Participants:
Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS024036S
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00:10 [uplifting music] 00:14 >>Eric Flickinger: Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:16 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:18 We're glad that you could join us today. 00:19 We're continuing to take a journey through 00:21 the book of Mark, learning new things about Jesus, 00:24 new perspectives and gaining in our knowledge 00:28 of the gospel as we do so. 00:30 We're glad that you could join us, but before we begin 00:32 lesson number 10, looking at "The Last Days," 00:35 we're gonna start with prayer. Let's pray. 00:37 Father, we thank You for being with us today 00:40 and giving us an opportunity to learn more about You 00:42 and Your plan of salvation as we study the book of Mark. 00:45 We ask that You'll bless us, give us wisdom and insight, 00:48 and we thank You in Jesus' name, amen. 00:52 Lesson number 10, "The Last Days." 00:54 We're happy to have the author of this quarter's 00:56 "Sabbath School" lesson with us again this week. 00:59 Thomas Shepherd is the senior research professor 01:01 of New Testament at the Theological Seminary, 01:04 Andrews University. Tom, welcome back once again. 01:07 >>Thomas Shepherd: It's good to be here. 01:08 >>Eric: So we're getting down toward the end. 01:09 This is lesson number 10 of 13, 01:11 and we are looking at "The Last Days." 01:13 We've kind of come through the book of Mark 01:15 into Mark, chapter 12. 01:17 We're at the tail end of Mark, chapter 12. 01:19 And we come across this story 01:21 of what's often called the widow's mite. 01:24 Lead us through this story, 01:25 and what are some lessons that we can learn from it? 01:27 >>Tom: Okay, so first we should read the story itself. 01:30 It's very brief. It's in Mark, chapter 12, verses 41 to 44. 01:35 It says, "And He sat down opposite the treasury 01:37 "and watched the people putting money into the offering box. 01:41 "Many rich people put in large sums. 01:44 "And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, 01:48 "which make a penny. 01:49 "And He called His disciples to Him and said to them, 01:52 "'Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than 01:56 "'all those who are contributing to the offering box. 01:59 "'For they all contributed out of their abundance, 02:02 "'but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, 02:06 all she had to live on.'" 02:08 It's an interesting story. 02:09 >>Eric: It is a fascinating story. 02:11 She doesn't give much, but she gave a whole lot. 02:14 What are some lessons that you think Jesus would have us 02:17 learn from this story? 02:18 >>Tom: Well, I find it interesting that 02:19 Jesus was watching. [laughs] You know, He's watching people. 02:23 There are many people who would like to watch other people 02:26 and see what they're doing. And He's watching people 02:28 as they put money in the offering box. 02:31 There are a number of these offering boxes 02:32 in the temple complex, and so He's opposite the treasury area, 02:38 and He's watching what they do. 02:40 And the rich people come and put in lots of money. 02:42 Now, the temple was a big building, and it was-- 02:47 received a lot of offerings and money. 02:50 In fact, temples in the ancient world were banks. 02:54 You kind of--this surprises us a little bit, but they would 02:59 keep money in the temple because if you stole the money 03:03 from the temple, the idea was that 03:04 the god that was of that temple would get you. [chuckles] 03:08 So, it kind of scared people off from stealing the money. 03:12 It's interesting that this woman comes 03:16 and gives these two small copper coins. 03:18 Very, very insignificant offering, 03:20 very small amount of money, much less than a denarius, 03:25 which was a day's wage. So people would think, you know, 03:30 why should she put any money in at all? You know. 03:35 But Jesus commends her. 03:37 And He says she's given more than everybody else because-- 03:40 sometimes you can put it this way--people see what you put 03:44 in the offering plate; God sees what's left in your pocket. 03:48 And she had nothing left in her pocket. 03:50 All these other people had large sums. 03:52 Now, there's, I think, at least three great lessons 03:56 to come from this story. 03:59 And the first would be that even when people are-- 04:07 when money is being misused, it's still important for us 04:11 to give to the cause of God. 04:13 Now, you say, "How can you say that?" 04:15 Well, this woman is giving money to the temple, 04:19 and Jesus has just cleansed the temple just recently 04:22 and is always fighting with the religious leaders, and yet 04:25 He commends her for giving money to this cause. 