Matthew 24:15-31

Matthew 24:15-31  Jesus is answering the disciple's question... " when will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"  In this part of the passage He describes the severity of those days, beginning with the "abomination of desolation" that Daniel spoke about in Daniel 9:27)  When there is filthy, detestable things that bring destruction and waste into the holy place of God.. then, Jesus says.. know that it has begun. 

Those in Judea are told "to flee to the mountains;"  Those at home on their rooftops need to run without taking anything with them. Those in the field must not even go back for their coats.  Women who are pregnant or have young babies will be especially in dire straits.  If it happens in winter, it will be worse.. so Jesus urges us to pray that it will not be so. 

This severity of tribulation will be so great, Jesus says, that it has " not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall ."   Think of that!  Worse than all the wars this world has seen.. worse than the nuclear bombs dropped on Japan.. worse than the holocaust.. worse than the flood that wiped out all except for Noah and his family. Only the grace of God prevents "all life" from being cut off. "...for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short." 

Again, the danger of false christs and false prophets will challenge even the "elect" of God. Be ready, He warns us.. don't be mislead, but know that when the Son of Man comes it will not be mistaken by anyone.. "For just as the lightning comes from the east to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be."

"Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures gather".   This is a grim picture of the aftermath of this great tribulation..  In Job 39:30 God is speaking to Job about His creation and says this about the eagles - "His young ones also suck up blood; and where the slain are there is he."  And in Ezekiel 39:17-18 He says this, "... Speak to every  kind of bird and to every beast of the field, 'Assemble and come, gather from every side to My sacrifice for you, as a great sacrifice on the mountains of Israel, that you may eat flesh and drink blood. You shall eat the flesh of mighty men, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, as though they were rams, lambs, goats, and bulls... "

And then.. He comes!  The sun, moon, and stars will go dark. ".. the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory."  The trumpet will sound and the elect will be gathered "from one end of the sky to the other." 

What a day that will be!  

Father in heaven, we lift our heads and look up.. waiting for the day when Christ will call us home.. whether by death or rapture.. in anticipation of this final day when Christ will come to reign for ever.  This tribulation that is coming is beyond our imaginations.. yet we know that You have given us these truths so that men and women will understand that they need Jesus to save them from the wrath to come and the judgement that we deserve..  May we endure.. we may not be lulled into complacency and compromise.. may we sense again the urgency to proclaim the Truth of the gospel of Christ to a world of lost sinners for whom He was slain. Send Your word across the land.. let it run rapidly and be glorified so that more souls will find life in Jesus. It is in this marvelous Name that we pray. Amen