Truth Matters: From the Church Age to the Tribulation

Welcome to the weekend division of truth matters with Dr. Harold Davis and Dr. Cheryl David tribulation will in battle. I'm just trying to get a timeline as team right now we are in the church age is interchangeable with the coming of the rapture's Christ will come in the air to take his church back to heaven.

The tribulation will began immediately after that and we suspect that there will, it will be some type of cosmic type disturbance reason as to explain the number of missing people that we know there will be a number of missing people there be a large amount of chaos that will usher in the tribulation and with the rise of the Antichrist to come promise peace and order in such a chaotic time, the tribulation. We know will last for seven years. The first 3 1/2 of them will be peaceful the last three and half of them will be great. What I mean by great is that they will be terrible at the end of the tribulation will be the battle of Armageddon and the second coming of Christ will come at the end of the tribulation.

After the second coming of Christ on the earth will be regenerated by fire and this will usher in the millennium and we find the millennium mentioned in Revelation chapter 21 through six, and this is where Satan is bound for 1000 years. Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the Dragon that serpent of old who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for thousand years, and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up and set a seal on him so that he would deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. After these things he must be released for a little while and I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years, but the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished.

This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection.

Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years for thousand years. Christ will rule as King over all the earth from Jerusalem. This is a thousand year reign of Christ, also known as the millennium, the Saints of God who returned with him for the battle rule with Christ during the millennium. Everyone entering the millennium will be a believer, the children will be born who populate the earth during the millennium, some of whom will rebel at the end when Satan is loosed for the final rebellion the final judgment. The great white throne judgment. The dead who did not die in Christ and the unbeliever of the millennium will be judged then in eternity begins. So you know we've we've we've asked a couple questions and of the first question being how do we know that Jesus is coming back. We answered that the second question that we ask was what is going to happen when Jesus comes back and so we've talked about the beginning of sorrows, which is known as Matthew 24 the rapture that will occur prior to the tribulation the tribulation that will last seven years which will usher in the second coming of Christ at the end of those seven years, and then the millennium for thousand years and at the end of the millennium, the final judgment of Satan and eternity begins, but I have another question that you may be wondering is how how should prophecy really impact the Christian's life. You know, I know all of that to be true you know you may be thinking yes all this is true in all this is in the Bible. But what does that have to do with today you have for for all we know this could happen tomorrow or it could happen. Another 2000 years from now. For all we know you have just having a mental knowledge of this is not enough to having a mental knowledge of the word of God is not enough. But if we don't apply this to her life if we don't apply the study of prophecy to our lives and really it's not useful and there are many benefits to studying prophecy so I want to go over a couple those benefits are the first benefits we find of studying prophecy is first Corinthians 4 verse five first Corinthians chapter 4 verse five therefore judge nothing before the time until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts then each one's praise will come from God. The prospect of a future judgment by Christ should keep us from passing judgment on one another.

Now we should spend our time in God's work, not in evaluating others we should spend our time in God's work, not in evaluating others such studying prophecy teach us, teaches us to spend time now in God's work so that we can build works at the judgment seat of Christ that will gain rewards that will have lasting effects even beyond the time that we are here on earth. Let's turn to first Corinthians chapter 11 verse 26 for as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes, you proclaim the Lord's death till he comes whenever we participate in the Lord's supper. We proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. The communion meal is a reminder that we are waiting the coming again of the one who died for another benefit to studying prophecy that we find is in Colossians Colossians chapter 3 verses one through four. If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth for you died in your life is hidden with Christ in God.

When Christ, who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. If we understand the future and the coming again of Christ.

We will respond to life spiritually, not fleshly. Let me say that one more time. If we understand the future and the coming again of Christ. We will respond to life spiritually, not fleshly. We will set our affection on things above, because we know that is where Christ is, and from where he will come to receive us to himself. Another benefit of studying prophecy is found in first Thessalonians 312 through 13 and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you so that he may establish your hearts blameless and holiness before our God and father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints if we are to stand blameless before him at his return.

