Did The Great Tribulation Happen?

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Hey everybody, I'm Pastor Jeff Durbin with Apologia Church. I want to thank you all so much for watching the content right here on Apologia Studios channel.

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What you're about to watch is a sermon, a message from Apologia Church's worship service. And again, I want to thank you all so much for watching, for liking, for commenting, for sharing the sermon itself.

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Word of God. So we thank you so much for partnering with us to send this out across the world. I just wanted to say something before you actually watch this, and that is that I'm not your pastor, though I'd love to be,

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So thank you again so much for watching these and sharing them. God bless you. Open your Bibles to Matthew, Gospel According to Matthew chapter 24.

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For those of you guys who are new to the Bible, that is the first book of your New Testament, Gospel According to Matthew chapter 24.

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We've been talking a lot about eschatology lately. We've been doing a lot of that.

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And there's a particular reason for that, and that is that we are in this section of Scripture.

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Matthew chapter 24 is known as the Olivet Discourse, famous section of Scripture. It's actually the same discourse as in the

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Synoptic Gospels, the three Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Synoptic means seeing together.

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You can run those Gospels side by side and let them be seen together. Sometimes identical language, sometimes a little bit different language.

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But this particular section of Scripture we are in right now, famous section of Scripture, the Olivet Discourse, is a section of Scripture with the

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Great Tribulation Discussion. And so you've seen lately from Apologia Church lots of discussions surrounding quote -unquote end times discussions, last days, eschatology, which is essentially a big theological word that means the study of last things.

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It's a famous section of Scripture. It's actually a very popular topic, particularly has been over the last generation especially, and a very important subject.

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So I encourage everybody who is now new to Apologia Church, go back and look through the old sermons, listen to them to sort of get your bearings as to where we're at now.

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We also just recently had my friend Gary DeMar in this past week who did some stuff with us at Apologia Radio.

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Go check that out. But we are in Matthew chapter 24 right now, 24 verse 1.

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Hear now the words of the living and the true God. And what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age or end of the age?

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All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death.

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And you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.

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And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

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But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations.

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And then the end will come. Thus far as the reading of God's holy word, let's pray together. Father, I pray that you'd bless.

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Lord, as we study your word, please teach us through your word, by your spirit.

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Lord, guard us from error. Guard us from human tradition that,

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Lord, takes us away from seeing and hearing, Lord, the truth. Lord, I pray that you'd bless,

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Lord, me as a minister over these people. That you'd bless me as a pastor. Help me to be faithful.

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Help me to teach, Lord God, in a way that glorifies you. That, Lord, blesses your people as a benefit to them, equips them, and brings glory to Jesus.

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I pray that, Lord, I would decrease, Christ would increase, Lord, that people would forget me and remember you.

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And that, Lord, the message that goes forth from this pulpit, Lord, would be glorifying to the

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Son and would lead, Lord, to more eyes being opened to the truth.

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And, Lord, the increase of the fame of the Messiah, in Jesus' name, amen. So, it's a big popular section of scripture.

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We've been talking a lot about that lately, right? This discussion of apocalypse, right?

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The discussion of end times, last days. If you want to make money selling Christian books, talk about the apocalypse.

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Talk about left behind. Talk about the rapture, all those things. If you want to scare people into following you and your little cult, talk about apocalyptic things, right?

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Planet Earth is about to be recycled. Your only chance to survive is to leave, what?

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With us. Some of you guys aren't listening to cultists. Shame on you, right? It's a beginning. So, it's a heaven's gate cult, right?

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The world's coming to an end. It's about to be destroyed. And so, therefore, you need to come with us. Follow us into our group.

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Listen to my teachings. It's not new. It's not new to our generation. This is something that is very, very popular, has been for a long, long time.

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In particular, in the West, the last couple of generations, you see this all over the landscape, whether you go back a hundred or so years and you look at Joseph Smith, the beginnings of Mormonism as the

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Church of Jesus Christ of Latter -day Saints, which means last days saints.

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It's in the name. Their eschatology is in their name. It's built into the system itself, right?

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And so, whether it's Joseph Smith standing there and telling people that Christ was going to return within 70 some odd years or 80 years or that generation, whether it's

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Lyman White prophesying in the presence of Joseph Smith that some in the congregation would be alive when

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Christ descended from heaven and destroyed all the wicked with his coming, or whether you're talking about more modern cult leaders like David Koresh, who used the book of Revelation and the signs and the seals of the book of Revelation to deceive his followers and to delude people into actually following him literally to their deaths, right?

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This is a very, very important discussion, very important discussion, but it's not just something that lives out there in the world of the cults and the false teachers and the false religion.

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This is something that actually affects Christians, Protestants, Evangelicals, Reformed folks.

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This discussion is very, very important. We have to all recognize that we come to this discussion with traditions intact.

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Now, here's what a lot of people like to say who are Reformed folks. Pastor Jeff, I believe in Sola Scriptura. Scripture alone is the sole infallible rule of faith and practice for the church.

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It's this book that's the foundation. If it's not from this book, I don't believe it, right?

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Pastor Jeff, I don't have any traditions. I'm Reformed. I believe in Sola Scriptura, and as Dr.

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White taught me many, many years ago as a young man, the person who says they have no traditions is the one who is plagued with the most of them, because if you think you have no traditions, it means that you're not looking for them.

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If you think you have no traditions you're bringing to the Bible, you're not examining what you've been taught.

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We need to be Bereans, right? When Paul was in the book of Acts dealing with the church that was in Berea, it says that they searched the scriptures daily to see if what

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Paul was saying was so, and it says that they were more noble -minded than the ones in Thessalonica because they searched the scriptures to see if what the apostle

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Paul was saying was true. They just didn't accept it hook, line, and sinker.

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We have to recognize something, all of us, and be humble enough to admit we come to this Bible oftentimes with entire systems that have been handed to us by well -meaning pastors, well -meaning teachers, but we have to be willing to examine those teachings.

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For example, I'll just ask this quickly. Why do you believe the Trinity? Why? You don't have to shout it out, but think about it for a second.

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Why do you believe in the Trinity? Do you believe in the Trinity because it's what your crew teaches, right?

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It's what our crowd always says we believe? Do you believe in the Trinity because historic

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Christianity has believed in the Trinity? By the way, that's a good thing. Praise God for his truth and his preservation of truth, but let me just say this.

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You should not believe in the Trinity because foundationally the church has taught it for 2 ,000 years.

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Praise God again. He preserves his truth, but where does the doctrine of the triune nature of God come from?

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The church or the word of God? Why do you believe the Trinity? Question again.

