THE SIGNS (PART 6)

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation, ’spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.

Matthew 24:15-22

When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that this will not take place in winter, because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again. If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them.

Mark 13:14-20

When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Luke 21:20-24

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Grief and sorrow.

Loneliness and isolation.

Destruction and ruin.

These are all components that comprise the dictionary meaning of the word “desolation:”, a word central to the scripture passages today as we look at the sixth devotion in an eight devotion series devoted to the signs Jesus states will happen just before His second coming when He returns to earth bringing judgment.  

As we look at our scripture passages, we find that three of the four gospels discuss the matter of desolation, Matthew and Mark very similar and Luke not so much. Despite any differences, it’s very important that these passages be looked at not in part but whole. I say this because there are implications regarding past, present, and future in regard to the abominations that Jesus connects to desolation.

First, there is the past. In Matthew’s account, we find Jesus hearkening back to the days of the prophet Daniel and these words spoken some 572 years earlier (approximately 539BC):

At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before. Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.

His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.  Daniel 11:29-32

This is one incident that resulted in the abomination, or sinful desecration of God’s holy temple, that would cause desolation. This event was one that had already occurred as Jesus is addressing His disciples.

Between 175 and 164 BC, some 400 years after Daniel and before Jesus was born, Antiochus Epiphanes was the ruler of Syria. A great persecutor of Jews who wanted more than anything to abolish their faith, He would invade Jerusalem and set forth abolishing religious practices such as offering up animal sacrifices in the temple. Then, the Syrian leader had a sow, considered by the Jews to be an unclean animal, sacrificed in the temple and also placed a statue of a Greek god within. Such detestable action sinfully polluted God’s holy dwelling place and fulfilled Daniel’s prophecy.

But Daniel wasn’t finished foretelling about another abomination that would occur. We find this prophecy in Daniel, Chapter 9:

After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. Daniel 9:26-27

Obviously this abomination leading to desolation event happened after Jesus’ crucifixion as Daniel states clearly that the Anointed One would be put to death. We also see in Luke’s passage that Jesus does some prophesying of His own.

So when was this prediction fulfilled and how did the abomination happen?

We move ahead 37 years after Jesus’ death to 70 AD where we find Roman armies under the command of Titus surrounding and laying siege to the city of Jerusalem. This was the precursor to desolation that Jesus speaks about in Luke. It was a time of great distress for the Israelite people as Jerusalem was trampled by Gentiles, just as Jesus foretold.   

So in relation to the time Jesus spoke His words to Peter, Andrew, James, and John, we have seen how an abomination that caused desolation happen in the past and present (or near future when looked at in relation to when Jesus spoke His prophecy). Now let’s look at how the distant future is covered as well, informing us today that there is still yet another abomination coming, one that will lead to desolation and precede Jesus’ return.

To look at this coming abomination, we go back to the Gospel of Matthew and look again at the words of Jesus there. He said:

So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation, ’spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. Matthew 24:15-22

In a time yet to come, the scriptures talk about the antichrist coming and finding his way to Jerusalem where he would also desecrate the temple with his very presence, declaring himself to be God. It would be an abomination for the ages, one that would cause great distress that would be unequaled from the beginning of the world. We find a reference to the antichrist in the second chapter of 2 Thessalonians:

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4

As mentioned, this is still to come and when it happens, no one who has read the scriptures should be caught off guard or surprised. Jesus told us to be ready for an abomination that would cause desolation and as we look in 2 Thessalonians, Chapter 2, we find the details of what that abomination looks like. We also learn that there so real reason to be afraid because this man of lawlessness, this person we will know as the antichrist, is already doomed for destruction. Where Christ brings victory to all who believe and trust in Him, the antichrist will drag his followers into defeat, devastation, and damnation.  

In the end translation, when Jesus returns, all abomination will be vanquished, once and for all, and the only desolation at that time will be the isolation the antichrist and all those who chose to follow him and reject Jesus will experience, not temporarily but eternally.

Which side will you be on when Jesus comes back?

My prayer is that you will be firmly on His side. To not do so would be an abomination that will one day result in your desolation, sad because it was completely avoidable. 

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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