Matthew 24 part 5

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Show Introduction and Recent Life Updates

Alright, ladies and gentlemen. We are Open Air Theology. And we are live. My name is Jeff Rice. I am one of the pastors of Covenant Reformed Baptist Church. And I'm here with my good buddy Braden Braden Patterson.

Yeah, Braden Patterson From Valley Baptist Church, the pastor over there. It's a great privilege to be able to preach Christ Crucified. I'm XLDS and a Reformed Baptist now. So it's a God-glorifying thing.

So happy to be here. And I just gotta say That was absolutely dope.

You like that?

I absolutely love that. That was awesome.

Yeah.

Yeah, I figured.

I've been working on several different things. And that one right there just kind of kicked off. And I heard the music. And me and my co-pastor just made it happen. Co-elder.

That's cool.

Sweet.

So what are we talking about?

Oh, Matthew 24 Already.

Matthew 24 Yeah, already Not yet for you And already for me.

Yeah.

It's the end of the world as we know it. And I'm just fine. Yes, we hope everyone is doing good. It's been a few weeks since we've been able to get online And have this podcast. Some of you may know if you follow me.

Our church has been meeting in a women's center. And so we've been written one day a week. By God's grace, I found a commercial property. And it's actually two commercial properties That's been brought into one.

So it's 303 and 305 And the Lord has sovereignly put it upon us to get it. And so we've been doing a lot of remodeling. And like today after work I was building a pool pit. It's just been a lot. And so I've been really wore out.

So last week I wasn't able to make it Because I was picking up pews. So we drove to Alabama And I thought I'd be back in time But it didn't happen. So we found 16 pews for $25 each And it was just a blessing that we couldn't pass up.

Anyone that knows anything about sitting. Chairs are expensive. After each service we have a fellowship meal. And it cost us Like close to $3 ,000 just to get tables and chairs. And that was because we got a membership somewhere And we got free shipping.

Everything is just so expensive.

What a good reason though to miss the podcast. Is to be picking that stuff up.

That's super exciting.

I'm happy for you guys.

Yeah, we're extremely stoked man. And we just feel like the Lord's going to use us. And I'll be able to start my discipleship program Remedy. So we're just looking forward to it man. How was your week?

It's been wild and good. Got bit by a dog. And so we're doing a lot of fun stuff. Yeah, it's been really good. I do have to say though. This Sunday, the reason that Haps isn't on here today Is because he's in Idaho right now visiting some family.

He's up at my neck of the woods. And so we got to hang out on Sunday. And that was so awesome. It was such a blessing to be able to worship God with him. It was wonderful. It was truly wonderful.

Yeah, that's really cool man.

Yeah.

Matthew 24: The Fig Tree and the Timing of Judgment

Alright, so do you remember where we left off? I meant to listen to it today.

Yeah, so we got right to the parable of the fig tree. In verse 32 I think we might have touched on it a little bit. But I don't think we thoroughly examined it enough.

Alright, well we'll just start there. Yeah, we'll just start there. I feel like my mic isn't working that well.

I'll start off by saying I apologize if I haven't been able to study as much as I've wanted to. For this portion. Just because this week has been wild for myself. And I am not feeling the best tonight.

Well I haven't studied any night that we've worked on this.

Okay, cool.

I'm just letting the scripture speak. The end is the end. Every time it mentions the end It's the same thing The end of the age. Which I can't get you on my side. I'm actually teaching through Matthew 24 During our Sunday school hour.

Cool.

Yeah.

Do you do open dialogue for that portion?

Yeah, absolutely.

I mean, I tell them If you have any questions. If you have any objections Let's talk about it. So far, no questions. So far, no objections. That's cool. And I was also on a podcast last night. Someone Asked me to join their podcast.

And the link is on my page.

And we.

Talked about baptism. And so he was just basically asking me questions That are posed to pastors. As Baptist pastors.

By people who.

Are being Introduced to Presbyterianism.

So.

How would I respond to This question and this question And this question. So if you want to hear that You can go to my page and check that out And we might do some Other stuff in the future. Alright, so Matthew.

24 Do you want to give a quick recap?

Um.

Sure, yeah. Jeff, you see Matthew 24 As Preterist And I see that as Modified Idealist.

Is how I would call it.

Well, some of you. Some portions you would see as Preterist.

Absolutely.

We'll just jump into it then. Verse 32 I'll read to 35 And then if you want to come back We'll break it down. From the fig tree learn its lesson As soon as its branches Become tender And puts out its leaves.

You know that summer is near. So also when you Him speaking to his disciples See all these things You know that he Is near at the very gates. Truly I say to you This generation Will not pass away Until all these things take place.