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Why do you believe in justification through faith alone in Christ alone? Is it because you're Reformed?

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Because John Calvin, bro? Is it because Martin Luther and the Diet of Worms? Is it because here

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I stand, I can do no other? Is it because you love that tradition, right? Is it because the

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Westminster Confession, y 'all? Because of 1689, London Baptist Confession of Faith? Is that why you believe in justification by faith alone in Christ alone?

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Or do you believe in justification through faith alone in Christ alone because the

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Bible teaches it? And can you show me where the Bible teaches it? Test your traditions.

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Another question to ask on end times discussions. Why do you believe what you believe about the end times?

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Is it because you went to the Bible and you dug in and you searched and you tried to see how does this work together with the whole narrative and the entire story?

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Or do you believe in what you believe about end times because of a book series called

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Left Behind? Do you believe in what you believe about end times because of Kirk Cameron?

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He would, by the way, hate that. His name, his face is attached to that. Or do you believe what you believe about end times because you learned it in Bible college like me?

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Do you believe what you believe about end times because it was taught to you in Bible study when you first came to faith in Jesus?

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Why do you believe what you believe? Is it because you truly found it in the Bible? Or is it a system that was handed to you that you just accepted because it was given to you by a faithful teacher, man of God, woman of God?

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Why do you believe what you believe? We need to be willing to test our traditions because even as faithful Christ loving believers, we can have a false view about these peripheral things.

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We can have a false view on baptism, right? That happens a lot within the Christian communion.

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We can have a false view about end times and what's playing out in the future. And by the way, it's not to say, listen, this is very important,

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I need to say this very humbly. It's not to say that we have every answer, right?

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It's not to say that we fully comprehend every aspect of eschatology and end times discussions, right?

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But we need to be willing to test and ask the question, why do we believe what we believe?

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Because we can be deceived, deluded, misinformed. This is something that affects all of us, not just outside the church, but inside the church.

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Here's my main point. Are you ready for me? This is the main point of the discussion of Matthew 24, the

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Olivet Discourse. Get this, I think you'll grab hold of the main thrust of this entire thing, is that what

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Jesus does here in Jesus' little apocalypse, in the discussion of the Great Tribulation, is he actually unveils for us, he shows us something not new, but something that was anticipated, something that was promised from the

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Old Testament revelation. What I want us to understand is very simply this about the Great Tribulation, the Olivet Discourse, is that this is not something dropped from the sky.

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This is part of a unified message and revelation that goes all the way back into the

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Old Testament revelation. Here's my point. The followers of Jesus there from Matthew 21 through 24 should have understood what was happening in front of them, and watch, they should have been ready to hear it.

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If they had heard the Old Testament revelation at synagogue, if they were aware of the prophecies in Isaiah, if they were aware of the prophecies in Jeremiah and Ezekiel and Malachi and Joel too, they would have been ready for what they were hearing from Jesus.

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Here's the point. What Jesus does here is not a novelty dropped into the first century.

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It is part of this unified revelation of God that was playing out through history.

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Here's the deal. God is the master storyteller. God is in control of history.

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God is weaving this entire story together. And when Jesus enters in the first century, he is entering as, listen, the promised

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Messiah. Not a novelty. The scriptures of the Old Testament had told us about the kingdom of the

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Messiah. Listen closely to those words, the kingdom of the

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Messiah. That is a central part of what is taking place in the

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New Testament record is the message of, here it is again, the gospel of the kingdom, the good news of the kingdom.

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And watch, here's why this is so essential. If you are checking out, if the heat is causing you to slow down, come back for a moment.

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We have, in modern evangelicalism, truncated the gospel to one thing, justification by faith.

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Justification through faith. That's the gospel. And the answer is yes. Justification through faith alone in Christ alone, because of what he has done apart from any works is at the heart of the gospel.

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That's how we have peace with God. That's what God is doing in the world. He is reconciling people to himself,

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Jews and Gentiles, men and women together into one body through faith in Jesus, through what he has accomplished at the cross.

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Amen. Yes, we're there. However, the way that the

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Old Testament talks about the Messiah is not simply in terms of rescuing people to go to heaven one day.

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It's not simply the message about your individual private relationship with Jesus and taking you out of this world into heaven one day.

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No, the kingdom of the Messiah, the promises of the kingdom of Messiah are much larger than your private individual salvation before God.

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That is in there, but it is not truncated to just that. It is good news of a kingdom.

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Good news of a kingdom. And listen closely. When Matthew 21, chapter 21 through 24 get running, they are telling us a continuation or really a fulfillment of God's promises of the

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Messiah's kingdom. And here's what he promised. And you guys have heard me say this a bunch. I believe good teachers are always repeating themselves.

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And so here it is. There were two things associated with the coming of the Messiah's kingdom in the

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Old Testament. If you're new here, get this. You'll understand a lot of what's happening in Matthew 24.

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There were two things associated with the coming of the Messiah's kingdom. What were they? Salvation and what?

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Judgment. Salvation and what? Judgment. So when Jesus comes in talking about eternal life, forgiveness and peace with God and judgment upon the covenant breakers, every

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Jewish boy and girl present who knew their Torah and Tanakh and knew the revelation of God should have been like, yep, that sounds like the

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Messiah. Why? Because he's talking about the two things God said were coming. Salvation for the world and judgment upon the covenant breakers.

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Get that again. The covenant breakers were going to be judged when Messiah came with his kingdom.

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Now notice that I'm being very precise and you're going to catch why in a minute here. I'm being very precise about that language, about covenant breakers, covenant people being judged.

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It's very important because the Old Testament is very specific about the covenant breakers receiving the sanctions of the law of God and disobedience to it when the

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Messiah came with his kingdom. Now enter Jesus giving us the promises of eternal life and judgment upon the covenant breakers.

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It was assumed. That's what the story's about. Now notice something.

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When Jesus is speaking in Matthew chapter 21 through 24, who is he directing everything to?

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He's talking to 21st century Christians in Tempe, Arizona.

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He's talking to 21st century evangelicals in the West. That's who he's talking to.

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No, let's be fair to the Bible. When Jesus is speaking in Matthew 21 through 24, who's he talking to?

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He has a first century audience that, trust me, was not you. You weren't there.

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He wasn't mentioning you. He wasn't referring to your world, your circumstances. Pause. Yes, there are principles always that apply universally, of course, but there are particular discourses here that didn't involve you or me.

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I'm sorry, but listen, the Bible is not about you. It's about Jesus.

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It's about his glory. Now you get blessed in that story, but we can't go running to the

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Bible trying to find a picture of ourselves in every verse. This story is about them.

