Participants: David Down
Series Code: DUTP
Program Code: DUTP000007
|
00:01 The city of Athens was at the heart of the
00:03 ancient Greek world, and the Acropolis was one of the 00:06 architectural wonders of the world. 00:08 Nearby was the Areopagus where learned philosophers discussed 00:13 the great issues of life and eternity. 00:16 We also discuss these issues in this program on ancient Greece. 00:56 For this program we are in Athens, and in particular we are 01:02 in front of the Acropolis. 01:05 You can see it up there. 01:08 And, of course, the Greek word Acropolis comes from the two 01:12 Greek words, Pollos, meaning city, and Ekron, meaning top or 01:16 high, in this case. 01:17 And so this is the high city, or top city, and it was the very 01:22 heart of Athens. 01:28 This is the well known Parthenon which is derived from the Greek 01:32 word meaning virgin, because it was dedicated to a goddess 01:34 by the name of Athena, from which, of course, 01:37 the city of Athens takes its name. 01:39 It was originally occupied by a statute, which was 01:43 40 meters high, and this statute was adorned with gold and ivory. 01:49 Subsequently a tyrant by the name of Lecheries decided he 01:53 needed the gold. 01:54 There was nearly a ton of gold in it, so he took the gold 01:57 to pay his troops. 01:58 But it certainly is a magnificent building even today, 02:01 isn't it? 02:07 The Acropolis was more than just a temple; it was a fortress. 02:12 And in time of attack it was defended very fiercely. 02:17 The most notable instance of that was in the year 480 B.C. 02:22 when Greece was invaded by the forces of the Persian Xerxes. 02:28 He's known in the Bible as Ahasuerus, 02:30 in the book of Esther. 02:31 When his forces approached Athens the Greek defenders 02:36 just packed up and left. 02:37 They all went out to the Pillipanies Peninsula. 02:40 But there was a group of sturdy defenders who stayed in the 02:44 Acropolis and fought to the last. 02:45 Xerxes forces were only successful by adopting 02:50 a stratagem which Alexander the Great used to very 02:54 great effect in later years. 02:56 That was to attack a city at its strongest point. 03:00 That was up that wall there. 03:01 Well now, that was where he was least expected, so he took 03:06 the forces by surprise. 03:07 They broke into the Acropolis and massacred all the occupants, 03:12 and then burned the Acropolis. 03:14 A tragic thing as far as the Acropolis was concerned, 03:17 but it was burned with fire. 03:21 Below the Acropolis was the Aggerate, or marketplace, 03:25 where the daily business life of Athens took place. 03:28 Here were beautiful buildings and temples. 03:31 The elite of Athens could stroll through the stall with its 03:36 marble pillars. 03:37 On every street there were life-size statutes, and altars 03:41 to the many Greek gods. 03:43 Unless the Athenians had omitted any of the deities 03:47 there was an altar to the unknown god. 03:50 The great Apostle Paul came to Athens and was appalled 03:54 with the way the city was given to idolatry. 03:57 The Bible says that he disputed in the Aggerate daily with them 04:01 that met him. 04:02 This came to the ears of the Athenian philosophers who 04:06 challenged him to go up to the Areopagus, a low hill between 04:10 the Agara and the Acropolis. 04:14 Now can you just visualize the scene? 04:16 Here's the Apostle Paul standing in the midst of these learned 04:22 men; the elders of the city, and the philosophers, 04:29 and they're all out for an argument, you know. 04:30 They're all ready to criticize. 04:33 They're gathered around him. 04:34 But, of course, Paul himself was a very well educated man, 04:39 and a brilliant elocutionist. 04:43 He was a good match for them. 04:46 What he said here in Acts 17 is one of the most brilliant 04:51 discourses you can read anywhere. 04:52 I'll read it to you. 04:54 Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, 04:57 Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you 05:01 are very religious. 05:02 That would please them, of course. 05:04 For as I was passing through, and considering the objects 05:07 of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription, 05:11 TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. 05:13 You see the Greeks worshipped so many gods they didn't want 05:16 to miss anyone, so just in case they missed somebody here was an 05:19 altar to the unknown god. 05:22 Therefore the one whom you worship without knowing 05:26 him I proclaim to you. 05:27 That was masterly! 05:28 You see he used this altar to the unknown god to lead him 05:32 to the true God; Jesus Christ. 05:35 God who made the world and everything in it, since he is 05:40 Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples 05:43 made with hands;... 05:44 Now that, of course, was a reference to the 05:47 Acropolis behind us. 05:48 It must have pricked their hearts a little bit to have him 05:53 say this, but of course, it was truth. 05:55 And Paul went on to say, Therefore since we are the 05:59 offspring of God, we ought not to think that the divine nature 06:04 is like gold, or silver, or stone, something shaped by 06:07 art and man's devising. 06:09 Well that's what was up there, you see, the images, 06:11 the statues, and so forth. 