John Hagee - The Question Jesus Could Not Answer (02/12/2020)
The rapture of the church—the sudden catching away of believers to meet Christ in the air—is the most exciting event since Jesus' birth, and it is imminent. Drawing from 1 Thessalonians 4, Matthew 24, and Acts 1, the preacher describes the Lord descending with a shout, the dead in Christ rising first, then living believers joining them in the clouds for the marriage supper of the Lamb. This glorious escape spares the church from the horrors of the Tribulation, and the only way to be ready is to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior today.
The most exciting, earth-shaking event the earth has seen since the birth of Christ in Bethlehem’s manger is about to happen. It is the rapture of the church of Jesus Christ. It is imminent. What is the rapture? Saint Paul puts pen to parchment in 1 Thessalonians 4:16. And Paul writes, «For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel and the trump of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together in the clouds of heaven. And so shall we be with the Lord in the air. And so shall we be with the Lord».
Matthew 24:30, «And then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And they shall see the man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory». Acts 1:11, «Ye men of Galilee», the angels talking to the disciples when Jesus was taken into heaven, «Ye men of Galilee, why stand you here gazing into the heavens. This same Jesus shall come again in like manner, as you have seen him go». What does «in like manner» mean? It means you saw Him physically, you saw Him literally, going to heaven. And that’s just how you’re going to see Him come back.
The Dramatic Moment of the Rapture
Put these verses together and you have this picture: Jesus Christ, the Prince of glory, appears in the clouds of heaven, as lightning flashes from east to west. The trump of God shall sound, announcing the appearance of royalty, because Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. He is the King of kings. He is the Lord of all lords. And that trumpet is for Him. The voice of the Archangel shall summon the righteous from their graves.
All over the earth, graves will explode as the occupants sail into the heavens. Marble mausoleums will topple as the bodies of the resurrected saints of God fly into heaven to be with the Lord. Cars are going to be parked out here beside 1604, hopefully bumper to bumper. And highways on planet earth will be there. The cars will be running with the drivers and the occupants strangely missing.
What the World Will Look Like After
Homes of believers will have the dishes on the table, the food is on the stove, but the occupants of that home who are believers will instantly go to the marriage supper of the Lamb. This church and the churches of the world are going to be packed with weeping, sobbing, hysterical people. They’ll be screaming, «The Lord has come and we are left behind to go through the hell of the Great Tribulation».
I’m going to describe this, because some of you are going to be here. Your options when that happens is to denounce Christ and receive the mark of the beast in your right hand or forehead. And when you do, you lose your soul. The other option is to have your head cut off and then be a part of the eternal kingdom and the resurrection that happens then.
The Glory Awaiting Believers
Think about that. It’s so easy to receive Jesus and go to heaven. Think about it. Just beyond the clouds, the saints of God are going to be gathering home. From the east to the west, the north, the south: they shall come ten thousands times ten thousand and thousands of thousands, John writes. That’s the biblical phraseology for millions of people that are uncountable.
God Himself is going to wipe away the tears from every eye. There will be no parting. There will be no more suffering. There will be no more pain. There will be no more death or sorrow. There will be no more disease. You’re going to a city where the roses never fade, where the word «good-bye» has never been spoken: for the former things have passed away. Even so, come Lord Jesus! Give Him praise in the house of God!
The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
We’re going to the greatest family fiesta you’ve ever been to. My father and mother are there. My grandparents are there. Hundreds of church members are there. Each of you have precious relatives and friends that are waiting for you just inside the eastern gate. They’re wearing crowns and dazzling white robes of righteousness. And they’re ready to celebrate the marriage supper of the Lamb that will last for seven years.
That’s quite a party. We’re going to receive crowns of life. There are five kinds of crowns mentioned in the scripture: the crown of life, the crown of glory, the crown of righteousness, the soul winner’s crown, the martyr’s crown. You’ll be able to look at a person’s crown, exactly like a military insignia, and tell what they did and how well they did it when we get to heaven.
The Victorious Bride of Christ
We’re going to sit at the wedding feast prepared for the bride of Christ, the church triumphant. This is the bride without spot or wrinkle. This is the bride that was purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ on the old rugged cross outside of Jerusalem. This is the bride that has been victorious over the powers and principalities of darkness for 2,000 years.
This is the bride of the pure in heart, the bride that are the peacemakers, those that were persecuted for the name of Jesus Christ. This is the Kingdom of God. And of that kingdom, there shall be no end. We are going to reign forever, and forever, and forever, and forever! Shout «Hallelujah» brother! The King is coming in all of His power!
