1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:05,640 Hello and welcome to the Church Newtown Square podcast. 2 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:10,680 If we can serve you in any way, or if you'd like to learn more 3 00:00:10,680 --> 00:00:15,600 about our church family or the X-29 Network, please visit us at 4 00:00:15,600 --> 00:00:17,520 Church NSQ. Dot org. 5 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:25,920 That's CHVRCHNS q.org, and now let's listen in to today's 6 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:28,920 teaching. Well, it was called the Great 7 00:00:28,920 --> 00:00:32,759 Disappointment. The Great disappointment based 8 00:00:32,759 --> 00:00:38,280 on his study of Daniel chapter 8 verse 14, William Miller set 9 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:46,040 dates for Christ's return in 1843 and then in 1844 his 10 00:00:46,040 --> 00:00:47,960 followers grew to 10s of thousands. 11 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:50,680 Expecting that the event would happen in Northeast United 12 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:54,880 States and preparing, they sold their property and they gathered 13 00:00:54,880 --> 00:00:59,200 for the end. And when October 22nd, 1844 came 14 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:05,000 and went, it became known as the Great Disappointment because 15 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:09,200 Jesus had not come and they had not gone with Him. 16 00:01:09,600 --> 00:01:11,200 Many followers left the movement though. 17 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:13,960 That's what contributed to the formation of what we know now as 18 00:01:13,960 --> 00:01:19,680 the 7th Day Adventist Church. Again, in 1994, there was a man 19 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:22,400 who said that the Lord was going to return then. 20 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:25,000 And then he revised his calculations and claimed that 21 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:27,800 actually his first calculation was a spiritual judgment that 22 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:31,400 had occurred. And then he changed it again to 23 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:37,200 not from 1994, but to May 2011. And then when that came and 24 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:41,320 went, Needless to say, he left many people confused and 25 00:01:41,320 --> 00:01:44,360 disillusioned when both dates passed without event, even 26 00:01:44,360 --> 00:01:48,200 himself, he was disillusioned and confused because he thought 27 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:50,640 he had nailed it. And so on and so forth. 28 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:54,000 Others have done the same thing even up until the end of last 29 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:57,440 year, predicting this specific and exact time of the Lorde 30 00:01:57,440 --> 00:02:00,960 return. And so the lesson to me is very 31 00:02:00,960 --> 00:02:03,320 clear and should be clear to all of us, that whenever people try 32 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:08,800 to do what Jesus tells us not to do, it's specifically in saying 33 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:11,080 this is exactly when Christ is going to return. 34 00:02:11,920 --> 00:02:16,000 It never leads to anything good. It leads to confusion and 35 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:19,200 embarrassment and hurt. And so now that we've reached 36 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:22,520 and celebrated the resurrection, you know, we've ended Matthew in 37 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:26,040 Matthew 28 and we celebrated the Lord in his resurrection, and 38 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:28,360 he's still alive. And the thing that the church is 39 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:30,280 waiting for is his glorious return. 40 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:34,600 What I want to do is I want to circle back and address some 41 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:39,400 things that we didn't cover as we move through the Gospel of 42 00:02:39,400 --> 00:02:41,640 Matthew before we move into the Psalms in June. 43 00:02:41,640 --> 00:02:44,240 We're going to start our study in book four of the Psalms. 44 00:02:44,920 --> 00:02:46,360 We're going to do a flashback, if you will. 45 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:48,080 It's one of my favorite parts of movies or books. 46 00:02:48,080 --> 00:02:50,360 When you read something you like, you get to the end of the 47 00:02:50,360 --> 00:02:54,120 movie and you see some favorite scene or you see something that 48 00:02:54,120 --> 00:02:57,760 happened that helps you like put pieces together or like 49 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:00,120 emphasizes the point. This is one of those moments 50 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:02,160 where we've seen the resurrection. 51 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:05,080 We, we know what happens, but now we're going to go back and 52 00:03:05,080 --> 00:03:09,440 see what Jesus has taught regarding his return. 53 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:13,160 An an anilepsis, that's the fancy word for it in the movies, 54 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:15,600 an anilepsis. And it may feel strange to do 55 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:23,040 this, but we want to not go back and pay careful attention for 56 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:26,760 curiosity's sake. But we want, I want us to study 57 00:03:26,760 --> 00:03:30,160 this because it's for the good of the maturity of our church. 58 00:03:30,800 --> 00:03:34,520 It's good for our faith. And Jesus does not only prepare 59 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:39,800 his disciples for his death, but he prepares them for the future 60 00:03:40,440 --> 00:03:46,480 to give specific warnings and encouragements about what will 61 00:03:46,480 --> 00:03:49,200 happen after all of these events take place. 62 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:52,600 And I want us to think carefully as a church about the end of the 63 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:54,240 age. In the next few weeks, we're 64 00:03:54,240 --> 00:03:55,680 going to talk about the end of the age. 65 00:03:55,680 --> 00:04:00,000 We're going to talk about the mission of the church and why 66 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:03,920 it's important to be members of a local church engaged in that 67 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:05,920 mission, waiting for the end of the age. 68 00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:09,320 It's all tied together. And when Jesus speaks about the 69 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:12,520 future, he does so not to really stir up speculation. 70 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:15,840 Jesus doesn't want to stir the pot of speculation, but what he 71 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:18,440 wants to do is He wants to steady our hearts. 72 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:20,560 Jesus speaks to steady our hearts. 73 00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:24,480 He tells us what to expect, how to live, and what matters most 74 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:26,960 until he returns. Because this is what He wants us 75 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:30,520 to, to be prepared for the answers to these questions. 76 00:04:30,560 --> 00:04:33,240 Am I ready for whatever may happen this week? 77 00:04:34,800 --> 00:04:36,840 Am I ready for whatever may happen in the world over the 78 00:04:36,840 --> 00:04:40,840 next 10 years? Am I absolutely certain where my 79 00:04:40,840 --> 00:04:43,640 life will be in eternity? Where will I be in eternity? 