Matthew the apostle wrote how Jesus said, “because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come”, and in chapter twenty-four and verse fifteen of his book, Matthew writes how Jesus shared about, “the abomination of desolation” where we read:
When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet,
stand in the holy place, (whoso reads, let him understand:)
The verse reads, “When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, ...” Matthew began with the word, “when” which means “at the time and moment” “you therefore” which means “the disciples then, accordingly, consequently and these things being so” “shall see” or “will perceive, notice, discern and discover” “the abomination” which means “the foul, detestable thing of idols and things pertaining to idolatry” “of desolation” or “pertaining to despoliation and making desolate”, “spoken of” which means “poured forth, uttered, commanded, said and proclaimed” “by Daniel” or “through Daniel whose name means judgment of God and was the name of a Jewish prophet, noted for his wisdom and prophecies” “the prophet” or “the one who was moved by the Spirit of God and hence his organ or spokesman and solemnly declares to men what he has received by inspiration, especially concerning future events, and in particular such as relate”. Matthew shared how Jesus referred to the prophet “Daniel's words” concerning the “idolatrous desecration”. (See Daniel 9:27 and 12:11).
The verse continues, “... stand in the holy place, (whoso reads, let him understand:)” Matthew continued with Jesus' word, “stand” or “set and established” “in the holy place” which means “within the pure, morally, ceremonially blameless and consecrated location”, (“whoso reads” or “whatever person whether male or female who distinguishes, recognizes, knows accurately and acknowledges these things” “let him understand” which means “allow and permit that person whether male or female to comprehend, perceive with the mind, think upon, heed, ponder and consider”). Matthew shared how Jesus declared the “abomination of desolation” would be “set” in the “holy place” which refers to the “temple in Jerusalem” even as Daniel declared it would be.
When we meditate upon Matthew's words in this verse, we see how there will come a time when Daniel's prophecy concerning the “idolatrous desecration” would occur. At that time, an unholy “idol” shall be set within the “holy of holies” inside the rebuilt “temple of Jerusalem”, and Jesus wanted everyone who reads “Daniel's words” to be aware of this pinnacle event. The ultimate sacrilege will occur, and all hell will break out upon the earth when it does. God desires to “save” people from this “destructive time”, and He has provided a way of escape through a relationship with His Son Jesus. Those who are wise will obey Jesus and, “read and understand” “Daniel's words” and respond by yielding their lives to Him as their personal “Savior and Lord”.
Next time Matthew writes how Jesus says, “let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book
“Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the
marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the
Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms
Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County"
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