In the years after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, millions of abominable sacrifices were offered on those altars in rejection of Christ. At some point, the Zealots came into the temple, with the help of the Idumeans, and laid waste to their countrymen, destroyed the idolatrous priests, committed all kinds of abominable actions in the temple, and ended the regular sacrifice. Then, at the very end, the Romans came into the temple courtyard and finished the job by setting the temple on fire, robbing it of its treasures, and polluting its ashes with their idolatrous symbols. God’s judgment was complete by AD 70 and each of these four events played a part in its destruction.

As the sun was setting lazily in the western sky, the disciples were setting up camp atop the Mount of Olives, which overlooked the city to the East. With the tumultuous events of the day still ricocheting in their minds, none of them felt at peace, and all of them would have had more questions than they had answers. Not one of them, however, involved a new future temple.
Earlier that morning, Jesus went toe to toe with the Jewish elite in the city, riding in as the true King that they would reject (Matthew 21:1-10). Immediately after this spectacle, He defiantly cleansed the leprous temple, as the true Priest, whom they would soon be sacrificing on a Roman altar (Matthew 21:12-17). Before this happened, He took up the mantle of true Prophet, issuing three scathing parables of judgment, two humiliating rebukes at the leader’s woeful ignorance, and seven covenantal curses upon the city, all signaling its imminent demise (Matthew 21:28-23:39).
By these events, Jesus had more than certainly added jet fuel to the homicidal fires that were already smoldering against Him. Soon, the feckless Jewish aristocrats would succeed in butchering their creator and covenant God. Yet, by inflicting such malice upon God’s beloved Son, that generation unwittingly sealed its doom (Matthew 23:35; Matthew 24:34) and its temple, which was put under demolition order by the King of kings, would soon be reduced to rubble (Matthew 24:1-2).
But now, as the ephemeral rays of sunlight began dissipating amid their campsite, the time had come to pop the three biggest questions they had to their Lord. “Jesus”, the disciples asked, “When will these things happen? what will be the sign your judgment coming draws near? And will this be the end of the Jewish age?” As Jesus turned to see the last remaining photons of light dancing upon Herod’s magnificent temple, with a tear in His eyes He began to answer them accordingly.
Jerusalem Becomes the Mountain of Doom
Looking right at them, Jesus told them forty years had been set apart until the destruction of Jerusalem and that there would be many signs and evidence that the end was drawing near (Matthew 24:34). For instance, He told them that the people would appoint false messiahs to untangle them from Roman oppression and that the disciples must not be deceived when these things occur. He told them that the Roman empire, normally known for peace, would experience a heightened period of instability through an uptick in wars and rumors of wars that would shake the foundations of the entire known world. He alerted them that earthquakes and famines would also descend upon the land, signaling spiritually significant seismic shiftings were afoot as the old world lurched away from Jerusalem being the center of Yahwistic worship to Christ being the only Way, the only Truth, and the only pathway going forward to Life.
As these signs were happening, persecutions and tribulations would be ratcheted up against the fledgling church, who loved Jesus to the point of death. In the same way that a rabid dog attacks most furiously in the moments before the mercy-filled bullet enters its brain, so the Jews, led by various zealot factions, would lash out tirelessly in their final hours, beating, maiming, and executing Christians all throughout the Roman world for sport. And while in their staggering confusion, believing they were earning the favor of God, God mercifully put them down for their extreme lawlessness and hatred of love.
Yet, even while it seemed the entire world would be set against the earliest Christians, Jesus also promised that the Gospel would have a tremendous effect during those forty turbulent years. He predicted as Judah furiously protested like a king mackerel on the line, the Gospel would be preached in all the known world (Greek Word Oikoumene), which was an allusion to the Roman empire. And as we saw in the preceding weeks, this was fulfilled by the late fifties and early sixties AD as Paul tells us that the Gospel was preached to every creature under heaven and was having an effect in all the known world (see Colossians 1:6, 23; Romans 10:16-18; & Romans 16:25-26).
