WEBVTT 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:05.679 So we are starting a very short mini-series today called Spoiler Alert. 00:00:05.919 --> 00:00:06.799 Spoiler Alert. 00:00:06.879 --> 00:00:11.039 We are going to be covering in the next two weeks Matthew chapter 24 and 25. 00:00:11.279 --> 00:00:16.160 In context, if you're just joining us, we started going through the book of Matthew all the way back in February. 00:00:16.239 --> 00:00:17.760 We've been going through it all year long. 00:00:17.920 --> 00:00:21.120 Our kids' areas have also been going through it all year long. 00:00:21.280 --> 00:00:26.800 And so this is kind of an attempt for us to get to know Jesus much more closely. 00:00:26.960 --> 00:00:28.480 We want to understand Jesus better. 00:00:28.640 --> 00:00:30.480 We want to be hyper-focused on Jesus. 00:00:30.559 --> 00:00:34.479 And in the world that we live in, there's a lot of things challenging you to focus on them. 00:00:34.640 --> 00:00:36.640 We want to be hyper-focused on Jesus. 00:00:36.719 --> 00:00:44.000 And so it just so happens that the book of Matthew, that the story of Jesus, it kind of gets more intense as it goes on. 00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:44.960 This makes sense, right? 00:00:45.119 --> 00:00:49.200 Where we're at in the story today, Jesus is just a few days away from the cross. 00:00:49.439 --> 00:00:53.119 So, you know, in February, March, we're having a good time. 00:00:53.359 --> 00:00:58.240 Jesus is healing people, and he's feeding people, and everything's great and wonderful. 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:01.759 And now, toward the end, it's it's pretty intense. 00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:03.039 It gets pretty intense. 00:01:03.200 --> 00:01:04.480 And so I should have thought of that. 00:01:04.640 --> 00:01:05.519 I should have thought of that. 00:01:05.599 --> 00:01:08.480 And uh, you know, it just feels like as the years gone, I'm like, whoa, here we go. 00:01:08.640 --> 00:01:12.079 And today we're just talking about like the end of the world, you know. 00:01:12.719 --> 00:01:16.879 And the cool thing about it as a pastor, no one ever gets weird when you talk about the end of the world. 00:01:17.120 --> 00:01:19.519 Definitely not gonna get any emails this week. 00:01:19.760 --> 00:01:20.879 I can't wait. 00:01:21.120 --> 00:01:28.319 Um, we're we're gonna go today specifically through Matthew chapter 24 and a little bit of 25. 00:01:28.799 --> 00:01:46.159 And this is a section of scripture where Jesus does discuss the fact that history is heading somewhere, and there's a point where it's all gonna come to a head, and God is going to do what he's ultimately going to do with this world. 00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:52.959 That that this world, or Jesus might even say this this age, the world as we know it, we might say, that it is going to come to an end. 00:01:53.680 --> 00:01:58.640 And this is a section of scripture that has been talked about, debated about for centuries, for thousands of years. 00:01:58.719 --> 00:01:59.760 So it's it's challenging. 00:01:59.840 --> 00:02:03.439 Let's just get a few a few key things out of the way early. 00:02:03.920 --> 00:02:11.360 Matthew 24 is absolutely 100% about the time that we live in, and specifically the presidential election of 2024. 00:02:11.599 --> 00:02:15.280 Um, so that's clearly what it's about. 00:02:15.439 --> 00:02:17.520 So we just want to hyper focus on that, right? 00:02:17.680 --> 00:02:18.000 No. 00:02:18.319 --> 00:02:31.840 No, that's that's actually the one of the biggest challenges we have to say on the front end is we do have a tendency when we read anything like this to think about it in the context of the world that we live in and the current things going on in our world. 00:02:31.919 --> 00:02:32.319 That's normal. 00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:34.400 Jesus followers have been doing that for years. 00:02:34.639 --> 00:02:45.280 Part of it's healthy, part of it is actually us going, hey, maybe we are living in a time that is that kind of end time, and we want to be paying attention and looking around, that's great. 00:02:45.439 --> 00:02:48.719 But sometimes that can go really wacky and weird as well. 00:02:49.039 --> 00:02:50.639 We don't want to be wacky and weird. 00:02:50.879 --> 00:02:51.919 Do do we? 00:02:52.080 --> 00:02:52.879 Does anyone know? 00:02:53.120 --> 00:02:54.080 Good, I don't. 00:02:54.240 --> 00:02:55.759 Um, it's tough. 00:02:55.919 --> 00:03:02.240 Like Martin Luther, for example, if you're familiar with Martin Luther, 1500s, he's he's one of the most important figures in the history of our faith. 00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:05.520 Martin Luther preached on the end times a lot on Matthew chapter 24. 00:03:05.599 --> 00:03:17.039 We actually have Martin Luther's sermons on Matthew chapter 24, and in one of those, a phenomenal message, by the way, Martin Luther talked about the fact that in his mind they were living in these end times. 00:03:17.199 --> 00:03:19.520 He used that language, these end days. 00:03:19.680 --> 00:03:22.080 And that was 500 years ago. 00:03:22.319 --> 00:03:24.719 But if you were Martin Luther, it would have made sense. 00:03:24.960 --> 00:03:28.879 Because at that time in history, Martin Luther was in Germany. 