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Jesus comes in, says, I'm going to go to Jerusalem. They're going to kill me. He goes in now. They're way, Hosanna, Hosanna.

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He goes into the temple. He cleanses the temple, as was promised. He promises a curse upon the fig tree,

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Israel. No fruit's going to come from you again. And now the Jewish people are coming around him, trying to trap him.

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And Jesus is talking about them. You're going to be destroyed. They heard he was talking about them. It says so.

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They perceived that he was talking about them. They heard it.

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Why can't we? And in Matthew, as you go through those chapters, you land at 23.

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And what takes place? Jesus says in Matthew 23, very clearly, he says that they're going to be judged and all the blood of the righteous was going to be upon this generation.

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Which generation? 2019. Us. Right? It's like the book we talked about this week with Uncle Gary when he was here.

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In the 80s, it was like 80s and 90 was big time for prophecy books. If you wanted, if you can go back in time and you wanted to make some serious bank, write a prophecy book in the 80s or 90s, you are set for life.

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Right? It was a big time. It was big time for prophecy books in the 80s and 90s. There was a book that said, it was called 88 reasons why

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Jesus will return in 1988. 88 reasons why Jesus will return in 1988.

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Do you know what happened in 1989? Not a confession. Please forgive me for my abuse of the

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Bible and all those things. It was no, no 89 reasons why he'll return in 1989.

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Why? Because they take what Jesus says about generation where he says, this generation, this generation won't pass away.

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So all these things take place. They take that and they go, Oh, that was us. That was when

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Israel became a nation again in 1948. So one generation from 1948 is 1988. There you go.

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Jesus was talking about that generation, brothers and sisters read the text. Who's Jesus talking to those

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Jews, those first century disciples, those first century religious leaders, all the blood's going to be upon you and notice the very specific local nature of it.

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He says right here in 23, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones, those who are sent to it, how often

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I would have gathered your children, right? And he says, as a hand gathers her children under her wings, he's about, you were not willing.

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Your house is left to you desolate. Who's he talking to? Benjamin Netanyahu.

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No, he's talking to the first century generation. Now notice also when Jesus is talking here in 21 through 24, the key that he's talking about them, he uses in 23, 26, go there.

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And I told you you were going to get the fire hose today. So get ready. And I'm going to ask for your forgiveness ahead of time. Okay. And Matthew 23, 36,

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Jesus says, truly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

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Now, quick thing ready. Is it all things or some things, all things come upon which generation, this, not that he doesn't say that generation.

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He says this, there's a way to say this or that he says this generation. And he says all things, but notice he uses the word generation.

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We talked about the word underneath that as Ginnea, the word generation. Here's a deal. Ready? Just use

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Matthew as your guide. Go back to the beginning of Matthew chapter one, Matthew uses the same terminology for generation.

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And there he'll say things like from this person to this person, it was 14 generations.

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What does generation mean all throughout Matthew? What's it mean? All the people who are living at that time, the same thing you would use in terms of generation today.

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It's a lifespan. Those people alive during that time. Notice, go with me now to Matthew chapter 11 move.

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I'm going to go quickly. So stay with me in Matthew 11. I want you to see this with your own eyes.

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Verse 16. Jesus here says to that generation, but to what shall

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I compare this generation is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates.

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Look, verse 18 for John came neither eating nor drinking. And they say, he has a demon. The son of man came eating and drinking.

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They say, look at him, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners. Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.

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Now who's Jesus talking to there? That generation, right? And in Matthew chapter 12, verse 39, just move over a page.

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Matthew 12, 39. It says when they're asking for a sign, but he answered them an evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.

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Typical usage of the term generation. Now look in verse 41, the men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it for they repented at the preaching of Jonah and behold, someone great, something greater than Jonah is here.

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The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon and behold something greater than Solomon is here.

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Now you'll notice that Matthew has that consistent usage of the word generation throughout the gospel according to Matthew.

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Watch here. You can also go, and you can make notes of this, to Luke 11 50, Luke 11 51,

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Luke 17 25, Mark 8 38. You'll see a consistent usage throughout the gospel record of the terminology for generation.

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Here's the point. Some of you guys be like Pastor Jeff, I got it. It means those people that time generation.

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Here's, you need to know there are people who try to take Matthew 24, Mark 13,

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Luke 21 and place it future to us. This is about us or someone after us.

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And they have to alter the terminology for generation to make it mean something like race, race of people, or that generation, the people who see these signs take place.

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But the text is clear throughout the synoptics. Generation means generation. Consistently, Jesus was referring to those people.

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And he says, all these things will be upon which generation guys, this generation, the generation he was then speaking to now watch here in Matthew 24.

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Come with me now back now to the text, Matthew 24, Jesus left the temple and was going away when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple.

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But he answered them. You see all these things. Do you not truly? I say to you, there will not be left here. One stone upon another that will not be thrown down.

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How incredible is this? Our Messiah, our savior predicted the destruction of the second

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Jewish temple, a glorious building, a glorious edifice.

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This thing was incredible. And Jesus leaves Jerusalem, goes over to the

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Mount of Olives, by the way, the same direction Yahweh's glory departed from the temple in the old

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Testament before it was destroyed. That's not there by accident. Jesus departs from the temple and he goes to the

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Mount of Olives. And he now promises the temple's destruction, just like the old Testament path

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Yahweh took. Okay. Now follow me there to the Mount of Olives. Jesus departs. He promises judgment.

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And what does he say about the temple brothers and sisters? There will not be left. What's one stone left standing upon another.

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Here's what you need to know before that generation all passed away with the war against the

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Romans and Jews, that temple was sacked. It was bloody. It was horrific, disgusting.

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There were bodies and blood everywhere. There were forests of crucified people surrounding

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Jerusalem. And that temple was taken apart and there wasn't left standing one stone upon another before that generation had all passed away.

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But here's what you need to get. Follow me now with the text. Let's use the same rules and methods that we use to get to doctrines like the

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Trinity and justification through faith and all the rest. We let the text speak.

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We don't impose upon the text some foreign idea that wasn't there before. Let's let the text speak.

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What he does is he leaves the temple after promising that all these things will be upon this generation.

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We've already seen what Matthew and Mark and Luke do with the word generation throughout the synoptics. And we've already seen the context.

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Who? Here's where you need to follow. Stay with me now. Who is Jesus talking to? Who's his audience?

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Those Jews. Those religious leaders. His disciples. What does he say to that generation?

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All these things upon you. All the blood of the righteous upon this generation.

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Now watch. He then leaves and says the temple's going to be destroyed, not one stone upon another.

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Now watch. That sparks the question. That sparks the question.