04:28 So, you see, when we give money to God's cause, if we say 04:33 I won't give if they, you know, don't use it this way 04:35 or they don't use it this way, you have strings attached. 04:39 You're not really giving to God. 04:42 Now, the religious leaders in all times have a responsibility 04:46 to use the money wisely. 04:48 But those who give faithfully and honestly are still blessed, 04:53 whether the religious leaders use it or not. 04:55 They'll have to answer to God, but each of us has to answer 04:59 to God for how we deal with the resources He gives us. 05:03 The second lesson is that everybody has a part to play. 05:07 Both the rich and the poor have a part to play 05:11 in supporting God's work. 05:13 Sometimes we might think that, "Oh, the poor shouldn't have 05:15 to give; they should just stay away." 05:17 Nah, that's actually a bad idea because it kind of sends them 05:21 a message that they're not important to God's work. 05:24 Not so. And the third lesson is that 05:28 giving sets us free from covetousness. 05:32 Money is very seductive, and it can take control of your life 05:35 if you're not careful. 05:37 Returning tithe teaches us to live on less than our income, 05:42 and that's a good thing because a lot of people 05:44 live beyond their means, and it destroys their life, 05:47 so, lots of lessons from this one little story. 05:49 >>Eric: So just a few verses but a lot to learn there. 05:52 We get down into chapter 13, and there's this prophecy 05:57 that Jesus makes about the temple. 05:59 When we take a look at that prophecy, there's a lot here. 06:02 In fact, most of this week's lesson deals with it. 06:04 Walk us through chapter 13. 06:07 >>Tom: All right, so we want to start with verses 1 and 2. 06:09 Why don't you read those for us, Eric? 06:11 >>Eric: "Then as He"--Jesus-- "went out of the temple, 06:14 "one of His disciples said to Him, 'Teacher, 06:16 "see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!' 06:20 "And Jesus answered and said to him, 06:21 "'Do you see these great buildings? 06:24 "'Not one stone shall be left upon another, 06:27 that shall not be thrown down.'" 06:29 >>Tom: All right, so this is Jesus' basic prophecy. 06:32 It was a shocking prophecy. 06:33 The disciples want to know more about it, and then we're gonna 06:37 find out, you know, what they ask about it. 06:40 But the temple was huge. 06:44 You can still see some of the retaining wall today, 06:47 some stones weighing 100 tons, 06:51 just massive stones, and all of this moved with human power. 06:56 No big machines, you know--well, they probably had 07:00 some kinds of machines that they used but not powered 07:03 by gas or electricity or anything like that. 07:06 So it was a tremendous undertaking. 07:09 And it was--the main work was done by Herod the Great 07:13 and his engineers. 07:18 The Temple Mount itself had these various buildings, 07:23 the Stoa, they were surrounding the temple 07:26 and the temple itself. 07:27 And Jesus predicted that all those buildings-- 07:31 now, He didn't say the retaining walls-- 07:33 but He said all the buildings would be destroyed. 07:37 That would be something like somebody in, say, the late 1990s 07:44 being in New York City and looking at the Twin Towers 07:47 and saying, "Both of these will fall to the ground." 07:52 And people would think, "That's impossible," you know. 07:55 "How could that happen? That just doesn't make sense." 07:58 So it was the same kind of shock 08:01 for the disciples to hear these words. 08:04 And so they want to know more. 08:06 And that's what we find out in verses 3 and 4: "And as He sat 08:10 "on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, 08:13 Peter and James and John and Andrew asked Him privately"-- 08:16 so now it's just four of the disciples; 08:18 now, these are the first four 08:20 that Jesus had called in the beginning-- 08:21 "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign 08:28 when all these things are about to be accomplished?" 08:31 So they're asking a when, and they're asking a what, 08:36 a when and a what. 08:37 When will it be, and what will be the sign? Right, 08:41 so we start to unfold the prophecy. 08:44 What's interesting is that Jesus, 08:46 in His initial response to them, doesn't talk about the when 08:51 [chuckles] and doesn't talk about the what. 08:54 Instead, He gives them a warning. 08:57 So let's have you read verses 5 through 8. 09:01 >>Eric: "And Jesus, answering them, began to say: 09:04 "'Take heed that no one deceives you. 09:05 "'For many will come in my name, saying, 09:08 "'"I am He," and will deceive many. 09:10 "'But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, 09:12 "'do not be troubled; for such things must happen, 09:15 "'but the end is not yet. 09:16 "'For nation will rise against nation, 09:18 "'and kingdom against kingdom. 