The Olivet Discourse Part 3

Good morning Church! I pray that you all had an amazing week. I am so excited to be able to share today! This series so far, for me, has been an incredible learning opportunity. Like I have said so many times, the more you know, the more prepared that you can be for when the attacks happen. Spiritual attacks as well as physical. Now today, today is going to be interesting. Today we are going to be talking about something that I haven’t really given a whole lot of thought about before. Not because I didn’t care but because I just read it and kept on going on without thinking about it. Who else has done that before?

Now, if you read ahead last week, you would know exactly what i’m talking about today. So without further ado, lets all turn to the book of Matthew 24:15-16

Matthew 24:15–16 (ESV)

“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Now let’s recap a bit. Jesus just spent the day at the temple rebuking the Pharisees. When they left, the disciples asked about when the end would come and what the sign would be. This is when Jesus began his famous Olivet Discourse. Jesus started by explaining that false messiahs will come and mislead many. That there will be wars and rumors of wars as well as natural disasters. He said that this wasn’t the end and He told His disciples not to panic. Jesus then warned them about the persecution that they were going to endure for His name. For sticking to the truth in scripture. That there will be a great falling away and betrayal. Now Jesus also says that there will be False prophets that will come and mislead many. And because of all these things, lawlessness is going to increase and cause the love of many to grow cold. Jesus finishes this section with saying that those who endure to the end, will be saved and that the end will happen when the Gospel of the Kingdom is preached to all the nations as a testimony. This is where we are going to pick up today.

From here on out, to the end of chapter 25, Jesus is going to be describing in great detail the things that will happen during the tribulation and after the tribulation. A couple of parables explaining the times and the future judgement. I’ll tell you what, it’s an intense 2 chapters of scripture. It’s intense and crucial to know! It’s crucial to know because satan doesn’t want you to know. He doesn’t want you to understand. If satan can get us to continually fight the wrong enemy, or to stay oblivious to the signs, then he can manipulate you and mislead you in the complete wrong direction without barely having to lift his finger.

Now back to the verse for today. It starts with “So when”. Some translations say “Therefore when” or “When therefore” Like I had just said, the scripture from here takes place in between the start of the end and the end. It’s like the filling of a sandwich. Jesus first told us about the sandwich and now He is telling us about the filling. Verse 15 is giving us a very clear picture of what the sign is going to be that will set off these chains of events. That is the Abomination of Desolation. It sounds so doom and gloom and thats because it is. So what is this Abomination of Desolation? The way that that I have read it before, I once thought that it was a person. And it is but also and event. The word “Abomination” means “Detestable things. Utterly Disgusting things.” Desolation means “to cause horror” or “make waste” or “turn into a desert” “to rob or strip away” So to put this in a more understandable sentence, “So when you see the utterly detestable, disgusting, horrifying thing that makes waste of and then robs and strips the that sanctity of what you deem Holy.” That is literally what that is saying when the phrase abomination of desolation is used. So Jesus said that the prophet Daniel spoke of this Abomination of Desolation and I think that it would be fitting to go see exactly what the prophet Daniel said. Let’s turn to Daniel 9:27

Daniel 9:27 ESV

And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

Now this verse alone is very interesting. This what is being said. The Anti-Christ will make a deal with the believers. He will allow christians to continue to worship as usual but after 3 and 1/2 years, that all will cease. Thats when the anti-christ comes. The utterly disgusting and detestable thing that comes and causes horror to believers by stripping away and making waste of everything that we deem holy. Jesus says that it is when he is standing in the Holy Place. The temple. The Abomination of Desolation will set up an imagine or an idol in the temple of God and force people to worship and sacrifice to it. Can you imagine the how disturbing that would be? I know that this doesn’t come close but picture someone coming in here, setting up and alter and the satanic goat head. Then picking someone from the congregation, probably a young female and a virgin and sacrificing them on the alter. Once she dies, he would then drain her blood, cut her into pieces and burn her on the alter as a sacrifice to satan. All while forcing you to watch because if you would try to leave or stop what was going on, it would be death for you. Now I do apologize for the graphic description. But that would be an utterly detestable, horrifying, disgusting event that would strip away any kind of holiness that this building had and I would want to burn this building to the ground after. Does this make sense. When the anti christ sets up shop, there will be absolutely no mistaking it whatsoever. It is going to be horrifyingly horrible. That is the Abomination of Desolation. It will be the beginning of a great tribulation that the earth has never experienced before. This is also why Matthew pauses and says let the reader understand. This is serious. John also says this same thing in Revelation 1:3

Revelation 1:3 ESV

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

In closing, We, the readers, need to understand this. To fully grasp the severity of it all. What I am preaching today is the atmosphere of the end times. It is not pretty. But we need to know. We need to know so that we are not deceived. This is why it is so important that we get out of drinking milk and start eating the meat. Hebrews 5:12-14

Hebrews 5:12–14 ESV

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

This is the importance of figuring out what you believe and why. You can say that you believe in God, Believe in Jesus, but why? You can say that you believe in what I am preaching today, but why? Have you done what scripture tells us to do. 2 Timothy 2:15

2 Timothy 2:15 ESV

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

We are in perilous times and all I want, all Jesus wants is for you to be aware. This is why He shared these things with us. So that we won’t be mislead. We are His creation. God sent Jesus to die by the hands of His very own creation, so that we can be saved. So that the debt of our sins can be paid. So that we can be with Him in paradise, like God has always wanted. Our faith cannot be on the back burner of our life. It needs to and must be at the very forefront of everything that we do. Again, we will not be perfect and thats ok, but the question is, is our heart going in the right direction?