SERMON TITLE: Tribulation
TEXT: Mark 13:14-23 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 2-20-22
You can watch the sermon here.
You can find the sermon notes here.
As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And there’s one thing I want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us for the first time or are joining us at our North Main campus — the one thing I want you to know is that God loves you and that I love you too.
After a short break, we’re back in Mark’s gospel — a book of the Bible we’re finishing up this year. As you know — if you’ve been with us — we’ve been on a journey through Mark’s gospel for a few years now. Each year we’ve spent a few months going through some of Mark’s gospel — his recording of the life of Jesus — before moving on to another book in the Bible. And — in this series — a series we’ve titled “This is the End” — we’re literally coming to the end of the gospel. We’re also coming to the end of Jesus’ life and ministry — culminating in his resurrection which we’ll be looking at on Easter Sunday. But we find ourselves currently in the middle of Jesus’ teaching about the end times — another aspect of “the end” that we’re looking at.
Two weeks ago we looked at the idea of living in the end times. Next week — we’ll look at what Jesus has to say about his return to earth. And — today — we’re looking at something about the end times that naturally makes us all a bit uncomfortable — a bit uneasy — I’m just going to warn you that what we’re looking at today can be unsettling — but it’s a great follow up to last week’s sermon by Tim Sansbury on suffering. So what are we looking at today? Tribulation. Jesus’ words about the difficulties that the people of God will experience in the end times. But — what I don’t want us to miss — is that even as Jesus gives us these words of warning — mixed in are wonderful and encouraging reminders about the mercy of God — mercy the people of God will experience while they’re in the midst of tribulation.
So let’s turn to our passage for today.
If you have your Bible please turn with me to Mark chapter 13. We’ll be looking at verses 14-23 together today. We’re in Mark chapter 13. Beginning in verse 14.
“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, 16 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 17 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 18 Pray that it may not happen in winter. 19 For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. 20 And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. 21 And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.” (Mark 13:14-23 ESV)
So a bunch of people gathered together — like us right now — using the Bible to talk about the end times — which is what we’re doing — is often viewed as “cuckoo talk” these days. The end times is the subject matter of those crazy Christians who rent out billboard signs about the end of the world, right? Well let’s be honest. What the Bible has to say about the end times is kind of strange and cuckoo sounding to our modern ears. And it doesn’t help that there are preachers who seem to only focus on end times verses — with lots of charts and maps — adding to the craziness of it all. Which has left many Christians who — don’t want to look crazy — to avoid the topic of the end times. Resulting in that — instead of looking crazy — many Christians are just really confused about what the Bible does teach about the end times.
But — just so we’re clear — Christians aren’t the only end times crazy folks. In 1947, the doomsday clock was created — you’ve probably heard of it. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists describes the doomsday clock this way. The clock was designed to warn the public “about how close we are to destroying the world with dangerous technologies of our own making. [The clock] is a metaphor, a reminder of the perils we must address if we are to survive on the planet.” (Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, “FAQ,” thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/faq/) The idea being that — when the clock strikes midnight — well — it’s game over for all of us — the world’s destruction has arrived.
Currently, the doomsday clock sits at 100 seconds to midnight — the closest the clock has ever been to midnight. And we’ve been sitting at 100 seconds until the end of the world — according to the clock — since 2020. But here’s why I say Christians aren’t the only ones who are crazy in their end times talk.
We’re sitting — supposedly just over a minute and a half away from the end of the world — and what’s crazy is that we’re all kind of going about our lives as if everything’s perfectly fine. Now — I don’t want us to live in a state of fear — but to be faithful people we must see reality for what it is. And the reality is that most people are living with the idea that goes something like, “Well as long as we don’t wipe each other out, we’ll just hang out at the 100 seconds mark until we — the people who’ve gotten ourselves into this mess — figure our way out of it.” And — you wanna know something? That’s crazy talk!
In fact, the doomsday clock folks list out all of the things that need to be done in order to turn back the clock so we head away from midnight instead of towards it. And the list is quite ambitious. And — as far as I can tell — the biggest obstacle is that we’ve got to get all kinds of countries on board with tackling the list. And we’ve got to get nearly everyone to agree to stop doing things they show no signs of stopping — in order to reverse the clock. For example — to reverse the doomsday clock — North Korea needs to stop doing nuclear tests and long-range missile tests without allowing others to oversee what they’re doing. I think this has been a goal for my entire lifetime and North Korea’s still doing their own thing.
