1 00:00:00,972 --> 00:00:04,374 [MUSIC PLAYING] 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 4 00:00:13,630 --> 00:00:16,965 As Galileans, we witnessed his first miracle. 5 00:00:21,140 --> 00:00:25,624 He warned us that a time of great deception would come. 6 00:00:25,624 --> 00:00:31,025 But we must hold on to our faith that one 7 00:00:31,025 --> 00:00:37,899 day He would return to save us from the end of the world. 8 00:00:43,830 --> 00:00:47,760 Most people don't believe that Jesus is coming back. 9 00:00:47,760 --> 00:00:52,420 What if there was evidence that proves that this is all real? 10 00:00:52,420 --> 00:00:53,520 Because there were so many people 11 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:55,440 bringing up little bits and pieces of this, 12 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:57,990 I'm thinking there's got to be a pattern here. 13 00:01:01,740 --> 00:01:03,470 The Bible talks about it as being a mystery, 14 00:01:03,470 --> 00:01:05,360 but why does the rapture have to happen? 15 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:07,040 What's the point to it all? 16 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:09,440 A Galilean would have understood that perfectly. 17 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:11,330 They are the key to everything. 18 00:01:11,330 --> 00:01:12,320 I'm just so stunned. 19 00:01:12,320 --> 00:01:15,270 I never thought I would see this in my lifetime. 20 00:01:15,270 --> 00:01:19,520 This is the most profound discovery in human history. 21 00:01:25,440 --> 00:01:30,630 From his promise made through wine at the Last Supper to why 22 00:01:30,630 --> 00:01:35,010 the world cannot know the day of his return, 23 00:01:35,010 --> 00:01:40,510 we were chosen to preserve the truth until the end of days. 24 00:01:40,510 --> 00:01:45,000 So even if we are not spared from death, 25 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:51,910 others can unveil what we knew and believe. 26 00:01:51,910 --> 00:01:55,717 This discovery proves that He is coming back. 27 00:01:55,717 --> 00:01:59,196 [DRAMATIC MUSIC] 28 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:49,330 We are not destined to live in this world forever, 29 00:02:49,330 --> 00:02:52,920 for out of the earth we were taken, 30 00:02:52,920 --> 00:02:58,740 as we are nothing more than dust, 31 00:02:58,740 --> 00:03:01,395 and to dust we shall return. 32 00:03:05,640 --> 00:03:17,850 Though the body must perish, the spirit lives forever, 33 00:03:17,850 --> 00:03:22,660 so I urge you to seek the things that are eternal 34 00:03:22,660 --> 00:03:26,080 rather than that which will decay into nothing. 35 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:35,850 As I write to you, the foretold coming of the messiah, our Lord 36 00:03:35,850 --> 00:03:39,840 Jesus Christ, is now fulfilled, as we 37 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:46,510 await his prophesied return at the end of days. 38 00:03:46,510 --> 00:03:50,830 Though He first came to save the world, 39 00:03:50,830 --> 00:03:54,460 He will return to judge it. 40 00:03:59,210 --> 00:04:03,080 My brothers and sisters in Christ, 41 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:08,090 know that a time of great tribulation approaches such as 42 00:04:08,090 --> 00:04:12,350 has not been seen since the beginning of the world 43 00:04:12,350 --> 00:04:15,080 nor shall there ever be again. 44 00:04:19,019 --> 00:04:24,830 But our Lord will return to retrieve those that follow Him 45 00:04:24,830 --> 00:04:26,540 from the wrath that will be poured 46 00:04:26,540 --> 00:04:32,500 out upon all who are living on the face of the Earth. 47 00:04:32,500 --> 00:04:37,180 A time of worldwide wars, famines, 48 00:04:37,180 --> 00:04:41,580 great earthquakes, and sickness that will 49 00:04:41,580 --> 00:04:43,575 bring an abundance of death. 50 00:04:50,100 --> 00:04:56,040 The oceans will rage and the land will burn, 51 00:04:56,040 --> 00:05:01,762 as the moon becomes as blood and the sun black as sackcloth. 52 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:11,690 But I warn you, before that terrible day there 53 00:05:11,690 --> 00:05:14,450 will be a great falling away from the faith. 54 00:05:17,290 --> 00:05:22,860 And when the hour of judgment comes upon this fallen world, 55 00:05:22,860 --> 00:05:25,785 few will remain that truly believe. 56 00:05:35,720 --> 00:05:39,740 Though the convergence of signs for his return 57 00:05:39,740 --> 00:05:43,730 have been revealed to you throughout the scriptures, 58 00:05:43,730 --> 00:05:50,210 there are some mysteries that God proclaims will be sealed 59 00:05:50,210 --> 00:05:52,950 until the time of the end-- 60 00:05:58,500 --> 00:06:02,310 understanding that will be unveiled 61 00:06:02,310 --> 00:06:08,030 to the generation that will witness 62 00:06:08,030 --> 00:06:09,655 the return of the messiah. 63 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:22,250 I fear, though, that when the savior returns, 64 00:06:22,250 --> 00:06:26,640 will He find any faith left on the Earth? 65 00:06:31,997 --> 00:06:35,406 [AMBIENT MUSIC] 66 00:06:40,790 --> 00:06:45,560 It's been 2,000 years since the final prophecies were recorded, 67 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:49,100 and today the foundation for the convergence of nearly 68 00:06:49,100 --> 00:06:51,500 every prophetic sign foretold within 69 00:06:51,500 --> 00:06:53,360 the remaining biblical prophecies 70 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:57,430 has never been more prominent. 71 00:06:57,430 --> 00:07:00,730 As a result, a recent rise in debates regarding the signs 72 00:07:00,730 --> 00:07:03,550 of the times has led to growing division regarding 73 00:07:03,550 --> 00:07:07,090 when the messiah will return. 74 00:07:07,090 --> 00:07:09,520 After all, if the events prophesied 75 00:07:09,520 --> 00:07:13,510 within the ancient records are indeed to come to pass, 76 00:07:13,510 --> 00:07:15,670 then knowing the timing of the Lord's return 77 00:07:15,670 --> 00:07:18,610 would be of great importance. 78 00:07:18,610 --> 00:07:22,330 The timing is a real hot-button, especially 79 00:07:22,330 --> 00:07:24,970 among religious people, Christians and what the like. 80 00:07:24,970 --> 00:07:27,370 We love predictability. 81 00:07:27,370 --> 00:07:30,070 We want to know when He's going to be coming back. 82 00:07:30,070 --> 00:07:35,470 The conflict, the disagreement, the contention over the timing 83 00:07:35,470 --> 00:07:36,700 of the rapture-- 84 00:07:36,700 --> 00:07:39,460 and particularly in the last 10 years, 85 00:07:39,460 --> 00:07:41,410 it has gone off the chart. 86 00:07:41,410 --> 00:07:43,870 You know, instead of saying, my, how 87 00:07:43,870 --> 00:07:47,710 they love one another, as they said of the early church-- 88 00:07:47,710 --> 00:07:50,980 now today of the church, they say, my, how 89 00:07:50,980 --> 00:07:53,170 they fight with one another. 90 00:07:56,750 --> 00:07:58,760 And recent findings from organizations, 91 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:02,600 such as LifeWay Research, confirm that the infighting 92 00:08:02,600 --> 00:08:05,790 among Christians is deepening. 93 00:08:05,790 --> 00:08:08,250 In one of our surveys, we ask when they thought 94 00:08:08,250 --> 00:08:09,700 the rapture would occur. 95 00:08:09,700 --> 00:08:12,540 The largest group, 36%, believe that the rapture 96 00:08:12,540 --> 00:08:15,027 will occur pre-tribulation. 97 00:08:15,027 --> 00:08:16,260 But if that's the largest group, that 98 00:08:16,260 --> 00:08:18,930 means there's not a majority believing any one 99 00:08:18,930 --> 00:08:19,960 thing about the rapture. 100 00:08:24,700 --> 00:08:28,540 In addition to the 36% that believe the rapture will occur 101 00:08:28,540 --> 00:08:32,590 before the tribulation period begins, 4% of Christians 102 00:08:32,590 --> 00:08:34,640 believe it will happen in the middle. 103 00:08:34,640 --> 00:08:38,320 18% believe the rapture will happen at the end. 104 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:41,559 An additional 13% consist of other timing 105 00:08:41,559 --> 00:08:43,710 variations and theories. 106 00:08:43,710 --> 00:08:47,560 4% just aren't sure about any of it. 107 00:08:47,560 --> 00:08:52,810 And surprisingly, the remaining 25%, a growing statistic, 108 00:08:52,810 --> 00:08:56,470 no longer believe in a literal rapture at all. 109 00:08:56,470 --> 00:08:59,470 But why is this happening? 110 00:08:59,470 --> 00:09:02,680 People have access to a lot of information right 111 00:09:02,680 --> 00:09:05,710 at their fingertips, so they want to go and develop 112 00:09:05,710 --> 00:09:06,640 their ideas on their own. 113 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:08,860 They want to put together this cornucopia 114 00:09:08,860 --> 00:09:12,040 of eschatological beliefs without any kind 115 00:09:12,040 --> 00:09:14,320 of hermeneutical framework. 116 00:09:14,320 --> 00:09:19,630 But it really may not match up with any views out there. 117 00:09:19,630 --> 00:09:22,090 So while the debate rages on regarding 118 00:09:22,090 --> 00:09:23,830 the signs of the times-- 119 00:09:23,830 --> 00:09:26,350 Some Christians believe this is the final sign 120 00:09:26,350 --> 00:09:30,320 for Christ's return, as Russia occupies war-torn Syria. 121 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:33,780 Israel prepares for war, as they send troops to the border. 122 00:09:37,680 --> 00:09:39,510 --the secular world, which makes up 123 00:09:39,510 --> 00:09:41,910 most of the global population, couldn't 124 00:09:41,910 --> 00:09:44,460 care less about the return of Jesus, 125 00:09:44,460 --> 00:09:47,550 scoffing at what is perceived as nothing more than 126 00:09:47,550 --> 00:09:49,095 unfounded biblical nonsense. 127 00:09:52,350 --> 00:09:55,200 It's helping to drive people away. 128 00:09:55,200 --> 00:09:58,080 First it's going to drive them away from the topic we're 129 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:01,320 talking about, but ultimately it will drive people 130 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:03,750 away from the church, from Christianity, 131 00:10:03,750 --> 00:10:06,210 from pursuing the faith. 132 00:10:06,210 --> 00:10:08,280 That's how serious this is. 133 00:10:08,280 --> 00:10:10,620 Yeah, I'm sure that somebody that has not bought 134 00:10:10,620 --> 00:10:12,980 into the teachings of Jesus Christ 135 00:10:12,980 --> 00:10:17,040 scratch their head a little bit if something this important, 136 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:20,070 about Jesus returning-- 137 00:10:20,070 --> 00:10:21,990 Christians can't even explain how that's going to happen. 138 00:10:29,580 --> 00:10:32,370 After all, if the validity of biblical prophecy 139 00:10:32,370 --> 00:10:35,250 can be confirmed by historical discoveries, 140 00:10:35,250 --> 00:10:37,830 then why can't most Christians get on the same page 141 00:10:37,830 --> 00:10:40,170 when it comes to the return of their messiah? 142 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:46,715 Maybe this is because we're asking the wrong question. 143 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:52,350 There is so much infighting about when 144 00:10:52,350 --> 00:10:57,270 Jesus is coming back, nobody stopped and asked why. 145 00:10:57,270 --> 00:11:01,830 But the fact is, the timing is not nearly as important 146 00:11:01,830 --> 00:11:04,110 as the why of his return. 147 00:11:04,110 --> 00:11:07,920 People forget to even ask, why is Jesus coming back? 148 00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:09,270 Why is all this going to happen? 149 00:11:09,270 --> 00:11:11,800 Why must there be an end of the world? 150 00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:14,050 And I think we're focusing on the wrong thing. 151 00:11:14,050 --> 00:11:17,040 The issue is why does the rapture have to happen. 152 00:11:17,040 --> 00:11:20,650 What's the point to it all? 153 00:11:20,650 --> 00:11:23,470 So what is the point? 