303: Levi Gelineau – Exhortation: The Final Consolation

1
00:00:13,280 –> 00:00:15,280
Welcome to good Krysofian talks.
I’m Levi.

2
00:00:15,480 –> 00:00:16,640
I’m Chris.
I’m Gisten.

3
00:00:17,120 –> 00:00:19,200
And I’m Brian, thank you for
joining us this week.

4
00:00:19,360 –> 00:00:20,280
On this.
Podcast.

5
00:00:20,280 –> 00:00:22,240
We select one.
Talk a week to help.

6
00:00:22,240 –> 00:00:24,680
Us Get the Bible in our Daily
News feed.

7
00:00:24,880 –> 00:00:28,480
Each week we post a talk that we
previewed from suggestions sent

8
00:00:28,480 –> 00:00:29,960
in by listeners from around the
world.

9
00:00:30,080 –> 00:00:33,680
Then we record a short intro
beforehand as a personalized

10
00:00:33,680 –> 00:00:36,480
recommendation to you on why we
are sharing the talk.

11
00:00:36,640 –> 00:00:39,640
And now let’s talk more about
this week’s talk.

12
00:00:51,000 –> 00:00:55,600
This week’s talk is my own
exhortation that I gave in

13
00:00:55,600 –> 00:00:59,280
August of 2023, as was a little
over a year ago.

14
00:00:59,640 –> 00:01:03,600
It’s called the Final
Consolation and I really enjoyed

15
00:01:03,600 –> 00:01:05,280
putting this exhortation
together.

16
00:01:05,400 –> 00:01:08,600
I open with a reading of a
portion of The Final Consolation

17
00:01:08,600 –> 00:01:12,200
by Brother Robert Roberts.
And then?

18
00:01:12,200 –> 00:01:17,960
Talk about the reality of our
hope being that there is kind of

19
00:01:17,960 –> 00:01:21,200
an apocalypse.
And I think I have struggled

20
00:01:21,200 –> 00:01:23,280
with that for years.
And I, I, I tell a personal

21
00:01:23,280 –> 00:01:28,960
story in this talk about that
and just, you know, just how it,

22
00:01:28,960 –> 00:01:30,200
how it.
Can be so.

23
00:01:30,200 –> 00:01:34,320
Surreal or and sometimes feeling
very illogical and just very

24
00:01:34,320 –> 00:01:39,480
strange to to maintain the faith
that we have in saying yes, I

25
00:01:39,480 –> 00:01:42,320
believe the world’s going to end
right, which a lot of people

26
00:01:42,320 –> 00:01:45,280
wouldn’t say right.
And that’s, I think that’s this

27
00:01:45,280 –> 00:01:46,880
talk is me kind of struggling
with that.

28
00:01:47,680 –> 00:01:50,760
I actually.
Gave this version of the talk in

29
00:01:51,000 –> 00:01:56,360
at Verdugo Hills, which is
Chris’s meeting, the long time

30
00:01:56,360 –> 00:01:59,240
meeting of Bob Lloyd.
It’s a very nearby meeting.

31
00:01:59,240 –> 00:02:01,640
Vaduga Hills and Simi Hills are
about half an hour apart.

32
00:02:02,240 –> 00:02:07,120
And so I also wanted this, I
wanted to post this version of

33
00:02:07,120 –> 00:02:08,160
it.
I’m, I’m saying that because I

34
00:02:08,160 –> 00:02:11,960
gave this exhortation three
times that summer and this is

35
00:02:11,960 –> 00:02:15,440
definitely the best performance
of the exhortation, which is

36
00:02:15,440 –> 00:02:18,560
something I’ve, I, I thought was
worth sharing ahead of time

37
00:02:19,520 –> 00:02:22,720
because there’s a reason I
think, you know, that I haven’t

38
00:02:22,720 –> 00:02:25,040
been on good Chris, good
Christopian talks yet.

39
00:02:25,080 –> 00:02:27,640
And we’re all, you know, there’s
a, there’s definitely a tongue

40
00:02:27,640 –> 00:02:31,560
in cheek to this July special of
us posting our own talks.

