Twenty-sixth Sunday after Pentecost

“[Jesus said] ‘But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be, then let those in Judea flee to the mountains.”

+In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  

One of the ongoing themes we find in the Scriptures is the theme of the coming “Day of the Lord.” It’s an expression used for the end-times, one that refers to that great Day when the Lord comes to destroy evil, vindicate His people, and establish His Kingdom and rule “on earth as it is in heaven” as the Lord’s Prayer says. You will find it throughout the Old Testament, in the writings of the Prophets, and in the New Testament, starting with John the Baptist in the Gospels and continuing through the Book of Revelation.
           
Today’s Gospel lesson from St. Mark reminds us that Jesus is the most prominent of all those who point to this great Day of the Lord. The 13th Chapter of St. Mark’s Gospel is noteworthy because it contains Jesus’ sayings about the future. In Mark 13 you will find five different strands of Jesus’ predictions about the future: 1) Prophecies about the destruction of Jerusalem, 2) Warning of persecution to come, 3) Warnings of the dangers of the Last Days, 4) Warnings of the Second Coming, and 5) Warnings of the necessity of being on the watch.
           
The immediate context of today’s Gospel lesson is Jesus predicting the destruction of the Temple and of Jerusalem. Jesus has been telling the disciples about the coming destruction of the Temple and the persecution that that will take place. And Jesus warns them that they will be arrested, interrogated, and imprisoned. He encourages them not to worry about what to say or do when the day comes, but to rely on the Holy Spirit to show them what to do and say. It will be a difficult time, as even family members will betray family members to the authorities, and Christ’s followers will be despised by all.
           
Then in verse 14, Jesus says, “But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” What is Jesus talking about? Jesus is borrowing the language from Daniel 12:11 which says, “The abomination that makes desolate is set up.” (Which is from today’s Old Testament lesson.) Jesus is talking about a great sacrilege, when the Temple itself is profaned in the most egregious way.
           
Jesus’ use of Daniel’s phrase “abomination of desolation” serves as a stark reminder to His listeners of their recent history. The expression reminds them of what happened during the reign of the Seleucid King Antiochus Epiphanes, described in 1 Maccabees 1:54-56, which says, “Now on the fifteenth day of Chislev, in the one hundred forty-fifth year, they erected a desolating sacrilege on the altar of burnt offering. They also built altars in the surrounding towns of Judah and offered incense at the doors of the houses and in the streets. The books of the law that they found they tore to pieces and burned with fire.” History tells us that King Antiochus offered swine’s flesh on the great altar and erected a statue of Zeus in the Temple and ordered the Jews to worship it.
           
But remember that is Jesus is talking about the future, about things which are to come. And we know from history that the Roman Emperor Caligula wanted to build a statue of himself and have it erected in the Temple around 40 AD. But this never happened, as Caligula was assassinated before his orders could be carried. We do know from history that during the Jewish revolt in 70 AD the Romans came and destroyed the Temple and the city, carrying off most of the Temple furnishings, which have been lost to history. We also know that thousands fled the city and thousands more were slaughtered by the Romans. Furthermore, the Christian historian Eusebius wrote that the Christian community in Jerusalem escaped before the war as a response to a prophecy given from the Lord, and that the destruction of both the city and Temple was seen as God’s judgement upon those who had rejected Christ.
           
Jesus’ words can be understood both as a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, but also foretelling future events which have not yet occurred. Therefore, we must heed Jesus’ words and be on our guard.
           
It is obvious to all of us who have been paying attention to the events of the past 50 years that there has been a dramatic rise in hostility to Christianity around the world. There are more Christians being martyred today than in any time in the Church’s history. Additionally, we also see that many of the established historical churches have become spiritually corrupt at the highest levels—the Archbishop of Canterbury has just resigned for failing to deal with a sex abuse scandal that had been going on for years. And Pope Francis has said many things that contradict Catholic teaching and has promoted people in the Church who are also hostile to that teaching.
           
While the recent election results in our country give us hope that religious freedom will be protected in the short term, we must not be too distracted by current events and keep our spiritual discernment sharp. The worse things get, the more we as followers of Jesus Christ need to stay close to Him and be diligent in our discipleship.
           
​In verse 22, Jesus says, “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect.” Jesus is warning us that there will be someone who will arise who will be an Antichrist. He will be the Abomination of Desolation. He will perform signs and wonders, and there will be those who will believe that he is Jesus who has returned. But signs and wonders alone aren’t proof of his Messiahship. Rather, the faithful proclamation of the Word of God will be the deciding factor. Therefore, Popes and Archbishops and prominent pastors who are famous and popular but are not preaching the Word of God are not to be trusted. We must remain true to the Word of God. We must trust that no matter how difficult things become, Christ is in control of history.
We will be entering the season of Advent in just a couple of weeks. As we reflect on Jesus’ warnings about the future, we are not to be distracted by current events, nor allow ourselves to caught up in the commercializing of Christmas. Let us keep our eyes fixed in Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith and put our complete faith and trust in Him.
           
+In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.