The Nearness of Jerusalem’s Destruction

In this part of the sermon: Martin explains Christ's parable of the fig tree, where the budding leaves signal the nearness of summer, applying it to the visible signs that would indicate the imminent…

Martin uses the analogy of breaking brittle winter twigs versus struggling to break supple spring twigs to illustrate how the sap rising in trees signals the nearness of summer, just as certain events signal the nearness of Jerusalem's destruction.

That was a tree that was not planted. That was not planted. That was not planted. That that, like most of the trees we're familiar with, lost its leaves in the winter and sprouted its leaves in the late spring. So our Lord says, with respect to the fig tree, you have observed something, that when her branch becomes tender and it is literally putting forth its leaves as a process, you know that the summer is near. Now, in the path that I usually use when I run, I'm reminded of this, and it came to my mind in my preparation, that often there are parts, twigs of trees overhanging the place where ...

16:05 - 17:08 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin analyzes Christ's pronouncement that 'Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away,' emphasizing the stability of Christ's word over the seemingly…

He uses the image of the sun striking the golden crest of the temple as a symbol of its perceived changelessness and impregnability, contrasting it with Christ's prophecy of its utter destruction to highlight the difficulty the disciples had in believing Christ's words.

It's as though our Lord draws near and puts His arms around them and says, Now I know, I know this is hard for you to swallow. You see in your mind's eye, you can even now look and see the sun as it strikes the golden parts of the crest of the temple. And that's the picture of the changeling, that's the impregnable. I want to encourage you.

32:19 - 32:43 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin analyzes Christ's pronouncement that 'Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away,' emphasizing the stability of Christ's word over the seemingly…

Martin uses the Alps and the Rocky Mountains as examples of seemingly eternal strength and stability to underscore how much more profound it is for Christ to say that even 'heaven and earth shall pass away.'

What appears more stable to us mortals, more enduring, more lasting and unassailable than the existing heaven and earth. Think of just little parts of the earth. If you've ever seen the Alps, if you've ever seen the Rockies in the western part of our country, they seem to be the very symbol almost of eternal strength. But our Lord says the entire earth as we now know it shall pass away.

33:05 - 33:36 Read in full sermon

The point: Hang your souls upon the Word and trustworthiness of Jesus, living in the hope and expectation of His return.

He describes generations of Christians laying loved ones in the earth, taking comfort from 1 Thessalonians 4, to illustrate the enduring hope in Christ's return and the resurrection, despite the passage of time.

When one generation after another of Christians have laid their loved ones in the cold earth and have taken comfort from the words of 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, we do not want you to sorrow as those who have no hope. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we shall not all sleep. The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, for the voice of the archangel and the trump of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first. And we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. So shall we e...

40:44 - 41:26 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that for those out of Christ, His words hold no comfort but ought to fill you with terror, as His promises of judgment are clear and certain.

Martin uses the metaphor of 'millennia being shrunk by the word of Jesus' to convey the power and certainty of Christ's promise that all in the graves shall come forth, emphasizing the ultimate triumph of His word over time.

He said the hour is coming in which all that are in the graves. Shall come forth and we're prepared as it were to let millennia be shrunk by the word of Jesus and to stand at this point in time. And as it were, bring before our minds that sweeping panorama of all humanity called out from the dead, clothed with resurrection bodies to stand before the grave. This is the problem.

41:59 - 42:37 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize that for those out of Christ, His words hold no comfort but ought to fill you with terror, as His promises of judgment are clear and certain.

He uses the metaphor of unbelievers becoming 'eternal monuments to the validity of this pronouncement of our Lord' to vividly portray the certainty of Christ's words concerning everlasting punishment.

You see, this sweeping pronouncement of our Lord attaches not only to the words spoken in this setting, words which did indeed infallibly come to pass with regard to the first great event, but will infallibly, infallibly come to pass with reference to the second great event. And with respect to those words, they shall not pass away. And it's a horrible thing to stand here this morning and think that there may be some of you who will be eternal monuments to the validity of this pronouncement of our Lord. He said, these shall go away into everlasting punishment.

44:51 - 45:32 Read in full sermon