We must relate to one another in love. During his absence.

Our personal relationships are affected by a proper understanding of prophecy.

The question that we should be asking is what is love, require I know there difficult people in her life that come in and out in their relationships that take work but really, what does love, require for Christ. It required his death. What is love require for us today. Another benefit of prophecy we find in second Timothy chapter 4132. I charge you, therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom preach the word be ready in season and out of season conveyance rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and teaching. Second Timothy Avery exhorts pastors to preach the word you know Paul's writing this letter to Timothy exhorting him to preach the word and do the ministry God has given. In light of the return of Christ, at which time an account will have to be given for our works. The return of Christ affects our ministries.

There should be an urgency to our ministries. The return of Christ is imminent.

Hear what I'm saying the return of Christ is imminent. Therefore, there should be an urgency in our ministries, but I want to ask you is there an urgency today in our ministries, are we working to evangelize this nation as if the rapture is imminent.

Another benefit of studying prophecies found in Hebrews on chapter 10 verse 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much more, so much the more as you see the Day approaching. These are really one of my favorite verses in the Bible because it really tells us on the. The importance of church.

The closer we get to the day of Christ appearing.

The closer we should be drawing ourselves together. And the more often I know the pandemic has challenge that but we should be assembling ourselves together all the more often because the closer it is to Christ, appearing as the clouds darkened in this world and the last days. Every believer will need the church. More than ever to remain strong. Another benefit of studying prophecy is found in James chapter 5 verses seven through eight therefore be patient furthering until the coming of the Lord see how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.

You also be patient, establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Living in the light of the Lord's return should bring patients and therefore stability to all that we do as a farmer learns to wait patiently for his seed to bear fruit. So we wait patiently for the final harvest of God. James 118 it. It reminds me of the first James 18, a double minded man is unstable in all his ways. If you don't live life in in in an eternal view and if you live day to day, you're going to be double minded.

Any win can toss you and you'll be unstable in all your ways let's move over to first John first John chapter 3 verses two and three beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when he is revealed, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is, and everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

The expectation of his return should drive us to live holy lives, we should purify our lives knowing in the expectation of his return. Another benefit is found in the book of Jude Jude chapter 1 and 20 and 23 but you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.

Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life, and on some have compassion, making a distinction, but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. If we believe Christ is coming back. We will have a burden for the loss and try to reach them.

Do we truly have a burden for the lost and trying to reach them. First Thessalonians chapter 4 really is the last benefit that I wanted to go over in this in this lesson. In particular, first Thessalonians chapter 416 through 18 for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ will arise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be called it together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. There's a certain freedom in which we can live our lives in which we don't have the fear of death. You often see this in the workplace. Those that fear losing their jobs, are bound there and they're not able to bring fresh ideas. They're not able to take chances are not able to live and do their work freely. It's the same thing in the spiritual realm. When we live our lives for fear of death.

Fear overcomes us have seen that in the pandemic on you know early on I was having a discussion with us with a physician who is trying to control every detail of his possible exposure to covet you and the Lord spoke to me to say this is what living without hope. Looks like whenever we live in light of eternity and know that the power of death has no hold on us because it because it has been defeated at the cross and we have a blessed hope there's a freedom that we have in living our lives in fear does not overcome us. I've seen that in the pandemic.

I seen a peace that passes all understanding.

On overwhelm a lot of the church on to the point that were able to still worship knowing that were taking risk going to church, but we know that that is what is pleasing to God. So just to review a couple things that we've gone over what I want you to understand the key point of this is that God is an eternal being. And so the Bible is written from the perspective of human terms in which for us to understand, but know that Jesus is coming back. This is an important point, Jesus is coming back and how do we know he's coming back because whenever he ascended into heaven. The angel said just as he goes up, he's gonna come back in a like manner, but why must he come back.

Why, why must he come back the second time got a come back for his church to go be with him on. He's going to come back to judge the world and also he's gonna come back to rule the world. Thank you for joining us for today's vision of the truth matters with Dr. Cheryl Davis