Unlimited: Terrible Days Ahead

Jun 28, 2024 2308

When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out.Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak.How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!Pray that this will not take place in winter,because those will be days of distress unequalled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equalled again. If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them (Mark 13:14–20, NIV).

The disciples asked Jesus when the temple would be destroyed. In response, Jesus gave his longest recorded prophetic sermon.

He described an awful time that his followers will have to face, but he wasn’t finished yet. His prophecy continued.

In referring to “the abomination that causes desolation,” Jesus is here quoting the prophet Daniel, from Chapter 8 of Daniel’s prophecy. Jesus said that he expects the readers of Daniel’s prophecies to understand their meaning.

The prophet Daniel is an apocalyptic prophet, and in this lengthy prophecy by Jesus he is putting himself in that same tradition.

One of the features of apocalyptic prophecy is a focus on unveiling the mysteries of the future, and of the end of the world. Jesus made it clear here that he isn’t just talking about events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem, but about the end of the world as well.

The “abomination that causes desolation” at the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 was the Roman Empire. That’s done and gone. So, the question that remains for us is, “What is the ‘abomination that causes desolation’ at the end of the world?”

What Jesus is saying here is that the prophecies of Daniel are important.

– Eliezer Gonzalez

Eli’s Reflection: How long has it been since you took a look at the book of Daniel? I encourage you to take another look at it and get to know it. Jesus did! What is your favourite passage from Daniel? Why?

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