154 00:11:23,470 --> 00:11:26,530 Are the events of the end times simply a sequence 155 00:11:26,530 --> 00:11:30,670 of ancient superstitions, or did those that were with Christ 156 00:11:30,670 --> 00:11:33,880 understand something much greater that was 157 00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:37,740 buried by the sands of time? 158 00:11:37,740 --> 00:11:40,680 Before our story can begin, we need to first understand 159 00:11:40,680 --> 00:11:43,260 that Jesus wasn't simply a Jew. 160 00:11:43,260 --> 00:11:46,560 More specifically, he was a Galilean. 161 00:11:46,560 --> 00:11:49,470 Not only that, but Jesus's disciples 162 00:11:49,470 --> 00:11:50,970 were all Galileans as well. 163 00:11:54,800 --> 00:11:57,200 They were not only Galileans, they were Galileans from just 164 00:11:57,200 --> 00:11:58,640 about every walk of life. 165 00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:00,500 You've got a guy who's a fisherman. 166 00:12:00,500 --> 00:12:02,570 You've got a guy who's a tax collector. 167 00:12:02,570 --> 00:12:05,180 And yet Jesus assembled these Galileans together. 168 00:12:05,180 --> 00:12:08,600 And I think there's a great reason why the Galileans being 169 00:12:08,600 --> 00:12:12,200 present, his disciples, future apostles, 170 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:18,130 would be spoken to by Christ in the Galilean vernacular. 171 00:12:18,130 --> 00:12:21,340 You see, even though the regions throughout ancient Israel 172 00:12:21,340 --> 00:12:25,210 share the same culture, the Galileans developed customs 173 00:12:25,210 --> 00:12:29,210 that were unique only to them. 174 00:12:29,210 --> 00:12:32,010 Why is this important? 175 00:12:32,010 --> 00:12:34,670 Because Jesus used people's cultures 176 00:12:34,670 --> 00:12:39,080 to more deeply communicate the spiritual nature of God. 177 00:12:39,080 --> 00:12:43,580 He used words and symbols and analogies and parables 178 00:12:43,580 --> 00:12:45,350 for them to understand. 179 00:12:45,350 --> 00:12:47,300 You see it on the Sermon on the Mount-- 180 00:12:47,300 --> 00:12:51,530 speaking to them in ways that they can understand. 181 00:12:51,530 --> 00:12:54,050 Speaking to them about being fishers of men, 182 00:12:54,050 --> 00:12:55,320 you know, for example. 183 00:12:55,320 --> 00:12:57,710 Why would you use that analogy unless you 184 00:12:57,710 --> 00:12:59,840 knew that these are fishermen? 185 00:12:59,840 --> 00:13:04,670 Everything He said was based on life that he lived, 186 00:13:04,670 --> 00:13:07,340 culture that he belonged to. 187 00:13:07,340 --> 00:13:10,940 I think it's hard for us to understand in our day 188 00:13:10,940 --> 00:13:13,280 what it was like for them in their day. 189 00:13:13,280 --> 00:13:18,590 When Jesus spoke, it was from the heart to their heart. 190 00:13:18,590 --> 00:13:22,040 There was a profound connection made. 191 00:13:22,040 --> 00:13:25,970 The first century believers had such a clear understanding 192 00:13:25,970 --> 00:13:27,740 of what Jesus was saying. 193 00:13:27,740 --> 00:13:32,090 He gave them clear revelation. 194 00:13:32,090 --> 00:13:35,540 So it's no wonder that one day his disciples 195 00:13:35,540 --> 00:13:37,940 came to Him to ask about the fulfillment 196 00:13:37,940 --> 00:13:40,250 of God's plan for the future. 197 00:13:40,250 --> 00:13:42,905 And Jesus answered them in shocking detail. 198 00:13:45,420 --> 00:13:48,900 And He uses illustrations that they can understand that tells 199 00:13:48,900 --> 00:13:52,320 them the world is going to come to an end someday, 200 00:13:52,320 --> 00:13:56,070 and here's how it's going to happen. 201 00:13:56,070 --> 00:13:59,520 So to fully understand the depths of what Jesus could have 202 00:13:59,520 --> 00:14:02,730 revealed to the Galileans regarding how and why He would 203 00:14:02,730 --> 00:14:07,080 return in the last days, we must understand the unique culture 204 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:10,060 to whom He was speaking. 205 00:14:10,060 --> 00:14:12,900 We need to see the Messiah through their eyes. 206 00:14:20,680 --> 00:14:23,200 This sparked an ambitious research project, 207 00:14:23,200 --> 00:14:25,150 and fragments of new insight began 208 00:14:25,150 --> 00:14:28,610 to expose the forgotten ways of the ancient Galileans. 209 00:14:31,630 --> 00:14:36,360 You know that 2/3 of the gospel took place in a little strip 210 00:14:36,360 --> 00:14:37,920 of land by the Sea of Galilee? 211 00:14:37,920 --> 00:14:39,770 2/3 of the gospel. 212 00:14:39,770 --> 00:14:42,210 It actually makes no sense, if you really think about it. 213 00:14:42,210 --> 00:14:45,420 Most of the Jews didn't live there, but yet 2/3 214 00:14:45,420 --> 00:14:49,200 of the gospel took place right there. 215 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:54,770 So you cannot ignore the culture and the people, the life, 216 00:14:54,770 --> 00:14:57,450 and the habits of those days. 217 00:14:57,450 --> 00:15:00,600 And that's why the Galileans are playing such a big part. 218 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:02,250 There are a lot of other people who have 219 00:15:02,250 --> 00:15:04,110 a lot of pieces to the puzzle. 220 00:15:04,110 --> 00:15:06,660 And a lot of other people are working on the same projects. 221 00:15:06,660 --> 00:15:09,420 It's an enormous research project to make sure that you 222 00:15:09,420 --> 00:15:10,510 find it and get it right. 223 00:15:10,510 --> 00:15:11,610 Because there were so many people 224 00:15:11,610 --> 00:15:13,500 bringing up little bits and pieces of this, 225 00:15:13,500 --> 00:15:18,360 I'm thinking there's got to be a pattern here. 226 00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:23,410 And there was-- pieces to a puzzle that formed a prophetic 227 00:15:23,410 --> 00:15:25,420 timeline woven throughout the ancient 228 00:15:25,420 --> 00:15:27,610 scriptures that directly references 229 00:15:27,610 --> 00:15:29,950 an ancient Galilean ceremony-- 230 00:15:29,950 --> 00:15:32,500 a ceremony that was passed down through generations 231 00:15:32,500 --> 00:15:35,860 to foretell how and why Christ will return 232 00:15:35,860 --> 00:15:39,210 in the last days of the world. 233 00:15:39,210 --> 00:15:41,070 And of all the ancient ceremonies, 234 00:15:41,070 --> 00:15:43,740 this secret could have been hiding. 235 00:15:43,740 --> 00:15:48,550 It was discovered within a one-of-a-kind wedding-- 236 00:15:48,550 --> 00:15:52,240 a wedding that contains a series of customs that would unfold 237 00:15:52,240 --> 00:15:56,200 over an entire year, revealing a chronological sequence 238 00:15:56,200 --> 00:15:59,560 of events that perfectly aligns with the recorded biblical 239 00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:02,830 prophecies leading to the second coming of Christ. 240 00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:06,820 It's a wedding. 241 00:16:06,820 --> 00:16:09,310 It is a Galilean-style wedding. 242 00:16:09,310 --> 00:16:10,720 There's no doubt about it. 243 00:16:10,720 --> 00:16:12,820 Why use a Galilean wedding? 244 00:16:12,820 --> 00:16:16,180 Because all of his disciples were Galileans. 245 00:16:16,180 --> 00:16:20,740 When Jesus taught his disciples, He used an object to start 246 00:16:20,740 --> 00:16:22,420 with that they already knew. 247 00:16:22,420 --> 00:16:25,690 Then He would say, the kingdom of heaven is like that. 248 00:16:25,690 --> 00:16:27,400 In the case of the Galilean wedding, 249 00:16:27,400 --> 00:16:29,720 He would say to the guys, you know what our weddings 250 00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:30,520 are like, don't you? 251 00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:32,620 We do them all the time. 252 00:16:32,620 --> 00:16:36,810 The end of the world is going to be like that. 253 00:16:36,810 --> 00:16:40,530 The parallels to the rapture are incredible, 254 00:16:40,530 --> 00:16:41,690 and it is so brilliant. 255 00:16:41,690 --> 00:16:43,088 It's so brilliant. 256 00:16:45,780 --> 00:16:48,540 So what exactly about their ancient wedding 257 00:16:48,540 --> 00:16:50,310 changes everything that we thought we 258 00:16:50,310 --> 00:16:54,240 knew about the second coming? 259 00:16:54,240 --> 00:16:57,000 To truly understand the depth of what we're only 260 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:02,340 now rediscovering, we must journey back to ancient Galilee 261 00:17:02,340 --> 00:17:04,349 during the time of Christ to follow 262 00:17:04,349 --> 00:17:07,079 the very sequence of events that was hidden 263 00:17:07,079 --> 00:17:09,780 within their prophetic wedding. 264 00:17:09,780 --> 00:17:14,450 This is where the story begins. 265 00:17:14,450 --> 00:17:17,060 These are the Galileans, and this is what they knew. 266 00:17:26,980 --> 00:17:30,452 [AMBIENT MUSIC] 267 00:17:46,350 --> 00:17:50,290 Welcome to the town of Cana. 268 00:17:50,290 --> 00:17:52,680 Israel is now under Roman control, 269 00:17:52,680 --> 00:17:54,990 ruled by Tiberius Caesar. 270 00:17:54,990 --> 00:17:57,030 And under his cruel authority, life 271 00:17:57,030 --> 00:18:01,080 is harsh for many of the Jews. 272 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:05,390 But on this day, there's hope for the future, 273 00:18:05,390 --> 00:18:08,040 a promise for a new beginning-- 274 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:11,610 because on this day, the betrothal between a young groom 275 00:18:11,610 --> 00:18:13,560 and his bride is taking place. 276 00:18:37,980 --> 00:18:41,660 I don't think it's possible to overstate how important 277 00:18:41,660 --> 00:18:45,680 a wedding is in the Middle Eastern culture today, 278 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:49,190 as it was in that day, the first century. 279 00:18:49,190 --> 00:18:53,090 A wedding was the most important event that would take 280 00:18:53,090 --> 00:18:56,320 place in any town for anyone. 281 00:19:00,130 --> 00:19:03,220 In fact, as word spread throughout the streets 282 00:19:03,220 --> 00:19:06,940 that a betrothal was taking place, everyone who was able 283 00:19:06,940 --> 00:19:09,220 would rush to the main gate to witness it. 284 00:19:12,170 --> 00:19:13,490 Everything took place at the gate. 285 00:19:13,490 --> 00:19:16,070 And this was really, really important, because this 286 00:19:16,070 --> 00:19:17,600 is where you found the elders. 287 00:19:17,600 --> 00:19:20,510 The elders ratified legal agreements. 288 00:19:20,510 --> 00:19:24,080 And if you held the ceremonies near the gate, 289 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:26,090 you would have layers of people that 290 00:19:26,090 --> 00:19:28,850 would gather around who are maybe not family 291 00:19:28,850 --> 00:19:30,670 members, maybe not friends. 292 00:19:30,670 --> 00:19:33,170 So you see, having wedding guests the way we have them 293 00:19:33,170 --> 00:19:35,270 today wasn't important to them. 294 00:19:35,270 --> 00:19:37,760 They wanted witnesses, because you can't 295 00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:40,850 make a covenant without having witnesses 296 00:19:40,850 --> 00:19:42,170 to ratify the covenant. 297 00:19:45,940 --> 00:19:50,020 There is a written proposal that is presented. 298 00:19:50,020 --> 00:19:52,960 It is a written covenant of marriage 299 00:19:52,960 --> 00:19:56,310 that the bride accepts. 300 00:19:56,310 --> 00:19:59,900 They would be asked, do you agree on these terms? 301 00:19:59,900 --> 00:20:02,140 They would say, "We do," which means 302 00:20:02,140 --> 00:20:03,520 that they can't go back on it. 303 00:20:03,520 --> 00:20:05,860 They can't say, "I didn't know that was in there," 304 00:20:05,860 --> 00:20:08,110 or "those terms were disagreeable to me." 305 00:20:10,910 --> 00:20:13,610 After the agreement outlining the union between the two 306 00:20:13,610 --> 00:20:16,550 families was publicly read, gifts 307 00:20:16,550 --> 00:20:18,740 were then exchanged, with the most 308 00:20:18,740 --> 00:20:21,050 extravagant going to the bride. 309 00:20:25,380 --> 00:20:29,010 In fact, contrary to popular belief, a dowry, 310 00:20:29,010 --> 00:20:32,280 or the price that was paid to the bride's father in Galilee, 311 00:20:32,280 --> 00:20:34,620 was not a purchase of the bride as property 312 00:20:34,620 --> 00:20:37,740 as it was with surrounding cultures in the Middle East, 313 00:20:37,740 --> 00:20:39,840 but rather an insurance policy that 314 00:20:39,840 --> 00:20:41,970 would help take care of her if anything 315 00:20:41,970 --> 00:20:45,460 were to happen to her beloved. 