The Abomination of Desolation - Mark 13:14-23
Notes
Transcript
Introduction - 500 words!
“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. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants 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 that God created until now, and never will be. 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. And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.
There are few things that much be noted about this text to lay a foundation for us for properly understanding it.
First is the phrase “the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand)”
Well, let’s get to understanding!
Some argue that this occured in 70 AD, but Mark’s comment, which I take to be his own commentary inserted in parenthesis in Jesus’ words (hence “reader” not “hearer”), his comment implies that his recipients could have understand what he was talking about at the time they were reading the text. If this was 70 AD, then the readers would not have understood what was happening until it was happening, but Mark’s word imply immediate understanding.
If that is the case, what is he talking about.
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel chapter 9.
Daniel 9 begins with reflections from Daniel as he was reading the prophet Jeremiah and saw that Jeremiah predicted 70 years captivity. That time would be drawing near, so he sought the Lord in prayer that He would act in accordance with His promise
We will pick things up in vs 20. I’m going to read from the NASB95 for this, however, because the ESV makes some translation choices I don’t think are the best
While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God for the holy hill of my God, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision.
This next section I’m going to read from the NASB as I believe it has a better translation than the ESV
“Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.
“So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.
“Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.
“And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”
Alright, so what is going on here? We won’t be able to hit every detail here because of time. But in summary here are the key ideas:
1. The weeks that are mentioned refer to a 7 year periods of time. There is nearly universal agreement on that point. Some translations render it literally as “seventy sevens” 70 seven-year periods of time is a total of 490 years.
2. Notice the purpose of this time frame:
To finish the transgression
To make and end of sin
To make atonement for iniquity
to bring in everlasting righteousness
to seal up vision and prophecy
to anoint the most holy place
3. The prophecy is divided up. The first set of years is 49 years, the second set sixty two, or 434 years. So far we have dealt with 69 sets of years. The clock begins in verse 25 with the decree to rebuilt Jerusalem, which was issued of Cyrus of Persia. The first set of sevens if how long it took to rebuild the temple and Jerusalem, which you can read about in Ezra and Nehemiah. From there, the next 434 years is the span of time between the completion of the city of Jerusalem to the time of the Messiah. Tremendous work has been done on the math on this, by the way. You have to convert the calendar to the 360 day calendar the Jews at that time used, but when you go from the decree of Cyrus to return to Jerusalem to the day of the triumphal entry of Christ and the presentation of the Messiah to the nation of Israel, you have a total of 483 years, TO THE DAY!
Remarkable prophecy! Accuracy that can only be true because this is the Word of God.
4. in vs 26, the Messiah is cut off. This is the Crucifixion. The people of the one who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. This is the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD.
5. Regarding verse 27, there is debate about this. Do to the 70 weeks run along uninterrupted? or is there a gap between verses 26-27. We;ve talked before about mountain top prophecy. The peaks appear to be close together but there is a valley in between. I would argue that this is one of those places that takes place. a Few reasons for that.
1. All the purposes of the 70 weeks from verse 24 were not fulfilled by 70AD. everlasting righteousness was not brought it, vision and prophecy weren’t sealed up.
2. Every position has to see a gap of some length, because vs 26 says “after the sixty two weeks, the Messiah will be cut off” There is not a way to understand this to mean that this begins the final week, it is merely “after” the first sixty two weeks are finished.
3. No other position can make sense of the time frames given if the rest of the passage follows immediately chronologically. 70Ad was not 7 years after Christ’s death, but 37. None of the events spoken of in vs 27 have taken place. There has been no covenant made for seven years and broken 3.5 years later.
It makes the most sense to say that there is a gap between he 69th and 70th weeks that was not shown to Daniel. Be believe that gap is the church age, and that verse 27 contains a summary of the tribulation period. The antichrist, called the prince, will make a covenant with Israel for 7 years. Half-way in, he will break that covenant and we will see the abomination that makes desolate. But in the end, his destruction is assured.
Now, I’ve spent so much time on this, but this is important for understanding Jesus’ words in Mart 13, which we return to now. The abomination of desolations is the moment when the antichrist will break his covenant with Israel by desecrating the temple, which correlates with Dan 9, and 2 Thess 2.
Now, let us return to Mark 13, and let the reader understand.
There are some who take this text to refer to 70 AD, but as we’ve just seen from Daniel, it cannot have been referring to 70 AD based on the time line and events which are supposed to take place. There was no seven-year covenant, or anything like that.
Furthermore, there are key phrases in this text that demosntrate it cannot be 70AD.
is found in verse 19. 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. I don’t believe that can be said about 70AD, and I don’t think saying “well, Jesus was just being a little hyperbolic” solves the problem.
vs 20 refers to the days being cut short for the sake of the elect, and that no human would survive it is God didn’t limit it. Again. This cannot be 70AD.