41
00:02:32,160 –> 00:02:34,360
You know, it’s just, it’s just
funny.

42
00:02:34,640 –> 00:02:36,840
And we’re.
And we’re not, you know, and I’m

43
00:02:36,840 –> 00:02:39,320
not a particularly great
speaker.

44
00:02:40,200 –> 00:02:41,960
I don’t get invited to teach a
Bible school.

45
00:02:41,960 –> 00:02:43,880
And that’s OK.
I wouldn’t, I would probably

46
00:02:43,880 –> 00:02:47,040
decline if someone said that I
needed to give 5 lectures.

47
00:02:47,040 –> 00:02:50,160
It’s just not my strength.
It’s not, not, not, not not

48
00:02:50,160 –> 00:02:53,520
really the part of the body, you
know, of First Corinthians 12

49
00:02:53,520 –> 00:02:56,840
that I am.
But I anyways, I, I was excited

50
00:02:56,840 –> 00:02:59,600
to share it And, and it is
something that I’m still kind of

51
00:02:59,600 –> 00:03:02,680
learning at my age.
I’ve been, I’ve been giving

52
00:03:02,680 –> 00:03:06,120
exertations for 20 years, but
when I, this is the third, third

53
00:03:06,120 –> 00:03:08,480
time.
And for me especially when I

54
00:03:08,760 –> 00:03:12,160
have actually given the talk,
the 2nd and 3rd and 4th time is

55
00:03:12,160 –> 00:03:14,440
significantly better.
So now it’s part of my

56
00:03:14,440 –> 00:03:18,080
preparation when I when I do
take the time to properly

57
00:03:18,080 –> 00:03:21,800
prepare and actually taking a
video recording of myself giving

58
00:03:21,800 –> 00:03:26,640
the talk 1st and then then going
and giving it at at the ecclesia

59
00:03:26,640 –> 00:03:29,240
I’m speaking at.
Anyways, so.

60
00:03:29,280 –> 00:03:32,640
That’s the that’s some of my
context before, before sharing

61
00:03:32,640 –> 00:03:35,000
this talk.
It is the most recent

62
00:03:35,000 –> 00:03:37,400
exhortation I’ve given.
So it’s also funny when I look

63
00:03:37,400 –> 00:03:40,440
back when I was asking myself
what is the best talk I’ve ever

64
00:03:40,440 –> 00:03:42,680
given, I ended up with the last
one.

65
00:03:43,480 –> 00:03:47,040
So that was also, you know, a
funny thing.

66
00:03:47,040 –> 00:03:49,000
But I’m, I’m, I’m excited to
share it.

67
00:03:49,000 –> 00:03:51,480
I hope it’s helpful.
I hope there are some ideas in

68
00:03:51,480 –> 00:03:53,920
here that are helpful.
Thank you again to everyone for

69
00:03:54,240 –> 00:03:55,480
listening to the show for so
long.

70
00:03:55,480 –> 00:03:57,600
I can’t believe we’re past 300
episodes.

71
00:03:58,040 –> 00:04:00,160
So here is the final
consolation.

72
00:04:00,760 –> 00:04:04,760
Good morning, I’m going to start
my exertation in a non advisable

73
00:04:04,760 –> 00:04:07,040
way.
I’m going to read something for

74
00:04:07,040 –> 00:04:08,560
a long time.
So.

75
00:04:09,080 –> 00:04:13,920
Work really hard on your
attention, please, if you or me,

76
00:04:13,920 –> 00:04:18,120
it’s this is a big struggle is a
quote from the final Consolation

77
00:04:18,240 –> 00:04:21,880
written by Brother Robert
Roberts in the the year 1895 The

78
00:04:21,880 –> 00:04:23,160
final.
Consolation is a.

79
00:04:23,160 –> 00:04:25,800
Small pamphlet that Robert
Roberts wrote and it was his

80
00:04:25,800 –> 00:04:31,080
vision of the Kingdom.
We approach Jerusalem, or rather

81
00:04:31,080 –> 00:04:32,880
Yahweh.
Shema, the new name of the new

82
00:04:32,880 –> 00:04:35,200
city from the South.
It stands in the southernmost

83
00:04:35,200 –> 00:04:38,360
section of the Holy portion.
It’s an immense city built upon

84
00:04:38,360 –> 00:04:40,600
a plan of perfect symmetry and
proportion.

