The Two Stages of the Coming of the Lord

((music playing)) >> I'm so glad to be back with you today talking about the coming of the Lord come Lord Jesus. >> Yes. >> Hallelujah. Hallelujah. >> With me is Pastor Dan Willis and Lucas Marucci and I am just so happy you are both with me because I'm going to give you a lot of scriptures today.

Amen. About the coming of the Lord and yesterday we were talking about the rapture. I want to review just a little bit on that to explain where I'm going with you today because what what I want to show you today is the difference between the rapture and the visible return of the Lord.

Because there are two two stages here when we talk about the coming of the Lord there's stage one is the rapture stage two is the visible return when every eye will see him. Lord thank you for your word open our hearts. Thank you. >> receive your precious word.

Thank you. >> To you be all the glory and honor and again Lord we cry come Lord Jesus. >> Come Lord Jesus. >> Amen and amen. Thank you for being with me today and thank you for being my wonderful family and partner. All right, one more time John 14 verse three and Lucas is going to read Hebrews 9:28 but let's go to John 14:3.

And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again. >> with the rapture you'll always see the church there. I will go to prepare a place for you. I will come again to receive you unto myself. That is rapture. It has nothing to do with the world.

Okay? And then in Hebrews 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. >> who look for him rapture. And we I showed you other scriptures yesterday that also you rapture because it connects the church.

Look for him. I'm coming I'm coming for you and so on. Okay. Now I want to show you scriptures now the and and the difference. I'm going to show you the difference in stage one stage two. So stage one we're going to go to 1 Thessalonians 4 16 and 17 and stage two would be Matthew 25 31 32 because this is what has caused a lot of confusion. >> Mhm yes sir.

Because people say well you know and they read it all in one where they're not separating the two the the two events. See? Or the the rapture from the visible return. This the the two stages. It's really one coming with two stages. Ah okay. >> Okay? Okay. >> It's the coming of the Lord in two stages. >> Okay.

So let's read 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and 17. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the Archangel and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive >> how it's connected here with the saints.

The dead in Christ we which are alive. Nothing to do with the world. Yes. Keep going. >> Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds. >> To meet the Lord in the air to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

This has nothing to do with Matthew 25. In Matthew 25 which we're going to read verse 31 and 32 it's a whole different scene. Look. It took me a while to to understand that. When I was young I didn't see the difference. But as you read the Bible over and over you say wait a minute.

This is a different time. This is a different truth altogether. It's not the same event. So Matthew 25 now 31 32 says When the Son of Man shall come in his glory >> Okay now see the difference is. The Son of Man will come in his glory is a different than or different stage than coming for the church.

Keep keep going. And all the holy angels with him. Ah that's also not mentioned with the rapture. You don't see the angels with him in the rapture. He's coming for the church. He's coming for the redeemed. The angels are not coming with him in the rapture. >> Rapture.

He's coming by himself for his church. >> Yes yes. Isn't that precious? >> Yes. That is so holy and precious. >> Has nothing to do with the world. >> Nothing to do with the world. He's coming with his armies with the church. >> Yes. Uh and the angels the second stage but it mentions clearly here that angels are a part of this coming.

Yeah. >> And it says Then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory. And before him shall be gathered all nations and he shall separate them one from another as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats. >> All right now this is that second stage of the coming of the Lord. >> Yes right.

Now let's look at another one that shows rapture and then another one that shows when he comes for to judge the nations. In 2 Thessalonians let's begin at verse one if you don't mind. And that is chapter two so 2 Thessalonians 2 beginning at verse one. Now we beseech you brethren by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. >> he's talking to the church.

We beseech you brethren this is for your ears only brethren that We beseech you brethren uh Keep >> coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering together unto him. >> Unto him. Unto him. This is rapture. Yes. By our gathering together unto him has nothing to do with the world being judged.

Not even going to happen on the earth it's in the air. Keep going. >> Yes. That you be not soon shaken in mind or be troubled neither by spirit nor by word nor by letter as from us as that the day of Christ is at hand. >> The day of Christ here is rapture. >> Yes. >> what he's talking about.

Keep going. Let no man deceive you by any means. For that day shall not come The rapture will not come until except there shall except there come a falling away first and that man of sin be revealed. >> Now this is way to revealing that the Bible is telling us God is telling us through his through his word there will come a falling away first and we've been seeing it for the last few years. >> Yes yes. >> And then the man of sin keep going.