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What question? They ask in verse 3, tell us when will these things be?

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Stop. Which things? The end of the physical cosmos.

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The end of the physical world. The destruction of the universe. Question.

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Is that discussion anywhere in those texts?

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The discussion about the destruction of the physical cosmos. Of the end of the physical world.

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No. When will these things be? What things? The judgment promised upon Jerusalem.

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When will these things be? What things? The destruction of the Jewish temple. There is, brothers and sisters, no discussion here about the end of the physical cosmos.

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What we know normally as the end of the world. And brothers and sisters, this is very important.

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The context here is covenantal. Get that? It's covenantal.

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It has to do with the first century Jewish people. Those people called to obey

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God. And Jesus says, you're going to be judged. Jerusalem, Jerusalem. Your temple, your house left you desolate.

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You're going to be destroyed. Now here we go. Here's the question. They say, when will these things be?

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What will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age? The close of the age.

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Now here's what we need to come back. Real important. If you're reading from the King James Bible, King James Bible, excellent translation.

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If you want to know the issues related to the translation of the King James Bible and everything else, thank

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God for our elder, Pastor James White. He has a great book called The King James Only Controversy. Go read that.

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You'll understand where we get our Bibles from, how we do translation, all the rest. But get me on this.

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Hold still on this point. If you read the King James Bible, the question in English there is the end of the world.

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However, the Greek word behind world in the King James is not cosmos.

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It's not the physical world. The question that was being asked had nothing to do with the end of the physical world.

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The word behind it is ion, the word for age. So actually the modern translations really get it right in English, more precise by saying the end of the age.

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So what's the question? Is it about the end of the world or the end of the age?

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The end of the age. Now follow me on this because here we go. The end of the age is the question. Why would they ask that question?

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Why do they now ask a question about his coming and judgment, these things?

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When are they going to happen? And what's the close of the age? Notice that they associated the destruction of the

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Jewish temple with the end of the age. Why would they do that?

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I want to argue that they did that because they knew their scriptures. What do they know?

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They knew that the coming of the Messiah's kingdom meant salvation and judgment, but they also knew the coming of the

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Messiah's kingdom meant a new covenant because God promised in Jeremiah 31, 31, a new covenant, not like the other one.

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Even though God was a husband to them, the one they broke, he would make a new covenant where his law now would not be on stone tablets outside them, but it would take up residence within them.

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He would write it within their inward parts. And Ezekiel 36,

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God was going to sprinkle clean water, give him new hearts, put his spirit within the people of God.

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They knew that temple's destruction meant Messiah's kingdom, new covenant.

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This is a new thing. This age is going to end now. The new age is coming, the age of the

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Messiah. They understood that. It is about the end of the age, here we go, not the end of the physical world.

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They knew new covenant, Jeremiah 31, 31, Ezekiel 36. Now here's the question to ask.

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Come with me now because this is a big one. Did the

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New Testament writers, very important, did they believe that they were living in this transitionary period of the end of the age?

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Did they believe it? Because we can look at the text and see very precisely they associated the destruction of the temple with the end of the age.

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But what did the New Testament writers believe? Well, if you read

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Hebrews 9, verse 26, the writer of Hebrews says that Jesus appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin.

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Jesus didn't appear at the beginning, but at the end of the ages. Which age is that?

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I would argue that's the end of the old covenant age. The old covenant age is essentially defunct and over at the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

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But guess what? They're still doing sacrifices. This temple's still standing, right?

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They're still hanging out. And the book of Hebrews is all about that. The book of Hebrews is the writer of Hebrews is saying, guys, don't go back to temple.

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Don't go back and serve that system. Don't go back to those old sacrifices. Don't abandon

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Jesus. This is all about to be destroyed. That's what the book of Hebrews is about, guys.

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Writer of Hebrews saying how much greater Jesus is than the angels, than those old prophets, how his sacrifice is better.

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Don't go back. God is about to remove all this stuff so that what cannot be shaken will remain.

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That's the call. But they believe that Jesus was crucified at the end of the age. In first Corinthians chapter 10, verse 11, the apostle

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Paul is talking about old testament examples, what God did in the old testament.

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And listen to what he says. Very precise language, and it's consistent throughout the new testament.

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In first Corinthians chapter 10, verse 11, the apostle Paul says that all these things that happened in the old testament were written for our instruction.

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Who? Those first century Christians. Don't forget, watch. Yes, the

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Bible applies to you. Yes. Yes, it applies to me. Yeah, the promises, we got to look and say, who's this to?

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And these promises about salvation, they work towards me. But don't forget, Paul was writing a letter to the church in Corinth.

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And when he's talking to them, he's talking to real Christians in the first century in Corinth. And he says all these things are written for our instruction upon whom the end of the ages has come.

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He says to the church in Corinth that the end of the age, the end of the ages had come upon them.

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So they knew they were living in that time period of the end of the age. Now, I want to point out to everybody just quickly, and my printer was off, so I actually had to pull the books out.

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New testament examples of eminence, the eminence of judgment in the new testament.

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There's a good record here in Dr. Sproul's book, The Last Days According to Jesus. And I'll give you a couple of verses as examples of the new testament eminent time text of judgment in the first century.

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Matthew 10, 22 through 23. Some of you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the son of man comes.

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Matthew 10, 22 through 23. You shall see the son of man sitting at the right hand of power coming in the clouds of heaven.

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Matthew 26, 64. It is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep for now salvation is nearer to us than we first believed.

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Romans 13, 11. The night is almost gone and the day is at hand. Romans 13, 12.

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The form of this world is passing away. First Corinthians 7, 31. The Lord is near.

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Philemon 4, 5. The end of all things is at hand. First Peter 4, 7.

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The coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5, 8 through 9. Children is the last hour.

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First John 2, 18. The revelation of Jesus Christ was God gave him to show his bondservants the things which must shortly take place.

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The time is near. Revelation 1, 1. Revelation 1, 3. I'm coming quickly.

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Revelation 3, 11. We can go on and on and on. The point is, is the new testament record shows the eminence of judgments.

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And here we go. Let's do the text now. Are you ready? The texts about the close of the age.

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The question they asked about the close of the age. Let's go to it in our Bibles. Jesus answered them.

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Verse 4. See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name saying,

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I am the Christ. And they will lead many astray. So first thing

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Jesus says to them, to his disciples, when they talk about the close of the age and judgment coming upon that generation.

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He says many will come saying, I am the Christ and lead many people astray. First thing we need to do is go to our

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Bibles in New Testament itself and say, is this something we see? I want to say, yes you do. Move in your

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Bibles to Acts chapter 8. Acts chapter 8.

