Former Adventists Philippines: VIDEO & OUTLINE LESSON#6: "The Beginning of the End" (Matthew 24:15

FAP BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINAR LESSON#6: "The Beginning of the End" (Matthew 24:15–28)

Date: Saturday, May 9, 2026 | Time: 7:00 PM | Series: The Olivet Discourse Made Easy

LESSON OVERVIEW

¹⁵ “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), ¹⁶ then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁷ Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, ¹⁸ and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. ¹⁹ And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! ²⁰ Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. ²¹ For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. ²² And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. ²³ Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. ²⁵ See, I have told you beforehand. ²⁶ So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. ²⁷ For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ²⁸ Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather."Matthew 24:15-28 (ESV)

Main Thesis: Matthew 24:15–28 finds complete fulfillment in the AD 70 destruction of Jerusalem under the Roman general Titus not in any future tribulation period. The "Abomination of Desolation," the Great Tribulation, the False Christs, and the Eagles/Carcass imagery all speak with precision to first-century events.

Key Verse: "So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand) …" Matthew 24:15 (ESV)

LESSON OUTLINE (45 Minutes)

I. INTRODUCTION & REVIEW (5 minutes)

Hook: Ask the group "What do you think is the most feared and misunderstood verse in the Olivet Discourse?"

Transition from Previous Sessions:

In Sessions 1–5, we established that Jesus is addressing His first-century Jewish disciples (Matt. 24:1–3) about the destruction of the then-standing Temple.
Matthew 24:1–14 covered birth pangs and signs preceding the end.
Matthew 24:6 explicitly said, "The end is not yet."
Now with verse 15 introduced by "therefore/So" Jesus begins the heart of the Discourse: the beginning of the end.

Key Bridge Text:

"And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. So, when you see…" Matthew 24:14–15 (ESV)

II. THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION (Matt. 24:15–20) — 12 minutes

A. What Does "Abomination" Mean?

In OT context, "abomination" = desecration of worship, either through false worship or profaning of true worship. (“Kalapastanganan sa pagsamba”)
- Deut. 7:25 — "The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire… lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the LORD your God." (ESV)
- Deut. 17:1 — "You shall not sacrifice to the LORD your God an ox or a sheep in which is a blemish, any defect whatever, for that is an abomination to the LORD your God." (ESV)
- Lev. 7:18 — "If any of the flesh of the sacrifice of his peace offering is eaten on the third day, he who offers it shall not be accepted… it is tainted, and he who eats of it shall bear his iniquity." (ESV)
"Abomination of desolation" = a spiritually loathsome defilement resulting in utter destruction.

B. Four Reasons This Points to AD 70 (Not a Future Event)

The Temple Was Already Standing — Jesus' audience had no reason to imagine any other temple. A "future rebuilt temple" must be proved, not assumed.
- Matt. 24:1–2 — "Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, 'You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.'" (ESV)
The Disciples' Question Provoked the Discourse — They asked about that Temple, that holy city.
- Matt. 24:3 — "As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples 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?'" (ESV)
Luke's Parallel Removes All Ambiguity
- Matt. 24:15 says "abomination of desolation"; Luke 21:20 translates it for Gentile readers:
"But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near." — Luke 21:20 (ESV)
- These are the same event — Matthew's Jewish idiom, Luke's Gentile clarification.
The Time-Frame Anchor of Matthew 24:34

"Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place." — Matt. 24:34 (ESV)
- Josephus himself uses the Greek word eremothe ("desolation") of Jerusalem's destruction the same verbal root Jesus uses in Matt. 24:15.
- Josephus also applies Daniel's prophecy to the Roman destruction: "Daniel also wrote concerning the Roman government, and that our country should be made desolate by them." (Antiquities 10:11:7)

C. The "Holy Place" Is Both Temple and City

Dan. 9:26 — "…the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary." (ESV) — Note: city AND sanctuary.
Dan. 9:25 calls Jerusalem itself "the holy city."
Zech. 2:12 — "…the LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem." (ESV)
The flight commanded is from all of Judea, not just the Temple precinct (Matt. 24:16).

D. The Urgency of Immediate Flight (Matt. 24:16–20)

"Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak." — Matt. 24:16–17 (ESV)

Historically, Jewish Christians in Jerusalem heeded this warning and fled to Pella before Titus completed the siege not a single Christian perished in the Fall of Jerusalem (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3:5).
The local, Judean focus confirms this is not a worldwide tribulation.

III. THE GREAT TRIBULATION (Matt. 24:21–22) — 10 minutes

The Objection Stated:

"For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short." — Matt. 24:21–22 (ESV)

Futurists argue this language is too extreme to fit AD 70.

