Prophecy

Signs of the End Times – The Abomination of Desolation in the Holy Place

Pastor Tan Thai · Apr 24, 2022

Hebrews 1:2Matthew 24:4-14Mark 13:5-13Luke 21:8-19Matthew 24:6-7Matthew 24:7-8Mark 13:8Luke 21:11Luke 21:12-13Luke 21:16-17Matthew 24:14John 16:82 Thessalonians 2:6-71 Thessalonians 5:1-3Matthew 24:10-122 Timothy 3:1-6Matthew 24:15-18Matthew 24:21-22Daniel 8:13Daniel 9:27Daniel 11:31Daniel 12:11Daniel 2:34-35Daniel 2:40-45Daniel 7:7-8Daniel 7:19-24Revelation 13:1-2Revelation 13:5-7Revelation 17:3Revelation 17:7Revelation 17:12-162 Thessalonians 2:3-4Revelation 1:7Revelation 6-7Revelation 12-13Revelation 161 Thessalonians 4:13-181 Corinthians 15:51-58

This sermon explains the distinction between 'the last days' and 'the end times' based on Jesus' teaching in the Olivet Discourse. The central focus is the most specific sign of the great tribulation: the abomination of desolation in the holy place, prophesied in Daniel and referenced by Jesus. The sermon also presents the figure of the Antichrist and the unprecedented disasters of the final 3.5 years of the tribulation period.

The sermon opens with a clear distinction between two often-confused concepts: 'the last days' and 'the end times.' The last days refer to the Church Age, beginning with Christ's resurrection and ascension until His first return to rapture the Church (Hebrews 1:2). The end times refers to the conclusion of specific periods, including both the first and second comings of Christ, culminating in the final judgment.

The sermon lists seven signs and omens of the Church Age drawn from Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21: deception, wars and rumors of wars, famine, natural disasters and plagues, religious persecution, betrayal, and the global proclamation of the Gospel. The pastor emphasizes that these signs have been, are, and will continue to intensify like birth pangs, and they correspond to the seals in Revelation during the seven-year tribulation prophesied by Daniel.

The central focus of the sermon is the most specific sign of the great tribulation: the abomination of desolation in the holy place (Matthew 24:15-18). This prophecy appears four times in Daniel (8:13; 9:27; 11:31; 12:11) and was first fulfilled in 167 BC by the Greek king Antiochus IV, who erected a statue of Zeus in the Holy of Holies in Jerusalem's temple and sacrificed a pig, completely defiling the sanctuary. Jesus used this historical event as a type of a similar future event.

That future event involves the Antichrist, an unprecedented world leader who will head a ten-nation coalition, bring temporary peace to the Middle East, and be revered globally as a savior figure. But after the first 3.5 years of the tribulation, he will break his covenant with Israel, place his image in the holy place, and declare himself God (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4), inaugurating the great tribulation—the most catastrophic period in human history. Revelation 12-13 describes an evil trinity: the dragon (Satan), the beast from the sea (Antichrist), and the beast from the earth, each counterfeiting the persons of the Trinity.

The sermon concludes with a message of encouragement: the Church will not endure the tribulation because believers will be raptured beforehand (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58). After the tribulation, Christ will return a second time with His Church to reign for 1,000 years (the Millennium), achieve victory at the Battle of Armageddon, and ultimately God will establish the new heaven and new earth with eternal life.