My wife and I were just remarking how well you folks do for singing, for so few. That's amazing. We get around the churches, you know, we're all over the place, and so we are familiar with what goes on in all of these churches, and you folks do sing. Per capita, much better than just about anybody anywhere. I'd like you to turn to Matthew, chapter 28. Matthew chapter 28. Father, we thank you for this opportunity again to be in your presence. Thank you for your word and how tremendous it is and we just pray that you would bless it to our hearts and help us to be anticipating the soon return of our wonderful Savior. So we pray in his name. Amen. How many of you enjoy plays? You know, whatever you, drama, that kind of thing? Well, you know, you don't just go into a place where a play is going to be given and it just happens. They got it all figured out. They make the set. They find the actors. When the curtain rises, whatever actors are to be out on stage are all in place and the props are all there and everything's all ready to go. That's the way God has arranged the future. He says that in the end time, There are certain things, certain people, that have to be in certain places, doing certain things. And when you see those things going on, all at the same time, you know that His coming is near. I told you I had preached a series of sermons about three or four months long, a long series, on the signs of the times. I came up with more than 250 different things going on in the world today, that the Bible said would be happening in the end of time. And the amazing thing about these end time events is that they have never happened before in human history for the most part. And so what I'm saying tonight is the actors are all in place. The world is divided into blocks of nations as it were. You have the western world, you have the eastern world, you have the mid-eastern world, And you have Russia and her allies, and then you have Israel, all alone, exactly as the Word of God said she would be. And so all the actors are in place. All we have to do is see the curtain come up for the final drama on the world scene. The movement toward a world church is gaining steam rapidly. The desire of mankind to relinquish his sovereignty as a nation. And to give it to anybody who can solve the horrible problems that are going on in this world, our presence, the decline of morals, the alliance of the Arabs with Russia, are all signs of the time. Daily our newspapers use such terms as Armageddon. And I was growing up, you never read that word in the newspaper and other scriptural words that they use and they speak of a coming pestilence and a world war that's unlike any other world war that has ever happened. Luke chapter 21 and verse 25 declares this, where the only answer that there is to the conditions in the world is the coming of Christ. There's just no other answer. And it gets more complicated day by day. And some ask, well, why is it that some make dogmatic statements in these days about prophetic fulfillment and that wasn't true in the past of preachers? Well, let me share with you a verse We'll explain that. It's Daniel chapter 12 and verse 4. In Daniel 12 verse 4 it says, But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. And so what our Lord is telling Daniel to do, OK Daniel, I've given all of this prophetic information, but it's going to be sealed. It's going to be a mystery. People will read it, they'll understand the words, but they won't have the foggiest notion of what we're talking about. until the time of the end. And then at the time of the end, they'll understand. Because that kind of a thing will be going on at that point in time. Thus Bible prophecy was a sealed aspect of the Word of God, hidden. And then when we come to the end of time, we would see it revealed. Many shall run to and fro. You know, even when I was a kid, that wasn't that long ago, And don't you laugh, you know what I mean? But anyway, when I was a kid, I was living in Chicago. I'm not bragging, I mean, I'm glad I escaped, you know what I mean? And I don't intend to go back anymore, but at any rate, I remember my father worked for the railroad, and we'd get these railroad passes. And we were going to go to Denver, Colorado, on vacation. When I came back, all of my friends said to me, is there really such a place? What is it like out there? Like none of us have ever been outside the city limits of Chicago. It says here in Daniel 12.4 that in the end of time, many shall run to and fro. You have people that travel around the whole world. Do you remember that book, Around the World in 80 Days? They now do it in 80 minutes in these satellites. People running to and fro, why don't you just go out on the highway? particularly coming into town on Sunday night. I'm glad that you folks aren't wherever is different. We're going away from all those people who are coming. People are running to and fro just all the time. But then the amazing thing is that knowledge shall be increased. Do you know that the complete storehouse of knowledge of mankind doubles every five years? Of course, that's the computer, mainly, that has produced that capability. Do you know that 80% of all of the scientists that have ever lived on this planet are alive today? Knowledge is being increased at such a phenomenal rate, it's beyond belief. Now, I've asked you to open your Bibles to Matthew 