80 00:04:43,640 --> 00:04:47,960 The most important question anyone can ever ask, and Jesus's 81 00:04:47,960 --> 00:04:51,840 primary goal in Matthew 24, is not to satisfy our curiosity, 82 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:54,880 but to prepare us for whatever the future may hold. 83 00:04:56,440 --> 00:05:01,720 We are to be prepared as disciples and also preparing 84 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:07,520 others as well. Jesus teaches us to hold loosely 85 00:05:07,520 --> 00:05:12,800 to the things that we see and what we have and to be impressed 86 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:15,240 by the things that we ought to be impressed by. 87 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:20,320 He says that heaven and earth is going to pass away, but my words 88 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:24,320 will never pass away. And so Jesus teaches us to keep 89 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:28,680 our eyes fixed on what matters most and to live with an eternal 90 00:05:28,680 --> 00:05:31,240 perspective, understanding that we don't just live for the here 91 00:05:31,240 --> 00:05:34,600 and now, we're living for an eternity that is ahead of us. 92 00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:39,200 And so like I said, before we leave Matthew behind and we wade 93 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:43,520 into the Psalms, I want us to sit back with the disciples to 94 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:47,240 look back and see some of the things that he taught them as he 95 00:05:47,240 --> 00:05:50,600 was going to the cross, things that we didn't get time to 96 00:05:50,600 --> 00:05:53,280 before the Easter season to address. 97 00:05:53,880 --> 00:05:58,200 And I want to hear what Jesus has to say about living 98 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:02,080 faithfully in the years of head and being very clear about what 99 00:06:02,080 --> 00:06:05,160 Jesus has called us to as his church to believe, to do and 100 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:06,680 become. So if you're a note taker and 101 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:12,240 you want to map this out, first we're going to talk in verses, 102 00:06:13,280 --> 00:06:16,240 the first few verses of 2337 through 24. 103 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:21,440 Two, we're going to see a woe and a wonder, a woe, woe and a 104 00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:25,080 wonder from the disciples and from Jesus and this woe and 105 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:28,800 wanders for impermanent things. Second, we'll look at the fact 106 00:06:28,800 --> 00:06:30,680 that they raise an important question. 107 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:34,000 There's an important question they asked Jesus, like when is 108 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:35,240 this going to happen? That's important. 109 00:06:36,080 --> 00:06:37,920 And then Jesus gives an important answer. 110 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:41,960 He says you're to be prepared for a few things. 111 00:06:42,280 --> 00:06:45,600 So first let's look at the woe and wonder of impermanent 112 00:06:45,600 --> 00:06:48,080 things. The Jesus is leaving the city. 113 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:51,160 This is after the triumphal entry and he's leaving the city. 114 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:56,320 He's clearly saddened that the text reveals in a voice that he 115 00:06:56,320 --> 00:07:00,280 is sad about Jerusalem. Look with me at verse 37 Again 116 00:07:00,280 --> 00:07:04,880 in verse 20, chapter 23, he, he is sad not for himself, but for 117 00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:07,120 the city that he loves. We've already talked about this 118 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:09,760 and so I don't want to belabor the point, but he tells them 119 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:12,480 that judgment is coming. Verse 38, your house is going to 120 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:16,600 be left to you desolate and you're not going to see me until 121 00:07:16,760 --> 00:07:19,640 they say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 122 00:07:19,640 --> 00:07:24,960 Jesus came and he left the city and he was not seen or received 123 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:27,880 by his own people or the world as king. 124 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:33,160 Jesus is going to come again to that city and it's going to be 125 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:36,920 unmistakable about who is king. So his first triumphal entry, 126 00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:40,040 he's received by his disciples, but then rejected and and 127 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:43,200 crucified and murdered and rejected as the king. 128 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:45,680 But there's going to come a time when Jesus will come back and it 129 00:07:45,680 --> 00:07:48,480 will be unmistakable. Jesus is going to make that very 130 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:50,240 clear. He's like, yeah, this is not 131 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:55,880 going to happen again. In Philippians chapter 2, it 132 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:59,280 says that at the name of Jesus, every knee will bow in heaven 133 00:07:59,280 --> 00:08:01,840 and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess 134 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:04,880 that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. 135 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:07,480 That is going to happen. That's what Paul promises. 136 00:08:07,480 --> 00:08:09,680 That's what Jesus promises. And so that is going to happen. 137 00:08:09,680 --> 00:08:13,680 So be, be forewarned that, you know, Jesus comes back and he 138 00:08:13,680 --> 00:08:17,960 will not be rejected again. And so look at verse one. 139 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:20,320 After a long day, it says that Jesus left the temple. 140 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:24,440 So he leaves the temple and he's going to the Mount of Olives, 141 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:26,520 which is down the valley and up the hill. 142 00:08:26,520 --> 00:08:28,760 And it's called the Mount of Olives because it's filled with 143 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:30,640 olive trees. It's in the olive Grove. 144 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:33,760 And so it's a big mountain that overlooks Jerusalem. 145 00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:36,880 And so he's leaving the temple and the, and the disciples like, 146 00:08:36,880 --> 00:08:39,360 look at all this stuff. They're they're coming out and, 147 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:42,320 and they see all around them. They're just basically, you 148 00:08:42,320 --> 00:08:44,039 know, saying, look, hey, check this out. 149 00:08:44,039 --> 00:08:47,200 Isn't this, this is pretty cool. Herod has been take. 150 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:49,480 It's taken like 40 plus years to build this thing. 151 00:08:49,480 --> 00:08:51,120 It was probably still in construction. 152 00:08:51,120 --> 00:08:52,720 And they're like, this thing's almost done. 153 00:08:52,720 --> 00:08:55,440 Kind of like when you build a house, not many people build 154 00:08:55,440 --> 00:08:57,760 houses, but have you ever had a house built or an addition built 155 00:08:57,760 --> 00:08:59,320 or something like it's almost done. 156 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:00,960 You're like, this is this is pretty cool. 157 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:04,080 Look at all this stuff is what the disciples are essentially 158 00:09:04,320 --> 00:09:07,080 saying. And Jesus does not fault them 159 00:09:07,080 --> 00:09:09,200 for that. He doesn't fault them for that 160 00:09:09,200 --> 00:09:12,760 because by all accounts, the temple was amazing to look at. 161 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:16,360 Let me show you a picture of what the rendering of the, this 162 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:17,760 is. This is what the Temple Mount 163 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:19,840 looks like now. All right. 164 00:09:19,840 --> 00:09:22,720 So the, the, the, the, the mosque is right there. 165 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:26,840 And that's what from the Mount of Olives looking over into 166 00:09:26,840 --> 00:09:28,320 Jerusalem, that's what it looks like now. 167 00:09:28,480 --> 00:09:31,840 This is what the temple probably looked like in the size and 168 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:34,160 scope of it. Josephus says that this thing 169 00:09:34,160 --> 00:09:37,080 was blazing white covered with gold. 170 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:40,840 I mean, it it when the sun hit it, it was it was a shining, 171 00:09:40,880 --> 00:09:44,280 spectacular thing to look at and it was massive. 