Matthew 24:9-26

⁹ “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. ¹⁰ And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. ¹¹ And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. ¹² And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³  But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ 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.

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.”

As I have shared with you in both of the previous sermons in this series, there are eight remaining prophetic events which will take place in a future time. These events are both chronicled and described in the Word of God: they include The Rapture; the Tribulation; The Battle of Armageddon; The Millennial Kingdom; The Battle of Gog and Magog; The Sheep and Goat Judgment; The Great White Throne Judgment; and, the Onset of Eternity!

As the LORD allows, this coming Lord’s Day I will speak to you about the second of these eight events: The Tribulation. This period of time begins immediately following the Rapture and it ends with the Second Advent of Jesus and the Battle of Armageddon.

It will last for seven years and is divided into two periods of three and one-half years each. The first half is described by Jesus as “the beginning of birth pains” and HE calls the second half, “great tribulation.”

And even that is somewhat of an understatement!

The first half will be a time in which the antichrist will rise to power and make the long-awaited peace treaty with Israel. He will not reveal his true self until three and one-half years in to this event when he will break his treaty with them and desecrate the Temple by entering it himself, sitting on the Mercy Seat, and declaring that he is god!

For the next three and one-half years, the God of Heaven will pour out judgment on him and on his followers both declaring and demonstrating that the antichrist is, in fact, not god; and, that HE – the One True Living God of the Christian Bible – is God.

In our focal passage, Jesus will call Daniel “the prophet” and will use Daniel’s prophetic words to verify the reality of Daniel the man; and, the divine inspiration of his writings; and, to describe the coming events.

The Tribulation is a dark and deadly time. God will indeed save many people during this time, but they will pay a high price for their faith in HIM! They will be hated, hunted, and murdered by the thousands. Like so many of our contemporary brothers and sisters, many will lose everything – including their very life – for the sake of Jesus.

As you read through these verses, you will see again and again the word, “then.” If you follow the logic and the order of these phrases, you will begin to see the biblical plan that God has put in place to carry out HIS eternal will for the world.

There is, of course, “Good News!” God will save many during this time; HE will fulfill HIS will during this time; and, Jesus will be glorified during this time. I hope you will carefully and prayerfully read over these words this week as you prepare your mind and spirit to hear the sermon on Sunday!

I hope to see you Sunday with your Bible in your hand, a smile on your face, and your family and friends by your side!