Well, we thank our Father in heaven for his good hand upon us here at Compass HB, and his providence in 2026. On Mother's Day, we had a sermon: “Let There Be Love.” Do you remember? We talked about loving God with all our heart, loving our neighbor as ourselves. Well, in his providence, on Father's Day, we have “The Abomination of Desolation.” We have the Roman Empire and the end of the world. That's what we got for you dads. So, I invite everybody to open the Bible and turn with me to Mark 13:14-27. And there was a destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD by the Roman Empire, and that is the famous painting that you can see behind me; it is a depiction of that historical event. And I just want to remind you, as we study Mark 13 together right now, it is a study of eschatology, the study of the end times, the last things. Well, this all began with Jesus saying that the wonderful stones of the temple would be thrown down, and so then they asked, well, when will these things be, referring to what he just said about the destruction of the temple, and what will be the sign of when these things will take place? And so, Jesus is answering a question the disciples had here about when, and Jesus is going to give us a lot to think about in Mark 13:14-27. And so, out of respect for God's Word, I invite everyone to stand up for the public reading of Scripture. If you don't have a Bible, these verses are printed on the handout there in your bulletin, so you can follow along as I read. This is a teaching from the Lord Jesus himself. So, I encourage you to give this your full and undivided attention. This is the word of God, Mark 13:14.
“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 and 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 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, the elect. But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand. “But in those days, after 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 in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in 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.
That's the reading of God's Word. Please go ahead and have your seat. Studying those verses is one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do to prepare for a sermon here at our church. There are many people saying many different things about these verses. Maybe you've heard about this before. Some people are saying the extreme preterist view, which would be that everything we just read happened with the Roman Empire in 70 AD; and then there would be a different view, the extreme futurist view, which would say everything we just read is still yet to happen. And so, you have this debate that has been going on, and you’ve got plenty of people saying things in the middle. And so, what I want to remind everybody is that we don't want to read our views onto the Scripture, we want to read the Scripture and then get our views. Can I get an amen from anybody on that? So this is a text where I would get really concerned about that, because people might think, well, I think it's like this, or I think it's like this, and then they may not just read the text for what Jesus says, they may try to read it for what they think it says.
And so, we want to do a careful study together, going through the text to see what Jesus is actually teaching. Look back at verse 2. Let's just remind ourselves of the context we're in. Because “Jesus said to him” after one of the disciples commented on the wonderful stones and buildings of the temple, “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.’” So, the key word throughout our text has been “see”. It started back in chapter 12, where Jesus said, "Do you see the scribes, the religious leaders of the Jews?” Yeah, they're going to be judged. And now he's saying, "Do you see the temple?” Yeah. It's going to be destroyed. And so, then they asked the question in verse 4, and remember it's four of the disciples, Peter and James and John and Andrew, two sets of two brothers, and it's a conversation they're having. When will these things be? What are the things? Well, he just said the scribes will be condemned and the temple will be destroyed. “When will these things be? And what will be the sign?” What should we look for, so we know when these things will be fulfilled, when these things will come to an end? And so, notice what he says right away in verse 5. “See that no one leads you astray.”
So, this is really interesting, the way Jesus is talking in this text, he's having you look at things you can see, like the religious leaders of the Jews, the scribes, and he's saying they're not how they appear, they're going to be judged. See what you can see in the temple, it's not how it appears, it will be destroyed. And now he's saying, let's look at things you can't see yet, but I want to prepare you for them, because many are going to come in the name of Jesus and try to lead you astray, he says to them, “so see that no one leads you astray.” There's going to be wars, nation against nation, he says there's going to be natural disasters like earthquakes and famines, but that's not the end, that's just normal things that are going to happen. Then he says, in verse 9, it says, "Be on your guard,” but really, it's the same word, you could translate it “see,” watch out for this. Look out here. They're going to deliver you over. They're going to betray you. You're going to go before councils and synagogues, before governors and kings. They're going to put you up on trial, and the Holy Spirit's going to have to give you what to say. And you're going to preach the gospel, not just to Israel, but to the nations and those who betray you, it could be your own brother, it could be a father betraying his own kids, or the kids betraying their own father, all over the gospel of Jesus, and the one who endures to the end will be saved. So, this is all what he said. He said, "Watch out, they're going to betray you. Watch out, don't let anybody lead you astray,” because the religious leaders in the temple will be judged. And then now look at verse 14 with that context.
Notice what it says in verse 14, “But when you” what everybody? When you see. Now he's giving them the sign that they asked for. Now, here, this is a different word for “see” than the word that he's been using. This is just something you're going to look at, something you're going to behold. Hey, when you see, and then he says this, the abomination of desolation, that's the sign of the wind, the abomination of desolation. When you see the abomination of desolation, standing where he ought not to be.” And then notice these parentheses, “(Let the reader understand).” So, he's saying to the disciples, when you see the abomination of desolation, and now there's like a wink here from Jesus or from Mark saying to us who are reading Mark, hey, we need to understand what was just meant by the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be. So, I don't know if you know what the abomination of desolation is. If you've ever done a study on it before, but Jesus is saying to them, “When you see the abomination of desolation,” that's what you're looking for.
