Sermon for Trinity 25
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 + Matthew 24:15-28
From now through the end of the Church Year and through most of the season of Advent, the Church has taught us for many, many centuries, through its selection of Scripture readings, to focus on the end of this world, and on the state of the world leading up to the end. There is some divine providence in the fact that U.S. elections always occur at this time of year, when Christians have been historically focused on the end times. It’s very easy to get drawn into politics and election results, and into arguments over the best way to “save our nation.” But the truth is, all this will soon be destroyed. Not a single nation on this earth will survive the coming of Christ—only the faithful within His Church, which exists in every nation, will survive. And, besides, Christ has never taught His Church to set our hearts on this world, or on the government of it, although that hasn’t stopped many Christians from getting caught up in it anyway. No, the Lord teaches us to live as foreigners and aliens in this world, even here in what we call “our own country,” to recognize that our true citizenship, as Christians, exists in heaven, and to set our hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father, and to wait eagerly for the Lord to return.
With that in mind, we turn to today’s Gospel, which took place during Holy Week, as Jesus was about to be betrayed, mistreated, and crucified by His own nation, by His own people. But His disciples didn’t know that yet. So they came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, “You see all these things? Truly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” Then He took them out to the Mount of Olives to continue teaching them, and they came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” Those two questions set the stage for the two-part answer Jesus gave in our Gospel. He talks about the “end” of Jerusalem, that is, the coming destruction of Jerusalem which would take place within the next 40 years, but He uses certain aspects of Jerusalem’s destruction to answer the second question His disciples asked, to describe the signs of His coming at the end of the age, and to give His Church some crucial instructions for surviving those troubled times.
He begins, in our text, speaking of the time to come when they would see the “abomination of desolation standing in the holy place.” Let’s dig into what that means. It’s a phrase used by the prophet Daniel. And, while it may have had a first fulfillment in certain events that took place in Jerusalem before Christ was born, Jesus makes it clear that Daniel’s prophecy had yet to be fulfilled. And, as we said, it would have a fulfillment yet in the actual temple of Jerusalem leading up to its destruction, and it would have another, greater fulfillment in the spiritual temple of God leading up to Christ’s return. Let’s break that down.
First, what is an abomination? An abomination, in the language of the Old Testament, could refer to something that was to be detested by men, for a time, such as the unclean animals that the Israelites were to avoid. God, through Moses, taught the Israelites to detest or shrink back from the idea of eating the creatures on that newly-given list of unclean animals, like pigs or shellfish or camels, but only for the duration of the Old Testament.
Other things, though, were abominations to God, abominations by their very nature, something God always found “abominable” or detestable. The Old Testament specifically lists several things as abominations of that kind. At the top of the list were idols, and the practice of idolatry, and pagan rituals in general. They were called abominations. But specific things were also named as abominations to God: witchcraft and divination, child sacrifice, adultery, homosexual behavior in particular, men dressing like women, or women like men, bestiality, or even things like unjust business practices, perverse ways, lying lips, blemished sacrifices, and the sacrifices brought by people who were actually unbelievers. (Remember that list; we’re going to come back to it in a moment.) For these abominations, God commanded the Israelites to wipe out the Canaanites, who had filled the land with their abominations. For similar abominations of which the people of Israel were guilty, God had laid waste to the land of Judea and to the city of Jerusalem, leaving them desolate and abandoned for a time. That’s why it’s called, here in our Gospel, an “abomination of desolation.”
And it’s seen standing “in the holy place.” That was, at first, a reference to the temple in Jerusalem. And, in the decades following Christ’s resurrection from the dead, an abomination would stand in that temple. All the sacrifices of Christ-denying Judaism were abominations to God. While the temple remained, the Jews continued to bring their sacrifices, in denial of the once-for-all sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross, for the sins of the world. And even after they heard that Jesus had been sacrificed for their sins, they refused to believe in Him, and kept on bringing their abominations, day in and day out. And, eventually, God brought in the Roman armies to destroy that “holy place” that was no longer holy.
But, remember, Jesus was also answering the question about the end of the world, about the times leading up to His coming. Now the “holy place,” now the “temple of God,” is the Holy Christian Church on earth. And Jesus means to teach His disciples here that they (we!) would see another abomination of desolation standing in the Church. We would see a rise of wickedness, not only in the world around us, where such godlessness is to be expected, but in the Church itself, where wickedness would rise and, eventually, be allowed to stand, and to thrive.
