Chambersburg Bible Study - The Answers to Friday Night's Bible Study Questions Concerning

the End Times

© A.J. MacDonald, Jr. 2011 All Rights Reserved

We only got through the first two questions. Here are the answers, from the Bible.

Question 1

1) What is the "abomination of desolation" spoken of by the prophet Daniel? "And after the
sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off, and shall have nothing; and the people
of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come
with a flood, and to the end there shall be war; desolations are decreed. And he shall make
a strong covenant with many for one week; and for half of the week he shall cause sacrifice
and offering to cease; and upon the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate,
until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator." (Daniel 9:26-27)

ANSWER:

Jesus spoke of the ―abomination of desolation‖, which was spoken of by Daniel the
prophet (see: Mt.24, Mk 13, Luke 21). St. Matthew tells us that Jesus warned Israel of the
soon-to-appear ―desolating sacrilege‖ or ―abomination of desolation‖: ―So when you see the
desolating sacrilege spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the
reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; let him who is
on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house; and let him who is in the field
not turn back to take his mantle. And alas for those who are with child and for those who
give suck in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath‘‖ 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‘‖ Matthew 24:15-21.
St. Mark also tells us that Jesus warned Israel of the ―abomination of desolation‖,
saying: ―But when you see the desolating sacrilege set up where it ought not to be (let the
reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; let him who is
on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything away; and let him who is
in the field not turn back to take his mantle. And alas for those who are with child and
for those who give suck in those days! Pray that it may not happen in winter. For in those
days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation
which God created until now, and never will be‘‖ Mark 13: 14-19. St. Luke answers our
question for us: What is the ―abomination of desolation‖? the ―sacrilege that desolates‖?
Jesus, in St. Luke‘s gospel tells us: ―But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies,
then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the
mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in
the country enter it; for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. Alas
for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days! For great distress
shall be upon the earth and wrath upon this people; they will fall by the edge of the
sword, and be led captive among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trodden down by the
Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled‖ Luke 21: 20-24.
This event, the surrounding of Jerusalem and its desolation, occurred in the year 70
A.D, which was some forty year after Jesus prophecy was given, and in which Jesus stated
that the events he spoke of (Jerusalem‘s desolation) were to occur within that
―generation‖, which is about a forty years period of time. Within the lifetime of those who
were hearing him speak, is what Jesus meant when he said ―this generation‖ will witness
these events: ―Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away till all has taken
place‖ Luke 21:32. What are the ―days of vengeance‖ Jesus is speaking of here? Here‘s a
clue, which will indicate, without a doubt, that Israel is both ―Babylon‖ and the Whore of
Babylon‖ referred to in Revelation, and it‘s ―the abomination of desolation‖ that is the
key that will unlock this great mystery for us.
There was only one exception made by Jesus that allows either a man or a woman to
divorce their spouse, and it‘s here where things will get very interesting: ―And I say to
you: whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries another, commits
adultery; and he who marries a divorced woman, commits adultery‖ Matthew 19: 9. So why
would God, whom Jesus has said, has told us that ―...from the beginning [God] made them
[people] male and female‖ and that it is ―for this reason a man shall leave his father and
mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh‖ and ―for this reason
a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become
one flesh‖ EVER permit ANY exception for DIVORCE? As Jesus does in St. Matthew‘s gospel (MT
19:9) when he tells us that ―whoever divorces his wife, except for unchastity, and marries
another, commits adultery; and he who marries a divorced woman, commits adultery‖? What IS
―unchastity‖? It is ―whoredom‖; or living the lifestyle of a harlot, whether one is a man
or a women and whether one takes money for it or not. THAT is the ONLY reason God permits
divorce. Which is why, in St. Matthew‗s gospel, Matthew tells us that Jesus listed many
reason why God was divorcing Israel, and that the destruction of Jerusalem was Israel‘s
judgment. And that until the fullness of the Gentiles be brought in, Israel was cut off and
that the people of Israel would be scattered around the world (see Luke 21:24 and Romans
11:11), which is what happened to Jerusalem, Israel, and the Jewish people in 70 A.D.
At the end of MT 23, Jesus says: ―O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and
stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together
as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is
forsaken and desolate‖ (versus 37-38). Accept it, deny it, investigate it, Israel is the
Whore of Babylon, the Great Harlot, whose punishment, during the ―days of vengeance‖ (Luke
21:21), which occurred in 70 AD, has already come upon Israel, because Israel alone was
guilty of ―all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the
blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the
altar‖ and Jesus told them so, and told them God was divorcing his errant, whorish, spouse
Israel. ―Truly, I say to you, all this will come upon this generation‖ Matthew 23: 36-37.

