Hebrews 12 and 70AD

0:02 Looking at our world from a theological perspective. This is the Theology Central podcast making Theology Central. Good morning everyone. It is Wednesday, December the fourth, twenty twenty four. It is currently eleven twenty five am Central Time, and I am coming to you live from the Theology Central studio located right here in Abilene, Texas. And you can hear in my voice, hm, that's sounding a little rough, aren't I right? Not sounding not sounding very professional. Hopefully my voice will warm up here in a minute, right l la la la la la lo lo lo. Okay, nobody wants to hear that. Maybe my voice will warm up and I'll sound a little bit more professional. But thank you so much for tuning in. I always appreciate it.

0:51 And if I'm going to be fully transparent here, I don't really know what to do. I'm struggling here. I thought, you know what, today is going to be a day of broadcasting, right, so all right, so let's let's do that. Then I sat down in front of the microphone. I'm like, I want to talk about well, I don't don't. I don't know about that. Oh I could talk about no, well, I kind of need to finish this well, yeah, that hasn't really been a lot of discussion about that. Do I need to add more to that? Have I kind of already well I could do that well. And it's just kind of a lot of back and forth and kind of just not nothing really working. But I know there's one thing. I know that there.

1:38 Is one thing that I must do. With everything else we tried in twenty twenty four, other things we started and stopped, or we worked on a little bit and then we kind of hesitated. Of all the things. That we've tried to do in twenty twenty four, the one thing that has remained a constant. We have been consistent in it, and that is our sermons two point oh app sermon challenge. We have not waivered in that. I don't think there's been any inconsistency and that sermon challenge. If you really look back over all of twenty twenty four, the sermon's two point oh app sermon challenge has really driven the entire podcast if you really think about it, so many things, I mean, the entire Isaiah forty through fifty five series that.

2:30 We're working on. How did that begin because of the sermon's two point oh app sermon challenge because of sermons. I started hearing all that work we did in what Psalm eighty three was because of the sermon's two point oh app sermon challenge. So many things. That has really that has been the catalyst, the engine for the podcast in twenty twenty four. And I didn't really. Necessarily see it as that that was going to be the way it went, but that's what's happened. So since it's really driven. The podcast, it would be foolish to be here on December the fourth, fast approaching the end of twenty twenty four and then just kind of just let you know we've we've got to drive the we got to drive the car across the finish line. We've got to bring the boat and the ship into the harbor, we got to bring the train into the station. Whatever illustration we want to eat. We've got to land this thing right.

3:22 We've got to we've got to bring it to some kind of conclusion. Now, the last there's going to be very close to the end of December. I can't remember December the twenty eighth, the twenty ninth. I think I think the twenty eighth may be my last day to broadcast until like January something I'm gonna be I'm not going to be available for I don't know, four five six days right there, So we're not going to be like on December the thirty first, I'm going to be able to really have That's that's really frustrating, right because I really wanted it to be on December the thirty first, could really bring the year of broadcasting to a conclusion.

4:03 But then how many people are actually listening on December the thirty first, So we'll have to do something prior to probably December the twenty ninth, or maybe early December the twenty eighth, somewhere around that time where we'll have to try to bring it all to a conclusion. I don't know what anyone else feels about their journey, they if they participated with us. Look, there's a lot of people who I mean, I just I got a comment on YouTube just a couple of days ago that someone just recently discovered the podcast. So we always have these new listeners coming in. But for everyone who's been with us through all of twenty twenty four, I don't know if they participated in the sermon's two point zero app sermon challenge. But if they did, I'm hoping they have something good to show for it, right, I mean I could, I could look at it from different perspectives. There's times I look back, going, man, that was a frustrating year.

4:58 But then there's another part of like, but guess what it wasn't for the sermon's two point oh app? Would we have done that all that work and Psal many three? Would we be doing all this work in Isaiah forty through fifty five? Look of all the things that we spent considerable amount of time on because of the sermon's two point oh app because of listening to all of those random sermons. Those random sermons is what got us there. That's what got us into these discussions and these creating I mean, the work we did on James one, that was all because of the sermon's two point oh app sermon challenge. So so much of it has been as frustrating as it's been, it's also been the very thing driving these hopefully in depth exploration study discussion, coming up with new interpretations all the things that we've done. So I hope, at least from a podcasting perspective, it seems to be benefit from a personal spiritual perspective. I'm a little bit more skeptical there. I'm a little bit more jaded right after listening to all of these sermons? Am I better off spiritually speaking? And there I am? I'm not so sure of there. There, I'm a little bit skeptical.

6:21 I don't know about you. I mean again, we could, we could have a bunch of discussions about that. So the point is, I haven't I've not known what to do. But since there's one constant, which is the sermon's two point oh app sermon challenge, then obviously you know what I'm about to say. I couldn't figure out what else to do, but I knew what to do. Grab the sermon's two point oh app look for a random sermon, and here we are. And the random sermon today. Is encouragement to endure. Encouragement to endure. Now, this fits with our discussion about false comfort, fake comfort. We talked about their anchor, our anchor, our anchor versus their anchor.

7:03 That was from Hebrews chapter six, right where someone took Hebrews chapter six and made it about us. This sermon that we're gonna be reviewing is encouragement to endure, and it comes from Hebrews chapter twelve. Now is the encouragement to endure to the original audience or is the encouragement to endure to us? Well, we think we know which direction is going to go, but we're going to find out. Now. I'm a little nervous here. Earlier, while I was trying to figure out what to do, I did grab the sermon's two point zero app and I saw a sermon I think it was the Warnings of Wisdom from Proverbs chapter six, and I'm like, oh, okay, we've been working on Proverbs. We have an entire series on that.

7:45 That'll be great. So I downloaded it and I started playing it, just making sure the audio was correct. And then I realized the person would speak in English, then they would speak in a different language, then they we'd go back to English, then then we'd go back to a different And I'm like, well, that that would not probably be the best for a sermon review. Okay, that would probably So I'm like, Okay, that's probably great for the people listening there, right, I think it was in the Philippines. It would probably be great for them, But for like me listening, He says it in English, then he says it in a different language, then he says it in English, then he says it in. A different language. That's just not.

