The Abomination of Desolation
Notes
Transcript
Intro; We now come to a critical time in the Tribulation before the Second Coming of Christ. The reason I call it critical is because drastic change is taking place.
Up until this time, there has been a reasonable time of peace in the midst of the chaos following the Rapture of the church. The Antichrist has come on the scene and brought some order and calm in those days.
But now things are fixing to change. All that Jesus had previously mentioned about the beginning of sorrows, trials of believers, betrayal, lawlessness and being put to death for one’s faith are now upon the world!
Text; Mt. 24:15-26
Matthew 24:15–26 (NKJV)
15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),
16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.
18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.
19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!
20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.
21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.
23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it.
24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
25 See, I have told you beforehand.
26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.
1. Abomination of Desolation; 15
1. Abomination of Desolation; 15
Abomination- detestable, disgusting, foul odor or stench
Desolation- devastate, abandon, to make unacceptable
What would be the most detestable thing in the eyes of a Jew? Desecrate the Temple of their Holy God!
There are different thoughts concerning this prophecy of Jesus.
Some say it has already happened, and it had at one time. In 170 B.C. the king of Syria, Antiochus Epiphanes, conquered Jerusalem and tried to make them become full-fledged Greeks. He did three of the most horrible things that could ever be done in the mind of the Jewish people. He desecrated the temple (1) by taking the altar of the burnt offering and turning it into an altar for the Greek Olympian god Zeus/Jupiter, (2) by sacrificing swine’s’ flesh upon it, and (3) by setting up a trade of prostitution in the temple chambers. (see 1 Maccabees 1:20–62; see also Josephus, Ant. 12. 5:3–4; Wars. 1. 1:2).
The Works of Josephus: New Updated Edition Chapter 5: How, upon the Quarrels of the Jews One against Another about the High Priesthood, Antiochus Made an Expedition against Jerusalem, Took the City, and Pillaged the Temple, and Distressed the Jews: As Also, How Many of the Jews Forsook t
(253) And when the king had built an idol altar upon God’s Altar, he slew swine upon it, and so offered a sacrifice neither according to the law, nor the Jewish religious worship in that country. He also compelled them to forsake the worship which they paid their own God, and to adore those whom he took to be gods; and made them build temples, and raise idol altars, in every city and village, and offer swine upon them every day.
Some say Jesus was talking about what was on the horizon with the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 [ref. v.2], when Titus the Roman emperor came and flattened the temple of God, and set up worship of himself in Jerusalem. I believe that this points to a literal Abomination of Desolation of the temple of God.
But I want you to notice the parenthesis here (Whoever reads, let him understand)
To understand we have to go back to the prophecy spoken by Daniel
2. Prophesy of Abomination of Desolation; Dan. 9
2. Prophesy of Abomination of Desolation; Dan. 9
20 Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God,
21 yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering.
22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand.
23 At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:
24 “Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy.
25 “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.
26 “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”
[v.27] In the middle of Daniels 70th week, there is a change. The covenant that has been made by the Antichrist will now be revoked. And abomination happens in the holy place, the temple of God. This is a future event during the middle of the Great Tribulation. This is confirmed by further prophecy of Daniel.
11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.
According to Daniel, the Antichrist “will make a firm covenant with many for one week” (Dan 9:27)— for the seven-year tribulation period. He will be a world leader who will bring peace to the Middle East.
The Jews will be permitted to rebuild their temple and once again offer sacrifices. However, “in the middle of the week” (at the midpoint of the tribulation, 3 1/2 years), the Antichrist “will put a stop to sacrifice and offering” and set up “the abomination of desolation” in the temple. This “abomination” will be an image of the Antichrist as he profanes the temple, sets himself up as God, and demands worship.
3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
4 who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
4 So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”
5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months.
6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven.
7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.
8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.
14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth—by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.
15 He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
Close;
Though Jesus is talking about a future event that I won’t be at, there are two major theme’s we need to hang on to from this text.
We need to always trust the authority of God and His Word. It is true and faithful!
We can only persevere in the trials and tribulations of life in the Power of Christ
[Next week we will get into verses 16-26 to understand more of the dire situations and confirm the timing of this prophesy]