00:03:29.199 --> 00:03:42.879 The Ottoman Empire, this huge Islamic Empire that was taking over the entirety of the Middle East and pushing into Europe, the Ottoman Empire got all the way to Vienna, Austria, which shares a border with Germany, like that was happening while Martin Luther was writing this. 00:03:42.960 --> 00:03:48.240 There's this massive empire and army conquering all this stuff and very opposed to the ideas of his faith. 00:03:48.400 --> 00:04:00.080 You had the Pope, which was persecuting uh Martin Luther and these reformed believers uh for all kinds of different things, and so you have religious persecution happening from what their perspective was, a very corrupt church. 00:04:00.240 --> 00:04:08.560 You had the plague, like the plague, the Black Death, that had come in the 1300s, but it came back in the 1500s, and Martin Luther is dealing with that. 00:04:08.639 --> 00:04:22.079 So if you're Martin Luther and it's the 1500s, and you've got a giant empire that's invading most of the Middle East and going into Europe, and you've got all this persecution coming from a corrupt religious system, and then you've also got, you know, a disease that kills about a third of the people who get it. 00:04:22.240 --> 00:04:26.240 I can see where you'd open up scripture and be like, it's happening. 00:04:26.480 --> 00:04:27.680 It's right now. 00:04:28.480 --> 00:04:32.879 It's just it's tough to predict these things, and Jesus actually is going to talk about that. 00:04:33.199 --> 00:04:34.879 So I just want to get that out of the way. 00:04:34.959 --> 00:04:36.240 We we don't know. 00:04:36.480 --> 00:04:43.839 And I know anytime we talk about stuff like this, especially in the season of the world that we're in right now, there's a lot of crazy stuff going on, and there's wars and stuff like that. 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:45.600 Jesus is going to address that. 00:04:45.680 --> 00:04:48.240 And I'm actually glad we're talking about this today because it gives us a context. 00:04:48.319 --> 00:04:49.199 So that's the first thing. 00:04:49.360 --> 00:04:55.439 We don't know, we don't know when some of these events that Jesus is going to talk about are gonna happen. 00:04:55.519 --> 00:04:56.160 We just don't know. 00:04:56.319 --> 00:04:58.160 Number two, this is a two-parter. 00:04:58.480 --> 00:05:00.879 Fred is gonna finish this up next Sunday. 00:05:00.959 --> 00:05:02.560 So here's what that means. 00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:04.399 I have no pressure. 00:05:05.600 --> 00:05:06.720 None at all. 00:05:07.120 --> 00:05:10.639 If I mess everything up, Fred has a chance to fix it. 00:05:10.959 --> 00:05:13.759 Uh but pray for Fred because he's got a lot of pressure. 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:21.279 Because if I do my job and I set it up for Fred and he whiffs next week, it's Fred's fault, not mine. 00:05:21.839 --> 00:05:23.120 So, now I'm teasing. 00:05:23.199 --> 00:05:26.399 I'm actually really excited to learn Fred next week, what you share on this. 00:05:26.639 --> 00:05:29.839 Um, I probably should have told you when I asked you to speak next week what we're talking about. 00:05:29.920 --> 00:05:30.399 My bad. 00:05:30.560 --> 00:05:32.240 But uh, we'll talk this week a lot. 00:05:32.319 --> 00:05:33.120 It'll be good. 00:05:33.360 --> 00:05:35.120 No, this is so it's a two-parter. 00:05:35.199 --> 00:05:38.800 You definitely want to be here next week, for sure. 00:05:39.279 --> 00:05:43.279 And and just understand, again, a little bit to that first point. 00:05:43.839 --> 00:05:45.439 This is tough stuff. 00:05:45.839 --> 00:05:52.000 And it's tough because there are all kinds of different potential interpretations of some of this that have merit. 00:05:52.160 --> 00:06:00.319 So as we go through this today, I'm gonna do my best to share with you what I think Jesus is is telling us and what we're really supposed to take away. 00:06:00.480 --> 00:06:02.079 But it's okay if you have disagreements. 00:06:02.160 --> 00:06:02.959 That's totally okay. 00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:05.600 We can love each other even if we don't agree about everything. 00:06:05.680 --> 00:06:09.040 Because if you're like, no, it is about the 2024 presidential election, absolutely. 00:06:09.199 --> 00:06:09.600 All right. 00:06:09.759 --> 00:06:10.240 Maybe. 00:06:10.319 --> 00:06:11.120 I don't know. 00:06:11.360 --> 00:06:13.120 I don't think it is, but maybe. 00:06:13.360 --> 00:06:14.240 We'll see. 00:06:14.480 --> 00:06:15.519 I'm just joking. 00:06:15.680 --> 00:06:17.279 I can feel a tension in the room. 00:06:17.360 --> 00:06:20.240 Anytime I talk about that, you're like, where is this gonna go? 00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:20.720 All right. 00:06:20.959 --> 00:06:23.439 Let's just read the entirety of Matthew 24 together. 00:06:23.600 --> 00:06:24.240 We good? 00:06:24.560 --> 00:06:25.519 All right, here we go. 00:06:25.759 --> 00:06:31.360 As Jesus was leaving the temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various temple buildings. 00:06:31.519 --> 00:06:33.279 And they're pointing it out to him like in awe. 00:06:33.360 --> 00:06:34.399 Like, can you can you believe that? 00:06:34.480 --> 00:06:35.600 Look how amazing that is. 00:06:35.839 --> 00:06:37.279 And here's what he says. 00:06:37.600 --> 00:06:39.920 Verse 2, he responded, Do you see all these buildings? 