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Matthew 24:1-28 ESV
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, “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.” As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate 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. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 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. 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. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. 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. 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. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
I. DON’T FREAK OUT (1-14)
A. Don’t let every rumor send you into a Doomsday Shelter.
B. The tribulation, a time of unrestrained evil, will be the signal that the end is near.
C. God’s elect will survive and testify to the power of the Gospel and goodness of God.
II. ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION (15)
A. Abomination of desolation is act by Anti-Christ that will trigger the return of Jesus. (Daniel 2, 11:30-31, Isaiah 10:20)
B. Anti-Christ will set up a new world religion and force all to bow to Him. This is the abomination of desolation. (Daniel 9, Rev 13:4-8)
III. HEAD FOR THE HILLS (16-22)
A. Jesus tells us to run. (Zecheriah 13:8, Rev 6:9)
B. The persecution will not just be physical but also psychological. (Hosea 13:16)
C. In those moments, the Spirit will carry us through. (Matt 10:17-22)
D. Pray that when it is time to run, travel is easy.
E. God will not sit idle forever. Will return for the sake of His elect.
IV. DON’T DRINK THE KOOL-AID (23-28)
A. Anti-Christ will try to lure Christians into open with fake Messiahs & rumors that Jesus has already returned. (John 10:27-30)
B. Return of Jesus will be as noticeable as a lightning bolt that stretches across entire planet. Jesus will rip apart evil forever.
APPLICATION:
1. Prophecy is a good gift of God.
2. It only goes bad when we turn it into an idol.
3. Use the human fascination with end times to get into Gospel conversations.