85
00:04:40,600 –> 00:04:43,360
It is very unlike the huddled
clusters of human dwellings

86
00:04:43,360 –> 00:04:45,600
called towns with which we have
been familiar.

87
00:04:45,800 –> 00:04:49,080
The general plan is an exact
square marked by an outer wall.

88
00:04:49,280 –> 00:04:52,200
The square is of enormous
extent, measuring 9 miles

89
00:04:52,200 –> 00:04:54,640
through at any point.
The wall is of bright stone and

90
00:04:54,640 –> 00:04:56,520
adorned with towers at regular
distances.

91
00:04:56,520 –> 00:04:59,320
Keep paying attention.
We descended from the

92
00:04:59,320 –> 00:05:01,520
overlooking hill and entered by
one of these gates.

93
00:05:01,520 –> 00:05:04,040
It would be pleasant to stay and
inspect the city, but we want to

94
00:05:04,040 –> 00:05:06,480
hurry on to the temple, and
therefore we must be content

95
00:05:06,520 –> 00:05:09,240
with a rapid passage to the
central thoroughfare, which we

96
00:05:09,240 –> 00:05:12,240
have chosen to the northern exit
by one of the gates in the north

97
00:05:12,240 –> 00:05:14,360
wall.
Just before passing on, we

98
00:05:14,360 –> 00:05:16,880
notice at a glance the stately
character of the city.

99
00:05:17,000 –> 00:05:19,880
The streets are straight and
wide and shaded with trees, and

100
00:05:19,880 –> 00:05:23,040
at regular distances open out
onto squares and crescents.

101
00:05:23,360 –> 00:05:26,520
The houses are not high, and
stand apart in gardens, except

102
00:05:26,520 –> 00:05:29,600
where here and there palatial
blocks of buildings spring from

103
00:05:29,600 –> 00:05:32,000
the midst of the squares.
We asked what these are, and

104
00:05:32,160 –> 00:05:34,920
informed that they are reception
houses for the accommodation of

105
00:05:34,920 –> 00:05:37,040
the visitors, who daily come
from all parts.

106
00:05:37,840 –> 00:05:39,840
There’s an immense number of
people in the city, but the city

107
00:05:39,840 –> 00:05:42,680
is so vast that they do not
appear numerous except at

108
00:05:42,680 –> 00:05:45,480
certain points as we pass along.
Their aspect is such as we never

109
00:05:45,480 –> 00:05:49,800
saw in any city crowd before, so
quiet and yet so cheerful, so

110
00:05:49,800 –> 00:05:52,280
brightly interested in
everything, yet so orderly and

111
00:05:52,280 –> 00:05:55,520
respectful, so apparently
cultured and well to do, yet

112
00:05:55,520 –> 00:05:58,200
having none of the fussiness and
arrogance usually associated

113
00:05:58,200 –> 00:06:01,320
with prosperity.
All are well clad, clean,

114
00:06:02,000 –> 00:06:03,920
intelligent, good, righteous and
happy.

115
00:06:03,920 –> 00:06:07,240
No boisterous merrymaking, no
foolish banter, no unseemly

116
00:06:07,240 –> 00:06:08,760
utterance.
There are few.

117
00:06:08,760 –> 00:06:11,480
These are few of the happy
subjects of the Kingdom of God.

118
00:06:12,000 –> 00:06:14,720
They’ve come from all parts of
each of the earth, all parts of

119
00:06:14,720 –> 00:06:17,840
the earth, to do homage to the
King, wives and families with

120
00:06:17,840 –> 00:06:20,000
them, leaving behind them
prosperous homesteads and

121
00:06:20,000 –> 00:06:22,600
occupations to which they return
in a little season.

