Unashamed with the Robertson Family - Ep 817 | Phil Receives a Thoughtful Gift from His Son & Jase Suggests a ‘Rocky’-Style Workout

Episode Date: January 12, 2024

Phil has a very specific list of gifts he likes to be given, and Al hits the mark on nearly all of them this year. Jase is inspired by a new virtual reality workout to suggest his own redneck version, and he prepares to head out to Los Angeles for a very special movie premiere. The guys examine the apocalyptic language of Luke 21 and how it ended up relating to multiple events in history. Plus, was Jesus the last prophet? In this episode: Luke 21, verses 5-38 — Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I am unashamed. What about you? Welcome back to Unashamed. Jason, I was watching football this weekend because the NFL season's ending. I guess by the time we air this, the playoffs would be going. And I noticed there was an ad that kept coming up. And I was like, I wonder if Jay's is seeing this because I immediately thought of you. In the last podcast, you were describing Jesus in his supernatural nature. You used the word a couple of times.

So now there's a virtual workout regimen. So the guy in the ad is wearing the thing, you know, like a Jaden Daniels war that made him a better quarterback. And he's wearing this thing. And he's punching. The goggles. He's punching. And doesn't meta, they have to view the metaverse.

You have to put on the goggles. Yeah, they put on the goggles. So this guy's punching. And they're like, yeah, this isn't really working out. You know, and he's like, because he's looking and these things are coming at him, but he's punching, but he's really just standing in his living room with these goggles on. And then, so they're talking about this really is working out.

He's sweating and all this stuff and looking all jacked up. Then it said, the name of this new workout, you know what it's called? Supernatural. Are you kidding? That's the name. You can get the same thing. Look, you can get the same thing by riding in a four-wheeler with the windshield down. at about dark during the summertime with goggles on.

Because there will be millions, millions of bugs in Louisiana. And you can fight them. You can swat them. You're going to have to wipe them from your goggles every five seconds. And look, here's the natural way to do this. If you're hungry, just open your mouth. If you want to go supernatural, keep your lips top. and the goggles on.

So I just thought it would be, Jay's because I thought, well, here's another one. Jay's is always talking about how they use physical things to try to put it in the supernatural realm and they named it super. Now, I don't know why I was even named supernatural. It's all done for money. Look, I've had hundreds of people, events I go to, they come up and they give me another commercial because it's almost everyone. They cannot help it.

The world will make fun of you because you follow Jesus. But in every ad where they're really true. trying to move the needle, they have to get a supernatural principle to make you bite from toilet paper that I've gone through at nauseam to any other thing. I mean, it's like this is the forever eye cream. You know, you put this on your eyes and it's, it'll make your eyes look great. Forever. No, it won't. But they need something. They need it out. It's sale. Yeah, and I was just seeing, I was looking at it.

Yeah, I'm on their website now, which is called get supernatural.com. And it says the supernatural experience. When you start a supernatural workout, you'll be dropped onto a platform in the middle of one of our stunning 360-degree environments around the world. You'll break a sweat to high-intensity movements and boxing and flow perfectly, choreographed to a, an always updating catalog of popular music. Supernatural. There you go, Jay's. Workouts.

There you go. I need to revisit my top ten commercials that use godly principles to sell. I guess they're saying it's supernatural because they put you in all these, you know, venues like around the globe. And so I guess they're saying, you know, that's their little secret thing.

But it's interesting how the world works, you know, you're right, to be able to push stuff. It's got to basically be bigger. But then you start talking about real supernatural stuff, which we're doing on this podcast. It's like, no, we don't believe that. That's right. Now that stuff matters.

What matters is that I get the right workout, Zach, with the right popular music playing in the background. That's what's set out. Supernatural. I'm sitting there looking at it. That's interesting. and they got community and everything. They're offering it all.

Yeah, you got the whole deal. My first number one top thing was the forever living top ten products. And there's about five gallons of various juices in the pitcher. There's an aloe, berry, nectar drink, you know, you drink this gel and you will live forever. Topical cream. I mean, it's just. bee pollen. I got to work, Jesus, somehow.

Look, forever bee pollen. You get it, put it, put it on your body, and you're good forever. You have to be careful with this stuff. I mean, I'm sitting here reading an article I pulled up that kind of popped up on when I was looking this up. But the real estate prices in the virtual land have dropped for more than $11,000 to less than $2,000. So if you buy, if you're buying, you don't put your hope in the Metaverse because the real estate prices in the virtual land have collapsed. I didn't realize you could buy real estate and virtual land, Zach. Oh, yeah.

