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Behold, He Cometh With Clouds
His coming
has been preached and spoken of for
many years. Now, there is an expectancy in many
hearts that His coming is very soon. To those who
truly look for His appearing, the Bible says, "shall He
appear the second time without sin unto salvation."
(full salvation) Hebrews 9:28.
The Lord has come -- past
tense -- first coming,
He is coming -- present tense -- in us,
He shall come -- future tense -- second coming.
Jesus is going to come literally from heaven. He is going to come gloriously from heaven. He is going to come physically. There is a man at the right hand of the Father today. He is coming visibly, and He is coming personally from heaven. Jesus is coming in fire, and He is coming with fire. He is coming in the saints (now), and He is coming with the saints (those that have gone on to be with Him). He is coming in clouds -- we are those clouds, and He is coming with the clouds.
I want to point out three things.
The first thing is we must look for His coming; that is, an expectancy. We must love His coming or His appearing. We must be like Him when He comes or when He appears.
Look in Hebrews 9. There are three appearings in this chapter.
Verse 26, "For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." That was Jesus, the prophet, that came and died for our sins.
Verse 24, "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us." He is our High Priest. He is interceding for us now. He is appearing there now. He came as the prophet. He appears as our High Priest.
Verse 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." He is coming as king of Kings and Lord of Lords. Notice, He came a second time -- not a third or fourth time, He came once before. Yet He shall come a second time without sin unto salvation. That is full salvation: spirit, soul and body We have been justified in our spirit, we are being sanctified in our soul, and if we are moving on with God, we shall be glorified and even changed in our bodies. So we must look for Him.
Many times we get accused of not believing in the coming of the Lord, because we do not believe in the pre-tribulation rapture. I want to tell you something.
Jesus IS coming!!
Go to Philippians 3:20-21. "For our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." We must look for that appearing or return of the Lord.
The second thing is we must love that appearing.
Go to 2nd Timothy 4:6-8. I believe that those that love Jesus, love His appearing. Those who love Jesus will love His appearing!! "For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: (Paul fought the good fight. Paul had been faithful, and he finished his course. Do you desire to finish your course? Do you desire to finish your testimony?) Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown (this is the victor's crown) of righteousness (this is different than the garment of imputed righteousness; this righteousness came from growth, maturity in God and overcoming), which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." Paul said, because he had been faithful, fought and had finished, he received a crown. There is some warfare with this. We must fight the fight of faith, in order to finish our course. "...which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me (when was Paul going to receive the crown? At the rapture? No!) at that day." Those who teach the rapture say that we are caught out of here, then we are in heaven seven years, and then we come back in the day of the Lord. No! There are not two comings like that. There is only one more coming, and that is the day of the Lord. When Jesus comes back, He is coming back to the earth. Even if there would be a catching up to meet the Lord in the air, we would not go off to some place, we would come right back down, because the Lord is descending from heaven to this earth. "...and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." So, those that love His appearing shall also receive this crown of righteousness. That will be a blessing.
Third: We must be like Him when He comes.
1st John 32:3, "Beloved (that is you and I), now are we the sons (children -- the word is technon) of God, and 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 every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." So as this purification is taking place in us, God is bringing a people into His likeness and into His image. When Jesus appears, there will be a people like Him, because of the work God has done in their hearts and in their souls. So, we must look for His appearing. We must love His appearing. We must be like Him when He appears.
1st John 2:28, "And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence (boldness), and not be ashamed before him at his coming." Jesus does not want us to be ashamed when He comes. So if we are looking for Him, if we love His appearing, and if we are like Him when He comes, then we will not be ashamed.
I believe many have majored on leaving the earth, not on Jesus coming back to the earth. The real story is He is coming back to the earth.
Acts 1:9-10, "And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up (He will come down), behold, two men stood by them in white apparel." I wonder if this was Elijah and Moses. I cannot prove it, but they appeared with Him on the mount of Transfiguration.
