Study 36
The end times (Part II)
Read Mark 13v14-23
In this section Jesus goes on to speak of readiness for the first great event of which He has spoken, the coming destruction of Jerusalem and total devastation of the temple.
Destruction of Jeruslaem
The disciples are to flee when they see "the abomination that causes desolation". This expression was first used in the Book of Daniel in the Old Testament. It refers to an act of gross disrespect against God. The Jewish people had seen at least one illustration of its meaning when an invading general called Antiochus Epiphanes had erected an altar to the pagan god Zeus in the temple at Jerusalem. He had even sacrificed pigs on the altar.
The "abomination" to which Jesus referred is the devastation of Jerusalem by the Roman legions in A.D. 70. It is a remarkable fact that Josephus, the Jewish historian, records that the victorious Romans "brought their ensigns into the temple... and there they offered sacrifices to them".
So as the disciples see the Roman legions encircling them they are to flee urgently. Whether on a roof or in a field, the disciples must not go back for anything. There will not even be a place of safety in Jerusalem for pregnant women or nursing mothers. They would have to run away. If this happens in winter when the rivers are high many will not be able to escape and find a place of safety. They are to flee even if people claiming to be God's messengers say otherwise. These men will not be able to stop all the trouble, however clever their signs may be. They are to run for safety.
It is a simple historical fact that only those who heeded Jesus' warning and fled Jerusalem as they saw the Roman legions approaching were spared the appalling cruelty and suffering that followed the siege of the city.
So today only those who listen to Jesus' words and flee to him for salvation are rescued from their sins.
Time to think
- Who were spared in the Roman siege of Jerusalem?
- Who will be spared punishment by God upon their sins?
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