The Rapture as God’s Fail-Safe Sign
The Bible says, «Watch and pray that you be counted worthy to escape those things that are coming upon the earth». Question: if you don’t believe in the rapture as described in the Bible where people rise to meet the Lord in the air, how are you going to know when the real Jesus gets here? Fact: anyone can stand on the Mount of Olives and say, «I’m Jesus».
Anyone can put on a white robe. Anyone can claim to be a descendant of King David. Anyone can have his followers crown him as the King of kings of the new Israel on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Anyone can surgically have scars put in their hands. The false prophet of the antichrist is going to be able to make a statue speak. He will have an awesome, supernatural power given to him by satan himself.
Why Satan Hates the Rapture Doctrine
So God has scripturally installed a fail-safe mechanism that is so staggering in supernatural power, so earth-shattering that not even satan can imitate it, much less duplicate it. That fail-safe system is the rapture of the church of Jesus Christ. Satan has always tried to imitate what God does. He cannot duplicate it, so he imitates it.
The antichrist imitates Jesus Christ. In chapter 6 of Revelation, the antichrist comes riding on a white horse. Why? Because in the second coming, Jesus is going to be riding a white horse in Revelation 19. The antichrist is going to be shot in the head, «recovering miraculously». He is emulating the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Addressing Critics of the Rapture
The critics of the rapture say, «You people are escapists. You say the word rapture does not appear in the biblical text». The Bible is a book of concepts and of word pictures so simple. The Bible says that a fool cannot err therein. Word pictures: the word «homosexual» does not appear in the Bible text either. But the concept is clearly expressed by God Himself in Leviticus 20:13.
The biblical text does not have the word «Trinity». But over and over, it refers to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The concept is very clear. Critics say the rapture teaching is nothing but escapism. The fact is a rapture is no more escapism from the world than salvation is escapism from hell itself.
The Horrors of the Coming Tribulation
The rapture is no more escapism than divine healing is escapism from sickness. The Bible teaches us to prepare for escape. Luke 21:36, «Watch therefore and pray always that you be counted worthy to escape those things that are coming upon the earth». He means the Tribulation. What are we going to escape? Walk with me through the pages of Revelation.
There are going to be seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven vials—21 global disasters in seven years. One-third of all the vegetation in the earth is going to be burned up by the sun. The sun and the moon are going to be darkened for long periods of time. The gates of hell are going to be opened and hordes of locusts the size of a horse are going to come upon the earth, and they’ll sting men like a scorpion.
The Judgments Described in Revelation
That pain will last for five months. Men are going to beg God to let them die, but God will refuse to let them die. There will be a worldwide famine. World War is going to be so bloody that the blood of those killed in battle will flow for 200 miles to the bit of the horse in the Valley of Jezreel, Israel. That’s called the Battle of Armageddon.
Every person on earth is going to be covered at one point in time with great festering boils. The seven seas of earth are going to turn to blood. All the fish will die, producing more famine and mind-breaking thirst. The sun is going to scorch the earth and men with fire. Earthquakes are going to be so shattering that the islands of the sea are going to disappear.
Signs of the End Times
Revelation 9:15 says, «And four angels are released by God Almighty to destroy one-third of mankind in a day». The Bible is full of signs. One: the knowledge explosion. Daniel in chapter 12:4 said there would be a knowledge explosion. And the generation that has that knowledge explosion, when knowledge shall be greatly increased, will be the terminal generation.
The greatest sign was the return of Israel, the return of the Jewish people to Israel. May 15, 1948, Ben-Gurion proclaimed the reality that the Jewish state was born. The third sign is Jerusalem, the return of Jerusalem to the state of Israel in 1967. Luke 21:24 says, «When Jerusalem is no longer trodden down by the gentiles, the time of the gentiles is fulfilled».
Invitation to Be Ready
The Bible says in Matthew 24:14, «And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached to all of the world. And then the end will come». Right now, by television and 72 interconnected satellites, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is being preached to the ends of the earth. My question to you: are you ready?
Heavenly Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son and my Savior, I ask You to forgive me of all of my sin and all of my shortcomings. Today I want my name to be written in the Lamb’s book of life, as redeemed and forgiven, made white, whiter than snow by the blood of Jesus Christ. And now I confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And I pledge to live for Him and serve Him all the days of my life. Until I see Him face to face in the meeting in the air, in Jesus' name. Amen and amen.