316 00:20:45,460 --> 00:20:48,160 But what comes next will set in motion 317 00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:51,340 a sequence of events that will shape the future 318 00:20:51,340 --> 00:20:52,860 for generations to come. 319 00:20:57,220 --> 00:20:59,890 Then it focuses down on to the moment where 320 00:20:59,890 --> 00:21:03,190 everyone holds their breath. 321 00:21:03,190 --> 00:21:04,840 What happens is the bridegroom is 322 00:21:04,840 --> 00:21:08,740 then handed a pitcher of wine. 323 00:21:08,740 --> 00:21:12,070 The groom then pours wine into a ceremonial cup 324 00:21:12,070 --> 00:21:15,190 that will be offered to his desired bride-to-be. 325 00:21:17,720 --> 00:21:19,960 And it was called the cup of joy. 326 00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:24,520 With both hands, reverently, and respectfully, and fearfully, 327 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:27,900 he would pass it to his bride. 328 00:21:27,900 --> 00:21:35,160 When the groom presents the cup, she now has the choice as to 329 00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:38,340 whether or not she will accept or reject 330 00:21:38,340 --> 00:21:39,620 this proposal for marriage. 331 00:21:45,240 --> 00:21:47,910 The moment the cup is handed to the bride, 332 00:21:47,910 --> 00:21:51,600 she's given all power to stop the wedding 333 00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:57,400 by pushing the cup back and rejecting the bridegroom. 334 00:21:57,400 --> 00:22:00,730 Contrary to all other wedding customs in the Middle East, 335 00:22:00,730 --> 00:22:05,360 the bride in a Galilean wedding possessed the final authority. 336 00:22:05,360 --> 00:22:08,470 She alone had the power to accept or reject 337 00:22:08,470 --> 00:22:11,730 the offer from the groom. 338 00:22:11,730 --> 00:22:14,190 The betrothal could not be completed 339 00:22:14,190 --> 00:22:18,400 without her willing acceptance to drink from the cup of wine. 340 00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:29,240 But on this day, during this betrothal, the bride accepts. 341 00:22:57,520 --> 00:23:00,730 The groom will then also take and drink from the cup, 342 00:23:00,730 --> 00:23:03,040 solidifying the new covenant. 343 00:23:03,040 --> 00:23:08,008 But then he says something truly profound. 344 00:23:08,008 --> 00:23:10,710 And then the bridegroom says publicly 345 00:23:10,710 --> 00:23:13,560 so everyone can hear, "You are now consecrated 346 00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:16,950 to me by the laws of Moses, and I will not drink of this cup 347 00:23:16,950 --> 00:23:22,650 again until I drink it anew with you in my father's house." 348 00:23:22,650 --> 00:23:26,590 But to understand why this phrase is so profound, 349 00:23:26,590 --> 00:23:28,500 we must look at another act recorded 350 00:23:28,500 --> 00:23:32,820 later in the scriptures. 351 00:23:32,820 --> 00:23:36,420 During the Last Supper, Jesus offered a cup of wine 352 00:23:36,420 --> 00:23:39,720 to his disciples to signify a new covenant with them. 353 00:23:45,060 --> 00:23:47,780 And after his disciples drank from the cup, 354 00:23:47,780 --> 00:23:50,240 Jesus then said something similar to what 355 00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:55,500 a Galilean would have heard from their own weddings. 356 00:23:55,500 --> 00:23:57,300 He said-- 357 00:23:57,300 --> 00:24:03,910 But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine 358 00:24:03,910 --> 00:24:08,620 from now on until that day when I drink it new with you 359 00:24:08,620 --> 00:24:11,570 in my father's kingdom. 360 00:24:11,570 --> 00:24:16,040 This is exactly why when He gave them the cup, 361 00:24:16,040 --> 00:24:21,140 He actually says this is the new covenant in my blood. 362 00:24:21,140 --> 00:24:23,950 I'm about to pour my blood. 363 00:24:23,950 --> 00:24:25,600 It's a promise. 364 00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:27,820 We're going to be together again, 365 00:24:27,820 --> 00:24:31,870 and we're going to mark it by drinking the wine. 366 00:24:31,870 --> 00:24:33,670 It's something important. 367 00:24:36,960 --> 00:24:40,170 The breaking of bread and offering of wine-- 368 00:24:40,170 --> 00:24:43,890 these acts were to form a new union, a new promise, 369 00:24:43,890 --> 00:24:47,070 meant to deliberately set in motion events 370 00:24:47,070 --> 00:24:49,230 of unimaginable importance. 371 00:24:53,660 --> 00:24:57,170 In my Arab culture, you eat from the same bread 372 00:24:57,170 --> 00:25:00,020 and you drink from the same cup. 373 00:25:00,020 --> 00:25:04,370 The thought is that, that which is in you is in me. 374 00:25:04,370 --> 00:25:07,520 It is a common union, comm-union-- 375 00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:10,190 no longer two, but one. 376 00:25:10,190 --> 00:25:14,240 When Jesus says that at that Last Supper, 377 00:25:14,240 --> 00:25:18,740 this is my body given for you, broken for you, 378 00:25:18,740 --> 00:25:21,650 He is talking as a bridegroom to his bride. 379 00:25:21,650 --> 00:25:25,850 When He says to them, this is the cup 380 00:25:25,850 --> 00:25:29,150 of my blood in the new covenant, that's 381 00:25:29,150 --> 00:25:32,060 how they would seal the betrothal 382 00:25:32,060 --> 00:25:35,220 in the ancient wedding. 383 00:25:35,220 --> 00:25:37,890 Well, when you think about the Galilean disciples, 384 00:25:37,890 --> 00:25:39,530 they understood exactly what it was 385 00:25:39,530 --> 00:25:40,880 saying regarding these things. 386 00:25:40,880 --> 00:25:43,680 They were familiar things. 387 00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:46,950 The illustration was entirely clear to them. 388 00:25:46,950 --> 00:25:49,770 When Jesus said that, his Galilean 389 00:25:49,770 --> 00:25:53,105 disciples at the Last Supper heard only one thing-- 390 00:25:53,105 --> 00:25:53,905 wedding. 391 00:25:59,270 --> 00:26:03,110 In fact, this might explain why later in the gospel records 392 00:26:03,110 --> 00:26:05,930 the disciples asked Jesus only when 393 00:26:05,930 --> 00:26:11,060 the events of the last days would take place and not why-- 394 00:26:11,060 --> 00:26:13,130 because as Galileans, they likely 395 00:26:13,130 --> 00:26:16,430 had already made the connection, especially given 396 00:26:16,430 --> 00:26:19,700 Jesus's first recorded miracle, which took place 397 00:26:19,700 --> 00:26:23,870 in the town of Cana when he turned water into wine 398 00:26:23,870 --> 00:26:26,740 at a Galilean wedding. 399 00:26:26,740 --> 00:26:31,720 And I find this most fascinating that the first miracle 400 00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:34,870 Jesus ever performed was at a wedding. 401 00:26:34,870 --> 00:26:39,850 And that wedding had the same cultural dynamic 402 00:26:39,850 --> 00:26:42,880 that Jesus was describing when he 403 00:26:42,880 --> 00:26:46,500 was explaining to his disciples about his soon return. 404 00:26:50,210 --> 00:26:52,760 But the conclusion of the betrothal was merely 405 00:26:52,760 --> 00:26:55,040 the first step on a year's-long journey 406 00:26:55,040 --> 00:26:59,540 to an unimaginable conclusion. 407 00:26:59,540 --> 00:27:01,850 Now the betrothal ceremony is finished, 408 00:27:01,850 --> 00:27:04,460 and the families rejoicing, partying in the streets, 409 00:27:04,460 --> 00:27:06,020 go back to their houses. 410 00:27:06,020 --> 00:27:07,850 But this is just the beginning, now, 411 00:27:07,850 --> 00:27:09,710 of an entire year of preparations 412 00:27:09,710 --> 00:27:12,650 that goes into making the way for the wedding. 413 00:27:18,010 --> 00:27:20,490 And though, technically, the bride and groom are now 414 00:27:20,490 --> 00:27:23,250 united as one under a new covenant, 415 00:27:23,250 --> 00:27:24,945 the real work only now begins. 416 00:27:28,200 --> 00:27:30,540 The groom must leave his betrothed, 417 00:27:30,540 --> 00:27:36,120 where they will live apart until the day of their wedding feast. 418 00:27:36,120 --> 00:27:38,970 In fact, the groom is now responsible for all 419 00:27:38,970 --> 00:27:40,710 of the preparations for the day he will 420 00:27:40,710 --> 00:27:42,570 be reunited with his bride. 421 00:27:46,500 --> 00:27:49,590 Over the following months, he will acquire materials to build 422 00:27:49,590 --> 00:27:54,740 a new room onto his father's house, 423 00:27:54,740 --> 00:27:56,510 along with crafting new furniture, 424 00:27:56,510 --> 00:27:58,115 such as tables and stools. 425 00:28:01,130 --> 00:28:04,850 He'll negotiate for required items, such as oil lamps, rugs, 426 00:28:04,850 --> 00:28:07,220 and dishes that will be used in the wedding feast that will 427 00:28:07,220 --> 00:28:11,330 take place in their new home. 428 00:28:11,330 --> 00:28:13,520 And scholars have now discovered that 429 00:28:13,520 --> 00:28:17,180 the theological implications of this period in the wedding 430 00:28:17,180 --> 00:28:19,760 held profound importance regarding 431 00:28:19,760 --> 00:28:21,590 the first coming of Christ. 432 00:28:25,940 --> 00:28:29,360 You see, before Jesus's crucifixion, 433 00:28:29,360 --> 00:28:34,150 He warned his disciples that He too would have to leave them. 434 00:28:34,150 --> 00:28:36,530 Jesus tells them-- 435 00:28:36,530 --> 00:28:41,080 I go to prepare a place for you. 436 00:28:41,080 --> 00:28:44,410 And if I go and prepare a place for you, 437 00:28:44,410 --> 00:28:53,250 I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, 438 00:28:53,250 --> 00:28:57,260 there you may be also. 439 00:28:57,260 --> 00:28:58,970 I'm going to prepare a place for you. 440 00:28:58,970 --> 00:29:00,710 This is key, especially when we think 441 00:29:00,710 --> 00:29:04,710 about the first century Galilean experience and culture. 442 00:29:04,710 --> 00:29:06,260 I'm going away. 443 00:29:06,260 --> 00:29:08,690 A Galilean would have understood that perfectly 444 00:29:08,690 --> 00:29:13,080 to mean that he's going to go away to prepare a new home. 445 00:29:13,080 --> 00:29:17,240 He's going to go prepare a place for his bride, personally. 446 00:29:17,240 --> 00:29:20,750 And then Jesus said something that they all understood. 447 00:29:20,750 --> 00:29:23,780 I'm going to come back and get you, that where I am, 448 00:29:23,780 --> 00:29:26,210 there you may be also. 449 00:29:26,210 --> 00:29:31,130 But then He's not leaving before He's making a verbal promise 450 00:29:31,130 --> 00:29:35,810 that He's about to come back and take us, and where He is, 451 00:29:35,810 --> 00:29:37,250 we will also be. 452 00:29:37,250 --> 00:29:39,140 And it's very important that we understand 453 00:29:39,140 --> 00:29:42,670 He's not saying so where you are, I will also be. 454 00:29:42,670 --> 00:29:45,320 It's where I am, you will also be. 455 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:50,840 He is speaking as a bridegroom to his bride, and they knew it. 456 00:29:50,840 --> 00:29:54,440 They knew it, because this was the culture of that day. 457 00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:57,750 It is so tragic, for lack of a better word, 458 00:29:57,750 --> 00:30:02,720 they don't understand the profound depth of the culture. 459 00:30:02,720 --> 00:30:07,460 You cannot separate the culture from the gospels. 460 00:30:07,460 --> 00:30:09,720 If you take the culture out of the gospels, 461 00:30:09,720 --> 00:30:12,710 you virtually gut out the entire meaning of it. 462 00:30:16,290 --> 00:30:18,540 But unlike the earthly custom, where the groom 463 00:30:18,540 --> 00:30:21,600 will bring his bride back to his father's house, 464 00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:24,240 Jesus was speaking in a heavenly realm, where only 465 00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:28,620 those that are born again, having agreed to be his bride, 466 00:30:28,620 --> 00:30:30,470 could go. 467 00:30:30,470 --> 00:30:33,570 It's Jesus who introduced the doctrine of the rapture to us. 468 00:30:33,570 --> 00:30:35,220 I'm going to come and pick you up, 469 00:30:35,220 --> 00:30:36,835 take you back where I've been. 470 00:30:36,835 --> 00:30:39,300 You need to understand something, 471 00:30:39,300 --> 00:30:42,810 if you don't have that event taking place in your theology, 472 00:30:42,810 --> 00:30:44,730 you've got the wrong Jesus. 