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Well, please turn with me in 
your Bibles to Matthew chapter 24. Matthew 24, I'll begin reading 
in verse 1. Then Jesus went out and departed 
from the temple, and His disciples came up to Him to show Him the 
buildings of the temple. 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. 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? And Jesus answered and 
said to them, Take heed that no one deceives you. For many 
will come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and will deceive 
many. and you will hear of wars and 
rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled, 
for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against 
nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines, pestilences, 
and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of 
sorrows. Then they will deliver you up 
to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all 
nations for my name's sake. And then many will be offended, 
will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many 
false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness 
will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures 
to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom 
will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations. 
And then the end will come. Therefore, when you see the abomination 
of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the 
holy place, whoever reads, let him understand. Then let those 
who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on 
the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. Let 
him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But 
woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing 
babies in those days. And pray that your flight may 
not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great 
tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the 
world, until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those 
days were shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the elect's 
sake, those days will be shortened. Then if anyone says to you, look, 
here is the Christ, or there, do not believe it, For false 
Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and 
wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told 
you beforehand. Therefore, if they say to you, 
look, he is in the desert, do not go out. Or, look, he is in 
the inner rooms, do not believe it. For as the lightning comes 
from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming 
of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, 
there the eagles will be gathered together. Immediately after the 
tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the 
moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from heaven, 
and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign 
of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, 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. And 
He will send His angels with the great sound of a trumpet, 
and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, 
from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn this parable 
from the fig tree. When its branch has already become 
tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 
So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is 
near at the doors. Assuredly, I say to you, this 
generation will by no means pass away till all these things take 
place. Heaven and earth will pass away, 
but my words will by no means pass away. Amen. Let us pray. Father, we thank you for the 
written Word, and we pray now for the ministry of the Holy 
Spirit who gave us this Word. We ask God that you would cause 
us to reflect upon these things, and may they affect the way that 
we live in our present age. May we see the value and the 
importance and the necessity of preaching the Gospel, that 
the Church would not tire of doing this, and the Church would 
not shrink back from declaring that whole counsel of God Almighty. 
So please, supply us now, fill us with the Holy Spirit, and 
do forgive us again for our sins and our transgressions, cleansing 
us in that blood which has been shed for the redemption of sinners. And how we thank You for that, 
how we thank You for Your mercy and for Your grace, and we pray 
now through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Well, we're considering our subject, 
the Olivet Discourse in Matthew's Gospel, beginning in chapter 
24 at verse 1. And remember that I said there 
are several ways that one interprets this particular passage. One 
is the futurist approach that sees the bulk of the prophecy 
in our future, not Jesus' future, but our future. There is the 
two-event view where many persons, and probably the majority of 
persons, see that what's in view is both a combination and a distinction 
between the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70 and a view 
of the second physical coming of the Lord Jesus when He comes 
again in glory to judge the living and the dead. And the interpretation 
that I hold to is what's called the preterist position, and basically 
preterist means past tense. that the bulk of the prophecy 
has already taken place in the first century. As I said, the 
two-event theory is most likely the majority report in reform 
circles. Futurism is certainly the majority 
report in dispensational circles. I understand mine is a minority 
position, but I have to preach as I believe the text teaches, 
and so I ask that at the end, if you disagree, we can still 
remain friends, brethren, and countrymen. But as we consider 
this particular section, we see the specific account or the specific 
setting. Jesus has finished his lamentation 
over Jerusalem. He has pronounced that their 
house should be left to them desolate. And then in verse 1 
of chapter 24, he departs from the temple. I think this is not 
just a location change, but it's also a visible sign. It's an 
acted parable. It does parallel the withdrawal 
of Yahweh's presence from the temple in Ezekiel chapters 8 
to 11. The disciples then call his attention 
to the beauty of the temple, and Jesus tells them very clearly 
in verse 2, Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be 
left here upon another that shall not be thrown down. It was the 
then standing temple that Christ had reference to. That perplexed, 
or puzzled, or at least challenged the disciples who then asked 
Jesus two questions. They asked first a when question, 
tell us when will these things be? And they ask a what question, 
what will be the sign of your coming of the end of the age? 
And I think he answers the what question first, and then he'll 
get to the when question later. In other words, what Jesus is 
doing, specifically in verses 4 to 14, is highlighting those 
things that will precede the destruction of the temple that 
did historically occur in the year A.D. 70. And we have surveyed 
several of these. We have seen the danger of false 
teachers, verses 4 and 5. We have seen the presence of 
political and social upheaval, verses 6 and 7. Jesus explains 
in verse 8 that these are the beginning of birth pangs and 
the beginning of sorrows. These things are not the indicator 
that the end is right now, but these are rather things that 
indicate this period or era prior to the end, the destruction of 
the temple in AD 70. And then as well, last week we 
considered the persecution of the church, verses 9 to 12. The church will have difficulty 
in this era. The church faced Jewish persecution. They faced Roman persecution. They faced internal problems, 
apostasy and betrayal, deception. All of these things were targeting 
the people of God, antinomianism. So, Jesus highlights that the 
church will go through these things prior to the end that's 
in view in this particular discourse. Now, we left off last week at 
verse 13, so this morning we'll take up verse 14. Another thing 
that must take place prior to the destruction of the temple 
in AD 70. Now, I suspect there are some 
that are saying, but that didn't happen. In fact, as we move through 
this discourse, that's probably our inclination, is to read verses 
and say, but that didn't happen. So therefore, the interpretation 
that Pastor Butler holds to, and others as well, can't be 
true or it can't be right. Well, let's just look and ask 
the question if this did indeed happen in the first century. 
