The Great Tribulation-When, Where, & Why

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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.

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Though I'd love to be, I am not your pastor. And it's very important as you're watching this, you know that it's

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That is vitally important and actually a biblical command. And so as much as again as we love for your participation, your partnership, and we are so thankful to God that he's using these in your lives, we want to encourage you to get plugged into a local church.

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So thank you again so much for watching these and sharing them. God bless you. All right. Open your

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Bibles if you would. Word of God, Matthew chapter 23. We're going to go through Matthew 23 and 24 today a bit, reading through and then starting to unpack.

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I have been seeking the Lord, praying, meditating upon this passage and how to communicate through this passage in a way that would bless you, that would encourage you, inspire you, equip you, and I think the best way to do it is to go simply verse by verse.

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There'll be times we spend more time focusing on a particular word and times we might jump forward and backward a bit.

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So I want to encourage everybody here to spend time on your own, on your own, reading through.

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Of course, where we've been here in Matthew, particularly Matthew 23, 24, but then also go and check out the other synoptic

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Gospels. Synoptic means what? Seeing together, right? Which are the synoptics?

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Matthew, Mark, and Luke. You can see them together, run them along side by side.

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At times Luke will give more details than Matthew or Matthew more than Luke. At times Luke may give a more easily understandable wording than Matthew does.

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Good example of this, just quickly so you can understand how important it is to read them together. In Matthew 24, there's a moment where the

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Lord Jesus says, when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet

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Daniel standing in the holy place, let the reader understand. Then let those who were in Judea flee to the mountains.

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Now, if you're new to Christ and you hear about the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel, you're like, you know, what, what, what?

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And what desolation? And who's, who's Daniel? What exactly is that? But then you run over to the other synoptic,

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Luke chapter 21, same exact section, and Luke gives a very easy to understand wording.

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He says, so when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, flee. You go, ah, got it.

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Okay, and that's how the early Christians understood it. So, I encourage you on your own as we're going through these texts, very important section of scripture, read

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Matthew 24, alongside Mark 13, alongside Luke 21.

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Those are the synoptic gospels. This section here, the Olivet Discourse. Jesus spoke on the

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Mount Olivet to the east of Jerusalem. And so, make sure you're doing that as you work through here.

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And let me tell you, what I hope happens after this. I do not hope to become, to have a church where we are just obsessed about eschatology.

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You can become very lopsided in studies like this. And you can see that it becomes sort of an obsession for people.

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Eschatology, you can see in many, in many ways becomes an obsession. You see that in things like Harold Camping, October 21st,

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May 21st, 2011. You see it in the cults that spring up, all the rest. The goal here is not to become obsessed about eschatology.

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The goal here is to honor God and to properly interpret scripture which leads to,

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I believe, in a passage like this, vindicating Christ, Jesus, as who we claim to be.

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Jesus is the Messiah. What he said here in this passage happened. It came on time.

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It came as planned. This section of scripture is part of a symphony that God is pulling together as the master storyteller.

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And this section of scripture ought to actually be used by Christians as it was, say, by Eusebius early on in the history of the church as vindication that Jesus actually kept his word.

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This was a prophecy that was fulfilled in the generation Jesus promised it to. And so my goal as a minister of the gospel, as your pastor, is to equip you.

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So just a quick couple words here as we go into this text. Some of what we do here through Matthew 24 is going to be tedious.

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But it's not my job as a minister, as a pastor, to entertain you. It's my job to teach you.

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And so some of what we do here will be tedious. But I want to encourage you to hang on in the moments where it's tedious.

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And we're going through a lot of scripture, because I assure you, holding all this together biblically is massively rewarding.

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It is massively rewarding. So is everybody ready? Yes. Matthew chapter 23.

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We're going to start actually in verse 34. Matthew 23 verse 34.

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I'm actually today going to read through the whole discourse so that we have context, so that we start becoming familiar with it.

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Hear now the words of the living and the true God. Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues.

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And persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous

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Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Barakiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.

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Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

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O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it, how often would

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I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing.

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See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, blessed is he who comes in the name of the

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Lord. Jesus left the temple and was going away when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple, but he answered them, you see all these things, do you not?

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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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As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?

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And Jesus answered them, 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. And you will hear of wars, and rumors of wars.

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See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines, and earthquakes in various places.

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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, and you'll be hated by all nations for my name's sake.

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And then many will fall away, and betray one another, and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise, and lead many astray.

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And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

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And the gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed through all the world as a testimony to all nations, and the end will come.

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Then the end will come. So when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the prophet

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Daniel, standing in the holy place, let the reader understand. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

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Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house. And let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak.

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And alas, for women who are pregnant, and for those who are nursing infants in those days, pray that your flight may not be in winter or on Sabbath.

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For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.

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And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.

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Then if anyone says to you, look, here's the Christ, or there he is, do not believe it.

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For false Christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders.

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So as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I've told you beforehand. So if they say to you, look, he's in the wilderness, do not go out.

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If they say, look, he's in the inner rooms, do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the

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Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.

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And the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the

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Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

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And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds from one end of heaven to the other.

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From the fig tree learn its lesson. As soon as this branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that the summer is near.

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So also when you see all these things, you know that he is near at the very gates.

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Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

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Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But concerning that day and hour, no one knows.

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Not even the angels of heaven or the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the

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Son of Man. For as in the day of those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when

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Noah entered the ark. And they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away. So will be the coming of the

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Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field. One will be taken, one left. Two men will be grinding at the mill.

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Two women will be grinding at the mill. One will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your

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Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into.

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Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

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As far as the reading of God's Holy Word, let's pray. Lord, we come before your word humble.

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You are amazing. God, the fact that you have preserved this word for us through history,

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Lord, is to your glory and your fame. And we thank you, Lord, that we have the gift right now to hold your word right now in our hands and to examine it and to be taught by you.

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And that's what we ask, God. We ask that you would teach us. We pray, God, that you would teach us, Lord. Allow us to cast aside traditions that are not consistent with this word, and I pray,

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God, that you would allow us as a church, Lord, to hold fast to your word, to what your testimony is.