00:06:40.000 --> 00:06:43.279 I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. 00:06:43.439 --> 00:06:45.519 Not one stone will be left on top of another. 00:06:45.680 --> 00:06:48.639 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives, right outside of Jerusalem. 00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:54.000 His disciples came to him privately and said, Tell us, when will all this happen? 00:06:54.160 --> 00:06:57.360 What sign will signal your return and the end of the world? 00:06:57.519 --> 00:06:59.680 And Jesus told them, Don't let anyone mislead you. 00:06:59.920 --> 00:07:02.160 For many will come in my name, claiming I'm the Messiah. 00:07:02.240 --> 00:07:03.199 They'll deceive many. 00:07:03.439 --> 00:07:06.399 You'll hear of wars and threats of wars, but don't panic. 00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:10.560 Yes, these things must take place, but the end won't follow immediately. 00:07:10.879 --> 00:07:13.279 Nation will go to war against nation and kingdom against kingdom. 00:07:13.360 --> 00:07:15.920 There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:19.920 But all of this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come. 00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:25.279 Then you'll be arrested, persecuted, killed, you'll be hated all over the world because you're my followers. 00:07:25.439 --> 00:07:29.040 Many of you will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. 00:07:29.199 --> 00:07:36.319 Many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people, sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. 00:07:36.480 --> 00:07:39.279 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 00:07:39.439 --> 00:07:45.600 And the good news about the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it, and then the end will come. 00:07:45.839 --> 00:07:53.680 The day's coming when you will see what Daniel the Prophet spoke about, the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the holy place. 00:07:53.839 --> 00:07:55.360 Reader, pay attention. 00:07:55.600 --> 00:07:58.160 Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. 00:07:58.399 --> 00:08:04.319 A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack, a person out in the field must not return, even to get a coat. 00:08:04.480 --> 00:08:08.800 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. 00:08:09.040 --> 00:08:17.199 And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath, for there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began, and it will never be so great again. 00:08:17.439 --> 00:08:21.519 In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. 00:08:21.759 --> 00:08:24.399 But it will be shortened for the sake of God's chosen ones. 00:08:24.560 --> 00:08:28.319 Then if anyone tells you, look, here's the Messiah, or there he is, don't believe it. 00:08:28.480 --> 00:08:36.559 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones. 00:08:36.799 --> 00:08:39.360 See, I have warned you about this ahead of time. 00:08:39.600 --> 00:08:42.879 So if someone tells you, look, the Messiah is out in the desert, don't bother to go and look. 00:08:42.960 --> 00:08:44.240 Or look, he's hiding here. 00:08:44.399 --> 00:08:45.279 Don't believe it. 00:08:45.519 --> 00:08:50.399 For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so will it be when the Son of Man comes. 00:08:50.639 --> 00:08:56.559 Just as the gathering of vultures shows that there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near. 00:08:56.879 --> 00:09:04.399 Immediately after, the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 00:09:04.639 --> 00:09:17.200 And then at last the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great joy. 00:09:17.840 --> 00:09:25.759 And he will send out his angels with a mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world, from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven. 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:27.759 Oh, now learn a lesson from the fig tree. 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:31.200 When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. 00:09:31.279 --> 00:09:36.879 In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know that his return is very near, right at the door. 00:09:37.120 --> 00:09:42.159 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the steen until all these things take place. 00:09:42.399 --> 00:09:45.360 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear. 00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:48.399 However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen. 00:09:48.559 --> 00:09:51.759 Not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself, only the Father knows. 00:09:52.000 --> 00:09:54.879 When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day. 00:09:55.120 --> 00:10:00.799 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings, right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 00:10:00.960 --> 00:10:05.519 People didn't realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:07.919 This is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes. 00:10:08.080 --> 00:10:10.960 Two men will be working together in the field, one will be taken, the other left. 00:10:11.120 --> 00:10:14.879 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill, one will be taken, the other left. 00:10:15.039 --> 00:10:18.799 So you too must keep watch, for you don't know what day your Lord is coming. 