[uplifting music]
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[uplifting music]
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>>Eric Flickinger:
Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We're glad that you
could join us today.
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We're continuing to
take a journey through
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the book of Mark,
learning new things about Jesus,
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new perspectives and
gaining in our knowledge
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of the gospel as we do so.
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We're glad that you could
join us, but before we begin
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lesson number 10,
looking at "The Last Days,"
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we're gonna start
with prayer. Let's pray.
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Father, we thank You
for being with us today
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and giving us an opportunity
to learn more about You
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and Your plan of salvation
as we study the book of Mark.
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We ask that You'll bless
us, give us wisdom and insight,
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and we thank You
in Jesus' name, amen.
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Lesson number
10, "The Last Days."
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We're happy to have the
author of this quarter's
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"Sabbath School" lesson
with us again this week.
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Thomas Shepherd is the
senior research professor
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of New Testament at
the Theological Seminary,
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Andrews University.
Tom, welcome back once again.
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>>Thomas Shepherd:
It's good to be here.
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>>Eric: So we're
getting down toward the end.
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This is lesson number 10 of 13,
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and we are looking
at "The Last Days."
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We've kind of come
through the book of Mark
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into Mark, chapter 12.
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We're at the tail
end of Mark, chapter 12.
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And we come across this story
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of what's often
called the widow's mite.
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Lead us through this story,
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and what are some lessons
that we can learn from it?
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>>Tom: Okay, so first we
should read the story itself.
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It's very brief. It's in Mark,
chapter 12, verses 41 to 44.
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It says, "And He sat
down opposite the treasury
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"and watched the people putting
money into the offering box.
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"Many rich people
put in large sums.
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"And a poor widow came and
put in two small copper coins,
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"which make a penny.
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"And He called His disciples
to Him and said to them,
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"'Truly, I say to you, this
poor widow has put in more than
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"'all those who are contributing
to the offering box.
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"'For they all contributed
out of their abundance,
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"'but she out of her poverty
has put in everything she had,
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all she had to live on.'"
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It's an interesting story.
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>>Eric: It is a
fascinating story.
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She doesn't give much,
but she gave a whole lot.
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What are some lessons that
you think Jesus would have us
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learn from this story?
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>>Tom: Well, I
find it interesting that
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Jesus was watching. [laughs]
You know, He's watching people.
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There are many people who
would like to watch other people
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and see what they're
doing. And He's watching people
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as they put money
in the offering box.
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There are a number
of these offering boxes
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in the temple complex, and so
He's opposite the treasury area,
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and He's watching what they do.
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And the rich people come
and put in lots of money.
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Now, the temple was a
big building, and it was--
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received a lot of
offerings and money.
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In fact, temples in the
ancient world were banks.
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You kind of--this surprises
us a little bit, but they would
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keep money in the temple
because if you stole the money
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from the temple,
the idea was that
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the god that was of that
temple would get you. [chuckles]
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So, it kind of scared people
off from stealing the money.
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It's interesting
that this woman comes
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and gives these
two small copper coins.
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Very, very
insignificant offering,
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very small amount of money,
much less than a denarius,
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which was a day's wage. So
people would think, you know,
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why should she put any
money in at all? You know.
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But Jesus commends her.
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And He says she's given more
than everybody else because--
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sometimes you can put it this
way--people see what you put
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in the offering plate; God
sees what's left in your pocket.
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And she had
nothing left in her pocket.
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All these other
people had large sums.
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Now, there's, I think,
at least three great lessons
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to come from this story.
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And the first would be
that even when people are--
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when money is being misused,
it's still important for us
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to give to the cause of God.
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Now, you say,
"How can you say that?"
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Well, this woman is
giving money to the temple,
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and Jesus has just cleansed
the temple just recently
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and is always fighting with
the religious leaders, and yet
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He commends her for
giving money to this cause.
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So, you see, when we give
money to God's cause, if we say
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I won't give if they, you
know, don't use it this way
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or they don't use it this
way, you have strings attached.
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You're not really giving to God.
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Now, the religious leaders in
all times have a responsibility
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to use the money wisely.
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But those who give faithfully
and honestly are still blessed,
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whether the religious
leaders use it or not.
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They'll have to answer to God,
but each of us has to answer
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to God for how we deal
with the resources He gives us.
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The second lesson is that
everybody has a part to play.
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Both the rich and the
poor have a part to play
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in supporting God's work.