172 00:09:44,360 --> 00:09:46,360 If you if you rewind it again, faith, you can see the 173 00:09:46,360 --> 00:09:47,720 comparison. We'll just flip charts. 174 00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:55,800 See that that now, then, now, then, now, then, now. 175 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:59,120 No, no, just kidding. The massiveness of that 176 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:01,080 structure. Now I, I want you to go now and 177 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:03,080 I want you to see and I want you to make a mental note. 178 00:10:03,880 --> 00:10:06,960 That's the Holy of Holies. The biggest structure there in 179 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:08,920 the center is, is the Holy of Holies. 180 00:10:08,920 --> 00:10:11,200 It is the, it is the big. That's the temple right there. 181 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:13,120 All around it is a temple complex. 182 00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:15,320 You see the smoke rising up. That's the altar, immense. 183 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:17,960 That's where they were burning animals. 184 00:10:17,960 --> 00:10:21,000 That was the altar that they would sacrifice and then the 185 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:23,480 smoke would rise up. That smoke was going all the 186 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:25,320 time. And then the high priest could 187 00:10:25,320 --> 00:10:29,120 only go into that beautiful, magnificent building once once a 188 00:10:29,120 --> 00:10:34,160 year for the atomic sins that was all the complex to surround 189 00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:37,200 that one space. And so what's on it now in the 190 00:10:37,200 --> 00:10:40,680 exact same spot? If you go to the picture now, it 191 00:10:40,680 --> 00:10:42,920 is all gone. And there's a mosque right there 192 00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:49,040 intentionally built that's, that is in all of the tombs that are 193 00:10:49,040 --> 00:10:51,480 buried outside of Jerusalem. We'll get to this later. 194 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:55,240 But all of the tombs was to, to make the surrounding area of 195 00:10:55,240 --> 00:10:57,320 Jerusalem unclean because that's where they would bury the 196 00:10:57,320 --> 00:10:58,680 bodies. And so that was an intentional 197 00:10:58,680 --> 00:11:00,360 thing. So, so all of these disciples 198 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:03,120 are looking at this complex and they're saying, look at all this 199 00:11:03,120 --> 00:11:06,840 stuff large iconic buildings do that. 200 00:11:07,200 --> 00:11:11,880 They, they tend to draw our eyes upward and fill us with all the 201 00:11:11,880 --> 00:11:16,240 Colosseum, the pyramids, the Great Wall, castles, the vet. 202 00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:21,280 Yes, remember the vet, the twin towers. 203 00:11:22,680 --> 00:11:24,960 The thing that was so shocking about 911 was not only the 204 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:27,840 carnage, but also that was the icon of New York. 205 00:11:27,840 --> 00:11:31,280 That was the that was the symbol of power and security. 206 00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:32,520 And all of a sudden they're gone. 207 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:37,040 That's what big buildings do. The temple in Jerusalem carried 208 00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:40,920 an even greater weight than that because it was, it was not just 209 00:11:40,920 --> 00:11:43,360 a magnificent building, it was, it was the presence of God. 210 00:11:43,560 --> 00:11:45,800 That was the permanent presence of God. 211 00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:48,800 It meant that God's dwelling was there. 212 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:51,240 His protection was there. And whenever God was in the 213 00:11:51,240 --> 00:11:54,160 midst of his people, there was protection, there was presence. 214 00:11:54,160 --> 00:11:56,040 There was a covenant life among his people. 215 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:58,960 And for many in Jesus's day, it seemed impossible that that 216 00:11:58,960 --> 00:12:03,440 could ever be destroyed. That temple's not going 217 00:12:03,440 --> 00:12:05,680 anywhere. They even said it's taken 43 218 00:12:05,680 --> 00:12:07,360 years, my man Jesus, to build that. 219 00:12:07,360 --> 00:12:10,000 And you say you're going to tear this temple down in three days. 220 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:12,560 That's one of the things that they used to, to accuse him of 221 00:12:12,560 --> 00:12:17,800 blasphemy at his trial. And we are vulnerable to the 222 00:12:17,800 --> 00:12:19,840 same mistake. We can do the same thing. 223 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:22,480 We can look at things that are around us and be like, man, 224 00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:24,680 things aren't going to change until they do. 225 00:12:25,760 --> 00:12:28,240 We put our hopes in impermanent things. 226 00:12:31,960 --> 00:12:34,720 We can become so impressed with what's visible, But what Jesus 227 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:36,840 does is he lifts his disciples eyes. 228 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:40,160 He says, you see all this. Look at verse 2. 229 00:12:40,160 --> 00:12:46,880 He says, you see all these, you see this, there will not be left 230 00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:49,880 here 1 stone upon another that won't be thrown down. 231 00:12:49,880 --> 00:12:52,720 He even puts in truly. I say to you, that's an that's 232 00:12:52,720 --> 00:12:55,640 an emphasis for him to say I'm telling the truth truly, truly. 233 00:12:55,640 --> 00:12:58,000 I say to you, it's going to happen. 234 00:12:58,240 --> 00:13:00,840 That's a heavy statement. That's a heavy statement. 235 00:13:00,840 --> 00:13:04,200 It's a, it's a whoa. Like you remember I said there's 236 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:07,120 whoa and whoa. There's whoa, WHOA, like whoa. 237 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:10,280 And then there's a whoa, WOE, like sad whoa. 238 00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:12,880 This is both. This is like whoa and whoa. 239 00:13:17,760 --> 00:13:21,080 It shocks them. I imagine it silenced them a bit 240 00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:23,000 because it was such a stunning statement. 241 00:13:23,680 --> 00:13:27,880 And they're walking down the Mount of Jerusalem into the 242 00:13:27,880 --> 00:13:30,280 Mount of Olives. And Jesus has said a lot of 243 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:32,760 enigmatic things that they don't understand, but this one's 244 00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:35,280 probably one that shocks them. And we know this because it 245 00:13:35,280 --> 00:13:38,840 stirs them to pull him aside privately, which leads us to the 246 00:13:38,840 --> 00:13:41,200 second point and a very important question. 247 00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:44,440 The disciples have just kind of like, heard Jesus say, yes, see, 248 00:13:44,440 --> 00:13:48,640 all this going to be torn down. And what he's saying behind that 249 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:53,160 is like, basically, like, yeah, God, his presence is not going 250 00:13:53,160 --> 00:13:54,720 to be here anymore. Like that's where the temple of 251 00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:59,760 God is like Jesus, can you, can you double click on that a 252 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:01,760 little bit for us? Can you expand on that? 253 00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:06,920 Tell us verse 3, when, when will these things be? 254 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:11,600 And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of 255 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:15,640 the age? Jesus will repeat that actually 256 00:14:15,640 --> 00:14:19,360 in verse 20, chapter 28. Do you remember all authority in 257 00:14:19,360 --> 00:14:20,760 heaven and earth has been given to me. 258 00:14:20,760 --> 00:14:22,960 Therefore now go and make disciples of all nations, 259 00:14:22,960 --> 00:14:25,040 baptizing them in the name of the Father and Son of the Holy 260 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:27,040 Spirit. And lo, I will be with you to 261 00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:29,480 the what? To the very end of the age. 262 00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:34,320 Matthew is repeating what Jesus has taught, and the end of the 263 00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:37,000 age is something that they're to be prepared for. 264 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:40,320 Now, not everyone is on the same page regarding the various 265 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:43,320 distinctions of the when and the what in this passage, because 266 00:14:43,320 --> 00:14:45,280 the when and the what in here. There are lots of thoughts 267 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:47,480 regarding the meaning of the temple's destruction. 