Heaven and earth will pass away But my words Will not pass away.

Amen.

Love it.

So.

How would you see. So the fig tree. The nearest antecedent to the fig tree. Would have to be in chapter 21.

Yep.

Where he curses the fig tree.

Yeah which I'll read that text real fast. So Matthew 21 18 through 22. Now in the morning When he returned to the city he became hungry And seeing a lone fig tree By the road he came to it And found nothing on it except leaves only.

And he said to it No longer shall there ever be Any fruit from you. And at once the fig tree withered. And seeing this the disciples marveled Saying how did the fig tree wither at once. And Jesus answered and said to them Truly I say to you If you have faith and do not doubt You shall not only do What was done to the fig tree But even if you say to this mountain Be taken up and cast into the sea it shall happen.

And all these And all things you ask in prayer Believing you shall receive.

Now there is Interpretation where he says On this mountain Him being on.

Something in my mouth.

Might be a mustache hair.

But it always happens.

Him being on Coming out of the temple. And so they're thinking That the interpretation The Preterist interpretation is That he's speaking of The temple, Jerusalem Being destroyed Tossed into the sea. And then 40 years later it happens.

And so I don't know if you Hold to that interpretation or not.

But I would.

I would and I would also. In my thinking of this too I would also say that.

Because.

Getting back into that whole recapitulation Idea right that the parable The barren fig tree, well not the parable The barren fig tree, that example in front Of it is the beginning Of these Recapitulation Parables that we see whether it be The parable of the landowner, parable of the marriage Feast, so on and so forth.

The barren fig tree I think.

Does specifically.

Have fulfillment in 70 AD With the destruction of the temple. But I do think That the ethnic Jew is never going to produce Fruit again. I think that This is saying that it's done That the evidence of this Doneness is going to be 70 AD.

But that's a reality today That an ethnic Israel Ethnic Jewish people Are not producing the fruit of God Like they were in the Old Testament.

So when you say ethnic Jew You're not speaking In the old covenant sense That whole system Not that a Jew can't become A Christian By faith alone and Christ alone.

Absolutely yeah. And at that point I would say if an ethnic Jew became a Christian. Now they are part of true Israel. They are now more Jewish than what they were prior In that sense that they're actually partaking In the covenant of grace By having faith in the promise, the seed.

And that's how they've now become descendants.

Of Abraham.

Alright.

I'm down with that.

Yeah.

So yeah.

Go ahead.

Verse 35 says. So when you And he's still speaking to his disciples We know he's talking to his disciples From verses 1, 2, and 3. When you see All these things you know That he is near At the very gates.

So Specifically speaking to him And like it carries on In 34 truly I say to you His disciples this generation The Greek word genea Which always is the near demonstrative. So when you go over To chapter 23 And he's speaking to the pharisees He says I say to you That he speak.

Right here he's saying to the scribes and pharisees All these things will come upon This generation That all these things would be. Okay so like Let me just give a quick recap here. So in verse 29 he says woe to you Scribes and pharisees you hypocrites.

Right here he says For you build the tombs of the prophets And decorate the monuments Of the righteous Saying if we would have lived In the days of our fathers We would have not taken part with them In the shedding the blood of the prophets.

Thus you witness Against yourselves that you are Sons of those who murdered the prophets Fill up then the measure of your fathers. You serpent you brood of vipers How will you Escape being sentenced to hell.

Therefore I send You prophets and wise men Scribes whom you will kill And crucify. And some you will flog in synagogues And persecute from town to town So that upon you may come All the righteous blood Shed on the earth From the blood of righteous Abel To the blood of Zechariah the son of Berechiah whom you murdered between The sanctuary and the altar.

I say to you scribes and pharisees All these things will come Will come upon This generation. And so The scribes and pharisees In verse 26 Excuse me in verse 30 They were saying if we would have been Alive in the days of our fathers We would have not stoned the prophets And killed them.

And Jesus is saying I'm sending you prophets And scribes. And you're going to do the same thing That your fathers did to the prophets That were sent to them. And so when he says upon you Upon this generation Meaning that that generation also Is going to do the exact same thing As the previous generation did by Killing the prophets.

And so right here This generation is They're demonstrative. We agree that that was what that is. And when you get over in chapter 24 He starts telling them His disciples that they're going to be betrayed.

They're going to be Verse 9 And they will deliver you over to Tribulation and put you to death. And you'll be hated by all nations. For my namesake Like right here Is him answering like The scribes and prophets that these Pharisees are going to kill.

