Transcription

Connor
You’re listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun and practical ways.

Chris
Welcome back to the Bible, guys. Assuming that you’ve heard us before.

Jeff
Here we go.

Chris
Yeah. I mean, unless.

Jeff
Everybody’s heard us.

Chris
Before. Well, no. What are you talking about?

Jeff
We’re worldwide, man. We’re a phenomenon.

Chris
Oh, you’re you’re making a joke. Is that true? Uh, no. Well, actually, we are listened to around the world.

Jeff
Around the world. Yeah, yeah, but. But not everybody’s heard yet. No. So when people.

Chris
Like, not even close, when people.

Jeff
Like us or follow us or share helps out everywhere, and more people will hear. Yeah, yeah, look at that. So for if we’re useful to you, uh, hey, let other people know.

Chris
Well, today we’re doing, uh, who’s most likely. Okay, we’re going to decide who is more likely to do these five things.

Jeff
And we have little paddles. Yeah.

Chris
For pictures for people who are watching. We have, uh, paddles with our faces on it that we’re going to pull up. So. And then other other than that for our listening people, we’ll just shout out the name. Okay. So here we go. Are you ready? I am all right. We’re just gonna do it. Rapid okay. Rapid fire. Okay.

Jeff
First. Quickly. Okay.

Chris
Who’s most likely to eat pizza for breakfast? Jeff. Jeff.

Jeff
Jeff is. That’s for sure. That’s me. Yep. Because you’re a pizza guy. I love pizza, and I like cold pizza. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Well, I.

Chris
Mean, yeah, cold pizza is good. Number two, who’s most likely to own a unicorn onesie? Chris. Chris, Chris. Although let me go on record and say I don’t think I’ll ever own a unicorn onesie. You don’t own.

Jeff
One yet, is what you’re saying.

Chris
Unless the listener sends it to me.

Jeff
You know, you’re gonna get like 500 onesies in the next. No, no. That’s hilarious.

Chris
All right. Number three, who’s most likely to back you up in an argument even if you are wrong? Ooh.

Jeff
Well, see, we’re both. Adversarial. Yes. Neither one of us.

Chris
But even if you’re wrong.

Jeff
Back you up. Even if you’re wrong.

Chris
I’m going to go on the record and.

Jeff
Say, me, is that going to be you?

Chris
I’m going to say, I can concede that.

Jeff
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’ll give you that one, because I.

Chris
Think, I think you might be less likely.

Jeff
To back up a person.

Chris
Back up a person who’s wrong. Yeah. And I might actually in the moment, uh, like take, take, take a bullet for a friend.

Jeff
Yeah. More sympathy, more. I understand where you’re coming from. It’s that.

Chris
Well, no, no, I was thinking, like, a heated argument. Oh, like a bar fight type.

Jeff
Uh, yeah. No. Right. Yeah. That’s going to be you. More than me. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

Chris
I mean, not not that it would ever be a bar type scenario.

Jeff
Yeah, but I’m just. As soon as you went there, I was like, it’s.

Chris
Going to be you, but I’m going to try to create that that feeling in a dangerous.

Jeff
Situation or.

Chris
Or or controversial. Yeah. So you sort of back up a friend. Right. Okay.

Jeff
Yeah. Back up a friend. Yeah.

Chris
So okay. So, um, number four, who’s most likely to fake a foreign accent? Chris I’m going to say Chris.

Jeff
Chris.

Chris
Chris.

Jeff
Chris is more likely to fake almost anything.

Chris
Hey, hey, by the way, I’ve. Have you ever done this? I drive.

Jeff
Through? No.

Chris
You’ve never done it. No. Or you just pull through the drive through. My kids get so mad at me because I don’t do it often. But I used to a long time ago. As I pull through and I’d act southern, I’d be like, all right, well, I’d like, uh, one, uh, chicken biscuit. And I’m like. And I and I like, totally act like I’m like this huge southern guy and my my, my kids are like, you have got to be kidding me. They’re so I mean, they get flat out angry, right? And then I pull up to the window and then I change it, and I go, and I go, hey, how’s it going?

Jeff
Yeah. All right.

Chris
But but I never, I never like I never tried to like, you know, go something that I’m.

Jeff
Not a foreign.

Chris
Accent like I’ll go Indian or something like that. Right. I don’t try to do that. But that’s.

