Matthew 24:15-28; Mark 13:14-23;
Luke 21:20-24
Within 40 years of Jesus’
prophetic warning with regard to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple,
Roman armies surrounded the city (cf. Luke 21:20) in order to deal with the
great Jewish rebellion. In Matthew 24:14 Jesus said that the Gospel was to be
preached to all nations and then the end would come. He began His statement in
Matthew 24:15 with the words Otan
oun (when therefore) which connects
the two comments. The end of the Temple and the signs the disciples would
witness prior to this ‘end’.
The most important question we
need to consider at the outset of this section is simply what exactly did Jesus
mean by “the abomination of desolation”? At this point it is imperative that we
“keep in mind that the Lord is speaking to His first-century, Jewish disciples
(Matthew 24:1, 3), who live in the context of the Old Testament Scriptures and
within the old covenant economy. In the Old Testament an “abomination”
especially relates to the desecration of worship, either by outright false
worship (Deuteronomy 7:25; 27:15) or by the profaning of true worship
(Leviticus 7:18; Deuteronomy 17:1).”[1]
So, if we are to understand this
statement in terms of the way Jesus meant it and the way the disciples and
other 1st Century readers would have understood it, we need to
firstly remember that Jesus was speaking very specifically about the Temple
standing in Jerusalem at that time. Secondly, we need to remember that while
Matthew and Mark (both Jewish authors) used the term “abomination of
desolation” taken from a prophecy in Daniel 9:27, Luke (more than likely a
Gentile believer) used language more readily understandable by a Gentile audience.
In Luke 21:21 Luke interpreted the Hebraic statement “abomination of
desolation” by using the words “Roman armies” instead. Lastly, it seems clear
that this was the way Jesus and His contemporaries would have understood
Daniel’s prophecy, as an eyewitness to the destruction of the Temple, the
Jewish Historian Flavius Josephus, like Luke applied Daniel’s prophetic
statement to the Roman siege of Jerusalem. “In the very same manner Daniel also
wrote concerning the Roman government, and that our country should be made desolate (Italics mine) by them.”[2]
Later, when writing about the conquest, Josephus used the same word: “And thus
Jerusalem was taken, in the second year of the reign of Vespasian, on the
eighth day of the month Gorpieus. It had been taken five times before, though
this was the second time of its desolation
(Italics mine).”[3]
Having
understood this, we can move on to look at the identification of the “holy
place”. Again from what was written in Luke’s Gospel it seems clear that this
refers to Jerusalem as the holy city and not just the temple. Also, Jesus’
warning is for all those in Judea,
not just in the temple environs. And this is apparently what Daniel had in mind
as in Daniel 9:25 the prophet specifically calls Jerusalem the “holy city”.
Jesus was
also very specific as to the location of the great tribulation. He warns only
“those in Judea” and tells them to “flee to the hills”. By the time the Roman
General Titus began his final march on Jerusalem, the inner strife within the
city was so great that Josephus spoke of the outer temple overflowing with
blood (Wars, 4:5) and the Zealots had pretty much taken control of the Temple
(Wars 5:1:1). In fact he categorically states that the “temple was defiled
everywhere with murders” (Wars 5:1:2).
At the end
of the siege Josephus reported that 1,100,000 Jews had perished. Some of his
comments are worth comparing with Jesus’ statements in verse 21-22. “…neither
did any other city ever suffer such miseries, nor did any age ever breed a
generation more fruitful in wickedness than this was, from the beginning of the
world.” (Wars 5:10:5)[4]
“…the war which the Jews made with the Romans hath been the greatest of all
those, not only that have been in our times, but, in a manner, of those that
were ever heard of…” (Wars, Preface 1)[5]
“Accordingly it appears to me, that the misfortunes of all men, from the
beginning of the world, if they be compared to these of the Jews, are not so
considerable as they were…” (Wars, Preface, 4).[6]
Josephus
also spoke about false Messiahs and false prophets and false signs. “A false
prophet was the occasion of these people’s destruction, who had made a public
proclamation in the city that very day, that God commanded them to get up upon
the temple, and that there they should receive miraculous signs of their
deliverance. Now, there was a great number of these false prophets suborned by
the tyrants to impose upon the people, who denounced this to them, that they
should wait for deliverance from God…”[7]
What is interesting
to note at this point is that Jesus contrasts this judgment of Jerusalem with
His Second Advent in verse 27 in His warning to His disciples not believe
reports that He had returned already. The word gar (for) here indicates that the reasons they
ought not to believe the rumours was that His Second Advent would be visible to
all…it would not be hidden or limited or confined to a small geographical area.
Having
made that comparison, Jesus returned to the coming destruction of Jerusalem,
likening it to a gathering of eagles (sometimes translated as vultures, but the
Greek word is specifically aetos or eagles) around a bloated, rotting carcass. Again, we need to turn to
Josephus for an eyewitness account of what happened in AD 70. He said, “Nor was
there any place in the city that had no dead bodies in it, but what was
entirely covered with those that were either killed by the famine or the
rebellion; and all was full of the dead bodies…” (Wars 6:7:2)[8]
And later, “Now, as soon as the army had no more people to slay or to plunder,
because there remained none to be the objects of their fury…Caesar gave orders
that they should now demolish the entire city and temple…” (Wars 7:1)[9]
But what
is interesting to note is that once the temple was burned to the ground, the
soldiers “brought their ensigns (images of eagles on poles) to the temple, and
set them over against its eastern gate; and there did they offer sacrifices to
them, and there did they make Titus imperator, with the greatest acclamations
of joy.” (Wars 6:6:1).[10]
The Roman ensign, known as
an “aquila (Latin for "eagle") was a prominent symbol used in
ancient Rome, especially as the standard of a Roman legion.
A legionary known as an aquilifer, or eagle-bearer, carried this standard.”[11]
It is amazing how the
simple study of ancient texts and other historical records can help one get a
better perspective on what the Scriptures meant to those who spoke, wrote, or
heard the words at the time they were recorded! Surely this is a lesson for all
disciple makers. Too many times the Word of God has been abused – used to
support an agenda, political or otherwise, used to frighten people into the
kingdom, used to win an argument – but for us who wish to equip workers to do
the work of the ministry in the church and beyond, this is simply not an option.
We cannot plead ignorance and simply pass on half-truths to others and expect God to bless a word
that isn’t His!
However, just because
a passage had a specific application at a specific time for specific people in
a specific place, doesn’t mean it has no meaning for us or that it has no
bearing upon the way we live as followers of Jesus. The principles underlying
the original intension remain the same. Just as Jesus’ 1st Century
followers were not to panic in the face of widespread wickedness and upheaval,
so we too must learn to focus on the reality that is ours in Christ. Jesus is
seated at the right hand of the Father in the heavenly Jerusalem (Acts 2:33), and
He is reigning ever to place all His enemies under His feet (1 Corinthians
15:25, Acts 3:21). He has overcome the world and has given us a kingdom that
cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:22-29)…therefore we too can live with unfailing hope
in our hearts…and we can continue to make disciples who make disciples because
the King of kings is with us even to the end of time as we know it (Mathew
28:20b).
[1] Gentry, Kenneth
L, The Olivet Discourse Made Easy, Apologetics Group Media, Draper, VA, 2010,
89.
[2] Josephus,
Flavius, The Complete Writings of Josephus, Translated by William Whiston,
Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI, 1981, Antiquities of the Jews, 10:11:7,
277.
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