[The below text has been machine transcribed and may contain errors. Please listen to audio for original and integral translation]
Let me open with prayer. We’ve already had good prayer, but let me for the message. God, I thank you for the message that you have today for your people.Lord, I ask that you would bring, breathe life into the pages that I read, whether on my notes in the book or something that you just impart to my spirit. Lord, I pray that you would breathe life into them and that you would open every heart and spirit to receive their part that you have for them today. Lord, and for us as a church, and I give you this service that you have all control over it in the name of your son Jesus, amen.Okay, so what I’m speaking about today is actually this book, The King is Coming by John Bevere. When I prayed and asked what I was supposed to talk about, the answer actually came pretty quickly, like end times, second coming of Jesus. I can’t remember exactly how he said it because I had a really quick response.I was like, oh, as soon as I knew it, I was like, I can’t talk about that. I don’t even totally understand that. How am I supposed to tell anybody else anything about it? And then I heard, that’s why you’re going to use the book.And I knew what he meant. I’d had it for two months, hadn’t read it, not a page. And I knew he didn’t mean the good book, but I knew he meant this book.And I’m like, I can’t do that. I’m not a real big book reader. I have lots of them.I have lots of them with full intent to read them. So what I thought maybe it was going to be simple actually wasn’t quite as simple. And then I have, he gives so much information, then you have to sort it through.So, because usually my message is whenever I take a turn, Pastor Steve, once about every three months, we give him a break and then someone else will speak in his place so he can have a break. And that falls on me today. And usually what I speak on has to go with what I’m reading in the Bible.Well, what I’m reading in the Bible now is the book of Ezekiel. Some of it I get and some of it when I’m I’ve got to search stuff. So I’m like, well, I can’t speak on that.And so, yeah, so that’s how we got here. I wish all my answers came that quick from the Lord. Also, before I start, anyone that’s not familiar with John Bevere, I think anyone that’s been a Christian for very long knows him, but I just want to confirm that he is like, I don’t know if you want to call it accepted or endorsed or whatever by the Assemblies of God, because he and his wife Lisa have both spoken at the Christian conferences they have and with the Assemblies of God for the men’s and women’s conferences.And so, I just kind of wanted to get through that, the legalities of he’s okay, you know, to speak about. So, children are already gone. We lost half the church when they went back there.So, okay, we’re going to start with reading. Second Peter, verse three, I’m sorry, chapter three, verses three and four says, Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days, scoffers will come mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, what happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the time of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.So, John Bevere speaks. He said he begins this morning with the words, most importantly, to stop and ponder that for a moment. This is an attention grabber.Why does Peter single out the return of Jesus over the numerous other truths spoken in the word of God? Why doesn’t he write this regarding the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, praying in tongues, women in ministry, laying on of hands, or other controversial topics? He says, consider these facts. The return of Jesus is the second most frequently mentioned topic in the entire Bible. I did not know that.It is mentioned 318 times in the New Testament alone. Only four books in the New Testament don’t discuss the return of Jesus, which means 23 do. So, if God gives this much attention to the second coming, what should our response be to the same thing, to the second coming? John Bevere also states he feels that God led him when he’s asking certain questions about Jesus coming again and understanding things.He said understand the second coming, you have to go back and understand the first coming. And so, we’re going to look at that. And because it’s from the book, I have a lot more reading than I normally would have, and I tried to cut some things out, and I just feel like it’s not going to be thoroughly explained if I don’t read it.So, I kind of feel like I have to apologize for that, and yet it’s what I feel like I was supposed to present. So, okay. So, no different from his soon approaching second coming, his first arrival was a foretold event that also created controversy.Many, including faith leaders, foresaw the Messiah’s coming quite differently than what actually transpired. They anticipated a conquering king who would free Israel from Roman tyranny and usher in the golden age of their kingdom. To make matters more complex, they had scriptures to back their