Jesus told them all of these signs would begin occurring before the final end was finally upon them, like labor pains setting an eventual delivery in motion. Today, we move from that initial phase to the active labor that immediately precipitated the end. When Jesus says “Therefore” in Matthew 24:15, He is narrowing His prophetic timeline to the events that would happen just before Jerusalem fell to the Romans, pushing us forward to the year 68 AD. This is what Jesus said:

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), – Matthew 24:15

Dispensationalism’s New Techni-Colored Temple
Now, for a bit of snark. As insurmountable evidence for a first-century fulfillment has been steadily stacked up high as heaven, the balking futurist will nimbly look right past that colossus towering over him to retort “Wait just a minute! How do you think the temple will be rendered desolate if it is no longer in existence? Can you tell me that?” Just then, with the kind of twinkle of their eye, normally found among a starving predator chasing down some maimed gazelle in the Serengeti, the dispensationalist lunges forward into the attack, asserting: “Clearly, Jesus is talking to you and me about a future Antichrist, who will rise upon the world stage, turn his back on a newly reconstituted Israel, by polluting their newly rebuilt modern temple, with such disgusting abominations that it will be rendered desolate”… “That must be what this passage is saying”, he proudly attests with an air of thinly veiled self-righteousness that was never meant to be hidden. He concludes: “clearly you do not know your Bible.”
I can think of nothing more Biblically illiterate, intellectually pathetic, or downright laughable than the exchange I just hypothesized and yet so many people believe this is exactly what Matthew 24 is talking about. Instead of Jesus answering the disciples’ first-century questions, He must be looking past them to answer ours. Instead of judgment upon that generation, it must be a punishment upon the modern world for some unknown reason. Instead of Herod’s temple being brought under specific covenantal curses for her specific covenantal trespasses and left desolate in a single generation (which is what the text actually says), hermeneutical hula hoops must be jostled incoherently about gyrating hip flexors to even come close to making Jesus mean a future temple. The absurdity, given the mountain of context in favor of a first-century view, is about as hard to stomach as drinking dishwater after the family ate a large Italian dinner.
To be fair, a new shiny temple is the only possible way a futurist could ever claim Matthew 24 applies to the future. It is essential to their entire theological schema. It is the thread, that if pulled, will turn the entire sweater back into a ball of yarn the cat will play with. That is precisely why they will ignore the contextual evidence we have shared that comes right out of this passage. That is why they will scour the recesses of the interwebs looking for evidence of temple blueprints and future construction projects that will begin at any moment. Yet, with the third holiest religious site belonging to the world’s most violent religion standing defiantly in their way, they must adopt the Babylonian mantle of Belteshazzar to ignore that kind of unmistakable writing on the proverbial wall standing right in front of them! And, that is by far the easiest problem standing in their way!
Beyond the unassailable issues found within the context and beyond the even more impossible geopolitical situations found in modern-day Israel is the theological issue created by a new temple, since it would entirely invalidate the Gospel. The New Testament tells us that Christ is the final and perfect sacrifice that was offered for our salvation. It tells us that the blood of bulls and goats were altogether ineffectual for the cleansing of our sins and that they were only types and shadows serving as placeholders until the perfect sacrifice had come! To revert to such a regressive system of lambs and bulls would be akin to a man divorcing his wife to marry the picture of her hanging over the mantle. It is insanity upon insanities to think God would so easily nullify the sacrifice of His dear child in favor of the future blood of smelly livestock and dumb animals.
With all of this evidence before us, we rightly approach Matthew 24:15 fully expecting it to have a first-century fulfillment. This is because we know that no new temple is coming. Second, the context in this chapter has unmistakably led us here. And third, we believe Jesus wasn’t playing games or lying to us when He said “All these things will come upon this generation” (Matthew 24:34). To that end, we will explore the abomination that causes desolation to the Jewish temple and we will begin with the meaning of the words.
Time for Some Definitions
According to the Old Testament, an abomination occurs when one of two deviant things takes place. First, when something sacred is used in the service of or is dedicated unto the worship of an idol, then it becomes an abomination unto God (See Deuteronomy. 7:25; 27:15 for examples). Yet, even when things are offered to the one true God, they may be offered in such an unregulated and disobedient way, that God considers them detestable in His sight (See Leviticus 7:18; Leviticus 10; Deuteronomy 17:1 for examples). Thus, an abomination can be right worship offered to the wrong god or wrong worship offered to the right God.
