Matthew 24:15-28 Mark 13:14-23 Luke 21:20-24

Matthew 24:15-28 15 “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 “Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. 18 “Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19 “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 “But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21 “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22 “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him.24 “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25 “Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 “So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27 “For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 “Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

Mark 13:14-23 14 “But when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 15 “The one who is on the housetop must not go down, or go in to get anything out of his house; 16 and the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat. 17 “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 18 “But pray that it may not happen in the winter. 19 “For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will. 20 “Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. 21 “And then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ’; or, ‘Behold, He is there’; do not believe him;22 for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 “But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.

Luke 21:20-24 20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. 21 “Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city; 22 because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled. 23 “Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people; 24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Jesus warns His disciples in all ages to be alert and to be aware that He is coming again.  We are living in a time between He two comings.  He came the first time as our Savior from sin and sacrificed His own life to satisfy sin’s price and provide a way for our forgiveness.  The second time He will come as our Sovereign to rule and reign for eternity.  We are waiting for that glorious day.  However, the times leading up to His return will be anything but glorious for the followers of Christ; especially those who are descendants of Israel.  The time right before the return of Christ will be marked by a period of tribulation on the earth.  Daniel speaks of this as being seven years of tribulation divided into two equal parts.  This will be a time when there will be great wars, famine, intense persecution of Christians and Israel as well as supernatural plagues sent by God to judge the earth.  Jesus warns about this time so that those who face it can be prepared.

FLEE FROM THE ABOMINATION: Daniel speaks of an Abomination of Desolation that will happen during the second half of the seven-year tribulation period.  We are not sure what this will be, but it will be obvious to those who will see it take place.  History tells of a Greek king after Alexander the Great who sacrificed a pig on the altar of the temple.  That would certainly be an abomination, but there is no way for us to know exactly what it will be in that day.  What we do know, is that after this event the persecution of Israel will escalate to levels that will exceed the Holocaust.  Jesus says that when this abomination takes place, people should flee to the mountains and hide.  It will be their only hope of survival.  The Tribulation period will be a time of great suffering, but it will also be a time of unprecedented evangelism on the earth.  When the prophecies of the New Testament begin to occur, it will cause many people, especially Jews, to place their faith in Jesus as Messiah.  Israel will be used as an instrument of God to reach the nations during these days, but this will only increase the amount of persecution that all believers will face during these final days before the return of Christ.

WAIT FOR THE REVELATION: Besides an increase in persecution, these days will also be marked by an increase in false teachers that will present themselves as Christ.  Jesus warns His followers in all generations since the time of His resurrection to not be fooled by people who are false Messiahs.  He says that His second coming will be unmistakable.  His first coming was as a baby in a manger that the majority of the world ignored.  His second coming will be like a flash of lightning as He comes in the glory and splendor of the Celestial King of kings and Lord of lords.  He will come riding down from heaven with a sword and the heavenly hosts following Him.  He will judge this earth and all unbelievers will be killed and fed to the vultures.  Those who have trusted Christ will rule and reign with Him forever.  No matter how bleak things may get on this earth; we have an eternal hope in the return to Christ.  He will judge this earth justly.  God is in control and we can rest in the fact that He will send Jesus back to this earth to be our King and then there will be New Heavens and New Earth in which only righteousness dwells.  What a glorious day that will be!  Believers have this glorious hope.

APPLICATION: We can rest assured that God is in control of the events of this earth.  There is nothing that will take Him by surprise.  No matter how difficult our lives may become, or how terrible a death we might suffer; we have an eternal hope.  Never be fooled into looking at those who claim to be Christ because they will all be false.  When Christ does return, it will be unmistakable.  Live in light of that glorious day.