8:26 You know, that's not very beneficial from a review perspective, or even a listening perspective. So I decide I was ready to go. I almost just started, because you know what, I like to deal with the reviews, I don't listen to first, but that would have been a disaster, So I'm hoping this one is better. I do know that this one, the audio was way too low, so I had to artificially increase the volume. I think I have that ready to go. I know it's an encouragement to endure. I know it's supposedly on Hebrews chapter twelve. So other than that, I have no clue what's about to happen. I'm obviously skeptical, right I'm skeptical about how quickly the original recipients are pushed out of the way and we are inserted. I'm skeptical, but that's only because I've been doing this now. Well, I've been listening to sermons forever, but just we're in December after a very long journey, and so a lot of people may ask, some of you may care, may not care. So what are we going to do in twenty twenty five? I don't really know, but I do believe I'm going to continue encouraging and promoting and trying to do more with the you know, the sermons two point oh. App I still want to promote it and see it be successful, because again, it's just one of those resources we do. We just walk away from such an amazing resource. So we'll still we'll do some things.

9:50 I'm not gonna I'm not gonna be too committed yet committed yet on what I'm going to do, but we will see. We will see where things go. But are you ready? I think we're going to go. Oh and by the way, I was mentioning this in the quote unquote pre show, we are at almost fifty thousand downloads right now for the last three days in December or December the first, second, and third. So I don't think today's numbers have even been processed yet. So for everyone who's been listening, streaming, downloading, we appreciate that. I don't know exactly what that means, right, what does that mean? I don't know. I'm hoping it's a good sign but we will see in the meantime. Though, numbers really don't matter, right, I mean, the numbers are great, but what really matters is just well trying to produce content that hopefully helps someone somewhere.

10:41 So I don't know if these sermon reviews are helpful. But I mean I listened to sermons, so I could either listen to sermon in an empty room by myself, or I could listen to sermons in a room by myself, but with a bunch of people listening live all around the world. So that sounds more fun, right, because then I can talk about it with you. I mean, I guess I could talk about it to myself, but it's still more fun to talk about it with you, right, So we never I don't ever know if the reviews are beneficial. But some people seem to like them, some people seem to hate them, some people are indifferent. Some people completely misunderstand. You're just being mean, You're just being I'm just listening to a sermon talking. It would be one thing if I listened to the sermon, hated the sermon, then did the review right, then you would say, well, you have an agenda, you're trying to do something. But if I'm just listening to the sermon without any idea what's going to be said, I feel like that that puts me. You know, well, then you're just listening right now.

11:45 Could you could argue, well, you picked one from Hebrews, you already have a pretty good idea that this is probably going to be Remove the original recipients insert us. Well, the bottom line is it doesn't matter what the passage is. If I listen to a sermon, almost inevitably it becomes about us and not so much about the original recipients. I mean, just we've learned that if you haven't learned anything, so we will see. Hopefully we'll find something beneficial. I mean, do we need encouragement to endure? Probably? We probably all need some encouragement to endure. Let's see what this encouragement is and what happens here. We go, Thank you Barfields for your ministry and song.

12:29 This evening. We're taking our Bibles please and turning the book of Hebrews the twelfth chapter Hebrews Chapter twelve, Hebrews Chapter twelve, where we discover a message that provides encouragement for those who would endure. Hebrews Chapter twelve. We begin our reading. In verse one, word of God says, we'refore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses. Let us lay aside every weight and the sin which does so easily beset us. Let us run patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finish of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and set down at the right hand of the throat of God. For consider him then endured such contradiction of sinners against himself. Lest you be wearied and faith in your minds, ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin, And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children. My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him Hebrews twelve and verse six.

13:36 For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If you endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons. For what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not. But if you be without chastisement, whereof all our partakers, then he bascards are not sons. Furthermore, we've had fathers of our flesh, which corrected us. We gave them reverence. Shall we not much rent, rather be in subjection to the Father's spirits and live. For they verily for a few days chastened us for their own pleasure, But he for our prophet, we might be partakers of his holiness. Now no chastening, for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous. Nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness, unto them which are exercised thereby. Wherefore, lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for our feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way. But let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord looking diligently, Lest any man fail of the grace of God, Lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled. Lest there be any fornicator or profane person as Esau who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For you know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. I understand that the official length of the

15:09 Boston Marathon was set back in nineteen twenty one twenty six miles three hundred and eighty five yards. I'm aware that we have folks in our church family who have run the Boston Marathon, and I'm amazed and anyone who would be able to handle such a race of endurance. But the truth is, compared to some of the modern endurance races, the Boston Marathon has become something of a sprint the bad Water Ultra. The bad Water Ultra is one hundred and thirty five miles through Death Valley. Runners run three to six miles an hour in temperatures exceeding one hundred and twenty degrees. The trail rises some thirteen thousand feet and falls forty seven hundred feet, and winters run it less than forty hours. Then there's the Marathon of the Sands. It's helld in the Moroccan Sahara it's one hundred and fifty miles long, the runners run for seven days, carrying their own gear, and they're limited to nine leaders of water a day. Amazing.

16:19 Okay, So his basic thesis, we're getting the idea this is all about endurance. So he's giving us all these examples of marathons where people have to endure, where people have to endure these long races, these difficult races, under difficult circumstances, and they have to endure. Now he's going to take this idea of endurance. What do you need in endurance? Obviously he's going to say, we need some kind of encouragement. Okay, endurance encouragement, all right, So the entitle of the sermon is encouragement to endure. So he's bringing the ideas to together. He's giving us these examples of endurance and encouragement. Now I'm assuming what he's going to do. This is just my prediction. He's going to flip this and instead of talking about races, he's going to talk.

17:04 About the race of life. We all have to run this race. Called life, and we have to endure, and we need some encouragement to run this race. And he's going to make it about us. That's where I feel this is going to go. We'll see if I'm right, or we see if I am wrong. Maybe he will mention the original recipients. I'm assuming he will, and then but maybe he'll just mention them and go directly to us. I'm not saying that there is an application here, but we do need to at least consider the original recipients first, right, So we'll talk about them, hopefully here in a minute. Let's see if I'm right or if I'm wrong here. First Corinthians, chapter nine and verse twenty five puts such races into a perspective that we ought to consider this evening.

