The Abomination That Makes Desolate

The Abomination That Makes Desolate

Matthew 24:15-28

Introduction

As we continue in the Olivet Discourse this week, we are reminded to whom Jesus is speaking - it His twelve disciples.

They had walked with Jesus from Jerusalem up to the Mount of Olives and had posed the initial questions that Jesus used to launch into this teaching.

The answers He gave have specific application to the Twelve and to the early Church, as well as broader application to Christians who have lived since this time.

In this part of the sermon, we see specific instructions that apply only to earlier Christians.

And these examples give us insight into interpreting this portion of His message.

(1)For example, in verse 16, Jesus gives instruction to those in Judea to flee to the mountains.

(a)This links the warning of this abomination of desolation that He speaks of to this generation and this geography.

(b)These instructions have immediate application in the coming years.

(2)Following that, Jesus warns the disciples and those of the early church to flee immediately and leave behind worldly possessions when they see the signs of this abomination.

(a)Again, this has immediate application to this generation.

(b)When Christ comes back there will be no need to consider worldly matters be they possessions, or whether it is in winter or on the Sabbath.

(c)For His return will be public and He will then judge the living and the dead.

I begin with these points, which we will look at more closely, to set the stage that Jesus is primarily speaking of an event that will happen before this generation passes away.

Later there will be a time of tribulation that precedes His return, and there will be false worship led by the one noted as the Antichrist.

Jesus will move toward the end of this teaching to address His return.

And this will continue in the verses after those we are looking at today.

But in these verses, Jesus is speaking primarily of an abomination that makes desolate - something that will happen in the coming years.

The ESV translates the Greek as “the abomination of desolation” - but a better wording would be “the abomination that makes desolate.” 

And if we recall the words of Jesus before He left the Temple, we will remember how He prophesied, “” (Mt 23:38) See, your house is left to you desolate.

The word there is the same He uses here, pointing to the destruction of Jerusalem and her temple as being this event that He is speaking of in the immediate context.

While Jesus is speaking to equip the disciples to be prepared for this event - and to equip the early church for it as well - there is also a sense that there is a foreshadowing of the later final event.

There will be those who claim to be the Messiah and those who claim to have found the Messiah.

There will be false prophets that rise up in the end as well.

All of these, described here as happening before this immediate event, also persist throughout the End Times even in our day.

So while the application has an immediate context, there is still much here for us to apply us well.

Stay alert

Know the truth and be discerning 

Pray

May the words of Jesus encourage us today as we hear His Word to apply these things as we await His final return.

II.The Abomination that Makes Desolate (15)

Looking now at verse 15, we read Jesus say, “” So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand)…

Jesus begins, “So when…” which can also be translated “therefore.” 

This ties this portion of the sermon to what He has said previously.

There He described the signs as birth pains - all indications of what is to come.

Then Jesus here notes that this event will be visible - something that the disciples will be able to see as a specific event.

He uses the phrase from Daniel’s prophecy to note the event - the abomination of desolation.

(1)This term, “the abomination that makes desolate,” is found multiple times in Daniel’s prophecy.

(2)Daniel is saying that a great sacrilege will occur that leads to a desolation.

(a)As we have seen in biblical prophecy, there is often an immediate fulfillment and a far off fulfillment of many such prophecies.  

(b)The immediate fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy spoken of in chapter 11 was fulfilled when Antiochus Epiphanes - who claimed to be the human form of the Greek god Zeus - attacked Jerusalem in 167 BC.

(c)He erected an alter in the Temple and sacrificed a pig - a clear abomination or transgression against the holy Temple.

(3)Daniel further explains that after this event, there would be 2,300 days and then the sanctuary would be restored.

(a)That came true in 164 BC when Judas Maccabeus recaptured the temple and restored the furnishings and worship.

(b)The Jews marked this event annually as the Feast of Dedication, mentioned in John 10:22. (now Hanukkah)

Jesus takes Daniel’s prophecy and instructs the reader to understand that there will be another such event that leads to an abominable trespass “.”standing in the holy place

(1)The fuller or latter fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy would be an even greater desolation.

(2)For when the city and Temple were destroyed in 70 AD, the Temple would not be restored as it was in 164 BC.