Now, go to Matthew 24. Go over to the Gospel of Matthew, just a few pages to the left. Look at how Matthew writes it, because the passage we're studying in Mark 13, it's also in Matthew 24, it's also in Luke 21. These are what we call parallel passages; they're going through the same teaching of Jesus. Now Matthew, he really emphasizes the discourses of Jesus. This is referred to as the Olivet Discourse, because they're on the Mount of Olives, outside of Jerusalem, overlooking the temple. That's where they're having this conversation with Jesus and the four disciples who are there. And so, Matthew, he gives more detail. Look at what he says in Matthew 24:15, “So when you see the abomination of desolation,” now notice this, “spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the” where does he say they're going to be standing, everybody? In “the holy place.” So, in Mark it said, “standing where he ought not to be here.” Says, standing in the holy place. Where is this holy place that no one is supposed to go into except the high priest on the day of atonement? What are we talking about? The temple. We're talking about the holy of holies behind the veil in the temple, and Daniel apparently has already established what this abomination of desolation is.
So, I want to invite you to grab your Bible and go with me to Daniel, chapter 8. Let's go back to this book of prophecy. I don't know if you've ever studied the book of Daniel before. We got to study it here at our church one time, but it was a long time ago. It was so long, it was before Covid. Does Anybody remember those days? A long time ago, right? We've read through the book of Daniel before. We had a little booklet going through the book of Daniel. Daniel, what an example he is! Him and his friends and their faith. When Babylon is trying to brainwash them, they continue to believe in YHWH and to have faith and to pray to him. But you get now some complicated prophecies in the book of Daniel, prophecies that go through the future nations of the world. You can find Alexander the Great in here; you can find the Roman Empire in here; and then ultimately it leads to some kind of anti-Christ figure who's going to rise up. I remember when we did Daniel, chapter 8, it was the “Antichrist” sermon that we were talking about. And look at what it says in Daniel, chapter 8. You can pick it up with me here in verse 11. We're talking about this horn here that is, and we're trying to figure out what it is. It says in verse 11 of Daniel 8, “It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression, and it will throw truth to the ground, and it will act and prosper. Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke.” So, I'm eavesdropping on a holy one conversation here. ““For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?”
In the temple, there are supposed to be burnt offerings. Well, now we're reading about somebody is stopping the burnt offerings and they're starting to do something in the sanctuary, and the question is here, how long is this going to go on with this transgression? This, they're sinning in the sanctuary, and it's going to lead to desolation, destruction, judgment. How long is that going to go on where they're sinning in this sanctuary? Go over to chapter 9, and you get more about the abomination of desolation, Daniel 9 is one of the epic chapters in all the Bible, because Daniel is reading Jeremiah. He reads that the exile is supposed to be seventy years. Daniel knows we're coming towards the end of the seventy years, and so Daniel prays one of the great prayers you could ever study in your life, asking God to act to send his people back to Jerusalem. And in answer to Daniel's prayer, an angel is sent out to tell Daniel how loved he is, how heard his prayer was, and that not only is God going to send the people back to Jerusalem, but there's a seventy-weeks prophecy that is given to Daniel, a seventy-seven prophecy. I don't know if you've studied the seventy-week seventy-sevens prophecy. It's a timeline from when they go back to Jerusalem to when Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey. It's an absolutely fascinating prophecy. And here's what it says at the end of that prophecy, in Daniel 9:26. It says, “after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off.” Who's the anointed one? Who's the Messiah? Jesus. What does it mean that he's cut off? It means that he is killed, that he dies for our sins. He shall have nothing. He doesn't, and it's not what they thought. And the people of the prince, who is to come, he will destroy the city and the sanctuary. That's what Jesus just said was going to happen. He said, hey, the temple is going to be destroyed, and we know it happens. 70 AD, the Romans destroy everything.
Well, “Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. And he,” this evil figure here, he “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, that's where you get the idea of the abomination of desolation, right there. Someone is going to stop the offerings that are supposed to be in the temple, and they're going to do something. An abomination is something that God hates, something that God loathes. They're going to do something that God hates, and it's going to lead to desolation, it's going to lead to destruction. So, if you study this seventy-weeks prophecy, you'll know that it was 69 weeks till Jesus came in, and there's this 70th week. This time period of seven years that is still yet to come, a time known as the “Day of the Lord,” known as “The Tribulation,” and it sounds like an abomination of desolation is going to take place in that time period.
