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Week 15: The Abomination of Desolation and End Times Warnings
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We are in a series called Entry and End Times, walking through Matthew chapters 21-24. Today's message focuses on Matthew 24:15-28, where Jesus warns of great tribulation and deception. Before we dive in, I want to be transparent: today will feel different. I will do more reading than preaching because God said through the prophet Hosea that "his people perish for a lack of knowledge." My prayer is that you will be informed—not from the opinions of men, but directly from the word of God. I don't want it said of me in judgment that you were uninformed about what is coming.
In 2004, a 9.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia, triggering a mega tsunami with waves over 100 feet high. That tsunami traveled across the ocean and struck 14 coastal countries in Asia. Almost a quarter of a million people lost their lives. Thousands of lives could have been saved with better warning systems.
In the same way, there is a mega tsunami of endtime prophetic events racing towards humanity right now. The only warnings we have are the prophetic warnings of God's word. This week, one of my staff members told me he's been having dreams of endtime apocalyptic events long before I got to this text in Matthew. He is among thousands of people all around the world who are having dreams of endtime events and posting about them on social media.
I believe God Almighty is doing everything He can in this hour to warn as many people as possible that a mega tsunami of endtime apocalyptic events is coming for the United States and the nations of the world. He is warning people through proclamation. He is warning people through His word. He is warning people through His Spirit. He is warning people through dreams and visions.
If there are any people on the planet that should be alert in this hour, warning in this hour, and engaged in what's happening in this hour—if there are any people that should be the guardian of that message—it is the people of God, the saints of God, and the church of God. For if we are not paying attention, we will not warn. And if we are not warning, thousands of people will die in that mega tsunami without the opportunity to place their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew recorded an eschatological exchange between Christ and His disciples as He walked out of the temple for the last time, headed towards the cross. Let me read Matthew 24:1-14:
Jesus left the temple and was going away when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them and said, "You see all these do you not? Truly I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down."
This prophecy of the temple's destruction was fulfilled about 40 years later in AD 70, establishing Jesus as a credible prophet.
As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us when will these things be and when will be the coming of or when will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?"
Jesus gave them the signs of the end times and the great tribulation period. He explained that toward the very end of time—which I believe we're right around the corner from—there will be deception, wars, famines, and earthquakes. These are the beginning of birth pains.
After three and a half years into the tribulation, He tells us what happens in the middle:
Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and you will be put to death and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake and many will fall away and betray one another and many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
At the very end of the seven-year tribulation period:
This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
What Christ gave the disciples in private was His prophetic warning about the tsunami of endtime apocalyptic events charging towards humanity. He gave them a summary of all seven years of the tribulation period—a period of seven years instituted by a seven-year peace treaty between the antichrist and Israel. During those seven years, all these events will be unleashed on the earth.
But what He then gives them next is the singular event that initiates the second half of the tribulation period—the final three and a half years when God unleashes the full force of His wrath upon the earth to punish people for their rebellion and to get the attention of the nation of Israel.
Listen to Matthew 24:15:
So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel standing in the holy place, let the reader understand.
The Lord wants readers to understand the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel. We must go to Daniel's words in Daniel 9:24:
70 weeks are decreed about your people, the Jews, and your holy city to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for the iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness.
According to Daniel's prophecy, there will be 70 weeks. At the end of those 70 weeks, God will bring an end to all sin and usher in the eternal state. When the 70 weeks are complete, humanity as we know it will come to an end. This is called the prophecy of the 70 weeks.
Know therefore and understand that from the going out of this word—the rebuilding of the temple to restore and build Jerusalem—to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then there shall be 62 weeks. And it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time, talking about the rebuilding of the temple during the tribulation period.
And after 62 weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off. And the people of the prince who shall come to destroy the city and the sanctuary—its end shall come with a flood and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.
This is a prophecy that after 62 weeks, Christ will be executed.
And he, the antichrist, shall make a strong covenant with many for one week. And for half of the week—that's three and a half years—he shall put an end to the offerings, the back half of the tribulation, and on the wings of abominations shall come one who makes desolate until the decreed end is poured out—that is the full wrath of God on the desolator.