He's speaking about his disciples His followers. So they're living in the time of that generation Of the scribes and pharisees. And they're the one that the scribes and pharisees Are going to kill because that's who Jesus Sent.

And so when you get over here To 34 of our chapter This generation It says and I say to you His disciples this generation Will not pass away until all these things take place. So everything I see everything from 34.

Like right here I think It's hard to argue that everything from verse 34 Has not already happened. Because it says all these things All these things would be From verses 3 To 34 has to take place And then a continuation of it Would be verse 35.

Heaven and earth will pass away but my words Will not pass away and I would see Heaven and earth as being O covenant Jerusalem.

Matthew 24, Matthew 25, and Recapitulation in the Olivet Discourse

Yeah yeah yeah. I would disagree to a certain extent. Right to because of course The way that I viewed 29 to 31 Is speaking about in my opinion Verse 29 is saying that the Ethnic Israel right the Old covenant is fallen In this sense that they are being trampled down Until the fullness of the gentiles Has come in right that Thinking of mine that I have.

And I do think that there's stuff in here That leads me to think of the second coming In verse 31 as well as some other Stuff here in chapter 25 and later.

On in 24.

And I agree I think.

The way that you.

Tied verse 34 To Matthew chapter 23 Verse 27 Was it or what verse was that.

30.

This generation that these Things would happen in 36.

36 okay.

So but part of that too.

Though I think in the way That I see this right verse 37 It continues Oh Jerusalem Jerusalem. And he talks about it he says your house is being Left to you desolate. I think that's a still thing Today that their house is still being left.

To them. Desolate today. Well the house Is the temple. And. Absolutely. Yeah and so.

And I think I think it also is speaking about how God's glory resided there and so. Yeah saying yeah but it's glorious.

Jerusalem isn't desolate. Daniel 9 gives You the definition of desolate. It's when It's when Jerusalem is Empty of its people.

And where is that.

Just out of curiosity when where does that say that in Daniel I don't know. Off the top of my head Why you're going there. But that's that's my thinking is That it's saying that God's glory Is is no longer In the ethnic Jewish Nation in that sense and so When I when I come to Matthew 24 32 I think that this is Now so in my Recapitulation thinking verses Three to 31 Has a has a Has a narrowing of the lens and a Widening of the lens that takes place.

And then in Verse 32 it starts over again on that Narrowing referring saying now Listen to this parable. So he said he's Recapitulating something and he's.

Inventing something. Right there man because. The text doesn't lead you there. The text Doesn't lead you there. Yeah it does he says.

Now learn the parable from the fig tree. Right. He's he's saying it's It he's he's continuing like I said. But I think he's narrowing. And why. Because.

I mean before then he's basically You know given the you know the wars. And I mean he's given the birth pains. Absolutely given though. He's given the Warning of what's going to take place On that generation concerning.

The.

His his his the ones that He sent his disciples being persecuted He gives the sign of the coming Yep and And and so now he's saying You know since all that is true. Therefore.

I mean it would be how I.

Think it would be out of Christ's character For him not to be doing that. Narrowing. Widening of the lens. Because in Matthew 22.

Matthew.

22 with parable of the marriage.

Feast.

It I'll just read a couple of these verses Here it says in verses four and On it says again he sent out Out other slaves to tell Those who have been invited behold I prepare My dinner my oxen and my fattens livestock Are all butchered and everything is ready To come.

Everything is ready Come to the wedding feast. But they paid no attention And went their way one to his own Farm and another to his business and the Rest seized his slaves and mistreated Them and killed them.

Which Again that's speaking of Oh Jerusalem Jerusalem you've killed The prophets right. But the king was enraged And sent his armies and destroyed Those murderers and set their city on fire. That's that narrowing of the lens Talking about 70 AD I think.

And it says then he said to the slaves the wedding Is ready but those who were invited were not Worthy go therefore to the main highways. And and as many as you Find there invite them to the wedding Feast.

And those slaves went out into the streets and Gathered together all they found Both evil and good. And the wedding hall was Filled. And and so then it continues On saying that the one that was Without the wedding clothes he's going to have His place in darkness where there we Weaving gnashing of the teeth.

So I think again that's A narrowing of the lens and then a Widening of the lens talking about the entirety Of the interadvental period finally Being capstoned By the second coming in that sense. And so I think it's in Nature with how Christ has already been talking To restart his Recapulations because right after that.

Then he goes into another recapulation. And then another recapulation and another so would you.

Put the wedding feast as Future for us now yeah.

