Motivated by Hope - 240207

SPEAKER A Hello. I'm Mike Browning. Welcome to let God speak. God has offered his peace to a chaotic world. It needs peace and hope for the future. People know it, but most don't want it. Not God's way, anyway. However, peace will come, and Jesus will come irrespective of whether everyone wants it or not. Today we'll explore the evidence for having such confidence in Jesus. Well, folks, on our panel, we have Kaysie Vokurka. And we have Lena Yoon. Thank you, ladies, for joining us today. We are grateful that you're able to share with us. We'd like to pray before we open the scripture, so please join us. Father in heaven, we thank you so much that we're able to be here today to open the scripture, look at some very important subjects. Please guide us by your spirit. Today we pray in Jesus name. Amen. Well, now, believers throughout history, and I'm thinking of protestant reformers, the pilgrims, people throughout time have looked to the coming of Jesus as the fulfilment of their hope. So, Kaysie, we need to consider, why do you suppose this was so important to believers throughout history? SPEAKER B That's a good question. And many of the believers actually had, I guess, challenges in their lives. They had trials and persecutions for their faith, and so the hope of the coming would have been opportunity for relief from that. But I think there's something even more than that, and that is that people who are following Jesus, they just looked forward to being with him. They wanted to be with him in his presence again, and this was the time when that would happen. SPEAKER A That's so true. It's natural as breathing to want to see Jesus. I'm really grateful for that. So what about it, Lina? Do we feel the need for the coming of Jesus and to see him ourselves today? SPEAKER C Yeah, most definitely. Our life can be quite easy and comfortable in a land of affluence and freedom. But with that, we still do have our own trials and problems, such as health issues, even losses of our loved ones. But the human philosophy or studies cannot explain the origin of death and what can be done about. So only the Bible can explain that the Christianity. So we have lots of promises here. So I'm going to read the first Thessalonians, chapter four, verse 16 and 17 here. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel and with a trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord. SPEAKER A That's a fantastic scripture, isn't it? What a promise. The resurrection. You know, it's natural to get excited about the second coming of Christ, but we do need to prepare. Obviously, this is a big event. Any suggestions for us, Kate? SPEAKER B Yeah, there's a beautiful text in Titus about preparation for the coming of Christ, and it's Titus 212 13, and it's prefaced by talking about how God's grace brings salvation to us. And then into verse twelve, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and saviour, Jesus Christ. And when you think about it, you know, people like to spend time with people who have similar lifestyles. We just enjoy that commonality, that connectedness. And so in terms of preparation for being with Christ and being with God, it makes sense that we would feel most at home with that and look forward to that the most if we have a similar way of life or if we are aligned with Christ's way of life. And so this is very important for us to think about when preparing for the coming of Christ. SPEAKER A Yeah, it's a description of a very righteous lifestyle, isn't it? You know, thanks for that. I'd like us just to turn back now to John, chapter 14. These are the words of Jesus here. John 14. I'm going to read verses one to three, and some will find this very familiar. This is what it says, let not your heart be troubled. Jesus is talking to his children, his disciples. You believe in God, believe also in me, in the sense of you trust God. Don't you trust me, too? In my father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you, I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself. Very plain promise here that where I am, there you may be also. So what is his main point? What's he saying to us here? Lina? SPEAKER C Yes, sir. In the context, Jesus has announced that to his disciples that he would leave them soon. Therefore, his disciples are troubled and worried. But what actually Jesus is trying to tell them is here is that do not be troubled. Because he is absent, his absence and leave would be temporary. So therefore, he said, don't be troubled. And because his promise of coming, second coming would take away their worries or anxiety. So the whole mess that actually made would be soon all over soon so they can just have hope in. SPEAKER A Okay. So it's a very comforting course, particularly if you were having persecution and difficult times. That's true. Look, so it's a plain statement of Jesus