beliefs.They were all too familiar with Isaiah’s famous writings as a child would be born, a son given, and the government would rest upon his shoulders. And of this kingdom, there would be no end. This was just one of many prophetic promises shaped their view.When Jesus was a baby, he was, I’m sorry, I need to stop there. So, what they were expecting was a conquering king. What they got was a baby in a manger.But there were those who anticipated and knew the signs in the times that were in the Bible to predict the first coming of Jesus. And most of us know it’s Simeon and Anna, and we understand, you know, the whole nativity story from birth and beyond. So, we’re going to look at that.When Jesus was a baby, he was brought to the temple for his dedication. To grasp the wonder of what transpired that day needs a proper setup. A young couple from out of town who were not public figures, who didn’t stand out in any unusual way, walked into the temple with their 40-day-old baby.Numerous other young parents had done so on a regular basis, so nothing was out of the ordinary. The temple area was not a quiet place, as a cathedral would typically be in our time. There were several buildings in the complex teeming with people and lots of activity at any given time.Yet there among others, Simeon suddenly and decisively approached this young unknown couple, took their baby in his arms, and proclaimed the Messiah. Jesus was an infant. He hadn’t performed any miracles yet.He hadn’t preached a sermon. He didn’t have any followers, just two young parents. What prompted this man? How did he recognize God manifested in the flesh as a one-month-old baby? In our answer lies the key to understanding prophetic events, which is easy to miss.The Bible, it’s a one little sentence about Simeon. Luke 2, verse 25, it says, Simeon was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come. Also, Anna, I’m sorry, also about Simeon, then we’ll go to Anna, the Holy Spirit was upon him and had revealed, this is from Luke, Luke 2, 25 through 33, was upon him and had revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.That day, the Lord led him to the temple. So when Mary and Joseph came to present the baby Jesus, as the law required, Simeon was there. He took the child in his arms, praised God, saying, Sovereign Lord, now you can let your servant die in peace as you have promised.I have seen your salvation, which you’ve prepared for all people. He is a light to reveal God to the nations and in the glory of your people Israel. And Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him.And with Anna, it also says in Luke 2 that she talked about the child to everyone who had been waiting expectantly for God to rescue Jerusalem. Notice she didn’t speak to all in the temple, but those who, like Simeon, who and herself were eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come. So you have a baby.Here’s two people, and then there are others mentioned in the Bible, too. We know, if you know, the story of why we celebrate Christmas and the Nativity, you know, you have the wise men, you have, just there’s history of others recognizing who Jesus was. But what we have to look at is, so we have these people who recognize him as a baby, and yet you have the Philistines, I want to say the Philistines, that’s not the Philistines, the Pharisees and the Sadducees, thank you, who Jesus is 30 years old and he’s opening blind eyes and he’s raising the dead, and they don’t recognize him as a 30-year-old figure performing miracles, and yet here were these people that recognized him in the temple as a baby.So then the question is, how did they know? How should we know? How is it that they recognize the Messiah as a baby? The Bible says no one knows the day or the hour, but just like Anna and Simeon, we should know the season that we’re in. Also, there was, you know, the Essenes, they found, or the Essenes, I might not be pronouncing it right, when they found the Dead Sea Scrolls, I didn’t know this, I actually heard John Bevere speak about this on a podcast, that apparently they had narrowed down the time of Jesus’ first coming down to like a week, and I was like, I didn’t know, and I haven’t investigated that, okay, so I’m just kind of throwing that out as a little extra. Still not the day or the hour, but the season.1 Chronicles 12.32 says, the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times to know what Israel ought to do. So just like Simeon, Anna, the wise men, the sons of Issachar, we should know the season we’re in, regardless if it’s the time for the first coming, the second coming, or whatever the time is that we’re on this earth, whatever he has put us here to do for our time. Okay, let’s look a little bit more at the Dead Sea Scrolls.We’re going to look at Zechariah 9.9. Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey, riding on a donkey’s colt. Okay, so it says, let’s play this drama out.Jesus came into Jerusalem on a donkey. He wept over the city. He pronounced its doom.However, two responses occurred among the Jewish people. One group spread out their garments on the road ahead of him and praised God, and the other group, who didn’t know the time of their visitation, cried out, crucify him just days later. Jesus’ followers knew Zechariah and Daniel, what Zechariah and Daniel had prophesied.All the rest of the city didn’t care to know the time of his visitation. Those who knew the prophetic word of God knew exactly what to do, because they knew the time and the season that they were in. So from all these examples, we can see that those who understood the prophetic scriptures were the ones who recognized Jesus’ first coming.The Bible tells us in Proverbs 29, 18, where there is no prophetic vision, the people cast off restraint. Now, John Bevere tells of a time where he was speaking at a pastors and leaders conference in Brazil, and they were having lunch the next day. And so he’s like, okay, you know, how many people do y’all have? I’m sure he didn’t say y’all.I think I should live in the South. I say y’all instead of yuns. But how many do you have in your churches? And they answered 300,000.He’s like, wow, you know, that’s great. How long did it take you to get to this point? And one of the pastors said about 16 years. And John Bevere said he dropped his fork, lost interest in his food, and was astounded by how that could happen.He said, I’m thinking it’s going to be like, oh, 100 years, you have your founder who got things started, he comes to the end of his life, he passes the torch, and they carry on just building the vision. When it was 300,000 in 16 years, he said the pastors could see his, like, his bewilderment, I guess. And so one of the pastors says that, you know, he’s been to America and spoken in the United States.And he sees that, I’m just going to read this so I don’t mess it up. He said, American believers see life through a 70 to 80 year perspective, whereas our people see life through the eternal perspective. He said, his comment profoundly impacted me.I contemplated and prayed about it long and hard. Jesus says the light of our body is the eye, which is our perspective, Matthew 6. And perspective directs our lives. Here’s a crude example.If you were to walk into an exquisite Sunday brunch buffet, which some of you may be doing after church today, and notice two tables filled with a vast variety of delicious desserts, what would you do? If you have a one-day perspective, you will eat one of each of the varieties. You know, you only have this one chance, one day, you know, you’re going to eat them. But what if you look at the same desserts with a one-year perspective? You may most likely will eat one or maybe none.Why? Because your sight goes beyond that day. You don’t want an upset stomach tomorrow, 10 pounds of fat on your body next week, or compromised health. Your perspective fosters a restraint that will benefit your long-term health.When we have the prophetic vision and eternal perspective, rather than a 70 to 80 year view of life, we have a restraining force that keeps us from making choices detrimental to our eternal state. Our present decisions are altered, our template for making decisions is different, and the outcome is better and wiser choices. So then I had an example, and I’m thinking, okay, let’s say we have, you’re a teenager, or you have teenagers, whatever.And I’m saying teens, maybe through early 20s, like high school, college. Mom and dad are going away for a week, they’re going to Europe. Just mom and dad.Kids are staying at home. Kids think, hey, hey, and maybe this was you when you were a kid. No judgment.And you’re thinking, well, mom and dad won’t know. We’re gonna have a party. We’re gonna have our friends here, and we’re gonna have a party.And so they, mom and dad, won’t know. They cast off restraint. We have a whole week.We don’t have to worry about it. Even if they have to make an emergency trip home, I’ve never been to Europe, but imagine that plane trip is 10, 12 hours. So, you know, we’ve got time.We’ve got time. Now, let’s say the same teens, college age, have the same parents who are going out of Harrisburg for the night, possibly. They have a meeting, but parents would really like to come home that night, just kind of go there, do the meeting, come back.Harrisburg’s around three hours, you know, but if the meeting runs long, things don’t go as planned, they will probably spend the night. But the teens don’t know. What would the teens’ response possibly be when they don’t know? Bad or not.Bad or not. So, they would restrain or refrain. So, what is our perspective as the church in looking for Jesus’ second coming? Do we say, ah, he’s, they’ve talked for a thousand, two thousand, they’ve when he’s coming back.Is he really even coming back? And we play, we dabble in stuff, and he knows our heart. I hate that. Yes, he does know your heart, and we should probably be afraid of that because the Bible says our heart is deceitful above all else.So, do we think, well, you know, it’ll be okay, or do we have an eternal perspective of Jesus coming back that causes us to have restraint on our choices and what we do? Okay, so the choices that we