09:19 "'And there will be earthquakes in various places, 09:22 "'and there will be famines and troubles. 09:24 These are the beginnings of sorrows.'" 09:26 >>Tom: Okay, so Jesus' first warning to them 09:29 is to not be led astray. 09:31 So His focus is on His disciples, to help them 09:36 weather the storm that's coming. 09:39 And what He describes is, you know, rather shocking 09:43 kind of stuff; you know, there's wars, rumors of wars. 09:47 He says, "Don't be alarmed. 09:50 This must take place, but the end is not yet." 09:53 So it's true that He actually has a "when" in there. 09:56 So, you know, it's not yet the end. 09:58 "For nation will rise against nation, 10:00 "and kingdom against kingdom. 10:01 "There'll be earthquakes and famines. 10:04 It's just the beginning of the birth pains." 10:06 It's a rather striking kind of a metaphor that 10:11 all these experiences as wars and famines and earthquakes 10:16 are just the beginning of the birth pains. 10:20 You know, when--if you've ever had a child, 10:23 you probably know what Braxton Hicks contractions are. 10:29 They're little contractions that kind of tell you that, 10:32 oh, it's getting close. 10:34 And some people go to the hospital 10:36 with the Braxton Hicks, and then the doctor says, 10:40 "I'm sorry, this is not the real labor yet. 10:43 "This is just, you know, Braxton Hicks contractions, 10:47 and they're not the real thing yet." 10:50 And Jesus kind of says, well, that's what the wars 10:52 and the rumors of wars are. 10:53 Now, sometimes people today will say things like, 10:56 "Oh, this is a sign that Jesus is coming again soon." 11:00 Well, yes, but He said it's just like the beginning 11:04 of the birth pain. It's not the real stuff. 11:07 He goes on to warn them. 11:10 We should read verses 9 through 13 now. 11:14 >>Eric: "But watch out for yourselves, for they will 11:16 "deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten 11:19 "in the synagogues. 11:20 "You will be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, 11:23 "for a testimony to them. 11:25 "And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. 11:28 "But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry 11:31 "beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. 11:34 "But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; 11:37 "for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 11:40 "Now brother will betray brother to death, 11:43 "and a father his child; and children will rise up 11:46 "against parents and cause them to be put to death. 11:48 "And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. 11:51 But he who endures to the end shall be saved." 11:54 >>Tom: Yeah, so again, it's very striking language. 11:57 It's very scary kind of language. 11:59 Again, He's concerned for His disciples: be on their guard. 12:03 He describes what's going to happen, 12:05 how they're going to be brought before religious leaders 12:07 and governors, and what they're supposed to do. 12:11 They're not supposed to worry because it's God 12:13 who's going to, you know, give them the words to speak. 12:16 Then He describes the closest bonds that we have in life, 12:21 brothers, father and child, children against their parents. 12:25 It's also...disquieting, you know. 12:30 But He says, "You will be hated by all for my name's sake, 12:34 but the one who endures to the end will be saved." 12:36 So He says, "Don't give up. I'm coming again. 12:39 And you don't have to worry about this." 12:41 Now, He does say that the gospel will be proclaimed 12:44 to all the nations. And we usually say, 12:46 "Well, that's before His second coming." 12:48 There is some ring of this that goes to the Second Coming. 12:51 But right now, He's describing what's going to precede 12:53 the fall of Jerusalem temple. 12:56 >>Eric: So, interesting, this story that we are going through, 13:00 and we're going to come back and pick it up again 13:01 in just a moment. 13:03 But we also have the companion book to this quarter's lesson. 13:06 What can we learn in the companion book 13:08 for this quarter, for this particular lesson? 13:10 >>Tom: Yeah, well, this companion book 13:11 that I wrote goes along with the lesson quarterly. 13:14 All the chapters are numbered the same as the quarterly, 13:18 and they provide extra information. 13:20 So there you get information about what we're talking about 13:23 here, and it goes beyond the quarterly 13:25 to give you more feedback, more details. 13:29 >>Eric: Very good. 13:30 And if you wanna pick that up, it's very easy to do. 13:32 Just go to itiswritten.shop. 13:34 Again, that is itiswritten.shop, 13:36 and you'll find the companion book 13:37 to this quarter's "Sabbath School" lesson. 