While there are other theories as to what would fulfill these words of Jesus, the destruction of the city and temple is the most plausible.

I mentioned the connection of the word “desolate” that Jesus used in 23:38 and the link with Daniel’s prophecy that He makes here.

But we can also look to Luke’s account of these words from Jesus where he records Jesus say, “” (Lk 21:20–22) But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.

Here, Jesus speaks of armies surrounding the city.

And we know that it was the Romans who did this and then truly made the city and temple desolate in 70 AD.

Further, upon conquering the city, they entered and stood in the Temple with their banners of Roman rule and pagan worship.

Then, when the Temple was burned, “” (O’Donnell)the soldiers were so eager to retrieve the gold which melted and had flowed into the cracks between the stones that they overturned the huge stones of the burned-out building to retrieve the gold. Therefore, precisely as Jesus had predicted, when they were finished, not one stone was left standing upon another.

Jesus states that this act fulfills all that is written.

Yet, as Knox Chamblin points out, “” It would be wrong to assume that the meaning of Daniel’s prophecy is exhausted in the events of 167 BC and AD 66-70. 

There is still room for this event to foreshadow final events before the return of Christ.

III.Flee! (16-20)

Yet for the disciples hearing Jesus speak to this that day, He continues with the warning that upon seeing this event, “….” (16) then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains

The normal practice at this point in history when armies invaded was for people to seek sanctuary in the fortified cities.

So Jesus’ instruction here was counterintuitive to the norm - for He tells them to flee to the mountains away from Jerusalem.

The sign was to be the arriving of the invading armies, which began in 66 AD.

The historian Eusebius reports that Christians fled to an area called Pella at this time, quite possibly resulting from this warning of Jesus.

The urgency with which they are to engage in their flight is further noted in verse 17, “” Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak.

Houses in this area had flat roofs, and were often the place of reclining in the cool of the day.

Jesus states that if Christians hear of the sign while they are on their roofs, they shouldn’t even run back inside to grab their possessions.

Or, if they are working in the fields, they should run without gathering their cloak.

The disciples would remember the words of Jesus from Matthew 6:25, “” Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

They were to run fast away from the city without worrying about temporal matters.

Jesus continues in verse 19, “” And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days!

Here, the compassion of the Savior is exemplified in concern for mothers and infants. 

Unlike those who could leave behind their material possessions, those who were pregnant or had young children would experience a greater burden.

His statement seems to imply that the church family ought to be mindful of these that they might offer aid in the urgent exodus from Judea.

Then Jesus adds the imperative, “” (20) Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.

The winter months could be cold and miserable in this region as they were also the rainy season. 

And if the exodus were on the Sabbath there would be further challenges.

There would be tension in honoring the Sabbath.

There would also be logistical difficulties as everything shut down for the Sabbath.

Additionally, the religious leaders might prove to be an obstacle to those who tried to flee.

Jesus’ command in the face of distress is that His people must pray.

Christians in all eras have faced various distresses.

Believers are not spared from natural disasters or warring armies.

The call of Jesus here is that we are to pray in faith, trusting God’s sovereign hand to lead and provide especially in the hardships of life.

IV.Great Tribulation (21-22)

That there would be hardships in this event that Jesus speaks of is made clear in verse 21, “” 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.

Jesus describes what He calls “great tribulation” - something that has not been nor will be. 

This is the only place the phrase “great tribulation”occurs in any of the gospels. 

Some interpret this as looking further into the future - what Revelation notes as the same at the end of time. (Rev 7:14)

(1)Here, Jesus says it is “great tribulation.”

(2)In Revelation, John refers to it as great tribulation. the

(3)They are not the same event.

For in this context, Jesus begins with “…” linking it to what He is describing in the fall of Jerusalem.for then there will be

This opening links to the instruction for them to flee the city and His use of “,” in verse 19.in those days

For the early church, what is to come is unique in that is has not been and will not be.

The meaning of this is not explicitly clear and leaves some questions.

However, when we consider the destruction of the Temple and that it has never been restored, we see a plausible explanation.

O’Donnell writes, “ Forty years after this event, the Jewish historian Josephus wrote, “All the rest of the wall encompassing the city was so completely leveled to the ground as to leave future visitors to the spot no ground for believing that it had ever been inhabited.” He also claimed that when the Romans sacked Jerusalem and devastated Judea, 97,000 Jews were enslaved, and another 1.1 million died by slaughter and starvation.”

