The Olivet Discourse - Part 02

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Turn with me to Mark chapter 13, and we are going to pick up at verse 14, but before we do that I feel the need to at least give some preliminary thoughts to remind us of what we have learned thus far, because this subject is a big one and one that is often wrought with confusion.
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The Olivet Discourse refers to the teaching that Jesus gave on the
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Mount of Olives opposite the temple after his apostles made a reference to the grand nature of the temple.
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So if you look back at chapter 13 verse 1, we are reminded of that when it says, And as he came out of the temple one of the disciples said to him,
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Look teacher, what beautiful stones and what wonderful buildings. And Jesus said to him, Do you see these great buildings?
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There will not be one left, excuse me, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.
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And we we made the point last week that that was from the lips of Christ a prophetic utterance.
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So Jesus gives in verse 2, excuse me, Jesus gives in verse 2 a prophecy, and I am convinced that the prophecy that Jesus gives in that verse relates to the destruction of Jerusalem which occurred in AD 70.
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In AD 70, after a period of about three years of battles and wars and different things that had happened, the
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Roman armies under Titus made their way into Jerusalem, destroyed and laid to waste millions of lives and all of the temple complex.
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And Jesus's prophecy was, I said millions of lives, I would say about a million
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I think is what we said last week when we looked at the numbers of how many probably were killed that at that point.
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So I don't want to exaggerate that but it was a large amount. And the temple itself absolutely destroyed.
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Last week we read from Josephus who is the Jewish historian who wrote at that time, you remember he was a he had been captured by Rome and he became somewhat of a go -between between the
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Jews and the and he wrote a history of what happened and he wrote about the things that he saw and much of what we know about first century history outside of the
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Bible comes to us from these extra biblical writers including Josephus. So we're very grateful for what we have been given down through the history and the things that have been preserved for us.
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And so when Jesus says not one stone will be left upon another that will not be thrown down, that's what happened.
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The temple was completely destroyed. And so the next portion of the text in Mark's gospel beginning at verse 3 down to the end of the chapter is
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Jesus's discourse that he gives after that. So based upon mere context alone we can at least come to the conclusion that what
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Jesus is saying in verses 3 down to verse 37 at least would have something to do with the prophecy that was just made.
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And that by itself is hugely debated because some people believe that the
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Olivet discourse meaning verses 3 through verse 37 are looking forward to something else.
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It's looking forward to something in the future. Those who believe that are called futurists.
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They have a futurist interpretation of the Olivet discourse. Our elders take what's called a preteristic view which means that preterism means something that happened in the past.
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That's what the word preterism comes from. It comes from the Latin which refers to something in the past and basically means that we understand the things that are written in this discourse to be in the future of those who heard it but in our past.
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So yes it was prophetic from the sense of the hearers but those who heard it experienced it.
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Jesus said this is going to happen and it's going to happen in this particular time and it did happen in that particular time.
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Now you'll remember last week I mentioned that there are many higher critical scholars who use this text as a way to debunk
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Jesus. They will say that Bertrand Russell, I mentioned him last week, Bertrand Russell argues that Jesus was a false prophet because the things he said in the
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Olivet discourse did not take place according to Bertrand Russell. He said these things didn't happen and therefore
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Jesus is a false prophet. And so the solution to that has been one of two ways.
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Either the futurist interpretation is it's still yet to come therefore Jesus isn't a false prophet or we need to understand what he said in light of what did happen and interpret what he said in light of what we know did take place.
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And so there's two ways to look at this and as I said we are convinced here of the preteristic view.
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Not full preterism. Full preterism is a view we don't hold to and the issue with full preterism says that everything took place in the first century including the resurrection.
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We don't believe that because we believe the resurrection, the future resurrection is still to come. That's why we would call ourselves partial preterists.
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Is everybody thoroughly confused now? All right so with that being said we look last week at verses 3 through 13.