13:39 We're going to come back in just a moment as we continue looking 13:42 at this prophecy that Jesus shares about the destruction 13:45 of the temple and the events that are going to occur 13:48 in the world shortly before Christ's return. 13:50 We'll be right back. 13:51 [uplifting music] 13:55 >>John Bradshaw: The prophet Daniel writes authoritatively 13:58 about the rise and fall of kingdoms, 14:00 the fate of nations, and the soon return of Jesus. 14:05 Join me for "Kingdom Come." 14:07 We'll witness the rise and fall of global powers. 14:11 We'll understand symbols found in the writings of the prophets. 14:15 And we'll learn how Bible prophecy applies 14:18 to our current reality. 14:20 Waiting for the world to get better seems futile. 14:23 We exist in the midst of global confusion, in a world wrestling 14:28 with the devastating effects of sickness, war, and death. 14:32 Yet God encourages us: "The dream is certain." 14:37 The interpretation can be trusted. 14:40 Jesus is coming back soon. 14:43 The best is yet to come. 14:46 Don't miss "Kingdom Come" as we explore the book of Daniel. 14:50 "Kingdom Come" on It Is Written TV. 14:56 [uplifting music] 14:59 >>Eric: Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 15:01 brought to you by It Is Written. 15:03 We are in lesson number 10 of 13. 15:05 We're looking at "The Last Days," 15:06 the events that are going to take place very soon. 15:09 And in this section of the book of Mark, Jesus kind of mingles 15:13 those together with the signs of the destruction of the temple. 15:16 Tom, we're going through this section in Mark, chapter 13, 15:20 and we're at a point here in verse number 14 15:24 where Jesus talks about "the abomination of desolation." 15:28 What is the abomination of desolation, 15:30 and why is that significant to us today? 15:33 It certainly was back in His day--what about today? 15:35 >>Tom: Well, it's an interesting question. 15:37 There's a big fight over this abomination of desolation, 15:39 exactly what it means. 15:41 This is actually the turning point of the prophecy. 15:44 So Jesus has said before this that these are things 15:48 pointing forward--the time is not yet, the time is not yet. 15:51 In verse 14 He says, "But when you see 15:53 "the abomination of desolation standing where he ought 15:57 "[or it] not be, (let the reader understand), 16:00 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." 16:04 All right, so this is the time to leave, to get out. 16:07 Right, what is this abomination of desolation? 16:10 It's a very strange terminology. 16:12 It actually comes from the book of Daniel. 16:15 There are several places in the book of Daniel 16:17 that make use of this kind of terminology. 16:21 And probably the passage that we commonly think of for this 16:26 is Daniel, chapter 9, the 70 weeks' prophecy 16:29 we've already described in these lessons. 16:31 And now in that--in those verses in Daniel 9, 16:36 it refers to desolation 16:39 and the desolator that comes and does this. 16:43 What this refers to is something that people, 16:47 well, scholars fight over just what it refers to, 16:50 but the most likely thing that it actually refers to 16:54 is when the Romans came in 70 A.D., 17:01 the war was from 66 to actually 73, and they came to Jerusalem 17:05 about A.D. 70, and they surrounded the city. 17:10 Now, the question is, so what's an abomination there? 17:16 Well, the Roman soldiers had standards, kind of poles 17:22 that they had on top of it were symbols and images, 17:26 and they actually gathered around these and worshiped. 17:28 So it was idolatrous worship that was going on. 17:32 So when they had their standards posted around the city 17:36 and would worship probably in the morning to, you know, 17:40 ask the gods to protect them in their battle with the Jews, 17:43 that was an abomination to have idolatry in the land of Israel. 17:48 So Jesus says, "When you see [this] abomination of desolation 17:52 "standing where [it] ought not to be..., 17:55 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." 17:57 Reference is "Let the reader understand." 17:59 He's referring back to Daniel, because people 18:02 would be reading this. 18:03 And you'd think, well, when they surround the city, 18:07 isn't it a little bit too late to get out, 18:09 you know, to flee, to run away? 18:11 And the answer to that is, well, in the actual event, 18:16 what happened was the Romans came and surrounded the city. 18:19 The Jews rallied, and they went out, and they beat them off. 18:25 And the Romans withdrew. 18:27 So the Jews came back victorious. 18:30 And anybody who was still left in the city 18:33 that was a Christian no doubt thought, "This is the sign. 18:37 We'd better get out," you know, "and leave." 