The Refuge of the Saints

The Refuge of the Saints

Recently as I was listening through Revelation on my personal favorite audiobible, the Zondervan Dramatized KJV, a verse struck me that I had heard countless times over, but never really noticed.

Not to say that I didn’t notice it before, but if you’re a believer you know how it is when the Spirit of God makes a verse hit differently than usual. We describe this experience as the illumination of the Holy Spirit. Well as I was listening, this verse took on a new meaning for me, and all these different pieces of eschatology in my mind began to come together as I continued to study.

I will here include the passage for context, with the verses of interest italicized.

Rev 12:1-6 ~

• (1) And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
• (2) And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
• (3) And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
• (4) And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
• (5) And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
• (6) And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

I’ll explain this passage a bit for those unfamiliar with it.

Essentially, the Bible here lays bare a world history in the heavens. It is almost as if we were out on a grassy plain at night, seeing the majesty and glory of the stars above — pointing out the milky way, tracing orion — and then, God begins to move the stars in patterns for us. We see the story of God, man, and satan written on the skies. And as the scenes play out, we see the main actors:

1. God
2. The Woman, wearing a crown of twelve stars — none other than the people of God, Israel, the Bride of Christ, the One Fold of the sheep, the OLIVE TREE in which was grafted the gentile nations in a great mystery, the church… clear as the moon, and terrible as an army with banners. It’s beautiful to see God describe the church, his Bride in the Scriptures. He always does so in a way that makes you know He cares about her.
3. The Child, Jesus obviously
4. The Dragon, Satan

And we see the fight between God and Satan from the beginning of time. God’s focus has been bringing forth the Redeemer to crush Satan. It was the first promise of redemption to man, and the first promise of judgment to Satan. See Genesis 3:15. Part of Christ’s coming was to “destroy the works of Satan” (1 John 3:8)

But all of this was what I already knew. It’s interesting that the next step to this story of God, Christ, His people, and Satan is v.6. Again:

(6) And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

I am of the opinion that the Church will go through the Tribulation. I believe the Bible teaches this and that it is the most straightforward interpretation of both Jesus’ and Paul’s teachings. However, that need not be a barrier to what I am going to present here today. If you have the very well studied opinion that the Church will be raptured prior to the Tribulation, then you would interpret the woman to be Israel only, or Israel and Tribulation converts. But in my opinion it is the cohesive, unified Church of Christ and of the ages, including and focused on believing Israel, and that’s how I will refer to the Woman.

This passage clearly teaches that Church/the Israel of God is going to be provided a place of refuge away from the eyes and control of Satan, at least for a time.

Now this was a comfort to me, because I have had questions as to how the Church will fare in the Tribulation. Of course Martyrdom will be prevalent (Rev 6:9), but when I came across the thesis verse in my listening I realized there was more to the story. We see some believers will survive until the time of the end (Mt 24:13, 1 Ths 4:13, 1 Ths 5:23). We also see that believers are sealed in protection from the first and second woe judgments (Rev 9:4). And it seems that the people of God / believing Israel are protected for a time from the wrath of the Dragon, at least in part. Jesus did warn the Christians that at the time they see the “Abomination of Desolation” set up in the Holy Place that they were to flee immediately and without looking back. No doubt many will.

At that time (which is uncontroversially the mid-point of the Tribulation [see Dan 9:27 — ‘midst’ of the week]) the Temple will be desecrated, and Israel will be essentially occupied. The mark will be instituted. The two prophets will be slain, and the city hit with an earthquake. And I’m not sure in what order all these midpoint events happen, but I’m sure it’s a logical order that will make more sense once we see it play out. And the Christians and many Jews will flee Israel at this time.

Revelation 12 tells us more of these events:

Rev 12:13-16 — (13) And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. (14) And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. (15) And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. (16) And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

God will divinely prohibit the Dragon from attacking believers when they flee Judea. It’s coming, sure enough, but we see that even here, in the middle of the Tribulation, God will give us the wings of a great eagle, that we might fly swiftly away. And we will be “nourished.” That’s fed!

I was beginning at this point to think it was possible to survive the Tribulation, whereas before I had considered it unlikely. But as I looked eagerly at next verse to confirm myself in comfort, I was troubled.