Yep I would Yeah and that part of me would would go To Matthew chapter 24 with the parable of the Of the of the ten virgins In that and so I think that that so that's why When I come to Matthew 24 verse 32 I think he's now narrowing again Back into the destruction of 70 80 and what's going On is he's saying this the Temple being destroyed Jerusalem Jerusalem how you've killed the prophets I'm leaving your house desolate and The Gentiles Walking trotting over This city in that way because the Stars the moon the sun are in a fallen State all those things did Take place in that generation.

And then I think from verse 35 And on it now breaks up it's a Widening of the lens again and so that's Where. That's where I see this narrowing and widening Of the lens that's taking place and I think it's I think It's consistent with how Jesus has been talking Through Matthew 24 up until now too.

Yeah I mean I I just don't Say it anywhere man even in Matthew chapter 25 I don't see that he's speaking of The the the marriage.

Feast.

I mean of course I see the Matthew 25 as being the In present and future You see what I'm saying so I Believe that this is the already Not yet like yeah and then You know of course and with the talents It's more it's more individual when it comes To the talents and then the final judgment.

Right right like I see This being played out in time Right now but I don't see anything Dealing in Matthew 24 the marriage Feast I mean because Not saying I don't believe the marriage Feast is in the future but I think there's a good argument to say that it's Already happened as well because.

I agree it's an already not yet reality In that sense. I I do agree With that but I do think that the The idea Of the not yet specifically In 25 is.

Is.

I think it's pretty pertinent. Right because.

And we'll talk.

After 25. Yeah 25.

Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah.

But yeah no. That's my thinking on it so I do agree That like this verse 34 this generation Will not pass away is speaking Of the destruction of 70 AD. Like that's that's preterist in that way. They did see those things they saw.

The I think they also see From 22 the the invitation Going out onto the highways and byways. They saw that in that generation right. They saw the gospel going around The world in that sense. Yeah and I would say.

First it was to the tax collectors and The prostitutes and then it Went to the Gentiles who were actually To the Jews were worse than tax collectors And prostitutes. Yeah just straight Up sinners those that that did not Live under the law.

Okay I mean even the tax collectors And prostitutes if you were a Jew You were still under the law. Like you were born under the law in the covenant.

And where is that. And that was.

Yes on Daniel 9.

Oh yeah.

Daniel 9 verse 1 it says In the first year of Darius the Son of Esariah by descent Amin who was made King over the ram of the Chaldeans In the first year of his reign I Daniel perceived in the book the Number of years according to the word of The Lord to Jeremiah the Prophet must pass Before the End of desolation Of Jerusalem namely Seventy years.

Alright. And so when you come over here You know for the sake of having to read the whole thing. If you come over here to verses 17 and 18 It gives the answer Now therefore O God listen To the prayer of your servant And his Plead for mercy and For your own sake.

O Lord make Your face shine Upon your sanctuary Which is Desolate. So at this Time they were removed from The land it is desolate.

Okay and.

Verse 18. O my God Incline your ear and hear Open your eyes and see Our desolation In the city that is called by your Name for we Do not present Our pleas before you Because of Our righteousness but because of your Great mercy.

And then when you go back To Matthew 24 it talks about the desolation. When you see the abomination of desolation And we already conclude. And from Luke it's whenever you see The armies surrounding Jerusalem That's the desolation.

Whenever they come in and remove the people That's the desolation. So when Jerusalem is removed I mean when the people of Israel are Removed from Jerusalem That's desolation. And we know right now That the Jews are back in Jerusalem.

The city is not desolate. But the covenant is no longer there.

Well I still think That it's desolate in the sense That they are not the people of God.

Well no they're not the people of God.

But if you.

I don't think they were the people Of God during the time of Jesus. Jesus told them you're sons of the Satan.

Absolutely.

And I think that that's partly That already not yet stuff. That we also see in there too. I think that yes. Verse 15 of 24 Of Matthew 24 says That this is the fulfilled The abomination of desolation I was spoken through by the mouth The word of the prophet Daniel.

I know I just butchered that quote But anyway I'm in such a brain fog right now. It's not even funny.

But yeah I think that.

I think that part of that though. Is that It's still desolate today. I really do. I don't think that by them going back That is now mean that they're no longer desolation.

I think that that.

I believe it's desolate in the sense that Verse 35 speaks of heaven and earth Will pass away but my words will not pass away. Again I see heaven and earth As being Jerusalem O covenant Jerusalem Temple.

Like.

The new covenant the church The bride of Christ I see as being The new heavens and the new earth. And it's already not yet. Speaking of The kingdom of God.

And even talking on that verse I still. You got me on that one. With how. Matthew chapter 5 verse 13.

Is it that talks about it.

