The King's Return

New City Church Message _MF-NCC

• ° God authenticates His Word by writing history in advance, and Bible prophecy is the testimony of Jesus
  
  Revelation 19:10 — And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of the brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus it the spirit of prophecy.
  
  Psalms 40:7 — Then said I, Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me.
  
  ° Do not be bothered when people ridicule you for studying Bible prophecy (they are actually just fulfilling it themselves!)
  
  II Peter 3:3 — Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
  II Peter 3:4 — And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation
  
  ° The anticipation of Jesus' return has prevailed throughout church history
  ° Ever since Jesus ascended the world has had his promise (one of many places in the Bible)
  
  See →Revelation:1-9-11
  
  ° Many Jews are still looking for the Messiah to come to the earth
  ° We as the church , are looking for Him to descend from heaven with a shout that rids His people of anything dead, to call us home in the rapture at any moment
  
  See →I Thessalonians 4:15-18
  
  ° The Jews were supposed to know the time of their visitation when Jesus arrived the first time, and He held them accountable!
  
  See →Luke:19:41-44
  
  ° The were given the exact day for His arrival from the 70 weeks prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27
  
  See →Daniel:9:24-27
  
  ° The Lord gives a fascinating promise in Hosea that is linked to His second arrival coming in power to set up the millennial kingdom
  
  Hosea 5:15 — I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face in their affliction they will seek me early.
  
  ° This verse prophecies two arrivals of Jesus; He leaves His place the first time, then He returns, but only until Israel acknowledges their offense
  ° Israel's offense was missing Him, crucifying Him, and not knowing the time of their visitation at His first arrival (we just read that in Luke 19)
  ° They will finally acknowledge Jesus "in their affliction..."
  
  Jeremiah 30:7 — Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.
  
  ° Hosea Chapter 6 opens with Israel's prayer while they are suffering this affliction known as the time of Jacob's trouble, the tribulation, the 70th week of Daniel, etc.
  
  

  Hosea 6:1

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  Hosea 6:1 — Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will build us up.
  
  ° This also means that Israel (as a nation) had to leave Him at some point
  ° The Hebrew word for "hath torn" is (טָרַף-ṭārap̄-taw-raf') and is used to rend, tear, pluck, etc.
  
  Job 18:4 — He teareth himself in his anger: shall the earth be forsaken for thee? and shall the rock be removed out of his place?
  
  Psalm 7:2 — Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver
  
  ° During the tribulation as the wrath of The Lamb is unfolding, there will be a lot of tearing!
  
  See →Revelation 6:15-17
  
  ° We also know from Zechariah 13 that two out of three Jews die in this seven year period
  ° "and he will heal us" in Hebrew is (רָפָא-rāp̄ā'-raw-faw') and one definition even describes this phrase as meaning "to heal of national defects or hurts"
  ° "he hath smitten" in Hebrew is (נָכָה-nāḵâ-naw-kaw') and it means to strike, smite, hit, beat, slay, or kill;
  ° "and he will bind us up" in Hebrew is (חָבַשׁ-ḥāḇaš-khaw-bash') and in this specific context it means "to bandage and govern"
  ° At the end of the tribulation, the remnant of Israel will finally confess their corporate sin of rejecting their Messiah
  ° They will cry out to Him for salvation, and want Him to govern them once and for all
  

  Hosea 6:2

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  Hosea 6:2 — After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight
  
  ° "After two days..."
  
  II Peter 3:8 — But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
  
  ° Could this be a hint from the Lord at the timing of Israel's national repentance, healing, and submission to His governing?
  ° Nobody is setting dates hiere of God's return, but He did lay out to the day when His first arrival would take place
  ° Why would we think He would not give us any indication of when His second arrival would take place?
  ° When the antichrist confirms the covenant with Israel you can count down to the day Jesus will arrive the second time
  
  Daniel 9:27 — And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate
  
  ° It is the exact same pattern as His first arrival, once a specific event occurs, Jesus will arrive in a specified number of days
  ° His first arrival followed the commandment to rebuild the wall in Jerusalem from Nehemiah 2
  
  See →Nehemiah 2:1-8
  
  Daniel 9:25 — Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
  
  ° Could God be saying...
  
  • After 2,000 years (not at the 2,000 year mark, but rather AFTER) He will revive Israel
  • During the third day (so from 2,000-3,000 years) He will raise up the nation to live in His sight and establish the millennium
  ° We also know that God always deals with 360-day years in the Bible
  ° That is one of the keys to unlocking the 70 weeks from Daniel 9; (69 × 7 × 360 = 173,880 days from the commandment to rebuild the wall unto the Messiah presenting Himself as King!)
  ° God even uses the 360-day year duing the tribulation:
  
  The seven-year tribulation is broken up into halves:
  ° Half of the 70th week of years
  • Daniel 9:27 — And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate
  • Daniel 12:7 — And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto the heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
  • Revelation 12:14 — And to the woman were given two wings of a great earle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
  ° 1,260 days
  • Revelation 11:3 — And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
  • Revelation 12:6 — And the woman fled into the wilderness where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
  ° 42 months
  • Revelation 11:2 — But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not: for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
  • Revelation 13:5 — And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto hiim to continue forty and two months
  ° Time, times, and the dividing of time
  • Daniel 7:25 — And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
  
  Time is a duel in Hebrew
  ° For example, God uses it with Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel
  
  • Daniel 4:16 — Let his heart be changed from man's, and let a beast's heart be given unto him: and let seven times pass over him.
  • Daniel 4:23 — And whereas the king saw a watcher and an holy one coming down from heaven, and saying, Hew the tree down, and destroy it; yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, even with a band of iron and brass, in the tender grass of the field; and let it be wet with the dew of heaven. and let his portion be with the beasts of the field, till seven times pass over him:
  • Daniel 4:25 — That they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.
  