268 00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:51,120 What will happen at the timing of Christ's return? 269 00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:52,840 When will he return? How will he return? 270 00:14:52,840 --> 00:14:54,560 What happens to the church when he returns? 271 00:14:54,880 --> 00:14:59,120 There's charts and books and and and drawings and all sorts of 272 00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:00,880 things. But the majority of, of 273 00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:04,600 theologians and scholars do understand one thing, and we all 274 00:15:04,600 --> 00:15:07,400 agree about this, is that there are two specific events that 275 00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:11,360 Jesus teaches here. It is the destruction of the 276 00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:16,040 temple and his return. And so in Mark chapter 13, verse 277 00:15:16,040 --> 00:15:18,120 4, if you read it this afternoon, you'll see that the 278 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:21,280 disciples questioned there it it relates only to the date of the 279 00:15:21,280 --> 00:15:23,280 destruction of the temple. But what Matthew does is he 280 00:15:23,280 --> 00:15:27,040 expands it and he obviously stitches together things that 281 00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:30,920 Jesus has already taught on. And so Matthew expands it to 282 00:15:30,920 --> 00:15:33,920 cover not only this, the destruction of the temple, but 283 00:15:33,920 --> 00:15:36,960 also the sign of his coming and the closing of the age. 284 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:43,760 And so this last phrase, the sign of your coming and and of 285 00:15:43,760 --> 00:15:47,480 the end of the age is governed. I will nerd out on you. 286 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:49,960 But when you look at the language in the Greek, it 287 00:15:49,960 --> 00:15:52,880 indicates that the two are one in the, in the structure of the 288 00:15:52,880 --> 00:15:55,000 sentence. It's it's meant to read is like, 289 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:59,560 oh, this is one event. The coming or the perusia is the 290 00:15:59,560 --> 00:16:02,280 fancy word for that. And the close of the age are 291 00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:08,000 descriptions of the same event. So these disciples felt that the 292 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:12,400 sign of Jesus coming and the end of the age, they're like right 293 00:16:12,400 --> 00:16:15,400 around the corner in context. Think about this. 294 00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:17,320 What has just happened? He's gone into the city and 295 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:18,840 people are claiming he's the Messiah. 296 00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:22,080 He's talked about this being the city that he's coming to be 297 00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:24,720 their king. They think that this is right 298 00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:30,040 around the corner to them, his coming, his presence, him being 299 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:32,720 the the anointed Messiah meant that it was going to be his 300 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:36,520 public enthronement as king. He was going to step onto the 301 00:16:36,520 --> 00:16:39,560 throne. He was going to be the Messiah 302 00:16:39,560 --> 00:16:41,240 that would take his rightful place. 303 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:45,280 And when they thought about the end of the age, they're not 304 00:16:45,280 --> 00:16:48,200 thinking 2000 years. They're not thinking like man, 305 00:16:48,480 --> 00:16:51,000 man, Jesus is teaching us about stuff that's going to happen in 306 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:54,160 what, like 2 thousand 2526, like 1994. 307 00:16:54,160 --> 00:16:57,360 Like they're not thinking that. They're thinking now this is 308 00:16:57,360 --> 00:17:00,640 going to happen now. That's why you see in the in the 309 00:17:00,640 --> 00:17:03,000 gospels, they're like, should we get our swords now, Jesus? 310 00:17:03,320 --> 00:17:06,680 Like should we should we call Thunder down Lord Jesus, Jesus, 311 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:09,520 are you going to establish yourself now, Even in Acts 312 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:12,720 chapter 1 after he ascends, they're like, he's risen from 313 00:17:12,720 --> 00:17:16,480 the grave and Jesus has popped in and out and shown himself to 314 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:20,160 people and the disciples was like, Hey, Jesus, are you going 315 00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:23,839 to restore the Kingdom now? Is it like go time like this is 316 00:17:23,839 --> 00:17:26,280 pretty amazing. I think we could, I think we 317 00:17:26,280 --> 00:17:29,760 could get a solid social media campaign like there you were. 318 00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:32,040 Now you're not like, let's do this. 319 00:17:32,040 --> 00:17:33,440 Let's let's get this thing rolling. 320 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:36,200 And Jesus is like, no, no, no, no, no. 321 00:17:36,200 --> 00:17:38,680 Now, first of all, their excitement's not wrong. 322 00:17:39,960 --> 00:17:44,480 They should be anticipating that because they knew that the end 323 00:17:45,000 --> 00:17:47,480 brings what they understood to be Shalom. 324 00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:49,040 It's the repairing of all things. 325 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:53,640 It's, it's the restoration. We should want Jesus to come 326 00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:56,920 back because he's going to bring everything together in order. 327 00:17:57,640 --> 00:18:00,720 Every single sin and death disharm me. 328 00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:03,160 All of it's going to be disbanded, it's going to be 329 00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:08,520 pushed away, and it will live as hobbits, except without the war. 330 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:11,880 Do you guys like hobbits? Hobbits living like a Hobbit is 331 00:18:11,880 --> 00:18:13,600 good. You just like you drink ale and 332 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:14,920 Amy. You play games, you're hanging 333 00:18:14,920 --> 00:18:17,280 out together, you're farming. Life is good. 334 00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:23,320 And in the Shire. Many people fear the future, 335 00:18:23,320 --> 00:18:25,240 though. They're afraid of the future 336 00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:27,680 because they don't know the true and living God. 337 00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:30,360 So the future feels threatening. So these disciples are like, 338 00:18:30,360 --> 00:18:33,200 this is a good thing for the Kingdom of Israel and Jesus, 339 00:18:33,200 --> 00:18:35,120 like it is a good thing when I return. 340 00:18:36,160 --> 00:18:38,360 But that's because they know the promises of the true and the 341 00:18:38,360 --> 00:18:40,520 living God. And not everybody knows the true 342 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:42,560 promises of the true and living God. 343 00:18:43,400 --> 00:18:45,000 And so the future feels threatening. 344 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:49,960 We feel world wars upon us, the collapse of governments, 345 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:53,760 extinction, chaos. There's some kind of dystopian 346 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:56,120 end. History is moving towards 347 00:18:56,120 --> 00:18:59,560 something that some people fear. The earth is getting too hot, 348 00:18:59,560 --> 00:19:01,880 the earth is getting too cold. We're getting too overpopulated. 