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Sometimes we might think that,
"Oh, the poor shouldn't have
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to give; they
should just stay away."
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Nah, that's actually a bad idea
because it kind of sends them
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a message that they're
not important to God's work.
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Not so. And the
third lesson is that
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giving sets us
free from covetousness.
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Money is very seductive, and
it can take control of your life
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if you're not careful.
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Returning tithe teaches us
to live on less than our income,
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and that's a good
thing because a lot of people
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live beyond their means,
and it destroys their life,
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so, lots of lessons
from this one little story.
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>>Eric: So just a few
verses but a lot to learn there.
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We get down into chapter
13, and there's this prophecy
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that Jesus makes
about the temple.
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When we take a look at that
prophecy, there's a lot here.
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In fact, most of this
week's lesson deals with it.
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Walk us through chapter 13.
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>>Tom: All right, so we want
to start with verses 1 and 2.
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Why don't you read
those for us, Eric?
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>>Eric: "Then as He"--Jesus--
"went out of the temple,
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"one of His disciples
said to Him, 'Teacher,
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"see what manner of stones
and what buildings are here!'
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"And Jesus
answered and said to him,
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"'Do you see
these great buildings?
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"'Not one stone
shall be left upon another,
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that shall not be thrown down.'"
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>>Tom: All right, so
this is Jesus' basic prophecy.
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It was a shocking prophecy.
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The disciples want to know more
about it, and then we're gonna
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find out, you know,
what they ask about it.
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But the temple was huge.
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You can still see some
of the retaining wall today,
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some stones weighing 100 tons,
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just massive stones, and all
of this moved with human power.
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No big machines, you
know--well, they probably had
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some kinds of machines
that they used but not powered
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by gas or electricity
or anything like that.
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So it was a
tremendous undertaking.
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And it was--the main work
was done by Herod the Great
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and his engineers.
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The Temple Mount itself
had these various buildings,
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the Stoa, they were
surrounding the temple
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and the temple itself.
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And Jesus predicted
that all those buildings--
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now, He didn't say
the retaining walls--
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but He said all the
buildings would be destroyed.
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That would be something like
somebody in, say, the late 1990s
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being in New York City
and looking at the Twin Towers
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and saying, "Both of
these will fall to the ground."
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And people would think,
"That's impossible," you know.
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"How could that happen?
That just doesn't make sense."
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So it was the same kind of shock
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for the disciples
to hear these words.
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And so they want to know more.
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And that's what we find out in
verses 3 and 4: "And as He sat
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"on the Mount of
Olives opposite the temple,
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Peter and James and John and
Andrew asked Him privately"--
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so now it's just
four of the disciples;
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now, these are the first four
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that Jesus had
called in the beginning--
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"Tell us, when will these things
be, and what will be the sign
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when all these things are
about to be accomplished?"
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So they're asking a when,
and they're asking a what,
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a when and a what.
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When will it be, and
what will be the sign? Right,
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so we start to
unfold the prophecy.
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What's
interesting is that Jesus,
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in His initial response to them,
doesn't talk about the when
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[chuckles] and
doesn't talk about the what.
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Instead, He
gives them a warning.
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So let's have you
read verses 5 through 8.
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>>Eric: "And Jesus,
answering them, began to say:
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"'Take heed that
no one deceives you.
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"'For many will
come in my name, saying,
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"'"I am He," and
will deceive many.
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"'But when you hear of
wars and rumors of wars,
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"'do not be troubled;
for such things must happen,
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"'but the end is not yet.
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"'For nation will
rise against nation,
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"'and kingdom against kingdom.
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"'And there will be
earthquakes in various places,
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"'and there will be
famines and troubles.
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These are the
beginnings of sorrows.'"
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>>Tom: Okay, so
Jesus' first warning to them
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is to not be led astray.
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So His focus is on His
disciples, to help them
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weather the storm that's coming.
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And what He describes
is, you know, rather shocking
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kind of stuff; you know,
there's wars, rumors of wars.
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He says, "Don't be alarmed.
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This must take place,
but the end is not yet."
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So it's true that He
actually has a "when" in there.
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So, you know,
it's not yet the end.
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"For nation will
rise against nation,
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"and kingdom against kingdom.
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"There'll be
earthquakes and famines.
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It's just the
beginning of the birth pains."
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It's a rather striking
kind of a metaphor that
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all these experiences as
wars and famines and earthquakes
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are just the
beginning of the birth pains.
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You know, when--if
you've ever had a child,
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you probably know what
Braxton Hicks contractions are.