make, will we cast off restraint? Will we have the party? Will we do the thing? Will we watch the events? Will we, whatever, or will we refrain? There’s a difference in how we live as to whether we believe our bridegroom could return at any moment versus we’re thinking it’s a long time off. Okay, so now we’re going to progress from Jesus being born, who recognized him, and we’re going to go 33 years ahead to his death. Okay, so it says, our creator makes the decision to leave the unimaginable, magnificent glories of heaven.He enters a cursed earth by being miraculously conceived in a woman’s body, God becoming flesh and blood. His name is Yeshua, known by us who speak English as Jesus. The Lord, like any other human, develops and grows in his mother’s womb, is birthed, and comes forth as an infant, no different from any of us.Even though he is God, he doesn’t hold on to his divine privileges, but sets them aside and lives as a man filled with the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t bring obedience to earth, rather he learns it by what he suffers. He is tested and enticed to disobey, or he is tested and enticed to disobey his father, God Almighty, in every way.The enemy throws his shrewdest, meanest, and most difficult temptations at him, but not one succeeds. Jesus spends three years teaching and revealing two main truths. First, who God is, and second, how man should live before him.In the process, he becomes incessantly resisted, lied about, slandered, labeled a heretic, and even threatened. This persecution only escalates right up to the climactic purpose of his coming. He is keenly aware of the unfathomable agony he will face to finish his assignment.Giving small bits of insight to his close followers in advance, he reveals that a trusted friend will betray him, another will deny him, and the rest will abandon him in the critical hour. It’s Jesus’ greatest temptation, knowing that he can call for legions of angels to deliver him from the gruesome treatment that awaits, but that doing so will forego the very purpose of his coming and lose those he deeply loves. He chooses to stay the course and face unspeakable suffering.Okay, I’m just going to read one part, if I can get through it, because he has pages of this. It’s descriptive, and it’s like, if you’ve ever watched The Passion of the Christ, it’s like you’re envisioning that in your head, and I can hardly watch it, and so to read it, I’ll be a mess. But I want to just throw out a little taste of what he says kind of sets where he’s going.It says, Pilate turns Jesus over to his trained warriors. The captain calls for the entire regiment of soldiers to come and participate in the brutal torture. They strip Jesus naked, spit on him, rip out his beard, and vehemently thrash him with their fists, with the reed and other instruments of torture, until they are exhausted.Think of the intensity and time involved, an entire regiment of trained and highly skilled soldiers brutally torching a man until they’re worn out. It’s unfathomable. So why would he do all this? That’s a lot, and of course, then we know that he was scourged with the whip, and he then, when everything, my understanding from scholars, people that study these things, basically, his spine was probably exposed, but he had to carry that cross on his back, and the nails, and all the things.And he went through, and he knew it. He even asked God, you know, if there’s any other way. May this cup be taken from me.God didn’t take the cup from him. Okay, so the overarching question lingers. Why would he undergo such agony and sacrifice to rescue us when we were totally at fault, when we betrayed him? We read in Hebrews 12-2, because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross.He saw something that kept him going. It was the prophetic vision of his faithful bride. He foresaw beautiful, intimate companionship, deep love and trust between himself and his bride in the ages to come.He saw the wedding and the celebration of our lives. Being united as one, he saw us reigning together forever, for the rest of eternity. His devotion to you and me is affirmed by his suffering for us, and our dedication to him wouldn’t be affirmed, or would be affirmed by our suffering for him.So many miss this deep truth, and consequently, numerous corresponding scriptures elude their understanding. One of these is Romans 8-17. We are heirs of God, and fellow heirs with Christ, sharing his inheritance with him.Only we must share his suffering if we are to share his glory. Why suffering, John Bevere asks. Why suffering, and why did he have to suffer so severely? Why couldn’t he have planned it out differently? If he’s God, why couldn’t he have devised a pain-free salvation for both himself and us? These important questions lead to answers that amplify the beauty of his second coming.Then John Bevere talks about some of his earlier Christian years, earlier time in ministry, and it says, my immaturity and lack of knowledge would have insisted that suffering is not necessary to create a sweeter, stronger, and more mature relationship.