28, and I want you to notice verse 20. teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even until the end of the world." Now there's two words that need a little bit of correction here from the original Greek. First of all is the word world. The word world does not appear in the Greek. I don't know where they ever got the word world. It should be age. The word age should be there. And then the word end is actually a consummation or a completion. The word end is a compound Greek word and it means an ending after a development toward maturity. So as the farmer goes out and he looks at his crops and he knows he's not going to be able to pick a ear of corn off of that thing right now, but there are certain things that have to happen. And when it does, then he knows that the time is going to come. And so it's a compound word, this word translated in, and it means an ending after the development. And then it has a prefix on that word, and the prefix on the word means together. So in other words, what this scripture is saying is, is that in the end, the field of the world will be coming to maturity, and all of the things that God described in that field as coming to a climax, will all come together at the same time. Now most folks are familiar with Matthew chapter 24. It was in Matthew 24 that our Lord answered His disciples in regard to, they ask the question, what shall be the sign of thy coming in the time of the end? And you're all familiar, we talked about famine and pestilence and earthquakes and so forth, but don't get confused folks, that's not the sign of the time of the end. Those things will be, they will increase in their volume and so forth, but he says, when you see all, A-L-L, all of these things, happening at the same time, know that it is near, even at the doors." Now the shocking thing is not that Israel is back in the land. That is a great sign. The shocking thing is that all of these different signs of the times are happening at the same time. Now you must understand also that there is some confusion in the minds of Christian people in regards to what the Second Coming is. The rapture of the church, technically, is not the second coming of Christ. The coming of Christ at the end of the seven-year tribulation period, that is technically, we call that the revelation of Christ. Because then I will see Him. At the rapture of the church, which could happen before I finish speaking, and if I get wound up enough, it probably will, but at any rate, we will be raptured out of the world. That is an event where nobody except those who are raptured will see Him. Nobody else on earth will have a clue as to what really happened. Technically, the second coming of Christ is when he comes at the end of the tribulation. Now, every sign of the time, every one of them, is to be fulfilled during the seven year tribulation period. There is no such a thing as a sign of the time that is completely fulfilled before Christ returns. Like the Jew going back to the land? Alright, that's a great indication that we must be nearing the end, but there's all kinds of things that have to take place in Israel that the Bible predicted, some of which have happened, some of which have not happened. And so, don't think that the signs of the times have anything to do with the rapture of the Church. They do not. They have to do with the coming of Christ at the end of the Tribulation. Since we are seeing all of these things developing, since we are seeing things taking place that are leading up to the curation of the signs of the times, how near then must the rapture be which takes place before the signs of the times are really going full force as it were. In Genesis 3.15 we have the first prophecy. of the Messiah, it says, and I will put enmity between thee and the woman speaking to Satan. And between thy seed and her seed, it, the seed of the woman, shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Now I'm going to ask you to turn to Genesis 4. In Genesis 3.15 it says that Christ shall bruise the head of Satan. A blow to the head can be fatal. It says that Satan will bruise his heel. That's not fatal. And crucifixion is the only form of capital punishment that was ever invented that makes this bruise of the heel. It goes through the upper foot. The one foot's on top of the other. The nail goes through here. It doesn't go through a bone. It goes between the bones. It comes out the bottom of the first foot. It comes out here. It goes over the second foot. Then it goes out the heel into the cross. So indeed faith improves to heal at that time in Christ. But now notice here in Genesis 4 verse 1, And Adam knew his wife, and she conceived, and bare Canaan, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. Now the English version of the Bible says that, but the original says in the Hebrew language, Caineth thy Jehovah, which means I begotten a man, even Jehovah. But she was mistaken. The promised seed was not to come for another four thousand years, but since then all men have been looking forward to is the first and second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. But while scripture says we cannot know the day and an hour, it does say this in 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 1. But of the times and seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord shall comeeth as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as