himself and the whole of the scriptures that talk about it. But over the centuries since Jesus time, believers lost the awareness knowledge of his second coming somehow. But it was revived. The knowledge of it was revived during the Reformation period, the Protestant Reformation, wasn't it, Cayce? And it made a huge difference. SPEAKER B Yeah, absolutely. And like in the Protestant Reformation, there was a return to the study of the scriptures, and the scriptures just are full of promises pointing us to the coming of Christ. Coming. And acts, acts, chapter one, verse nine to eleven talks about this, just to refresh on this one. This is after Jesus has ascended to heaven from when he was here on earth the first time. And it says now, when he had spoken these things, while they watched, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven will so come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven. And so this is just an example of one. And the people in the Reformation would have studied this and many others and just been re inspired by the fact that Christ promised he was coming again. We read that. Yeah. SPEAKER A What did you say? SPEAKER B Yeah. John Wycliffe, he was one in the 16th century. He believed and taught the second coming. Then there was John Calvin, and he said he called the second coming, of all events, most auspicious. Yeah. So they very much were focused on that. SPEAKER A Okay, so it's about 500 years since the Reformation really got underway, which is interesting. So what do the Reformation churches, the protestant churches, Lina, think about the second coming of Christ now? SPEAKER C Well, unfortunately, there is a general move away from the literal or victorious second advent of Jesus Christ. So quite a lot of people believe in theories like secret rapture. So basically, people may disappear all of a sudden and will be taken up to heaven, which is not biblical at all. So I'm going to look at revelation, chapter ten, verse seven. Here he says, behold, he is coming with clouds, and every eye shall see him, even they who pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him. Even so. Amen. SPEAKER A Yeah, pretty clear. SPEAKER C Yes. SPEAKER A Everyone, even those who are not ready for him, those who pierced him, people mourn. Right. So there's an unsaved group who are not prepared for him to come, but they still see it. This is the point. SPEAKER C That's it. SPEAKER A And so that's what we're talking about here. But it's strange how there's a general expectation of a secret advent of Christ, second advent anyhow. So we've got to talk some more about that. Kaysie, does it really matter that much if people get it wrong? I mean, Jesus is still going to come, isn't he? SPEAKER B Yeah, absolutely. He will come. The promises of he was coming are sure and steadfast. But the problem is that when people believe error, they act on what they believe, and that can change everything for the person, whether or not what they believe was true. SPEAKER A Yes. SPEAKER B And so it can result in them having a different lifestyle. It can result in them being unprepared. In the context of the second coming, they might be spiritually asleep and not even be ready. SPEAKER A That's right. SPEAKER B And it's very interesting. When we read in Matthew 24, it talks about the second coming. It says, then the sign of the son of man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Now, this verse is so interesting because in the other verses in our discussion here, we've been talking about how people, believers, are looking forward to his coming. Right. Here we are seeing that there's going to be many people from all parts of the earth who are going to be mourning at the coming. They're going to be upset. They're not happy. This is not what they wanted to happen. And it's a highlight that you can be unready. And this is very important, what we believe it does. SPEAKER A And it shows also that everybody in the world is going to see those who are ready and those who are not. SPEAKER B That's true. SPEAKER A It's rather interesting. In chapter revelation one seven that Lena read for us a moment ago, it also mentions the fact that the tribes of the earth will mourn somewhere so quite clear and plain, everyone's going to see Jesus. Come look, I'm going back to Matthew 24. Now, this is the chapter where Jesus spoke about his second advent, his second coming at some length. And I just want to pick up on verse 31 there Matthew 24 and verse 31. And Jesus actually describing the actual manner of his coming here. And he says this, verse 31, he will send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet. They will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven, to the other. So, Lina, as I read that, a lot of things come to mind. What happened? What does that say to you? SPEAKER C Well, basically, he's saying to us is that