26-The Kingdom of Heaven
7/24/16
Intro:
I. THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM AND THE GREAT REVOLT
A. 66 Gesius Florus invades the temple and rebels retake Jerusalem
B. Agrippa II and all Roman officials are forced to flee
C. Cestius Gallus invades from Syria but is defeated at Beth Horon
D. April 67 Vespasian lands at Ptolemais with 60k troops and crushes resistance in the North, 100k are killed or sold into slavery
E. Zealots and Idumeans fight a vicious civil war over Jerusalem
F. 69 Vespasian returns to Rome to become the Emperor
G. 70 his son Titus destroys Jerusalem with Agrippa II’s help
H. 1.1 million killed and 97k enslaved, the treasure is taken to Rome
II. THE STONES UNCOVERED AT THE ARCHEOLOGICAL PARK
Body:
I. A Religion Without a Temple
“Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, “As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.” Luke 21:5-6
A. It was never God’s plan to dwell in temples built by humans.
1) Revelation 15:8
And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.
2) “The partisans were no longer in a position to help; everywhere was slaughter and flight. Most of the victims were peaceful citizens, weak and unarmed, butchered wherever they were caught. Round the Altar the heaps of bodies grew higher and higher, while down the Sanctuary steps poured a river of blood.”—Josephus Flavius
B. The church is too mobile to be trapped inside a temple.
1) Revelation 14:4-5
They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.
2) MORE CHRISTIANS MARTYRED IN THE 20TH CENTURY
II. A Refuge Without Walls
“When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city.” (Luke 21:20-21)
A. There is no peril known to man that God can not rescue us from.
1) Revelation 12:14
The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.
2) CHRISTIANS ARE WARNED IN A VISION TO FLEE TO PELLA
“The people of the Church in Jerusalem were commanded by an oracle given by revelation before the war to those in the city who were worthy of it to depart and dwell in one of the cities of Perea which they called Pella.”—Eusebius, Church History, 324 AD
B. God will never forget those who have put their trust in Him.
1) Revelation 15:2-3
And I saw what looked like a sea of glass glowing with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast and its image and over the number of its name. They held harps given them by God and sang the song of God’s servant Moses and of the Lamb.
2) THE SONG OF MOSES
a) Taken out of Egypt during the judgement of plagues
b) Carried on “Eagle’s Wings” into the wilderness
c) The “Horse and rider thrown into the sea”
III. A Kingdom Without End
“Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” (Luke 21:31-33)
A. The end of the Jerusalem Age innagurated the Age of the Church.
1) Revelation 11:15
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”
2) THE ARCH OF TITUS IN ROME
3) Titus refused a wreath of victory, “There is no merit in vanquishing a people forsaken by their own God.”
B. God’s kingdom takes hold wherever his gospel is received.
1) Revelation 21:3-4
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them . . . There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
2) INTRODUCING A NEW GENERATION TO JESUS
Other Scriptures:
Exodus 15:1
Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord: “I will sing to the Lord,
for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.”
1 Corinthians 3:16
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
Galatians 4:25-27
Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother.
Hebrews 12:22-23
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven.
Hebrews 12:28-29
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”
2 Peter 3:12-13
That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
Revelation 12:10
“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.”
Revelation 15:8
And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from his power, and no one could enter the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels were completed.
Revelation 21:22-25
I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple . . . On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.