And friends, I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, trusting the Spirit of God, whom he sent to be our comforter and our teacher, to be our true instructor in these two afternoon sessions and the rest of the week in his mercy. Our topic, of course, is the second coming of Christ, especially for this hour, the rapture of the church. We have prepared 75 pages of notes on the rapture, the great tribulation in the millennium, which we hope you'll look at our book table, which is at the end of the room back there, the next room. And especially for this hour, our studies in the book of Daniel. You cannot understand the book of Revelation without the book of Daniel. The Lord Jesus said, whoso reads, let him understand, referring to the book of Daniel. Well, friends, it is such a blessing to be able to open this precious book that God has given to us and trusted to us, knowing that it is absolutely infallible, inerrant, inspired. It is self-authenticating. It's the only book God has ever written. It's that by which we shall be evaluated at the Bema, the judgment throne of Christ, which is our topic, God willing, at four o'clock. the rapture, and then the judgment. Now friends, we are just overwhelmed by the things that God has told us about what's coming. So if we can have our next picture on the screen please. We see here five different worlds that God has revealed. So you don't have to look in both directions at once. But I find this to be a helpful overview of the history of the universe. More details on this are available on the table in our time chart on the five worlds. Because everything begins at the beginning as Dave Hunt emphasized this morning. And I have spent 55 years working on this issue of how the world began and who did it and in what order and in what time block and by what methods. Henry Morris and I many, many years ago, in 1961, in fact, co-authored a book called The Genesis Flood. And the sequel to that, The World That Perished, and then The Early Earth, biblical creationism. Because unless we know something about that first world system, which was absolutely perfect, we'll never understand what the fourth system is going to be, namely the thousand-year kingdom, which will be a restoration The Greek word is apokatastasis, a restoration of everything God spoke about through the prophets since the world began. So you see how Jesus emphasizes he's not only the Omega, he's also what? The Alpha. He will finish what he started. And somehow we're going to see a connection between the end and the beginning of things. We hope that these materials will be of interest and help to you and your family and to your friends who are doubtless bombarded, besieged by false concepts of how the world began. All right, we hope you can all hear. The second system that God brought into existence lasted for 1656 years. That was the worst system this planet's ever known, which ended at the Genesis flood. Perhaps one billion people destroyed at the deluge. Only one family believed God. That introduced the third system of which we are a part. A very complex system with dispensations such as human government. And then the dispensation of promise through Abraham. And then the dispensation of the law through Moses. And the dispensation, we're now in the church age. And that will end with a very complex system, which we're going to be studying this week, called the Great Tribulation, the climax of the 70th and last week of Daniel. That introduces, of course, the thousand-year kingdom, the fourth world, and by world I mean a totally distinct system of relationships of God and angels and men and animals and climate and topography and geography, distinct world systems. And that, of course, will be the final phase of earth history. And that will be followed by the new heavens and new earth, which will last how long? Forever and ever and ever. Well, friends, the rapture of the church, the blessed hope. All right. Next picture. In order to understand the uniqueness, the distinctiveness of the rapture of the church, we have to realize that this has nothing to do with Israel. Israel is not equal to the church. Never was, is not, never will be. It's a distinct program under God with its own program and priorities and distinctives and functions and institutions, but I hasten to add there are some profound similarities too between Israel and the church. No Israelite was saved in any other way than you and I are saved in the church age. By the grace of God, through the word of God, illumined by the spirit of God, based on the merits of the blood of Jesus. And I say, well, thank you, Lord. Salvation has always been the same and always will be as long as this world continues. We're saved by grace, not by works on the merits of the blood of Jesus described in the Bible and illumined and applied by the Holy Spirit. But you see, the functions of Israel are so different than that of the church. And here's one of the differences. There is no promise that God ever made to Israel for the rapture. That's a precious, distinct promise God made to his bride, the bride of Christ, the body of Christ, the true church. And that's why you will look in vain in the Old Testament for anything about the rapture. And John the Baptist didn't even know about it. It was a precious truth revealed for the first time in the upper room to the eleven apostles by Jesus in John 14. He said, you believe in God, believe also in me. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will what? Come again, now listen, and receive you to myself that where I am there ye may be also. Now, he didn't specify, clarify that we would be received himself without dying. You see, that is a later truth revealed through the Apostle Paul. And Paul, of course, and the other apostles were given truths, insights that even Jesus didn't reveal during his days on the earth. He'll come and take us up as distinct from the second coming in glory, which we'll be studying tomorrow, God willing, unless the rapture interrupts our conference, which would be wonderful, wouldn't it? Yes, on that occasion, of course, we will see the glory of the Lord Jesus in all that he has revealed himself to be. Now, you don't have to turn to these wonderful passages, but you may want to make a mental or a written note that this is a blessed hope for the church. And that means, of course, part one. that we're not going to have to face the great tribulation, which is the wrath of God, because that's no hope. That's not a blessed hope. The blessed hope is distinct for the bride of Christ, the church, will be caught up in the air to meet him without dying. Before the tribulation, we won't see the Antichrist. We will not be under the wrath of God, which characterizes, I believe, all seven years, especially the last three and a half. That is a program that God has for unsaved Israel and unsaved Gentiles to accomplish his purpose to prepare the whole human race for the millennial kingdom. The church will be exempt from that awful time of the wrath of God. So, we read with great joy and thanksgiving to God in that wonderful passage in Peter, in Titus chapter 2, that we're going to have a blessed hope of seeing our Lord. Alright? Now, you say, well, why isn't Israel included in this rapture promise? Well, let's first of all look at these amazing differences between Israel and the church, okay? Their Sabbath, which is a legalistically enforced program on the seventh day of the week, is very different from the non-legalistically applied first day of the week Sunday for the church. Acts 2 and Colossians chapter 2 were not to be judged according to the Sabbath requirements as the body and bride of Christ. Circumcision in Israel has no connection with water baptism. The temple in Israel has no connection with the local church. Genuine Israelites in the Old Testament, the prophets would have been amazed to discover That there'd be already 2,000 years of God's dealings with men in what we call the church age, where there is no centrally located, geographically identifiable place of worship. where two or three are gathered together in my name, Jesus said, there am I in your midst. And I say, well, Lord, that is an amazing difference. We don't have to pray toward Jerusalem anymore. We don't have to go to Jerusalem. And watch this one. We don't have to appear before a special kind of priest. In Israel, a priest was a very rare man. He was a descendant, you see, The line of priests all the way back, of course, to Aaron. And you didn't bypass the priesthood in order to approach God acceptably. OK, next picture. And here's the shocker. In Israel, you had to bring an animal sacrifice. Well, there is no such thing today. We offer spiritual sacrifices now, the praise of our lips. And again, a godly Jew in the Old Testament would be shocked to discover that a believer today, a genuine believer, does not have to bring an animal. Now, be careful here. This is a very difficult topic to handle. We hope to deal more with it on Friday. Animal sacrifices never took away sin. They were never intended to. They didn't. They never will. What was their function? To protect people with sin natures from the wrath of a holy God into whose presence they would come. And it therefore was a protection program. It dealt with the problem of uncleanness before the holiness of God. Now, when Israel came out of Egypt, remember God said the destroying angel, when he sees the blood on that lintel and on the doorposts, he will do what? He will pass over you. Now, that doesn't mean that every Jew who did that was saved. It meant he was protected from premature destruction. That's all. Now, I'm not even sure that the Old Testament Israelites realized the full symbolic significance of those animal sacrifices until John the Baptist came along. I'm sure Isaiah understood and perhaps Abraham. Jesus said, Abraham saw my day and was glad. But when John the Baptist said, behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, then the full purpose of the animal sacrifices as a foreshadower, an illustration, a visual aid of the blood of Jesus was made clear. And we're going to see, and this is very controversial, that when Israel is reinstituted, reestablished in the kingdom, These sacrifices will be offered again. And in our study here, our notes that I mentioned, we have a whole