The Third Last Sunday in the Church Year – November 10, 2024Psalm 31; Job 14:1-6; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18St. Matthew 24:15-28
In the Name of the Father, and of the +
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The first half of the book of Daniel is
mostly a narrative. It tells the story of how Daniel came to Babylon and his
rise to prominence. In these chapters, we hear how Daniel and the three Young
Men are sustained by faith rather than eating food sacrificed to Babylonians
idols,[1] how Daniel
interpreted the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar,[2]
the three young men being cast into the fiery furnace yet returning unharmed,[3] the feast
of Belshazzar and the writing on the wall interpreted by Daniel,[4] and how
Daniel was preserved by faith in the lions’ den.[5]
It is not until the second half of the
Book of Daniel that the prophet begins to receive visions. One gets the sense
that Daniel does not understand much of what he sees. He says as much after
some of the visions. Later, when the angel Gabriel comes to Daniel to interpret
the visions, the prophet still seems a bit confused about what it could all
mean. Such confusion is somewhat in the nature of prophecy. When a prophet is
granted such a vision, he is seeing events and people from God’s perspective; a
perspective not bounded by time and space. A day is as a thousand years and a
thousand years as a day with God because He sees all time at once yet perfectly
perceives each moment as distinct from every other moment with perfect clarity.
This is beyond the ability of man. It is beyond our ability to comprehend with
our minds and it is beyond the ability of our eyes to receive such sights.
And yet, the Prophets have been called
by God to faithfully communicate on God’s behalf. They are to communicate what
they have seen and what they have been told to the rest of God’s people. They
are not alone in this endeavor. The Holy Spirit is with them and guides them to
knowledge of the truth. The Prophet Daniel has given a faithful testimony of
what he saw in these visions from God, even if the frailty of our minds cannot
understand it.
With Daniel, we get a special insight
into how the Prophet reacted to seeing such visions. Seeing such terrible
things to come, knowing they were prophecies of destruction, what did Daniel
do? He devoted himself more fervently to the things of God—that is, he repented
and diligently set about offering the morning and evening sacrifices, devoted
himself to the Word of God and prayer.
Prior to the visions, we know that Daniel was a very pious young man. He was already devoted to the Word of God and prayer, but the frightful visions of destruction led him to continued devotion and especially to repentance.
Next week, we will hear one of these
visions the Prophet Daniel received, specifically the vision of the Ancient of
Days and One like a Son of Man. This morning, we heard our Lord make a
reference to Daniel’s vision of the “abomination of desolation.” To rightly
understand this phrase and our Lord’s use of it, we must recognize that what we
heard this morning rightfully treats two distinct topics and yet these topics
have been boiled together into one soup. These two topics are the destruction
of the kingdom of the Jews and the destruction of the kingdom of the world.
The concrete fulfillment of the
prophecy of the abomination of desolation happened in the first century when an
idol of a Roman eagle was placed in the Holy of Holies. The Jews of that time
began to riot, leading to Roman soldiers descending upon Jerusalem and
destroying the city and the temple.
The destruction of the temple in 70 AD
was conducted according to the will of God. Forty years earlier, Jesus Christ
prophesied that though they destroy the temple of His body, in three days, He
would rise again.[6] The temple
curtain was torn in two at the crucifixion, signifying the end of any need for
a temple built with hands or altars of sacrifice for bulls and goats. Yet the
Pharisees and Sadducees hardened their hearts against God. They led many astray
by preaching a false gospel, denying Jesus to be the Son of God and the
rightful King of all mankind. God could not abide their idolatry.
The sign of the Roman eagle placed in
the temple told the Christians it was time to flee. They left the city as
quickly as possible. They did not know the day or the hour when the Romans
would descend upon Jerusalem, but they knew it was coming. The destruction that
followed was for the purpose of erasing the idol that the temple had become. It
was now a monument to the false teachings of the Jews.
Those who had become Christians knew
there was no significance left in the temple, so when they saw the abomination,
they fled. The Jews could not abide the sight of the eagle. They clung more
fervently to the idol they had made of something that once belonged to God.
Just as their fathers demanded Aaron make an idol out of the very gold God
commanded them to carry out of Egypt, so these Jews set up the temple as their
new god.
Such is the destruction of the kingdom of the Jews. As for the destruction of the kingdom of the world, the abomination of desolation is spiritually fulfilled by an idol set up in the house of God, that is, an idol erected in your heart. It is abominable before God that you would seek comfort in being financially stable; that you would find pride in having your own way; that you would choose time with a sports team over the worship of Him. It is a desolation because such idolatry leaves your soul dry and hollow – a truly desolate place.
Such a spiritual fulfillment is found
in the Office of the Papacy, the true Office of Antichrist, who seats himself
within God’s church and calls himself the supreme authority on earth, capable
of speaking on Christ’s behalf where no other men may understand. According to Unum
Sanctum, a 14th century papal bull or declaration, it is
necessary for the salvation of man that he submit to the Pope above all others
in spiritual and worldly matters.[7] Thus the
Pope has set himself up as an idol in the house of God, an idol in the house of
the Church, a seat reserved for Christ alone.
Other spiritual fulfillments include
the heresy of dispensationalism, the teaching that God saves different people
in different ways, at different times. In other words, Adam and Eve were saved by
divine fiat; Noah was saved by obedience; ethnic Jews are saved by their race,
that is, being born in the right family; and it is only New Testament Gentiles
who are in fact saved by grace on account of the death and resurrection of
Jesus.
Often associated with dispensationalism
are various human actions being required to bring about the return of Christ
and the end of days; whether it is the birth of a red heifer, the rebuilding of
the Temple, the founding of a new nation-state of Israel, or the branding of
all humanity with barcode tattoos.
These false teachings fail to
understand the words of our Lord. The world is a wicked place. It is wicked
because man is born in sin and conceived in iniquity. It is wicked because men
make it wicked and the heart of man will always pervert the Word of God,
placing himself and his own desires at the center.
But do not miss the greatest aspect of
our Lord’s prophetic words today. These are words of tremendous comfort. Will
the final days of this world be terrifying? Will there be suffering of
Christians? Yes. But that suffering will be cut short for the sake of the
elect. You have been warned of the wickedness of the world because of God loves
you. All who believe and are baptized will be saved. There is no need to run
back into your house to gather your treasures. There is no need to gather the
laundry or put your tools back in the shed before fleeing before the
destruction of the world.
There is no need because you have the
greater portion. The Lord has called you out of this world of suffering. He has
called you to life eternal with Him. He has called you to eternity in the bliss
of heaven. His prophetic words even enumerate what is truly important – His
people. He gives care and sympathy to those who are pregnant and nursing
babies; to those enduring the cold of winter; and to those at prayer. The
greatest gift you can give your children and grandchildren is the heritage of
the Lord – His Word and Holy Sacraments. All other gifts of God in this world
are to be used for a time and even to be enjoyed, but they will not last. The
Word of the Lord endures forever and to those who have had that Word sealed on
their foreheads in Holy Baptism, they too will endure forever.
In + Jesus’
name. Amen.
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