122
00:06:23,960 –> 00:06:27,120
We hasten in a straight line
along our Nine Mile Ave. of

123
00:06:27,120 –> 00:06:29,280
picturesque and happy human
habitation.

124
00:06:30,200 –> 00:06:35,920
We could take the help of an
electric tram if we liked, for

125
00:06:35,920 –> 00:06:38,480
such has been provided in all
the thoroughfares that’s fancy

126
00:06:38,680 –> 00:06:41,400
for the use of the people.
But in our new state we prefer

127
00:06:41,400 –> 00:06:44,160
to walk.
We can quicken our pace when we

128
00:06:44,160 –> 00:06:47,840
want to do so, by gliding along
in the air, skimming the surface

129
00:06:47,840 –> 00:06:50,320
of the road as we dreamt of in
our mortal days.

130
00:06:50,840 –> 00:06:53,520
We get out at the gate of Judah,
opposite which, after crossing

131
00:06:53,520 –> 00:06:56,240
an ornamental common of about
half a mile in breadth that runs

132
00:06:56,240 –> 00:06:59,360
around the entire city, there
opens a magnificent Hwy. running

133
00:06:59,360 –> 00:07:02,120
in a straight line in a northern
direction towards the temple,

134
00:07:02,120 –> 00:07:06,880
which is distant about 30 miles.
Along this highway we proceed

135
00:07:07,760 –> 00:07:09,560
again.
That is written by Brother Rob

136
00:07:09,560 –> 00:07:12,280
Roberts in the year 1895.
That’s why an electric tram is

137
00:07:12,280 –> 00:07:15,840
special, and that’s why I think
it matters that people are

138
00:07:15,840 –> 00:07:17,160
clean.
I thought that was funny.

139
00:07:17,840 –> 00:07:19,160
Why does it matter that they’re
clean?

140
00:07:19,200 –> 00:07:21,960
It’s been our hope as
Christadelphians for a very long

141
00:07:21,960 –> 00:07:24,360
time for the Kingdom of God to
come here on earth.

142
00:07:24,520 –> 00:07:27,200
Pretty neat that he wrote that
130 years ago.

143
00:07:28,360 –> 00:07:30,640
God will wipe every tear from
our eye.

144
00:07:30,640 –> 00:07:33,080
We just read from every tear
from every eye.

145
00:07:34,920 –> 00:07:38,360
A couple years ago, I was at
dinner with a client who had

146
00:07:38,360 –> 00:07:41,720
grown to be a friend, and we
started talking about religion.

147
00:07:41,720 –> 00:07:45,680
His father was a pastor, but
he’d sworn off organized

148
00:07:45,680 –> 00:07:50,960
religion when he was 17.
And he asked me, so how then do

149
00:07:50,960 –> 00:07:53,560
you think it all ends?
So he said.

150
00:07:54,800 –> 00:07:57,600
I said, well, there’s a big
battle.

151
00:07:57,840 –> 00:08:01,480
All the nations of the earth
will come together to fight

152
00:08:01,480 –> 00:08:04,120
against Jesus and the Saints.
Jesus wins.

153
00:08:04,440 –> 00:08:06,760
The armies and might of men are
easily overthrown.

154
00:08:07,120 –> 00:08:11,400
Jesus rules from Jerusalem or
Yahweh Shema for 1000 years.

155
00:08:11,400 –> 00:08:14,480
Streets are paved with gold.
We float and you know we can.

156
00:08:14,480 –> 00:08:18,640
We can float instead of walk.
Electric trams, all that stuff.

157
00:08:20,920 –> 00:08:22,680
I didn’t say that exactly, but
it was close.

158
00:08:23,680 –> 00:08:30,360
He started laughing and he said
really like fantasy movie

159
00:08:30,360 –> 00:08:32,200
things.
As he said.

160
00:08:33,159 –> 00:08:35,640
I laughed too, because it was
the social thing to do.