But go ahead now to chapter 11, verse 31, okay? So, let's keep working our way through Daniel. What does Daniel have to say about this abomination of desolation that Jesus is expecting us to know as the reader when he refers to it at the Olivet Discourse? Okay, now Daniel 11 is another one of these prophecies. As you can see, it's very long, really. Daniel 10, 11, and 12 are all one long prophecy to end Daniel. And in Daniel 11 we get different kings again, and one of the upcoming kings that's coming in the history of the world, look at verse 31, it says, " Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering.” We keep seeing that part of it. “They shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. Now, when you read about Daniel 11, verse 31 many Bible scholars agree, even though there's a lot of debate, there's a lot of agreement about this, that this particular reference to the abomination, they stop the normal offerings, and then they do something abominable in the temple. Well, there's this leader that comes that fits this prophecy named Antiochus Epiphanes, and there's a historical record of him in the book of Maccabees. So, Maccabees is a history of what happens between what we call the Old Testament, the Hebrew scriptures, and the New Testament, the Greek scriptures. Maybe you've heard somebody say the intertestamental period, the time between when we were done with the prophets, but before Jesus was born, and in that time this happened. This is in Maccabees, 1 Maccabees, chapter 1. And this is about Antiochus Epiphanes, that he's the king who sent letters by messengers to Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. He directed them to follow customs strange to the land, to forbid burnt offerings and sacrifices and drink offerings in the sanctuary to profane sabbaths and festivals to defile the sanctuary and the holy ones to build altars and sacred precincts and shrines for idols to sacrifice pigs and other unclean animals. Antiochus Epiphanes decides that he's going to build an altar to Zeus on top of YHWH’s altar, and to really mess with the Jews. He's going to sacrifice pigs on that altar, because to the Jews pigs are unclean, so he's stopping their offerings, and he is defiling the holy place, he is doing the abomination of desolation. In fact, it goes on a little further here in Maccabees 1. “Now on the fifteenth day of Chislev, in the one hundred and forty-fifth year, they erected a desolating sacrilege upon the altar of burnt offering. They also built altars in the surrounding cities of Judah.” Even a little later, in verse 59 it says, “And on the twenty-fifth day of the month they offered sacrifice on the altar which was upon the altar of burnt offering,” taking over what God commanded to be burnt offering on the altar, and doing a whole different offering on top.
So, Daniel is saying that something's going to happen in the temple, where they won't do what they're supposed to do; they'll do something that God hates, something that will bring desolation. Okay, and then we have an example of someone doing something like this in history, but that's not the end of the story. Go to Daniel, chapter 12, because Daniel, chapter 12 is about the end, and it says here in Daniel 12:1, “At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there” look at this. This is important, Daniel 12:1. This will help us later. “And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time; but at that time your people shall be delivered, every one whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, until the time of the end.”
So, something happens with Antiochus Epiphanes in history that's already happened, but also Daniel, let me tell you about something that's going to happen at the end, and look at what it says. If you go down to verse 11, it says, “And from the time that the continual burnt offering is taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.” Maybe that's the question the holy ones were asking back in chapter 8, how long is this going to go on? Well, now it's clear in the time of the end there's going to be an abomination of desolation, and that's how long it's going to last. So, what have we learned? Is anybody confused on a higher level here? Now that we went to the book of Daniel on the abomination of desolation, what we've learned is the abomination of desolation is something happening in the temple where you're not doing the offerings God commanded, you're doing something God would hate instead. You're desecrating his holy place, and this has happened in historical accounts, but it's something that's also going to happen in the end now with that history of what Daniel said about the abomination.
Turn back with me now to Mark 13:14 and let's see if we can understand what Jesus is saying. He said the temple is going to be destroyed, and they're like, well, when will it happen? What will be the sign when it will happen? And so, here's what I want everybody to underline, is when it says, “but when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be,” where's that, “the holy place, when he's going into God's holy place. If you see that, that's your sign. Okay, now, who does he say is going to see this when you may see this? He says to these four disciples, so just by going with the language that Jesus is using, and this is what I'm trying to encourage everybody to do, to consider the context. As a pastor who cares about your soul, this is a concern that I have for you. When you read the Bible, the natural default hermeneutic. Hermeneutic is how we interpret the Bible naturally. When you read the Bible, you see it from a me-centered perspective. What does the Bible have to say to me, but see, Jesus is speaking to four of his disciples privately on the Mount of Olives. So, if you forget the context, if you forget the original audience, and you just make it about me here today, well, Jesus wasn't speaking to Americans about to celebrate 250 years of the United States. He's speaking to four of his disciples, who are Jews, who he just told their whole religious order and their whole temple are about to be judged. So, when he says, “when you see the abomination of desolation,” I think he's saying it like those disciples may be there to see what's going to happen in the holy place. Okay, in fact, look at what it even goes on to say in verse 14. ““But when you see the desolating sacrilege set up where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains”
So, if this is talking about the end of all things, the worldwide judgment, why would he single out the people in Judea need to flee to the mountains?” So, notice we're talking about something the disciples may see, and we're telling people in his specific place, Judea. Maybe you know the southern kingdom of Judah. Judea is the area around Jerusalem, and he's saying if you're in that area and the abomination of desolation happens, you need to head for the hills, you need to flee for your lives, you need to get to the mountains. Now, usually you think the safe place to go is in the city, in the city walls, that's where you'll be safe. No, Jesus warns you, if the abomination of desolation happens, and you're in Judea, don't go to the city, go to the mountains. And this is a chilling instruction that Jesus gives: “if you're on the top of your house, don't even go back into the house, and get your stuff. Just flee for your life. If you're out working in the field, and you took your cloak off and left it over here while you were doing your work in the field, don't even go back and get your cloak, just flee for your life. And, in fact, he says, too bad for those who are pregnant. Sorry for all the ladies who have little babies, that's going to be hard to flee when you're pregnant or when you have a little child. And then he even says this in verse 18, “Pray that it may not happen in” what does it say there, everybody? have you ever heard of that season before? Winter. We may not know that here in Southern California. He's saying, I pray that it doesn't happen in winter.