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We pray, God, as a church, that you would guard us from error. We pray that you guard me, as a pastor of your people, from error.

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That you would teach God through your word by your spirit. Bless us as we examine your word. In Jesus' name.

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Amen. All right. So, as we come into this text, a couple things to start with, as we're gonna unpack verse by verse.

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I want you to consider that Scripture has a master storyteller behind it. This is not just a hodgepodge of different books and letters and writings written over hundreds and hundreds of years by different authors and different geographic locations.

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This is one God, one story, the master storyteller. What does

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Scripture say? All Scripture is Theanustos. Let's say it together.

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Theanustos. It is breathed out by God. This is the word of the Living God that we're holding in our hands right now.

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It's the standard by which Jesus held people to in his life, in his earthly ministry. When controversy erupted, he would point them back to Scripture.

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If he wasn't speaking on his own authority, he tested it by the words of God. The Apostles hold to that standard.

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They say in their writings things like, what does the Scripture say? And then they quote the Scriptures to say, what is the truth?

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It's not my opinion. It's not what feels right to me. It's not what works for me.

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It's not my tradition. It's the word of the Living God. And when you consider that, that God's the master storyteller, this is his word.

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We're considering the fact that this amazing revelation was written over a hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years by so many different authors in different places, separated by one another in time and space, and yet one unified, consistent theme and message.

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It's the one God. It's the God who does not contradict himself. And so when we consider that, we need to come to texts like this, considering, of course, what are the words being used?

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What's the immediate context? But at the same time, we need to ask the question, how does this hold together with the symphony of Scripture?

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What the master storyteller is telling us all along? Now, why is that important?

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Here's why it's critical. Please hear me on this because you'll get what I'm saying when you get this vital point.

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Oftentimes, cults have been born out of a text like this because people open their

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Bibles unfamiliar with what the master storyteller has told us all along, not understanding particular important elements that God has been holding together the whole time to land us in a space like this, and they'll open it up and they'll begin to proof text.

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Oh, look, stars are gonna fall from the heavens, the sun, the moon. We're losing light now.

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Not understanding where texts like that are being quoted from and what it was in reference to before, and people use texts like Matthew 24,

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Mark 13, Luke 21, the Olivet Discourse. They use it for book deals.

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They use it for blood moons. They use it to sell survival buckets, right?

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It's a very profitable industry. Why? Because we don't know our

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Bibles, and we don't care about context. We come to a text like this, we see this generation will not pass away, and there are people who have actually used that about our generation, 2019.

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This applies to me. Jesus is talking to me, and the answer is, no, he wasn't.

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He was talking to them. These were questions they asked about what he was saying in reference to his judgment upon the covenant breakers, what he promised about all the blood of the righteous being upon that generation, and the temple's destruction.

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And what we often do is we go into the Bible and we open up passages.

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Example. I worked at a hospital for four years, full -time, drug and alcohol hospital, and there were times where I had to really work hard on my sanctification.

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I always do. We always do, of course. But I had to really work hard on my sanctification in a hospital where I would hear people at times quoting verses to people who were struggling with drug addiction that did not actually apply to them, right?

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Like, someone comes in, I just don't know, I'm struggling, I just say, you know, I don't know, I don't really want to give up the heroin.

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I don't want to give up the cocaine. And somebody would say, Jeremiah says, God says, I know the plans that I have for you, plans to give you hope and a future.

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And I'm like, ooh, that may not actually be for them. There's a particular, there's a particular context to passages we need to know.

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Is this a universal promise? Is this a particular promise, right? We need to ask the question, what is the context of this verse?

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Who's it being given to and how should we apply it today? The context is important.

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The importance of this section, this section, as we've mentioned before, has given rise to so many cults, even in the modern day.

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I mentioned last week the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter -day Saints, the Church of Jesus Christ of Last Days Saints.

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This was used early on in Mormon history. You can read it in the writings of the early Mormon prophets and apostles.

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This particular section of scripture was used to terrify the early Latter -day Saints, to actually get them to believe that within that generation,

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Jesus was going to return and destroy all the wicked with his coming. This was used in the 19th century.

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It was used, of course, by Charles Taze Russell, Judge Rutherford. It was used by David Koresh.

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It was used by Harold Camping. Cults have literally been born out of this text.

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Atheists use this text as argument against the validity of the divine nature of the scriptures.

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They say, well, if Christians are saying that this particular text is future to us, well, that makes

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Jesus a false prophet, just like Harold Camping, because he promised it to that generation. And if you're saying as Christians today, it didn't all occur, that means

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Jesus is a false prophet. He gave false prophecy. So this is a very important section of scripture.

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It's not just important in terms of defending the faith. It's important for us as Christians in terms of properly handling the word of God and holding together

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God's master storytelling. It's his story. I want to encourage us as believers to be willing to test our traditions.

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Are we willing to do that? We say that often as Christians, don't we? We say it a lot. We should test our traditions.

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We should hold the word of God as supreme. We hold to sola scriptura.

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Scripture alone is the sole and fallible rule of faith and practice for the church. We always say that today as Christians, as those who have inherited the blessings of the reformation and all that God has done before us in the church.

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But we have to ask the question, do we really believe it as Christians? Are we willing to hold to that ourselves, to test our traditions by the word of God?

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Are we willing to test our traditions? I want to encourage us all to be willing to test our traditions. Now, I'm gonna whet your appetites for a moment.

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We're gonna actually hang here at the beginning and unpack this verse by verse, but I want to whet your appetites in terms of that challenge right there.

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Test your traditions. Test your traditions. Many of you guys know, and I'll say it for anyone who's new here and those who are watching on the internet, hello,

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I was a fiend about eschatology, loved eschatology.

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When I first heard the gospel, the very first Bible study I ever went to in my life was in someone's home, and it was

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Bible study actually watching a movie. It wasn't really a Bible study, it was watching a movie about the

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Great Tribulation, right? And it was a horribly done Christian film. What's new?

