Mark 13:14-23; Zechariah 14:1-5. This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on September 27, 2020.
Today, we start our look at the second part of the Olivet Discourse. Days before Jesus will be betrayed and crucified, he gives a detailed prophecy regarding the future from the First Century AD up to his Second Coming. The answer that Jesus gives to their questions about the future has three parts to it and last week we looked at the first part.
So, let’s look at the first part.
Comparing Mark 13 with Matthew 24 & Luke 21
In each of the three Gospels, the answer of Jesus follows a three-part focus. The first focus is on the difficulty of the years ahead, before he comes back. The third focus is on the Second Coming of Jesus. The focus we will look at today is the second one and is about Judea and Jerusalem.
Each Gospel adds a little something different that the other Gospels do not have, and they also leave out things that the others tell us. In the first and third focus, it is very clear that they are all talking about the same thing. Yet, in this second focus, you will see by the chart above that I believe Luke is significantly different from Matthew and Mark. It is not contradictory because we know that there is far more discussion that has happened than what is written down.
In the Gospel of Luke, the second focus talks about armies surrounding Jerusalem, and an exile to the nations of Israel. He states that this will last until the Times of the Gentiles are fulfilled, or come to an end. This is clearly describing the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies in 70 A.D.
Matthew and Mark, however, mention none of these things. Instead, they talk about the Abomination of Desolation standing in the Holy Place of the Temple and a Great Tribulation that is the worst the world will ever see. They both use language that ties the Great Tribulation directly to the Second Coming of the third focus of the prophecy. Matthew 24:29 says, “immediately after the tribulation of those days…” Whereas, Mark 13:24 says, “But in those days, after that tribulation…” Luke does not use this immediate language. In fact, his words imply a long period, the Times of the Gentiles, that has no fixed length. This leads me to believe that Jesus spoke about difficult times that Israel would experience in 70 A.D., particularly in Judea and Jerusalem. Yet, he also talked about difficult times that Israel would have in the years right before his Second Coming. These are two different destructive events that have the exact same encouragement, “Get out of the area!”
The similarity of the imperatives to quickly run to the mountains leads some people to say that the Great Tribulation is speaking about 70 A.D. However, it seems ludicrous to pretend that somehow the events of 70 A.D., though extremely horrible and difficult, were the worst tribulation the world, or Israel, will ever see. What about World War II? Coupled with Matthew and Marks emphasis on the Second Coming happening at the end of those days, the near and far away aspect of this prophesy becomes clearer.
The Greatest Tribulation ever will occur
Hopefully at this point, you are on board that Luke is sharing the prophesy that Jesus gives regarding the destruction of Jerusalem in the First Century, and that Mark is sharing the prophesy that Jesus gives regarding the difficulties that Jerusalem will have in the Great Tribulation immediately before his Second Coming, which is still future to us. Yes, the Bible describes a future destructive event at Jerusalem at the end of this age, which will be interrupted by the Second Coming of Jesus.
In case you are not convinced yet, we need to look at an Old Testament prophecy in Zechariah 14. Here, Zechariah depicts a partial destruction of Jerusalem that is stopped by the coming of Messiah in great power. It cannot be forced to fit the destruction in 70 A.D. without making most of it symbolic. Let me just say once again, that I have no problem with symbolism being employed and used here. However, I do think it is a mistake to automatically dismiss the literal. Something can be true both literally and Symbolically.
Zechariah describes “all the nations” coming against Jerusalem. Yet, the army of Rome was very diverse, but it is a stretch to say that it is talking about the Roman army. He also states that “half of the city” is taken captive, but not a remnant of the people. “Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations in that day.” Again, if we try to make the Lord fighting only symbolic then we would have Jesus symbolically fighting against the nations of the world or Rome. We could perhaps posit that Christians going into the nations is that battle, and would be somewhat correct. Yet, Zechariah also pictures the feet of Jesus touching the Mt. of Olives and splitting it in half so greatly that it creates a valley for people to flee from Jerusalem. At this point, you realize that your symbolism scheme becomes extremely convoluted in order to avoid any literal understanding.
Yet, it becomes even more difficult for those who only accept a symbolic understanding of this passage. Verse 5 mentions that all the saints will be coming with the Messiah. Then, verse 12 describes the way that the Lord will defeat the nations. “And this shall be the plague with which the LORD will strike all the people who fought against Jerusalem: their flesh shall dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall dissolve in their sockets, and their tongues shall dissolve in their mouths.” Some say that this is all poetic metaphor, such as their ability to see truth and speak wisdom will dissolve, or fall apart. That may have some truth to it, but it doesn’t pass the sniff test. It smacks of the same trick that cults do when their prophecies don’t happen. They try to say it happened spiritually and not literally. Bear in mind that we can also ask the same question of Revelation 19. Is it simply poetic metaphor? Is the rule of Messiah/Jesus over the earth simply poetic metaphor?
We have now gone through a lot of setup for this section, but it is critical to understanding that Luke is picturing a different time than Mark. Why didn’t they all clearly detail both destructions? Partially, it would be because they didn’t completely understand the distinctions. We have the benefit of hindsight. I would also have to believe that God purposefully led them to detail these separately.