Here's a good one. Look, buy it for life. 106 products you can buy once and keep forever. No, you know, which makes it sound true because it's 106. Yeah. It's not the top 100. There's a hundred. But I'm just going down through here.

There's a blender. There's a bottle opener. There's a butcher block. A can opener. A cast iron. There's a knife. There's a corkscrew. This is all their products.

They got Tupperware on here. So I'd be interesting. Oh, yeah. So what's interesting is this is all done from a marketing perspective. The reason I'm seeing it on all these football games in January, early January. Same thing with all the new. system and the Weight Watchers and all that. So, you know, people at the end of the year, they're like, man, I'm fat.

You know, I need to do something. And so they're being flooded with these marketing for eating less, moving more, which is a good thing. That's not a bad thing. But what's interesting is they put it in these terminology of really an eternal solution to your life, but really it's a pretty temporary thing when you think about it when you're just trying to lose a few pounds and get a little bit better shape. but they have to use those bigger than this life, you know, ideas and terminology to try to get you off that couch.

That's what this is all about. You know, off that couch, quit watching football and start working out in the virtual supernatural world. That's what they're saying. See, it works because now I find one that just says there's nine products that will go beyond this life. There's a thermos. I'm not making this. up. There's a Japanese backpack. Dad, did you know that thermos is going to have? There's a backpack and a thermos. Looks like we're traveling somewhere. Look, there's a straight razor that goes

in the afterlife. But number four on this is a darn tough wool sock. And I'm like, it actually makes me want to buy that sock. It's called a darn wool tough sock. So I guess we will have cold feet in the afterlife and a saddleback wall. Somebody got the aisle because he sent me a little gift box. I did. And the box was a pair of wool socks. Yeah, that's alpaca actually socks. The same thing your vest is, have you tried them yet?

No, I'm still relying on Jesus for my turn to. Did you get the pocket knife, I sent you? Oh, yeah. So you know why I bought you that knife, dad? I was in northern Missouri, and I went into this old shop, had a bunch of old stuff in there. But stuff that somebody had taken care of pretty good. And I saw that knife in a case of pocket knives. And that thing is old.

That thing is 40 years old. But somebody took really good care of that pocket knife. And the reason I bought it for you is when I was a kid, in my mind's eye, I remember you having a knife a lot like that knife. And I thought, you know what? That's probably a pretty good pocket knife if it's been around for 40 years. I keep that one close. Close.

Well, you told me a long time ago when we were buying gifts, you said, a man always needs more underwear, more socks, and more pocket knives. That's what you told me. So I guess that's true. We're still buying it for you, which is good. Well, my favorite, I'll have to say this, my favorite store that went bankrupt was forever 21, although I never went in there. But just that statement, you know, they had a store that if you buy these clothes,

you could forever be 21, no matter how old you are. Just think about the spiritual significance of that. You're like, what happened to that store? It went bankrupt. Yeah. A truth be told, when you're 50 years old trying to dress like you're 21, that's kind of a creepy thing. Oh, and I've seen it. Yeah, it's sad, really.

It's just got to be who you are. All right. I just wanted to get your take on that. I saw a more interesting show. I watched the first couple of episodes. The Chosen has a, I guess they have a. I guess they have a spinoff, I guess. It's called Jonathan and Jesus.

I haven't seen this. Yeah, it's four episodes, and I've only watched two of them, so I'll get back to you when I watch the other two. I watched them last night, actually. I loved it. It's a docu-series, I guess. I didn't even know it was coming out, because I'm fixed to go to the season four premiere.

I was going to ask if we could talk about that. I didn't know if you were late. Yeah, I can go. I'm going. Look, you're talking about showing courage. They're doing the season four premiere in Los Angeles, and that's how much I'm happy about what they're doing. I'm actually going to go to L.A.

I got invited. I love Dallas and Amanda and just what they're doing here. They're showing Jesus to the world. And recently, it's on Amazon Prime now. So that's where I watched this, Jonathan and Jesus. But it's actually, I watched the first two shows, it's actually kind of

trying to talk about the weight of this fella. Here's an actor who, and it kind of goes through his story for 20 years, had trouble just making ends meet here. And all of a sudden, he gets thrust into the show. Oh, so Jonathan is the guy playing Jesus. Yeah.

