Mark 13:14-20 (NIV): “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 roof of his house go down or enter the house to take anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get his 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 unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now–and never to be equaled 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.”
Many of the people who read this Scripture today see it as applying solely to the days of Jesus’ return. But it, like many other prophecies, is multi-layered, and is relevant to more than one place and time.
In this case, the immediate context of this prophecy is the coming destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. This was what the disciples had asked most directly about (13:2-4). And this prophecy was amazingly fulfilled at in just a few years’ time.
According to Eusebius and Josephus, the siege that led to Jerusalem’s fall was preceded by a Roman campaign in Judea to put down several rebellions that had sprung up. After a short siege of Jerusalem, the general, Cestius Gallus, inexplicably withdrew. The Jews pursued him, killed some of the retreating soldiers, and captured their weapons. Nero then sent another force to crush the rebellion for good.
In AD 66, just after Gallus withdrew from Jerusalem, some of the Christian leadership in the Jerusalem Church saw the siege as a sign from God, a warning shot over the bow. Despite the upbeat message of the Jewish people that they had succeeded in ousting the Romans, the Christian leaders saw this as the beginning of the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy, and sent word to the Christians to use the opportunity to leave, which they did immediately. They moved across the Jordan to the Decapolis region, to a town called Pella. There they remained, establishing a strong Christian community that lasted for several centuries.
By the time that Vepasian came along, laying waste to the whole countryside, the Christians were already long gone. This was followed by the disastrous siege by General Titus which resulted in profound suffering among those trapped in the city, comparable only to the suffering during the Babylonian siege. After the long siege, Titus managed to breach the wall. He burned the city, put the survivors to the sword, and demolished the temple.
The Christians who fled before all of that happened credited God and this prophecy of Jesus with their salvation from this disaster that fell on the city. They were confident of Jesus’ ability to know the future, so when the word came that the prophecy was coming true, they immediately obeyed, leaving behind their homes and most of their possessions, being willing to start afresh with God’s guidance.
Whether in the days of the Roman Empire, or in the future days before the return of Jesus, the vital thing for God’s people is not to spend time compiling and studying charts and graphs detailing what they believe will happen. The vital thing is for us to know God’s word, to be about the work of expanding His kingdom through making disciples of all nations, to know God’s voice intimately, and be immediately obedient to His leading.
Father, it is often tempting to get mired in the charts and graphs of end-time prophecies, and in doing so, to neglect the job that You have given us of making disciples. Help us to keep our focus on the things that matter most to You, and then to keep ourselves unencumbered and light on our feet, so that we can be immediately responsive to Your leading. Amen.