Endtimes - Coming in the Clouds Acts1:9-11 p4 #religion, #judgement

Good evening and welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the All Things Fulfilled broadcast. This is William Bell, and I want to welcome you to a study tonight on the book of Acts, chapter 1, verses 9 through 11, where we will be talking about Christ coming in the clouds, as we've been doing for the last several weeks. And I believe this is lesson number four in the series. And what we're doing is we're sharing with you, excuse me, how Christ, excuse me, I have to take a little water, how the return of Christ occurred in 70 AD and how Acts 1-11 applies to that. We've gone through several points about this subject, but before we get into it, let me encourage you to visit us at the Rains Road Church of Christ located at 33 East Rains Road. We meet on Sundays from 10 a.m. for the Bible study and 11 a.m. for the morning worship. In addition, we have a website at allthingsfulfilled.com that is an extension of our ministry. 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Now, as we looked at several points regarding Acts 1, 9 through 11, showing that it's not an eschatological island, the last point we were making was that we were talking about the time statements. And remember, we talked about the lifetime of the apostles. We got into the subject matter of John remaining until the coming of the Lord. And we discussed the word remain a little bit in a couple of other contexts, like 1 Corinthians 15, 6 and 1 Thessalonians 4, 15 and 17. In addition, we pointed out that there were some time statements that also governed Acts 1, 9 through 11 that are not necessarily found in that text, but they are in harmony with other end time passages. And one of which was Acts 24 and verse 15, where Paul said, God was about to judge the just and the unjust. In addition to Acts 24 and verse 25, he said there was about to be a resurrection of the dead in Acts 24, 15. And then in Acts 24 and 25, he said there was about to be a judgment. Now, a judgment about to come. We looked at Acts 17, again, the judgment about to come. And we talked about Romans 13, 11 and 12, Philippians 4 and verse 5. After that, we were about to talk about 1 Peter 4, verse 5 that says he was ready to judge the living and the dead. In addition, we have verse 7 of the same chapter that says the end of all things is at hand. And again, you have verse 17 that says the time for the judgment to begin had come. So in the first century before the temple fell, those things were near to take place. And in the book of Revelation chapter 1, things that were shortly to come to pass, he was coming in clouds, but that was because the time was at hand and they were about to occur. And at the end of the book, he says, don't seal the book because these are things which must shortly come to pass. The time was at hand and behold, I am coming quickly. So all of those time statements refer to the events which are found in Acts chapter 1, verses 9 through 11. So if you understand the book of Revelation to be referring to the coming of the Lord in judgment, then Acts 1, 9, 11 is the coming of the Lord in judgment. And therefore they're all the same, but all of those passages that we mentioned in between that have those time statements apply to Acts 1, 9 through 11. Now, the next point that we want to talk about is the association of the clouds with the coming of the Lord in his kingdom, the association of the clouds with the coming of the Lord in his kingdom. And the reason we're doing this is so that we can demonstrate the nature of the coming in his kingdom and in Acts 1, 9 through 11. Because remember, most people want to literalize the statements in Acts 1, 9 through 11 regarding the coming on the clouds, that is when Christ returns. But we have to remember that from our study in Acts chapter 1, that we were talking about the restoration of the kingdom to Israel. So it's also the coming of the kingdom. So what you have then is the coming of Christ on the one hand, the coming of the kingdom, but they're actually joined together. The coming of Christ is the coming of the kingdom. Let me give you an example in 2 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 1. Paul writes, I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is about to judge the living and the dead. Now there's the resurrection and his appearing, there's his coming and kingdom. So we have judgment, the living and the dead, the appearing and the kingdom, all in one neat package. Well, if that is the case, then that means we cannot separate the coming of the Lord in his kingdom or the appearing of the Lord from his coming in his kingdom. And that's what we've read already in Matthew chapter 16 verses 27 and 28. For the son of man is about to come in the glory of his father with his angels, and then he will reward each according to his works. Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not die till they see the son of man coming in his kingdom. So there it is. The son of man comes in his kingdom. And we've shown you the correlations between Matthew 24 and Luke 21, where both of them talk about the coming of the in the kingdom that would take place before that generation passed away. So let's now talk a little bit about the nature of the coming of the kingdom and the nature of the coming of Christ. So that we can see that when we're looking at Acts 1.11, we're not talking about a literal person coming out of the sky, riding on a literal cloud. In the 17th chapter of the gospel of Luke, Luke chapter 17, there were some questions asked about the kingdom of God and when it would appear, etc. So let's take a look at that context. In Luke 17, the verses 20, the Bible says, now when he was asked by the Pharisees, watch this now, when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them and said, the kingdom of God does not notice that the kingdom of God does not come with observation. Wow. It does not come in a physically visible manner. The kingdom of God does not come with