I think we successfully demonstrated from the pages of the New Testament 
that false teachers did plague the early church, that there 
was political and social upheaval, and that there was persecution 
of the church, both Jewish and Roman, in the early church. We 
saw that mostly in the Book of Acts, the experience of Christ's 
people in the church. So let's look at verse 14, and 
there's actually three things that I think we ought to consider 
here. In the first place, the proclamation of the gospel. Secondly, the declaration concerning 
the end. And then thirdly, the explanation 
of the theological connection. In other words, this preaching 
of the gospel goes forth, then comes the end, the destruction 
of the temple. I think there's more going on 
there than just a temporal or time reference. There is also 
a theological reference. Now, just to get us back in here, 
let's look first at the proclamation of the gospel. Note what Christ 
says. This gospel of the kingdom will 
be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, 
and then the end will come. Before we proceed, that is the 
most important message you'll ever hear, the gospel. We hear 
that word a lot, and it's used in various ways. When we talk 
about the Gospels, more often than not we're referring to the 
four written records by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Those are 
Gospels. Those are Gospel records. Those 
are written documents revealing to us the person and the work 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. But when we refer to the Good 
News, the Gospel of Christ, it refers to Christ. The Gospel 
is not my happiness. The Gospel is not your happiness. 
The Gospel is not my warm feelings. It is not your warm feelings. The Gospel is a historical message 
that focuses in on the person and the work of our Lord Jesus 
Christ. Specifically, His life in obedience 
to the Father's law, His death as a sacrifice and a substitute 
at Calvary's cross, and His resurrection again on the third day. That's 
the gospel. That's the good news. That's 
the message that one must believe in order to be saved. Because 
the Bible tells us that God is a holy God. God is righteous 
and His eye is too pure, the prophet says, to approve of any 
evil. And the Bible also tells us that 
all we, like sheep, have gone astray. Every one of us has sinned 
against God. Every single one. So you can't 
say for a moment here, well, you know, he's not really preaching 
to me right now. He's talking about those crackheads 
out, you know, downtown, or he's talking about those people that 
rob banks, or he talks about those, or he's talking about 
those people that murder. No, all of us have sinned. Every 
last one of us. I don't care how old you are 
this morning. I don't care how young you are. We have all sinned 
against a holy God. And basically, sin is transgressing 
His law. God commands us not to do something, 
we have done it. God commands us good things to 
do, we don't do it. The catechism, the Heidelberg 
asks, how do we know our sin and misery? It's from the law 
of God. And what does that law specify? 
That we are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and 
strength, and we are to love our neighbors as ourselves. We 
have all violated that. We have all breached the commandments. 
We have all transgressed. We have all failed to conform 
to that. That's why the Gospel is Gospel, 
because it's the record of Christ's obedience to the Father. He never 
sinned. He always loved God with all 
his heart, soul, mind, and strength. He always loved his neighbor 
as himself. As amazing and as perplexing 
as that is to those of us who don't do that, it is true. The Lord Christ was holy, harmless 
and undefiled, obedient to the Father's will, submissive every 
step of the way. And when the Lord Christ finished 
His earthly ministry, instead of being raised up as a king 
and worshipped as the Son of God, He was given death on the 
cross. And in that death, He served 
as a substitute and as a sacrifice, and He took the penalty due for 
sinners for having offended God's law. Christ took it in Himself. He bore the wrath and the fury 
of God. He exhausted the wrath and fury 
of God. As John Murray says, He drank 
the cup of God's wrath down to its dregs. Every final drop, 
He satisfies divine justice. And so the message of the gospel 
is that Christ lived, Christ died, Christ rose again, and 
all those who look to Him in faith This is the response to 
the gospel. All those who believe in Him, 
believe everything the Bible says concerning Him, believe 
that He'll save you from your sins, all those who believe will 
have everlasting life. This is the most important thing. 
You may be a futurist this morning, you may be a two-event theorist, 
you may be a preterist, but if you are not a believer in Christ, 
you are hell-bound. It's a most grieving and alarming 
and threatening situation. If we are outside of Christ, 
hell is our portion and our lot. John 3 tells us that he that 
believeth in the Son hath everlasting life. He that believeth not the 
Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. So presently, currently, right 
now, if you are an unbeliever, the wrath of God abides on you. What's the way of escape? To 
believe on Him, to look to Christ, to look and live, to hear the 
voice of Yahweh through the prophet Isaiah. Look to me and be ye 
saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no 
other. to see Christ lifted up, to look to Him in faith. That 
is the most important thing, young or old. And you young people, 
you hear this every week. I suspect you hear it probably 
every night at home. Don't get hardened to it. Don't 
continue to resist it. Don't continue to reject it. 
but rather flee, fly, run, come to the Lord Jesus Christ, who 
says, all that the Father gives me will come to me. And the one 
who comes to me, guess what? I will certainly not cast out. 
That's a blessed promise, isn't it? I will certainly not cast 
out. You say, well, I don't know if 
I'm fit to come to Christ. Are you a sinner? You're fit. 
Go. I don't know if He'll take me. 
