The Motley Crew Notes for February 16, 2011

Pastor Eddie has made reservations at the Country Cottage in Hartselle for Bible study next Wednesday, February 23, with Ms. Betty! Ms. Betty was a charter member of the Motley Crew, and she helped to name the group when she made the comment (during discussions of the name for this Bible Study) that “this sure is a motley group.”

The activities director said she will put on some coffee and make some goodies – and that the people there love Bible study, so we should be ready for some visitors. I think we are! Pray hard and hold on for the ride. Speaking of which, if anyone wants to meet at the church, Pastor Eddie said that he will be glad to drive us over, in the new church bus. The bus will leave promptly at 10:10.

6. I do not desire to be argumentative but does this description by Jesus in any way point to 1000 year reign of peace before He returns for good?

10. Does it make any difference that Josephus, the Jewish historian, describes the destruction of Jerusalem with almost the exact same language of Matthew?

All citations from the Holy Bible are from the New International Version, used with permission.

1 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Yes. All of these things have occurred, and there are many specific instances of each of them. Concerning the first part of Chapter 24, the Lutheran Study Bible pointed out:

Jesus prophesies about things leading up to the end of the world. Today, stories of military conflicts, political intrigues, and natural disasters continue to fill the news. All this should remind us of the nearness of the end of this age. In that we may rejoice! Though the world is indeed increasingly evil and hostile to God, Christians are ever nearer the great day of Christ's return. Note 24:1-14, p. 1636.

Proclaiming the Gospel to all nations, as written in verse 14: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” [Emphasis added.]

World (τῇ οἰκουμένη). Lit., the inhabited. The whole habitable globe; … the inhabited earth. Vincent's Word Studies

And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world - The evidence that this was done is to be chiefly derived from the New Testament, and there it is clear. Thus Paul declares that it was preached to every creature under heaven Colossians 1:6, Colossians 1:23; that the faith of the Romans was spoken of throughout the whole world Romans 1:8; that he preached in Arabia Galatians 1:17, and at Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum Romans 15:19. We know also that He traveled through Asia Minor, Greece, and Crete; that he was in Italy, and probably in Spain and Gaul, Romans 15:24-28. At the same time, the other apostles were not idle; and there is full proof that within thirty years after this prophecy was spoken, churches were established in all these regions. Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Support the Missions that spread the Gospel to all nations. Pastor Eddie had the first-hand experience of this during his recent trip. He reported that the Mekane Yesus church in Ethiopia has a plan to spread the gospel of the Kingdom throughout Africa by 2021!

No. Many have tried and failed, and many will try to do so in the future, and they will fail, too. A Pharisee named Gamaleil gave this advise when he addressed the Sanhedrin:

“Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. 36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” Acts 5:35-39.

The existence in Russian of a Christian Church is a testimony to those who have tried and failed. It was pointed out that in many places there are underground churches that meet in secret, and grass-roots churches that start up when people hear of the Gospel, even though no missionary or ordained minister might be present. Pastor Eddie previously told us that some worship leaders are chosen by the people who have spontaneously formed churches in Ethiopia and elsewhere. These men are not educated in a seminary. Rather, they become the leaders of their churches first, and later attend some type of formal training in ministry (as opposed to our system: first get ordained, and then see what your talents are).

Pastor Eddie also mentioned that one of the great tools to spread the Gospel were the many radio ministries that reach throughout the nations of the world. Even though the people who are living in remote places might not have a Bible or a church building or a missionary, if they had a radio, the Gospel can be preached and taught to them. In their joy, they become an εκκλεσια, a church, a body of Christ's followers.

Keep the faith. Pray hard and hold on for the ride. The Lutheran Study Bible noted on page 1636 that “Amid His dire predictions about things continually worsening, Jesus offers a word of encouragement: those remaining faithful will be saved.” [Emphasis added]

17 Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter,[a] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades[b] will not overcome it.

Again it was pointed out that the Christian Church in Russia survived throughout the years of Communist rule, which included brutal repression. Likewise there was the unsuccessful attempt by the Nazis in World War II to suppress true Christian worship, and for the last 62 years, the Chinese Communists have also been unsuccessful in stamping out Christian belief. Indeed, in recent years, the growth of Christian belief has significantly increased; the BBC recently reported that “Christianity is growing in China as never before.”

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.
In this world you will have trouble.
But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33

And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20

6. I do not desire to be argumentative but does this description by Jesus in any way point to a 1000 year reign of peace before He returns for good?

