SPIRITUAL WARFARE


It is this spiritual warfare against this spiritual Jerusalem, and not literal war within the nation of Israel. After the cross, the New Testament external covenant Church is the dwelling place of God, not national Israel. The only holy place where abomination "could" stand in after the resurrection of Christ, is the New Testament Church. It can't stand in God (the holy Temple), and it can't stand in the true believer (the holy Temple), but it can stand in the external or visible Church (the holy Temple). For we are collectively are built up a spiritual house, a Holy Temple of God.

Ephesians 2:22
"In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit".

The corporate or external Church and holy Temple of God is built with "precious" stones of Gold, silver and precious Jewels, and also of stones made of wood, hay and stubble. When God talks about the true Temple, He is speaking of only those in Christ. But when God speaks of the external Covenant body, there are those within it who are not truly saved. It depends on from what perspective God is speaking that we know to whom He is speaking of. Where two or three are gathered together in Christ's name, there is He in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20), making them collectively the holy place. Christ stands in the Church, in the midst of the candlesticks. When a Church apostatizes, abomination is standing where it ought not.

We look to the former literal buildings in Jerusalem as merely a "type" that looked forward to the true holy Temple Christ. With the coming of Christ, it fulfilled that type. Which means, we could never go back to having prophecy, of the "type" again. When the veil in the holy temple that separated the holy place from the holiest, was ripped from top to bottom, that ended the literal temple being the holy place. And this disenfranchisement took place the instant that Christ died (Mark 15:37-38). Christ fulfilled the type, therefore there is now no possibility that the type (the literal temple) would be the holy place of abomination prophesied about as in A.D. 70.

That theory is a product of theologians looking to historians, rather than to scripture as their authority and interpreter. It's true enough that the holy place before the cross "was" the holiest in the literal Temple separated by a veil. But that temple is passed away in prophecy. When Christ died, he brought the shadow of the literal temple to its completion (fulfillment). That Temple pointed to Christ, just as the animal sacrifices and offerings therein pointed to an ultimate sacrifice.

But that holy Temple "after the cross" could no more house the holy place as the sacrifices therein by the Jews could be a godly practice. It would be a denial of Christ. Likewise, the literal temple was no longer the place of the veil separating the holy place. The Biblical "facts" are, the veil between the Holiest of Holiness was ripped from top to bottom at Christ's death on the cross, signifying that the way into the holy place was no longer pictured in that physical temple, but was now in its fulfillment in the New Testament Church.

Matthew 27:50-51
"Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, Behold, the veil of the Temple was ripped from top to the bottom; and the earth did quake."

This signified that the Old Testament Temple and its ceremonial laws and practices were completed in Christ. This veil was destroyed when Christ died because it represented His flesh. With the sacrifice of His own flesh, this could no more be considered the separator between the holiest of holiness, and man. This Temple made with hands cannot be the objects of future prophesy, because it's been fulfilled, completed, or brought to its end in Christ.

The very same Holy Temple that "God says" is built with living stones of Gold, Silver and Precious Jewels (true believers), but also is built with wood, hay and stubble (those calling themselves Christian, but whom fire will reveal at the last day, are not). This is the Only Holy Temple (1st Corinthians 3:10-13) which qualifies in the New Covenant age for this prophecy. The literal Temple of A.D. 70 was neither Holy, not any longer a Temple of God. The abomination the prophet Daniel and Matthew spoke about, was the Holy Temple after Christ's death.

That's where abomination ought, or should not stand. And again, God instructs the saints that when they see it, they should flee to the mountains. This is the over spreading or wing of abomination Daniel prophesied about. A great spiritual harlotry, or spiritual *****dom, that would take place near the end of the world. In Church history, it was often spoken of as "the Apostasy," because of its illustration in 2nd Thessalonians chapter two.

2nd Thessalonians 2:3

"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God."

This also is the same event spoken of as the abomination standing where it should not. It is the man of sin, or literally, lawless man ruling in the Holy Temple of God. The antichrist is the spirit of Satan (1st John 4:3), and here through man he is ruling in God's house. The lawless man, or man of sin, is the antithesis of the man of God.

The man of sin is anyone who Satan rules over and uses to accomplish his purposes, which is to rule in the Church as if he were God. What we are talking about is the falling away, or literally an [apostasia] or separating from God by man. This time was foretold, and its period is near the second coming of Christ, when man will be deceived by Satan and forsake the God's laws.