Thus we are left to conclude that Jesus is speaking a yet-still future event that lines up with Daniel 9.
Alright!
Once again, I am sorry that we must spend time on these things but we must!
Remember that the disciples have asked Jesus a question about the destruction of the temple, which they take to mean that the end of the world is coming with it’s destruction. Jesus warns them again false signs and about things that must happen between then and the final end of all things.
In the passage last week, we saw that there will be wars and rumors of wars, catastrophes, and persecutions of God’s people. I believe that Jesus speaks of the first 3.5 years of the tribulation specifically, but he applies the instruction to everyone in every age because of the way that the world operates is similar to that of the tribulation.
Here, we find ourselves at the abomination of desolation, which, as we saw from Daniel, occurs at the midpoint of the tribulation. This is still not really truly a sign of the end, but a key even that must take place before the true end of the age.
First,
There Will Be Times of Unparalleled Distress
There Will Be Times of Unparalleled Distress
Before the end of the age, there must be the tragic events of the abomination of desolation. Prophesied about in Daniel, some say there was a fulfillment of sorts with Antiochus Epiphanes who sacrificed a pig on the alter of the temple in 167 BC 2 Mac 6:5
The altar was covered with abominable offerings that were forbidden by the laws.
Though the rest of the surrounding events Daniel spoke of did not occur at that time.
Some point to 70AD, but the problem here is that any of the things that could be pointed to in fulfillment of the abomination take place at the end of the events, not the beginning. Jesus Instructions are that “when you see this then run”
By the time Titus, who was the emperor at that time, did his thing in the temple, the time for running was already past.
Notice that it says “when you see the abomination of desolation standing where HE ought not to be...”
This is a reference to the antichrist, which correlates with 2 Thess 2.
Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
The antichrist will desecrate the temple that he presumably covenanted to protect since he made a covenant with Israel.
So again, this has to be during the tribulation, exactly as Daniel predicted, at the half way point of the great tribulation.
So, really this has the most application directly to tribulation saints living in Judea.
when you see this, get outta dodge! There is to be extreme urgency for tribulation saints. Don’t even try to collect things from your house, not even a cloak! Pray that it won’t be in winter!
Why? The tribulation will be so great it will be unparalleled from the beginning of time to the end.
This is a period of God’s judgment. His judgment is poured out upon the earth. Things are the worst in Jerusalem where the rebuilt temple stands, but we know from other passages that this is a global catastrophe.
Israel has been in rejection of her messiah, the World has been in rejection of the Gospel of Christ. Though this passage does not speak of it, the church has thus been taken away int he rapture, and now God’s judgment is poured out on the earth.
And yet. His mercy is still extended.
There are still people being saved and coming to a knowledge of the truth.
Even So, God’s Mercy Is Evident
Even So, God’s Mercy Is Evident
There are true believers who receive the instruction to flee! God has been gracious such that even during the tribulation there are people who are embracing the Messiah, both Jew and gentile!
And consequently, for the sake of those who are His people, he shortens the days.
His mercy extends for the sake of the elect, verses 20.
This verse is to demonstrate the greatness of the judgment.
Not a single human being would even survive! It would be like Noah's flood, wiping out the entire earth!
But because of the elect, whom he choose, he has mercy on the earth.
The phrase is interesting. We could translate it literally “for the sake of the elect whom he elected” or “for the sake of the chosen whom he chose” with the double emphasis of God’s choice.
So what we see is that even in the midst of the worst calamity that has ever fallen the face of the earth, even when the restrainer has been removed and the church is not present to make disciples, even when in a post-rapture world where all that remained on the earth were only unbelievers across the entire planet, God was still so gracious to send out his messengers, still so merciful as to being about repentance and faith, still so gracious that even when his people are being martyred and slaughtered, he still shortens the days of suffering lest all men perish.
What a merciful and gracious God.
And yet. There is the warning.
Even So, Be Discerning!
Even So, Be Discerning!
Even though God is as gracious as he is, those who are His people should never rest on their laurals and assume that nothing will befall them.
In verse 21 Jesus once again warns against being deceived by false Christ’s. There will be agents of the enemy who will seek to deceive people into thinking that they are the second coming of Christ.
Why is it important for us to hear instruction about the tribulation if we believe we won’t be there? This question has led some to conclude a post-trib rapture is more likely.
A few reasons why Jesus speaks thus
Tribulation saints do need instruction on how to live. It had to be written somewhere.
The instruction to discernment is more broadly applicable as we saw last week, because the evil one always works to deceive God’s people.
By leaving things intentionally vague, Mark forces the readers to take the application of being on guard seriously whether he believes he will live through that age or not.
The tribulation will be a time of unparralleld destrcution
Even so, God preserves his people
Even so, God’s people must be discerning!