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15“Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17“Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. 18“Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19“But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20“But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21“For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22“Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

This is now our third week looking at Jesus answer to His disciples question; When will the Kingdom arrive and what will that look like.

If not now; When?? And you said Jerusalem and the temple will be laid waste, made a waste land, How does that work? Because the Book says Messiah will reign, in Jerusalem, on David's throne. And you say "I'm out of here" and "this place will be a desolation" so how does the Kingdom of God happen. With Messiah. In Jerusalem. Nothing is adding up. We can't do the math.

Their problem was they were thinking too small. Son of David. We can fathom David. He was very human. We can visualize David on his throne in Jerusalem. That's our picture of Messiah. At least it was the framework they were working in, and it's not big enough.

They've followed Jesus to Jerusalem. They believe He is the Son of God. They're convinced He's Messiah. But their vision isn't coming together. And in fact it has unraveled. Jerusalem will be laid waste. Jesus is leaving. He's going somewhere else.

I believe there was some desperation in their question. Help us understand, because just now, we're hopelessly confused.

And Jesus provides them with these window views of the event. Last week we called them dioramas. Pictures of scenes leading up to the parousia, the coming of the kingdom, and it's diametrically different and on a scale they never ever ever envisioned.

The Day of the Lord. An Old Testament term. What does it mean?

Well, it isn't Jesus riding into Jerusalem on a donkey colt in humility, although that scene fulfilled part of the total story. Our sins had no avenue for forgiveness unless Jesus came and died in our place. But that isn't the Kingdom.

The Day of the Lord is understood in the meaning of the word Kingdom as used by the Biblical authors. Authority to reign.

It isn't talking about real estate. Boundaries. It's talking about a person who has the authority to rule. Usually, to them, it included a region. Pilot had the authority to reign in Judah, given to him and guaranteed by Rome under their conditions. Herod had the authority to reign across the Jordan and north. Same deal. Given by Rome with conditions.

But in this case, the Kingdom of God, the authority to reign of God is much bigger. The region is the world. Earth. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, like it is in heaven.

A silly question was discussed this week at Al Mohler's "The Briefing." If there are extraterrestrials, will we be required to go to other worlds and evangelise them?

Back in 2014, “Two Jesuit astronomers at the Vatican published a book with the title, “Would You Baptize an Extraterrestrial?”

We’re also told that Pope Francis responded by saying that under the right situations, he would. The Pope asked, “Who are we to close doors?”

Actually Jesus answered this question for us in those lines in the Lord's prayer that I just read. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, like it is in heaven.

God doesn't have other places that are in rebellion against His will. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, like it is in heaven.

All of heaven, all of the vast immeasurable universes beyond ours, are in alignment with His will. Earth is singularly in rebellion. And the Day of the Lord, is a term that describes a series of events that will bring this earth, this rebellious rock, into subjection under the reign of God. God sitting on a throne in Jerusalem for 1000 years. And the events are cataclysmic.

So the disciples are thinking in terms they can get their brains around and it isn't working for them, but Jesus gives them a slide show of what it will look like when Satan has his final reign of terror and Jesus returns, in the sky, and deposes Satan, crushes all evil, and reigns, physically, on this earth, at Jerusalem.

That is the birth of the authority to reign of God, on this earth, as opposed to Satan's rebellion which is what the earth has known for 6000 years. And in the slide show, or dioramas we're getting glimpses of some of the birth pains leading up to that birth. Things on a scale never seen before. Evil on a scale never seen before.

Earthquakes and other physical phenomena. Tidal waves. Earth seemingly reeling out of control. Those events, just like birth pains will increase in intensity until just before Jesus arrival it's worse than any nightmare anyone has ever envisioned. Water turned to blood. The lights in the sky going out. Thick darkness. Constant earthquakes. Mountains melting like hot wax.

As I've been studying, of course, I listen to one teacher that I normally really like, a lot, who is a preterist. An a-millenialist. Everything Jesus said here is just hyperbole for effect. This all happened at the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. All past history.