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And it was about seven years of tribulation. It was about a secret rapture and the world collapsing, falling apart, and it was something

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I was like, oh, I guess that's what's ahead of us. That was what I understood. This is what Christians believe. That's what's gonna happen.

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That's what Jesus taught. And so I bit down. My favorite teachers were like guys like Tim LaHaye, Hal Lindsey, forgive me, please.

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These were the guys that I read all the time, all the time, okay? I loved eschatology.

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Left Behind was my favorite book series. Again, please forgive me. I remember at times when

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I was newlywed, Candy was inside the apartment with Sage, and I went out to the pool, and I was reading the

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Left Behind series, and I was so excited about the secret rapture, and any moment being taken out of here that I was,

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I remember distinctly, I was by the pool, actually not far from here where we're at now, worshiping in Mesa. I was by the pool.

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I remember that it was the middle of summer. I was so excited. I closed the book, and I sat there for a few minutes, just stopping, just wishing myself into rapture.

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Just, I couldn't, any moment, it's gonna happen any moment. I just can't wait to get out of here. I remember

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I would go to Barnes and Nobles every week, as often as I could, actually, to go and check out the

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Jerusalem Post, to find out all the new happenings in Jerusalem, to see, you know, guys, they got the red heifer.

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Do you know they got the red heifer? You know, they got the foundation stone. Any moment, we're getting out of here. We couldn't have just but a few more years.

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I was in Bible college, and I remember at Bible college having debates with guys in Bible college about how much longer we had to go.

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1996 or 97, I remember sitting at lunch many times with guys. We were debating, how much longer do you think?

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Maybe a year, maybe two years. There were guys that were suggesting maybe ten years or longer. We left them to scorn in 97.

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That's who I was. That's what I actually believed. I remember this passage, thinking about it and dwelling on it many times, thinking about what

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Jesus is saying here, talks about the Noah and the flood. He says, two men will be in the field, one will be taken, one will be left.

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Grinding at the mill, one will be taken, one is left. And how was that portrayed even fairly recently with the release of the

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Left Behind film with Nicolas Cage? I remember seeing on social media a couple of years ago, the memes coming across shared tens of thousands of times.

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The memes of Left Behind, and it was a man in a field looking up to the sky, and this was quoted underneath it.

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And what was it referencing? The secret rapture. How were modern evangelicals interpreting that meme with this text?

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Secret rapture, right? Some of us are going to be escaping out of here, we'll be secretly taken away, leaving behind our shoes and our pants, right?

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Cars crashing, planes crashing, and who's left behind in the

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Left Behind series and in the meme? Who's left behind? The unbelievers. Who's taken away?

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The believers. That's how we interpret this through our tradition.

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How many times do modern evangelicals read this text and they have exactly that interpretation because of, watch, not the text, tradition behind it.

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Tradition that causes you, watch, to actually have the text right in front of you and to literally read the text backwards because of a tradition that you're holding on to and you are bringing to the text.

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Let's do it together for a moment. Again, this is to whet your appetite for the series and to challenge you to be willing to challenge and look at your traditions.

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This text, Matthew 24 verse 36. Let's look at it together.

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Open your Bibles. Let's do it. But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the

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Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah. Stop.

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Let's think biblically now. Let's put on our biblical lens.

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Let's hold fast to Scripture as the standard. For as in the days of Noah, what does

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Jesus want us to do now? To think about Noah, the story of Noah.

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That's the foundation right now of what he says here. He had just said before this, Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

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And now he says, Noah, as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the

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Son of Man. So think about Noah. Preacher of righteousness. Noah calling people, right, to God.

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The flood is coming. He's building this ark, right? They're mocking Noah. Who's around that ark mocking?

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Unbelievers, the wicked. They're gonna be taken away. Who went into the ark, brothers and sisters?

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Noah and his family. Who was outside of the ark in the story of Noah? The unbelievers, the wicked.

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So now we have Jesus giving us Noah as the basis. Think about Noah. As in the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the

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Son of Man. As for as in those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage until the day when

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Noah entered the ark. And they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away.

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Question? Noah going into the ark, eating and drinking, giving in marriage.

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Noah enters the ark. The flood sweeps who all away in the story of Noah?

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The unbelievers. Who were swept away in judgment in the story of Noah? The unbelievers.

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Now, of course, we know in Scripture that that is actually a symbol, a type, a foreshadowing of Jesus.

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He's the ark. We enter into Jesus, right? And we escape that judgment, that flood.

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We're in Christ. He's the one that we have safety in and peace and rescue. But in this section here,

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Jesus says, as in the days of Noah, and then the flood sweeps them all away.

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So now our mind was supposed to be in that story. And so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field.

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One will be taken and one left. Question? Think about Noah's story.

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In the story of Noah, who was left? Noah and his family.

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Who was taken away in the story of Noah? The unbelievers.

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It was the wicked who were taken away. It was the believers who were left.

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It was Noah and his family that were spared and left. So in the story,

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Jesus tells us about his coming in judgment upon that generation. He says it'll be like the days of Noah, eating and drinking, given in marriage, and they entered, until they entered the ark, and then the flood sweeps them all away.

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Two will be in the field. One will be taken. One will be left. Two at the mill. One will be taken.

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One will be left. Brothers and sisters, Noah's story is the anchor. Who's left in Noah's story?

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God's people. Who's judged and swept away, taken away?

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The unbelieving. The wicked. So, again, check your tradition.

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How have we read this passage? How have we been asked to read this passage as Christians?

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Two will be in the field. One will be taken. One will be left. How are we being asked to see it?

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The Christians are taken away. The unbelievers are left. But brothers and sisters, check your traditions.

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That's literally flipped. The story is flipped. This is a promise of judgment upon that generation.

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Jesus is going to judge the covenant breakers. God's people, the meek, shall inherit the earth.

