It is also true that some things are valued by a multitude of people while others are considered rather inconsequential by most. For instance, consider a towel. It is just a piece of cloth. If I cut it or tear it, no one cares. Or what about a piece of paper. I could cut this paper and no one would think anything of it. Or ripping apart a booklet or tearing up junk mail. Again, no big deal to most people.
But what if I were to cut a piece of cloth like the US flag? Or what if I were to cut a page in the Bible or rip a page from the Bible. That would get your attention. Right? Well, I am not going to do that (nor am I a proponent of either)…but hold any anger in your mind for a moment.
When we read in the Bible about the temple being destroyed, we really don’t care. If you have studied the Bible much over any period of time, you have heard the temple was destroyed in the past (twice) and that the body is now the true temple of God (1 Cor 3.16-17). So, like the paper or the towel, we hear that the temple WAS important, but we don’t really think about it any more than that.
But it wasn’t just that the temple was important to some. It was important to every person who claimed any allegiance to God. It was God’s house, so to speak. It signified God’s presence. Jesus said He would build the church – and that is not a building – it is you and I. But the temple, the building, was what God had built. To talk about the temple in derogatory fashion was almost the equivalent of blaspheming God.
And Jesus begins Mark 13, as we saw last week, by saying the temple would be destroyed. He says this in response to a disciple who is enamored by the structure of the temple. And from eyewitness accounts, he should have been awestruck. But after Jesus makes this prediction, four disciples (James, John, Peter, and Andrew, the first four Jesus called – Mk 1.16-20) asked Jesus for a sign that the temple would be destroyed.
Again, as we saw last week, Jesus initially responds with a series of “signs” that do not signal this destruction. But, as we pick up the teaching this week, we see Jesus addresses their question directly by stating, “But when.”
WHEN YOU SEE…
Just as we don’t get offended by talking about the destruction of the temple, we don’t get offended by this statement about the abomination of desolation. First, most do not understand it. Second, even if we do understand, it does not resonate in our hearts the way it did a Jew. Let me define these words for us from dictionary.com.
Abomination
- Greatly disliked or abhorred
- Intense aversion or loathing; detestation
- A vile, shameful, or detestable action, condition, habit, etc.
Desolation
- Devastation; ruin
- Depravation or companionship; loneliness
- Sorrow; grief; woe
Jesus puts these two words together in a phrase – abomination of desolation. Many think the translation should be abomination that causes desolation. This latter fits quite well. The vile, shameful act causes the ruin of the temple as well as deep sorrow and grief on the part of the Jews.
Again, this was the house of God. It is now destroyed. If the US flag is cut or mutilated, that may offend many, but America still exists. For the Jew, when the temple was destroyed, the nation of Israel basically ceased to exist for nearly 1900 years because their symbol for God, their religion, and even their nation had been destroyed.
(At this point, I would encourage you to review the Teaching Moment blog for the week. Rick takes a more detailed look at what I briefly mention next. You can read the information here.)
Having reviewed the phrase – the abomination that causes desolation – which is found in verse 14, let me now dig further into the text.
He will be standing.
In Daniel 9, the idea is about someone who makes something desolate. The focus is certainly on a person, but the desolation is not the person, it is what is caused. But Jesus doesn’t mention a thing being an abomination, He mentions a “he.”
In the three accounts Rick mentioned, each contains a he. Antiochus Epiphanes, Caligula, and in the case of the Zealots, a man named Phanni. In this prophetic statement, Jesus cannot mean Antiochus Epiphanies as that incident had occurred nearly 200 years before. (It is from this instance the Hanukkah (the Feast of Dedication) came to be celebrated. You can review my post here for more details.
So that leaves the next possibility as Caligula. As Rick said, this was the intent of the emperor – to erect a statue of his image in the temple. This was a mere ten years after Jesus made His prophetic statement, but it did not happen because a Roman general, Petronius, did not allow it. Shortly thereafter, the emperor was assassinated.
That leaves one more possibility. The time of the Zealots. In Luke’s account of this teaching, the idea of armies surrounding Jerusalem is present. Beginning in 66 AD, Roman soldiers were dispatched to Israel to put down any uprising. While they began in the countryside, they eventually made their way to Jerusalem and destroyed it and the temple in 70 AD. During that time, the Zealots had taken control of the temple, and shortly before the Romans sacked the temple, the Zealots had made a man named Phanni the high priest. As high priest, he not only would stand in the temple, but also “stood” over the religious affairs of the temple. And most recently, in that day, that included the slaying of priests and others within the temple.
Who is the he?
Could Phanni be the “he” to which Jesus mentioned? If we consider the context of the question the disciples asked Jesus – what sign will be given when the temple is destroyed (Mark 13.2-4), this last approach is most likely. Jesus says “but when you see” this happen, that is your sign. Shortly after Phanni stood where he ought not be (he was not the rightful high priest), the temple was destroyed and Jerusalem along with it.
…THEN YOU FLEE!
A Local Warning (v. 14)
Many people view this passage (and the parallel passages in Matthew and Luke) strictly as a warning for the end of time. But remember, the question is about when the temple will be destroyed. And at the end of verse 14, Jesus says that this message pertains to those in Judea. This particular part of the warning does not concern America, or Europe, or even other parts of Asia. It concerns those in Judea. And if you are in Judea, get out while you still have a chance!