161
00:08:36,320 –> 00:08:39,679
And I said, yeah, I guess I’m
pretty apocalyptic when it comes

162
00:08:39,679 –> 00:08:43,039
down to it.
And I never thought about that,

163
00:08:43,559 –> 00:08:48,200
that I’m I’m someone who
believes in an apocalypse now

164
00:08:48,200 –> 00:08:50,520
some days.
I don’t really disagree with

165
00:08:50,520 –> 00:08:55,000
him.
Will the world really end with a

166
00:08:55,000 –> 00:08:59,280
trumpet sound?
Will there really be a last

167
00:08:59,280 –> 00:09:05,840
battle?
I was in a CYC class once where

168
00:09:06,000 –> 00:09:12,800
the brother described the final
battle and he said the Saints

169
00:09:12,800 –> 00:09:14,920
will be able to shoot lasers out
of their hands.

170
00:09:15,960 –> 00:09:20,920
I’m looking forward to that.
What?

171
00:09:21,840 –> 00:09:25,600
And after class, I stood with a
friend of mine and I said that

172
00:09:25,600 –> 00:09:27,720
was crazy lasers out of the
hands.

173
00:09:28,080 –> 00:09:31,320
And she said, yeah, and she
doesn’t come around anymore.

174
00:09:32,760 –> 00:09:34,680
Our hope is not lasers out of
our hands.

175
00:09:38,240 –> 00:09:43,760
The complexity of revelation,
what we just read, I think makes

176
00:09:43,760 –> 00:09:48,360
it easy to hand wave away.
I think it makes it easy to

177
00:09:48,360 –> 00:09:50,120
ignore.
I think it makes it easy for

178
00:09:50,200 –> 00:09:53,240
smart, intelligent people to
say, well, this can’t be it.

179
00:09:53,960 –> 00:09:58,360
This is too confusing.
There’s a philosophical argument

180
00:09:59,160 –> 00:10:01,680
that’s called the puddle
analogy, which I’m going to try

181
00:10:01,680 –> 00:10:06,680
to explain, that you also can
pair with revelation being

182
00:10:06,680 –> 00:10:10,120
confusing, and actually Douglas
Adams described it in The

183
00:10:10,120 –> 00:10:11,720
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the
Galaxy.

184
00:10:11,720 –> 00:10:15,000
So here’s another short reading.
This one’s shorter, but still

185
00:10:15,000 –> 00:10:18,320
funny.
This is rather as if you imagine

186
00:10:18,320 –> 00:10:20,760
a puddle waking up one morning
and thinking, this is an

187
00:10:20,760 –> 00:10:24,240
interesting world I find myself
in, an interesting hole I find

188
00:10:24,240 –> 00:10:27,000
myself in.
This fits me rather neatly,

189
00:10:27,000 –> 00:10:29,400
doesn’t it?
In fact, it fits me staggeringly

190
00:10:29,400 –> 00:10:32,000
well.
Must have been made to have me

191
00:10:32,000 –> 00:10:35,640
in it.
This is such a powerful idea for

192
00:10:35,640 –> 00:10:38,200
the puddle.
And as the sun rises and the sky

193
00:10:38,200 –> 00:10:40,760
and the air heats up, and as
gradually the puddle gets

194
00:10:40,760 –> 00:10:43,680
smaller and smaller, frantically
hanging on to the notion that

195
00:10:43,680 –> 00:10:44,760
everything’s going to be all
right.

196
00:10:44,760 –> 00:10:48,080
Because the world was meant to
have him in it was built to have

197
00:10:48,080 –> 00:10:49,920
him in it.
So the moment that he

198
00:10:49,920 –> 00:10:53,080
disappears, it catches him
rather by surprise.

199
00:10:54,000 –> 00:10:55,840
I think this may be something we
need to watch out for.

200
00:10:55,840 –> 00:10:58,040
That’s what Adam said.
And there’s a there’s a

201
00:10:58,040 –> 00:11:01,120
philosopher who describes it.
William Lane Craig describes it

202
00:11:01,120 –> 00:11:05,240
as one appealing one appeals to
a self selection effect in order

203
00:11:05,240 –> 00:11:08,440
to eliminate surprise that one
observes, however improbable.

