WEBVTT FILE 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]