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They're little contractions
that kind of tell you that,
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oh, it's getting close.
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And some people
go to the hospital
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with the Braxton Hicks,
and then the doctor says,
00:10:36.53\00:10:40.50
"I'm sorry, this is
not the real labor yet.
00:10:40.54\00:10:43.17
"This is just, you know,
Braxton Hicks contractions,
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and they're not
the real thing yet."
00:10:47.38\00:10:50.01
And Jesus kind of says,
well, that's what the wars
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and the rumors of wars are.
00:10:52.78\00:10:53.95
Now, sometimes people
today will say things like,
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"Oh, this is a sign that
Jesus is coming again soon."
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Well, yes, but He said
it's just like the beginning
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of the birth pain.
It's not the real stuff.
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He goes on to warn them.
00:11:07.13\00:11:10.90
We should read
verses 9 through 13 now.
00:11:10.93\00:11:14.40
>>Eric: "But watch out
for yourselves, for they will
00:11:14.44\00:11:16.57
"deliver you up to
councils, and you will be beaten
00:11:16.60\00:11:19.34
"in the synagogues.
00:11:19.37\00:11:20.84
"You will be brought before
rulers and kings for my sake,
00:11:20.88\00:11:23.81
"for a testimony to them.
00:11:23.85\00:11:25.38
"And the gospel must first
be preached to all the nations.
00:11:25.41\00:11:28.22
"But when they arrest you
and deliver you up, do not worry
00:11:28.25\00:11:31.42
"beforehand, or
premeditate what you will speak.
00:11:31.45\00:11:34.29
"But whatever is given
you in that hour, speak that;
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"for it is not you who
speak, but the Holy Spirit.
00:11:37.19\00:11:40.36
"Now brother will
betray brother to death,
00:11:40.40\00:11:43.43
"and a father his child;
and children will rise up
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"against parents and
cause them to be put to death.
00:11:46.17\00:11:48.87
"And you will be hated
by all for my name's sake.
00:11:48.90\00:11:51.67
But he who endures to
the end shall be saved."
00:11:51.71\00:11:54.74
>>Tom: Yeah, so again,
it's very striking language.
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It's very scary
kind of language.
00:11:57.31\00:11:59.35
Again, He's concerned for His
disciples: be on their guard.
00:11:59.38\00:12:03.62
He describes
what's going to happen,
00:12:03.65\00:12:05.79
how they're going to be
brought before religious leaders
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and governors, and
what they're supposed to do.
00:12:07.89\00:12:11.03
They're not supposed
to worry because it's God
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who's going to, you know,
give them the words to speak.
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Then He describes the closest
bonds that we have in life,
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brothers, father and child,
children against their parents.
00:12:21.34\00:12:25.37
It's
also...disquieting, you know.
00:12:25.41\00:12:30.78
But He says, "You will be
hated by all for my name's sake,
00:12:30.81\00:12:34.15
but the one who endures
to the end will be saved."
00:12:34.18\00:12:36.48
So He says, "Don't
give up. I'm coming again.
00:12:36.52\00:12:39.49
And you don't have
to worry about this."
00:12:39.52\00:12:41.62
Now, He does say that
the gospel will be proclaimed
00:12:41.66\00:12:44.56
to all the
nations. And we usually say,
00:12:44.59\00:12:46.06
"Well, that's
before His second coming."
00:12:46.09\00:12:48.63
There is some ring of this
that goes to the Second Coming.
00:12:48.66\00:12:50.97
But right now, He's describing
what's going to precede
00:12:51.00\00:12:53.47
the fall of Jerusalem temple.
00:12:53.50\00:12:56.64
>>Eric: So, interesting, this
story that we are going through,
00:12:56.67\00:13:00.24
and we're going to come
back and pick it up again
00:13:00.28\00:13:01.74
in just a moment.
00:13:01.78\00:13:03.01
But we also have the companion
book to this quarter's lesson.
00:13:03.04\00:13:06.38
What can we learn
in the companion book
00:13:06.41\00:13:08.12
for this quarter, for
this particular lesson?
00:13:08.15\00:13:10.29
>>Tom: Yeah, well,
this companion book
00:13:10.32\00:13:11.95
that I wrote goes along
with the lesson quarterly.
00:13:11.99\00:13:14.76
All the chapters are numbered
the same as the quarterly,
00:13:14.79\00:13:18.19
and they provide
extra information.
