Holy site of Judaism in Jerusalem
POPULARITY
This episode was recorded April 24 on Yom Hashoah or Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The Western Wall is also sometimes referred to as the Wailing Wall. We talk about the meaning and manner of observance of this solemn day in Israel and around the world. The episode ends with 2 minutes of silence remembering the six million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered by the Nazis during the Shoah as the sirens wail across Israel.
Scott Erickson is an artist who uses many mediums to communicate with this audience. Today we talk about his collaborative book project with Justin McRoberts, 'In the Low, Honest Prayers for Dark Seasons,' which provides spiritual support for those experiencing depression. Scott then shares personal anecdotes, including an impactful experience at the Wailing Wall, illustrating how art can serve as a medium for expressing inexpressible emotions. Scott's art, which has resonated widely to the extent of being tattooed by numerous fans, aims to communicate the complexities of faith and the human conditionFind out more about Scott Erickson - his art, books, shows, and resources HEREExplore Scott Erickson's talks on his YouTube channel HEREContact Cyndi Parker through Narrative of Place.Join Cyndi Parker's Patreon Team!
Sharing and defending Catholicism can be overwhelming—how can we do it with confidence and peace? Tim Staples offers practical advice and answers more on the Wailing Wall prophecy, Eucharistic Adoration, and the role of the Trinity in Baptism. Questions Covered: 08:15 – Why is a Wailing Wall leftover from the temple (Mt 24, there will not be a stone leftover)? 19:31 – What is Joseph referring to in Gen 50:19? 23:58 – How can we defend the faith and not be anxious? 42:00 – How do you explain Adoration to a Protestant? 50:55 – Do we have to believe in the Trinity for the Baptismal regeneration to occur?
On today's Bible Answer Man broadcast (02/10/25), Hank answers the following questions:What is your interpretation of 1 Corinthians 11:14 and men having long hair? Ren - Somerset, PA (0:49)Can you comment on the Seventh-day Adventist Church's teaching on Sunday worship being the mark of the beast? Shed - Memphis, TN (2:49)Can you explain the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2? Do the feet of iron and clay represent a revived Roman Empire coming in our time? Chris - Tyler, TX (5:07)What about the Old Testament restrictions on things that cannot be done on the Sabbath? Chris - Tyler, TX (8:28)I'm debating with my pastor. In Matthew 24 Jesus says not one stone will be left on another, but what about the Wailing Wall that is still standing? Keith - Bakersfield, CA (15:11)Does Ezekiel prophesy about the second temple, or a third or fourth temple as the dispensationalists say? Keith - Bakersfield, CA (18:47)
Dimitri and Khalid catch up on recent upheavals in Syria before diving into various dynamics of the 1929 Wailing Wall riots in Jerusalem. For access to premium SJ episodes, upcoming installments of DEMON FORCES, and the Grotto of Truth Discord, become a subscriber at patreon.com/subliminaljihad.
Inner Sanctum: The Wailing Wall followed by Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy: 10th Anniversary Show.
SUB TO THE PATREON TO ACCESS THE EXPLOSIVE ENTIRETY OF DOSSIER 6.A & HELP KEEP PPM'S LIGHTS ON: patreon.com/ParaPowerMapping SLANK's joined me in the booth, once again, for what is the SEVENTH installment (counting 4.A & 4.B) in this sweeping boom bap expose of the Diddler trafficking nexus and its Zion-ist and US intel interlocks. Make sure to check out SLANK's music and assiduous research, which you can all find via his Twitter (@DabSquad_Slank) This episode especially pertains to: The Diddler trafficking nexus tells in the 2010s Apatow-produced comedy "Get Him to the Greek" Diddy's debauched buddy-buddy (lover-lover?) relationship with Born Again Christian grifter, alleged rapist, Tucker Carlson homie, & post-left comedian-in-recovery aka Brit brat Russell Brand Their Vegas trip aboard the Diddler's LoveAir Gulfstream A joint Diddy & Justin Bieber interview on Jimmy Kimmel, the implications of which are grim The DHS's quite consolatory apprehension of the Diddler a day in advance at his hospital, despite the fact he'd agreed to surrender via his intermediaries (giving that one hand on shoulder meme) The Grand Jury Indictment (US Attorney Damian Williams & 300 GJ subpoenas and allegations of Diddy trying to victim tamper) The Tony Busbee lawsuits The Mayor Adams corruption, bribery, & graft scandal and questions of foreign relations between Turkey & the US (not to mention Israel) being a motivating factor in his downfall... Not to mention the wonderment of whether there could be any connection to the Diddler's crashing house of cards A spate of political corruption cases and musings on what this reflects re intra-elite factional reconfiguration, careers being made, or even collapse Marc Agnifilo's protest against the premature seizure of the Diddler (plus more on his sex criminal clients like DSK, Keith Raniere, Weinstein, etc... And ties to the Bronfmans) Bieber joins the resistance? Diddy's Georgetown spook school graduated, cybersecurity startup employed baby mama Dana Tran ( C y l a n c e , C y v a t a r , and her bosses past sale of his company to McAfee) Which brings us on to the John McAfee saga and his seeming suiciding Diddy's boosting of Israeli fashion house Ovadia & Sons (founded by Israeli sons of an IOF serviceman) and his electro collabs w/ Israeli DJ Guy Gerber Mayor Adams's Israel trips, hustle bracelet at the Wailing Wall, & the NYPD's Israel Branch The Diddler being gifted the Key to the City by the "Bad Boy" Mayor Bibi Netanyahu's propensity for bugging & taping his allies/foes alike, which led to Mossadists recording Bill Clinton & Monica "Moss*ad" Lewinsky having sex at the Wye River summit and how this may connect to Jonathan Pollard, 9/11, and the eventual Iraq War Yasser Arafat & the PLO's assertion that Lewisnky is a spy Zion-ist militias & paramilitaries like the Haganah, Palmach, Stern Gang, etc and their sundry false flags and terroristic violence including the King David Hotel bombing Ties to Nicaragua in the '40s And finally, Eugene Deal recently claiming that the Diddler sent Usher to the hospital when he was 10 years old (meaning he violently raped him) At least 25 minor complainants in the Busbee suits And a return to James Rosemond / Jimmy Henchman—you'll remember that we mentioned the feds had asked him whether he knew about Puff sleeping w/ kids during a proffer session—and making the necessary connections to show his evident involvement in contracting out the Quad City shooting of Tupac that the rapper managed to survive before his ultimate assassination The art for this series, the Diddler nexus parapower map, was expertly rendered by noided pod design mastermind & friend of the show Robert Voyvodic (@rvoy__ on Twitter). Bring him your design needs & say Klonny sent you! Tracks & Clips: | Get Him to the Greek - Sergio / Diddy Scenes (including Mindfucking & Vegas Party) | | Diddler & Bieber Interview on Jimmy Kimmel | | Russell Brand & Diddy's Guys Date to Vegas | | McAfee Interview |
Welcome to "Hearts of Oak," where today we delve into a profound discussion on spiritual revival and cultural transformation. Our guest, a pivotal figure in the American Christian movement, shares insights on the upcoming "A Million Women" event set for October 12. This gathering isn't just an event; it's a call to action for women across America to unite in prayer and fasting, mirroring the biblical Esther's stand against injustice. We explore the event's significance in addressing critical issues like abortion and the erosion of family values, and how it aims to be a catalyst for national repentance and revival. Our conversation also touches on the power of collective prayer, the impact of recent cultural shifts, and the urgent need for a unified Christian response to contemporary challenges. Join us as we discuss the role of faith in public life and how this movement might just be the spark needed for a sweeping moral restoration in America. Lou Engle is an intercessor for revival, and the visionary co-founder of TheCall, a prayer and fasting movement responsible for gathering hundreds of thousands around the globe. He has been involved in church planting, establishing prayer movements and strategic houses of prayer. Lou is the founder of the pro-life ministry Bound4Life. Now residing in Colorado Springs, he is married to his beautiful wife Therese and blessed with 7 wonderful children. He is the president of Lou Engle Ministries, recently launched to mobilize fasting and contending prayer, and to envision and empower stadium Christianity, and to ignite reformation prayer into the nations of the earth. For the past twenty-two years, Lou has been an international voice calling a generation to Nazirite consecration, fasting and prayer, and the pursuit of God's dreams for their lives through the ministry of TheCall. Lou has raised up prayer movements, has been a voice for the shifting of the supreme court for ending abortion, and has encouraged a movement of adoption to be the answer for the great injustice. Now, Lou is prophetically declaring that we are on the verge of the 3rd great awakening, and Jesus the evangelist will be manifested in great salvation and deliverance power. A mighty Jesus movement is coming to America, Billy Graham's mantle is falling on a new generation of evangelists, and streets and stadiums will be filled with a new song of God's salvation. A Million Women: Day of Atonement Solemn Assembly amillionwomen.org October 12, 2024 The National Mall, Washington D.C. Connect with Lou...
Maxim D. Shrayer reads his poems, "Artists' Quarter in Old Jaffa" and "Wailing Wall." Maxim D. Shrayer is a bilingual writer in English and Russian, a 2012 Guggenheim Fellow, and a winner of a 2007 National Jewish Book Award. He was born in Moscow and left the former USSR in 1987. A professor at Boston College, Shrayer is the author of over twenty-five books, including four collections of Russian-language verse and two collections of English-language verse. His new poetry collection, Kinship, is forthcoming in 2024. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/vita-poetica/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/vita-poetica/support
Unity is a non-denominational Spiritual Community in Central Oregon. Join us each week for some great music, a little bit of silliness, and a lot of inspirational soul food. All are welcome! This week: Rev. Tamera Schmidt shares, “The Business Trip, Backpack, And Wailing Wall”. Passover is a Jewish feast; symbolically, it is a mental attitude in which we are bridging over from an old state of consciousness and entering a new. Join me as we discuss the mystical elements of Passover where we find hope and focus on the idea that things can change, and each small step we take contributes to the slow working of redemption in the world. ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆ Submit your prayer claims online!: http://bit.ly/prayerclaim Please TXT donations to: (833) 455-1960 or Donate on our website: https://unitycentraloregon.org/donate/ Donate via Paypal: http://bit.ly/donateunitybend More goodness on our website: [www.UnityCentralOregon.org](http://www.unitycentraloregon.org/)
This episode was recorded live at the Bryant-Lake Bowl in Minneapolis with special guest, Shanan Custer! We’re listening to “The Wailing Wall” from Inner Sanctum Mystery, starring Boris Karloff! The story features a murderous husband who can’t seem to escape his crimes! What is the source of the keening sound that haunts him? Is he […]
Strange Tales features a story from Inner Sanctum Mysteries this week. We'll hear Boris Karloff in The Wailing Wall, a story first heard November 6, 1945. Listen to more Inner Sanctum Mysteries https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/archive.org/download/rr12024/StrangeTales733.mp3 Download StrangeTales733 | Subscribe | Support Strange Tales
The abomination of desolation signifies the desecration of the temple in 70AD by Romans and foretells a final desecration by the Antichrist, leading to Christ's return. - Sermon Transcript - Turn in your Bibles to Mark 13. I can hardly imagine a more terrifying scenario than running for your life with some powerful, violent men chasing you, seeking to capture you, seeking to bring you in for questioning, to interrogate you, seeking to imprison you, to torture you, perhaps ultimately even to kill you. I can hardly imagine a more terrifying scenario than that. It was a scene that was played out again and again in the dark days of World War II. Nazi troops would win battles and conquer territories, and on their heels would come the SS and the Gestapo who would seek to weed out every Jewish person and every perceived threat to the Nazi state, including Christian leaders. Refugees would have to flee in the middle of the night, breathlessly waiting under bridges while their Nazi pursuers would travel over them, so close they could hear their conversations. Others fled by train using falsified travel permits. They had to endure the suspense of Gestapo agents moving systematically through the rail cars, checking papers, asking questions. Others fled through mountain passes into Switzerland, avoiding Nazi roadblocks only by scaling forbidden mountain sides in the snow and during freezing temperatures. Some hid among baggage and crates on freight ships, their hearts beating wildly and beads of sweat forming on their brows as Nazi guards with German shepherds were inspecting the cargo holds where they were hiding, getting closer and closer to their secret positions. All of these refugees were fleeing because of terror, fleeing the might of the most sinister and powerful force of evil the world had ever seen up to that time. But I believe all of those experiences of fleeing are as nothing compared to the days that will come right before the end of the world, the days when the Antichrist will be ruling the world by the direct power of Satan himself, seeking to exterminate anyone who refuses to worship him as God. Brothers and sisters, I don't know if that day will come in our lifetime, but this text implies that we are to get ready for those days. We are to get ready for what is coming. When Jesus says, "I have told you everything ahead of time," that implies a certain weight of responsibility on us; on me as a teacher of the Word of God, on me as a father, on me as a discipler and as a preacher. All of us as Christians, take seriously these themes, to immerse ourselves in them and to study them. Jesus's mentality is, forewarned is forearmed. I have carefully studied this text, Mark 13:14-23, and compared it with the parallel texts of Matthew 24:15-26. They're almost completely identical with just a few simple differences, so I'm going to weave the two together where needed, but my home base is Mark 13. Let's talk about context. Context is Jesus's statement of the destruction of the temple. Look at Mark 13:1-2, "As he was leaving the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, 'Look, teacher, what massive stones, what magnificent buildings.' 'Do you see all these great buildings?' replied Jesus. 