349 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:03,320 We're too underpopulated. There's not enough food. 350 00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:05,880 There's too much food. Like we're scared of the future. 351 00:19:08,040 --> 00:19:12,120 And This is why so much money is made on fortune telling and 352 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:14,720 predictions and speculative projections. 353 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:20,440 Even even Christian prophecy publishing think feeds on this 354 00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:22,880 same desire. Tell me what's coming. 355 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:26,200 Tell me what's going to happen. Like tell me what I should be 356 00:19:26,200 --> 00:19:28,080 afraid of, what is going to happen. 357 00:19:28,680 --> 00:19:32,240 But Jesus, friends, does something completely different 358 00:19:32,240 --> 00:19:33,760 than that. He doesn't feed on the fear. 359 00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:37,520 He doesn't feed speculation. Jesus teaches his disciples in 360 00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:41,320 this passage about the future, not to make them speculative, 361 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:46,240 but to make them steady. Jesus says essentially be 362 00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:52,240 steady, be steady. He's he's in a sense saying, 363 00:19:52,240 --> 00:19:54,760 you've been around me long enough to know that like what 364 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:57,880 I'm saying is going to help your hearts be steady. 365 00:19:59,040 --> 00:20:02,240 He gives us markers. Jesus gives us promises, Jesus 366 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:04,560 gives us warnings and assurances. 367 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:07,240 And he does not tell us everything we want to know, but 368 00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:08,600 he does tell us what we need to know. 369 00:20:10,120 --> 00:20:12,600 He doesn't tell us everything we want to know, but he does tell 370 00:20:12,600 --> 00:20:15,160 us what we need to know. And so. 371 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:18,240 There are a few things that we can say with certainty. 372 00:20:18,240 --> 00:20:22,040 Christ will come. Again, history is not random. 373 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:24,880 Judgement is very real. It is coming. 374 00:20:25,640 --> 00:20:30,280 Salvation is sure for those who belong to Jesus. 375 00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:33,480 But there are a few things that we ought not to say with 376 00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:34,920 certainty because we just don't know. 377 00:20:34,920 --> 00:20:37,920 And Jesus is like, no one really knows the specific times. 378 00:20:37,920 --> 00:20:45,200 But here's a few broad strokes. Here's what's going on in the 379 00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:49,040 world, and here's how you church can be steady. 380 00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:56,120 Living peacefully is a very good thing, and fearing how we are 381 00:20:56,120 --> 00:21:00,720 going to die is a normal thing. And ultimately, however, if we 382 00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:03,840 don't live in peace, and if we do die before the Lord comes, 383 00:21:04,360 --> 00:21:06,720 should those things be taken away from us? 384 00:21:06,720 --> 00:21:12,200 Our peace in this world and our lives in this world, they will 385 00:21:12,200 --> 00:21:14,000 not be taken away from us in the next World. 386 00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:17,160 That's, that's the, that's what Jesus is trying to get his 387 00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:20,040 disciples to look at is what he's getting us to look at. 388 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:22,560 It's like, I want you to look at a different, a different 389 00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:25,480 horizon. Look at a horizon where you are 390 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:30,280 with me, with the father in a, in a new place where there is 391 00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:34,120 peace and security and I'm king. I want you to look there because 392 00:21:34,120 --> 00:21:37,320 if you look around right now, all you're going to see is war 393 00:21:37,320 --> 00:21:40,840 and chaos and famine and heartache and pain and sorrow. 394 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:43,040 And I've come to to make that all right. 395 00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:46,160 But don't focus on the things around. 396 00:21:46,160 --> 00:21:48,720 Focus on the horizon. Because as you move through this 397 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:52,360 world, it will be hard, but I've overcome this world. 398 00:21:52,360 --> 00:21:54,880 You will make it through. You will make it through. 399 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:59,640 And so he gives them specific warnings about what it is that 400 00:21:59,640 --> 00:22:03,560 is going to come and that the destruction of the temple where 401 00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:08,320 he starts at is not supposed to send them into a tailspin. 402 00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:12,360 So back to the disciples question, when will these things 403 00:22:12,360 --> 00:22:13,760 be? There's two things that matter 404 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:15,320 here. First, that history is going 405 00:22:15,320 --> 00:22:18,400 somewhere, somewhere Jesus like history is going somewhere on 406 00:22:18,400 --> 00:22:21,360 purpose. And 2nd, Jesus is speaking in 407 00:22:21,360 --> 00:22:24,720 context about the the judgement of Jerusalem. 408 00:22:26,080 --> 00:22:28,480 So Jesus is not going to be speaking vaguely. 409 00:22:28,480 --> 00:22:31,200 He is preparing his disciples for what's going to happen 410 00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:35,040 according to their question. Their question is the temple is 411 00:22:35,040 --> 00:22:38,120 pretty cool, right? Jesus says, Nope, it's going to 412 00:22:38,120 --> 00:22:40,760 be torn down. And they ask, well, when is that 413 00:22:40,760 --> 00:22:42,920 going to happen? And if that's going to happen, 414 00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:44,680 that must be the sign of the end of the age. 415 00:22:44,680 --> 00:22:47,320 And so are you going to come soon in that? 416 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:52,720 And if we don't keep that perspective, then this passage 417 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:55,400 quickly becomes very confusing. It's a confusing passage. 418 00:22:55,400 --> 00:22:58,440 But if, but if you can take the perspective of, OK, Jesus is 419 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:01,280 asking a specific question and he's answering it. 420 00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:03,880 A specific question is being asked and he's going to answer 421 00:23:03,880 --> 00:23:05,800 it. So let's see what his answer is. 422 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:07,760 Let's see what his answer is. And we and we keep that 423 00:23:07,760 --> 00:23:09,880 perspective. We hold fast to what's clear in 424 00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:12,320 Scripture. Scripture is not written for us 425 00:23:12,320 --> 00:23:15,720 to be confused. It's it can be confusing, but 426 00:23:15,720 --> 00:23:18,400 it's written to be clear to us so that we might be encouraged 427 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:22,160 so that we might gain truth. An important answer. 428 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:24,960 Here's Jesus answer. So the question is in verse 3, 429 00:23:24,960 --> 00:23:27,400 when will these things happen? Here's Jesus answer. 430 00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:30,840 Look at verse 4. Jesus answers them. 431 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:32,960 Make sure no one leads you astray. 432 00:23:34,240 --> 00:23:37,680 So we're, we're looking back, we're flashback, we know that 433 00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:40,120 he's gone to the cross. We know that he's he's buried. 