Sermon - Matthew 24:15-28 - A Tribulation Warning - October 20, 2019
False prophets, famine, wars, martyrdom, natural disasters,
the revelation of the antichrist, and more. You might think we have talked
about all the bad stuff, but as we continue in Matthew 24 we find that Jesus is
not done. To Jesus everything that lies ahead is such a big deal that He wants
to make sure we have every opportunity to understand what to expect. In
addition, the hope is that Jesus’ words will wake up those who are not paying
attention and open the eyes and ears of those who are still lost.
Matthew 24:15
“15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place” (let the reader understand),”
Referencing Daniel 9:27 that we have looked at a time or two already.
Daniel 9:27
“He will make a firm covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And the abomination of desolation will be on a wing of the temple until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator.”
For some reason the antichrist thinks it is a good idea to take the third Temple of the Lord and desecrate it. He will take what was meant to worship the One True God and make it a place for people to come and worship the antichrist.
To date, two temples have been built and two temples have been destroyed. So, one question to ask is, are there plans to build the third one?
The short answer is yes. The Temple Institute, a Jewish organization is making strides to build a new temple. One critical step is the need for red heifers which have been all but extinct in Israel. They are now being bred in Israel and a few months ago I saw that they believe they have at least one that is unblemished. Why is this a big deal?
Numbers 19:1-10
“19 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, 2 “This is the legal statute that the Lord has commanded: Instruct the Israelites to bring you an unblemished red cow that has no defect and has never been yoked. 3 Give it to the priest Eleazar, and he will have it brought outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence. 4 The priest Eleazar is to take some of its blood with his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting. 5 The cow is to be burned in his sight. Its hide, flesh, and blood, are to be burned along with its waste. 6 The priest is to take cedar wood, hyssop, and crimson yarn, and throw them onto the fire where the cow is burning. 7 Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; after that he may enter the camp, but he will remain ceremonially unclean until evening. 8 The one who burned the cow must also wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he will remain unclean until evening.
9 “A man who is clean is to gather up the cow’s ashes and deposit them outside the camp in a ceremonially clean place. The ashes will be kept by the Israelite community for preparing the water to remove impurity; it is a sin offering. 10 Then the one who gathers up the cow’s ashes must wash his clothes, and he will remain unclean until evening. This is a permanent statute for the Israelites and for the alien who resides among them.”
Red heifers are needed for purification. When the third temple is built, unblemished red heifers will be needed to purify it. Now that red heifers are being bred in Israel, they have the means to purify a temple.
There has been a lot of prep work for the coming third temple. Priestly garments, incense burners, an ark of the covenant, oil decanters, and more have been made exactly as they were specified in the Bible. The altar that is to be used to sacrifice the red heifers and purify the temple is already built. Architectural plans are being developed so that the third temple can be constructed.
The Bible is not be clear if the third temple will be built before or during the tribulation, but it is clear that it will be built, and that the antichrist will take it as his own.
More and more pieces are fitting together. Eventually the third temple will be built, the unblemished Israeli breed red heifers will be sacrificed on the new altar by priests wearing garments that look like what Aaron and his sons wore, and using the utensils made exactly as the Bible describes. Another sign that we are closer than ever to the coming of our Lord.
Matthew 24:16-21
“16 “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 A man on the housetop must not come down to get things out of his house, 18 and a man in the field must not go back to get his coat. 19 Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! 20 Pray that your escape may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For at that time there will be great distress, the kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again.”
The Third Temple will be built and at the mid-point of the Tribulation the antichrist takes it as his own. When this happens, Jesus is telling everyone in Israel that things are going to get real bad. It is time to get out of there. Do not hang around for anything. Do not go back to the house to get your valuables. Do not take the time to even change your clothes. Get out as fast as you possibly can. Those with young’uns or expecting will struggle to get away. Weather and the Sabbath will impede one’s escape.
Hard to imagine how bad it will be on that day if Jesus is telling the faithful in Israel to run.
Jeremiah 30:7
“How awful that day will be! There will be no other like it! It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it.”
As bad as things may have bene with wars, martyrdom, natural disasters, death, famine, it is only going to get worse.
As usual we can be thankful that God does not leave things at their worst.
Matthew 24:22
“22 Unless those days were cut short, no one would be saved. But those days will be cut short because of the elect.”