Pastor Eddie is dubious about this, noting that Jesus predicted increasing wars, famines, betrayals, etc., until the Gospel is proclaimed throughout the world, and then we will see the Second Coming. The Bible says, in verse 14: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Dr. Lenski wrote, on p. 934:

Does this picture suggest a wonderful golden age that will rise in triumph in the world prior to the end? No, in his description of the future Jesus says not one world about a millennium.

While he feels that this is an example of “stretched Biblical exegesis,” Pastor Eddie emphasized that he is not saying that these groups are “going to hell.” Rather, recalling 1 Cor. 13:12, he observed that we only know in part in this world, but that we'll learn the whole truth when we are united with the Father.

Pastor mentioned 1 Thessalonians 4, verses 13 and following, and specifically 16-17:

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

Pastor Eddie said that this is what the Second Coming will look like. This is will happen after the Judgment, not before the Judgment. But, in some respects, it doesn't matter whether it is before or after the Judgment; our only job is to just be ready when the end comes! Read the Gospel. Live God's Word. Love God and love your neighbor. Do as the Scouts do: “Be Prepared.”

One of the members expressed a concern about some such beliefs, noting that God is capable of writing a simple, declarative sentence (see the 10 Commandments for example). However, anytime someone extrapolates a doctrine from any verse or group of verses, and goes beyond the plain language of the verses, he is very uncomfortable, fearing that we might be inserting our view points into the belief, teaching, or doctrine rather than expressing the true will of God. This is also a concern when we base a teaching on actions taken by our Lord or His disciples, but not specific, verbal teachings of our Lord.

Another member mentioned having “quiet time” during our prayer time with the Father. She said that this was a good time to listen for the Lord's teaching. In addition, God also answers our prayers and teaches us His will when we read His Word.

Also, when we pray, there can be several answers from God. It might be “yes,” or it might be “no” or it might be “later.” Thus, we must continuously pray, as directed by Paul (1 Thess. 5:17). This also helps to focus our prayer, since if we do not pray for the right things, our prayers won't be answered. But as we pray, and “listen” for God's guidance – whether in those “quiet times” or in the context of reading His Word – we can be guided from the wrong path to the right path, and then will our prayers be finally answered. If I pray for a '62 Corvette, I'm probably praying for the wrong thing. But if I pray that the '62 Corvette be given to the Lexi House – who can raffle it off and use the proceeds to support their mission – then I'm more likely praying for the right thing. Whether or not I win the raffle is another matter entirely.

This, then, brings us back to the absolute need to study the Bible, to truly know what is in the Bible and to stay true to its teachings (and this points out the need for a good study Bible, since the language of the Bible can refer to things that 21^st Century Christians don't know, but that was a part of everyday life for 1^st Century Christians). If we don't know the Bible, we can't know when some are perverting its teachings – taking verses out of context and teaching false doctrines (as our Lord has warned us about in Matthew 7:15-20 when He was speaking of true and false prophets, and the false apostles complained of by St. Paul, 2 Corinthians 11:13).

Kellye pointed out that what we know is what we need for our salvation. Another pointed out that all the rest was interesting details … that we'll find out after we are joined with the Father. This reminded us of Beth's story of her friend in a Bible Study group who lost her husband … and who was really upset because now he knew as he was fully known – but that she was still stuck here, only knowing “in part.”

Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
1 Cor. 13:12

This also reminded us of those who have had a glimpse of the afterlife, and who begged: don't send me back.

Note: The Holy Spirit led us to many topics today, and as a result, we ran out of time. We'll get to the following questions next time, and Pastor Eddie said that he'd like to complete Chapter 24 next week.

15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’[a] spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.

22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

10. Does it make any difference that Josephus, the Jewish historian, describes the destruction of Jerusalem with almost the exact same language of Matthew?

Mention was made of the confusing nature of this chapter. It was reported that Martin Luther preached a sermon on these verses. In that sermon, Luther pointed out that Matthew combined the story of the Kingdom of the Jews with the story of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. In other gospels, these two kingdoms are talked about separately.

1. In this chapter there is a description of the end of two kingdoms; of the kingdom of the Jews, and also of the kingdom of the world. But the two Evangelists, Matthew and Mark, unite the two and do not follow the order as Luke did, for they have nothing more in view than to relate and give the words of Christ, and are not concerned about what was said either before or after. But Luke takes special pains to write clearly and in the true order, and relates this discourse twice; first briefly in the 19th chapter, where he speaks of the destruction of the Jews at Jerusalem; afterwards in the 21st chapter he speaks of both, one following the other.

