Mark 13

13:19  For those days shall be tribulation, such as there hath not been the like from the beginning of the creation which God created until now¹, and never shall be².

"No other city ever suffered miseries, nor did any age, from the beginning of the world, ever breed a generation more fruitful in wickedness that this was."

And again:

"If the miseries of all mankind from the creation were compared with those which the Jews then suffered, they would appear inferior."

The promise that there shall be no days like it of course excludes theterrors and miseries of the judgment day, since it belongs to celestialrather than terrestrial history.

Having now the whole paragraph before us, we are ready to discussthe phrase "abomination of desolation" mentioned in Mark 13:14 ; Matthew 24:15 .Taking it in connection with the entire paragraph, we can readily see(1) That it was a sign practically simultaneous with the compassing ofJerusalem by the Roman army. (2) That it was a clearly marked signwhich was to be followed by immediate flight, even if the day of itsappearing should change on the Sabbath--a flight so sudden that a manmust not stop to enter his house or get his coat. Now, some translatethe phrase "abomination of desolation" (or "abomination that causethdesolation", for it may be so translated) as referring to the crimes ofthe zealots, a faction in Jerusalem, who took possession of the templeand profaned its sanctuary by using it as a fort, thus makingthemselves an abomination in the eyes of the Jews by polluting God'shouse and entering where they had no right to enter. But a longinterval intervened between this evil deed of theirs and the coming ofthe Romans, during any day of which a Christian might have taken hisdeparture after the most leisurely manner. Others take the phrase asreferring to the entrance of the triumphant Roman army upon the templecourts; but as this was one of the last scenes of the prolonged siege,it could not properly be coupled with the encompassing Roman army.Meyer, aware of this difficulty, takes the position that there were"two" flights prescribed by Jesus, one from "Jerusalem" at the timewhen the Romans appeared, and the other from "Judea" at the time whenthe temple fell. But the language used by Luke ( Luke 21:20 Luke 21:21 ) forbidsus to make the flight from Judea subsequent to the flight fromJerusalem, for both flights were to begin when the Romans appeared.Again it should be noted that the phrase "the holy place" is apt tomislead, especially when coupled with Mark's "where it ought not". Thewords when seen in English cause us to think of some person or thingpolluting the sanctuary of the temple by standing in its holy place.But it is evident that the words do not refer to the temple at all.When the New Testament speaks of the holy place in the temple it stylesit "en too hagioo" ("in the holy"), while the words here are "en topoohagioo" ("in a holy place"). Moreover, after a careful perusal of theSeptuagint, we are persuaded that they used the two terms todistinguish between the holy place in the sanctuary and other holyplaces, a distinction which the Revised Version recognizes. As none butpriests could enter "the" holy place, it is evident that another ismeant at Psalms 24:3 , but in this place the Septuagint gives us "en topoohagioo". We, therefore, conclude that in this place Matthew uses theterm "holy place" to designate the holy territory round about the HolyCity, and that the combined expressions of Matthew and Mark signifiesthe investiture of the city by the Roman armies and is equivalent tothe plainer statement made by Luke. The Roman armies were fittinglycalled the abomination of desolation, because, being heathen armies,they were an abomination to the Jews, and because they broughtdesolation upon the country. The sight of them, therefore, became theappointed sign for Christians to quit the city.

13:20  And except the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would have been saved¹; but for the elect's sake, whom he chose, he shortened the days².

13:21  And then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is the Christ; or¹, Lo, there; believe [it] not:

13:22  for there shall arise false Christs and false prophets¹, and shall show signs and wonders, that they may lead astray, if possible, the elect.

13:24  But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light¹,

13:25  and the stars shall be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens shall be shaken¹.

13:27  And then shall he send forth the angels¹, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven².

13:28  Now from the fig tree learn her parable: when her branch is now become tender, and putteth forth its leaves, ye know that the summer is nigh¹;

13:29  even so ye also, when ye see these things coming to pass, know ye that he is nigh, [even] at the doors¹.

13:30  Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, until all these things be accomplished¹.

13:31  Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away¹.

13:32  But of that day or that hour knoweth no one, not even the angels in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father¹.

13:34  [It is] as [when] a man, sojourning in another country, having left his house¹, and given authority to his servants, to each one his work², commanded also the porter to watch³.

13:35  Watch therefore: for ye know not when the lord of the house cometh, whether at even, or at midnight, or at cockcrowing, or in the morning¹;

13:37  And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch¹.