AnitChrist Alert

SEPTEMBER 13, 2020 STUDY NOTES MATTHEW 24:16-20 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES ANTICHRIST ALERT INTRODUCTION We have many means of warning today, we have come from flags and sirens When I was young, living in Freeport, Texas, the hurricane warning was a flag on a pole Shrimpers out in the gulf would radio in that a storm was coming Shrimpers would know that a storm was coming when the seagulls would leave their boats Later, storm warnings were the downtown sirens sounding out And then there came the day when police units would drive by with a loud-speaker message Today we have immediate alerts through television, telephone, and cellphone We receive alerts for severe weather, tornadoes, hurricanes, wind, floods, and fire danger Long before any of the above, mankind had the most accurate warning system ever given Christians must give attention to the warnings found within the Word of God In Mt.24, Jesus gives us one of the most severe written warnings that you will ever hear of As you read it you may find it hard to understand unless you understand the setting Which is exactly what Jesus has told us to do, in-order to understand we must study the Bible The cause of the warning has already been identified, Mat 24:15 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:) The land is Judea, the city is Jerusalem, the place is the Temple, the people are the Jews The warning of Jesus is not limited to Christian Jews, all Jews will be in danger All Christians will be in danger because the persecution will spread throughout the world The sure sign of the approaching danger will be the “abomination of desolation” The abomination of desolation marks the beginning of the “Great Tribulation” Here we have evidence that the “Great Tribulation” and the “Day of the Lord’ are not the same The warning given for the “Great Tribulation” is the “Abomination of Desolation” A far greater warning will announce the approaching Day of the Lord It will be the “Cosmic Disturbance,” Mat 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: (A unique sign) The “Great Tribulation” and the “Day of the Lord” are not one and the same The Great Tribulation is the day of Satan’s wrath, the Day of the Lord is the day of God’s wrath The warning of Jesus is because the time of the Great Tribulation has arrived--IT IS TIME TO FLEE Mat 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: “Then” takes us back to verse 15, at the time you see “the abomination of desolation” When you know for sure that it has taken place and understanding what it is from scripture “The abomination of desolation” will be a signal, it will be an alert, it will be a sign The Abomination of Desolation will be a warning to the whole world but especially to the Jews All followers of Christ must give attention to the words of Jesus, Christians must hear Jesus let them which be in Judaea Some believe that this verse eliminates the church from Matthew 24 They believe that the church will be raptured before the time of Matthew 24 Further study of Matthew 24 will reveal that the church is still on the earth It is true that Jesus did not say, “let them which are in the world flee” 1 The reason He said, “let them which be in Judea flee” is because of Satan’s goal At the time of the Abomination of Desolation those living in Judea will be in great danger The Antichrist is standing in the Jerusalem Temple and he takes immediate action Jews living in Jerusalem near the temple must immediately flee The Jews have been the target of Satan ever since God’s Covenant with Abraham God called Abraham and God brought forth His chosen nation from Abraham (Gen 12:1-3) He promised to bless Abraham and his people, He promised to bless the world through Abraham The birth of the Messiah would come through the nation of Israel Satan made many attempts to destroy the lineage that had been promised the Messiah If Satan could destroy the Jews before Jesus was born, he could destroy God’s plan of salvation Satan attempted to destroy Jesus and His ministry while Jesus was on the earth Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, “Salvation is of the Jews,” Joh 4:22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. That is why Satan has been behind so many nations persecuting the Jews throughout the ages There are yet many promises to be fulfilled for the nation of Israel and their promised land Satan will continue his attempt to destroy Israel and his greatest attempts are yet to come The work of Satan in the future will be through the Antichrist and the False Prophet Jerusalem will become the headquarters of the Antichrist Jerusalem will be an unsafe place for God’s people to live Jews living nearest Jerusalem will be in the most immediate danger But God’s people throughout the world will also be in danger Satan’s forces will persecute Christians throughout the world, persecution will be global, Rev 13:7 And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. (Saints of “all” nations) We will study the “elect” in future verses, but for now, the term is not limited to the Jews The persecution of God’s elect will be limited by God, Mat 24:22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. (Note: “no flesh” not just Jews) Satan seeks to deceive the elect, Mat 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. (Will it be possible?) The elect will be delivered from Satan’s wrath before God’s wrath begins, Mat 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Jesus tells us where the elect will be) The instructions from Jesus to his people is, “get out of Jerusalem” And waste no time doing it, the danger is too great, Jesus tells them to--flee into the mountains: The word “flee” means to quickly move away from danger, to escape what is about to happen It will be time to take emergency action, they should immediately flee into the mountains It is something that cannot be delayed, you can’t put it off, extreme haste will be necessary Don’t worry about making any cabin reservations in the mountains