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I explained how I understand these things being fulfilled during the time of the the
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Olivet Discourse and I also made this little note. In three weeks we're doing our annual
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Bible conference here. We only do one a year. We do our annual conference in March every year.
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Brother Andy, Brother Mike and I preach the conference and this year we just happen to be doing end times. It just happens to be the subject that we're doing.
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It's not trust me this is not something we deal with a lot. It just happens to be this year that was the subject and Brother Mike is going to be giving an exposition of the
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Olivet Discourse. So much of what I'm saying he's going to say again and he's going to say a little deeper further things than what
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I'm doing. I'm intentionally sort of staying up here to allow him to to drill down a little bit further so that I don't rob him of the opportunity to do that.
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You know you guys may think everything just sort of happens haphazardly but we actually do plan stuff.
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The Lord is working and we are planning and we're working along hopefully according to his spirit. Just this afternoon in our elders meeting we all went through what we're going to be teaching on.
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I'm going to be teaching on the Millennium. Mike's going to be teaching on the Tribulation which is this and Brother Andy is going to be teaching on the
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Eternal State which is what happens after judgment. So really looking forward to that two days of study and I hope you guys are planning to be here.
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So with that let's begin. Let's read from verse 3 to verse 13 just to remind ourselves of what we looked at last week and then we're going to pick up with some commentary at verse 14.
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So beginning at verse 3 it says, and as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple
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Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, tell us when will these things be and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?
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Important there there are two questions not just one and we'll talk a little bit about that later. And Jesus began to say to them see that no one leads you astray many will come in my name saying
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I am he and they will lead many astray and when you hear of wars and rumors of wars do not be alarmed this must take place but the end is not yet for nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom there will be earthquakes in various places there will be famines these are but the beginning of the birth pains but be on your guard for they will deliver you over to councils and you will be beaten in synagogues and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake to bear witness before them and the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations and when they bring you to trial and deliver you over do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say but say whatever is given you in that hour for it is not you who speak but the
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Holy Spirit and brother will deliver brother over to death and the father his child and the children will rise against parents and have them put to death and you will be hated by all for my name's sake but the one who endures to the end will be saved so that's where we ended last week if you have questions about that section that I won't have time to get to tonight you can always go back and listen to last week's lesson or you can ask me after we're done tonight but I do want to move on for the sake of time only simply saying this
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I did mention one thing last week I want to reiterate much of what we just read is an outline of Acts you know being taken before governors being beaten and persecuted
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I mean Paul's life at the toward the end of his life he says this is what I endured so much of this we can actually see taking place in the life of the
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Apostles so we get to verse 14 and this really interesting phrase comes into view the phrase is the abomination of desolation the abomination of desolation it says in verse 14 but when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be let the reader understand then let those who are in the
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Judea or in Judea flee to the mountains let the one who's on the housetop not go down or enter his house to take anything out and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak and alas for women who are pregnant and for and and for those who are nursing infants in those days pray that it might not happen in winter for in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now and never will be and if the
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Lord had not cut short the days no human being would be saved but for the sake of the elect whom he chose he shortened the days and then if anyone says to you look here's the
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Christ or look there he is do not believe it for false Christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders to lead astray if possible the elect but be on guard
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I have told you all things beforehand now we'll stop there verse 23 just for a moment and I'll make some comments first on this subject of the abomination of desolation this is a reference to a phrase which is given to us in the book of Daniel so we first are introduced to this phrase abomination of desolation in the book of Daniel in fact not in this text but if you were to look at the parallel text in Matthew's gospel he says that he says in verse this is verse 15 of Matthew 24 he says so when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the
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Prophet Daniel right so that's that's very clear and so we know that this is something that has an