section on how and why that will be true according to Ezekiel and other passages. What will they do in the millennium? They will not take away sin. They will cover sin, but you can't be saved in the millennium. Any other way than you were saved in the Old Testament as a Jew? By believing God. Remember, Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for what? Righteousness. That was the only way anybody ever became a believer, a saved person in the Old Testament or in the coming kingdom. Okay? But the law of Moses is not for Christians. That is completely impossible according to the writings of the Apostle Paul. And here we come now, friends. The rapture, the blessed hope, is for Christians. So no Israelite will be in the rapture except which ones? Born-again ones. Sometimes we call them messianic Jews, or I would prefer just born-again Jews. There's no middle wall of partition between Christian Jews and Christian Gentiles, according to Colossians. But friends, the Jews today as such, apart from Jesus, unless they repent and believe in the gospel, will miss the rapture. They'll be left behind. We'll see how that will happen and why and what the result will be, okay? And then of course, Israel always means Israel in the New Testament. Even Galatians that speaks of the Israel of God. Now friends, The rapture of the church is such an exciting, spectacular, precious message Jesus has entrusted to us. I just love these statements, don't you? Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep the sleep of death, but we'll all be changed in a moment. The twinkling of an eye at the last trump of the trumpet shall sound and the dead should be raised incorruptible. Are you ready for this? And we shall be changed. How many? are convinced that we need to be changed. Thank you. What a change, friends. Well, how will it happen? Will the dead in Christ shall rise first to honor them who have died in the last 2,000 years in faith? They will be glorified first. They will be the first human beings ever to be glorified since Jesus was. The dead in Christ, dead Christians. Then we who are alive, we living Christians, will be caught up. And that's a special Greek word, verb. Harpazo. Snatched away. You know, we have two English words that come from that Greek word. Rapture is a Latin translation. Rapture. But harpazo, that's the word the Holy Spirit chose to speak of the rapture. And so what are the two English words we use? Well, how about from harpazo, we get a harp. A harp is an instrument which, when plucked, brings music out. It plucks the music right out of that instrument. And how many of you ever use something like this? It's called a harpoon, which, when thrown into the ocean, hopefully brings a whale out. And we're going to be harped out of this world and harpooned out of this planet in a moment, the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet. And I say, well, Lord, I am amazed at the details you have revealed to us in the Scriptures about that event. By the way, here's some good news. It's not going to be a partial rapture. Okay? All right? You say a partial rapture, what's that? Well, some have taught in years gone by that only the worthy believers go up at the rapture. Well, if that's true, how many are going up? None. Thank you. That's the end of the partial rapture. Partial rapture turns out to be another name for no rapture. No, friends, every born again man, woman and child on this planet will be caught up. You say, well, some are worthier than others. Yes, but that will be straightened out at the Bema, the judgment throne, where Jesus will deal with our works since we were saved and rewards for faithfulness. That's a totally different issue. OK. And we say, well, Lord, thank you. Thank you for that distinction. Every born again Christian goes up at the rapture instantaneously. OK. Now, friends, the book of Daniel, 2600 years ago, remember, Jesus said, who so reads that book, let him understand, make so clear to us some of these matters in advance, even of the revelation of God concerning the church. Now watch. Gabriel said to Daniel, 70 weeks have been decreed for your people. Now, watch who this is. It's not the church. It's whom? Israel, your people. And what? Your holy city. Is that New York or Winnipeg? No. Who would like to suggest? Jerusalem. Thank you. OK. Now. 70 weeks, but it's going to be divided up like this. This is amazing. It'll be 7 plus 62, which is 69 weeks of years. These are Shavuim in Hebrew, which is a seven year period. 