00:13:18.23\00:13:20.63
So there you get information
about what we're talking about
00:13:20.66\00:13:23.73
here, and it goes
beyond the quarterly
00:13:23.77\00:13:25.57
to give you more
feedback, more details.
00:13:25.60\00:13:29.17
>>Eric: Very good.
00:13:29.20\00:13:30.54
And if you wanna pick
that up, it's very easy to do.
00:13:30.57\00:13:32.54
Just go to itiswritten.shop.
00:13:32.57\00:13:34.91
Again, that is itiswritten.shop,
00:13:34.94\00:13:36.61
and you'll find
the companion book
00:13:36.64\00:13:37.95
to this quarter's
"Sabbath School" lesson.
00:13:37.98\00:13:39.75
We're going to come back in just
a moment as we continue looking
00:13:39.78\00:13:42.12
at this prophecy that Jesus
shares about the destruction
00:13:42.15\00:13:45.25
of the temple and the
events that are going to occur
00:13:45.29\00:13:48.26
in the world shortly
before Christ's return.
00:13:48.29\00:13:50.26
We'll be right back.
00:13:50.29\00:13:51.59
[uplifting music]
00:13:51.63\00:13:54.10
>>John Bradshaw: The prophet
Daniel writes authoritatively
00:13:55.76\00:13:58.30
about the rise
and fall of kingdoms,
00:13:58.33\00:14:00.80
the fate of nations, and
the soon return of Jesus.
00:14:00.84\00:14:05.07
Join me for "Kingdom Come."
00:14:05.11\00:14:07.68
We'll witness the rise
and fall of global powers.
00:14:07.71\00:14:11.08
We'll understand symbols found
in the writings of the prophets.
00:14:11.11\00:14:15.22
And we'll learn how
Bible prophecy applies
00:14:15.25\00:14:18.05
to our current reality.
00:14:18.09\00:14:20.59
Waiting for the world
to get better seems futile.
00:14:20.62\00:14:23.93
We exist in the midst of global
confusion, in a world wrestling
00:14:23.96\00:14:28.36
with the devastating effects
of sickness, war, and death.
00:14:28.40\00:14:32.87
Yet God encourages us:
"The dream is certain."
00:14:32.90\00:14:37.67
The
interpretation can be trusted.
00:14:37.71\00:14:40.58
Jesus is coming back soon.
00:14:40.61\00:14:43.14
The best is yet to come.
00:14:43.18\00:14:46.18
Don't miss "Kingdom Come" as
we explore the book of Daniel.
00:14:46.21\00:14:50.52
"Kingdom Come"
on It Is Written TV.
00:14:50.55\00:14:53.56
[uplifting music]
00:14:56.16\00:14:59.89
>>Eric: Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:14:59.93\00:15:01.93
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:15:01.96\00:15:03.67
We are in
lesson number 10 of 13.
00:15:03.70\00:15:05.47
We're looking
at "The Last Days,"
00:15:05.50\00:15:06.94
the events that are
going to take place very soon.
00:15:06.97\00:15:09.84
And in this section of the book
of Mark, Jesus kind of mingles
00:15:09.87\00:15:13.01
those together with the signs of
the destruction of the temple.
00:15:13.04\00:15:16.41
Tom, we're going through this
section in Mark, chapter 13,
00:15:16.44\00:15:20.42
and we're at a point
here in verse number 14
00:15:20.45\00:15:24.59
where Jesus talks about
"the abomination of desolation."
00:15:24.62\00:15:28.56
What is the
abomination of desolation,
00:15:28.59\00:15:30.93
and why is that
significant to us today?
00:15:30.96\00:15:33.09
It certainly was back in
His day--what about today?
00:15:33.13\00:15:35.56
>>Tom: Well, it's an
interesting question.
00:15:35.60\00:15:37.40
There's a big fight over
this abomination of desolation,
00:15:37.43\00:15:39.80
exactly what it means.
00:15:39.83\00:15:41.60
This is actually the
turning point of the prophecy.
00:15:41.64\00:15:44.17
So Jesus has said before
this that these are things
00:15:44.21\00:15:48.38
pointing forward--the time
is not yet, the time is not yet.
00:15:48.41\00:15:51.05
In verse 14 He
says, "But when you see
00:15:51.08\00:15:53.55
"the abomination of desolation
standing where he ought
00:15:53.58\00:15:57.52
"[or it] not be, (let
the reader understand),
00:15:57.55\00:16:00.62
then let those who are in
Judea flee to the mountains."