As we go through these verses, we will make it clear that this second section in Mark is talking about a Great Tribulation, which will happen at the end of this age, and may be just on the horizon.
In verse 14, Jesus brings up a phrase that was well known to the Jews of his day, “the Abomination of Desolation.” This comes from the Old Testament where the term “abomination” is most often used of idols, or images, but its meaning goes beyond them. It pictures something that is abominable, detestable, and loathsome. It is used of impure things and activities that God absolutely hates, as well as the righteous. The word “desolation” refers to being brought into a state of stunned silence, or ravaged silence. The Greek word used to translate it literally means to be made into a wilderness. The phrase as a whole basically refers to something so impure, whether an idol and/or an act, that it brings the wrath of God upon the place and is made into a wilderness. The righteous are always to get away from such a place and its people because they should not want to be caught up in its judgment.
We are told in the text that we should remember that this is spoken about by Daniel the prophet. We are told that we need to understand this.
The concept or phrase “Abomination of Desolation” is found in three passages of the book of Daniel. Chapter 9 verse 27 is in the famous Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks of Years. In that passage, we are told that Messiah would be executed, and then the people of the prince, who is yet to come, will destroy the city. Then it says that the prince who comes later will make a covenant with many for 7 years. During that period, he will put an end to sacrifices and “on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate.” Notice that this covenant, stopping of sacrifices (implying Israel back in the land with a temple), and Abomination of Desolation happens after the destruction of the city in 70 A.D. and not before it.
Daniel 11:31 is another passage that mentions the Abomination of Desolation. This passage so perfectly fits the events of the Greek-Syrian King Antiochus Epiphanes in 167 B.C. that scholars who do not believe in predictive prophecy say it must have been written afterward and not by Daniel. Of course, there is no evidence for that. Daniel in the 6th century prophesied the events that were nearly 400 years later. The passage refers to the defiling of the sanctuary and the placing of the “Abomination of Desolation.” In those days, Antiochus was angry because of a military defeat near Egypt. He commanded the Jews to worship Zeus, put an idol of Zeus in the courtyard of sacrifice, and had a pig slaughtered on the Hebrew altar in worship of Zeus. So, the second mention of an abomination is different from the first. It was fulfilled in 167 B.C. and gives us a picture of what an event would look like that qualified to be called an Abomination of Desolation.
The last passage is Daniel 12:11. Here, an added detail is given. From the time that the sacrifices are stopped until the Abomination of Desolation, there would be 1,290 days (3 years and 7 months). This does not fit the events of 167 B.C. It is most likely a reference back to the Abomination spoken of in chapter 9.
In Mark, Jesus is letting us know that there is another Abomination of Desolation coming of which the events of Antiochus Epiphanes are simply a template or prototype. Some try to make events in 70 A.D. be a fulfillment of this concept. There were a few attempts at such a thing. The emperor Caligula even sent an image to Israel in order to be set up in the temple. However, he died and the command was abandoned. It was as if God said that this was not to be the time. Nothing like we have been describing happened leading up to 70 A.D. that would both qualify as an Abomination of Desolation and serve as a warning for people to flee. The Abomination of Desolation is still future and will be part of the Great Tribulation, which implies a third temple at some stage of construction.
It is important to note a connection that follows the Antiochus template and is elsewhere in the New Testament. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 describes the coming “man of sin,” also called Antichrist, sitting in the temple of God showing himself that he is God. When this is coupled with Revelation 13, especially the image that will be built to the beast and made to speak, we can see that the warning is of an end times temple of Israel that is co-opted by a global leader to promote himself as God. In our modern world, this may seem impossible or ridiculous. However, God warns us that He is restraining this stuff until He is ready for it to happen.
We will look at the rest of this Great Tribulation next week. Yet, note these things. The continual focus on peace between Israel and the Muslims of the Middle East continues to beg some kind of peace deal or covenant agreement. The contention on the Temple Mount is extremely volatile, and yet, not only is there room on the mount for a Temple to be built north of the Dome of the Rock, but there is a move among Muslims to allow it to happen. The orthodox Jews of Israel have made preparations to quickly build a temple upon any agreement. The furnishings have been built including an altar. Money has been raised and priest trained. They are ready to quickly build what they call the third temple. Lastly, many rabbis in recent years have begun to state that Messiah is on the earth and waiting to reveal himself. One rabbi this year has prophesied that this is the last Jewish New Year (Sept. 19, 2020) without Messiah. In other words, Messiah will reveal himself sometime before September 6 of next year.
People used to look at these prophecies and laugh at anyone who taught that Israel would literally be a nation again, much less have a temple. Yet, the events of 1948 shocked the world as Israel became a nation again under an existential threat that could have only been neutralized by God. We must understand that the Times of the Gentiles will eventually come to an end and God will allow the end times scenario to move forward. Are you ready spiritually? Do you know Jesus as your Lord and your Savior? Only he can save you from your sins, and bring you through what lies ahead for this world.