to veil upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. You are children of the light and children of the day. We are not of the night nor of the darkness. How do we know the times and the seasons? Because there are certain forewarnings of it, that's how. There is, for example, given by Jesus the sign of the expectant mother, and then also the expectant farmer. And he said that if you understand the plight of the expectant mother and the expectant farmer, then you'll understand how you can know the time of the end of the progeny. First of all, take the expectant farmer. If you will, turn to James chapter 5. James chapter 5. One of these says herb. And mine has more ice. How about that? All right, James, chapter 5, verse 7. Be patient therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold the husbandman, that's the farmer, he waited for the precious food of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he received the early and latter rain. Grudge not one against another, verse 9. Brethren, lest ye be condemned, behold the judge standeth before the door. You see, the fruit cannot be harvested until it's ripe. The next example scripture gives, as I said, is that of the expectant mother. Turn over to John, chapter 16. What we have here about the farmer is that the farmer expects his fruit as a result of his labor. But he sits there and he looks at the field, and he sees first the blade, then he sees the pollen, then he sees the beginning of the fruit, and he always knows the state of the field, so he knows when it's coming near time for the harvest. Based upon that. Now notice here what it says in John 16, 21. A woman when she is in travail has sorrow because her hour has come. But as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembers no more the anguish for joy that a man is born into the world. And ye now, therefore, have sorrow. But I will see you again, and your hearts shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you." And so what our Lord is doing here is he is picturing for his disciples a sign. And he's saying, look at the expectant mother. First of all, nobody knows. There's no sign that she's going to have a child. But then the day arrives when you can no longer keep it a secret. It becomes more and more obvious that the day is approaching. And that's exactly the way it is with the signs of the times. They start coming, and people, they don't recognize them for what they are. They don't know what they are. But as time goes on, it becomes more and more obvious what they are. And then, just like the farmer, he sees the fruit at a certain stage of growth, he knows that the time is near. So, crops are planted, they grow, they mature, and they are made ready to harvest. In other words, the world is being made ready for the harvest of the end time, in our lifetime. Everything in the field is coming to maturity at the same time. Of course, we don't have time to go into that. Therefore, today's world is one rapidly ripening harvest field. So we ask, what are the clues of His coming? Well, I believe that God, for whatever reason that I don't understand, has divided a lot of things in Scripture into sevens. You read the book of Revelation. I believe there are seven sevens there. Seven seals, seven this, seven trumpets, and so forth and so on. Seven sevens. Seven days in a week. Seven is the number of perfection in God's Word and so forth. Well, I believe that there are 7,000 years from the time that Adam was created until the end of the millennium. Now, these things are divided in a certain way. I want you to turn to 2 Peter 3. 2 Peter 3. There is what we call the test of the great week of human history. This week is based on the seven days of the creation week. When God created the heavens and the earth, he did this in seven 24-hour periods. Not seven ages. Seven 24-hour periods. Seven days. And he met for those seven days to be a picture of the total history of mankind upon earth until the end of all things arrive. Now, there are two descriptions of this in scripture that are key to the matter. Notice 2 Peter 3, verse 8. Beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. Now you remember that verse, it's very important and I want you to keep that in mind and we'll be looking at that a little bit closer in just a moment. But I have a thing that I'd like to give you this evening that will help you to more thoroughly, if I can get it to loosen up here, what I'm trying to say. This is what we call the 7,000 years of human history based upon the creative week that took place in Genesis chapter 1. At any rate, what I want to share with you is the fact that human history is divided up into seven 1,000-year periods based upon the seven days of the original creation. And you'll notice the first day, 1,000 years, goes from Edom, which is approximately 4,000 BC, until Enoch was raptured. That is approximately 1,000 years. The second 1,000 years goes between Enoch and Abraham. You see, these particular events are specific dividing places in God's calendar of events where spectacular things took place. And then down on the bottom you'll notice here it talks about conscience, law, grace, the Sabbath, and so forth. These are what we call dispensations. We believe that God has divided man's history also, not only in the days, but also in the specific marked off times when he deals with mankind in