So, when Jesus says in vss. 21, 22; 21“For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22“Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. That's just hyperbole for effect. 70AD was really really really bad.

Really?? Well what else did He say that was hyperbole? Maybe it's all hyperbole. Apparently Jesus didn't see the photographs of the desolation caused by the atomic blasts at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Those images would make Him a liar.

The preterists, like the disciples who are trying to get their heads around this, are thinking too small. The parousia is a global event, a war against the current ruler of this world, who is being deposed, and is given seven years to throw everything he's got at the takeover. And he's got a LOT.

Out at work about the only radio station we get while we're driving countless boring miles of sagebrush is NPR. And you can count the minutes from when you click that on until when the next story about global warming plays. 5 minutes would be a long wait, normally.

Do I believe in global warming? Great question. First of all, let me say that science doesn't happen by voting. Consensus?? Really, guys?? That's an insult to my intelligence. There's no more scientific proof of global warming being caused by human activity than there is science proving the existence of extra-terrestrials. So, keep your science, I'm not interested in science by consensus.

But perhaps there is evidence. And if there is, what I believe is that Sovereign God is in full control and is laughing at the arrogance of humans who think they can do anything to change what He has said He will do. Birthpangs, remember. We can no more do anything to change global warming, and in fact you can find it in the book of Revelation;

Rev. Ch. 16:7 - 9 And I heard the altar reply: “Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are Your judgments.” 8Next, the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was given power to scorch the people with fire. 9And the people were scorched by intense heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had authority over these plagues; yet they did not repent and give Him glory.…

If global warming is in fact a reality, it's a birth pang, and it will increase in intensity until men curse God who, what?? has authority over these plagues;

25There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among the nations, bewildered by the roaring of the sea and the surging of the waves. 26Men will faint from fear and anxiety over what is coming upon the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.…Lk. 21

We don't have to faint with anxiety like the folks at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration where my brother in law works. We know these things are coming. Relax. God has this under His control.

We believe Jesus means exactly what He says and that these pictures, these dioramas into these events are not over-stated. Hiroshima and Nagasaki are Sunday school picnics compared to what is coming on this earth. In fact perhaps they're understated. There's one point where John sees something and begins to write it down and the angel says, don't write that part down. It's too much.

When Jesus says if He didn't come and put a stop to what was happening that no flesh would have survived, why would you tell me that's just hyperbole. You can tell I get a little worked up about that. It makes my skin crawl. DO NOT limit these words. Jesus was the master of words. His words are faithful and true. Hyperbole is just another name for lying. That's what political candidates do. Not Jesus.

OK, then, let's dive in where we left off last week. Vs. 15 “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),

What is that?? What is the abomination that makes desolate. Daniel the prophet of 2500 years ago used this term 3 times. 9:27, 11:31, 12:11

There is almost universal agreement on the 11:31 account. It speaks of a Syrian king who ruled Palestine from 175 - 165 BC. His name was Antiochus and he gave to himself the title Epiphanes. The great one. The jews changed it to epimanes; the mad man.

Let me read you a few verses from Daniel 11. These events are spelled out with such detail that enemies of the Bible try to say someone else, not Daniel wrote them, after they happened. These things happened exactly as described in the period after the prophets fell silent and before Jesus came. 165BC

29“At the appointed time he will return and come into the South, but this last time it will not turn out the way it did before. 30“For ships of Kittim will come against him; therefore he will be disheartened and will return and become enraged at the holy covenant and take action; so he will come back and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant. 31“Forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation. 32“By smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action.

He is a picture of the future event. What Bible scholars refer to as a type. We have a solid record of what he did in the extra-biblical account of the Maccabee's. (every time I read that I think, Oh! Scottish jews). How he installed a likeness of Zeus inside the temple of God, and roasting a pig, forced it down the throats of the jewish priests.

