I have struggled with sharing verse 15 and I cannot tell you why, except that the Lord directed me to go back to verse 14 and realize that these are two huge spiritual awakenings on the earth. Israel will have the greatest revelation and revival when they see Jesus Christ as the messiah, it will take 3 1/2 years of a false peace while they are allowed to worship in their rebuilt temple. That temple, and those 3 1/2 years of peace, they will think are a wonderful realization and awakening of Israel for the whole world to see! God is not in any of it! He is not in the temple. He is not in their sacrifices, and he is not in their peace. The antichrist energized and animated by an angry, Satan, will commit the abomination and place an image of himself in the holy of holies. And then there will be desolation meaning destruction of Israel and their temple. Much hardship will follow during the next 3 1/2 years, but God will wake them up. Praise the Lord, he will lead them into his kingdom that he has desired for them from the beginning. There is another awakening here that we need to see in verse 14 and it is awakening of all believers before the midway point of the tribulation. It is the greatest spiritual awakening that the church will ever realize. In verse 14 it says that the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom will be a testimony to all the nations. Then the end will come. This means that as many things wax worse in last days, this will drive a remnant of the church to wake up and be a testimony to the nations. How? The awakening, will happen as believers See their great need in the midst of all this persecution is to deny the self take up the cross and follow Jesus, no matter what it cost. Such a visible desire to live in the reality of Jesus Christ will be seen by the whole inhabited world. This testimony itself will be a preaching to all the nations. I believe it has been quite some time since the United States of America has seen such a testimony or Lampstand. When the nations all see such a testimony, then the end will come. What is happening in Kentucky at Asbury University is full of mixed reviews. The Lord will reveal its true nature. What the Lord is looking for, in his awakening, is surely full of repentance, and a testimony that we are one with Christ no matter the cost, and we stand against the god of this age. This is the needed preaching of the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, this is the real spiritual awakening that will be seen and then the end will come. Amen.