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God's people will be spared and protected. Jesus even gives a warning to his followers. Here, when you see

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Jerusalem surrounded by armies, flee. He's telling them how to escape, because the judgment is going to fall, as promised, upon first century

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Jerusalem. God is promising judgment, and brothers and sisters, it happened. Do you see how important it is to check your traditions?

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Think about how many guys listen to DC talk in the 90s. What? What? Right? Right? You know it, right?

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I remember I was in, uh, I was, that's Jesus Freak. That's right. I remember distinctly being in Buenos Aires, doing

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Mortal Kombat the live tour. I remember I was with a bunch of, you know, actors, and it was not a good place for a

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Christian to be for a long period of time. Trust me, I quit. But I remember being in my hotel room while everybody was saying, come on, man.

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Let's go party. Let's go party. I was in my hotel room. I was like, no, no, no. And I had DC talk on, just like trying to get my headspace just right.

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And I remember at times listening to the song, right? I wish we'd all been, what?

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Come on. Now, don't be afraid. I wish you'd all been ready. Two men walking up a hill, one disappears, and oh, some of you are so, you're right there, and one's left standing still.

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I wish we'd all been ready. Even in that Christian pop culture song, that DC talk song, that is being sung from Matthew 24, and it creates a tradition within us as Christians where we literally go to the text of the

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Word of God, and we read it backwards. When in the text, it's the righteous who are spared, the wicked who are swept away.

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What does Jesus say? The meek shall inherit the earth, not the wicked.

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That's God's pattern. Okay, so there's the challenge. There's the wedding of your appetites. Let's go to the text quickly.

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Matthew chapter 23. Matthew 23.

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I want you to consider, as you're looking at Matthew 23, we've been through a lot of text to get us to this place.

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We've talked about Isaiah 65, the promise that God's going to judge the covenant breakers and give his people a new name.

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We've talked about Malachi 3 and 4, that promises the Messiah is going to come after the forerunner to his own temple.

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The Lord himself is going to come to his temple. He is going to bring purification, salvation, and judgment.

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That's what God promised in the Old Testament. We've talked about salvation and judgment at the coming of the

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Messiah. We've talked about Matthew bringing us to a climax in Matthew 23. The warnings, the constant warnings of judgment upon that generation.

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Jesus entering Jerusalem. Jesus cleansing the temple. Jesus confronting the first century religious leaders, promising upon them judgments.

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Now we're in Matthew 23, and let's look at verse 33 through 35.

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Jesus says, you serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you, prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous

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Abel to the blood of Zechariah, and by the way, some manuscripts actually don't have this, the son of Berechiah whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.

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Here it is. Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

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Brothers and sisters, who's he talking to? Us? People in our day?

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Jesus is talking to people in his day, religious leaders who are persecuting him, trying to trap him.

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Jesus has already, in the preceding chapters, confronted them. He's confronted their unfaithfulness.

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He's talked about the fig tree. No fruit's ever going to come from you again. He's talked about praying that that mountain is cast into the sea.

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That's an imprecatory prayer. He's already cleansed the temple, and now we're here, and he's confronting them for their covenant unfaithfulness, for their swearing falsely.

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All the things even God talks about in Malachi chapters 3 and 4, the Messiah was going to come to judge them for, and now he's there bringing it to them.

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And he says, all the blood is going to be upon this generation.

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From Abel, and then he brings it all the way to Zechariah. He says, all the blood is going to be required of this generation, this generation.

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Which generation is he talking to, brothers and sisters? The generation right before him, all throughout the

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Gospels. We're going to unpack this in a second here. All throughout the Gospels, whenever we see this generation, generation, it's referring to the generation that he is then speaking to.

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All these, all the blood is going to be upon this generation. Now, I want you to hang on to that thought for just a moment, and consider this.

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Jesus declares the woes, the curse, the condemnation, the judgment upon that generation.

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And says, all the blood is going to be upon you. But I want you to consider this.

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They were so depraved, so broken, so at war with God, so violating the covenant relationship they had with God, that they asked for it themselves.

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You know this section. You don't need to go there. I'll just give you the reference in Matthew chapter 27, verses 24 through 25.

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You know the section, right? We're at the crucifixion, sorry, the court scene of Jesus.

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They're bringing false witnesses before Jesus. They've abused him. They've broken him. He's about to go and die on a cross for his people's sins.

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He's not opening his mouth in fulfillment of these prophecies. He's not trying to defend himself. He is just being led away to judgment as was prophesied.

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And the amazing thing is Pilate's wife, she's freaking out. I've had a dream about this.

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Don't get involved with this. Don't get involved. And what's amazing is that Pilate finds no fault in him.

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You know what's incredible about that? Listen, in Jesus' life, he stands before these religious leaders at times.

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He stands before people who are trying to trap him and trip him up. And he says, which of you accuses me of sin?

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And brothers and sisters, silence. You try asking that question in front of your friends and family.

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And you watch the line form, right? Right? I dare you to try it.

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Stand up in front of your friends and family and say, which of you accuses me of sin? And then you watch the line.

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My wife is the first one in line. She's like, I got this handled. Now what's amazing is that Jesus stands at the trial.

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Here's Pilate, a pagan, and he finds no fault in Jesus. Their testimonies aren't working.

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And this is the glorious thing. Listen closely. At the trial of Jesus, we have as a matter of historic record that at a trial of Jesus, he was found to be blameless, righteous.

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And so Pilate says this, what? Shall I crucify your king? And they say, what?

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We have no king but Caesar. And then what happens is that Pilate, as a matter of historic record, goes and he washes his hands of the whole thing.

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And he says, this is yours. This is not me. This is yours.

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He says, I find no fault in him. It's on you. And watch what they say as a matter of record to God's face.

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They say this, his blood be upon us and our children.

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That's a matter of record, brothers and sisters. Jesus says all the blood is gonna be upon this generation from Abel all the way down.

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It's on you upon this generation. It's not gonna pass away until all is fulfilled. And then at his trial, as a matter of record, he says, nope, it's on you.

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And they say, it's on us and our children. We'll take it. And brothers and sisters, within 40 years of that occurring, the

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Jews were slaughtered in Jerusalem. We're gonna get into the details and I want to warn you, it's gonna be graphic at times.