18:39 Actually, there's a statement that the Christians had actually 18:44 left earlier and gone over to Petra on the basis of a prophecy 18:51 somebody had given, not this particular prophecy necessarily, 18:55 but some vision somebody had or something, 18:57 and that they had left. 18:59 So, there were no Christians left. 19:02 The Romans did come back and surrounded the city. 19:05 It was a terrible, terrible event. 19:10 There was people that pleaded with them to surrender 19:17 so that the city wouldn't have to be destroyed, 19:19 so the temple wouldn't have to be destroyed. 19:21 But the people who had taken control of the government, 19:24 the Zealots, felt that God would not let the temple be destroyed. 19:30 And so they held out there, and the Romans came 19:34 and destroyed it, burned it. 19:36 Now, if you go to the Temple Mount today, 19:38 it's not even sure exactly where the temple was 19:42 because the Romans cleared it off. 19:45 And actually, you can go to some of the retaining wall. 19:48 There's a place on the retaining wall, not too far 19:50 from the wailing wall, where there's these huge stones 19:56 that they threw off the top of the Temple Mount, 20:00 just like an amazing fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy: 20:04 "Not one stone will be left upon another." 20:07 There's the stones down there at the base that they pushed off. 20:11 So it's really quite an amazing fulfillment of the prophecy. 20:14 >>Eric: So after the Roman army surrounded the city, 20:17 they came in; they destroyed everything. 20:21 How do we know in this chapter, that goes from the time 20:27 of the prophet till the time of the end, where does that-- 20:30 some of it has to do with the temple and so forth; 20:32 some of it has to do with the end of time. 20:34 >>Tom: Yeah. >>Eric: Where do we find that? 20:36 >>Tom: Okay, so it's very interesting. 20:38 You read on, He's talking about the abomination of desolation, 20:41 the destruction of the city, how you're supposed to not go back 20:44 into the city, you know, run away and everything. 20:47 In verse 19 it says, "For in those days there will be 20:50 "such tribulation as has not been from the beginning 20:53 of the creation that God created until now, and never will be." 20:57 All right, so some people want to say that that tribulation 21:01 referred to the destruction of Jerusalem, but the destruction 21:05 of Jerusalem, as bad as it was, terrible with the number 21:08 of people that died and suffered, there have been 21:11 much worse kinds of things that have taken place since then. 21:15 So what does that refer to? 21:17 Well, it says in verse 20, "If the Lord had not cut short 21:21 "the days, no human being would be saved. 21:24 "But for...sake of the elect, whom He chose, 21:26 "He shortened the days. 21:28 And then"--verse 21-- "if anyone says to you, 21:31 "'Look, here is the Christ!' 21:32 "or 'Look, there He is!' do not believe it. 21:35 "For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform 21:38 "signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 21:41 ...Be on [the] guard; I have told you all things beforehand." 21:44 So He talks about a period of tribulation that's 21:48 gonna be terrible, but God's gonna shorten it down, right? 21:51 Then in verse 24, these are words 21:54 very commonly known and beloved by Adventists. 21:59 It says, "But in those days, after that tribulation, 22:02 "the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give 22:05 "its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, 22:08 "...powers in the heavens will be shaken. 22:10 "And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds 22:13 "with great power and glory. 22:14 "And then He will send out the angels and gather 22:16 "His elect from the four winds, 22:18 from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven." 22:20 Well, that's clear that He's talking about 22:22 the Second Coming of Jesus, all right? 22:24 So somehow we've moved from the destruction of Jerusalem 22:27 through a period of tribulation to a time when we see signs 22:32 in the sun, moon, and stars, and Jesus will be coming again soon. 22:36 Well, that really clearly sounds like from the time 22:40 of the prophet to the time of the end, 22:41 which is this historicist take on the fulfillment of prophecy, 22:47 that it goes from the prophet's time to the time of the end. 22:50 So the question is, what is this great tribulation? 22:54 Well, like I said, it probably doesn't refer to the time 22:58 right then at Jerusalem. 23:00 Rather, it's that long period of persecution that we talk about 23:06 in Bible prophecy of the 1,260-day time period 23:09 of history where the power, the antichrist power, 23:16 has more control and overcomes God's people, 23:19 and they're persecuted for this long time period. 