17:52 Apostle Paul says in First Cristian's nine of verse twenty five, they do it to inherit a corruptible crown, to obtain a corruptible crown. But we we run to obtain an incorruptible crown, as we all in our Bibles this evening. In Hebrews chapter twelve, we find the author of the Book of Hebrews providing encouragement for those who would endure. It seems that endurance is the theme of the twelfth chapter of the Book of Hebrews. You'll find that the end of verse one were to run with patience, then we find in verse two, consider him that endured such controverstion verse three, rather such contradiction of sinners against himself.

18:32 Again in verse seven, if you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons. At the end of verse eleven we read that the peaceable fruit of righteousness is given to those who are exercised too, literally are enduring through the race. And finally, in verse twenty we read of some who could not endure that which was commanded of them. Here we listen to the voice of God. Good observation that Okay, I like that. So endurance is the theme of the chapter due to the repetition of the idea, the concept, and the phrase or the word endure endurance used multiple times in Hebrews Chapter twelve. So Hebrews Chapter twelve is a message of endurance. All right, That's that's really good. That's good observational work. Right. So that's awesome. He's pointing that out. Now, My point would be, what when it comes to the original recipients, how what what would be the message of it? Why would they need a message of endurance? Let me stay it that way.

19:36 If we when we think of Hebrews chapter twelve, it's written to a specific people in a specific time. What message of endurance did they need to hear? Why did they need to hear a message of endurance? Now we'll talk about the historical how this connects to the historical context in a minute. I'm going to give him the opportunity to do so. Now, he's been very careful so far not to use us, are we He's not. He's not directly to us. He's made it somewhat more generic, which is good because that gives me hope that he's going to talk about the original recipients. But we will see. All right, So there's all these races, hey, Brewce twelve is about a chapter about endurance, all right, And that those races are run by people who are just trying to get an earthly reward, an earthly crown and earthly trophy.

20:24 All right. So you can see. Where this how that he's getting ready to flip this, right, He's set this up. Now he's going to flip it and make it about us. Typically the way this is the way sermons are typically structured. It's following the typical way. Now, I'm assuming there will be at least a brief mention of the historical context. I believe he will at least mention it. Let's see if I'm right. As it's recorded for us in every page of the Word of God, and the Father speaks to us, and as the Father speaks to us as sons, he encourages us to endure. One step won't take you very far.

21:06 You've got to keep on walking. Okay, Well, it didn't take long for us to get in. Okay, he was being kind of generic, and then immediately it's us. He then immediately. Draws in and puts the focus on us, on us, which it begins to insinuate, and he may not be explicit yet, but insinuating, Hey, this is a message to us, all right. Well it was a message to them before it was a message to us, all right, So we have. To get them before we we don't. We have to look to help what it meant to them before it means anything to us. We always put us before them. It's really weird and how preaching does this.

21:46 But all right, let's let's see. So maybe, but I'm assuming he's getting ready to bring in the historical context. He's got to bring in the historical context, at least briefly, because almost most pastors at least. Know they have to at least mention it right. They have to at least mention the historical context at least a little bit. One word won't tell folks who you are. You've got to keep on talking. One inch won't make you very tall. You've got to keep on growing, won't. One deed won't do it all. You've got to keep on going. And when you ask how, and when your arms begin to dangle and your knees become weak, and when you're weary and well doing, we need to listen to the voice of God as found in Hebrews chapter twelve. God's given to us in this passage encouragements for those who would endure.

22:41 What are the encouragements that are found here? All right, so we have to keep going, We have to keep moving, we have to keep growing, we have to keep doing. That's the thesis. So but how do we keep going? How do we keep going? Well? Hebrews twelve is going to give us the encouragement we need. So it sounds like the way we keep moving is we need encouragement. Hebrews twelve is encouragement. Now immediately, look what he's done. He's making Hebrews twelve a message of encouragement to you, an encouragement to me. That's that's that's clearly what's happening here. And I don't he may not even mention the historical context here. He may completely ignore the historical context. I'm gonna give it a second, because I think he's just going to immediately go into point number one boom, and it's about us. Point number two boom, it's immediately about us. Point number three, boom, it's immediately about us. That's where it looks like he's going. I could be wrong, but now I'm starting. I know I was pretty I sounded pretty positive that he would at least mention the historical context.

23:45 But maybe maybe I was wrong. Let's see. We'll discover first that to endure, you must learn to focus your attention verse two, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. All right, So in order to endure, you've got to focus. All right, Now, maybe maybe here he's gonna mention the original recipients. Maybe here, So I'm gonna let this play I was just gonna go ahead and jump in and start going to the historical context. But maybe here he will say, Okay, how does this fit to the original recipients.

24:26 Let's see. Let's see. Verse three. Consider him that endure such contradiction of sinners against himself. Truth is, if you put your eye on a man, if you put your eye on a movement, you'll find yourself very discouraged. Okay, maybe maybe he's not. Okay, well we'll come back. Now we're getting I know this is gonna take us away or it's going to take a minute for us to come back to this. So just remember where this is ending. He's like, Hey, if you want to be encouraged, you've got to focus. Don't focus on a man, don't focus on a movement. Focus on Jesus. Okay. That sounds good stuff for you know, preaching, and you know people and the congregation will love it.

25:11 But let let's consider the. Context here, right, Let's consider the context. If you're going to read anything in the Book of Hebrews, you have to connect it to some level to the coming destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem and seventy a d. We've talked about this countless times. The Book of Hebrews cannot be interpreted without understanding it's written to a group of people, the Hebrews, to Jews, who are getting ready to face the total annihilation and destruction of their entire religious system, their religious identity, their nation.

25:56 It's about to be I mean seventy a d. They're going to be wiped off the face of the earth. Earth for all practical purposes, the sacrificial system gone, the temple gone, the high priest gone, the genealogical record, Steven, know which tribe you're part of? Gone? It's all going to be gone no more. The entire thing is gone. It's the end of it all. That's got to be understood. When you're reading many of these warnings and things, and we immediately go into it and turn into some argument about things related to us, it's. Like, what about them?