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I'll do my best to protect little ears, but they were slaughtered. There was blood flowing through the streets, cannibalism, famine.

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They were dispersed around the world in that generation. The temple taken apart, stone off of stone.

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They said, God will take it. And God, in his judgment, he gave it to them on time and as planned.

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Now, I'd like to unpack more from this text, but today I'm gonna move on to the next part. After his blood be upon us and our children, considering that, let's look at Matthew 23 36.

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This is a vital section. This is probably where we're gonna spend the most time today. So get ready for this.

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I hope you brought your pens and paper and notes. This is a crucial element or part of this text.

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

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Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

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Now, this is a very important section. So I'm gonna spend time here and I'm actually gonna read actually quite a bit today from Dr.

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Gentry's book, his debate book with Tommy Ice, Thomas Ice. The name of the book is

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The Great Tribulation Past or Future. I'm reading from this today because I actually want you guys to get excited about reading this book yourself.

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To listen to some of the arguments yourselves, to test them, to examine them. The name of the book is The Great Tribulation Past or Future.

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Highly encourage it. I highly encourage you to look at the exegesis that's done in this book on these key passages.

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But here's the section. Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

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Here is what Dr. Gentry says. We find the key to locating the

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Great Tribulation in history in Matthew 24 34. He said the generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

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This statement of Christ is indisputably clear and absolutely demanding of a first century fulfillment of the events in the preceding verses, including the

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Great Tribulation in verse 21. The Lord here is quite insistent.

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The declaration before us is solemn and emphatic. Christ is not in the least irresolute when he begins a statement with truly, in the

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Greek, it's Amen. Hendrickson notes concerning the Greek word Amen, in every case in which this word occurs in the

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New Testament, it introduces a statement which not only expresses a truth or fact, but an important or a solemn fact.

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One that in many cases is at variance with popular opinion or expectation or at least causes some surprise.

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Thus Christ emphatically draws the disciple's attention to what he is saying. So Jesus says,

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Amen. Truly I say to you, that's saying take it to the bank. You can rest assured of this.

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This is the truth. Now in addition, the literal rendering of the Greek reads, truly

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I tell you that by no means passes away generation this until all these things happen.

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The by no means is a strong double negative. By itself it carries great emphasis, but here

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Jesus also places it first in his statement, which in antiquity was a means for adding emphasis.

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He is staking his credibility on the absolute certainty of this prophetic announcement. Indeed, heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away.

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Verse 35. Now, linguist A .T.

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Robertson comments on this passage. In the Old Testament, a generation was reckoned as 40 years.

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This is the natural way to take verse 34 as of 33. All things meaning the same in both verses.

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Remember that Israel's 40 years wandering in the wilderness was for the purpose of killing off that sinful quote generation.

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Numbers 32, 13. Psalm 95, 10. Since Jesus is speaking sometime around A .D.

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30, he is referring to a time about 40 years into the future, that is to A .D.

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70. When the Roman legions will destroy the temple in Jerusalem, the quote great tribulation of verse 21 then characterizes the events that must occur in quote this generation, the

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Greek word genea. Now I'm going to read to you here seven points quickly Dr.

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Gentry makes about taking generation as proven of that generation. Here it is.

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First, the first century temple is the focus of the disciples question. Think about that in terms of examining the passage.

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The first century temple is the focus of the disciples question. Notice the introduction to the discourse.

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And Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when his disciples came up to the point out to point out the temple buildings to him and he answered and said to them, do you see all these things?

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His discourse cannot refer to events associated with some other rebuilt temple hundreds and hundreds of years in the future.

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Jesus is talking about that temple. Next. Second, the first century temple is in fact destroyed in Jesus' generation.

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Mark this down because it is very powerful. This first century temple is in fact destroyed in Jesus' generation within 40 years of this prophecy.

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Now, I'm going to read to you a bit here from Josephus. Josephus was a Jewish historian and he was an eyewitness to the

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AD 70 holocaust, one of the most horrible moments for the Jewish people in the history of the world.

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Now, here's what he says as he watches the Romans tear apart the temple stone by stone. Quote, now as soon as the army had no more people to slay or to plunder, because there remained none to be objects of their fury, for they would not have spared any had there remained any other such work to be done,

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Caesar, namely Titus, gave orders that they should now demolish the entire city and temple.

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But for all the rest of the wall, it was so thoroughly laid even with the ground by those that dug it up to the foundation that there was left nothing to make those that came thither believe it had ever been inhabited.

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This was the end which Jerusalem came to be, to buy the madness of those that were for innovations, a city otherwise of great magnificence.

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Now, one of the early church fathers or writers, Eusebius, also records the destruction of Jerusalem and Josephus' record of what took place.

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He records that that was the fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy here in Matthew chapter 24.

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We're going to get into a lot of that later. But third point Dr. Gentry makes about this generation, the word genea.

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Third, the warning embedded in the prophecy indicates the primary focus of the events here.

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In Matthew 24 16, we read let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

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This is local. Let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

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When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, this is a local judgment.

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Fourth, the same time designate indisputably applies to the scribes and pharisees.

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In Matthew 23, the Lord scathingly chastises the scribes and the pharisees.

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Concluding with a phrase parallel to 24 34, truly I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation.

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Fifth, the first mention of generation in Matthew uses the Greek term in the sense of a lifespan.

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After listing the genealogy of Christ, Matthew says, therefore all the generations from Abraham to David are 14 generations and from David to the deportation to Babylon, 14 generations and from the deportation to Babylon to the time of Christ, 14 generations.

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The generations here are specifically associated with the lifespans of particular individuals.

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Sixth point, almost finished. Generation is used elsewhere in Matthew and the other gospels of those living in Christ's day.

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Quote, then some of the scribes and pharisees answered him saying, teacher, we want to see a sign from you.

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But he answered and said to them, an evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign, and yet no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet.