204
00:11:08,800 –> 00:11:12,160
The anthropomorphized puddle can
be surprised at its own

205
00:11:12,160 –> 00:11:14,200
existence only if the whole
exists, so it shouldn’t be

206
00:11:14,200 –> 00:11:15,440
surprised how well the whole
fit.

207
00:11:15,480 –> 00:11:17,320
If the whole were not there, the
puddle would not exist to be

208
00:11:17,320 –> 00:11:21,520
surprised about it.
A fear that I have sometimes

209
00:11:23,360 –> 00:11:27,840
when my faith is weak is have I
used Revelation as an ending to

210
00:11:27,840 –> 00:11:31,760
the story I’ve made-up in my
life to explain my own

211
00:11:31,760 –> 00:11:36,000
existence?
I mean, it is pretty confusing.

212
00:11:36,680 –> 00:11:40,160
I’m the wrong brother to invite
to explain to you every part of

213
00:11:40,160 –> 00:11:43,600
Revelation 21.
And am I really?

214
00:11:43,680 –> 00:11:47,720
Is it really fair for me to
expect of myself or especially

215
00:11:47,720 –> 00:11:51,760
others to believe?
To really believe that our

216
00:11:51,760 –> 00:11:56,000
regular day-to-day life and the
real physical experiences that

217
00:11:56,000 –> 00:12:00,600
we have will all end in a moment
or in a twinkling of an eye.

218
00:12:04,560 –> 00:12:09,440
Well, yes, the answer is yes.
Yes, Revelation is real.

219
00:12:10,120 –> 00:12:12,960
The river of life is real.
The lion sleeping with the Lamb

220
00:12:12,960 –> 00:12:15,640
is real.
The lame man leaping like a deer

221
00:12:15,680 –> 00:12:18,040
is real.
All nations will come to

222
00:12:18,040 –> 00:12:20,480
Jerusalem, and they will come to
Jerusalem to worship.

223
00:12:21,040 –> 00:12:23,680
There will be no more need for
the sun.

224
00:12:24,440 –> 00:12:27,800
This is reality.
God has shown to keep His

225
00:12:27,800 –> 00:12:30,280
promises.
Prophecies we read have been

226
00:12:30,280 –> 00:12:33,720
fulfilled, and if part of this
Bible is true, then I think the

227
00:12:33,720 –> 00:12:39,280
whole thing is true.
Does anyone know what the newest

228
00:12:39,280 –> 00:12:44,040
country in the world is?
It’s South Sudan.

229
00:12:45,560 –> 00:12:50,000
South Sudan was founded in 2011
and actually right now South

230
00:12:50,000 –> 00:12:53,760
Sudan is competing in the World
Cup of Basketball.

231
00:12:53,960 –> 00:12:56,560
They have a basketball team
that’s competing in the FIBA

232
00:12:56,560 –> 00:12:59,160
basketball tournament.
South Sudan thirteen years old.

233
00:13:01,360 –> 00:13:05,520
I wonder if you know, so that
that was 2011.

234
00:13:05,520 –> 00:13:09,080
I was baptized in in oh,
shouldn’t, shouldn’t have said

235
00:13:09,080 –> 00:13:11,360
this. 2000 I was baptized in
2000.

236
00:13:11,960 –> 00:13:15,560
I wonder if I had been taught
for years and years that there

237
00:13:15,560 –> 00:13:19,920
would be a nation called South
Sudan, how that would impact me

238
00:13:19,920 –> 00:13:24,560
when it then happened.
I’m saying that because, as we

239
00:13:24,560 –> 00:13:29,160
all know, as Bible students,
Ezekiel 37 and other passages

240
00:13:30,120 –> 00:13:33,920
predicted the establishment of
the nation of Israel, which

241
00:13:33,920 –> 00:13:37,040
happened in 1948.
And Robert Roberts and John

242
00:13:37,040 –> 00:13:42,400
Thomas wrote about that almost
100 years before that, the

243
00:13:42,400 –> 00:13:45,560
nation of Israel would be
founded, People would be drawn

244
00:13:45,560 –> 00:13:49,040
out from the world and the
nation of Israel would be

245
00:13:49,040 –> 00:13:51,160
founded.
I wonder, I think about South

246
00:13:51,160 –> 00:13:54,120
Sudan, just as an example,
because I think for some it

247
00:13:54,120 –> 00:13:57,520
would be just that random, just
that weird.