This leaving is called The Dispersion. In fact, James begins his letter by stating he is writing to those who have fled their homeland…to those who are a part of the Dispersion (James 1.1). This was a part of God’s plan because Jesus said His message was to be taken to Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth (Acts 1.8). This Dispersion allowed the message of the gospel to go wherever the people fled – first to the mountains and eventually to other countries and around the world.
 |
| Hundreds of caves like this are evident in the mountains in Israel |
Leave Instantly (vv. 15-18)
The promise of Jesus was that this would take place fast. And, again, according to Josephus, it did. Listen to Jesus warning:
- If you are on your rooftop, don’t take time to go down and grab anything from your house – just leave! (Most Jewish homes had flat roofs on which they could sit, relax, and be cool.)
- If you are working in the fields, don’t worry about picking up your coat – just leave! (Many areas of Israel are cooler in the morning when the workers arrived in the fields. As they began working, and/or the temperate began to increase, they would leave their coats at the edge of the field where they could pick it up at the end of the day.)
- If you are pregnant or with newborn, heaven help you, because travel is not easy in such a condition.
- If it is winter – the challenge will be great! (The rivers and streams swell during the rainy season (the winter months in Israel. You will be trapped and unable to escape. Josephus actually writes of an instance where Jews were trying to escape and were unable because of the higher than usual water.)
Remain Faithful (vv. 21-23)
I am skipping past verses 19-20 for now. At the end of this set of verses, we see similarities to the verses we reviewed last week. Jesus said, in the preceding verses, “Be on guard” and “Do not be alarmed.” This week, He is recorded as saying, “Be on guard” again, now related to false messiahs. Imagine, you are a first century Jew and you see all of this calamity around you. Roman armies converging on Jerusalem, various factions within Israel (like the Zealots and the Pharisees) at war, etc. If someone came along and offered a political resolution, using God’s name, many would jump at the prospect. But Jesus says, all of these self-proclaimed saviors are not sent of God. They will have the ability to lead people astray by various signs and wonders, but they are not God’s messengers.
You may ask, “Well, didn’t Jesus do these types of things, so was He really God’s messenger?”
My answer, “Yes.”
And so you might respond, “What is the difference?”
My response: “Most people with these types of powers use them for manipulation. Something along the lines of, ‘You don’t believe me. Well, if I do this, will you believe me? Ok, I will prove it.’ After they “prove” what has been said, the audience is forced to follow and the person with the power has their ego fed.”
Notice Jesus efforts. Certainly, He healed others and some, like Bartimaeus (Mark 10.46-52) followed, but many did not. In fact, Jesus was known, on occasion, to tell others NOT to tell others what had happened (1.44, 8.26), and often withdrew from the crowds (1.35-37, 6.45-46) or with very few others (3.13, 4.35-36, 6.30-31, 9.2, 13.3, etc.) In fact, in the Mark’s account of the gospel, Mark usually treats the crowd a miracle mongers and more of a nuisance than something Jesus is seeking (though He certainly loved each one).
Getting back to the point, Jesus says many will come to deceive which echoes His words in 13.6. But Jesus informs His audience, I have given you the necessary warning – so do not fall away. Remain true to Me.
The Tribulation (vv. 19-20)
I am going to save the bulk of my comments of these verses until next week when we will wrap up chapter 13 and Jesus call to endure. As I mentioned in Point 1, the abomination of desolation is the key sign. Because Jesus is referring to an event that has yet to occur, that statement and most of this passage is in the present or future tense. When you see…the one who is on the housetop…pray that is may not happen. Verse 21, if anyone says. Verse 22 – false christs will arise. All of these statements refer to the future. But notice verse 20. “If the Lord had not cut short the days no human would have been saved.” All of that is past tense.
What do we make of that? Well, we will come back to that next week, and consider a future prospect for the abomination of desolation as well.
CONCLUSION
As for today, we have a man whom Jesus calls the abomination of desolation. We have a warning for the people in Judea to flee quickly. And we have a call to remain faithful because Jesus has given this warning beforehand.
What do we make of this?
Like last week, Jesus is providing His followers with information beforehand in order that they may stay true to Him during the period to come. He provides a series of exhortations to help His followers know that He will not be caught off guard by what is happening, and therefore we should not be paralyzed by fear when they happen.
Why does Jesus do this?
Because Jesus loves His followers. He wants the best for them – and the “them” includes us. And if we truly believe that, then we should take this same message to others as well. We have the opportunity to share Jesus’ words with others so they can have peace when their world crumbles just like the temple did.
JOURNEY: That is why our JOURNEY letter for the week is: E – Engage.
We must engage with others to share not only what Jesus said, but who He is. Who else can make such bold predictions and have them fulfilled exactly as they were and/or will be?
Do you know Jesus well enough to trust Him? We may say we are saved but will you feel safe when your world falls apart? Where will you turn? To whom will you go? I hope that person is Jesus. And, if it is, I hope you will share your hope with others.
OPPORTUNITY: Embrace the truth of “But God,” and then share it with others.
- Tragedy and chaos may be all around us, “But God”…in on His throne.
- Every friend and family member may betray us, “But God”…will never leave of forsake us.
- We may fail far more than we succeed, “But God”…loves us anyway.
- People will come to deceive us…“But God,” will reveal His truth to those who listen.
REMEMBRANCE: God is in control. We all face various types of trials, and those Jesus described were great, and the future will even be greater. But God is on His throne. But God is in control.
NEXT STEP(S):
Learn: What more do you need to know, to learn, to believe so that you can trust God perfectly? Start by reading His Word and learn of His glorious nature and His steadfast love. Let His Spirit teach you what He wishes you to know and do.
No comments:
Post a Comment