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Discerning the abomination

 

This article is the tenth in a series of articles dealing with the spiritual events --- as prophesied by the Lord in Matthew 24 --- that are already taking place prior to the coming of the Son of Man. This article will share on the words spoken by the Lord in Matthew 24:15.

 

Index

Poured, not read

Spiritual ghost town

The prophet Daniel

Standing in the holy place

 

 

Poured, not read

In Matthew 24:15-18, the Lord declares the following:

 

"15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes." (Matthew 24:15-18)

 

In order to understand the "abomination of desolation" and how we must flee from it, we must first consider the word "spoken" used by the Lord in verse 15. This word was translated from the Greek word rheo, which literally means "to pour forth, utter", and has the connotation of words coming forth as "flowing waters" (rheo is the word from which rhema is derived). Therefore, we can say that, as the prophet Daniel "spoke" of the abomination of desolation, he was "gushing forth" words under a prophetic anointing, speaking words that went beyond his own natural understanding. Thus, Daniel's words are words spoken in the realm of the spirit, and those who may try to understand them as if they were hearing them at an academic conference will most definitely not know their meaning, for God has established a spiritual decree that no man shall reach the things of the Spirit through natural means, and that barrier is unbreakable (Genesis 3:24, 1 Corinthians 15:50).

 

As Daniel "spoke" of the abomination of desolation, he was not reading from a written document full of future "historical information". Instead, he was uttering spiritual words that were pouring forth from his surrendered inner being. That is the reason why the Lord says "whoso readeth, let him understand" at the end of verse 15 above. You cannot read through Matthew 24 and Daniel 11 (the chapter in which Daniel speaks of the abomination of desolation) as if you were reading an encyclopaedia article and expect to understand what God is trying to say. The Biblical "experts" who have "studied" these chapters have failed to grasp this truth, and, as a result, these experts (and those who rely on them) are ignorant with regard to the true meaning of these "poured" words.

 

Spiritual ghost town

In order to fully understand the "abomination of desolation" that was "spoken" of by the prophet Daniel, one must carefully meditate on Daniel 11 in detail. God willing, we will post future articles that will focus on Daniel 11. In this article, however, we will consider the general aspects of the "abomination of desolation" and the attitude required to discern it.

 

The word "abomination" in Matthew 24:15 was translated from the Greek word bdelugma, which is derived from the word bdeo meaning "to stink". Thus, bdelugma speaks of something whose "stench" causes you to turn away in utter disgust. A stench is not visible to the eye, but it hangs like a "presence" in the air and is discernable by those with a nose to detect it. You may not see a stench, but you can definitely know "it is there". This means that the "abomination of desolation" will not be visible to the natural eye. To those led by their natural understanding, things will appear to be "business as usual" in the Church, and they will be unable to detect that there is something deeply offensive to God in the Church's air.

 

The word "desolation" in Matthew 24:15 was translated from the word eremosis, which is derived from the word eremoo meaning "to lay waste, to despoil one, strip her of her treasures"; eremoo, in turn, is derived from the word eremos, which is used to describe a flock deserted by its shepherd or a woman neglected by her husband and from whom the husband withholds himself. This means that the "desolation" spoken of by Daniel refers to God's presence leaving the Church, like a husband who leaves his indomitable and incorrigible wife. The Church's glory is in God (Psalm 62:7); God is the Church's raison d'ętre. Without God, the Church is nothing but a human institution of deceived fools living in a delusional fantasy land. Upon God's absence, therefore, the Church turns into a desolate spiritual ghost town. As He departs, the spiritual emptiness He leaves behind is quickly filled by the 7 types of evil spirits.

 

The question then becomes: What causes God to leave? The answer can be discerned from the following passages:

 

"Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off" (Psalm 138:6)

 

"And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD" (2 Chronicles 15:8)

 

"16 These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren." (Proverbs 6:16-19)

 

