The timing of this series couldn’t be more on point. Bless the Holy Spirit for knowing that this series will be what we need to hear. Most of you are wondering what the future looks like right now. It may be stressful or panic-inducing, but it will be something we can and will fight through.

Jesus found himself at the Mount of Olives, where Zechariah predicted that the Messiah would come to establish his kingdom. It was a place where the disciples would ask Jesus when he would come into power and what to expect. Jesus shared with him the words of Matthew 24:3-51 to talk about what the future would look like. Jesus told them not to be concerned with when it would happen but with consistently living God’s ways. I’ve broken down this passage into a 6-part series to talk about what the future Jesus refers to is all about it. This series is called “FUTURE!” (I need you to imagine SpongeBob saying it from that one episode. If you know, you know.) My goal for this series is to give you some insight and understanding into how Jesus said the future will look.

In Part 2, we continued our discussion on understanding Jesus’ teaching against the false prophets and how our actions, thoughts, and desires can help destroy the teaching of those false prophets. We can shout against the people who want us to focus and only care and love ourselves. We can shout through our acts of kindness, compassion for the marginalized, and love.

In Part 3, we’ll examine how to ensure our words and actions don’t misrepresent Jesus’s teachings.

Matthew 24:15-22

NASB	NLT	VOICE
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 –	15 “The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about – the sacrilegious object that causes desecration in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!)	15 You will remember that the prophet Daniel predicted this – predicted the abomination that causes desolation – when you see the prophesied desolation of the holy place. (Reader, take notice; it is important that you understand this.
16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.	16 “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills.	16 When you see this, let those in Judea flee to the mountains
17 Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out of his house.	17 A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack.	17 If you are relaxing on your rooftop one evening and the signs of the temple’s destruction come, don’t return to your house to rescue a book or a pet or a scrap of clothing
18 And whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.	18 A person out in the field must not even return to get a coat.	18 If you are in the field when the great destruction begins, don’t return home for a cloak.
19 But woe to those women who are pregnant, and to those who are nursing babies in those days!	19 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days.	19 Pregnant women and nursing mothers and will have the worst of it.
20 Moreover, pray that when you flee, it will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath.	20 And pray that your flight will not be in the winter or on the Sabbath.	20 And as for you, pray that your flight to the hills will not come on the Sabbath or in the cold of winter.
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 again.	21 For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again.	21 For the tribulation will be unparalleled – hardships of a magnitude that has not been seen since creation and that will not be seen again.
22 And if those days had not been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.	22 In 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.	22 Indeed the Lord God your merciful judge will cut this time of trial short, and this will be done for the benefit of the elect that some might indeed be saved – for no one could survive the depravity for very long.

If Jesus quotes a prophet, we need to pay attention to it. Daniel’s words are something we’ll discuss in a minute, but let’s talk about this moment. The prophecy of Daniel shows a time of great anguish (severe mental/physical pain or suffering), one that the world had never experienced before nor will experience again. This will last until every person perishes unless you’re one of God’s chosen (those following God as their Lord and Savior). If you’re part of the elect, your suffering in this anguish will be shortened.

Now, what can we expect according to Daniel (Read Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11):

• A time when the sacrifices and offerings to God will end.
• A time when sacrilegious (misusing what is regarded as sacred) objects are used for desecration (behaving/speaking to avoid causing offense or revealing private info).
• A time when the false prophets would fill the sacred places with their own followers.
• A time that will last for 1,290 days (about 3.5 years).

What is this sacrilegious object that will cause desecration? Rather than one specific object, event, or person, it can be understood as a deliberate attempt to mock or deny the reality of God’s presence. Daniel’s prediction came true in 168 BC when Antiochus Ephipanes sacrificed a pig to Zeus on the Temple altar. Jesus’ words were remembered in AD 70 when Titus placed an idol on the site of the burned Temple after destroying Jerusalem. What’s important to remember here is that history will repeat itself.

In these times, the Antichrist will create an image of himself and order everyone to worship it. When Jesus discussed the end times like this, he combined the near future with far-future events. Similar to how the Old Testament prophets. Some of these persecutions have happened. Some will happen in the future. Overall, God is still in control. God knows how long these persecutions will take. God also knows and never forgets his people. This fact is all we need to know about the future to give us hope and to motivate us to live for God.

Again, we may not face persecution in my context (USA, 2024) about our religious beliefs. The struggle some of us can face is the diversity of beliefs that differ from our Christian perspective. The USA is one of the most culturally diverse nations, full of different ethnicities, wealth statuses, gender identities, sexual orientations, and religions. 1.34% of the US population are Muslims; 2.4% are Jewish; 1% are Buddhist; 1% are Hinduism. These are such small percentages at face value that make this nation so religiously diverse, but we get so divisive. Each percentage is over 1,000,000 people, and we treat them as the enemy because they disagree with and follow Christianity. Let’s continue this: 7.1% of people identify as LGBTQ+, with 1.14% of the nation’s adult people identifying as transgender. 13.7% of the US population is African American, 11.2% are Mexican American, 7.3% are Asian American, and 1.5% are Indian American. Our nation comprises many different kinds of humans, but God’s creation is a title we can all share. God wants us to care for his creation and how he cares for us. This is with love in everything we say, think, and do. We don’t have to follow the sacrifice and leadership of the false prophets, but we must stay on the path of God’s love and compassion in the world.

Part 4 will continue our discussion on false teachers and the decision of where our loyalty will go. Let me share the scripture associated with this study with you, and I will see you next time! Until then, stay blessed!

Daniel 9:27                        Daniel 11:31                     Daniel 12:11                     Luke 17:31

Daniel 12:1                        Joel 2:2                                Revelation 3:10               Revelation 7:14