Be Encouraged

Be Encouraged

Matthew 24:15-22, NLT

“The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!) 16“Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. 17A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. 18A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. 19How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. 20And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. 22In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.”

Setting the Scene

The “sacrilegious object that causes desecration” refers to the desecration of the Temple by God’s enemies. Matthew used the phrase “Reader, pay attention!” to urge readers to understand Jesus’ words in light of Daniel’s prophecies (Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11). The “desecration” (pagan idolatry) that would occur in the Temple would cause the Temple to be desolated and abandoned.

The first fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy occurred in 168 BC when Antiochus Epiphanes sacrificed a pig to Zeus on the sacred Temple altar and made Judaism an outlaw religion, punishable by death. The second fulfillment would occur at the destruction of the Temple in AD 70. Based on verse 21, the third fulfillment is yet to come. The Antichrist will commit the ultimate sacrilege by setting up an image of himself in the Temple and ordering everyone to worship it (2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:14-15).

Jesus tempered the news of great suffering by a promise of hope for true believers—the time would be shortened so that the destruction would not wipe out God’s people and their mission. God controls world events and will not allow evil to exceed the bounds he has set. Jesus had predicted the Cross for himself; now he was predicting persecution, death, and resurrection for his disciples. The main thrust of Jesus’ teaching was to show God’s mercy toward the faithful and to show that God is loving and sovereign and will remember his people.

Getting Personal

Currently, thousands of our Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are enduring torture and imprisonment with joy for being counted worthy to suffer for Christ. In what ways does their experience encourage and inspire you?

When have you suffered for being a Christian? How do Jesus’ words about God’s sovereignty and love encourage you?

According to Jesus, these difficult times will get worse as we approach his return. When the time of suffering comes, the disciples and all believers must remember that God is sovereign. Persecution will occur, but God knows about it and is in control. We should also remember Jesus’ promise that “it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.”

Talking to God

Praise God that he is the sovereign ruler of the universe and that nothing happens outside of his will. Thank him that your life is hidden with him, safeguarded for heaven.