The Signs of Christ's Coming & The Abomination of Desolation | Mark 13:1-23 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series)

I invite you to meet me in the 13th chapter of the Gospel of

Mark. We have now arrived at the most

extensive and lengthy answer that the Lord Jesus Christ gives

to any question that was asked of Him in the Gospel of Mark.

And the nature of this teaching, which spans, at least in Mark's

account, 37 uninterrupted verses, deals with the subject,

the exciting subject of the end of the age.

And as thrilling as this discourse may be, it has also

presented interpretive challenges for students of the

Bible, primarily when it comes to the timeline of the events

that the Lord Jesus unfolds before us.

But prayerfully, here's my goal, here's my heart, here's my

prayer, is that what will be presented to you today and in

the days to come is that this would be as clear as possible,

as simple as possible, as memorable as possible.

Because my desire for us is to all leave here with a greater

confidence about what we believe concerning the final moments of

human history and the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And so I want to tell you upfront, even with this

teaching, lean in, pay attention, focus, jot these

references down. I'm sure that by the end of this

teaching today, your heart will flutter as you realize of the

absolute brilliance of the mind of God.

When we see the harmonization of the Bible, that what we find in

the epistles and what we find in the Gospels and what we find in

the Hebrew Scriptures, they're all saying the same thing.

They're all pointing to the same truth.

And so my job will be to teach this as effectively as possible.

And I believe it is your responsibility to give a

listening ear and to really focus.

If you're prone to allowing your thoughts to just go with the

wind, try to hone in today because this will be a more

dense teaching than usual. Because it is a dense subject.

And in order for us to even begin to unpack this teaching, I

believe we have to consider 3 overarching truths about this

particular monologue. So you ready?

Don't get distracted now. See, you can't get distracted

already. I want to tell you about 3

overarching truths that will help simplify Jesus teaching

about the events leading up to his return.

Number one, this teaching answers a twofold question.

Let's read the first few verses of Mark chapter 13, beginning in

Mark 13 · chapter mention

verse one. And as he came out of the

temple, one of his disciples said to him, Look, Teacher, what

wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings.

And Jesus said to him, do you see these great buildings?

There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not

be thrown down. And as he sat upon, sat on

rather the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and

James and John and Andrew asked them privately, Tell us when

will these things be? And what will be the sign when

all these things are about to be accomplished?

Now, this teaching is found in Matthew 24.

It's found in Luke 21. And I believe Matthew gives us

greater detail. And in fact, when you look at

Matthew's account, it's not just Matthew 24.

It spans into Matthew 25. It is an incredible discourse

that Jesus gives, but the way Matthew presents the question

that these disciples ask, I believe will help us have a more

accurate framework of Jesus's answer.

So turn with me to Matthew 24 and look at verse three.

And remember, as we're looking at this question or set of

questions, it was provoked by Jesus prophetic declaration that

this temple, Herod's temple, would come tumbling down.

And what a statement that was. If you just historically look at

how grand and spectacular and amazing that temple was, it was

very difficult to imagine how these giant stones with all its

enormous and all its everything else coming to a place where,

well, it will be dust essentially.

So listen to what they asked for in Matthew 24, verse three.

As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to

him privately saying, tell us, when will these things be and

what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the

age? That's different than how Mark

puts it. It's it's blossoms out a little

bit more. It's expanded.

There are two questions, I believe here you can say there

are three, but the last two are really one.

The first question that these curious disciples are asking is

when will these things be? What things?

Well, again, Jesus just said this temple is going to be

destroyed. And so the first question of

disciples is when is that going to happen?

When is that going to happen? But notice the second question

and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of

the age. Now you and I read that with

Christian lenses and you know what we would rush to in terms

of conclusion of what the nature of their inquiry is.

When are you returning? When is the second coming going

to occur? But that can't be what the

disciples are asking. They're not asking about the

second coming of Jesus Christ. You and I are seeing that in

this text because we see that as we read on in the New Testament

library that there is a truth. There is a doctrine known as the

second coming of Christ. We as a church are waiting for

Christ to come back. But these disciples at this

moment can't be probing about this.

How do we know that? Because you and I have been

studying over the past few weeks how these same disciples

couldn't even wrap their minds around what Jesus dying and

resurrecting and ascending. So how is it that they are

asking about his return when they don't even think that he's

going to go anywhere? They haven't even figured that

out yet. And so this is not asking them

about the second coming. The second coming is not even in

their theological framework, at least yet we see it that way.

The disciples are still under the impression, you know this

very well, that the Lord Jesus is going to manifest his

messianic Kingdom, his glory, his worldwide government any

moment now. And that anticipation has only

been building as we've been studying Jesus in the temple in

the final moments of his earthly ministry.

He's flipping tables, He's cleansing the courts.

He's challenging and he is overcoming the tricks and the

traps of the religious leaders. People are saying, Hosanna, I

mean, you can, you can just feel it that that they're

anticipating that this is going to break open at any time,

anytime, any second even. And so with urgency, they're

saying, oh, when is this going to happen?

When is this all going to occur? And if you need confirmation

that this is what the disciples believed, listen to this

commentary from Luke 19, verse 11.

Luke 19:11

You don't have to turn there, but listen, it says here in Luke

1911, as they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a

parable because he was near to Jerusalem and because they

suppose that the Kingdom of God was to appear immediately.