483 years. And then after that 69th week, the Messiah will die. Okay, after the 69 weeks. So there's a gap see between the 69th and 70th. And the 70th is still future as a book of Revelation tells us. The book of Revelation cannot be fully understood unless we know the basis of it in the book of Daniel. So God did not include the church, the bride in any of those first 69 weeks. We weren't there before the day of Pentecost. Okay. We weren't there before Jesus died. No, because the church began after Christ died, which occurred after the first 69 weeks had been completed. OK, now here's an important point. I know this becomes a little bit complex. Bear with us here. Watch now. God did not allow Israel's laws and ordinances to be incorporated into the church. Colossians 2.16, let no man judge you concerning the Sabbath, you see, or dietary restrictions. Galatians makes a huge point of that. Don't mix Israel's laws with the church. Therefore, and here's the point, church ordinances and distinctives, such as what? Believer's baptism, the local church and the bread and the cup, for example, church ordinances and distinctives, and local church government, for example, will not be allowed to continue into Israel's 70th week of divine preparation for kingdom leadership. God does not use or bless two different programs on earth at the same time. In Israel's past history, nothing ever happened that was church doctrine or function or government or practice, ever. In the 70th week of Daniel, there will be no church on earth at all, except an enormous grotesque apostate system, the harlot, which is not a true church. There won't be one single born-again Christian on this earth in the 70th week of Daniel. Now, there'll be born-again people, as we'll see, but not born-again what? Christians. You say, Dr. Whitcomb, isn't that kind of an overemphasis on distinctions? No, not at all. Remember, Daniel said it was exclusively for what? Your people and your holy city that these programs are now revealed. And Gabriel spoke with infinite authority on these subjects. Now, here's the conclusion. Therefore, the true church must be removed from the earth before Israel's final seven years, just as he promised the church in Revelation 3.10. He said to that church, which represents all churches, because you have kept The word of my perseverance, which is the mark of a true Christian. I also will keep you from the hour of testing. That's a time period that's coming. The hour of which is about to come upon the whole world, the whole human race will be trapped into a what? An awesome, awful time of tribulation. And here it is. That hour which is about to come upon the whole world, that's never yet happened, to test those who dwell upon the earth, that always means in the book of Revelation, unbelievers. And God's promise to the seven churches are applicable to all Christians. There is no partial rapture. Now, you see, friends, how all this begins to fit together. Next picture, please. Now, here we go. Are you ready? You see this arrow here? In case you missed it, here it is over here. Guess which direction the arrow is going? Up. Thank you. That's the church. The true church. Because not one Christian, one member of the body and bride of Christ, can possibly be on this earth during the 70th and last week of Israel. It's exclusively Gabriel said so. For your people, Daniel and your holy city. So Jerusalem will be extremely prominent. And tomorrow morning, God willing, we're going to see what those two witnesses in Jerusalem will be doing. Some of this is very complex, friends, but it's also when we begin to look into it, a tremendous blessing and a great encouragement that God actually knows exactly what he's doing and how he's going to accomplish this. Now, you see, And all the horrible things that happen during that 70th week of Daniel, not once is the church ever mentioned the true church on earth. Because the church is up here with Christ. Preparing for the marriage supper of the Lamb. Church is up there. Therefore, the message that the Holy Spirit gave to those seven churches here, what the Holy Spirit says to the seven churches will never, never be uttered during that 70th week. Now, in order to take the Bible grammatically consistently in normal interpretation, which is a literal interpretation, just like, by the way, any evolutionist or any unbeliever who writes a book expects his book to be taken literally, normally. See the laws of grammar and syntax and hermeneutics. God is an expert at writing. He knows how to communicate. In fact, Jesus, John 1.1, is the Word, the Logos. He is the perfect communicator of the mind of God to the minds of men. And he doesn't confuse us. He doesn't deceive us. He says, dear reader, dear child, if you search the Scriptures daily, you'll find that these things are so. They fit together. They are consistent. And I say, well, Lord, thank you for that. The fact that the church is never mentioned in this 70th week being on earth is an argument from significant silence. People say, well, that's just an argument from silence just because it's not mentioned on earth doesn't mean it isn't on earth. Oh, yes, it is a significant silence because the church, friends, is the highest thing God has ever brought into existence. May I say it? In the whole universe. In the whole history of the universe, the church is number one. The body and bride of Christ. Of course, God is infinitely superior, but I say anything he's brought into existence, you see, the bride and body of Christ is number one. In fact, John the Baptist, Jesus said, I've often been amazed at this, haven't you? He said, no man ever born of women is greater than John. But he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John. That's us. It doesn't mean you're better than John or I'm superior to him or more courageous