Let me explain this so you understand. Daniel prophesies 70 weeks. At the end of 70 weeks, humanity will come to an end and God will put an end to sin and bring in the eternal state. There are seven weeks—the temple is rebuilt. Then another group of weeks, 62 weeks or 63 weeks, an anointed one will be cut off. These weeks represent seven years each. There are 49 years to the building of the temple, then another 400 plus years until the coming of Christ.
And then there is a gap in the text between the coming of Christ and the final week. Daniel has no idea about that gap. He does not tell us what happens in that gap. All Daniel sees in his vision is 69 weeks. In those 69 weeks, which represent years, the temple is rebuilt, Christ comes, Christ is crucified, and then the antichrist comes. But he does not see what happens between the execution of Christ and the coming of the antichrist.
What is the gap that Daniel did not see in his prophecy? The gap that you and I are living in right now. Daniel never saw the church age. He prophesies about 69 weeks. He sees a gap that he does not write about, and then the next week shows up in the end time tribulation—seven years. The gap that Daniel does not see is the church age. What the prophets did not see is that the anointed one would come, He would die, He would be executed. There would be this long gap in which we would come. We would proclaim the gospel. We would spread the name of Jesus. And then that last week—that 70th week, which is seven years—will be the tribulation period when the antichrist comes to power.
I want to show you from Paul's writings in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12. This is Paul's prophetic writing of what will happen during the tribulation period. During the tribulation period, according to Daniel, the antichrist will come. He will make a seven-year peace treaty with the nation of Israel to protect them. In the middle of that peace treaty, at the three and a half year mark, he will break that treaty. But watch how he breaks the treaty—this is the abomination of desolation.
Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and being gathered together to him, we ask you brothers not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed either by spirit or a spoken word or a letter seeming to be from us to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. That is, don't be deceived. The day of the Lord has not come yet.
Let no one deceive you in any way. For the day will not come unless the rebellion comes first—that is, the end and the second coming of Christ will not happen until the tribulation comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, who is the antichrist, the son of destruction.
Here is the abomination of desolation. This is what he does in the middle of the tribulation. He comes, he signs the treaty. He says, "I will protect Israel." They rebuild the temple. The Jews are doing sacrifices in the temple for the first three and a half years. Now, watch what happens in the middle of the tribulation:
He opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship so that he takes his seat in the temple of God proclaiming himself to be God.
What the antichrist will do at the three and a half year mark of the tribulation is go into the temple. He will stop the sacrifices. He will set up an idol of himself in the temple and declare himself to be God.
Now pay attention. In the book of Revelation, it says the idol that he sets up has the power to talk. Whatever he sets up in the temple—although he himself is not physically there—this idol will be able to talk. And the scripture says in Revelation, "This talking idol will speak blasphemous things against the most high God."
What could that be? I believe it could be nothing else except AI technology—some type of hologram. The United States just paid over $400 billion for the investment of AI technology. God is moving all the pieces around the world right now, preparing the whole world for the coming and the rise of the antichrist while we play in church and don't pay attention. The global headlines are reading right out of the pages of the word of God.
I believe that this talking idol—the revelation says whatever this is will be able to talk and declare blasphemous words against God. The false prophet in that day will cause the whole world to worship that talking idol, which I believe will be an AI type hologram blaspheming God and saying that the antichrist is God. It will cause the whole world to worship that hologram.
Now watch this carefully. Paul says:
You know that it is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he—watch the pronoun—who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way and then the lawless one will be revealed.
Why am I reading that to you? Paul says that the antichrist can't come or won't come until he who restrains is out of the way. Right now there is someone who Paul called a "he"—a male pronoun—who is restraining the antichrist from coming. When that person is removed out of the way, then the antichrist will appear on the scene.
I believe that the "he" Paul is talking about is the work of the Holy Spirit in the church, whom Jesus also called a "he." When the church is raptured out of the way, when the restrainer is taken out of the way, the church is gone. And you know what happens next? The full force of evil comes into the earth. The church is gone. Who's preaching the gospel? No one.