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Old Testament prophetic point there's a prophecy pointing forward and this is where things get kind of complicated because it is fairly understood that what
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Daniel was actually looking toward was something that had already taken place in the time of Christ and that was the destruction by Antiochus Epiphanes and so the abomination of desolation that Daniel is talking about is often pointed to the destruction of Antiochus and so people say well if that's the case how can
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Jesus say it's still coming and this brings us to the question of what we talked about last week about having multiple fulfillments and one of the words that I like and I do think this is a good word brother
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Mike uses this as well and that is the word motif that may sound like an odd word but I wanted to just introduce it to you for a moment with the idea that what we have is we have a motif of a type of person a type that would rise up and bring destruction
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Antiochus certainly fits that type and there are others who fit that type the other phrase that we see in the book of Daniel is the phrase the little horn right the little horn that does these damaging things we see that phrase pop up again in the book of Revelation and so the question is okay what's he talking about when
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Jesus says the abomination of desolation because because if if we are correct since we are correct if we're correct to say that this is referring to AD 70 then we have to have something to point to and this if that is correct
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Jesus is saying this is the thing to watch for notice the way he said it he says but when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be notice it's a he it's a it's given the personal pronoun masculine he and then it says let the reader understand it talking about someone the abomination of desolation is a person right and then he says don't go back into Jerusalem flee to the mountains run for your lives when you see this happen run for your lives now that leads to the question what's he talking about what could he be talking about well again
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I don't want to get too much into what brother Mike's going to teach on but there are different different interpretations of what may be talking about but whatever it is it's the catalyst point that many
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Christians in the first century saw and ran many
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Christians were not in Jerusalem during the time of the destruction but had already gone out and made their way out of Jerusalem because of this very prophecy because they saw they discerned what was happening based upon the warnings of Christ and based upon the warnings of Christ they ran and rightfully so because what was going to happen was
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Titus's armies were going to surround Jerusalem nobody could run once that happened by the way that's why if someone says well
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Titus and his destruction is the abomination of desolation well maybe but if that's already happening then you don't have time to run get it so who is the abomination of desolation brother
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Mike believes that it's a man called John of Gisgala I am going to try to write that I don't think I'll spell it right and but John of Gisgala was a
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Jewish man who claimed to be the Messiah he went in to the temple and he laid to waste many people's lives and did some terrible things and it was one of the things that was early on that could have given rise to the next few things that happened and therefore this man and I again
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I'm gonna let Mike explain better but if he is what is being in reference here that would be the okay we see it happening it's time to go it's time to run could that be
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I think it's possible I am I'm not certain what did
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I say last week I said it's certain things I'm gonna say I don't know for sure and if you can't be satisfied with me not knowing everything then ask
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Andy because he knows everything but on this we can say certain things right this is a man who's going to do something he's going to set something up in the temple set himself up as Messiah we see that there's going to be people call themselves
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Messiah false Christ claiming that they're Christ these things are going to happen and there's going to be destruction that comes desolation that comes as a result and there are many people in the first century who claim to be
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Messiah there were many false Christ and again that's another reason why when I see this text it's Jesus say many are going to come in my name and say
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I'm he and this that happened I mean literally you can there is historical evidence of Gnostic Messiah's and false
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Messiah's from all different regions and areas who came in to claim many of them were killed only one came back though keep that in mind only one one who claimed to be
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Messiah rose from the dead many of them were killed but only one came back that's
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Christ the true Messiah all right so this idea of the abomination of desolation now if you take a futurist approach here's here's where this you may have heard this before and I want to just address this if you take a futurist approach and you say the