26:36 And I think we can see this connection in several ways, especially in Hebrews Chapter twelve one through seven. All right, Now, the text may not explicitly mention the event, but it's being written prior to the event, almost as if preparing them for it. The destruction of the Temple and the city of Jerusalem would have a profound philological and emotional impact. It would have a. Profound philological and emotional implications for Jewish Christians, for Jews in general. I mean, I think everyone can acknowledge that, right, everyone has to acknowledge that. I mean, that's not like what I'm saying here is not radical, it's not controversial, it's not like some far fetched theory. Jews, Jewish Christians, Jews in general. When the Temple in Jerusalem is destroyed, that has profound emotional philological implications. So let's let's just see how this connection could possibly be understood. Right throughout the Book of Hebrews, we do have warnings, right, and many of these warnings are against returning to Judaism. Hey, don't think about going back to Judaism. Don't think about returning to Judaism, because you're going to be left with nothing, no sacrifice, no anything. You're not going to have anything.

28:08 Why because what your entire system is about to be wiped off the face of the planet. One of the. Central themes in the Book of Hebrews is the superiority of Christ, the superiority of the New Covenant. And I think that this. Is demonstrated countless times. I think this is demonstrated countless times. Now. The coming destruction of the temple would signify the end of the sacrificial system. As I've already mentioned, it would also bring an end to temple based worship of Judaism. The whole temple based worship, the entire sacrificial system was going to be gone. So for a Jewish Christian, or for Jews in general, the letter would serve as a strong encouragement not to reat turned to a system that was obsolete and aging and about to pass away.

29:07 Hey, don't go back. So any of the if you. Want to see encouragement, the encouragement was, don't go back, move forward. Don't look back to the temple, to the sacrificial system. Look to Jesus. If you want to look at this section right here, all right, look at this looking unto Jesus, the author and finishing of our faith. If you want these people. Needed to be encouraged to look forward. Hey, everything around you, your identity, your nation, it's all going to be destroyed. What do you need to do? You need to look to Jesus because all of this is about to disappear, it's going away. This would have that. When you put the words in their original context. Wow, this is powerful. Right, Hey, you got to look here because everything else is about to go away, all right.

29:56 So it'd be a warning against returning to Judaism. I think it would be an would be speaking to endurance in a time of crisis, of real crisis. This is not enduring. Hey, you've got a bad boss and your kids are getting on your nerves, and you're having some financial problems. Well go to Hebrews twelve and this will give you some encouragement. This is about encouraging real crises, the entire destruction of your nation, and your entire religious identity and your cultural identity, everything being destroyed. The historical pressures faced by Jewish Christians were likely compounded by the rising tensions in Judah leading up to seventy AD. The political unrests, coupled with persecution from both Jewish and Roman authorities, created a climate of uncertainty. I think that's an understatement.

30:50 See Hebrews Chapter twelve, verses one through seven encourages them to persevere in their faith in Christ, to persevere, to preserve, to hold on to their faith in Christ, reminding them that He is the fulfillment of what the temple symbolized. Even if the temple were destroyed, their faith would remain secure because Jesus is the ultimate high priest and sacrifice. Hey, you're not going to have a high priest. You're not going to have a sacrifice, you're not going to have a temple. But Jesus fulfills it all. So look to him. Don't look back, don't look to the burning building, don't look to the crumbled. City, don't look to any of that. While you're fleeing and you're being scattered abroad and you no longer have a national identity, look to Jesus.

31:38 So this would be Hebrews. Would provide them a warning don't go back to Judaism. Number two would be endure in this time of crisis. I think number three maybe this would also demonstrate God's discipline within the historical event, the mention of discipline in Hebrews chapter twelve. Don't we see that? Look at verse five and you and you have forgot, and you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as sons, my son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by him. For whom the Lord loves, he chastens and scourges every son whom he receives. If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons. For what son is there whom a father does not chasten. But if you are without chastening, of which all all have become a partakers, then you are illegitimate and are not sons. This may indicate that what's happening in this historical event, which is getting ready, which is already under which is already building, the things are already developing. But as you get closer to seventy eight, I mean the city is under siege.

32:54 We've talked about all the things that transpire within seventy eighty. Every Christian needs to be an expert on seven. What I think this is almost saying, hey, you may want to perceive God's hand in this as being a form of discipline. This might this mention of discipline might be interpreted as God's way of preparing his people for the coming judgment on Jerusalem. The author calls the recipients to view their current trial to the part of God's refining process, helping them to trust Christ rather than the templar sacrificial system. Hey, you trust in Christ, trust in the because I'm taking everything away from you, and see that I'm doing this in a chastening way. The destruction of Jerusalem could be understood by some as a divine judgment on the old covenant system, reinforcing the urgency of staying faithful to Christ. Possibly, but chasening is involved. Israel, over and over and over did not do what they were supposed to do. They failed, they failed, they failed, they failed, they failed. Well, guess what.

34:02 All of that old system is going away, and now you need to put your focus in Christ. That's where you needed to be pointed to, and you could think about it. In some ways, they have failed to see Christ when he came. So this is chastening. And I'm going to take all of these other things away that pointed to Christ because Christ now has come and He has fulfilled all of these things. You missed the entire thing that they were pointing to. You missed it, You missed everything. Now there's chasening. But that doesn't mean God is done with Israel, because we believe God will then still fulfill his promises at a later time. But in the meantime they've been set aside so that the Gentiles could being crafted in. We could go to Romans and we could talk about all of that. So this chasening here would be more directed towards it. I know we like to make it about us, but it's more within that context. It's referring to that. I think the chasening that they are enduring, which is about to be seventy eight d.

35:00 Another thing that could be. Possibly mentioned here is Hebrews often uses language it would be more associated with eschatology, kind of an end Times kind of language. At times it talks about warnings, it talks about impending judgment. It the emphasizes the need for faith and perseverance. This kind of language is used at different times in Hebrews. Now the destruction of Jerusalem in AD seventy would be seen, I think, not just it would be I'm going to try to be politically correct here. I think I'm gonna I'm actually I'm not gonna be so politically correct. I think anyone who actually reads Matthew twenty four and cares at all about context and reading reading comprehension would understand that Matthew twenty four was a warning about the coming destruction of the temple in A D seventy You may say there's parts of that that go beyond A and I can agree with that, But the primary focus on Matthew twenty four is about what's going to happen in seventy a D.