06:13 Truly these times of ignorance; God overlooked, but now commands 06:18 all men everywhere to repent. 06:20 Now that was very gracious. 06:21 He wasn't condemning them. 06:23 He was simply saying, Look, the times of that ignorance; 06:26 God's going to overlook that. 06:27 And, of course, that's what God does with us. 06:28 When we do something wrong, and don't realize it's wrong, 06:31 God doesn't pounce on us and condemn us for it. 06:34 But, He says, because He has appointed a day on which He will 06:42 judge the world in righteousness by the man whom he ordained, 06:45 he has given assurance of this to all by raising him 06:49 from the dead. 06:50 Now you see, he referred to the judgment, and that's something 06:55 people today need to think about. 06:56 There's a judgment day coming. 06:57 It's not a case of what you can get away with. 06:59 It's a case of what you'll be called to account for later on. 07:03 God is going to judge the world by that man whom 07:06 He has raised from the dead. 07:11 Now did you notice where Paul puts the emphasis, as far as the 07:15 future immortal life is concerned? 07:17 He referred to Jesus Christ rising from the dead; 07:20 and He did. 07:22 He rose physically, bodily, and that's where the Bible puts the 07:27 emphasis, as far as the future immortal life is concerned. 07:31 Here in the book of Colossians 3:4 Paul says, 07:38 When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you also will 07:42 appear with him in glory. 07:44 Now that's when Jesus Christ returns to this world. 07:47 And he says, then you will appear with him in glory. 07:51 That will be at a resurrection. 07:54 We're going to come back to life! 07:55 Don't make any mistake about that. 07:57 Whether you believe it or not; whether you like it or not; 07:59 we're all going to come back to life. 08:00 That's what Jesus Christ says. 08:02 And so that is where the emphasis is. 08:05 It's a very real eternal future life. 08:08 Jesus said the meek shall inherit the earth. 08:11 Right here in this beautiful world made new is where the 08:16 people of the God will enjoy all of eternity. 08:18 You know, there's a beautiful verse in Job 19:25. 08:23 Job says, For I know that my redeemer lives, and he shall 08:28 stand at last on the earth: and after my skin is destroyed, 08:33 this I know that in my flesh I shall see God:... 08:38 So with Job it was a very real future life. 08:41 Bodily he was going to see the Lord face to face. 08:46 That is where the Bible puts the emphasis when it talks about the 08:51 future immortal life. 08:52 The prophet Isaiah had visions of this future life to come. 08:58 He says in Isaiah 65:17 For, behold, I create new 09:03 heavens and a new earth:... 09:04 They shall build houses, and inhabit them; 09:08 they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. 09:11 So nobody's going to be having to rent a house. 09:14 Nobody's going to have to go to a market to buy fruit, 09:18 or vegetables. 09:19 No, you'll be able to have your own. 09:21 And it goes on to say here, as the days of a tree, so shall 09:26 be the days of my people, and my elect shall long enjoy the 09:30 work of their hands. 09:31 Now that's where some people howl in protest. 09:33 They say, You've got to be kidding! 09:35 We're going to have to work there? 09:37 Yes, we'll work, alright, but you'll just love it. 09:40 The sort of work you'll enjoy; the sort of work that Adam and 09:43 Eve had in that perfect world that God made for them. 09:47 And it says, for they shall be the descendents of the blessed 09:51 of the Lord, and their offspring with them. 09:54 You know, mothers have had some sad experiences; 09:58 a little baby torn from their arms by death. 10:01 Now those are the ones that will be restored; their offspring 10:04 with them. 10:05 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together; 10:08 the lion shall eat straw like the ox: and dust shall be 10:12 the serpent's food. 10:13 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, 10:16 says the Lord. 10:17 There won't be any wild beasts of prey there. 10:20 Everything will live at peace one with another. 10:23 In fact it says in chapter 11 verse 6, The wolf also shall 10:27 grow with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with 10:30 the young goat;... 10:31 You know if they do that now there's usually only one left 10:34 after a little while. 10:35 ...the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; 10:38 and a little child shall lead them. 10:40 Isn't that a beautiful picture? 10:41 I just love that! 10:44 So the future immortal life is not in a place of 10:49 disembodied spirits. 10:50 It's in a very real place. 10:52 And there will be very real people there. 10:55 I want to read to you what it says in Isaiah 35:4 11:00 behold, your God will come; he will come and save you. 11:05 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the 11:10 deaf shall be unstopped. 11:11 Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the 11:16 dumb sing:... 11:17 That's going to bring a lot of encouragement to people 11:19 who have disabilities. Isn't it? 11:20 Everything is going to be perfect there, you see. 11:23 There won't be any disabilities; no problems. 