Knowing this, we can see exactly what Jesus was prophesied in Matthew chapter 24. He is not looking ahead to a twenty-first-century rebuilt temple that will need to be defiled. He is looking at the temple right in front of Him, prophesying that it will be defiled, so much so that it will be left desolate forever. The question we have to wrestle with is did such an event occur in the first century?
The Difference Between A Jewish and Gentile Gospel
The least shocking thing I may say in this blog is that when Jesus spoke to His disciples on the Mount of Olives, He was communicating to them in a very ancient and very Jewish way. It would only make sense for a Jewish Messiah, whose ministry existed 2000 years ago, to think, feel, and communicate to a very ancient group of Jews in ways that were profoundly consistent with their ancient context and Jewish orientation, right? This would naturally make the meaning of this passage much easier to come by if one were ancient, Jewish, or even better yet, both. Therefore, we must be very careful, as modern-day Gentiles, when reading this passage, so that tremendous confusion does not arise from our contextual ignorance.
When Jesus delivered His Olivet Discourse, He employed some of the most richly Jewish language found anywhere in the New Testament. This is especially true in the record given by Matthew, which is by far the most Jewish of all the Gospels.
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Written by Jared C. Wilson |
Sunday, April 9, 2023
I am grateful that the One who began the work in me will be faithful to complete it. That glorious truth is the only real antidote to the potential crises of middle age. If you’re on the front side of middle age, I encourage you to begin investing in your friendship with Jesus now. Don’t put off communion with Christ. 

I turn 48 this year, loosely ensconced in my middle age years, on the downhill slope to 50. I’ve thought a lot about this season of life, primarily from the standpoint of committing to passing the baton and investing in the Church’s younger generations. But I’ve also thought a lot about the peculiarities of this season of life, how for many it holds such uneasiness and insecurity. I’ve thought about the so-called “midlife crisis.” I used to think it was a weird thing that (mostly) men in their middle ages feel suddenly drawn to sports cars and career reinventions and (worst of all) trading in their wives for younger models. These things have become midlife cliches.
I still think that phenomenon is a weird thing, but I think I understand it a bit better now. Midlife brings new insecurities and awakenings to long-dormant regrets. Many of us face empty nests and the prospect of, in effect, starting over with spouses we’ve only related to for so long as co-parents rather than as partners or friends. Many of us face the reality of aging parents and any fears or worries or responsibilities that come with that. And of course we daily face the reality of lost youth, waning strength, more difficult processes for maintaining health. Time moves a lot faster the older you get. That’s a cliche too, but it’s true.
By God’s grace, I don’t feel the need to buy a sports car or to make a career change or to blow up my marriage.
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We need a messiah who is the MIGHTY GOD because we CANNOT STAND against evil, ourselves. We must never ever underestimate the power of sin. As Christians, we’ve been set free from slavery to sin; if we hadn’t been, we never would have come to faith in Christ! But sin is still present with us, lurking in the throne room of our hearts awaiting an opportunity to seize control any moment. 

Have you ever wondered why it is so hard to keep our passion for Christ burning brightly, why we are not more consumed by loyalty and faithfulness as we should be to the one who died for us? Author, Max Lucado, gives a thoughtful answer—we face an enemy of our soul called, the agent of familiarity. Lucado explains,
His commission from the dark throne room is clear, and fatal: “Take nothing from your victim; cause him only to take everything for granted…” His aim is deadly. His goal is nothing less than to take what is most precious to us and make it appear most common….He’s an expert at robbing the sparkle and replacing it with the drab. He invented the yawn and put the hum in humdrum. And his strategy is deceptive. He won’t steal your salvation. He’ll just make you forget what it was like to be lost. Worship will become common place and study optional. With the passing of time, he’ll infiltrate your heart with boredom and cover the cross with dust. Score one for the agent of familiarity (God Came Near.)