36:10 And in Matthew twenty. Four you have clearly the description of the fall of Jerusalem, possibly with future events tied to eschatology. You have the two concepts. So Hebrews uses sometimes language associated with eschatology, but because in many minds I mean, I mean, seventy a D is an event in eschatology that anyone's going to study eschatology has to know. Seventy a D. Why because so many times we take passages and we say, oh, that's prophesying the end times. They're like, no, that was actually prophesying seventy a D. Oh, oh, this is about the fut that's actually talking about seventy a D. So many times that gets completely forgotten. Seventy eight D is like one of these events every Christian has to know.

36:54 Matthew twenty four. Everyone wants to run to it for Bible prophecy, but it was primarily prophesying what was going to happen is say and Dad. So in a sense, seventy eight was a fulfillment of biblical prophecy. And so Hebrews uses lots of language that would be associated with eschatology because seventy eight is a fulfillment, a major fulfillment within Biblical eschatology. For the original audience, then to run with endurance and remain faithful to Christ would be critical as they face not only persecution but also philological upheaval of the Temple's destruction. So run with endurance. Yeah, you're gonna have to endure because well, this absolutely crazy thing is about to occur. So when we look at Hebrews twelve and all of it, there's a warning against don't go back, move forward, a warning againts returning to Judaism. There's a call to endure in a time of crisis. That crisis is the coming destruction seventy eight D.

37:57 See God's discipline and chastisement within these horrible events. And when you see this language that may sound like eschatology or in times, it's primarily saying. It's using this language because. Seventy a D is a major event in eschatology, right, and then well, I could do more here, but then it gets later into the chapter. So I think we could say this. The destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem would underscore the philological arguments of Hebrews that Christ is the true high Priest, the perfect sacrifice, and the mediator of a better covenant. While Hebrews twelve one through seven primarily addresses perseverance and the face of persecution, it's a message of enduring faith and reliance of Christ. Would also fortify the recipients as they face the cataclysmic events of seventy a d and the definitive end of the old covenant system. It would be gone. There would be no old covenant system to go back to. That's the context here, that's the content.

39:06 I know, it sounds like if I try to teach it that way, everybody's like. No, no, no, no. I've heard a million sermons on Hebrews twelve and I know, and they're all about you. So what he is saying, Hey, guys, we need to endure. We need encouragement to endure. And what's that encouragement? Look to Jesus. Well, okay, first it applies to the original recipients. How does it apply to us. Well, we'll see if we can offer some application to it. But we got to be very careful what we do with this. Let's see what he has to say. But if you put your eye on the Lord Jesus Christ and follow after him, you'll be able to endure.

39:47 Hebrews Chapter twelve, verses one to four. Okay, now that's a dogmatic statement. If you put your eyes on Jesus, you will have the strength to endure. You'll be able to endure. Now, what do you see. We talked about false comfort, We've talked about that. That's just a dogmatic claim. There's no explanation. So what does that mean? Hey, hey, if and again, I know I use these extreme examples that nobody in church likes to talk about because it makes people very, very uncomfortable. And I know you people get very defensive when I say these things. But I'm sick and tired of people not being willing to look at the real world. All right, So just to imagine this, all right, Hey, Hey, I know you're currently being molested by maybe a religious leader, you're being molested by a family member. Hey, just look to Jesus and you can endure it? Does looking to Jesus help you endure being molested? Just last night we got news of someone who they're one year old, had a seizure and the one year old died. Just look to Jesus and you will endure. How does looking to Jesus help you endure that? Now, looking to Jesus for

41:25 the people in the context of Hebrews twelve makes sense. Look to Jesus because all this stuff that's going to be destroyed, your entire religious system is about to be destroyed. But Jesus fulfills it. He's a better priest, he is a better sacrifice. He's a better Ah. See now that makes sense, right, But we. Take it like, hey, you've got cancer, Just look to Jesus and you will endure it. So I get what happens? I look at you, I'm looking to Jesus. Get Do I get physical strength? What do I get? See? If you're gonna tell me, If I look at Jesus, I can endure. How does that work? Do I get supernatural spirit? Do I get physical strength?

42:07 Do I get more medical What do I get? Hey? If you're suffering, look to Jesus and you can endure it. Like, what does that mean? What does that even I don't even know what that means. That sounds like a little cliche we put on a bumper sticker. Look to Jesus and you can endure Okay, great, I look, I'm looking at you. How do I look to Jesus? Do I just say Jesus, Jesus, okay, our bad things are happening. I know I've got cancer and I'm gonna be I'm gonna slowly my body is gonna just fade away, and I'm gonna get weaker, and it's gonna have devastating impacts on how I look, on how I feel. I'm gonna be throwing up. I'm gonna be all these I'm just gonna look to Jesus, look at I can endure it. I can endure it. I can endure it.

42:50 I can do I can I endure it better than someone who doesn't have Jesus. Because I've known atheists who've gone through horrible things and they endured it pretty good. I've known people of other religions who have gone through horrible things. They seem to endure it really well. I've seen Christians who who go through horrible things and they have very difficult times and sometimes fall apart. Well, did they not look to Jesus? See, it's it's just a it's just a look to Jesus and you can endure. Well, maybe maybe we'll slow down, slow down. Now, you're right. If I look to Jesus, I can't endure the entire destruction of a religious system that will not save me.

43:37 I can't. Yeah, I can endure that. See, I know if some of you getting very defensive right now, I know you're you're like, what do you say? If I look at Jesus, I. Can adore anything. Okay, well go good for you, But maybe just don't be so agmatic, and maybe maybe don't be so judgmental when some other person seems to be struggling because they may not quite have figured out what it means to just look to Jesus and all of a sudden, dun dun du du. I can endure it. I can make it through it. I have no power, I see. You know, I'm very critical of that way of thinking. That's why we have that entire series on false comfort. In fact, I may have to put this there.

44:25 I need to put this in the sermon's two point oh, app series, it needs to be in both places. But he gave that in a very sorry I can't help you with that. Oh yeah, I know you can't help me with that. See, Sirih can't help me with that. Sirih can't help me. I know, I know she can't help me. Nobody can help me because there's not a good answer here. Okay. Unfortunately that that occurs sometimes because it's always listening to me. But I know it makes people uncomfortable. I know people don't like when I say things like this. You can always feel like I'm in a room. I don't I'm not anywhere near any of you, but I can feel the temperature change. Right, It's like a cold front moves in and I'm like, go oh, I just ticked off half the audience. But would you want would you do you want me to be just?