Be revealed the son of perdition. >> Yeah. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all >> say that he will be ruling. Mhm. It says he'll be revealed. Revealed mhm. He'll be already in power or in some position most likely. Just exposed. Yeah uh-huh. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God showing himself that he is God. >> Okay now very a lot of information there we're not going to get into every detail of it but here he's telling the church here are things to look for before the rapture.

Yes sir. Now when you go to Zechariah 14 though it has nothing to do with that. It has to do with the judgment coming to the world and that's in Zechariah 14 beginning at verse one through verse five. Behold the day of the Lord cometh and thy spoils shall be divided in the midst of thee.

For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle and the city shall be taken and the houses rifled and the women ravished and half of the city shall go forth into captivity and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. >> [clears throat] >> Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations as when he fought in the day of battle.

And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives which is before Jerusalem on the east and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west. And there shall be a very great valley and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north and half of it toward the south.

And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains for the valley of the mountain shall reach unto Azal. Yea ye shall flee like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah and the Lord my God shall come and all the saints with thee. >> Okay now a great scene here when the Lord returns visibly from heaven.

His feet will touch the Mount of Olives. We've been to Israel the three of us. One day I pray you'll go if you haven't been. And when you look at the Mount of Olives from the city of Jerusalem it's sitting east of the city it's going to split north and south creating a valley east and west uniting Mediterranean with the Dead Sea.

And and when the Lord returns the whole nation the whole land will be rearranged become more beautiful than Switzerland. But there's to be a war before that. A terrible war. The last war on Earth dealing with one city and one city only, Jerusalem. Jerusalem. Now, that >> [snorts] >> that battle we we're just seeing the beginning of it now.

We're we're seeing we're seeing things heating up. It all began in 1967 when the state of Israel took over Jerusalem. The east side of Jerusalem. I remember as a child and as a little boy visiting our my mom's family in Ramallah and having to cross a place called Mandelbaum Gate between West Jerusalem and East Jerusalem.

We would line up. All the Christians would line up to go and see our loved ones in Ramallah or Bethlehem other parts of the of of the West Bank. Now, it started in '67 when the Six-Day War happened. And Israel took Jerusalem. And it hasn't stopped since that day.

The the tension, the problems that have existed. And to this day it's just getting a lot worse in that part of the world. The day will come a a a global war will happen over one city, Jerusalem. Just one city. Will bring the whole world together in a in a nuclear war of some sort.

There is a mention in Zechariah and mention in other portions in other books of the Bible. And the Lord will return before every human being is gone. Because he said if those days were not be shortened, not a one human being would be living. So he will return just at the right time.

Now, here you see the difference between rapture he's coming for his church and 7 years later to judge the world. We cannot we the church cannot be a part and we will not be a part of the judgment falling on humanity. Cuz that's not the God's nature. In Genesis 18, Abraham said it's not like you to judge the wicked and the righteous.

When judgment fell on Egypt and the children of Israel were there, Goshen was protected from judgment. When the angels came into Sodom and Gomorrah, they said to Lot, "We cannot do anything till you're out till you're gone." So I can give you scripture after scripture here. And we've been delivered from wrath to come.

So we're not going to be judged. Yes, we will go through persecution. Yes, we will know the season. And like Paul said in in 2 Thessalonians, we will even know possibly who the Antichrist is before the rapture happens. But he will not yet be ruling. He will not be yet controlling the world as he will be.

Now, it's it's clear from the scriptures that the coming of the Lord has stages. Okay? So the church first will meet him in the air, not on the ground. Not on the earth. In the air. We'll meet him in the air. In Philippians chapter 2, it says also in you know three in the air.

Well, we're not we're not going to go there now because I have a lot more to talk about. So we're going to meet the Lord in the air. So the Bible says very very clearly that the saints will come with him. In the when he returns visibly. Let's look at Colossians 3:4 quickly.

So the church will meet him in the air. Later these same saints who meet him in the air will come back in his visible return. That's Colossians 3:4 that says When Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him. Ah, exactly. In glory, that's the visible return.

That's when he comes and the every eye will see him. So these are not two comings, they're just two stages. And you you you you look for words like coming unto or coming with. Yeah. Read that again. When Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him.

Ah. So he comes unto rapture. Coming with Jesus. >> [snorts] >> I never saw that before. >> The second stage. Yeah. So he's when in in in John 14, he says, "I will come unto you." I'm going to go and return to you. I'm coming to you, rapture. Coming with you.

Visible return. That's the that's the key. Well, that's why you and I have to study the Bible. So you see the difference. And when you see the difference, it begins to clear many of the questions people have about the second coming of the Lord and the confusion goes about the rapture.

Out because some of well, yes no no maybe it's pre maybe it's mid maybe it's after. Oh no no no no. It all it clears up when you see the the the two stages. So now a number of events will follow the Lord's coming to Earth. Okay, we're going to deal with this maybe tomorrow, but let's just talk let let's let's just begin.

Okay. Let's look at Matthew 24 verse 26 27. Uh so the Lord will will will come bodily, will come visibly to Earth. Just like he he went, he will come back. Read Read for me Revelation 1:7, please. So we are we are talking about the visible return when he comes in glory when every eye will see him.

Let Let Let's have Luke read read for us Revelation 1:7. Behold, he cometh with clouds and every eye shall see him. And they also which pierced him, and all kindreds of the Earth shall wail because of him. Yes. That's the visible return. The coming with with the saints will come with him.

Now, in Matthew 24 verse 26 27 Wherefore, if they shall say unto you, "Behold, he is in the desert, go not forth. Behold, he is in the secret chambers, believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of man >> what So the second coming the second coming the visible coming will come with great publicity.

No nobody will be will be surprised. See? The rapture in secret. As a thief in the night. Whenever you read in the Bible, "I will come as a thief." Rapture. But when he comes to judge the whole world will be already shaken up quite a bit. For 7 years they'll be shaken up quite a bit.

Okay, read that again. Matthew 24. Wherefore, if they shall say unto you, "Behold, he is in the desert, go not forth. Behold, he is in the secret chambers, believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Okay, now the Lord will announce the rapture even though it's secret. The church will hear the trumpet, but not the world. Cuz it it says with the voice of the Archangel. Trumpet of God in in Thessalonians. This is powerful. That when when you read the Gospels and it says he will come as a thief in the night, always know it's the rapture he's talking about.

When we no man knows the hour hour when the rapture will happen. But now the visible return is a different story altogether. Think about this. Think think about this. For 7 years the world will see judgment after judgment after judgment after judgment and then they will see two men in Jerusalem judging humanity.

Killed by Antichrist and being raised from the dead by God and ascending to heaven. Ascending to heaven. They will know then there's a God. There'll be no atheists then, trust me. No atheist will exist during the great tribulation. Cuz it says they will be looking for rocks and for caves to hide themselves from the wrath of the Lord.

Cuz they will see his power. Will you stay an atheist if you see two men >> [laughter] >> you could send to heaven? Come on. So and it'll be on on global television stations and networks and social media everywhere. My mind. Yeah. Wow. So nobody will be an atheist in those days.

They're going to all be shaken up. Yeah. And at the same time they will know something is happening. They will be They will be angry with God for allowing and causing in their mind all this. They will not repent. They're going to go living wickedly. Mhm. But think what what the Lord says here in Matthew.

You know, 24. Mhm. He said it'll be like lightning. Wow. He said don't believe it when somebody says he's there cuz the whole world will see him. And Revelation 1 says every eye will see him in verse 7. Yeah. Wow. Look at Matthew 24:30, Lucas, please. Oh, this is This is awesome.

Go ahead. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn. >> Yes. And they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Now, it's it's interesting.

Nobody And there's not much explanation on the sign. What is the sign? Yeah. Read that again. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. >> of the son of the son of man. What is the sign of the son of man? Read that again.

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn. And they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. So there's like two two different visions here. >> Mhm.

They're going to see a sign. Mhm. And then they're going to see the Lord. Wow. Wow. Could that sign be the angels? We don't know. Mhm. Could that sign be fire? We don't know. It doesn't tell us. Mhm. What it says it's the sign of the Son of Man.

My mind. That's all we That's all we know. Wow. So they're going to see something in heaven. >> Something. Yeah. And the whole world will be mourning. Yeah. And but it will start Read that again. This is so powerful. It needs to be read more than once. >> Yeah.

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn. So wait, wait. All the tribes, every nation, every country, every language, every race Can you imagine? that has rejected him Mhm. will start crying out in repentance.

Yeah. But no repentance will be found. Mhm. In mourning. In repentance. They did not They They did not believe he existed. Yeah. That, you know, I remember Kathryn Kuhlman teaching years ago. She said those tears then would be It'll be too late. Wow. They won't be They won't be accepted.

Wow. Repentance is now. Yes. Now is the day of salvation. Yes. Not when you see that there is a God in heaven. Okay. He'll [snorts] come with great power and glory. Mhm. Wow. Think about, you know, I think about sometimes and I just read it in Exodus. When God came in Exodus 19.

The fire and the thunderings and the quaking of the Mount Sinai. And they all were so shaken they wouldn't even come near the mountain. Mhm. They said to Moses, "We Don't let God do it again. We We're going to die if it happens again. You talk to us."

Wow. Wow. Okay. >> [clears throat] >> It says that he will come with his holy angels. Let's look at Matthew 16:27. Uh and then you're going to read Mark 8:38 for me, Lucas, but uh Pastor Dan will will read Matthew 16:27. For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels.

And then shall he reward every man according to his works. >> It's interesting, the glory of the Father. He will come with the glory of the Father. >> Mhm. What is the glory of the Father? What they saw in the Old Testament. His glory. Mhm. He will come with the glory of the Father.

Mhm. There'll be fire in the heavens. Mhm. Wow. There'll be the clouds of glory in the heavens. And he will come with the angels. With the angels, yes. >> read that again. It's so For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father Yeah. with the angels.

And then shall he reward every man according to his works. That's it. Now, they'll be rewarded for their works. That's a whole different sermon and teaching that I'm not going to get into right now. >> Mhm. Mhm. Cuz there are rewards, too. Yes. So we're we're we're we're not going to get there.

Now, let's let's go to Mark 8:38. Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed Yes. >> when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. You know, this is something today that I see more and more people afraid to say the name Jesus.

Even pastors are ashamed to say the name Jesus in case they offend somebody. >> My mind. Shame on you if you're one. >> Dear God. Dear God. The most beautiful name in the universe. The most glorious name Yes. of creation in heaven and on earth. It's the precious name of Jesus.

Jesus. Wonderful precious Jesus. And they're ashamed to say his name. Really? And they call themselves pastor. That day will reveal all wanted. Yeah. But it says if you're ashamed of him, he'll be ashamed of you. Yeah. That's what it says. Let's think about that one. Maybe somebody needs to hear this.

Yeah. Yeah. All right. I'm almost out of time. >> [snorts] >> Let's continue tomorrow. Let's continue tomorrow. >> powerful, Pastor. >> Well, there's a lot of information about the coming of the Lord and you know, the rapture and visible return, all that. There's so much in there. But you gave the key.

The key. With and you know unto And that clears up. Well, it does. That clears up so much. >> you for your word. To you be the glory. Come, wonderful precious Lord Jesus. God's people said, "Come, Lord Jesus." Come, Lord Jesus. Amen. Well, saints, I'm taking the word throughout the world.

Especially Africa. Amen. Will you stand with me? Will you be a partner? Will you just say yes to the Lord? Let's get the gospel out and I promise the Lord as I'm making the promise again. Every single night, every single service, I will give them the clear message of salvation.

Amen. We're going to see thousands and thousands and thousands come to the Lord in those meetings. In addition to praying for the sick, in addition to preaching the word, giving them the truth of God's word and ministering to the people of God there. So let's do it together.

Amen. Become a partner today. And I know you can't come, but when you support the work of God, you're there with us in heart, in spirit. Amen. So become a partner. And a partner is somebody who gives a dollar a day. Well, let me think about how often you spend so much a day on things, all kinds of things.

Well, it's for the It's It's for the Lord's work. It's for souls to be saved in Africa. And we're going to other countries, too, but mainly Africa. So let's do it together, okay? And you can You can go to our website right right now, become a partner, or just give a one-time gift.

And God will bless you for it. So thank you again for being with me. And watch again tomorrow. And share these teachings with your friends on the coming of the Lord. Much love. Bye-bye. Benny Hinn often calls the ((music playing)) Holy Spirit Jesus Unlimited. >> He's Jesus with no limit.

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