That sets up the global atmosphere for a new deliverer. Do you really think a man could show up right now and claim to be Christ and we would believe him? No. But remove the church from the earth, and now there's nobody preaching. Those who were not prepared for the tsunami because they did not hear the gospel, who did not get saved, enter into the tribulation. Your mother, your father, your cousins, your brothers, your aunts, and your uncles—all those living right now who are far away from Christ, who are not caught up in the rapture on that first load—they enter that tribulation period that I believe is right around the corner.
Now the church is gone. The restraining power of the Holy Spirit is gone. Now the antichrist comes to power. With the church out of the way, he can deceive the whole world.
The coming of the lawless one is by activity of Satan. With all power and false signs and wonders—that is, he will perform signs and wonders that have come from the devil—and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they have refused to love the truth to be saved.
Because they're rejecting the gospel now. They don't want to hear Bible preaching now. They just want to be entertained now. They don't want to be convicted now. They don't want to be challenged now. They want to go to cotton candy ministries. Because of all of that, they will not be saved. They will enter into the tribulation period.
Therefore, God sends them a strong delusion so that they may believe what is false. In order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Sin will cost you.
Now I want to read to you what that tsunami is going to look like during the tribulation period. This isn't something happening in the sky. This is what's going to happen on the earth for people who are not saved during the rapture. If the rapture happened next year, this is what your family members and your friends are going to endure.
John, the aged apostle, in the year AD 95 on the island of Patmos, received the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Jesus appeared to him and said, "Write down everything I'm about to give you." Revelation 1:1 says:
The revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place.
He said this in the first century. We're in the 21st century. How much time do you think we've got left? These things must take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John.
But now look at verse three:
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy. Blessed are those who hear, pay attention, and watch. Keep what is written in it. For the time is near.
Blessed means fortunate. You want to be on fire? Read the whole book. Read, read, read, read, read. The more you read, the more on fire you will be. If you don't want to read, put it on in the car while you're driving. Blessed is the one who reads or listens to the words of this prophecy and blessed are those who hear and keep what is written in it.
Let me show you some of the things that will happen during the tribulation period after the abomination of desolation. Revelation 8:1-2:
When the lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about a half an hour. Then I saw seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
Another angel came and stood on the altar with a golden censor. He was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne. Your prayers and mine.
The smoke of the incense with the prayers of the saints rose before God from the hand of the angel. Then the angel took the censor and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth. And there were peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.
Now the seventh angel who had the seven trumpets prepared to blow them. Listen to what happens:
The First Trumpet:
The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire mixed with blood, and these were thrown upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up. A third of all the trees was burned up—diminishing oxygen. All green grass was burned up—everything is left brown.
The Second Trumpet:
The second angel blew his trumpet and something like a great mountain—that's a meteorite burning with fire—was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea became blood. A third of all the living creatures in the sea died—no fishing trade. A third of all the ships was destroyed—trade was destroyed. No goods coming into your nation.
The Third Trumpet:
The third angel blew his trumpet and a great star fell from heaven blazing like a torch and fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of that star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood and many people died from the water because it had been made bitter.
Dang, it's going to be bad.
The Fourth Trumpet:
The fourth angel blew his trumpet and a third of the sun struck and a third of the moon and a third of the stars so that a third of their light might be darkened. A third of the day might be kept from shining and likewise a third of the night.
Then I looked and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice as it flew: "Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth at the blast of the other trumpets that three other angels are about to blow."
The Fifth Trumpet:
Revelation 9:1 says:
The fifth angel blew his trumpet. I saw a star fall from heaven on the earth. He was given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit. He opened the shaft of the bottomless pit. From the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft.
Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth and they were given power like the power of scorpions. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green plant or any tree but only those people who do not have the seal of God in their foreheads. They were allowed to torment all human beings for five months, but not to kill them.
Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone. In those days, people will seek death. Your family members are going to be there if they don't get saved now. If the rapture happens ten years from now, they'll be there. People will seek for death and they will not find it. They will long to die, but death will flee from them.