45:14 Do you want me to just give church talk church speech? Or would you rather be honest and realistic? Now? If I so, if I look to Jesus during horrible situation, a couple of just note how this can all backfire, or you're going through this horrible situation, just look to Jesus and you can endure where a person say, I'm looking to Jesus and he's not fixing my situation. I'm looking to Jesus, he's not making it better. I'm looking to Jesus. He's not healing this person. I'm looking to Jesus and the person still died. I'm looking to Jesus and my situation got worse. That could backfire. Some people say, well, you told me to look to Jesus and they still died.

45:59 It didn't get better. See that's the problem with telling people to look to Jesus without any explanation. Now, if I say, look to Jesus, and when you look to Jesus, you will see that he has died for you, and that his righteousness has been imputed to you by faith alone. Therefore you are guaranteed that there will come a time there'll be no more pain, no more suffering, and no more death. Now that may give you the hope of there's a hope some twenty years from now, forty years from now, fifty years from now, depending on how old you are when you're going to pass away, or if Jesus returns. But that's for somewhere down the road. It may give you endurance for that but you can't say that looking to him is going to what's going to help you endure the current situation. It may lead you to more despair.

46:44 That everyone's going to be honest with that. I mean, people told me to look to Jesus when I got the tragic news of my mother being in the hospital, and I look to Jesus. I left the hospital and spent twenty four hours inside a church begging and pleading God, and my mother died. So I looked at Jesus and it did not make it better, and which I was confused by it. At that point, I'm like, wait a minute, I've become a Christian. I'm no longer doing this. I'm no longer doing this. I'm trying to do the right thing. I'm not doing it perfectly, but I'm trying. I'm reading my Bible, I go to church. I don't miss the church that I read the Bible more than anybody. I'm studying. I'm doing Bible studies, I'm doing devotionals, I'm listening to Christian music. I'm trying to live a godly life, and boom when things go wrong. I looked at Jesus and my mom still dies and I'm young. Oh, but Jesus helped you endure?

47:43 Is that what I was supposed to take from that? How? How? How did he help me endure that? See that? That's just a it's just a I know, this is the way preaching is supposed to be done. I understand. You're just supposed to look at everyone. Hey, everyone, no matter what you're going through, look to Jesus and you can endure it. I know that's what you're supposed to say in a sermon. But that's why I'm so frustrated with the sermon structure. What does that mean? Is he going to explain it? Places us in the colosseum, if you will here in this text in very picturesque terms, the spirit of God surrounds us with many witnesses as we begin the running of our race. Hebrews twelve, verses one through four paints a picture for all of us, a picture so that we can understand that we're compassed about with many witnesses. Wherefore, seeing we are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight in the sin that does so easily beset us. The passage speaks of a great cloud. The word here translated great cloud is the green nephosfole. It means a massive cloud. And the witnesses that are spoken of here? Who might these witnesses be? Well? In studying this particular verse, there are

49:13 two strong opinions when we ask the question, who are the witnesses that form this cloud that watch us in our race? Some hold to what we would consider to be the spectator view. The spectator view. The spectator view recommends that perhaps the cloud of witnesses represents the witnesses who are watching us from heaven. After all, Verse one begins with that word wherefore, And if we know our Bibles, we're supposed to pause and ask what is it? Therefore? Well, when we look at what this wherefore is there? For we're reminded that we've just come through Hebrews chapter eleven, which is the Great Hall of Faith. And in that great Hall of faith, eighteen great champions of the faith are named for us to consider their witness, the witness of those who have gone before us, and perhaps say some they are now having run their race in heavenly places.

50:12 The spectators who are looking down and watching us as we run. And those who hold to that view would say, don't you realize that? In Luke chapter fifteen, the Bible talks about joy in the presence of the angels over one sinner, one earthly sinner who's come to repentance, and don't we realize that? According to Matthew seventeen, Moses and Elijah, who had already been transported into heaven, were back on the Mount of Transfiguration having a conversation with Jesus about earthly things. In other words, people in heaven are aware of what's going on on earth, and so this cloud of witnesses, say some is a cloud of heavenly witnesses.

50:52 First Samuel chapter twenty eight tells us that Saul was having a difficult time in battle, and so he went to the Witch of Endor, who conjured up Samuel and Samuel, who had already gone into the presence of the Lord in heaven. Samuel came back and spoke to Saul about things on her In his commentary on Hebrews, Seiss says the text intimates that the spirit existence after death is so nearly related to the present life that the sainted dead are cognizant of the actions of the living. This is the spectator view. I have to tell you when my mother passed away, way back in nineteen eighty two, my wife was expecting her first, my mother's first grandchild.

51:47 My mother had already been informed that her granddaughter would have her name. But my mother passed in March, and that grandchild was born in June. The question that crossed my mind, as I'm sure it was cross yours, was this, does my mother, who's now in heaven, know that she's become the grandmother of a granddaughter who carries her name? Did she know? Some would say yes, and they would put there yes in this great cloud of witnesses. That see, that's emotional. That's what would be the word.

52:29 It's emotional. It tugs on our heart, right, this idea. But Hebrews twelve is not about your grandmother, your mother seeing the birth of her grandchild. It's not about someone seeing the birth of a grandch It's not about that. This great cloud of witnesses has something to do with these people and the encourage. And if you're going to say this is encouragement, something they need to know with what they're facing, which is the coming destruction of Jerusalem and seventy a d now this turns into a discussion about so. Now, when you talk about that, then guess what. Ever, when people listening to this sermon, what they're going to talk about is, oh, no, I believe that. So and so they passed and they watch and they see what I do. They're in heaven and they see what I do.

53:22 And I find great comfort that they see what I'm doing. Well do they see everything? I mean? Like, I like, so we've got all these people watching us, like, and now it becomes about us. Now, if we interpret Hebrews twelve, verse one and light of the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the temple destruction obviously seventy eight, I think it takes on a more of a sense of urgency and a more specific theological focus. Say, if we turn it into oh wait, with this cloud of witnesses, could be and could be this and wait, it could be about uh, it could be about people who went before us watching us.

