hello my name is Steve Wohlberg I'm the speaker director of white horse anemia I
haven't always did a Christian in fact I'm a Jew who found his Messiah I grew
up in the Hollywood Hills of Southern California at the age of about 14 and
took a turn toward alcohol and drugs and wild living that journey into the
darkness almost cost me my life but then God through a series of amazing
providential events brought me face to face with the Bible and with his son
Jesus Christ suffering for me in the Garden of Gethsemane it was looking at
Gethsemane and seeing Jesus suffering that God took his almighty hand and
reached out and grabbed ahold of my heart and he took me and he changed my
life if Jesus could change me the privacy he
can change you this way to order your copy of Steve Wohlberg's inspiring life
story from Hollywood to heaven call 1-800 seven eight two four two five
three all right - white horse media post office box eight zero five seven Fresno
California nine three seven four seven but let's just talk about the rapture
tonight so let's go back to 1st Thessalonians or to first Thessalonians
let's take a look at our next text because this is the mother verse the
mother text and I and I really think that the whole last disciple phenomenon
has put people on edge and now they're thinking will if left behind isn't right
what is right maybe it's wrong maybe it's right and people are confused in
fact I heard Tyndale put out a radio they hit did a whole series of radio ads
and the ad said what if everything you've learned about left behind isn't
true and this is from the same publisher Ron
beers this I believe he's the executive vice president Tyndale and he's the one
that made the decision to do this and he said look there's room for different
theories on prophecy and we all need to be studying our Bibles for ourselves
that's what he said and so that's why they're doing it and in the meantime
they're making a ton of money ton of money no question about that all right
well let's take a look at the mother text first thessalonians chapter
for we read second Thessalonians already 211 that talks about the strong
delusions now let's go to 1st Thessalonians chapter 4 and let's take a
look at the mother verse about the rapture 1st Thessalonians 4 let's look
at the seventeenth verse verse 17 Paul wrote then we who are alive and remain
shall be wet shall be caught up caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air and thus shall we always be with the Lord amen I want to say I believe this
first with all my heart if anybody's wondering I believe I believe this text
and I certainly don't believe it has happened yet I believe it is it is in
the future and this is the main verse that is quoted by those that believe the
left-behind view and the idea is that when Paul said we shall be caught up
they interpret this caught up to mean that's the moment when the Christians
disappear that's when we we vanish leaving our clothes our ties our shoes
our socks or our pajamas or maybe our false teeth who knows our glasses
whatever we happen to be wearing that we're not going to take with us that
just all gets left behind and they and they understand this verse to apply to a
a silent coming of Jesus when Jesus comes and nobody in the world knows it
now the believers know it but the world doesn't know it it's it's quiet it's
silent the world has no idea what's going on and in the blink of an eye the
Christians are just gone and that is the beginning of the seven years for all
that are left behind that's the way this verse is interpreted by Tim LaHaye and
those that believe in the Left Behind scenario we're gonna take a look at the
context in just a moment and see if the context if you really look at it
carefully does it support that view Paul said for the Lord Himself referring to
Jesus Christ himself he will descend from heaven with a what does it say with
a whisper no it says with a with a shout and then it says with the voice of an
archangel and then with what else it says with the trumpet of God the trumpet
of God and it's going to be so loud that the next part of the verse says and the
dead in Christ shall do what they shall rise first I've had some people say to
me they say Steve this is one of the noisiest verses in the Bible and you've
got Jesus coming down with a shout with a voice with a trumpet do any of you our
parents have any kids that that play the trumpet see any hands out there any any
kid okay I see a hand back there let me ask you have you ever heard of a silent
trumpet no such thing trumpets are are extremely loud and what about the
trumpet of God how loud you think that's gonna be the trumpet of God so this is a
very noisy verse Jesus comes down with a shout with a voice with the trumpet and
then it says the dead in Christ this is a bodily resurrection of the dead the
dead in Christ will rise first and then Paul says then we who are alive and
remain shall be what Paul said we shall be caught up so when the Lord comes down
with a shout voice in the trumpet that's when we are caught up and it says we're
caught up together with those that have been raised together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air and thus shall we always be with the Lord
therefore comfort one another with these words
now keep reading see what see what the speedometer says right after this
chapter 5 verse 1 Paul said but concerning the times and the seasons
brethren you have no need that I write to you for yourselves know perfectly
that the day of the Lord and what day is that it's this day when Jesus comes down
right it's the same day the day of the Lord will come and how will it come like
a thief in the night and people interpret this to mean look it's silent
it silent come Jesus comes quietly like a
thief but when you read the context the thief's idea does not mean he's coming
quietly it means he's coming suddenly and unexpected unexpectedly the next
verse says for when they shall say peace and safety then what will happen it says
then sudden destruction comes upon them as travail upon a pregnant woman can
relate to that when my wife started having these sad contractions some of
them were up to four minutes long and this you know move things quickly into
sort of an emergency mode and Seth came early Seth came early labor pains upon a
pregnant woman and then it says they shall what will happen to those that
aren't ready it says they shall not escape they will not escape so if you
read chapter 4 16 and 17 and then go right down to chapter 5 1 2 3 what's
happening here what the speedometer says very very plainly is that Jesus comes
down from heaven with a shout with a voice and with the trumpet the dead in
Christ rise those are the vows are alive at that time that are ready we'll be
caught up we all go up together and then Paul continues on and says this great
day is going to come like a thief in the night it's going to be unexpected and
when it hits wham he said it will result in sudden destruction for those that
aren't ready and they will not escape and so what's happening here is there
are there's two destinies that are outlined one group gets caught up and
what happens to the other group the other group it says plainly the other
group experiences sudden destruction that's what the text says that's what
the speedometer says right one group goes up and one group lamb they're hit
and it's over for them and in that light I want to make sure definitely if I'm
among those that that are ready to go up what do you say no question about it I
want to be ready I want my my son to be ready if he gets old enough I mean I'd
love to have Jesus come before he gets old enough so he sui can be raised up
there I'd rather have my son grow up in heaven
then grow up down here but anyway when you look at the passage when you just
slowed down and read the Bible and go right down through it it's very clear
that there's nothing about a silent coming nothing about a quiet coming
nothing about a secret coming there's no there's no hint of time going on after
that where people who miss this event have a second chance to be saved
the text says sudden destruction hits and they will not escape and there's
also no no hint of the seven-year period to follow after that not in this text at
least not in this verse this first doesn't say anything like this now let
me show you something