434 00:23:40,120 --> 00:23:43,120 The disciples at this time don't know that, but but you'll see in 435 00:23:43,120 --> 00:23:46,640 the New Testament that they've, they are now operating out of 436 00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:48,720 this teaching because the resurrection has happened. 437 00:23:49,280 --> 00:23:51,480 And so now they're putting, they put all in the New Testament, 438 00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:53,920 all the gospels and all the epistles, they put the pieces 439 00:23:53,920 --> 00:23:55,600 together. And so we're looking back too. 440 00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:58,800 And Jesus is saying, make sure no one leads you astray. 441 00:23:58,800 --> 00:24:00,120 Many are going to come in my name. 442 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:03,680 They're not going to be under the authority of the Father. 443 00:24:03,680 --> 00:24:05,800 I'm the Christ, I'm I'm the anointed 1. 444 00:24:05,800 --> 00:24:09,280 So first things Jesus saying here is guys, be wise about who 445 00:24:09,280 --> 00:24:12,200 you believe is your savior. Be wise. 446 00:24:13,320 --> 00:24:16,720 How do you know a counterfeit? You ever touch one of those 447 00:24:17,760 --> 00:24:20,640 bills on the on the boardwalk? You've all done it. 448 00:24:20,640 --> 00:24:23,080 I know it. You're walking at Ocean City, NJ 449 00:24:23,080 --> 00:24:25,560 and you look down, you see what looks like $100 bill. 450 00:24:26,360 --> 00:24:28,560 You reach, you look around, you're like, hey, what is this? 451 00:24:28,560 --> 00:24:30,320 You reach down. You know where this is going, 452 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:32,320 right? You pick it up and you touch it 453 00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:34,880 and you're like, oh, it's an evangelistic track. 454 00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:37,880 It's the $1,000,000. Do you know what? 455 00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:39,200 Did you guys know what I'm talking about? 456 00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:41,440 You touch, You're like, the moment you touch, you're like, 457 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:45,080 that's not a real dollar bill. You touch real dollar bills 458 00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:46,960 enough. If you're a waitress or a waiter 459 00:24:46,960 --> 00:24:49,400 or you touch money or not on some job, you know what a 460 00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:53,000 counterfeit bill feels like? Jesus is saying be wise about 461 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:59,280 who comes in my name. The first Jewish Roman war was 462 00:24:59,280 --> 00:25:03,400 known as the Great Revolt, and it took place between 66 and 73 463 00:25:04,320 --> 00:25:09,160 AD and it was basically a major uprising, a Jewish rebellion in 464 00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:11,560 Judea and the Romans eventually quashed. 465 00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:15,280 That's actually what starts the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 466 00:25:15,280 --> 00:25:18,640 AD. But leading up to that, there 467 00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:22,520 were many nationalistic leaders who said that they were the 468 00:25:22,520 --> 00:25:27,160 zealous ones for God's Kingdom. They were called zealots, of 469 00:25:27,160 --> 00:25:30,440 which some of the disciples in Jesus group were zealots. 470 00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:32,720 Simon the Zealot. They were zealous for the 471 00:25:32,720 --> 00:25:36,360 Kingdom of God. And in Acts chapter 5 and in 472 00:25:36,360 --> 00:25:40,680 Acts chapter 21, there are few that are mentioned in that text. 473 00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:44,000 Luke says these are the these are the the men that came and 474 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:46,200 said that they were going to lead Israel to freedom. 475 00:25:46,480 --> 00:25:49,400 Jesus is saying that's going to happen, don't be deceived. 476 00:25:49,400 --> 00:25:52,640 It's not me guys. You know me, so be wise about 477 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:58,760 who you let people say they are. Jesus then says be prepared. 478 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:00,520 Look at verse 6. He says you're going to hear 479 00:26:00,520 --> 00:26:05,320 wars and rumors of wars. Don't be alarmed just because 480 00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:06,600 you hear that there's a war coming. 481 00:26:06,600 --> 00:26:09,840 Just because you see things happening that seem like it's 482 00:26:09,840 --> 00:26:13,760 the end of the age, do not be alarmed, but be prepared. 483 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:17,640 The end is not yet. The end of this is not yet verse 484 00:26:17,640 --> 00:26:20,840 7 for nation will rise against nation, Kingdom will rise 485 00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:23,000 against Kingdom. There will be famines and there 486 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:25,920 will be earthquakes, but these are just birth pains. 487 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:30,520 And, and to note, it's important that in Old Testament prophetic 488 00:26:31,520 --> 00:26:34,960 warnings for cities, they would often use the term birth pains. 489 00:26:35,440 --> 00:26:37,760 Birth pains come and go. They get stronger as they go. 490 00:26:38,000 --> 00:26:40,760 And often what Jesus is doing is he's pointing back to the 491 00:26:40,760 --> 00:26:43,960 prophecies of cities that would be destroyed like Babylon and 492 00:26:43,960 --> 00:26:48,680 Jerusalem, that in that the birth pains are strong and 493 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:50,240 they're quick and they're repeated. 494 00:26:50,560 --> 00:26:52,720 And Jesus says this is just the beginning of this. 495 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:54,560 This is the judgment that is to come. 496 00:26:55,480 --> 00:26:58,280 And so Jesus begins with highlighting the primary danger 497 00:26:58,280 --> 00:27:00,400 for them. He says the danger is being LED 498 00:27:00,400 --> 00:27:03,040 astray. Don't be LED astray, walk with 499 00:27:03,160 --> 00:27:06,680 Jesus. If you abide in me, I in my 500 00:27:06,680 --> 00:27:08,440 words, abide in you. You abide in me. 501 00:27:08,440 --> 00:27:10,560 Look the the words of Christ abide in us. 502 00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:13,600 That's how we're not LED astray, friends, if we know the voice of 503 00:27:13,600 --> 00:27:15,720 Christ, Jesus says my sheep know my voice. 504 00:27:15,880 --> 00:27:17,960 When you hear things, they're like, that doesn't sound like 505 00:27:17,960 --> 00:27:19,880 Jesus and it's written in the word. 506 00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:21,720 That's not what Jesus says. Then you know Christ. 507 00:27:21,720 --> 00:27:23,240 That's what it means for him to abide in you. 508 00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:25,520 His word will not lead you astray. 509 00:27:25,520 --> 00:27:27,760 But others will say I've got solutions. 510 00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:30,360 You know, if they're not Jesus solutions, then they're not 511 00:27:30,360 --> 00:27:32,360 solutions at all. Does that make sense? 512 00:27:32,360 --> 00:27:37,640 Do you understand that? And so Jesus says be prepared, 513 00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:41,200 don't be LED astray and and don't jump too hastily to 514 00:27:41,200 --> 00:27:44,880 eschatological conclusions. He's saying don't jump too 515 00:27:44,880 --> 00:27:47,120 quickly, be prepared, but don't jump too quick like this. 516 00:27:47,120 --> 00:27:51,680 The end, the end is coming. Jesus isn't listing signs of the 517 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:53,920 end, but what he's doing. He's saying, guys, here's some 518 00:27:53,920 --> 00:27:57,480 persons, an event that could probably trouble you and confuse 519 00:27:57,480 --> 00:28:00,000 you, but don't go off the reservation. 