00:16:00.66\00:16:04.96
All right, so this is the
time to leave, to get out.
00:16:04.99\00:16:07.36
Right, what is this
abomination of desolation?
00:16:07.40\00:16:10.33
It's a very strange terminology.
00:16:10.37\00:16:12.23
It actually comes
from the book of Daniel.
00:16:12.27\00:16:15.00
There are several
places in the book of Daniel
00:16:15.04\00:16:17.24
that make use of
this kind of terminology.
00:16:17.27\00:16:21.38
And probably the passage that
we commonly think of for this
00:16:21.41\00:16:26.55
is Daniel, chapter 9,
the 70 weeks' prophecy
00:16:26.58\00:16:29.42
we've already
described in these lessons.
00:16:29.45\00:16:31.82
And now in that--in
those verses in Daniel 9,
00:16:31.85\00:16:36.83
it refers to desolation
00:16:36.86\00:16:39.13
and the desolator
that comes and does this.
00:16:39.16\00:16:43.20
What this refers to
is something that people,
00:16:43.23\00:16:47.34
well, scholars fight
over just what it refers to,
00:16:47.37\00:16:50.47
but the most likely thing
that it actually refers to
00:16:50.51\00:16:54.84
is when the
Romans came in 70 A.D.,
00:16:54.88\00:17:01.02
the war was from 66 to actually
73, and they came to Jerusalem
00:17:01.05\00:17:05.79
about A.D. 70, and
they surrounded the city.
00:17:05.82\00:17:10.93
Now, the question is, so
what's an abomination there?
00:17:10.96\00:17:15.96
Well, the Roman soldiers
had standards, kind of poles
00:17:16.00\00:17:22.57
that they had on top of
it were symbols and images,
00:17:22.60\00:17:26.27
and they actually gathered
around these and worshiped.
00:17:26.31\00:17:28.78
So it was idolatrous
worship that was going on.
00:17:28.81\00:17:32.95
So when they had their
standards posted around the city
00:17:32.98\00:17:36.62
and would worship probably
in the morning to, you know,
00:17:36.65\00:17:40.66
ask the gods to protect them
in their battle with the Jews,
00:17:40.69\00:17:43.66
that was an abomination to have
idolatry in the land of Israel.
00:17:43.69\00:17:48.90
So Jesus says, "When you see
[this] abomination of desolation
00:17:48.93\00:17:52.90
"standing where
[it] ought not to be...,
00:17:52.93\00:17:55.74
then let those who are in
Judea flee to the mountains."
00:17:55.77\00:17:57.94
Reference is "Let
the reader understand."
00:17:57.97\00:17:59.84
He's referring back
to Daniel, because people
00:17:59.87\00:18:02.24
would be reading this.
00:18:02.28\00:18:03.58
And you'd think, well,
when they surround the city,
00:18:03.61\00:18:07.02
isn't it a little
bit too late to get out,
00:18:07.05\00:18:09.68
you know, to flee, to run away?
00:18:09.72\00:18:11.59
And the answer to that
is, well, in the actual event,
00:18:11.62\00:18:16.42
what happened was the Romans
came and surrounded the city.
00:18:16.46\00:18:19.59
The Jews rallied, and they went
out, and they beat them off.
00:18:19.63\00:18:24.97
And the Romans withdrew.
00:18:25.00\00:18:27.90
So the Jews
came back victorious.
00:18:27.94\00:18:30.57
And anybody who was
still left in the city
00:18:30.61\00:18:33.41
that was a Christian no doubt
thought, "This is the sign.
00:18:33.44\00:18:37.15
We'd better get out,"
you know, "and leave."
00:18:37.18\00:18:39.65
Actually, there's a statement
that the Christians had actually
00:18:39.68\00:18:44.92
left earlier and gone over to
Petra on the basis of a prophecy
00:18:44.95\00:18:51.16
somebody had given, not this
particular prophecy necessarily,
00:18:51.19\00:18:55.10
but some vision
somebody had or something,
00:18:55.13\00:18:57.80
and that they had left.
00:18:57.83\00:18:59.27
So, there were
no Christians left.
00:18:59.30\00:19:02.34
The Romans did come
back and surrounded the city.
00:19:02.37\00:19:05.81
It was a
terrible, terrible event.
00:19:05.84\00:19:10.45
There was people that
pleaded with them to surrender
00:19:10.48\00:19:17.79
so that the city
wouldn't have to be destroyed,
00:19:17.82\00:19:19.62
so the temple
wouldn't have to be destroyed.
