JESUS' PROPHECY - PART 2 (Mark 13:14-23)
INTRODUCTION:
I want to begin by clarifying some events that will occur at the end times. The disciples had asked Jesus three questions after they had left Jerusalem and sat down on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple. The first question was: When will the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple take place and what will be the sign that it was about to occur? The second question was: What will be the sign of your coming? The third question was: What will be the sign of the end of the age? What I want to clarify concerns the rapture and the second coming. The disciples did not ask about the rapture in the three questions that they voiced to Jesus. The rapture could happen at any time; there is no prophecy that must be fulfilled before it takes place. Jesus will gather the church to Himself at the rapture. The dead in Christ will be resurrected and will be rejoined with their spirits which have been in heaven with Christ since their death. Those who are alive at that time will be instantly glorified and caught up into the air to meet the Lord Jesus in the clouds and He will usher us into His Father’s house in heaven and so shall we be with the Lord forever. The second coming will occur at the end of the seven-year tribulation which will begin sometime after the rapture. At the end of the tribulation Jesus will return bodily to the earth, destroy His enemies and set up His millennial kingdom in which He will reign over the whole earth. Two different events and the disciples were inquiring about the second coming and that is what Jesus addresses. Last Sunday, we looked at Jesus’ answer to the third question first and the sign that would indicate the end of this age was beginning. This morning, we are going to take a little side trip into Luke and look at Jesus’ response to the first question concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Then we will be in Matthew and Mark as Jesus begins to answer the second question concerning the time of the second coming and the sign that would herald it was about to occur. Let’s pray and then read our passage in Mark for this morning.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles to Mark 13:14-23, our passage for this morning. Please stand, if you are able, in honor of the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read.
Mark 13:14-23,
“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. The one who is on the housetop must not go down, or go in to get anything out of his house; and the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! But pray that it may not happen in the winter. For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will. Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. And then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ’; or, ‘Behold, He is there’; do not believe him; for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance.” (Mark 13:14–23, NASB95)[1]
QUESTION ONE – THE FALL OF JERUSALEM (Luke 21:20-24)
When I began studying this chapter I was determined to stay in Mark and only give you what Mark wrote, but the more I studied the more I saw that all three gospels were needed to get Jesus full response to the questions asked. So, this morning we are going to go into Luke 21 for a few minutes since Luke is the only one who recorded Jesus’ response to the disciples first question concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Keep your finger in Mark 13 and turn over to Luke 21 and I will be reading verses 20-24 and you can follow along. Luke records the words of Jesus,
“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are in the midst of the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city; because these are days of vengeance, so that all things which are written will be fulfilled. Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people; and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (Luke 21:20–24, NASB95)[2]
In answer to the first question, the Lord Jesus gave them the sign that would mark the fact that Jerusalem was about to be destroyed. The sign was the surrounding of the City of Jerusalem by armies. The Jewish believers were told that, when they saw this sign, they were to leave Jerusalem and Judea in haste and to flee outside the land. This sign of armies surrounding Jerusalem would mark the coming desolation that Jesus had already spoken about and Jesus said from that time on Jerusalem will be continually trampled under foot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
This prophecy was fulfilled in a very interesting way. In the year A.D. 66, the first Jewish revolt broke out against the Romans. When the revolt first began, the Roman general in Israel, Cestus Gallus, came with his armies from Caesarea and surrounded Jerusalem. The surrounding of the city marked the sign that Jesus had promised, and the Jewish believers knew that Jerusalem would soon be destroyed. Jesus had said that they were to flee the city when they saw this happening, but it was impossible to do so with the Romans surrounding the city. Then Cestus Gallus noticed that his supply lines were not secure. He did not have enough supplies to maintain an extended siege, so he lifted the siege of Jerusalem and began his return to Caesarea. On the way, he was attacked by Jewish forces and killed. With the siege lifted and the city no longer surrounded by the Romans, every single Jewish believer was able to leave Jerusalem. They crossed the Jordan River and set up a new community of Jewish believers in the town of Pella which was in the region of the Decapolis where each city was an autonomous city-state but still subject to Rome. The Jewish believers who had fled from Jerusalem were joined by believers from Judea, Galilee and the Golan, which is north of the Sea of Galilee. In Pella, the believers waited for the prophecy of Jesus to be fulfilled. In the year A.D. 68 a Roman general by the name of Vespasian and his son, Titus, again besieged the city of Jerusalem, and the year A.D. 70 Titus gained entry into Jerusalem and the city and the Temple were destroyed. Altogether 1,100, 000 Jews were killed in the final onslaught, but not one Jewish believer died because they had obeyed the words of their Messiah. Since that time, Jerusalem has indeed been trampled under foot by the Gentiles and continues to be so to the present day. Jerusalem will not be free of Gentile nations treading upon her until the Messiah returns.