Jeff
Funny. So that’s hysterical. My, my kids, uh, they like to try to order stuff that’s not on the menu. Do your kids do that? Uh, we pulled in Taco Bell, and, you know, I always feel pressure. I don’t know why. I don’t like to call an order pizza. Yeah, right. So I feel pressure at the drive through. So I’m always like, everybody have your order when we pull. I don’t know why we’ve been sitting in line for three minutes. Five minutes. People can’t. Oh, gee, what do they sell at Taco Bell? Tacos? That’s what they sell it. Right. So they’re always they never ready. And so I’m always like, well, I’m with you.

Chris
I’m with you on that.

Jeff
Hurry up, get ready to order. And so, uh, one time my daughter and son ordered, um, uh, the new tuna tacos. And I said, and can I get, uh, four of the new tuna tacos? And then they’re like, ah. And there weren’t any. Right. Of course. And so then after that, they start doing it all the time where they’re ordering all kinds of stuff that’s not on the menu. So now I don’t trust these clowns when I pull into the drive through.

Chris
That’s funny. That’s funny. I’m sure that that’s so fun for the person working. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I’m being sarcastic in that.

Jeff
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.

Chris
So all right, so we got one more who’s most likely to be the life of the party.

Jeff
Chris.

Chris
Is it me?

Jeff
Because he’s very much.

Chris
You could be the life of the party. Yeah, but.

Jeff
You’re most likely to be the life of the party. Yeah, yeah.

Chris
Why do you say such things?

Jeff
Uh, because you have. Wu is, you know, winning others over in your personality. And so you.

Chris
So you’re at that part of it.

Jeff
You’re a social butterfly. You you just go in and you start looking for people. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You come into the room a lot louder.

Chris
Yeah. That’s true.

Jeff
And, uh, yeah, you like people more?

Chris
Yeah.

Jeff
That’s true. So it’s not that I dislike people. It’s that you love being with. Yes. Crowds of people. Yes. And I like to be with people. I’m just not always thrilled about crowds of people.

Chris
Do you know, just by the way, I know that we’re we’re wrapping up this segment, but, uh, do you know that how strange this is for me? Uh, about, I would say about 15 to 18 years ago, maybe. Ish. I actually discovered that because, you know, when you’re at a big church, you preach multiple services. Yeah. And, you know, we do minimum of three. We’re currently doing four in a row. Yeah. Four in a row.

Jeff
All identical.

Chris
All identical on Sunday mornings. That’s a long time. Yeah. And I feel like when I’m drained and I’m feeling like I have no more energy, I’ve discovered that I actually get energy by going out and being with people. Right? Right. Which which, by the way, is so it’s it’s counter to most people.

Jeff
Right. Well, it’s because you’re a raging extrovert. Yeah. And that’s one of the things extroverts get energized by being with people.

Chris
Yeah. And actually and I remember saying like out loud and I just how foreign it is, I go, man, I’m so tired. I go out and be with people. Yeah. And I go out and I come back woo! And I’m just all pumped up.

Jeff
I’m ten times more likely in between services to pull back into my office for a minute. Yeah. Grab some tea. Yeah. Just kind of turn some music on or whatever. Be quiet for a few minutes and then get revved back up and go do it again. Right. That’s me. Whereas whereas you disappear and you’re out there waiting through the crowd, just hugging people. You come back. What? You’re ready to go?

Chris
They’re lifting me up in the lobby.

Jeff
Carrying around, having a parade. Yeah, yeah.

Jeff
Chris, Chris. He’s the best.

Chris
Oh, I don’t know about that part, but I do definitely socialize. Yeah. Chris.

Jeff
Chris, he’s our man. If he can’t do it, nobody can.

Chris
Yeah. If he can’t do it, Jeff can.

Jeff
There you go.

Chris
Well, so, uh, we’re in Luke 17, we’re back in Luke, and we’re going to be reading, uh. What? It, uh, verse.

Jeff
20 through.

Chris

3720. No. What is it? Verse 20. Verses.

Jeff
Yeah, yeah. 17 verses. And this is, uh, Jesus is talking about end times again. So Christians love it. What Jesus talks about how things are going to come to an end.

Chris
Well, yeah. What’s not to love about heaven?