54:05 In that comforting to know, yes they saw you graduate from high school. Yes they saw that, they saw you what you accomplished. They're proud of you. I know that gives us some kind of sentimental emotional feelings. But I just don't know if that's what the text is about. This verse seems to be calling the original recipients to perseverance and faithfulness, which would have course been very relevant as they faced the impending collapse of the old covenant system and the destruction of the temple, which would have taken away everything. So how would we interpret it if we if we interpret Hebrews twelve to one more in light of its original context, Well, we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses. Well, the witnesses would seem to me to refer to the people listed in Hebrews Chapter eleven. These individuals suffered well, uncertainty, they suffered persecution, and they trusted in God's promises even when those promises were not fully realized in their lifetimes.

55:19 And we see that in Hebrews chapter eleven, verse thirteen, and verses thirty nine through forty. There was promises, There was things given. They didn't see the fulfillment of. They saw a lot of difficulty, pain, suffering, failure, death, they saw a lot of other things, but they held on to these promises. Could this not be? Hey, guys, look at them, and in similar way, you are Jews, right, you were Hebrews just like they were Jews in Hebrews, right, They just like they were giving promises. You've been given promises. God is not done with Israel. But you're gonna go through some difficult times. There's gonna be uncertainty, there's gonna be persecution, there's gonna be chastisement. But hold on by faith, look to Christ because he takes care of because that's what everything has been pointing to. Anyway, and remember the covenant promises that has been made with you see, for the original audience, those witnesses would be examples that reinforce the call to faith, especially as they face social, religious, and political pressures during the volatile years leading up to seventy a d. The destruction of the temple would have been catastrophic to them, but the faithful witnesses remind them that God's promises do not depend on earthly institutions. These faithful witnesses in Hebrews eleven would have been like, hey, hey, hey, God's promises survive no matter

56:50 what institutions are there. Not there arise fall, God's promises remain well. Israel has very specific promises. The destruction of the temple would have been a perceived wit I think I think this is an accurate statement, would have been perceived as the end of God's covenant with his people. That would have felt like it's over. God has done with us. God has finished with us. But by pointing to the witnesses and Hebrews eleven, the author would be highlighting that faith has always transcended physical location, rituals, or institutions. Just as the witnesses trusted in God's ultimate plan, so should the readers of Hebrews trust that God is working through the coming judgment.

57:42 Those specific witnesses would have had. Specific meaning to the original recipients, especially because they were Jewish. Because they were Jews. I don't think this turns into way, so who who are the witnesses now? I think the witnesses would have to be Hebrews chapter eleven. I mean it starts with therefore it has. To go back to Hebrews chapter eleven. I don't know if this turns into well, do people in heaven see what you're doing? I don't know what that's not. Look, you can have that discussion. I don't think that's the point here. We are surrounded by these witnesses in the sense that we have, remember the Old Testament.

58:25 These stories have been written, they've been preserved, they've been recorded, they've been talked about, they've been taught, they've been preached. That's how we're surrounded by them. I don't think this has any idea that they're sitting in heaven going hmmm, they're watching me. No, I've got their witness I've got the stories of their lives, those specific things being mentioned about them. Now, how does that fit in with people getting ready to Phase seventy a D. After all, doesn't the Bible tell us in Revelations, chapter six of the Tribulation, saints who are under the altar, clothed with white raiments and crying out with regard to the affairs on earth, How long, oh Lord, faith and true, until you avenge our blood? And God tells them to go their way and be quiet for just a little while.

59:16 They were interested, these who were in heaven, of the things happening on earth. Others say, no, we're not talking about heavenly witnesses who are watching from the battlements of heaven. We're talking more in this passage than about the witnesses who are watching from earth. And there are many passages in the Bible that remind us of the necessity of being careful about our example, letting our lights so shine before men, that they might see our good works and glorify the Father which is in heaven. And so, seeing we're compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, we should lay aside the weight and the sin that does so easily beset us, and run with patients, knowing there's someone always watching, there's someone always impacted. That's the view that we would call the spectator view. But there's also the spokesman view. Well, what's that. Well, back in Hebrews chapter eleven and verse four, we read about the death of Abel, and with the death of Abel, we read this important phrase, he being dead, yet speaks. And so there are those who would say, when we see the wherefore in chapter twelve, we're supposed to go back seeing what it's there for. And we go back to Hebrews chapter eleven, and the Hebrews chapter eleven and verse four, we recognize that Abel bears a testimony. Even though he's dead, he yet speaks, and they're eighteen noteworthies in Hebrews chapter eleven, whose lives bear testimony to us. Every day, there witnesses

1:00:50 to us of the necessity and the joy and the blessing of persevering in our spiritual walk. Hebrews twelve and verse one. Said they were witnesses, and they spoke encouragement to those facing seventy a d. They were, Oh, I, why why do we? Why are we so just unwilling to let the text be about who it's about. I don't understand. I'm not saying there's application for us, but we're This goes straight to application and ignores context. He's going to say a couple of more things. But but I know we're already at an hour. But I want to get to the the because let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us. I want to get to that because I've heard a million sermons on that, and none of them puts it in its historical context. None of them do.

1:01:44 I don't think I've ever heard of sermon put it in its historical context. So I'm going to try here just to end this. But let him just finish this statement. As in other words, these are witnesses to you that you too can run this race effectively. When Napoleon brought his troops to Egypt, he stood with the French troops before the pyramids and he said, forty centuries are bearing witness to your valor today. Much like Napoleon spoke. Some say the author of the Book of Hebrews is saying, there are those who have gone before us, and their testimony speaks to us today. So which is it, Pastor Phelps.

1:02:28 Is this great cloud of witnesses, spectators in heaven, spectators on earth are simply the spokesman the testimonies of those who have gone before us. I'm not going to answer it for you, because that's not the point of the passage. Oh okay, Now I do agree there. That's not the point of the passage. I do agree with that. Okay, So we're in complete agreement there. So what is he going to say? The point of the passage is there's a great cloud of witnesses. You're being watched, you're being challenged.

1:03:10 No, no, no, that's not the point of the pass The point of the passage is not there's a great cloud of witnesses and you are being watched. The point was there's a great cloud of witnesses that. We're speaking that to the people who were getting ready to face the absolute destruction of Jerusalem, of the Temple, of their entire nation, and bringing to it the end of the old Covenant system. That's what it was speaking to. So in light of this, what are they called to do? So let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us. Now, typically you're now are young people. You're running the race of your Christian life.

