We have just covered an intense period prior to the Tribulation. Let’s recap briefly Jesus Prophetic warnings. First the Temple would be destroyed, which was fulfilled in 70 AD by the Roman General Titus after an intense four year war. Then Jesus in response to the disciple’s questions, (Matt. 24:3) He begins to foretell accurately the things that would happen before His ultimate Second Coming in several phases.
After stunning the disciples regarding the Temple being completely destroyed, He goes on to forecast the Signs of the Close of the Age beginning with a metaphor of a women experiencing the process of giving birth to a child. Here are the Major Signs to remember.
• False Messiah’s leading many astray…Check
• Wars and Rumors of Wars…Check
• Nation Rising against Nation & Kingdom against Kingdom…Check
• Famines and Pestilence…Check
• Earthquakes in Various Places…Check
• Luke also adds Terrors and Great Signs in the Heaven Luke 21:11...this may prefer to blood moons and other solar activity
All of the SIGNS has been occurring in greater frequency and intensification!
Jesus clarifies this is NOT the END, merely the beginning of the Birth Pangs.
• Then Jesus goes on to warn of terrible and intense persecution against believers in the last days…Check
• More False Prophets and False Teachers…Check
• A significant Falling Away from the Faith, Betrayal and Hatred…Check
• Lawlessness Increases & People’s Hearts become Cold…Check
• A Call to Endurance of Christians until the End!...Check
• The True Gospel will be Proclaimed as a Witness to All Nations…Check
• Then the END will Come...Come Lord Jesus!
After explaining the period before the end of the age, Jesus takes us right into the middle of the Tribulation at the three and a half year mark based on the Prophecy that Daniel had approximately five hundred years earlier…calling it the “Abomination of Desolation”…the focus of this event is clearly upon the Jewish Nation, Jerusalem the Holy City and occurs in the Rebuilt Temple. Let’s jump in.
The Abomination of Desolation: Matt. 24:15-28, Mark 13: 14-23 & Luke 21: 20-24
To understand this prophecy we need to revisit the Book of Daniel, specifically Daniel 9:27, 11:31 and 12:11. Based on Daniels revelation from the Angel Gabriel we are told the Antichrist will make a “Strong Covenant” with many nations (the UN representing Global Nations at our time is constantly fixated on the tiny nation of Israel and the UN bent with most nations are clearly against Israel based on how they vote. The prophecy is focused on Israel (a decree about your people and the holy city) and at the mid-point of this covenant the treaty is broken…lets read Daniel 9:27 “And he shall make a strong covenant with many people for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering”.
As a reminder Daniels “70 Week Prophetic Timetable” is outlined in Daniel 9: 24-27. The prophecy is divided into three phases and it is always best to interpret the Bible and Prophecy literally…going down the figurative road of interpreting Scripture leads to all kinds of false doctrines and inaccurate teaching…this is how most Cults are formed.
Phase 1). From the Decree to Restore Jerusalem (most likely) 458 BC by Artaxerxes King of Persia (Ezra Chapter 7) and Nehemiah would begin the restoration of the city walls 13 years later. After the city was restored from 458 BC to 409 BC (49 years) a period of trouble would follow as the Persian Empire fell to the Greeks in 331 BC, and the Greeks were overthrown by Rome in 63 BC…these two later Empires were not favorable to Israel as the Persians had been.
The 70 Weeks declared to Israel by God has a very clear purpose, “to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for the iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet and to anoint a most holy place”. God’s heart is to see Israel forsake their sin and rebellion, and His solution would be for the Messiah’s atoning for their sin on the cross and providing a righteousness only found in His perfect blood…not achieved through the Law. God would also validate the vision and Daniel the prophet and Jerusalem would be the primary focus in the last days with the Temple rebuilt…the Antichrist seating himself as god in it and Christ coming to overthrow him and rule and reign from the Holy City.
Phase 2). Truly this period was a time of TROUBLE for Israel as a Nation with severe oppression and occupation (62 weeks plus the 7 weeks = 483 years) which ended with Christ Jesus our Lord on the Cross in Jerusalem in 33 AD!
Daniel 9: 26 states, “And after the 62 weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing”. This was Christ Jesus death on the cross. The Angel continues, “And the people of the prince (Titus) who is to come, shall destroy the city and the sanctuary (70 AD). “Its’ end shall come as a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.” It is amazing how accurate this prophecy was for Israel to understand God’s timetable and His purposes…sadly few saw it…especially the Jewish religious leaders.
Phase 3). Daniel 9:27 takes us into the third stage of this prophetic timetable set by God…in the last seven year period (one week) when the Lawless one is revealed as the Apostle Paul calls him and he gives us insight into his actions at the mid-point of the Tribulation. 2 Thes. 3:3-12. The Antichrist puts an end to the sacrifice and the offering and takes his seat in the Temple of God and demands worship of himself as god…however this demon possessed egomaniac will have a limited time in his glory as this one who makes desolation…will have a decreed end. 2 Thes. 3:8 “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.”
We will continue next week Lord willing to discuss this perverse period called “the Abomination of Desolation” as Daniel and the Scriptures has more important insights to Jesus warning.
From a friend, Bill W…if you have found these studies encouraging pass them on to a friend!