¹⁴ “But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁵ Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, ¹⁶ and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. ¹⁷ And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! ¹⁸ Pray that it may not happen in winter. ¹⁹ For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. ²⁰ And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. ²¹ And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. ²² For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. ²³ But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.” – Mark 13:14-23 ESV

The disciples had asked what they thought was a simple question, hoping for a simple answer.

“Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to be fulfilled?” – Mark 13:4 NLT

But Jesus rarely, if ever, gave simple answers. The four disciples who asked this question while sitting on the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem were anxious to know the exact timing of the temple’s destruction. Jesus’ earlier announcement of this event had left them stunned and more than a little bit concerned. But Jesus gave them a highly condensed overview of the eschatological future. He pieced together a host of end-times events that would culminate with His Second Coming.

The disciples believed Jesus to be their long-awaited Messiah, and they fully expected Him to set up His Kingdom on earth in their lifetimes. That is why they had been upset by His repeated references to His death in Jerusalem.  His mention of the destruction of Jerusalem further frustrated their hopes of a restored and revitalized Israel. These men lived in the here and now, with their hopes focused on the immediate inauguration of the Messiah’s reign and their personal participation in His new Kingdom.

Yet, Jesus wanted them to know that there was far more going on than they realized. He had not come to set up an earthly Kingdom, at least, not yet. Other events had to occur before He took His rightful place on the throne of David in Jerusalem, and Jesus mentioned one such event: “the abomination of desolation” Mark 13:14 ESV). Whether the disciples understood this reference is unclear. But Jesus, well acquainted with the Hebrew scriptures, used a prophecy from the ancient book of Daniel.

“And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” – Daniel 9:26-27 ESV

This prophecy was partially fulfilled in 167 BC, when Antiochus Epiphanes, the king of the Seleucid Empire, profaned the temple in Jerusalem by erecting an altar to Zeus and slaughtering swine on it. This blatant desecration of the temple was followed by a series of other devastating decrees, including the criminalization of the rite of circumcision and the requirement of all Jews to offer sacrifices to Zeus. These unacceptable demands infuriated the Jews and ultimately led to the Maccabean revolt.

The book of 1 Maccabees chronicles the actions of King Antiochus.

⁴⁴ The king also sent edicts by messenger to Jerusalem and the towns of Judah, directing them to adopt customs foreign to the country, ⁴⁵ banning burnt offerings, sacrifices and libations from the sanctuary, profaning Sabbaths and feasts, ⁴⁶ defiling the sanctuary and everything holy, ⁴⁷ building altars, shrines and temples for idols, sacrificing pigs and unclean beasts, ⁴⁸ leaving their sons uncircumcised, and prostituting themselves to all kinds of impurity and abomination, ⁴⁹ so that they should forget the Law and revoke all observance of it. ⁵⁰ Anyone not obeying the king’s command was to be put to death. ⁵⁴ On the fifteenth day of Chislev in the year 145 the king built the appalling abomination on top of the altar of burnt offering; and altars were built in the surrounding towns of Judah ⁵⁵ and incense offered at the doors of houses and in the streets. ⁵⁶ Any books of the Law that came to light were torn up and burned. ⁵⁷ Whenever anyone was discovered possessing a copy of the covenant or practising the Law, the king’s decree sentenced him to death.

⁵⁸ Month after month they took harsh action against any offenders they discovered in the towns of Israel. ⁵⁹ On the twenty-fifth day of each month, sacrifice was offered on the altar erected on top of the altar of burnt offering. ⁶⁰ Women who had had their children circumcised were put to death according to the edict ⁶¹ with their babies hung round their necks, and the members of their household and those who had performed the circumcision were executed with them.

⁶² Yet there were many in Israel who stood firm and found the courage to refuse unclean food. ⁶³ They chose death rather than contamination by such fare or profanation of the holy covenant, and they were executed. ⁶⁴ It was a truly dreadful retribution that visited Israel. – 1 Maccabees 1:44-64

But like many Old Testament prophecies, the prophecy in Daniel had a now-not-yet aspect. While Antiochus’s actions partially fulfilled Daniel’s predictions, Jesus revealed that this prophecy had a future element that remained unfulfilled. When Jesus prophesied about the destruction of the temple, His words also included a now-not-yet dimension. Just over 40 years later, Titus destroyed the temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD, but this was only a partial fulfillment of Jesus’ words. The disciples were being given a glimpse of the distant future, when the full scope of Jesus’ predictions would unfold.

