Mathew 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand...)16. Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:17Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:18Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
To have the understanding called for in Mathew 24, It call for wisdom from several other teachings:
This is what Daniel prophesied:
11 Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.
12 And an host was given him against the dailysacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.
Our many topics have delved into this topic thus far from many different angles:
1. The point of worship. where is the temple, where do we worship in
Abomination was used in reference to worship. When there is a problem with the offering, or when the offering is tainted, it is an abomination.
Deuteronomy 17:1 | View whole chapter | See verse in contextThou shalt not sacrifice unto the LORD thy Godany bullock, or sheep, wherein is blemish, or any evil favouredness: for that is an abomination unto the LORD thy God.
The good sacrifices are pleasant and of sweat smelling odour while the bad sacrifices after an abomination:
2.Then we delved into worship. In modern, new testament terms. What is worship in the spirit as foreshadowed by the old testament? There we analyzed the various types of offerings, then and now.
3. Now that we understand worship in the new testament, what is an abomination in the new testament?What is accepted? What is not? What did the old laws on abominations foresee?
4. And desolation.
Meaning and use of the term in the old testament with reference to the place of worship. Relate it to the present. How would a modern temple become desolate? How would we know?
This is how it was used in the old;
And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours.
A time of desolation is a time when the Sanctuary and the place that would otherwise be of safe habitation of the chosen ones become destroyed. And defiled sacrificeswould abound therein, when the sacrifices/sweet smelling odours of the chosen ones are no more, God refuses to accept them as sacrifices.
Psalms offers an insight: It is caused by the enemy.
Psalms 74:3 | View whole chapter | See verse in contextLift up thy feet unto the perpetual desolations;even all that the enemy hath done wickedly in the sanctuary.
A desolate place is a place left without inhabitants. The dictionary meaning of the word offers great insight into the circumstances that would surround a time of desolation.
des·o·late
adjective
adjective: desolate
ˈdesələt/
1.(of a place) deserted of people and in a state of bleak and dismal emptiness.
"a desolate moor"
synonyms:bleak, stark, bare,dismal, grim; More
wild, inhospitable;
deserted,uninhabited,godforsaken,abandoned, unpeopled,untenanted,empty, barren;
unfrequented,unvisited, isolated,remote"the desolate prairie"
antonyms:populous
feeling or showing misery, unhappiness, or loneliness.
"I suddenly felt desolate and bereft"
synonyms:miserable,despondent,depressed,disconsolate, devastated,despairing,inconsolable,broken-hearted,grief-stricken, crushed, bereft;
More
sad, unhappy,downcast, down,dejected, forlorn,upset, distressed;informalblue, cut up
"the news of Rudolph's disappearance left them desolate"
antonyms:joyful
verb
verb: desolate; 3rd person present: desolates; past tense: desolated; past participle: desolated; gerund or present participle: desolating
ˈdesəˌlāt/
1.make (a place) bleakly and depressingly empty or bare.
"the droughts that desolated the dry plains"
With these, any Christian would know when the time of desolation. Is the place of worship still accomodative? Are sacrifices being accepted? Is it a time to run away from Jerusalem, because the enemies are upon it? Is there a desolation in our place of worship? In those days, iniquity shall abound; Mat 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. Iniquity is wickedness, as before explained through link.
Mixed feelings arise when something that would otherwise be noble is corrupted. Something like giving. The Prosperity/Seed gospel as currently presented has this effect on many people who want to give but have questions on how/where/who. These are all genuine questions.
Some preachers will use the old testament laws on giving when it beneficial to them, and ignore it when deemed unfavourable, mostly to enforce their greed. But...in the old testament, where offering was and could only be expressed by works of the flesh, there were rules of sanctifying the gifts.
The Levite's had no land/heritage like the other tribes. There was a limit to their prosperity:
Joshua 13:33
But unto the tribe of Levi Moses gave not any inheritance: the LORD God of Israel was their inheritance, as he said unto them.
For survival, they were dependent on the peoples gifts - actually, a portion of their gifts offered FIRST TO GOD, which was also a portion of their food and livestock...any offering purportedly for God has to go through God before the priest/pastor. God was their portion/inheritance too. Is the "seed" of of the prosperity gospel offered to God or to men?
Joshua 13:14
Only unto the tribe of Levi he gave none inheritance; the sacrifices of the LORD God of Israel made by fire are their inheritance, as he said unto them.
Currently, most pastors/shepherds have their own portion in this life(in all forms of that word,) - investments, while some of their sheep are disinherited, have nothing to their possession...because of a predatorial social/economic system, a system modern pastors are using to further oppress their followers by using the power - money, Mammon, the god of this age, this civilization, as a tool of oppression even within the Christian congregation.
There is also a very important ingredient of offerings that is currently ignored. A cheerful heart. If the gift is given to God, it CANNOT be forced, otherwise it becomes an abomination. When you look at how someone is dressed and order them to pay a certain amount of money depending on what status you perceive of them, it is not a free will offering. Neither is cursing congregants who have nothing to give. That is use of the spirit of fear for personal ends. God did not receive anything that was not of free will,
Exodus 25:2
Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.
