Sunday Morning Service

Matthew 24:15-28 (Click title for audio access)

"Abominations And Carcasses!" • 1.30.10 • Calvary Christian Fellowship, Sunday Morning Service

Intro.

- Our Lord has given us several general signs that will accompany the times of the end and His appearance in full Messianic glory.

- There are many wonderful Pastors who believe that most of what we have read and will read, has been fulfilled, and that Christ's Kingdom has come in the form of the church.

- While I love and respect them greatly, I do not share their view. There are a few reasons why. First, the nation of Israel and the Church are two separate entities in scripture.

- Theologians who hold to Preterism or Post-Millenialism tend to look at the two as one institution. They are not the same thing.

- Several hold this view because in the lifetime of their doctrinal pillars, Israel did not exist as a nation. It was not until 1948 that the people of Israel returned to the actual land of Israel.

- The second reason why I view this chapter as future to us is the word "parousia."

- If Jesus has been revealed in all of His fullness and if this experience that we have today is the Kingdom of God's rule and reign, then I want a refund!

- When Christ comes, this world will be a very different place! His rule and reign will extinguish all wickedness for eternity.

- Instead what we see is great wickedness increasing and the church’s influence waning.

- It seems only natural to conclude that the events that we are talking about are yet future to us, though many of the signs are being seen and felt today.

- This brings us to where we are today in our passage. Jesus gives a very specific sign that helps us to set the table on all things prophetic.

Text

• Matthew 24:15 : "Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand)," : Jesus is using the word "you" in a prophetic sense. He is not speaking to the disciples particularly then, but to those who will personally "see" these things.

- Believers will read this chapter someday, and it will make make total sense!

- I want to suggest right away that the people that will understand and need this the most will be believers who are either Jewish or are living in Israel. This will become very clear as we go along.

- He tells them that they will see the "abomination of desolation."

- The word "abomination" means something detestable, foul or loathsome. "Desolation" means to make desolate or to cause desolation or abandonment.

- The idea is that this is an event that would be so horrifying, that where it would take place would have to be abandoned for the sake of what happened!

- Daniel the prophet spoke of this in Daniel 11. You can read the entire chapter on your own, but for our purposes, we will concentrate on the Northern King.

- Verse 3 tells us that he'll be a King who is mighty and works according to his own will.

- Verse 16 tells us that nobody will be able to stand before him as he occupies Israel. Verse 27 speaks of this man's heart being bent toward evil. This brings us to Daniel 11:29ff.

• Daniel 11:29-31 : "At the appointed time he shall return and go toward the south; but it shall not be like the former or the latter. For ships from Cyprus shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage. So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant. And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation."

- The scenario that is described here was literally fulfilled by a man name Antiochus Epiphanes, whose forces came into Jerusalem and did stamp out Jewish practices for a time.

- He did this by sacrificing a pig on the altar, spreading it's blood out all over the temple and then erecting a statue to a Greek god in the Holy Place!

- When this happened, the Jews abandoned the temple and the sacrifices that took place daily stopped. This was unprecedented in history to that time.

- Jesus says that this is the sign that will usher in the time of consummation. There is one problem: Jesus is warning them about something that took place 200 years earlier!

- Jesus is telling us that someday, an event will take place which will mirror this event once again, except this time, a greek god will not be exalted. It will be a man exalting himself as God!

- At this point, it's prudent that we turn back a few pages to Daniel 9 which is a pivotal chapter in biblical prophecy.

- The first part of this chapter begins with an awakening. Daniel realized that the time of Israel's captivity in Babylon was almost spent.

- He launches into an amazing prayer filled with repentance both for his sins, as well as the sins of the nation of Israel.

- Later that evening, Gabriel the angel visited Daniel and gave him a roadmap for what the Lord had planned for his nation.

• Daniel 9:24,25 : “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. 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.” : The angel’s message begins with events that we have looked at. In the verses prior to verse 15, 69 weeks have played out.

- These are weeks of years, roughly 490 years. Verse 24 gives us the purpose and speaks about the mission of Messiah.

- Listen to those phrases and rejoice: He will finish the transgression, make an end of sins, make reconciliation for iniquity. Jesus did all these things with His holy life and sacrificial death.

- Verse 25 gives us the time table and it is very specific, beginning with the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. In 586 B.C., the Babylonians had finally completed their seige of Jerusalem.

- It was a wreck during the time of Daniel. He was a captive and had been for most of His life.

- Soon, the Babylonians would be supplanted by the Medo-Persian empire. Their emperor, Artaxerxes by name, is the one whose decree made this possible.

- This is roughly 130 years removed from the fall of Jerusalem, around 450 B.C. when Nehemiah is made the governor and given the charge to rebuild the walls of the city.

- From that time until Jesus comes and presents Himself to the city of Jerusalem, a period of 173,880 days, working from the Jewish calendar.

- That date occured at the triumphal entry which we covered a few weeks ago.

- That is the end of 69 weeks of the seventy weeks of Daniel. That means that there is one more week of years left on that prophetic calendar.

• Daniel 9:26 : "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." : The end of the 69th week ends with Christ's crucifixion. Note now that another prince is coming.

- He has people and they will destroy both the city and the sanctuary, which is Jerusalem and the Temple. Now, who is this prince? He is the King of the North, the Antichrist.