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Olivet discourse and everything Jesus is saying has yet to take place then you have to believe that another temple is going to be built because that's what it says when you see the abomination standing we ought not to be and that's referring to the holy place that says in Matthew's gospel the parallel passage the holy place being the temple right so how many of you have heard and if you've come from a dispensational background you've heard this how many of you have heard there's another temple coming right that's and because it has to because to fit in that model you have to have another temple coming and and you know that's that's the that's the part where people will say to me sometimes because people will make assumptions about eschatology they'll say pastor when do you think the next temple is going to be built and I say
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I don't think it has to be I don't think because I think this was already fulfilled right so I don't think another temple has to be built right and they'll say wait a minute no it has to be and the reason why they say it has to be is because they're automatically assuming an understanding of this text based upon a futurist approach if you automatically assume a futurist understanding then you're going to read into the text things that it doesn't say and it doesn't say that another temple is going to be built with you but it has to be if it's a futurist understanding so that's where some of these things that we come up with are just their assumptions and again if all we've ever heard and I tell you
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I grew up on Tim LaHaye man I went to a I went to Jacksonville Baptist Theological Seminary the holy dispensational capital of Jacksonville right
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I spent seven years in seminary here in Jacksonville doing all the different classes and took eschatology one two and three and was told that if I didn't believe in dispensational premillennialism and a pre tribulation rapture and all that goes with it that I was just absolutely wrong and I was a liberal not only was
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I wrong I was a liberal because I took an approach that wasn't the towing that line but again when you start asking questions okay if the if the abomination desolation could be in the temple there ain't no temple over there right now and they say well the temple is gonna be rebuilt right so that's a question right or if you do take the idea of the temple being the people of God well then maybe the person rises up in the church right that could be another way of understanding it
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I think that may be even reasonable if you take a futurist approach doesn't have to be a rebuilt temple but again there's issues that come along with that I said
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I was going to finish tonight so I guess I better kick it into gear a little so verse 14 again is one of the verses that's very debated but Jesus is giving a warning he's saying when you see this happen when you see this happen know that it's time to get out it's time to make haste oh by the way something
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RC Sproul points out about this text I think is very interesting he said that it was really it was before this before 8070
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Christianity was really seen by the by the outside world as a subset of Judaism and you think of that right like Christianity was basically considered to be like a subset of you but he said after 8070 it was its own thing so there really is a sense in which 8070 changes the landscape of how people see the
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Christian faith no longer is it just a group of Jews but now it's encompassing not just the
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Jews it's not just a subset of Judaism and I just thought that was an interesting point because again I've said for years 8070 is a watershed moment in history what's funny when
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I was in seminary again I was there all those years they never said anything about it it was like it because it didn't matter because what mattered was the future with it what happened the past doesn't matter and that was the part that always bothered me he's like you never you didn't talk about this huge thing that happened like Jesus said it was gonna
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I mean if nothing else what he says in verse 2 has to be fulfilled in 8070 right we're not one stones gonna be left upon another absolutely that's fulfilled how are we not all just screaming
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Jesus the greatest prophet ever right he said this is gonna happen and it happened like within the lifetime of the people who were standing there it happened sorry
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I get excited all right so verse 24 it says but in those days after the tribulation the
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Sun will be darkened the moon will not give its light and the stars will fall from heaven and powers in the heavens will be shaken and then they will see the
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Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory and then he will send out the angels to gather his elect from the four winds and from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven from the fig tree learn its lesson as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves you know that summer is near so also when you see these things taking place you know that he is near at the very gates truly
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I say to you this generation will not pass away until all these things take place heaven and earth will pass away but my words will not pass away so the battle line has a very simple demarcation point and the battle line is this generation because that is a time stamp that is a time stamp a generation in Jewish understanding was a 40 -year period and by the way
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I can't get it out of my mind that Jesus is right around year 30 when he's saying this some people think he was it was 33
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I don't think so because he wasn't born in year 0 Jesus was born before the death of Herod and Herod died in 4
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BC so Jesus was not born in year 0 he was born before that so if he's around it's around the year 28 29 30 some around there okay so Jesus says around the year 30 this generation will not pass away 40 years later the destruction the temple comes so here is where the debate comes in the debate comes in with well what does this generation mean
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John MacArthur who I love so anything anytime I disagree with John MacArthur I have to stop
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I have to hold my breath and I have to wait and make sure no one's gonna throw anything at me
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John MacArthur is great but he ain't always right neither am
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I he is convinced that this term this generation refers to a generation that is alive when this begins and when it ends so that again if you look at it from a future perspective when you see the abomination of desolation that's the generation whatever's coming that will be the generation that sees it end right so it's not this generation that he's in but it's a future generation that it will be a part of right that makes sense no no no no no that's
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I know what you're talking about no he's saying like like for instance when the Jews returned to Israel in 1948 so many people were convinced that Jesus was on his way back within 40 years because they thought that starts the time clock that starts the generational time clock so there was a book that was written 88 reasons
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Jesus will return in 1988 that because they that was the generation they thought that's the generation
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Jesus was talking about right so when he said this generation will not pass away he wasn't talking about the generation he was in he was talking about a future generation that was still yet to come and how would they know it would start will be this abomination of desolation that would start the that would start the clock right
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I mean it's reasonable I don't agree but I get what he's saying right
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I mean other people see generation to mean race which it never means that by race
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I don't mean like different skin colors or anything but race as a sense believers will not pass away until these things take place like a type of people like that's that that one again
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I don't I really don't like that interpretation but that is one that's often pushed is that this generation referring to this type of people this believing this believing race or believing sect will not pass away
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I I don't really I don't I don't I don't wanna say
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I don't give it any credit but I just I don't agree I don't think that's that's it again
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I think I think it's means what it says and I don't mean that to be too simplified but I think
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Jesus was talking to a group of people and when he said this generation he was referring to the group of people he was talking to but here's where the hard part is he just said he's coming with the clouds and he's going to gather the elect and there's going to be signs and wonders in heaven and therefore he couldn't be and this is where Bertrand Russell said see he's a false prophet he said he was going to come back in one generation
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Jesus didn't come back therefore Jesus is a liar right so you have the this generation again this is the this is the part the only the only part that's harder than this is when
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Jesus says no man knows a day of the hour and that's coming that's like the next verse so it's like like they put it all and then put it all together and the reason why
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I say that part's hard is because you get a Christological issue that the question of Christ's omniscience and how do we understand
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Christ omniscience in relation to his humanity and all those things right so that's its own thing and we'll get to that in the last two minutes of class but but in regard to this generation will not pass away if it is correct that that that Jesus is still in the context of AD 70 he's still in the context of that first generation how then could we possibly interpret what
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Jesus said right before this which is signs and wonders in the heavens and Christ's return here is how
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I think it's best to be understood if we consider the fact that Jesus is here speaking as a
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Old Testament prophet you say wait a minute I don't think of Jesus as an Old Testament prophet well he is in one sense he's speaking in the voice of an
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Old Testament prophet he's speaking as a prophet would speak and he's using prophetic language so that being said
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I want to read to you two texts just just listen to this but I'm not going to tell you where I'm reading it from just want you to hear it with sort of like just without any context behold the day the
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Lord comes cruel with wrath and fierce anger to make the land a desolation and destroy it centers from it for the stars of the heavens and the constellations will not give their light the
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Sun will be dark and it's rising and the moon will not shed its light I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for its iniquity
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I will put an end to the pomp and the arrogant and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless I will make people more rare than fine gold in mankind the gold of Ophir therefore
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I will make the heavens tremble and the earth will be shaken out of its place as the wrath of the Lord of hosts and the day of his fierce anger all right where does that come from it's
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Isaiah and it's about the fall of Babylon but notice the similarity in language the heavens will shake the stars will fall out of the sky this is prophetic language that was used by the prophets to explain when judgment befell a nation this is what it sounds like it sounds just like what