2. Notice therefore that Matthew unites the two and at the same time conceives the end, both of the Jewish nation and of the world. He therefore cooks both into one soup. But if you want to understand it, you must separate and put each by itself, that which really treats of the Jews, and that which relates to the whole world. This we wish to do now.

In “The Wars of the Jews,” the Jewish historian Josephus wrote extensively about the first Roman-Jewish War, which culminated in the destruction of the Temple and the capture of Jerusalem in early September, 70 A.D. See:

It is interesting to compare the writings of Josephus with the prophecy of Jesus, but we'll explore that next week.

See, I have told you ahead of time.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

Parallel Verses

1 As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”

2 “Do you see all these great buildings?” replied Jesus. “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”

5 Jesus said to them: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.

9 “You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. 11 Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.

12 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13 Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

14 “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’[a] standing where it[b] does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 17 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18 Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19 because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.

20 “If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. 21 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.

“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
25 the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’[c]

26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it[d] is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The Day and Hour Unknown

32 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert[e]! You do not know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

35 “Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”

41 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it 42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

5 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, 6 “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.”

7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”

8 He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. 9 When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”

10 Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.

12 “But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. 13 And so you will bear testimony to me. 14 But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. 15 For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers and sisters, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. 17 Everyone will hate you because of me. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish. 19 Stand firm, and you will win life.

20 “When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. 22 For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. 23 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

25 “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. 26 People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. 27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”

29 He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. 30 When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. 31 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.

32 “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

34 “Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

For Additional Study

These texts are in the public domain and may be copied and distributed freely. The source of these translations is Triglot Concordia: The Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1921).

The NET Bible. <http://bible.org/netbible/> A completely new translation of the Bible with 60,932 translators’ notes. It was completed by more than 25 scholars – experts in the original biblical languages – who worked directly from the best currently available Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. Excellent notes, citing both the Greek and Hebrew, as needed. Greek and Hebrew fonts available without cost.

Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions. Readers Edition. (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2006)

Davies, Benjamin, ed., Baker's Pocket Harmony of the Gospels (Baker Book House, 1975). Formerly printed as Harmony of the Four Gospels.

Goodrick, Edward W. and John R. Kohlenberger III, eds., The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999). This is the second edition, originally published as the Zondervan NIV Exhaustive Concordance. It was originally published as The NIV Exhaustive Concordance. It should be distinguished from The NIV Complete Concordance by the same authors.

Green, Jay P., ed., The Interlinear Greek-English New Testament. Vol. IV. Second Edition. (Hendrickson Publishers, 1985)

Halley, Henry H., Halley's Bible Handbook. New Revised Edition (24^th Edition). (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1965)

Hickie, W.J., Greek-English Lexicon to the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1977). This is a reprint of an older edition, originally published by Macmillan, August. 1893. A contemporary review described this as "A handy little volume, compiled on sound principles from trustworthy authorities." The 1911 edition is available online and for download at http://openlibrary.org/b/OL17866849M/Greek-English_lexicon_to_the_New_Testament

Hoerber, Robert G., ed., Concordia Self-Study Bible. NIV (Great Rapids, Zondervan: 1973, 1984).

Lenski, R.C.H., The Interpretation of St. Matthew's Gospel (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1943, reprinted 1964)

Nave, Orville J., ed., Nave's Topical Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1979)

New Bible Dictionary. Second Edition. (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1962)

Nicoll, W. Robertson, The Greek Expositor's Testament. Vol. 1. Five Volumes. (New York: George H. Doran Co., ca. 1910). Excellent notes on the Greek text and summaries of commentators. Available at Google Books ( www.books.google.com ) and the Internet Archive ( www.archive.org - easier to find here than at Google Books).

Alexander Maclaren, Expositions of Holy Scripture (Text from Project Gutenberg)

Robertson, A.T., Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville: Holman Reference, 2000). This “Concise Edition” is derived from the six-volume work by Robertson published in 1933. Robertson was also the author of 45 books, including numerous commentaries, a Harmony of the Gospels, etc. Also available online

Rogers, Cleon L. Jr., and Cleon L. Rogers III, eds., The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1998). This is the second edition of the excellent work by Fritz Rienecker, A Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament, translated and edited by Cleon L. Rogers, Jr.

Strong, James, ed., The New Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990)

Vine, W.E., Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words: A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Original Greek Words with their Precise Meanings for English Readers (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, no date). Originally published circa 1940.