Even though the Lord is patient and understanding, one thing that immediately drives Him away is pride. When believers become convinced that they are "right" and they arrogantly begin dismissing God's corrective message (sent through His lowly messengers dressed in weakness), the stench of pride fills the spiritual air and the Lord is driven away. The proud and stubborn resistance to God's truth amongst believers is derived from the idols they slowly begin to place their blind trust in. Just as with the religious Jews of Jesus's days, believers have a tendency to place their unquestioning trust in institutions and ministerial titles, and they begin dismissing the voice of God as if it were the annoying sound of a buzzing mosquito. As the visible "ministers" and institutions begin to be idolised, a word given by a "renowned pastor" becomes more trustworthy than a word given by an "anonymous stranger" coming out of nowhere (John 7:45-52, John 9:29-30, Acts 27:11). As this happens, the influence of the anti-God evil spirits begins to grow, and God is slowly crowded out. As we have studied before, it is the over-simplistic (Perizzite) acceptance of human ideas and the silencing of those who pose subtle questions which turns the spiritual atmosphere from "hateful" (6) to "abominable" (7), according to Proverbs 6:16. When the 7 evil spirits are allowed to freely roam about the Church, without anyone saying a thing about it, it is time for God to go, leaving the Church to her unbearable spiritual stench. That is when the Church turns into a haunted town run by unGodly ghosts, even when everything seems to be "hunky dory" on the outside. Just like the town of Knaptoft in Leicestershire, England, the Church becomes a town waiting for "Cromwell's" remnant forces to raze it. Interestingly enough, the church of "saint nicholas" in Knaptoft, which was sacked and destroyed by Cromwell's forces, is said to be haunted, according to wikipedia.org. This is no spiritual coincidence.

 

A "desolate" town is a town with no future or hope. It is a town where no future development is possible and where morbid stagnation becomes the rule. This is what the Church turns into upon God's departure. Those who willingly stay in a ghost town become engulfed by its stagnation and have no future of growing in the Lord and fulfilling their God-given potential.

 

The prophet Daniel

Notice that, in Matthew 24:15, the Lord did not say, "... the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel". Instead, He took the time to "interject" the word "prophet" when referring to Daniel. This points to the "prophetically-poured" nature of Daniel's word, as we studied above. However, it also points to an important spiritual principle. The name "Daniel" literally means, "God is my judge"; thus, "Daniel" is a name that explicitly recognises the judgement nature of God. Therefore, when the Lord said "the prophet Daniel", He was emphasising the union of the prophetic ministry of spiritual grace and the apostolic ministry of wisdom and judgements. As we have shared before, the matriarchal Church has worked to keep the apostolic ministry of judgements apart from the prophetic ministry of grace. According to the institutionalised Church, "New Testament" prophets (whatever that means) are not supposed to make judgements they way "Old Testament" prophets did. They are supposed to say nothing but "encouraging", lovey-dovey fluff. This separation of the prophetic from apostolic judgement-making, however, has led to a "bastardisation" of the prophetic ministry, turning most prophets within the Church into soul-pleasing Canaanites.

 

As we have shared before, prophets are "rebellious" by nature. They are endowed with an inherent knack for opposing established traditions and protocols. They have a built-in tendency for constantly asking "Why?". Why? Because prophets are purpose-driven. They are designed to discern the purpose for which we are created, and they are therefore the first to perceive when things are being done or believed for no good reason at all. In Scripture, prophets are shown as defiant of human authority, fearlessly challenging the human kings that others are so afraid of. They have an "independent" streak about them, and they are confident enough to believe that their lonely view is the right view, even when the rest of the planet may say that they are wrong. They are confident enough to believe that God can speak to them directly. In that sense, therefore, they do not consider themselves "unworthy" of direct access to God. Because of this, they have the confidence to appeal to God when their view is challenged by the rest of the Earth, saying,

"God shall be my judge, and my only concern is to know whether my views are in alignment with His. I fear His judgements and His judgements alone".

This is the implicit message behind the name "Daniel" meaning "God (not man) is my judge".

 

"6 Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever. 7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. 8 Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. 9 Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree. 10 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime." (Daniel 6:6-10)

[Notice how verse 10 states that Daniel went to pray when he learned that the anti-prayer decree had been signed, and he left the windows in his chamber open, as if to say, "Now that I know that my prayers have been banned, I am more determined than ever to pray unto God, and I don't care who finds out about it".]

 

"19 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. 20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? 21 Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. 22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt." (Daniel 6:19-22)

 

The pastors who rule over the Church have established a matriarchal decree that is similar to the one signed by Darius (Daniel 6:7); this decree is quick to judge and condemn anyone who dares question the "king's" (i.e.- the "pastor's") decrees. Pastors welcome "judging prophets" when those prophets pronounce judgements condemning "rebellious" sheep. In those cases, there is nothing wrong with throwing the sheep into the lions' den (in Scripture, lions represent judgements). These "judging prophets", however, must have a prior stamp of approval from the pastor kings, a stamp that certifies them as "legitimate prophets". Prophets who lack this certificate of pastoral approval are labelled "lone rangers", "loose cannons" who work outside of God's "established order". Interestingly enough, the same pastors who give their "thumbs up" to the judging of "defiant sheep" are quick to give a "thumbs down" to the judging of unrighteousness, even when that unrighteousness is the manifestation of a defiant heart that is unafraid to sin in God's face, as was the case with the sons of Eli (1 Samuel 2:12-17, 2:27-36). In other words, the Church's "pastor kings" do not mind a heart that defies God, but they do mind a heart that defies them. They abhor judgements that deal with spiritual issues rooted in the heart of man, but they don't mind judgements that deal with "rebellion" against their institutional, soulish decrees. They want prophets who remain under their pastoral covering, but they hate prophets who remain under the covering of God. They want prophets who swear loyalty to them and to their institutions, but they hate prophets who swear loyalty to God and God alone. There is no passage in Scripture that certifies that prophets must have a "pastoral covering", yet these pastors do not hesitate to preach this as unquestionable truth. They fail to accept that prophets in Scripture were lonely men rejected by the religious institutions of their day, men reviled and misunderstood by the powers-that-be, "loose cannons" who spoke of things that others refused to understand.