observation. Now, can we see that? It does not come with physical eyesight. You cannot see it. Then in verse 21, he says, nor will they say, see here or see there for indeed the kingdom of God watch is within you. The kingdom of God is within you. So what kind of kingdom is that? If it is within us versus one that we can see sprawled out over acres of land with a temple or a castle or a throne and a person in that throne that you walk in and you bow down to from that perspective, and he waves his staff or his rod over you and what have you. You see, that's not the kind of kingdom that Christ is talking about. They asked the question when the kingdom of God would come. His response was the kingdom of God does not come with observation, nor will they say, see here or see there. See, they were in expectation of a kingdom like all the nations that were around about them. They were in expectation of a kingdom like the kingdom that David had and that Solomon had and that Saul had. That's what they wanted. And that many of the Kings who followed them had up until the time of Jeconiah, they wanted a literal kingdom. And that is exactly what many people want today. But the Bible says the kingdom does not come with observation, nor will they say, see here or see there for indeed the kingdom of God is within you. Now, what are you going to do? Cut yourself open to look and see if the kingdom of God is there. I know you remember the story of the goose that laid the golden eggs and every day the goose would lay a golden egg and the people were able to thrive with that. They were rich with these golden eggs, but the guy got too greedy. And he said, you know what? If I cut the goose open, then I can get all the golden eggs out. And when he cut the goose open, the goose died, laid no more eggs. And so I suggest that that's not the way we look for the kingdom of God. Since he says the kingdom of God is within us, that we don't cut ourselves open to look inside and see where's that kingdom. There's a way to know that the kingdom is inside you and the Bible tells you that, but it's not by looking up in the sky. It's not by saying, see here or see there. And that's what people want to do when they get to acts one 11. Well, look, they were looking up. They saw this. They saw that. See here, see there. He's going to come in the same manner. So what are you going to do? You're going to look up. You're going to look there. You're going to see here. You're going to see there. No, no, no, no, no. Jesus said the kingdom of God does not come with observation. Nor will they say, see here or see there for indeed the kingdom of God is within you. Now, not only does the Bible say that the kingdom of God is within them. And by the way, that would mean that the kingdom of God was their hope. Paul said that he was in chains for the hope of Israel, but their hope was the kingdom that was going to be restored to them. And that one hope, as the Bible says, they have, but one hope Ephesians four. And that one hope was the kingdom within you. You can't get another hope. There was only one. It was the kingdom within you. Now, if that is the case, then anything that's related to the coming of Christ has to be a part of that one hope and therefore have the same nature as the one hope, which is the kingdom. So let's see if that works for the coming of Christ. Now, if the Bible tells us that Christ comes in his kingdom, but the kingdom comes without observation, then isn't the Bible also telling us that Christ comes without observation? They won't say see here or see there. As a matter of fact, the Bible said that concerning him in Matthew chapter 24, let's notice Matthew, the 24th chapter. And let's look around verse 25 and 26. He says, see, I have told you beforehand. Therefore, if they say to you, look, he is in the desert, do not go, do not go out or look. He is in the inner rooms. Do not believe it. So the coming of the son of man was not going to be something that they could go to a certain location and look and see him and look and find him. He says, as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the son of man be. Now, from that perspective, we want to understand again from the passage in Matthew 16, 27 and 28, where it says, assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not die till they see the son of man coming in his kingdom. Now, how are they going to see an invisible kingdom? How would you see an invisible God? You can't see him by looking with your natural eyes. You can only see him through events and causes that he places for you to recognize. Just like he says, the invisible things of the invisible God are made manifest so that his eternal Godhead is without excuse. So you see the invisible by looking at things, other things that are visible that give evidence that it's there. You know, it's just like a watch on your arm. You can say this watch keeps time, but it was not made by anyone. You can't see who made it, but you know that someone made the watch. And just like we look at the world and see all the wonderful things in it, we can't see the one who made it, but we know that someone made it. As the Bible says, every house is built by some man, but he that built all things is God. Hebrews 3 and verse 4. Now that tells us that Christ comes in his kingdom, but the kingdom does not come with observation. So if Christ is in that kingdom, it means Christ does not come with observation. That is how we should understand Acts 1, 9 through 11. Okay. Let's go to another text. Since we're talking about our one hope and you will find the one hope in Ephesians chapter four and the verse is for there is one body and one spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling. So there's only one hope. Now in Colossians chapter one, the verse is 27. It tells us what the one hope is. Colossians chapter one, verse 27. So let's note that the Bible says to them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles. Now watch, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. What is the hope of glory? It is Christ in you. Now, if you got a different hope than that, you have a hope that isn't in the Bible because the Bible says there was only one hope. And that one hope is Christ in you, the hope of glory. So we have the kingdom in you. Christ is in the kingdom and therefore we have Christ in you. And that's the one hope of the gospel. So if Acts 1.11 is the hope, meaning the coming of Christ, then that must be a coming of Christ in you, not a coming in the sky, not a coming that we would visibly see. You see, it was God's purpose to live and dwell in his people. Under the old covenant, make me a sanctuary, Exodus 25, 1-8, when he was speaking with Moses. He says tell the people to bring a gift and let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them. But you see in the new covenant and with the new temple, not made with hands, God said something very different. 