He promises in John 6, 37 that He will. I don't know if there's 
enough grace for such a foul sinner as I. Listen to the Apostle. Christ Jesus came into the world, 
sinners to save, of whom I am chief. As bad as you may think 
you are, Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, took first 
place in terms of sinning against God. So you cannot argue, well, 
I'm too sinful for God to save me. It's like saying, I'm too 
hungry to eat that sandwich. I'm too thirsty to drink that 
water. We would call that man a fool. We'd say, take the water 
and drink it immediately. If you are so sinful, the only 
hope for you is Christ. And praise God Almighty that 
He receives sinners. Listen to the testimony of those 
here that have been saved. Are we in Christ because we're 
good? Are we in Christ because we're 
obedient? Are we in Christ because we learned 
our catechism well? Are we in Christ because we never 
violated the law of God? We're in Christ because of the 
manifold grace and mercy of God. Because He took us from our deadness 
and our sins and trespasses, and He gave us life eternal in 
Jesus. And we are confident, and we 
are hopeful. And yea, may I say, we expect 
that God will do that. Because as we read in the book 
of Revelation, it's not just a handful that are standing before 
the throne. It's a great multitude that no man can number, from 
every tribe and tongue and people and nation. So we preach the 
gospel indiscriminately, calling men to believe on Him, to turn 
from their sins, and to know the joy of everlasting life. That's the gospel. That's the 
good news. No matter what men may say today, 
well, the gospel makes me feel this. The gospel makes me do 
this. The gospel's about Christ. The 
response is faith. The blessing is everlasting life. If you are dead in your trespasses 
and sins this morning, and you don't get preterism, or you don't 
get futurism, or you don't get the two-age or the two-event 
theory, I personally don't care about that. But if you miss the 
Gospel, and you perish in hell for eternity, that would plague 
my soul and everybody here that knows the truth as it is in Jesus. 
So don't just say, Oh, yeah, Jesus says this Gospel of the 
Kingdom will be preached in all the nations, and forget the significance 
of the message. Forget the centrality of the 
cross. Forget the centrality of Jesus 
Christ and the plan and purposes of God. Now let's look at what 
Jesus does say here. The fact is stated. He says, 
Now the statement is part of an immediate context. So if, as we've seen, all these 
other things were fulfilled in the first century, we must conclude 
that verse 14 was fulfilled in the first century. And I hope 
to demonstrate that and confirm that as we move along. But it 
is in the context. Chapter 21, Jesus combats the 
religious leaders. This is earlier on the Tuesday 
of the Passion Week. Jesus confronts them, or first 
they confront him concerning his authority. He tells three 
parables concerning their destruction. And then there's this direct 
confrontation between the religious leaders and Jesus in chapter 
22, verse 15 to the very end. Then Jesus condemns these, or 
warns the people of God and the multitudes against listening 
to these false teachers. in chapter 23, verses 1 to 12. 
And then Jesus turns His attention specifically to these false teachers 
and pronounces woe upon them in chapter 23, verses 13 to 36. And then He condemns them and 
says that judgment is coming upon this generation. And then 
He laments and says that their house is being left to them desolate. And then He departs the temple. 
And then that Tuesday night, after having said all those things 
in the presence of His disciples, He now testifies that the then 
standing temple is going to fall. They're perplexed. They ask the 
questions. And He tells them. He answers them. He doesn't give 
them riddles among riddles and enigmas in enigmas. He gives 
them a straight answer to their straight questions. There is 
a particular referent here, and it's in verse 34. Notice he says, "...Assuredly, 
I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till 
all these things take place." Either he meant all these things, 
or he didn't. Didn't he? Why would we suggest or think 
that he meant some of the things for that generation, and some 
of the things for our generation, or a future generation? He meant 
what he said, is my argument in this section. Now, note what 
Jesus says. This gospel of the kingdom will 
be preached in all the world. Now, it is intriguing that in 
the parallel, we ought to look there, Mark chapter 13. Mark 
chapter 13. Now, I've said that preterism 
is probably a minority position. Another minority position that 
I actually hold to is that Matthew is the first gospel. It's called 
the priority of Matthew. Matthew wrote first, and then 
Luke, and then Mark, and then John. Most scholarship today 
says Mark wrote first, and then Matthew and Luke basically copied 
Mark. I think there are compelling 
reasons to argue against that. So just go with me for a moment. 
Matthew wrote first. He treats the Jewish mission 
in Matthew 10, verses 17-23. He tells his disciples to go 
out and preach in the cities of Israel. Now, when Mark writes 
his version of the Olivet Discourse, he includes that section from 
Matthew 10 in the actual discourse. Notice in Mark 13 at verse 9. 
But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up 
to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. This 
is right from Matthew 10. You will be brought before rulers 
and kings for my sake for testimony to them. Right from Matthew 10. 
And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. 
Right from Matthew 24. Mark incorporates this gospel 
preaching to all the nations taking place alongside of the 
Jewish mission, which took place in the first century. Ergo, if 
the Jewish mission took place in the first century, then this 
mission to the rest of the world took place in the first century. Now go back for just a moment 
to Matthew 24. The word that is used here is 
not the word cosmos. And I don't think this is the 
biggest argument. It's a lexical argument, and 
I think it holds weight. But biblical words find their 
meanings in contexts. But it is intriguing that the 
word used in 2414 is not the word cosmos, which means the 
entire world. It's the word oikumene which 
means inhabited earth in several contexts. It's speaking about 
the then known world. It's speaking about the inhabited 
earth from their vantage point. It's speaking about the Roman 
Empire and this can be demonstrated. France says, not by France, I'm 
just giving you what he says, the inhabited world, the world 
of people, which at that time meant primarily the area surrounding 
the Mediterranean and the lesser-known areas to the east, around which 
stretched mysterious regions beyond the fringes of civilization. The word refers specifically 
to the Roman Empire. Notice in Luke 2, the word is 
oikumene, it's not cosmos. Luke chapter 2 and verse 1. It 
came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar 
Augustus that all the world should be registered. That probably 
doesn't mean people that were, you know, living in America at 
that particular time. It means the Roman Empire. We see this usage in the book 
of Acts. Notice in Acts chapter 11. Acts chapter 11, just arguing 
that the particular word used here can be mean or cannot be 
understood to be inhabited earth or a specific region and not 
necessarily every human being without distinction. 1128, then 
one of them named Agabus stood up and showed by the Spirit that 
there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, 
which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. Again, it's 
probably not the case that everywhere in the world everybody was without 
food. It focused on a particular region, 
a particular area. Notice in 24.5. 24.5. We as Calvinists 
sought to realize that the word world doesn't always mean every 
single human being. And when it's used in 24.14, 
it doesn't necessarily mean every single human being. Notice in 
24.5. It says, for we have found this 
man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout 
the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. See, 
biblical authors often employ language that is common speech. They don't qualify every statement 
and give the exact technical reference. They say, all the 
world has been affected by this man who's creating dissension. Notice in 1927 in the book of 
Acts, world encompasses the degree to which Artemis worship was 
entertained. Notice in Acts chapter 19 at 
verse 27. So not only is this trait of 
ours in danger of falling into disrepute, but also the temple 
of the great goddess Diana may be despised and her magnificent 
destroyed, whom all Asia and the world worship." So probably 
Asia is Asia and the world is not Asia. Asia, those regions 
outside of Asia. So going back to 2414, understand 
that what Mark includes in his version of the Olivet Discourse 
is the Jewish mission. Alongside of it is this preaching 
of the gospel to all the nations, and in this section, specifically, 
the use of the word oikoumeni. But then going back, notice the 
specific purpose in verse 14. He says, this gospel of the kingdom 
will be preached in all the world as a witness. As a witness. There is something decidedly 
different from this and Matthew 28. Matthew 28, after the resurrection 
of our Lord, prior to His ascension on high, He says, go therefore 
and make disciples of all the nations. Disciple-making and 
witnessing are similar and there's overlap. But this idea of witnessing 
isn't for the express purpose of making disciples. Now certainly, 
hopefully, people will get saved and converted and come to the 
Lord Jesus. But the focus of the target here 
in verse 14 is to testify to witness in all the nations. Go back to Matthew chapter 10. 