or godly or anything. It just means we're what? In a higher level, you see. A higher position in the body and bride of Christ. And John the Baptist knew that he would never be part of that bride. He said to his disciples, you go to Jesus now. You go to him. He must increase, but I must what? Decrease. And I'm a friend of the bridegroom. I'm not part of the bride. Never will be. But I'm a friend of the bridegroom. Oh, what a friend he was. And how greatly he'll be honored, friends. He'll get a special invitation to that wedding feast, I'm sure. Don't you think so? Yes, he'll be there as an observer, not as a part of the bride. So the Bible does make some consistent, clear statements in order that we might not be confused. And I say, well, Lord, it is a terrible thing to be confused about the identity of the church and the identity of Israel. Because for a thousand years of church history, we had an enormous so-called church and still do with a billion people in it who think they're Christians, but who hate Israel and think that the church has replaced Israel forever and are doing the things they think Israel did. Namely, they have a sacrifice. See? and have priests. This is awful. This is a horrible distortion of God's plan for the church. No, no, friends, I go around recommending one of the most spectacular books I've ever seen in this subject by Ronald de Pros, the director of the of the Italian Bible Institute in Rome in Italy. Israel and the church, the origin and effects of replacement theology. As we've already heard this morning, the church has not replaced Israel. Israel will be grafted back into the tree of divine blessing. All Israel will be saved, because even though their enemies for the gospel's sake, their beloved for the father's sake, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, And God's promises are irrevocable. They can't be revoked. He keeps his promises. Thank the Lord. Or where would we be? How do you like this promise that he made to you and me? He who has begun a work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. I say, God, thank you for your promises. Where would I be without them? And I just say, Lord, help me to keep clear the promises you made to Israel and the promises you've made to the church. You say, well, but the Jews are not worthy of this. Careful now. Don't talk about who's worthy of being saved. What does that do to us? No. No. I've written a book entitled Esther and the Destiny of Israel. You know what? Israel today is just like it was in the days of Queen Esther and Mordecai. Largely unbelievers, but nevertheless the chosen people. And today, with rare exceptions, The millions of Israelis in Israel don't know the Savior. But they're still the promised people. You see? And just like God protected Israel miraculously in the days of Esther, He's protecting them today. Pray for Israel, the well-being of that nation. And I tremble at the thought of geopolitical maneuvering, you see, today. to pressure Israel to give up more land and to give up more rights and more whatevers. And after a while, we just wonder, well, how can that nation survive? But I'm thankful to make this announcement. Are you ready? That when Israel becomes sufficiently desperate for leadership, see, for political and geopolitical recognition, integrity, respect, when they're desperate All of a sudden, somebody will step on the scene and say, I'm here, signed here, seven year treaty. I'll help you. And the only time Jesus ever mentioned the Antichrist specifically was this one, John 5. I have come in my father's name and you receive me not. But one is coming in his own name and him you will receive. And when that unbelieving nation in desperation signs a covenant, a treaty with this person, who is brilliant, clever, you see, one of the most brilliant men that Satan will ever have in the history of the world, the beast. Then begins the 70th week of Daniel. By which time, of course, friends, I say, thank you, Lord. We'll be up here. with Christ. Here's one of my favorite verses, and with this I close. It doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him. For we shall see him as he is, and whoever has this hope in him purifies himself even as he is pure. How many of you agree that it does not yet appear what we shall be? Friends, think of what's coming, perhaps, today. Let's pray. Now, Father, I just thank you for these precious truths you've entrusted to us here. Marvelous things. Yes, difficult, complex. You have assumed that we've mastered the whole Bible in order to compare Scripture with Scripture. You have assumed that this precious book is an object of our love and fascination so that we're searching the scriptures daily. I wonder if I'm even living up to this expectation and privilege. Therefore, we are in semi darkness on many of the things that you expect us to know. Help us to repent of our neglect of the word. And that we may take these promises seriously, literally. and spread the word all over the Christian world that Jesus is coming at any moment and we'll be caught up, harpazzoed into his presence, glorified, never ever to die. I thank you, dear Father. In Jesus' name, amen.