15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 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. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
The abomination of desolation is going to be a major insult to the Jews. The Antichrist will set up an image of the beast in their future temple and then expect them to worship it. To worship an idol is an abomination to the Jews. How much more so in their own temple. The Jews are instructed to refuse to worship this image and instead to flee to the hills as fast as they can. There will be no time to turn back for anything. It will be especially difficult for mothers who are pregnant or nursing. They should also pray that it is not at a time that is even more difficult like during winter, or on a Sabbath (they would have to break the law to travel a great distance).
This will be the beginning of the Great Tribulation, the second half of the time of tribulation. This will be the most dangerous time in history the Jews will have ever faced (even worse than the Holocaust where six million Jews died). It will be so severe a time that the entire nation would be wiped out if by God’s grace He didn’t keep the time short, and He will keep it short for His elect, His chosen people, Israel. Many will attempt to deceive them by claiming to be the returning Christ. Jesus gave a warning beforehand that they are not to believe these false Christs. When Jesus returns, there will be no mistaking His arrival. The sign of His arrival will be across the heavens. The sun will darken, the moon will no longer give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven. When the sign is seen, all will mourn because their judgement has arrived. Then Jesus will come in the clouds and gather His people to Himself. Israel will be rescued.
When Jesus first arrived as a baby, people didn’t recognise Him because they hadn’t paid enough attention to what the Scriptures had prophesied. These are prophecies of events yet to happen, but they will happen. When Jesus returns, it won’t be as a baby or a suffering servant. When Jesus returns, He will return as King to rule as the Jews have anticipated all along. When that happens it will be too late. We need to tell people, the time is now, today is the opportunity to believe before it’s too late!