Rev 12:17 — (17) And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Well? That was the end of the chapter! What would happen next? When was this war? What is going to happen to the Christians?!

I want to answer this question as best I can. In the following pages, I will present a possible timeline for the events of the Tribulation, showing that God has told us more about the time of the end than we sometimes give Him credit for.

I. Sacrifices in the Temple of God A. God’s everlasting covenant with Israel B. Sacrifices will be Reinstituted In the Temple C. Who is Believing Israel? D. Measuring the Temple II. The Sacrifice is Stripped Away A. Setting the Stage B. The Seals in Revelation C. Daniel’s Seventy Weeks D. The Abomination of Desolation III. The Flight of the Saints IV. The Temple Cleansed V. The Saints Shattered VI. The Revelation of Christ

I. The Sacrifices in the Temple

A. God’s love for Israel

GOD has always been the God of Israel, ever since He promised this to Abraham.

“Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.”

Fourteen times in the Bible God describes His covenant with Israel as “everlasting.” An “everlasting covenant.”

Genesis 17:7 - “And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.” Genesis 17:13 - “He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.” Genesis 17:19 - “And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.” Leviticus 24:8 - “Every sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant.” 2 Samuel 23:5 - “Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow.” 1 Chronicles 16:17 - “And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant,” Psalm 105:10 - “And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant:” Isaiah 24:5 - “The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.” Isaiah 55:3 - “Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.” Isaiah 61:8 - “For I the LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct their work in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.” Jeremiah 32:40 - “And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.” Ezekiel 16:60 - “Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.” Ezekiel 37:26 - “Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore.”

Finally,

Hebrews 13:20 - “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,”

(The new covenant in Jesus blood is a fulfillment of the old covenant — the old covenant of faith through Abraham [“they which are of faith … are the children of Abraham” — Gal. 3:7] was not disannulled, but made perfect/complete by the blood of Christ. In one sense, it’s a new covenant, but in another sense it’s the same everlasting covenant: we still approach God the same way — through faith — and the children of the covenant are those that have faith in God and (today) in His Son Jesus.)

And look at this verse:

Isaiah 49:16 - “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.”

You get the idea that God cares about Israel. Some people like to say that because Israel rejected God by rejecting Christ that God cast off the people of Israel entirely. Paul explicitly taught against this idea.

Romans 11:1 - “I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.”

Romans 11:11 - “I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.”

Falling in the above verse has the idea of falling into hopeless perdition. It doesn’t mean falling in the sense of sinning, because obviously that is true of Israel as a nation. They have in fact “fallen” in the sense of falling from grace. But Paul is teaching that the nation as a whole hasn’t fallen to the extent that God is done with the nation.

In the present time, there are still Israelis that trust God and believe in Jesus:

Romans 11:5 - “Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace.”

What do you think God sees when he looks at Jewish people who are so close, yet so far away? Are not our hearts moved when we see them, “to whom pertain the promises” deny the Lord?

Just look at what Paul himself wrote!

Romans 9:1-5 - ” (1) I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, (2) That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. (3) For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh: (4) Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; (5) Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.”

You can hear his hurting voice as he writes off all the blessings of Israel:

“to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises, whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh CHRIST CAME…”

What a pitiful thought!

And how much more then do you suppose GOD, who Himself has considered Israel His WIFE, his CHILD, his LOVE… how much more pain do you suppose this God has when He sees Israel so close, and yet so far away?

And remember that God will indeed redeem national Israel:

Romans 11:26 - “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:”

What do you suppose He thinks when He sees them reinstitute sacrifices in the Temple close to the time of the Tribulation? The Bible teaches that there will be sacrifices in the Temple, and that the Temple will be rebuilt. (See Dan 9:27, where it discusses the sacrifice and oblation/offering of the future Temple).

I myself think He would see His people in pity — blinded, confused, trying… and that this would be mixed with anger for their rejection of Jesus.

Does not this echo the feelings conveyed by God in Hosea? Compare Hosea 2:1-13 with Hosea 2:14-23. Mixed feelings. This is normal, and it’s dare I say almost human. We are made in the image of God after all. It’s funny that some people think God is impassible, meaning that He does not feel emotion. (As an aside, an impassible God is clearly unbiblical. God is more human than we sometimes realize, and yet “as the heavens are higher than the earth so are [His] thoughts higher than [our] thoughts.”)

