01 - Jesus, The Indisputable Prophet By Pastor Jeff Wickwire Notes

Since we're going to be looking at Bible prophecy concerning Israel and current events, I wanted to begin at the beginning with The Lord Jesus, the ultimate Prophet. Jesus prophesied about future events both near to His time and far---reaching all the way down to us today.

We find in the Bible that Jesus uttered some of the most remarkable prophecies concerning Jerusalem, the future of Israel, and the world at large of anyone in the Bible. So before anything else, let's establish Jesus' credentials as a bona fide Prophet by looking at some examples.

We find in many of the gospel accounts of His ministry that Jesus predicted future events on a regular basis. In Mark's gospel, for example, Jesus predicted things that would occur in the short term, even on the very day He spoke them. In Mark 11 we are told:

"Now when they drew near Jerusalem, to Bethphage and Bethany, at the Mount of Olives, He sent two of His disciples; 2 and He said to them, “Go into the village opposite you; and as soon as you have entered it you will find a colt tied, on which no one has sat. Loose it and bring it.

3 And if anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord has need of it,’ and immediately he will send it here.” 4 So they went their way, and found the colt tied by the door outside on the street, and they loosed it. 5 But some of those who stood there said to them, “What are you doing, loosing the colt?” 6 And they spoke to them just as Jesus had commanded. So they let them go" (11:1-6).

Here we see that Jesus knew that a colt would be found in the neighboring town. He foresaw his condition--tied up. He also knew that the owner would protest and exactly how the protest would be worded. It all happened just exactly as He had predicted.

Then in Mark 14 the time has come for Jesus to observe the Passover with His disciples. This would also be where He would institute the Lord's Supper. His disciples wanted to know where they would do this. Mark records:

13"And He sent out two of His disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him.14Wherever he goes in, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is the guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’

15 Then he will show you a large upper room, furnished and prepared; there make ready for us.” 16 So His disciples went out, and came into the city, and found it just as He had said to them; and they prepared the Passover" (14: 13-16).

Jesus had peered into the short-term future and prophesied several things. First, a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water. Second, as you follow him, he will enter a house. Go in after him.

Third, you will encounter the master of the house. Ask him in my name where the room is where I can eat the Passover with my disciples. Fourth, he would show them a room. It would be a large, second story room furnished and prepared.

Watch this. His disciples went out and found it exactly as He had said to them. Not one detail was off. Jesus had predicted in the morning time events that would unfold later that day. He saw it all as if He had watched a movie of it.

And this is also exactly what happened when Jesus told Simon Peter that he would deny Him three times...

Peter had sworn to never deny Christ, but Jesus predicted he would...describing his denials in explicit detail. "You will deny me 3 times before a rooster crows twice." The Bible records that, after his third denial, a rooster crowed for the second time! Jesus never missed.

Now, when we come to chapter 13 of Mark, we find Jesus answering two questions from his disciples. In Matthews account a third question is added that we'll look at in a moment. Let's read Mark's account:

Mark 13:1-2 "Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, 'Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!'

2 And Jesus answered and said to him, 'Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down.'”

This statement from Jesus about the future destruction of the Temple stunned the disciples. This would be like someone predicting the imminent utter destruction of Cowboy Stadium where literally nothing would be left but dust!

The disciples got with Jesus privately and asked three questions, two recorded by Mark and Luke, and a third one recorded by Matthew. We will add Matthew's question in the following quotes:

First they asked, "Tell us, when will these things be?" Second, "And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled." (Mark 13:4) Then in Matthew, the third question, "What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" (Matt. 24:3).

Now, it's very important to pay careful attention to the wording here. When the disciples asked, "When will these things be?" they were referring to the destruction of the Temple. Jesus had said that the Temple was going to be destroyed. They asked, "When will these things happen?"

Mark and Luke both record only the two questions having to do with that particular event. Matthew includes a third question that reaches all the way to the end of the age, to the return of Christ to the world, to the end of time as we know it. "What will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?" they asked.

So when Jesus first begins His answer, He addresses the first two questions first. "When will these things be (the destruction of the Temple), and what will be the sign when all these things (the destruction of the Temple) be fulfilled?

Much of what Jesus answered the disciples concerning what was soon to come upon their generation has been interpreted by many to be aimed at us today.

