the spirits of devils would work what? Miracles.

And what would they do? They'd go forth to the kings of the earth. So can the devil work miracles, yes or no? Yes, that's what the Bible says. If the devil can make people sick, he can simply withdraw his hand and apparently heal them. Now don't misunderstand me.

God can work miracles. Does God work miracles? Absolutely. But won't the devil with his supernatural power counterfeit those miracles to accomplish his own purpose of deceiving people? Remember the story of Moses in the book of Exodus. Moses cast down his rod and it becomes a serpent.

And what do the magicians there do? They cast down their rods, the magicians of Egypt, and they become serpents. So they work the miracle. It was a false counterfeit miracle, of course. Now Moses' serpent of course ate them up. You see, what if Satan actually repeats some of Jesus' beautiful words?

What if he works miracles to deceive people? Indeed he will, that's what the Bible warns us against. The Apostle Paul sounds an urgent alarm regarding the one who is coming after the working of Satan with all power, signs, and lying wonders. 2 Thessalonians chapter 3 verse 9.

So the Antichrist will come with the working of Satan with all power, signs, and lying wonders. Satan masqueraded in the Garden of Eden as a kind benefactor of the race. He deceived Eve into thinking he had her best good in mind. Again, Satan will attempt to deceive millions into thinking he is the originator of all good things.

He'll deceive people through miraculous signs and awesome wonders. How can you and I be kept from these deceptions of Satan? How can we be kept from these last-day delusions? There's only one way. And that's knowing what the Bible really teaches about Christ's second coming.

God will never allow Satan to counterfeit the genuine return of Jesus. That's beyond his diabolical power. So if we understand how Christ is going to come, and Bible prophets clearly tell us just how He will come, we won't be deceived. Satan is the counterfeiter.

Before I share with you what these true prophets have told us about the genuine return of Jesus, I want to warn you about the second way Satan will try to counteract the second coming. Besides impersonation, he'll also try counterfeiting. He'll come up with a counterfeit doctrine of the second coming.

In fact, he's already done this and millions have been swept into it. It's called the secret rapture, that Jesus will just kind of sneak back. Entire denominations teach this doctrine. The best-selling book, "Left Behind" series, is based on it. It's preached all over religious television. It's preached on religious radio.

Guest (Male): You're listening to Hope Lives 365. We'll be right back. And if you like what you're hearing, we invite you to check out our website, hopelives365.com. There you can find many ministry resources, encouraging messages, and even a link to our Hope Lives 365 YouTube ministry. And of course, an opportunity to sow into this valuable ministry. Find out more by going to hopelives365.com. That's hopelives365.com. And now, back to Pastor Mark Finley.

Mark Finley: There are just three primary problems with this doctrine. Number one, it's not in the Bible. Number two, it's not in the Bible. And number three, it's not in the Bible. According to these teachings, the Bible teaches, they say, that Jesus is kind of coming secretly to the earth and He'll snatch away His followers, taking them back to heaven with Him.

Those who are left behind will go through seven years of tribulation, some say, but those left on earth will have a second chance at salvation. You see, millions believe in this doctrine even though it's not remotely found in the Bible. Only two or three verses are used by these rapturists to support their belief, and I'll look at those verses with you in a moment.

What the Bible does say about God is that He does nothing secretly. Notice with me in Amos 3 verse 7, "Surely, the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets." If God's about to do something, He doesn't keep it secret. He tells His prophets what will happen and they in turn communicate it to God's people.

And certainly God wouldn't keep secret the greatest future event yet to take place in human history. God isn't in the habit of sneaking around. There's nothing in the Bible about a quiet secret coming of Christ. Now let's look first at some of the verses that supposedly support this idea. The first is in Matthew chapter 24.

Here Jesus was telling His disciples about His second coming in verses 37 to 40. He said this: "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 did not know until the flood came and took them all away. So also will be the coming of the Son of Man be. There will be two in the field, one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill, one will be taken, the other left."

And this passage, those who believe that Christ will come secretly say that Jesus is coming and only the righteous will know that He's coming and He takes one here, one there, the others are left behind. But notice something. Notice that these verses did not say who are left behind alive.

In fact, the Bible says in 2 Thessalonians 2 verse 8 that at the second coming of Christ, the forces of evil and wickedness, which would include all who reject Christ, He'll destroy with the brightness of His coming. In Luke chapter 17, the Bible gives us a detailed description of the two classes alive at the return of our Lord.

In Noah's day, there were two classes, the saved and the lost. In Lot's day, there were two classes, the saved and the lost. Both in Noah and Lot's day, the class which were left behind were not left alive. They were destroyed. You read that in Luke chapter 17 verse 27 and 29.

So let's just look at this carefully. Let's let the Bible speak for itself. One of the big challenges, of course, is when you read what human beings say. I love what that old poem that says, "What says the Bible? The blessed Bible to me. The teachings of men so often mislead me, but what says the Bible? The blessed Bible to me."

Now notice, Luke 17, we'll start there with verse 26. "As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the Son of Man." So what was it like in the days of Noah? They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark and the flood came and did what? Destroyed them all.

So in Noah's day, there were two classes, the saved and the lost. When the flood came, they were destroyed. The ones that were left behind were destroyed. The ones that were taken went into the ark and were saved. They were taken into the ark. Verse 28, "Likewise as it also in the days of Lot.

They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built. But on the day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all." So how many classes in Noah's day? Two. Those that were saved and those that were lost.

What about Lot's day? Those that were saved and those that fire rained down from heaven and destroyed them. Verse 30 of Luke 17, "Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. In that day, whoever is on his housetop and his goods in the house, let him not come down to take them away.