a certain way. For example, we're living in a day of grace. He's dealing with men in the Age of Grace. Before the Age of Grace was the Age of the Law. He dealt with Israel in that way. And so, you will notice here, down here on the 7th day, that's the arrow on the top that goes to the circle, that that's the 7,000th day, which is the Millennium, which is 1,000 years. Now, the next day, if you want to call it the 8th day, That is a duration forever. That's eternity. In other words, after the millennium comes eternity. At that time, all sin, everything that's evil will be eradicated and this earth will be something that it never was before. Now the first coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, you'll notice that the cross here, we're saying it was AD 1, but if you are familiar with the Julian calendar and so forth, the calendar that we go by, Christ wasn't born in 1 A.D. He was born, I believe, in 4 B.C. They got that kind of messed up. But at any rate, he will come back again, and before he does, the Holy Spirit would descend, and then we would have the Church Age, the Age of Grace, then the Church would be raptured and taken up into Heaven, and then for seven years there would be a great tribulation upon Earth, at which time, at the end of that tribulation, Christ would come back, and establish his kingdom which would last for 1,000 years. Now, we saw in 2 Peter 3.8 that 1,000 years is as one day with the Lord. There is a verse like that also in the book of Psalms which says word for word the same thing. Now, in Genesis 2, go back there if you will, and verse 7, There's a verse there I want to call your attention. Genesis 2, 7. And the Lord God formed man out of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. Now, what did God mean here? Many have tried to explain away the obvious meaning by saying that the 24 hour day in which Adam partook, he began to die. That's not what God said, though. He said, in the day that you eat, you will die. And actually, I shared with you, I believe, in another message earlier, that we're speaking here, that the word die occurred twice, and we're speaking of two deaths, spiritual death and physical death. Now, go over to Genesis, chapter 5. And remember, God told Adam that the day in which he sinned, that he would die on that same day. Now notice in Genesis 5.5, and all the days that Adam lived were 930 years and he died. When did Adam die? On God's calendar. He died on the same day on which he sinned. He died both spiritually and physically before the thousand years. Okay? And so a thousand years, and that's just an example of it. So Adam did die within the first day. within the thousand years. Now Revelation chapter 20 tells us that the millennium will be 1000 years long. And in the Hebrew the word millennium is associated with the seventh day of the creative week. Therefore the prophecy is that all of the days of man shall be 7000 years, 6000 of them before the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now most agree that Adam was created somewhere around 4000 B.C. We are now 2,006 years, the way we figure time on our calendar, since Christ. Now, of course, no one knows exactly when Adam was created. No what kind of years he's talking about. There are different kinds of calendars that have been used down throughout history. And, for example, there's one in the Bible that is a 360-day year, not a 365-day year. So many different calendars. And we don't know which one God had in mind. He didn't want to tell us that because we'd be spending all of our time trying to figure out when He was going to come. We don't know when He's going to come. And anybody who does say that He knows when they're going to come, they've got to wait for that guy quick. He's a nut. Nobody knows. Jesus said so. And if Jesus said it, like I said this morning, that's good enough for me. So we cannot know the exact day and time, but we can be assured as the end approaches because of the fact that if from Adam until the beginning of the millennium, and remember that's seven more years ago, at least, Because you've got seven years of tribulation before the millennium. And I don't believe that the tribulation begins on the day of the rapture. It begins after the rapture, but we don't know how long. One day, one year, five years, I don't know. Nobody knows that. And so, throughout Scripture there are little bits of information that assist us in gluing the pieces of this puzzle together. For example, take the transfiguration. Turn over to Matthew, if you will, again, chapter 16. And I'm going to give you a little tidbit of information which are kind of hidden in Bible types and this kind of a thing that are very, very interesting for us to be looking at. You know what the Transfiguration was, don't you? Christ was talking there about dying. Disciples didn't like that kind of talk. He's talking about suffering and being raised on the third day, and the disciples wondered about the kingdom. If Jesus is going to die, what about the kingdom that he promised? Thus Christ, having anticipated this question, gives us Matthew chapter 17. Now Matthew chapter 17 begins with a little conjunction, and, A-N-D, which means that the thoughts of chapter 16 are being continued. Now I'm sure that most of you are aware of the fact that the chapter and verse divisions are not a part of the inspiration of the Bible. They are