Now, I say all this to present this central idea: much of the timeline of the Tribulation is centered around there being sacrifices offered in the Temple of God. God notices when His people start coming back to Him, albeit in a flawed way.

B. Sacrifices will be Reinstituted in the Temple

After describing the Day of the Lord events (which are essentially the events at the very end of the Tribulation — the judgment of God) and the suffering which Israel, His people will endure, God says the following:

Joel 2:12-14 - ” (12) Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: (13) And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. (14) Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?”

God here considers the offering in the Temple to be a blessing! Do not be suprised by this, because Ezekiel tells us that believing Israel in the Kingdom will offer sacrifices in the Millennial Temple. They will not be salvific atonements (that is conveying salvation), but ornamental and from thankful hearts showing the work of Christ on the Cross. See Ezekiel 46:4.

So sometime in the near future, the Temple will be rebuilt. Of course, we have all heard the stories of Jewish people in Israel even now pooling resources for the reconstruction of the Temple. And orthodox Jews will then attempt to honor God by worshipping Him in the Temple. Will God again dwell again in Zion? After so long?

C. Who is Believing Israel?

God sees the Church as a subset of His people Israel. This is very important to understand. The Lord Jehovah has now ONE people, ONE fold, and there is ONE Shepherd — Jesus.

Ephesians 2:14 - “For he is our peace, who hath made both ONE, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;”

And a moment earlier Paul wrote,

Ephesians 2:12 - “That at THAT time ye WERE without Christ, being [at that time] aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:”

So then the complement is that at THIS time, we are now no longer aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, but are even now included in the covenants pertaining to Israel by faith.

Actually, the Bible explicitly teaches that all those in the church by faith are included into God’s people Israel:

Romans 11:16-18 - ” (16) For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. (17) And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; (18) Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.”

We are one tree. And the church is foilage, whereas “Israel” is called the “roots.” The idea is that now we are ONE organism. ONE tree. Selah.

Romans 11:15 - “For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?”

And God’s Israel is not just composed of those of Jewish blood. Even in the days of the Old Testament the children of promise — that is those who sought righteousness by faith — were counted as the Israel of God:

Romans 9:7-8 - ” (7) Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. (8) That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.”

Romans 2:28-29 - ” (28) For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: (29) But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.”

Also,

Romans 4:12-13, 16 - ” (12) And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. (13) For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. … (16) Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,”

Did you know that if you are a believer in Jesus, you are just as much Israel as Israel? Abraham is your father! The covenants and promises pertain to you too! Now, some extrapolate this to mean that the church has replaced Israel, but that’s foolish. Didn’t Paul just say Israel nationally will be saved? Didn’t Paul weep for Israel? Didn’t God call Israel the “roots” and remind us that the roots bear up the tree?

I’m not advocating a name change to start calling ourselves Israel. I’m just saying that in God’s sight, we are one people, and it is 100% accurate to say we are believing Israel.

But we also see that we are not, as Christians, to “boast” against the branches which were cut off (unbelieving, national Israel). We are all one fold.

Speaking of the Gentiles, Jesus said,

John 10:16b - “…they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.”

Lastly, see that God specifically calls the church Israel. If He can do that, you probably can get away with it, too. We are believing Israel!

Galatians 6:16-18 - ” (16) And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. (17) From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus. (18) Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.”

D. Measuring the Temple

In the Bible, the idea of measuring something is a symbol of ownership and great care. If somebody walked into your house and starting measuring to put up cabinets as if he owned the place that would communicate a disrespectful message! God measures what is His own. He has counted the hairs on our head, and this shows us that He cares about us. In Revelation 11, we see that God measures this new Temple that is constructed by the Jews. He notices it, He claims it, and He cares for it.

Revelation 11:1 - “And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.”

Selah.

Revelation 11:2 - “But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.”

The outer court of the Temple has always been the court of the Gentiles. Here the implication is that they are unbelieving Gentiles. And we also see the first prophecy which we will discuss in the next chapter.

###II. The Sacrifice is Stripped Away

A. Setting the Stage

The Tribulation is called elsewhere in the Bible, “the time of Jacob’s trouble.”

Jeremiah 30:7 - “Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.”

(We will talk about Jacob’s salvation in chapter five.)