'Not one stone here will be left on another. Every one will be thrown down.'" Then the disciples came to Jesus in private. Fuller version's in 24 Matthew. "'Tell us,'" they said, in Matthew 24:3, "'Tell us, when will this happen?’" Not one stone left on another, "'And what would be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?'" It's pretty clear that Jesus's answer soars far above the events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem and of the Temple, and go right to the end of the world. It's very clear if you read Mark 13 and Matthew 24. In this section of Mark 13, in verses 5-13, we have the nature of the ministry of the Word of God and the progress of the Word of God between the First and Second Comings. That's what unifies those verses, Mark 13: 5-13. The focal point is us being witnesses to Him by the power of the Spirit and the ongoing persecution that will happen as the gospel spreads. That's been the story for 20 centuries. But then at verse 14, as we saw last week, there's a decisive break in the narrative and an event that's unique to people living in a certain place at a certain time. When you see the “abomination of desolation”, and we talked about that last time, in a nutshell, it's a two-fold answer, both the desecration of the Temple by Roman forces in the year AD 70, and I believe going out to the end of the world, the desecration of the Temple at the end of history by the Antichrist, are in view in this phrase. Last week we walked through all that. We saw how God has four times allowed the Gentiles to trample on His holy place. We talked about what that holy place was, how we understand that. And we saw it in the time of Eli when he allowed the Ark of the Covenant to be captured by the Philistines. Again, when the Babylonians destroyed Solomon's temple, burned it to the ground. In 162 BC when the Greek king Antiochus Epiphanes sacrificed pig's blood in the temple that Haggai had rebuilt, desecrating it as predicted in Daniel 8 and Daniel 11. Then again in AD 70 when the Romans destroyed Herod's temple four times. But I also believe that it points ahead to that eschatological principle, “as it was so it will be", to one last time, all of those being dress rehearsals for a final desecration. I believe that implies, based on 2 Thessalonians 2, a rebuilt temple, rebuilt by the Jews, in what I consider to be an open defiance of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. The themes clearly articulated in the Book of Hebrews, the ending of the old covenant based on animal sacrifice and the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. All of that finished at the moment that Jesus died. But an unbelieving Jewish nation with veils over their hearts and minds, unable to see in Jesus the consummation of the old covenant, and unbelieving, reestablishing the curtain in the Temple that was torn into from top to bottom, showing a motive and a movement toward temple sacrifice, which went on for another generation after Jesus's death in defiance of His finished work. Jesus's counsel to His people, His lasting counsel, I didn't even finish. I kind of did last week. I preached on a fragment of a verse: "When you see the abomination of desolation..." This sermon is the rest of it, but I said it last week, and it's in the title of this sermon: Run For Your Lives.. What it openly says is, "When you see the abomination that causes desolation, standing where it does not belong, let the reader understand, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." And it goes on from there. In other words, run for your lives. I. The Desolation Leading to the Flight Let's talk about it. Let's begin with the desolation that leads to the flight. It is the spiritual desolation of Israel, consummated in their rejection of the Son of God, the incarnate Son of God, and their murder of Him. Israel's rejection of Jesus as their Messiah is the essence of their spiritual desolation. As Jesus says at the end of 23 Matthew 38-39, "Behold, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again.” It's pretty simple. If you put that together, two and two together, "The essence of the desolation is you're not going to see me again, until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'" In other words, until you recognize me by faith, that I was the one sent by Almighty God as your Savior. So until you say that, you'll be desolate, empty. Desolation means emptiness. That spiritual desolation then leads to a physical desolation, a city of slaughter left with no inhabitants. Above that or behind all that is the demonic side, a satanic and a demonic side that we need to understand. It comes very clearly in the Book of Revelation, chapter 12. There is a dragon, clearly identified as Satan, that ancient serpent. This dragon is standing by the sea in Revelation 13, and he calls from the sea a beast, a clear connection with Daniel 7, where up out of the sea come a succession of four beasts that represent empires, represent human political governments, empires with military power, with economic power, et cetera. That's Daniel 7. We get the consummation of that in Revelation 13. It is the dragon, it is Satan that calls the beast from the sea. Jesus spoke about demons. You know that Jesus drove demons out effortlessly, exorcism after exorcism. People were stunned. They were amazed at His power. Even the demons are subject. In his name, easily, Jesus sent out His disciples and gave them the power as well to drive out demons. The demons were on the run, but they didn't cease existing, they didn't cease hating. They were just pushed back for a time. Jesus warned that they're going to come back. He makes this very plain. In Matthew 12: 43-45, He says this, "When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and doesn't find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order." Unoccupied sounds like desolate to me. Empty. Finds a house unoccupied, swept clean, put in order. “Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.” AJV says famously, "The last shall be worse than the first.” "That is how it'll be with this generation." I thought we were talking about a man and then we're talking about a house. Now we're talking about a whole generation. It's the same, the same, the same. When the demon goes out, it's going to come back. If the individual, if the nation is not filled with God, filled with the spirit of God, filled with light, the darkness is coming back. We've already said that the nation of the Jews is desolate, empty. Not believing in Jesus, it's ready to be reinvaded by demons. The image that I have here is of an individual in the deep woods of Alaska or Siberia or Canada, and a ravenous pack of wolves is chasing this individual. He's been able to start a bonfire and push all the pack of wolves back, but he can see their eyes surrounding his campfire. They're still out there in the darkness and they still want his blood. When that fire goes out, they're going to come flooding back in, ravenous. We Christians, we're not secularists, materialists. We actually believe in a spiritual realm, and we believe that the events that happen with nations and with politics and with invasions has a demonic backing, though we cannot see it. I believe that it is demonic force that pushes the Romans in, and it's going to be overtly a satanic, a demonic kingdom at the end of the world. “As it was, so it will be.” We get these dress rehearsals. It says it twice in Luke, in Luke 17:26, "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." And again, Luke 17:28-30, "As it was in the days of Lot, so it will be on the day when the Son of man is revealed." “As it was, so it will be.” It's a repeated principle, an eschatological interpretive principle. We get things happening again and again, dress rehearsals. The overt statement of this is in 1 John 2, "You have heard that Antichrist is coming and even now many Antichrists have come." Lots of dress rehearsals on that Antichrist theme. But there is one coming. So as it was in the days of the Roman desecration of Jerusalem, so it will be in the days before Christ returns. As it was in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes of Daniel 8 and Daniel, 11, so it will be in the days before Christ returns. The destruction of the Jewish Temple in the city of Jerusalem in the year AD 70 by the Romans is a dress rehearsal for the end of the world, I believe. The signal to Jewish Christians living in Judea, Jewish Christians living there in Jerusalem, is you have to watch what's happening in current events. When you see certain things, get out of the city, get out of that area, run for your lives. He says it openly in Luke 21: 20-22. It's just as clear as anything. You don't have to wonder about it. "When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that this desolation is near. 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. For this is the time of punishment and fulfillment of all that has been written." There's a Jewish Christian Church in Jerusalem, the very ones that Paul raised money for and brought [in Romans 15] money back to Jerusalem and Judea, the Pentecost. Those were Jewish Christians that came to faith in Christ. They lived there. It was a Jewish church of Jesus Christ. Those people are living there, followers of Christ. He's telling them what to do. Let's talk about what actually happened at the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. Josephus, a contemporary of those events, wrote a history, and we're able to read that history and find out what happened. Rome was the dominant world power at that point. Judea at that time was ruled by Roman procurators, most of whom knew little or nothing about the Jewish religion, which resulted in continuous provocations to the Jewish people, continuous irritations to them concerning religious issues. A group within the city of Jerusalem, within that area of Judea, called Zealots, were very active at that time, very patriotic about the Jewish heritage and about the promised land, et cetera. They wanted the Romans out, and they convinced the general population there to rise up against Rome and rebel. There were three stages then to the Roman response and the conquest of Judea and Jerusalem in the 1st century AD. Stages one and two resulted in the Jews surviving and even winning marginal victories. That led to the Jews having a sense of being unconquerable by the Romans, a false sense of being unconquerable. But they weren't. Shortly before Passover in April of the year 70, a powerful Roman general named Titus arrived at Jerusalem with legions, to finally put an end to the Jewish revolt and crush the insurrection. Titus encircled the city to prevent help from reaching the Jews and began this final stage, the very thing Jesus was talking about. During this time, those who attempted to flee were either prevented from doing so, killed by the Jewish Zealous factions within the city, or captured by the Romans, tortured and crucified outside the city as a warning to those still inside the city. The Romans built an embankment, or rampart, around the city just as Jesus had foretold they would do. Titus' soldiers breached the third outer wall of Jerusalem on May 25th of the year 70 and captured the newer portions of the city of Jerusalem. By June, the siege had progressed into the second walled area and the Jewish people retreated behind that last wall that protected the city. The Fortress of Antonia was taken by Titus on July 22nd, followed by the Romans setting fires to the gates of the temple, against the desires of Titus, their commanding general. During the attack, a soldier threw a firebrand through a window into one of the Temple's side chambers, followed by a second firebrand being thrown into the holy place, which set the whole sanctuary ablaze. All Jewish resistance in the city was quelled by September 26th in the year 70. According to Josephus, 1.1 million Jews were killed during that campaign, a staggering number. 97,000 Jews were taken into captivity by the Romans. Over the next three years, the temple stones were dismantled entirely. Every stone involved in the Temple was leveled to the ground, which Josephus describes, saying, "It was so thoroughly laid even to the ground by those that dug it up to the foundation that there was nothing left to make those that came later believe there had ever been a building there." That's complete fulfillment of Jesus's prophecy. Caesar eventually gave orders to level everything else, with the exception of what we can still see today. Part of one of the external walls, not directly connected with the Temple but near it, was left to demonstrate what kind of city the Romans had defeated and as a display of Roman power. That is the famous Wailing Wall that Jews from all over the world go pray in front of, and many of them, I believe, are praying for a rebuilding of the temple. Given those horrors that were coming, Jesus gave his people living in Judea a prophetic warning: when you see the indications, run for your lives. Mark 13 is Jesus's warning for them to flee when they see the city surrounded by soldiers. There is no record at all in church history or by Josephus of Christians in Judea and what happened with them. We have no record. However, we have to imagine that many of the church did in fact heed Jesus's warning and ran for their lives. When the time was right, they fled from Jerusalem. Now, that would have been the exact opposite of what many of the Jews would have been doing when they heard that the Roman legions were marching in. They're going to run to the fortress for the preservation of their lives. That makes perfect sense. The Christians are running the opposite direction. And as I said, the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70, was just a dress rehearsal for the final desolations, the end of the world, because of their ongoing rejection of Jesus as the Christ, the spiritual desolation of Israel has continued in every generation since. Every generation there's been a small remnant within that generation of Jewish people who believe in Jesus. The are called Messianic Jews or Completed Jews, et cetera. In every generation, there's been some, as predicted in Romans 11. But the general population of Jewish people have not received Jesus as Lord and Savior, and so the desolation continues. The rebuilding of the Temple would be a consummation of that desolation. It's a direct affront to God and to Jesus, saying, "You're not the Messiah, your death means nothing. We want to reestablish the old covenant, animal sacrifices." They yearn to obey the law of Moses. They are able, I believe, by reading the 70 weeks prophecy and other predictions in the Book of Daniel and other places, to rebuild the Temple. They're able to get what they want. How that would be, with the Dome of the Rock and all that is hard to see. But it seems like the Antichrist, the ruler of the people who is to come, in Daniel 9:26, will, in Daniel 9:27, "Confirm a covenant with many for one seven," a seven-year period. In the middle of the seven, three and a half years in, he'll put an end to sacrifice and offering. That implies sacrifice and offerings going on for the first half of that last seven-year period. "And on a wing of the temple, he will set up an abomination that causes desolation until the end that is decreed is poured out on him." Those are the predictions that we look through, et cetera. II. The Danger That Causes the Flight Let's talk about the danger that causes the flight. The basic concept is Christ's people must run because we can't handle the temptation of that moment. Consistently in the Lord's Prayer, we pray, "Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one." You're to avoid temptation. You're not to show how powerful and strong you are by stepping right into the fire of temptation and resisting it. No. Run, get out of there. A very clear example in parallel of this is found the night that Jesus was arrested. In John 17, Jesus prays to the Father concerning the Elect. He said, "I have not lost any of all that you have given me." He prays specifically that. As you read that in John 17, you know He's not lost them spiritually. They still believe in Him, they still are trusting in Jesus. He's not lost any of them, and He won't. But then in John 18, as the detachment of 600 soldiers comes and they're there to arrest Jesus, Jesus goes out and confronts them and asks them who they've come to arrest. He takes the initiative. "Who are you looking for?" "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus says, "I am." And at that moment they draw back and fall to the ground. That's His name, He's God. And He says, "I am," and they fall on the ground. Again, Jesus asked them a second time, "Who are you looking for?" They pick themselves up off the ground and answer like robots: "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said, "I've told you that I am. If you're looking for me, then let these men go," speaking about His apostles. Then John comments, John 18: 9, "This happened so that the words that Jesus had spoken would be fulfilled. 