11:25 It will be a perfect new world. 11:27 And I like this verse in Revelation 21:1 where it says, 11:31 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth:... 11:34 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, Behold, the 11:38 tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them,... 11:42 God himself is going to be here in person! 11:46 No more invisible! 11:47 You will see God. 11:49 Jesus said, Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. 11:54 It goes on to say, And God will wipe away every tear 11:57 from their eyes;... 11:59 Why would people be crying in this new earth? 12:01 Well, I'll tell you. 12:02 When the Lord comes and we enter into that wonderful life 12:07 eternal, you're going to look around and you'll find somebody 12:10 missing, and that will bring tears to your eyes. 12:13 But God is going to wipe away those tears, and wipe away the 12:17 memory, the sad memory of those that are lost. 12:19 And God will wipe away all tears; there shall be no more 12:23 death, no cemeteries there, nor sorrow, nor crying,... 12:28 there shall be no more pain: (No hospitals, no suffering; 12:32 a land without any problems) ... for the former things have 12:36 passed away. 12:37 And finally in Revelation 22 it says, He showed me a pure 12:41 river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the 12:46 throne of God and of the Lamb. 12:47 In the middle of its street, on either side of the river, 12:50 was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, 12:53 each tree yielding its fruit every month:... 12:56 We're going to eat fruit, you see. 12:57 You know, I like fruit. 12:58 I think one of the fruits that is going to be there are mangos. 13:00 I love mangos. 13:01 But just whatever fruit you like; it's going to be there. 13:04 And we will live there; we'll eat there; we will find it a 13:09 very real place. 13:10 But there is an interesting question: will we know 13:15 one another there? 13:18 We are at Emmaus. 13:20 This is the church that commemorates the incident that 13:23 occurred at this place. 13:24 Inside this church are some beautiful lead-like windows 13:28 that tell the story of what happened here at Emmaus. 13:31 On the day of the resurrection, in the afternoon, 13:35 two of the disciples were returning from Jerusalem 13:38 to the village of Emmaus. 13:40 They were very disappointed. 13:43 Their hopes had been crushed by the crucifixion. 13:45 They couldn't understand it. 13:46 And as they walked along they talked in disconsolate terms 13:51 of their disappointment. 13:52 But as they walked they were joined by a stranger whom at 13:56 first they did not recognize. 13:57 He asked them what they were talking about, and they told Him 14:02 about the crucifixion and how they were disappointed. 14:05 And then He explained to them from the Bible how the Christ, 14:09 the messiah, must needs suffer like this. 14:12 Their hearts burned within them. 14:15 When they came to Emmaus they invited Him in to have supper 14:19 with them, and so He went in. 14:21 They put the bread on the table, and then the stranger reached 14:25 out His hands and blessed that bread. 14:28 And there was something about the way He did it 14:31 that rang a bell. 14:33 They recognized that it was the risen Lord. 14:35 And as soon as He disappeared from their sight they hurried 14:40 back to Jerusalem to tell the wonderful news that they had 14:43 seen the Christ who was crucified and had now 14:46 risen from the dead. 14:48 He'd already appeared to the disciples. 14:51 And while they were talking there 14:53 Jesus Himself stood among them. 14:55 They could hardly believe it. 14:56 They thought it must be a spirit. 14:58 But in Luke 24:39 it says, Behold my hands and my feet, 15:04 that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit does not 15:10 have flesh and bones, as you see I have. 15:13 He was just not a risen spirit; He was a risen person; 15:16 in a risen body; a real person! 15:19 And that's the way it is in the resurrection. 15:21 We will be real people; not just unidentifiable spirits, 15:25 but real people who will know each other. 15:28 A similar thought is expressed at the time of the resurrection 15:32 when Mary Magdalene came to the tomb. 15:36 She expected to just come and anoint the body of Jesus. 15:42 But instead of that a voice spoke to her. 15:46 She thought it was the gardener. 15:48 Through her tear dimmed eyes she did not recognize Him. 15:51 But then He spoke one word, Mary, and there was something 15:56 about that tone of voice that she recognized, 15:58 and she acknowledged Him as her Lord. 16:01 She knew Him by His voice. 16:03 And so it is in the life to come. 16:05 We're going to know each other by our mannerisms; 16:08 by our voices; by our appearances. 16:11 We'll be real people! 16:12 Won't that be wonderful? 16:15 A real life to come! 16:17 I want to be there, don't you? 16:21 How can we be sure that Jesus Christ is all that He claimed 16:25 to be? 16:26 In our next program here in Israel, we'll follow in the 16:30 footsteps of Jesus. 16:31 And as we go around we'll show you some very real evidence 16:35 on which to build your faith in Christ. 16:37 The program is called Israel's Promised Messiah. |
Revised 2014-12-17