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In the book of Acts chapter 8 verses 9 through 10.

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There's mention in this historical record about a man named Simon. But there was a man named

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Simon who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria saying that he himself was somebody great.

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They all paid attention to him from the least to the greatest saying, this man is the power of God that is called great.

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And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic.

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But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news about the kingdom of God in the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized both men and women.

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Now, there's an example there in that record of first century false prophet, false messiah, false teacher.

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I'm going to read to you this section from a great book I highly recommend to you guys called Matthew 24 fulfilled by John Bray.

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And in page 23, it's a great little section here. He mentions a number of the early church fathers who wrote about Simon Magus.

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For example, Eusebius quoted Justin Martyr as saying, quote, after the

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Lord was taken up into heaven, the demons put forth a number of men who claimed to be gods.

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These not only escaped being persecuted by you, but were actually the objects of worship. For example,

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Simon, a Samaritan from a village called Githo, who in Claudius Caesar's time, thanks to the art of the demons who possessed him, worked wonders of magic.

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And in Europe, imperial city of Rome was regarded as a God. And like a

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God was honored by you with a statue in the river Tiber between the two bridges. Almost all

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Samaritans and a few from other nations to acknowledge him as their principal God and worshiped him.

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That's in Eusebius. Now listen, there was also another man, a

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Samaritan who claimed to be the Messiah predicted by Moses. A few years later during the reign of Nero, these false prophets became so numerous that many of them were apprehended and killed every day.

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Jesus warned his disciples that these men would be showing up and they were not to be deceived by them. Josephus told of one by the name of Thutis, 12 years after the death of Christ, who claimed to be a great prophet and deceived a great multitude into believing he could divide the river

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Jordan for their passage. This is recorded for us in Acts 5 .36 as Gamaliel told

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Thutis, for before these days rose up Thutis boasting himself to be somebody to whom a number of men, about 400 joined themselves, who was slain and all as many as obeyed him were scattered and brought to naught.

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We can go on and on, but the first century generation that Jesus spoke to here was actually plagued with false prophets, false teachers, false messiahs.

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Next, Jesus says in Matthew 24, after saying that people will come saying, I am the

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Christ and will lead many astray, he says this, and you will hear of wars and rumors of wars.

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See to it that you are not alarmed for this must take place, but the end is not near.

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Now this is what's really fascinating about this particular text. If I was to come to you all today, and I've said this often, in 2019 and say

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I'm a prophet, I am the promised messiah, and I said to you all, ready?

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I want you all to follow me, and you say, all right, Pastor Jeff, you're the messiah. What sign do you give us that you're the messiah?

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I said, well, here's the thing, in the future, the very near future, I'm gonna make a prediction here, there is gonna be wars and rumors of wars.

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Everybody in here would be like, that's the most unimpressive prophecy ever, right?

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Wars and rumors of war in 2019, honestly, how many wars are happening in the world today?

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How many wars took place in the last 20 years with just our nation? Where do we have troops at all around the world?

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It's just normal for our experience. Wars and rumors of wars is not impressive, let's admit it, in 2019.

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It is, however, impressive during the Pax Romana, during the time of the peace of Rome.

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Rome essentially tried to remain unified and tried to enforce peace.

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The Pax Romana was an attempt to try to enforce peace all over the empire, and here

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Jesus is predicting the destruction of the temple and wars and rumors of wars.

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That actually is a big deal in Jesus' time period. But we need to ask the question, did we see this occur in the first century generation?

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Answer, yes, we absolutely did. In the first century generation, there were a lot of wars and rumors of wars.

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There's no way for me today to exhaust this. I'm giving you a burst today to show you that Jesus kept his promise, and these things did in fact occur in the first century generation.

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There were wars in Rome, Palestine, Galilee, and Samaria in 8066.

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In 40 AD in Mesopotamia, there was a conflict where 50 ,000 people died.

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In 49 AD, approximately 20 ,000 people died in Jerusalem, 20 ,000 in Caesarea.

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There were wars throughout that time period, and actually Josephus, who survived the war between the

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Romans and the Jews, who recorded the war of the Jews, in which you can get access to that book easily.

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It's available online, no problem. He records that at one point it seemed like the entire war was fighting with itself.

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Everybody was fighting with everybody. There was bloodshed everywhere. It seemed like the whole world was at war with everybody.

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I'm going to read to you this from a good little book called The Great Tribulation.

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It's a good little explanation of what occurred during that time period. This is actually recorded by the historian

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Josephus, again the one who survived the war between the Romans and the Jews. He witnessed the whole thing go down.

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He was actually a general in the Jewish army and a Pharisee, and he was involved in that conflict.

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He survived by hiding himself under dead bodies. Josephus wrote, quote,

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That's from the Jewish war. More could be said, but again today is just sort of a burst on these things.

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Jesus then says, after Christ's and wars and rumors of wars, he says this,

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Come back. Stay tethered to the text. The end of what?

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The end of what? What was the question they asked? Don't be afraid. What was the question they asked?

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The sign of the end of the what? Age. So when he says the end is not yet, are we talking about the end of the physical cosmos?

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What's the question? The end of the what? Age. The end of the age is not yet.

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He says wars and rumors of wars must take place. The end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there'll be famines and earthquakes in various places.

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All these are about the beginning of birth pains. Famines. In Acts, this is in our

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New Testament record itself. You don't have to go outside the Bible to see this, but in the book of Acts, as an example, chapter 11, verse 28.

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Acts 11 is an historical record of the early church, and in the book of Acts, chapter 11, verse 28, there is recorded a very famous famine that's actually recorded elsewhere outside the

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Bible. But in Acts 11, verse 28, it says,

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This took place in the days of Claudius. So the disciples determined everyone according to his ability to send relief to the brothers living in Judea.

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Now, this particular famine recorded here in the scriptures that was given to us through a word from God is a famous one that's mentioned also by Josephus and Eusebius.

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There's another famine mentioned by Tacitus and Eusebius in the 11th year of Claudius, and I'm going to read to you guys another section, page 75 of the

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Great Tribulation, something recorded, again, as a record in page 75.

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Josephus describes the frantic search for food during the final siege. As the famine grew worse, the frenzy of the insurgents kept pace with it, and every day both these horrors burned more fiercely.

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For since nowhere was grain to be seen, men would break into houses, and if they found some, they mistreated the occupants for having denied their possession of it.

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If they found none, they tortured them as if they had concealed it more carefully. Proof whether they had food or not was provided by the physical appearance of the wretches.

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Those still in good condition were deemed to be well provided with food, while those who were already wasting away were passed over, for it seemed pointless to kill persons who would die soon of starvation.