That's the angst that the disciples had, and Jesus

perceived that. So with this in mind, what's

really being asked by the disciples is when is this age

coming to an end? And when is the age of your

Kingdom going to start? When will the sinful epoch

cease? And well, when the glorious,

righteous and perfectly just government promised by God to

David arrive by your power and might, When's that happening?

Jesus? So they're asking really about

what the Old Testament said, what happened.

But here's the thing that you have to wonder, why are they

asking about the Kingdom of God? What triggered that?

I believe what triggered that is when Jesus said this temple is

going down because in their minds for this temple to

experience such judgment for for this edifice that symbolizes the

heart of the people and so many other things, for that to come

under that kind of effect certainly means that there is

going to be something new starting.

They saw Jesus prediction about the temple and his inauguration

of the Kingdom occurring at the same time.

That's how they perceived it. Where did they get that idea

from? From the Hebrew scriptures, go

with me to Zechariah 14. I want you to see this with me

again. Let me remind you, Jesus says

this temple is going down and that triggers something in the

disciples. Oh, if this temple is going

down, then certainly your Kingdom is going to come.

That is going to be the trigger of a new age.

And I believe that Zechariah 14 plays a part in their

understanding of that. Look at verse one of Zechariah

14, hundreds of years before the time of Jesus.

You would think that this is something written in the Book of

Revelation. It's not.

It says here in Zechariah 14. One, behold, the day is coming

for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided

in your midst. For I will gather all the

nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be

taken. Pause.

You know what's in the city of Jerusalem?

The Temple. So here's Zechariah saying

there's a time coming when nations will surround Jerusalem

and the city will be taken, and let's continue.

And the houses plundered and the woman raped.

Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the

people shall not be cut off from the city.

Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as

when he fights on a day of battle.

On that day his feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies

before Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be

split in two from east to West by a very wide valley, so that

1/2 of the Mount shall move northward and the other half

southward. Very detailed.

Here's the gist of it. Jerusalem will be surrounded,

the city will be taken, and at that time the Lord himself will

descend from heaven. Plant His feet on the Mount of

Olives, and He will defend Jerusalem and the people of

Israel. He's going to destroy these

nations, but not just destroy them.

Look at verse nine. What will happen?

And the Lord will be king over all the earth.

Three important words. On that day.

The Lord will be one and His name one.

The disciples, I know they didn't get everything right, but

they had some knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures.

So you understand here that this is one of the most hopeful

messages that the Jews of all time, especially the time when

they were under Roman oppression, something that they

can hold on to. And this was the promise of

Zechariah by the Spirit. Jerusalem one day will be

surrounded, the city will be taken, and God Himself will

defend the nation of Israel, and on that day He will establish

His Kingdom not just in that nation.

Read the rest of Zechariah for the whole world to behold and be

subject to so you understand where the disciples are coming

from. Now the disciples are hearing

Jesus saying this temple is going down.

Well that sounds like Jerusalem being taken in the city being

sieged. But with their background of

Zechariah, at least Zechariah and many other places, they also

think, well then the Lord surely has to come and if he's going to

come, then he's going to establish his Kingdom.

So Jesus, when is this going to happen?

We believe you're the Messiah. And don't you find it

interesting that Jesus is teaching this discourse?

Where, where did he teach it? On the Mount of Olives?

So you're, they're putting all the pieces together and they're

getting excited. What does the Lord do?

And I think this is important to understand right from the

beginning because what the disciples believed was going to

happen all at his first coming. Jesus is about to explain, will

happen in a distant future. Yeah, the disciples understood

these passages, but what they failed to understand was that

there was a gap. The Messiah would come, as you

know, and one coming. Then there would be a period,

undisclosed amount of time, and then another Advent where Christ

would return. But the Jews of this times

mushed all of those promises, all of that activity into one

arrival. And Jesus now in Mark 13 is

about to clarify it's not going to happen the way you think it's

going to happen. It's not going to happen when

you think it's going to happen. Establishing this again is

crucial because not for us to understand merely what's taking

place here, but because you have Christians today who hold to the

theological view that everything Jesus predicts and prophecies

here already occurred and happened in the 1st century.

That precisely by and around 70 AD, everything Jesus explains

here is accomplished. Now why would some hold to that

view? You might be somebody hold to

that view. Well, because the temple was

destroyed 70 AD by the Romans under the rule and the rather

the general Titus, the son of the emperor at the time who came

and attacked Israel and essentially fulfilled what Jesus

said in verse 2. And so because of that

historical landmark, it has brought people to believe that

surely what Jesus said here has been accomplished.

But they don't just go to history to find that, they

actually find something from Jesus teaching.

Look at verse 30 in our original text of Mark 13 and Mark 13

Mark 13:30

verse 30. Jesus says, truly, I say to you,

this generation will not pass away until all these things take

place. So those who hold to the view

that everything Jesus spoke about concerning the events

leading to his return have occurred in the 1st century,

specifically 70 AD, they don't just look to history, say look,

the temple is destroyed. There's no temple today that

happened. Jesus said it would happen.

They also come to this verse to say everything because Jesus

said everything would take place when this generation.

Generally it's agreed upon that a generation is no longer than

40 years. And if that's the case then

Jesus predicting this, prophesying this around 33AD70AD

you add close to 40 years. That makes sense.

So they'll take this verse and say this generation will not

pass until all these things take place.