248
00:13:57,560 –> 00:14:00,000
Like what if we had, what if we
had spent 20 years?

249
00:14:00,000 –> 00:14:02,480
What if we’d spent 100 years
predicting the establishment of

250
00:14:02,480 –> 00:14:05,360
South Sudan?
Right then we would see it

251
00:14:05,360 –> 00:14:08,080
happen and we would see their
team play in the basketball

252
00:14:08,080 –> 00:14:11,280
tournament and we’d think, wow,
that’s amazing that the Bible

253
00:14:11,280 –> 00:14:14,480
said that we’ve got we’ve, we’ve
come far now.

254
00:14:14,880 –> 00:14:17,880
What’s it been 70 plus years
since the establishment of

255
00:14:17,880 –> 00:14:21,160
Israel for my generation, It’s
easy to forget how amazing of a

256
00:14:21,160 –> 00:14:25,280
miracle that was.
It’s easy to forget that

257
00:14:25,280 –> 00:14:30,480
revelation is real.
I think again, maybe it’s easy

258
00:14:30,480 –> 00:14:32,520
for me.
It’s easy for me to forget this.

259
00:14:32,920 –> 00:14:35,560
I’m a very busy person.
I have a baby.

260
00:14:36,320 –> 00:14:39,360
You heard her before we started.
She hit her head on the chair.

261
00:14:39,360 –> 00:14:42,960
It was really sad.
I have stressful client

262
00:14:42,960 –> 00:14:45,640
relationships at work.
I have so many people I’m

263
00:14:45,640 –> 00:14:47,880
concerned about.
I have a mortgage.

264
00:14:47,880 –> 00:14:50,880
I have all these things, all
these external pressures.

265
00:14:52,480 –> 00:14:55,400
Jess and I often quote in a
joking way, Second Corinthians

266
00:14:55,560 –> 00:14:59,600
11/28.
Paul says, besides all this, I

267
00:14:59,600 –> 00:15:02,280
have the pressure every day of
all the churches.

268
00:15:02,600 –> 00:15:08,720
So we say besides all this, it’s
when, when you get your, your

269
00:15:08,720 –> 00:15:13,080
head so clouded with so many
things, it’s hard to remember

270
00:15:13,320 –> 00:15:16,760
that revelation is real.
And I think as I’m, as I’m

271
00:15:16,760 –> 00:15:21,280
standing up here speaking to
you, that’s different for some

272
00:15:21,280 –> 00:15:25,920
of us, for some of you,
revelation is more real.

273
00:15:26,000 –> 00:15:29,280
You think more about it,
frankly, you’re older than me.

274
00:15:30,680 –> 00:15:33,440
You’re looking forward to that
day and you look forward to it

275
00:15:34,160 –> 00:15:37,240
and you focus on it every day.
And I’m, I’m envious of that

276
00:15:37,240 –> 00:15:41,360
focus.
It’s hard to keep the faith that

277
00:15:42,200 –> 00:15:47,600
that the sun really will go away
and all the light of the world

278
00:15:47,600 –> 00:15:53,360
will come from the temple.
And really this apocalyptic

279
00:15:53,360 –> 00:15:58,520
reality, because we are a little
apocalyptic, should inspire

280
00:15:58,520 –> 00:16:02,680
constant good, for we know that
Jesus could come at any moment.

281
00:16:05,720 –> 00:16:09,480
CS Lewis said the doctrine of
the second coming has failed so

282
00:16:09,480 –> 00:16:12,280
far as we are concerned if it
does not make us realize that at

283
00:16:12,280 –> 00:16:14,920
every moment of every year in
our lives, Jesus is knocking at

284
00:16:14,920 –> 00:16:17,960
the door.
That’s a warning for me.

285
00:16:19,200 –> 00:16:22,320
I believe in an apocalypse and
an ending, but that should only

286
00:16:22,320 –> 00:16:24,640
inspire positive actions in
everyday.