Now, if we're talking about the cataclysmic tribulation that's coming for years, for 1290 days, there's going to be no offerings with this abomination. If we're talking about the end times judgment, and then, why does it matter if it's winter or some other time, if it's going on for a long time period? So, you see, to me it seems like Jesus is talking about something that those disciples may see that's going to happen in Judea at a specific time, like even a time of the year, like winter time, it's going to happen. And if you see them where they ought not to be, if you see him standing in the holy place, then you should book it for your lives. So, in the context, Jesus is saying that judgment is coming on the Jews, that's what he's telling them. Now, you might think, well, wait a minute, I think that there's more in this passage than just what happened in 70 AD. I one hundred percent agree with you. Jesus is going to say a lot of things that are about the future. What I'm trying to say is, is it possible he is saying some things about 70 AD? This is the whole premise of the conversation, is the stones of the temple will be thrown down, which is what the Romans do when they come through to destroy the Jews. So, this is a prophecy of judgment, and it's very serious, because if you see the abomination of desolation, which is the sign that it's about to take place, you’ve got to flee for your lives. This is a warning that judgment is coming.
Okay, now even these specific things about 70 AD, this is what the historian Josephus said about the Jewish zealots. So, the Jewish zealots in 68 AD, roughly before what the Jewish zealots are, those who kind of try to take over, and that's what forces the Roman Empire to come in and wipe out the Jews. Are the zealots trying to take the power back from the Romans? Now, Josephus here is writing about what the Jewish Zealots do, and here's his description. This is a couple of years before 70 AD. He says, “They now transferred their audacity to the temple, and they made the sanctuary their fortress and headquarters, utilizing the holy place as a refuge from popular uprisings. For there was a blending of horrors into the midst of their crimes. They introduced mockery, making trial of the submission of the people and a test of their own strength." So, when the Zealots tried to overthrow the Romans, and they tried to take back the city, take back the temple, where did they make their headquarters? According to Josephus, in the holy place, standing where they ought not to be, and so these are Jewish people who did this. They were in there, the Zealots, they were very zealous to get rid of the Romans, and they made the temple their headquarters. Now, if you're one of the people who've heard this prophecy of Jesus, and you see the Zealots setting up in the holy place, and this is happening in roughly 68 AD, and you flee for it. Guess what, you get out before the Romans come in.
So, it's quite possible that everything Jesus is saying here happened at that time, and he's preparing people for that time. Here's one of the things the Zealots did: they just made somebody the high priest, which is a mockery of how it's set up in the Levitical line, who the high priest should be, and this is what the actual high priest said. Josephus quoted the actual high priest at that time saying, “How I wish I had died before seeing the house of God so polluted or these sacred places that ought not to be walked in at random trodden by the feet of these bloodstained villains.” Here's the high priest saying I wish I was dead rather than watching these guys do the abomination of desolation in the temple, and so that was a sign at that time for everybody who listened to Jesus to get out. And you could have got out before the Romans came, besieged the city, and then the horrible siege that they had to destroy Jerusalem and to destroy the temple. And so, I think Jesus is giving a real warning for a specific place and time.
So, point number one: You need to “Consider the context of what Scripture actually says.” I don't want you to follow the views of your favorite pastor. I want you to listen to the words of Jesus Christ. Can I get an amen from anybody on this? There's a massive debate, preterist, futurist, everybody having their interpretation. No, no, no. What are the words that are actually used in the text? And when I see Jesus saying to them that you may see, and I see him talking specifically about Judea, and I see him saying, hope, pray it's not in the wintertime. This all sounds like something that's going to happen at a place in time where people need to flee for their lives, and that place and time did happen right before the Romans came in and destroyed the temple as Jesus prophesied. And so, I want to encourage you, pay attention to the original context. In fact, I really want everybody to think through everything that Jesus has said so far. We're up to verse 18 in Mark 13. Could that all apply to the lives of those four disciples right there? Are those four disciples going to hear about false Christs? Are those four disciples in the Roman Empire going to hear about wars and natural disasters? Are these four disciples going to be betrayed and going to go before synagogues and councils and governors and kings, some of them even being killed, some of them even being betrayed by their own family members, but are they going to share the gospel with more people than just Israel? All of that happens, all of that happens in their lifetime. Even so, the fact that Jesus is giving them a sign that they could see, that they could warn other people about, so that his people could get out of Jerusalem before the judgment comes. That makes a lot of sense to me, that Jesus would give that kind of warning. And look at how Jesus is telling you, you don't want to be there when the judgment comes. Don't even get your stuff, don't even grab your cloak. The last place you want to be is the day of judgment. Get out of there. Jesus is saying so. I think he's warning Jerusalem about what's going to happen to them, and the sign that you can know it's about to take place is when they do the abomination of desolation. Are they in the holy place? Then flee for the mountains.
Now, just because I'm saying to you that I think that this abomination of desolation happened in history, that does not mean it's not going to also happen at the end. Go with me to 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, the books of 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians are essential in our study of eschatology, because Paul is writing to church people. Remember, Jesus is talking about a judgment coming on the Jews in the context of Mark 13. Well, Paul's writing to a church, and one of the things that people have said to the Thessalonians here in 2 Thessalonians 2, they've said that the Day of the Lord has already happened. Somebody is telling them in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 that they're being deceived, or someone's trying to deceive them. Oh, the day of the Lord has already happened, and so that's why he says in 2 Thessalonians 2, verse 3, “Let no one deceive you in any way.” Now, what is the Day of the Lord? Okay, the Day of the Lord is a day of what? How would you describe the Day of the Lord? It is a day of wrath, it is a day of judgment, or it is often referred to as a tribulation or an hour of trial that is coming on the world. So, somebody's telling them, hey, that already happened, like you could hear somebody say that today, it already happened in 70 AD, or something like that. Well, look at what he says to them, “Let no one deceive you in any way.”
That day will not come unless what, what's the sign of it coming? Unless the rebellion comes first, unless 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 what, everybody? In the temple of God. So, do you see how people are like, oh, somebody's telling me that the day of tribulation, the day of the Lord already happened. Well, let me ask you, did somebody go sit in the temple? Did somebody do the abomination of desolation? Did they go where they ought not to be? Did they go into the holy place? Because that's the sign that the day of judgment is coming, so just like in the book of Daniel, where there could have been a way that it happened in history, but it's also going to happen at the end, so maybe as Jesus brings it up, it's going to happen in history again, but it's also going to happen at the end. So, this abomination of desolation, I'm saying, I think it happened right before 70 AD, I also am saying I think it's going to happen again with the Antichrist. I think this is the sign of when these things will be.
Now go back to Mark 13, which is also Matthew 24 which is also Luke 21, but go back with me to our text in Mark 13 and look at verse 19, because this sounds different to me. In verse 19 it says, “For in those days,” what days are we talking about here? Well, “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.” So, there is going to be such a tribulation, such an hour of trial, and you could go all the way back to when God created, and you could go all the way forward into what will be, and the tribulation is going to be such a tribulation as no other time in world history. Now that to me sounds like something bigger than what happened in 70 AD. I don't want to take away from the brutal reality of the Romans destroying and killing the people in Jerusalem. I mean, I hope you know from the world history that when the Roman Empire wipes out the Jews in 70 AD, there is no Israel all the way until after World War II in the 1940s. There was no Israel for that entire time because of the judgment that Jesus pronounces upon them. Okay, so when the Romans came in, it was terrible, it was brutal, but saying that what happened with the Romans and the Jews in 70 AD is the worst tribulation that's ever happened in world history. I'm not sure now we're still talking about that one specific place in time. In fact, look at the next verse, in verse 20 it says, And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved.” Well, I'm pretty sure that the Romans, taking and invading Jerusalem and killing the Jews, there would still be other human beings who would survive in other nations and other places, but whatever tribulation we're talking about now, if it wasn't cut short, nobody on the whole planet would live through it. So, you see how now the language does not seem like we're in a specific place in time. Now it feels like the language, and some people say, well, it's just hyperbole, yeah, but it's taking it to the max, it's taking it to no one would even live through it. It's such a bad tribulation. In fact, look at what it says, continuing in verse 20, “but for the sake of the elect whom he chose, he shortened the days.”
Well, who are these elect that are referred to multiple times in our passage? If you jump all the way to the end, in verse 27 it says, “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.” The elect, that's God's chosen people. And where are we gathering them from? We're gathering them from the ends of the earth, we're even gathering them from the heavens. So, we're not just gathering them from Jerusalem or Judea, we're gathering them from everywhere. And so, this tribulation, that's the worst thing in world history, that if you don't cut it short, no one will live through it, and the reason we cut it short is so we could gather the elect from the ends of the earth. This language all seems to me much more than just what's going to happen in 70 AD in Jerusalem, so you see what's happening. A terrible judgment is coming on Jerusalem, but that's not even as terrible as what's coming.
Let's get this down for point number two: You need to “Consider the coming of Judgment. You have to understand the context of Jesus. All of that discourse, this is a pronouncement of judgment, and that's what it is. And it's a very heavy message that we have here on this Father's Day. I'm telling you that there's coming a time of tribulation, where so many people are going to die. If it wasn't a short time, everyone would die, but God, for his chosen ones, shortens the time. Okay, so man, what happened in 70 AD with the Romans coming in, that was terrible. Worse, terrible is coming in the judgment. Okay, now look what it continues to say, because in verse 21 he says, “And then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ,’ or 'Look, there he is,’ so here's people saying, 'Let's go follow the Christ.’” You could see how there might have been a lot of that, even at 70 AD for false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders to lead astray, if possible, the elect, but be on guard. Here's another “see”. You’ve got to see this. I've told you these things beforehand. So, the reason Jesus is teaching his disciples what's going to happen before it does is so that they can be prepared. The reason there are so many prophecies in the Bible about a coming time of judgment, the Day of the Lord, the tribulation, judgment on the whole world. Why would you want to talk about judgment on the whole world? So people can be warned, so people can get ready. See, look at this, you have to see it before it comes. That's why I'm telling you beforehand, he says, so you're hearing about judgment before it comes, so that the people of Jesus can get out of Jerusalem before 70 AD comes, but also so that everybody who listens to the words of Jesus can get out of judgment before it comes. That's where this is going.
And then, here in verse 24 he says, “In those days after the tribulation,” what tribulation are we talking about? The tribulation, that's the worst thing in God's creation, tribulation. Well, after that worst time ever, where so many are going to die, well, then it says, “The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven.” In fact, the whole heavens are going to be shaken up and trembling. And then, now, underline this: “They will see the Son of Man.” Can everybody circle that? Notice now, it's not you will see, like the abomination of desolation, maybe the disciples would see in their lifetime something happened in the temple. No, now we're talking about somebody else. They will see the Son of Man coming in great power and glory on the clouds. Who's going to see the Son of Man? Those who have somehow made it through this terrible time of tribulation, that's when he's going to appear, and so a lot of people, when we're reading this, I can tell from the last two services of our church, as you are hearing me go through these verses and describe them or try to explain them, you're wondering where am I in these verses? Okay, let me just tell you, you don't want to be in these verses. Can I get an amen from anybody on that? Okay, so this is, I think, what a major misinterpretation that takes place with the Olivet Discourse. What is the context? Who is Jesus talking to? He's talking in the context of spending his time among the Jews in the temple, how they are going to be judged.
And so, the whole context is people who are going to be judged, and he's telling his disciples how they can make sure they're not there when that judgment comes, and if you're my brother and sister in Christ, are you going to be judged? The answer to that definitively is no. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Can I get an amen from anybody on that? Jesus took your judgment. Jesus took the wrath of God on your behalf, and that's why when you go to 1 Thessalonians, and he's writing to church people, does he act like they're going to be in the Day of the Lord? No. He says you are not destined for what wrath. And how does he describe the church there in Thessalonians? Those who are waiting for his Son to come from heaven to deliver us from the wrath to come, not he has delivered us from the wrath that we deserve for our sin but delivering us from the wrath that is coming from the Day of the Lord, from the time of tribulation. So, no, I don't think you're going to be in that time of tribulation. I think Jesus is going to deliver us from the wrath to come.
But here we are now, starting to describe that time of the wrath to come, and at the end of that time, Jesus will come, and he will come to judge the whole world. It's going to be a different type of judgment than what we've seen before. Before, God would use a nation to judge another nation. Well, now Jesus is going to start his kingdom and judge all the nations, and the glory and the power of Jesus coming is what we're meant to see here about the Son of Man. We're meant to be in awe of this description of him riding on the clouds. Now this is another reference to Daniel. Daniel 7:13-14 is where it says, “One like a Son of Man is riding on the clouds, and” that God gave him, “the Ancient of Days gave the cloud rider all authority, all power, all dominion to establish an everlasting kingdom. And so, notice they will see who's “they,” those who are there to be judged, they will see the Son of Man coming in his power and his glory. Now one of the worst things that somebody ever said to me at church, at least when it comes to eschatology, is they're like, I'm so glad that there's YouTube, so now everyone will be able to see Jesus come back. Have you ever heard somebody say something like that, like, it's a good thing we've got video, it's a good thing we've got the internet. Where would we be without social media to save us all, because when Jesus comes back, how would anybody be able to see it unless they could watch it on their phone on video? That makes sense to me. That's how they'll see it. Somebody will see Jesus coming, and they'll get captured on their mobile device, and then they'll upload it, and then we'll all see Jesus coming.
Now, I know how it all makes sense. Have you ever heard somebody say this? Maybe you've thought this yourself. I just want to encourage you to consider with me what we just read about the Son of Man coming on the clouds, because something is going to happen in the heavens unlike anything else we've ever experienced or seen before. I mean, let's just review verse 24 where it says that “the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven. And in the heavens, there's going to be this shaking, this trembling, like the lights that God set up the sun by for the day and the moon and the stars, by night all those lights are going to stop working.” There's going to be some kind of shaking in the heavenly realm. And go back with me to Isaiah 13. This kind of language that Jesus is using about the Son of Man, this kind of prophecy that Jesus is making, this is consistent with other prophecies that have come beforehand in Isaiah, chapter 13, which is a prophecy against Babylon. And yes, Babylon was a real historical nation that God used to judge his own people at one point, but then Babylon got judged by the Medes and the Persians, and Babylon kind of becomes the name that we use for the nations of the earth that go against God. Peter uses it in 1 Peter 5 about Babylon, Revelation uses it like all the headquarters of all the nations against God is Babylon. And so, in this prophecy against Babylon, look what it says here in verse 9. Behold, the day of the Lord comes. Look at it. Can you see it? Cruel with wrath and fierce anger to make the land a desolation to destroy its sinners from it. Do you see that this day of the Lord is a time of God's wrath on sinners? So, I just say to those who think Christians are going to go through a time of God's wrath on sinners, didn't Jesus already take God's wrath for our sin? And so, but this is time, is that all the wrath of God? He's been so patient, he's been so kind. All we've known is mercy every morning, and all the sins that are being done against him, all the people that are just living like they can trample all over wherever they want and do whatever they want, and even though God is their creator and God is holy, they're acting like they can live their own life. Well, all of that sin against God, now's the day when he judges it, and it says, verse 10, “For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light, the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity. I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. Like, something's going to be happening in the heavens, where the lights are going to be going out as God comes to humble the proud and judge sin.
Go over to the book of Joel, chapter 2. If you can find the book of Joel, another example of this kind of prophecy is in Joel. Hosea, Joel, Amos. If you can find one of those three books, and in Joel, if you ever study this book, it works like a lot of prophecies work, where there's a prophecy that a locust plague is coming, and you better prepare. We're warning you before it happens, so you can get ready. Okay, but then also Joel goes on to say many things about the end or the future. For example, in Joel, chapter 2, verse 10, Joel 2:10, it says, “The earthquakes before them, the heavens tremble, the sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.” So, you can see this is a regular description of what's going to happen in the heavens during this day of the Lord. And then notice it says Yahweh utters his voice before his army, like he's coming with a great host, his camp is exceedingly great. He who executes his word is powerful. This Day of YHWH is great and very awesome. Who can endure it? This isn't like something you can see on YouTube. There are no special effects involved. Nobody's shaking your seat to give the impression of rumbling something great and awesome is going to happen in the heavens, in the sky above. It will be cataclysmic. It will be something in the sphere of the world like has never taken place before. That's what it's describing. It's going to be beyond this Day of YHWH. It goes on to say in Joel, chapter 3, verse 15, continuing this same idea using this same language, The sun and moon are darkened, the stars withdraw their shining. YHWH roars from Zion.” It's like all the nations are coming around Jerusalem to destroy it, and here comes the Lord, roaring. He utters his voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth quake.
There's something that is said in Matthew, chapter 24, verse 27 that we don't get in Mark 13. It says, “For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” See, the skies are all going to go dark, sun, moon, stars, no light. It's going to be black in the heavens, and then it's going to be like lightning. Have you seen a real lightning storm, real thunder and lightning? Has anybody here been through a tornado or a hurricane, have you felt the shake of the rumble of the thunder? Have you seen the flash and the crack of the lightning, where it looked pitch black, and then it all lit up. Jesus is not going to need YouTube, it's going to be dark, and then he is going to fill the sky. He is going to be the light. You think the sun is bright, wait till you see the glory of the Son of Man, when he comes riding on the clouds. You've not seen anything like Jesus.
So many, even Christians today, have such a small view of Jesus, and they don't see him in great power and great glory. No, one of the things I hope you'll keep in your mind, a picture that Jesus just wants to put in your mind all the way until it happens, is how dark and black the heavens will be, and the contrast of him coming in like lightning. Let's get that down for number three: You want to “Consider the contrast of darkness and lightning.” That's how Jesus is coming back, like a light that suddenly lights up the sky, and everybody's trembling and shaking. Now, one time I was blessed to go on a trip with my family to Florida. Has anybody ever been to Florida in the summertime? It's humid, and what can break out at any moment in Florida, if you're there, it's like you can be having a nice day. Well, as nice as humidity feels, you can be having a nice day, and then all of a sudden lightning, it gets dark, and watch out, get the kids in shelter. Here we go, lightning coming from the sky. And I remember one day my family was blessed, we were able to go to Disneyworld. I don't know if anybody's been there, but we went to the Magic Kingdom, and they got fairies that will take you. You think trolleys are cool. How about fairies going back and forth to the kingdom? And I have this idea that it was one of the dad ideas for Father's Day, right? Where I'm like, I'm going to get my family on that ferry right at the time of the fireworks, you guys know about the time of the fireworks, living around here, right? How they go off every night at Disneyland. Well, being a Disneyland veteran, first time at Disneyworld, okay? When those fireworks go off, we want to be on the ferry, sailing away, watching the fireworks as a family. That's the dad-plan. Now we move into execution. Am I speaking to anybody right now? Right. And there it was. The fireworks are in the sky. We're on the ferry. The kids are loving it. I'm like, yes, Dad mode executed, right? And we're on our way to, like, another park for another fireworks show. We're making the most of our time here today, right. And then all of a sudden the lightning comes in, and nobody's looking at these little Mickey Mouse fireworks down here, but you're just in awe at how the whole sky just lit up. You're like, I was just watching this on a little screen, looking at how big the sky actually is when it lights up like that, and now all the kids are not like, 'Oh, I'm enjoying the fireworks. Now kids are like, scared. Now there's like a shaking. Now it's like, is it even safe to be here on this ferry? That's the lightning coming in when Jesus comes riding on the clouds. It will be great. It's like it's saying it will be mega, it will be beyond any comparison. It will be power, glory. It will redefine what awesome is.