473 00:30:44,730 --> 00:30:47,190 If Jesus doesn't come back for his church, 474 00:30:47,190 --> 00:30:49,500 then we all have the wrong Jesus. 475 00:30:49,500 --> 00:30:54,090 He so has to come back, that it's mandatory. 476 00:30:54,090 --> 00:30:56,880 It is absolutely a definitive event. 477 00:30:56,880 --> 00:30:59,760 It defines either we have the right Jesus or the wrong Jesus 478 00:30:59,760 --> 00:31:02,670 based upon the biblical Jesus coming back or not. 479 00:31:02,670 --> 00:31:04,210 He has to come back. 480 00:31:04,210 --> 00:31:06,750 He said, I'm going away, but I'm going away 481 00:31:06,750 --> 00:31:10,470 to prepare a place for you. 482 00:31:10,470 --> 00:31:13,500 Then I'm going to come back, and I'm going to bring you to me. 483 00:31:13,500 --> 00:31:14,400 Well? 484 00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:18,640 Hello, that sounds to me like a rapture. 485 00:31:18,640 --> 00:31:21,400 And this is further reinforced by Christ himself 486 00:31:21,400 --> 00:31:25,090 when He tells his disciples that when this time comes, 487 00:31:25,090 --> 00:31:27,310 there will be those living on the Earth 488 00:31:27,310 --> 00:31:28,870 that will not taste death. 489 00:31:39,090 --> 00:31:42,090 But until that time when the groom can 490 00:31:42,090 --> 00:31:43,980 be reunited with his bride, there is 491 00:31:43,980 --> 00:31:47,268 much that needs to take place. 492 00:31:47,268 --> 00:31:51,080 And although the groom has left to prepare a new home, 493 00:31:51,080 --> 00:31:53,210 the bride's job is not yet over either. 494 00:32:02,620 --> 00:32:05,050 She must prepare for the hour that her groom 495 00:32:05,050 --> 00:32:06,120 will return for her. 496 00:32:10,690 --> 00:32:13,070 The bride then takes the next year 497 00:32:13,070 --> 00:32:16,670 to put together a wedding dress and other accouterments 498 00:32:16,670 --> 00:32:17,990 for the particular wedding. 499 00:32:17,990 --> 00:32:20,750 She's got to buy with her bridesmaids 500 00:32:20,750 --> 00:32:24,260 all kinds of pieces of cloth. 501 00:32:24,260 --> 00:32:27,680 The bride and her bridesmaids would either weave or acquire 502 00:32:27,680 --> 00:32:29,840 fabrics for the bride's dress. 503 00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:32,180 Smaller towns in the region, being separated 504 00:32:32,180 --> 00:32:34,310 from more populated areas, may not 505 00:32:34,310 --> 00:32:36,560 have the materials readily available 506 00:32:36,560 --> 00:32:38,330 to complete an elaborate gown. 507 00:32:41,930 --> 00:32:43,340 The bride would often have to wait 508 00:32:43,340 --> 00:32:46,490 for traveling merchants that would sell what was needed. 509 00:32:46,490 --> 00:32:49,670 These preparations could become a difficult and costly 510 00:32:49,670 --> 00:32:53,710 task that in the first century could take months to complete. 511 00:32:57,680 --> 00:32:59,750 But that wasn't all. 512 00:32:59,750 --> 00:33:02,570 Even after the wedding gown was completed, 513 00:33:02,570 --> 00:33:04,910 the bride also needed to remain vigilant 514 00:33:04,910 --> 00:33:08,000 and pure as she waited for her groom, 515 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:10,040 no matter how long it took. 516 00:33:13,340 --> 00:33:18,260 The bride was to be always ready for her groom 517 00:33:18,260 --> 00:33:21,050 to come back and take her to that place 518 00:33:21,050 --> 00:33:22,700 that he had prepared for her. 519 00:33:22,700 --> 00:33:25,280 The bride would just not sit and wait. 520 00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:28,250 The bride was to occupy until her bridegroom came. 521 00:33:31,720 --> 00:33:35,950 And this is where things get very interesting. 522 00:33:35,950 --> 00:33:38,410 Typically in Galilee, around one year 523 00:33:38,410 --> 00:33:41,170 would pass while preparations were being made for the wedding 524 00:33:41,170 --> 00:33:43,300 feast at the father's house. 525 00:33:43,300 --> 00:33:46,930 But recently uncovered evidence has exposed new insight 526 00:33:46,930 --> 00:33:48,820 that is sending shock waves throughout 527 00:33:48,820 --> 00:33:51,820 the theological community. 528 00:33:51,820 --> 00:33:54,790 During this entire process to now, 529 00:33:54,790 --> 00:33:57,790 neither the groom nor the bride actually 530 00:33:57,790 --> 00:34:01,445 knew when the day or the hour of the wedding would take place. 531 00:34:04,340 --> 00:34:09,260 The exact minute of the actual ceremony of the wedding 532 00:34:09,260 --> 00:34:10,324 was not known. 533 00:34:10,324 --> 00:34:13,820 Yeah, the bride just did not know the day or the hour 534 00:34:13,820 --> 00:34:16,760 that her bridegroom was coming, so she always had to be ready. 535 00:34:19,310 --> 00:34:23,600 In fact, no one in the entire town knew-- 536 00:34:23,600 --> 00:34:28,639 no one, that is, except for one person. 537 00:34:28,639 --> 00:34:32,810 No one knew the day or the hour of this wedding-- 538 00:34:32,810 --> 00:34:35,659 not the son, not anyone else-- 539 00:34:35,659 --> 00:34:39,500 only the father of the bridegroom. 540 00:34:39,500 --> 00:34:42,949 Only the father of the groom knew the day and the hour 541 00:34:42,949 --> 00:34:45,080 that the wedding would take place-- 542 00:34:45,080 --> 00:34:48,770 the one who read the conditions on behalf of his son 543 00:34:48,770 --> 00:34:50,600 during the betrothal-- 544 00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:55,650 the one that provided payment to obtain a bride for his son. 545 00:34:55,650 --> 00:34:59,030 He and he alone holds the secret to when 546 00:34:59,030 --> 00:35:02,870 the wedding will take place, the hour that his son 547 00:35:02,870 --> 00:35:04,550 can retrieve his bride. 548 00:35:08,420 --> 00:35:10,160 All the types of weddings in the regions, 549 00:35:10,160 --> 00:35:12,460 whether among Arabs, Jews, or other people, 550 00:35:12,460 --> 00:35:13,760 were all predictable. 551 00:35:13,760 --> 00:35:15,860 You would take a year to prepare for that wedding, 552 00:35:15,860 --> 00:35:17,810 but at the end of that year, the wedding would 553 00:35:17,810 --> 00:35:20,240 take place on a designated day. 554 00:35:20,240 --> 00:35:23,000 This is what made a Galilean wedding different than all 555 00:35:23,000 --> 00:35:24,410 the weddings in the area. 556 00:35:24,410 --> 00:35:27,330 Because the bridegroom would finish building his room. 557 00:35:27,330 --> 00:35:28,467 He would finish with the feast. 558 00:35:28,467 --> 00:35:29,600 And then he would go to his father 559 00:35:29,600 --> 00:35:31,770 and say, father I'm done. 560 00:35:31,770 --> 00:35:33,110 I want my bride. 561 00:35:33,110 --> 00:35:35,810 And the father would say, I'll tell you when. 562 00:35:35,810 --> 00:35:39,320 For the Galileans, it was a surprise wedding. 563 00:35:39,320 --> 00:35:43,130 The son would go home to the father's house. 564 00:35:43,130 --> 00:35:44,720 And in the Middle East they do this, 565 00:35:44,720 --> 00:35:46,610 but specifically you see this in the Galilee 566 00:35:46,610 --> 00:35:51,200 to this day, where the son adds onto the house. 567 00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:55,430 It's one portion built upon another, extending the home, 568 00:35:55,430 --> 00:35:57,110 enlarging the home. 569 00:35:57,110 --> 00:36:00,290 And so the father would have been 570 00:36:00,290 --> 00:36:03,750 the one with absolute preview over what's going on. 571 00:36:03,750 --> 00:36:08,990 It's the father who tells the son, that's it, you're done. 572 00:36:08,990 --> 00:36:12,980 And then the father would give the announcement, son, 573 00:36:12,980 --> 00:36:14,180 go get your bride. 574 00:36:14,180 --> 00:36:16,640 The father would be the one who would 575 00:36:16,640 --> 00:36:19,700 determine the day and the hour. 576 00:36:19,700 --> 00:36:22,670 And he would say to the groom, OK, now's the time. 577 00:36:22,670 --> 00:36:24,500 The day and hour has come. 578 00:36:24,500 --> 00:36:27,770 The bridal chamber, that place that you've prepared 579 00:36:27,770 --> 00:36:30,290 was complete, he would say, OK, now. 580 00:36:30,290 --> 00:36:31,400 This is the day. 581 00:36:31,400 --> 00:36:32,570 This is the hour. 582 00:36:32,570 --> 00:36:33,680 Go get your bride. 583 00:36:33,680 --> 00:36:38,420 This goes back now to several accounts in the Bible 584 00:36:38,420 --> 00:36:42,950 where Jesus tells his disciples that no one knows 585 00:36:42,950 --> 00:36:44,900 the day or the hour when I'm going to come. 586 00:36:44,900 --> 00:36:47,900 They wanted to know if He was going to establish the kingdom. 587 00:36:47,900 --> 00:36:50,450 And He says, no, no, no, you don't understand. 588 00:36:50,450 --> 00:36:54,560 No one knows when I'm going to come back for my bride. 589 00:36:54,560 --> 00:36:57,110 The only person that could send the bridegroom to get the bride 590 00:36:57,110 --> 00:36:58,070 was the father. 591 00:36:58,070 --> 00:37:01,610 The only person that could send Jesus to come back to the Earth 592 00:37:01,610 --> 00:37:04,490 is his father. 593 00:37:04,490 --> 00:37:07,880 You see, during Jesus's first coming, 594 00:37:07,880 --> 00:37:10,970 when his disciples asked when He would return at the end 595 00:37:10,970 --> 00:37:15,650 of days, He also told them-- 596 00:37:15,650 --> 00:37:20,480 But of that day and hour no one knows, 597 00:37:20,480 --> 00:37:27,530 not even the angels in heaven, nor the son, 598 00:37:27,530 --> 00:37:30,350 but only the father. 599 00:37:30,350 --> 00:37:35,660 Jesus himself, I believe, demonstrated 600 00:37:35,660 --> 00:37:42,320 the genuine Galilean tradition by saying not even the son 601 00:37:42,320 --> 00:37:44,810 knows the day and the hour. 602 00:37:44,810 --> 00:37:49,310 At the moment of his promise to the disciples that He's coming 603 00:37:49,310 --> 00:37:55,940 to take them, at the moment of his description of the end, 604 00:37:55,940 --> 00:38:04,560 He was telling his disciples no one knows the day or the hour. 605 00:38:04,560 --> 00:38:08,610 But although Jesus himself says He will not know the exact time 606 00:38:08,610 --> 00:38:11,640 of his return based on prophesied events that would 607 00:38:11,640 --> 00:38:14,880 take place at the end of days, the gospels 608 00:38:14,880 --> 00:38:19,440 make it clear that we could know the approaching season 609 00:38:19,440 --> 00:38:23,940 in which the end of our age would take place. 610 00:38:23,940 --> 00:38:26,810 The day is drawing near, so he's got to get the feast out. 611 00:38:26,810 --> 00:38:29,550 But still, he doesn't know the day when it's happening. 612 00:38:29,550 --> 00:38:31,480 He's got a lot of help putting it together, because there 613 00:38:31,480 --> 00:38:34,110 could be 50 to 100 people attending this thing, 614 00:38:34,110 --> 00:38:36,330 and he's got to feed them not just for one day 615 00:38:36,330 --> 00:38:37,650 but for several days. 616 00:38:44,010 --> 00:38:46,260 The bridegroom is finished with the feast. 617 00:38:46,260 --> 00:38:47,950 He's finished putting it together. 618 00:38:47,950 --> 00:38:49,470 He's got the room built. He calls 619 00:38:49,470 --> 00:38:51,090 upon his father to inspect it all, 620 00:38:51,090 --> 00:38:52,500 which is more of a formality. 621 00:38:52,500 --> 00:38:55,230 And the father finally says, yes, son, it's ready to go. 622 00:38:55,230 --> 00:38:57,960 The son says, I want my bride. 623 00:38:57,960 --> 00:39:02,710 And the father says, I'll tell you when. 624 00:39:02,710 --> 00:39:05,600 But remember, this is a bridegroom who's 625 00:39:05,600 --> 00:39:08,330 waiting for the moment when his father taps him and says, 626 00:39:08,330 --> 00:39:09,320 go get her. 627 00:39:09,320 --> 00:39:11,660 He's excited, he's thrilled. 628 00:39:11,660 --> 00:39:15,050 And when Jesus is in heaven right now, 629 00:39:15,050 --> 00:39:18,270 wow, I can't even begin to picture what's going on, 630 00:39:18,270 --> 00:39:20,990 but he's got to be loving his bride, 631 00:39:20,990 --> 00:39:23,900 saying I can't wait to come back and take 632 00:39:23,900 --> 00:39:26,680 you to be with me where I am. 633 00:39:32,290 --> 00:39:35,750 And although the groom has now completed the preparations, 634 00:39:35,750 --> 00:39:37,550 he still has to wait for the moment 635 00:39:37,550 --> 00:39:40,360 that his father will tell him to go get his bride. 