And it is this one verse that draws a hard line between 2 main

differentiating thoughts. The one is that that again, this

teaching, it's done away with, it's been accomplished, happened

in 70 AD and Jesus said this generation would not pass until

it all takes place. The second main differentiating

view to which I hold and I believe has the most biblical

weight to it, is that this generation refers to the

generation that will be alive to witness the events that Jesus

said would come. And So what you have here is

Jesus explaining that this generation, the generation he is

Speaking of that will experience these things, not the generation

he is speaking to. So the Lord is not referencing

here those who are surrounding Him in that moment.

He's speaking about the generation that will exist at

the time when all these events will unfold.

And some would disagree with me the right away.

And again, I believe the latter view provides greater clarity

and assurance from the Bible than the former.

And we're going to see that as we comb through the signs that

Jesus presents that will precede His return.

But let me give you 2, at least two or three from the beginning.

Look here again with me again, we're doing an overarching view

of this chapter. I know we haven't gone deep yet,

but we're just needing to clarify some things.

Look at Mark 13 and look at verse 24.

But in those days after the tribulation, that tribulation,

the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its

light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the

powers and the heavens will be shaken, and they will see the

Son of Man coming in clouds from great power, with great power

and glory. And then he will send out the

angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of

the earth to the ends of heaven. So Jesus here is speaking about

the culmination of the age after all these signs take place.

What's the climax of it? Well, we read it that the sun

will be darkened, the moon will not give it slice, the stars

will fall from heaven, the powers of the heavens will be

shaken. And what Verse 26, they will see

the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.

So what was that verse? That is is drawing a hard line

between 2 main camps interpreting this passage that

it all happened in the 1st century because Jesus said this

generation will not pass away until all these things take

place. Well, if you're going to say all

these things take place, that includes what Jesus just

finished explaining here, that the sun, the moon, there will be

these cosmic celestial signs, and more than that, the Son of

man bodily returning. Did that happen in 70 AD?

So how do those who hold to the the first view that I explained,

explained this? Well, they'll say that this is

this is symbolic, that the signs in the heavens represent

governments and and they represent this and they

represent that. And Jesus did come back in a

phantom kind of way, invisibly, not in his return, but to judge

Jerusalem. So His coming was invisible, and

it was not to return but to judge this people.

And all these other signs are just apocalyptic language that

denotes judgment. OK, hypothetically speaking,

let's say that that is true. Let's say that this is all

symbolic and Jesus coming was invisible and it was just to

judge Jerusalem but not to fully return.

How do you explain verse 27? Look at verse 27 and Mark 13

after we're told that the Son of Man will come in the clouds with

great power and glory. And then he will send out the

angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of

the earth to the ends of heaven. How did that happen in 70 AD?

Well, the Lord will bring his people to Himself when he comes

back. How does that fit in the idea

that Jesus is coming back invisibly and He's only coming

back to judge because you have to.

You can't tear up these prophecies because He's going to

come back and then coming back. He's going to gather his people

to him. This is very important to

consider. Let me move on to another point

that would prove, I believe, the futurist view, and that is the

global landscape, the global landscape of the events that

Jesus speaks of. What happened in 70 AD was very

local. It was regional, but when you

read Jesus teaching here and the characteristics of the end of

the age, it does not fit that notion.

The breath of His warning and His teaching goes beyond just

one specific place and one specific event.

All you have to do is read Matthew 24, read Mark 13, Luke

21, and look at all the times nations are mentioned and

kingdoms are mentioned and the magnitude of some of the

catastrophes. It does not satisfy the scope

that is limiting in that view that everything took place in

the 1st century. Here's an example.

Look at Mark 13 verse 19. For in those days there will be

Mark 13:19

such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of creation

that God created until now, and never will be.

And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being

would be saved. No human being, not just the

Jews, no human being would be saved.

But for the sake of the elect whom he chose, He shortened the

days. The historian Josephus in

writing about what took place in 70 AD records that 1.1, around

1.1 million Jews died, that Roman invasion, that is

heartbreaking. That is a catastrophe, that is a

tragedy. But as you know, in recent

history, Hitler killed how many Jews 6,000,000, just that alone.

If we're going to go to history and we're going to say that

things were fulfilled, how do we how do we make sense of Jesus

saying that in those days there will be such tribulation has not

been since the beginning of creation that God created until

now. The Holocaust alone eclipses a

lot in the past concerning this people group.

And so we have to understand the global landscape of this

prophecy. Yes, he does focus on Israel in

one particular moment, but it's not limited to Israel.

Here's another thought, just a final overarching thought before

we even begin. I don't know how long we're

going to be here today, but hang tight.

I love this little phrase that Jesus includes in this teaching.

It's in Mark 1314. Read it with me, please.

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.

Don't you love that statement in parentheses?

Let the reader understand. You know what that tells me?

It shows that what the Lord Jesus and His teaching did was

anticipated, that there would be a coming reader who would see

this record and who would study it.

The Lord Jesus understood that there would be a larger audience

who would have this copy of these truths in their hands, and

He's calling them to understand what these things mean.

And this charge for the reader to understand would be

especially helpful for who? For the generation that would

witness the abomination of desolation coming to the place

that they would realize that Jesus teaching gives them

instruction of what to do in the very moment that they're

standing in the midst of. So to say let the reader

understand is not very necessary if Jesus is just speaking to the

12 who would see everything that would be fulfilled in their

lifetime. I believe Christ here has

another audience in mind, yes, his immediate audience, but a

reader to come. And I got giddy when I when I

read this. Let the let the Lord knew that

one day in 2024 you and I were going to read this.