 

"11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." (Matthew 5:11-12)

 

"1 Now Pashur the son of Immer the priest, who was also chief governor in the house of the LORD, heard that Jeremiah prophesied these things. 2 Then Pashur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the high gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the LORD." (Jeremiah 20:1-2)

 

"22 Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil against thee. 23 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah upon the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee? 24 And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see on that day when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself. 25 Then the king of Israel said, Take ye Micaiah, and carry him back to Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son; 26 And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I return in peace. 27 And Micaiah said, If thou certainly return in peace, then hath not the LORD spoken by me. And he said, Hearken, all ye people." (2 Chronicles 18:22-27)

 

The pastoral-matriarchy spirit in the Church does not want independent judging prophets because such prophets will be quick to point out wrongs that are not obvious to the natural eye. Because of their propensity for seeing the unseen, prophets will be quick to discern "foul smells" in the air that the natural eye cannot detect; and, if their judgement nature has not been hindered by man, these prophets will be quick to pronounce judgements against the sources of the "foul smell", sentencing them as "unrighteous" in the eyes of God. By doing so, judging prophets end up denuding those in leadership who are promoting attitudes and methodologies that are contrary to God. As they pronounce judgements in the Spirit, those amongst them who are also in the Spirit will pick up on their judgements and become aware of the "foul smells" being pointed out by them, thus causing a chain reaction amongst God's people (2 Chronicles 18:27) of "independent inconformity", i.e.- inconformity derived not from mass hysteria but from an independent conviction and awareness that God is displeased with the current state of affairs.

 

A "prophet Daniel" is a judging prophet, and you must allow the "prophet-Daniel" anointing to be over you in order to perceive the "abomination of desolation". If you allow the pastoral-matriarchy spirit to drown out your ability to perceive and then make an independent judgement in God, you will remain around the abominable religious stench and not even realise that something is dead wrong.

 

You must be willing to believe that "little old you" can judge the entire system around you. This is the only way to bring about the Kingdom of God on Earth.

 

Standing in the holy place

In Matthew 24:15, the Lord added the phrase "... stand in the holy place" as He spoke of seeing the abomination of desolation. In order to understand this phrase, we must consider the other verses in the New Testament that mention the both the words "holy" and "place".

 

The words "holy" and "place" in Matthew 24:15 were translated from the Greek words hagios and topos respectively. Interestingly enough, these 2 words appear together in the New Testament in only 6 verses, 4 of which are in the book of Acts. After Matthew 24:15, the first verse that mentions both of these words is verse 31 of the following passage:

 

"23 And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. 24 And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: 25 Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? 26 The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. 27 For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, 28 For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. 29 And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, 30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. 31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness." (Acts 4:23-31)

[In verse 31, the word "place" in the phrase "the place was shaken" was translated from topos, and the word "Holy" in "the Holy Ghost" was translated from hagios]

 

This passage narrates what happened after the religious authorities had commanded Peter and John "not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus" (v18). Instead of submitting their prophetic anointing under the covering of the recognised authorities of their day, Peter and John, along with the other believers, spoke words of spiritual defiance, quoting Psalm 2 (in verses 25 and 26) and asking God to vindicate them before the authorities who were threatening them. If you read through Psalm 2, you will see that the psalmist goes on to declare the decree (Psalm 2:7) that God has spoken to him, as if to say, "What God has said about me overrides what you may say about me, for His judgements about me are the only ones that matter"; in Psalm 2, the Spirit then proceeds to indicate that His Anointed ones (His prophetic people) shall be given a "rod of iron" (Psalm 2:9) to break the nations with, which speaks of the authority to pronounce apostolic judgements against the established structures of the Earth. All of this points to the "prophet Daniel" spirit discussed so far.