1:03:56 You need to identify what are the weights that are holding you back. Maybe it's a boyfriend. Maybe it's a girlfriend. Maybe it's the music you're listening to. Maybe it's the movies you're watching. Maybe it's that video game system. You got to get rid of it. Oh, you've heard these kind of sermons, right, Hey, what is that sin? There is a sin that is ensnaring you? What is that weight? What is that sin? I have preached that a million times myself. But guess what, because I preach because I followed the rules of preaching instead of following the rules I don't know studying the Bible. So let's put it somewhat in a historical context. What could throwing off the weight that and let us lay aside every weight. What could that weight be referring to? Well? Could it be everything that hinders could metaphorically be referring to the continued reliance on the temple system, which the audience might have been tempted to revert to for safety or comfort. Could this warning align with the broader message of Hebrews that the old Covenant is obsolete. The recipients are being called to release their attachment to the temple its practices, recognizing that these are simply shadows and are the reality is fulfilled in Christ.

1:05:18 Stop holding on. To your judaism, Stop going back to the sacrifices, stop going. Back to that, Let that go, Let that weight go. It's only gonna pull you back and guess what You're gonna hold on to it, and it's all about to just burn to the ground. You've got to move forward. You've got to put your focus on Christ. What about the sin? The sin lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us? Could the sin that so easily entangles could it refer to the sin of unbelieve or turning away from Christ, which Hebrews frequently warns against.

1:06:01 Hebrews Chapter three, Hebrews chapter ten, don't go back, don't return to because maybe they struggled with their do we believe in Christ? Is Christ truly the Messiah? They may have struggled and returned back to Judaism. In the context of seventy a. D. This could include the temptation to abandon Christ to seek refuge in the old Covenant system, which would soon be judged and dismantled. Hey, you've got to get rid of this weight. You've got to get rid. Of this sin. We've got to move forward to Christ. And look what immediately assays to do. Look what let us run the with endurance, the race that has set before us, looking on to Jesus. The weight, the unbelief.

1:06:44 Israel was constantly condemned for their unbelief. They were constantly condemned for things. Stop. You've got to let it all go. Everything in the old covenant system, you've got to let go. It's the weight, the sin of unbelief. You've got to look to Jesus. You've got to look to Jesus. Stop with your doubting, stop with your struggle. I know you may be being persecuted for your faith in Jesus, but you've got to hold on to him because everything is about to burn to the ground. That's what the text is about. Now we'll just let him finish and then we'll stop. See what happens when you put it back in its original context, it changes it dramatically.

1:07:37 It changes it dramatically for us. You need to endure, seeing we also are compassed about with this great cloud of witnesses. The challenge of this passage is will you endure in the race? Will you live for the Lord day by day? And as you live for the Lord day by day, realizing we're compassed about with these great cloud of witnesses, this text verse one challenges us to lay aside the weights that's so easily beset us. Author of the Book of Hebrews here says, throw aside, literally cast aside the weight like a baseball player or a softball player who's hit the ball and tosses aside the bat to run effectively down the stripe to get to the base. Don't let any weight slow you down. And the weights that are spoken of here speak of that which may be surplus. Any runner knows that you're not going to win. If you're running the race with too much weight, you're not gonna wear army boots to run a sprint against somebody else who's wearing feather lights with spikes on the front. You have to look at what you're carrying, try to find the lightest equipment possible to win this race. And even so, every Christian is being challenged in this passage. It may be a job that's slowing you down from being that all that you should be in your Christian walk and before

1:09:09 your family. It may be those people in the employment whose suggestiveness you're not able yet by point of maturity to bear up under lay aside this weight. It may be a relationship that's sapping you from the spiritual strength that you need to run the race effectively. It may not even be something that's bad necessarily, it's just not something that's best. This passage speaks of another weight. It speaks of sin, the weight of. Seeing none of that even acknowledges the context, none of that. It could be a relationship. It could be your Job's nothing to do with that.

1:09:51 It's for them. Now, how does it apply to us? It has application, and we could work that out, but it has to stay true. To the text. Now, I will let you consider that for now because I want you to just focus on Hebrews twelve one through seven, and it's proper context. I know I just ruined every sermon you've ever heard on Hebrews chapter twelve. I know I've just challenged how everyone interprets it. But my interpretation is based on the original context in which it was written. This is why Hebrews has been used to draw all kinds of weird doctrines about losing your salvation.

1:10:34 It completely misses the point. All right, I'll stop there where it's seventy minutes, so that was supposed to be about thirty minutes, and well we didn't get there. The name of that sermon is encouragement to endure. Go listen to the rest of it. Please let them get the download and stream and you can hear their perspective. Remember, I just offer a counter perspective. I'm not telling you. You can go believe that and say that that was right and I'm completely wrong. That's up to you. My job is just I'm listening to sermons, just sharing thoughts, and I obviously I have a different way of interpreting things. So my way of interpreting things tend to be based off the text and the historical context, especially in a book like Hebrews with historical context is like it's a shadow overshadowing the entire thing. Seventy a D. Seventy a D.

1:11:27 It is coming, I mean, this is written. Depending on what sources you look at, I'm almost all have somewhere between sixty four sixty five I think some I have them all the way up to sixty seven sixty eight AD, literally right before. And it's called Hebrews. It's a Jewish audience and it's all about Christ. Is better? Why because there's a temptation to go back. Well, guess what, get rid of that weight. It's all going away, get rid of that sin of unbelief, focus on Christ, because everything of your Jewish identity will not exist. What was the date of seventy eighty the destruction was in August? I think it was in August to seventy eight D.

1:12:08 I don't have it in front of me when it was. Maybe the siege began in August. I don't remember currently, but you can look up the dates of it. The siege lasted for a while. And we talked about depending on which sources you look to. Josephus I think has over a million people dying. Some people say that he exaggerated the number. We have horrible reports of possible cannibalism going on while the city was being siege. Just a horrific event. And that's what Jesus was ultimately pointing to in Matthew twenty four seventy eight D. Can't I know for us it doesn't mean anything. So we are like, hey, we got to get rid of that weight of a job or a relationship. I think I had bigger context here, all right, enjoy read Hebrews twelve. Now look at it from that perspective, Go finish that sermon, and uh, well we'll talk at some point again. Thanks for listening, God bless