Have you ever been in a store and see a child that has gotten separated from his parents? The fear is very evident on the child's face as well as the parents’ face. It's a horrible feeling when the child turns around and can't find his parents. They frantically look through every little nook and cranny and suddenly the sound of relief comes as they hear their name announced over the store intercom to come and retrieve their child.
You may have had a similar experience as a child or as a parent. Many parents have briefly lost a child in public. Maybe you have a memory from your childhood when you lost sight of your parent and you felt lost and alone.
And then I wonder if there has ever been a time in your life when you may have gone through some painful moments when you felt abandoned by God. It can be an empty and lonely feeling. You have heard me say and preach time and again how God says He will never leave us or forsake us. And it is so true. In our passage of Scripture today as Jesus speaks about His return, we will see that God will never forsake us as the end draws near. Now this message concerns end time prophecy that includes the books of Daniel and Revelation. But I don’t want you to get so caught up in the prophecy that you miss the theme of the message and that is: God Assures Us of His Plan for Us. Prayer
We are picking up where we left off last week when Jesus is explaining about some of the things that will occur as we approach the end of time. This message that Jesus gives us gets very deep. I am going to try to make it as light as I can. The word “abomination” appears over 120 times in the Bible. In every case, the word refers to something terrible, something detestable.
The same Greek word is used in the Hebrew Scriptures to refer to things such as unclean animals, magic and divination, idols, and all things that God detests are an abomination. The ultimate abomination, though, is the abomination of desolation, a devastating activity that is idolatrous at its core and an insult to God's holiness. So, we begin.
Matthew 24:15- 16 – “So when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place” (let the reader understand), 16 “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains.”
I hope that everyone understands that the end of times WILL come. Jesus WILL come again. And those who refuse to accept Christ, will be left on this earth to go through the Great Tribulation period. This WILL happen and believe me you don’t want to be left behind.
I wish that all of you were involved in our study of the book of Daniel this past year. We went into great detail about what Jesus is talking about today. So, in order to understand this passage today, we need a little bit of a history lesson.
The phrase “abomination of desolation” was first used in the book of Daniel where the word abomination referred to the desecration of the Temple of Jerusalem. Many scholars have noted that at least a partial fulfillment of this prophecy occurred in 176 BC. At that time, there was a Greek ruler named Antiochus IV Epiphanes. He set up an altar to Zeus above the altar of burnt offerings in the Jerusalem Temple.
Jesus was speaking in our passage here in Matthew almost 200 years after that event. He was pointing to another future event. Many Bible scholars believe Jesus was referring to the destruction of the temple in AD 70 which has already happened. When Jesus says in verse 16, “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains,” it tends to support this view since the Jews fled at the time of the Roman invasion.
The mountains likely refer to the region southeast of Jerusalem that contains a lot of caves for hiding in. Even though these caves were sometimes favorite places for robbers to hide out, they also were safe retreats for those who were running from danger. Some writers, indicate that many first century Jews did just that as the Roman army attacked Jerusalem. They fled the city and took refuge in a city in Macedonia called Pella.
Most scholars tend to agree that many prophecies in Scripture, reference both the historical event that has actually occurred and a future event. In addition to the destruction of the temple in AD 70, scholars believe Jesus's words in this passage point not only to that, but also to a future event in which the temple will be desecrated. When that day arrives, we can know the end is coming. Yes, difficult days lie ahead, but we are assured that Jesus will return just as He said.
The ultimate fulfillment of this prophecy is going to occur when the Antichrist does something very similar to what Antiochus Epiphanes did in Daniel’s day. In Revelation 13, it foretells the Antichrist making an image that people are forced to worship. I think we can all agree that for anyone to turn the temple of God into a place of false worship is truly an abomination. 2 Thessalonians 2:4 tends to support this view. Speaking of the Antichrist,
2 Thessalonians 2:4 – “He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits in God’s temple, proclaiming that he himself is God.” So, even the Apostle Paul wrote about the Antichrist coming.
One thing is for sure: Jesus wanted His disciples and us to know what is coming. And when God's Temple is desecrated, we can know that the end is coming. I agree with A.W. Tozer when he wrote this, (big screen) “When he returns is not as important as the fact that we are ready for Him when He does return.” So, when the end time is here, Jesus gives us a little more detail about it:
Matthew 24:17-19 – “A man on the housetop must not come down to get things out of his house, 18 and a man in the field must not go back to get his coat. 19 Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days!”
I have to smile on the inside when I read or hear of people thinking they are going to escape from the end time by creating underground cities or bunkers to live in. We saw a lot of this during the Y2K time when people thought that the world would end when the year 2000 rolled around. From what Jesus has just told us in these verses, He pointed out that the end times will bring destruction so quickly that believers should waste no time in responding.
It is kind of like when a tornado comes through town. As we know, it can take everything that we own and destroy it in a matter of seconds. Warning of the coming storm comes so quickly that we don't have enough time to gather any belongings from our home. That scenario is the essence of what Christ was saying about the need to flee when the abomination of desolation stands in the Holy place.