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Many secretly bartered their possessions for a single measure of wheat if they happened to be rich, barley if they were poor.

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Then they shut themselves up in the darkest corners of their houses, in the extremity of hunger.

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Some even ate their grain underground, while others baked it, guided by necessity and fear.

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Nowhere was a table laid. The food was snatched, half cooked from the fire, and torn into pieces.

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Here's what you need to know about the destruction of Jerusalem itself. People tried to survive in Jerusalem during the siege, and they were starving to death, literally starving to death.

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People were dying in the streets, emaciated, starving, no food. People were trying to survive by eating dung.

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As a matter of fact, there's a record in Josephus, and this is graphic, forgive me, but I want to express to you that Jesus meant what he said.

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There's a record in Josephus, it's a very famous record, of a woman who actually cooked her own infant and was offering it to people who were passing by.

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People who were brothers, sisters, family, friends, part of the same synagogue, were fighting with one another over small morsels of food.

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When the Roman soldiers came through and were killing people, they were actually allowing the people who were clearly dying from the famine to just continue to die, and they were finding people who looked like they had had some food, and they were ripping their bellies open to get to their food.

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That's how bad the famine was. Jesus had promised them famine, and it absolutely fell upon them.

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We can go on, but Jesus says there would be, what? Famines and earthquakes in various places.

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These are by the beginning of birth pains. He says, they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you'll be hated by all nations for my name's sake, and then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.

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Many false prophets will arise and lead many astray, and because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

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Jesus, of course, mentions the famines. We could talk about the pestilence that also fell upon that first century generation.

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In 40 AD at Babylon, 60 AD at Rome, many deaths. There were earthquakes, earthquakes during this period.

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For example, what's the next earthquake recorded after this? Anyone know? Crucifixion.

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Another earthquake? The resurrection. Earthquakes recorded in, of course, the

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New Testament itself. Throughout that period, there were earthquakes. There was a major earthquake, famous one in history, in 62

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AD, February 5th, 62 AD in Pompeii that leveled and destroyed the city.

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Many, or say a lot of destruction. We also see Jesus promises, what?

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Then they will deliver you up to tribulation. Who's he talking to? Who's he talking to?

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Come back. I know, guys, it's been a long sermon so far. I told you to get the fire hose today, but stay with me because it's about to get really interesting, okay?

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As a little trailer, we're about to talk about the four horsemen of the apocalypse, so come back. Ready?

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Tribulation, right? They're going to deliver you. Who's he talking to? 2019

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Christians in Mesa, Arizona, right? Who's the conversation directed to? Them.

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They ask the question. They're going to deliver you over to tribulation. The question is this, do we see that persecution throughout the

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New Testament record? The answer is yes. All I would challenge you to do is this. This is it.

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If you want to see if Jesus kept his word here, if it occurred, read one book. Read the book of Acts.

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Read the book of Acts, and what do you see in the book of Acts in terms of persecution? Where's it coming from? Primarily, where's it coming from?

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First century, covenant -breaking Jews. They don't want Jesus, and so who are they going after? They're going after his people.

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Actually, watch this. In the book of Acts, you see them doing what? They're taking oaths not to eat food until they kill the apostle

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Paul, right? That's some serious dedication. There are a lot of people that don't like our church, and particularly don't like me, and they just stand out with stupid signs outside on the street calling out to people, right?

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That's all we get. That's like the worst of our persecution. These people are like, I'm not going to eat a thing until Paul is dead.

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They're going after Paul to the degree that the apostle Paul describes his persecution, and he says this.

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Look, this is what I've been through. He says, I've been beaten times without number. How many times do you take a beating for Jesus when you decide to stop counting?

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I'd like to know this, right? Like, I can name on like one hand the amount of like serious persecution we've got in our time.

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I can name them, like it was this time, this time. One time, one guy roughed me up, a Mormon bishop roughed me up, tore my tracks, and like threw them in my face.

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Like, no big, Jerry, you were there for that, I think, for that one. Like, no real big deal. It's like, you know, one time this big

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Samoan dude walked up to one of our friends outside the Mormon temple, grabbed all the tracks, like ripped them in half like a phone book.

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It was amazing. I just grabbed more out of my backpack, and like, we got like thousands, bro.

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Like, you should try to talk to us. Like, that's like the extent. They're like, I'm not gonna eat until he's dead. Paul says,

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I've been beaten times without number. He says shipwrecked at sea. I'm in danger constantly, danger from false brethren.

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He's like getting bit by snakes, like some serious persecution, and he calls it what?

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It's a light and momentary affliction, right? No big deal. Like, first century church, major persecution.

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I believe that the horror of Babylon is actually first century covenant breaking Jerusalem, and she's drunk with the blood of the saints and the martyrs of Jesus, because listen, the first century historic records demonstrate that there was a massive amount of persecution for the

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Christians in that generation. As a matter of fact, there was blame, you need to know this, put upon the

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Christian church, where now Rome turned on the Christians, and Nero persecuted the early

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Christian church for 42 months. I believe exactly as the book of Revelation says that he would, but Nero persecuted the early

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Christians. Do you know how the apostles died? Being flayed, having your skin ripped off your body while you're alive, having their heads cut off, people being burned alive, people being crucified.

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I mean, John's the only one that was alive during the destruction of Jerusalem. The other apostles are killed.

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Nero would round Christians up in the street, and they would take these Christians, they would tie them to stakes in his garden parties, they'd wrap them in pitch, set them on fire to serve as candles, that Roman candles that he would ride his chariot through in his garden parties.

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Nero used to have Christians tied to stakes naked, and he would cover himself in the skins of animals like bears or lions, and then he would attack those

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Christians tied to the stake and try to eat their bodies. This is the kind of persecution the early church got.

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As a matter of fact, in the book of Hebrews, the call is don't go back, don't go back to that old system, don't return to it all, don't fall into apostasy, don't fall away.

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Why? Because this is all about to be destroyed. That early church did experience not only massive blessing and encouragement with the gospel spreading around the empire, but they endured some of the harshest persecution imaginable.

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Martyrdom, difficulties, being maimed, all for what? Because they said

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Jesus is Lord. Because his kingdom had arrived and was spreading throughout the world.

01:00:06

The Bible does show us that all these things did actually occur. Now quickly,

01:00:12

I wanted to show you this for fun. You guys ready for this? I thought about like, well, I don't have to do this.

01:00:18

Like exegesis calls us to just stay in the text, let the text speak, unpack it, go verse by verse, right?

01:00:25

But we also want to do tota scriptura and go through all the scriptures. Now watch,

01:00:31

I cannot even begin to unpack the book of Revelation right now.