This time of trouble is going to serve a few purposes. Jesus calls it the Tribulation. Zechariah tells us that Israel will be purified and brought back to God through it. No doubt the Tribulation will cause them to find Jesus, their Savior. It is a time of Judgment sent against not just the world — but also against Israel for her sins.

Zechariah 13:7-9 - ” (7) Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. (8) And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. (9) And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.”

Cancer treatment often has catastrophic effects on the human body, and unfortunately many know this all too well. But it is necessary in that it purifies the body of malignant cancers. This too will be the effect of the Tribulation on Israel.

Daniel 12:1, 10 - ” (1) And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. … (10) Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.”

B. The Seals in Revelation

In Revelation, the seals represent generalized events that must take place before the time of the end, to usher in the Kingdom of God. When you open a scroll, you intend to read it, and popping off seals is just a consequence of your primary intention.

Nobody picks up a scroll with the intention of popping seals.

For instance, when you go get the mail, do you say in your mind, “I’m going to go get this mail with the intention of tearing the bindings of the envelope and separating it from the glue” or do you say “lets go see what I got in the mail”? The intention is the content, and the act of opening will naturally (in the ancient world) break binding seals.

Also, a broken seal is irreversible. And you can’t fix a torn envelope. These are events and happenings that bring about the time of the end and the Kingdom of God.

There are Seven such Seals:

1. Tyranny (a Tyrant)
2. War
3. Famine
4. Pestilence
5. Martyrdom
6. The Coming of Christ
7. Judgment

Is this not what Jesus said when He warned us about the time of the end?

Matthew 24:7-10, 12 - ” (7) For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. (8) All these are the beginning of sorrows. (9) Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. (10) And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. … (12) And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”

I believe the Church is headed for some of the hardest persecution it has ever faced.

John 12:24 - “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.”

C. Daniel’s Seventy Weeks

“Daniel’s Seventy Weeks” are a commonly cited prophecy about the end times. He foresees that there will be seventy weeks until ALL God has promised Israel will come to pass. It’s a timeline for God to fulfill his promises to believing Israel.

I will here quote the entirety of the prophecy in the NLT (modified and annotated) for ease of understanding. Take my word that “week” here means a period of seven… i.e. seven somethings… understood in context to mean a period of seven years. When you read week think seven years. An angel is speaking to Daniel:

Daniel 9:24-27 NLT - ” (24) A period of seventy weeks [seventy periods of seven years … i.e. 483 years] has been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. (25) Now listen and understand! Seven weeks plus sixty-two weeks will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem [which was approx 444 B.C.] until a ruler—the Messiah—comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times. (26) After this period of sixty-two weeks, the Messiah will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end. (27) The ruler [commonly called the Anti-Christ] will make a treaty with the people for one week [the Tribulation… seven years… the last week… the seventieth week], but after half this time [three and a half years in], 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 [the ‘Abomination of Desolation’… filthy thing of horror], until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him.”

Got it?

National Israel will make a peace treaty with a ruler for seven years. After half of this time, he will strip away from Israel that which is rightfully God’s — the sacrifices and offerings. And Jesus and Daniel tell us that he will set up the “Abomination of Desolation” in the most Holy Place. This literally means “filthy abomination,” and is going to be (whatever it is) a disgusting image brought to life by the false prophet (see Revelation 14). He will at this time destroy false religion (see Revelation 19 — the judgment of the whore) and “exalt himself over everything that is [even] called God.”

Daniel 11:36 - “And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation [the Tribulation] be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.”

This is why Revelation 11 says that the Gentiles will tread the Holy City underfoot for 42 months (which is 1260 days — three and a half years).

Revelation 11:2 - “But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.”

D. The Birth Pangs (i.e. the first half of the Tribulation)

The first half of the Tribulation up to this point will not be characterized by peace on earth.

Revelation 6:9-11 ~

• (9) And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
• (10) And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
• (11) And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”

Even Jesus taught us that this first half of time would be brutal:

Matthew 24:8, 12-13 ~

• (8) All these are the beginning of sorrows.
• (8 ESV) All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. [in bringing forth the kingdom]
• …
• (12) And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
• (13) But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.”

Jesus taught that sometime in the middle of the Tribulation (we know from other passages this will be at the midpoint) that the antichrist will break the covenant with Israel and desecrate the Temple.