636 00:39:43,160 --> 00:39:45,830 And during this same time, the bride 637 00:39:45,830 --> 00:39:48,560 would also be prepared and waiting, 638 00:39:48,560 --> 00:39:52,190 equally as eager to be united forever with her beloved. 639 00:39:57,060 --> 00:40:00,670 But as the sun sets on the town this evening, 640 00:40:00,670 --> 00:40:05,500 the time of waiting is nearly finished. 641 00:40:05,500 --> 00:40:08,380 The darkness of night approaches. 642 00:40:16,316 --> 00:40:19,790 [DRAMATIC MUSIC] 643 00:40:19,790 --> 00:40:23,750 This brings us to a topic that's fiercely debated today. 644 00:40:23,750 --> 00:40:27,050 Since the origin of Christ's message left with the Galileans 645 00:40:27,050 --> 00:40:30,200 has faded into history, Jesus's statements 646 00:40:30,200 --> 00:40:34,040 regarding not knowing the day or the hour of his return 647 00:40:34,040 --> 00:40:38,730 has sparked heated debate and growing misconceptions. 648 00:40:38,730 --> 00:40:40,420 And the church has suffered from this. 649 00:40:40,420 --> 00:40:42,580 And that is, there are those who want to set dates. 650 00:40:42,580 --> 00:40:45,400 And yet the Bible teaches both from Jesus himself 651 00:40:45,400 --> 00:40:48,880 and from the apostles that no man knows the day or the hour. 652 00:40:48,880 --> 00:40:52,360 It is my belief that these date setters, 653 00:40:52,360 --> 00:40:56,980 so-called, have irreversibly damaged Bible prophecy. 654 00:40:56,980 --> 00:41:01,570 I grieve about the obsession of when will it 655 00:41:01,570 --> 00:41:03,640 happen, as far as day and hour. 656 00:41:03,640 --> 00:41:07,640 When you start setting days and then it doesn't happen, 657 00:41:07,640 --> 00:41:09,700 then you have millions or hundreds 658 00:41:09,700 --> 00:41:13,090 of thousands of disappointed people that, good chances, 659 00:41:13,090 --> 00:41:14,830 that they'll walk away from that faith 660 00:41:14,830 --> 00:41:17,230 because it wasn't proved right. 661 00:41:20,600 --> 00:41:23,300 And the result is that Bible prophecy 662 00:41:23,300 --> 00:41:26,840 is being systematically erased from Christianity 663 00:41:26,840 --> 00:41:29,680 all over the world. 664 00:41:29,680 --> 00:41:30,670 I'm just so stunned. 665 00:41:30,670 --> 00:41:33,200 I never thought I would see this in my lifetime 666 00:41:33,200 --> 00:41:35,200 that the greatest news in the Bible 667 00:41:35,200 --> 00:41:37,870 is now marginalized, jeopardized, 668 00:41:37,870 --> 00:41:42,310 and is simply coming under great criticism and skepticism. 669 00:41:42,310 --> 00:41:45,790 And then you talk to a pastor, and he'll say, you know what? 670 00:41:45,790 --> 00:41:48,340 I don't want to be identified with the fringe. 671 00:41:48,340 --> 00:41:50,080 There is a fringe. 672 00:41:50,080 --> 00:41:53,150 We don't know the day or the hour, and we don't. 673 00:41:53,150 --> 00:41:55,120 Nobody's got any special insight. 674 00:41:55,120 --> 00:41:59,590 It's a secret, apparently, only God the Father knows. 675 00:41:59,590 --> 00:42:02,980 Look, when you live in this world 676 00:42:02,980 --> 00:42:04,960 and suddenly someone tells you you're 677 00:42:04,960 --> 00:42:08,800 about to be taken physically out of this world, 678 00:42:08,800 --> 00:42:12,280 then knowing the day is like hitting the jackpot. 679 00:42:12,280 --> 00:42:18,220 However, it saddens me that even though Jesus himself said 680 00:42:18,220 --> 00:42:19,870 no one knows the day and the hour, 681 00:42:19,870 --> 00:42:22,540 why do we think that we need to know? 682 00:42:22,540 --> 00:42:23,960 It sends a clear message. 683 00:42:23,960 --> 00:42:29,020 We're not supposed to deal with the actual date. 684 00:42:29,020 --> 00:42:33,492 We're supposed to deal with the preparation for that day. 685 00:42:33,492 --> 00:42:36,210 [SOFT MUSIC] 686 00:42:36,210 --> 00:42:39,000 In addition, with spreading misconceptions 687 00:42:39,000 --> 00:42:42,120 of biblical prophecy, more churchgoing Christians 688 00:42:42,120 --> 00:42:44,580 with each passing year no longer want 689 00:42:44,580 --> 00:42:48,330 to hear about these so-called fringe topics. 690 00:42:48,330 --> 00:42:53,890 And most churches have clearly recognized this trend. 691 00:42:53,890 --> 00:42:57,030 And if you ask a pastor, he will tell you flat-out, 692 00:42:57,030 --> 00:42:58,500 "You know what? 693 00:42:58,500 --> 00:43:02,040 The world is coming to end is not going to grow my church. 694 00:43:02,040 --> 00:43:05,700 The fact that even Jesus is coming back is not going to." 695 00:43:05,700 --> 00:43:08,580 That is the number one reason, actually. 696 00:43:08,580 --> 00:43:12,690 And it's really because pastors are themselves ignorant 697 00:43:12,690 --> 00:43:15,060 concerning Bible prophecy. 698 00:43:15,060 --> 00:43:16,530 They're also fearful. 699 00:43:16,530 --> 00:43:20,160 They're fearful that if they start teaching Bible prophecy-- 700 00:43:20,160 --> 00:43:22,020 I mean, really, they're teaching the Bible, 701 00:43:22,020 --> 00:43:24,330 so how can you not teach the Bible, 702 00:43:24,330 --> 00:43:26,310 the whole counsel of God, without also 703 00:43:26,310 --> 00:43:28,710 teaching prophecy by default? 704 00:43:28,710 --> 00:43:32,670 But they're fearful that it's going to be too controversial. 705 00:43:32,670 --> 00:43:36,330 Christians always want to be accepted by the world. 706 00:43:36,330 --> 00:43:39,300 They are always on the run to adopt 707 00:43:39,300 --> 00:43:43,650 and embrace worldly views in order for people to like them. 708 00:43:43,650 --> 00:43:45,450 You sugarcoat everything. 709 00:43:45,450 --> 00:43:49,380 You become a motivational speaker rather than a pastor. 710 00:43:49,380 --> 00:43:51,210 Because if you come to an unbeliever 711 00:43:51,210 --> 00:43:53,140 and you pull out this rapture card, 712 00:43:53,140 --> 00:43:54,425 he's going to run away from you. 713 00:43:54,425 --> 00:43:55,525 He's going to think you're crazy. 714 00:43:58,250 --> 00:44:00,900 And this growing trend of marginalizing Bible 715 00:44:00,900 --> 00:44:04,500 prophecy is not merely an unfounded perception. 716 00:44:04,500 --> 00:44:08,010 It's proven to be happening and likely far worse 717 00:44:08,010 --> 00:44:10,500 than you believe. 718 00:44:10,500 --> 00:44:12,660 Let me take you to a more qualitative 719 00:44:12,660 --> 00:44:14,400 study we did several years ago. 720 00:44:14,400 --> 00:44:19,410 We took 450 of those sermons from different pastors, 721 00:44:19,410 --> 00:44:23,400 and just took those as a sample and looked at those sermons. 722 00:44:23,400 --> 00:44:27,870 Only 2% of those were preached from a passage 723 00:44:27,870 --> 00:44:32,740 of scripture that would be a prophetic book of the Bible. 724 00:44:32,740 --> 00:44:35,830 Here's why this is a problem. 725 00:44:35,830 --> 00:44:40,120 The culmination of prophetic events make up almost 1/3 726 00:44:40,120 --> 00:44:42,160 of the entire Bible. 727 00:44:42,160 --> 00:44:46,480 The findings that on any given day only 2% 728 00:44:46,480 --> 00:44:49,420 of sermons contained anything prophetic 729 00:44:49,420 --> 00:44:51,940 means that churches are intentionally 730 00:44:51,940 --> 00:44:54,940 marginalizing the topic. 731 00:44:54,940 --> 00:44:59,500 I think that when you take 30% of the Bible and you ignore it, 732 00:44:59,500 --> 00:45:01,570 then your understanding of the other 70% 733 00:45:01,570 --> 00:45:02,860 is going to be flawed. 734 00:45:02,860 --> 00:45:05,800 The Bible cannot be dissected. 735 00:45:05,800 --> 00:45:08,470 You cannot just choose what you want. 736 00:45:08,470 --> 00:45:11,650 As to why it is that Christians today 737 00:45:11,650 --> 00:45:14,770 are dismissive of the Lord's return, 738 00:45:14,770 --> 00:45:19,690 I would connect the dots with Biblical illiteracy. 739 00:45:19,690 --> 00:45:21,670 And here's the thing. 740 00:45:21,670 --> 00:45:25,420 I'm sad to say that it's the fault of the pastor 741 00:45:25,420 --> 00:45:27,100 behind the pulpit. 742 00:45:27,100 --> 00:45:30,370 Churches are going to tell you, you know what? 743 00:45:30,370 --> 00:45:32,410 I want to live my full life. 744 00:45:32,410 --> 00:45:34,990 I want to see my children grow up. 745 00:45:34,990 --> 00:45:36,040 I want to see my grand-- 746 00:45:36,040 --> 00:45:39,250 I don't want to think about end of the world issues. 747 00:45:39,250 --> 00:45:45,340 And I think that is what so threw me, is that the fact that 748 00:45:45,340 --> 00:45:49,150 the King is coming, we have a glorious home prepared for us, 749 00:45:49,150 --> 00:45:53,470 we're going to go to that place eternally, became negative, 750 00:45:53,470 --> 00:45:56,590 became a downer. 751 00:45:56,590 --> 00:45:59,710 But the bigger problem is that you cannot remove 752 00:45:59,710 --> 00:46:02,230 prophecy from the Bible without also 753 00:46:02,230 --> 00:46:06,440 removing the return of Christ. 754 00:46:06,440 --> 00:46:11,320 I absolutely believe that the rapture is a fundamental belief 755 00:46:11,320 --> 00:46:12,940 in Christianity. 756 00:46:12,940 --> 00:46:18,580 Eschatology, Bible prophecy, is of paramount importance. 757 00:46:18,580 --> 00:46:22,550 Nearly 1/3 of the Bible is prophecy, 758 00:46:22,550 --> 00:46:24,460 so you cannot have the whole counsel 759 00:46:24,460 --> 00:46:28,210 of God without also having the prophetic word of God. 760 00:46:28,210 --> 00:46:29,890 It's the gospel. 761 00:46:29,890 --> 00:46:32,830 The gospel is that Jesus came. 762 00:46:32,830 --> 00:46:37,870 He was crucified, buried, rose again, on the third day, 763 00:46:37,870 --> 00:46:40,600 and is coming back again one day. 764 00:46:40,600 --> 00:46:44,930 If you take the return of Jesus Christ out of the gospel, 765 00:46:44,930 --> 00:46:46,540 you gut the gospel out. 766 00:46:50,990 --> 00:46:54,380 But even worse yet, the unintended result 767 00:46:54,380 --> 00:46:57,680 of prophecy being systematically removed from churches 768 00:46:57,680 --> 00:47:00,650 and educational institutes is that the world 769 00:47:00,650 --> 00:47:05,400 is forgetting why prophecy exists in the first place. 770 00:47:05,400 --> 00:47:12,990 It's so that God can prove to the world that He is God. 771 00:47:12,990 --> 00:47:15,960 The point to all of this is that if you remove prophecy 772 00:47:15,960 --> 00:47:20,480 from the Bible, you remove the proof that the Bible 773 00:47:20,480 --> 00:47:22,100 is from a divine source. 774 00:47:25,580 --> 00:47:28,190 It would place the remaining scriptures of the Bible 775 00:47:28,190 --> 00:47:31,520 on par with other religious teachings in the world. 776 00:47:31,520 --> 00:47:33,560 With all things perceived as equal, 777 00:47:33,560 --> 00:47:35,480 the Bible would be seen as no more 778 00:47:35,480 --> 00:47:39,770 relevant or divine than any other so-called holy book. 779 00:47:42,590 --> 00:47:45,800 This is actually why it is that young people today want 780 00:47:45,800 --> 00:47:47,990 nothing to do with the church. 781 00:47:47,990 --> 00:47:55,400 The number one reason that many today don't believe 782 00:47:55,400 --> 00:47:57,290 is because there's no evidence. 783 00:47:57,290 --> 00:47:58,880 You know, what's interesting is Jesus said, 784 00:47:58,880 --> 00:48:01,300 I have told you what's going to happen before it happens. 785 00:48:01,300 --> 00:48:06,380 So when it happens, you will believe that I am. 786 00:48:06,380 --> 00:48:08,000 There is so much evidence. 787 00:48:08,000 --> 00:48:10,100 And the problem is that many today 788 00:48:10,100 --> 00:48:12,620 do not believe because they do not 789 00:48:12,620 --> 00:48:15,115 see the evidence that is there. 790 00:48:18,540 --> 00:48:21,700 And only one thing could come from this-- 791 00:48:21,700 --> 00:48:24,190 a falling away of those that believe 792 00:48:24,190 --> 00:48:27,490 Christ will return and even in the validity of the Bible 793 00:48:27,490 --> 00:48:29,050 itself-- 794 00:48:29,050 --> 00:48:34,360 a terrifying trend that has already begun. 795 00:48:34,360 --> 00:48:40,150 So my mother and father immigrated to America 796 00:48:40,150 --> 00:48:42,700 from the Middle East, and the America 797 00:48:42,700 --> 00:48:48,820 that they came to in 1963 is not the America today. 