Verse 11, "Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." So men saw Jesus leave the earth; men will see him coming. He left the mount of Olives, the Bible says in Zechariah 14. "His feet shall stand in that day on the mount of Olives." A cloud took Him out of their sight, and a cloud will bring Him back. He ascended, and He shall descend from heaven with a shout and a voice from the Archangel.
Let us see He is coming. He is first of all coming in clouds. Go to Revelation 14. There is a lot about His coming in the Book of Revelation. Many preach the rapture in chapter 4, but you cannot. John was caught up in the Spirit, but his body was still on the isle of Patmos. He is the picture of the manchild. The manchild in Revelation 12:5 is caught (up) to the throne, a spiritual catching up. They are the Overcomers. John was caught up in the spirit. Today, our bodies are here on earth, and yet, we could be caught up to God, in the Spirit, as John was. You do not have to die to be caught up to the Lord or the throne. You could be there today, and your body still be here on the earth.
Revelation 14:14-15, "And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man (this is Jesus, He is the Son of God, and yet, the Son of man. He is also raising up not only the sons of God, but the son of man company), having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe."
The last feast we are entering into is the feast of Tabernacles; that is the great ingathering, the great harvest. God is going to save as many people as He can save, throughout the world. I tell you, I believe many are going to be saved from every nation. I can show you scriptures where it says that. Look in Revelation 15:4. "Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? For thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest." God is dealing with the nations.
Go to Zechariah 2:10-11. "Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord. And many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me unto thee." God is going to pour out His spirit, and there are going to be many thousands saved throughout the world.
He is coming in clouds.
Revelation 14:14, "And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle."
Revelation 1:7, "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him (how this is going to happen, only God knows), and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen." He is coming with clouds.
What kind of clouds are they?
Turn to Matthew 24:29-30. "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken (Do you believe He is going to shake the demonic powers in the heavenlies? He is going to bring them down.). And then (after the tribulation) 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." He is coming in heavenly clouds, not rain clouds. Clouds represent His glory. They represent angelic hosts. They represent the saints of God. They represent His witnesses. We are compassed about by a great cloud of witnesses, the Bible says. Those who have died cannot be made perfect without us. He is perfecting a people in heaven, as well as here on this earth.
Verse 31, "And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet (this is the seventh trumpet, the last trumpet the Bible speaks about. What is the trumpet? It is a message), and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Mark 13:27 says from heaven and earth, He is gathering this people.
Look in Matthew 26:64. "Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven."
Go to Mark 13:25-27. "And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken, and then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven."
I want to show you this in Ephesians 1:10. "That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him." So those that are in heaven, and those that are in the earth, God is going to bring together.
Look in Mark 14:62. "And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven."
Daniel 7:13, "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days." So He comes with clouds of heaven.
Now turn to 1st Thessalonians 4:13-16. "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 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." The dead in Christ can be those that have actually died, but Colossians 3:3 talks about those who are dead, and who are walking around on their feet. We are dead to sin, self, the world and flesh. We should be, and we are learning to overcome.
Verse 17, "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds (these are not rain clouds), to meet the Lord in the air (the word air is not the same word as spirit, but it is close. The word air means the environment; it is the air from the mountains down. We are breathing it today. How many get caught up, right here, in the Lord? Satan is the prince of the power of the air. Yet, Jesus said we will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air): and so shall we ever be with the Lord." That does not mean in the natural air. It does not mean we are going to live eternally in heaven, either. Jesus is coming to the earth to rule and reign. Verse 18, "Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
I want to tell you five things about these scriptures:
1. We know the coming of
the Lord is real.
2. We know we will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air or in the clouds
(clouds of witnesses).
3. It is in the time of the last trumpet that 1st Corinthians 15:50-52, Revelation
10:7 and 11:15 speak of. This is the last trumpet; the last message that will
be blown, that will change the people of God.