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Matthew 12, 38. Here the scribes and pharisees of the first century asked for a sign proving the identity of the incarnate

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Lord. He says the only sign it, that generation will receive, is that of the prophet

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Jonah. Seven, the phrase this generation elsewhere in Matthew points to the contemporary generation of Christ's own day.

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Matthew 11, 16 reads, but to what shall I liken this generation?

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It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their companions. The context clearly speaks about first century

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Israel's refusal to hear John the Baptist and Christ. John and Jesus live at the same time and in the same generation.

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So the point is, and Dr. Gentry's seven points there about the word genea generation, is that we have a context in the synoptic gospels about generation, this generation.

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We have a context in Matthew's gospel of how he uses the word genea. It is not used as race.

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It is used to speak about a lifespan, a particular point in time, those people, and it's generally used in scripture to denote a 40 -year generation or space of time.

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So in terms of looking at this text, unpacking it, when Jesus says in verse 36, truly

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I say to you, let's think about context. Who is he talking to? The same people he denounced in 23 throughout.

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The same people he promised all the blood of the righteous upon in that generation. He says all these things will come upon this generation.

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The condemnation is upon them. Their generation. And a word study of genea throughout the synoptics will prove this very clear point.

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Jesus used this, referenced it many times, and so does even John the Baptist. And it is to note that particular generation of 40 -year time span is what scripture shows us throughout.

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Next, verse 37. Actually, let's do this today.

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Let's do this. Now, when we look here at Jesus warning that generation, this is really, really powerful.

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Hang with me. Have your pens ready or to write these down. This is being recorded so you can go back later. I'm gonna just do this in terms of the context of scripture, particularly the

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New Testament. Jesus points to a particular generation and a particular locality and a particular time period here in Matthew 23 and Matthew 24.

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But we need to actually examine the context of, say, the rest of the New Testament. Do the other

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New Testament writers, apostles, teachers, do they bear out this testimony of this impending judgment upon first century

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Jerusalem, that generation? Is it only here in 23 and 24 or is it throughout the

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Gospels and the rest of the New Testament? Couple of texts. I'm gonna go rather quickly through here.

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But just to show you the context, you can go examine these later in their full context. 1.

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The kingdom of heaven is at hand, Matthew 3 2. 2. Who warns you to flee from the wrath about to come,

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Matthew 3 7. 3. The axe is already laid at the root of the trees, Matthew 3 10.

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4. His winnowing fork is in his hand, Matthew 3 12. 5. The kingdom of heaven is at hand,

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Matthew 4 17. 6. The kingdom of heaven is at hand, Matthew 10 7.

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7. You shall not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes,

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Matthew 10 23. 8. The Son of Man is about to come in the glory of his Father with his angels and then will recompense every man according to his deeds,

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Matthew 16 27. 9. There are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death, until they've seen a

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Son of Man coming in his kingdom, Matthew 16 28. Mark 9 1.

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Luke 9 27. 10. This generation will not pass away until all these things take place,

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Matthew 24 34. 11. This generation will not pass away until all these things take place,

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Mark 13 30. 12. These are the days of vengeance, in order that all things which are written may be fulfilled,

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Luke 21 22. 13. These are the days of vengeance, in order that all that was written may be fulfilled.

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14. This generation will not pass away until all these things take place, Luke 21 32. Now this one,

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I always wondered before, what does this mean? And it's terrifying.

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If you think about when Jesus said it and who he said it to, on the way to the cross,

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Luke 23 28 through 30, Jesus says this, listen, on the way to the cross, daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

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For behold, the days are coming when they will say, blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed.

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Then they will begin to say to the mountains, fall on us, and to the hills, cover us.

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Next, John 21 22. After Jesus tells Peter about how he's gonna die,

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Peter looks over at John and says, what about him? Remember that moment, right? Here he tells him, they're gonna take you where you don't want to go, and Peter freaks out and says, what about him?

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What about this guy? And Jesus says, if I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?

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You follow me. Important moment, I think, and interesting in terms of timing indication.

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Next, the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. Soon crush Satan under your feet,

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Romans 16 20. Now these things were written for our instruction, those

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Christians in Corinth, first century. Now these things are written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

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Not only in this age, but also in the one about to come, Ephesians 1 21.

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When he said a new covenant, he has made the first obsolete, but whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.

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Hebrews 8 13. Now once at the consummation of the ages, once at the consummation of the ages, he has manifested, he has been manifested to put away sin,

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Hebrews 9 26. The fury of fire which is about to consume the adversaries,

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Hebrews 10 27. For yet in a very little while he who is coming will come and will not delay,

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Hebrews 10 37. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking that, the one that is about to come,

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Hebrews 13 14. James 5 8. You too be patient, strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the

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Lord is at hand. We could go on and on. I wanted to give you references throughout the

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New Testament that show you the time indicators in terms of the expectancy of judgment, imminent judgment upon that generation.

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It is powerful and it's a powerful study. Let's go further here and read the next section here.

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This is powerful. I'm gonna do this quickly on this one here. Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets, verse 37, and stones those who are sent to it.

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How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings and you were not willing.

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Quick thing to note here, because it's gonna come up a lot later, who does Jesus accuse of killing the prophets?

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Jerusalem. That's gonna be a very important theme as we move throughout Matthew 24, is

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Jesus denounces them for the killing of the prophets. But just a quick thing, because this will come up, we're of course

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Calvinists here, amen? Yes? Hardcore, pipe -hitting, coffee -drinking, drag -your -face -across -the -gravel

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Calvinist, amen? Yes? I took that from Doug Wilson. We are, amen? Yes? All right.

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Now this will come up and Dr. White addresses it, Pastor James addresses it in his book, The Potter's Freedom.

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This is part of the Armenian chestnut verses, right? They're popular verses.

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They will take proof texts and say, well if man doesn't have a free will, what about this proof text?

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Or what about this proof text? So I encourage you to get The Potter's Freedom. If you don't have a copy of it, we'll get you a copy of it.

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This is addressed there. Oftentimes, this is brought up about God's inability to draw people to himself very quickly in terms of tradition and proof texting.