The Sixth Trumpet:
Revelation 9:13 says:
The sixth angel blew his trumpet. I heard a voice of the four horns of the golden altar before God, saying to the sixth angel who had a trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates."
Right now in the Middle East, there's a river named Euphrates. Under that river are four demons waiting to be released. Four angels waiting to be released. These four angels who have been prepared for the hour and the day and the month and the year were released to kill a third of all mankind. Billions of people are going to be killed by those four beasts.
Revelation 16:1 says:
A loud voice from the temple told the seven angels, "Go and pour out on the earth the seven bowls of wrath of God."
The first angel went and poured out his bowl on the earth and harmful painful sores came upon the people who bore the mark of the beast and worshiped its image.
The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea and it became like blood of a corpse and every living thing died as it was in the sea.
The third angel poured out his bowl into the rivers and the springs of the water, and they became like blood. I heard the angel in charge of the water say, "Just are you, oh holy one, for who is and who was and who brought these judgments. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve."
The fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun and it was allowed to scorch people with fire. No shade, no clouds, no atmosphere. They were scorched by fierce heat and they cursed the name of God and had power over these plagues and they did not repent and they did not give him glory.
The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast and his kingdom and plunged it into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish for pain and cursed God of heaven for their pain and for their sores and they did not repent for their deeds.
The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates and the water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the east. A 200 million man army made of Russia and Arab nations are going to come from the east towards Israel.
I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits performing signs who go abroad to the kings of the world to assemble them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty.
Behold, Jesus says:
I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake. Stop sleeping. Stop being apathetic. Stop being lethargic. Stop being indifferent. Keep his garments worn. Have a prayer life. Read the Bible. Stay in community. Speak with authority. Post like you know what's about to happen so that you may not be about naked and be exposed.
They assembled at the place in Hebrew which is called Armageddon.
All these things are going to happen during the tribulation period. The final battle of humanity will be this 200 million man army that will come against Israel. At that time the Lord will appear. He will defeat this army. They all will die. The Bible says the blood would rise to the bridle of the horses. Then the Lord will establish his thousand-year millennial reign.
Because all of this is going to happen during this time, people are going to be running and scared. They're going to be vulnerable and searching for a Messiah. They're going to want help. They're going to be desperate. They're going to be seeing wars all over the news. They're going to be dealing with devastation, begging for death and not finding death. They will be hiding and looking for help. They're going to be looking for a Messiah.
And it's at that time, while they're looking for a Messiah, that Matthew 24 tells us what happens. Listen to verse 15:
When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel standing in the holy place, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
When you see all these things happening, the Lord said, "Get out of Israel. Run."
Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house. When these things happen, don't even go in your house. Jump off the top of your house and run.
Let the one who is in the field not turn back to get his cloak. When you're working, don't go back to even pack a suitcase. Run.
Alas, for women who are pregnant, for those who are nursing infants in those days. The time is going to be so bad, it's going to be a terrible time to have children. Those who are pregnant or those who have children will face persecution. They will kill children during those days. They will kill pregnant mothers during those days.
Pray that your flight will not be in the winter or on the Sabbath. Pray that you will not be hindered by weather or hindered by legalistic doctrine.
For then there will be a great tribulation such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now. It will be the worst time in the history of humanity, and no such shall ever be.
If those days had not been cut short, no human beings would survive or be saved. If it wasn't cut down to three and a half years, everybody would die. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short. God in his love for the Jews and those who become saved in that day would chop it down to three and a half years so that everybody will not die.
Then if anyone comes to you and says, "Look, here is the Christ. There he is," do not believe it. For false Christ and false prophets will arise and do great signs and wonders. Why? Because people are going to be looking for a savior.
If it is possible to deceive even the very elect—watch. I have told you all of this beforehand.
This is very important. The only people who will be deceived are people who do not have knowledge of God's word. That's why it's very important—if you don't want to be deceived now, you should have knowledge of God's word. The more knowledge of God's word you have, the less likely you will be deceived.
The Lord said, "I have told all of humanity all of this beforehand." So if I die or I get raptured and you don't make it because you were playing church, you will not say that I did not warn you. I read to you on this day all these things that are coming so you will not be uninformed about what is coming in the very near future.