Idolatry and disgrace. The other mentions in Daniels book are yet future. Let's look at them.

If you've been coming to this church and sat under this teaching for any time you've been exposed to Daniels 70 weeks prophecy in the 9th chapter. I seem to keep winding up back there. And for different reasons, but it is a pivotal prophetic passage. I'll start at verse 24; Remember that the weeks are literally periods of time, translated weeks, but they are weeks of years. 70 weeks of years. 490 years.

24 “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. 25“So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. 26“Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. 27“And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”

Wow, if we knew when that decree was given we could do some math, right! Well we do have a date. King Artexerxes gave the decree in 445 BC. That's a known.

So messiah comes and is cut off, killed after 62 weeks and 7 weeks. 483 years. Jesus enters Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey on the very day Daniel predicted in the prophecy.

For our purposes this morning we need to look carefully at vss 26 and 27 because they coincide with what Jesus just said in the Olivet discourse. I think this is fascinating. Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.

The people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city. OK we're still on solid footing because we know who came and destroyed Jerusalem. Rome. 70AD. But now it gets tricky and I'm just going to tell you what I believe this may allude to.

And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.

Water is a player in the desolation of Jerusalem. We see it more than once. Listen to Habakkuk;

3:3 - 13 God comes from Teman,
And the Holy One from Mount Paran.

His splendor covers the heavens,
And the earth is full of His praise.

4His radiance is like the sunlight;
He has rays flashing from His hand,
And there is the hiding of His power.

5Before Him goes pestilence,
And plague comes after Him.

6He stood and surveyed the earth;
He looked and startled the nations.
Yes, the perpetual mountains were shattered,
The ancient hills collapsed.
His ways are everlasting.

7 I saw the tents of Cushan under distress,
The tent curtains of the land of Midian were trembling.

8 Did the LORD rage against the rivers,
Or was Your anger against the rivers,
Or was Your wrath against the sea,
That You rode on Your horses,
On Your chariots of salvation?

9 Your bow was made bare,
The rods of chastisement were sworn.
You cleaved the earth with rivers.

10The mountains saw You and quaked;
The downpour of waters swept by.
The deep uttered forth its voice,
It lifted high its hands.

11Sun and moon stood in their places;
They went away at the light of Your arrows,
At the radiance of Your gleaming spear.

12In indignation You marched through the earth;
In anger You trampled the nations.

13You went forth for the salvation of Your people,
For the salvation of Your anointed.
You struck the head of the house of the evil
To lay him open from thigh to neck.

Water is a player in the end time events. 8 Did the LORD rage against the rivers,
Or was Your anger against the rivers,
Or was Your wrath against the sea,
That You rode on Your horses,
On Your chariots of salvation?

9 Your bow was made bare,
The rods of chastisement were sworn.
You cleaved the earth with rivers.

10The mountains saw You and quaked;
The downpour of waters swept by.
The deep uttered forth its voice,
It lifted high its hands.

Hold those thoughts for a few moments until we get back to Jesus command to the dwellers of Jerusalem when the abomination of desolation happens. What does He tell them to do? Run for your life. Don't look back. Get to higher ground!

Revelation 12 mentions the water thing again.

1A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2and she was with child; and she cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.

3Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. 4And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.

5And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. 6Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

The woman is Israel. The time reference is the same. 1260 days. 42 months. Mid point in the final seven years. Great tribulation comes. Picking up in Revelation 12 at vs. 7

7And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, 8and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,
“Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11“And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. 12“For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.”

13And when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. 14But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent. Again, time, times, and half a time,

3 1/2 years, 42 months God protects those who flee Jerusalem when they see the abomination of desolation. But here comes the water again. This is why I think I see in the Daniel 9 prophecy a leap from the 70 AD destruction of Jerusalem to a time of a great flood, which by the way there is no record of in the history of Jerusalem.

vss. 15And the serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. 16But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon poured out of his mouth. 17So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

OK that's a lot to digest, but I wanted you to see that nothing in Daniels prophecy needs to be figurative. There's plenty of biblical evidence for a future flood of water, at Jerusalem.