He will sit or rule in the Holy Temple as if he is God. In other words, Satan has subjugated man to forsake God's Word and judge by what seems right in his own eyes. The authority of God will be forsaken for the authority of man, led by the spirit of Antichrist.

This abomination that makes desolate comes forth from the little horn of Daniel. When we discover when the little horn comes forth, we will find the timing of the abomination of desolation to give the "Lord's sanctuary" to be trodden under foot. Some claim that this speaks of Alexander the great, when his power was broken. But clearly that is an untenable conclusion because Christ Himself speaks of this prophecy of Daniel, as future.

When examined carefully, we will find that the "little horn" refers to the "power to rule a little season" that Satan has when he is loosed at the end of the world. It is the time that he goes up against the camp of the saints (revelation 20:3, 7, 9). In Revelation God says Satan is loosed a "little season." This is the power (horn) to work a little time. That's what the little horn symbolizes. And what he comes against is the beloved city.

That is what Daniel speaks of as the sanctuary being trodden under foot. So the abomination that makes desolate is at the end of the world (Daniel 12:8-10).

The Host is Christ, and the Sanctuary is the Church or Holy Temple wherein the Host dwells. This again is showing the abomination standing in the Holy place, a transgression (lawlessness) in God's House that the wise shall see and understand that they must flee these transgressions. And the end of the matter is Christ's second advent. All scripture points to this one inescapable conclusion. Look at the declaration in Daniel chapter 9.

Daniel 9:27
"And He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week He shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of Abomination He shall make it desolate, even UNTIL THE CONSUMMATION, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."
Christ confirmed (or literally, 'made Strong') the Covenant by His death on the cross (Hebrews 9:17). This is the establishment of the New Covenant, and so we know that the abomination that must take place after the cross. Again, this is supporting Biblically that the spreading of this abomination will leave it desolate. at this point the oblation, or the gift and sacrifice, ceases.

Not the literal giving of gifts or the sacrifice of animals as some have supposed, but the gift of salvation, and the sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:26) ceases. This agrees perfectly with the rise of abomination in God's house. And note carefully that it isn't until the midst (middle) of the covenant week. It's not at the beginning of the week when Christ confirmed or gave the covenant strength by His death. It's in the midst of this covenant week. Consequently, the second half of the covenant week is in this abomination that makes desolate. This is the hour or time of darkness, wherein no man can work because the gift and daily (continual) sacrifice has ceased.

Daniel 9:27 declares very plainly that this "end of sacrifice and offering" lasts until the consummation. In other words, this abomination that makes desolate will last until the end of days, and the second advent of Christ when all things will be completed or consummated.

This is also why we read in Revelation chapter seven that the judgement that God loosed upon the earth, could not be done "until" all the servants of God had first been sealed in their foreheads. In other words, not until all Israel has been sealed (saved or secured) can the sacrifice and gift cease. For the sacrifice and oblation is for this sealing of the tribes of Israel. They are sealed with the Holy Spirit, and that is synonymous with being baptized with the Holy Spirit. It is only after all Israel has been sealed that Satan can be loosed a short season "as judgment" upon the unfaithful. And the desolation or ruin of the Holy Temple is inevitable.

Take God from the Church, and you take away the light of the Church that was commanded to burn continually. You take away sacrifice and offering. You take away all restraint of sin and you have lawlessness. This is abomination standing in God's Holy Place.

In 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2, God speaks about this time and says He that restrains iniquity (the Spirit of Christ) in the Holy Temple is taken out of the way (literally, midst or middle). It is the job of the Holy Spirit to restrain iniquity by being a light that shines in darkness. When He is taken from the midst of the Holy Temple, the man of sin replaces the man of God in the Churches.

Thus man will rule in the Holy Place of God's house "as if" he were God himself. And this is the abomination that makes this place desolate. But God assures us in Daniel 12:11 that those saints, who patiently wait upon the Lord in this time of tribulation, are the blessed. They shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, and they shall not be as those who are deceived by the spirit of Antichrist. They endure by the Spirit of Christ "in them." These are those spoken of as blessed, who will wait and endure to the consummation because they have root in Christ, who strengthens them.

Ephesians 2:2
"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:"

The spirit of disobedience is a spirit is in the man of sin, and by it he rules lawlessly in the Holy Temple, as illustrated in 2nd Thessalonians chapter 2. This is an abomination in the Holy Place. This is spiritual harlotry.