Jesus is stressing in this passage the difficulty people will have during the end times. He says a man on the housetop must not come down to get things out of his house. Most first century houses had outside stairways that led to the upstairs flat roof. These flat roofs were especially useful as places of social gathering during the hot months.
Jesus also mentions the person working in the field didn't need to delay, even to get his coat. The point that Jesus is making is that the times will become so difficult that people won't be able to go back even for what was perceived as the necessities of life.
Then Jesus’ final example included the pregnant women and nursing mothers. This doesn't imply that there will be a curse on women who are with child. It simply describes the added difficulty of traveling and fleeing while pregnant or handling infant children. Jesus's words were simply highlighting how difficult it will be to move as quickly as necessary during the crises of the end times when one is with child.
Matthew 24:20 – “Pray that your escape may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.”
Jesus gives us another scenario that could be challenging at the end, and that is the weather. He says pray that your escape may not be in the winter. He knew that cold and harsh climates would undoubtedly make travel harder in any scenario, so Jesus encouraged them to pray. The terror that is awaiting will cause them to focus on nothing else but running from the danger. Jesus says to pray for the weather which seems a little unimportant at that time of danger, but Jesus is saying that we will pray for anything that might be remotely connected to our escape.
Notice too that Jesus when speaking to his Jewish disciples, also called them to pray that their escape would not be on the Sabbath. That is because faithful Jews did not travel more than half a mile on Sabbath days. That would also add the complication of having the city Gates closed, all the stores shut down, and access to any transportation would be unavailable. When it becomes apparent that the end times have arrived, the distress that accompanies those days will come suddenly. Jesus’ words should encourage us to be prepared. That is why He is telling us all of this now. Be prepared.
Matthew 24:21 – “For at that time there will be great distress, the kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again.”
There is no doubt that the end times will include trouble and distress. While many scholars see the verses preceding this as a reference to the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, verse 21 points to events beyond that. We know from history that we have undergone more horrific events since then. The end times will be marked by intense difficulty.
Jesus was describing a time when evil will reign the world over. As the return of Christ draws nearer, all bonds of evil will be broken, restraints will be put aside, and lawlessness will flood the earth. No law and order. God will move in judgment while terrible catastrophes are going to sweep the earth.
Hardships often lead people to look to God for help, but that is not going to be the case during the time of the Great Tribulation. This distressing time is described in chapters 6-11 in the book of Revelation. Remember that the prophecy of the book of Revelation has not occurred yet.
Jesus is fairly clear: the end times will include trouble and tribulation. In verse 21 Jesus tells us that this world has never seen such devastation and trouble since the beginning of time and it will never see it again after this period. There is no period in the history of this world that fits the description of the events that will occur during this time. Many believe, as do I, that Jesus is describing the terrible Tribulation that is detailed in the book of Revelation.
You think that we have it bad now? Look what is yet to come.
During this Great Tribulation, there will be no relief, because there are no restraints on the evil and lawlessness that will cover this earth. You think we are in the end times now? This is nothing compared to what is to come. So, Jesus says:
Matthew 24:22 – “Unless those days were cut short, no one would be saved. But those days will be cut short because of the elect.”
And here comes the good part. As difficult as all of these portions of Scripture are to read, we should be deeply grateful for the mercy of God. Jesus said God is going to cut short the days of tribulation. That phrase “cut short” carries the idea of stopping something instantly. Jesus seemed to mean that, in His mercy, He won't allow the tribulation to continue forever.
God has predetermined that the terrible events to come will fall short of full destruction. The suffering will be so great that if the Lord let the suffering continue, no one would survive. But God's kindness is great, and He will interrupt this tribulation with His return. But I want you to see:
The specific reason for God's mercy is mentioned in verse 22. Because of the elect. This is the first time the word “elect” appears in the New Testament. The elect are those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ. This word emphasizes God's creativity in saving us. While believers make a genuine response of faith to the Lord, God is the one who draws us to believe. God's elect have a special relationship with Him. That's why we are called His children. The concept of God electing us emphasizes that salvation is a work and a gift of God.
The title of this message is being assured of God’s plan for us. In all of this that Jesus describes, no matter how horrific it sounds and will be, God’s plan is for us who have a relationship with Him to be pulled from it all as we are joined with Him. So, what does all this mean in the reality of our lives today, right now? What if any of this should concern us? Let me wrap it all up in saying this:
God will always remember His people, even when trouble feels overwhelming. If you feel as if the Lord has abandoned you to suffer alone when difficult times come, fill your mind with the truth that He will never leave you or forsake you. We may face hard times, troubles, and tribulation, but we don’t face them alone.
Whatever crisis is occurring in your life right now, just know that you are not alone in it. God is with you to strengthen you, encourage you, help you endure, and ultimately deliver you from whatever it is that is troubling your heart at this moment.
God still speaks to you today with the word he gave to his prophet Isaiah. God says to you right now:
Isaiah 41:10 – “Do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you; I will help you;
I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.”
You can be assured of God's deliverance if you know Him as your Savior.
But you must know Christ personally to be able to survive these things to come. Do you know him? Once again, God is giving you that opportunity and asking for you to give your life, give yourself, give your heart to Him. Will you come, as we pray?