The Lord says, "I have told you all these things beforehand."
Now let's finish. So if they say to you, "Look, he is in the wilderness. Christ has come," do not go out there. Don't come out of hiding. If they say to you, "Look, he is in the inner rooms," do not believe it.
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.
The final sign of the great tribulation period—wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. So Jesus said that when you see all these things happening, you know the end is near.
In that time, because people are vulnerable and searching for a savior, they're going to say, "Look, Christ is in the wilderness. Let's go see him. Christ is in this part of Israel. Let's go see him. Christ is over there and Christ is over there and Christ is over there." He says to the people alive in that time, "Don't believe the false prophets. Don't go out there."
Why? Because Christ in his second coming would not come from among us. He will come from above us. The final sign of the tribulation period will be the sign that appears in the sky. It will come like lightning, which cannot be hidden. The tribulation will come to an end with lightning in the sky—a thunderous, glorious, and dreadful event called the second coming of Christ.
He will return with the armies of heaven behind him. His eyes like a blazing fire, the armies riding on white horses behind him. He will return with the saints who were raptured. We will be at the marriage supper of the Lamb. Jewish weddings lasted seven days. The tribulation period lasts seven years. We will be raptured with God before the tribulation. We will be with him during the tribulation. He will burst the sky and return with the armies of the saints behind him, our robes dipped in blood, with crowns on our heads from our labors and our rewards.
He will ride out of heaven into the earth. He will destroy those who have rejected him and set up his millennial kingdom. We will reign with Christ for a thousand years before that eternal state.
How should we respond to this right now? For the believer—with joy, knowing that a day is coming we will be raptured and be with our Savior. We will be with him for the marriage supper of the Lamb. We will receive our crowns for our labor. We will come back with him to rule in the earth.
How should this affect us even deeper? We should be praying right now for everybody we know who are not saved. We should be doing everything we can right now to push out this gospel as far as we can, for these things are right around the corner.
I believe the winds of the end times are blowing in society. Nations are aligning. As I'm talking to you, Israel is at war with Islamic nations. As I'm talking to you right now, AI is being invested in heavily. As I'm talking to you right now, God is preparing the world for the rapture, the tribulation, and the second coming of his son.
Because we know this, it should affect how you live. It should affect how you pray. It should affect how you sacrifice. It should affect how you grind. It should affect how you post. It should affect how you conduct yourself. We are not stupid. We are not uninformed. And because I know the end, I don't want to waste time right now. My prayer for you is that because you know the end, you will not waste time right now.
Time is running out. And if anybody should be awake in this hour, it should be the saints of God.
My prayer over you is that the Lord would awaken every son and daughter. He will let you feel the winds of the end time blowing. I pray it would affect your prayer life. I pray it would affect you in private. I pray it would affect how you live. I pray it would affect how you post. I pray you will have a hunger for the word. I pray you will have a hunger for his spirit. I pray you will have increased discernment. I pray you would be grieved in your heart for the loss. I pray you would care about the spread of the gospel and that you would give everything that God has given you—your mouth, your talents, your abilities, your resources—and we would work together for the spread of the gospel.
I pray you would be awakened. You would be burned. You would be stirred. Your eyes, God, would see. And I pray for the one who is not saved, that you would surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ. You would ask Him to forgive you for your sins. You would throw yourself at the foot of the cross and you would come to know the saving grace of our Savior before time has run out.
Father, I pray an anointing for service and warfare would fall upon 2819 church and all of our digital disciples across the nation and around the world. Awaken the church in the west. Awaken the church globally as time is running on. I pray revival come upon our land in America and revival come upon the lands of the other nations of the world.
I pray this right now in the mighty and majestic and matchless name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Time is running out on us. This is the hour to get right with Christ. This is the hour to be serious about your walk. This is the hour to read and be informed. This is the hour to not be led astray. This is the hour to stay in the church. This is the hour to be connected, to love, to have a community and accountability. This is the hour to be informed. And this is the hour to take your walk serious.
