Triumph And Tribulation

— Matthew 24:15-25

This is Jesus speaking in what is known as the Olivet Discourse. And this passage is speaking about the time just before Jesus returns. As a matter of fact, in verse 15, the Abomination of Desolation, when that happens, Jesus Christ will come back in 3.5 years.

So if you are here when that happens, and I hope you won’t be, because I believe – like Josh, that we’ll be raptured before that, that if you’re here when that happens, and you survive the last half of the Tribulation, you will know pretty close to the time. You won’t know the actually day or the hour, but you’ll know it’s close.

Don’t write a book on it giving a 3-day window. Just some advice.

Now, these two specific signs I want to point out in vv. 15 and 21:

“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand)… For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.”

— Matthew 24:15, 21 (ESV)

The Sign of the Abomination of Desolation

First, we have the sign of the Abomination of Desolation. It’s in verse 15.

“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),”

— Matthew 24:15 (ESV)

Jesus says, “when” – so “when you see” – and what He’s talking about here is this time when we’ll have the universal teaching of the Gospel, okay? The gospel will be heralded across the planet, “when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),” so He’s giving us a sign.

What will be the sign of your coming? And this is the second coming, not rapture.

Now, there’s a ton here that we could spend our time unpacking, but what I want to make sure we understand is that there’s going to be this event take place that Daniel prophesied, called the “abomination of desolation.” Josh has mentioned this in a previous message as well. But basically, what we’re being told here is that when you see that happen, know that the second coming is near.

So, here’s the question: what is the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel that prophet? Well – it’s a vast subject. This entire sermon could have been on the abomination of desolation, but it’s talked about in the Old Testament, it’s talked about in the Gospels, like we read today, it’s talked about in the Epistles of Paul – specifically and graphically in great detail in 2 Thessalonians 2, and then it’s described in the Book of Revelation, which is yet future, and specifically in great detail in Revelation 13.

But there’s a pretty interesting fact of this abomination of desolation as spoken of by Daniel the prophet. Daniel spoke about it in Daniel 9:27. And in Daniel 11:31, and in Daniel 12:11. So there’s three places that Daniel mentions this abomination of desolation that is spoken of by Jesus here in v. 15.

In Daniel 9:27, he puts it off into the future.