Jonathan Rumi is the guy playing. He's everywhere now. I see him all over the play. Well, that's the problem because it goes through this, the weight and the impact that this has had on his life. And that's what the docus series is about. It just follows him around being the actor portraying Jesus. And they talk, you know, they go in a lot of different directions of culture and different, I mean, they have pastors on there. They, you know, they do interviews with.

but they also have non-believers, you know, psychiatrists and doctors, and just kind of talking about this phenomenon. And it just so happened for him as an actor that he happened, and he probably did this, I don't know when he did it, if he did it after shows and started, but he also happened to be the lead guy in the Jesus Revolution movie. Oh, they talked about a completely different role. I just, they have that segment as it happened. But that's one of the biggest gross

in Christ Faith films of all time. Well, they were filming this when that happened. Yeah, okay. And he got the role. And you're just, it's a, it's a real life. You know, I guess I call it a docudrama or whatever. It's just like the sound people and the cameramen are in the shots. Yeah.

It's just, you're just going around. It's behind the scenes kind of. That's what it is. But so my take on it was, it was very clever to just the idea to do this. Because you don't realize the weight of how this affected this human being, the response to that show, which he's doing the greatest material that could ever be constructed. It's the life of Jesus. Well, I mean, there's people coming up to him, breaking that down balling just immediately. And he's like, hey, I'm an actor.

I'm not the weight of it to get it right. But it's, you know, it's affected his faith in a positive way. I assume that just because the ads I see him in are about prayer and spiritual stuff, which is really great. So my take on it was it was as clever. It's a bit uncomfortable because you feel for this guy. It just, it comes out. He's very emotional about this and just the weight of it all. But it's very powerful.

And I think the main thing that I've gotten just out of two episodes, is it's bringing a lot of people together in the name of Jesus that it wouldn't normally happen, you know, from a denominational view, but also just as a cultural view and a lot of the social issues that we're all at odds against in our world and in our country. Well, you know, Jesus, that's what we've been doing, this whole study of Luke, is about, you know, bringing all these injustices and help. in the poor and fighting racism and, you know, whether you're a Jew or Gentile. I mean, welcoming, welcoming then the worst of the sinners and the tax collector.

So you kind of see that affected in the real world as he's going along. I mean, I don't think they did that on purpose. It just happened. Wherever he goes, you see all these different groups who have now been inspired by the story of Jesus. So did Dallas's group, I don't know if you know this, are they the ones that produced this series or somebody else did? I don't. Well, it says the chosen. Now I'm going to have to look it up.

I was just curious because I assumed it they probably were because they probably had better access to him. What's the name of it again? Jonathan and Jesus. And look, we all produce stuff. That's why I asked the question because obviously their production value is super high. because everything they've done look so good and is so good. That's how you know.

You know, it's the same with the movies, Zach. I mean, you guys went above and beyond, which made it really, really good. Production value is important.

That's what we were missing for a long time. So, Zach, do you find out who produced it? Right here. It's Dallas Jenkins, executive producer. You've got,

yeah, there's a crew of them on there, so. Yeah, which is a great idea. You're right, just to give you an insight because it was,

like Jim Caviesel, it's similar situation with him. He's the guy that played Jesus. Oh, they talk about that. Yeah. See, so what's ironic is in Jonathan's early life, when he saw, there was a movie in 1970s, 1970s, where Jesus was portrayed. Yeah. When he saw that as a kid, like, he went in his backyard and got a cross and was, that was part of the conversation. It was like, never knowing, he would one day portraying that also. I mean, it impacted him. Yeah. And that's what Cabezel said too. So he was raised a Catholic.

And part of this, him being the star on the Chosen, he got to meet the Pope. They filmed that, you know. And of course, it was overwhelming for him. Yeah. Because he's like, if you'd ever thought, I mean, I was an actor living in L.A., you know, trying to go one meal to the next.

Now I'm meeting the Pope. And he went to the White House. And it was crazy that they had him say a prayer for the prayer breakfast. And the guy who put it on, he was like, it's the first time in five or six years. Of course, they asked him that I've seen this many people from both parties under one roof. Yeah. And so it's just very, it was very powerful. Yeah.

Yeah, it's that idea to unify behind something, which is a good thing. Yeah, so I highly recommend that. I haven't finished it, so I hope the love. I had not even heard of it, so I'm glad you brought it. I had not heard of it until last night. But when you watch Christian things, you know, they put up in your search, hey, you may like this. So I think it just came out.