So as a recap, the disciples hear that Jesus says this temple

will be destroyed. That caused him to ask about the

establishment of his messianic kingship promised by the Old

Testament prophets, thinking that he's going to do so anytime

now. But the Lord Jesus is going to

teach them what he's going to teach you and I that the

complete manifestation of his Kingdom.

Yes, it's going to come. There's going to be a delay, and

then that delay, it will be characterized and outlined by

false Christ wars, famines, earthquakes, persecutions, as

well as the preaching of the gospel, among other things that

you and I are going to examine. And remember I told you that

there's three overarching truths that we have to analyze before

we get in. That was number one.

I promise. The other two are very quick.

So this teaching not only answers a very focused twofold

question #2 this teaching is designed not to be an exhaustive

play by play timeline of the last days.

Because the frustration of some may not be whether you believe

it was all fulfilled in the past, or it's all going to be

fulfilled in the future, or some happy medium.

For some, it's studying Jesus discourse and feeling as though

they can't identify every piece in the timeline of the last

days. Because if you just take the

discourse alone, at least in market account, you won't find

Satan being defeated. You won't find, at least in

great detail, the resurrection. You're not going to find a

detailed profile of the Antichrist.

You're not going to see what Christ will do with death, what

Christ will do to the grave, or what even the Millennium will be

like. Those things are absent here.

And you know this. I'm sure that this Bible has

been authored in a way in which we are to investigate and we are

to collect and gather the truths from the entirety of the Council

of God to arrive to the strongest conclusions of

whatever doctrine you're trying to study.

So not everything is going to be fine here.

In fact, like many of Jesus teachings, they will be expanded

upon through the ministry of the apostles.

Not just about the last days, about many, many things.

And that's what the epistles are for.

And John is going to be the chief apostle who's going to

receive a revelation that will unpack with greater coverage the

very things that Jesus speaks of here.

In fact, it's so fascinating when you look at Jesus discourse

about the last days, it parallels so beautifully with

the timeline of the Book of Revelation.

So don't get frustrated if you don't get everything in and your

initial introduction here of Jesus discourse about the end of

the age. The Lord in His perfect wisdom

knew exactly what amount of data He should give at this time to

His disciples, and what He's doing here is just giving them a

general timeline of the signs before His arrival and His

kingly glory #3 this teaching not only what?

It not only provides us an answer to a precise twofold

question, and not only does not give us an exhaustive play by

play timeline of the last day so that you can be relieved in that

and not frustrated. 3rd. This teaching is prepared for

Christ followers to remain faithful and hopeful in

difficult times. Jesus doesn't answer this simply

to satiate the curiosity of his disciples.

He's kind enough to answer it, yes, but he has a purpose in it

by declaring to them and to the readers of this very same

teaching of the assurance of his victory right that that's really

this is all about I will, I will establish my Kingdom.

I will gather my elect, I will come and I will finish when I

started and that's supposed to infuse this grace and the

strength and his followers. Whether that endurance is

necessary to what dodged deception as false teachers will

arise or to remain intact and to remain hopeful when all these

disasters, whether they are humanly engineered or naturally

caused. You can remain anchored or

whether it is you and I feeling like we can't stand as growing

persecution comes. That's a word for America, by

the way. Christ here provides these

insights with the intent of energizing His people in

unpredictable times and to be pure for Him and to Him until He

returns. I just want you to look very

quickly at the admonitions that Christ gives throughout this

incredible teaching. Look at Mark 13, verse five.

We're going to do these quickly. Mark 13, verse five.

And Jesus began to say to them, see that no one leads you

astray. See that no one leads you

astray. Look at verse 9.

But be on your guard, for they will deliver you over to

councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will

stand before governors and kings for my sake to bear witness

before them. Look at verse 11.

And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be

anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is

given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the

Holy Spirit. Look at verse 13.

And you will be hated by all for My name's sake, but the one who

endorsed to the end will be saved.

Look at verse 21 and if anyone says to you, look, here is the

Christ, or look, there he is, do not believe it. 23, But be on

guard. I've told you all these things

beforehand. 33 Be on guard, keep awake, for you do not know when

the time will come. 35. Therefore stay awake, for you do

not know when the master of the house will come.

In the evening we're at midnight when the rooster crows, or in

the morning 37 And what I say to you, I say to all stay awake.

So the Lord isn't just giving us puzzle pieces and wants us to be

burdened with cracking every code to our eschatology.

Yes, he, he does give us these signs, but for what purpose?

To do the very things that he told these disciples and us to

do. To stay awake, be on guard,

don't be anxious, don't believe it.

And so with that being said, I believe really the rest of this

teaching will be still an overview, but enough for us to

have a grasp of the events and the signs and the signals

leading up to the culmination of human history.

There are five. There are 5 signs that I want

you to take note of. The first four we will glance

at, and I want to spend the most time on the 5th sign which

speaks of the abomination of desolation.

So let's read this together. Beginning, we read verse one to

verse 4. Let's read verse five and verse

six. Here's your first sign that

Jesus gives leading up to his return.

And Jesus began to say to them, see that no one leads you

astray. Many will come in my name saying

I am he and they will lead many astray #1 The first sign that

Jesus gives about the last days will be sweeping deception.

Sweeping deception. That's the first thing I think

that is remarkable, that before he gets to natural disasters and

persecution and problems in the home, he speaks about liars.