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Jesus said Isaiah 34 their slain will be cast out the stench of their corpses shall rise the mountains shall flow with their blood the host of heaven shall rot away the skies will roll back like a scroll all of the host shall fall as heavens fall from the vine like leaves falling from the fig tree for the sword has drunk its fill in the heavens behold it descends for judgment upon Edom upon the people
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I have devoted to destruction that is about the destruction of Edom did
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Babylon get destroyed yes was that the end of the world no but was the language the same yes the language was the same
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Edom was destroyed was at the end of the world no it was the language the same yes so if we consider that Jesus is speaking as an
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Old Testament prophet about the destruction of Jerusalem the I again I cannot stress to you how important this is in regard to redemptive history because this brings the end of the
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Old Covenant system to a or brings it to the final end right it limped after the cross but now no more limping it's dead and Christ comes in judgment
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I do believe not in person but the judgment of the
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Lord falls upon Jerusalem Jesus said you will see me coming in the clouds of heaven he said that to who he said that to the high priest and he was talking about judgment wasn't talking about a second coming in fact in Matthew's gospel it doesn't say you will see me it says you will see my sign in the heavens what does that mean well let me read to you from Josephus this is about what he says was witnessed in the first century okay this is
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Josephus writing in the Jewish Wars he says now again this is not
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Bible this is just a historian but listen to what he says he says beside these signs a few days after the feast on one in the 20th day of the month of Artemis a certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon appeared
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I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable were it not related by those who saw it and were not the events that followed it of so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals for before sun setting chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen running among the clouds and surrounding the city moreover at the feast which we call
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Pentecost as the priests were going by night into the inner court of the temple as their custom was to perform their sacred ministrations they said that in the first place they felt a quaking and they heard a great noise and after they heard a sound of a great multitude saying let us remove hints now again did that happen well no
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I wasn't there I can't say it happened I can't say it didn't happen I can say this the eyewitnesses said they saw something of a miraculous event in the heavens and I can walk backwards in time and say
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Ezekiel saw something kind of similar right when he saw miraculous signs in the heavens so it's not without biblical precedent is my point it's to simply say were there signs in the heavens at the fall of Jerusalem well at least
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Josefa says so and Tacitus as well Tacitus wrote well
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I'll read it to you it's not that long this is from Tacitus in his histories also a first century historian he says prodigies had occurred but their expiation by the offering of victims of or solemn vows is held to be unlawful by a nation which is the slave of superstition and the enemy of true beliefs that's a hard sentence to understand basically saying this is this is hard to believe but what
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I'm about to say is true it's hard to believe in the sky appeared a vision of armies in conflict in glittering armor a sudden lightning flashed from the clouds lit up the temple the doors of the holy place abruptly opened a superhuman voice was heard to declare that the gods were leaving and in the same instant came the rushing tumult of their departure few people placed a sinister interpretation upon this the majority were convinced that the ancient scriptures of the priests alluded to the present as the very time when the
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Orient would triumph and from Judea would go forth men destined to rule the world so again they saw this as a this they saw this as having a cataclysmic event in the heavens and it having prophetic revelation did it happen
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I wasn't there again I can't I can't prove it I can't say it did or didn't all I can say is if these things are true then it goes right along with what
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Christ said there would be signs in the heavens there would be massive upheaval there would be tribulation in Jerusalem like had never been seen before and as we described last week
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I'm not going to read it again but I read to you some of the things that happened in Jerusalem during the time of the fall of Jerusalem people resorting to cannibalism and all kinds of other terrible horrid horrendous things things that would be hard to describe and that's how we could say is it possible these things have been fulfilled and the answer
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I think is yes and then we come to verse 32 again a even more difficult passage when it comes to orthodoxy and Christology because it says but concerning that day or that hour no one knows not even the angels in heaven nor the
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Son but only the Father some people always ascribe that to Jesus's final second coming well if if we're staying on the same task we would say no not necessarily but rather this is referring to the final fall of Jerusalem and if so Jesus has given a time frame but not a day he's given a time frame but not an exact moment and you say how can
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Jesus not know and this leads to a difficult explanation that I will try to make as simple as I can when we address the subject of Christ's divinity and his humanity we have to remember that we are speaking in terms that are absolutely unique to him there's only ever been one