Jeff
Yeah I know it’s exciting. So he says, uh, one day the Pharisees asked Jesus, so this is the Pharisees asking, when will the kingdom of God come? Jesus replied, the kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, here it is, or it’s over there, for the kingdom of God is already among you. Then he said to his disciples, the time is coming when you will long to see the day when the Son of Man returns, but you won’t see it. People will tell you, look, there is the Son of Man, or here he is, but don’t go out and follow them. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so it will be on the day when the Son of Man comes. But first the Son of Man must suffer terribly, be rejected by this generation. When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all. And the world will be as it was in the days of lot. People went about their daily business, eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building until the morning. Lot left Sodom, then fire and burning sulphur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. Yes, it’ll be business as usual right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, a person out on the deck of a roof must not go down to the house. To pack. A person out in the field must not return home. Remember what happened to lot’s wife. If you cling to your life, you’ll lose it. But if you let your life go, you’ll save it. That night, two people will be asleep in one bed and one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding flour together at the mill. One will be taken, the other left. Where will this happen, Lord? The disciples asked, and Jesus replied, just as the gathering of vultures shows, there’s a carcass nearby. So these signs indicate that the sun that the end is near.

Chris
There you go. What a word picture that is. Yeah. Just as the gathering of vultures shows, there’s a carcass nearby.

Jeff
So? So it’s interesting. There’s a note. Did you see the note here? Um, um, for verse 37 in the Life Application Study Bible, apparently that’s a familiar proverb that Jesus quoted that the Jews would have known. And one vulture circling overhead does not mean much. But a gathering of vulture means vultures means that a carcass is nearby. Likewise, one sign of the end may not be significant, but when many signs occur, the Second Coming is near. Yeah.

Chris
I just love the fact that he compared the kingdom of God to a carcass. Yeah, right. I mean, that’s that’s the that’s the that’s the picture, isn’t it?

Jeff
Yeah, well I think the picture is circling vultures means that there’s something there.

Chris
I know, but but everything represents something.

Jeff
Yeah, yeah.

Chris
So, uh, but yeah, that’s so that. Yeah, that’s that’s cool. I did not know that that was a proverb. Yeah. I didn’t either until I read that note earlier.

Jeff
Yeah.

Chris
Which is really cool. So, uh, so yeah, it is interesting that the Pharisees are the one that asked, when will the kingdom of God come? Because obviously they’ve heard Jesus teaching about the kingdom of God. Right? So he says, the kingdom of God is like and and if you read through the Gospels, which again, we have, uh, how many times do you think take us take a wild guess. How many times has Jesus said, the kingdom of God is like.

Jeff
Oh, dozens, dozens, dozens of times.

Chris
It has to be dozens.

Jeff
Yeah, yeah, the kingdom of God. Or so he differentiates between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God. But yeah, he uses those phrases dozens and dozens of times. Almost every parable has a, you know, the kingdom of God is like a woman who loses a coin or, uh, a son who takes his father’s inheritance and whatever. It’s it’s over and over and over again. Yeah.

Chris
Um, and and I love how we talked about just a few podcasts ago. Uh, remember we did a social media minute where somebody said, hey, you’re able to bring the Bible, uh, to life, and it’s understandable. Yeah, yeah. And that’s what Jesus did in all his parables, right? He’s making he’s making all those parables and saying, like, let me let me take the concept. And what’s really interesting about Jesus’s response is, what he’s really saying here is he’s saying it’s not a geographical location, right? It doesn’t have borders, right? It’s not a kingdom like you’re thinking. And then he was really saying, it’s already here. It’s already.

Jeff
Here because he’s.

Chris
There, right, right, right. And so he’s saying, he’s saying the kingdom of God is already among you. So it’s the teaching of the kingdom of God, the, the, the, the acceptance of, of the Son of Man, the Messiah, the belief which is the roots of the what is about to be the church. Right? Right. Uh, that’s going to be coming up. And so, uh, and so it’s it’s interesting how, uh, most likely there’s no indication, but most likely nobody understood what he meant.

Jeff
Oh, yeah. I don’t think so. Yeah.

Chris
He says it’s already among you, and they’re probably going, what? You can’t see it and you can’t point to it. And it’s among you, right? They probably didn’t get it.