And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.

Now, we're back in Daniel 9, the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet; vs. 27“And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering;

Who is this. Who is "he" referring to here. This is the prince of the people who will come and destroy Jerusalem. 70AD Rome. But this prince is a prince of the final rome. The 10 toes in King Nebuchadnezer's statue that were made of iron and clay. A 10 nation confederacy that is Rome again, after 2000 years. A confederacy of nations that spans the area that once was the Roman empire. This prince comes from there.

As I was driving to work Tuesday morning, the news had a blip about how the heads of the European Union were meeting that day to discuss the possibility of somehow creating a unified army.

Britain was always the NO vote anytime that discussion came up. Well, now Britain is gone, and along with it, the single most meaningful armed force of the European Union. So those folks are feeling both vulnerable, and also for some, glad Britain is gone so they can get serious about meaningful armies in Europe. Germany and France and Italy will lead. Brussels Belgium would be the home base.

It's just one of my red flags that goes up. Anti-christ will come from the revived Roman empire. A prophet 2500 years ago said so, and we're hearing things on the radio on the drive to work that sound like perhaps the stage is getting set for just such an event. Not being dogmatic here. Just giving you food for thought. It won't be me that says it's certain. But I'll stick my silly neck out and say it's possible.

OK back to Daniel. 9:27
vs. 27“And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering;

The "he" here is anti-christ. And he makes a covenant with Israel, and really, with the whole world. He brings in an impossible peace. And part of that peace is a covenant to protect Israel.

vs. 27“And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week (that should ring familiar. Mid week. mid 7 years. 42 months. 1260 days. 3 1/2 years into this covenant,) he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”

One final note about a flood. Note even here the wording about the destruction. complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out

Now we'll go back to Jesus words, and I hope, perhaps, if I haven't lost you in all of this, you'll hear Jesus words and think, "Run for your lives, Israel! A flood is coming! Get to higher ground! God will provide somehow for you to survive this coming destruction. Run!

Mt. 24:15“Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17“Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. 18“Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19“But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20“But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21“For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22“Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

Lukes account of this dialogue in Luke 17 says; 31On that day, let no one on the housetop come down to retrieve his possessions. Likewise, let no one in the field return for anything he has left behind. 32Remember Lot’s wife! 33Whoever tries to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it.…

Run! Don't try to salvage anything! You'll end up like Lot's wife who turned around to look upon the Lord's destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and she was turned into a pillar of salt.

It's time to run uphill. Pray there isn't snow. How awful to have anything hindering your travel. Being pregnant is a bummer when you're running for your life. Nursing babes slow you down.

I believe every word here is meant to be taken literally by the folks who are alive when these events occur.

That's the third diorama. Next week is the event. The birth that the birth pangs lead to. The parousia. The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ who will defeat Satan and send the antichrist and false prophet to their judgement. Who will trample the earth in His anger, and put an end to rebellion and wickedness.

That's where we're going. That's the answer to the disciples questions. But we still won't be done with the Olivet discourse because then He launches into a series of warnings that address us. Now. 2016. The church.

This is a whirlwind, isn't it! This goes on the internet. This manuscript is available usually by end of Mondays. If you dropped out half way back, go and have a second look. All 3 weeks perhaps. Also my email address is on the page and I'm wide open for questions. Don't hesitate to email questions if you like.

Application. How should we then live. If Jesus words are literal, and if perhaps people who are alive right now will see all these things, does that begin to make our lives and day to day concerns, maybe a little shallow?

The event that trip starts all of these things is when Jesus comes in the air and receives the church, calls the true church out of this world. That event can happen any moment. Nothing prophetic needs to happen first.

We need to live in such a way that our Lord will be pleased with where we're at and what we're doing when that trumpet sounds and we rise to meet Him in the air.

And we need to warn others. The wrath of God is imminent on this world.