Don’t take time to shop for the best travel prices, don’t take the time to find a lower motel rate The urgency of the hour is being expressed The severity of the holocaust to come is being revealed, there is not time for anything else The following verses show that Jesus is saying do it as quickly as possible Time cannot be wasted because the danger is too great, greater than any storm we will ever face NO TIME FOR ANYTHING Mat 24:17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 2 The “housetop” in this verse is not what we would call a roof, houses in Palestine had flat roofs The roof was part of the living quarters, like a patio or porch, a place of comfort and leisure The one who was on the housetop could be relaxing and enjoying a quiet time But it will not be the time for rest and relaxation, the time for comfort and leisure will be over There will not even be time to go back into the house to pack The persecution upon the Jews and God’s people, will be quick, swift, and great So quick and intense that not a minute of time should be wasted, Jesus said--not come down to take any thing out of his house: Jesus is speaking to those in Jerusalem who will witness the abomination of desolation He didn’t tell them to pack up and leave, He told them to leave immediately We often see on the news people having to leave their house because of approaching danger Such as those along the gulf coast when a hurricane is coming, it is time to evacuate Or those in California who flee from the forest fires, it is time to evacuate When having to evacuate, you take all that you possibly can with you People want to grab and take with them as many of their valuables as they can The Jews are to lose no time in escaping the persecution that begins in Jerusalem The need to flee is urgent because the danger is too great Jesus is saying, be concerned about saving your life and not your material possessions Here we have a lesson, material possessions are not to be considered as of utmost value Personal possessions will not be worth the risk of delay, so Jesus said, “don’t go back home” DON’T GO HOME Mat 24:18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. Again, the strong point that Jesus is making is, “no time can be wasted” Jesus is now referring to the one who is at work, he has on his work clothes He may have left his coat on the fence across the field He is not to go back to the fence or his house because of the immediate danger There is no time to pack his casual or traveling clothes, he will have to travel in his work clothes It is not the time to concentrate on clothing, personal belongings, or material possessions It is not the time for women to stand in the closet trying to decide which dress to wear The emphasis is not only on the danger of the time but also on priorities What is it that really matters in life? What is that which is most important to our life? The loss of physical well-being is a high price to pay for the gain of material possessions A very successful businessman once told me, “I spent my health to gain my wealth” Then he said, “Now I am spending my wealth trying to regain my health” No worldly possession will be worth the time lost to save it, or especially if it cost us our life Personal belongings or provisions are never as important as obeying Jesus It is sad that it takes a tragedy to teach people that truth, especially in our day In times of disaster we always hear people talk about how little the “things” of life are Especially when compared to life itself People say that “things” can be replaced, buildings can be rebuilt, but a life will be gone forever But that kind of talk usually doesn’t last long after the storm Soon their thoughts will be turned back to their material possessions In 2 Timothy 3, Paul said that in the last days, men shall be lovers of their own selves They will be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God Worldly things will be more important to them than the “things” of God We need to settle something today before a disaster comes What is more important to us, our personal belongings, our things of pleasure, or our life? How important is our obedience to God’s Word, compared to those worldly things? Jesus presents to us how important faith in God and obedience to His Word will be in the future 3 The word from the Lord is “to flee” and “pray” for the least amount of hindrance WOE UNTO PREGNANT WOMEN Mat 24:19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! “Woe” is used here as an expression of intense sorrow or pain, referring to grief and misery It is often also used as an expression of judgment and with the thought of one being accursed The “woes” of scripture are the opposite of the blessings promised in scripture The abomination of desolation will not be the time to sing “Showers of Blessing” Jesus is expressing the difficulties that will be faced by different ones, even Christians At any time, everything becomes more difficult for the woman who is pregnant It is difficult for the pregnant woman to eat, sleep, walk, or stay in a good mood Pregnant women will have a burden that cannot be left behind, they will be at a greater risk It will be extremely difficult for pregnant women and for those who have small children It is nothing new for small children to be under the attack of Satan or even killed Satan was working through Pharaoh when he said, Exo 1:16 And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. He ordered the midwives of the Hebrew women to kill the males at the time of birth Again, it was Satan working in Herod, Mat 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. Herod ordered the death of all male children two years of age and under Satan’s plan was to destroy the coming of the Messiah In the future, Satan will attempt to prevent the King of Kings from reigning over Israel His future persecution of Israel will include Jewish children Jesus is telling us in many-different ways how great this time of trouble will be God’s people must get away from Jerusalem as quickly as