With these words, the Lord Jesus answered His disciples first question, the sign of the coming destruction of Jerusalem. That left one more question to be answered.
QUESTION TWO – FIRST HALF OF THE TRIBULATION (Matthew 24:9-14)
In preparation for answering the second question concerning the sign of the Messiah’s second coming, Jesus turned to the Tribulation, an event that will take place before the second coming. In this section, the Lord Jesus spoke of the events of both the first half and the second half of the Tribulation. The Tribulation will be a period of 7 years divided into two halves of 3½ years each. Mark only records Jesus words concerning the second half of the Tribulation, so we must go to Matthew 24 for Jesus words concerning the first half. Keep your finger at Mark 13 and turn over to Matthew 24:9-14. Matthew records Jesus words,
“Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:9–14, NASB95)[3]
These verses are very similar to the verses we looked at last week recorded in Mark 13:9-13 and to those recorded in Luke 21:12-19, but the differences show that Matthew is not writing about the same thing. Luke clearly stated that the events he was describing came before the sign of the end of the age, when “nation will rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom.” (Mark 13:8a, NASB95)[4] The difference in the Matthew account, is that he begins with the word “then” pointing out that the Lord Jesus is now describing what will come after the event of nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom. While some of the events and even some of the words are similar, these similarities do not prove sameness. Mark and Luke describes events that will take place and be done to the Apostles before the sign of the first world war, while Matthew deals with the events of the first half of the Tribulation that would come after the sign of the first world war, events that are still future today.
In this passage of Matthew, Jesus pointed out five events that will occur during the first half of the Tribulation. First, there will be tremendous persecution of the saints (those saved after the Rapture of the church), this is in Matthew 24:9-10. This fact is also given in Revelation 6:9-11, the one-world religious system, known as Ecclesiastical Babylon, will be doing the persecuting and will be responsible for the death of the saints during the first half of the Tribulation. (Revelation 17:1-6)
Second, the first half of the Tribulation will be characterized by the rise of many false prophets (Matthew 24:11). This point is also brought out in Zechariah 13:2-6. Third, there will be a tremendous rise of sin and iniquity (Matthew 24:12). The reason for this rise is because evil will no longer be restrained according to 2nd Thessalonians 2:6-7. Fourth, the Jews who survive to the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13). The fifth event of the first half of the Tribulation will be the worldwide preaching of the gospel (Matthew 24:14). This preaching to the whole world will be conducted by the 144,000 Jews mentioned in Revelation7:1-8. The result of their preaching is recorded in Revelation 7:9-17, where it clearly states that a great multitude of Gentiles and Jews will come to a saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus the Messiah. These are some of the things that will take place during the first half of the Tribulation. Both Matthew and Mark record what takes place in the second half of the Tribulation, the final 3½ years.
QUESTION TWO – SECOND HALF OF THE TRIBULATION (Mark 13:14-23; Matthew 24:15-28)
Having given some events of the first half of the Tribulation, the Lord Jesus next turned to the events of the second half. Mark’s record of this we have already read this morning. Concerning the events of the second half of the Tribulation, the Lord Jesus mentions 7 things that are significant.
First, the Messiah dealt with a specific event that will mark the beginning of the second half of the Tribulation: Mark records these words of Jesus, ““But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.” (Mark 13:14, NASB95)[5] Matthew 24:15 says, “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),” (Matthew 24:15, NASB95)[6] Matthew tells us that the Abomination of Desolation was spoken of through Daniel the prophet. Daniel mentions the abomination of desolation three times in his book (Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11). In Daniel 11:31, the term is used to describe the historical perversion of Antiochus IV, the Seleucid king who controlled Israel from 175-165 B.C. Antiochus called himself “Theos Epiphanes” which means “manifest god.” Antiochus desecrated the temple in Jerusalem by sacrificing a pig on the altar, forcing the priests to eat its meat and erecting an idol of Zeus within the walls of the temple. Antiochus ruthlessly oppressed the Jewish people, slaughtering thousands and selling many more into slavery.