I'm still trying to work that through in my mind. Because I always read verse 35 as an authoritative text Rather than Heaven and earth passing away In this predatory sense that you've talked about in the past.

And so I mean like I wrestle through it just because of The theonomy debate. Yeah and I'm not trying to make this about.

Theonomy.

Let's talk about it though. Yeah well it's coming.

Yeah. Yeah.

The Law, the Ten Commandments, and Theonomy

So like in verse 17 do not think That I have come to abolish the law. Or the prophets I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I say to you Until heaven and earth passes away Not an iota not a dot Will pass away from the law Until all is accomplished.

Well would you say that A part of that law Has. I would say everything but the 10 words Have passed away. And that the 10 words that were written on stone Has actually removed from the stone. And it's now in the heart and mind Of the believer.

The stone tablets have in fact Passed away But the words on them were removed And placed in our heart and mind. The 10 words.

Can I ask you on something like that.

Because I'm still working through this too.

Hold on. If that is true then heaven and earth has passed away.

Yes absolutely.

Heaven and earth has passed away. But we know that the heavens are still there. And the earth is still here. So the heavens and earth can't be a literal heaven and earth. And we can go through this more.

And I can enlighten you some more. But what was your question.

Yeah so in chapter 5. And I've been working through this myself Trying to figure this out a little bit more. Could the smallest. Don't beat me up for this one. Because this might be a dumb question. Do you think that verse 18 Is talking about the entirety Of the law.

Or do you think that that's talking about The entirety of the 10 commandments.

Because sometimes.

Where it uses the word law.

The law has been written on our hearts. That's not talking about circumcision. Being written on our hearts. And following this.

You see what I'm saying.

The only thing written on our heart Is the 10 words. So whenever Moses was given the commandments Chapter 20 So 19 they're approaching the mountain Chapter 20 he receives the commandments 21, 22, and 23 he writes down On the commandments The statutes and rules.

And then so like you see some of those In those chapters. But also when you get to Numbers, Leviticus And all these other. Like it goes into greater detail of what was actually written. So this is what's called The precepts.

The statutes and precepts. I think I'm saying that right. Alright so those things are not written In our mind and on our heart. But we can go back And look at these things. So this is what's called general equity.

We can go back and look at these things And see the righteousness of God. But this was actually given To a geopolitical nation Of Israel. And it's not for the church to establish In our time. So that's where I would differ with the Yeah this theonomist Movement that's out right now.

Because we all want to say that we Love theonomy. I mean it's theos numos God's law. The way that it's been In my opinion perverted Trying to bring us back under the Old covenant system. So if you believe you know like the New testament teaches us Galatians, Romans, Hebrews I mean I can keep going That the law is no more for us.

It's not saying That the ten words are not for us. The ten commandments The Decalogue. But even them Has been kept by Jesus. And in the way that we observe them It's not in the same way that Geopolitical Israel observed them.

It's underneath that idea of General equity.

Well first John chapter. Yeah so first John chapter Two verse three says. This is how we know that we have come to know him If we keep his commandments. Whoever says that I know him And doesn't keep his commandments Is a liar and the truth is not in him.

So you ask yourself well what is the commandments. Chapter three verse twenty three Tells you it says then this Is his commandments that we believe In the name of the son Jesus Christ And love our neighbors as Ourself.

So You want to know how do I love God with all my heart with all my soul With all my mind and with all of my strength. It's by believing in the name of Jesus Christ. Well how do I love my neighbor as myself.

Well there's two Two things I would point you to. One is you treat your. God has given you the fruit of the spirit. You are to treat your Neighbor love Joy peace. Like these are the Fruits that you should be displaying To your neighbor your closest neighbor being your wife Your kids your church family.

And then Directly from that would be your actual Neighbors people in your community And stuff like that. But also Is that whenever Our neighbors are not being Loving to us and not being joyful They're not displaying the fruits of the Spirit we are to forgive.

You see what I'm saying. Absolutely so we're called to To love our neighbors. How. By being loving to them By displaying the fruits of the spirit. And whenever they're not doing so to us We are to forgive.

So the reason I ask that about In Matthew 5 18.

Because.

Because Follow me on this In verses 21 and on It talks about stuff that has to deal With the 10 commandments like Thou shalt not commit adultery thou shalt not Murder right.

Could it could it be said.

Like that Law that's talked about in verse 18 Is talking explicitly About the 10 commandments which is still Happening today. Therefore heaven And earth haven't passed away.

Well.

Hear me out.

I know I know this is me like thinking through this.

Yeah so I said earlier That the 10 commandments written in stone Has passed away. Okay but the words The stone has passed away but the words Have left the stone And they are in our mind And in our heart.