'I have not lost any of all that you have given me.'" Do you realize the significance of that? If they were arrested physically, they would have been lost spiritually. They weren't ready to be tortured, they weren't ready to die, they weren't ready to be crucified, they weren't ready. And they would've been lost. So Jesus makes a way of escape for them to get out. They all ran away at that moment, all of them, including Peter. Jesus knows that there are some trials so great our faith can't handle it. "You're to avoid temptation. You're not to show how powerful and strong you are by stepping right into the fire of temptation and resisting it. No. Run, get out of there." Peter, in his arrogance that night, did a U-turn and followed at a distance. You saw what happened to him. Within a short amount of time, Satan had maneuvered it so that Peter denied ever even having heard of Jesus. That's hours later. Don't think you're so mighty, so strong in your faith as so you can handle anything. Jesus says to His people, "Run for your lives. Run for your souls. Get out of there." How much greater will the trial be when Antichrist is ruling the world through the direct power of Satan, and the secret police and the ones chasing are directly demonically instructed? Where are you going to hide? It's a time of utter carnage, of martyrdom like has never been seen before. That's what it's going to be like. The beast of Revelation 13:1, it says, "The dragon stood on the shore of the sea and I saw a beast coming up out of the sea.” Revelation 13:2, "The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.” We've seen in multiple places, the beast, the Antichrist, is able to do great signs and wonders. "To deceive," Jesus says, "the elect, even the elect, if that were possible." The Antichrist will rule the earth and conquer the saints physically. It says in Revelation 13: 5-8, "The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for 42 months." That's three and a half years. "He opened his mouth to blaspheme God and to slander His name and His dwelling place and those who live in heaven. He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them." That's exactly what's taught in Daniel 7 as well. What does that mean? There's going to be dead Christians, lots of believers, saints, slaughtered by the beast. He was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. That's the one world government ruling every nation on earth, one guy. All the inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast. That's the consummation of wicked government, and it's the consummation of wicked religion focused on this one person. All the inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast. All whose names have not been written in the Book of Life, belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world; so the non-elect. Basically then, one world government and one world religion at that point, far too powerful for any person to resist. The Antichrist's specific enemies at that point are Jews and Christians. This deception leads to the final destruction, and so we must run. Revelation 14: 9-12 says, "A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice, 'If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he too will drink the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He'll be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the lamb, and the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.'" Revelation 14:12, "This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commands and remain faithful to Jesus.” In other words, that's a call to patiently endure that temptation. The temptation is to receive the mark of the beast and worship him as God for the preservation of your life. Therefore Jesus says in verse 13, "He who stands firm to the end will be saved." III. The Desperation That Characteristics the Flight That's the danger, the desperation that characterized the flight. We'll look at the verses, verses 14-19, "Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it would be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers. Pray that this will not take place in the winter because those will be days of distress unequal from the beginning when God created the world until now and never to be equaled again." There's a sense of immense urgency in these verses -- do you get it? -- as you read it, there's a breathless pace here. No earthly possession's worth your soul. You won't have time -- you think about the flat roofs back then -- you wouldn't have time to go down from that flat roof, down into the first floor of the house to get anything out. There's not time for that. Someone working out in the field doesn't have time to go back and get a garment, a cloak. There's not time for that. And it's dreadful, says Jesus, for those who can't run fast, pregnant women or nursing mothers. It's all about running for your lives with murderous enemies nipping at your heels. Pray for an easement of circumstances. Pray that it won't take place in the winter when it's harder to run, or in the Sabbath, Matthew adds, because it would be harder to travel at that point. Anything that would slow down the flight would be a detriment. He says, unequal distress. Those would be days of distress, unequal from the beginning when God created the world until now, never to be equaled again. KJV, ESV, NSB all use the words “great tribulation.” That's where you get the expression "the great tribulation"; it comes right from that verse. IV. The Destination of the Flight The destination of the flight, verse 14, "Then those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." The mountains, perhaps caves, crags, hiding places. Luke 23:30, "Then they will say to the mountains, 'Fall on us into the hills. Cover us.'" Looking for a hiding place from the forces of Antichrist, the forces of the desolator that sets up the abomination of desolation. Whether the Romans in 87 AD or Antichrist at the end of the world, looking for mountain hiding places in Judea. You think about Masada, it was a mountainous area. The Jews held out for a number of years after the fall of Jerusalem, probably another two or three years. It's very hard to get to, and so a place where you can hide. The purpose at that point, at the end of the world, is to wait for the Lord's coming and to count the days. V. The Duration of the Flight What's the duration of the flight? “If those days”, verse 20, “had not been…”, “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.” It's a terrible time. You have to read the whole of the Scripture to understand how terrible it is. You have to read the Book of Revelation. You have to read the trumpet judgments in Revelation which has ecological disasters unlike anything that had ever been seen before. The trumpet judgments and then the bowl judgments. It's going to be hard to live on planet Earth. A third of the drinking water, polluted. A third of the seas, polluted. A third of the living creatures, dead. Trees burned, grass burned. It's an ecological horror show which leads, I think, to the one world government. That's the cause of it, I believe. It's so bad, and the slaughter focused on believers in Jesus is so bad, and the martyrdom, the machine of martyrdom is so great, Jesus has to ask, “Will there be faith on Earth when He returns?” There have to be some believers left when He comes back. So the days are counted out, and He says, short. And if they continued on even a few more days or weeks, no one would be left. That's what I think brings, for me, the full understanding of the mystery in Revelation 11 and 12. From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. Because Revelation 12 is talking about the general resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked, as it says in verse 2 and 3, "Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake," [that’s the Second Coming]. "Some to everlasting life. Others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens and those who lead many to righteousness light their stars forever and ever." It's the end of the world. Then the counting of the days, 1,290 days and 1,335 days, goes ahead. It's not talking about Antiochus. It's not talking even about the Romans. It's talking about a general resurrection to heaven or hell and the end of the world in Daniel 12. At that time of the Antichrist, when God's people are hiding in caves, trying to survive, demonically instructed and led Gestapo-type folks are searching them out to martyr them. In the midst of that, when they're counting the days, Jesus returns for His bride. He returns to rescue her and protect her, so that there will be faith on earth when He returns. Who are the Elect Jesus had in mind, "For the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened"? Elect are people chosen from Jews and Gentiles to believe in Him. I believe this is the consummation of the whole story of the Jewish nation. It's the consummation of their salvation. It's been a long journey, a long journey between Jesus and the sons and daughters of Abraham, the biological descendants. That consummation, I believe, is revealed in a mystery in Romans 11: 25-27, "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brother, so that you may not be conceited. Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved. As it is written, the deliverer will come from Zion. He will turn godlessness away from Jacob." Those are incredibly important words. He's going to drive godlessness, atheism, unbelief from the Jewish nation. What's there instead? Faith in Christ, just in time. Again, Zechariah 12:10, "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, a spirit of grace and supplication. And they will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves her first-born son.” This is directly quoted by the apostle John in the account of Jesus. "In his death, they will look on him whom they have pierced." But they haven't looked yet, have they? Not by faith. At the end, in Revelation 12:10, God is going to pour out a spirit of grace on them and they will look finally to Jesus and trust. Those are the people Jesus is coming back to rescue, among others. VI. The Destiny Beyond the Flight What is the destiny beyond the flight? Verses 24-27, "But in those days following that distress, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from the sky and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time, men will see the Son of man coming in the clouds with power and great glory, 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.” More next week, that's the Second Coming. VII. Application This morning as I was thinking about application, I wrote out some, and at the top I wrote two words. "So what?" So what? Run for your life. The overwhelming majority, if not every single person sitting here, will probably not have to run for your life, unless you're planning a move to Judea. If you're going to go live in Judea, then you might want to pay more special attention to this injunction and run for your lives. But it would have to be at the time when the abomination of desolation is set up. So how do we take this to heart? First of all, salvation is a fleeing. Salvation itself is a fleeing, but the fleeing of far greater terror than anything Satan or the Antichrist could ever orchestrate. John the Baptist said to his enemies, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" What's the wrath to come? It's Almighty God, the omnipotent God, pouring out His wrath on His enemies. Where are you going to hide from God? It's one thing to try to hide from Satan and from demonically instructed agents. How do you hide from an omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient God? There is a refuge, and that refuge is Jesus Christ. The cross of Christ is the refuge. That's where you flee, but you got to do it now. You got to do it today. Today is the day of salvation. Now's the time to flee the wrath to come. When it comes, it will be too late. Therefore, look again to the cross of Christ. Understand what was really going on there. Look with eyes of faith and say, "The reason Jesus died on the cross is to forgive a sinner like me." Repent of your sins, trust in Him and you'll find forgiveness. He will be your refuge. As the Book of Proverbs says, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous run and are kept safe." Run to Christ, flee to Him while there's time. "Salvation itself is a fleeing, but the fleeing of far greater terror than anything Satan or the Antichrist could ever orchestrate. …" What's the wrath to come? It's Almighty God, the omnipotent God, pouring out His wrath on His enemies." Second of all, understand where world history is going. We're going to an orchestrated, planned out, scripted destination. Enough information has been given in the books of the Bible. So understand, we're going somewhere. Understand, Revelation 13 says, "The beast from the sea will rule the whole earth." So even if you don't live in Judea, the same force that's hunting our brothers and sisters down in that geographical region will be ruling the whole world., and he will hate your faith as much as he hates theirs. The mark of the beast is worldwide, not just for Judea or those living in Jerusalem, and no elect person will ever receive it. Why not? Because we know what it is, and we know not to do it. The essence of it is that we will not bow our knee to a creature and worship that creature as God. We're not going to worship and serve the Antichrist as God, which will make us his enemies. Know where all this is heading. His government is going to rule the whole earth. It says in Revelation 3:10, "I will keep you from the hour of testing that's going to come on the whole Earth." It's not just Judea, it's coming all over the whole world. So understand, just understand where that's going. Third of all, you could say, "Why should I care what happens to those living in Judea and Jerusalem?" Because you're part of the body of Christ, and it says in 1 Corinthians 12:26, "If one part of the body suffers, the whole body suffers with it.” We should care what happens to people who are being persecuted in other parts, even today, even now. The spirit of the Antichrist is at work now, whether the Antichrist is on Earth now. We are a unity, we as the body of Christ, we should care what happens to those that are being persecuted. Though it may not be that it will happen in your lifetime, it may well happen in your children's lifetime. It may well happen in your grandchildren's lifetime or your great-grandchildren's lifetime. Someone will be alive who needs to know this information in order to save their lives and their souls. Paul says, concerning these eschatological details in 2 Thessalonians 2,"Don't you remember that when I was with you, I kept telling you these things?" Paul thought this was important enough to teach as part of his body of doctrine and part of body of teaching that he taught to the Thessalonians. I think it's important for you all as well. It is complicated, immerse yourself in it. Flee to Christ. I could do other things right now and say, "Flee temptations," and all that. That would be a good preaching point, but it doesn't line up with the eschatology we're talking about today. But if you want to take that, good. Flee sin this week, that's a good idea. But foundationally to eschatology, learn these facts. Teach them to your kids and grandkids. Let's be ready. Close with me in prayer. Father, we thank you for the depths of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God as revealed in scripture. It is not easy to follow these things, not easy to understand. Father, I pray that you would please press to our hearts the truth that we've heard today. And even if it doesn't directly apply to us so that we ourselves have to run for our lives physically in fulfillment of these words, help us to understand these words so that they have the right shaping effect on our theology, our understanding of history, our understanding of government, of Satan, of brothers and sisters in Christ, of the Jewish nation, of all of these themes that we've addressed. Thank you for Christ. Thank you that Jesus died to take the wrath of God so that we would not have to. It's in His name we pray. Amen.
