Two Year Gospel Study Week 66

Up To Jerusalem - Teaching 8
Scripture - Matthew 24:15 - Matthew 25:13

Luke 21, Mark 13 and Matthew 24-25 all have the story of Jesus’ Mt. Olivet Discourse with His disciples.

In today’s opening verses in Matthew 24:15ff, we hear Jesus answering the questions we left off with last week.  

The two questions the disciples asked Jesus:
    1.    When will these things you are telling us happen to the temple
    2.    What will be the sign of your return
They are thinking that these two questions coincide one with the other…. As we now know - that was not the case.  

Jesus is giving a forewarning of what would befall Jerusalem. (The fall happened in the year 70AD when the Roman General Titus laid siege to Jerusalem and ultimately leveled it to the ground.)

Jesus’ answer contains responses for both the questions. 

The Abomination that causes Desolation - three options of what this might be were shared last week - but only one seems to fit the time frame: An event in winter 67/68AD -  the temple was profaned by Jewish insurgents. Pastor reads about the event from Josephus’ writing: The Jewish War.  During this event the insurgents caused division within the Jewish community.  It’s a good possibility that this event caused believers in Jesus in the city of Jerusalem to begin fleeing the city by those who took Jesus’ words literally. They left because they could see what was coming and Jesus had warned them about what was coming. They fled across the Jordan River and they were protected from the siege by Titus which began shortly after the insurgent uprising.  Those who fled were protected from all that followed.  Over 1 million people died in the siege of Jerusalem.

In Luke 21:20-24 we read: “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

UNTIL THE TIMES OF THE GENTILES ARE FULFILLED - This passage in Luke has been fulfilled in our day.  Pastor shares a brief history of the city of Jerusalem from 70AD to the mid 20th century of when the city of Jerusalem was dominated by gentiles.
Romans
Byzantines
Persians
Byzantines
Crusaders
Ottoman Turks
WWI
British control
WWII - The Jewish people were given a homeland in 1948
Six Day War - 1967 City of Jerusalem came under control of the Jewish people and has remained in their control in an uneasy peace. THIS IS SOMETHING JESUS SAID AND IT WAS FULFILLED IN OUR LIFE TIME.

"The times of the gentiles are fulfilled"... what does that mean?  Does that refer simply to gentile control of Jerusalem? Or does it mean far more? Romans 9, 10, and 11 talk about the Jewish people returning to the Messiah. When they return to Him - the end comes!  We don’t know the day or hour - but He tells us when we see these things happening, look up because our redemption is drawing near.

Jesus’ final return will be like lightening filling the sky. He will come on cloud in great glory!

As the discourse continues in Matthew 24 - 25 we read about the following:
    ⁃    Fig Tree Imagery - Jesus prophesies that the end is near when we again see Israel beginning to flourish then we know “summer is near” (the end is coming)
    ⁃    Jesus says, “This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.”  THIS GENERATION - generation in Greek has multiple meanings - one meaning refers to “this people” the other to “this nation” and in Aramaic (Jesus’ language of the day) the word for generation and the word for nation are the same word. It may well be that what Jesus is declaring is that the Jewish people will not come to an end - they will survive. And they have.
    ⁃    Judgement by fire
    ⁃    Be awake!
    ⁃    Do not grow weary in doing what is right
    ⁃    Follow Jesus - receive Him as King, Savior and Lord
    ⁃    Last days and times will be difficult - so we are called to walk close to God
    ⁃    Then Jesus shares several parables to emphasize what He has been teaching.
    ⁃    The Parable of the Ten Virgins - Be ready for Jesus’ return.  Pastor shares what Jewish weddings were like in Jesus’ day and how knowing that brings insight to this parable to be encouraged to be awake and to be ready for Christ’s return.

Join us next time as we continue with the story of “Up to Jerusalem” as Jesus travels to the cross.

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Up to Jerusalem is a study of the final weeks of Jesus' ministry concluding with His resurrection and ascension, using the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John together with material from ancient sources and recent discoveries.  Up to Jerusalem is part four of our Two Year Study of the Gospels. Up To Jerusalem is the story of the plan of God to redeem the world, and the story of a Savior willing to obey the Father’s plan. As we study Jesus’ final days, we will be impacted as we discover the Love of God for each one of us. 

This study is great for large group, small group or home group study and can be started at any time.