Jeff
So Jesus ties the kingdom of God to truth. He ties the kingdom of God to light. Right. And. So Jesus is the light of the world. Jesus is the Word of God. The Word of God is true, right? And so anywhere that the truth of Christ is the light pushing back against the darkness in the world, that is the kingdom of God. And so wherever his light goes through the gospel being spread, that’s the kingdom of God. And so they’re having a hard time understanding. And he understands they’re not asking about the actual kingdom of God right now. What they’re asking is when is it all going to end? And so he flips from talking about the kingdom of God is already here. But what you’re asking is, when is the Son of Man coming back? And it’s interesting because they did not they did not ask, when are you returning? But he began to answer, this is when I’m going to return, because he referred to himself as a son of Man all the time. It was his own nickname for himself, right? Right, right, right. So he pivots out of he only. He only makes the one statement about the kingdom of God, uh, where he says, you won’t be able to say, here it is, or it’s over there, for the kingdom of God is already among you. And then everything else he talks about is when he returns, which is different than the kingdom of God. Right? So it’s like Jesus said, I know you want to talk about when’s the kingdom? It’s already here. You don’t even understand. You missed it. But let me tell you about when you should be really nervous is when I come back, right? Right, right. And and so he pivots into this. The time is coming when you long to see the Son of Man return, you won’t see it. And he’s talking to his disciples and to the followers. They’re obviously he’s talking to these Pharisees and, uh, um, that I think is a big as a matter of fact, you know, on our podcast, we we did, uh, how many, how many weeks did we stay in the book of revelation? I can’t remember, we did maybe two weeks in the book of revelation. So, yeah. Um, but some of our most listened to podcasts are from that that time, right? A couple of months ago. Right. Several months ago. And people are just very intrigued. The number one, let me look this up. The number one, uh, podcast that we’ve done is the first week of the revelation. No, it was um, let me let me find it.

Chris
You texted it, you texted it to me.

Jeff
Yeah. Yeah, yeah. It was it was like the third or fourth day basically asking when is this going to happen? Right. The end is near or something is what it was called. And um, I just think it’s interesting that it’s still a question. Here we are 2000 years later. And the number one thing we’re so the Bible guys have talked about by the time we’re done with this passage, every single chapter in the New Testament. But of all the things we’ve talked about, the most important thing everybody wants to know is, so when is it going to end? Yeah, right. Signs of the end times. And so here’s Jesus pivoting going. It’s going to be like uh, like Noah’s day. It’s just going to. Everybody’s just having their parties. And suddenly the doors shut and it started raining. They didn’t even expect it to happen. They were blowing off the messenger and they didn’t expect it. It’s going to be like when lot as soon as lot walks out of out of Sodom, the fire fell. But prior to that, they were having their parties and getting married and plowing their fields and just going about. It was business as usual. And so in one side, he’s kind of implying that people won’t even recognize that it’s coming.

Chris
Right?

Jeff
Right. That’s what he’s saying.

Chris
Yeah. And I like how he used the imagery. He says, for as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. So it will be on the day when the Son of Man comes. Yeah. Just now. That’s a great word picture, right? Better than the carcass, in my opinion. Yep, yep. And the vultures. Way better. Yeah. And then and then he says, uh, he says, but, uh, first the Son of Man must suffer terribly, uh, and be rejected by this generation. So he’s so he’s he’s saying them. No. Yeah. He’s, he’s letting him know and that’s, that’s suffering predicting his own death. Right. But then also, you know, we all know that, uh, uh, not everybody receives Christ. People reject Christ. Uh, we all know that. Jesus says that if you follow Christ, you will be persecuted. Right? And so, you know, from from that time until Jesus comes back, all of this has been true, right? Right. So, you know, terrible rejection both in person and continuing on for thousands of years, even afterwards.

Jeff
So, uh, Jesus says there’s going to be many people who claim to be the Messiah. Um, and, uh, many are going to claim that Jesus is returned and people are going to believe him. And he said, don’t, don’t believe anything, even as convincing as it seems. Don’t believe it, because the next time I return, everybody’s going to see it. Nobody’s going to mistake it. You’re not going to be confused. It’s not going to require a messenger the next time I come back, I’m not going to send out messengers. Go, hey, have you heard Jesus arrived. Everybody’s going to know. And that’s, you know, so much in the book of revelation, we read about about those the end times like that. But that’s what he’s saying is. There’s going to be all kinds of fake messiahs and fake answers and people claiming to be speaking for God. All this stuff, reject all of it. Don’t believe any of them. Uh, because when I return, you’re going to know for sure it’s me. And, uh, it’s a big deal on that. And then I think the most powerful phrase and it’s kind of out of place here, there’s another it’s not out of place, but it’s a surprising it kind of is a jarring statement. There’s another place the Bible says this, too. But he says in verse 33, if you cling to your life, you’ll lose it. And if you let your life go, you’ll save it, right? I love that, that phrase. And there’s another place where he talks about it with regard to our priorities, our priorities, meaning, you know, we’re chasing after taking care of ourselves. And when you do that, you’re really losing your life. You’re wasting your life. But when you give your life for me, that’s when you’ll really find it. And, um, uh, here, he’s kind of given the same, uh, the same big idea, though the note says those clinging to this life are those seeking to escape physical persecution. Those who live for themselves display these common attitudes. Materialism. I want and I want it, and I work to get it. All that I see is real, unseen things are merely ideas and dreams. It’s interesting. Materialistic people tend to think that the unseen. It’s a nice thought and, you know, it’s nice to hope for, but it’s not real. Um, individualism. I work hard for me, and you work hard for you. I may make it and you may not. That’s your problem, not mine. Right? The third one is skepticism. Anything I’m not convinced about can’t be important. Everything important to know I can figure out. Those who have these attitudes may protect themselves, but they’ll lose the spiritual dimension to their lives. Keep your commitment to Christ at full strength, and then you’ll be ready when he comes, isn’t it? Isn’t that a great yeah.

