September 11, 2022

Jesus Speaks to His Churches: Are We Listening? – Part 2

The Rapture

Imagine with me a day where hundreds of millions of people vanish from all around the world. The magnitude of the situation is difficult if not impossible to imagine. Can you see it? There would be cars careening out of control because they have no driver. Jet liners would plummet to the earth below because their pilots were suddenly gone. Patients would be left on operating tables because their surgeon had disappeared. School classrooms would be without teachers or without many students. Law enforcement agencies would be left with only skeletal crews. Suddenly, society would be plunged into utter and complete social, spiritual, and economic chaos.

Make no mistake. What I have just described will happen! And yet it will be a thousand times worse. The chaos that will follow the rapture of the church will be unprecedented in human history.

What is the rapture of the church? In English the word rapture can have the idea of ecstasy of emotions. In biblical or theological terms the word rapture comes from the Latin word rapturo derived from the Greek word harpazo. It literally means “caught up” or “snatched away”. In I Thessalonians 4:17 it describes Christ’s coming in the clouds to take home Christians to be with Him in His Father’s house.

The two main passages dealing with this prophetic event are I Corinthians 15:51-58 and I Thessalonians 4:13-18. John 14:1-3 also addresses the rapture but in a September more abbreviated way. In today’s message, we will extract some observations about the rapture of the church. And most importantly discover what difference this doctrine should make in our lives Pastor Jeff Nyberg, Ph.D.

September 25, 2022

Future Things: The Tribulation

Immediately following the rapture of the church there will be a time of unprecedented world change. The world will be on a seven year social, political, economic, and religious roller coaster ride. The self-proclaimed conductor of this ride will be the anti-Christ. He will introduce himself as a man of peace but in reality he will be a man of war. Other than a brief time of peace, the tribulation will be a time of conflict and war.

Additionally, the wrath of God will be poured out on a blaspheming humanity. There will be devastating signs and wonders culminating in the death of hundreds of millions of people. Biblical writers declare that if the time of tribulation went any longer than the seven years all would be destroyed.

In the next few minutes, in over view fashion, we will make some observations and interpretations of key events occurring during the tribulation. These key events will be presented chronologically following an outline of preparation, peace, and persecution. Most importantly, we will conclude today’s message with some relevant applications to our lives.

October 9, 2022

Future Things: The Tribulation – Part 2

October 16, 2022

Future Things: The Second Coming

One of the most exciting doctrines in the Bible is the second coming of Christ. When Christ first came to earth, He came in rags and truly humble circumstances. (After all He was born in an animal stall.) However, at His second coming it will be an entirely different story. Evangelical Christians have believed since the founding of the church that Jesus will physically return to earth as the triumphant King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Let us take the next few minutes and look at some key biblical passages that teach about this reality.

Pastor Jeff Nyberg, Ph.D.

October 23, 2022

Future Things: The Millennium

Today we continue our sermon series entitled “Future Things”. We will be looking at the Millennium. The Millennium will be a thousand years on earth with Christ ruling and reigning. It will start following the binding of Satan in the Abyss. With Satan out of the way, you know things will be better.

The Millennium will be a time of justice and peace because there will be no corrupt politicians. Christ will rule with a rod of iron. Prosperity will abound over the entire planet and people will be healthy and live a long time. In a nutshell, the Millennium is going to be great!

Pastor Jeff Nyberg, Ph.D.

November 6, 2022

Future Things: Heaven

There is a Christian song that came out a few years ago called “I Can Only Imagine”. It is a powerful song about heaven. I tear up every time I hear it. God does seem to leave a lot to the imagination when it comes to heaven. However, there is a lot more detail about heaven in the last two chapters of the Bible than most people are aware of.

In the next few minutes, we will explore Revelation chapters 21 and 22 to gain a greater understanding of what Christ has prepared for us who love Him. One thing is for sure, the greatest thing about heaven is that we will be with God, our Creator for ever and ever. Pastor Jeff Nyberg, Ph.D.

November 13, 2022