God Is Faithful, Even in Terrible Judgment (Matthew 24:15-22)Thursday December 4, 2025
Intro: The mystery age: age between the advents of Christ.
A careful study of Mat 24-25 will reveal that the subject matter is the end of the age, and the age in view is the whole period between the first and second advents of Christ.
Mat 13:36-43 Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field." 37 And He said, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38 and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; 39 and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40 "So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. 41 "The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 "Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
God must judge unrighteousness. [He is not doing so because it gives Him pleasure]
Eze 33:11 'I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live.
Beginning with Mat 24:15 a specific sign is given, that is, the beginning of the Great Tribulation, which, according to Dan 7:25; 9:27; 12:11; and Rev 13:5, will be a period of 42 months.
Half-way through the Tribulation:
Look at Dan 9:24-27 and compare it to Rev 13 and 2Th 2.
Dan 9:27 "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, [the next part of the sentence is our Lord’s glorious victory in destroying this beast] …even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate."
Mat 24:15-22 “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), 16 then 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.”
The sign is so specific that on the basis of it, Christ advises those living in Judea to flee to the mountains.
They should pray beforehand.
That their flight not be in winter - difficult travel. Sabbath - in Judea public transport and businesses shut down. Children - you know how slow children are (and also more difficult).
Daniel’s 70 7s are decreed “for your people and your holy city (Dan 9:24). It is about Jerusalem, the Messiah, and the city and the temple. Jerusalem will become ground zero during the second half of the Trib.
Jer 30:7 'Alas! for that day is great, There is none like it; And it is the time of Jacob's distress.
The Lord Jesus also tells us that this time will be cut short; no longer than 7 years.
This is a period of unprecedented trouble.
Fourth seal (Rev 6:7-8) ¼ of the earth perish. Sixth trumpet (Rev 9:13-21) ⅓ of remaining perish. (leaving half)
Continuing in Revelation we read of the great climax of world war, and the final judgment, the seventh bowl, just before our Lord’s coming, consisting of a great earthquake that apparently destroys the world’s cities, a hailstorm of 80 pound stones - in just 7 years; the death of billions.
God is going to fulfill His promise to Israel (unconditional).
And she will come willingly…
That does not mean every genetic Jew. At the end of the Tribulation, but God’s wrath, if any unbelieving Jews survive it would only be a miracle, and the believing Jews have been either martyred and are already in heaven (Rev 6:9-11) or they have been protected and survived.
God is always going to get His way.
God is faithful to every promise.
Even the promise that they will call out: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hos 11:10-11 They will walk after the Lord, He will roar like a lion; Indeed He will roar And His sons will come trembling from the west. 11 They will come trembling like birds from Egypt And like doves from the land of Assyria; And I will settle them in their houses, declares the Lord.
God judges His elect nation Israel with the evil of others.
Remember, this awful time to come is a manifestation of the justice of God and the faithfulness of God.
Dan 9:24 “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.”
Biblical documentation of the terror of the Tribulation:
The Little Apocalypse of Isaiah so named because of its strong similarities with Revelation.
Isa 24:1-13 Behold, the Lord lays the earth waste, devastates it, distorts its surface and scatters its inhabitants. 2 And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his master, the maid like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the creditor like the debtor. 3 The earth will be completely laid waste and completely despoiled, for the Lord has spoken this word. 4 The earth mourns and withers, the world fades and withers, the exalted of the people of the earth fade away. 5 The earth is also polluted by its inhabitants, for they transgressed laws, violated statutes, broke the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live in it are held guilty. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men are left.
7 The new wine mourns, The vine decays, All the merry-hearted sigh. 8 The gaiety of tambourines ceases, The noise of revelers stops, The gaiety of the harp ceases. 9 They do not drink wine with song; Strong drink is bitter to those who drink it. 10 The city of chaos is broken down; Every house is shut up so that none may enter. 11 There is an outcry in the streets concerning the wine; All joy turns to gloom. The gaiety of the earth is banished. 12 Desolation is left in the city And the gate is battered to ruins. 13 For thus it will be in the midst of the earth among the peoples, As the shaking of an olive tree, As the gleanings when the grape harvest is over.
Day of Jehovah Passages: Tribulation in context.
Mind you, these are a small sampling, but enough to impact us and make us shudder.
Isa 2:12-22 For the Lord of hosts will have a day of reckoning Against everyone who is proud and lofty And against everyone who is lifted up, That he may be abased. 13 And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up, Against all the oaks of Bashan, 14 Against all the lofty mountains, Against all the hills that are lifted up, 15 Against every high tower, Against every fortified wall, 16 Against all the ships of Tarshish And against all the beautiful craft. 17 The pride of man will be humbled And the loftiness of men will be abased; And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day, 18 But the idols will completely vanish. 19 Men will go into caves of the rocks And into holes of the ground Before the terror of the Lord And the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to make the earth tremble. 20 In that day men will cast away to the moles and the bats Their idols of silver and their idols of gold, Which they made for themselves to worship, 21 In order to go into the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs Before the terror of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty, When He arises to make the earth tremble. 22 Stop regarding man, whose breath of life is in his nostrils; For why should he be esteemed?
Joe 1:15-20 Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is near, And it will come as destruction from the Almighty. 16 Has not food been cut off before our eyes, Gladness and joy from the house of our God? 17 The seeds shrivel under their clods; The storehouses are desolate, The barns are torn down, For the grain is dried up. 18 How the beasts groan! The herds of cattle wander aimlessly Because there is no pasture for them; Even the flocks of sheep suffer. 19 To You, O Lord, I cry; For fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness And the flame has burned up all the trees of the field. 20 Even the beasts of the field pant for You; For the water brooks are dried up And fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
Zep 1:14-18 Near is the great day of the Lord, Near and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of the Lord! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. 15 A day of wrath is that day, A day of trouble and distress, A day of destruction and desolation, A day of darkness and gloom, A day of clouds and thick darkness, 16 A day of trumpet and battle cry Against the fortified cities And the high corner towers. 17 I will bring distress on men So that they will walk like the blind, Because they have sinned against the Lord; And their blood will be poured out like dust And their flesh like dung. 18 Neither their silver nor their gold Will be able to deliver them On the day of the Lord's wrath; And all the earth will be devoured In the fire of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, Indeed a terrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth.
We could find dozens more, Daniel, Joel,
Conclusion:
We can easily see why. God’s will, will be done.
The tribulation has 6 purposes: Dan 9:24. They will all be accomplished and the process of doing so is going to be the most difficult time the earth has ever seen, by far.
Pray for Israel. Pray for the gospel to be spoken boldly everywhere. Pray for yourself to be a brighter light to the world. . |