Talk

Abomination of Desolation

Ben Stuart
December 10, 2023

Our ability to withstand and operate under pressure is not dependent on gratitude; it’s dependent on hope. In this talk, Ben Stuart teaches from Mark 13:1-37. Despite the confusing nature of this text, it was written by Mark to bring hope to the people of his day, and it still brings hope to us today! We can take comfort in knowing that life will be hard, but there is hope in the midst of it.

Key Takeaway

Trying to define what will happen at the end the the age is difficult. Trying to figure out when Jesus will return is impossible. But Jesus is coming again, and as we walk through difficult days and face rejection, He accepts us and gives us hope in His return.

Prophetic and apocalyptic language is hard to understand. The passage is rooted in Old Testament prophecy and is for the rest of New Testament prophecy. Renowned scholars disagree on what all of this means.

Mark records 2 sermons by Jesus, and this is one of them, so it's highly important. It's out of pastoral concern to comfort those being persecuted. Jesus used it the same way to prepare His disciples. We need it because we need hope to endure in a difficult day. Endurance is focused on future hope, not past gratitude. We are grateful for Jesus's first coming, but we look forward to His second.

There are 19 commands in the passage. Pay attention to the "be aware".

Mark 13:1-2. Remember, Jesus had just condemned hypocritical leadership. Now his disciples mention the stones of the Temple, which seems like a weird thing to note. Herod The Great had rebuilt the Temple. Each stone was over 60 feet long, 11 feet high, and one million pounds. It was impressive and huge, a marvel of the ancient world. It took from 19 BC to AD 64 to build it. Jesus lived from around 1 BC to AD 30, so every time He and his disciples saw it, it had gotten bigger and looked different. That's why the prophecy that Jesus just gave about not one stone will be left on top of the other is so stunning.

In AD 70, all of this came to pass. About 40 years after Jesus's death, the Jewish people rebelled against Nero and cast him out. There were other emperors that came and went, but Titus came to quell the rebellion. He surrounded the city to cut off the supplies, starving the people, and would eliminate anyone trying to escape. This happened 500 years to the day that Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Temple for the first time. Titus tears the whole Temple down after burning it.

The disciples don't realize what Jesus is saying at the time, they just know it sounds crazy.

Mark 13:3-4. So, the disciples asked when these things would happen. Matthew 24:3 is the parallel passage that helps us understand. To the first-century Jew, the sign of the Messiah's coming and the end of the age are "these things." They know Zechariah 14:4, which says that Jerusalem will be surrounded, and the Messiah will come and establish His Kingdom. It's one event to them, but Jesus makes clear there are two. His first coming was in humility to serve, His second will be in power.

Mark 13:5-8. Be aware, and don't be led astray. There are going to be deceivers and natural disasters. Be aware, and don't be alarmed. So, when you see deceptive leadership, wars, and natural disasters, don't think about the end. Instead, think of the beginning of birth pains. Jesus doesn't want them focused on end-time signals; He wants them and us focused on what they're supposed to be doing

Mark 13:9-13. Be aware. You're going to be persecuted and rejected for His namesake. Three times, Jesus says they'll be delivered. Be aware, and don't be anxious. Know that when you are rejected by others because of Jesus, He will accept you and be with you. Their job is to proclaim the gospel to all the nations. Don't let persecution stop the proclamation.

His Spirit is with you and will tell you what to say. He doesn't say He will remove you from the persecution. He says He'll give you words. He died for our salvation. We'll suffer for its proclamation. There's a strange comfort in knowing that the suffering is coming because you're not surprised.

Mark 13:14-18. What is the abomination of desolation? See also Matthew 24:15 and Luke 21:20. It is a man that will stand in the holy place and take a position of holiness where he does not deserve to be and will do something so horrendous that people will leave it desolate. Daniel mentions the abomination of desolation many times. Many from his day believed that this was fulfilled when Antiochus Epiphanes set up an altar to Zeus and sacrificed pigs on it in the Temple. Jesus is saying that was a picture of this, but more is to come. That's why so many believed it was Titus in AD 70. Jesus warns that if you see it happening, get out.

Mark 13:19-23. Jesus says the tribulation will be the worst ever time. Now, AD 70 was pretty bad, but was it world-ending? This is where the debate starts.

Many Christians do think this passage addressed AD 70, and it's all past tense for us. The problem with that view is that it would mean all nations have already heard the gospel and that there has already been the worst persecution in the history of the world. Others think that this event kickstarts what is to come. Luke helps us here because he says that Jerusalem will be trampled until the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled. Matthew tells us that Jesus will return after this, but it will be obvious.

Mark 13:24-26. Mark says the temple will be destroyed "after that tribulation." People who think that AD 70 was the tribulation would say that Jesus ascending to the Throne with the Father, which is discussed in Daniel and Psalm 2, was a spiritual thing rather than a physical one. Jesus is in rule in Heaven right now, but this passage says we will see Him coming. In Acts 1, the disciples saw Jesus ascend into Heaven, and the angel said He would return the same way. There was a literal physical ascension, and there will be a literal physical return.