4. This is the starting of the resurrection.
5. This is in the day of the Lord.
Look in 1st Thessalonians 5:1-2. "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night." We are dealing with the day of the Lord. Most preachers stop at 1st Thessalonians 4:18, but there are no chapter divisions in the Greek, no punctuation in the Greek. Man has put in the chapter divisions. It helps us some, but yet, Paul is talking about the day of the Lord.
Let us look at the day of the Lord. I have studied this many times. It is a tremendous study. Zechariah 14:1-2, "Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil 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 woman 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." Jerusalem is going to have much trouble. Verse 3, "Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle." Verse 4, "And his feet shall stand in that day (the day of the Lord) 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." Verse 5, "...and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee."
We have seen He is coming in clouds. Next we will see Him coming in glory. Go to Colossians 3:1-4. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection (the word affection means your mind) on things above, not on things on the earth (if we are not careful, we can reverse it. We can set our heart on the things of the earth, and forget about the heavenly things). For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God (you do not have to be in the grave to be dead). When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory."
Now, I want to show you something about the glory. When the glory of God comes, or when Jesus comes in glory, or even we experience the glory here, there is something else that comes with the glory. Turn to Leviticus 9:23. When God starts moving, the devil starts moving. In chapter 9, you are going to see the glory, and in chapter 10, you see the false. Jesus said to the devil, "Get behind me, Satan." It literally means follow behind me. Such as in Acts 4, when the Church brought their money to the Apostles, and laid it at their feet. Then in Acts 5, Ananias and Sapphira lied about their money, claiming they had given all of it. (In) Chapter 6 of Revelation, the white horse is the gospel of Christ going forth (it is not antichrist), and then the red horse follows, then the black horse and pale horse.
Leviticus 9:23, "And Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle of the congregation, and came out, and blessed the people: and the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people." Verse 24, "And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces." Brethren, when the glory comes, you do not have to push anyone down, or knock anyone down. They are going to go down. I have seen people fall out, that were not slain in the Holy Spirit. When God's glory is revealed, you will, at times, be slain in the Spirit, without injury. I remember one lady we prayed for hit the floor so hard, her earrings bounced off her ears. She was not hurt; the power of God put her down. When the glory falls, so does the fire of God.
Look in Exodus 24:9-14.You have three categories here. The seventy elders, Aaron, and his sons are on one level in this chapter, and are worshipping God. Then you have Joshua, who is with Moses, and he comes to another level, and he stops. Then in verse 13, Moses goes up higher. You have 30, 60, 100-fold. There are three levels of Christianity: Outer Court, Holy Place, Holy of Holies -- 30, 60, 100-fold. God speaks in three's.
Verses 13-18, "And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God. And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them. And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the Lord abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days (What does the number six represent? Man! We are in the sixth day from Adam; sixth thousand years. Some believe we are right at the time of the seventh day): and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights." God had Moses wait six days. God was preparing Moses to enter the cloud. God has given us six days to prepare to enter the cloud.
The cloud is coming,
the glory is coming,
the fire is coming,
the seventh day is coming!!
WE MUST GET PREPARED!
The glory comes with the fire.
The fire can be a blessing, but it will burn up all the dross as well.
2nd Chronicles 7:1-2, "Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of the Lord filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of the Lord, because the glory of the Lord had filled the Lord's house." Wouldn't you like to see it today? You just hold on, you just wait. The glory of the Lord is coming. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former house.
Psalms 102:13, "Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come." God has a set time to favor His people. If it was not for His grace, we would not be here today.
Verses 14-16, "For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof. So the heathen shall fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory. When the Lord shall build up Zion (that is you and me. Do you believe He is building us up?), he shall appear in his glory." I believe it is within and without.