Listen to We Are Just Christians Radio Program – Savona church in Port St Lucie
God abandoned the Jewish people because of their sins, resulting in their desolation. He does this to show that He is holy and dwells in a high and holy place. - SERMON TRANSCRIPT - This morning as I was thinking about preaching this text, I decided to write a quick two-page startup guide to today's sermon. Have you ever had a complex piece of equipment and you get a sheet of paper that gives you that quick startup guide? I thought it might be helpful for today's sermon. This is my version of the quick startup guide. I hope it's helpful. One of the things that I marvel at of the Word of God is the division of the Word of God into two categories, milk and meat. I marvel at the simplicity of the Word of God, and I marvel at the complexity of the Word of God. The essential doctrines of the Bible are so simple, a child can understand them and receive forgiveness of sins in a right relationship with God by understanding the milk, but there's more in the Bible than just milk. There is also meat or complexity. My approach to pulpit ministry is to sequentially go through books of the Bible and take whatever's there. As we come this morning to Mark 13:14 and the phrase, “abomination of desolation," we come to what I consider to be a very deep and complex topic. I love preaching to you. I love preaching in this church because you love the Word of God and are willing to follow where it leads. I don't ever get any pushback on asking much of my hearers. This morning I'm going to ask much of you, so I am leading you into a quick startup guide. The first thing I want to say to you is, as we resume our study in the Gospel of Mark, I'd like to ask you to turn to the Gospel of Matthew. I know what I'm doing, I understand that we're in Mark. The problem is a lot of the details that I want to get, as I explain the abomination of desolation, come from Matthew. Instead of having you flip back and forth, the passages are essentially the same, but there's some phrases and there's some lead-up that is only found in Matthew. So I'm going to ask you, as you return to the Gospel of Mark, to turn to the Gospel of Matthew. Our focus this morning is on one phrase, “the abomination of desolation.” The context of this complex phrase, “abomination of desolation,” is Jesus' prediction of the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem. He said, "Not one stone will be left on another," and what followed, the private inquiry on the part of Jesus' disciples to ask Him about that and then Jesus' complex answer recorded for us in Matthew 24 and 25 and in Mark 13 on the Mount of Olives, sometimes called the Olivet Discourse because it was on the Mount of Olives. It falls into the theological category of eschatology or the study of end-time things. I believe that Jesus traces out the events between his First and Second Coming in some very helpful detail, and it's good for us to walk through that. It's a prophetic roadmap of what was still to come when Jesus was alive, and I believe very important for me to say to you now, what is still to come for us as well. Not everyone believes that, but I do. In Mark 13:5-13 and in Matthew 24:4-14, we have some general description of the two millennia between the First and Second Coming, and the centerpiece is the spread of the gospel to all nations. The gospel will be preached in the whole world as a testimony of all nations and then the end will come, so — the work of the gospel between the First and Second Coming of Christ, attended by great suffering on the part of the messengers, persecution, difficulty, being arrested and brought before tribunals, et cetera. That is something that we've already seen. We get specifically then in Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14, the focus on the destruction of the Temple and then signs that are unique to just that generation. Whereas, the overview that He gives in Mark 13:4-13 and also Matthew 24:4-14 is true of every generation there have been since Jesus ascended to heaven until now. As we venture now into the “abomination of desolation," we're speaking about events that are particular to a specific group of people who are going to experience some things that not everybody experiences. That's what we're trying to understand, the destruction of the temple and the phrase, “abomination of desolation”. That phrase comes from the prophet, Daniel, as Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew, though He doesn't say it in Mark. Simply put, if you are living in Judea and Jerusalem at that point when the “abomination of desolation” is established, set up, et cetera, if we could put it simply— run for your lives. That's where we're going next week, God willing. I'm not going to get into “run for your lives.” Today, I'm effectively preaching on a phrase and a half sentence. "When you see the “abomination of desolation” spoken of by the prophet, Daniel, “let the reader understand” ... What? The answer is: run for your lives. The topic is essentially a sober one and a sad one. It's very, very difficult. As I give you this quick startup guide, we have to look at the phrase itself, “abomination of desolation.” I want you to understand that the essence of the desolation is a broken relationship with almighty God, an emptiness that comes from not having a right relationship with God and God's decision to withdraw Himself from His people, from Israel because of their sins. That's the essence of the desolation, but it's more complex than that. "The essence of the desolation is a broken relationship with almighty God, an emptiness that comes from not having a right relationship with God and God's decision to withdraw Himself from His people, from Israel because of their sins." It has earthly ramifications in the destruction of the Temple, the destruction of the city of Jerusalem by invading Gentile armies as a direct act of judgment from almighty God for their sins. It's a very sobering topic. The point of connection to us, though we are not Jews, though we don't live in Judea, in Jerusalem, the “abomination of desolation” is not on Earth right now. The point of connection to us is twofold. First of all, we need to understand, big picture, what God is doing in the universe, what God is doing with you. What is His whole purpose for creating everything? His whole purpose is a love relationship with you, with us, with His people. He wants an intimate love relationship with us. When we instead turn to idolatry, when we turn to wickedness, He withdraws. There's a desolation that comes from that, and you can be experiencing that desolation right now, that emptiness right now, though it doesn't specifically relate to the historical events of the “abomination of desolation.” It is something we experience whenever we sin, and God withdraws. It is also the terror of hell. The worst part of hell is that God is not there in any way to bless the people that are there. It's a place of utter darkness. It's a tragedy that we're talking about here, a desolation of the Jews and of Jerusalem. It's also part of that long and complex story of God's relationship with the Jewish people, the physical descendants of Abraham, a very complex story and heartbreaking for God. This is why Jesus wept over Jerusalem, because of these things that were going to happen. Though for us, we're somewhat removed from it. We should care about it because we should care about all people. We should care about the Jews. We should care about the story of God and the Jews, and we should realize, I believe, there's still more to come. That's vital, the phrase, “abomination of desolation.” I've talked briefly about desolation. I'm going to do the intro of the sermon on the topic of desolation in a moment. Abomination has to do fundamentally with idolatry and desecration. It has to do with wickedness in the place where there should be holiness. It's talking about a literal place of worship, a temple, a tabernacle and then a temple, a literal place that is then desecrated or defiled through idolatry and blasphemy and wickedness. That's what the phrase means, “abomination of desolation.” It comes from Daniel. So if we're going to do Daniel, I have to go over to Daniel and walk through it. Daniel is a very complex book. It's one of the most complex books in the Bible, and we have to roll up our sleeves to do that. Jesus urges us to work hard at this. He urges us right in the text when He says, "Let the reader understand." It's an odd aside. Jesus doesn't usually say that kind of thing. "When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet, Daniel, let the reader understand." What He's saying is this isn't going to be easy. This isn't low-hanging fruit. You have to work at this to understand it. You have to work at Daniel. You have to work at the words to understand what this is about, but you need to know. What I'm going to argue is the “abomination of desolation” is not a one-off. I believe it's a regular pattern in God's relationship with the Jewish people. Again and again and again and again this has happened. I will argue in this sermon that it happens in five phases. This is where I risk many of you glazing over as we walk through those five phases. I'm asking you not to do that. But there are five different phases of the “abomination of desolation,” the dynamic of God withdrawing His active presence from a holy place, the Gentiles pouring in like a flood to destroy it. All of that is a judgment by God, so I believe that we need to pay attention. I also believe because I think the fifth and final phase hasn't happened yet, it's yet to come. Therefore, it will be relevant, if not for you, it'll be relevant for your kids and, if not for them, for your grandkids and, if not for them, for your great-grandkids, so you should care about this. We need to understand it. There's the startup guide. On July 21, 1969, Buzz Aldrin became the second human being to walk on the moon just moments after Neil Armstrong became the first. Aldrin stepped off the ladder of the lunar module and began walking around on that lunar landscape, feeling the somewhat weightlessness of the one-sixth gravitational pull and looking out at that eerie, strange lunar landscape. As he did, he uttered a famous phrase. He called it “magnificent desolation,” magnificent desolation. From a biblical point of view, those two are essentially a contradiction. There's an essential contradiction or irony to them. To God, there is nothing magnificent about emptiness. There's nothing magnificent about desolation. God created the universe, and it's amazing that the most common attribute of the physical universe that God made is its apparent emptiness. The lunar landscape was indeed desolate. It was desolate of life, of trees, of water, animals, birds, other human beings. It was crater-marked with centuries of asteroid assaults. It was empty, empty, empty. But still, it was there. You could walk on it, reach down and scoop up the lunar dust. The real desolation was outer space itself. C.S. Lewis talked about this in his classic, The Problem of Pain. This is what he wrote, "Not many years ago when I was an atheist, if anyone had asked me, 'Why do you not believe in God?' my reply would have run something like this. Look at the universe we live in. By far, the greatest part of it consists of empty space, completely dark and unimaginably cold. The bodies which move in this space are so few and so small in comparison with the space itself that even if every one of them were known to be crowded as full as it could hold with perfectly happy creatures, it would still be difficult to believe that life and happiness were more than a byproduct to the power that made the universe. Why would I be an atheist, I look at outer space and it's mostly empty, cold and empty.” Truly, the desolation of the universe is absolutely terrifying. The nearest star is 4.3 light years away from us. Between the solar system and that star is literally nothing." So for CS Lewis, the desolation of the universe made it difficult to believe in a God of love and light. I believe the irony of that phrase, “magnificent desolation,” biblically would be similar to a phrase like this, “beautiful darkness." Beautiful darkness. Biblically, there's nothing beautiful about darkness. God created the light and reveals Himself in light as it says in 1 John 1:5, "God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all." I would say, in a similar sense, God is fullness and in Him there's no emptiness or desolation at all. God did not create the universe to be empty or desolate. In Isaiah 45:18, it says, "For this is what the Lord says, He who created the heavens, He is God, He who fashioned and made the Earth. He founded it. He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited. He says, 'I am the Lord, and there is no other.'" The Bible reveals the omnipresence and immensity of God, the omnipresence, the immensity of God. In Jeremiah 23, He says, "'Am I only a God nearby?' declares the Lord, 'and not a God far away? Can anyone hide in secret places so I cannot see Him?' declares the Lord. 'Do I not fill heaven and Earth?' declares the Lord.” God, therefore, is a full being who overflows His fullness to us as creatures so that we would drink of His fullness in a love relationship. He wants to fill every portion of the universe with His glory. He wants to fill every portion of your life with His glory. Most especially, God created sentient beings, angels and humans, to have an intimate love relationship with Him that we would know Him as He really is and see His glory and love Him with all of our hearts. But tragically, humanity has sinned and God is relationally distant from us. As the Bible says, "The wicked He knows from afar.” Yet, God has worked in redemptive history to draw near to us. The history of redemption is God coming back in to be close to sinners. He chose out a nation, the Jewish people, Abraham's descendants, to reveal that desire that God has to draw near and to have an intimate love relationship with sinful people to display this closeness. Central to that relationship with Israel was His establishment of a holy place, holy ground, so to speak. That idea began in Exodus 3 where Moses saw the burning bush and God said to him, "Take off your sandals for the place where you're standing is holy ground." Friends, what does that mean, “holy ground"? Especially when we consider what I've already said, the omnipresence of God, God fills heaven and Earth, what then is holy ground? I believe it is a location, a place where God chooses especially to reveal Himself relationally in His glory for the purpose of our relationship with Him. It's a place chosen, like the burning bush, where God shines in some unique way and attracts us into a relationship with Him. Jonathan Edwards put it this way, "God, considered with respect to His essence, is everywhere. He fills both heaven and Earth. But yet, He is said, in some respects, to be more especially in some places than in others. He was said of old to dwell in the land of Israel above all other lands and in Jerusalem above all other cities of that land and in the temple above all other buildings in that city and in the Holy of Holies above all other apartments in the temple and on the mercy seat over the Ark of the Covenant, above all other places in the Holy of Holies.” God specifically chose to reveal His unique presence with His people by a glory cloud that descended into the tabernacle where the Ark of the Covenant was to be housed. The glory cloud showed that that place had become holy ground, a sacred space, and that glory cloud revealed it. Later, the same thing happened when Solomon built his temple, and he said, "Even the highest heavens can't contain you. How much less this temple I've built?” Yet, despite all of that, God chose in His kindness and His goodness to appear in a cloud of glory and fill the Temple, as though God was there in some special way. But sadly, tragically, because of the sinfulness of the Jewish people, God withdrew His presence from them as was seen by Ezekiel the prophet when the glory cloud left or departed from the Temple. When God moved out, He left those places desolate. He left those places relationally empty. That's the nature of the desolation. That desolation symbolizes God's departing from His people, leaving us desolate, leaving us empty, apart from God. This sermon seeks to understand that desolation and how it relates to the destruction of Jerusalem and, indeed, to our salvation. The passage looks back at the prediction of Christ concerning the destruction of the temple, "Not one stone will be left on another." Why it happened, it wasn't an accident. It's something that God actually did in space and time. But also, I believe it looks ahead to a reenactment of it right before the Second Coming of Christ in this passage most clearly taught in 2 Thessalonians 2. That's why I believe there's not four phases of the abomination of desolation, but one yet to come. It hasn't happened yet. Look at the text again from Matthew 24. I could do it from Mark. They're almost identical except for some phrases. Matthew 24:15-22, "So when you see standing in the holy place the abomination that causes desolation spoken of through the prophet, Daniel, let the reader understand, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one in the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. How dreadful it would be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers. Pray that your flight will not take place in the winter on the Sabbath for then there will be great distress unequal from the beginning of the world until now and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened.” I. Key Eschatological Principle: “As it was …so it will be.” We're going to zero in and try to understand from the Book of Daniel the phrase, “abomination of desolation.” A key eschatological principle I'm giving, I'm going to give you two principles. Principle number one in Matthew 24:37, "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man." To keep it simple, “as it was, so it will be.” That's recurring themes, things that happen and then happen again and happen again to teach some prophetic truth. “As it was, so it will be.” The second is Jesus' statement in Matthew 24:25, "Behold I have told you ahead of time.” God wants His people who read the Bible to know ahead of time what's going to happen. That's why I consider 2 Thessalonians 2 and also these passages to be important reading for Christians because I believe many of the terrifying events haven't happened yet. The protection that we're going to have, that we'll not be deceived by the Antichrist and his miracles and all of that drawn in, Jesus says very plainly is because He's told us ahead of time. We know what's coming. Forewarned is forearmed. Those are the basic eschatological principles. These things happen again and again. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will been the coming of the Son of Man. The things that happen right before the flood will be pictures of what will happen right before the Second Coming. We get these acted out— “types.” They're called “types”, prophetic actions in history. Things are acted out, like Abraham's near sacrifice of his son, Isaac, is a picture of the giving of Jesus Christ on the cross for our sins. So also the blood of the Passover lamb painted on the houses of the Jewish people, a picture of Christ's sacrifice for us. So also the Exodus itself, a rescue of the people from slavery and bondage, a picture of our deliverance from slavery to sin. These are the kinds of things that are acted out. God acts out history. He acts out prophecies in history. So also it is with the Temple and its desolation. As it was, so it will be. In Jesus' time, Daniel's prophecy had already, to some degree, come true in the Greek era between the time of Daniel and the time of Jesus. It had already come true. But Jesus said, "Yeah, but there's one more to come and then another beyond that." So there is the one with the Romans, and yet beyond it. He's already operating from that same principle— As it was, so it will be. The words of Daniel have yet more fulfillment yet to come, Jesus is saying, in His time. I'm saying that it's still to come, yet still. II. What is the “Abomination of Desolation”? Let's zero in on this phrase, “abomination of desolation.” If you're in Matthew, look back at Matthew 23 and you look at 37-39 after Jesus has given His sevenfold woe against the scribes and Pharisees who represent the Jewish nation, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites," because of their rejection of Him and their hatred of Him and their plotting to kill Him and they will kill Him. Because of all that, He has turned away from the Jewish nation. Because they have rejected Him, He is rejecting them. He says very tragically in verses 37-39, Matthew 23, "Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Behold, your house is left to you desolate." That's an important word, isn't it? Look, “behold,” your house is desolate now. What do you mean? “The reason I say that is you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.’ Then Jesus left the temple.” The essence of the desolation is Jesus leaving physically, walking out of the Temple. Why is that significant? Remember in Ezekiel, the glory cloud, which symbolized the presence of God, left from the Temple. Jesus is the radiance of God's glory in the exact representation of His being. Jesus is a greater display of the glory of God than any cloud ever was. Because they have rejected Him, He is walking out, and He's not coming back. That means that that space is not sacred space anymore, it’s just a pile of stones. At that moment, the disciples came up and said, "Look, Teacher, what massive stones. What magnificent buildings." Right at that moment, Jesus said, "Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth. Not one stone here will be left on another. Every one will be thrown down." Not an accident. It's a judgment of God on the Jewish nation for their rebellion against Him, their hatred of His messengers, the prophets, and especially their hatred of the Son who was sent to them. The judgment is coming. As He's privately on the Mount of Olives, the disciples come to Him, Peter, John, James, and Andrew in particular come and ask Him, "When will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" The threefold question is in Matthew, not in Mark. Those three questions woven together in Matthew 24 and 25, also Mark 13, constitute His answer. Three topics, when will these things happen, the destruction of the temple, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? In their mind, they conflated all of them as though they're all at the same time, but we know now that they're not. The destruction of the Temple happened at least roughly two millennia before the Second Coming, which hasn't happened yet. The signs of the Coming which we're going to cover, God willing, in the next number of sermons in Mark 13, we'll talk about in detail. Those are yet to come in His discourse. We're zeroing in now in this phrase, “abomination of desolation.” A parallel in Luke helps us to understand. This is in Luke 21. Listen to these words very carefully. "When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near." Do you see the link in Jesus' mind between Gentile armies invading and the desolation? That's how He thinks, Gentile armies invading and desolation. When you see, you know that Jerusalem's desolation is near. "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. For this is the time of punishment and fulfillment of all that has been written. 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 that will fall by the sword and be taken as prisoners to all nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles," listen, "until the times of the Gentiles has been fulfilled." That is essential reading for us to understand the “abomination of desolation.” Jerusalem is going to be destroyed by surrounding Gentile armies. He's talking about the circumstances of the destruction of the Temple and, indeed, of the city of Jerusalem in the year AD 70, about a generation after Jesus. He calls it the “times of the Gentiles." The physical desolation of Jerusalem comes after Christ has left it spiritually desolate. It involves military conquest by the Gentiles, specifically by the Roman legions, the most powerful military nation in history. The “abomination of desolation”, Mark 13:14 and Matthew 24:15, is at least about the destruction of the city of Jerusalem by the Romans. But I also believe that it will be an issue right before His coming at the end of the world. Then He said, "Let the reader understand." By that, He means the reader of Daniel. So now we have to roll up our sleeves and go back to Daniel and try to understand it. "Let the reader of Daniel understand." Let me just tell you something about the Book of Daniel. Daniel himself didn't understand it, not fully. Daniel himself didn't understand it. You say, "Well, what hope do we have?" Here's what I believe about the mysteries of Daniel. It's on a need-to-know basis, the more you need to know, the more you'll understand Daniel. If we are alive when the final “abomination of desolation” comes, you're going to understand aspects of Daniel that this congregation right now will not understand no matter how well I preach today. It's on a need-to-know basis. But there are levels of complexity and timing that Daniel wanted to know, but he couldn't understand because it wasn't for him. So it's complex. Daniel would often ask for insight, and sometime it would be given him, but other times he was told to seal up the vision for a future generation. Daniel 12:4, "But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end." Close it up and seal it. In other words, Daniel, it's not for you. It's for the time of the end, for people who will live at the time of the end. There are portions of Daniel's prophecy that will only be fully intelligible to the generation that actually goes through it. Let's talk about where this phrase, “abomination of desolation," comes from. It actually is a repeated phrase in Daniel, it’s not just one time. The desolation comes again and again, this use of the word, “desolation.” Who is Daniel? Daniel was a Jewish prophet who lived in exile in Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had destroyed the city of Jerusalem, and had taken the Temple artifacts out and eventually destroyed the Temple. Daniel lived at that time, the time of Nebuchadnezzar and on down until the Medo-Persian empire, so roughly around the year 620 to 538 BC, somewhere in there. Anyway, that's what Wikipedia told me about when Daniel lived, I don't know. That’s about right, 600 to 500 BC. In Daniel chapter 8, it's the first time we have the phrase, “desolation.” In Daniel 8, Daniel sees a vision of Alexander the Great, a great king coming from the west from Greece, who will destroy the Persian empire, including the promised land. One of Alexander's successors will viciously persecute the Jewish nation, becoming extremely arrogant, making claims that reach up to heaven. Daniel is told that a huge number of his own people would be given over to this man because of their transgressions. This individual who makes arrogant boasts that reach up to heaven is a “type” or a picture of the Antichrist. He is not the Antichrist, but he's a type or picture of the mentality of Antichrist, an arrogant Gentile leader that blasphemes and makes claims that go beyond all proportion. This is predicted in Daniel 8. At one point in Daniel 8:13, he's asking for information. By the way, Alexander the Great's conquest happened about 200 years after Daniel died. So it was future for Daniel, but it's past for Jesus and for us. He's looking ahead to Alexander the Great about 200 years after Daniel would die. In Daniel 8:13, this is the first time that the word is used. "For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate and the giving over to the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot." That's the first time we have that desolation. There's the sanctuary, the animal sacrifices, and desolation connected with that. That's Daniel 8:13. In Daniel 9, he rolls up his sleeves and really talks about the desolation. He talks about it a lot. Daniel 9 is the first saturated chapter on the concept of desolation. What happens is the prophet, Daniel, reads from the scroll of Jeremiah that the judgment on Jerusalem will last 70 years. The clock was ticking, and the time was drawing near. Daniel figures out, he's an old man by this point, hey, the time is coming near for God to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple, so he prays toward Jerusalem three times a day for the rebuilding of Jerusalem and specifically rebuilding of the Temple. Why? Because the Temple is where animal sacrifice happened. That was the center of their religion, and they couldn't do it while there was no temple. He's praying and confessing the sins of his people, and he uses this phrase, “desolate.” He talks about the desolation of Jerusalem in verse 2. He talks about it again in Daniel 9:17-18, "For your own sake, Lord, make your face shine upon your sanctuary," that's the temple, "which is desolate. Oh, my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see the desolation and the city that is called by your name." He’s praying about a desolate sanctuary and a desolate city. The Lord dispatches an angel to tell Daniel with amazing clarity about the 70 weeks of Daniel. That's a timetable about the coming of the Messiah, the Anointed One, about His death and the desolation that would follow His death. He says that after the 69th week, Daniel 9:26, "An Anointed One," that's Christ, "shall be cut off and have nothing [killed] "and the people of the prince who is to come," so that the Gentile ruler, "the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.” There it is again. This Gentile ruler comes in to destroy the city and the sanctuary after the death of the Messiah. "Its end shall come with a flood and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed." Friends, this is exactly the prediction Jesus made. After the Messiah's cut off, the Temple is going to be destroyed by the ruler who is to come. That's the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 predicted in Daniel 9:26. But there's more to come, 9:27. It speaks of the final week, a seven-year period. The last stretch is seven years. The weeks are seven-year stretches that many believe refer to the final seven years of human history. Again, the concept of desolation figures prominently. Listen to Daniel 9:27, "And he" [the prince of the people that'll come, the wicked ruler] "shall make a strong covenant with many for one week. And for half of the week, he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering.” Sacrifice and offering's animal sacrifice. "And on a wing of abomination shall come one who makes desolate" [a person who makes desolate] "until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator." I told you this was meat and not milk. You're reading this and like, "What in the world is this even talking about? Daniel 9:26 talks about a Messiah who's cut off, killed, but then chapter 27 talks about animal sacrifice and desecrations. The concept is that a powerful and evil ruler will make a seven-year covenant concerning the sacrifices of the Temple and that in the middle of that period of seven years, he shall put an end to sacrifice offering in the Temple, and he shall, in some striking way, abominate or desecrate the Temple. But the end decreed by God shall be poured out on this evil person. Then in Daniel 11, the Lord reveals to Daniel the specific history of Israel under the dominion of Greek rulers that followed Alexander the Great. One of those Greek rulers who lived about a couple of centuries after Alexander, about the year 175 or so BC, was a man named Antiochus IV. He called himself Epiphanies, “the manifest one.” He thought he was a god. The Greeks were like this. Alexander thought he was a god. They had this kind of mentality. He thought of himself as a god, and he's there in Jerusalem. Daniel 11:31 predicts him. Again, this is centuries before it even happened. This is the amazing aspect of predictive prophecy. Daniel 11:31, "His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation." There's the phrase exactly in Daniel 11:31. Finally, in Daniel chapter 12, the concept is mentioned once again, but this time it seems to be in connection with the end of the world and the eternal state of glory that the saints will enjoy. In Daniel 12:1, it mentions a great tribulation greater than any that Israel had ever endured. It also predicts the rising up of Michael, the great prince, the archangel who protects Israel. The chapter goes on to unfold the deliverance of Israel, the resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked, some to everlasting glory and others to everlasting shame. At the end of the chapter, the angel asks about the timetable for all of this. Daniel 12:8-12, "I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, 'Oh my Lord, what will the outcome of these things be?' He said, 'Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.'" There it is again. "Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly and none of the wicked shall understand. But those who are wise shall understand. From the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days." There's not a person on Earth who can tell us with absolute certainty what those days mean. 1,290 days, what is that? 1,335 days, what is that? I already told you, it’s on a need-to-know basis, and you don't need to know or you would know. Daniel didn't need to know and didn't know. But they're odd. The numbers are odd ... More later in Mark 13. The most heretical thing your pastor believes is that I think actually the people who are alive at the time of the Second Coming will be counting down days until He comes. So though we do not know the day or hour, they will. That's my own thought. If you disagree, that's fine. Then you tell me what the 1,290 days and the 1,335 days signify. It's in there for a reason, friends. Nothing's in there for nothing, and no one has ever been able to understand because, I told you, it's on a need-to-know basis. If you need to know, woe to you, it’s going to be a hard time. Jesus said, "If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive." That's how bad that time is going to be. It's a terrifying thing that He's talking about. That's Daniel, summarizing, the abomination is some kind of idolatrous desecration by a Gentile ruler connected with Gentile military power. What is the abomination? It is an idol or an idolatry. What is the desolation? It is, first and foremost, spiritual emptiness that comes from God and then the physical destruction of the temple. That's what I believe Daniel teaches us. III. Dress Rehearsals: The Abomination of Desolation: Across History Let’s go through the dress rehearsals, and then we'll be done. This is something God has done again and again. Let me just bring you through them quickly. The first phase was in Shiloh. Do you remember in the days of the judges? In the days of the judges, God judged Israel for their wickedness and sin again and again. Because of their sins, He brought Gentile invaders. In 1 Samuel, the Gentile invaders are the Philistines, He brings the Philistines. Do you remember what happened? The Philistines won the first day's battle, so the Jews decided to bring the Ark of the Covenant from the tabernacle. They bring the Ark of the Covenant, and they say, "The Ark will deliver us." It was like it was a good luck charm. The Philistines were terrified. "Oh, no, those gods that destroyed the Egyptians are here. Well, what can we do? The best thing we can do is try. So be like men, Philistines, and let's find out if we can win." They did win and what did they do? The Philistines captured the Ark. Do you remember what Eli the priest did when he found out about it? He died. He fell over backward and died, broke his neck because he was terrified about this very thing. The Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Philistines. In his family, a pregnant woman gave birth and died in the birth, and they named the baby, Ichabod, “the