But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand

 "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 the earth to the farthest part of heaven."

- Mark 13:14-27

 Yesterday 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."  The abomination of desolation is part of the prophecy of Daniel, as Jesus' words tell us; see Daniel 11:31, 12:11.  These words are traditionally understood to refer to an event that took place during the Siege of Jerusalem, when the Roman general Titus entered the Most Holy Place of the temple and had a statue of himself erected in the temple, before having the temple destroyed.  The majority of this prophecy we can read of warning comes to describe the siege and its horrific effects for the people of Jerusalem.  My study bible points out that Christ's phrase when you see indicates that many of the disciples would still be alive at that time.  The parenthetical phrase let the reader understand is inserted as an encouragement to the early faithful, who may have witnessed these events.  The immediate warning in the aftermath of the calamity of the destruction of Jerusalem is against paying attention to false christs. 

"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 the earth to the farthest part of heaven."  The warnings about end times for the end of the age are mingled with specific warnings about the destruction of the temple, and this is so in all accounts in the Gospels.  This specific destruction at this time initiates the age in which we live, and the entire age is the "end time" until His return, called the Second Coming.  The entire period of great tribulation, my study bible says, includes the entire Christian era, and is not limited to the final years before Christ's return.   Here again, Jesus specifies with the effect of warning against false christs.  These signs about His return will be unmistakable, so that all will know what is happening, as He will be coming in the clouds with great power and glory, and those faithful will be gathered from the farthest part of the earth to the farthest part of heaven.

The end times, as my study bible notes, do describe, in Jesus' words and warning, what was to happen at the Siege of Jerusalem, a terrible time of turmoil, tribulation, and total destruction.  We cannot underestimate the effect of the violence, and the spiritual significance of the destruction of the temple.  But it invites us to ask what is left in the wake of desolation.  It behooves us to consider the aftermath of the Crucifixion in the same light.  Where do we turn for help?  Where is our God, and what is the nature of God's presence and God's help in the world.  In John chapter 4, in Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well, He teaches her that "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:24).  Our reconciliation to our Creator takes shape through this spiritual understanding of worship and of the nature of God, so that, even in this world and through all manner of desolation or destruction or difficulties, we have a place with God and where God remains present to us and at work in our lives.  We have more than a physical presence with us, for the Kingdom which Christ ushers into the world is one that is both within us and among us.  In Revelation 3:20, there is a promise given to us:  "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."  We can never rule out the mystical reality present to us in our faith, that God is spirit, which permeates anything and all things, which dwells and can make His home within us.  At the Last Supper, Jesus makes a promise to the disciples:  "And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you" (John 14:16-17).   In verse 24 of the same chapter, He teaches them, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."   God's presence is no longer simply in one designated place, although we know that, in the witness of the Church, God can work through all manner of material things such as holy water, the oil of chrismation, relics of the saints, clothing, and a variety of other things, just as God became human and was present to us in the Incarnation of Christ.  But again, it is in John's Gospel we are told that, "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8).  In commenting on Jesus' words about the end times and His warning about the destruction to come in Jerusalem, St. John Chrysostom comments, marveling that while the Romans subdued countless Jews in a political uprising, they could not prevail over twelve Jews who were unarmed with anything but the gospel of Jesus Christ.   Spirit can be at work where nothing else can.  There is no barrier that it cannot penetrate, including those which we erect in our own hearts.  Let us consider, when we find ourselves in the midst of some calamity of our own, that whatever destruction or desolation we find in life can be overcome, because our Lord has transcended and defeated all things -- even death -- that this world can present to us.  God's Spirit is present to us as Helper, ready to teach us all things, to lead us into truth, and to remind us of His words when we need them.  Let us place our faith where it rests, on that divine-human synergy that was present to us in the Incarnation of Christ as example and guide -- in the place where the whole history of the Church teaches us that despite human error and evil, selfishness and all manner of destructive choice, God's Spirit can dwell, even the very presence of the Trinity, with us.  Let us call on God with our prayer, let us pray for the Spirit to guide us, let us be and remain where He teaches us to be, through all things.  As He teaches, let us not be deceived by false teaching and false prophets.  It is the practice of virtue and faith on which Christ places the most emphasis.  Let us keep ourselves as truly His.  Let us always take heed, for He has told us all things beforehand.