Jesus was revealing events that must take place before His second coming and the establishment of His earthly Kingdom. Another desecration of the temple will occur, but not in the disciples’ lifetimes. This future event will precede His return and usher in a time of great tribulation on the earth that Jesus described as an unprecedented period of suffering.

“For there will be greater anguish in those days than at any time since God created the world. And it will never be so great again.” – Mark 13:19 NLT

He warns that those who are alive when it happens should do everything in their power to run for their lives.

“Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. And pray that your flight will not be in winter.” – Mark 13:14-18 NLT

The Daniel passage Jesus referred to also spoke of “one who makes desolate” (Daniel 9:27 ESV). This individual will wield great power and become “the prince who is to come” who  “shall destroy the city and the sanctuary” (Daniel 9:26 ESV). This future world leader will be the Antichrist, who will appear on the scene at the beginning of the seven years of Tribulation. He will rise to power, make a treaty with the nation of Israel, and use his great influence to coordinate the reconstruction of the temple in Jerusalem. For three-and-a-half years, the Jews will enjoy a revitalized sacrificial system and a period of relative peace, but then all hell will break loose. The Antichrist will abruptly break his treaty with Israel, turning his wrath against God’s people, set up an idol of himself in the temple, and launch an all-out offensive against all those who refuse to worship him. This will begin a period of great tribulation like nothing the world has ever seen.

Knowing this news left His disciples stunned, Jesus assured them that God will intervene.

“…unless the Lord shortens that time of calamity, not a single person will survive. But for the sake of his chosen ones he has shortened those days.” – Mark 13:20 NLT

Even during those dark days, God will choose to redeem a remnant from among His people, setting them apart as His own. The church, made up primarily of Gentile believers, will have been removed from the earth just before the period known as the Tribulation. With the Rapture of the church, the only ones remaining on earth will be God’s chosen people, the Jews, and unbelieving Gentiles. Yet God will continue to redeem and rescue, resulting in the salvation of many from every tribe, nation, and tongue, many of whom will become martyrs at the hands of the Antichrist. But those days will last only as long as God has ordained, and they will culminate with the return of His Son and the establishment of His earthly Kingdom.

Jesus ended this stark information dump by warning His disciples to be wary. The days ahead would be dark and difficult. In a very short time, He will offer His life as a sacrifice for mankind’s sins. He will die on a Roman cross and then be raised back to life and return to His Father’s side in heaven, but He will promise to return one day. Jesus wanted His disciples to know that rumors will arise about His return. After His departure, some will claim to be Him, but they are liars and deceivers and should be ignored. These charlatans may even perform signs and wonders, giving credibility to their claims. But they are to be rejected because the Tribulation must take place before Jesus returns again.

Peter, James, John, and Andrew had asked, “What will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” (Mark 13:4 ESV). Jesus answered: the Tribulation will be the sign of His Second Coming. But another vital step must take place before that sign can be fulfilled.

“…the Son of Man must suffer many terrible things and be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He would be killed, but three days later he would rise from the dead.” – Mark 8:31 NLT

Jesus had to die because it was the purpose for which He came. His sacrificial, atoning death was the key to humanity’s restoration to a right relationship with God. His substitutionary death was the only way to satisfy God’s just and righteous wrath against the sins of man. The disciples couldn’t wrap their minds around that thought. It made no sense and didn’t fit their expectations of the Messiah. And even after Jesus was crucified, buried, and rose back to life, the disciples would have a difficult time letting go of their expectations for Him to set up His Kingdom during their lifetimes. Just prior to Jesus’ ascension, the disciples revealed their lack of understanding.

So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” – Acts 1:6 NLT

They were still waiting for emancipation from Roman rule and the reestablishment of the Davidic dynasty. But Jesus reminded them not to worry about the end but to focus on their mission.

“The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:6-8 NLT

And Jesus reminded Peter, Andrew, James, and John, “Be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand” (Mark 13:23 ESV). He had given them a glimpse of the future so they would stay faithful in the present. The days ahead would be difficult, but they were all part of God’s grand plan of redemption, and they would have a significant role to play. 

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.