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"So when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not " (let the reader understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter. For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved, but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days. Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'Look, He is there!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.
"But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send His angels and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven."
- Mark 13:14-27
On Saturday, we read that, as Jesus went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!" And Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down." Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?" And Jesus, answering them, began to say: "Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and will deceive many. But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled, for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows. But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved."
"So when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not " (let the reader understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter. For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved, but for the elect's sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days. Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'Look, He is there!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand." Of these verses my study bible has an extensive note, which I will reproduce here: "The destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, culminating in the burning of the temple, appears to be the major focal point in these verses. The Roman general Titus defiled the temple by first entering into it and standing where [he] ought not (i.e. in the Most Holy Place). Heeding prophecies, the Church in Jerusalem fled before this great tribulation (v. 19) occurred (vv. 15-18). This was a time of great suffering and consternation (vv. 19-22), vividly recounted by the Jewish historian Josephus, an eyewitness." Another note tells us: "Christians have suffered many great tribulations throughout the centuries -- in the twentieth century alone, many millions have been martyred -- and there will likely be great trials in the future." It notes that "Orthodox Christians reject any teaching that (1) conveniently 'delivers' them from tribulation (Jesus teaches to prepare for tribulation) or (2) speaks of a secret Second Coming of Christ. Christian consensus is, 'He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead' (Nicene Creed). There is nothing secret here. The Scriptures teach that many events spoken of in the Old Testament regarding the end will not be understood until they happen (v. 29). 'Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase' (Dan. 12:4). Dazzling words claiming to set forth God's prophetic scenario for the end times are at best speculative, and at worst, heretical."
"But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send His angels and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven." Another note here in my study bible tells us: "In those days refers to the end of time, when Christ will return bodily. The Second Coming is neither secretive nor figurative."
As noted on Saturday, Jesus' discourse on the destruction of the temple at Jerusalem is combined with teachings about the end times. Of course, He is answering questions posed by His disciples. He's also warning them of what was to come in their lifetimes, within a generation from the time He is speaking. As my study bible pointed out, the Church at Jerusalem was able to heed His warnings of what was to come, and fled Jerusalem. On Saturday, we discussed in commentary the many things that seem to be happening in our world, changes occurring at this time through technology and other developments in our history. But it's not for us to know, really, when the "end time" is here. It is up to us to challenge ourselves to live as He has taught us to live. Perhaps especially as we look around at our world, and we see our capability for destruction, for harm, for causing suffering, and the power of manipulation as well, it is very, very important to ask ourselves how exactly we may be contributing to the things that do not make for a world in which His teachings on love can be taught and lived. This past Thursday, we read that Jesus was asked by a scribe, "Which is the first commandment of all?" Jesus responded with both a first and a second: "The first of all the commandments is 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." We still have these commandments to live by, and if we look around in our world, we will see all kinds of ways in which what we may term "abominations of desolation" seem to be occurring. Ancient churches are being sacked and destroyed by supposedly popular movements in parts of the world where Christianity first took hold. Jesus' teachings, that we must endure suffering and tribulation, seem to come home to us yet again as we witness events that seem to show us images of the prophecies taught by Jesus. "Shortened days" remind us of our sense of time; how, as we have more and more "time saving" technologies, most of us find ourselves with, seemingly, less time. Daniel's prophecy, cited in my study bible, that "many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase" sounds eerily like the bustle of today's world, that holds for us so many potentials and at the same time magnifies so potently our failures. It is important that we remember these two greatest commandments that Jesus has taught, because if we really want to live our faith, then we're taught exactly how to do that. If we wish truly to endure as He has taught, then we do so by living our faith according to His commandments. To love God and love neighbor is far more powerful in a world where our neighbor may now be across the world, where we are in such close communication with people who live in other countries, and where one thing happening far away has immediate effects across the globe. The world we live in today is one in which the suffering of neighbor is communicated to us from all around the planet, so we are in a position to ask ourselves the great question from Luke: "Who is my neighbor?" Let us consider how we follow His commandments, how we endure, and what love of God and love of neighbor mean for us today.