The man that forsakes God's laws and lusts after the traditions of men is spiritually just like a woman without virtue who is married to one man, and then goes after another. Hence, the term ***** and harlotry that God uses for His unfaithful congregation (Ezekiel 16:2, 16:8, 16:15-17, 16:22-28). For in this, the congregation (the bride of Christ) is practicing spiritual fornication by seeking another head, as her authority. This is an abomination to God.

Revelation 17:5
"and upon her forehead was a name written, mystery Babylon the Great, the Mother of harlots and Abominations of the earth."

God will judge the lawless Church who has spiritually become as Babylon, and who has in her unfaithfulness, become as a *****. He will send an army against her to burn her with fire (judgement) and make her spiritually naked. Nakedness in scripture is a synonym for being unsaved by not having a 'sacrificial' covering for our sins. It's lacking the robe of Christ's righteousness.

When the daily is removed, this harlot will be brought to desolation because she will then lie in darkness because of her fornication. There will be no free gift and no daily or continual sacrifice because this Church will have had it's candlestick removed out of it's place (Revelation 2:5).

And, so we see that in simple terms, the abomination of desolation is the prophesied detestable (abominable) thing unto God, standing in the Holy Temple. And in this context Christ warns us that there will be many false Christs and false prophets abounding. He warns that their deception will be so great that it would even deceive the elect (chosen), if that were possible.

Satan is that great deceiver who will fool many, and it is important to understand that it is in "this context" that many are deceived and will depart from the faith, iniquity abounds, the saints hated, and the love of God grows cold. These are the signs of apostasy as false teachings are promulgated in the Churches. This is the abomination that will leave the Holy Temple desolate.

We should discern the full extent of what Christ was talking about in addressing abominations standing where they should not. We should understand the symbols prefiguring the spiritual desolation of the last days during the great manifestation of the spirit of antichrist. We should understand God says this time of great deception and falsehoods is greater than the world had ever seen before and greater than the world "will" ever see again.

The reason it will be greater than ever will be again is because it occurs preceding the Lord's second advent when Satan is loosed. It is a time of trial or testing before Christ returns on the clouds of glory, as the context of Matthew 24 also shows. It is a time of trouble and of great trials and tribulation. A time of confusion and deception to those who refuse to receive the love of truth.

Those who have an earnest desire to do the will of God have the love of God and thus receive the love of truth. They are those who are watching (Matthew 24:42-44) and so "see" the signs of this abomination. Those not watching are those who are lawless, snared by traps that the false prophets have set.

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Continued…..

Conclusion

By the preponderance of evidence in scripture, the setting up of the abomination of desolation will be the beginning of the end. This event, which will cause God's elect to flee from the adulterous Church, precedes the return of Christ on the clouds of glory. The reason that the Church is brought to desolation is because of its unfaithfulness. The growing apostasy in the Church caused the house of God to be divided (mark3:25) and overcome by those with the spirit of antichrist. God expressly told us of these things before.

When the people of the Churches take heed to seducing spirits of antichrist (1st John 4:3), and depart from obedience in the doctrines of God, they become the man of lawlessness. And this is the establishment of the man of sin ruling in the Holy Temple of God. The pastors are no longer teaching faithfully, He causes the Church to commit spiritual fornication in going after false doctrines. This is what will ultimately bring the house to desolation.

You cannot have a house where the Spirit of Christ and the spirit of antichrist dwell in peace. Because it is a house divided, and it must fall. The Church is to be the light of the world, and if that light were darkness, and then the lawful man of God must flee from it. And this is how the unfaithful Church will fall. The lawless man, moved by the spirit of antichrist, comes professing the name of Christ. But his actions give him away as he spiritually silences the true witnesses (Revelation 11:7) in the Churches so that they are spiritually as dead. The wolves in sheep's clothing will have deceived so greatly that the true doctrines and testimonies are silenced there.

The people there will hate the faithful witness, because their faithfulness to the doctrines of Christ is like torment to the unfaithful church. By rebuking and exhorting the Church to keep the laws of God faithfully, they offend many because those under deception don't want to hear of obedience to God's laws. They want to be ruled in accordance with the imaginations of their own heart, "as if" they were their own gods. They don't want God's word alone to be the authority, and so they silence the believer's testimony.

Jesus placed an extraordinary emphasis on the prophecy of the abomination, instructing that those who read should also "understand." By allowing the Word of God to define and explain itself, we have the understanding God exhorts us to. Popular authors, political interpretations, or carnal and worldly ideas about the nation of Israel cannot be allowed to mislead us.