01:00:36

And some of you guys are like, please don't. Okay. I'm not gonna, but I'm going to show you something.

01:00:43

Remember the title of the message today is called Jesus little what? Apocalypse, which means unveiling or revelation.

01:00:53

It's the first word in the book of Revelation. I actually believe that the apostle John wrote the book of Revelation, not long before the destruction of Jerusalem.

01:01:02

If you want to see the evidence for that, both internally and externally pick up a book called before Jerusalem fell.

01:01:08

I think it's unassailable. I do believe that it's really an amazing book. You should read it. But the beginning of the book of Revelation, John uses that Greek word that we get for apocalypse, which means revelation or unveiling.

01:01:21

So I actually believe that much of what's in the book of Revelation is actually pointing to the soon coming destruction of the covenant breakers and the old city, the old

01:01:32

Jerusalem. But I want you to hear this really interesting point. Go to Revelation chapter six,

01:01:42

Revelation chapter six. And let's see, as you get there, do we see anything consistent here with the message of Jesus in his little apocalypse?

01:01:55

As you get there, let me point something out to you I think is fascinating. Are you ready for this? Ready? In the book of Revelation chapter six, this is about the seven seals, four living creatures, a voice like thunder, and we've got four horsemen of the apocalypse.

01:02:18

In Revelation chapter six, here's what we have. Ready? War, verses one through two.

01:02:26

International strife, verses three through four. Famine, verses five through six.

01:02:32

Pestilence, verses seven through eight. Persecution, nine through eleven. Earthquake decreation language, verses 12 through 17.

01:02:42

Do you know what you have in Matthew chapter 24? Wars, verse six.

01:02:48

International strife, verse seven. Famines, verse seven. Earthquakes, verse seven.

01:02:55

Persecutions, verses nine through 13. Decreation, 15 through 31.

01:03:02

Similarities between Jesus' little apocalypse and what's coming from John's big apocalypse.

01:03:09

You know what you have in Mark 13? Same thing. Wars, international strife, earthquakes, famines, persecutions, decreation language.

01:03:17

Do you know what you have in Luke 21? Wars, international strife, earthquakes, plagues and famines, persecution, and decreation.

01:03:27

Okay? Now let's look at Revelation chapter six, keeping in mind something very important.

01:03:33

Listen closely. Again, I'm not going to unpack Revelation tonight, but just give this to you in terms of showing consistency in the

01:03:40

Revelation itself. You see similarities between Revelation six and Jesus' great tribulation passage, all of a discourse in Matthew 24.

01:03:50

Now the language in the book of Revelation, you have to know the Bible and its imagery and symbols before you go running to interpret it.

01:03:57

For example, if you read the book of Revelation and you start looking for manhoppers outside, you're doing it wrong.

01:04:10

Locusts with men's faces, if that really happened, oh my goodness, terrifying.

01:04:16

You saw how people in Las Vegas were freaking out recently because all the locusts were like moving through and people were like, look, it's the book of Revelation.

01:04:24

Locusts are all over Vegas. Let me just tell you, that's the least of Vegas' problems. All right?

01:04:31

It's just part of what those things do as they move through the state. But listen, the book of Revelation uses terminology that is biblical language and symbols.

01:04:42

Like when you hear the word harlot, you want to go running back to the

01:04:47

Old Testament to see who did God call a harlot. When you hear about someone riding a white horse, you want to go back to the

01:04:56

Psalms and the Old Testament to see who God calls the person riding on that horse and conquering in victory, who's using a bow.

01:05:06

When you hear this language, we don't have the right to just go running to the text and inventing things.

01:05:11

It's not malleable. You don't get to do what you want with it. These are secure and dedicated symbols.

01:05:19

And it says in chapter six, verse one, now I watched when the lamb opened one of the seven seals, I heard one of the four living creatures say with a voice like thunder, come.

01:05:28

And I looked and behold a white horse and its rider had a bow and a crown was given to him.

01:05:34

And he came out conquering and to conquer. When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, come.

01:05:41

And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth so that people would slay one another.

01:05:49

And he was given a great sword. When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, come.

01:05:55

And I looked and behold a black horse and its rider had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the, in the midst of the four living creatures saying a quart of wheat for Denarius and three quarts of barley for Denarius and do not harm the oil and the wine.

01:06:12

When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, come. And I looked and behold a pale horse and its rider's name was death and Hades followed him or Hades.

01:06:25

And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth to kill with sword, with famine, with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.

01:06:35

And he opened the fifth seal and I saw under the altar, the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne.

01:06:43

They cried out with a loud voice, Oh, sovereign Lord, holy and true. How long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth.

01:06:51

Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

01:07:04

When he opened the sixth seal, I looked and behold, there was a great earthquake and the sun became black as sackcloth.

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The full moon became like blood and the stars of the sky fell to the earth. As the fig tree sheds its winter fruit, when shaken by a gale, the sky vanished like a scroll that's being rolled up and every mountain and island was removed from its place.

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And then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful and everyone, and everyone's slave and free hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks and the mountains calling to the mountains and rocks fall on us and hide us from the wrath of him who is seated on the throne.

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And here it is from the wrath of the lamb for the great day of their wrath has come and who can stand notice all of the judgment language in Revelation chapter 6 is the same judgments in the great tribulation passage of Matthew 24.

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Question, who did Jesus say that was going to fall upon? That generation. And when you see all this powerful language being used in Revelation 6 of these judgments and these seals, earthquakes and famines and pestilence and war, all consistent with the

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Olivet Discourse, it's being of course by Jesus promised to that generation. But here's what you need to know.

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This is key and we're wrapping up on this. So get ready here. When you're

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Jewish and you know your scriptures and you're reading all of this biblical imagery and language and you know these symbols, you know all this language, you've read some of these passages before.

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Like this part here, sun become black like sackcloth and full moon became like blood.

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The stars fall from to the earth. You go, wait, that's the same language that God used in Isaiah 13 against Babylon before he was going to judge

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Babylon. It's the same language that God uses in Isaiah 34 against Egypt when he's these nations.

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He uses this graphic prophetic hyperbole to talk about judgment and undoing their nation.

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Decreation language is used to talk about coming judgment, but there's more. And here's where we're finishing on this.

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Take your finger now and move all the way back to Ezekiel 14. Remember this, you are part of the covenant people of God.

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You're Jewish. You know your scriptures in these texts. You've read them before. You've heard about these awful judgments.

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You look back at the old Testament and you see the people of God disobeying God, disobeying his covenant.

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And you think to yourself, how could they keep doing that? What's going on? How could they keep disobeying God and his law and his covenants?

