Matthew 24:15-28 – Be faithful and hold fast to God

Remember that there are three things the disciples asked. When would the Temple be destroyed? When would Jesus be seen as the Messiah? When would the present age be brought to an end? Jesus pointed back to what the prophet Daniel said in his writing. He also told them to look out for the terrible times that would be coming.

In verse 15, Jesus talked about the “abomination of desolation,” raised in Daniel 9:27. This phrase was an Old Testament idiom that refers to anything that insults the worship of the true God. Jesus in fact told His disciples to look out for the pagan invasion of the Temple that would end up in placing blasphemous object in the Temple. In AD 70, Roman legions surrounded the Temple and eventually placed their blasphemous standard there. That marked the beginning of the end of Jerusalem, and the end of the world order that Jesus, His disciples and their ancestors had known. There was a possibility that some of the loyal Jews might join a resistant group led by a so-called messiah and stayed to fight. Jesus told them to flee to the mountains. They must run away from Jerusalem, for God’s judgement had begun to fall on that city. Wanting His people to be rescued from that harsh situations, He told them not to stay in that city but to flee from it. He told them not to try and gather their properties but to just run away. It would be a very trying and testing time, a time of great suffering and hardship. Even in such a time God’s grace would be shown. He would shorten the time for the sake of those who belong to Him.   

Jesus also warned them against running after every rumour of a messiah. They should not be taken in by all the false claims. For many false messiahs and false prophets would come. Some could even perform great signs and mislead even the chosen people of God.   But His followers must not be misled. For there would be no necessity to run around looking for the messiah. No one need to second guess concerning the vindication of the Messiah. He would not be standing there in person, looking like somebody else. His vindication will be seen in the signs of the time. He said, “Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.” The vulture here refers to the Romans. When the eagles on the Roman standard gathered around Jerusalem, they would be like birds of prey circling in the desert waiting for the final kill. So everyone would know for sure that the events Jesus said would happen would take place.

What the first century Christians went through, had been multiplied many times over. Many believers, especially those living in countries that are anti-Christians, have suffered horrendously and many thousands have died for their conviction. Like them, we must remain true to our allegiance to Christ. And in the face of tough times ahead, let’s remain unwavering in our witness for Christ.