He speaks about narratives and views and even people that will

deceive many. And there will be some, and

there have been some in history and and times to come who will

be as audacious and as convincing enough to say that

they are a Saviour or the Saviour.

Cults have come in and out. Some cults are still standing

today. But Jesus in teaching this also

wants us to know that the amount of wolves that will arise will

increase as we race towards the end.

Where do we get that idea? Well, he speaks about false

teachers. He speaks about false prophets

and messiahs here. But it's not the only place

where he mentions it. As he goes on and

chronologically explains the other events that will follow,

he revisits false teachers and false prophets and false

messiahs again, Scroll down to verse 21.

Then if anyone says to you look here is the Christ or look there

he is. Do not believe it for false

Christ's and false prophets will arise and perform signs and

wonders to lead astray even if possible.

They elect but be on guard. I've told you all things

beforehand. So he introduces with false

prophets, right? Then he speaks about other

things and then he revisits how false prophets and messiahs will

come even as you're inching towards Christ crashing through

the skies. And what I find amazing is when

he mentions it in the first time, he says they will say I am

he. But then when he speaks about

them again, he doesn't just say they will say he says they're

going to do what are they going to do?

False signs, they're going to perform signs and wonders.

So as we move forward, we're going to see people doing

incredible things, not just saying strange things, but doing

things that's going to try to confirm their message to an

undiscerning people who are swayed and given over two

manifestations. Jesus here wants to warn us

about sweeping deception. That's not the only sign.

Let's read 7:00 and 8:00, and when you hear of wars and rumors

of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place.

But the end is not yet, for nation will rise against nation

and Kingdom against Kingdom. There will be earthquakes in

various places. There will be famines.

These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

First sign, sweeping deception. Second sign, alarming

devastation, alarming devastation.

And he speaks intentionally about these natural disasters

and these wars, nations and kingdoms coming against one

another with a specific imagery connected to it.

Notice the last thing in verse eight is, but these are the

beginning of birth pains. So you know this.

I'm sure that birth pains arrive in a woman's pregnancy.

Do they arrive in the beginning of a woman's pregnancy?

No, they arrived near when the baby is ready to be born.

So Jesus being very specific here and to use the imagery of

birth pains also denotes that with those contractions, as you

get closer to the birth of that baby, there is an increase of

frequency and there is an increase in the power and the

ferocity of it. So we have to also understand

that that Jesus has in mind that these things, though they've

always been there throughout human history, when it comes to

that last chapter of human history, these things are only

going to accumulate and they're going to intensify and they're

going to be overwhelming. But notice also but that he says

that these are the beginning of the birth pains, right?

So he wants them not to be alarmed at the same time.

And you have a lot of people who are alarmed with every news

headline, every news headline of a war, every news headline with

an earthquake and a new YouTube video comes up.

And so we have to be responsible with how we interpret world

events. We have to be very responsible.

We have to be careful. We have to be discerning.

Jesus here highlights that when these things happen, they are

the beginning. And I love how when Jesus uses

his imagery of birth pains, it is validated by the testimony of

the Book of Revelation. So yeah, we've seen earthquakes.

And you can even make the case that in this century we've seen

more earthquakes than ever. We've seen more wars, We have

World War One, we've seen World War Two, right in the past

century. But look at Revelation.

I want to just give you an example how it will only get

worse. Revelation is given to us as a

chronology. And notice this earthquake among

other disasters. But hear this in Revelation 16,

Revelation 16:18

verse 18, and there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals

of Thunder, and a great earthquake, such as there had

never been since man was on the earth, so great was that

earthquake. The great city was split into

three parts, and the cities of the nations fell.

And God remembered Babylon the Great, to make her drain the cup

of the wine of the fury of his wrath, And every island fled

away, and no mountains were to be found.

That confirms Jesus projection of the trajectory of these

natural disasters. Revelation speaks about not just

the last things, the last time of the last things we're talking

about right when we come up to Christ's return, the tribulation

period and the great tribulation period.

And doesn't that testimony affirm what Jesus said about

birth pains? That as you get closer they're

only going to get more intense, including this earthquake.

The world has never seen an earthquake like this.

So alarming devastation is the second sign.

But let's come to verse 9 and 10 of Mark 13.

But be on your guard, verse 9. For they will deliver you over

to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you

will stand before governors and kings for my sake to bear

witness before them. And the gospel must first be

proclaimed to all nations. The first sign is sweeping

deception. The second sign is devastation,

alarming devastation. The third sign is worldwide

evangelization. Worldwide evangelization.

That is the third sign that Jesus gives us concerning what

will proceed before his triumphant return.

And what I love about this is Jesus also anticipates that his

people are going to stand before Gentiles.

How do we know that? Because he says you will stand

before governors and kings for my sake.

And not just that, I mean, if you didn't get it there, you get

into verse 10. The gospel must be first

proclaimed to all nations, to all nations.

Pause here and and note this, that with all these disasters,

you have this hope, this ray of hope tucked in the middle.

No matter what's coming to this world, the gospel is going to

prevail. The gospel is going to prevail.

It's going to reach the peoples. It's going to reach the nations

regardless of the natural obstacles or the human

obstacles. God here promises that the

gospel will go forth and the gates of hell will not be able

to prevail. And I think this is encouraging

because it speaks also in the midst of this catastrophe and

calamity and destruction, that God's heart is still to save and

to win people into his Kingdom. And so really this mention is

God mentioning and extending his grace even in the final moments

of human history. And so great is that extension

of grace and mercy. I'm persuaded that one of the

ways in which verse 10 the gospel must first be proclaimed

to all nation is fulfilled is in a supernatural manner that most

people don't consider the gospel will go to all the nations,

every tribe, every tongue. How is that going to happen?