287
00:16:24,640 –> 00:16:27,680
That doesn’t mean that I get to
put my head in the sand and

288
00:16:27,680 –> 00:16:31,720
ignore injustice or ignore the
sad things that happen in the

289
00:16:31,720 –> 00:16:33,840
world, not take action when I
can.

290
00:16:36,280 –> 00:16:39,320
I can’t just say, well, it’ll
all be over soon and shrug off

291
00:16:39,920 –> 00:16:41,520
the terrible headlines in the
paper.

292
00:16:42,640 –> 00:16:46,120
I need to respond to hunger or
to climate issues.

293
00:16:48,000 –> 00:16:51,240
Matthew 25 says whatever you
have done to the least of these,

294
00:16:51,240 –> 00:16:56,600
you have done to me.
Our Father wants to be with us,

295
00:16:56,600 –> 00:16:59,520
and He looks forward to that day
with nothing standing between

296
00:16:59,520 –> 00:17:04,359
us, with the end of this
dispensation in the coming of

297
00:17:04,359 –> 00:17:07,319
the final consolation.
He wants to hold us.

298
00:17:07,319 –> 00:17:10,160
He wants to hear about us.
He wants to hear about our

299
00:17:10,160 –> 00:17:14,440
story.
Revelation is very real.

300
00:17:15,040 –> 00:17:23,319
Thankfully, that day is coming.
We’re finished reading

301
00:17:23,319 –> 00:17:26,240
Revelation 22 at verse 5, but
I’m going to close now with

302
00:17:26,240 –> 00:17:29,240
verse six and seven.
And he said to me, these words

303
00:17:29,240 –> 00:17:31,600
are trustworthy and true.
And the Lord, the God of the

304
00:17:31,600 –> 00:17:34,040
spirits of the prophets, has
sent his Angel to show his

305
00:17:34,040 –> 00:17:35,800
servants what must soon take
place.

306
00:17:36,000 –> 00:17:39,640
And behold, I am coming soon.
Blessed is the one who keeps the

307
00:17:39,640 –> 00:17:41,800
words of the prophecy of this
book.

308
00:17:42,360 –> 00:17:56,800
Thank you.
Thank you for listening to the

309
00:17:56,800 –> 00:17:58,440
Good Christadelphian Talks
podcast.

310
00:17:59,240 –> 00:18:01,680
We hope this talk helped you in
your walk and brightened your

311
00:18:01,680 –> 00:18:04,040
day.
If you would like to hear more,

312
00:18:04,040 –> 00:18:05,800
please subscribe for new
episodes.

313
00:18:06,200 –> 00:18:09,400
We are on all major podcast
platforms and also on YouTube.

314
00:18:10,560 –> 00:18:13,040
If you enjoyed this particular
talk, please share it with

315
00:18:13,040 –> 00:18:14,960
someone else who you think might
enjoy it too.

316
00:18:15,880 –> 00:18:18,560
For show notes on the talk you
just listened to, visit

317
00:18:18,560 –> 00:18:22,440
[email protected]
or check out the Show Notes

318
00:18:22,440 –> 00:18:26,200
section of your podcast player.
Please share your thoughts on

319
00:18:26,200 –> 00:18:29,200
the talk from this week on our
Facebook or Instagram pages

320
00:18:29,200 –> 00:18:32,200
where we are at good Chris
Adelphian talks or leave a

321
00:18:32,200 –> 00:18:34,920
comment on our YouTube channel
where these talks are posted as

322
00:18:34,920 –> 00:18:36,640
well.
If you enjoy listening to the

323
00:18:36,640 –> 00:18:39,280
talks that we post and here one
that you think we should share,

324
00:18:39,520 –> 00:18:42,760
please tell us about it.
You can send a suggestion using

325
00:18:42,760 –> 00:18:45,880
the Contact Us tab on our
website or message us on any of

326
00:18:45,880 –> 00:18:48,600
our social media accounts.
Thank you for listening.

327
00:18:48,840 –> 00:18:50,760
God bless and talk to you next
week.