But the desecration of the temple by Antiochus IV was only a foreshadowing of the Antichrist’s future perversion. The Abomination of Desolation will involve two stages. The first stage will be when the Antichrist will take over the Jewish Temple, sit down in the Most Holy Place and declare himself to be god (2nd Thessalonians 2:3-10). The second stage of the Abomination of Desolation will be when the False prophet will make an image of the Antichrist and stand it up in the temple (Revelation 13:11-15; Daniel 12:11). This act of the Abomination of Desolation will signal that the second and worse half of the Tribulation has begun.
Second, the Abomination of Desolation will be the signal for the Jews to flee out of the Land, to flee to the mountains (Mark 13:14-18). This flight is also recorded in Revelation 12:13-17. This passage in Mark and in Matthew reflects a sense of urgency. The whole emphasis is on speed and quickness, this is seen in the list of three difficulties that Jesus gives, two in Mark and three in Matthew that could hinder their flight. The first difficulty is for women who are pregnant or have nursing infants. In both cases, this makes quick flight difficult as any woman in that condition can certainly verify. The second difficulty is in relation to winter, when weather conditions can also limit a speedy escape especially through the wadis such as the one leading to Petra. The third difficulty is in relation to the Sabbath, a day when all public transportation shuts down. For these reasons that were told to pray that the Abomination of desolation would not take place in the winter or on the Sabbath.
Third, the reason for the flight is because at this time world-wide anti-Semitism will break out in all its fierceness. Satan’s attempt to annihilate the Jews once and for all will have begun in earnest.
Fourth, Israel will survive this terrible period, though greatly reduced in number (Mark 13:20). Fifth, the second half of the Tribulation will be characterized by false messiahs, especially one who is known in Scripture as the Antichrist (Matthew 24:23). Sixth, the latter half of the Tribulation will be characterized by false signs, miracles, and wonders, for the purpose of worldwide deception. These will be performed by the Antichrist and the False prophet (2nd Thessalonians 2:8-10; Revelation 13:11-15).
Seventh, the Lord Jesus warned that there will be people saying that the Messiah has returned here or that He has returned there, that the Second Coming has secretly occurred (Matthew 24:25-27). The Messiah warned the Jews of that day not to believe any such rumor or statement and come out of hiding, because unlike the Messiah’s first coming, the second coming will not be in secret. Matthew records Jesus saying, “For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” (Matthew 24:27, NASB95)[7] When Jesus returns the second time, all will see it, for it will be like a flash of lighting surrounding the world.
CONCLUSION:
That is where we will stop this morning. I have given you a hint of what the sign of the second coming of Jesus will be. I will be gone the next four Sundays, when I return we will look at the sign of the coming of the Son of man. So, what can we take from this passage of Scripture? First, I want you to look back to verse 14, Mark has added his own little footnote, he writes, “let the reader understand.” Jesus was answering the questions asked by the disciples, but His answers were not intended for the Twelve specifically but for believers who will be alive at the end of the age when these things occur, as Mark’s note reinforces this fact. This was not for the listening disciples but for future readers of Scripture, especially those saved during the first half of the Tribulation. In the years immediately prior to the second coming, people will read Jesus’ words and, realizing they are in the midst of the final tribulation, be equipped to understand and endure the trials of that unparalleled time of trouble. Secondly, at the beginning of this message I began by clarifying the difference between the rapture and the second coming. If you are a believer, if you have agreed with God that you are a sinner and that you are helpless to do anything to make yourself acceptable to God, but you believe that Jesus Christ died for your sin, taking the punishment you deserve for your sin, being your substitute and after His death God raised Him from the dead then you are a believer and the truth of the rapture is our blessed hope. Paul spoke of this hope in 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18, he said, “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, NASB95)[8] This event as I said earlier could take place at any time when Christ will descend with the spirits of those who have died before us, their glorified bodies will be resurrected from the dead and be rejoined with their spirits and we who are still alive will be caught up together with those resurrected to meet the Lord Jesus in the air and to be with Him always for the rest of eternity. This will take place before the awful events described today that will happen during the Tribulation. We will be in heaven with our Savior and escape that wrath that is to come. The truth of what we learned today should compel us to tell others about the Savior so they too can escape the wrath to come.
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.