You'll see a similar convention used with reference to the Jewish 
mission before those in high places. Notice in Matthew chapter 
10 verse 16, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. 
Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves, but beware 
of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge 
you in their synagogues. You will be brought before governors 
and kings for my sake, notice, as a testimony to them and to 
the Gentiles. Of course, He would want them 
to win them to Christ, but the primary function when Paul is 
hauled off before these political leaders is to testify, to set 
forth a witness, to get the gospel out. In 28, 18 to 20, the idea 
is disciple-making, church-building, kingdom-spreading. Not that that's 
foreign to the context of 2414, but the point is that 2414 is 
satisfied or accomplished with less than disciple-making. As long as the gospel goes to 
the inhabited earth, as long as this testimony is proffered 
to the peoples, what Jesus says in 2414 did take place prior 
to the destruction in AD 70. Note as well the specific application 
of Jesus' words in the New Testament documents. Turn to the book of 
Romans. I hope this is clear. Again, 
you may disagree, but at least you'll see that I don't jump 
on this bandwagon because I just like the concept. I think the 
text drives this interpretation. As I respect, others think the 
text drives their interpretation, but in the final analysis, to 
the word, or along to the testimony, we need to confirm interpretation 
with Scripture. Scripture is the infallible, 
infallible interpreter of Scripture. And I believe that the New Testament 
documents show and demonstrate that what 2414 says did in fact 
happen prior to the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70. Note 
in Romans chapter 1, well, even before that, I'm sorry, Acts 
chapter 2. Acts chapter 2, specifically on the day of Pentecost, in verse 
5, says, There were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, 
from every nation under heaven. And if we had no other text, 
we could at least say that these men from every nation under heaven 
heard the testimony of the gospel. When Peter preached concerning 
the life and the death and the resurrection of Jesus, men from 
every nation heard that testimony, so they would have gone back 
to their particular nation, having been testified to concerning 
the truth as it is in Jesus. But now notice in Romans 1, Romans 
chapter 1, As I said, some of the times 
the word cosmos is used, sometimes oikumene. I'm not hanging everything 
on that particular interpretation or that particular lexical piece 
of evidence, but to say that context ultimately defines for 
us the use of a word. Notice in Romans 1, 5, through 
him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to 
the faith among all nations for his name. Now we might think 
that that is looking forward to what Paul will do as a minister, 
as a missionary, as an evangelist, as an apostle with reference 
to the gospel. Note in verse 8, first I thank 
my God through Jesus Christ for you all that your faith is spoken 
of throughout the whole world. Can you see that we don't operate 
with these restricted ideas of what the whole world is? It only 
ever means every single nation, every single human being. That's 
not how it's being used there. Again, Calvinists of all people 
ought to follow this argument when the Arminian says, Christ 
died for the world. We affirm that on the one hand, 
but we define it on the other hand. Yes, the scripture says 
he died for the world, but in context it means Jew and Gentile. In context, it doesn't mean every 
single human being without exception. It means human beings without 
distinction. That's how we understand world. And the same is true with 2414 
in Matthew's Gospel. Notice in Romans 10 concerning 
the Word of Truth, the Gospel of our salvation. Verse 18, But 
I say, have they not heard? Yes, indeed. Their sound has 
gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the 
world. Notice as well in 1626, but now made manifest and by 
the prophetic scriptures made known to all nations according 
to the commandment of the everlasting God for obedience to the faith 
to God alone wise be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen. Again, you may not agree with 
this preterist view, but you can see what drives it. the supposition 
that the New Testament affirms for us every step of the way 
that these signs spoken of by Jesus did actually come to pass 
in the first century A.D. And then turn over to Colossians, 
specifically chapter 1. Colossians chapter 1, notice 
in verse 6, which has come to you, as it has also in all the 
world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you 
since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth. And then note Colossians 1, specifically 
verse 23. If indeed you continue in the 
faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the 
hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to 
every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. Now John MacArthur, who is certainly 
no friend to preterism, comments thus in his study Bible, the 
gospel has no racial boundaries. Having reached Rome, where Paul 
was when he wrote Colossians, it had reached the center of 
the known world. You see, he's using the word 
world in a qualified sense. And when we look at 2414 and 
we survey these particular texts, we conclude that just as there 
were false Christs plaguing the early church, just as there was 
this political and social upheaval that generally affected the church, 
and just as there was this persecution that affected the first century 
church, both external and internal, so we conclude that 2414 happened 
prior to the fall of Jerusalem in 8070. Christ says these are 
the beginning of sorrows. He highlights these particulars, 
specifically focuses here on the end in verse 14. He says, 
this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world 
as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. And the end here is not the end 
of the world as we know it. If it was the end of the world 
as we know it, the instructions to escape would be superfluous. The reference to Judea, the reference 
to architectural design, the reference to pray that your flight 
be not on a Sabbath, or that women aren't giving suck to their 
babies, these would all be superfluous. There's no escape. There's no 
running down from the housetop. In that final coming of the Lord 
Jesus Christ, we will all be summoned to stand before Him 
and give an account of deeds done in the body, whether good 
or bad. But what Jesus is speaking here is the end of the Jewish 
age, the end of the old covenant dispensation, the end of the 
temple, the end of the covenant people. That's the end that's 
in view. John Gill makes this observation. He says, not the end of the world, 
as the Ethiopic version reads it, and others understand it, 
but the end of the Jewish state, the end of the city and temple, 
so that the universal preaching of the gospel all over the world 
was the last criterion and sign of the destruction of Jerusalem. 