Question 2

What is "Babylon", and who is "the Great Harlot" [the Whore of Babylon] spoken of by
St. John in the book of Revelation? "Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls
came and said to me, 'Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot who is seated
upon many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and with
the wine of whose fornication the dwellers on earth have become drunk.' And he carried me
away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which
was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed
in purple and scarlet, and bedecked with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a
golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her fornication; and on her forehead
was written a name of mystery: ―Babylon the great, mother of harlots and of earth‘s
abominations. And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the
martyrs of Jesus." (Revelation 17: 1-6)

ANSWER:

In Revelation 18:24, St. John tells us ―…in her [Babylon] was found the blood of
prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slain on earth.‖ In Luke 21:21, we read
where Jesus told the leaders of Israel that ―…upon you [Israel] may come all the righteous
blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of
Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.‖ In Luke 11:49-51, Jesus
tells the rulers of Israel ―Therefore also the Wisdom of God said, ‗I will send them
prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,‘ that the blood of all
the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation,
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the
sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, it shall be required of this generation.‖
Who, alone, is guilty of murdering ―all who have been slain on earth‖? Guilty of
shedding ―all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the
blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the
altar‖? St. Luke tells us, again, doesn‘t he? ―God said, ‗I will send them prophets and
apostles, some of whom they will kill and persecute,‘ that the blood of all the prophets,
shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation, from the blood
of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I
tell you [Israel], it shall be required of this generation‘‖ Luke 11:49-51. Believe it,
accept it, or doubt it: Babylon = Israel, according to the Bible.

ADDENDUM FOR ALL BIBLE BELIEVING CHRISTIANS WHO SUPPORT ISRAEL TODAY

For those of you who are Christians, as I am, I have some very important questions for you:

1) Have you ever read the Bible?

2) Do you understand what you're reading?
3) Do you understand that, according to Jesus himself, God rejected Israel over 2,000 years
ago, because Israel, as a nation, rejected God‘s only begotten Son, Jesus?
4) Do you know where, in the Bible, this rejection of Israel by Christ (and God, the
Father) can be found?
5) Do you believe in (and act upon) what Jesus said (and did)?

*** ANSWERS ***

Christ proclaimed Israel‘s rejection by God for Israel‘s rejection of himself as God‘s
Messiah in the Gospel of St. Matthew, ―O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the
prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children
together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! See, your house is
left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‗Blessed is
he who comes in the name of the Lord.‘‖ Matthew 23: 37-39 (ESV)
Jesus—and God, his Father—was DONE with Israel – more than 2,000 years ago, according
to Jesus and the Bible, so when will YOU decide to start believing in (and acting upon)
what JESUS said, and STOP SUPPORTING ISRAEL?

Jesus on Israel – Bible Study: Matthew 23:38

The context of MT 23:37-39 (MT 23): Christ's Seven Woes to the Leaders of Israel

The English text of MT 23:38

The original Greek text of MT 23:38</a>

The Greek-English interlinear text of MT 23:38 (You should know that in a NT Greek lexicon
the words are listed by the root and not by every possible form the word may take. The
Greek word: "aphietai ", "desolate" or "abandoned", is found in the original Greek text of
Matthew 23:38 and is the form of the word used by St. Matthew. The lexical entry for the
word is: aphíēmi and this is the lexical entry for aphemi.