But we have to keep in mind that Jesus was standing in Jerusalem in front of the Temple talking to Jewish men who lived in Israel, predicting events that would come upon their generation. It was in answer to questions they had asked about one of His predictions concerning their Temple that He said much of what He said.

Matthew's third question lets us know that part of what Jesus said did indeed have to do with the end of time, with the last of the last days, but not all of what He said.

So...what did Jesus say would happen in their generation, and was He accurate? He begins by warning them about the various calamities that would come their way. There would be first: Deceivers (5-6). Did such deceivers or false Christ's arise and deceive many in those years before the destruction of Jerusalem? Yes!

According to Josephus, the noted Jewish historian, twelve years after our Savior's death, a certain impostor named Theudas persuaded a great multitude to follow him to the river Jordan which he claimed would divide for their passage.

At the time of Felix (who is mentioned in the book of Acts), the country of the Jews was filled with impostors who Felix had put to death EVERY DAY—a statement which indicates that there were "many" of such in those days!

"Wars, rumors of wars." And did this happen? Yes! Within a short time the Empire was filled with strife, insurrection, and wars. Before the fall of Jerusalem, four Roman emperors had experienced violent deaths in the space of 18 months.

Jesus also predicted that "famines, earthquakes, and pestilence" would occur in "various places." Did this happen? Yes! The Bible records that there was famine "throughout all the world...in the days of Claudius Caesar (Acts 11:28). Judea was especially hard hit by famine.

And pestilences? Yes! One historian wrote of "pestilence" at Rome in the days of Nero which was so severe that "within the space of one autumn there died no less than 30,000 persons."

Josephus records that pestilences raged in Babylonia in A. D. 40. Tacitus tells of pestilences in Italy in A. D. 65. So yes, there were pestilences in those years before the destruction of Jerusalem.

And finally, what of earthquakes? Tacitus mentions earthquakes at Rome. He wrote that "Frequent earthquakes occurred, by which many houses were thrown down" and that "twelve populous cities of Asia fell in ruins from an earthquake."

These however, were not to be looked upon as signs that the “end of time" was here, but rather would be the things the disciples must endure as they awaited the “end” they had asked about--the end Jesus had just spoken of--the Temple.

Now, in Luke 21:24, Luke records one of Jesus's predictions reaching beyond 70 AD. He predicted that, following the destruction of Jerusalem and of the Temple, “And they (the Jews) will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled."

A similar phrase is found in Romans 11:25, which says “a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in." What are the times of the Gentiles? It simply means that Jerusalem would remain under Gentile control until the return of Christ.

And this has been the case! The Jews that survived were scattered throughout the world. And following 70 AD, Jerusalem was under Gentile control up to 1948, and more specifically 1967. At first, the Romans held it for a few more centuries. Then it was conquered by Muslim armies who held it for centuries to come. Finally the British captured it during WWI, marking the first time in many centuries that Christians had held the city.

Then when Israel became a nation again in 1948, and when Israeli armies took Jerusalem again in 1967 in the six day war, a remarkable fulfillment of Bible prophecy had been literally fulfilled. The Prophet Ezekiel had predicted,

"This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel" (Ezekiel 37:21-22).

Now, as an aside, we also know that the day will come when Antichrist will make a 7 year peace treaty with Israel, which would again place Israel under a level of Gentile control. The ultimate end of Gentile control over Jerusalem will only take place at the return of Christ when Jesus Himself will rule the world out of Jerusalem.

But here is the point. Jesus Himself placed Israel at the epicenter of Bible prophecy. Save a few references to "the world at large," Jesus predictions all revolved around Israel.

In Bible prophecy Israel is the center of the world, the ground zero around which the events of the rest of the world will revolve. Israel gave us the Bible, all of the Prophets, the Savior Messiah Jesus Himself, and Zechariah tells us in no uncertain terms:

Zech 12:2-3 “I will make Jerusalem and Judah like a cup of poison to all the nearby nations that send their armies to surround Jerusalem. 3 Jerusalem will be a heavy stone burdening the world. And though all the nations of the earth unite in an attempt to move her, they will all be crushed."

Next time we will look at a sweeping, astonishing prophecy by the Prophet Ezekiel that will identify these nations that surround Jerusalem, and what their fate will be.

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