Five responses:

1. The Timeframe (Matt. 24:34) — "This generation" demands a first-century fulfillment. Period.

2. The Jewish Historical Reality

Josephus: "The war which the Jews made with the Romans hath been the greatest of all those… in a manner, of those that ever were heard of." (Jewish Wars, Preface 1)
1.1 million Jews perished in the siege of Jerusalem; the Temple, the center of Jewish worship for 1,000 years was annihilated forever.
From the divine covenantal perspective, no judgment exceeds this: it was God's holy verdict upon the nation for crucifying His Son.
- Matt. 21:37–41 (Parable of the Tenants); Luke 19:41–44 (Jesus weeping over Jerusalem)

3. The Divine Perspective — Covenantal Finality

Luke 19:43–44 — "For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side… because you did not know the time of your visitation." (ESV)
The end of the sacrificial system, the Levitical priesthood, and the Old Covenant economy = unrepeatable, once-for-all covenantal judgment.

4. The Noahic Flood Comparison (Matt. 24:38–39)

Jesus himself compares the AD 70 judgment to the global Noahic Flood using hyperbolic language freely.
Gen. 7:19–20; 2 Pet. 2:5 — Even the Flood, which destroyed the entire inhabited world, is used as a type. Jesus uses dramatic language without literalistic precision.

5. Prophetic Parlance — Biblical Hyperbole

Exod. 11:6 — "There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again." (ESV) Said of the 10th Plague on Egypt in 1446 BC.
Ezek. 5:9 — "And because of all your abominations I will do with you what I have never yet done, and the like of which I will never do again." (ESV) Said of Babylon's destruction of Jerusalem (586 BC).
2 Kgs. 18:5 vs. 2 Kgs. 23:25 — Hezekiah and Josiah are both described with uniqueness language. This is standard biblical idiom, not strict literalism.

Conclusion on vv. 21–22: The "no flesh saved" language means no one in that historical context would survive unless God cut short the days which He did, in His mercy for the elect (Jewish Christians who fled).

IV. FALSE CHRISTS AND FALSE PROPHETS (Matt. 24:23–26) — 7 minutes

"Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There he is!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect." — Matt. 24:23–24 (ESV)

This is a reiteration and intensification of Matt. 24:5 and 24:11.

Historical Evidence (Josephus, Jewish Wars):

Groups arose "under pretense of divine inspiration" leading people into the wilderness claiming God would show them "the signal of liberty." (J.W. 2:13:4)
An Egyptian false prophet led 30,000 men around the wilderness to the Mount of Olives, promising miraculous deliverance. (J.W. 2:13:5) — Note: Jesus specifically warns, "If they say, 'Look, he is in the wilderness,' do not go out." (Matt. 24:26 ESV) a direct address to this event!
Rabbinic messianic fervor was high, fueled by Isa. 66:7 and Mic. 5:3 expectations of a Messiah appearing before Jerusalem's fall.

The True Coming — Unmistakable (Matt. 24:27):

"For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." — Matt. 24:27 (ESV)

Jesus distinguishes: the parousia (Second Coming) will be universally visible and unmistakable, unlike the localized, ambiguous claims of first-century false messiahs.
The "coming" in AD 70 (vv. 29–31) is His judicial/covenantal coming in judgment the Second Advent is an altogether different and openly glorious event.

V. THE CARCASS AND THE EAGLES (Matt. 24:28) — 6 minutes

"Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather." — Matt. 24:28 (ESV)

The Imagery:

OT covenantal curse imagery for national rebellion: Deut. 28:26 — "And your dead body shall be food for all birds of the air and for the beasts of the earth, and there shall be no one to frighten them away." (ESV)
A dead, rotting corpse devoured by birds = Israel, judicially dead, devoured by Rome.
See also: 1 Kgs. 14:11; Jer. 7:33; 19:7; Ezek. 37 (the dry bones vision).

The Eagle = Rome:

Jesus deliberately uses aetos (eagle), not a generic word for birds.
The eagle was the standard emblem of the Roman Legion, carried on the battle ensigns into every campaign.
Deut. 28:49 (LXX) — "The LORD will bring a nation against you from far away, from the end of the earth, swooping down like the eagle (aetos)." (ESV) a Mosaic covenant curse fulfilled in Rome's destruction of Jerusalem.
Josephus records the Roman soldiers planting their eagle standards in the Temple court and offering sacrifices to them before Titus. (J.W. 6:6:1)

Summary Image: Israel = the carcass. Rome = the eagles. AD 70 = the covenantal feast of divine judgment.

VI. CONCLUSION (5 minutes)

Summary of Key Truths:

The Abomination of Desolation = Roman armies surrounding and destroying Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70 confirmed by Luke 21:20, Josephus, and Daniel.
The Great Tribulation = unprecedented covenantal judgment on Israel; its "uniqueness" language is standard OT prophetic hyperbole not grounds for a future fulfillment.
The False Christs and Prophets = historically documented first-century figures, precisely as Jesus predicted.
The Eagles on the Carcass = the Roman legions consuming a judicially dead Israel the fulfilment of Deuteronomy 28 covenant curses.