1st Peter 5:1-4, "The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed (shepherd) the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre (the shepherd must not be in the ministry, just for the money. Money is not filthy when it is made, but it is made filthy by our motives and our actions; our covetousness), but of a ready mind; neither as being lords (little tin gods) over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away." We have seen the crown of righteousness; now we see the crown of glory, especially those who have been faithful to the Word of God and will of God. Luke 21:25, "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations (if the earth is not in that condition today, then I do not know when it will get there), with perplexity (seems like there is no answer, no way out -- Jesus is our answer); the sea and the waves roaring (not only the natural sea, but also humannity. Sea represents humanity. Humanity is tossed to and fro)."
Verses 26- 8, "Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." Redemption of the body.
The Lord is not only coming in clouds of glory, but also in judgment.
Turn to 2nd Timothy 4:1. "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick (alive) and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom." When He appears, His kingdom will be here. The kingdom is with God, the kingdom is in you, and He calls us also His kingdom.
Turn to Isaiah 66:15-16. "For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire (a picture of the Holy Spirit) and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many." He is coming with fire, and yet, He is pleading with all flesh.
Isaiah 26:20-21, "Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee (that is our prayer closet): hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain." He is coming out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth. Listen, great judgment is going to hit the earth when Jesus comes.
Look in Isaiah 27. 1. "In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea (humanity)." He is going to be put in the bottomless pit, and then into the lake of fire. Satan fell from heaven; he is falling out of the heavenlies to the earth; he will be cast into the bottomless pit, and his final destination will be the lake of fire.
Look in Revelation 16:15. Jesus is coming like a thief. Many say that Jesus comes in chapter 4 of Revelation; that I have already spoken about, and yet, here in chapter 16 in the time of the bowl judgments, He has not come yet. What does it mean to come as a thief? Jesus is not a thief. It means an element of surprise. His coming will be sudden and quick. When a thief comes to break into a house, he does not tell the people what time he will be there, or how he will enter the house.
Revelation 16:13-15, "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles (false miracles), which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame." He gathers these to Armageddon, the last war. Armageddon is not only in the Middle East. It will also be worldwide.
2nd Peter 3:3-5, "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water."
Verses 10-12, "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night: in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?"
Other scriptures on the Lord's coming as a thief are Revelation 3:3; 1st Thessalonians 5:1-9.
Now He is coming as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Turn to Revelation 19. I want to show you several things in this chapter
Revelation 19: 11-13, "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God." That is why I told you that the white horse rider in chapter 6 is the Word of God
Verses 14-18, "And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great."
In verse 19, John sees the beast and the kings of the earth, and the armies are there to make war against the Lord.
Verses 20-21, "And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh."
It says a white horse... the word white means "dead white." It means dazzling light, radiant, bright, clear, gorgeous, goodly, and gay (a good word, not what it means today). White speaks of purity, holiness, righteousness, innocence, untainted. It says Jesus will come on a white horse, with His army also, on white horses.
His mount - a white horse.
His title - He is faithful and true; He is Almighty God in this chapter. He is the Word of God and the King of Kings, Lord of Lords.
His warfare - in righteousness He does judge and make war. He is the warrior. He is smiting the nations. He is going to defeat the armies of anti-christ.
His eyes are a flame of fire. Can you see those blazing eyes when He comes judging the wicked?
His head had many crowns upon it.
His name is called the Word of God.
His clothing - He has a vesture dipped in blood. His followers are the armies in heaven.
His mouth - a sharp sword goes out of His mouth. We know He slays the remnant of the wicked with the sword that proceeds out of His mouth.
His rule - He will rule the nations with a rod of iron. He has overcomers coming forth who rule with Him and under Him.
His feet will tread the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
His Majesty's name is King of kings and Lord of lords.
His coming is in two stages.
Turn to Titus 2:13-14. "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."
First of all, he said looking for the blessed hope. Let us see what the blessed hope is.
Turn to Colossians 1:27. "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:" Where is this hope? It is in us!!
Look in 1st Peter 3:15. "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear."
1st John 3:2-3, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and 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 every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." If that hope is in you, then you are being purified, being sanctified. You see that purification is our responsibility. God will do it, but it is our responsibility that we are purified. Where is the HOPE?