Yes, through the church. The main vehicle is the church

has been the church will be the church and even the Saints

during the tribulation period. But I believe God, in great

longing and yearning, will do something with and through the

efforts of His people even during that time to make this a

reality. Can I show you where?

Go to Revelation 14 and look at verse 6.

John says. Then I saw another Angel flying

directly overhead with an eternal gospel to proclaim to

those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and

language and people. So as things are wrapping up,

you know what the Lord's going to do?

He's going to allow a heavenly creature to proclaim the eternal

gospel. John is so specific.

He wants to let us know it's the same gospel.

It's the same gospel that you and I believed on, the same

gospel that the prophets predicted and prophesied about.

And it will be the same gospel that will save at the end of the

age. And I just believe that this is

again, God's heart throbbing for even sinners at this time to be

saved where he dispatches an Angel to broadcast the gospel in

a supernatural man. You're saying, well, that's

that's very supernatural. Read Revelation.

It's all supernatural. It's all supernatural.

And again, this is, I would say, one of the final invitations

that God gives to the whole world before they enter into an

eternal hell. Here's an Angel to broadcast to

the nations. This is the gospel that you can

receive. This is the only gospel you can

receive to be saved for the new heaven and the new earth.

Come worldwide evangelization, the 4th sign, verse 11 and Mark

13. And when they bring you to trial

and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are

to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, For it

is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the Father,

his child, and children will rise against parents and have

them put to death. And you will be hated by all for

My name's sake. But the one who endures to the

end will be saved. The 4th sign is intense

persecution. Intense persecution.

He says you'll be hated by all. When he means all, he means all.

So there's going to be a shift as we approach the return of

Christ, of those who will turn against those who bear his name.

The name of Jesus Christ is my namesake, and that that's a

given. The church has always known

persecution since the deception, and it's only going to get more

intense again as the King comes. But what I love here again is

another message of hope. He says here that you will stand

before and you will be given over to, but don't even, don't

even be worried about what you're going to say in defense

of your innocence, in defense of your belief.

He says, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit, but

the Holy Spirit. This is Jesus saying this, by

the way, you know what Jesus is promising you and I that it is

possible for the Holy Spirit to speak through you.

That makes some people nervous. No, we have the Bible, and if

the Holy Spirit will speak for anybody, that would mean that

we're including into Scripture and we're adding to Scripture.

No, that's not what Jesus is saying.

Is that what Jesus is saying? No, He's saying that the Holy

Spirit will come to your aid and he will so enable you.

He will so equip you. He will so embolden you that it

won't even be you speaking, it'll be him speaking through

you. Isn't that an incredible

insight? OK, we're talking about end

times here. Can we just let's come here for

a second. I know this is speaking about a

particular time and I know that this is speaking about a

particular circumstance where you have to stand and speak on

behalf of the gospel and defending the gospel and the

hope that you have. But do you ask the Lord to speak

through you? Do you ask Him to so overtake

you in an influence you and move you where what comes out of you

would be the Holy Spirit as you're about to confront

somebody, as you're about to preach that message, as you're

about to meet with an unbeliever, He is.

There He is. He is ready to help us.

Holy Spirit is ready to help us. Intense persecution.

Here's the 5th sign and the one that we're going to land on

before we close. First one was what?

Sweeping deception. Second one, alarming

devastation. The third one, worldwide

evangelization. The 4th 1, intense persecution.

The fifth one, temple desolation.

Let's read these 6 verses together before we unpack it.

Verse 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. Let the one who is on the

housetop not go down nor enter his house to take anything out,

and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his

cloak. And alas, for women who are

pregnant, for those who are nursing infants in those days,

pray that it may not happen in winter.

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. And if the Lord had not cut

short the days, no human would being would be saved.

But for the sake of the elect whom He chose, He shortened the

days. And then if anyone says to you,

look here is the Christ or look there he is.

Do not believe it. For false Christs and false

prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders to lead astray

if possible to elect, but be on guard.

I have told you all things beforehand.

Out of everything the Lord mentioned, everything that we

just covered, you can say are pretty expected in general.

And they've characterized the activity in the world from the

beginning, wars and persecution and natural disasters.

But this is the most detailed sign that Jesus gives.

This is where he wants us to park.

This is where he he really wants us to see as being the most

prominent and significant sign of them all.

He speaks about something known as the abomination of

desolation. And some again, going back to

that view, the opposing view to the futurist view that we would

hold to is that this right here perfectly describes what

happened in 70 AD that it's, it's done.

This is exactly what Jesus was alluding to back in verse two

when he said that these great buildings are they're not going

to be left. These stones will not be upon

one another. Is this something that was

fulfilled in the 1st century? I would say that what happened

in 70 AD prefigures and previews.

Yes, Jesus predicted it. He said in a verse to this, this

building is coming down. But what happened then is a

foreshadowing of a greater desolation to a future temple.

And I'm going to give you 2 main reasons to why I hold to that

view. The first one is because Jesus

says the abomination of desolation.