And the account of that itself next follows. That's the next 
object under consideration specifically. It is the destruction of the 
temple, the abomination of desolation. Hopefully we'll be able to describe 
what that means and all these particulars. But there's a Judean 
setting. There's instructions to flee. 
There's instructions to run and hide. You see how superfluous 
that would be if he meant that in verse 14, then the end will 
come? There's no escape on that day. 
If you're in Judea, you don't run to the mountains. You don't 
wait or scurry down into your room and disobey Jesus and grab 
your pictures and grab your money and grab your gun. There is no 
escape at the end. You need to consider that as 
well, if you haven't listened to what I've been saying concerning 
the Gospel. You will meet the Lord God Most 
High. You will give an account of deeds 
done in the body, whether good or bad. You will stand to give 
that to our Lord Jesus, who is a righteous judge. The only way 
of hope, the only way of escape, the only refuge, is not by fleeing 
from your home. It's not by hoping it's not on 
the Sabbath day. It's not by having children that 
no longer require to have the breast. The only way of escape 
is through Christ. But see, Jesus prescribes a way 
of escape to these hearers in light of the destruction of the 
temple. History does testify, the early father Eusebius tells 
us that believers left the city, they ran to Pella, which was 
a section or a city in Piraeus. This was validated, this was 
confirmed, this actually happened. Jesus is not dealing with the 
end when He comes in glory to judge the living and the dead. 
In that final sense, He is dealing with the end of Jerusalem. Now, 
that's the proclamation of the Gospel, the declaration concerning 
the end. Let's look at the explanation 
of the theological connection. I realize this sermon may be 
a little more different than what we're normally used to, 
and I'm certainly going to stretch you in the next few minutes. 
We're going to do a biblical theology of the temple. And if 
you know most books on biblical theology, they're like that big, 
so you're going to be here a while. The end is not yet, as I said 
a couple of weeks ago. You've got some time. No, I'm 
just kidding. For people visiting, don't say, what's he talking 
about here? We don't want that much more. 
We want that much more. Well, we'll try to make this 
quick. I feel like a dentist, and you're in the chair, and 
I'm pulling teeth at times. This ain't going to hurt too 
much. Just bear through this. Again, I'm constrained by the 
text. I think it's so... To me, it's 
crystal clear that it yields this interpretation. But notice, 
the preaching of the gospel both precedes and follows the destruction 
of the temple. The preaching of the gospel goes 
out vis-à-vis the Jewish mission that Jesus sent his disciples 
on in Matthew 10, and in this Gentile or world mission that 
he refers to in verse 14. After His resurrection, He then 
declares the great commission in the church is to go and make 
disciples of all the nations. So you see, preaching of the 
gospel, destruction of the temple, more preaching of the gospel. 
In fact, I'll argue that verse 31 even refers to the preaching 
of the gospel. I don't want to jump ahead there 
and have you go, no, there's no way that can possibly refer 
to that, but we'll get there in time. But it's gospel, destruction, 
gospel. France makes this observation, 
if the end referred to is the destruction of the temple, the 
connection between that end and the universal proclamation of 
the gospel may be more than merely temporal. In other words, he 
says in verse 14, gospel preached, then the end will come, and then 
he focuses on the destruction of the temple. It's more than 
just temporal. It's more than just the last 
pagan was testified to, and then the Romans invaded Jerusalem. It's theological. It harkens 
back to something Jesus already said in Matthew 12, verse 6. He said there is one greater 
than the temple here. The temple pointed to Christ. The temple was a type The anti-type 
is Jesus. Remember, anti-type doesn't mean 
opposed to the type. It means in place of or in the 
stead of. Christ fulfills the reason for 
the temple. That's why you have preaching 
of Christ, destruction of temple, preaching of Christ. It is a 
visible display of the covenantal transition that takes place. 
Old covenant found all its joy and all its blessing and all 
its sufficiency in that earthly temple. What's the apostle tell 
us in the book of Hebrews? Christ has come to administer 
the heavenly temple. This is the theology behind the 
discourse. And as I said, just briefly consider 
what temple is all about in the Bible. First, the Garden of Eden 
was a temple. We oftentimes see Adam doing 
his job and we think, there's our proof text to be farmers. 