00:10:19.039 --> 00:10:20.159 Understand this. 00:10:20.480 --> 00:10:25.679 If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 00:10:25.919 --> 00:10:30.320 You must also be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected. 00:10:30.559 --> 00:10:36.960 A faithful, sensible servant is one whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. 00:10:37.120 --> 00:10:40.320 If the master returns and finds the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. 00:10:40.480 --> 00:10:41.200 I tell you the truth. 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:43.919 The master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. 00:10:44.080 --> 00:10:55.440 But if the servant is evil and thinks my master won't be back for a while, and he begins beating the other servants, partying and getting drunk, the master will return unannounced and unexpected, and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. 00:10:55.519 --> 00:10:58.879 In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 00:11:00.080 --> 00:11:00.639 Sorry. 00:11:00.879 --> 00:11:02.399 I've done that like the last four weeks. 00:11:02.480 --> 00:11:06.399 Every time it ends with something really intense, if you just inflect on the upward, it sounds happy. 00:11:06.639 --> 00:11:09.519 So instead of the weeping and gnashing of teeth, it's the weeping and gnashing of teeth. 00:11:09.600 --> 00:11:11.360 And it ends on a more positive note. 00:11:11.600 --> 00:11:12.879 Now it's intense. 00:11:14.159 --> 00:11:15.679 Super glad I'm teaching on this today. 00:11:15.759 --> 00:11:16.720 I can't wait. 00:11:17.039 --> 00:11:18.399 Oh, so good. 00:11:19.360 --> 00:11:24.240 This is a really unbelievably interesting teaching of Jesus. 00:11:24.399 --> 00:11:25.759 It's fascinating. 00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:27.919 And I want to do our best to unpack it. 00:11:28.000 --> 00:11:28.720 And I want to start here. 00:11:28.799 --> 00:11:30.159 Let's start with the context. 00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:38.399 The context that brings this conversation up is the disciples marveling at the temple. 00:11:38.639 --> 00:11:40.159 They're like, Jesus, look at this. 00:11:40.240 --> 00:11:40.960 Isn't this amazing? 00:11:41.039 --> 00:11:53.039 The temple, you have to understand that the temple that Herod had rebuilt and reconstructed, known sometimes as Herod's Temple or the Second Temple, was like a marvel of the ancient world. 00:11:53.279 --> 00:11:57.519 We actually have uh, I'll show you guys a 3D model of the temple. 00:11:57.600 --> 00:12:00.559 We have all kinds of records of the temple from various historical sources. 00:12:00.639 --> 00:12:02.240 We have the ruins, and so we'll bring this up. 00:12:02.399 --> 00:12:06.159 This is like if uh if the temple was a PlayStation 2 game. 00:12:06.240 --> 00:12:07.120 Uh here you go. 00:12:07.279 --> 00:12:10.399 So this is what the courtyard would have looked like when you walked into the temple. 00:12:10.480 --> 00:12:13.679 This would have been, by the way, where Jesus was tossing tables and whatnot. 00:12:13.840 --> 00:12:18.080 Um, massive, as you can tell, absolutely massive in scale. 00:12:18.240 --> 00:12:23.840 All of these columns that you see were 37 and a half feet tall, made out of solid marble with gold at the top. 00:12:23.919 --> 00:12:26.240 You can just imagine being in a place like this. 00:12:26.639 --> 00:12:28.159 Absolutely unbelievable. 00:12:28.240 --> 00:12:30.000 There was nothing like this in all of Israel. 00:12:30.080 --> 00:12:37.279 This was one of the true wonders of the ancient world from an architectural standpoint, just in terms of the beauty of it and all of that. 00:12:37.440 --> 00:12:38.559 It was absolutely massive. 00:12:38.639 --> 00:12:45.279 As you would make your way closer and closer to the temple, the actual temple proper, you would get a sense of the scale. 00:12:45.519 --> 00:12:55.120 When you'd first walk into the original gate, you would be in uh what's often referred to as the the court of women, uh, because men were only permitted in the deepest parts. 00:12:55.279 --> 00:12:59.759 And you can even see just from the balcony of this how big just this courtyard is. 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:02.559 Again, absolutely massive. 00:13:02.720 --> 00:13:09.440 Uh as you would make your way up these 15 steps that led to the entrance to the main temple, again, unbelievably huge. 00:13:09.519 --> 00:13:13.600 And by the way, the entire face of that inner building that is gold. 00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:22.480 It's just so in the sunlight, it is beaming, it is shining, uh, absolutely breathtaking, absolutely just huge, massive. 00:13:22.720 --> 00:13:28.960 And so this is what the disciples are looking at when they're saying to Jesus, like, wow, isn't this incredible? 00:13:29.039 --> 00:13:30.159 Isn't this amazing? 00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:36.960 You know, this was in a sense, the temple embodied not just their faith, but also their like national pride. 00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:40.240 It made them proud to be Israelites. 00:13:40.720 --> 00:13:44.960 And Jesus just looks at it and goes, Yeah, that's not gonna last. 00:13:46.240 --> 00:13:48.000 That's that's all gonna come down. 00:13:48.879 --> 00:13:50.320 That is temporary. 