Mark 13:28-31. Jesus, again, is teaching sequential timing. We will see these things happen, but more is happening later. There is pain before the Kingdom comes to consummation.

With a lot of the Old Testament prophecies, they would look through the pain to the coming day. There are short-term fulfillment and long-term fulfillment. Jesus is establishing a pattern.

Mark 13:32-37. Be aware, stay awake. No one knows when Jesus is coming back.

The benefit of thinking this was all fulfilled in AD 70: you don't have to think about the end, but you have to diminish the worldwide persecution and the gospel going to all nations, and have to spiritualize the Son of Man coming in glory.

The benefit of thinking this is all in the future: you can just talk about the end times without a break in conversation, but you have to explain that "this generation will not pass away." Some say it's a moral generation, not a temporal one.

Where all Christians agree: Jesus really came, lived a sinless life, died, and rose again triumphantly. Everyone believes Jesus is coming again, also triumphantly, to judge sin and establish righteousness forever. The believers will be gathered and always be with the Lord. In 1 Thessalonians 5:10-11, Paul said to comfort each other with these words. Life will be hard, but our hope lies in His coming. Everyone agrees on what we should be doing.

Be aware, but not alarmed: life will be hard.

Be aware but not anxious: If you associate with Jesus, you will be rejected, but He will accept you and use you for something great. He's coming back again.

Life is hard, but there is hope.

"Don't let persecution stop the proclamation."
Ben Stuart

Discussion Questions

  1. What comes to mind when you think of end times?
  2. Why does Mark record this sermon of Jesus? Why did Jesus give it? Why do we need it today?
  3. Ben said that endurance is focused on future hope, not past gratitude. How have you found that to be true in your life?
  4. What happened in AD 70?
  5. Compare the two different times the Temple was destroyed.
  6. Why did the disciples bring up the stones of the Temple? Why was it a big deal when Jesus said no stone would be on top of each other?
  7. What did Jesus mean when He told us to be aware but not alarmed?
  8. Why did Jesus tell us to be aware but not anxious? What is our hope?
  9. Of all the viewpoints of the tribulation and the abomination of desolation, where do you fall?
  10. What do all Bible-believing Christians believe?

Scripture References

1As Jesus was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!”
2
“Do you see all these great buildings?”
replied Jesus.
“Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately,
4“Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”
5Jesus said to them:
“Watch out that no one deceives you.
6
Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many.
7
When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
8
Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.
9
“You must be on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them.
10
And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.
11
Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
12
“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.
13
Everyone will hate you because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.
14
“When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’
standing where it
does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
15
Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out.
16
Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak.
17
How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!
18
Pray that this will not take place in winter,
19
because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.
20
“If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them.
21
At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it.
22
For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
23
So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
24
“But in those days, following that distress,

“ ‘the sun will be darkened,

and the moon will not give its light;

25
the stars will fall from the sky,

and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

26
“At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
27
And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
28
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.
29
Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it
is near, right at the door.
30
Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
31
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
32
“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
33
Be on guard! Be alert
! You do not know when that time will come.
34
It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35
“Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn.
36
If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.
37
What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ”
10He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him.
11Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Jesus Taken Up Into Heaven

1In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command:

“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.
5
For John baptized with
water, but in a few days you will be baptized with
the Holy Spirit.”

6Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

7He said to them:

“It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

9After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

10They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Matthias Chosen to Replace Judas

12Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk from the city. 13When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were:

Peter, John, James and Andrew;
Philip and Thomas;
Bartholomew and Matthew;
James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas son of James.

14They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

15In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) 16and said, “Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.”

18(With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out. 19Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

20“For,” said Peter, “it is written in the Book of Psalms:

“ ‘May his place be deserted;

let there be no one to dwell in it,’

and,

“ ‘May another take his place of leadership.’

21Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, 22beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

23So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas (also known as Justus) and Matthias. 24Then they prayed, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen 25to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs.” 26Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles.

Psalm 2

1Why do the nations conspire

and the peoples plot in vain?

2The kings of the earth rise up

and the rulers band together

against the

Lord
and against his anointed, saying,

3“Let us break their chains

and throw off their shackles.”

4The One enthroned in heaven laughs;

the Lord scoffs at them.

5He rebukes them in his anger

and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

6“I have installed my king

on Zion, my holy mountain.”

7I will proclaim the

Lord
’s decree:

He said to me, “You are my son;

today I have become your father.

8Ask me,

and I will make the nations your inheritance,

the ends of the earth your possession.

9You will break them with a rod of iron;

you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

10Therefore, you kings, be wise;

be warned, you rulers of the earth.

11Serve the

Lord
with fear

and celebrate his rule with trembling.

12Kiss his son, or he will be angry

and your way will lead to your destruction,

for his wrath can flare up in a moment.

Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

20
“When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.
26
Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,

for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

4On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.
3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
15
“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’
spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—

Ben Stuart
Ben Stuart
Ben Stuart is the pastor of Passion City Church D.C. Prior to joining Passion City Church, Ben served as the executive director of Breakaway Ministries on the campus of Texas A&M. He also earned a master’s degree in historical theology from Dallas Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Donna, live to inspire and equip people to walk with God for a lifetime.