The shepherds have turned predators, as prophesied:
Jeremiah 12:10
Many shepherds have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness
And the sheep are getting fattened, with the powers/cares of this world. Remember how the devil works;
1 John 2:16 | View whole chapter | See verse in context
for all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Nothing wrong with prosperity, but when it becomes your religion, its because you have made it your god.
So even more by the laws/standards of the old testament, the seed/prosperity gospel in its modern, emphatic form (which is mainly prospering the pastors) is in error. In fact, they are causing people to sin, by giving with unwillingness, without joy. That's what happens when people give out of fear. And fear is from the devil. They are behaving like the two sons of Eli: 1 Samuel 8
The sons of Eli used to take the sacrifices(which belonged to the anyway) with contempt and pride. They like ours, felt entitled, and forgot the gifts/offerings were for worship, for God. 1 Samuel 2:
14.And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that came thither.
15 Also before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw.
16 And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it me now: and if not, I will take it by force.
17 Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.
This is what is happening. The alter, once again, is defiled, because of greed, selfishness and pride of a priesthood that has imposed itself upon men, and made men to abhorr the offering of the Lord.
The powers of darkness, the powers of our age is ordered into principalities, and rulers. These are what you see in scripture as the rulers and kings in the battles in the end of the ages and times. The same powers and principalities we wrestle against even now from time immemorial, the same powers, kings, rulers dethroned in the beginning of the rule of righteousness at an end of every age, an ion where darkness ruled over the earth.
Spiritually, the earth is ruled by kings, even in this deceptive age of false liberty, where, kingdoms are hidden and countries are some sort of corporate entities(they do have owners) and kings are not called out as such(presidents are not necessarily kings). There are kings and princes, countless; principalities over which they reign, and rulers of all sorts of eminence, rulers who are familiars in our day to day lives. At times these are addressed in the name of their founding kingdoms as often happens for kingdoms like Babylon, Egypt, Israel (not an exception, as at a point Israel rebelled and demanded the rule of men. They infact preferred the powers of the age over God ), etc. Israel is now a great people, so multiplied they would not fit on that strip of controversial land up in Palestine. You could get an insight into the principalities that reigned over the tribes of Israel in the prophecy of Jacob to his sons in Genesis... Genesis 49:3 - 27
Those prophesies are unto the end of the age...
These kingdoms are great establishments built up by the spirits of men. And our current civilization is no different, there are powers, kings and rulers at the helm. Oppressors and the oppressed, the used and the users, slaves and lords, some very old and familiar, just as the spirits of sinful men are not new. That old spirit of rebellion is just regenerated in a new body. Like every other ancient civilization that preceded it, our time, our striving is just another affront by men.
The uniqueness of our time is that there is also a Kingdom of peace, planted at about the same time as this current age begun (that was the battle in the heavens in which Christ triumphed against ), growing in strength and power as time proceeds, and about to be manifested....the next civilization. A rule of the Principality of peace, where evil shall be dethroned, and bound.
To understand the power of God, first understand how he rules through men, unto whom He gave the earth for dominion and this dominion is delegated. Delegation means all those in power hold rule by his authority. And God made not just the earth, but the heavens and their fullness. That is the abode of all principalities, powers and rulers.
When He told Adam to dominate, He did, and the world is under the dominion of men. It was men who fell from grace, who chose to know both good and evil, and what comes out of the spirit of men is either good or evil, from that time, good leading to life, and evil leading to death. Evil is the dead works of the flesh.
The choice of knowledge of evil was a choice to know sin. The wicked one became one with the seed of men too, just as good did. And so the in as much as Cain came forth, so did Abel. These are the seed of men. Spirits of men. Men in dominion, power ?
Seasons, and times. Wickedness, in all its powers will be brought to an end. Powers that are born, wielded rebelliously in men. This is the season where wickedness is planted, and it is planted as the seed of good is also planted. A harvest shall come, powers of wickedness shall be separated, and destroyed an everlasting destruction.
The Son Of Man, Our Prince
There is a son of man who came down from heaven and lived as men, a short while, and he was bound, by the great men of the earth, tormented and killed. He bore the grief of men of the earth, and death arose against Him, the Son of God, unrepentant and still, yet another time, again and again, arising against the sons of peace, the brethren of Christ, swallowing and biting in and not getting satisfied.
But there is a time set, a time for the completion of the works of death, and for life, yet again, to triumph, to rule over death. That is what our Christ did on that day, when he descended to the depths of the earth, held captivity captive. That which holds the sons of men captive, that is in itself captive in the hands of our Lord. The son of man.
That is how He rules over principalities. It is the principalities that hold men captive, and by holding principalities(powers, and rulers of this world), he has in fact control, authority over them. That is why His place is above all of them. That is why, in his name, He who rules over the principalities, we triumph over the same principalities, rulers, and powers of the age. It is the name of a principality that is greater, higher than the principalities of men. The principality of peace, it is called, as is written.
That is the power of the Son of Man. Our Lord.
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| The heavens remain silent. No word. Remember that it is the season. No idea how long this will take. But there is more than enough power to keep you in a safe place. Stay hidden. The storm is raging hard.... |