this will be a sound and light spectacular. And so I'm going to read Matthew 24 29 here. He says, immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And also, revelation 1618 talks about, interesting thing here. So 1618 here, and there were noises and thunderings and lightnings, and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. So the powers of the heavens shall be shaken, and also there will be a great earthquake. So basically, every eye, every person will hear the sound of the trumpet, loud sound, and also hear the light, dazzling light. So nobody will miss it. So basically, everyone will see it. SPEAKER A I don't know if you've been in an earthquake, but you cannot miss an earthquake. It's earth shattering, literally. So that's what's going to happen. This is the coming of Christ, and it's unmistakably happening. Okay. When Jesus came the first time, he was an unnoticed baby. Right? Why not come the second time the same way? Why isn't he coming secretly like that again, Kaysie? SPEAKER B Yeah. Well, the purpose of his coming this time is different. In the first time when he came, he came to live life as a human being, be a perfect example for us, and then die as a sacrifice for us. He's been ministering in heaven since that time until now, when he is promised he will be coming back. His purpose is then as a victorious king. He's completed his work of salvation for the human race, and he will be victorious. And it's interesting what we read in revelation 19 and verse eleven. It says, there now, I saw heaven open, and behold a white horse. And he who sat on him was called faithful and true. And in righteousness, he judges and makes war. So he is going to be coming. He is going to be coming for judgement, and he is going to be coming as a victor. SPEAKER A That is so important. That is the main point, isn't it? I am going to read chapter nine of Hebrews this time, folks, and I'm going to go to verse 27, because it's right on what we're just talking about. This is what it says, Hebrews 927, as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this, the judgement. So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. And to those who eagerly wait for him, he will appear a second time apart from sin for salvation. So what is this saying to us, Lina, here? SPEAKER C Yeah. Jesus second coming is also associated with judgement. SPEAKER A That's an important point, isn't it? He's coming and the judgement put together in these verses. SPEAKER C Yes. So even ecclesiastes 1214 says, God shall bring every work into judgement with every secret thing. So basically, everyone will be judged. And judgement can be good or bad for those who deny God, defile God will be bad for. But for those who love God, have faith in Jesus Christ and his coming, and it will be salvation for them. So as a result of the judgement, they will inherit the kingdom of God. SPEAKER A Yeah, yeah. Thank you for that. That's good. Very clear. With so many people being wrong about the second coming of Christ, so many christian people, despite reading the same bible, by the way, this is the tricky part about, and I just wanted to digress a little from where we've been going. We need to know how we get the right message. And I'm going to read from Isaiah 28, and I'm going to read verse nine and ten there. Isaiah 28, nine and ten, which talks about how to read your Bible, how you should study your Bible. This is what it says. 28, nine and ten, verse nine. Whom will he teach? Knowledge. Whom will he, God make to understand the message? Then he goes on in verse ten. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept. Line upon line. Line upon line. Here a little. There a little. Now, what is he saying? What is he saying to us here? SPEAKER B So it's very interesting. He's talking about how we should study the Bible and how we should come to a right understanding of what the Bible's teaching. And for me, my background is into science and other people, people who are into that would appreciate this, that we gotta be very detailed and diligent in how we study the Bible. We need to gather all the data, gather all the verses that are about a certain topic, analyse them to see what exactly they are saying, not what we think they are saying or what we want them to say, but what they are actually saying, and then draw a conclusion. And then when we do it that way, we can understand what the Bible is actually teaching us. If we look at one verse here and an odd verse there, and then just leave it at that, don't look anymore and come to a conclusion, we're likely to have that wrong. And many people have done that in not looking at all the evidence that. SPEAKER A The scriptures point out the way this is written. It's a call to deep study, intensive study. We want to understand the truths, the deep truths of the scripture. We've just got to. It's not a casual read. That's