00:13:51.279 --> 00:13:54.480 And the disciples, I'm sure, can't even fathom this. 00:13:54.879 --> 00:14:06.159 Now, something that's really interesting is a quick side note, is one of the things that's so beautiful about scripture, it's so beautiful about sections like this, is they give us a tremendous amount of confidence in what we read on a variety of different levels. 00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:17.279 For example, something very unique about the New Testament is the fact that the books that we have of the New Testament, the letters and the gospels, they were written very close to the original events, extremely close. 00:14:17.840 --> 00:14:23.519 And we have tons and tons of manuscript copies of those documents. 00:14:23.600 --> 00:14:28.320 So we can cross-reference them with lots of other versions and make sure that it's all accurate. 00:14:28.559 --> 00:14:31.120 It's very rare for ancient documents to be like this. 00:14:31.200 --> 00:14:38.399 For example, um, we actually talked about this on a podcast recently, Julius Caesar, if you've ever read any of Julius Caesar's writings, you know, for fun. 00:14:38.639 --> 00:14:44.720 Uh, the earliest copy we have of the writings of Julius Caesar are from a thousand years after he lived. 00:14:44.960 --> 00:14:46.960 Those are the earliest copies. 00:14:47.360 --> 00:14:56.960 And so we have to trust that, well, I'm hoping that nobody messed with these a bunch in the thousand years from when he lived to when we have this earliest version of his writings, but in all likelihood they did. 00:14:57.120 --> 00:15:04.320 The New Testament, we have hundreds and hundreds of copies that were all within a few decades of when these events took place. 00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:10.720 And one of the cool things about the book of Matthew is that it was likely written before what Jesus said would happen actually happened. 00:15:10.799 --> 00:15:11.360 In A.D. 00:15:11.519 --> 00:15:15.039 70, what Jesus said would happen to the temple happened. 00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:16.799 It was destroyed. 00:15:17.120 --> 00:15:26.159 Israel uh got into a skirmish with the Romans, which elevated and turned into a full-on siege of Jerusalem, and it was a horrible thing. 00:15:26.320 --> 00:15:34.080 Much of what Jesus is talking about here in Matthew 24 is directly referencing that event, which happened about 40 years after Jesus was crucified. 00:15:34.320 --> 00:15:41.279 The Romans waited until Passover when all of the Jewish people would gather in Jerusalem, and then they they absolutely besieged the city. 00:15:41.440 --> 00:15:44.639 They blockaded it, so no supplies could get in, no food could get in. 00:15:44.799 --> 00:15:46.240 This lasted for several years. 00:15:46.480 --> 00:15:48.720 Over a million Jewish people died. 00:15:49.360 --> 00:15:53.759 And when it was all over, the temple was completely and totally flattened. 00:15:54.559 --> 00:15:58.159 But when Matthew wrote this, that hadn't happened yet. 00:15:58.960 --> 00:16:01.600 For example, I'll show you a couple interesting things in the book of Matthew. 00:16:01.679 --> 00:16:04.559 Matthew chapter 27, verses 6 through 10. 00:16:04.879 --> 00:16:08.480 Um, this is talking about what happens after Judas betrays Jesus. 00:16:08.559 --> 00:16:10.320 So, spoiler alert, that's going to happen. 00:16:10.399 --> 00:16:11.759 And uh, but it's been a few thousand years. 00:16:11.840 --> 00:16:13.440 We should know that story for the most part. 00:16:13.600 --> 00:16:19.840 And so when Judas betrays Jesus, he gets paid by the priests, but then he comes and he throws the coins back because he feels so guilty. 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:22.320 And it says that the leading priest picked up the coins. 00:16:22.480 --> 00:16:27.519 It wouldn't be right to put this money in the temple treasury, they said, since it was payment for murder. 00:16:27.759 --> 00:16:36.159 After some discussion, they finally decided to buy the potter's field and they made it into a cemetery for foreigners, and that is why the field is still called the field of blood. 00:16:36.320 --> 00:16:45.679 This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah that says they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price at which he was valued by the people of Israel, and purchased the potter's field as the Lord directed. 00:16:45.919 --> 00:16:50.480 Matthew chapter 28, it's another story that takes place around the crucifixion of Jesus. 00:16:50.720 --> 00:16:59.519 It says that as the women were on their way, this is after the resurrection, some of the guards went into the city and told the leading priests what had happened about Jesus being resurrected and raised to life. 00:16:59.679 --> 00:17:03.919 A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe. 00:17:04.160 --> 00:17:08.799 They told the soldiers, You must say Jesus' disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body. 00:17:08.960 --> 00:17:12.559 If the governor hears about it, we'll stand up for you so you won't get in trouble. 00:17:12.720 --> 00:17:15.200 So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. 00:17:24.240 --> 00:17:28.720 You know, his story, his narrative of what happened to say, and then this happened. 00:17:28.960 --> 00:17:29.279 Right? 