Now, it certainly can have that application to be a proof text 
for us to be farmers. But the Garden of Eden was in 
the first place a temple. Adam was a priestly, kingly figure. Adam was charged with extending 
that temple, which was the presence and the glory of God, throughout 
the earth. That was His commission. That 
was His driving motif. That's what was everything. Adam 
was a priest-king designed to multiply the knowledge of the 
glory and of the presence of God. Now, Adam fell, didn't he? Adam forfeited. Adam rejected 
the living and the true God. So, what's the next step in the 
temple-building process? The Lord God makes a covenant 
with Old Testament Israel. Old Testament Israel is an Adam-like 
figure. Old Testament Israel is to go 
into the land of Canaan, and Old Testament Israel is to administer, 
or mediate rather, the blessings of Yahweh to the nations around 
them. It's no accident that when we 
get to the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke, Matthew 
demonstrates Jesus as Israel. Jesus is called out of Egypt, 
Matthew 2. Jesus passes through the waters, 
like Israel did when they come out of Egypt. Jesus goes into 
the wilderness where he's tried and tempted and tested. But unlike 
Israel, Jesus is successful. When Luke highlights Jesus' genealogy, 
he takes us back to Adam. Adam was a son of God, just like 
Jesus. There is a typology going on. 
Adam, Israel, Christ. So God makes this covenant with 
the Old Testament people called Israel. The Lord provided a dwelling 
place for Himself among the children of Israel. Isn't that how the 
book of Exodus ends? Isn't it glorious? Most modern 
day readers get bored with Exodus 25-40. It's the biggest part 
of the book and it deals with building the tabernacle. What 
do we care about curtains? What do we care about wood? What 
do we care about supplies? What do we care about the way 
it's designed? It's the dwelling place of God! 
This is the purpose in the book of Exodus. God delivers them 
from Egypt. God demands that they obey His 
law. And then God promises to dwell 
in their midst. That's the point! 25a. God says, you will build a sanctuary 
for me and I will dwell in your midst. The faithful Israelite 
didn't read that as an IKEA catalog describing the new building plans. 
He read it as God's promise of dwelling in His midst. And then, 
lo and behold, in Exodus 40, the glory cloud of God comes 
down upon that tabernacle. What happens? Moses himself, 
the most holy man in all the nation, couldn't go in because 
of his sin. Thus comes the book of Leviticus, 
where God shows us how His dwelling place will become a meeting place. It is through sacrifice, it is 
through burnt offering, it is through blood, it is through 
atonement that a sinful Israelite can meet with a holy God. And 
then that tabernacle, of course, becomes the temple. We read about 
that, and we studied about that in 2 Samuel 24, which ends on 
a very high note. David, offering sacrifices at 
the threshing floor of Aaronah. You say, well, what do I care 
about the threshing floor of Aaronah? It's the site of the 
temple! It's where they built that house, 
where God would dwell in their midst, and through the sacrificial 
system, they could meet with Him, and know His nearness, and 
know His presence. The temple became highly significant 
in Israel's religious and political life. You don't need me to tell 
you that. Just read your Old Testament. 
As well, the curses of the covenant generally, Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 
28, and the promise of the destruction of the temple specifically in 
1 Kings 9, were realized twice in history prior to the time 
of Jesus. The temple was destroyed in 722 
BC. The Assyrians come and destroy 
the northern kingdom and take the children of Israel exiled. 
You'd think Judah would learn, but no, Judah doesn't learn. 
She's become even more unholy. So in 586, Nebuchadnezzar and 
the Babylonians come and destroy the temple. You see, you're all 
preterists. You believe that what Jeremiah 
and what Ezekiel were talking about has already taken place. So what we find there is that 
Israel did not keep covenant, and so God rejected them. You 
would really think they would have learned after the Babylonian 
exile, but they didn't. Jesus comes to His own, and His 
own receive Him not. They crucify the Lord of glory. 
So what happens? In A.D. 70, in accordance with 
Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 and 1 Kings 9, their temple 
is destroyed. The temple is sacked. The city 
is sacked. It is ruined once and for all. The departure of Jesus, I've 
already made note of this in verse 1, is symbolic. Not just 
walking out to find another location, but he just said, your house 
is left to you desolate. He is God with us. He's Immanuel. When Immanuel departs, that can't 
be good, can it? You know that in your own experience. 
You sin against God and it feels like Immanuel has departed. You 
don't like that. You crave his presence. You long 
for his nearness. You say with the psalmist, the 
nearness of God is my good. So when Immanuel departs from 
their temple and then announces that their temple will be destroyed, 
no one can conclude that this is good news. This is horrific 
for the Jew, for the Israelite. They love this place, and these 
thoughts terrified them. The successful accomplishment 
of Christ's mediatorial role as the last Adam demonstrated 
that He was the temple. He is that place where God and 
man meet, isn't He? Isn't that what Christ is? Isn't 
it in Christ that God and sinners are reconciled? Isn't it in Christ 
that temple, dwelling, meeting, all come to fruition? It's in 
Christ that we draw nigh unto God through Him. It's in Christ 
that we know the presence and the nearness of God as our good. This is what was said in John 
chapter 2. Jesus said, destroy this temple, 
and in three days I will raise it up. He said, it's taken us 
46 years to build this temple, and you think you're going to 
raise it up in three days? John the theologian says he was 
talking about his body, the resurrection from the dead. The temple pointed 
to Jesus. One was greater than the temple 
in their midst. There is no temporality alone. There is theology. The temple 
gives way to the realization. The temple gives way to the fulfillment. The temple and the shadows and 
the types give way to the substance. This is the point in the book 
of Hebrews as well. Clowney says this perspective 
of the temple is not spiritualization in our usual sense of the word, 
but the very opposite. In Christ is realization. It 
is not so much even that Christ fulfills what the temple means. 