So I was like, well, what is that? I clicked on it. And another shout out to Unashamed Nation, because we would not have known about the chosen because they had been going a whole first season released, and you guys were the ones sending emails to me saying, have y'all seen this thing called The Chosen? None of us had at that point. Well, yeah, and we had Dallas on, and we became friends.

Right, I know. And then became part of the deal, so which is really cool. I appreciate that. That's good. Well, Jay's, we'll expect a report after you come back from the, and by the way, Zach, I'm sure our record, our fathom record will be broken by these guys when they do season four premiere, probably. But if you're going to get broken, that's who you want to break it, right?

Yeah, but for now, he rang. For now we're raining. We're the number of the blind. Just enjoy it while we can. The blind has the largest open weekend. The award-winning podcast while we have it. So we're in Luke 21. Let me just reset us so we can get back into our text.

Man, we kind of have been talking so much about this idea of kingdom and temple. And so it gets us to Luke 21, 5 through 38. And in a previous podcast, it feels like it's been three or four ago. I don't remember when it was. but we looked at verses 5 and 6. I'm going to read them again. We talked about these, because this will lead us up to verse 7.

I gave you, like, N.T. Wright's outline, because I really liked it, and he outlined it that 5 through 19 is the signs of the end of this era that's coming. And then there's a prediction of their Jerusalem's demise. Then there's this idea of watching for the son of man. So that's how we'll kind of break it down. But in verse 5, it says, some of his disciples, Luke 21, were remarking how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. So remember Jesus has been teaching in the temple, which Jay's talked about in the last podcast,

and this is the end of his dissertation. This is the last thing he's going to talk about. So this is his response to their remarking about how beautiful the temple is. And I mentioned in that that this had been about a 30 or 40-year upgrade. It's going to go another 20 years before they finish it. And he had just singled out the widow for giving two little coins in contrast to others out of their riches, giving this just as a show. Which in that money is going into this temple upgrade.

So, you know, that's what he's talking about. So then Jesus says this to respond to them. As for what you see here, meaning the temple, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another. Same thing we mentioned in John. every one of them will be thrown down. And then the John account, he even puts it to himself. He says, I can raise it up in three days. Of course, he means the ultimate temple.

So when he says this, of course, I think it startled them. I mean, I think it's fair to say. That was a rather bold statement. Well, it's a natural response because then you say, well, when will this happen? Right. So verse 7, teacher, they asked, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they're about to take place? In other words, if this thing is going down, we need to know that.

We need to know when this is going to happen. And before you read it, you'll remember in Luke 1720, when the Pharisees asked when the kingdom of God would come. So this is a common question. You know, he said it won't come with your careful observation. Or people say, here it is, there it is, because the kingdom is in your midst or among you, among people. So remember, and as I'm about to read this, because when I get into this,

it's going to trigger in your mind things you've probably heard in sermons and read in books and watched on movies thinking over this long period of time. But the setting he's talking about is in their lifetime because he says that multiple times. Just keep that in mind as I read. Verse 8. So here's his response. He says, watch out that you are not deceived. They've asked about the times and the signs.

For many will come in my name claiming, I am he, and the time is near. Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away. Whatever he's talking about, he's saying there's going to be a little time here. Then he said to them in verse 10, nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines, pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. So now he's gone back

into their lifetime. He's saying, this is what's going to happen to you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. And if you want to find out where all that happens, go read the book of Acts. This will result in you're being witnesses to them, but make up your mind not to worry beforehand. how you will defend yourself for I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death.

Which happen. Which happened. You can look in the martyrs and... And even in Acts, you see some where it starts. Verse 17, all men will hate you because of me, but not a hair of your head. will perish. By standing firm, you will gain life. It seems like a contrast when he says they're going to put you to death, but not a hair of your head will perish. Exactly. But this is not over physical, because he's looking ahead. I'm going to be, you're like, well, they all died.

What happened to this? Not a hair on your head will be harm because he's looking at it from the supernatural Jesus, the resurrected Jesus. And this is where you get into the problem, Jay. Before I read the next segment, because he shifts into some specifics about Jerusalem. But this is where you get into the problem because when you read that verse, you know, famines and earthquakes and people automatically put that into a long period of time. But all those things happen. Because he said it was not going to happen right away. Right. But he's looking at stone saying this is going to happen.