what he's trying to say to us here. This is true, which is interesting. It's also interesting if you look at verse seven of Isaiah 28. I think it's worth reading this. And he gives a little warning here about the kind of people who should be reading this book, the Bible. He says they also have erred through wine. Now this is a problem, I think, with too many people who are christians. And through intoxicating drink, they're out of the way. The priest and the prophet have erred through intoxicating drinking. Pretty clear. They are swallowed up by wine, they're out of the way through intoxicating drink, repetition, for emphasis, notice they err in vision, they stumble in judgement. So clearly you've got to be very committed and focused if you want to understand the great messages of the scripture that are here. SPEAKER B And we also need the help of the Holy Spirit. In John 1613 it talks about the Holy Spirit will guide us into all truth. And so we really need to have a listening ear as we're studying the scriptures to what God is teaching us. SPEAKER A Okay, now listen, Kaysie, we're going to have to jump down a couple of thoughts here, folks, and I'm going to ask you that question, Kaysie. Why has God made some of these prophecies so complicated, do you think? Because when we talk about the prophetic portion, you look at some of Daniel, Daniel chapter eleven, for argument sake. They're complex. Yeah, there's no question about it. Why has God made them so complicated, do you think? SPEAKER B Yeah, it's interesting. I think God has a special truth for each time in earth's history. And he doesn't like to give us too much more information than we need because we tend to get distracted by that and not focus on what we need to focus on. And so it seems like God sometimes also conceals a truth so that at the right time he can make it come to light. And it's interesting, this is supported by Daniel twelve four, where it says, but you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book unto the time of the end, many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall increase. So in other words, what Daniel is writing about, God intended the message of this to be for the time of the end. So that is when there will be a special understanding of this. SPEAKER A And isn't it exciting to live in the time of the end as we do now? Okay, moving on. An important thing that Daniel's prophecies show us is that God has a definite timeline. Some people are a bit surprised at how very specific some of the dates are in Bible prophecy, but that's what God intended for it to be. There are dates attached. Now. What do you think, Lena, of Mark, chapter one, Jesus words there in mark 114. I'll just quickly read them out for you. Mark 114 15. Jesus is talking, and this is what it says. First of all, the fact that John was put in, after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee preaching the gospel, the kingdom. And this is what he said, the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel. What's he saying, Lena? What's he saying to us here? SPEAKER C Yeah. The verse 15, the Times fulfilled refers to our time prophecy of 70 weeks in Daniel 925 to 27. SPEAKER A That's right. This is not just a throwaway. SPEAKER C That's right. SPEAKER A He's being very specific. SPEAKER B So. SPEAKER C And his time's fulfilled, completed, because he has come as predicted in the Bible, just right on time, not before, not after. So the time time is really precise here. And I'm going to also look at Galatians four. Four. Here it says, but when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law. SPEAKER A Fullness of the time. Yeah, yeah, no, thanks for that. That's good. Now I want to look at the prophecy that Jesus was actually clearly referring to in Daniel 925 26. And I'll just very quickly read that this is what Daniel was given in this vision. He says, know therefore and understand from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem an historical event until the messiah, the prince, shall be seven weeks and 62 weeks, making a total of 69 weeks. The street shall be built again on the wall and so on. Can you explain the basics of this prophecy for us, Kaysie, in the time that we have? SPEAKER B Yeah, for sure. So this is talking about when Christ would come the first time as a baby. And it's giving a very precise timeframe. And we can understand the timeframe. It's talking about weeks, but it's talking about weeks of years. So if a week is seven days, multiply that out, 69 weeks, we've got 483 days, which means 483 years from. SPEAKER A This day is always a year. SPEAKER B That's it. Yeah. So this is giving people a very precise time where they can prepare and look for the coming of the messiah. SPEAKER A For the first time. Yes. Which is absolutely amazing, isn't it? And I noticed that it says here from the going forth of the