glory has departed from Israel” because the Gentiles had captured the Ark of the Covenant. Remember what happened? They couldn't do much with the Ark. The Ark did a lot with them and gave them tumors and all kinds of things until they finally sent it back. It was like the Ark can take care of itself. But that was that. It was phase one. Phase two happened in the days of Jeremiah right before the Babylonian exile. In Jeremiah 7, the prophet was dispatched by God to go deal with, disabuse the Jews, of a basic concept and a theory. The concept was, because of Solomon's beautiful temple, there is no way that God would ever let this city be captured or destroyed. God will defend this temple. He will protect it. “We have the Temple of the Lord. We're never going to lose.” Jeremiah had the hardest ministry in the Old Testament. He had to go and say, "That whole thing is false. Do not say the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord. Go to Shiloh and see what God did to the Ark. You think He's not going to let the Ark get captured? You think He's not going to let the Temple get destroyed?" Needless to say, Jeremiah was not a very popular man, but he spoke the truth. God did, in fact, let the Babylonians swarm in and, as the psalmist said, "Cut it apart with hatchets and burn it and destroy it." There in Jeremiah 7, God said, "I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem, for the land will be desolate.” As a matter of fact, the very beginning of the Book of Lamentations, which Jeremiah wrote after all of it was done, he looked down in Lamentations 1:1 and said, "How desolate lies the city once so full of people." The emptiness was because of their wicked and their sins. That's second phase. Phase three is the Greeks in Jerusalem under the time of Antiochus IV, Epiphanies, the very thing predicted in Daniel 8, also Daniel 11. The Greek king came, Antiochus IV called Epiphanies, and he reigned from the year 175 to 164. The prediction we've already seen in Daniel 11:31, "His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation." The apocryphal book 1 Maccabees tells us what happened. Antiochus IV set up an altar to Zeus in the Holy of Holies and sacrificed a pig to Zeus there, open blasphemy and defilement of the Holy of Holies directly in God's face. He did it specifically to enrage the Jews and the God of the Jews. This is what I believe is the spirit of the Antichrist. Antiochus IV believed he was a god, and he wanted to take on the Jewish god ,and he did so with blasphemy and with an ending of the animal sacrifice. Phase four was the Romans under Titus and the days of Jerusalem, the very thing we're talking about. The Jewish zealots and revolutionaries had pushed the Roman occupiers so far. Titus said, "Enough is enough," and comes in with the legions. They defeat the zealots militarily. Though he didn't want the Temple destroyed, it was destroyed and not one stone was left on another. It was completely desecrated. When these pagans came in, they brought the effigies, the images of Caesar, and set them up in the Temple. So this is that desecration, that idolatry and the fulfillment of the abomination of desolation. IV. Final phase: The “Abomination of Desolation” and the AntiChrist Those are the four phases that are passed. Is there yet one more to come? I believe there is. Here I would urge you to look at 2 Thessalonians 2, and we'll finish with that. First of all, you need to understand the significance of Jesus' death on the cross. The moment that Jesus died, the curtain in the Temple is torn in two from top to bottom. Jesus said, "It is finished." What is finished? The old covenant is finished. Animal sacrifice is finished. A new and living way has been opened for us into the presence of God. What was restricted in the old covenant is now open to us by the blood of Jesus. The author of the Book of Hebrews makes it very plain that the old covenant is obsolete, and animal sacrifice as pleasing to the God is done forever. God will never again be pleased with the blood of bulls and goats, ever. It would be a direct affront to the blood of His Son, which was offered. "The moment that Jesus died, the curtain in the Temple is torn in two from top to bottom. Jesus said, "It is finished." What is finished? The old covenant is finished. Animal sacrifice is finished. A new and living way has been opened for us into the presence of God." The author of Hebrews tells us again and again, “once for all,” never to be offered again. It says in Hebrews 8:13, "By calling this covenant new, He's made the first one obsolete.” What is obsolete will soon disappear. When not one stone is left on another, the Temple itself destroyed. The problem is that when the curtain in theTemple was torn into from top to bottom, the priests that were there watching it, most of them didn't believe in Jesus. Certainly, they must have reported it back to the high priest, Caiaphas. He didn't believe in Jesus either. He had no explanation for the miraculous tearing of the curtain from top to bottom. But what do you think they did? They repaired it. They replaced it. So animal sacrifice went on for another generation after Jesus. What do you think God thought about that? That's an affront to His Son, and it's an affront to the new covenant. It's affront to everything He stood for. Yet, the Jews did it because they didn't believe that Jesus was the consummation of the animal sacrificial system. They didn't believe that His blood ended for all time animal sacrifice. So in come the Romans, and they destroy the Temple, putting a physical end to animal sacrifice. It can't be done. It hasn't been done for almost 2,000 years since then. Yet, from all over the world, Jews go to Jerusalem. They go to the Wailing Wall, and many of them pray for ... What do they pray for? A rebuilding of the Temple. For most of my Christian life, I had heard that the Temple was going to be rebuilt. Then when I read the Book of Hebrews and studied it, it's like, "That's awful." God doesn't want animal sacrifice ever again. When Jesus said, "It is finished," He meant it. When the curtain in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom, that was it. When the author says, "A new and living way has been open for us into the presence of God through the body and blood of Jesus," that's it. It's finished. Yet, we've got this tragic unbelief and blindness on the part of the Jewish nation and a desire to re-establish animal sacrifice. I came to realize just because it's an affront to God and an affront to the finished work of Christ, doesn't mean it won't happen. Didn't the curtain itself get repaired or replaced? Why not the whole Temple? Then you study 2 Thessalonians 2, and this kind of, in my opinion, cinches it. I don't really have a good interpretation of 2 Thessalonians 2 apart from one final act of the “abomination of desolation.” There's one left to come. Look what Paul says. By the way, the Thessalonians had some false teachers there that told them, unfortunately, they had missed the day of the Lord. How depressing is that? They missed the end of all things. I don't even know how you make that teaching, but I would find that depressing. Imagine if I got up next week, "By the way, we missed it. We missed it all, not just the rapture now. We missed the whole thing." This was strange false teaching and Paul came in to refute it. He writes very clearly in 1 Thessalonians 4 about the Rapture, and he writes very clearly in 2 Thessalonians 2, I would say, pumping the brakes on a sense of immediacy about the Second Coming. He said, "Don't let anyone deceive you." Look what he says in 2 Thessalonians 2, 3, and 4. "Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction." 2 Thessalonians 2:4 sounds exactly like Daniel 11:36 to me. Listen to what Paul writes about the man of sin, "He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or His worship so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” The end can't come until that happens, and it hasn't happened yet. I'm saying it still hasn't happened yet. How do I know? Look at verse 8, 2 Thessalonians 2:8, "This man of lawlessness who opposes and exalts himself over everything that is called God and sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God, Jesus is going to destroy with the breath of his mouth and the splendor of His coming.” I know that some reform scholars or others spiritualized this. They saw the Pope as Antichrist. They saw the spread of the true gospel as a fulfillment, it isn't. The Second Coming is something in physical space and time that we'll be able to see with our own eyes, and part of His agenda will be to destroy the beast from the sea, the Antichrist who, 1 John 2 tells us is coming, who sets himself up in God's temple. He's going to destroy Him with the breath of His mouth and the splendor of His coming. That hasn't happened yet. I don't think it's helpful to spiritualize it. I'm all in favor of sound doctrine. I'm all in favor of that doctrine spreading around the world. I believe that sound doctrine pushes back the spirit of Antichrist. I believe in all of that. I believe many antichrists have come, and we need to fight them in every generation by sound doctrine. But there is an Antichrist coming. John tells us that. “You have heard that Antichrist is coming. Even now, many antichrists have come. There is one that is yet to come,” and 2 Thessalonians 2-4 describes him and Daniel 11:36 describes him. "The king will do as he pleases." This is Daniel 11:36. "He will exalt and magnify himself above every God and will say unheard of things against the God of Gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place." One of the things he will do, according to verse 31 of Daniel 11, is to abolish daily sacrifice. The way I put all that together is the Jews will get what they wanted throughout every century, a reestablishment of the animal sacrificial system. We know from the Book of Hebrews what God thinks about that, but it doesn't mean it won't happen and that it will be enacted, it seems, by the prince of the people who will come. That is the Antichrist who will make a covenant with them. Halfway through that time, he will put an end to it and he will take its place and he'll set himself, and I think of it as air quotes. He'll set himself up in so-called God's temple declaring himself to be so-called God and that will be considered blasphemy. I think it is also essential to the Jews turning genuinely to Christ as they will do right before the Second Coming. But that's another story for another time. V. Application “Let the reader understand.” That's what all of that meant. “Let the reader understand.” What are we supposed to do with it? Jesus says, "Behold, I have told you ahead of time." What are we supposed to do with that information? First, let me go back to the point I started with. Understand the desolation that comes from not living in a right relationship with God. That's the real problem here, the emptiness. God is a full being, and He wants to fill you with Himself. He wants to fill you with the Spirit of Christ. He wants to fill you with the Holy Spirit. The clearest teaching on this is Ephesians 3:17-19. Paul prays for the Ephesian Christians, "I pray that you may be rooted and established in love and may have power together with all the saints to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ and that you may know that love that surpasses knowledge so that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." That's what salvation is, friends, filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. God is a full being, and He wants to fill you. It is idolatry, the abomination that makes desolate. So what idolatry is in your life driving out the fullness that you could experience with Christ? That's the question you have to ask. Now, I believe in a geopolitical actual military aspect of this. I believe in physical history, but I also think it's spiritual as well. I urge you, come to Christ and trust in Him while there's time. Believe that His death on the cross ended forever the need for blood sacrifice. Jesus' blood is the blood of the new covenant. By faith in that blood, you can be washed and cleansed of all your sins and know the fullness of God. Finally, marvel at the intricacies of redemptive history. I've been looking forward to and dreading this sermon for weeks now. I decided it was not best to preach it in December. I think you all agree now. It probably was best to preach a couple of good Christmas sermons in December. But now we've gone through the intricacies here. It's a marvel, isn't it? Don't you share with me a marveling at the simplicity and the complexity of the Bible? Close with me in prayer. Father, we thank you for this deep dive that we've had through the Book of Daniel, redemptive history, the things that Jesus wanted us to know. The fact of the desecration of the holy space by the Gentiles again and again and again has been a display of your holiness, a display of the fact that you don't dwell in temples built by human hands, but you want to dwell in our hearts by the Spirit. So I pray that you would help us, oh Lord, help us to walk with you, help us to put to death all the idols and the sins in our lives, and help us to be faithful to share the message of the simple gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world that needs it so desperately. In Jesus' name, amen.
This week on Big Name B*tches, we're joined by Integrative Family Therapist and Anneliese's beloved sister Sarah van der Pol! We're chatting about relationship dependency vs. codependency, sibling dynamics, and overlapping experiences in the Van Der Pol household. Plus, the ladies sing a very special song together, and Sarah opens up about what it was really like growing up with a Disney star sibling. Get ready for an intimate and heartfelt look into the life of a Disney Queen! What did Anneliese say to the Wailing Wall? Which sibling knows more about Hanukkah? Did their mother approve of their boyfriends? Tune in now! Thank you to this episode's sponsors! • Green Chef: Go to greenchef.com/60bigname and use code 60bigname to get 60% off, plus 20% off your next two months! https://www.greenchef.com/60bigname • BetterHelp: In the season of giving, give yourself what YOU need – with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/BIGNAME today to get 10% off your first month. Follow us at @BigNameBitches on Instagram and TikTok, and subscribe on YouTube. Follow Christy Carlson Romano at @thechristycarlsonromano on Instagram and @christycarlsonromano on TikTok. Follow Anneliese van der Pol at @anneliesevanderpol on Instagram and @anneliesevdp on TikTok. You can watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube. Mocktail Recipe: ‘Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel, 1 apple, diced 1 pear, diced 2 cinnamon sticks 5 whole cloves 1 star anise 1/4 cup pure honey syrup 2 cups Cider (Apple or Pear) 1⁄2 cup water 1⁄2 cup Ritual Whiskey Garnish with manicured orange peel studded with cloves. Place all ingredients into a crock pot on a low simmer and allow to “cook” for two hours. Bring the temperature down to warm and add non alcoholic whiskey. Serve in a coffee mug and garnish with a cinnamon stick. Find our mixologist LP O'Brien @lpdrinksdc on Instagram, and check out her website at https://www.lpdrinks.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This week on Big Name B*tches, we're joined by Integrative Family Therapist and Anneliese's beloved sister Sarah van der Pol! We're chatting about relationship dependency vs. codependency, sibling dynamics, and overlapping experiences in the Van Der Pol household. Plus, the ladies sing a very special song together, and Sarah opens up about what it was really like growing up with a Disney star sibling. Get ready for an intimate and heartfelt look into the life of a Disney Queen! What did Anneliese say to the Wailing Wall? Which sibling knows more about Hanukkah? Did their mother approve of their boyfriends? Tune in now! Thank you to this episode's sponsors! • Green Chef: Go to greenchef.com/60bigname and use code 60bigname to get 60% off, plus 20% off your next two months! https://www.greenchef.com/60bigname • BetterHelp: In the season of giving, give yourself what YOU need – with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com/BIGNAME today to get 10% off your first month. Follow us at @BigNameBitches on Instagram and TikTok, and subscribe on YouTube. Follow Christy Carlson Romano at @thechristycarlsonromano on Instagram and @christycarlsonromano on TikTok. Follow Anneliese van der Pol at @anneliesevanderpol on Instagram and @anneliesevdp on TikTok. You can watch the video version of this podcast on YouTube. Mocktail Recipe: ‘Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel, 1 apple, diced 1 pear, diced 2 cinnamon sticks 5 whole cloves 1 star anise 1/4 cup pure honey syrup 2 cups Cider (Apple or Pear) 1⁄2 cup water 1⁄2 cup Ritual Whiskey Garnish with manicured orange peel studded with cloves. Place all ingredients into a crock pot on a low simmer and allow to “cook” for two hours. Bring the temperature down to warm and add non alcoholic whiskey. Serve in a coffee mug and garnish with a cinnamon stick. Find our mixologist LP O'Brien @lpdrinksdc on Instagram, and check out her website at https://www.lpdrinks.org Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Congregation of the Living Word, a Messianic Jewish Congregation
The Western Wall Part 2: The Name of The Western Wall - English only and Spanish. Christians often refer to the Western Wall as the Wailing Wall. Why don't Jewish people use that title? What do Israelis call the Western Wall? Join us as we explore the importance of the name of The Wall. Translated from a podcast originally posted on January 20, 2023.. El Muro de las Lamentaciones Parte 2: El nombre del Muro de las Lamentaciones - Inglés y español. Los cristianos suelen referirse al Muro Occidental como el Muro de las Lamentaciones. ¿Por qué los judíos no utilizan ese título? ¿Cómo llaman los israelíes al Muro Occidental? Acompáñenos a explorar la importancia del nombre del Muro. Traducido de un podcast publicado originalmente el 20 de enero de 2023.