Rather, Christ is the meaning for which the temple existed. And now that he's here and he 
announces its destruction, there's a theological emphasis. You don't 
need that earthly temple. Isn't that what he tells the 
woman from Samaria in John 4? Isn't that the point? The hour 
is coming, and now is, when your fathers won't worship on this 
mountain or that mountain. God seeks those who worship in 
spirit and truth. It's not confined to a particular 
mountain. We have a worldwide scope under 
the gospel. That's why the reference in 31, 
all the corners of the earth will be testified to by the messengers 
of Christ calling the elect unto himself from every tribe, tongue, 
people, and nation. The Lord Christ fulfills what 
the temple stood for. The New Testament goes on to 
tell us that believers in union with Christ are living stones 
in this temple. Imagine that. The language of 
union is so strong that we as God's people are part of this 
temple. We, the people of God, are part 
of the temple of God by virtue of our union with Christ. Peter 
applies that in 1 Peter chapter 1. He says, you believers, church, 
you are living stones in this temple. This is the identification 
of the nation in 21-43 in Matthew's Gospel. Jesus says, the kingdom 
is being taken from you and given to a nation that will bear fruits 
consistent with it. The church is that nation. The 
church is that holy people. The church in union with their 
head are that temple. The idea that an earthly temple 
should be rebuilt and a sacrificial system be reinstituted seems 
to be a backward movement in redemptive history. If the type 
has come, or the anti-type has come to fulfill the type, why 
go back to types? If Christ realizes what temple 
stood for, we have Christ, we don't need earthly temple, we 
have Christ, we have everything. The thought of rebuilding the 
temple is completely foreign to the theology of temple that 
we find. And then the temple concept, 
Christ extending, Christ is the sinless Son of God, the Adam 
who succeeded, the Israel who succeeded. The purpose and plan 
of Christ is to extend the glory and the presence of God throughout 
the cosmos. And that is precisely what happens 
in Revelation 21 and 22. When John sees New Jerusalem 
descending out of heaven, how is it described? It's described 
like temple. You see, the movement, the meta-narrative, 
to use an overworked word in our day, is the movement from 
Genesis to Revelation. Temple lost, temple restored. The Lord God Most High and the 
lamp are the temple. See, that's the theology at play. Matthew 24, Jesus is highlighting 
that this is going to take place. The temple stood for a time. The people rebelled against God. 
God promised them judgment. God visits them with judgment. 
But don't get freaked out. We have Christ, who is the antitype 
of what the temple stood for. Turn over to Hebrews 8. We're 
almost done. The end is near. Hebrews chapter 
8. Again, I expressed last week 
my aims are modest, not because I'm modest, but my aims are modest 
just that you don't brand me and tar me and feather me as 
a heretic and send me packing. Just so you see that this is 
a biblical hopefully a biblical view. If you disagree with me, 
that is fine, but please do not bring me up on charges of heresy, 
because it is a legitimate position within the context of the church. 
But note the theology in Hebrews 8. I think it's confirmatory 
of everything I just said. I believe Paul wrote Hebrews, 
and I believe that Paul wrote Hebrews prior to A.D. 70. No, 
verses 1 and 2. Now this is the main point of 
the things we are saying. We have such a high priest who 
is seated at the right hand of the throne of the majesty in 
heavens, a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which 
the Lord erected, and not man. What's he talking about? Temple, 
dwelling place, he calls it heavenly. This is what Christ has fulfilled, 
erected by the Lord. Notice then, verses 3 to 6, the 
Lord Christ as the priest who through his sacrifice, notice 
what he does in verse 6, but now he has obtained a more excellent 
ministry inasmuch as he is also mediator, excuse me, of a better 
covenant which was established on better promises. Sometimes 
our beloved Paedo-Baptist brethren don't always appreciate the betterness 
of the New Covenant. In their attempt to include children 
in this covenant, they flatten the distinction between the two. 
But the Apostle clearly tells us that the New is better, founded 
on better promises. It affords a better hope. That's 
not to be a diss or a mean thing to say to our Pado-Baptist brethren, 
but it does seem to me to flatten the distinctiveness between the 
Old and the New. The whole argument of the Apostle 
here is that the New is superior. It's the whole argument of the 
Apostle throughout the book of Hebrews. Christ is superior to 
the prophets. Christ is superior to Joshua, 
the earthly. Christ is superior to Moses. 
Christ is superior to the Aaronic priesthood. Christ is superior 
to the temple. Christ is superior to the earthly 
temple. Christ is superior in terms of 
the covenants that he comes to inaugurate. He highlights the 
superiority, the distinctiveness, if you will, of the covenants 
in verses 7 to 13. And then note what he says in 
verse 13. In that he says, a new covenant, 
he has made the first obsolete. I'm going to amplify here just 
a bit to capture what I think the apostle's emphasis is. When 
did Christ make the first obsolete? It's when on the cross he said, 
it is finished. It's through his sacrifice, through 
his death, then the veil of the temple is rent from top to bottom. Significant. Not from bottom 
to top, not man trying to get God, but from top to bottom, 
God opening the way of access through the death of his beloved 
Son who bore the curse in our place. So, he makes the first 
obsolete by his sacrifice. Now, note what the apostle goes 
on to say. Now, what is becoming obsolete 
and growing old? He just said it's obsolete. But for the Jew, the fact that 
the temple was standing and sacrifices were in play made them think 
everything was status quo. In other words, if the temple 
is in play and the sacrificial system is in play, then the old 
covenant dispensation is still upon us. We're still under that. Whatever you Christians have 
to say about anything, we've got our temple. This is what 
encouraged them in the prophet Micah's day. Micah comes preaching 
judgment and they say, is not the Lord among us? Probably with 
an eye on the temple. As long as the temple's there, 
God is okay with us. So that's probably what he's 
dealing with. He makes the first, or he has 
made the first obsolete by his death. Now what is becoming obsolete 
and growing old, that's the Levitical process, the sacrificial system, 
the temple worship, note what he says, is ready to vanish away. I submit that that vanishing 
away occurs publicly and visibly when the Roman army surround 
Jerusalem, destroy the temple, and destroy the covenant people. 