Out of love the Lord will limit the time that the antichrist is in control. The days of persecution will be limited for those that have been redeemed through faith in our Savior during the tribulation.
Matthew 24:23-26
“23 “If anyone tells you then, ‘See, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Over here!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 Take note: I have told you in advance. 26 So if they tell you, ‘See, he’s in the wilderness!’ don’t go out; or, ‘See, he’s in the storerooms!’ do not believe it.”
The antichrist will empower the false prophet to perform great sings and wonders. They will have ‘spiritual leaders’ out preaching the message of the antichrist. They will do everything they can to get people to praise him. Jesus is telling the elect to expect to hear this false message. Expect to hear that the antichrist is really God, expect to hear that the Messiah has returned in private, they will hear every possible lie to try to get them to turn to the antichrist.
Jesus is warning them to not believe any of this. It is all lies! He is not going to return in secret. He is not going to come back disguised as someone else. When Jesus returns the whole world will know. There will be no doubt that the King of Kings and Lord of Lords has returned.
Matthew 24:27-28
“27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures will gather.”
Have you ever been woken up by lightning? Not the sound of thunder, but the flash of the lightening? I have, the flash was so bright that the room appeared as bright as day even with the curtains closed. There is no missing lighting like that, and there will be no missing the return of Jesus. There will be absolutely no questioning if it is real. When Christ returns everyone will know that He has come and that He is God.
Charles Spurgeon said, “Christ’s coming will be sudden, startling, universally visible, and terrifying to the ungodly.”
There will be no doubt whatsoever when Jesus returns, all will be startled, everyone will see it, and judgment will follow.
It is imperative that we study the end of days so that our eyes will be open, so that we will not be caught off guard. We need to be watching so that we will see that the pieces are coming together so that we are reminded as to how urgent it is to reach out to those in our mission field in hope that they will repent of their sins and turn to Jesus and miss the wrath of God.
Even in these verses that talk about the antichrist and how bad it will be, we can see God’s love. If we believe that the Bible is truly the Word of God, then we know that each of these words were written out of love for us. They were written to teach us about and prepare us for what is to come. Our Father Loves Us.
1 John 3:1a
“See what great love the Father has give us that we should be called God’s Children – and we are!”
Some of these words found in Matthew 24 and 25 can be hard to hear but know that each word has been given to you from your Father out of Love.
God Bless,
Robert
Matthew 24:15
“15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place” (let the reader understand),”
Referencing Daniel 9:27 that we have looked at a time or two already.
Daniel 9:27
“He will make a firm covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And the abomination of desolation will be on a wing of the temple until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator.”
For some reason the antichrist thinks it is a good idea to take the third Temple of the Lord and desecrate it. He will take what was meant to worship the One True God and make it a place for people to come and worship the antichrist.
To date, two temples have been built and two temples have been destroyed. So, one question to ask is, are there plans to build the third one?
The short answer is yes. The Temple Institute, a Jewish organization is making strides to build a new temple. One critical step is the need for red heifers which have been all but extinct in Israel. They are now being bred in Israel and a few months ago I saw that they believe they have at least one that is unblemished. Why is this a big deal?
Numbers 19:1-10
“19 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, 2 “This is the legal statute that the Lord has commanded: Instruct the Israelites to bring you an unblemished red cow that has no defect and has never been yoked. 3 Give it to the priest Eleazar, and he will have it brought outside the camp and slaughtered in his presence. 4 The priest Eleazar is to take some of its blood with his finger and sprinkle it seven times toward the front of the tent of meeting. 5 The cow is to be burned in his sight. Its hide, flesh, and blood, are to be burned along with its waste. 6 The priest is to take cedar wood, hyssop, and crimson yarn, and throw them onto the fire where the cow is burning. 7 Then the priest must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water; after that he may enter the camp, but he will remain ceremonially unclean until evening. 8 The one who burned the cow must also wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he will remain unclean until evening.
9 “A man who is clean is to gather up the cow’s ashes and deposit them outside the camp in a ceremonially clean place. The ashes will be kept by the Israelite community for preparing the water to remove impurity; it is a sin offering. 10 Then the one who gathers up the cow’s ashes must wash his clothes, and he will remain unclean until evening. This is a permanent statute for the Israelites and for the alien who resides among them.”