798 00:48:48,820 --> 00:48:51,880 It has changed dramatically. 799 00:48:51,880 --> 00:48:55,960 There was a day when there was this knowledge 800 00:48:55,960 --> 00:48:59,470 of the Lord's return. 801 00:48:59,470 --> 00:49:01,930 You talk about it today, and it almost reminds me 802 00:49:01,930 --> 00:49:04,990 of what Peter said about how that there is coming 803 00:49:04,990 --> 00:49:09,400 a day that they will mock and scoff any mention 804 00:49:09,400 --> 00:49:10,600 of the Lord's return. 805 00:49:10,600 --> 00:49:13,640 "Where's the promise of his coming? 806 00:49:13,640 --> 00:49:16,570 They've been saying that for generations and generations, 807 00:49:16,570 --> 00:49:18,460 yet he does not come." 808 00:49:18,460 --> 00:49:21,880 Well, I think that's all a part of the end-time apostasy. 809 00:49:21,880 --> 00:49:25,150 Everything we're talking about, it was prophesied, 810 00:49:25,150 --> 00:49:26,290 it's happening. 811 00:49:26,290 --> 00:49:29,440 I think one of the things that plays into here 812 00:49:29,440 --> 00:49:31,300 is what the Bible calls the great falling 813 00:49:31,300 --> 00:49:35,650 away, the great fall from truth into apostasy. 814 00:49:38,740 --> 00:49:41,710 And this is not simply a perceived social change 815 00:49:41,710 --> 00:49:44,680 from different generational perspectives but one that 816 00:49:44,680 --> 00:49:46,480 is being exposed through findings 817 00:49:46,480 --> 00:49:50,560 from various organizations, such as LifeWay research, 818 00:49:50,560 --> 00:49:55,060 the Barna Group and Pew Research. 819 00:49:55,060 --> 00:49:58,090 We see that only about 15% are bought 820 00:49:58,090 --> 00:50:01,900 in to evangelical teaching indicating that Jesus Christ is 821 00:50:01,900 --> 00:50:05,410 the only way to remove their sin and that Jesus Christ alone 822 00:50:05,410 --> 00:50:07,487 is how somebody can see eternal life 823 00:50:07,487 --> 00:50:08,620 and that they ought to share that. 824 00:50:08,620 --> 00:50:09,940 More than eight out of 10 Americans 825 00:50:09,940 --> 00:50:14,050 would have some hesitancy or maybe completely dismiss 826 00:50:14,050 --> 00:50:16,870 the core evangelical beliefs of putting the Bible first 827 00:50:16,870 --> 00:50:20,640 and believing in Christ alone. 828 00:50:20,640 --> 00:50:23,720 According to multiple in-depth studies from various research 829 00:50:23,720 --> 00:50:27,290 organizations, more than 80% of Americans 830 00:50:27,290 --> 00:50:31,490 no longer believe that the Bible is the complete word of God-- 831 00:50:31,490 --> 00:50:35,060 a trend that isn't surprising when considering the proof 832 00:50:35,060 --> 00:50:37,220 for the validity of the Bible itself 833 00:50:37,220 --> 00:50:40,520 is being systematically erased. 834 00:50:40,520 --> 00:50:43,340 With all religions being viewed more with each passing 835 00:50:43,340 --> 00:50:46,460 year as being equal and without substance, 836 00:50:46,460 --> 00:50:50,850 a global trend of humanism is exploding. 837 00:50:50,850 --> 00:50:53,630 We're up to almost one out of four Americans 838 00:50:53,630 --> 00:50:56,270 indicating, "I don't really feel like I'm 839 00:50:56,270 --> 00:50:58,040 a part of any religious group." 840 00:50:58,040 --> 00:51:01,850 On that same survey, we did ask whether people 841 00:51:01,850 --> 00:51:05,870 believe the world will end in their lifetime. 842 00:51:05,870 --> 00:51:09,050 And less than one out of five, 18% of Americans, 843 00:51:09,050 --> 00:51:12,866 actually believe that the world will end within their lifetime. 844 00:51:12,866 --> 00:51:15,000 [DRAMATIC MUSIC] 845 00:51:15,000 --> 00:51:18,180 Since the return of Christ is synonymous with the end 846 00:51:18,180 --> 00:51:20,490 of the world as we know it, this may 847 00:51:20,490 --> 00:51:23,700 lend some associative insight into the trends we're beginning 848 00:51:23,700 --> 00:51:26,580 to see in why most people no longer believe 849 00:51:26,580 --> 00:51:29,340 that Jesus is going to return. 850 00:51:29,340 --> 00:51:32,520 And surprisingly, the scriptures foretold 851 00:51:32,520 --> 00:51:34,230 this, too, was going to happen. 852 00:51:37,550 --> 00:51:40,520 I know you have a little strength. 853 00:51:40,520 --> 00:51:44,810 This describes this church in the last days 854 00:51:44,810 --> 00:51:48,950 prior to the return of Jesus Christ as just hanging on. 855 00:51:48,950 --> 00:51:52,250 There are a remnant of believers today that 856 00:51:52,250 --> 00:51:56,360 are hanging on to that hope. 857 00:51:56,360 --> 00:51:59,540 And they are few in numbers and growing 858 00:51:59,540 --> 00:52:02,270 fewer with each passing day. 859 00:52:02,270 --> 00:52:04,080 Jesus said that when He comes back, 860 00:52:04,080 --> 00:52:05,900 we'll even find faith on the Earth. 861 00:52:05,900 --> 00:52:07,700 We know that in the last days, there's 862 00:52:07,700 --> 00:52:10,460 going to be a diminishing of people believing. 863 00:52:10,460 --> 00:52:12,500 I believe that what is happening in America 864 00:52:12,500 --> 00:52:17,210 is that the westernized version of, can I say, 865 00:52:17,210 --> 00:52:20,690 a man-made Christianity is failing. 866 00:52:20,690 --> 00:52:22,040 It's failing in faith. 867 00:52:22,040 --> 00:52:24,410 It's failing in its ability to engage the culture. 868 00:52:24,410 --> 00:52:27,300 It's failing to be ready, to be busy about our Father's 869 00:52:27,300 --> 00:52:28,100 business. 870 00:52:28,100 --> 00:52:29,610 It's failing in evangelism. 871 00:52:29,610 --> 00:52:30,410 Why? 872 00:52:30,410 --> 00:52:31,970 There's no sense of urgency. 873 00:52:31,970 --> 00:52:33,620 And so we live in a time when there 874 00:52:33,620 --> 00:52:35,780 are those saying that they believe in the Bible 875 00:52:35,780 --> 00:52:37,010 and believe in Jesus. 876 00:52:37,010 --> 00:52:40,100 I have to ask the question, what Bible are you reading, 877 00:52:40,100 --> 00:52:43,100 and which Jesus are you talking about? 878 00:52:43,100 --> 00:52:47,160 When you're completely detached from the word of God, 879 00:52:47,160 --> 00:52:49,770 then the rapture sounds crazy. 880 00:52:49,770 --> 00:52:51,870 Although the same people who may reject God 881 00:52:51,870 --> 00:52:53,160 will believe in aliens. 882 00:52:53,160 --> 00:52:56,280 They will believe in going to the psychic 883 00:52:56,280 --> 00:52:59,380 and hearing from the dead and all of that. 884 00:52:59,380 --> 00:53:01,480 They believe in so many weird things. 885 00:53:01,480 --> 00:53:05,680 But when you talk about Bible stories, 886 00:53:05,680 --> 00:53:08,070 they will immediately say these are fairy tales. 887 00:53:08,070 --> 00:53:11,080 And it's interesting, because we found 888 00:53:11,080 --> 00:53:15,820 physical evidences to almost every single miraculous story 889 00:53:15,820 --> 00:53:17,260 in the scriptures. 890 00:53:17,260 --> 00:53:19,450 Again, the Bible declares that in the last days 891 00:53:19,450 --> 00:53:22,060 there's going to be those who will say, where's 892 00:53:22,060 --> 00:53:23,970 the promise of his coming? 893 00:53:23,970 --> 00:53:26,680 Everything has been continuing on since the beginning. 894 00:53:26,680 --> 00:53:28,980 And they mock-- the Bible says in the last days there's going 895 00:53:28,980 --> 00:53:31,450 to be mockers, and there's going to be those that make 896 00:53:31,450 --> 00:53:33,520 light of the return of Jesus. 897 00:53:33,520 --> 00:53:35,770 Not only is it going to get worse, 898 00:53:35,770 --> 00:53:39,290 it's going to get exponentially worse. 899 00:53:48,390 --> 00:53:51,820 [AMBIENT MUSIC] 900 00:53:58,680 --> 00:54:01,830 Considering these trends, it's not surprising 901 00:54:01,830 --> 00:54:05,430 that this is precisely why the scriptures famously warned 902 00:54:05,430 --> 00:54:08,520 that in the last days, Jesus will return 903 00:54:08,520 --> 00:54:12,360 as a thief in the night into a world that 904 00:54:12,360 --> 00:54:17,080 is unbelieving and unprepared. 905 00:54:17,080 --> 00:54:22,120 Jesus warned his disciples to be ready for his second coming. 906 00:54:22,120 --> 00:54:24,370 He said He would come like a thief in the night. 907 00:54:24,370 --> 00:54:27,320 Regarding the times and the seasons, my brethren, 908 00:54:27,320 --> 00:54:28,870 you have no need that I should tell 909 00:54:28,870 --> 00:54:31,120 you because you perfectly know. 910 00:54:31,120 --> 00:54:34,420 The day of the Lord indeed will come to this world 911 00:54:34,420 --> 00:54:35,350 as a thief in the night. 912 00:54:35,350 --> 00:54:37,030 But it will not come as a thief in the night 913 00:54:37,030 --> 00:54:40,110 to you, because if you're ready, you're ready. 914 00:54:40,110 --> 00:54:44,170 And we can only be surprised and we can only suffer 915 00:54:44,170 --> 00:54:45,970 from it if we're not ready. 916 00:54:45,970 --> 00:54:47,680 He's going to come as a thief in the night 917 00:54:47,680 --> 00:54:49,680 to those who are not aware. 918 00:54:49,680 --> 00:54:52,900 He's going to come to those as a thief in the night to those who 919 00:54:52,900 --> 00:54:55,090 have been bogged down and weighted 920 00:54:55,090 --> 00:54:58,000 down with what Jesus said are the cares of this life. 921 00:55:02,743 --> 00:55:06,222 [AMBIENT MUSIC] 922 00:55:10,710 --> 00:55:12,750 Jesus returning as a thief in the night 923 00:55:12,750 --> 00:55:17,570 to those unprepared in the last days appear self-explanatory. 924 00:55:17,570 --> 00:55:19,760 And for years, theologians interpreted 925 00:55:19,760 --> 00:55:23,050 the meaning at face value. 926 00:55:23,050 --> 00:55:26,290 But you see, in ancient Galilee, we 927 00:55:26,290 --> 00:55:30,260 know that only the father of the groom knew the day and the hour 928 00:55:30,260 --> 00:55:32,830 that the wedding would take place. 929 00:55:32,830 --> 00:55:35,350 But what researchers have now discovered 930 00:55:35,350 --> 00:55:41,510 is that the hour would be in the middle of the night. 931 00:55:44,420 --> 00:55:48,620 Well, even the idiom of, "no man knows the day or the hour," 932 00:55:48,620 --> 00:55:52,220 the idiom of, "as a thief in the night," they in that day 933 00:55:52,220 --> 00:55:56,480 would have absolutely understand exactly what Jesus was saying 934 00:55:56,480 --> 00:55:58,880 when he uses those expressions. 935 00:55:58,880 --> 00:56:02,390 They knew it was literally going to be as a thief in the night, 936 00:56:02,390 --> 00:56:04,280 and it would be in the night, which again 937 00:56:04,280 --> 00:56:06,850 was why they had to have oil in their lamps 938 00:56:06,850 --> 00:56:08,300 and their lamps lit-- 939 00:56:08,300 --> 00:56:09,680 so that it would not be as a thief. 940 00:56:09,680 --> 00:56:10,790 They were ready. 941 00:56:10,790 --> 00:56:12,230 They were dressed and ready. 942 00:56:16,460 --> 00:56:22,230 This was the ultimate surprise twist on the Galilean wedding, 943 00:56:22,230 --> 00:56:24,780 and Jesus, who lived among them for years, 944 00:56:24,780 --> 00:56:26,820 knew this all too well-- 945 00:56:26,820 --> 00:56:29,700 that the groom would come for the bride 946 00:56:29,700 --> 00:56:31,050 in the middle of the night. 947 00:56:34,790 --> 00:56:35,900 Her life was pure. 948 00:56:35,900 --> 00:56:38,450 She slept in her wedding dress. 949 00:56:38,450 --> 00:56:41,180 Her bridesmaids were dressed in their white linen garments, 950 00:56:41,180 --> 00:56:44,420 and they were ready to help her out should the bridegroom 951 00:56:44,420 --> 00:56:46,700 come-- which he was coming unexpectedly 952 00:56:46,700 --> 00:56:48,590 at an hour she didn't know-- 953 00:56:48,590 --> 00:56:50,910 so that she could be ready to meet him. 954 00:56:50,910 --> 00:56:54,030 They will do that in the middle of the night for a reason. 955 00:56:54,030 --> 00:57:02,480 It's to basically declare that it can happen when everybody 956 00:57:02,480 --> 00:57:06,470 else are not necessarily ready. 957 00:57:06,470 --> 00:57:08,240 It is deliberate. 958 00:57:08,240 --> 00:57:11,090 And that's why only the people that 959 00:57:11,090 --> 00:57:12,710 have an active part in the wedding 960 00:57:12,710 --> 00:57:15,050 are excited and are ready. 961 00:57:15,050 --> 00:57:18,860 But those that are not are completely-- they're asleep. 962 00:57:18,860 --> 00:57:20,990 They are literally asleep. 