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We live in a day filled with upheaval, confusion, and uncertainty. It therefore comes as no surprise that the rates of depression, anxiety, and fearfulness about the future continue to reach new highs among adults in the U. S. according to a Gallup poll published in May 2023.(1) But as followers of Christ, we can take heart that the perilous times in which we find ourselves are also indicative of the days to come that Jesus described two thousand years ago. We can embrace the hope we have through the promises and assurance He gave to His disciples—and through them, to us.
Jesus was sitting on the slopes of the Mount of Olives with His disciples telling them about the perilous times that would signal the end of the age and His return.(2) The disciples, in turn, asked Him three questions:
1. When will all this happen?
2. What sign will signal Your return?
3. What sign will signal the end of the world?
In answering their questions, Jesus provided them (and us) with knowledge that should lead to an understanding and a holy fear regarding the coming judgement of God. There should be a terror that rightfully grips the human heart when it contemplates God’s judgment on sin. The apocalyptic revelations are a warning to all mankind about the end result of sin and that we had better be prepared for the Lord’s return. It is a warning to non-believers to repent or they will suffer God’s judgment, and it is a warning to those of us as followers of Christ to live our lives in a worthy manner.
As He talked through those events, Jesus subsequently came to the most perilous of those times which are triggered by what He and the prophets called “the abomination of desolation”.(3) As Matthew made note, the prophet Daniel recorded the coming event as follows:
“The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him.”(4)
The event will occur halfway through the seven year period of the Great Tribulation that will immediately precede Christ’s return. At the beginning of that period, a man portraying himself to be a man of peace (the anti-Christ) will rise to a position of power across the entire world. His arrival and the resulting abominations are being restrained until their proper time by the Spirit of God. But in His time, He will remove His hand of restraint. During the first half of the anti-Christ’s seven-year reign, he will establish a treaty of global peace and will blindly be accepted by most. But halfway through, his true nature will be revealed. He will set himself up to be worshipped and destruction will be poured out across the earth. The apostle Paul wrote:
… on that day “… a great rebellion against God {will arise} and the man of lawlessness {will be} revealed—the one who brings destruction. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God. … And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes. For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the One who is holding it back steps out of the way.”(5)
The “abomination of desolation” will herald a time of danger for those who live in Judea that will occur so quickly that as soon as one hears of it, they should flee immediately without stopping to make any preparation. The ramifications will be global as the world enters into a time period of three and a half years of unprecedented destruction and desolation, so severe that it ‘has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.”(6)
Daniel described it further: “Wise leaders will give instruction to many, but these teachers will die by fire and sword, or they will be jailed and robbed. During these persecutions, little help will arrive, and many who join them will not be sincere. And some of the wise will fall victim to persecution. In this way, they will be refined and cleansed and made pure until the time of the end, for the appointed time is still to come. The king will do as he pleases, exalting himself and claiming to be greater than every god, even blaspheming the God of gods. He will succeed, but only until the time of wrath is completed. For what has been determined will surely take place. He will have no respect for the gods of his ancestors, or for the god loved by women, or for any other god, for he will boast that he is greater than them all. Instead of these, he will worship the god of fortresses—a god his ancestors never knew—and lavish on him gold, silver, precious stones, and expensive gifts. Claiming this foreign god’s help, he will attack the strongest fortresses. He will honor those who submit to him, appointing them to positions of authority and dividing the land among them as their reward.”(7)
And this false Christ and his “false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.”(8) But Jesus warns for His elect not to be deceived by signs and wonders, for they are but counterfeit imitations of God’s power. When Jesus returns, there will be no question that it is Him! At the appropriate time, according to the Father’s timetable, He will return in all majesty and power. “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.”(9)
But before He returns, “all the rulers and their armies {will gather} to a place with the Hebrew name Armageddon.”(10) And the awful carnage that results from this battle will result in a massive field of death that Jesus depicts when He says, “Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”(11)
At this point, let me stop and take a moment to talk about why i have included this posting as a part of a series of postings that talk about the truths we need to know to live out our lives as followers of Jesus. The reality is that it has everything to do with it!
We follow a Living Savior who has promised to return! We may still be here to be raptured with the church just prior to these “end of the ages” events, or we may have already stepped into eternity before those events unfold. But until then, we need to live and follow Him with the full anticipation, hope, and expectation of His soon return. This is not hypothetical, futuristic prophecy that doesn’t apply to us. Jesus is talking about the day we live in. The wilderness we are walking in is surrounded by the world events that are rapidly unfolding toward that day of His return. Let’s not become so myopic with our own personal journeys that we miss the bigger picture.
And second, let’s not miss the bigger purpose! Sin destroys. The enemy deceives. We live in a world that is in a free fall toward death and destruction. God will return to judge His creation for our sin. And His judgement will be eternal damnation. BUT Jesus saves—and only He alone!
As His followers, He has entrusted us with that message of salvation. The very circumstances we are walking through in our perilous times today are but a platform through which He will make His Gospel message known and bring glory to Himself. That’s why He has left us here to follow Him! And that’s why He wants us to understand what lies in the path ahead.
Yes, perilous times lie around us … and even more so ahead… but the cross and the empty grave lie behind. Let’s be faithful to carry the cross, proclaiming the Good News of the empty grave as ambassadors of hope so others can escape the perilous times that are ahead.
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As i’ve already mentioned, you can read about this particular conversation between Jesus and His disciples in the twenty-fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.
This post is taken from chapter 19 of my book, Taking Up The Cross. For more information about the book, click here.
(1) news.gallup.com – May 17, 2023
(2) Matthew 24:3-31
(3) Matthew 24:15
(4) Daniel 9:27 (NLT)
(5) 2 Thessalonians 2:3-7 (NLT)
(6) Matthew 24:21 (NLT)
(7) Daniel 11:33-39 (NLT)
(8) Matthew 24:24 (NLT)
(9) Matthew 24:27 (NLT)
(10) Revelation 16:16 (NLT)
(11) Matthew 24:28 (NLT)
Copyright © 2024 Kenneth A. Winter All rights reserved.
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