What do I know with Isaac Carroll
What do I know with Isaac Carroll
The Thief in the Night: Why You Shouldn't Put Off Your Spiritual Chores continuing Matthew 24
What does Jesus really mean by the "abomination of desolation"? How should we interpret his warnings about the end times? In this thought-provoking exploration of Matthew 24:15-51, we unpack some of scripture's most challenging prophecies and their implications for believers today.
Jesus delivers pointed warnings about a coming tribulation so severe that "if those days had not been cut short, no life would have been saved." The imagery is stark and unsettling: pregnant women in distress, false messiahs performing convincing miracles, and cosmic signs including darkened sun and fallen stars. But within these warnings lies profound wisdom about spiritual preparedness.
We examine multiple interpretations of these prophecies, including whether they referred to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD or point to future events still awaiting fulfillment. The mysterious reference to the temple desecration raises questions about whether a future temple must be rebuilt in Jerusalem before Christ returns. While scholars debate the timeline, Jesus' message remains clear: believers must stay vigilant regardless of when these events unfold.
Perhaps most compelling is Jesus' comparison to Noah's day, when people continued their normal lives—"eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage"—completely oblivious to impending judgment. His warning that "one will be taken and one will be left" underscores the sudden separation between the righteous and unrighteous. The final parable of faithful versus unfaithful servants delivers a sobering message: what matters isn't just believing Christ will return, but how we live while awaiting that return.
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May God bless you and lead you always.
Welcome to the podcast. I'm Isaac Carroll, and this is what Do I Know? All right, in today's Bible study we're going to be back in Matthew 24. Last time we left off at verse 14, so let's pick up at verse 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 that those who are in judea must flee to the mountains. Whoever is on the house top must not go down to get things out of the house, whoever's in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. But what are those? Women who are pregnant and those who are nursing babies in those days? Moreover, pray that when you flee, it will not be in the winter or on a Sabbath, but then there will be a great tribulation. Such has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor will ever be again. 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. Then, if anyone says to you Behold, here is the Christ or he is over here, do not believe him, for false Christs and false prophets will arise and provide great signs and wonders so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you in advance. So if they say to you, behold, he is in the wilderness, do not go out. Or behold, he is in the inner room, do not believe them. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of man be. Wherever the corpse is there, the vultures will gather. All right, let's stop here at verse 28 and discuss what we have just read up until now. All right, we start out in verse 15 with a. Therefore, therefore, are always significant in explaining that what they are hearing from this point on is because of what we have just went over. So that would have been in the first part of chapter 24. Went over? So that would have been in the first part of chapter 24.
Speaker 1:Jesus goes into signs of events that most people believe is in the future. It's something that hasn't happened yet, but others believe that it were signs that the Jews were given to flee the final destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by the Roman Empire. The brutality that happened during that slaughter was horrific. They killed every man, woman and child they came across, even going so far as opening the bellies of pregnant women while they were still alive and pulling their babies out of them, just so they could smash their babies on the ground. These events would match strongly with the words that Jesus just used about the tribulation of those days and about nursing women and those who were pregnant. But the abomination of desolation is an event that keeps people guessing. There's a lot of different theories on this, but most people believe it's something that's going to happen in the future. And if it is going to happen in the future, then that means the temple has to be rebuilt in Jerusalem Now. This would be a major sign of the last coming, but currently we don't have a temple in Israel. So that's why a lot of people think that the coming of Jesus is still a little far off, because we're waiting for that event, significant event to happen.
Speaker 1:I don't know for sure and, let's be honest, no one else does either. We can only read what Jesus has to say and go from there. Verse 23 seems to move us from the, therefore, into another teaching. Jesus once again tells them not to be deceived that many false Christs would come and they would mislead many people. Verse 28, wherever there is a carcass there, the vultures will gather. Now, some believe this is Jesus pointing to the last battle, while I myself I believe it's signifying the corruption of nature of man, that where we celebrate sin, which is decay, corrupt people will gather, and so the false prophets and the false messiahs will draw, will be corrupt, and they will draw corrupt people to them and they will try to even, if possible, to deceive the elect. Now, the elect in this reference, in my opinion, is the church, but I'll let you decide on what it means to you.
Speaker 1:Let's continue in verse 29. But immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will darken and the moon will not give its light and the stars will fall from the sky. And the days the sun will darken and the moon will not give its light and the stars will fall from the sky and the power of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory, and he will send forth his angels with a great trumpet blast and they will gather together his elect from the four winds and from one end of the sky to the other. Now learn the parable of the victory as soon as its branches become tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. So you too, when you see all these things, recognize that he is near, right at the door. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. But about that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the son, but the father alone. For the coming of the son of man will be just like the days of Noah, for in those days, before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark. And they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away. So will the coming of the son of man be At that time there will be two men in the field. One will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill. One will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill. One will be taken and one will be left.
Speaker 1:All right, let's stop here at verse 41. We start out in verse 29 with Jesus speaking of the signs of the coming. The sign is so significant that it's been repeated throughout the scriptures Isaiah 13, 10, joel, 2.31, revelation, 6.12-13 Isaiah, 34.4, ezekiel, 32.7-8, amos, 8.9, mark, 13.24-25, luke, 21.25-26, acts, 2.20, jeremiah, 4.23-28, zephaniah 1, 15. Talking about the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light and the stars will fall from the sky. The powers of the heaven will be shaken. This is such a great sign that has been spoken about throughout, as you can see scripture. And then we move into verse 40.
Speaker 1:Verse 40, jesus states one will be taken and one will be left. Now there are a lot of interpretations of what this means, but I believe this is simply signifying the righteous will be separated from the unrighteous. One will be taken, one will be left. Why is one taken and why is one left? Well, the separation from righteous and unrighteous. Let's continue in verse 42. Therefore, be on alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. Therefore, be on alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming, but be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason, you must be ready as well, for the Son of man is coming in an hour when you do not think he will.
Speaker 1:Who, then, is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master has put in charge of his household slaves to give them their food at the proper time? Blessed is the slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you that you will be put in charge of all of his possessions. But if that evil slave says in his heart, my master is not coming for a long time, and begins to beat his fellow slaves, and then he eats and drinks with those who are habitually drunk, then the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect and an hour that he does not know, and he will cut him in two and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. All right, we draw to a close of Matthew 24.
Speaker 1:All right, let's talk about what we have just read. We start out verse 42 with a, therefore, and Jesus is signifying that, after all these things have been said, it is truly important for us to be ready at all times. And he uses a parable to get the point across of how Christians are supposed to behave. It's like a servant he has put in charge of his other servants to do everything that the master has asked him to do to feed them at the proper time. And he said blessed is the servant who's doing these things when the master returns, things when the master returns.
Speaker 1:Don't be like the bad servant who thinks that his master is a long way off and decides that he can get away with a few things while his master's away, starts beating and mistreating the other slaves and getting drunk and hanging out with individually drunk people Basically, self-indulgence in a life. That is not a service. And Jesus says when the master comes back at an hour the servant does not know and finds him not doing everything that he had asked him to do, that he would assign him a place with the hypocrites. So let that be a warning to us that we need to be doing all the things that God asked us to do in light of the salvation that has been given us. All right, I'm going to end this one here. We'll be in Matthew 25 in our next Bible study. Until then, god bless you guys. Goodbye.