520 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:02,160 Don't just be patient, be prepared for this. 521 00:28:02,800 --> 00:28:05,400 It's just an ordinary part of what's going to unfold 522 00:28:05,600 --> 00:28:09,240 throughout history. And so even as these things have 523 00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:12,200 been evident through history, they were also fulfilled right 524 00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:15,160 after Jesus ascended. Between 30 and 78, these things 525 00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:16,760 happened. There were famines and there 526 00:28:16,760 --> 00:28:18,080 were earthquakes. There were wars. 527 00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:20,600 There were men that came and said they were the Messiah, they 528 00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:22,560 were Christ. You have to understand Jesus was 529 00:28:22,560 --> 00:28:24,640 relatively unknown in the broader area. 530 00:28:24,960 --> 00:28:28,720 Some people like Jesus who like there were people that didn't 531 00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:31,880 know about us, they asked some rabbi got crucified in something 532 00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:33,320 that apparently he rose from the dead. 533 00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:36,040 But there were some people that like Jesus who they didn't know 534 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:40,840 he was not worldwide famous yet. But what Jesus does now is he 535 00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:42,800 says, look, these things, these are all signs that are 536 00:28:42,800 --> 00:28:46,320 predicting the end and all of Palestine. 537 00:28:46,320 --> 00:28:48,680 This is this is for everyone. He's basically saying this 538 00:28:48,680 --> 00:28:53,120 surrounding area is going to in in encounters things that are 539 00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:55,480 going to look like the end of the age, but it's not. 540 00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:58,360 It's not. This is just a warning about the 541 00:28:58,360 --> 00:29:01,480 destruction of the temple. But then Jesus switches his 542 00:29:01,480 --> 00:29:03,520 focus a little and then he turns to the disciples. 543 00:29:03,520 --> 00:29:06,160 Look at verse 9. He says now in the line he says 544 00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:08,560 then they would, then they will deliver you. 545 00:29:09,120 --> 00:29:11,040 He's looking to the disciples and saying they're going to 546 00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:15,920 deliver you up to tribulation. And while this might be 547 00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:18,400 experienced to future disciples, you have to understand in 548 00:29:18,400 --> 00:29:19,800 context. We're reading a story. 549 00:29:19,800 --> 00:29:22,760 Jesus isn't going to like, he's not looking past the disciples. 550 00:29:22,760 --> 00:29:24,720 Wouldn't it be weird if I was like looking at you and like, 551 00:29:25,080 --> 00:29:27,880 hey, and they're going to, they're going to, they're going 552 00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:30,920 to do stuff to you. He's not looking at you. 553 00:29:30,920 --> 00:29:32,440 He's looking he's they're going to do stuff to you. 554 00:29:32,440 --> 00:29:35,040 Jesus is not looking off into the future. 555 00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:37,960 He's like, no, you right there. I'm, I'm making people 556 00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:41,400 uncomfortable here. There's there's no more people 557 00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:43,440 in the front rows. Holidays, I need people in the 558 00:29:43,440 --> 00:29:44,880 front rows. But This is why, because I look 559 00:29:44,880 --> 00:29:50,120 at people, he's not talking to a future disciples, although 560 00:29:50,120 --> 00:29:51,560 that's true. He's saying, guys, you're going 561 00:29:51,560 --> 00:29:54,080 to be handed over. They're going, you're going to 562 00:29:54,080 --> 00:29:58,120 be hated for my namesake. The immediate context leads us 563 00:29:58,120 --> 00:30:01,320 to stick with the fact that the disciples that he's speaking to 564 00:30:01,320 --> 00:30:04,640 are there in his hearing. They're the ones who are going 565 00:30:04,640 --> 00:30:07,280 to remain as disciples after his ascension into heaven. 566 00:30:07,280 --> 00:30:09,880 They're going to be doing the hard work of evangelism in 567 00:30:09,880 --> 00:30:11,560 Jerusalem. The church is going to be 568 00:30:11,560 --> 00:30:14,720 persecuted by a man named Saul. They're going to put them in 569 00:30:14,720 --> 00:30:16,560 prison. They're going to be rejected. 570 00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:19,520 But eventually that's going to birth the church and it's going 571 00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:21,400 to spread all over. They're scattered in the 572 00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:24,320 persecution of Jerusalem and then they're sent to the rest of 573 00:30:24,320 --> 00:30:26,320 the Roman. Saul becomes Paul and preaches 574 00:30:26,320 --> 00:30:31,480 the gospel to all of the world. Verse 11, he says many false 575 00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:34,120 prophets are going to arise. They're going to come with false 576 00:30:34,120 --> 00:30:35,280 teaching. Do you see that in the New 577 00:30:35,280 --> 00:30:37,040 Testament? Beware of false teaching. 578 00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:39,880 He says. You're going to see that 579 00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:42,520 lawlessness is going to be increased, a love for Jesus and 580 00:30:42,520 --> 00:30:44,720 a love for one another. You're going to see didn't Jesus 581 00:30:44,720 --> 00:30:47,200 warn in the parable was like people are going to receive the 582 00:30:47,200 --> 00:30:50,360 gospel and it's going to look like they're on fire for Christ. 583 00:30:50,360 --> 00:30:53,480 But then when tribulation come, what they die away. 584 00:30:54,280 --> 00:30:56,600 All of the things that Jesus has taught. 585 00:30:56,800 --> 00:31:00,200 He's saying this is going to be your life after I ascend to 586 00:31:00,200 --> 00:31:04,560 heaven. The judgement is coming, but 587 00:31:04,560 --> 00:31:07,480 it's not the end of the age. The judgement on Jerusalem. 588 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:11,080 Again in context, he's saying Jerusalem, I wish you who had 589 00:31:11,080 --> 00:31:14,560 the God you had the opportunity to be the bearers of good news 590 00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:17,360 to the whole world, but you have you've rejected it. 591 00:31:18,280 --> 00:31:21,480 So now he's teaching his disciples to be the ones who 592 00:31:21,480 --> 00:31:23,840 endure. In verse 13, it says the one who 593 00:31:23,840 --> 00:31:26,960 endures to the end. In other words, when you endure 594 00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:30,120 this initial wave of birth pains, the future birth pains, 595 00:31:30,360 --> 00:31:32,520 you're going to be saved because you're going to hold on to the 596 00:31:32,520 --> 00:31:37,000 truth of the gospel. Do not let go to the gospel 597 00:31:37,000 --> 00:31:40,160 simply because you're going to see armies surrounding 598 00:31:40,160 --> 00:31:43,360 Jerusalem. You need to endure. 599 00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:49,040 Jesus says be faithful, be wise, be prepared, be faithful, do the 600 00:31:49,040 --> 00:31:55,800 work here, the end where it says the one who endures to the end 601 00:31:56,520 --> 00:32:00,720 is not the end, but it's the end to whatever it is we must endure 602 00:32:00,720 --> 00:32:03,000 through. Whether that's a long life 603 00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:06,240 following Christ, a pastor battling for souls of his 604 00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:09,400 countrymen in the heart of Iran, whether it's living in a culture 605 00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:12,200 that is antithetical to the gospel or antagonistic to the 606 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:14,320 church. This is all normal stuff. 607 00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:18,280 Jesus like this is all normal live faithfully all the way 608 00:32:18,280 --> 00:32:23,200 through endure to the end. He says be at work guys, I need 609 00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:27,640 you to be at work. Be prepared, but also prepare 610 00:32:27,640 --> 00:32:31,960 others and this gospel verse 14 of the Kingdom will be 611 00:32:31,960 --> 00:32:35,840 proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all 612 00:32:35,840 --> 00:32:39,080 nations and then and then the end will come. 613 00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:45,160 And so Jesus here is again, in context, he's not speaking to 614 00:32:45,160 --> 00:32:47,720 the end of the age just yet. He's going to shift and he's 615 00:32:47,720 --> 00:32:50,640 going to talk about that in the next section of the discourse. 