Throughout history, people have desired to know the future. Human beings want to have a sense of control over their destiny. For those who don’t know God or reject His existence, they resort to astrology, horoscopes, divination, omens, and other occult activities.
As Christ followers, the details of the future are hidden from us, too. However, the Scripture has many predictive prophecies that reveal the bigger picture of how God will bring human history to its conclusion. Predictive prophecy makes up about one-quarter of the Scripture; we ignore it to our peril.
Some people say, “Studying prophecy is divisive.” I disagree. The study of prophecy is not divisive; people are divisive. We can hold firmly to our understanding and conviction without being overly dogmatic or judgmental. While we believe there’s only one correct interpretation of Scripture, we should approach the study of prophecy and all Scripture with a good dose of humility. To those who say the study of prophecy isn’t essential, I ask, “Who gives you the authority to speak that way about God’s Word?”
The apostle Paul wrote in II Timothy 3:16 and 17.“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness…” ALL Scripture is given by the inspiration of God, and ALL Scripture is profitable. That should motivate studying the Scriptures, including the prophetic portions.
Our modern age, with all its conveniences, has fostered biblical illiteracy and left many unable and unwilling to wrestle with complex texts. We’ve become accustomed to brief “sound bites” and quick 2-minute reads. Too many professing Christians have never been taught how to study the Scripture correctly, and too many have little or no interest.
One of our goals on The Voice of Hope is to promote biblical literacy, solid exegesis, and clear applications of the Scriptures to our lives. Given that goal, we continue our study from Mark’s Gospel. Today’s text is Mark 13:14-27, titled “The Abomination of Desolation.” Listen carefully to God’s Word for us.
The details Jesus provides in this text alert us to specific signs that point to “The Coming of the Son of Man.”
The First DETAIL is,
The Abomination of Desolation
What is that? It sounds scary! Where should we go in Scripture to learn more about this? Thankfully, Jesus provides the answer. He tells us that the prophet Daniel spoke about this very thing. So, Jesus, the Son of God, authenticates Daniel’s writings as the Word of God.
Let’s turn to the book of Daniel, chapter 9, and we’ll learn that this event is part of Daniel’s vision of the seventy weeks. Here are the last two verses of that chapter.
“And after the sixty-two weeks, Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war, desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week, He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”
Without going into much detail on Daniel’s vision, a few observations are in order. The entire period is precisely specified as 70 weeks. These 70 weeks are divided into three sections: seven weeks, a period of 62 weeks, and a final week.
The beginning of this period of 70 weeks is stated to be “from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem” (v.25). The end of the seven weeks, plus the sixty-two weeks, or sixty-nine weeks, will be marked by the appearance of Messiah, the Prince. At a later time, after the 69 weeks, Messiah, the Prince, will be ‘cut off’ and Jerusalem will again be destroyed by the people of another prince who is yet to come (v. 26).
After these events, we’re informed that the 70th week will come. The beginning of this final week is marked by the establishing of a firm covenant or treaty between the prince who is to come and the Jewish nation for one week (v. 27). In the middle of this final week, the prince will break the covenant causing the sacrifice to cease and ushering in a time of great wrath (v. 27). Finally, with the full completion of the seventy weeks, there will begin a time of tremendous and unparalleled blessings upon the nation of Israel (v.24). Between the 69th and 70th weeks there is an undetermined amount of time.
Jesus’ use of the phrase ” Abomination of Desolation ” is derived from Hebrew. It means the detestable thing of desolation. This abomination is a person, thing, or event that defiles a holy place and thus causes it to be abandoned, implying God detests this thing or action. This phrase is applied in 1 Maccabees 1:54 to the altar to Zeus erected by Antiochus Epiphanes, after he had desecrated the altar to Jehovah in 167 BC. Judas Maccabaeus dedicated a new altar to Jehovah three years later in 165 BC, and we have the miracle that gave birth to Hanukkah.
The Romans also desecrated the Temple in 70 AD when they razed it to the ground. These facts remind us that many prophecies have more than one fulfilment. In support of this multiple fulfillment concept, we know that the early Christians who lived in Jerusalem fled the city in 70 AD in response to Jesus’ warnings. The Christian historian, Eusebius, tells us they fled to Pella on the eastern side of the Jordan River, about 17 miles south of the Sea of Galilee.
Just as in the past, so in the future, Jesus warned about the timing of this coming destruction. I conclude that the prophecy of Daniel’s 70th week is still in the future because Jesus said that this desecration of the Holy Place will be followed by a time of tribulation unlike any previous season and greater than any that will ever occur after it (verse 19).