commandment to restore Jerusalem, an historical event, a decree did go forth saying they could rebuild. Jerusalem was in ruins thanks to the Babylonians, and now they get a chance to rebuild it. So do we know when this command went out? SPEAKER C Yes, we do know that. Ezra, chapter seven, verse seven, talks about the decree of Orthodoxys, the king of Persia. And also verses twelve and 13 actually go on first and explain the details of it. And basically this was done in 457 BC. And this is interesting because this is not only allowed the build of Jerusalem, rebuild of the Jerusalem, but also established the government and also temple services. SPEAKER A Okay, so it was a complete, this was a complete. And it specifically, specifically says, we're in the 7th year of Artaxerxes. And we happen to know when that was, the 7th day, the 7th month, the 7th year, actually very specific. And that was 457 BC, which you've already mentioned. So it's excellent that we have that. So we can actually work out simply when the Messiah is to appear. So work it out for us. Kaysie, can you do that quickly? SPEAKER B Yeah, yeah. Basically, if we add that up through it takes us through to AD 27. SPEAKER A It's maths, isn't it? Like, you just follow a timeline here. SPEAKER B Yeah, pretty much. That's how that goes. And then it says also in this section, in verse 26, it talks about how the Messiah will be cut off after the 62 weeks. And in verse 27, it talks about in the middle of the week. So the week following the 62. So this is like the 70th week. SPEAKER A Now, this chart will help us here. That's on the screen. SPEAKER B Yes, indeed. Yep. So that week after 27 Ad is the last week of the 70 week prophecy. And in the middle of it, it says that the messiah would be cut off, which means that's representative of his sacrifice. So that will be his sacrifice on the cross. And so that's three and a half years after 27 AD. So that will take us to 31 AD. So very precise. SPEAKER A It's very precise. If you're watching on the chart, folks, notice that after the 483 years, that's the 69 years or weeks of years, 27 AD, that's when Jesus began his ministry in the middle of the next week of seven years, three and a half years later. In other words, the Messiah would be cut off, but not for himself, for us. And that was when the cross appeared three and a half years after he began his ministry, he was put on a cross, and for another three and a half years, of course, the people of Israel remained the chosen people. Now, very quickly, we need to realise, folks, just quickly, when the angel Gabriel came to announce this particular message to Daniel, he began by saying, and I'm going to have to help us through fairly quickly here. He began by saying a message to Daniel. It's in chapter nine, verse 22. He said, daniel, I've come forth to give you skill and understanding. And then down the bottom of verse 23, he says, understand the vision. Consider the matter and understand the vision. Now, the interesting thing is that he doesn't give Daniel a vision now. All he does is talk to Daniel. And I wonder if you can help me to understand, either of you, actually, why he did that. What was he saying here? SPEAKER C Here. Because apparently, Daniel, we can find that chapter eight, verse 26 and 27 while Gabriel was talking to him and gave him the vision that the prophecy, the vision will be for many days. And he fainted. So therefore he was unable to give him the vision. SPEAKER A Okay? That was the vision of the 2300 days years prophecy, and he actually was unable to give him the full details because, as you say, he fainted. So now he comes to give him the details, which is pretty exciting. So it's a simple mathematics, folks. The 70 weeks was just a description of the first part of the full 2300 day prophecy. And as you can see on the screen, it finishes in the year 1844. And it's simple maths. So we need to come to terms with what happened in 1844, that we'll have to wait until another programme. So, folks, the judgement is ongoing in the heavenly sanctuary even as we speak, because that is what was being prophesied for us by that wonderful prophecy of the 2300 days. Very sobering thought. It's more important today than ever to seek God, and we need a deep, personal experience with him. And this, I believe, is the unique privilege of this generation to draw very close to the Lord. So we're glad you joined us today on let God speak. Remember, all our past programmes plus teacher’s notes are available on our website, 3abnaustralia.org.au. You can email us if you wish and we'd invite you to join us again next time. And God bless. SPEAKER B You have been listening to let God speak, a production of 3ABN Australia television. To catch up on past programmes, please visit 3abnaustralia.org.au. Call us in Australia on 02 4973 3456. Or email [email protected]. we'd love to hear from you.