Let’s dare to name just some of the idols and detestable practices that have infiltrated the holy place of the Christian Church over the centuries, some here, some there, and not just as passing errors, but as permanent fixtures. Christ-denying Judaism, often combined with Christian Zionism, is being promoted and permitted in many churches, and it remains an abomination to God. Divination, witchcraft, and pagan rituals are practiced in many churches around the world, not to mention the “prophesying” and “tongue-speaking” in many Pentecostal churches, and it remains an abomination to God. Abortion, which is the modern form of child sacrifice, is promoted and permitted in many churches, and it remains an abomination to God. The worship or veneration of saints, and icons, and statues is idolatry, which is promoted and permitted in many churches, remains an abomination to God. Adultery, and the practice of homosexuality in particular, and cross-dressing are promoted and permitted in many modern churches, and it remains an abomination to God. Then there are the unjust business practices and the defrauding of Christians that are running rampant in most of the megachurches. Those, too, along with all false doctrines, along with all wicked practices, are an abomination to God, just like they were in Old Testament times. And they will bring down God’s wrath on the outward institutions of the Christian Church, causing it to become desolate, just as God’s wrath was brought down on Jerusalem and its temple when the true worship of God was replaced with an abomination.
Now, the question: What are you to do when you see this abomination standing in the holy place—when you see these things being promoted, permitted, and defended within a Christian church or church body? Here’s what Jesus says to do: Flee! Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not come down to get anything out of his house. And let the one who is in the field not turn back to get his clothes. But woe to the women who are with child and who are nursing in those days! Keep praying that your flight does not take place in the winter or on the Sabbath! For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until now, nor will there ever be. There was to be a geographical fleeing from Jerusalem and Judea in the first century, when it became clear that the city, as a whole, was going to keep practicing its abomination of Christ-denying worship in the temple. And they were to flee as quickly as possible, even if it was hard. And they were to leave things behind as they fled. Getting out before the destruction came was the most important thing.
So it will be, so it already is, in these last days. The abominations mentioned a moment ago weren’t all set in place overnight and everywhere. Some of them have been around for many centuries, and the Lutherans were some of the first to start fleeing when they saw the abominations of the papacy. But since then the abominations have multiplied like locusts, especially over the past 50 years, so that, when the outward Christian Church is viewed as a whole, and all the abominable teachings and practices are viewed together, how can anyone fail to see the abomination of desolation standing firmly in the holy place?
Some people have the noble idea that they should stay in the place where the abomination is standing, to try to root it out. Others are very attached to some of the nice things in those churches and are unwilling to part with them. But such people aren’t listening to Jesus, are they? He says, “Flee!” That means, flee from any church or church body that has an abomination standing within it, that is, where any idol or idolatry is being promoted or permitted, where any form of adultery or homosexual behavior is being promoted or permitted, where abortion is being promoted or permitted, where any type of fraud, or any type of false doctrine, or any type of irreverent worship is being promoted or permitted or defended. All these things stand in defiance of Christ Jesus, within the very place where people claim to worship Him. So, wherever you see these things embedded in a church, flee, even if it means leaving things behind that you cherished. Flee, even if it’s hard. Flee, not from being active in a Christian church, but from being joined to a church where you see the abomination standing. Getting out before the destruction comes is the most important thing.
It will get bad for the elect, Jesus says. It has gotten bad, not only for those who stay with the abomination, but also for those who are in the process of fleeing, as we are here. That’s why it’s called “the great tribulation.” It will get so bad that if those days were not shortened, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened, Jesus promises. And because it’s gotten so bad for genuine Christians in the world, because the outlook for the Church appears so bleak, many will arise, as Jesus Himself predicts, claiming, ‘Look, here is Christ!’ or ‘There!’, offering people false hope in their made-up teachings, like Mormonism, or charismatic movements, for example. But, Jesus says, Do not believe it. For there will arise false christs, and false prophets, and they will perform great signs and wonders, so as to deceive even the elect, if that were possible. Don’t be deceived by false christs and false prophets. Don’t be deceived by signs and wonders, either. And don’t be moved by all the people who will criticize and condemn you for daring to notice the abominations they’ve set up. Cling to the apostolic word. Confess it, together with the ancient creeds, and let no novel teaching lead you astray. Keep your eyes on the heavens, looking for the coming of Christ, like eagles carefully scanning the ground for their next meal. When that meal appears, they all see it and flock to it. In the same way, when Christ appears, all who are scanning the heavens for His coming, will see Him, and will gather around Him in glory, both we who are still alive, and those who have already fallen asleep. May God keep us in the midst of this great tribulation, and may He keep our eyes on the heavens, waiting for our Savior to appear. Amen.