Red heifers are needed for purification. When the third temple is built, unblemished red heifers will be needed to purify it. Now that red heifers are being bred in Israel, they have the means to purify a temple.
There has been a lot of prep work for the coming third temple. Priestly garments, incense burners, an ark of the covenant, oil decanters, and more have been made exactly as they were specified in the Bible. The altar that is to be used to sacrifice the red heifers and purify the temple is already built. Architectural plans are being developed so that the third temple can be constructed.
The Bible is not be clear if the third temple will be built before or during the tribulation, but it is clear that it will be built, and that the antichrist will take it as his own.
More and more pieces are fitting together. Eventually the third temple will be built, the unblemished Israeli breed red heifers will be sacrificed on the new altar by priests wearing garments that look like what Aaron and his sons wore, and using the utensils made exactly as the Bible describes. Another sign that we are closer than ever to the coming of our Lord.
Matthew 24:16-21
“16 “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 A man on the housetop must not come down to get things out of his house, 18 and a man in the field must not go back to get his coat. 19 Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! 20 Pray that your escape may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For at that time there will be great distress, the kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again.”
The Third Temple will be built and at the mid-point of the Tribulation the antichrist takes it as his own. When this happens, Jesus is telling everyone in Israel that things are going to get real bad. It is time to get out of there. Do not hang around for anything. Do not go back to the house to get your valuables. Do not take the time to even change your clothes. Get out as fast as you possibly can. Those with young’uns or expecting will struggle to get away. Weather and the Sabbath will impede one’s escape.
Hard to imagine how bad it will be on that day if Jesus is telling the faithful in Israel to run.
Jeremiah 30:7
“How awful that day will be! There will be no other like it! It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it.”
As bad as things may have bene with wars, martyrdom, natural disasters, death, famine, it is only going to get worse.
As usual we can be thankful that God does not leave things at their worst.
Matthew 24:22
“22 Unless those days were cut short, no one would be saved. But those days will be cut short because of the elect.”
Out of love the Lord will limit the time that the antichrist is in control. The days of persecution will be limited for those that have been redeemed through faith in our Savior during the tribulation.
Matthew 24:23-26
“23 “If anyone tells you then, ‘See, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Over here!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 Take note: I have told you in advance. 26 So if they tell you, ‘See, he’s in the wilderness!’ don’t go out; or, ‘See, he’s in the storerooms!’ do not believe it.”
The antichrist will empower the false prophet to perform great sings and wonders. They will have ‘spiritual leaders’ out preaching the message of the antichrist. They will do everything they can to get people to praise him. Jesus is telling the elect to expect to hear this false message. Expect to hear that the antichrist is really God, expect to hear that the Messiah has returned in private, they will hear every possible lie to try to get them to turn to the antichrist.
Jesus is warning them to not believe any of this. It is all lies! He is not going to return in secret. He is not going to come back disguised as someone else. When Jesus returns the whole world will know. There will be no doubt that the King of Kings and Lord of Lords has returned.
Matthew 24:27-28
“27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures will gather.”
Have you ever been woken up by lightning? Not the sound of thunder, but the flash of the lightening? I have, the flash was so bright that the room appeared as bright as day even with the curtains closed. There is no missing lighting like that, and there will be no missing the return of Jesus. There will be absolutely no questioning if it is real. When Christ returns everyone will know that He has come and that He is God.
Charles Spurgeon said, “Christ’s coming will be sudden, startling, universally visible, and terrifying to the ungodly.”
There will be no doubt whatsoever when Jesus returns, all will be startled, everyone will see it, and judgment will follow.
It is imperative that we study the end of days so that our eyes will be open, so that we will not be caught off guard. We need to be watching so that we will see that the pieces are coming together so that we are reminded as to how urgent it is to reach out to those in our mission field in hope that they will repent of their sins and turn to Jesus and miss the wrath of God.
Even in these verses that talk about the antichrist and how bad it will be, we can see God’s love. If we believe that the Bible is truly the Word of God, then we know that each of these words were written out of love for us. They were written to teach us about and prepare us for what is to come. Our Father Loves Us.
1 John 3:1a
“See what great love the Father has give us that we should be called God’s Children – and we are!”
Some of these words found in Matthew 24 and 25 can be hard to hear but know that each word has been given to you from your Father out of Love.
God Bless,
Robert
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