00:19:19.65\00:19:21.46
But the people who had
taken control of the government,
00:19:21.49\00:19:24.03
the Zealots, felt that God would
not let the temple be destroyed.
00:19:24.06\00:19:30.90
And so they held out
there, and the Romans came
00:19:30.93\00:19:34.77
and destroyed it, burned it.
00:19:34.80\00:19:36.60
Now, if you go to
the Temple Mount today,
00:19:36.64\00:19:38.84
it's not even sure
exactly where the temple was
00:19:38.87\00:19:42.94
because the
Romans cleared it off.
00:19:42.98\00:19:45.35
And actually, you can go
to some of the retaining wall.
00:19:45.38\00:19:48.45
There's a place on the
retaining wall, not too far
00:19:48.48\00:19:50.45
from the wailing wall,
where there's these huge stones
00:19:50.49\00:19:56.56
that they threw off the
top of the Temple Mount,
00:19:56.59\00:20:00.06
just like an amazing
fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy:
00:20:00.10\00:20:04.80
"Not one stone will
be left upon another."
00:20:04.83\00:20:07.17
There's the stones down there at
the base that they pushed off.
00:20:07.20\00:20:11.01
So it's really quite an amazing
fulfillment of the prophecy.
00:20:11.04\00:20:14.94
>>Eric: So after the
Roman army surrounded the city,
00:20:14.98\00:20:17.78
they came in; they
destroyed everything.
00:20:17.81\00:20:21.35
How do we know in this
chapter, that goes from the time
00:20:21.38\00:20:27.52
of the prophet till the time
of the end, where does that--
00:20:27.56\00:20:30.06
some of it has to do
with the temple and so forth;
00:20:30.09\00:20:32.73
some of it has to do
with the end of time.
00:20:32.76\00:20:34.76
>>Tom: Yeah. >>Eric:
Where do we find that?
00:20:34.83\00:20:36.33
>>Tom: Okay, so
it's very interesting.
00:20:36.36\00:20:38.67
You read on, He's talking about
the abomination of desolation,
00:20:38.70\00:20:41.87
the destruction of the city, how
you're supposed to not go back
00:20:41.90\00:20:44.71
into the city, you
know, run away and everything.
00:20:44.74\00:20:47.61
In verse 19 it says, "For
in those days there will be
00:20:47.64\00:20:50.95
"such tribulation as has
not been from the beginning
00:20:50.98\00:20:53.92
of the creation that God created
until now, and never will be."
00:20:53.95\00:20:57.49
All right, so some people want
to say that that tribulation
00:20:57.52\00:21:01.26
referred to the destruction of
Jerusalem, but the destruction
00:21:01.29\00:21:05.29
of Jerusalem, as bad as it
was, terrible with the number
00:21:05.33\00:21:08.33
of people that died and
suffered, there have been
00:21:08.36\00:21:11.20
much worse kinds of things that
have taken place since then.
00:21:11.23\00:21:15.57
So what does that refer to?
00:21:15.60\00:21:17.84
Well, it says in verse 20,
"If the Lord had not cut short
00:21:17.87\00:21:21.91
"the days, no human
being would be saved.
00:21:21.94\00:21:24.35
"But for...sake of
the elect, whom He chose,
00:21:24.38\00:21:26.68
"He shortened the days.
00:21:26.72\00:21:28.65
And then"--verse 21--
"if anyone says to you,
00:21:28.68\00:21:31.19
"'Look, here is the Christ!'
00:21:31.22\00:21:32.45
"or 'Look, there He
is!' do not believe it.
00:21:32.49\00:21:35.12
"For false christs and false
prophets will arise and perform
00:21:35.16\00:21:38.13
"signs and wonders, to lead
astray, if possible, the elect.
00:21:38.16\00:21:41.26
...Be on [the] guard; I have
told you all things beforehand."
00:21:41.30\00:21:44.93
So He talks about a
period of tribulation that's
00:21:44.97\00:21:48.44
gonna be terrible, but God's
gonna shorten it down, right?
00:21:48.47\00:21:51.67
Then in verse
24, these are words
00:21:51.71\00:21:54.68
very commonly known
and beloved by Adventists.
00:21:54.71\00:21:59.01
It says, "But in those
days, after that tribulation,
00:21:59.05\00:22:02.25
"the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give
00:22:02.28\00:22:05.49
"its light, and the stars
will be falling from heaven,
00:22:05.52\00:22:08.29
"...powers in the
heavens will be shaken.