Closing Pastoral Application:

For former Adventists: dispensational prophecy charts (United Nations, 5,000 square miles, rebuilt temple) find zero grounding in Scripture. Faithful biblical interpretation reads the text in its own covenantal, historical context.
The Fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 punctuates the end of the Old Covenant and the inauguration of the New Covenant Kingdom of Christ the very Kingdom we now inhabit and advance.
Deut. 28 curses are not our future they are Israel's past. We live under the Abrahamic blessing in Christ (Gal. 3:13–14).

"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us… so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles." — Galatians 3:13–14 (ESV)

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Maraming dispensationalists ang naniniwala na ang "Abomination of Desolation" ay mangyayari pa lang sa hinaharap kasama na ang isang rebuilt na templo sa Jerusalem. Batay sa ating pag-aaral ngayong gabi, ano ang mga kongkretong dahilan mula mismo sa Salita ng Diyos kung bakit hindi kailangan ng isang hinaharap na templo para matupad ang propesiya ni Hesus sa Mateo 24:15? At paano nakakatulong ang Lucas 21:20 para maunawaan natin ito nang mas malinaw?
Ang "Great Tribulation" sa Mateo 24:21–22 ay madalas gamitin para sabihin na ang Olivet Discourse ay hindi pa natutupad na ang pinaka-matinding panahon ng pagdurusa ay nasa hinaharap pa. Ngunit nakita natin ngayon na gumagamit ang Bibliya ng katulad na "uniqueness language" sa Exodo 11:6 at Ezekiel 5:9 para sa mga pangyayari na malinaw na nakaraan na. Bilang mga dating miyembro ng isang organisasyon na malaki ang binibigay na importansya sa futurist prophecy, paano kayo na-apektuhan ng interpretasyong ito noon, at paano binabago ng Partial Preterist na pananaw ang inyong pag-unawa sa pangako ng Diyos para sa Kanyang Simbahan ngayon?
Ang imahe ng "bangkay at mga agila" sa Mateo 24:28 ay nagpapakita na ang pagbagsak ng Jerusalem ay hindi aksidente ng kasaysayan ito ay katuparan ng covenant curse ng Diyos mula sa Deuteronomio 28. Sa konteksto ng ating ministeryo sa Former Adventists Philippines, paano makakatulong ang pag-unawang ito na ang AD 70 ay pagtatapos ng Old Covenant economy at simula ng Kingdom ni Kristo para mapalakas ang ating pananampalataya at ang ating proklamasyon ng Ebanghelyo sa mga nag-aalinlangan pa?

MASTER LIST OF BIBLE TEXTS (ESV)

Reference	Topic
Matt. 24:1–3	Disciples observe the Temple; their threefold question
Matt. 24:6	"The end is not yet"
Matt. 24:14–15	Gospel to all nations; "therefore when you see…"
Matt. 24:16–20	Urgent flight from Judea
Matt. 24:21–22	The Great Tribulation; days cut short
Matt. 24:23–24	False christs and false prophets with signs and wonders
Matt. 24:26	Warning: "he is in the wilderness / inner rooms"
Matt. 24:27	The true Coming — visible as lightning
Matt. 24:28	Carcass and eagles
Matt. 24:34	"This generation will not pass away…"
Matt. 24:38–39	Days of Noah comparison
Matt. 21:37–41	Parable of the Tenants; destruction of vinedressers
Matt. 21:42–44	The rejected Cornerstone; "grind him to powder"
Matt. 23:35–38	Blood of righteous Abel to Zechariah; desolation of the house
Luke 19:41–44	Jesus weeps over Jerusalem; siege foretold
Luke 21:20–21	Jerusalem surrounded by armies = abomination of desolation
Dan. 9:25–26	Holy city and sanctuary; city and sanctuary destroyed
Deut. 7:25	Idols as abomination
Deut. 17:1	Blemished sacrifice as abomination
Deut. 28:26	Covenant curse: corpses as food for birds
Deut. 28:49	Nation from afar, swooping like an eagle
Lev. 7:18	Profaning of peace offering
Exod. 11:6	Tenth plague: uniqueness language hyperbole
Ezek. 5:9	Babylonian judgment: uniqueness language hyperbole
Ezek. 37	Vision of the dry bones = judicially dead Israel
2 Kgs. 18:5	Hezekiah's unique faithfulness
2 Kgs. 23:25	Josiah's unique faithfulness (same hyperbolic language)
Zech. 2:12	Jerusalem as the holy land
Gen. 7:19–20	The Noahic Flood — global destruction
1 Pet. 3:20	Eight persons saved through water (Noah)
2 Pet. 2:5	God did not spare the ancient world
1 Kgs. 14:11	Birds devouring the dead — covenant curse
Jer. 7:33; 19:7	Carcasses as food for birds — covenant curse
Psa. 79:2–3	Jerusalem's dead left unburied
Gal. 3:13–14	Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law