Father Knows Best followed by Inner Sanctum
In Autumn 1967, Elisabeth Elliot visited Jerusalem to see for herself if the Israeli victory in the Six-Day War had indeed brought about a ‘new' Jerusalem, in fulfillment of the Biblical prophecies of the Redemption of the Holy City. What she came away with is an intensely personal account of the city, its monuments, and the suffering of its people. But nonetheless prophetic. As yet another episode of war rages in the Middle East, Pastor Marwan Aboul-Zelof decided to revisit Elliot's 1969 out-of-print book, Furnace of the Lord: Reflections on the Redemption of the Holy City, record it and share it on the Didomi podcast in the hopes that Elliot's voice speaks to us today, and to help Christians engage in peacemaking in the region and bring about healing, reconciliation and peace. This is the second chapter of her book, The Wailing Wall. More chapters will follow. Subscribe to Didomi podcast to be notified of the next chapter publication, or sign-up to our newsletter https://podcast.ausha.co/didomi?s=1 You can find all the previous recordings at https://www.didomi.co
(Mercedes McCambridge Salute)Molle Mystery Theater (Repackage for AFRS) on Mystery PlayhouseJanuary 25,1946 "Burn Witch Burn"A local “doll woman” runs afoul of the mob. A doctor investigates and the strega possesses him, ordering him to “Kill, kill, kill!” anyone who gets to close to her secret. The Black Chapel -Mahogany CoffinA gravedigger prepares for his own death, but is thwarted by a man who is jealous of his job. The gravedigger's corpse comes looking for his bed-cum-coffin, but there's someone there!The Black Chapel. January 06, 1939. CBS net. "The Mahogany Coffin". Sponsored by: Sustaining. Ted Osborne plays an gibbering old madman at the ruined organ in the chapel of evil. This is a thoroughly great horror story about a grave-digger determined to be buried in his hand-made bed, easily convertible to a coffin!. Ted Osborne.Inner Sanctum Mysteries. November 06, 1945. CBS net. "The Wailing Wall". Sponsored by: Lipton Tea, Lipton Soup. A good story about a man who strangles his wife and is haunted by her moans...for forty years!. Boris Karloff, Jackson Beck, Himan Brown (director), Paul McGrath (host), Mary Bennett (commercial spokesman), Milton Lewis (writer), Santos Ortega, Alice Reinheart.Suspense. June 01, 1944. CBS net. "Fugue In C Minor". Sponsored by: Roma Wines. A good ghost story about a huge pipe organ built throughout an entire house, and the reason that it tends to play itself. The script was used subsequently on "Audion Theatre" on July 14, 1990 (see cat. #63967). Lucille Fletcher (writer), Ida Lupino, Vincent Price, Bea Benaderet, William Spier (producer, director), Joseph Kearns ("The Man In Black"), Frank Martin (commercial spokesman), Lucien Moraweck (composer), Lud Gluskin (conductor).The Witch's Tale. May 02, 1938. MacQuarrie (Australian) syndication. "The Devil's Number". Sponsored by: Commercials added locally. Old Nancy is 103 years old today. The dead come back to life on Friday the 13th in an old ruined castle. The script was originally broadcast on "The Witch's Tale" on December 12, 1935. The program may also have been distributed by Artransa. The may 2, 1938 is deduced from internal evidence. Alonzo Deen Cole (writer). The Hall Of Fantasy. September 05, 1952. Mutual net, WGN, Chicago origination. "The Shadow People". Sponsored by: Sustaining. A well-done story of those who are never seen but are always there. The announcements have possibly been deleted. This story was subsequently heard on, "The Hall Of Fantasy on September 21, 1953 and December 7, 1953. J. Sheridan LeFanu (author), Richard Thorne (adaptor). Lights Out. May 11, 1938. NBC net, Chicago origination. "It Happened". Sponsored by: Sustaining. A young woman visiting Paris is kidnapped by a man claiming that her father owes him $150,000. Her adventures in the sewers of Paris include a madman who makes jewelry from the bones of the dead bodies floating past. Arch Oboler (writer), Mercedes McCambridge. Details provided by the Goldindexhttps://radiogoldin.library.umkc.edu/3hrs 5min
Inner Sanctum Mysteries "Wailing Wall" November 6, 1945 CBS Inner Sanctum Mysteries "The Corridor of Doom" October 23, 1945 CBS both episodes star Boris Karloff
In her final podcast from the Holy Land of Israel, Sara takes a moment to share some of the incredible people and places she has visited during her trip,During their last night in Israel, Sara and her entire party were treated to a talk by Rabbi Aryeh Lightstone, the former senior advisor to the U.S. Ambassador to Israel and proud defender of the Jewish state in the Middle East. As one of Jared Kushner's most trusted assets in the negotiations to sign the historic Abraham Accords, Lightstone captivated Sara and his story will inspire you as well.The Wailing Wall in Jerusalem also served as a place for inspiration during Sara's trip and she explains the hopeful energy she felt at this historic site. Israel is full of unique, historic places and Sara implores you to visit the beautiful Israeli people and feel the connection for yourself.As the sun sets on Sara's trip to America's most loyal and trusted ally in the Middle East, she takes a moment to encourage you to take a step back from the politics that seem to dominate our lives and focus on what really matters. We are much more alike than the leftist media likes to tell us. If we look to our peaceful brothers and sisters in Israel, we can learn many valuable lessons about ourselves and the wonderful world we live in.May the people of Israel continue to bless America with their friendship. Please visit our great sponsors:Allegiance Goldhttps://protectwithsara.comClick or Call 877-702-7272 and tell them Sara sent you and get $5,000 of free silver on a qualifying purchase. Sound of Freedomhttps://angel.com/freedomJoin the two million and see Sound of Freedom in theaters July 4th. This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4495281/advertisement
6/18/2023 Sunday School
1) Does the definition of a generation in Genesis 15:13 have any bearing on Jesus' prophecy in Matthew 24:34? 2) What is the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem? 3) Who is Paul speaking about in Romans 1:19? Is it those who suppress the truth in verse 18? 4) What evidence exists that proves that Mark is the oldest book in the New Testament? 5) God rebuked David for so many of his sins, but why does He not do so against David's sin of having many wives and concubines? 6) In John 18 you spoke about the dignity of Jesus. Could you explain what you mean by this?
Bring your family for worship this Memorial Day Weekend Sunday at 10am. Last Sunday our family (Mom, Dad, Ryan, Levi & Grace - though missing Zac, Britt & baby Remi) took this selfie while overlooking The Wailing Wall and the Temple Mount of Jerusalem in Israel. SIMPLY AMAZING! Our experiences over the past several weeks have been an incredible blessing of God for personal renewal, building lifelong memories, and being reinvigorated for the ongoing mission of serving Christ and his kingdom – in our valley & around the world. We are so grateful for an extended time away but are eager to worship together with The Awakening Family. Being back this Sunday finds me reflecting on many things of personal value to us for our own spiritual renewal in serving Christ. Although there are many plans for such a holiday weekend, Melissa and I would love to have you make worship a priority. Jewish people gather at the ancient lower temple wall and pray 24/7 because they revere it as holy; as believers we bring the temple of God with us to worship because we are in Christ and CHRIST IS IN US! May we revere the sacred privilege we have to gather with Jesus, to sing his praise and offer our lives and prayers to him. There is something SIMPLY AMAZING about the body of Jesus Christ coming together for worship, prayer and seeking to grow in all his purposes for us in the world. See you tomorrow! Bring the temple! Pastor Kerry (with Melissa & family) Live-stream of services is available: - YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcdluK28K9tCbeUN6oExnLQ - Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TheAwakeningChurch.CMA/ PRAY for the 2023 C&MA General Council this week in Spokane, WA. This large biannual week-long gathering of our denomination brings together churches from across our nation, leaders of multiple ministries and missionaries from around the world for a time of spiritual renewal and planning. Go to www.cmalliance.org for more information on The Christian & Missionary Alliance. You will be able to watch evening services at a social media link provided. Of particular note, you are invited to give to the 2023 Great Commission Day Offering on June 2—National GC Day. You will double your impact as this is a matching gift offering (up to $360,000) in launching gospel presence among marginalized, displaced, and unreached peoples in some of the world’s remaining hard places. Give an offering any time this week at the link below and designate the gift for Global Missions. No Youth Group this coming Wednesday. We are back on for next Wednesday, June 7 at 6:30pm. Then mark your calendar for June 9 & 10 for the wrap of our Alpha youth series with a two-day special event for our youth. You can contact Michael at michael@cmaspa.org for any questions about June 9 & 10 events. TO GIVE: Text AWAKENING to 77977 for a secure link on your phone. You can go to our web site www.theAwakening.church or mail your gift to the church at 39681 Avenida Acacias, Murrieta, CA 92563 www.theAwakening.church #theAwakeningChurch #theAWAKENINGchurch www.theAwakening.church
Bring your family for worship this Memorial Day Weekend Sunday at 10am. Last Sunday our family (Mom, Dad, Ryan, Levi & Grace - though missing Zac, Britt & baby Remi) took this selfie while overlooking The Wailing Wall and the Temple Mount of Jerusalem in Israel. SIMPLY AMAZING! Our experiences over the past several weeks have been an incredible blessing of God for personal renewal, building lifelong memories, and being reinvigorated for the ongoing mission of serving Christ and his kingdom – in our valley & around the world. We are so grateful for an extended time away but are eager to worship together with The Awakening Family. Being back this Sunday finds me reflecting on many things of personal value to us for our own spiritual renewal in serving Christ. Although there are many plans for such a holiday weekend, Melissa and I would love to have you make worship a priority. Jewish people gather at the ancient lower temple wall and pray 24/7 because they revere it as holy; as believers we bring the temple of God with us to worship because we are in Christ and CHRIST IS IN US! May we revere the sacred privilege we have to gather with Jesus, to sing his praise and offer our lives and prayers to him. There is something SIMPLY AMAZING about the body of Jesus Christ coming together for worship, prayer and seeking to grow in all his purposes for us in the world. See you tomorrow! Bring the temple! Pastor Kerry (with Melissa & family) Live-stream of services is available: - YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcdluK28K9tCbeUN6oExnLQ - Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TheAwakeningChurch.CMA/ PRAY for the 2023 C&MA General Council this week in Spokane, WA. This large biannual week-long gathering of our denomination brings together churches from across our nation, leaders of multiple ministries and missionaries from around the world for a time of spiritual renewal and planning. Go to www.cmalliance.org for more information on The Christian & Missionary Alliance. You will be able to watch evening services at a social media link provided. Of particular note, you are invited to give to the 2023 Great Commission Day Offering on June 2—National GC Day. You will double your impact as this is a matching gift offering (up to $360,000) in launching gospel presence among marginalized, displaced, and unreached peoples in some of the world’s remaining hard places. Give an offering any time this week at the link below and designate the gift for Global Missions. No Youth Group this coming Wednesday. We are back on for next Wednesday, June 7 at 6:30pm. Then mark your calendar for June 9 & 10 for the wrap of our Alpha youth series with a two-day special event for our youth. You can contact Michael at michael@cmaspa.org for any questions about June 9 & 10 events. TO GIVE: Text AWAKENING to 77977 for a secure link on your phone. You can go to our web site www.theAwakening.church or mail your gift to the church at 39681 Avenida Acacias, Murrieta, CA 92563 www.theAwakening.church #theAwakeningChurch #theAWAKENINGchurch www.theAwakening.church
Bring your family for worship this Memorial Day Weekend Sunday at 10am. Last Sunday our family (Mom, Dad, Ryan, Levi & Grace - though missing Zac, Britt & baby Remi) took this selfie while overlooking The Wailing Wall and the Temple Mount of Jerusalem in Israel. SIMPLY AMAZING! Our experiences over the past several weeks have been an incredible blessing of God for personal renewal, building lifelong memories, and being reinvigorated for the ongoing mission of serving Christ and his kingdom – in our valley & around the world. We are so grateful for an extended time away but are eager to worship together with The Awakening Family. Being back this Sunday finds me reflecting on many things of personal value to us for our own spiritual renewal in serving Christ. Although there are many plans for such a holiday weekend, Melissa and I would love to have you make worship a priority. Jewish people gather at the ancient lower temple wall and pray 24/7 because they revere it as holy; as believers we bring the temple of God with us to worship because we are in Christ and CHRIST IS IN US! May we revere the sacred privilege we have to gather with Jesus, to sing his praise and offer our lives and prayers to him. There is something SIMPLY AMAZING about the body of Jesus Christ coming together for worship, prayer and seeking to grow in all his purposes for us in the world. See you tomorrow! Bring the temple! Pastor Kerry (with Melissa & family) Live-stream of services is available: - YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcdluK28K9tCbeUN6oExnLQ - Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/TheAwakeningChurch.CMA/ PRAY for the 2023 C&MA General Council this week in Spokane, WA. This large biannual week-long gathering of our denomination brings together churches from across our nation, leaders of multiple ministries and missionaries from around the world for a time of spiritual renewal and planning. Go to www.cmalliance.org for more information on The Christian & Missionary Alliance. You will be able to watch evening services at a social media link provided. Of particular note, you are invited to give to the 2023 Great Commission Day Offering on June 2—National GC Day. You will double your impact as this is a matching gift offering (up to $360,000) in launching gospel presence among marginalized, displaced, and unreached peoples in some of the world’s remaining hard places. Give an offering any time this week at the link below and designate the gift for Global Missions. No Youth Group this coming Wednesday. We are back on for next Wednesday, June 7 at 6:30pm. Then mark your calendar for June 9 & 10 for the wrap of our Alpha youth series with a two-day special event for our youth. You can contact Michael at michael@cmaspa.org for any questions about June 9 & 10 events. TO GIVE: Text AWAKENING to 77977 for a secure link on your phone. You can go to our web site www.theAwakening.church or mail your gift to the church at 39681 Avenida Acacias, Murrieta, CA 92563 www.theAwakening.church #theAwakeningChurch #theAWAKENINGchurch www.theAwakening.church
The Qumran Caves contained the Dead Sea Scrolls. Masada's defenders committed suicide rather than be taken Roman prisoners. A beautiful valley where David killed Goliath. And Jerusalem where Jesus walked, the synagogues where He taught, His tomb after the crucifixion, Gethsemane, Golgotha, the Wailing Wall and the Temple Mount. So many experiences and not enough time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Mark 12:29-31 The Jewish teachers of the law were famous for two things. Firstly, they took hold of the 613 laws that were given to Moses and added layer upon layer of other regulations. But they also enjoyed being able to reduce the whole law to a short sentence. That's what Jesus does here. He took the vast weight of the Jewish law and summed it up with the command to love God and one's neighbour. He was the first person to bring together these two instructions into a single command. The words that Jesus used would have been well known to any Jew. They were known as the Shema and were the words that opened every act of Jewish worship, and still do. Jews are constantly reminded of them. On every doorpost in a Jewish home, there is a small cylindrical box called a Mezuzah. Inside the box there is a tiny copy of the Shema. It is also contained in the phylacteries, or little leather boxes, which devout Jews wear as they pray. You will still see them being worn by many Jews at the Western Wall (otherwise known as the Wailing Wall) in Jerusalem. We can so easily make life complicated, but Jesus continually calls us back to the simplicity of his message. Love is the key. We can never go wrong if we love him and live in obedience to his loving commands. St Augustine summed this up with the well-known saying: “Love God and do as you like.” Often, when we think about laws we think about the long list of things that we shouldn't do. But God's fundamental law is entirely positive. When we love him and show love to our neighbour, the thought of hurting them in any way disappears. Our whole interest is to encourage and strengthen them, in just the same way as God constantly seeks to build us up and make us stronger. QUESTION What will it mean for you to love God today with all your heart, mind, soul and strength? PRAYER Loving God, I thank you for your perfect love for me. Help me to learn how I can better pass that love on to others. Amen
Recently, my wife and I were fortunate enough to travel to the Holy Land. Our visit was a great time of renewal, refreshment, and rededication to the Lord. On today's episode, I discuss our pilgrimage to Israel (specifically Jerusalem) with our tour leader, Tom Short. Tom takes you through each of the sites as if you were riding along in our tour bus. The locations we discuss include the Mt of Olives, Gethsemane, Bethlehem, Via Dolorosa, Garden Tomb, and Wailing Wall, etc. Our discussion brings the Bible alive and will help you understand some of the recent historical developments and archaeological finds. I pray this episode encourages you in your faith. Our belief in Christ is built on sound evidence and history! You can view photos of the trip at: https://www.facebook.com/MarkHarringtonOfficial Find out more about the tour at: https://www.tomthepreacher.com/israel The Mark Harrington Show is on Mark's Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts. Mark's show is available on all the popular podcast platforms as well as on Mark's flagship website: MarkHarrington.org ✔️ Instagram – https://instagram.com/mark.r.harrington ✔️ iTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/id827982678 ✔️ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/62oyyCZG2LBk5OxR9z1c3t ✔️ Everywhere else - https://markharringtonshow.com/link-tree
Hab 2:11 For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it. Many plays on these words can't help but make you marvel as the writing on the wall - marvel with us and listen
On this jam-packed podcast, we covered episodes 6 ('Tribe'), 7 ('The Clone Conspiracy'), and 8 ('Truth and Consequences') of the Bad Batch Season 2. Various topics discussed were the Wookiee tree worship parallels with the Wailing Wall (and the conspiracy of what the wall might actually be), Admiral Rampart being used as a useful idiot/lone gunman to push forward Imperial decrees, the genocide of Kamino being blamed on the weather, and the return of Palpatine to usher in a new Aeon/era of the Galactic Empire (one where the military enlistees all apparently fail target practice). Plus much more! God bless! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/conspiracyintheforce/support
This week's edition of In the Studio with Michael Card gives you an opportunity to meet new friends and learn about the people who have shaped Michael's teaching and music. We'll start the hour with a conversation with Dr. John Long who was one of Michael's professors at Western Kentucky University. We'll hear why the book “Inexpressible” is dedicated to him. In our commentary segment Michael gives broad overview of the word hessed as it is used in the Old Testament, by Jesus, Paul and how it shaped the modern Jewish faith. Then in the second half we'll meet Olivier Melnick from Chosen People Ministries. You won't want to miss a spirited conversation about the rise of antisemitism, reaching out to Jewish friends and the story of how Michael and Olivier met at the Wailing Wall. The discussions will challenge your thinking and the music will stir your soul as we seek to follow Christ in a confusing world. Enjoy and share this hour together, In The Studio with Michael Card.