00:22:08.32\00:22:10.13
"And then they will see
the Son of Man coming in clouds
00:22:10.16\00:22:13.13
"with great power and glory.
00:22:13.16\00:22:14.46
"And then He will send
out the angels and gather
00:22:14.46\00:22:16.90
"His elect from the four winds,
00:22:16.93\00:22:18.40
from the ends of the
earth to the ends of heaven."
00:22:18.43\00:22:20.74
Well, that's clear
that He's talking about
00:22:20.77\00:22:22.07
the Second Coming
of Jesus, all right?
00:22:22.10\00:22:24.14
So somehow we've moved from
the destruction of Jerusalem
00:22:24.17\00:22:27.81
through a period of tribulation
to a time when we see signs
00:22:27.84\00:22:32.95
in the sun, moon, and stars, and
Jesus will be coming again soon.
00:22:32.98\00:22:36.95
Well, that really clearly
sounds like from the time
00:22:36.99\00:22:40.12
of the prophet to
the time of the end,
00:22:40.16\00:22:41.62
which is this historicist take
on the fulfillment of prophecy,
00:22:41.66\00:22:46.96
that it goes from the prophet's
time to the time of the end.
00:22:47.00\00:22:50.10
So the question is, what
is this great tribulation?
00:22:50.13\00:22:54.77
Well, like I said, it probably
doesn't refer to the time
00:22:54.80\00:22:58.91
right then at Jerusalem.
00:22:58.94\00:23:00.74
Rather, it's that long period of
persecution that we talk about
00:23:00.78\00:23:06.28
in Bible prophecy of
the 1,260-day time period
00:23:06.31\00:23:09.62
of history where the
power, the antichrist power,
00:23:09.65\00:23:16.12
has more control and
overcomes God's people,
00:23:16.16\00:23:19.13
and they're persecuted
for this long time period.
00:23:19.16\00:23:22.43
That was shortened by
the Protestant Reformation
00:23:22.46\00:23:26.57
that came along in the 1500s.
00:23:26.60\00:23:29.20
And that shortened the time that
people were being persecuted.
00:23:29.24\00:23:34.14
>>Eric: So we're getting
closer to the end of chapter 13.
00:23:34.18\00:23:37.48
I want to jump to
verse 30 for just a moment.
00:23:37.51\00:23:40.32
In verse 30, Jesus says,
"Assuredly, I say to you,
00:23:40.35\00:23:43.25
"this generation
will by no means pass away
00:23:43.28\00:23:46.05
till all these
things take place."
00:23:46.09\00:23:49.19
Now, that could be a
little bit confusing.
00:23:49.22\00:23:51.69
What is He talking about
when He says "this generation"?
00:23:51.73\00:23:54.20
Of course, He was speaking,
you know, in the first century,
00:23:54.20\00:23:56.83
and now here we are
much later than that.
00:23:56.87\00:23:59.07
>>Tom: Yeah, much later. Yeah,
00:23:59.10\00:24:00.47
this has
troubled a lot of people,
00:24:00.50\00:24:02.90
and there's a variety of ways
that people explain this text.
00:24:02.94\00:24:06.27
"This generation" sometimes
is described as "this race,"
00:24:06.31\00:24:09.58
the Jewish race.
00:24:09.61\00:24:11.91
But actually, it's
not necessary to go there.
00:24:11.95\00:24:14.68
That's one possible
kind of explanation.
00:24:14.72\00:24:17.09
But I think there's
actually a better one.
00:24:17.12\00:24:18.75
So to get that sense of that
other explanation, let's read
00:24:18.79\00:24:25.89
verses 30 and 31, and
then we have to read verse 32.
00:24:25.93\00:24:32.63
Okay, so 30 and 31: "Truly,
I say to you, this generation
00:24:33.40\00:24:36.67
"will not pass away until
all these things take place.
00:24:36.71\00:24:39.51
"Heaven and
earth will pass away,
00:24:39.54\00:24:41.51
but my words
will not pass away."
00:24:41.54\00:24:45.31
And then verse 32:
"But concerning that day
00:24:45.35\00:24:49.55
"or that hour, no one knows,
not even the angels in heaven,
00:24:49.58\00:24:52.59
nor the Son, but
only the Father."
00:24:52.62\00:24:55.69
So, He talks
about "this generation,"
00:24:55.72\00:24:59.86
and then He
talks about "that day."