00:17:29.440 --> 00:17:35.839 So he talks about the priest buying the potter's field, and then he kind of breaks from his narrative and says, and this is why it's still called that to this day. 00:17:36.000 --> 00:17:41.119 Because the events he was writing about were years ago, and he's writing from the perspective of what was happening in his time. 00:17:41.279 --> 00:17:42.160 He does the same thing there. 00:17:42.319 --> 00:17:44.079 He says, That's why this still happens today. 00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:52.559 Multiple times, Matthew will break in his storytelling and say, Hey, by the way, this has happened and this fulfilled the scripture, but he doesn't do that with the destruction of the temple. 00:17:54.000 --> 00:17:56.720 Because when he's writing this, that hasn't happened yet. 00:17:57.039 --> 00:18:05.839 If it had happened, he would have stopped and said, and all of this was fulfilled in what Jesus said when he said, Not one stone will be on top of another. 00:18:06.160 --> 00:18:09.039 So Matthew wrote this before this had even happened. 00:18:09.200 --> 00:18:18.400 Jesus made an unbelievably bold prediction that this whole thing is going to come down, and it happened within the time period that Jesus said it would happen. 00:18:18.720 --> 00:18:21.440 Jesus' prophecies came true. 00:18:21.759 --> 00:18:23.839 Okay, now let's address another idea. 00:18:24.000 --> 00:18:32.799 What you have to understand in dealing with Matthew 24, what makes it so difficult for me or for anybody else, is that we're dealing with like multiple threads of information here. 00:18:32.960 --> 00:18:39.680 Like, think about it almost like three threads that are braided together to make one cord or something like that. 00:18:39.920 --> 00:18:40.960 It's not just one idea. 00:18:41.119 --> 00:18:46.960 The disciples, they ask this in Matthew 24, 1 through 3. 00:18:47.039 --> 00:18:47.279 Okay? 00:18:47.359 --> 00:18:52.960 It says, as Jesus was leaving the temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various temple buildings, and he responded, Do you see all these buildings? 00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:58.079 I tell you the truth, they'll be completely demolished, not one stone will be left on top of another. 00:18:58.240 --> 00:19:00.000 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. 00:19:00.079 --> 00:19:03.759 His disciples came to him privately and said, Tell us, when will all this happen? 00:19:03.920 --> 00:19:07.279 What sign will signal your return and the end of the world? 00:19:07.440 --> 00:19:09.519 They asked Jesus this like it's one thing. 00:19:09.759 --> 00:19:22.640 Jesus says, Hey, this temple's gonna get destroyed, and in their mind, the only scenario they could think about that even being possible in would be, okay, well, this would be like the end of the world and the return of the Messiah and all these other things. 00:19:22.720 --> 00:19:27.759 So tell us, when's that gonna happen and what's the sign gonna be that you're gonna come back and the end of the world and all of that? 00:19:27.920 --> 00:19:29.759 They think it's one thing. 00:19:30.240 --> 00:19:32.000 But it's it's multiple things. 00:19:32.240 --> 00:19:40.799 And so Jesus responds, and his answer, he doesn't just go like, okay, well, let me break this down for you guys, and he gets a chart out and he says, all right, step one, here we go. 00:19:40.960 --> 00:19:42.000 He doesn't do that. 00:19:42.319 --> 00:19:55.119 This is something we have to accept as Jesus followers, as just really followers of God, that God never really makes it a massive priority for us to understand exactly what's gonna happen, when it's gonna happen. 00:19:55.440 --> 00:19:57.519 That's just not the way he does things. 00:19:57.920 --> 00:20:02.400 He's okay with some mystery, he's okay with some unanswered questions. 00:20:02.640 --> 00:20:05.680 We have a tendency to be like, hey, hey, well, when's that gonna happen? 00:20:05.759 --> 00:20:06.000 How? 00:20:06.079 --> 00:20:06.960 Tell me more, tell me more. 00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:13.519 But God is comfortable, Jesus is very comfortable with like saying, and that's all that's all I can tell you. 00:20:14.480 --> 00:20:18.480 And there's negatives to that from our perspective, and there's definitely positives as well. 00:20:18.559 --> 00:20:20.160 And he's purposeful in everything that he does. 00:20:20.319 --> 00:20:23.279 But for the disciples, they think this is one thing, like end of the world, when's it gonna happen? 00:20:23.359 --> 00:20:31.440 But Jesus answers their question, and in some verses, he's talking about the destruction of Jerusalem, in other verses, he's talking about things which will take place later than that. 00:20:31.920 --> 00:20:41.119 And so you have to understand this is like multiple answers to a question to multiple questions that the disciples think is one question, but it's actually multiple questions. 00:20:41.279 --> 00:20:44.240 It's all braided together, which makes it kind of tough to parcel out. 00:20:44.319 --> 00:20:50.720 And look, we know this because, for example, Jesus is not saying, hey, when I return, run away. 00:20:51.519 --> 00:20:55.039 Like he doesn't say, hey, when I come back, run to the hills. 00:20:56.000 --> 00:21:00.960 So, what's he talking about whenever he says, When I return, run to the hills? 