Well, 40 years, which the destruction of this actual temple and all of them, being killed happen within the next 40 years. It happened. I mean, now we can look at it. And you also, this language, you also see this same type of language, by the way, in the Old Testament. So, I mean, some of the eyes believe, and I think this is very probable or possible at least that Jesus is referencing some of the things written in Isaiah, for example, in Isaiah 1310,

it says, for the stars of the heavens and their consolation will not give their light, and the sun will not be dark at its rising. and the moon will not shed light. And then again, in Isaiah 34, all the host of heaven shall rot away. The skies shall roll up like a scroll, and their host shall fall as leaves fall from the vine, light leaves falling from the tree. You've got a passage in Daniel. You have a lot of these passages in the Old Testament that have this same type of apocalyptic language.

And a lot of times in the Old Testament, particularly in the book of Isaiah, it's talking about the coming of the destruction of the temple the first time. And so there's almost like this overlay image here, as Jesus is talking, that he's referencing a lot of the apocalyptic language of the prophets when they were prophesying about the destruction of the temple at the hands of the Babylonians. And then he's saying, remember that? Like that's going to happen again. Like he's building a mirror picture. You've got now we're within days of Jesus dying. and being put into a tomb and then resurrecting.

And you remember what happens when that happens? There is an eclipse of some sort that's an eclipse on steroids because like for all afternoon it was completely dark. There was an earthquake that happens when he died that in the temple, you know, curtain is torn into. Tumes are broken open and people are resurrected and they walk out of the ground. They're looking at it. All that's going to happen in the next few days when he's making this speech.

So the idea somehow that we got to wait for a long period of time to have this earthquakes and all this stretched out. This is fixing to happen in the next few days for just when he dies. So my point is the language that's used, people tend to want to stretch that out. But he's very specific about them and about what's going to happen to them. And we know from the book of Acts that's going to happen over the next 40 years. and this is when you're going to see this. This is when you're going to see the persecution. Most of these men that he's talking to are going to be dead.

And you can go... Before that 40 years is over. You can go read what led to the destruction of Jerusalem, and you'll see a lot of these wars and things that happen. I mentioned it earlier. Even just Rome itself, when they got into the 60s, whenever Nero took over, that thing went just haywire for those five years leading up to 87. I mean, so just even in Rome alone, you don't have to become a history expert

to understand Jesus's point. But if you do understand what happened, this just makes this passage. Yes. It makes it less scary and it makes more sense in that if Jesus is saying, I'm the new temple, this temple was their life, socially, economically, politically, religiously, this is where all their eggs were in this basket. So here you have Jesus coming basically saying, this is not going to be here anymore. Right. And I'm going to give you a passport to go anywhere you want to go. Yeah. It's in me, you know, speaking of afterlife, your... And this, this passage, when I read it, my mind instantly went to Acts 4 when Peter and John, after they had healed that beggar, they were dragged in before the Sanhedron,

which Jesus predicts, this is the kind of stuff that's going to happen to you, and it said, but Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, says, and then he starts telling them exactly what they need to hear.

And that's when he said, there's no other name under heaven by which men can be saved other than the name of Jesus. So those words were given to him by the Holy Spirit himself. No doubt. So all right, so read the rest of it.

All right. So now he's going to shift into what it's going to look like in Jerusalem. So here's verse 20. When you see Jerusalem, being surrounded by armies, which is going to happen in 8070, you will know that its desolation is near. And every time I see that word, I think back to Daniel 7.

Well, and the other gospels they use here instead of Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. They call that the abomination that causes desolation. Right. Desolation. Specifically. which is a prediction back in Daniel 7. Yes.

The kingdom. So anyway, verse 21, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let those in the city get out. Let those in the country not enter the city. So now he's talking to his followers. He's saying, this is when you know. You were looking for a sign. This is it.

And then if you fast forward, just to wrap your head around it, Rome surrounds Jerusalem. That's right. Yep. And if you wanted a definition. of the abomination that causes desolation, I would say, you know, maybe Israel's sin had reached a point to where this was happening and Jesus in turn fulfilling the temple as part of God's plan. Which he says in the next verse, verse 22, for this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. So this has been predicted and pointed to for a long time in the Old Testament.