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Brothers and sisters, just read the text. Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it.

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Who's he addressing in this text? The Jewish leadership. Who's he condemning in this text?

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The Jewish leadership. That's who the conversation is with. And he says in this text,

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Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it. How often would

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I have gathered your children together? Gathered who? Your children, but you were not willing.

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It's the Jewish leadership that's at war gathering the children. You were not willing.

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The judgment is upon them. And then Jesus says, See, your house is left to you desolate.

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He promises once again to them judgment. Your house is left to you desolate.

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Now, pause here. This is huge. And this is one of those amazing things in terms of God is a master storyteller.

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There are so many things throughout the New Testament that if you have a bad view of eschatology, a wrong view of Matthew 24, you won't get to cherish these delicious moments of God's master storytelling.

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Give you an example of this. Who's the first recorded Christian martyr? Stephen. Everyone open your

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Bibles to Acts chapter 6. Acts chapter 6. Jesus says here in Matthew chapter 23, your house is left to you desolate.

01:00:02

Now in terms of seeing how the early Christians heard the words of Jesus, what was their message?

01:00:08

What were they saying in Jerusalem? Remember the context. What were they saying in Jerusalem?

01:00:16

Jesus has given them this promise of great tribulation. Their house left to them desolate. All the blood upon this generation.

01:00:24

But what was the message of the early Christians? What were they understanding? What were they hearing from the early church in Jerusalem?

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Well, we have this amazing moment, this historic narrative of Stephen and his martyrdom and in Acts chapter 6, you get a little bit of a picture of what they were hearing from the early

01:00:47

Christians. From the message of Jesus in Acts chapter 6 verse 11.

01:00:56

Acts 6 11. Then they secretly instigated men who said, we have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.

01:01:06

And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes and they came up upon him and seized him and they brought him before the council and they set up false witnesses who said, this man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law.

01:01:23

For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.

01:01:37

So Jesus, as he's departing the temple, that whole scene, he says all the blood upon you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

01:01:47

Your house is left to you desolate. He gives them this amazing passage in the Olivet Discourse where he defines exactly what they're going to experience and see what to expect.

01:01:59

And after Jesus dies, rises from the dead and is ascended, the charge of those in this area about Stephen is that he's saying that this

01:02:15

Jesus of Nazareth is going to come back and destroy this place. How did the early

01:02:24

Christians understand the Olivet Discourse and what Jesus said was going to occur in that generation?

01:02:31

We can hear from the accusations being made about Stephen himself.

01:02:37

Of course, they were distorting what Stephen is trying to communicate there, of course. But the early

01:02:43

Christians were warning those in Jerusalem that Jesus was going to return to destroy that city and that temple.

01:02:51

Do you ever notice this kind of a weird moment in New Testament? You know the scene, of course, where Ananias and Sapphira are holding back some of the money, right?

01:03:00

And they're lying about what they're doing. It's not so much, you know, not giving. It's that they were lying about stuff and they die in judgment.

01:03:08

What are all the early Christians in Jerusalem doing selling their property? You ever consider that for a moment?

01:03:16

You know that some people, some Christians in history, have started communes and little socialist communities, right?

01:03:24

When they say, hey, look at the Christians in Jerusalem early on. What was the early church doing? They were all selling their property.

01:03:32

They were selling their property and just giving it all away, right? That's what the church should be like.

01:03:38

Because you see, the early church gives us an example. They were all selling their property in Jerusalem. They're giving it all away.

01:03:44

And you stop and think about the importance of eschatology. Yes. Why were the

01:03:49

Christians in the first century in Jerusalem selling their property? Because they knew it wasn't land to be held on to.

01:03:57

Because Jesus said that within that generation there was going to be judgment and blood upon them.

01:04:04

Do you see how important eschatology is? How important it is to understand our Bibles properly, with God as the master storyteller, holding the story together.

01:04:15

Now, last thing I'll say here, and then we're gonna get more into it next week. This is more to whet your appetite. I find this so utterly fascinating.

01:04:25

You know how oftentimes as Christians we go to the Old Testament and we say, look how glorious this is.

01:04:32

We have specific prophecy of Jesus that's like Here's who he is.

01:04:38

Here's when he's coming. Here's what he's gonna do. And you can line it up on a map and say timeline one, two, three, four, five, six, and it's so specific.

01:04:45

It's his person. It's his birth. It's his place of entry. It's details about his crucifixion.

01:04:52

It's the timing. It's why he's coming. Who, where, what, when, why?

01:04:58

Specific prophecy. But then we go, it gets deeper. It's symbolism.

01:05:04

It's all these patterns. It's things like a temple and priests who go in and offer sacrifices, and they confess the sins of the people on animals, and then they draw it away from the people, and they have

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Passover, and the blood over the doorposts in here, and we have God's judgment passing over, and don't break the bones of the lamb on Passover.

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Blood covers, and God's judgment passes over, and then they escape their slavery and bondage to enter into the promised land of relationship with God.

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We go, hey, guess what? That was Jesus! It's all about Jesus. Jesus is the

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Passover lamb. Jesus on Passover, bones not broken, blood shed.

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His blood covers our house. God's judgment passes over us, and we're freed from our bondage to sin and slavery to enter into that promised land of relationship with God.

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Jesus is the high priest who entered into the holy place once for all, and he lives forever to make intercession for us.

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All of that stuff in the Old Testament was theater. It was a dress rehearsal for the big day.

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What's the big day? Jesus is the big day. Jesus is the substance of what it was all pointing to, and we do that all the time, and there's almost no end to that conversation.

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But it's also right here. In a moment like this, you see God giving us this amazing story that he's holding together, and you almost miss it if you don't understand the

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Old Testament and know that part of the story. Go to Matthew 24, we'll end here.

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Jesus promises their house left desolate, and then after condemning them, after the woes, it says, 24 verse 1,

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Jesus left the temple and was going away when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple, but he answered them,

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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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As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately saying,

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Tell us, when will these things be? What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?