Even if those interpretation "appear" right, appearances are deceiving (Mark 13:22; 2nd Corinthians 10:7; Revelation 13:11). Our understanding will come from the authority of scripture in the wisdom of the mind of Christ, as His Spirit witnesses with ours (Romans 8:16). We cannot do or follow whatever "seems" right in our own eyes. We follow, and are in obedience to, the authority of the word of God.

It is truly amazing that so critical an expression as, "abomination of desolation," has been so misinterpreted. These are words that have been used repeatedly and extensively in scripture. Abomination is almost exclusively used in scripture to signify "God's people" going after the false gods of the unbelievers. Likewise, Desolation is an unambiguous word. It illustrates their ruin. So why have these obvious truths been so neglected and ignored in many theological circles in favor of a political or physical understanding of the phrase? Could it be that the Biblically validated conclusion contradicts much of Judaic and Premillennial Church tradition? Nevertheless, the fact is, the Holy Temple after the cross is Christ, those in Christ, and the assembly of those saints (Church). Clearly, the stones of the Holy Temple were not in the building destroyed in A.D. 70. For in A.D. 70, the holy Temple, the Holy Place, the Jerusalem of God, was the Church.

Luke 20:16-17
"He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others. And when they heard it, they said, God forbid.
And he beheld them, and said, What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?"

Head stone for a rebuilding of the Holy Temple, not the pile of bricks destroyed in A.D. 70. The New Testament Holy Temple could not have been that building, nor have God call it a Holy Place where abomination would make it desolate at that time. It already was left desolate in God's eyes by the death of Christ. If we read and understand as Christ instructs, then we must come to the knowledge that earthly Jerusalem was left desolate of God at the cross, not years later in A.D. 70. That is to say, according to the Biblical narrative. The judgment of God (blindness in part) had already occurred, and there is not a single word in scripture about a second judgment in A.D. 70.

Yes, there are a few scriptures "privately interpreted" to mean that, but once examined in the light of the whole Bible, they don't hold up under the light. Christ spoke not of a temple (which wasn't of God or Holy) made of physical stones, He spoke of abomination in a Holy place. He spoke of something far more important than a pile of physical bricks falling in the Middle East. He spoke of those who were spiritually bricks, and how many would be deceived and be brought to desolation. The countless examples of such judgements of God for such abominations are illustrated vividly in Old Testament Israel.

Daniel 11:31-33
"And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.
And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days."

Here we see the characteristics of this time of the abomination of desolation. Many that are disobedient to break God's covenant are being deceived by flatteries. They pollute and profane the sanctuary, unconcerned with doctrine. In other words, by the pastors and teachers giving praise for their unlawfulness, representing them favorably when they transgress, that is the Church being corrupted by flatteries. Pastors telling them things that they want to hear, instead of the truth.

Isaiah 30:9-11
"That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD: Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us."

They are in essence calling for sacrifice and offering to cease. They don't want to hear the man of law; they want to hear the man of sin or lawlessness. And the pastors give them what they want, as this is the flattery of abominations to God. i.e., the Church wants to hear that they can be saved by free will, that divorce is not a sin to God, that abortion can be justified. They want to hear that our own faith "in" Christ saves us, that children are not really a blessing, that women can rule as pastors in the Church, that an earthly kingdom of Christ is coming, that the salvation of Israel was postponed, etc., etc.

2nd Thessalonians 2:9-11
"Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders; And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:"

It is for this reason that God will judge the Church and bring it to desolation. What many Christians fail to fully understand is that Satan is the great deceiver. And if everyone could "see" this and knew his methods, then he wouldn't be the great deceiver. That's the "whole point" of God describing him as Deceiver, Liar, Seducer, Flatterer, etc.

These are the deceptive ways that the spirit of antichrist comes in and fools people of the Church into thinking that the doctrines that they hold are the truth. Satan comes with a doctrine (1st Timothy 4:1) so mimicking the true gospel, that it would even deceive the elect of God, if that were possible. The "Man of Sin" is not Satan incarnate, he is not a supernatural being, he is not one man to be born sometime in the future, he is the man of transgression of the law. When the man of sin comes, he will come by great multitudes. Literally, the Greek phrase is "man of lawlessness" or lawless man. It's not a single person. And the man of lawlessness is antithetical to the man of lawfulness. e.g.,

This is the way Satan comes revealing himself. And even more so in the latter times when God says He that retrains iniquity shall be taken out of the midst (2nd Thessalonians 2:7). Then will the elect see Satan come in the full power of the spirit of antichrist, and as a wolf in sheep's clothing. Then will the man of sin rule in God's place.