man-made. And I'm glad that man did that, because it sure helps to have an address. When Matthew was written, it was written as one continuous letter. There were not chapter and verse divisions. But a lot of people want to stop a thought at the end of a chapter and begin a new thought. It doesn't work that way. So the word and, obviously, ties it into what happened in chapter 16. Well, notice in verse 22 of chapter 16, after our Lord was talking about His dying and so forth, Peter took Him and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord, for this shall not be unto thee." Peter rebuked the idea that he was going to die. With the other disciples, he had expected Christ to come and to bring in his Millennial Kingdom right then and there. They didn't understand that there would be this area of grace in between. Now what word of comfort did he have for them? Notice verse 28. 28 Verily I say unto you, there shall be some standing here. Okay, who was standing there? Twelve disciples. there'll be some standing here, which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." That's quite a deal. What does this mean? Who are these that will not die until they see Christ coming in his kingdom? The answer is in verse 1 of chapter 17. And after six days, Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart. So these three then, were the ones who would see Christ in His Kingdom, at the Transfiguration, before they tasted death. John says in John 1.14, "...and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." And then notice the next word, "...and we beheld His glory as the only begotten of the Father." When did they do that? The amount of transfiguration. And we don't have time to go into that. That's where the several week series of messages of transfiguration is. But this was at the transfiguration. Does Peter have anything to say about it? He was there. Listen to 2 Peter 1.16. For we have not followed colonially devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. And this voice came from heaven we heard with him when we were on the holy mount." We have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto you do well to take heed, as under a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and a day start in your hearts, knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation. The Transfiguration, with all of its participants, is a phenomena that is a striking foreview of that point in history when Christ will come in power and glory to set up His kingdom on this earth. Continue with me in verse 2 of Matthew 17. And Jesus was transfigured before them, and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was as white as the light. And behold, there appeared unto him Moses and Elijah talking with him. Then answered Peter and said unto him, And Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here. For if thou wilt, let us make thee tabernacles, one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. And while he spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces, and were sore afraid." See? Now go look at Matthew 16 and verse 28. Verily, verily, I say unto you, There is some standing here which shall not taste of death until they see the Son of God coming in his kingdom. So without question, what we have here is a picture of the millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ and what it will be like when he comes. Well, what will it be like? Well, very interesting. Let me read a couple of verses of scripture, if I may. Isaiah 53, 2. For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and a root out of dry ground, which hath no form nor culminate. And when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. Rather, this is what Christ will look like when he comes again. He won't look like that. He will look like he did in the Transfiguration. There will be such beauty, such glory, such majesty, that you will know who he is. 2 Thessalonians 2.8 says, And then shall that wicked one be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the brightness of his mouth, and destroy him with the brightness of his coming. So when Jesus comes, it will be brightness. You know what the last thing that happens at the end of the tribulation? The sun is blown out. Total, absolute darkness. That's the last thing. And then what happens? Remember what happened when you guys went out and bought your wife an engagement ring? Remember? What did he do with that ring? How did he display it to you? He put it on a black cloth. And it made it look a lot bigger. And when you put it on your wife's finger, you say, hey, he cheated me, he didn't give me the ring I got. It just looked a lot bigger on that dark background, right? When Jesus comes, the whole universe will be of total blackness. And then he will come in all of his brightness, and every eye on this earth shall behold him. What did we find in Matthew chapter 17? We find that when Jesus is there, it's transfigurated, just like he's going to look when he comes again. All of these things that are described in Revelation chapter 1, when John saw him when he was in heaven, are the kind of things that are listed here. It talks about the light, the brightness, the whole nine yards. Now there's two distinguished guests here, Moses and Elijah. And these are two of the believers who died, I shouldn't say that. One died and one didn't die. And they were