Daniel 7 is just one of them. There's many, many, many. more. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers. This is a very graphic, terrible picture. Because the whole city was basically burned to the ground. Yeah. And it was terrible. It was, it was, they starved. Yeah. And if you read about, if you read about nursing mothers and you read about what was going on inside these walls of Jerusalem when this was happening, it is terrible. I mean, it is brutal. It's brutal. It's bad. And that's why. he's painting such a picture. And by the way,

this is why you remember when he was riding up on that donkey, he wept. Oh, yeah. Because he could look, he, he was outside of time at one time. He knew what was going to happen and how bad it was going to be.

If you, there's a, there's a really good, uh, I love to go listen to R.C. Sproul's, um, he's got a lot of just really good sermons on like the book of Mark,

book of Luke. And, uh, particularly around what we're talking about. And when he gets to the, all of that discourse, man, I just love,

I love his stuff on it. Um, but one of things he's, He says, and I can't remember if it's on his mark or Luke account, I can't remember which one it was. But he talks about the fact that when this prophecy or when this instruction was given, when this actually happened in history, everybody who was Jewish when the assault came, guess where they went? They went behind the walls and they went to the temple. I'm thinking that they would have protection there. and of course we know they didn't have protection there.

And the Christians, according to Sprouls, they did exactly this. They ran to the hills and they survived. And so this was instructions to God's people of how you're going to survive this apocalyptic moment when Jerusalem and the temple are destroyed. So, I mean, he argues in his work that this actually happened and that this saved people's lives, the God's people. Yeah, and then an ironic twist, the actual Romans didn't set fire to the temple, from what I read, on a couple of accounts from Josephus's, is that, you know, they're in a war here,

and they were, somebody set a fire, and then from the Jewish point of view, trying to create a line, which then the temple caught on fire and turned out. Exactly. So verse 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 the people. They will fall by the sword, be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of Gentiles are fulfilled,

which is interesting. Verse 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. so there's a lot of upheaval. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive, of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time, they will see,

and here's the one that you really get into the, is this talking at the end of time? At that time, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads because your redemption is drawing near. And then he's going to tell them a parable about this,

He told him this parable, look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. So it's just giving them a picture of how you know that these signs are coming. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. So let's talk about that. Yeah.

That last second. Well, that's a big one. That's a big one. Because it says, I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. So what we've kind of been portraying, you say, oh, well, y'all have to be right because this temple was destroyed in that generation. But then the next verse says, heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

So they say, well, that's, these are the people who. say, well, the kingdom had been established because they're like, well, heaven and earth has it passed away. So my response would be, well, their heaven and earth passed away in that moment because that was their heaven and earth. Everything they had from their perspective was gone. You either scattered to the hills or you stayed there and died. But I think another thing that you got to remember is the Christians are the ones who rushed in also to help those because Jesus had laid out on how to live, to help the poor, to help the oppressed, to help the injured.

And 300 years of that went on after this. And then these Gentiles, Rome, who actually attacked that, underthinking that, you know, Christianity, they had Christianity lumped in with the temple and Judaism, all of that kind of religion. The Romans were actually won over by the Christians 300 years later, and that became their religion was Christianity, which is crazy. Because here you see the old Judaism being destroyed with the temple of 80, 70,

and here's this Jesus and this movement of Christianity that they thought, well, we killed him. And then it flourishes. and it became the greatest religion the world has ever known. Right. And by the way, this isn't the first time that Israel has been warned about getting out of the temple. When the Babylonians besieged it back, you know, 600 years earlier, when, you know, Solomon's temple was besieged, Isaiah 4820, Jeremiah 50, verse 8, 51, 6,

all those passages, they were told something similar as this. You got to get out of there because that, place, that place is going down and it did. And for 100 years, it was destroyed until they went back and rebuilt it. So the point is, it's much more practical in time. And you've got that whole leading section where he's talking to disciples about what's going to happen before it happens. Now he gives them the signs, but again, from my perspective, people run immediately to the signs that what has to be bigger. But he's already put it in a smaller context when he set it up. That's why it makes sense to me. Well, see, I think

when he says the heaven and earth will pass away, this is where heaven and earth was meeting from the Jewish perspective in the temple and it was destroyed. But Jesus said, but my words will never pass away.

Well, he's the new temple. He's the new place where heaven and earth meet. That, to me it seems simple, you know, to see. But look, you know, I could be wrong, but it just wouldn't make any sense for him to say this generation will not pass away till you see these things coming.