963 00:57:20,990 --> 00:57:22,500 Yes, exactly. 964 00:57:22,500 --> 00:57:25,880 And that's why we're told not to fall asleep as others do. 965 00:57:25,880 --> 00:57:28,670 That's why one of the reasons, I think, 966 00:57:28,670 --> 00:57:33,470 Christians should always look for is, what 967 00:57:33,470 --> 00:57:36,710 are the signs that Jesus gave to the disciples, 968 00:57:36,710 --> 00:57:37,950 and are we seeing them? 969 00:57:41,766 --> 00:57:45,105 [AMBIENT MUSIC] 970 00:57:47,500 --> 00:57:50,200 And though Jesus returning as a thief in the night 971 00:57:50,200 --> 00:57:53,020 was directed to the unprepared world, 972 00:57:53,020 --> 00:57:55,390 He also gave another warning directed more 973 00:57:55,390 --> 00:57:58,300 to those that would be waiting for his return 974 00:57:58,300 --> 00:58:00,310 at the end of days-- 975 00:58:00,310 --> 00:58:02,860 a parable that warns how even those 976 00:58:02,860 --> 00:58:09,360 that believe they are prepared can end up left in the dark. 977 00:58:09,360 --> 00:58:13,350 Jesus spoke about 10 bridesmaids in the night prepared 978 00:58:13,350 --> 00:58:15,150 and with oil burning in their lamps 979 00:58:15,150 --> 00:58:17,340 waiting for the arrival of the groom, 980 00:58:17,340 --> 00:58:20,850 which would come at any hour. 981 00:58:20,850 --> 00:58:22,350 So you've got the parable of those 982 00:58:22,350 --> 00:58:23,940 with the oil in the lamps. 983 00:58:23,940 --> 00:58:25,530 You've got 10 of them. 984 00:58:25,530 --> 00:58:30,000 You've got all 10 who started, but not all 10 finished. 985 00:58:30,000 --> 00:58:31,480 You say, yeah, yeah, they did. 986 00:58:31,480 --> 00:58:32,340 No, they didn't. 987 00:58:32,340 --> 00:58:35,610 The Bible says that at the time of the midnight cry, 988 00:58:35,610 --> 00:58:38,610 they all jumped up and trimmed their lamps, 989 00:58:38,610 --> 00:58:42,120 but only five had enough oil to continue on. 990 00:58:42,120 --> 00:58:43,170 And this is key. 991 00:58:43,170 --> 00:58:44,970 Symbolically in scripture, the oil 992 00:58:44,970 --> 00:58:47,830 is a reference to the Holy Spirit in your life. 993 00:58:47,830 --> 00:58:50,280 And so you can be a believer-- listen carefully-- 994 00:58:50,280 --> 00:58:53,280 Jesus said these are they who believe for a while. 995 00:58:53,280 --> 00:58:55,350 It doesn't mean you're born again to believe. 996 00:58:55,350 --> 00:58:58,770 Has your belief brought you to faith in Christ? 997 00:58:58,770 --> 00:59:01,230 So these virgins were religious. 998 00:59:01,230 --> 00:59:02,730 These virgins were ready. 999 00:59:02,730 --> 00:59:04,430 These virgins were waiting. 1000 00:59:04,430 --> 00:59:05,230 They had lamps. 1001 00:59:05,230 --> 00:59:06,120 They had oil. 1002 00:59:06,120 --> 00:59:11,870 But only the ones that had enough oil made it to the end. 1003 00:59:11,870 --> 00:59:15,240 The application for this today is quite clear. 1004 00:59:15,240 --> 00:59:17,970 With recently exposed social trends, 1005 00:59:17,970 --> 00:59:20,700 many believe that this prophetic warning from Jesus 1006 00:59:20,700 --> 00:59:24,090 himself regarding the church in the last days 1007 00:59:24,090 --> 00:59:27,470 is already coming true. 1008 00:59:27,470 --> 00:59:29,780 I think the remnant is keeping watch. 1009 00:59:29,780 --> 00:59:34,010 It's a little sliver of Christianity, 1010 00:59:34,010 --> 00:59:37,800 some estimate between 1% and 10%. 1011 00:59:37,800 --> 00:59:38,600 They're watching. 1012 00:59:38,600 --> 00:59:39,400 They're waiting. 1013 00:59:39,400 --> 00:59:40,710 They're looking at headlines. 1014 00:59:40,710 --> 00:59:42,140 They're looking at current events. 1015 00:59:42,140 --> 00:59:44,210 But I think that's a smaller and smaller 1016 00:59:44,210 --> 00:59:45,640 portion of the Church today. 1017 00:59:49,070 --> 00:59:52,500 [AMBIENT MUSIC] 1018 00:59:57,420 --> 01:00:00,890 As we head back to the time of Christ, 1019 01:00:00,890 --> 01:00:02,990 the sun has now set on Cana. 1020 01:00:05,610 --> 01:00:07,610 And just as Jesus warned the world will 1021 01:00:07,610 --> 01:00:10,610 fall asleep in the last days, tonight 1022 01:00:10,610 --> 01:00:14,360 so have many of the Galileans. 1023 01:00:14,360 --> 01:00:17,450 But tonight, the groom's hour has finally come. 1024 01:00:23,960 --> 01:00:26,090 The bridegroom knows the day is coming. 1025 01:00:26,090 --> 01:00:27,860 But he sleeps with his groomsmen-- 1026 01:00:27,860 --> 01:00:30,600 they're all over the floor, perhaps in a small room-- 1027 01:00:30,600 --> 01:00:33,500 and the father makes the decision, now is the time. 1028 01:00:37,520 --> 01:00:40,970 The father has decided that now is the hour his son 1029 01:00:40,970 --> 01:00:42,230 will retrieve his bride. 1030 01:01:13,140 --> 01:01:19,550 He wakes him and says, go get your bride. 1031 01:01:24,700 --> 01:01:28,930 The son leaps to his feet, and he grabs a shofar, a ram's horn 1032 01:01:28,930 --> 01:01:32,800 trumpet, and he lets go a blast to wake up the entire village. 1033 01:01:32,800 --> 01:01:34,250 It's a marvelous scene. 1034 01:01:34,250 --> 01:01:37,390 But it's meant to wake up not only the village, 1035 01:01:37,390 --> 01:01:38,830 but the bride and her family. 1036 01:01:43,300 --> 01:01:47,640 It was during hours of unexpectedness 1037 01:01:47,640 --> 01:01:49,560 that it would have been, in the very early hours 1038 01:01:49,560 --> 01:01:53,370 of the morning, even at midnight, where the bride 1039 01:01:53,370 --> 01:01:55,890 would be hearing that cry. 1040 01:01:55,890 --> 01:01:58,170 Behold, the bridegroom cometh. 1041 01:01:58,170 --> 01:01:59,640 And she was to rise up. 1042 01:01:59,640 --> 01:02:01,200 She was to get her lamp trimmed. 1043 01:02:01,200 --> 01:02:05,480 She was to be now executing her preparedness. 1044 01:02:19,000 --> 01:02:21,910 The wait is over, and the groom is finally on his way 1045 01:02:21,910 --> 01:02:25,550 to be united with his bride. 1046 01:02:25,550 --> 01:02:27,440 As they move through the town streets, 1047 01:02:27,440 --> 01:02:30,890 trumpets blared loudly to not only wake the bride, 1048 01:02:30,890 --> 01:02:36,030 but also the guests that were invited to the wedding feast. 1049 01:02:36,030 --> 01:02:38,280 Only those that were prepared could quickly 1050 01:02:38,280 --> 01:02:42,430 rise and join the concession. 1051 01:02:42,430 --> 01:02:44,430 [LAUGHTER] 1052 01:02:45,930 --> 01:02:48,460 The bridegroom and his groomsmen now exit the house. 1053 01:02:48,460 --> 01:02:50,980 They go out of the compound, begin to serpentine 1054 01:02:50,980 --> 01:02:52,810 through the streets of the village, 1055 01:02:52,810 --> 01:02:57,430 until finally they come near the bride's house. 1056 01:02:57,430 --> 01:03:00,010 And as the bride comes into view, 1057 01:03:00,010 --> 01:03:03,040 what a shockingly beautiful scene it must be. 1058 01:03:17,190 --> 01:03:18,390 There in the middle of the night, 1059 01:03:18,390 --> 01:03:21,450 you have a row of women with the bride in the middle-- all 1060 01:03:21,450 --> 01:03:24,510 the bridesmaids dressed in their white linen robes, 1061 01:03:24,510 --> 01:03:26,070 and in the center, the bride dressed 1062 01:03:26,070 --> 01:03:27,990 in her beautiful bridal gown. 1063 01:03:33,660 --> 01:03:36,450 After a year of preparing and waiting, 1064 01:03:36,450 --> 01:03:38,500 they are finally together again-- 1065 01:03:42,480 --> 01:03:45,365 reunited as one forever. 1066 01:04:00,080 --> 01:04:02,330 The parade led by the bridegroom now 1067 01:04:02,330 --> 01:04:04,520 rush up towards the bride and her family-- 1068 01:04:04,520 --> 01:04:06,020 and all the people that are standing there, 1069 01:04:06,020 --> 01:04:07,130 the bridesmaids. 1070 01:04:07,130 --> 01:04:08,840 And the two men with the litter set 1071 01:04:08,840 --> 01:04:11,560 the litter down on the ground in front of the bride. 1072 01:04:14,320 --> 01:04:18,220 And she very, very modestly steps out onto the litter, 1073 01:04:18,220 --> 01:04:22,180 and she lowers herself down. 1074 01:04:22,180 --> 01:04:24,470 The bride did not simply follow her groom 1075 01:04:24,470 --> 01:04:30,230 back to the father's house, but she was lifted into the air. 1076 01:04:37,840 --> 01:04:41,620 In fact, the ancient Galileans referred to this moment 1077 01:04:41,620 --> 01:04:45,070 as "flying the bride to the father's house." 1078 01:04:53,240 --> 01:04:56,270 She's lifted up off the ground. 1079 01:04:56,270 --> 01:05:00,560 She's escorted with him back to that place of preparation. 1080 01:05:00,560 --> 01:05:03,440 It speaks, it shouts, all about God's grace. 1081 01:05:03,440 --> 01:05:05,060 It's not her efforts. 1082 01:05:05,060 --> 01:05:07,620 She was just to be ready because she loves him. 1083 01:05:07,620 --> 01:05:09,380 She's borne aloft. 1084 01:05:09,380 --> 01:05:11,240 She's taken away with him. 1085 01:05:11,240 --> 01:05:13,610 It's all about the grace of God. 1086 01:05:13,610 --> 01:05:15,710 It's about the grace of God from the beginning 1087 01:05:15,710 --> 01:05:17,630 all the way through to now, to the end. 1088 01:05:22,780 --> 01:05:24,790 There are multiple chilling similarities 1089 01:05:24,790 --> 01:05:27,760 between this cultural practice and descriptions 1090 01:05:27,760 --> 01:05:30,610 throughout the Bible regarding what theology 1091 01:05:30,610 --> 01:05:34,050 has coined the rapture-- 1092 01:05:34,050 --> 01:05:36,380 a moment that believers are caught up 1093 01:05:36,380 --> 01:05:38,120 in the air to be with the returning 1094 01:05:38,120 --> 01:05:40,370 messiah at the end of days. 1095 01:05:42,880 --> 01:05:45,250 This makes me think of something-- that when 1096 01:05:45,250 --> 01:05:48,250 the bride is lifted off the ground, 1097 01:05:48,250 --> 01:05:49,870 and they carry her off the ground, 1098 01:05:49,870 --> 01:05:52,680 as it were, flying her to the father's house, 1099 01:05:52,680 --> 01:05:55,600 doesn't this sound like Jesus collecting 1100 01:05:55,600 --> 01:05:58,690 his bride off the Earth to join him in the air? 1101 01:05:58,690 --> 01:06:00,790 Absolutely, I believe that. 1102 01:06:00,790 --> 01:06:02,630 Without question. 1103 01:06:02,630 --> 01:06:03,430 Without question. 1104 01:06:03,430 --> 01:06:07,420 The clues that were given in scripture 1105 01:06:07,420 --> 01:06:12,520 all speak with specificity to this exactly being the rapture. 1106 01:06:12,520 --> 01:06:15,850 This is the reason why He's coming to take us. 1107 01:06:15,850 --> 01:06:18,700 Why would a bridegroom come and take the bride 1108 01:06:18,700 --> 01:06:21,520 unless it's to marry her? 1109 01:06:21,520 --> 01:06:24,790 From that moment on, we will always be with the Lord, 1110 01:06:24,790 --> 01:06:27,580 just like a husband and a wife are one. 1111 01:06:27,580 --> 01:06:29,710 They cannot be separated anymore. 1112 01:06:29,710 --> 01:06:31,360 This is why I believe the rapture 1113 01:06:31,360 --> 01:06:32,530 is such an amazing thing. 1114 01:06:36,410 --> 01:06:39,805 [AMBIENT MUSIC] 1115 01:06:42,730 --> 01:06:45,820 After the bride is flown to the father's house, 1116 01:06:45,820 --> 01:06:48,020 the long-awaited conclusion has begun-- 1117 01:06:52,530 --> 01:06:55,320 the beginning of a wedding feast joined and witnessed 1118 01:06:55,320 --> 01:06:58,860 by all of those that were prepared and heard the call 1119 01:06:58,860 --> 01:07:00,360 during the darkness of night. 1120 01:07:07,830 --> 01:07:09,960 And Jesus made it clear to his disciples 1121 01:07:09,960 --> 01:07:12,270 that this, too, is a picture of what 1122 01:07:12,270 --> 01:07:14,160 will happen at the end of days. 1123 01:07:17,610 --> 01:07:21,480 Those that are caught up to be with the returning messiah 1124 01:07:21,480 --> 01:07:24,930 will partake in what the Bible refers to as the marriage 1125 01:07:24,930 --> 01:07:29,890 supper of the lamb, the lamb being a clear reference 1126 01:07:29,890 --> 01:07:34,490 to Christ himself as the sacrificial lamb crucified 1127 01:07:34,490 --> 01:07:35,290 on the cross. 1128 01:07:38,460 --> 01:07:42,120 In fact, the apostle John references this wedding 1129 01:07:42,120 --> 01:07:46,080 feast when believers are reunited with Christ as written 1130 01:07:46,080 --> 01:07:48,400 in the Book of Revelation. 