both taken into heaven. And I don't have time to explain to you about Moses. You know about Elijah. But at any rate, they're going to die. Both of these guys are going to die in the tribulation. Excuse me. They're both going to die in the tribulation. Enoch is the one who died, who never did die, and who never will die. So first of all, there was Moses. who had died representing all believers who in Christ shall die and be raised again. And then secondly there's Elijah who was taken into heaven without dying. He represents all of those of us who may be alive and present on earth at the time of the rapture of the church. But Peter and James were there but John was also there and those changes were necessary to these three guys. Why not? because they were living believers looking for a visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ. When Christ returns, he shall find at least 144,000 Jews doing exactly the same thing. Thus did Christ reveal to these disciples his coming kingdom. It is most evident from the foreview that he would personally reappear to establish his kingdom in the beauty and majesty and brightness that he would have And it revealed what the composition of the kingdom would be like, Christ himself with all of his majesty, the saints who shall be with him, those who have died he will bring back with him, those who didn't die they will be with him, and then the other ones who were alive at the time of his coming who will be ushered in the millennial kingdom. Now briefly I would like to look at the time of his transfiguration. Will you do that with me? Matthew 17, verse 1. Now you all understand, don't you, that this transfiguration is God's beautiful picture of what's going to happen at the end of the tribulation to usher in the millennium. There are groups of people there. There's Christ in all of his glory and brightness. There is Elijah, who represented all of us. Christ came back tonight. Elijah would represent us, because we go alive to be with the Lord. And there's Moses. He had died, but here he is with the Lord. So all believers who died before the Lord returns, they will be there. Moses represents them. But then there's these three other guys, Peter, James, and John. They didn't die. They weren't translated. These are the people who will be ushered into the Millennium, who made it through the Tribulation. So these are the categories of people. Now when is all that going to happen? Chapter 17, verse 1. And after, uh-oh, 6 days! Jesus shows them what it's going to be like in the Millennial reign. Here, in symbolic language, is what we have been discussing at the completion of six thousand years. Six days with God, a day being a thousand years, he comes to set up his kingdom. Now, we're not trying to set dates, we're simply offering the facts of prophecy. As stated, no one really knows when Adam was created. Our guess is somewhere around 4000 BC. These facts, coupled with the signs of the times about us, give us ample evidence that these are indeed the last days. But there's more. I want to turn to a verse of scripture that you probably never read, and I'm going to give you a little bit of time to find it. It's found in the book of Hosea, and that is the book that immediately follows Daniel. Hosea chapter 6, in my opinion, is one of the most stunning, startling, incredible verses in all of God's Word, and most people don't even know it's there. Hosea. It's right after Daniel. You've got the major prophets, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Daniel, and so forth. Right after that, Hosea, the first minor prophet. Are you there? How many are not there? I want you to notice with me Hosea chapter 6, verse 1. Come and let us return unto the Lord, for He hath torn, and He will heal us. He hath smitten us, and He will bind us up. Verse 2. After two days He shall revive us. And the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall ye know, if we follow on to know the Lord, his going forth as prepared as the morning, he shall come unto us as the rain, and the latter rain, and the former rain, upon the earth." Now, listen with me. For two days, Hosea said, Israel would be set aside. God would set them aside. And then on the third day they will be exalted and they will live in the presence of the Lord. Now that's an incredible verse. When was Israel set aside as being a nation? When shall they be exalted and live with the Lord? Can you answer either one or both of those questions? When was Israel set aside? It was somewhere around about the time before the crucifixion of Christ when Israel as a nation, through their Sanhedrin, officially rejected Christ. They were set aside. The age of grace was ushered in. Okay? Question. When will Israel live in the sight of the Lord? During the millennium. during the millennium. Now we know that Israel will live in the land with the Lord for a thousand years. Thus we have the word, they, defined in Hosea. I want you to see this. This is very important. Very, very important. Look at here in verse 2. And after two days, well, let's go with one. Come and let us return unto the Lord, for He hath torn, He will heal us, He hath smitten, and He will bind us up. And after two days, How long is a day with the Lord? A thousand years. After 2,000 years being set aside, He will revive us. And the third day, that's the millennium, that's 1,000 years, He will raise us up and