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15 Therefore when you see the "abomination of desolation," spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. ~ Matthew 24:15-22
Today, we continue our study of Matthew 24. This chapter is divided into three parts. While Matthew 24:1-14 describes the first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation, Matthew 24:15-31 describes the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation. Matthew 24 corresponds with Revelation 6-19 which describes the Tribulation in detail. The first half of the Tribulation is described in Revelation 6-9 while the middle of the Tribulation is described in Revelation 10-14. Then, the last half of the Tribulation is described in Revelation 15-19. Today's passage is predicated upon the prophecy given in Daniel 9:24-27 which we must understand if we are to make sense of today's passage.
In Daniel 9:24-27 we read, "24 Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place. 25 Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him."
This prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27 is specifically about the nation of Israel. In it there are decreed 70 sevens which covers a 490 year period of time. When we multiply 70 x 7 we have 490, which is speaking of a prophecy which describes a 490 year period of time, specifically for the nation of Israel. As we read in Daniel 9:25-27, this prophecy is divided into three segments: 7 sevens = 49 years, 62 sevens = 434 years, and 1 seven = 7 years. When we add the totals, we have 490 years.
The first two segments (the 7 sevens and the 62 sevens) of time have already been fulfilled. Most theologians refer to this 70th seven as the "Tribulation," although it is never described as such in the New Testament. The Lord Jesus does refer to the second half of this seven year period as "a time of great tribulation." In Jeremiah 30:7 it is referred to as "a time of Jacob's trouble." Of course, Jacob was Israel as an unbeliever and Israel is Jacob as a believer. So, the design of the Tribulation is to bring Israel to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
According to Daniel 9:25 and Nehemiah 2:1-8 in 444 BC King Artaxerxes issued a decree to Nehemiah to restore and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. The building of the temple was completed in 395 BC. The 7 sevens or 49 years define the period of time that it took to complete the temple. The 62 sevens was the period of time between the completion of the temple in Jerusalem and the coming of the Messiah into Jerusalem on the donkey. It took 434 years or 62 sevens for this prophecy to be fulfilled. When we add the 7 sevens and the 62 sevens we have 483 years. And, then to complete Daniel's prophecy we have the final seven which describes the seven year tribulation.
According to Daniel 9:26, after the 62 sevens the Messiah will be cut off which took place on March 30, 33 AD. And then, the prince is one who will destroy the city and the sanctuary (this occurred in A.D. 70 under the leadership of Titus). According to Daniel 9:27 the one seven is a 7 year period of time (this is a time of great tribulation on earth as described by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 24.)
According to Daniel 9:26-27, the ruler or the prince will make a covenant with the many including Israel for one seven. This prince will be the anti-christ who is mentioned in Daniel 11:21. In the middle of this seven the anti-christ will discontinue sacrifice and worship at the temple in Jerusalem. Then, he will break his covenant with Israel. This 70th seven or the tribulation period is also described in Revelation 6-16.
According to today's passage, when the Abomination of Desolation happens, at the middle of the Tribulation, there will be three results: First, there will be immediate trouble to those believers who are in Jerusalem and the surrounding area. Second, there will be an outbreak of a world-wide time of unprecedented trouble. It will be a time of great economic difficulty. That will be the time that the people will be required to take the mark of the beast in order to eat. The people will know at that time that by taking the mark they will be giving allegiance to the anti-christ. The third result, there will be a time of incredible religious deceit.
In the middle of the Tribulation, the abomination of desolation will take place. Obviously the temple will be rebuilt since it was destroyed in 70 AD. We don't know what abomination the antichrist will perform at the temples that will cause the temple to be desolate. It will be something so gross and contemptible before God that it will make the temple unclean and the people will not go there.
As mentioned, the final seven of Daniel's prophecy is yet to be fulfilled. The world could enter that period at any moment. Before that event takes place, the rapture of the church must happen. During the Tribulation, it will be most difficult to believe in the Lord Jesus, partly due to the fact that with the rapture of the church, the influence of the Holy Spirit in this world will be much different than it is today. With that said, you can avoid the Tribulation simply by trusting in the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross for the forgiveness of your sin. If you have not done this, I encourage you to talk with God right now, tell Him that you know that you are a sinner in need of His salvation and ask Him to come into your life right now.