Chris
That’s awesome.

Jeff
That’s a great way to see that is a lot of times we we try to grab our life. We try to control it either through materialism or individualism or skepticism. And he’s saying, man alive. You do that and you limit what, you know, understanding and being ready for the return of Christ.

Chris
So and this isn’t the only time he’s ever said this. He’s actually said this before where he’s added to it, where he said, what does it? What does it gain a person to gain the whole world? Yeah. Or what does it profit a person, a man, uh, to gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Right. And he’s talking about, you know, how we can go through life and, you know, have our eyes focused on the temporary and then and then yet lose that which is eternal. Um, and by the way, you know, what that reminds me of is, uh, there’s a movie called The Tourist with Johnny Depp and Angelina. Angelina Jolie, we’re at the very end. This big criminal guy, uh, walks into a room, and it’s just this extravagant room. It’s filled with gold and trappings and and crystals and diamonds. And it’s just this room that looks like it’s like $5 million or whatever it is. Right. And he walks in and it was it was like one of the. And it stuck out to me because and again, it’s just a fictional goofy movie. Sure. But but it stuck out to me because it’s one of the only times I’ve ever heard any person ever proclaim this mentality. He said, you know, he goes, I’ve never understood why people, uh uh, what people die for. He said. Some people choose to sacrifice their life for another person. He goes, I don’t get that. He goes, but you know what? He goes, this room, this room, this is this is worth dying for. He said everything in this room, he said, this stuff in this room. Wow. And I just remember thinking like it stood out to me. And I thought to myself, well, that’s unusual. Chris
Yeah, right. Because most people, when they’re facing the end of their life, they realize that the stuff doesn’t matter, right? And all of a sudden the reality of eternity sets in. Right? But this guy, like, is going double down and up until the time he loses his life, right, uh, of saying like, man, I never got it, you know? And I thought to myself, you know what? I don’t think there’s going to be too many people at the end of life who will actually think that, right? Right. On the on the deathbed, nobody, nobody has that thought. Right? I don’t know of anybody.

Jeff
There are moments. So it’s not wrong to prepare for your future. It’s not wrong to prepare for your old age. Book of Proverbs says that a wise man and a godly person prepares. It says A wise person prepares for his old age. Um, a righteous man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children. So it requires some preparation, some awareness of how the world works, the ability to build resources, and those kinds of things. So Jesus is not saying it’s wrong to have a plan to, uh, you know, to prosper and to leave something to your family. Right? That’s not wrong. What’s wrong is to make that be the goal of your life, or the purpose of your life, and to decide that that’s what’s real, and then throw away the most important things, right?

Chris
So or more importantly, to neglect the eternal, the most important.

Jeff
Right? Right. Yeah. And so he’s saying here when he says you have to be willing to let go of your life. He’s not saying you have to just be willing to let your life go. That’s right. Just oh, it doesn’t matter. I don’t need to prepare for my retirement. I don’t need to take care of myself in my old age. I don’t need to leave something to my children’s children. Uh, you know that’s not what he’s saying. What he’s saying is you have to be willing to let your priorities for your life go to God. Yeah.

Chris
That’s great. Right.

Jeff
And you’re preparing for for Jesus to return, then?

Chris
Yeah well, I think that that’s a great place to end. And, uh, hopefully we’ll see you tomorrow on The Bible Guys.