they can They must not allow even the least amount of difficulty to delay them from immediately leaving TIME TO TRAVEL Mat 24:20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: Jesus said “pray,” Paul said, 1Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing, put the two together Our heart must be turned to God at all-times, our mind must be upon God at all-times Paul is simply telling us to continually live with the awareness of God’s presence Know that in everything and in all things, God is present God will still be with His people at the time of the abomination of desolation Praying daily is a daily concentration upon Christ, making Christ the center of your life Prayer is not as much “time” with the Lord as it is “presence” with the Lord When you desire to touch God daily you will never be out of touch with God When you open the prayer line daily, the prayer line will always be open Prayer time is your time with God, God I want to be near you, and I want to talk to you Jesus said, at the time of the abomination of desolation, it will be the time to talk to God Prayer is more heart than mouth, prayer should be as natural as breathing It is natural for the Christian to pray, to be ready to pray at any breath should be natural There is no restriction upon the time or place to pray We are not limited as to what we can pray about, there is nothing so unimportant There is nothing too small or too monumental to pray about Jesus often taught us how important it is to pray, Luk 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; This is an account that is only found in Luke, there is no parallel in the other Gospel accounts 4 Jesus had been speaking to His disciples He now speaks to them in a parable to illustrate his point The message He shares with them in this parable is “Don’t Quit Praying” The main thought is not prayer in general, though the same truths presented apply to all praying There is a connection with the previous chapter The context from the previous chapter is the second coming of Jesus The point of His message is to keep praying until Jesus comes Regardless of how difficult it gets before Jesus returns, you must continue to pray In Luke 17 Jesus had been describing the conditions of the world at the time of His return People will be living a worldly life without the expectation of the return of Christ People will give no thought to the fact that Jesus will return to judge Satan and sin, 2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Jesus encouraged His followers to be patient and to pray, we ought always to pray Prayer is our duty, it is necessary, we are obligated to pray at all-times Prayer is always important, but in the day prior to the return of Christ it will be a “must” In every chapter of 1 Thessalonians, Paul instructed the church to be ready for the return of Christ In the closing verses of the book, Paul said, 1Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing. And then he said, 1Th 5:18 In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. We should be in a continual attitude of prayer, a pray always within our heart At the tip of our tongue should a prayer of thanksgiving, even in our difficult days Be sure your heart is always upon God’s will and your mind upon the things of God Nothing is more important to our life than His will for us Listen to what Jesus taught His disciples to pray, Mat 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Praying for the kingdom to come will result in living for the coming kingdom Scripture often reveals how difficult living for Christ will be before the return of Christ If you don’t pray, you will faint, which means to lose one’s courage, to become despondent When you get so discouraged that you want to quit, you will either pray or give up You will do one or the other, don’t give up, pray and thank God, believe that Jesus is coming But before Jesus comes there will be days of great difficulty We need to say with the disciples, Luk 11:1 And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. When Jesus says, it is time to pray, be in practice, be ready to pray When we pray, we are to be specific, pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: Winter weather would make it more difficult for them to travel Winter weather would be a hindrance and make it most uncomfortable Prayer will be their hope, the only possible control of the conditions they will be fleeing Jesus said, pray that the abomination of desolation would not occur on a Sabbath The Sabbath was a sacred day for religious Jews, it was a day of rest and not a day of travel, Exo 16:29 See, for that the LORD hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. Even today, Religious Jews will not enter a restaurant or check into a hotel on the Sabbath The Israeli airline will not fly between Friday sunset and Saturday sunset The Sabbath was the day to cease from labor because it was a day of worship The fear is for the legalistic Jews, there were many Sabbath Day regulations 5 Sabbath day’s regulations would make it difficult for Jewish travelers And religious Jews would be very noticeable traveling on the Sabbath There was a limit that the Jew could travel on a Sabbath Day It was known as “a Sabbath day’s journey,” Act 1:12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey. It was the maximum distance that a Jew could travel on the Sabbath Day Which was less than a mile, probably between a ½ mile and ¾ of a mile CONCLUSION The danger is not limited to Christian Jews, Antichrist will war against all Jews Jesus has a message for the Jews and Christians who will witness the abomination of desolation Jesus also has a message for us today, today is the day to pray and trust God The day that we are now living in, the day of the coronavirus pandemic, is also a day to pray Today is the day to pray and to trust God, we must have faith in God Faith in God is the answer to our current trials of life Faith in God today will strengthen our faith in God if we face the “Great Tribulation” Listen to the song 6