Mark 13:14-23--The Abomination of Desolation

Mark 13:14-23
English Standard Version
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The Abomination of Desolation
14 “But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, 16 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 17 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 18 Pray that it may not happen in winter. 19 For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. 20 And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. 21 And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.

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Jesus tells His disciples that there is another sign that will tell them that the end is very near.  There will be an abomination of desolation similar to the one described in the book of Daniel (chapters 9. 11, and 12 talk about the anti-Christ and how he will trick the Jewish people with a false peace treaty, will put an end to the regular sacrifices that they make, and ultimately will desecrate the Temple by erecting an idol of himself and demanding that people worship his image--possibly even requiring that people make sacrifices to him on the LORD's altar).  Some people thought this prophecy from the book of Daniel was fulfilled when Antiochus Epiphanies defiled the altar by offering a pig as a sacrifice to Zeus on the altar and put an end to the daily sacrifices.  Since this happened in the intertestamental period, and Jesus is referring to His Second Coming, then the events in Danile 9, 11, and 12 might have only been partially fulfilled by these events in the intertestamental period, but point to an even greater fulfillment in the end times when the Antichrist will be revealed and begin his campaign against all the people of God--both Jews and Christians (and especially the Jewish Christians).

Jesus says that when the Jews who are in Judea see these things taking place, they are to run for the mountains (presumably the mountain fortress of Petra to the east) and not stop to take anything with them, nor should they turn back for anyone or anything as judgment is swiftly coming, and, like the Flood,  Sodom and Gomorrah, and the plagues on the Passover, the judgment will begin once all His people are safe.  Anyone who lingers or turns back though risks getting swept up in the judgment--this is a word of warning for anyone who thinks they will wait until the last second to repent and believe.  There will not be a chance--only those who live close by who can see what is going on with their own eyes might have a chance of escape.

Jesus says of that time, the time that we call the Great Tribulation, that if God was not measured in pouring out His wrath so that the days of that time would be very short (only three-and-a-half years), that no one would survive His judgment--it would be total annihilation like in the days of Noah or like the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding plain (yet there was a place of protection and a remnant that He kept safe during each of these as a sign of how He was going to save people, even from the final judgment).

Jesus reveals that he doesn't know exactly when the hour will be, but He seems to say to pray that no woman is pregnant (which would make it hard to flee quickly) and also to pray that these events wouldn't happen in the middle of winter when travel would be difficult.  That doesn't mean that these things won't happen, just that it will be so severe and so fast that no Jewish person that is fleeing for the mountains will want to be slowed down by these things--time will be of the essence.

Jesus says that for the sake of the elect (that tells me that there for sure will be Christians around during this event), God will cut the days short--maybe referring to the fact that at some point before He pours out the greatest part of His wrath, that the event that we call the Rapture will happen (an Exodus of sorts as God's greatest plague on Egypt coincided with the deliverance of His people, and the same can be said for the Flood).  If that is the case, then Jesus may be instructing all of His disciples to watch the signs of the times and be ready for the persecution that we must endure--not just as the "contractions" increase in severity and get closer and closer together, but because we too may see anti-Christ revealed and need to be ready to run (if possible) to the place of protection that God has provided for His people (like He provided the Ark for Noah and his family, the city of Zoar for Lot and his family, and the land of Goshen for the nation of Israel).  It may even be that during this time, Israel is the only safe place for Christians and Jews and that God will preemptively gather all His people together around the new Temple that must be built before all these things will take place (it will be impossible for the Antichrist to set up an idol of himself in a Temple that does not exist).  Those who are observant see that there is a great desire now among the Jewish people to rebuild the Temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.  This seems to be setting the stage for the end to come and it is not something we should oppose as the Old Testament tells us how this Temple will be filled with people from all the nations of the world who want to come and hear the gospel, and while this is a time when there will be a great turning away, it is also a time where there will be a great time of salvation.  In fact, the Bible seems to indicate in several places that Israel specifically will turn to Jesus for salvation before He returns.  God will once again save His people, this time by them recognizing Jesus as the Messiah and the Savior of not just the Jews, but also the Gentiles.

Jesus warns us to be on our guard and not be fooled by people who claim to the Christ during these last days--there are many who will come in the spirit of anti-Christ because Satan does not know the day or the hour either and must always have someone ready in case today is the day.  When the time comes, Satan will play his part perfectly and he will think he has won (just like he thought when he coordinated the actions of the people that crucified Jesus), but he will only be acting in concert with God's perfect plan to separate the "wheat" from the "tares" and for the "tares" to be bundled up and thrown into the fire.

Jesus gives us a final warning to not be deceived, for Satan, the father of lies, will seek to deceive everyone he can, even the elect of the Church if he is able, hoping that in some way even they will lose their salvation that God has promised to them (that will not happen).  Jesus finishes this teaching with "See, I have told you."  He doesn't usually end teachings this way, but I think this points to Him saying He has answered their questions to the fullness of the knowledge that the Father had given Him--He did not hide anything from them.  However, they still want to know when it is that He is going to come as king and take His place on the throne of David.  He will address that question in our next passage that I hope to cover tomorrow.