Second Coming of Jesus Christ, Pt. 5

John Bradshaw: Hello, again and welcome to Bible Talk! I'm John Bradshaw and with me is Gary Gibbs and we're talking about the Bible and what the Bible has to say to us where we are today. Gary, lately on Bible Talk, we've been discussing the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. And we found out some remarkable things and last time we talked about the Tribulation. And you are contending that Christians will not get out early and escape the Tribulation. You're basing that on the Bible.

Gary Gibbs: In fact there are a number of texts, John, that support that. Acts 14:22 says that "Through much tribulation we will enter the Kingdom of God." Those who teach that we won't go through the Tribulation, they're basically basing their teaching on just a few texts taken out of context.

John: In the Psalms "Ye who walk through the valley of the shadow of death". It doesn't say ye will be taken out of the valley, does it?

Gary: No, it doesn't.

John: And we have the examples in the book of Daniel of the three Hebrew Herod's and Daniel himself went through tremendously difficult times which parallel prophetic end time events. And they were not taken out but God was with them as they went through it.

Gary: And that's how God reveals His power! When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego was thrown into the fiery furnace, come out without even their hair singed, without even the smell of smoke on them, that reveals the mighty power of God!

John: So what then about the Seven Years of Tribulation you hear so much about?

Gary: You know, John, you did hear a lot about that. Whenever preachers preach about the tribulation they always talk about the Seven Year Tribulation. And some of them teach that the secret Rapture will happen at the beginning of the seven years and there will be this seven year period during which the Antichrist rules. Some of them teach what we call a "Mid Tribulation Rapture". So three and a half years into the Tribulation, then the Rapture takes place.

But if you look at this you'll never find that the Bible says there's a seven year period of Tribulation. It just talks about the Great Tribulation that will happen at the end of time.

John: Where in the world then, did somebody come up with the idea that the Tribulation would be seven years in duration?

Gary: Good question. You'll have to go to Daniel nine for it. And when you go to Daniel nine you read about this prophecy called the "70 Weeks Prophecy." I wish we had time to go into detail about this but briefly speaking. The 70 Weeks Prophecy covers 490 years of time. From the time of the Jewish captivity when they were returned to their land all the way down to the time of Jesus and the beginning of the Christian church.

What a lot of people do with this 70 Week Prophecy is they take 69 weeks out of it, the first 69 weeks. And during that 69 weeks it's prophesied that Jesus would come, He would start His ministry. And it takes you down to His baptism. But then, John, it's very interesting. What a lot of people do at that point is they take and they gap the 70th week from the 69th week. The 69th week brings you down to 27AD, right? So that's the last date they get in the 69 weeks.

Then they take the 70th week and they remove it from the 69 and they put it all the way down at the end of time and they say "That 7th week, the 70th week refers to the Antichrist and how he is going to rule in Jerusalem." It makes no sense at all! I'll tell you why it doesn't make any sense. You don't count 1, 2, 3, 4, five and then hold your breath for a long time before you say 6.

John: That's right.

Gary: And God doesn't count 67, 68, 69 and then hold His breath for 2000 years and then say 70th. The 70th weeks comes in succession right after 69.

John: Well, if you look at that 70th week, let's look at that verse, that one verse a little closely. It talks about He will confirm the covenant with many for one week. Who's confirming a covenant?

Gary: You're there in Daniel 9:27.

John: Right.

Gary: And I believe you have to go back to 26 because it says "After 62 weeks the Messiah will be cut off but not for himself. And the people, the Prince shall come and destroy the city and the sanctuary. And the end thereof shall be with a flood." Now this is referring to Jesus, He's the Messiah, the Prince, isn't it?

John: Sure.

Gary: And it's telling us here that after Jesus was baptized at the end of the 69 weeks in 27AD, He would also be cut off. That refers to His crucifixion. And in verse 27 it comes back to that. It says "He will confirm the covenant with many for one week." And a lot of people say "Well, that's the Antichrist." Well, no, it's not. The Antichrist is never mentioned in these verses, there's only one entity mentioned and that is Messiah the Prince in verse 25.

John: I think you will find too there's only one covenant mentioned in the Bible and I don't know anywhere in the Bible where the Antichrist has a covenant with anyone. Isn't the covenant between God and His people?

Gary: That's right. And here Jesus is trying to confirm the covenant with His people, at this point the Jews. He's giving them one last chance to fulfill their calling as his people. But it says "In the midst of the wake he'll cause sacrifice and oblation to cease."

John: Now of course you've heard this said that the sacrificial system is going to be reintroduced and something's going to happen to bring an end to that.

Gary: Yeah, but when you look at this, this is one of the most fascinating prophesies to prove who Jesus was, that He was indeed the Messiah. Jesus knew at the age of 12 who He was. He told His parents when they lost Him in the temple there for three days. He said "Must I not be about my Father's business?' But then He went back home and He submitted Himself to His parents for the next 18 years. But then according to Luke chapter 3, when it came to 27AD He went forward and began His public ministry.

And what He preached in Mark 1:15 it tells us He preached "The time is fulfilled. The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." He was preaching prophetic time, He was preaching Daniel chapter 9. Well, just like Jesus knew when He was to begin His public ministry in 27AD at the end of the 69 weeks He also knew how long He was to minister and when He would die.

