Life of Christ part 3 Last Week Lesson

Life of Christ, part 3 Last Week Lesson 5 Matthew 24 Mark 13 Luke 21: 5 -36

Sadducees Matthew 22: 23 -33; Mark 12: 18 -27; Luke 20: 27 -40 review o Elitists who wanted to maintain the priestly order o Willing to incorporate Hellenism into their lives n Something the Pharisees opposed o Rejected the idea of the Oral Law o Insisted on a literal interpretation of the Written Law n Some say they accepted more than the Torah

Sadducees review o Did not believe in an after life n Since it is not mentioned in the Torah o Main focus was rituals associated with the Temple o Still on Tuesday o Woman married to seven brothers in turn, whose wife would she be in the resurrection?

review Sadducees question resurrection o Mark 12: 24 Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God? o 25 "For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven

review Sadducees question resurrection o God is God of living n “I AM” o Mark 12: 26 "But concerning the dead, that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, Moses in the burning bush passage the Torah o Mark 12: 27 "He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken.

w e i v e r Which is greatest commandment? Matthew 22: 34 -40; Mark 12: 28 -34 o Scribe In tested no way. Jesus negating the Ten Commandments, o Deuteronomy 6: 4 -5; rather summing them with two statements from the Law. Leviticus 19: 18 o Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength o Second, love your neighbor as yourself o Scribe: You have answered well n Scribe would have known the law

Woes against the Pharisees Matthew 23: 1 -39; Mark 12: 38 -40; Luke 20: 45 -47 review o Speaking to multitude and disciples o The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat (maybe actual chair? ) o What they tell you—DO o Just do not do what they do o They place burdens on you that they do not do o Their work is all for show o They love the chief seats

Life of Christ, part 3 Last Week Lesson 5 Matthew 24 Mark 13 Luke 21: 5 -36

Jesus leaves the temple Matthew 24: 1 -2 o This would be Jesus’ last time in the temple o Disciples call His attention to the great stones of the temple o A great and beautiful structure o Stones 70’lx 12’hx 18’w

Jesus leaves the temple o The (former) place of the very presence of God o The place where the priest and Jewish leaders were no longer worshiping and living as God directed

Expansion by Herod— 1035’N x 1590’W x 913’S x 1560’E

Destruction is coming Matthew 24: 2 -3 o Jesus tells the disciples this great structure would be destroyed o Not one stone would be left upon another SHOCK! o Great and total destruction o As they sat on the Mt of Olives the disciples wanted to know more about this destruction Mark 13: 3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately

End of the world? o What destruction is being discussed? o Option 1 n Matthew 24 (and related passages in Mark and Luke) refers to the destruction of Jerusalem with ‘hints’ of the final destruction while Matthew 25 deals with Christ’s second coming.

End of the world? o What destruction is being discussed? o Option 2 n There is an intermixing of the two. One question or answer may reference one time or the other or both.

End of the world? o What destruction is being discussed? o Option 3 n The first part of Matthew 24 is destruction of Jerusalem and last part (vs 35 ff) and all of 25 deal with the second coming. o “in many respects, the most difficult problem in the evangelic record”

End of the world? o I choose option 3 o Key verse n Matthew 24: 34 "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. n He reaffirms it in vs 35 n “My words will by no means pass away” [I speak the truth]

End of the world? o As they leave the temple (see end of ch 23 and 24: 1) Jesus tells about its coming destruction n Matthew 24: 2 And Jesus said to them, "Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down. "

End of the world? o When they get across to the Mt of Olives, the disciples ask two questions n Matthew 24: 3 Now 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? ” n “these things” are things Jesus just said in vs 2 (destruction of the temple)

End of the world? o We should not think the disciples are considering two separate events o They still don’t have complete concept of the new kingdom o They envision the destruction of the temple at the end of time n “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age? ”

End of the world? o Events listed in vs 4 -26 are specific n Wars and rumors of wars n Nation against nation n Famines, etc n Tribulation and kill you n Hated by all nations n False prophets n Lawlessness will abound n False christs

End of the world? o All these would be before destruction of the temple (and Jerusalem) o Vs 27 -31 are indication the destruction is happening n It uses figurative language much like the OT in describing destruction of other nations

End of the world? o Events listed in 36 ff are open n No one knows day or hour n As Noah didn’t know when flood was coming n Watch, don’t know hour your Lord is coming n As a thief, time is uncertain n Master came when servant wasn’t expecting

End of the world? o Notice use of ‘days’ in referring to destruction of Jerusalem vs ‘day’ in referring to actual second coming n ‘days’ vs 19, 22, 29 n Tribulation before (and during) destruction of Jerusalem would last ‘days’ n ‘day’ 36, 38, 50, 25: 13 n Second coming of Jesus is referred to as ‘that day and hour’

Destruction of Jerusalem o End of Jewish state o Destruction of temple n God’s presence among His chosen people n Center of Jewish worship o Daily sacrifices o Three great annual feasts

Destruction of Jerusalem o Signaling of end of one dispensation and the beginning of another o A. D. 70 by Rome (40 years from now) o A final punishment on the Jewish nation for their rejection of Jehovah

Destruction of Jerusalem o Punishment for rejecting the Messiah? n To complete God’s plan of redemption it was necessary for Christ to die as our sacrifice n God did not ‘make’ the Jews reject Him n He used their wickedness to complete His purpose

What is coming? Matthew 24: 4 -26 o Deceivers o Others claiming to be the Christ o Wars o Famines, pestilences, and earthquakes o False prophets o Lawlessness

When it comes o Flee o Don’t go back into your house o Don’t go back to get your clothes o Woe to those who are pregnant o Pray it is not in the winter o Great desolation n Nothing like this since the beginning of the world

Jewish nation destroyed Matthew 24: 27 -31 o Rapidly and swiftly as lightning streaks across the sky o Like a carcass being ripped by eagles

Jewish nation destroyed o Romans would tear the nation apart ripping it like a dead carcass n n Begun under Nero Vespasian is general in charge Nero dies; Vespasian is made emperor His son Titus completes destruction in Judea o Tried to save temple? ?

The Roman legions surrounded the city and began to slowly squeeze the life out of the Jewish stronghold. By the year 70, the attackers had breached Jerusalem's outer walls and began a systematic ransacking of the city. The assault culminated in the burning and destruction of the Temple that served as the center of Judaism. http: //www. eyewitnesstohistory. com /jewishtemple. htm

Jewish nation destroyed o Example of the fig tree o ‘near—at the door’ o This generation will not pass away

Shifts to answer second question o Signs of His coming n No one knows when—only My Father n Like in the days of Noah o Not prepared

Watch and pray o No one knows when a thief is coming o Be ready o Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect o Blessed is the one who is prepared o Woe to the unprepared n Will be cut in two n Weeping and gnashing of teeth

n o s s e l Jesus leaves the temple o Disciples call His attention to the great stones of the temple e l p m e t w e o A great and beautiful structure a n o The place of the very presence of God o The place where the priest and Jewish leaders were no longer worshiping and living as God directed Leaving a stone monument as a memorial to ourselves is not nearly as important as leaving a Godly example!!

n o s s e l Destruction of Jerusalem o A final punishment on the Jewish nation for their rejection of Jehovah? only hours away o Punishment for rejecting the Messiah? n To complete God’s plan or redemption it was necessary for Christ to die as our sacrifice n God did not ‘make’ the Jews reject Him n He used their wickedness to complete His purpose

n o s s e l Watch and pray o No one knows when a thief is coming o Be ready o Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect o Blessed is the one who is prepared o Woe to the unprepared n Will be cut in two n Weeping and gnashing of teeth