IT IS CHRIST IN US!
Back in Titus 2:1-3, "Looking for that blessed hope..." That is the inward coming. That is Christ coming in us.
Phase 2, His literal coming, cannot happen until phase 1, His inward coming, takes place. The literal coming cannot take place, until the spiritual coming takes place. He is coming today in us, He is coming in us tomorrow, as we cry out to Him. He is coming in us.
"Looking for that blessed hope (there is an expectancy), and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." He will not only come out there, in the air, but He will also come within us. There will be a people, who will conform to His image and to His likeness. Once that happens, Jesus will appear.
Now He will come quickly. Turn to Revelation 3:11. "Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown."
Revelation 22:7, "Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book."
Revelation 22:12, "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give to every man according as his work shall be." Some people say, "I'm going to go get my reward." Didn't Paul say he would receive a crown in the day of the Lord? Jesus says, "I come quickly; and my reward is with me." He will bring our rewards with Him.
Revelation 22.20, "He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus."
So, again, I want to emphasize He is coming literally from heaven. He is coming gloriously from heaven, physically, visibly and personally from heaven. The Lord, Himself, will come back to the earth.
Let us go to 1st Thessalonians 5. The day of the Lord is so important. Study the day of the Lord. Verses 1-9, "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief (He is saying we are not to be in darkness). Ye are all the children (sons) of light, and the children (sons) of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation (we must have the armor of God on), for God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ." Wrath is coming on the wicked, not on the righteous. But God never told us we would never have tribulation. The devil is attacking the Church, tribulation is hitting the Church, affliction and trouble are hitting the Church. He said the wrath of God will not touch His people, but the wicked.
I want to show you several scriptures on the day of the Lord.
Go to Zephaniah 1:14-18. "The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess (the day of the Lord is going to be gloomy to those that are not ready), a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet (this is the trumpet that the New Testament is tatking about. It is the seventh trumpet) and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers (pride). And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord's wrath.
We have not yet come to the day of the Lord yet. I believe the day of the Lord starts with the coming of the Lord. I believe the day of the Lord continues 1000 years.
Look in Zephaniah 2.1-3. "Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger come upon you. Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger."
Isaiah 13:3-6, "I have commanded my sanctified ones, I have also called my mighty ones for mine anger, even them that rejoice in my highness. The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like as of a great people; a tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together: the Lord of hosts mustereth the host of the battle. They come from a far country (this is heaven), from the end of heaven, even the Lord, and the weapons of his indignation, to destroy the whole land. Howl ye, for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty."
Verses 9-11, "Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven (this brings you back to Matthew 24) and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible." That is the day of the Lord.
Turn to Malachi 4:5. "Behold, I will send you Elijah (Elijah, the man, has come. Elijah also came in the form of John the Baptist; the spirit of Elijah was upon John the Baptist -- not reincarnation -- but the same spirit, that was on Elijah, was on John. I believe there is an end-time Elijah army God is raising up. Elijah has come, is come and shall come.) the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord." That day will be great for those that are ready and prepared, but it will be dreadful to those that are not.
Verse 6, "And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." The problems today are in the homes and in the church. Brethren, who must turn first? The fathers must turn to the children. America's problem is the fathers. If the fathers would get their hearts right with God, then families would get right with God. The nation would turn around overnight, and the church would get right with God. I believe this is spiritual children, as well as natural children. It is going to be at this time that God is going to touch the children again. God is going to touch families, homes and churches.
Joel 2:1, "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand." I want you to see what the prophet said. It is nigh at hand, but yet, it has not happened. In the Spirit, there is no time or distance. It is when we get out of the Spirit that we do not see the coming of the Lord is imminent. We should live in the Spirit. The more we live in the Spirit, the more the coming of the Lord will seem very close to us.
Verse 2, "A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong." So in the midst of darkness and gloominess and all the negative, God has a people that are like the morning. He said, "...as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong."
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