Yet as we have noted, it is not the last of great tribulations.

History attests to this as we see countless examples of believers suffering great distress.

And as Revelation points out, there will be great distress of increasing intensity before the return of Christ.

But in this instance, Jesus explains in verse 22, “” And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

God, in His great mercy, will cut short the days of this distress.

We’re not given specifics, but are simply told it won’t be as bad as it could be.

God’s mercy is shown for the sake of His people.

The One True Messiah (23-28)

Jesus then repeats His warning concerning false teachers in verse 23, “” Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.

In such a great distress, people are anxious to find one who will deliver them.

Jesus warns the disciples not to believe reports of His return in this time.

The temptation to find a deliverer will only be increased by the fact that such false christs and false prophets will perform signs and wonders.

Jesus says that such dramatic signs will be convincing - almost to the point of leading the elect astray.

(1)But He adds, “if possible,” indicating that those who truly belong to the Lord will not ultimately be lead astray.  

(2)This is comforting for us to hear, for none of us are perfectly discerning.  

(3)We must remember the promise whenever we face great distress, “” (Rom 8:35–39) Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jesus then interjects, “” (25) See, I have told you beforehand.

He reminds the disciples why He is giving them these instructions.

He wants them to know the truth and to be alert that they might not be led astray.

They are to remember these words in the days and years ahead that they might hold fast to Him and not waiver in their faith.

As they do, they will see false teachers for who they are - mark, and avoid them - and warn others.

This also marks a transition where Jesus now begins to address His future return - something the disciples initially thought would happen at the time of Jerusalem’s destruction.

He then repeats His warning in verse 26, “” So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.

Here, Jesus addresses the notion that His return might be in secret.

He is now moving His prophecy forward to begin addressing the last days.

The fall of Jerusalem - the event He has been describing - foreshadows the final tribulation before His return. 

(1)When I say, “foreshadows,” I don’t mean things will happen the same way.  

(2)Foreshadowing means there are correlations or similarities.

(3)But as Aslan tells Lucy in the Chronicles of Narnia, “” Things never happen the same way twice. 

People might say they have found the Messiah - in the wilderness or in secret rooms in the city. 

Jesus says that when they hear such reports, they are not to believe them.

False teachers are found throughout church history. 

They often take the truth and then manipulate it or add to it.

We are warned in our own day to know the truth that we might discern such false teachings.

The way that we do this is through the knowledge of God’s Word.

(1)We study it and meditate upon it that we might know what is true and what is false.

(2)When teachers come out with novel ideas or teachings contrary to Scripture, we must be on guard - whether they claim to know the time of Christ’s return or if they speak of another gospel.

(3)As we read in 1 John 2 this morning,. (1 Jn 2:19–20) They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us. But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge

(4)And we should take to heart the exhortation Paul gave to Timothy, “[false teachings]” (1 Tim 6:11–15) But as for you, O man of God, flee these things . Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which he will display at the proper time.

The reason Jesus spoke against such false teachers who would claim He had come in secret is because His return will in no way be a secret. “” (27) For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Jesus uses the metaphor of lightning to describe His return - it will be blatantly obvious. 

John writes in Revelation 1:7,. Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him

No one will need to be told when Jesus returns at the end of the age - for everyone will see Him.

Jesus then adds a proverbial saying in verse 28, “” Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. 

It is another way of saying that His coming will be abundantly clear.

He again dispels the false teachers who would claim He had returned secretly. 

Jesus will continue to address His return in the following verses, which we will look at next week.

VI.Conclusion

Although the Roman’s sacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and specifically the total destruction of the Temple, was an abomination that made desolate - it would not thwart the sovereign plan of redemption. 

For in the following days, Jesus would lay down His life upon the cross.

At the time of His death, Matthew records,. (Mt 27:51) And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split

This event made clear that the death of Christ was a once-for-all atonement for sin.

There would no longer be any need for Temple sacrifices.

So now, we are called to put our trust in Jesus alone for the forgiveness of our sins by His once-for-all sacrifice, that we might redeemed from the curse of sin and death forever.. (Heb 10:19–23) Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful