Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

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Context… Context… Context...

Fascination with the future

When will the end of the world come?

We try and decode the Olivet Discourse, the book of Revelation, and parts of the OT prophets trying to figure out what the end of the world will be like.

And this fascination with the future causes us to read as if it is speaking about the future.

However, as I mentioned in the last message is talking about the disciples future but our past.

Jesus is not giving them signs and symbols for the end of the world, but rather he is giving them signs and symbols about the end of an age, the end of the Jewish age, the end of the Old covenant.

And the context makes this clear.

Disciples in awe of the temple, buildings and stones

Jesus says they are all coming down - the temple is going to be destroyed

Jesus and his disciples go east of the temple to the mount of Olives where Peter and James and John and Andrew ask him about when the Temple is going to be destoryed because they want to be prepared!

Jesus then goes on to talk about the signs of the end of the age; which we discussed last time.

So we must remember that Jesus is talking to his disciples about the destruction of the temple, thus, the end of the temple age, and not about the end of the world.

This is reinforced in vs. 30

So two weeks ago we talked about the timing of this prophecy - that everything in this prophecy would take place during their generation.

And that the destruction of the temple marks the end.

This week we will look at verse 14-37 and focus on some of the signs of the prophecy.

Signs of the End

Abomination of Desolation

When we think about this phrase, if we have been taught in many modern evangelical churches, our minds race to the end of the world during the 7 year tribulation.

In the Left Behind series the Abomination of Desolation is when Nicolae Carpathia sacrifices a pig in the Holy of Holies of the Temple and splashes its blood upon the altar.

He also attempts to have the golden image of himself brought into the Temple so people can worship him as God.

This outrages the Jews to the point where they are calling for Carpathia's blood, and their response causes Nicolae to break the seven-year agreement of protection for Israel.

This idea of the Abomination of Desolation is not only relegated to fiction books.

Many commentaries explain the action as being a future event which is committed by the anti-christ.

The Great Tribulation will begin with the beast committing the “abomination of desolation.”

This event will occur when the beast is “standing where it ought not.”

The reader is pointed to the OT Book of Daniel where the term abomination of desolation originates (cf.

9:27; 11:31; 12:11).

Daniel 9:27 is speaking of the seventieth week of Daniel (i.e., the seven-year Tribulation) when the beast will make a covenant with Israel and will break it “in the middle of the week” (i.e., at the beginning the second half of the Tribulation).

He will break the covenant by committing the abomination of desolation.

So how should we understand this phrase Abomination of Desolation?

When Jesus says Abomination of Desolation he is referring directly to Daniel’s prophecies in chapter 9, 11 and 12

says this,

What does this phrase mean?

The best hebrew translation would be

detestable things that cause desolation

Abomination that makes desolate = detestable thing that causes desolation

And a detestable things has to do with sins of idolatry within the sanctuary.

They are great sins done right in the face of God, these sins then lead to desolation.

However, this is not the only time we see abominations

The Abomination of Desolation pattern is an extension of the basic Fall pattern seen repeatedly in the Bible.

The Fall pattern is this: God gives His people a kingdom, and then immediately they fall into sin and lose the kingdom, but God is gracious and restores them.

At certain climactic times, though, when their sin is extremely great, prolonged, high-handed, and performed right in front of His face, God brings His wrath upon them.

God withdraws His presence from them, leaving them desolate, because their sins have become abominable.

Once God departs, He brings in an enemy army to destroy His ruined house and His ruined city.

The result is that His people are driven into exile, just as they drove Him into exile: eye for eye and tooth for tooth.

The Abomination of Desolation pattern is an extension of the basic Fall pattern seen repeatedly in the Bible.

The Fall pattern is this: God gives His people a kingdom, and then immediately they fall into sin and lose the kingdom, but God is gracious and restores them.

At certain climactic times, though, when their sin is extremely great, prolonged, high-handed, and performed right in front of His face, God brings His wrath upon them.

God withdraws His presence from them, leaving them desolate, because their sins have become abominable.

Once God departs, He brings in an enemy army to destroy His ruined house and His ruined city.

The result is that His people are driven into exile, just as they drove Him into exile: eye for eye and tooth for tooth.

There are four occurrences of the Abomination of Desolation pattern in the Old Testament, and two preliminary occurrences.

They are:

The Flood of Noah.

There are four occurrences of the Abomination of Desolation pattern in the Old Testament, and two preliminary occurrences.

They are:

The Abomination of Desolation pattern is an extension of the basic Fall pattern seen repeatedly in the Bible.

The Fall pattern is this: God gives His people a kingdom, and then immediately they fall into sin and lose the kingdom, but God is gracious and restores them.

At certain climactic times, though, when their sin is extremely great, prolonged, high-handed, and performed right in front of His face, God brings His wrath upon them.

God withdraws His presence from them, leaving them desolate, because their sins have become abominable.

Once God departs, He brings in an enemy army to destroy His ruined house and His ruined city.

The result is that His people are driven into exile, just as they drove Him into exile: eye for eye and tooth for tooth.

There are four occurrences of the Abomination of Desolation pattern in the Old Testament, and two preliminary occurrences.

They are:

1.

The Flood of Noah.

2. The Apostasy of Eli's Sons.

3. The Apostasy of the priesthood in Ezekiel's day.

4. The Apostasy of the priesthood in the days of the Maccabees.

The Apostasy of Eli's Sons.

The Flood of Noah.

The Apostasy of the priesthood in Ezekiel's day.

The proto detestable action

The Apostasy of the priesthood in the days of the Maccabees.

The Apostasy of Eli's Sons.

Sleeping with women and in the temple and treating the sacrifices as if they were worthless.

- God took the ark away from them and had them destoryed by enemy nations

The Apostasy of the priesthood in Ezekiel's day.

Worshiping idols in the face of God.

God then removes himself from them and they are defeated by enemy nations.

The pattern is this - God’s people (represented by the high priests) are the ones who do the detestable (or abominable) actions and the result is desolation at the hand of an enemy nation.

So with this in mind lets look at verse 14

So what is the abomination that leads to desolation that Jesus is referring too?

What action will take place?

Before the Romans destoryed Temple there were Jewish Zealots who waged war against the religious Jews and they took over the temple.

When they did they set up the last and final high priest of the temple.

They set up a man named Phanas (fa-naz).

This man was not worthy of being a high priest - in fact they Jewish Zealots set up installed him as high priest as a joke.

He was like a circus clown who made a mockery of the temple and a mockery of the priesthood.

Phanas was high priest from 67-70AD

Side note, do you remember when the gospel of Mark was written?

AD 68

This is why Mark adds this little note (let the reader understand)

Mark was letting his readers know that that this clown of a high priest was the one who was committing the abominations in the temple.

And if this is the case, then know that the desolation is very close.

The desolation is the the destruction of the Temple by the Romans

Remember, in the OT abominations were done by jewish priests in the sanctuary of God which led to desolation which was carried out by enemy nations.

and in this case that nation is Rome.

Jesus is explaining the signs that will lead to the destruction of the temple.