Intriguingly, the word used by the apostle finds similar application 
in other contexts. Vanish, the word is suggestive 
of utter destruction and abolition and was used in the Septuagint 
of God destroying the enemies in the promised land. They had 
become the enemies in the promised land, and God is destroying them, 
just like through Assyria, just like through Babylon, and now 
through the Romans. Josephus used the word of cities 
that disappeared by destruction, or of attempts to destroy the 
ancestry or heritage of the Jews. So it's a theologically loaded 
word. which would indicate that the author has a theologically 
loaded concept in mind. Christ at the cross makes obsolete 
that first covenant. Now what is becoming obsolete 
and growing old is ready to vanish away when the destruction comes. Go back to Matthew 24 and we 
conclude. In the first place, I hope that 
we have demonstrated the false Christ, political and social 
upheaval, persecution of the church, and the proclamation 
of the gospel all did take place in the first century. They all 
did precede the coming destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Again, 
you may still disagree, but at least grant the fact that we 
have shown from the scriptures that this isn't just a made-up 
approach, that there is actually scripture that drives this particular 
view. If you disagree, fine, but at 
least acknowledge that there are some scriptures that do substantiate 
and confirm this position. I want to draw out two real practical 
lessons as we conclude. The first is simply this. If, 
as we have seen, the first century church suffered persecution at 
the hand of unbelieving Jews, the first century church suffered 
persecution at the hand of the Roman Empire, the first century 
church suffered internal conflict vis-à-vis apostasy and betrayal. And remember, betrayal in that 
context was delivering up your brethren to the civil authority 
to be imprisoned. If the Church in the first century 
dealt with deception, they dealt with antinomianism, and they 
nevertheless continued to proclaim the Gospel, what should that 
teach us? that no matter what goes on out 
there, no matter what may happen in the professing in here, the 
mission of the church doesn't change. We have been charged, 
we have been tasked, we will be officially commissioned, according 
to Matthew 28, I'm saying, we'll be looking as that in our future, 
because we haven't gotten there yet, to preach the gospel. That's our task. That's our mission. That's what we're about. That's 
why we exist. Brother Howie asked me to address 
the South Surrey Bible study on Tuesday night. What is a Reformed 
Baptist Church? What are some of the distinctives? One of the things that I hope 
to address is the mission of the church. You know what the 
mission of the church is? The glory of God through the 
preaching of the gospel so that sinners can be saved and saints 
more holy. That fits in about that much 
in the written space, doesn't it? We don't need 15 pages of 
vision statement. Our vision is simple here. The 
glory of God through the proclamation of the Word so that God will 
save sinners and sanctify his people. That's what the church 
is supposed to do. That's the main emphasis. That's 
our calling. That's our charge. That's why 
we exist in the world. We are in union with Christ, 
that One who is King and Head over all the nations. And He 
has called us to go, to make disciples of them. not to entertain 
them, not to wow them and woo them, not to impress them, not 
to make them laugh, but to make them disciples through the preaching 
of the gospel. The church that has sacrificed 
that to be culturally relevant has become irrelevant and an 
offense to God. We are to take our stand on Scripture, 
learning the lessons from the Word of God and the history of 
the church in her better times, and we are to preach. We are 
to pray, we are to witness, we are to evangelize, we are to 
be behind missions. The Lord Christ commands it. 
We ought to be prayerful, sacrificial. Maybe we won't go, but our checks 
will. They can help support those who 
are in the field. We can live sacrificially before 
the Lord in light of the reality And our task, our blessed privilege, 
is to make known the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ, our Lord. And to see that it can be done, 
even when unbelieving Jews, unbelieving Romans, and a church that is 
just messy is still plaguing the people of God. What'd they 
do? They did what they were supposed to. I fear we get paralyzed. 
Oh, there's such persecution out there. There's such problems 
in the church and we don't do anything. What is our non-changing, 
our immutable role? It's to preach. We should never 
change. Well, the state's encroaching 
upon us. I believe that. But it doesn't change what the 
demand is. Proclaim the gospel. Churches 
are apostatizing. They're betraying others. What 
are we supposed to do? Preach the gospel, right? You 
see, the mission doesn't change. We change because we want to 
impress, we want to be that dancing monkey to go out and please the 
masses. The church was never called to 
be a dancing monkey, but a preaching entity. a praying entity, a godly 
entity, an entity that's about advancing the cause of the kingdom 
of Jesus Christ. I think that comes out loud and 
clear in this particular passage. So we'll close there. And I want 
to remind all those who have heard this morning the Gospel. It was clearly, I hope, explained 
in the first part of the message. In case you missed it, it's about 
Jesus' life, death, resurrection. All those who believe that message 
will be saved. Please, take that home. Think 
about it. Pray about it. But ultimately, 
come to Christ. Believe. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father in Heaven, we thank you for the Word of God, we thank 
you for the testimony and the declaration of our Lord Jesus 
Christ concerning the fact that he is the one greater than the 
temple, the one the temple pointed to, and how we thank you that 
our movement forward is to that place where the Lamb is all the 
glory in Emmanuel's land. how we praise you for so great 
a salvation and how we pray that you'd open eyes and ears and 
hearts to the truth of the gospel here and elsewhere and save sinners 
according to your sovereignty and according to your power. 
And we pray these things through Christ our Lord. Amen. We'll 
close with a brief time of meditation and then be dismissed.