What's an abomination? Abomination is an object or

practice that is associated with flagrant wickedness or gross

idolatry. Biblically speaking, it's used

to describe a belief or an act or a practice that is repulsive,

that is defiling in the sight of God and those who sees as He

sees. And So what the Lord is saying

here is that there's going to come this abomination that will

cause desolation, and it will happen in a place standing where

He ought not to be. Now it's Matthew's version that

gives us greater insight that helps us narrow what this

abomination of desolation is. So look at Matthew 24 and verse

15. He says in Matthew 24, verse 15.

Matthew 24:15

So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the

prophet Daniel, that's big spoken of by the prophet Daniel

standing. Here's another big one in the

holy place. That language is familiar to the

Jewish audience. It should be for the students of

the Bible. The holy place speaks of the

temple, the designated place of worship for the people of Israel

and for any Gentile who would want to be included in that

covenant. But notice here that Jesus

limits our understanding of the abomination of desolation.

You can define terms, but he limits the application of it to

what Daniel said. Here's another exciting thought.

You know the book of Daniel. Jesus believed Daniel wrote it.

I just think that's awesome. You have a lot of people who

think they're smarter than than Jesus and say there's no way

Daniel could have written those things.

That was a far later author because the accuracy of his

prophecy had to have been from somebody who had already

experienced history. No, Jesus said Daniel wrote it.

Daniel mentions this thing called the Abomination of

Desolation three times in his book.

I'm going to name you the references.

You can look at it later, but I'm going to read them to you as

well in Daniel 927. That's the first time Daniel

mentions this abomination of desolation, Daniel 927.

The next one is Daniel 11, 31 and the last mention of the

abomination of Desolation is Daniel chapter 12, verse 11.

Daniel 12:11

You don't have to turn there, but what I'm asking you to do in

this final stretch of our time together is listen to the

descriptions of every reference to the abomination of

desolation. Daniel's mention of this

abomination. Desolation deserves its own

sermon, but for the sake of our time, I just want to at least

give you enough clarity to understand what Jesus is

Speaking of here. So listen, are you guys with me?

Good. You're doing great.

Daniel 927 Listen carefully now, students of the Word.

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. So let's let's pick this apart.

Here we have somebody who's evidently a he and he's going to

make a strong covenant for this time period called a week.

It's not really a seven day week.

Another time. All we need to know is that

there's somebody he's going to make this covenant and at some

point he's going to put an end to the offering.

The offering. What offering?

Not the offering that we did here.

The temple offerings, the sacrifices, the rituals in the

temple, this person, he's going to put an end to that

forcefully. And not only is he going to put

an end to it, he's going to make desolate that very same place

with some kind of abomination. Is that consistent with the

other references of Daniel? Yes.

Listen to Daniel 1131. Forces from him shall appear and

profane the temple and fortress and shall take away the regular

burnt offering, and they shall set up the abomination that

makes desolate same thing. And again, when you read the

surrounding context, you have this very powerful political

figure who's going to invade the temple.

He's going to desecrate it. He's going to put an end to the

Jewish worship and not just put in, He's going to replace it

with this abomination that will cause desolation.

Daniel 1131. But here's Daniel 1211, and from

the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the

abomination that makes desolate is set up, there will be 1290

days. Again, the same consistency

here. You have a very powerful figure,

political figure. He's going to invade Jerusalem,

he's going to desecrate the temple.

He's going to stop the worship of sacrifices and rituals and

ceremonies, and he's going to set up this thing called the

abomination of desolation based on that that kind of data.

You can make these observations as we just did.

And here's the thing. There are many who try to say

that the description of this has been fulfilled.

So there's a time period in the intertestamental period where

the temple was desecrated. And I don't want to throw that

in there to to just overwhelm anybody.

And then there's 70 AD, another time where the temple was

destroyed. And they try to fit Daniel's

prophecies with some of the things that took place on that

day to say it was desecrated and some would say it was destroyed.

So that's desecrated. But it's not until you read what

the Apostle Paul says that you get the most clarity about what

Jesus said would happen. So Jesus says when you see the

abomination of desecrate, desecration happened,

desolation, according to what the prophet Daniel said, he had

something very specific in mind of what that would look like.

And Paul by the Spirit gives us it.

Where is it? Second Thessalonians, chapter 2.

2 Thessalonians 2 · chapter mention

Go there with me, please. I know it's a lot of scripture

today. It's good for you and me.

And the reason why I'm doing this too is because I want the

Bible to speak for itself. And again, I want you to see,

wow, Daniel connects to Matthew, Matthew connects to 2nd

Thessalonians and Revelation. It's just, it's glorious.

It's really glorious. OK, Second Thessalonians,

2 Thessalonians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2, we're almost done here.

Chapter 2, verse one now concerning the coming of our

Lord Jesus Christ. Pause.

Is that what we've been studying?

Have we been studying about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ?

Yes, and are being gathered together to him.

Pause. Didn't didn't Jesus allude to

coming back and gathering his elect?

Yes, yes. OK, so far Paul is in line with

what Jesus is saying. Brothers, verse two, do not be

quickly shaken in mind or alarmed either by spirit or

spoken word or letters seem to be from us to the effect that

the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any

way. Pause.

Remember how Jesus warned about deception and deceivers.

Do you know what one of the deceptions might be?

What people will say about Jesus and his coming that was

happening in the early church. I know that we can all be

friends and brothers and sisters if we hold opposing views, but

it's still an important truth to get right.

There are serious implications with how we believe this.

He says let no one deceive you in any way, for that time will

not come unless the rebellion comes first.