Well, and to it, what is the, I mean, going back to what we've been talking about, what is all the other emphasis on the temple? This seems to be a, to me, that this fits into the bigger context of what Jesus was doing in his ministry, his emphasis on the temple, how many times he was there, what he was doing in there, what he said when he was in there, this seems to flow with that. And I think also, I've just anecdotally, I've noticed that when you subscribe to a philosophy or theory or thought that this is all about in times, then you end up trying to predict it, which nobody can do. Jesus himself says that, right? Nobody knows when the second coming is happening and all that.

So then it's like, what is he really trying to accomplish here? And what is the bigger, like, because we've talked about this at the end of the last podcast. Practically, what does it mean? What we're saying here has a lot of practicality because it actually means that God's going to live in you and that means you're going to have the power of the Holy Spirit to live your life and have victory over sin and experience God's presence. Now, that's very practical. Yeah, I mean, there's a practical application of our eschatology. Which leads us to these last two paragraphs, which I think is the most practical part of that is. Let's take a break for you, read it. which was his disciples then he then turns to his disciples and it's like be careful or your hearts

will be weighed down with dissipation drunkenness and the anxieties of life and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap i mean it seems like he's saying look this is coming in your generation your lifetime these temples are not going to be here and you need to be watchful don't get so stressed out about all that's fixed to happen where you're you're going to be you're going to be watchful don't get so stressed out about all that's fixed to happen where you turn to, you know, while living or, you know, booze and anxieties of life, and where you're not ready. And it reminded me so much, Jay, of Paul's challenging of the Thessalonians, because remember they were thought the coming of Jesus was imminent, and they were like, they shut everything down.

He was like, well, well, you got to work, you got to live, you got an impact. I mean, Paul was telling the Thessalonians exactly what Jesus was saying here to the the whole group. You have to be watchful. I mean, for any day. So, I mean, I love the practicality of it. Read the rest of it. So then 35 seems to be another thought-provoking statement because then all of a sudden it seems like, well, we're going back to where people think this can't be that because it says for it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. and I would say the implications of what happened there would come on all of the face of the earth because now you're left with Jesus as the place where heaven and earth would meet.

I mean, that's my take, if you all have an opinion. No, I think he's saying any time you're looking for the son of man, which would include the final coming as well, that you have to be ready. I mean, I think that's his point. I mean, the principle here that started in 80-70 is one that lasts to this day. And it's not just the final coming of Jesus. It's anything that happens is catastrophic. Yeah, but my point, too, is saying, if you want to find God, you've got to come to this temple.

Right. Well, once the temple's gone, what are you going to say? Yeah. If you don't have Jesus, what are you going to say? So you know what they said? Well, we're going to have to build it back. Look, they're still discussing that 2,000 years later. That's right.

So from that perspective, you're saying that we don't have a place to meet God for 2,000 years? Yeah, and there'll be another 1,000 after that? Doesn't make sense, people. So let me finish reading. So verse 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. each day Jesus was teaching at the temple and each evening he went out to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives. And all the people came early in the morning to hear him at the temple.

That's the setting. That's where he's at. That's what he's pointing toward. That's what he's discussing. Yeah. And I just, I can't see that being a reveal of something that wasn't going to impact them in their lifetime in that temple in that spot. I do think you can make the application to the end of time because, of course, we're supposed to be ready.

Well, that's part of who Jesus is as the temple, that he is coming back for all of us. There's not a doubt about that. But specifically in the context, this is about the new temple is here. It's a person, not a building. And that building is going to be destroyed coming up shortly. And I want you as my disciples to not get stressed out about it. And don't get off the path. Don't go to try to find worldly soothing for all the anxieties that are fixed to happen.

You trust me. And, Zach, there's been a lot of pictures in the Old Testament. You probably run across some in your Isaiah study of the idea of God coming on the clouds in judgment that happened in real time quite a bit during Israel's history. So, again, the imagery he's using is something that this group of people would understand fully. I think some of that's gotten lost over the last 2,000 years in some of our folks' mind that it has to be this one way that they've kind of built in with some of their imagery. Well, yeah, and lost in all that is the power of what he said.