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Quick note, notice he does not say the end of the cosmos, not the end of the world, the end of the age.

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What did he just say was gonna happen? Temple destruction. What's that mean? Old Covenant gone away?

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What were they anticipating? Old Covenant, New Covenant. Jesus says now, house desolate, not one stone left upon another.

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Did you notice the direction that Jesus went? He departs the temple after declaring woes, after condemning them, and it says that he goes to the east to the

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Mount of what? Now if we know our

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Bibles, in Ezekiel chapter 11, there is a scene of judgment.

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And in Ezekiel, in the Old Testament, Ezekiel has this vision, this scene, about Yahweh departing the temple before the judgment.

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And listen to what he says here in Ezekiel, in verse 5, chapter 11,

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And the Spirit of the Lord fell upon me and said, and he said to me, say thus says to the Lord, thus says the

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Lord, So you think, O Israel, for I know the things that come into your minds.

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You have multiplied your slain in this city. You have filled its streets with the slain. Therefore says, thus says the

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Lord God, your slain whom you have laid in the midst of it, They are the meat, and this city is the cauldron, but you shall be brought out of the midst of it.

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You have feared the sword, and I will bring the sword upon you, declares the Lord God. And I will bring you out of the midst of it, and give you into the hands of foreigners, and execute judgments upon you.

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You shall fall by the sword. I will judge you at the border of Israel.

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Same language used in Luke 21, by the way, by Jesus. Now watch.

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God promises Israel, at this time, judgment upon that temple and that generation, first temple, and here's what occurs.

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Verses 14 through 21, God promises them judgment and also the same language of the

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New Covenant, but in verse 22, here's what Ezekiel says, Then the cherubim lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them, and the glory of the

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God of Israel was over them. And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst of the city, and stood on the mountain that is on the east side of the city.

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And the Spirit lifted me up and brought me in the vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea to the exiles.

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When God judged Israel and that first temple, this scene,

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God declares that they're gonna fall by the sword. They're gonna be judged. That's first temple stuff.

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Then the glory of Yahweh leaves that temple, goes to the east, and rests upon the

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Mount of Olives. He declares judgment upon them and that temple, and then

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God's glory departs and goes and rests on the Mount of Olives. Before the destruction of the first temple.

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Jesus enters first century, second temple context, declares woes, judgments upon them.

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They're gonna be desolate. They're gonna fall by the sword. Then he leaves Jerusalem to the east, and he rests on the

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Mount of Olives. In the Old Testament, it's the glory of Yahweh leaving the temple, declaring judgment, resting on the

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Mount of Olives before the destruction of the first temple. And in Jesus' life and ministry,

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Yahweh becomes man, declares judgment in their face, leaves the temple, same direction, and rests on the

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Mount of Olives. Are you seeing it? This is

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God the master storyteller. This is the same theme. This is the story that God was telling all along.

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And the amazing thing about this moment is if they knew their Bibles, they would have heard their

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God speaking in the flesh right in front of them. They should have heard it.

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They should have understood it. They should have understood this entire moment is a repeat.

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It's a repetition of what occurred in the Old Testament. Same direction, same mountain, same

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God, same judgment promised upon the covenant breakers. So what should this tell us?

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God's Word is amazing, isn't it? Isn't it powerful? But it should also teach us,

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I believe, one, trust our Bibles. Two, fear

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God. Three, respond when God calls.

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Here's the so what. Here's the so what. You can see all this, and it is powerful, and it is glorious, and I want to tell you

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I didn't even begin to scratch the surface. I didn't even touch it. But you can hear all this, and you can say up here theologically, wow, it's all coming together.

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It's all amazing. It is consistent. It is powerful. Jesus meant what he said, and it all is consistent with God's revelation in his story.

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And you can hold all these parts and pieces together theologically, but here's the real question.

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Are we really good theologians, or are we followers of Christ?

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Now, I know you might say, well, that's a weird dichotomy. What I mean by that is it's a problem

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I think we have, especially in the Reformed community, is we can be very good at crossing

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T's and dotting I's and holding together contexts and unpacking Greek words and pulling the cat text together, and you can be so sharp with being able to actually say, well, here's how it plays out consistently, and this is what it actually means.

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But my challenge to you is this. Are we responding to the calls of Jesus in our lives?

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When Jesus calls us to faithfulness, to obedience, to trust in him as his people, do we respond in the way that they ought to have responded?

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Because we can look back in hindsight now and say, look, that first century generation should have seen in Jesus' signs, in his life, in his miracles, and all those things.

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They should have seen and known who was talking to them, and yet they did not respond. They even went so far, after all they knew about Jesus and all that they saw in him, they went so far as to actually ask

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God, let his blood be upon us and our children. That's the kind of blindness they had, and we can look back in hindsight now and say, they should have known better, they should have responded, and they were destroyed.

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But here's the so what of it all. When you see that Jesus is truly vindicated here as Messiah, he is

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God in the flesh. He is the promised Messiah. Here's the question. Do you and I respond to his calls in our lives today?

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As fathers, as mothers, as husbands, as wives, as children, as pastors and teachers, as deacons, are we responding to the calls of Christ, even to this degree?

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Do not be anxious. For all you worry warts in here, this matters for that too.

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He said it. He meant it. It's the truth. Nothing was gonna stop it.

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And you could say they should have responded to those calls of judgment. They should have repented. They should have believed, because it happened.

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But here's the question. Do you feel the same way? Moms, when

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Jesus says to you, do not be anxious.

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Who's in control of the future? He is. So why are you fearful?

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Why are you worried? When God calls into our lives as his people, do we respond?

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Or will we be like that first century unfaithful generation that saw all the signs, that saw all the proof and said,

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No, let his blood be upon us and our children. Crucify him. Give us that guy.

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May God open our eyes to his truth. Let's pray. Father, I pray that you'd use what was said today for your glory.

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Please bless your people. Please teach us. Please grow us. And I pray that you would use this series for your glory, for our instruction, and for our equipping.