Has the poison of the ordinary dulled your excitement about walking with Jesus? If so, our hope is that understanding the titles of Messiah Jesus from Isaiah 9, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, will explode your view of just who this being is who called you by name to be his follower.
Why did the long-awaited Messiah of Israel have to be the MIGHTY GOD—and what does that title mean for our everyday walk with Jesus today?
The Isaiah 9:6 Text
The phrase, mighty god is constructed from the words EL for god and GIBBOR for mighty. Interestingly, the Hebrew word GIBBOR is often used to describe a powerful hero. This word use is not accidental. As OT scholars have pointed out the true hero of the OT is not Abraham, Moses, Joshua, or David, but GOD. The promised land was not Abraham’s land bequeathed to his descendants, but a land of milk and honey promised as God’s gift to God’s people. The “Ten Words” brought down from Sinai were not Moses’ laws but those of a God so holy that anyone who touched the mountain would die. The conquest of the promised land by Joshua was not accomplished by Joshua’s might, but because Yahweh fought for his people. The establishment of David’s throne in Jerusalem by defeating surrounding peoples like the Philistines was accomplished not by David’s military prowess but by God’s power—a truth David understood when he said to Goliath,
 “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand…that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hand,” (1 Sam 17:45-47).
Behind the truth that it is Yahweh who saves, (which is what the name Joshua and Jesus mean) was the truth throughout Israel’s history that their political oppression was always the result of their disobedience to Yahweh. A careful look at what the OT prophets proclaimed reveals that the cause of Israel’s military oppression was their sin—their disobedience to their covenant obligations. For example, in the very first chapter of Isaiah, we read,
Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged. Why will you still be struck down? Why will you continue to rebel?… Your country lies desolate; your cities are burned with fire; in your very presence foreigners devour your land; it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners….If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be eaten by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken (vs 4,5,7, 20).
The oppressors that the Messiah needed to overthrow never were the Assyrians, Babylonians or Edomites. The oppressor always was SIN. It was the sin of the Israelites that led God to allow their political enemies to oppress them. That is why the great lesson of the OT is that God’s people cannot save themselves. “The Law never succeeded in producing righteousness,” writes Paul. “The weakness was always human sin,” (Rom 8:1-3). The promised Messiah would (eventually) overthrow the political oppression Israel experienced—but only because the Messiah would overthrow the real cause of Israel’s military occupation—their SIN. And God, himself, would be the only one powerful enough to break the human shackles of sin. The Messiah would be the MIGHTY GOD—God himself, and the only being powerful enough to overthrow evil. Isaiah goes on to tell us that this Messiah, alone, who is the MIGHTY GOD has the power to ABSORB EVIL and OVERTHROW EVIL. In chapter 53 of Isaiah, the Messiah ABSORBS EVIL: Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows…he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah goes on to tell us that God is displeased with human sin but sees no human who can solve the problem and overthrow evil. Only the MIGHTY GOD, himself, is powerful enough to defeat it. So, God will clothe himself in righteous and fight this spiritual battle.
Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands far away; for truth has stumbled in the public squares, and uprightness cannot enter. Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The Lord saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation… He put on righteousness as a breastplate and a helmet of salvation on his head (59:15ff).
Sin is so powerful that only the MIGHTY GOD, Messiah Jesus, could overthrow it.
The Awful Power of Sin to Corrupt and Destroy
The message of the OT could be summed up: No human has the moral power to keep God’s Covenant Law—to be righteous. Thus, no man can experience the presence of God. Were sinful man to see the face of God he would instantly perish—the reason that God, in grace, expelled fallen Adam and Eve from the Garden. In Paul’s words to the Romans, By works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law… the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe, (3:20-22).
The awful power of sin to corrupt is revealed in the moral failure of OT fathers to fulfill their task as the heads of their families, following the covenant pattern of Abraham, about whom God said, “For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him,” (Gen 18:19). Sin’s awful power had so corrupted the Israelites, that almost no fathers fulfilled this obligation, causing the OT to end with the prophecy in the very last verse, that finally one would come who would turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers.
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