John, they tried to kill Him, the Jews tried to kill Him numerous times before 31AD. But He would not allow Himself to be killed and you can trace this through the book of John, from John seven and on. But when it came His time to die, He said He knew His time had arrived, I believe that's John 13:3. When that time came He went and He allowed Himself to be killed. How did He know what time He was to die?

Three and a half years after his baptism, the same prophecy that told him when did he baptize, Daniel 9, also told him when to die. And it's right here in the phrase "in the midst of the way he will cause sacrifice and ablation to cease".

John: And Jesus brought an end to the sacrificial system when he died on the cross. The vale and Temple and the Bible says in Mark 15, "was rained and twined, right from top to bottom, torn in two.

Gary: That's right. In fact you can read in Jewish history and tradition that even say that the passover lamb that they were slaying right at that moment, because of the tearing of the temple, such a traumatic event that the priest dropped his knife and the lamb ran away. Because the true lamb of the God, the Jesus was dying out there on Calvary.

John: So the sacrificial system we know was ended. We don't need to be looking to it to be reintroduced and done away with it. Again, it's done, it's gone. Jesus, the true lamb has come.

Gary: That's right. Now this takes you to, three and half years left in the seven years awake.. And that time was for the Jews to look back and see that Jesus indeed was the Messiah, that he had fulfilled all the prophecies concerning his life and that he'd fulfilled prophecies concerning his death. This was to give them an opportunity to repent and fulfill their calling as god's people. And so the disciples were instructed to not to go out to the gentiles, but to stay in Jerusalem, stay in Israel and preach the gospels to them.

The he come down three and half years and acts of six and seven, they finally reject the message by stoning Steven, and they start prosecuting the other disciples. And with that the gospel goes to the gentiles. That is the end of the seven year awake.

John: Now a lot of people have been teaching and I guess some believe it because so they've been told at that these last days prophecies hang up on what happens in Israel and we need to be look into the Jews. But this prophecies in Daniel nine teaches us that the nation of Israel as far as being God's people goes, but they've had their short at that, they've had their moment.

Gary: Yeah, but if you gap that seven years awake, you don't touch that truth. If you put that seven years awake way down in the time, you don't even see what God was trying to do with Israel at that stage of their history.

John: So what's Israel got to do with it now? What role did the Jews, the literal Jews have, in own of this?

Gary: Well, Mathew 21, Jesus told them, he gives a parable about a stone that was set aside during the building of the temple. Actually a true story in fact. And he uses it as a metaphor for what's going to happen with Israel.

I am just going to bring it down to Verse 43, the bottom line. He tells a Jews, he says, "Therefore say I unto you, the kingdom of heaven will be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof".

And so Jesus warn them, if you don't repent, if you don't follow me, if you don't fulfill your mission as my people, I am going to take the Kingdom of God from you and give it to the people who will fulfill the calling for my people, my kingdom.

John: If you read the New Testament, that sentiment is projected and portrayed in many many times. I believe that just two chapters later, in Mathew chapter 23, Jesus pretty well say the same thing.

You know, there was one time when he claims the temple, when he said, he said that you've turned my fathers house into a den of thieves.

And now what does he say in Mathew, chapter 28, verse 48? He didn't say my father's house any more. He said, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." This is not God's house now, this is your house. God's left the building.

Gary: Yeah. In fact you go over to First Peter, chapter 2, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof . Remember, Jesus therein, in Mathew 21 was using the story about the rejected stone, Peter picks that up in First Peter 2.

And he says, you know, this stone that was misplaced represents Christ and then he brings it down in verse 9, and he says, "But you are chosen generation".

And he is talking to the gentile believers now.

"You are Royal priests of a holy nation of a peculiar people that you should show forth appraises of him, who's got you out of darkness in to marvelous light, which in time pass to not to people of god but are now the people of GOD."

John: So, if the nation of Israel, the literal nation of Israel, don't really play into god's in time prophetic scenario, who are God's Jews today that the Bible talks about?

Gary: It's any one who accepts Jesus Christ, as their Lord and Savior. Mathew 228, 229, excuse me, Romans 228 and 229 tell us that the true Jew is not the one who circumcised in the flesh, but one who has cut off sins out their heart.

Galatians III 28 and 29 says "They are Abraham's seed who have accepted the Christ and baptized in Christ." So, when the Bible talks about the Israel's God and the last day prophecies, it's referring to the Church of God, John. That's what the Bible is really talking about.

John: Spiritual Jews.

Gary: Spiritual Israel, that's correct.

John: And that's spiritual Israel can be any one at all, you're saying, who has accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior?

Gary: That's correct.

John: Somebody wants to accept Jesus in their heart right now. What do you say to them?

Gary: They need to give their life to Christ. Now the circumcision is used as an example for doing that. We need to cut off the old sinful self. We need to come to Christ and say "Lord I can't save myself, but you can. Here, take my sin, take it to the cross, put it to death and give me a new life in Jesus Christ."

John: Friend as you pray that prayer now, that Jesus will work a miracle of salvation in your heart. Plea circle have chosen to join us today. We look forward to see you next time more tremendous Bible truth to discuss, right here on Bible Talk.

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