1131 01:07:48,400 --> 01:07:52,650 To those in the final generation, he writes-- 1132 01:07:52,650 --> 01:07:58,320 Let us be glad and rejoice and give honor to Him, 1133 01:07:58,320 --> 01:08:01,810 for the marriage of the lamb is come, 1134 01:08:01,810 --> 01:08:04,060 and his wife has made herself ready. 1135 01:08:06,730 --> 01:08:10,090 The father's house in a Galilean wedding 1136 01:08:10,090 --> 01:08:12,790 is the perfect picture of heaven. 1137 01:08:12,790 --> 01:08:16,779 Together as a married couple, bride and bridegroom, 1138 01:08:16,779 --> 01:08:21,099 united forever, living in the bridegroom's father's house. 1139 01:08:21,099 --> 01:08:24,430 Why is this so important, is because this 1140 01:08:24,430 --> 01:08:29,439 is our destination, that we are chosen 1141 01:08:29,439 --> 01:08:33,130 as the bride of Jesus Christ and to dwell 1142 01:08:33,130 --> 01:08:35,560 with him for all eternity. 1143 01:08:35,560 --> 01:08:40,359 And everything here on earth is a foreshadow, a picture, 1144 01:08:40,359 --> 01:08:41,800 of that which is to come. 1145 01:08:41,800 --> 01:08:44,680 You know, it's interesting, at the Last Supper, twice 1146 01:08:44,680 --> 01:08:46,120 Jesus says this-- 1147 01:08:46,120 --> 01:08:51,220 I eagerly await to partake with you when this finds 1148 01:08:51,220 --> 01:08:53,950 its fulfillment in my kingdom. 1149 01:08:53,950 --> 01:08:56,540 Here's the question that has to be asked-- 1150 01:08:56,540 --> 01:08:58,540 why did God make everything? 1151 01:08:58,540 --> 01:09:00,880 Why did He let the world fall? 1152 01:09:00,880 --> 01:09:03,880 Why did He send his son? 1153 01:09:03,880 --> 01:09:05,830 Why did his son have to die? 1154 01:09:05,830 --> 01:09:08,620 Why did his son have to rise from the dead? 1155 01:09:08,620 --> 01:09:11,380 And then why did his son descend in heaven? 1156 01:09:11,380 --> 01:09:13,359 Why is his son coming back? 1157 01:09:13,359 --> 01:09:16,450 This may be the most important event 1158 01:09:16,450 --> 01:09:19,120 in the entire history of eternity 1159 01:09:19,120 --> 01:09:22,780 when God brings a bride to his son. 1160 01:09:26,819 --> 01:09:30,600 Because of this, Jesus promised that He would return 1161 01:09:30,600 --> 01:09:34,140 for his bride to all that have and will accept his promise 1162 01:09:34,140 --> 01:09:38,430 until the day He returns, to not only be united with, 1163 01:09:38,430 --> 01:09:40,830 but to save his bride from the wrath 1164 01:09:40,830 --> 01:09:43,950 that is to come upon the world in the last days. 1165 01:09:47,345 --> 01:09:50,740 [DRAMATIC MUSIC] 1166 01:09:52,689 --> 01:09:55,880 But Jesus warns that many will not accept his offer 1167 01:09:55,880 --> 01:09:59,060 to attend his wedding feast, that there will 1168 01:09:59,060 --> 01:10:01,070 be many that choose to be separated 1169 01:10:01,070 --> 01:10:03,800 from him for all of eternity-- 1170 01:10:03,800 --> 01:10:07,730 those that will be left behind. 1171 01:10:07,730 --> 01:10:09,320 When they get to the father's house, 1172 01:10:09,320 --> 01:10:12,560 everybody piles into the compound now, 1173 01:10:12,560 --> 01:10:15,270 and the feast is set and ready to go. 1174 01:10:15,270 --> 01:10:18,614 And the door is shut behind them. 1175 01:10:18,614 --> 01:10:20,018 [DOOR SLAMS] 1176 01:10:20,960 --> 01:10:23,270 And no one leaves, and no one comes 1177 01:10:23,270 --> 01:10:26,444 in, for seven days and nights. 1178 01:10:26,444 --> 01:10:29,220 [SHOUTING] 1179 01:10:29,220 --> 01:10:33,240 And in ancient Galilee, if you were locked out, 1180 01:10:33,240 --> 01:10:34,760 there was no getting in. 1181 01:10:39,340 --> 01:10:41,650 There are so many people who know about it, 1182 01:10:41,650 --> 01:10:43,330 believer and non-believer. 1183 01:10:43,330 --> 01:10:44,710 Oh, yeah, I've heard about the rapture. 1184 01:10:44,710 --> 01:10:46,420 Oh, yeah, Jesus is supposed to come back. 1185 01:10:46,420 --> 01:10:47,590 I've heard about this. 1186 01:10:47,590 --> 01:10:49,240 Listen, hearing about it's not enough. 1187 01:10:49,240 --> 01:10:52,900 In fact, we know from Galilean experience in the first century 1188 01:10:52,900 --> 01:10:54,950 that you not only had to be ready, 1189 01:10:54,950 --> 01:10:56,510 you had to have enough oil-- 1190 01:10:56,510 --> 01:10:57,310 you had to get in. 1191 01:10:57,310 --> 01:10:59,440 You had to get into that wedding. 1192 01:10:59,440 --> 01:11:00,460 And then the door was shut. 1193 01:11:00,460 --> 01:11:02,400 By the way, once the door was shut, it was shut. 1194 01:11:05,890 --> 01:11:10,600 Those who were out were out. 1195 01:11:10,600 --> 01:11:16,030 And you think about the incredible, terrifying reality 1196 01:11:16,030 --> 01:11:19,540 of knowing that Christ said He would come back, and to then 1197 01:11:19,540 --> 01:11:21,850 be shut out, to be left out? 1198 01:11:21,850 --> 01:11:24,800 And yet Jesus was warning us in those parables. 1199 01:11:24,800 --> 01:11:26,145 He was warning. 1200 01:11:26,145 --> 01:11:29,540 [SHOUTING] 1201 01:11:29,540 --> 01:11:32,660 And just as with an ancient Galilean wedding, 1202 01:11:32,660 --> 01:11:36,320 Bible prophecy warns that those who missed the second coming 1203 01:11:36,320 --> 01:11:40,700 of the messiah are destined to partake in the wrath of God 1204 01:11:40,700 --> 01:11:43,880 that will be poured out upon a rejecting word. 1205 01:11:54,500 --> 01:11:56,720 And the righteous will be removed from the Earth, 1206 01:11:56,720 --> 01:11:59,480 because the Lord there says in Isaiah 26, 1207 01:11:59,480 --> 01:12:01,910 I will put them in their place, I will shut 1208 01:12:01,910 --> 01:12:04,850 the doors behind them in these inner chambers, 1209 01:12:04,850 --> 01:12:09,920 while I pour out my indignation, wrath, upon all those 1210 01:12:09,920 --> 01:12:11,300 who dwell on the Earth. 1211 01:12:11,300 --> 01:12:16,160 The fact that the church escapes God's wrath is so important. 1212 01:12:16,160 --> 01:12:19,150 The church does not escape man's wrath, 1213 01:12:19,150 --> 01:12:20,840 and we see that going on-- 1214 01:12:20,840 --> 01:12:25,270 terrible persecution going on in various parts of the world. 1215 01:12:25,270 --> 01:12:29,450 But the church, biblically, scripturally, 1216 01:12:29,450 --> 01:12:31,610 God says that He's going to spare 1217 01:12:31,610 --> 01:12:33,298 us from the wrath to come. 1218 01:12:33,298 --> 01:12:36,714 [AMBIENT MUSIC] 1219 01:12:42,580 --> 01:12:44,830 When you look at the whole picture, 1220 01:12:44,830 --> 01:12:49,600 the Galileans are really the key to understanding 1221 01:12:49,600 --> 01:12:53,230 the why and what of the second coming of Christ. 1222 01:12:53,230 --> 01:12:58,300 Jesus used this illustration that they knew so intimately 1223 01:12:58,300 --> 01:13:01,360 over and over and over again-- 1224 01:13:01,360 --> 01:13:05,650 that you have a bride who is loved by a bridegroom, who is 1225 01:13:05,650 --> 01:13:08,620 betrothed to this bridegroom. 1226 01:13:08,620 --> 01:13:11,620 And the bridegroom is going to make a covenant with her, 1227 01:13:11,620 --> 01:13:13,810 and then he's going to go away. 1228 01:13:13,810 --> 01:13:16,270 And eventually, when they don't know, 1229 01:13:16,270 --> 01:13:21,550 he's going to come back to take her to be with him where he is. 1230 01:13:21,550 --> 01:13:24,820 This is an amazing thing, and it all stems from what 1231 01:13:24,820 --> 01:13:26,200 the Galileans understood. 1232 01:13:26,200 --> 01:13:28,000 And Jesus talked to the Galileans 1233 01:13:28,000 --> 01:13:31,450 like they were Galileans, so that they would understand what 1234 01:13:31,450 --> 01:13:33,520 He meant when He said, this is what it's 1235 01:13:33,520 --> 01:13:35,830 going to be like when I return. 1236 01:13:35,830 --> 01:13:38,060 There are many people who profess to be Christians that 1237 01:13:38,060 --> 01:13:41,110 are really not digging into the details of what 1238 01:13:41,110 --> 01:13:42,640 God has revealed about Himself. 1239 01:13:42,640 --> 01:13:46,020 After all, that's what scripture is. 1240 01:13:46,020 --> 01:13:48,810 The number of those looking to the return of Christ 1241 01:13:48,810 --> 01:13:52,140 are diminishing with each passing year, 1242 01:13:52,140 --> 01:13:55,530 and it's never been more important to speak up about why 1243 01:13:55,530 --> 01:13:59,040 the messiah is coming back. 1244 01:13:59,040 --> 01:14:02,140 I have not given up by any stretch of the imagination, 1245 01:14:02,140 --> 01:14:04,680 and that's based on what I see happening in my events. 1246 01:14:04,680 --> 01:14:06,660 The attendees are getting younger 1247 01:14:06,660 --> 01:14:08,320 and younger and younger. 1248 01:14:08,320 --> 01:14:10,530 So I have not given up. 1249 01:14:10,530 --> 01:14:13,830 I just think they need to identify with teachers 1250 01:14:13,830 --> 01:14:16,660 who are their generation-- and they're rare, 1251 01:14:16,660 --> 01:14:19,070 but they do exist. 1252 01:14:19,070 --> 01:14:26,320 And to the pastors, you need to tell your congregations. 1253 01:14:26,320 --> 01:14:28,030 The influence of pastors for those 1254 01:14:28,030 --> 01:14:32,230 who attend church on a regular basis, it is still very strong. 1255 01:14:32,230 --> 01:14:34,840 If I as a qualitative researcher can 1256 01:14:34,840 --> 01:14:37,900 pull from some fascinating qualitative research 1257 01:14:37,900 --> 01:14:40,570 that we did on Bible reading and what influenced 1258 01:14:40,570 --> 01:14:41,980 people's Bible reading-- 1259 01:14:41,980 --> 01:14:44,200 when a pastor suggests something, and not 1260 01:14:44,200 --> 01:14:48,100 just the passage the pastor mentions in the sermon, 1261 01:14:48,100 --> 01:14:51,790 but when a pastor suggests, go home and read this, 1262 01:14:51,790 --> 01:14:55,610 go home and look up this, that has a big impact. 1263 01:14:55,610 --> 01:14:58,170 And I just think we need to hang in there 1264 01:14:58,170 --> 01:15:02,480 and keep encouraging the church and encouraging pastors. 1265 01:15:02,480 --> 01:15:05,870 They have one of the toughest jobs on the planet. 1266 01:15:05,870 --> 01:15:11,330 And those with media influence need to speak out. 1267 01:15:11,330 --> 01:15:13,480 Jesus died for his church. 1268 01:15:13,480 --> 01:15:14,950 He's coming back for his church. 1269 01:15:14,950 --> 01:15:17,560 He loves his church. 1270 01:15:17,560 --> 01:15:23,390 And we all need to tell the ones we love. 1271 01:15:23,390 --> 01:15:27,380 If they choose to ignore it, it's their fault. 1272 01:15:27,380 --> 01:15:40,150 But if you never warned them, that's your fault. 1273 01:15:40,150 --> 01:15:43,620 We live in a nation founded on Christian values, 1274 01:15:43,620 --> 01:15:47,230 yet followers of Christ are choosing to remain silent. 1275 01:15:50,330 --> 01:15:55,070 We must be prepared to tell others why Jesus is coming back 1276 01:15:55,070 --> 01:15:57,440 so they too can make a choice. 1277 01:16:00,140 --> 01:16:01,460 It is our choice. 1278 01:16:01,460 --> 01:16:04,520 Jesus is not forced on anyone. 1279 01:16:04,520 --> 01:16:08,720 It is our own free will and our choice 1280 01:16:08,720 --> 01:16:13,760 that we choose to accept our proposal from Jesus 1281 01:16:13,760 --> 01:16:15,380 Christ as our bridegroom. 1282 01:16:15,380 --> 01:16:17,870 See, this is why Satan-- 1283 01:16:17,870 --> 01:16:20,900 again, the why-- why Satan hates particularly 1284 01:16:20,900 --> 01:16:21,740 the Christian marriage. 1285 01:16:21,740 --> 01:16:24,620 He hates marriage because of what it represents. 1286 01:16:24,620 --> 01:16:28,670 See, it's a microcosm of what awaits in heaven. 1287 01:16:28,670 --> 01:16:32,150 We are the family of God, our Heavenly Father. 1288 01:16:32,150 --> 01:16:35,330 We are brothers and sisters, siblings, if you will, 1289 01:16:35,330 --> 01:16:36,510 in Christ. 1290 01:16:36,510 --> 01:16:40,040 It is a microcosm, a picture, of that which has yet 1291 01:16:40,040 --> 01:16:41,870 to be fulfilled when it comes. 1292 01:16:45,430 --> 01:16:47,380 Before the day of wrath-- 1293 01:16:56,650 --> 01:16:58,605 before the feast begins-- 1294 01:17:07,230 --> 01:17:17,720 before the rapture-- before the thief comes in the night-- 1295 01:17:23,820 --> 01:17:31,580 back to when it all began, to the moment 1296 01:17:31,580 --> 01:17:34,132 that you are offered his cup-- 1297 01:17:43,110 --> 01:17:48,130 the question is, will you accept it? 1298 01:17:56,830 --> 01:18:00,180 [MUSIC PLAYING]