- He will be a destroyer. Until his time, there will be greater and greater disturbances. We learn more about him in the next verse.

• Daniel 9:27 : "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.'" : Now, you have to see that this refers especially to the Jewish nation.

- Where do sacrifice and offering take place? The Temple.

- This can only mean two things. Either it has taken place in history when the temple was still standing or it will take place future to us in a rebuilt temple.

-When this takes place, the temple will become desolate. It will be abandoned by all who once worshipped God there because it will become a monument to a man.

- This man will be the Antichrist, who will demand worship and receive it.

- Please turn with me now to Revelation 13. This chapter gives us some details regarding how this man will come to power.

• Revelation 13:1-4 : "Then I stood on the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast. 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?'" : We are not going to attempt to understand all the symbology at this time. Notice though the trend.

- This beast is a ruler over a united group who are against the Lord. This beast is powerful and is Satanically endorsed.

- He is the recipient of some sort of "miracle" which draws the people of the world to worship Him as a god which won't sit well with the people who have chosen to follow Christ.

• Revelation 13:5-8 : "And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 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. 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." : I want you to pay attention to the words "forty two months."

- Those are the significant words within this passage. That is three and a half years, which is exactly the half way or middle point of the final week of Daniel!

- During that time, he will have power over the saints and will overcome them in an unprecedented, violent way.

- Now, move back to Matthew 24. This specific event, when the Antichrist proclaims himself to be god in the very temple of the real God, the people of God will know, this guy is not right!

- When this happens, the world is three and a half years from seeing Christ come to establish His Kingdom on earth! For those on earth at that time, Jesus leaves this instruction.

• Matthew 24:16-20 : "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath." : What does Jesus tell them to do? Flee to the mountains!

- The word "flee" comes from the Greek word for "fugitive." There will be a command to find the people of God. Jesus tells them to run.

- Notice where they are: They are in Judea! This will happen at a specific point in history and it will be centered in Israel.

- Notice the additional clues: Get off the housetop. Homes in Israel, even to this day, have flat roof tops, which allow them to escape the heat of their home and enjoy the cool of the evening.

- Those in the field, who would be working, should not return to change or get more clothes.

- Those who have to flee in late stages of pregnancy or are nursing, will have an especially difficult time and may not want to flee due to their condition.

- And what a cruel fate to have to run in the brutal cold or on the Sabbath, another clue that this is specific to Israel.

- Haste is the order of this day. There will be no negotiation. There will be no peaceful resolve. Those who stay will be brutally massacred by the Antichrist.

• Matthew 24:21,22 : "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. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened." : How bad will this be? The great tribulation, that last half of Daniel's final week, will be worse than any other period in human history!

- It may seem inappropriate to say, but this means that the holocaust will pale in comparison to what will happen at this time in the world! Rwanda, Bosnia, and the Sudan will all seem like a picnic!

- The Antichrist will bring the greatest human indignities upon those Jewish believers. The loss of life will be staggering, so much so that if it went beyond the appointed time, nobody would live!

- In short, Satan will be free to do his absolute worst. Even then, God will find a way to protect the elect ones!

- God in His mercy, will allow the days to be shortened for their sakes. That word is interesting and seems to refer to one of two possibilities.

- This can refer to things ending suddenly. Satan will only get the very minimum amount of time to inflict damage upon these brothers and sisters.

- He won't have one second more than he is given. It will end suddenly, with no delay.

- On the other hand, it may refer to atmospheric conditions that allow for shorter intervals of daylight. I would encourage each of you to read the book of Revelation this week.

- If you do so, you'll notice a real trend of darkness upon darkness. If there is great darkness, there is better opportunity to hide oneself.

- The beauty here is that even in this horrific scene, where Satan is running wild and his people are hunting Christians, God finds a way to protect His people!

- I heard a commentator say that God will protect His people, even if He has to rearrange the celestial bodies to do it!

• Matthew 24:23-28 : "Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. 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. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together." : What does this have to do with what Jesus has just said? Think about the logic: The suffering, trauma and devastation of this time will be unparraleled in human history.

- There will be no post traumatic stress syndrome, as every day will unveil new horrors. One of the horrors will be this false hope that will rise from every conceivable direction.

- They will be everywhere, promising that they are the one's to follow. Jesus says, "Trust me: My coming will be one that will not be missed!" Don't be fooled!

- When Jesus comes, it's going to be public. Nobody will miss it. He won't be hiding in some closet or behind some cactus in the desert!

- This leaves us with this final verse for this morning, verse 28: Wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

- I prefer the NLT's rendering of this verse: "Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near."

- This proverb is interesting, as we know that vultures show up to feed upon death. It seems that Jesus is saying that when He comes, the world will be full of death everywhere.

- His coming will be to a planet decimated by human sin and rampant wickedness. But He is coming nonetheless!

Conclusion

- As we close, we ask the inevitable question: What does this mean to us? We might not even live to see these things, and even so, we don't live in Jerusalem?

- Jesus tells us this because we are His disciples and He wants us to know what the world is headed for, that we might compassionately cooperate with Him in bringing salvation to souls!

- On the other hand, He tells us these things to remind us of where our priorities need to be. What in the world is important, when the world is scheduled for catastrophe?

- "How should we then live?"