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Well, one of the things you should know if you know your Bibles is Ezekiel chapter 14.

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Ezekiel 14. Here's what God promises to Jerusalem. Sorry, Ezekiel 14 .21.

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For thus says the Lord God, how much more when I send upon Jerusalem my four disastrous acts of judgment, sword, famine, wild beasts, and pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast.

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Keep one finger there in Ezekiel 14 and go back to Revelation chapter 6. These are the four severe judgments

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God promises upon who? Jerusalem. Now look in the

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Revelation chapter 6 in verse 8. And I looked and behold a pale horse and its rider's name was

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Death and Hades followed him and they were given authority over a fourth of the earth to kill with sword, with famine, with pestilence, and wild beasts of the earth.

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Now look back at Ezekiel 14. Those are God's severe judgments upon who? It's in Ezekiel 14 .21.

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Stay with me guys. What is it? The four severe judgments upon who? Jerusalem.

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God promised in Ezekiel 14 .21 those severe judgments upon Jerusalem.

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Jesus says it to Jerusalem in Matthew 24 and John picks up on it again in Revelation chapter 6 and unveils that judgment and brothers and sisters it fell upon first century

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Jerusalem. One more thing. Did you catch the last part of Revelation 6? I want to see who caught it because I used it weeks ago and let's see if you're tracking with me.

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In Revelation 6 it says that people are going to say what to the mountains and rocks?

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What are they going to say to the mountains and rocks? Fall on us. Does that sound familiar at all to you?

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I told you all that I thought it was the strangest thing for the Lord Jesus when he was on the way to the crucifixion.

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He says so very little from his trial to the cross.

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He says so very little. It's amazing. He's silent at times and I thought always it was so strange, so very strange, that on the way to the cross

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Jesus says something to the women of Jerusalem. He says something to the women of Jerusalem on the way to the cross.

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He says to the women of Jerusalem, don't weep for me. Weep for yourselves and weep for your children.

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Weep for yourselves and weep for your children. He tells them that the days are coming when people are going to beg for what?

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All these things to fall on us. Who did Jesus say it to? The people of his generation. What do you see it picked up on in Revelation chapter 6?

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That exact promise of the wrath of the lamb. Upon whom? Jerusalem. So brothers and sisters, we have to ask ourselves this question of so what?

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And then we're done. I thought to myself, how do you take something so awesome and distill it into a so what?

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How does it apply? Because it applies in a million ways. I thought to myself, how does it apply?

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Well here's how it applies. His promises are true. That means two ways.

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Ready? One, his promises of judgment are true. Here's the key. They didn't believe him.

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They rejected it. And before they all died, it fell upon them in disastrous ways.

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It was brutal. His judgment was sure. His word was true. It fell upon that generation.

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So we know that his judgment is true. When he promises something's going to occur, it happens.

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Nothing in heaven and earth is going to stop it. When Jesus says it, it's the truth.

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Which means that if you are not in Christ today, you better repent and believe in a hurry because you may be sitting there saying to yourself,

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I've got time. I don't buy into this. I don't believe this. They felt the same way in so many ways.

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And so I would encourage you to repent and to believe in the good news. Trust in Christ for salvation and for forgiveness.

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Come to him for life, everlasting life. But there's another element here I thought for us Christians, how as children of God do we see these kinds of things?

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Man, it makes Jesus look incredible. He's the promised Messiah. Amen? Everything he said that was going to occur, occurred on time and as planned.

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But there's something else here. And that's this. How often do you and I waver on God's promises and his blessings?

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How often do we waver and we not believe his promises? How often do you and I get up in the morning and we had a bad day yesterday, a fight with our spouse, a fight with our kids, we're terrified of what's going to happen at work this week.

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Whatever the case may be, we wake up with no joy. We wake up with anxiousness and fear.

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Why? Because the truth is, is that we believe our emotions and our experience and our feelings and our inner monologue more than we actually believe his word and promises.

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He says, do not be anxious about tomorrow. And we say, well, a little, maybe a little, right?

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He says that you are not condemned ever. That there is no more condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

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And what do we do? We had a failure last night in our sanctification and we wake up and we think

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God is the absentee landlord. He's far off. He doesn't care. He's angry with us.

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I'm condemned on Monday morning because I had a terrible day yesterday of obedience.

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And I start grieving. And instead of going to God with delight and joy over what he's accomplished in my salvation in Christ, rather than trusting in his promises and his word and actually having a joyful Monday of worship in God, I actually soak in his presence.

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Why? Because I believe my word and my own inner monologue before I believe his promises.

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Do you know what you should see about Matthew 24? He meant what he said.

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What should you see? He keeps his word. What should you see?

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You and I should fear God. We should have a reverential awe always.

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And we should have the kind of clear view of his word. This is true.

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And it doesn't matter what it looks like. It doesn't matter what it feels like. It doesn't matter how much of a delay there is.

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Can you imagine it? Watch. The quick thing on this, this is huge. The book of Hebrews is written to Christians in the first century who are being tempted to go back to temple.

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Why? Watch. We don't think about this because it was still standing. Jesus told them this is about to be destroyed.

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These sacrifices don't matter anymore. I'm the son of God. I'll be the source of your eternal life.

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All of this is passing away. Right? And now watch. A decade goes by. Another decade goes by.

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Another decade goes by. And they're like, he's delaying. What's going on?

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And all the Jewish people around those Jewish Christians are like, guys, come back to temple.

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Come back. So much for your Messiah. He's not coming back to destroy.

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Come on back to temple. I mean, this was a cool movement. It seemed like he was the Messiah, right? For sure.

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But come back to priests. Come back to the annual sacrifices. Come back the time.

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I mean, he's not coming back. And the writer of Hebrews is like, he's a better prophet. He's a better priest.

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He's a better king. It's a once for all sacrifice. And this is about to be gone.

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It may seem delayed, but his word is true and sure. And here's the thing.

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In our experience, if we feel like his promises are delayed or he's not showing up for us in our experience in this moment, his word is true, whether you feel like it or not.

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And if you haven't repented of your sins and come to Christ for salvation, you may think he's been delayed in your life, but his judgment is right and true and sure.

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And for you, it may even be tonight. So repent and believe in a hurry.

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Let's pray. I pray, God, you bless the message that went out. For the glory of Jesus, please bless all the word.

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Lord, bind it to our hearts and our minds. I pray, Lord, that this message would,

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Lord, encourage all of us to love your word more deeply, to be more concerned with Lord handling it faithfully.

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And most of all, I pray that it would inspire us to go tell the world about Jesus. It's in his name we pray.