The end of the matter is that those who receive Satan's spiritual mark (signifying their servitude), are those who are polluting the sanctuary of God with abominations that make desolate. They are the disobedient who cause the gift and offering to cease. It is their unfaithfulness that brings the Holy Temple to desolation. This is what the scriptures are "signifying" in telling the reader to understand.

Popular books may titillate and intrigue, but they are neither authoritative, nor divinely inspired. And Church tradition is not the deciding factor, and neither are historians, no matter how faithful they may appear to be. The Word of God is the final authority on what the abomination of Desolation is, so let the reader both hear and understand what the Spirit says to the Churches concerning it.

The signs of Church degradation will be there for faithful Christians to "see" this abomination in God's house, and know that it's desolation is nigh. But as Christ said, we must be watching.

Matthew 24:42-44
“Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this that if the Goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh."

There is nothing more sacred to an honest mind than truth. It's true Christ will come as a thief in the night, but "not" for the faithful who are watching (1st Thessalonians 5:2-4 ). If we are not (spiritually speaking) watching, then our house will be broken up and the Lord will come in judgment upon us when we think not. But if we watch and pray, we will be accounted worthy to escape all these things that will befall the house of God and to stand undefiled and righteous before God.

The signs Christ spoke of in Matthew 24 are the spiritual precursors of His return. They are not people physically starving, or predictions of physical wars, which things we have with us always and thus could never be signs of anything but normality. The signs are of spiritual declension where the love of God grows cold and iniquity (sin or lawlessness) abounds.

The opinions, interpretations and suppositions of men cannot be allowed to conceal the truth of scripture concerning things that were, are, and will be. Eschatology is simply the revelation of the gospel of the kingdom of Christ of the last things. It entails Christ's promises, death, resurrection, our assurance and endurance, our hope, and His coming again. And thus it should never be looked upon as a non-essential.

Consequently, the abomination of desolation is not an unimportant side note, it is the declaration of Christ, which He obviously wants us to read and understand. The Abomination of Desolation is the beginning of the end, and God does not give warning just to take up space in the Bible. For judgment must begin at the house of God.

Are we really watching and ready?

Will we be able to recognize abomination standing in the holy place, or will we chalk it up to a few weeds in the field?

Do we really understand, or are we deceived into thinking Christ spoke of the relatively insignificant happenings in A.D. 70? Those are the questions that we need to be prepared to answer, and answer honestly and authoritatively.

May the Lord who is Gracious above all, grant us the wisdom and knowledge in wide open eyes to see when abomination stands in the Holy place. May He bless us in the study of His Holy Word, and guide us into a clear understanding that His thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are your ways our ways (Isaiah 55:8). We pray that God will grant us sound judgement in the mind of Christ, by His Word, through His Holy Spirit.

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This is what we have been watching for...Satan has invaded the Church and will take it over completely very soon. For surely this is the Holy Place that is experiencing this "Abomination of desolation". I pray we all have eyes to see this and are fleeing to the Most High, His Word, and His love and protection.

JESUS IS ALL AND EVERYTHING!!

Patti C.

Hi Patti,

Great find! I was blessed by your post of this article. I felt a deep sense of peace while reading it and was truly moved. I witness the spirit of God within his word and believe this to be the TRUTH! With Love, Michael

Dearest Michael,

What a blessing it was to read your message this morning. I am so glad that you took the time to read and absorb this article. I felt the same way when I read it, so much truth in it. The great falling away within the Church, so many turning from the Truth and falling for "religious" lies. It is as if mankind, like Adam and Eve, are being tested by the "subtle serpent", as he stands in the "Holy place", declaring he is God.

Thanks for making my day with your encouraging comments, dear brother.

Agape!

Patti C.

Hi Patti,

What is going on in the churches today is truly an abomination, that causes spiritual desolation!

I must say, one MUST "come out from amongst her", in order to hear, receive and believe the truth when it is exposed. And when it is! I read an interesting quote that is appropriate to use here.

"When a person who has been honestly mistaken receives the truth, he either ceases to be mistaken, or he ceases to be honest." Steve Coerper

Stay in His service,

Blessed Be His Name

Hi Linda!

Thanks for the comments and the great quote!! How true! Until recently I had not considered the Church as where the abomination of desolation would take place, but once I did, it just fit so well, and is reflected so clearly in the worldly end time churches!! Wow!

So glad to see others are coming to the similar conclusions, especially those I trust and admire.

Agape!

Patti C.

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