Out with the Old and in with the New

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Text: Mark 13:14-27

Mark 13:26-27

 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. ²⁷ 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.

(ESV)

I enjoy watching home improvement shows, not that I am a great handyman you would hire to make improvements to your home, but out of admiration for those with the talent to make home improvements.  One observation that I have made in watching these shows is the need for demolition or the removal of the old and before the building of the new.  Romans 12:2 tells believers in Christ of a needed mind improvement to rid their minds of the old carnal way of thinking and to replace it with new godly thinking based upon biblical truth.  Mark 13:14-27 describes global renovation with the rise of the Antichrist through deception but ends with his demolition at the return of Christ and the establishment of a new renovated godly kingdom. 

Mark 13:14-27 is a continuation of Jesus' teaching regarding the signs of the end of the age.  In Mark 13:1-13, where Jesus answered their question with signs of trouble God’s people will experience as the end of the age.  In Mark 13:14-27, Jesus teaches of a coming abomination of desolation that will usher in a period of great tribulation upon the world (Mark 13:14).  This coming event is so significant that the Jesus asks us to contemplate its meaning.  Matthew 24:15-16 parallels the statement by Jesus in Mark 13:14 with an additional reference to the prophet Daniel regarding what is meant by the abomination of desolation.  According to the prophet Daniel, this abomination of desolation is,

1)      A person that will make a strong covenant with many (Daniel 9:27) – The context of Jesus’ teaching in Mark 13 is the disciples' observation of the beauty of the Temple with Jesus foretelling of the Temple’s destruction at the hands of the Romans (Mark 13:1-2).  Jesus’ mention of an abomination of desolation is a reference to Daniel’s prophecy of a future leader who would desecrate the Temple by doing away with the regular burnt offerings and sacrifices done in fulfillment of Jewish law (Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11).  While Jesus' pending death on the cross would do away with the need for these sacrifices (Hebrews 7:27), the individual referred to by Jesus and Daniel is Antichrist who denies Jesus is the Christ (1 John 2:22).  This individual is not eliminating the sacrifices to point people to Jesus for salvation but instead bringing desolation to the Temple by setting himself up as Messiah.  His covenant is a deceptive covenant that Jesus cautioned his followers about in Mark 13:21-23. 

2)      A person who will profane the Temple by taking away the regular burnt offerings (Daniel 11:31) – The burnt offerings and sacrifices were a regular occurrence at the Temple and most likely occurring as Jesus walked through the Temple grounds with His disciples.  In fact, since this event occurred around Passover there were most likely more sacrifices offered then at other times during the year.  While the need for these sacrifices was coming to an end with the sacrifice of the Son of God for the sins of the world (Hebrews 7:27), they were still how God’s people at this time expressed their honor of God as their God.  Jesus is warning his people that only His death could fulfill the law of God and that anyone else claiming to be Christ and ending these sacrifices is a false Christ and someone to guard against and flee from (Mark 13:14-23).    

3)      The desolation of the Temple will last 1290 days (Daniel 12:11) – False christs and false teaching are nothing new for the Apostles warned the early church about such teaching (Galatians 2:4; 2 Peter 2:1-2).  However, the abomination of desolation is a false teacher also referred to as the Antichrist who will deceive many.  Daniel 9:27 says the Antichrist will make a strong covenant for one week and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice.  The reference by Daniel to a week is not a reference to a period of seven days as we define it but a period of seven years.  For the first half of the seven-year period, the Antichrist will establish himself as a global leader having all the answers and deceiving many into believing he is christ. However, midway through this seven-year period, the Antichrist will desecrate the Temple, revealing he is a false christ, but a false christ with great worldly power and authority.  Thankfully, God cuts his reign short with the return of Jesus with great power and glory (Mark 13:20, 26).

While it is interesting to focus on the abomination of desolation in Mark 13:14-27, the main purpose of the passage is to not allow ourselves to be deceived and to have hope that even when the world situation seems hopeless as it will during the 1290 days of desolation, Jesus will return in great power and glory.  However, to participate in the glorious reign of Christ, one must accept Jesus’ invitation to join Him for he will not force Himself on anyone.  Perhaps you are reading this and feel the need for forgiveness or the need to have a closer, more personal relationship with God.  If that is you, I invite you to pray with me now,

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, spent three days in the grave, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

Law enforcement that detects counterfeit currency does not receive training that focuses on recognizing counterfeit currency but extensive training to recognize genuine currency.  The same holds true for students of the Bible for the more knowledgeable one becomes of biblical truth, the more readily they will recognize false teaching.  It is therefore crucial that God’s people devote time to the study of scripture so they can quickly run from false teaching.  Everyone reading this, especially those that just prayed, is urged to devote time daily to study and meditation on the Bible and find a church or bible study teaching the Bible so they can recognize and run from deception.  These are deceptive times but those that know the truth will be set free (John 8:32).  May God bless everyone reading this post and may we all grow stronger in our knowledge of biblical truth.