In Matthew 24:8, Jesus says “All these are the beginning of sorrows.” He has just described war, famine, pestilence, and earthquakes. In the next few verses He tells us of great martyrdom, betrayal among Christians, false prophets, and a great apostasy. He even said “but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” These statements place us firmly in the Tribulation period, but before the midpoint. It is in a verse later in this same address that Christ teaches that the “Abomination of Desolation” will be set up in the Holy Place, which Daniel says is in the “midst” of the week… i.e. the middle. In a moment I’ll comment more on this Abomination.

It can get discouraging thinking about how evil the world is getting, and how evil the Tribulation will be. The Tribulation is, in my opinion, God letting the world reach it’s logical conclusion. God said to Abraham, speaking about the future Exodus and conquering of the land of Canaan, “But in the fourth generation [the children of Israel] shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full” (Genesis 15:16). Only after their wickedness was full would God send judgment, four generations later.

There are a few other times God speaks of the “filling up of wickedness,” and it’s never in a good way. Essentially, God works so that people become ripe for His Judgment.

“Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers!” - Matthew 23:32 (Jesus speaking of His own crucifixion to the Pharisees in the Temple complex)

“[They forbade us to speak] to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost.” - 1 Thessalonians 2:16

God is actively cultivating a field of wheat in which the Devil has planted tares. Jesus taught us this illustration in Matthew 13. Rather than pluck out the tares immediately, God waits until both are fully grown to harvest them.

He is letting the evil peak before dealing with it.

Matthew 13:28b-30a ~

• (28b) The servents said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up [the tares]?
• (29) But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
• (30) Let both grow together until the harvest…

Matthew 13:37-43 ~

• (37) He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;
• (38) The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;
• (39) The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
• (40) As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.
• (41) The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;
• (42) And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
• (43) Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

God is currently restraining the evil in our world. Paul taught, “For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only He who now [restraineth it will restrain it] until He be taken out of the way” (2 Thessalonians 2:7).

There will come a time when the protective hand of God will be removed. Time and time again in world history God has prevented the victory of evil. The Tribulation answers the question as to what would happen if God let the evil prevail, at least for a time, seemingly.

Revelation 13:9-10 - ” (9) If any man have an ear, let him hear. (10) He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword [the antichrist] must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.”

2 Thessalonians 2:8 - “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:“

E. The Abomination of desolation

An abomination is something utterly detestable. Words become so diluted in our culture that they have no meaning. Whatever is erected in that Holy Place is going to be an “abomination” that makes “desolate”. The Hebrew words Daniel used mean FILTHY and HORROR respectively. The idea of “desolate” has at it’s root to be stunned in horror — awestruck — astonished — paralyzed.

Matthew 24:15-21 ~

• (15) When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
• (16) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
• (17) Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
• (18) Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
• (19) And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
• (20) But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
• (21) For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”

But if God is waiting for the wickedness of the world to reach it’s full (and also waiting for the fulness of the Gentiles to be saved), it means whatever this ruler erects will be erected for a culture that has reached the height of wickedness.

The abomination of desolation plays such an important role in prophecy. It was prophesied first by Daniel, then by Jesus, and then again in the book of Revelation.

It likely signifies the epitomy of all evil, and it is set up in the most holy place. I think that’s why there is such an emphasis on it.

The False Prophet instructs the world to create this image — a representation of the antichrist in some way — and to set it up in the Temple of God. It is interestingly tied to this idea of the deadly wound of the antichrist being healed…

Revelation 13:14 - “[The False Prophet] …saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.”

In modern science fiction we see motifs like the following:

“Our great leader was almost killed by XYZ, but we uploaded him into a mainframe computer and he is now immortal! Do what he says!”

Now I’m not sure about all that, but it’s an example of how this story in the Bible could very well play out in a way “modern” people would follow.

Revelation 13:15 - “And he had power to give life unto the image [representation] of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”

What if it’s some bloody half computer half human abomination with blood vessels pumping and all the power of an artificial intelligence? In my mind that qualifies for an ABOMINATION… a FILTHY thing… of utter HORROR.

And they will worship him.

Revelation 13:4 - “And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?”

Revelation 13:16-17 - ” (16) And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: (17) And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”