23:22 That was shortened by the Protestant Reformation 23:26 that came along in the 1500s. 23:29 And that shortened the time that people were being persecuted. 23:34 >>Eric: So we're getting closer to the end of chapter 13. 23:37 I want to jump to verse 30 for just a moment. 23:40 In verse 30, Jesus says, "Assuredly, I say to you, 23:43 "this generation will by no means pass away 23:46 till all these things take place." 23:49 Now, that could be a little bit confusing. 23:51 What is He talking about when He says "this generation"? 23:54 Of course, He was speaking, you know, in the first century, 23:56 and now here we are much later than that. 23:59 >>Tom: Yeah, much later. Yeah, 24:00 this has troubled a lot of people, 24:02 and there's a variety of ways that people explain this text. 24:06 "This generation" sometimes is described as "this race," 24:09 the Jewish race. 24:11 But actually, it's not necessary to go there. 24:14 That's one possible kind of explanation. 24:17 But I think there's actually a better one. 24:18 So to get that sense of that other explanation, let's read 24:25 verses 30 and 31, and then we have to read verse 32. 24:33 Okay, so 30 and 31: "Truly, I say to you, this generation 24:36 "will not pass away until all these things take place. 24:39 "Heaven and earth will pass away, 24:41 but my words will not pass away." 24:45 And then verse 32: "But concerning that day 24:49 "or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, 24:52 nor the Son, but only the Father." 24:55 So, He talks about "this generation," 24:59 and then He talks about "that day." 25:02 Now, the difference between "this" and "that," [laughs] 25:07 I can speak of this Bible, but I can't say "that Bible." 25:13 Now, that "that" refers to something further away. 25:17 "This" refers to something close by. 25:20 So when Jesus says, "This generation shall not pass away 25:24 until all these things take place," He's referring 25:27 to the events leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem. 25:31 And if you go back and look through the chapter, 25:32 you'll find that the word "this" and "these" 25:35 is used more in the first part of the chapter. 25:38 And "that" and "those" is used in more 25:42 in the second part of the chapter. 25:43 So when He says, "But concerning that day," 25:46 He's talking about the day of His coming. 25:48 So that's more distant from His time. 25:50 So the "this" and "that," "these" and "those" kind of 25:54 terminology, as simple as it may seem, actually helps to divide 25:58 this chapter into the section that deals more with events 26:02 leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem, which is His prophecy 26:06 that this generation will not pass away until all these things 26:09 take place, and that's exactly what happened, 26:11 versus those days, that day, and those events referring to 26:16 the time after that leading up to His second coming. 26:19 >>Eric: So this particular chapter mingles them together, 26:22 but not so much that they can't be unmingled. 26:25 >>Tom: That's right. 26:26 >>Eric: And sometimes we get them just confused. 26:29 Any final thoughts that you'd like to leave with someone 26:32 who is living in these last days? That last day, 26:37 I guess, if we want to look at it that way. 26:39 We're now in the last days. 26:41 And they're kind of--they're struggling with their faith 26:43 a little bit, and just give them a little bit of hope to make it 26:46 through these challenging times that are coming. 26:48 >>Tom: The first thing to notice is that Jesus knew 26:50 what was going to happen. 26:51 You and I can be--we can be blessed by knowing 26:56 that our Lord knew long ago what was going to take place. 27:01 And He gave us that warning, so He knows what's coming, 27:05 and He tells us to stay on guard. 27:07 He tells us to keep watch and that-- 27:11 He tells that to everybody-- 27:12 but He tells us this to encourage us, 27:14 that we won't lose heart. 27:16 And we don't have to because He holds our lives in His hand 27:19 and will take care of us. 27:21 >>Eric: We hope that those words will be an encouragement 27:24 to you as well. 27:25 Jesus gave us this chapter, this book to help us get ready 27:29 for His second coming, which is not far off. 27:32 Next week, we're going to get together and look at lesson 11 27:36 and look at things just a little bit closer to the very end 27:38 of the book and a little bit closer to the return of Jesus. 27:41 We look forward to seeing you again next time here 27:43 on "Sabbath School," brought to you by It Is Written. 27:45 [uplifting music] 28:23 [uplifting music] 28:25 [Captions provided by Aberdeen Captioning www.abercap.com] |
Revised 2024-08-28