616 00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:53,520 But right now he's just talking about what it are, the 617 00:32:53,520 --> 00:32:56,560 implications of the destruction of the temple of God in 618 00:32:56,560 --> 00:33:00,720 Jerusalem, and what is going to happen and what are the signs of 619 00:33:00,720 --> 00:33:03,160 this destruction going to be? And he's just giving it to them. 620 00:33:03,200 --> 00:33:05,040 So you're going to see these things happen. 621 00:33:05,800 --> 00:33:08,720 And he's alluding to a time when Israel's special priority is 622 00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:12,680 going to be over had an opportunity. 623 00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:15,520 And the gospel, which Israel has largely rejected, will be 624 00:33:15,520 --> 00:33:17,720 preached to the world, to the Gentiles. 625 00:33:17,720 --> 00:33:21,480 And the world is this general term of all those who are non 626 00:33:21,480 --> 00:33:24,000 Jews. They would use it as a term for 627 00:33:24,000 --> 00:33:26,640 the Greek world, then for the Roman Empire, and then 628 00:33:26,640 --> 00:33:29,320 subsequently for the whole and then the known world. 629 00:33:29,920 --> 00:33:33,000 And even Paul says that, you know, the gospel is going out to 630 00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:38,680 the whole world and the gospel is being proclaimed to the whole 631 00:33:38,680 --> 00:33:42,080 world because they're free to proclaim it. 632 00:33:43,040 --> 00:33:45,520 Now, this is not an abandonment of the Jewish people. 633 00:33:45,520 --> 00:33:47,360 It's a removal of their special priority. 634 00:33:47,360 --> 00:33:50,480 The temple basically is being removed as a stumbling block. 635 00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:53,200 I would say, I would say that they looked at the temple. 636 00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:54,800 The disciples like, look at this thing. 637 00:33:54,800 --> 00:33:57,800 We are this is incredible. We've got a corner market on 638 00:33:57,800 --> 00:34:00,720 God. But as we've seen in the Gospel 639 00:34:00,720 --> 00:34:04,840 of of Matthew, that they had a very different view of God's 640 00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:07,200 work in the world. They crucified his son. 641 00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:12,520 And now Jesus is saying you no longer have a corner. 642 00:34:13,400 --> 00:34:15,440 I'm the Son, and now I establish my Kennedy. 643 00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:18,480 And so Jew and Gentile. Now the gospel is freely 644 00:34:18,480 --> 00:34:19,920 offered. And where's the temple? 645 00:34:19,920 --> 00:34:21,679 The temple is my people. I will dwell. 646 00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:22,920 My Spirit will dwell on the people. 647 00:34:22,920 --> 00:34:25,280 You do not need to go to Jerusalem to see and meet with 648 00:34:25,280 --> 00:34:27,159 God. You can meet with God in Newtown 649 00:34:27,159 --> 00:34:29,320 Square, PA, right here in this room. 650 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:32,360 Do you know why? Because His Word is preached and 651 00:34:32,360 --> 00:34:36,400 His Spirit is present. And guess who the gospel is 652 00:34:36,400 --> 00:34:38,520 offered to? It's offered to anyone who would 653 00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:47,800 freely receive it. And so in this first section, we 654 00:34:47,800 --> 00:34:54,400 see that Jesus is preparing his disciples to be steady when 655 00:34:54,400 --> 00:34:58,320 things go awry, When, when they see the destruction of the 656 00:34:58,320 --> 00:35:04,360 temple, that it they're not to panic and they are not to worry, 657 00:35:04,920 --> 00:35:06,840 to be wise. They're to be prepared. 658 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:09,560 They're to be faithful and they're also to be at work. 659 00:35:11,240 --> 00:35:14,200 And so Christians often ask how, how will we know when all of the 660 00:35:14,200 --> 00:35:16,200 nations have been reached? Like so we've been at work. 661 00:35:16,200 --> 00:35:18,840 And so we're going to see in the next section where Jesus, then 662 00:35:18,840 --> 00:35:22,320 he'll say, he'll turn and say, OK, so now the end of the age, 663 00:35:22,320 --> 00:35:24,600 he's going to say, I've told you about the destruction of the 664 00:35:24,600 --> 00:35:26,960 temple. Now he's going to shift and say 665 00:35:27,720 --> 00:35:32,840 to your second part, the signs of the end of the age, what's 666 00:35:32,840 --> 00:35:34,320 going to happen? He's going to talk about a few 667 00:35:34,320 --> 00:35:36,960 things. But before we move into that, I, 668 00:35:37,040 --> 00:35:40,760 I want you to understand that like Christians will often know 669 00:35:40,760 --> 00:35:43,240 what, when are the signs? I grew up in, I grew up in a 670 00:35:43,240 --> 00:35:45,600 time when I, you know, we were always looking for the 671 00:35:45,640 --> 00:35:47,520 Antichrist and the, and under the rock. 672 00:35:47,520 --> 00:35:50,200 You know, it's like, you know, first it was, it was, it was a 673 00:35:50,200 --> 00:35:52,560 list of people that were Antichrist and when they weren't 674 00:35:52,560 --> 00:35:55,440 the Antichrist and when things didn't happen, they went. 675 00:35:55,600 --> 00:35:58,560 I actually just got frustrated because I, it created an anxiety 676 00:35:58,560 --> 00:35:59,760 amount. I was always looking for the 677 00:35:59,760 --> 00:36:02,000 time like up now. It was a kid growing up in that 678 00:36:02,520 --> 00:36:04,480 and eventually I was like, wait a minute, let let me think this 679 00:36:04,480 --> 00:36:06,880 through what what ought to happen in my heart. 680 00:36:07,360 --> 00:36:09,920 And it just seems pretty clear that Jesus is like what I want 681 00:36:09,920 --> 00:36:13,040 you to do is focus on the work of evangelism and discipleship 682 00:36:13,040 --> 00:36:16,160 and let me deal with the rest. And when I come back, it will be 683 00:36:16,520 --> 00:36:18,480 it will be over. You'll know when it's over when 684 00:36:18,480 --> 00:36:22,000 I come back. And I thought that sounds fair. 685 00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:27,240 George Ladd has a comment and I think summarizes it well and 686 00:36:27,240 --> 00:36:29,560 I'll end with this. He says God alone knows the 687 00:36:29,560 --> 00:36:33,040 definition of terms here. I cannot precisely define who 688 00:36:33,040 --> 00:36:37,240 all the nations are because the promise is that when the gospels 689 00:36:37,240 --> 00:36:40,520 proclaimed to all of the world, then I then the end will come. 690 00:36:42,160 --> 00:36:45,320 The world has heard the gospel. We've we've reached more people 691 00:36:45,320 --> 00:36:49,200 with Christ than anybody in the 1st century did. 692 00:36:50,480 --> 00:36:52,000 But George Ladd says, I only know one thing. 693 00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:55,440 Christ is not yet returned and therefore the task is not yet 694 00:36:55,440 --> 00:36:57,640 done. And when it is done, Christ will 695 00:36:57,640 --> 00:37:00,800 come. Our responsibility as disciples 696 00:37:00,800 --> 00:37:03,640 of Jesus is not to insist on defining the terms. 697 00:37:04,360 --> 00:37:06,680 Our responsibility is to complete the task. 698 00:37:07,560 --> 00:37:10,920 So long as Christ does not return, our work is undone. 699 00:37:11,920 --> 00:37:14,520 And so let us get busy and complete our mission. 700 00:37:16,120 --> 00:37:18,200 My prayer for this church is that that would be our prayer, 701 00:37:18,200 --> 00:37:21,160 that both individually we would be prepared, we'd all be 702 00:37:21,160 --> 00:37:23,600 prepared and preparing others. But as a church, we would 703 00:37:23,600 --> 00:37:25,560 recognize that the work is not yet done. 704 00:37:25,560 --> 00:37:27,760 Until Christ returns, the work is not yet done. 705 00:37:27,760 --> 00:37:30,000 And so we we still have some work to do. 706 00:37:30,920 --> 00:37:34,680 The sermon you've just listened to is a presentation of Church 707 00:37:34,680 --> 00:37:37,600 Newtown Square. To find out more about our 708 00:37:37,600 --> 00:37:46,400 church, check out Church nsq.org, That's CHVRCHNS q.org. 709 00:37:47,080 --> 00:37:49,920 You are welcome to copy and distribute this sermon to others 710 00:37:50,000 --> 00:37:53,720 as long as you do not do it for commercial purposes or alter, 711 00:37:53,720 --> 00:37:56,800 transform, or build upon this talk in any way.