00:21:01.119 --> 00:21:01.440 What's that? 00:21:01.519 --> 00:21:03.839 Well, that was about the destruction of Jerusalem. 00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:05.680 And here's something really interesting. 00:21:07.359 --> 00:21:11.680 What Jesus was saying to do is the opposite of what you should do if an army was coming to invade. 00:21:11.759 --> 00:21:16.880 In their time, if an army was coming to invade, you ran to the most fortified city near you, that would have been Jerusalem. 00:21:17.039 --> 00:21:22.079 Jerusalem had walls, Jerusalem had soldiers and supplies, Jerusalem was ready to outlast that. 00:21:22.160 --> 00:21:25.039 If you were just out on your own, you have no chance of survival normally. 00:21:25.200 --> 00:21:28.480 So when Jesus says, hey, when some stuff goes down, you need to run. 00:21:28.559 --> 00:21:30.799 Don't even go get your coat, just go. 00:21:32.799 --> 00:21:37.599 The church in Jerusalem at that time listened to the words of Jesus. 00:21:37.839 --> 00:21:49.519 And when the Romans came, they left the city and they actually moved to a town called Palah, and that is why the early Christians were not wiped out in that area. 00:21:49.759 --> 00:21:52.960 Because they recognized this is what Jesus said would happen. 00:21:53.119 --> 00:21:56.000 And instead of staying in Jerusalem like everybody else, they left. 00:21:56.559 --> 00:21:59.759 They did exactly what Jesus said to do, and it's why the early church in that area. 00:22:00.640 --> 00:22:01.519 Survived. 00:22:01.759 --> 00:22:04.480 They weren't part of that massacre. 00:22:04.720 --> 00:22:06.079 Because they listened to what Jesus said. 00:22:06.160 --> 00:22:14.079 So I say that because we have to understand that there's parts of what Jesus is saying that are about the destruction of Jerusalem, which happened in 70 AD, and there's parts of it that are about things that haven't happened yet. 00:22:14.240 --> 00:22:24.079 And sometimes when we read it, we have a tendency, like the disciples, to lump it all into this one idea, and it can get kind of confusing and kind of stressful. 00:22:25.519 --> 00:22:34.559 And I would be lying to you if I said, hey, I have perfectly unpacked it all, and I can tell you exactly which ones are about that, which is it's not how it works. 00:22:34.880 --> 00:22:47.359 Many people have tried, and there's some really interesting stuff you can read and listen to, and I am certain we will do a follow-up podcast on that this week and talk about it in more detail because there's no way to get to all of it, but just know it's all kind of threaded together. 00:22:48.319 --> 00:22:55.759 Jesus is answering it and he's talking, he kind of goes on tangents and then kind of brings it back, and that's the way we talk as people, and that's what Jesus does there as well. 00:22:56.319 --> 00:22:58.880 Now, all that to say, it's a lot of setup. 00:22:59.200 --> 00:23:04.240 Remember, this is a two-parter, so Fred, so far it feels like you have your work cut out for you next week, all right? 00:23:05.599 --> 00:23:07.440 I want to leave us with some takeaways. 00:23:08.400 --> 00:23:08.480 Okay? 00:23:09.119 --> 00:23:11.279 A few major takeaways from this. 00:23:11.680 --> 00:23:17.920 Number one, this is what Jesus is really trying to get us to do is be attentive. 00:23:18.240 --> 00:23:19.200 Be attentive. 00:23:19.599 --> 00:23:20.960 Jesus is saying, pay attention. 00:23:21.039 --> 00:23:27.200 By the way, most terrifying question you can be asked as a married man is uh by your wife, are you paying attention? 00:23:27.680 --> 00:23:31.839 Which is generally followed by the question, well then what did I just say? 00:23:32.079 --> 00:23:34.880 Um I don't know if any of you guys have ever been in that mode before. 00:23:35.039 --> 00:23:35.599 It's the worst. 00:23:35.680 --> 00:23:42.000 That happened to me the other day, and it's not it's not actually fair, by the way, ladies, if you do that to your husbands, it's not fair. 00:23:42.319 --> 00:23:45.039 Because you guys communicate very differently than we do, typically. 00:23:45.119 --> 00:23:53.839 I know I'm being stereotypical here and making generalities, but it is generally true that, like, you know, if my wife asks me what happened at your meeting, I'll give her a summary. 00:23:54.079 --> 00:23:57.279 I will be like, well, we talked about this, this, and this, and we decided this. 00:23:57.440 --> 00:24:10.079 But if Megan tells me about a dinner, she's like, and then they said this, and then I said this, and then, and I'm like, oh, I didn't realize I was getting a full reenactment of the conversation, and I have to step into a different level of focus for that, okay? 00:24:10.400 --> 00:24:19.440 So maybe I'm the only one, but the phrase, pay attention, pay attention, remember these words, that it's like, I have to get into a certain mode. 00:24:20.160 --> 00:24:20.960 That's how I am. 00:24:21.920 --> 00:24:22.640 Pay attention. 00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:24.160 Jesus wants us to listen. 00:24:24.319 --> 00:24:27.680 He wants us to pay attention, to listen closely. 00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:37.519 As believers, we we are supposed to be deeply attentive to what Jesus has said and what is happening in the world. 00:24:37.680 --> 00:24:42.799 Now, here's the the challenge is being attentive is not the same thing as being afraid. 00:24:45.759 --> 00:24:48.000 We're not supposed to build bunkers. 