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God man and there will only ever be one God man Jesus Christ is as the Latin fathers called him vera homo vera
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Deus truly I mean where we get the word veritas which means truth vera homo truly man vera
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Deus truly God and there are times when we see aspects of Christ which touch upon his divinity such as when he was on the
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Mount of Transfiguration and the glory shown forth from him certainly that was touching upon his divinity but there are other times that touch upon his humanity and while we cannot separate we can distinguish and I love this example and I hope it doesn't offend anyone
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I've always thought this was a great example Jesus as a baby still had to have his diaper changed what
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I mean by that he was truly human right so therefore when we express the humanity of Christ and this is why you won't typically hear me say
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Jesus was omniscient because in regard to his humanity he wasn't in regard to his divinity he was but Jesus lived as a man and he grew in the grace and knowledge right and that what we're told he grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and with men in his humanity now where there are times where omniscience was opened where he saw into the hearts of men yes it says that in John 6 right he knew the hearts of men right so we have to be careful and not limit
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Christ but at the same time not fail to distinguish between the human and the divine natures of Christ so if that is if that has flabbergasted you and you want to call me a heretic
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I will simply point you to the Athanasian Creed the Athanasian Creed written in the fifth century one of the most important documents outside of Scripture that we possess as Christians tries as well as it possibly can to define the dual nature of Christ you remember it's the
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Nicene Creed that tries to establish the doctrine of the Trinity by using the phrase homoousios which means same substance
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Christ is of the same substance as the Father the homoousios say that's that's Greek not Latin homo in Latin means man but homo in Greek means same oozeos means substance of same substance as the
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Father that was what was argued at Nicaea but the Athanasian Creed was trying to establish the principle of the hypostatic
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Union that Christ is God man and in the God -man Union we cannot give up the man that's what the
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Gnostics do the Gnostics eliminate Christ's manhood we can't do that we have to remember truly man and truly
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God and therefore when Christ said he doesn't know I believe as simple as that is I think in that moment he's speaking in regard to his human nature and if that doesn't satisfy you go see brother
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Andy he'll satisfy you we'll pass it down the chain right but but I hope that's helpful because that's a
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I mean that's a lot to think through right that because honestly there are times there are little things a few things
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I say I'm like oh that's hard to say because you don't want to say that but we have to in fairness again the
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Athanasian Creed and touching his divinity he is equal with God and touching his humanity he's subservient to God right like says doesn't say subservient but uses the phrase he is inferior is the term the
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Athanasian Creed said the Athanasian the Athanasian Creed says in regard to his divinity is equal with the
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Father but in regard to his humanity is inferior how do we come to that conclusion well the scripture teaches that Christ in his humanity said what
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I've not come to do my will but do the will of him who sent me right there's a certain aspect where we have to distinguish but not not divide and our gonna have a hard time with that that's perfect example yeah yeah and humanity he slept and in his divinity calm the storm that's great so what is all this about verses 33 to 37 gives us the application of this discourse the application of this discourse is be on guard keep awake that's what
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Jesus is trying to get to this is coming and you need to be ready and again that's why I believe going back to this that's why
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I believe this generation is in view he's giving a warning to the people listening this is coming not 2 ,000 years from now not 3 ,000 years from now but in this generation
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I'm not gonna give you the day or the hour but in the next generation this or this generation these things will take place therefore stay awake for you do not know when the time will come it will be like a man going on a journey when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge each with his work and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake therefore stay awake for you do not know when the master of the house will come in the evening or at midnight or when the rooster crows are in the morning lest he come suddenly and find you asleep and what
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I say to you I say to you all stay awake well that warning verse is where we will end this chapter next week brother
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Mike will be teaching because I will be out at the conference brother Mike Smith who's gonna hmm you that not brother
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Mike call your the elder but brother Mike how's gonna say word brother Mike Smith there's like eight of them he's gonna he's gonna bring the lesson next week and then in two weeks from tonight we are doing a meal and a