Congregation of the Living Word, a Messianic Jewish Congregation
The Western Wall Part 2: The Name of The Western Wall - English only. Christians often refer to the Western Wall as the Wailing Wall. Why don't Jewish people use that title? What do Israelis call the Western Wall? Join us as we explore the importance of the name. Recorded December 18, 2022.
Stephen Strang is joined by Rabbi Martin Katz of Just One Life to discuss the pro-life efforts in Israel and the success they are regularly seeing. Rabbi Katz explains how they operate in Support, Empowerment, and Dignity. Connect with Rabbi Katz https://justonelife.org/
the 100th episode is coming soon! I will make it a Q&A and any questions are welcome and will be answered. Let me know you questions by leaving a comment on MaoMi Chinese, simply clicking 'Contact us' on the website or sending me a message on MaoMi Chinese Instagram. Have your voice in the very special 100th episode!Transcript is available on https://maomichinese.comInterested in having a private lesson? Check it on https://maomichinese.com
Inner Sanctum followed by Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy
Inner Sanctum Mysteries: The anthology series featured stories of mystery, terror and suspense, and its tongue-in-cheek introductions were in sharp contrast to shows like Suspense and The Whistler. The early 1940s programs opened with Raymond Edward Johnson introducing himself as, "Your host, Raymond," in a mocking sardonic voice. A spooky melodramatic organ score (played by Lew White) punctuated Raymond's many morbid jokes and playful puns. Raymond's closing was an elongated "Pleasant dreeeeaams, hmmmmm?" His tongue-in-cheek style and ghoulish relish of his own tales became the standard for many such horror narrators to follow, from fellow radio hosts like Ernest Chappell (on Wyllis Cooper's later series, Quiet, Please) and Maurice Tarplin (on The Mysterious Traveler)The Wailing Wall: A good story about a man (Boris Karloff) who strangles his wife and is haunted by her moans...for forty years!Originally aired: November 6th, 1945.Oddity Poddity: A Paranormal PodcastTerrifying tales of the supernatural! Love a good haunt? A spine-tingling urban legend?...Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the show
Jeff Tharp interviews Anna Khait, founder of Gathering Bride Ministries, Christian conservative speaker, undercover journalist, and ordained minister. In this episode, Jeff and Anna discuss her encounter at the Wailing Wall, what she found out during her undercover investigations, and stories from her family's experience in communist Russia. Watch us LIVE on Friday, October 28 at 2 p.m. Pacific Time on all ElijahFire platforms! ElijahFire and ElijahStreams are part of Elijah List Ministries. Thank you for making the always-free Elijah List Ministries possible! Click here to learn how to partner with us: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/elijahfirepodcast ElijahFire: 525 2nd Ave SW Suite 629 Albany, OR 97321 USA ———————— STUFF WE TALKED ABOUT: Anna's Email: GatheringBride@gmail.com FOLLOW ANNA: Show Anna some love and SUBSCRIBE to her channel! / AnnaKhaitt Rumble: https://rumble.com/user/AnnaKhait Instagram: @realannakhait https://www.instagram.com/realannakhait/ Twitter: @annakhait https://twitter.com/annakhait Facebook: @officialannakhait https://www.facebook.com/OfficialAnna... Anna's Linktree: https://linktr.ee/AnnaKhait ———————— FOLLOW US! Listen to ElijahFire on the go with the ElijahFire Podcast! Listen now on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, or on Spotify! https://open.spotify.com/show/6yYrpoM... SUBSCRIBE to ElijahFire on YouTube: / ElijahFire ElijahFire is on Twitch! @Elijah_Fire https://www.twitch.tv/elijah_fire ElijahFire Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elijahfires... ElijahFire TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@elijahfireshow ElijahFire Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElijahFireShow SUBSCRIBE to ElijahFire Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/c-1326244 ElijahFire and ElijahStreams are part of Elijah List Ministries. Thank you for making the always-free Elijah List Ministries possible! Click here to learn how to partner with us: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/elijahfirepodcast ElijahFire: 525 2nd Ave SW Suite 629 Albany, OR 97321 USA #AnnaKhait #Heaven #Israel #EngageYourFaith #LevelUp #ElijahFire
What would it be like to see where Jesus walked, prayed and was betrayed? Robin Bradley drops by the podcast room to share some experiences from her recent, first-time, trip to the Holy Land. From the Wailing Wall to the Sea of Galilee, Robin talks about how the recent Northside trip to Israel impacted her life and view of Bible stories. Did you know that you can be part of the conversation too? Send in a comment, show idea or a question: https://anchor.fm/northsidenow/message Connect with us online: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northsidejackson Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northsidenowpodcast Website: https://www.northsidejackson.com Podcast: https://anchor.fm/northsidenow --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/northsidenow/message
*Just a quick note to say I know the audio on this episode is a bit spotty and breathy; I had to use a Cloud recording because we had a few connection glitches on the day, my apologies!*Join me for this, an update on the media involving + important work being done around the shipwreck of the Clotilda, which I featured in an Unsinkable side series episode this past spring. In this episode I speak with Mike Foster, whose ancestor William Foster captained (and burned) the slave ship. Mike has become a vocal advocate for Africatown and the legacy of the Clotilda; he speaks candidly with me about his relationship to descendants, his own emotional journey in becoming part of this story, and the ways in which Africatown is looking to the future. I am so grateful he gave me this time.Mike's bio: Mike Foster was born in California in 1947, and raised there. He went into the United States Air Force in 1965 and served over 21 years. He has lived in ten states and four foreign countries, including England and Italy. He has kissed the Blarney Stone, been to the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, and served as a noncombatant tour in Vietnam. He is a published poet, and enjoys working on his family genealogy. He is married, a father and grandfather, and lives in Montana.And here is his poem:"On Meeting Descendants of the Clotilda-- A white man wrapped in black arms,the end of a 160 year journeyto forgiveness. Surrounded byeight descendants, joy, tears, respect.Told that I am brave in coming here,I say the words they've been achingto hear; “I 'm sorry”. In a great flashof love they become the family I didn't know, until this moment. I am overwhelmedby their acceptance, and truth, welcomedinto their lives through my name."You can see the 60 Minutes interview we reference here: https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&ei=UTF-8&p=mike+foster+60+minutes&type=E211US1490G0#id=2&vid=04f2e6628d337b1c0f920625d3920ce9&action=clickThe books we reference:-Zora Neale Hurston's Barracoon: The Story of the Last Black Cargo https://bookshop.org/books/barracoon-the-story-of-the-last-black-cargo/9780062748218-Emma Langdon Roche's The Last Voyage of the Clotilda: https://bookshop.org/books/the-last-voyage-of-the-clotilda-the-true-story-of-the-last-slave-ship-voyage-1914/9781387870080-Sylviane Diouf's Dreams of Africa in Alabama: https://bookshop.org/books/the-last-voyage-of-the-clotilda-the-true-story-of-the-last-slave-ship-voyage-1914/9781387870080-And, of course, Ben Raines' The Last Slave Ship: https://bookshop.org/books/the-last-slave-ship-the-true-story-of-how-clotilda-was-found-her-descendants-and-an-extraordinary-reckoning-9781982136048/9781982136048Support the Clotilda Descendants' Association here: https://theclotildastory.com/And make sure to follow them on Instagram: httpSupport the show
Jake and Phil are joined by culture critic Armond White to discuss Make Spielberg Great Again and Roxy Music's 1979 album Manifesto The Manifesto: Make Spielberg Great Again (specifically focusing on the chapters "The Wailing Wall" and "Steven Spielberg's Obama"), Armond White https://www.amazon.com/Make-Spielberg-Great-Again-Chronicles/dp/0984215913 The Art: Roxy Music, Manifesto https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjkVYOArUQM
This episode is all about the Holy Land, Israel. Brian and Will detail their experience leading a church group through Isreal. With visits to Tel Aviv, Tiberias, The Dead Sea, The Sea of Gallilee, and Jerusalem. Visit sites like the Temple Mount, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Wailing Wall.Our trip follows the footsteps of Jesus, from his birth in Bethlehem to his first ministry in the area of Galilee and finally to the site of his crucifixion. Is Israel safe? How often is it attacked? Should you go? These all are important questions that The Travel Agents answer in this episode. Support the show
Four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome joined his Israel Start-Up Nation teammates for a weeklong camp in Israel to bond, visit historical sites, and connect with Israeli cycling fans. VeloNews European Senior Editor Andrew Hood spent the week with the team, and on this podcast he talks with Froome about his experience with technology for performance, recovery, and personal investment. Isreali-Canadian billionaire and philanthropist Sylvain Adams is the team owner of Israel Start-Up Nation, and he orchestrated the riders' visits to places like the Wailing Wall, the Holocaust Museum, the Dead Sea, and a hospital that is using hyperbaric oxygen chambers. "We have had a few physical sessions like running and riding, which is good for bonding. And we are getting to know the country, which is bringing us together," Froome said. "Being part of Team Sky previously, a big goal for team was to inspire the British public, and have an impact on grassroots cycling," Froome said. "Sylvan has got a very similar vision for ISN for us to have a similar impact on the Israeli public, and the next up and coming generation of Israeli cycling." On one ride, the team met up with a bunch of fans on the road, and the size of the crowd was startling, Froome said. "That day we got out to meet all the fans, that was just mental," he said. "I didn't expect so many bike enthusiasts here in Israel, but there are just masses of them." Froome also talks about his experience using a hyperbaric chamber for recovery from his big crash. He said he was spending as much as four hours a day in a chamber at home, which simulated being 10-15m below sea level. "It was a big part of my rehab, so it was fascinating to see it [in an Israeli hospital] for therapeutic use and sports performance," he said. Lastly, Froome talks with Hood about his investments in Hammerhead, Super Sapiens, and Factor. "I love my equipment, I love my tech," he said.
Sometimes discrimination is systemic. Sometimes it's emotional. And sometimes, it's made of brick and mortar. The Eight Mile Wall in Detroit, also known as the Birwood Wall and the Wailing Wall, was built in 1941 to separate Black and white residents in what is now known as the Wyoming neighborhood. Erin Einhorn is an NBC News national reporter based in Detroit. She recently teamed up with Olivia Lewis, a reporter and editor for the local nonprofit newsroom Bridge Detroit to outline the creation of this half-mile-long wall, financed by one of the city's most prominent families, and its impact on Detroit residents. One of those residents is Rose McKinney-James, a clean energy consultant. She's based in Las Vegas now, but grew up in Detroit. Rose's grandmother, Burniece Avery, was a community activist who fought against the wall and other forms housing discrimination. And they spoke with Teresa Moon, a retired city employee and long-time resident of the Eight Mile neighborhood. Teresa grew up with the wall literally in her backyard, and is now one of the neighborhood's biggest cheerleaders. Trymaine Lee sits down with Erin and Olivia to learn about the history of the Eight Mile Wall. And he speaks with Rose and Teresa about the legacy the wall left on their families. For a transcript, please visit https://www.msnbc.com/intoamerica. Thoughts? Feedback? Story ideas? Write to us at intoamerica@nbcuni.comFurther Reading and Viewing: Read the NBC News special report by Erin Einhorn and Olivia Lewis: Built to keep Black from whiteDocumentary: A Detroit neighborhood stands in the shadow of a segregation wall built 80 years ago