 

The next verse that contains both the words hagios and topos is verse 13 of the following passage:

 

"8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people. 9 Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. 10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake. 11 Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God. 12 And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council, 13 And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law: 14 For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us. 15 And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel." (Acts 6:8-15)

[The phrase "holy place" in verse 13 was translated from hagios and topos]

 

Notice that hagios and topos are once again mentioned in the context of someone who was defying the ways accepted by the religious authorities. For doing so, Stephen was accused of "speaking blasphemous words against this holy place" (v13), which shows how those walking in the True Anointing will inevitably get accused of "rebellion" and "blasphemy". To those who idolise religion's institutions and its recognised "ministers", any thought or attitude that challenges the "ministers'" hegemony shall be tantamount to blasphemy.

 

Notice how those accusing Stephen were upset at the very thought of someone coming in and "changing the customs which Moses delivered us" (v14). Notice also how they never mentioned God directly, but they did mention Moses, the "holy place", and the "customs" they idolised. This is typical of those comfortable with the stench of desolation. They stop caring about what God may think, and their words reflect the personal disconnect between them and God. Their words constantly point to the visible idols they worship, idols such as "tradition", "ministers", and "temple buildings". This is the reason why they couldn't care less whether God had left the temple. They could see the temple, but they couldn't feel the emptiness inside, and they hated anyone who would dare judge the temple for its emptiness (v14).

 

In his "defence" speech, Stephen makes a reference to the Moses whom his religious accusers so revered:

 

"Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground" (Acts 7:33)

 

This is the 4th verse in the New Testament that contains both the words hagios (translated as "holy") and topos (translated as "place") appear. There is a prophetic reason why the words poured forth from Stephen's mouth. Through these words, the Spirit was telling the audience that Moses was subservient to God, and not the other way around. The Spirit was also telling them that the "holy place" was wherever God was present, even if that place was a mere bush burning in the wilderness. There was no temple building that Moses could behold as he stood there, yet His prophetic relationship with God allowed him to understand that the "unstructured" place where he was standing was holy ground. Under the same circumstances, none of Stephen's audience would have deemed the place "holy", for there was no temple building to enter into and no recognised minister "ministering" there. Just as they were unable to perceive God's absence in the temple they loved, Stephen's audience were unable to perceive God's presence overflowing in the "unstructured" temple before them ... and that temple was Stephen himself.

 

The next verse where both hagios and topos appear is verse 28 of the following passage:

 

"27 And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him, 28 Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place. 29 (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.) 30 And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut. 31 And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar." (Acts 21:27-31)

[The two appearances of the word "place" in verse 28 were translated from topos, and the word "holy" in the phrase "holy place" was translated from hagios]

 

Notice, once again, how hagios and topos are mentioned in the context of religious people accusing a true servant of God. The accusation, once again, is that the servant of God has shown disrespect for the "holy place". Notice also how the accusers mention the "temple", the traditional "law", and the "holy place", but never mention God directly. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, meaning that the name of that which you consider your "God" will be constantly heard from your mouth. The "God" of Paul's accusers was most definitely not the God of Israel.

 

The last verse where both hagios and topos appear is verse 2 of the following passage:

 

"1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, 2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours" (1 Corinthians 1:1-2)

[The word "saints" in verse 2 was translated from hagios, and the word "place" was translated from topos]

 

Notice how Paul declares that he is an apostle "through the will of God" (v1), not the will of man. The name "Sosthenes" mentioned by Paul in verse 1 literally means "saviour of his nation", which speaks to the power of one believer to determine the fate of entire nations. Verse 2 then goes on to establish a spiritual principle: the "holy ones" are his "saints", and "every place" they are at turns into the "holy place"; and, because of this, they can act as saviours of entire nations. Nations are beholden to those who believe in God, not the other way around. When a nation takes a true believer in, that nation becomes the believer's nation (i.e.- "his" nation), and that believer becomes an agent of salvation for the nation, restoring all the crooked structures and destroying all the rotten ones. By contrast, those who believe in institutions and ministers, are not nation changers. They do not have the nations for an inheritance (Psalm 2:8) because they do not care to have them. They are not interested in expanding the dominion of God on Earth and transforming the nations. They are only interested in saving themselves and in having a nice, predictable life. These are the ones who become "defenders of holy places", and, in doing so, they end up defiling the true temples of God:

 

"16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

 

Therefore, to "stand in the holy place" means to establish yourself (i.e.- stand) in your spiritual condition as the temple of God. It means understanding that the prophetic presence of God is inside of you, not inside a building, an institution, or some "well-accepted minister". You must stand in the conviction that you are a minister of God, a priest who can enter the "holy place" and minister before God, which means becoming receptive to the white-horse anointing over your life. "Standing in the "holy place" provides the only vantage point from which you will be able to see the abomination of desolation.

 

{The next article is titled "3 levels of flight"}