The Credibility of Jesus Prophecies | Matthew 24:14-15 | August 17, 2024

[00:00:07] [SPEAKER_01]: We live in a culture where most people don't believe that Jesus is a son of God. They don't believe he died and rose again to set it up into heaven. Don't believe he's coming back.

[00:00:16] [SPEAKER_01]: So as a result of that, most people in our culture here in the United States are pagans or idolatiers. Right? We know that. But Jesus predicted some incredible things in the New Testament, especially your Matthew 24, things that would happen in the temple.

[00:00:31] [SPEAKER_01]: Things would happen in Jerusalem as you know, some 40 years after he has sent it up into heaven. One of those predictions is found here in verses 15 and 16 of the book of Matthew 24.

[00:00:43] [SPEAKER_01]: This is how it reads. So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place, let the reader understand, then let those who are in Judea lead the mountains.

[00:00:57] [SPEAKER_01]: What was Jesus talking about? He basically was talking about two events that Daniel predicted. First of all, in 160 BC, a guy by the name of Antiochus Epiphanyus who is the leader of the Greek people in the Greeks overruled or ruled over the Jews in Jerusalem, what did he do?

[00:01:15] [SPEAKER_01]: He went into the temple and sacrificed the pig to the pagan god of Zeus. Holy cow, and this caused a fellow by the name of Judas Maccabees to rise up with a bunch of other Jews to take on the Greek authorities. Right? This was called the Maccabee and War. That's in part what Daniel is talking about.

[00:01:37] [SPEAKER_01]: But the primary prediction that Daniel was talking about and Jesus reiterated it was the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD. Basically the Romans took away the freedoms, the freedom of liberty and of course religious liberty of the Jews.

[00:01:52] [SPEAKER_01]: When did the temple desecrated the temple, destroyed it, toppled it and took away the freedoms of the Jewish people in Jerusalem and basically destroyed Jerusalem.

[00:02:03] [SPEAKER_01]: That's what Jesus is talking about here. However, he also is talking about what happened to the people when this occurred. Then let those who are in Judea lead the mountains. Josephus, the Jewish historian in 66 AD, wrote that many people in Jerusalem escaped the Roman on siege,

[00:02:22] [SPEAKER_01]: basically by fleeing to the mountains across the Jordan River and going to a town by the name of Pella, pe. L. L. A. I wonder if that's where Pella windows came from.

[00:02:31] [SPEAKER_01]: And so this was where they fled to. And Jesus was saying the heat is going to become so heavy and Jerusalem. It's going to be rough and we're going to be talking about specifics of that in the coming days, actually the next day or so.

[00:02:44] [SPEAKER_01]: So Jesus was warning the people who are listening to him, especially his followers, especially the disciples he was saying this place is going to be destroyed. Jerusalem is going to be toppled and it's not going to be pretty okay. Now I started this little message today by saying many people today don't believe that Jesus is a son of God and don't believe that he's coming back while he predicted what happened in Jerusalem and guess what? 40 years later it happened.

[00:03:14] [SPEAKER_01]: And there's so many things that Jesus predicted and they all happened. Well, what does that mean? That means he is a son of God and he is coming back. He is coming back and you know that on D.T. since we're in Matthew chapter 24 we've talked a lot about those kinds of details and indeed his return could be imminent. So what do we do as followers of Jesus knowing indeed he predicted the destruction of Jerusalem.

[00:03:40] [SPEAKER_01]: He predicted the ransacking of the temple. It happened just as he said so we can trust his words. So how do we get ready for his second coming? We worship him. We serve him. We obey him and we proclaim what he has done. My friends as I read the New Testament and I see all these things that Jesus did and said and the predictions he made and they came true all the more reason why I believe deep down in my heart with all with all power within me.

[00:04:10] [SPEAKER_01]: Given by the Holy Spirit that Jesus is who he claimed to be my friends you can trust the authenticity and authority of Jesus word in the New Testament. And if you can believe that and trust that you can trust that someday he is going to return.

[00:04:27] [SPEAKER_01]: And when he returns as we've said so many times oh my my my. What a day that will be.

[00:04:39] [SPEAKER_01]: And a little bit off the record here you probably looking me and saying why are you looking so shabby today past your day by my vacation you're thinking well you're always on vacation.

[00:04:52] [SPEAKER_01]: In the summer we camp a lot okay we go with our grandkids we have 16 grandkids and 10 of them go camping with us every summer we do it in shifts and so this is our third shift and Ben and Ashley's three boys are with us and so I was being lazy.

[00:05:08] [SPEAKER_01]: I didn't want to get dressed up just for you guys so that's why I look the way I do okay hey isn't this a great study. I'm just enjoying this so much in the book of Matthew and you know what in another three months we're going to be done and we're going to have a big celebration then.

[00:05:22] [SPEAKER_01]: And I'm really looking forward to finishing this book not because I'm not enjoying it because I am but then we're going to go you're probably going to you're probably thinking well what are you going to talk about next what book are we going to study next it's going to be the book of John right and there are some awesome things in the book of John that we need to learn or relearn and be instructed with and encourage by and so I'm looking forward to that study as well all right have a great day in the Lord Jesus Christ and that is today's.

[00:05:51] [SPEAKER_01]: Well you're probably thinking what was today's daily truth Jesus predicted the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem and ransacking of the city right it happened he's predicting he's going to come back.

[00:06:03] [SPEAKER_01]: It could happen very very soon so get ready it will be a day of all days that is today's daily truth. I have a great day in the Lord Jesus Christ.

[00:06:33] [SPEAKER_00]: Day we true.