2 Corinthians 6, and the verses are 17 and 18, he says, therefore, or rather 16, he says, and what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said, I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God and they shall be my people. So it was God's purpose to walk in them, to dwell in his people. And that's why the hope of glory is Christ in you. And the kingdom, the hope of the kingdom is the kingdom of God in you. It does not come with observation. So once again, don't cut yourself open trying to see if Christ is in you. There's a way to determine that. And you do that by faith, by living according to the word of God. Now, if you really want to see the kingdom, the Bible tells us how to see it in Ephesians. I mean, I'll go to Ephesians in a moment, but in John, the third chapter, John chapter three, the Bible tells us clearly how to see the kingdom of God. John three, beginning at verse two, this is when Nicodemus comes to Jesus by night. And he says, rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, but no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him. Jesus answered and said to him, most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. He didn't say, if you don't open your eyes or if you don't look up in the sky, or if you don't look toward Jerusalem, or if you don't look at some other physical place on the earth, he said, unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God. Well, what's the positive of that? If you are born again, then you can see the kingdom of God. So Nicodemus wanted to know, he says, how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. Now, what that tells us is that seeing the kingdom of God and entering the kingdom of God is one and the same thing. But you enter the kingdom of God by being born again of water and of the spirit. That's how you see it. You see, what we need in order to perceive or understand the one hope of the gospel is we need a different set of eyes. We can't use our bifocals. We can't use our contact lenses. We can't use our black, brown, blue and green and whatever gray and whatever other color eyes we may have. The scripture tells us in Ephesians chapter one and verse 18, that the eyes of your understanding. So let's notice that Ephesians chapter one and the verse is 18. He says, um, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope. So you have to have eyes of understanding. You get understanding from the word of God. Peter said, I mean, David said through your precepts, I get understanding. Therefore I hate every false way. So that's how you see the one hope it is through understanding. You're using the eyes inside the mind, the mind's eye, the understanding. It's a mental thought process. The eyes of your understanding being enlightened that you may know what is the hope of his calling. What was the hope Christ in you, the hope of glory, the kingdom of God in you, the hope of glory. And so he says, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints? Is it the kingdom, the inheritance, but where did he say the inheritance was in the saints? The inheritance is in the saints. The kingdom is in the saints. Christ is in the saints. Christ is our hope Colossians three, but when Christ who is our hope, but what was that one hope Christ in you, the hope of glory look again in Colossians chapter one and the verse is 13, Colossians one and verse 13. The scripture tells us let's back up and read verse 12, giving thanks to the father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from or out of the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the son of his love. You are in the kingdom. When the kingdom is in you, you enter the kingdom by being born again, not by looking up in the sky or across the waters and saying, there it is. And then jumping on the plane or flying over there and saying, okay, I'm here. No, the kingdom of God is within you. And that's very important. So if acts one 11 is the coming of the Lord in his kingdom, then acts one 11 occurs without observation. The coming of the Lord in occurs without observation. Now in our next video, we're going to talk about the coming of the Lord, which was out of their sight, because that's what the text says. It says that, uh, he ascended in a cloud out of their sight. And if he ascended in a cloud out of their sight, then that is the same manner in which he would return out of their sight. Now, think about that in light matter. How did he ascend? He ascended in a cloud out of their sight. And if he ascended in a cloud out of their sight, that is the manner in which he would return out of their sight. So it's very, very important that we, um, that we understand that the English standard version says, and when he had said these things, they were looking on, he was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight. You see out of their sight. So if the cloud took him out of their sight, how did they see him? They saw him going out of their sight. So how would they see him return out of their sight? And that's the important thing. Now, as we close, what I'd like to do is recommend to you a book. And this book is called transatlantic slave trade.