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Q &A with the elders so it's just something we do every couple months instead of having a regular Wednesday night service we're gonna have our first meal on the carpet first person to spill something get a prize we have brand new carpet in the sanctuary so first person spill something is gonna be put on a bulletin board we're gonna put your name up yes dear yeah it's gonna be one of my kids
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I know it I just absolutely have no doubt all right so any questions as I wish we have one minute yes sir yes brother yeah
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I that versus 25 20 I'm sorry 26 and 27 are difficult
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I do think it can be fit into it but let me give you another side note that I didn't get to in this in Matthew's gospel
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Matthew does seem to address both the what happens in 8070 and the end of the world and Matthew answers three questions not just two remember
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I said there was two questions at the beginning Matthew adds a third question and he seems to combine Luke 17 which is an earlier discourse and this discourse here and we see that if we look and compare the different Gospels so the the gathering of the elect from the four winds how that would fit into 8070 is difficult but I I think it can be
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I just it's it's hard to do I don't think it has to do with the judgment because we always think of the gathering of the elect as the judgment at the end of the age
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I think all I think all of Mark's Gospels pointed to 8070 I think
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Matthew's gospel can be divided I think it's at verse 36 and there is a section is it verse 36 that points forward to the end of the age and so is there possibly some conflation here maybe but I think this is all dealing with 8070 no
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I don't believe in that what's typically referred to as the 70th week which is the final seven -year tribulation
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I think that that I think that that 77s is what that text is
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I think it does refer to the coming of Christ and and what he did at the cross and the destruction of Jerusalem but I don't think it has to do with something in our future yeah but that's that that's again taking more of a preteristic view of Daniel and this passage together
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I think that that's what is being pointed to there however I do want to say something it's going to sound somewhat contradictory so please don't please don't think
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I'm contradicting myself and because I don't have another hour to flesh all of this out I do think that remember
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I said the word motif earlier I do think that it is possible that in the end of the age there will be one who rises up to try to do those same things that Antiochus and that John Giskell and these others did in the past right and and I think this is where we have something that's called a historical eclecticism where rather than seeing everything fulfilled in one spot you can see things being fulfilled in different places in different ways and so I think it's possible as I said
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I'm an amillennialist not a post -millennialist so I do see a time of great distress coming not necessarily a time of great victory even though I do think there's victory in the gospel so I mean it confuse you if I just did there but so there are there is a sense in which some of the things that people expect like the rising of a of a
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Antichrist type figure in the future could be possible under under the position we take could still be is that helpful or did
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I just really confuse a lot more discussion but in that case
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I and and that's where it gets hard because the postmillennial view and the amillennial view are so similar but there are some differences and one of the differences is we believe and when
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I say we I mean amillennialists I I guess I would say me Andy and Mike are all amillennialists so I can say we in that regard we believe that Christ comes to save the world that's his return the postmillennialist believes
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Christ comes to a saved world and that's really the biggest distinction I in fact I had a conversation today with Pastor Uri Brito who is a pastor in a
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CREC Church and he's postmillennial and we're so close on everything but the big difference is
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Christ is either going to come to a saved world or he's going to come to save the world and I would fall on this side but hey if the postmillennialists are right
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I'll you know I'll shake the tambourine while we're in victory
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I'm fine with victory I think it's great I just don't don't necessarily expect it to be the way they do all right did that thoroughly confuse everybody
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I hope not I hope it was it was this somewhat helpful I hope so I hope so all right well let's pray father
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I thank you for your word I pray that this has been useful and Lord as we consider that this is one of the most difficult subjects and one that is so wrought with different opinions and ideas and what could be and what couldn't be
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Lord one thing we know for certain is that Christ is returning one day Christ will split the eastern sky
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Christ will come and he will separate the sheep from the goats he will drag that net Lord and the the his will be brought into the kingdom and those who are not will be cast into outer darkness and Lord we we know that day is coming so Lord let us be mindful and not put trusting in Christ but place our faith and trust in him and I pray