Likewise, let him who is in the field, let him not return back. Remember Lot's wife." What happened to her? She returned back and was destroyed. What's the issue? Verse 33, "Whoever seeks to save his life is going to do what? Lose it. When? When Christ comes again.

Whoever loses his life, what's going to happen? He's going to preserve it." So those who've given their lives to Jesus, their life is going to be preserved. Then notice verse 34, 35, and 36 and 37. "I tell you in that night, there'll be two men in the field, one taken and one left."

In Noah's day, were there two classes? Was one taken, saved in the ark, and one left behind, lost? Yes. In Lot's day, was there one taken away, out of the city? Yes. Was one left behind and what happened to them? They were burnt up, they were consumed. Even so it'll be when the Son of Man is revealed.

Two women will be grinding together, one will be taken, the other left. Two men will be in the field, one taken, the other left. Now listen to verse 37. These people are not left alive. "They answered and said to Him, 'Where, Lord?' And He said to them, 'Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.'"

In other words, those who are left are destroyed with the brightness of Christ's coming. The issue is whether you save your life or you lose it. Right after the passage, "two men shall be in the field, the one taken, the other left," the question is asked, "Where, Lord?"

In other words, what happens to the class left behind? The answer is plain. "Wherever the body is, there will be the eagles gathered together," Luke 17 verse 37. Revelation 19 verse 21 tells us that those left behind are slain and the fowls eat their flesh. There is no second chance after Jesus comes.

A second verse used to support the idea of Christ's coming secretly is 1 Corinthians chapter 15 verse 51 to 53. He says, "Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall be all changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.

For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality." Rapturists focus on the words "changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye."

And they see this as the moment of the rapture. But notice that this passage is about the second coming and it says it'll happen at the last trumpet. It says the trumpet will sound. How could even Jesus keep His coming secret with a trumpet blasting to announce it?

Now there's just one final text that supposedly supports this idea of Christ's coming secretly. Here it is in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 16 to 18. It says, "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, with the trumpet of God.

And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." Again, those who believe Christ is coming secret pull just a few words of this passage out of context.

They highlight the words "we who are alive and remain shall be caught up." Actually, it's from this text in the ancient Latin translation that the word "rapture" from the Latin "rapiemur" for "caught up" was actually derived. But rapture is simply that, a catching up or a carrying away.

Does it mean it's secret? Notice the context. It says here, and let's look at it together. Let's just read the Bible and accept the Bible for what it says and how it reads. We'll just look and let's suppose you knew absolutely nothing about the Bible and you came across this passage.

You didn't read any books about it. You didn't read any Bible commentaries about it, but you simply read the Word of God. Would you think honestly that this passage is talking about a secret coming of Christ? I'll start with verse 15. "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep."

The Thessalonians thought that if Jesus came and they were caught up to meet Jesus in the sky, what would happen to their dead loved ones? So he's explaining this. Now look at verse 16. Does this sound secret to you? "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout." With a what? A shout. Is that secret?

"With the voice of the archangel." Is that secret? "With the trumpet of God." Is that secret? "And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord. Thus we'll always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words."

So here we find that the context, all those who have died in Christ throughout all of history are being resurrected from their graves and resting places. The voice of the archangel is heard. The trumpet of God is sounding. A secret coming, hardly. If Christ wanted to sneak down to earth and secretly snatch away His followers, He certainly wouldn't sabotage His own intentions with trumpet blasts and loud angel voices.

The roots of the idea of Christ's coming secretly reach all the way back to the Reformation when the established church launched what came to be called a counter-reformation to contend with Martin Luther and other reformers. Luther believed that Christ was coming visibly, audibly, literally.

Later religious leaders arose who experienced visions that moved the teaching forward, and little by little, other elements were brought in to create an entire system of doctrine that simply is not found in your Bible or mine. Now you may be wondering what difference does it really make whether I believe in this idea of a secret rapture or not.

The answer is simply this. If those of us who love Jesus and look forward to His return at the second coming can be convinced that if we miss the rapture and are left behind we still have a second chance to be saved, we may delay a decision for Christ. If we think that we have that second chance, we may not feel as much urgency to be ready to meet Jesus.

It's like that old saying, don't worry if you miss the bus, there's always another one coming along. But friends, look, the Bible says there is no other bus coming along. If we are not ready to meet Jesus when He comes, if we've not chosen Him daily as our Lord and Savior, we will be lost forever.

There is no second chance. The Bible says, "Now is the day of salvation. Now is the accepted hour." Can you see what a masterful counterfeit this doctrine of Satan really is? It's a teaching that plays with the eternal destinies of men and women. And do you really want to take chances with your own personal destiny?

Now is the chance to make a decision full and complete for Christ. Well, then if the Bible doesn't teach this idea that Christ is coming secretly, then what does it teach about the second coming of Christ? What will that event be like?

Guest (Male): You've been listening to Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. We hope you've enjoyed today's message, and remind you that you can find more in our many ministry resources at hopelives365.com. And you can support this ministry by going to hopelives365.com/donate. And now, a final thought from Pastor Mark Finley.

Mark Finley: Let's just look at just a few of the Bible references about the second coming of Jesus. Here's one. Titus chapter 2 verse 13 that says Christ's return will be glorious. Verse 11 to 13, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world."

Now notice, the grace of God brings salvation. We're not saved by works, we're saved by grace. But the grace of God teaches us to deny ungodliness. The grace of God teaches us to deny worldly lusts. The grace of God teaches us that we should live righteously and godly. Why?

Because we're looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous of good works. We're looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing. The theme of the glorious return of our Lord runs all through scripture.