Ahead of time

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

AHEAD OF TIME

Matt 24:15-25

15 "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel — let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now — and never to be equaled again. 22 If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time 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 appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect — if that were possible. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.

NIV

Jesus has been telling his disciples about the end of the age and his coming in response to their question of that very subject. In order to rightly consider all that he said we need to see another portion of his response, as he tells a lot of things that are to happen before the end of the age.

Matt 24:27-28

27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

NIV

Some of our scholars would see these words of Jesus about the abomination that causes desolation as spoken by the prophet Daniel as the Roman army who in fact did desolate the holy city. Luke records that Jesus referred to the army around Jerusalem.

Luke 21:20-24

20 "When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. 22 For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. 23 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

NIV

And so it would seem this is the case. Jesus was talking about the Roman army besieging Jerusalem and that would be the time when all the Christians made their escape into the hills. Historians’ record many fled to a place called Pella. But at the same time Jesus was also speaking of the end of the age of what we now call the age of dispensation or grace.  A time when he returns in the clouds to gather his people. This is the event we call the rapture of the church. We also know that Daniel prophesies about all these end times and the period called the seven years of tribulation. Believers are spread all over in their thinking about the rapture and the tribulation. Some are pre, some are mid and some are post tribulation rapture believers and some don't believe in the rapture at all. What Jesus is saying here applies both the desolation of the city by the Roman army and the escape of the believers as well as the time when he will return to call the church to himself.  Jesus makes sure to tell us, “Let the reader understand” in reference to Daniel’s prophesies.  This gives us the clue that Jesus is indeed speaking of the time in which the end of the world age would be. Yes all the facts of history record about the desolation of Jerusalem by the Roman army and the Christians that fled to the hills or Pella. But at the same time we should also see that we are believers in a world that would desolate the holy place, the temple of God, which is our very being. There are even false prophets, false teachers, false preachers who claim the truth of God, but in reality are desolating the holy temple of God. We need to run as far away from them as possible for Jesus says the even the elect might be deceived by them, if that were possible he adds. This too applies to the end times when the false prophet and the beast appear and do great signs which we read about in Daniel and Revelation. This is all done in that period of tribulation. But it also applies to our lives today in regard to all the false teaching and preaching that are all around us. These individuals are not from God but rather from the very pits of hell itself and have but one goal, to desolate the holy temple of God, the body of Christ. We have been told we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and thus we are the very target of these false prophets. Run to the hills, do not pass go, and do not collect two hundred dollars, go straight away to the place of hiding, in the Word of God. Do not believe what they say. Do not be sucked into their phony messages. Their purpose is not for our benefit, but theirs. Jesus warns us they will say, “Look here is the truth” do not believe them. Yes, there are Godly people who the Lord has bestowed the gift of teaching and preaching on. Yes, there are those who we can hear the truth of the gospel message from. Not all who preach and teach are false but are in fact good Godly people who have listened to the leading of the Holy Spirit and God has also given his people the gift of discernment. This way we can know, we can discern the right message from the wrong one. Let us be warned, to ever be vigilant to the voice of the Spirit and his leading so that we are not among those who are deceived.  Jesus has told us ahead of time.