Mark 13:14-23

Notes
Transcript

Verse 14a

In verses 14-23 Jesus will answer the question of what will be the sign of His coming and the end of the age.
Matthew tells us specifically where it ought not be standing...
Matthew 24:15 ESV
15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),
The sign is the abomination of desolation that was first spoken about by the prophet Daniel back in chapter 9.
This seems to be the midway point of the tribulation period as the one who becomes the world leader (AKA antiChrist) that deceived everyone goes into the 3rd Temple in Jerusalem and desecrates it with an idol to be worshipped as God. Look at what Daniel says regarding the timeline about this one that Jesus calls the abomination of desolation.
Daniel 9:24–27 ESV
24 “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. 25 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. 27 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.”
Daniel 11:29–35 ESV
29 “At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south, but it shall not be this time as it was before. 30 For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and be enraged and take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant. 31 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. 32 He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action. 33 And the wise among the people shall make many understand, though for some days they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder. 34 When they stumble, they shall receive a little help. And many shall join themselves to them with flattery, 35 and some of the wise shall stumble, so that they may be refined, purified, and made white, until the time of the end, for it still awaits the appointed time.
Daniel 12:8–13 ESV
8 I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?” 9 He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many shall purify themselves and make themselves white and be refined, but the wicked shall act wickedly. And none of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. 11 And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. 13 But go your way till the end. And you shall rest and shall stand in your allotted place at the end of the days.”
(Apparently there will be 45 days of judgment that follows the 2nd Coming of Christ)
Now there are some who believe that this all happened ages ago before 70 AD at the fall of the 2nd Temple in Jerusalem, but that doesn’t work with the timeline that God has laid on in prophesy and with a plain reading of the events in Revelation 6-18.
But an even bigger reason why this doesn’t work with God’s timeline of events and the thing that those who hold to these things being a past event and not a future event is that they base their thinking on old commentaries from men who never really thought God would restore the Jews to the land of Israel. You see for centuries there were just a very small remnant of Jews in Israel. But in 1948 the UN voted to restore the Jews to their ancient ancestral homeland and the nation of Israel was reestablished. That fulfilled many OT prophecies that some older scholars never thought would happen until the 1,000 year (Millennial) reign of Christ.
But, you and I are blessed to live in the days where God has already fulfilled that promise He made to the Jews to return them to their land. Because of this, we are waiting for that 3rd Temple to be rebuilt (which may not happen until the first half of the tribulation) but most likely will begin being built before the rapture of the church.
You see there has to be another Temple built in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount where the 1st 2 Temples once stood in order for the abomination of desolation to take place.
Now as we have said many of times before. There is a group of religious Jews who have been preparing for many years now to rebuild the Temple. They have been preparing the priestly garments, the furniture for the Temple, and training men for the priesthood as they have been able to prove those men’s lineage as Levitical Priests called the Temple Institute.
Now, to make things even more exciting in 2018 their was born in Israel 2 red heifers. The red heifers were examined and originally found to be viable candidates for the Biblical red heifer according to an extensive examination by rabbinical experts. In fact according to Breaking News Israel a few months after they were born...A board of rabbis have verified the cow fulfils the requirements of the prophecy...
As of March 1 2021 according to a video posted by the Temple Institute both of those red heifers were said to be only 99.9% pure red with each having just a few white hairs. In the video they said they will wait a bit longer to see if those few white hairs turn white.
Just for some reference, only 9 other red heifers have been found to be pure red heifers acceptable by the priests since the days of Moses.
Regardless of what comes of these heifers, they have a few more that were born later that they are watching to see if they will meet the requirements. The Temple Institute started a program to breed a pure red heifer in 2016 and has continued full speed ahead since they began.
According to Numbers 19 the ashes of the red heifer are to be kept in a clean place for use later in purification. The Jewish believers at the Temple Institute understand that they need the ashes of the red heifer to purify the priests to serve when they will build the 3rd and last Temple on earth.
Now, there is still said to be a lost container of the last red heifer that was offered for this purpose and their are people actively searching for those still today as well.
All of that to say we live in very exciting times! If we are close to the 2nd Coming of Christ, then we are definitely even closer to the rapture of the church.
Side note - While we can be excited about the timing of priests being consecrated and a 3rd Temple being built, we will never glory in any sacrifice except Christ Jesus our Saviour who was sacrificed once for all...
Hebrews 10:8–10 ESV
8 When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), 9 then he added, “Behold, I have come to do your will.” He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Romans 6:8–11 ESV
8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
So this growing possibility of a 3rd Temple being built and priests being consecrated to serve in the Temple, we need to remember that all of this fits the timeline given in the book of Revelation, and even Paul the Apostle wrote about this timeline when he said…
2 Thessalonians 2:1–12 ESV
1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 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. 5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? 6 And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. 7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. 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. 9 The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, 10 and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, 12 in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Again all of this can only happen when a great deception has fallen upon those who refuse the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ that is clearly given to us in God’s word. Speaking of that great deception, here is what was revealed to John…
Revelation 13:11–18 ESV
11 Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 12 It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. 13 It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, 14 and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15 And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. 16 Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. 18 This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.
So again "let the reader understand"

Verses 14b-18

What should those who are alive at the time the abomination of desolation do when he appears? Flee immediately
We know that this is a future event and not a past event as some believe it to be because of what jesus says in verses 24-27.
Also some believe that the church will go through the tribulation but Paul is incredibly clear that we will be raptured before the tribulation...
1 Thessalonians 4:16–18 ESV
16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.
Jesus Himself also promised us that if we remain faithful to Him we would not go through the tribulation...
Revelation 3:10 ESV
10 Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.
Now if you notice the language that Jesus uses, He is speaking directly to those Jews who will be living through the tribulation period. I like that! It shows that Jesus really does love us completely. He so loves those who rejected Him to the point of missing the rapture, that He wants them to understand what will be happening during the tribulation so that they will know His great love and salvation, even in those most terrible and terrifying days.

Verses 19-23

Now we see the timeline of what will happen after the abomination of desolation appears. The earth will be in the time of the great tribulation (the last 3.5 years).
It will truly be the worst time in human history.

Communion

Luke 22:14–20 ESV
14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
Related Media
See more
Related Sermons
See more