00:24:48.960 --> 00:24:55.039 That's not like, I mean, you can build a bunker for other reasons, that's fine, but not because of what Jesus says here. 00:24:55.200 --> 00:25:00.640 Like the takeaway of this is not like, cool, uh, alright, I'm I'm building my my safe house or whatever. 00:25:00.720 --> 00:25:02.799 That's not that's not the takeaway that he has here at all. 00:25:02.880 --> 00:25:05.200 We're not supposed to read this and be afraid. 00:25:07.039 --> 00:25:11.119 We're also not to be obsessed, and I think this is where it gets really challenging. 00:25:11.359 --> 00:25:16.079 Because there's a difference between being attentive and being obsessed. 00:25:16.880 --> 00:25:26.319 And when when you get obsessed with the end times stuff, it can get a little a little, it just gets a little kooky. 00:25:26.640 --> 00:25:27.440 And it's not good. 00:25:27.519 --> 00:25:31.119 It's not good for you or for anyone around you at all. 00:25:32.480 --> 00:25:43.680 There was a guy that uh used to have a really big following, and he was kind of a big end times guy, like had a national following, and it was always like everything happened in the world. 00:25:43.759 --> 00:25:45.680 He's always like, that's it, it's happening, it's that. 00:25:45.839 --> 00:25:47.279 And then the next week, no, it's that. 00:25:47.440 --> 00:25:48.319 There it is, it's happening. 00:25:48.400 --> 00:25:54.000 You know, every major news headline, every war, every little thing like that, it was always like, there it is, it's happening now, it's happening. 00:25:54.240 --> 00:26:02.000 And growing up, like he was always kind of on in my house, and uh, and my little brother and I were talking about him like a couple weeks ago. 00:26:02.160 --> 00:26:03.119 Like, what happened to that guy? 00:26:03.200 --> 00:26:06.960 And we looked it up, and he passed away in February of 2020. 00:26:08.880 --> 00:26:11.519 Right before COVID. 00:26:11.759 --> 00:26:14.400 And I was like, I bet God was like, we gotta get him out of there. 00:26:14.559 --> 00:26:17.200 Like, he's not, he can't handle it. 00:26:17.359 --> 00:26:25.519 He's gotta, we gotta, like, out of love for him was like, we gotta bring him home because he's not gonna know what to do in this season, you know. 00:26:27.119 --> 00:26:38.799 I was probably offensive, but I was just, it brought me some joy because I mean he was like so obsessed with it that you would God out of love would have been like, this is this we have to bring home because this this will kill him. 00:26:39.039 --> 00:26:46.480 Um when you get obsessed with this stuff, it it almost always goes poorly. 00:26:47.119 --> 00:26:49.839 Because being attentive and being obsessed are not the same thing. 00:26:51.279 --> 00:27:02.319 As believers, we're not supposed to obsess over every little thing happening in the world, which is easy to do in a 24-hour news world and uh with constant videos on YouTube about every little thing. 00:27:02.559 --> 00:27:03.519 It's easy to do. 00:27:03.920 --> 00:27:07.440 We're supposed to be attentive, but not obsessed. 00:27:07.759 --> 00:27:10.960 In fact, Jesus, part of paying attention is to avoid distractions. 00:27:11.920 --> 00:27:17.839 That's actually another little point here is we're supposed to be attentive, but number two, we're supposed to avoid distractions. 00:27:18.240 --> 00:27:22.079 There are certain things that happen in the world and they're not the thing. 00:27:22.400 --> 00:27:23.680 They're just distractions. 00:27:23.839 --> 00:27:27.200 Jesus said, hey, there will be wars and rumors of wars, and that stuff. 00:27:27.279 --> 00:27:28.799 That's just the birth pains. 00:27:29.519 --> 00:27:33.200 Like, don't get obsessed with that stuff. 00:27:33.359 --> 00:27:36.079 Don't over-fixate on that stuff. 00:27:36.400 --> 00:27:43.440 That stuff is gonna happen, it has to happen, but those are just sort of reminders that the bigger thing is about to happen. 00:27:43.599 --> 00:27:47.200 And so we have to remember this very much, I think, as Americans in the season that we're in right now. 00:27:47.359 --> 00:27:50.000 Like, um anybody here like really into politics? 00:27:50.079 --> 00:27:50.640 Just raise your hand. 00:27:51.039 --> 00:27:52.799 If you are, it's okay, this is not gonna get shamed. 00:27:52.960 --> 00:27:54.880 Anyone here not really into politics? 00:27:55.039 --> 00:27:59.759 Anyone undecided on the 2024 election and would like me as your pastor to tell you who to vote for. 00:27:59.839 --> 00:28:00.880 Anyone want that at all? 00:28:01.200 --> 00:28:01.599 Right? 00:28:01.920 --> 00:28:02.240 No. 00:28:04.319 --> 00:28:05.920 And I wouldn't anyway. 00:28:08.559 --> 00:28:22.480 So, you know, all the stuff that happens in our world, which which heightens in in these seasons, maybe, maybe it's the most important stuff in the world, and we just have to like, hey, this is we gotta give all of our attention to, or maybe a lot of it is just noise. 00:28:23.599 --> 00:28:32.400 And it's the kind of stuff that Jesus was referencing when he said, hey, there's gonna be all this stuff, and you're gonna be tempted to be like, hey, oh, oh, this this is the Messiah coming back. 00:28:32.960 --> 00:28:34.960 And don't just stop. 00:28:36.799 --> 00:28:38.079 Keep your head on string. 00:28:38.960 --> 00:28:41.440 And sometimes we we don't know as people, we have to use discernment. 00:28:41.519 --> 00:28:43.279