The warnings of verses 15 through 18 seem to relate more specifically to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. However, they have been repeated numerous times in the history of the Jewish people, and apparently, will be needed again at the end of the age.
The predominant theme seems to be the need for haste. If you’re on the housetop, don’t come down. The farmer in the field was warned not to return for his cloak at home or simply to the corner of the field where he worked. Pregnant women and nursing mothers were cautioned about the harshness of their plight, especially if the destruction happened in the winter.
While we may not know or understand all the details of the future, we can be assured that Jesus didn’t speak these words in vain.
The Next DETAIL is,
The Great Tribulation
In verse 19 of our text, Jesus predicted the severe persecution accompanying this time of tribulation. “For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.” Daniel also speaks of this time in Daniel 12:1. “At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time, your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book.” The prophet Jeremiah refers to this event as “the time of Jacob’s trouble,” Jeremiah 30:4-10.
Jesus went on to say that unless those days of tribulation were shortened, no one would survive. Greek scholar A.T. Robertson says the phrase “except those days be shortened” is a second-class condition, determined as unfulfilled. It is a prophetic figure wherein the future is regarded as past. However, for the elect’s sake, those days will be shortened.
This tribulation will follow the breaking of the covenant mentioned in Daniel 9:27, which I mentioned earlier. The “prince who is to come” will break his covenant with the Jewish people during Daniel’s final 70th week and set up an image of himself in the Temple as God. Paul refers to this character as “the man of sin” in 2 Thessalonians chapter two. John refers to him as the Antichrist in his epistles and the Beast in the book of Revelation.
During this time of unparalleled suffering, false prophets and false messiahs will arise, offering a supposed way out of the troubles. Jesus warns, “Don’t believe them!” Hence, Paul’s warning in 2 Thessalonians 2:5-12.
“Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you these things? And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
Just as there were Jewish false prophets between the time of Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem, they will also persist in the gap between Daniel’s 69th and 70th weeks, the time in which we live. False prophets create troubles, and now false Christs offer a supposed way out of the troubles. The deluded victims cry “Lo, here,” when these false Messiahs arise with their panaceas for political, religious, moral, and spiritual ills.
The false message of these deceivers will be accompanied by signs and wonders, so that if it were possible, even the very elect would be deceived. Here is John’s description from Revelation 13. “Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived.”
Jesus warns His listeners, “But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.” To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Deception is all around us today; some is subtle and others are self-explanatory. We must take Jesus’ warning to heart, lest we too be deceived.
The Final DETAIL is,
Coming in the Clouds
“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.And then He will send His angels, and gather His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of the earth to the farthest part of heaven.” Here is a prophetic panorama with a foreshortened perspective.
Notice, Mark equates these cosmic disturbances with a time of unprecedented worldwide persecution of God’s ancient, chosen, earthly people – the believing Jews. Matthew 24:21 says of this persecution, “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.” Revelation 6:13 records the falling of stars from the heavens to the earth.
Jesus further states that the powers of heaven will be shaken. The root of this word, translated, shaken, is the same as the word used of the roaring waves of the sea in Luke 21:25. The motion of the oceans will be dramatically affected by these disturbances in the heavens. Well, that makes sense; we know the moon and the sun tremendously affect the ocean’s tides. So, the normal processes of the universe will be out of kilter.
When all the world’s armies are gathered around Jerusalem and all seems lost, the Son of Man will come in the clouds with great power and glory. The prophet, Daniel, records, “I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He went to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed.”
Further, Jesus said the Son of Man will gather His elect “from the tip of the earth to the tip of heaven.” This phrase occurs nowhere else. As I understand the Scriptures, these elect are Jewish people who embrace the Messiah. The church has been removed before this time, according to 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. This gathering is the purpose of God throughout the ages.
The expression of Jesus coming in the clouds of heaven is found in numerous places in Scripture. I already mentioned Daniel’s prophecy regarding this. At Jesus’ ascension, He was received by a cloud. The attending angels reminded the wondering disciples that He would return as they had seen Him leave. In Paul’s teaching from 1 Thessalonians 4:17, the Church, the Bride of Christ, is caught up into the air to meet the Lord in the clouds. In Revelation 1:7, John writes, “ Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.”
Yes, the Son of Man is coming! He has given us specific signs to look for, and while we may not fully understand all the events or their exact timing, we are repeatedly warned to watch and be prepared for His return. We must heed His warnings.
I close with words from the apostle Peter. “Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior,knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless, according to His promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Amen; even so come Lord Jesus.