00:24:59.89\00:25:02.46
Now, the difference between
"this" and "that," [laughs]
00:25:02.50\00:25:07.14
I can speak of this Bible,
but I can't say "that Bible."
00:25:07.17\00:25:13.81
Now, that "that" refers
to something further away.
00:25:13.84\00:25:17.65
"This" refers to
something close by.
00:25:17.68\00:25:20.15
So when Jesus says, "This
generation shall not pass away
00:25:20.18\00:25:24.49
until all these things
take place," He's referring
00:25:24.52\00:25:27.69
to the events leading up to
the destruction of Jerusalem.
00:25:27.72\00:25:30.99
And if you go back and
look through the chapter,
00:25:31.03\00:25:32.96
you'll find that the
word "this" and "these"
00:25:32.99\00:25:35.76
is used more in the
first part of the chapter.
00:25:35.80\00:25:38.03
And "that" and
"those" is used in more
00:25:38.07\00:25:42.04
in the second
part of the chapter.
00:25:42.07\00:25:43.57
So when He says,
"But concerning that day,"
00:25:43.61\00:25:46.27
He's talking about
the day of His coming.
00:25:46.31\00:25:48.01
So that's more
distant from His time.
00:25:48.04\00:25:50.28
So the "this" and "that,"
"these" and "those" kind of
00:25:50.31\00:25:54.48
terminology, as simple as it may
seem, actually helps to divide
00:25:54.52\00:25:58.05
this chapter into the section
that deals more with events
00:25:58.09\00:26:01.99
leading up to the destruction of
Jerusalem, which is His prophecy
00:26:02.02\00:26:06.93
that this generation will not
pass away until all these things
00:26:06.96\00:26:09.56
take place, and
that's exactly what happened,
00:26:09.60\00:26:11.90
versus those days, that day,
and those events referring to
00:26:11.93\00:26:16.37
the time after that
leading up to His second coming.
00:26:16.40\00:26:19.84
>>Eric: So this particular
chapter mingles them together,
00:26:19.87\00:26:22.88
but not so much that
they can't be unmingled.
00:26:22.91\00:26:25.61
>>Tom: That's right.
00:26:25.65\00:26:26.95
>>Eric: And sometimes
we get them just confused.
00:26:26.98\00:26:29.32
Any final thoughts that
you'd like to leave with someone
00:26:29.35\00:26:32.25
who is living in these
last days? That last day,
00:26:32.29\00:26:37.63
I guess, if we want
to look at it that way.
00:26:37.66\00:26:39.29
We're now in the last days.
00:26:39.33\00:26:41.16
And they're kind of--they're
struggling with their faith
00:26:41.20\00:26:43.06
a little bit, and just give them
a little bit of hope to make it
00:26:43.10\00:26:46.07
through these challenging
times that are coming.
00:26:46.10\00:26:48.40
>>Tom: The first thing
to notice is that Jesus knew
00:26:48.44\00:26:50.07
what was going to happen.
00:26:50.11\00:26:51.74
You and I can be--we
can be blessed by knowing
00:26:51.77\00:26:56.44
that our Lord knew long ago
what was going to take place.
00:26:56.48\00:27:01.12
And He gave us that warning,
so He knows what's coming,
00:27:01.15\00:27:05.45
and He tells us
to stay on guard.
00:27:05.49\00:27:07.62
He tells us to
keep watch and that--
00:27:07.66\00:27:11.13
He tells that to everybody--
00:27:11.16\00:27:12.63
but He tells us
this to encourage us,
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that we won't lose heart.
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And we don't have to because
He holds our lives in His hand
00:27:16.43\00:27:19.93
and will take care of us.
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>>Eric: We hope that those
words will be an encouragement
00:27:21.70\00:27:24.31
to you as well.
00:27:24.34\00:27:25.84
Jesus gave us this chapter,
this book to help us get ready
00:27:25.87\00:27:29.84
for His second
coming, which is not far off.
00:27:29.88\00:27:32.78
Next week, we're going to get
together and look at lesson 11
00:27:32.81\00:27:35.98
and look at things just a little
bit closer to the very end
00:27:36.02\00:27:38.82
of the book and a little bit
closer to the return of Jesus.
00:27:38.85\00:27:41.36
We look forward to
seeing you again next time here
00:27:41.39\00:27:43.26
on "Sabbath School,"
brought to you by It Is Written.
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