we shall live in His sight. Now, the word day, you can take literally as 1,000 years. And one day is with 1,000 years. We know the millennium is 1,000 years, don't we? That's what the word millennium means. It's a Latin word, really. OK? So that gives us the definition of a day, doesn't it? We're going to live for one day in the sight of the Lord. That sounds like, wow, only 24 hours. How can you handle that? Only 24 hours and then you don't live in His sight anymore. No, no, no, no. You live in His sight for a thousand years. We know that. That's the millennium. So when is Israel revived? Exactly two days after they reject Him, before the one day they live in His presence. So if the one day they're going to live in his presence is a thousand years, how long is two days? Two thousand years. Alright? How many years has it been since Israel was set aside? Around two thousand. We don't know. We can't tell. We don't know for sure exactly when they were really set aside. But we know they were set aside round about that time somewhere or the other. So there is evidence, my friend, of the 2,000 years. Now, once again, we can't set dates, as we don't know when the 2,000 years began, any more than we know when the 6,000 years began. Nor do we know how long the years were. Quite possibly they were 360 days, years, that he's speaking of here. We don't know. Further application of the second period of 1,000 years can be found in John's Gospel. I want you to turn to John chapter 4. Notice verse 40. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them, and he abode there two days. In this passage, because of the Jews' rejection of him, Christ left off dealing with them and went into Samaria and dealt with the Samaritans for exactly two days. Alright, now who were the Samaritans? They were people that were a mixture of Jew and Gentile. They weren't really Jews, they weren't really Gentiles, they were Samaritans. A mixture. God recognizes three kinds of people on this earth. Jew, Gentile, and a part of the body of Christ. Who is a part of the body of Christ? Any Gentile or any Jew who by faith accepts Christ as their Savior. Those are the three groups. Those are the only three groups. You got it? And so Christ went off dealing with the Jews. He set them aside. For two days He had no dealings with them because they rejected Him. And for one day Excuse me, for two days he deals with the mixture of the Jews and the Gentiles. And then what does he do after he finishes dealing with them in that way? Well, I want you to notice verse 41, and many more believe because of his own word. What happened during those two days? Tons of people were saved. What's happened since the Jews were laid aside in these 2,000 years? Many more. have been saved. And then the prophetic note of John 4.43 is sounded. Now, after two days, he departed hence and went to Galilee. And what's in Galilee? Jews. Then does he return at the end of the two days to the Jews, which he describes as the place where he was before, but received no honor and was rejected of them. Now another example of this is cited in John chapter 11. If you'll turn over just a few pages. John chapter 11. And I want you to know those who are sick. When he heard, therefore, that he, Lazarus, was sick, he abode two days in the place where he was. Then after that, sayeth he, let us go to Judea again. His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee, and goeth not thither again. So what do we have here? We've got Jesus was going to be stoned by the Jews. He went away from where the Jews were for two days. At the end of the two days, he went back to where the Jews were. There is yet more. Turn over to Matthew 24. Matthew chapter 24. Notice please verse 32. Now learn the parable of the fig tree. When its branch is yet tender and put forth its leaves, you know that summer is nigh. So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it that is my coming is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled. What's the budding of the fig tree? What is the fig tree? Citron. Throughout scripture, it is so referred to. Well, when Jesus came, the only thing he ever cursed was fig tree. It wasn't bearing fruit. What did Adam and Eve use to cover their nakedness after they sinned? Fig leaves. Cursed of God. Any human work, any human effort on the part of man to make himself appear acceptable to God is cursed. But the day comes when all of that changes. Now as it relates to Israel, Israel has always been symbolized by the fig tree. So Israel was not bearing fruit. They rejected Christ. He set them aside. When you see the fig tree bud, know that it's near, even at the doors. When did the fig tree bud? 1948. That's a very good answer. And what generation is spoken of here? The generation that sees the fig tree blood. That generation will not pass away until everything is fulfilled. Now what does that mean? Does that mean that if I was two years old in 1948 that I'm not going to die until all things are fulfilled? No, it doesn't say that. It says the generation. In other words, everybody who is living in 1948, that generation, those people who were alive then, not all of them will pass away before everything that Scripture has prophesied should be completely fulfilled. Now, how old were you in 1948? Let's say you were just born in 1948. How old would you be now? What are they? GB-58? That sounds pretty good.