He knew that when you read verse 13 about them being witnesses to Jesus, he was saying this is not going to go well for you. You make up your mind not to worry beforehand and how you're going to be. you're going to defend yourselves, and I'll give you the words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. I mean, to me, that's really powerful because that translates into what we do today. This spirit has to flow out. We cannot be quiet about who Jesus is, no matter what the consequences are from a government

or any kind of adversary. And you say, well, how do we know what to say even today? well we have the Holy Spirit and when you focus on Jesus it's still unbeatable today as it was back then right that's right and and he's still the answer no matter what which becomes the ultimate for us right and I was thinking about that in back in Luke 20 another little just caveat well you remember when he told the parable the tenants and it's in this temple conversation he was having with him And he said, he painted the picture. It was like a vineyard.

He said, first he would send servants, meaning prophets. And then the owner in verse 13, this is Luke 2013, the owner of the vineyard says, well, what shall I do now? I will send my son, whom I love, perhaps they will respect him. But when the tenants saw him, they took the mat, they talked the matter over and said, this is the heir. Let's kill him in the inheritance. So Jesus, in essence, is saying in that parable, he's the last prophet. Exactly.

There's no prophet after him. So if you're waiting around for predictions and prophecies, Jesus says, I'm the last one. When he sent me, there was nobody left to sin because in me is where it all is. And see, to me, this is the perfect. Once you get this, the reason we spent six podcasts on it, it then gives you the right foundation to launch on what's fixing to happen in Luke 22, because then you see Judas agrees to portray Jesus, because then you get back into how every other kingdom won and obtained victory, and how Jesus kingdom obtained victory.

Because then all of a sudden we start talking about money, betrayal, swords, fighting, because basically that is how kingdoms throughout the history of the world have risen to power. through power money, backroom deals, betraying other people, and then ultimately whoever's got the most swords or weapons and kill the others. And so you have Judas being recruited, you have the evil one getting involved, all the adversaries of Jesus, and then you had this, you know, Jesus' last supper. And then the next thing you know, here comes Judas with a guy, bunch of guys with swords.

And what do the disciples do? Well, they start breaking out their swords. Because they're still looking at this like, oh, you're going to, you're going to be the king in this kingdom. Well, where's the swords? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

And in Christ's kingdom, here's what's interesting, which was prophesied in the book of Isaiah. And Isaiah, too, it says that he's going to take the swords and the spears, and he's going to turn them into plow shears and pruning hooks. In other words, it's this picture. It's so crazy that God's kingdom. It's like the weapons that you guys use to establish your kingdom, like what that looks like, it's all, it's, it, that can be translated today in like tanks or weapons of mass destruction. And when the coming of the kingdom is in its full fruition, what it's going to ultimately look like is creation. It's going to look like cultivation.

And there will be no need at the end of time when Christ comes back fully and redeems everything. when the new heaven and earth come, it's going to be a cultivation. It's going to be us living in a spirit of cultivation, not in this other way of the earthly kingdoms. God's kingdom is about cultivation, about expansion, about creation, about creativity, about human flourishing, about intimacy, about life. That is what it looks like, and it is completely countercultural to the kingdoms of this world. and it's beautiful, by the way. That was a great list. I would add, and it was about colonizing the creation on earth through the spirit.

He made a colony. That's what the kingdom is on earth. It's a colony of people who have the Holy Spirit of God, who functioned the exact opposite way of all the strengths of worldly kingdoms. That's right. And you're fixed to see that as we read. He's like, he asked Judas, are you going to betray me with a, kiss, you know, that's where we get the idea of the kiss of death.

Yeah. Well, it was actually the kiss of death for Judas. That's right. Not Jesus, even though he was fixed to die. And the whole system. And then there's like they bring out the swords and Peter cuts off the guy's ear. And Jesus is like, enough of this. And he does something that you've never seen in any kind of clash of kingdoms.

He heals the guy's ear. That's right. Because he's like, this kingdom is not going to function. The weapons we fight with are. not going to be what you think. So then you get this clash of kingdoms on who's going to win. Jesus, the Romans, or the old temple of Jerusalem. Right. There's only one winner. And we know how this works out. So we're out of time. We'll talk about this a little bit more in our overtime segment. We're definitely getting into that place. Now we're getting ready to talk about Jesus's sacrifice.

So we'll set that up if you want to follow us over blazedtiv.com slash unashamed. Thanks for listening to the Unashamed podcast. Help us out by rating us on iTunes. And don't miss an episode by subscribing on YouTube and be sure to click that little bell to get notified about new episodes. And for even more content that you won't get anywhere else, subscribe to blazed TV at blaztv.com slash unashamed.