And in Revelation 1:7 it says, “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him,” referring to the Jews who shouted, “Crucify him” and wanted him to be killed, “even those who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth, all the tribes of the earth will,” what, on account of him, everybody, they will “wail”. Wailing is when you just weep, you just mourn, you just cry out. See, this is describing judgment. You don't want to be in Jerusalem in 70 AD. You don't want to be on the whole planet in the day of tribulation, and when they see the judge, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, the one who shines brighter than the lightning and brighter than the sun, when they see him, they'll be wailing. See, there are two kinds of people in the world right now. There are those who are waiting for Jesus to deliver them from the coming wrath, and there are those who will be wailing in the coming wrath. And if you're somebody who's waiting for Jesus, praise him for saving you.
But I need you to take a look around this week, I need you to take a look around at our fellow Americans. I need you to think about your family members and your coworkers and the people who live around you in your neighborhood, and I need you to look people in the eyes and ask, are they going to be wailing or are they waiting, because you don't want anybody you know to go through this judgment. You don't want anybody to be in the tribulation, a time so terrible that so many people aren't going to die, that if it didn't wasn't cut short, everyone would die, millions and millions of people dead, that's what it's saying. It's a prophecy of judgment coming upon the world as we know it. Do you ever let that sit with you for a second, or is that something you don't want to think about? What Jesus is giving us is tomorrow's headlines today. What Jesus is giving us is not big news for one nation, but news for all the nations. And if you know what's going to happen before it happens, is that just for your personal information, or is that news you're supposed to use? Are you supposed to pray for people? Are you supposed to feel compassion and burdened for people? Picture that person that you love who has not believed in Jesus, who is not trusting him to pay for their wrath, for their sin, who is not waiting for him to deliver them. Picture that person that you know wailing on a day of judgment, and what should you do about it? When you know that's going to happen beforehand, can you see it? What should you do about it when so many people that you may care about are not ready?
See, next week, look at, go back to Mark 13, look at how this whole teaching is going to end. He's going to say that concerning the day or the hour, this is Mark 13:32. This is what we're talking about. Lord willing, next weekend here at this church, but concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, not even the Son, only the Father. So, see this, be on guard. There it is again. Look at this, watch out for this, see this. Keep awake, for you do not know when the time will come. And then he's going to give his famous analogy, like a master going on a journey, and then when the master returns, will he find you waiting, or will he find you wailing? We're going to preach that next week here at this church. We're going to warn everybody who will listen to us that they don't know when it's going to happen, and they don't want to be surprised like a thief, and they don't want to end up in labor pains. They want to get ready now. They need to wake up. They need to stay awake, Jesus says. And so, Jesus is going to tell us that he's coming, and it's under the context of judgment that you need to get ready for before it's too late, and so pray for those you love, feel heavy for them, and then be so bold to say, hey, do you know that Jesus is coming back? Because he is coming back, and I want you to come to church with me and hear what Jesus says we need to do to get ready for that day that we don't know is when.
And so, next weekend is an opportunity for you to warn the people around you about his return before it's too late for them, that's what we're doing here, we're warning about a coming judgment, both 70 AD and at a time that only the Father knows. See, and I don't think you and I are going to be here during this time of judgment. I think that we're going to be caught up in the clouds to be with the Lord in the air. Can I get an amen from anybody on that? So, I'm not trying to tell my brothers and sisters, you need to get ready. According to 1 Thessalonians, you are ready. You won't be surprised. You won't be in labor. You're not destined for wrath. But what about somebody that you know who's not ready? How can you pray for them? How could you reach out to them? How can you care about what's going to happen to them? That’s what I want you to think about this week. I hope this picture of all the heavens going dark, and then the lightning flashing in. I hope that picture will stay in your heart and mind, and you'll give glory to Jesus for how awesome he is, and you'll pray for the people who are not ready for the judgment that is coming. Let's pray right now. Can everybody stand up, and I could close our service in prayer.
Father in heaven, I want to thank you for bringing us all here today, so we could study this text that so many people are talking about and saying so many things. But I thank you that we could just go through what Jesus said, and that we could see he was warning people about a time of judgment coming on the temple, but he's warning everybody about a time of judgment coming, the worst thing in history that's going to affect everyone to the ends of the earth. And, God, we just want to confess that we don't really want to think about judgment, we just want to know Jesus has saved us and kind of move on, but that's why Jesus is telling us this beforehand. Please help us to see it, please help us to hear the warning. God, I pray for anybody in here that knows they're still living in the sins, they're still storing up wrath for a day of judgment, I pray that they would flee from that sin before it's too late, that they would turn to you and find forgiveness and mercy in your Son Jesus. And I pray for all of us that have been saved by Jesus, and we are waiting for Jesus to come and take us home. I pray that you would put on our hearts compassion for those who are still under judgment, that we would think about this tribulation in a way where we wouldn't want anyone to go through it. So let this heaviness be on our hearts this week. Let us pray for people with a sense of urgency. Let us be so bold to invite people to come to church with us. And let us be those who warn people that judgment is coming, but there is good news. He is being patient, so that you don't have to perish in the judgment, but you can turn to Jesus before it's too late. Yet even now you can turn to Jesus with your whole heart and be saved. Let us spread that good news before it's too late. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Have a great day, everybody. Thanks for being here.