  ° With that in mind, back to Hosea 6:2... "After two days..."
  ° If God is saying that after 2,000 years He will revive Israel at the end of the tribulation, then that would be sometime after 720,000 days of God's calendar
  ° If the ascension occured in 32 A.D., then adjusting for our calendar with leap years would put this event of God raising them up again sometime after the year 2003 but before 2988 (approximately)
  ° Fantastic, we have a 985-year window (on our calendar) where this is going to happen...
  ° Minus the 7-year tribulation, and the 21 years we are past 2003, and it brings it down to a 957-year window remaining, does that make it better?
  ° The truth is that we are in the window of time looking for Jesus to take us home for a lot of reasons, and the fact that we are 2,000 years (on God's calendar) beyond the resurrection of Jesus is just another one to check off
  
  ° Jesus is clear that we are to be about His business until He takes us home...
  
  Luke 19:13 — And He called His ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said until them, Occupy till I come.
  
  ° This is SO different than the instructions in Matthew 24:40-41 or Luke 17:34-36!
  
  Matthew 24:40 — Then shall two be in the field the one shall be taken and the other left.
  Matthew 24:41 — Two women shall be grinding at the mill the one shall be taken and the other left.
  
  See →Luke 17:34-36
  
  ° Notice that people are going about their business when the rapture occurs, and it is a testament to a round earth (morning-grinding, noon-in the field, and night-sleeping simultaneously)
  ° There is so much confusion about the rapture, but who is the author of confusion?
  
  I Corinthians 14:33 — For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
  
  ° He cannot take your salvation, so he instead tries to render you ineffective for the Kingdom
  ° The biblical truth about the rapture creates an urgency in the believer to be living moment by moment for The Lord; We are looking for Jesus Christ, not antichrist.
  ° One of the most interesting of the ten commandments has to do with being an ambassador for the King
  Exodus 20:7 — Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
  
  ° Do not take on the name of The King and forsake it
  ° If you are going to take the name of The King, walk like a true ambassador
  ° What does any King do before He goes to war? He calls His ambassadors home...
  ° We are living in the final church age, and we must walk in these days with the full authority Jesus intended
  ° You have been called to such a time as this, press on in the sanctification process, and rise up!
  
  Esther 4:14 — For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
  
  Revelation 19:14 — And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen white and clean.
  
  ° Armies wear armor, and ours is found in Ephesians 6:10-18
  
  See →Ephesians 6:10-18
  
  ° The time to put on the armor is before you are in war; One of the pieces of the armor relates to the promise of the rapture
  
  Ephesians 6:17 — And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
  
  I Thessaloinians 5:8 — But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.
  I Thessaloinians 5:9 — For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
  
  ° This specific salvation is something we hope for and will obtain before the wrath of God is poured out upon the earth
  ° This is not salvation as-in being born again, this is salvation like when God removed Lot and his family before the wrath on Sodom & Gomorrah
  
  See →Titus 2:11-14
  
  ° Jesus is putting on that helmet of salvation to bring us home soon...
  
  Isaiah 59:17 — For he puts on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloke.
  
  ° You have a calling and a purpose in the kingdom
  ° Be watchful! The signs of Jesus' return are everywhere!
  ° We must overcome, press on, and be delivered from this world by our faith
  
  • Romans 10:17 — So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
  • Hebrews 11:1 — Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
  • Hebrews 11:6 — But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
  ° Watch therefore...
  • Matthew 24:42 — Watch therefore: for ye know not what how your Lord doth come.
  • Matthew 25:13 — Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
  ° Take ye heed, watch and pray...
  • Mark 13:33 — Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
  ° And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
  • Mark 13:37 — And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
  ° Watch ye therefore...
  • Luke 21:36 — Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.
  
  I Chronicles 12:32 — And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do...
  
  ° You do not want to be ashamed when Jesus call us home in the rapture
  
  II Timothy 2:15 — Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
  
  I John 2:27 — But the anointing which ye have received ofhim abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
  I John 2:28 — And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
  
  ° You must get into The Word of God yourself
  ° The Author Himself is so eager to refine your life, give you direction, and to deepen your relationship with Him
  ° When you are watching, He will not overtake you as a thief
  
  See →I Thessalonians 5:2-4
  
  Revelation 3:3 — Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
  
  Revelation 16:15 — Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
  
  ° At the Day of Christ (different than the Day of the Lord) you can stand confidently at the bema seat
  
  Philippians 1:10 — That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;
  
  Philippians 2:16 — Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.
  
  ° Remember to not take The Lord thy God's name "in vain"
  
  II Thessalonians 2:2 — That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
  
  ° The call to holiness and righteous living is throughout the Word of God!
  ° Everything you do in life is driving toward one of two categories from I Corinthians 3:9-15
  
  See →I Corinthians 3:9-15
  
  ° Solomon spent 7 years on the temple, but 13 on his house in I Kings 6-7
  ° Wood, hay, stubble, or... Gold, silver, precious stones...
  ° You will have an eternal inheritance for faithful service to The King
  ° That window of opportunity is closing rapidly, even if the rapture did not happen in our lifetime
  ° We get to be joint-heirs with Christ!
  
  Romans 8:16 — The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
  Romans 8:17 — And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.