And the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of

destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every

so-called God or object of worship, so that he takes his

seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

When you see the abomination of desolation, come run for the

hills, run for the hills, that that event, that sign is going

to precede my return and my gathering of the elect.

Now Paul comes here and he says now concerning the return of

Christ and the gathering, us being caught up together with

him, he goes, why are you guys? Why are you guys shaken?

Do you not realize that before that happens, the man of

lawlessness must be revealed, and not only must he be

revealed, but he will desecrate. He will come into the temple of

God. And here's the abomination of

desolation. Declare that he is God.

Is that? Is that an abomination?

If it's the definition of abomination, he will make

himself the object of man's worship, and he will defy God by

entering into the place that is known as a temple to stand and

to make such a declaration. That's interesting because when

you go back to Mark 13, the ESV version would agree with what

Paul is saying. Let me read to you again Mark

1314. But when you see the abomination

of desolation standing where he ought not to be, where he ought

not to be, other transitions would say it.

But I believe the ESV Council translators saw that the he

there works grammatically with the idea of standing and it's

just an interesting insight where he ought not to be.

So here's the thing. You can also make the case

still, I guess, for people to say no, no, no, no, no, that did

happen at 70 AD. So and so went in and he did

that and he shouldn't have entered in when and looked

around. And, and this is already, even

if you take what Paul says, it already happened.

We're not looking for somebody else.

We're not looking for a man of lawlessness to come to arrive to

the temple in Jerusalem and to say that he is God.

That's already taken place in the 1st century or even

centuries before. We're not looking for that.

And they try to fit the description of this man of

lawlessness who is really the Antichrist into these moulds.

And here's the thing. All you have to do is keep

reading in Second Thessalonians. To eliminate any possibility

that what Paul is speaking about here already happened, or this

man already had arrived in history, let me prove it to you.

Look at verse eight. You're still in 2nd

Thessalonians 2. Look at verse 8.

And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus

will kill with the breath of His mouth and bring to nothing by

the appearance of His coming. It can't be somebody from the

past because we're told that Jesus himself is going to

destroy him. Even if you don't consider that,

look at the description of the man in verse 9.

The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with

all power and false signs and wonders.

Anybody fulfill that in history, whether a Greek emperor or Roman

general, anybody did false signs and wonders and deceive the

masses. It doesn't work.

It doesn't make sense. The only thing that doesn't make

sense is that we are anticipating somebody.

There is one to come. Verse 10.

And with all wicked deception for those who are perishing

because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved, I'm still

not convinced I can hear it. I can hear it.

I'm still not convinced that what you're saying about the

abomination of desolation is to happen in a day to come.

I'm convinced that it already happened.

We look back to it. We realized Jesus fulfilled a

prophecy and now we're just waiting for his return.

However, that looks OK. If you think that it is in the

past, though, Paul gives a different profile of what that

abomination of desolation looks like.

Do you realize what this abomination of desolation will

set into motion? And you have to ask yourself

again, was that fulfilled in the past?

So Jesus speaks about the abomination of desolation and

notice what will follow that. I'm going to read this to you

and then we're done in Matthew 24 verse 21.

Matthew 24:21

For then after the abomination of desolation, for then there

will be great tribulation. What kind of tribulation such as

has not been from the beginning of the world until now?

No and never will be. Did that happen in 70 AD?

Did the destruction of the temple set into motion a great

tribulation like the world has not seen?

No, hasn't. But it will.

It will, and it fits perfectly with the script of the Book of

Revelation, where you have a man in Revelation 13 who will be a

powerful figure, who will bring the world to its knees, Who Will

Win the devotion of most, the allegiance of many.

And he will demand worship. He will demand worship and later

he will be killed when the Lord Jesus does return.

Isn't it more simple than people have made it out to be?

I think it is. I think it's clear.

I think it's straightforward. And I think it just takes a

little bit of effort to put these pieces together to

understand the the glories of Jesus and his teachings for us,

even with something as complex and as intimidating as the end

of the age. But there is no temple.

So yeah, I know there is no temple.

There wasn't a nation of Israel too, for a very long time.

So if we want to say things are being fulfilled in history, why

won't we acknowledge Israel as being significant to Bible

prophecy? The people overdo it.

A lot of people overdo it. But is it not important?

No, that's also dangerous. That's also dangerous.

And So what are we to do? Well, one realize that the Bible

knows what it's talking about. Realize that Jesus is coming

back and we're called to stay awake.

We're called to be on alert. We're called to be careful.

We're called to not believe anything and everything we hear,

including things about his second coming.

And we are encouraged to realize that he will be victorious.

Everything will be made new and there is a new world to come

where He'll be king forever. And that's what we're going to

do now, right? We're going to eat and drink and

remember what He has done for us and what will come when He comes

back for us. Let's pray.

Lord, we do thank you from the bottom of our hearts that You've

given us the patience and the grace to receive all that you

have to say. And Lord, now as we eat and

drink, remembering not just what you have done in the past on the

cross, but how this points to a future time where you will eat

and drink with us again, May our hearts be prepared to fellowship

with you at this table. May you cleanses of all

unrighteousness, anything that would not align with the oneness

of this bread and the high calling that this blood calls us

to as a holy people. We bless you Lord, thank you

that you've told us of what's to come.

Thank you that the future is determined.

Thank you that we are victorious because we are in you.

And Lord, we want to rejoice and glorify you together now as a

family. In Jesus name we pray.

Amen. Amen.