But here’s what may be the craziest thing of all. What if — somehow — we got every nation in the world to agree to do everything on the “reverse the doomsday clock” list? Would we really be reversing our direction and not be headed towards midnight? Won’t something else come up — that’ll push the clock forward — that’s not being considered right now as a major threat to humanity? The real question is this: Who or what dictates the end of the world? Us or God?
Well the Christian faith tells us that the world is in God’s hands and — that means the world — even its end — even the doomsday clock — is in God’s control — and nothing happens outside of his control. And — as we see here in Jesus’ teaching — things have been promised to get worse — before they get better — as far as the end of the world goes. But even the getting better part isn’t the result of humanity learning how to turn back time on the clock — things will get better due to Christ’s return to earth. And it’s that — Christ’s return — which we’re to be looking forward to as we live in these end times.
So let’s return to Mark’s gospel and Jesus’ words about a time of tribulation and what should have his people’s focus as they live in the end times. We’ll begin back in verse 14.
“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand)…[And skipping to verse 23, we read…] 23 But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.” (Mark 13:14a, 23 ESV)
Let the reader understand. And — though we’re reading Mark’s words — the “reader” Mark has in mind — are his original recipients — the original readers of his gospel. The idea being — for us — a better wording of the phrase in parenthesis — in verse 14 — would be, “Let the original reader understand.” And — this is key for us — especially in helping us understand what Jesus is and isn’t saying. For example — in verse 23 — Jesus specifically addresses his disciples — telling them to be on guard since he’s told them about this time of tribulation before it happens. Indicating that — once the tribulation has happened — like so many other things — they’ll be able to recall what Jesus had told them prior to the event taking place. Meaning — just like his death — which Jesus told them about many times before it happened — though they didn’t understand what he was telling them — in the moment about his death — after his death had occurred they were able to remember, “Oh yeah. Jesus said this was going to happen.” Well something similar is happening here. Jesus is teaching them about something that will happen in the future so that later they’ll have a, “Oh yeah. That’s what Jesus told us was going to happen” moment.
So let’s put ourselves — as much as we can — in the shoes of the original readers who Mark believed would understand Jesus’ words to his disciples. And we’ll begin with the abomination of desolation — what in the world is that? Are you ready for a huge let down of an answer? I have no idea! But apparently Mark’s original readers would have understood exactly what Jesus was talking about — which leads me to believe — this abomination of desolation isn’t something that’s going to come in the future — meaning our future — otherwise how would Mark’s original readers have understood what Jesus is saying? This abomination of desolation is something that happened — most likely — during Mark’s original readers’ lifetime. Mark’s audience would’ve had an, “Oh, that’s what Jesus was talking about” moment. And — if I was going to give you my best pastoral guess — as to what Jesus is referring to — my guess is that the abomination of desolation is something that happened when Jerusalem was conquered and destroyed around 70AD.
Here’s why. The phrase — abomination of desolation — has been described as, “An object of disgust [and] repulsion. In Scripture [the word abomination] is used primarily to denote things associated with idolatry and gross ungodliness. [Thus] abomination of desolation may be translated as, ‘the abomination which makes desolate, or lays waste.’ In other words, the abomination that causes desolation.” (John MacArthur, Jr., Matthew 24-28 (Chicago: Moody, 1989), 34.) So something sacred is being destroyed — that’s what these words are telling us.
Another Bible scholar describes it this way. “An abomination is normally a great sin, commonly worthy of death…Throughout the Bible ‘abomination’ refers to major covenant violations, especially idolatry. In the historical books, ‘abomination’ always describes idolatry, often with child sacrifice. Abomination refers to idolatry in the prophets [as well].” (Dan Doriani, “What is the ‘Abomination of Desolation’?) So this desecration — this idolatrous sin — this desolation of abomination is something we find hints of throughout the Old Testament.
So let’s connect all of this to the phrase “let the reader understand” — what would Mark’s original readers have understood about all of this abomination that led to some sort of desolation or destruction? First, for Mark’s original readers to understand what this is referring to means it must be something that happened during the destruction of Jerusalem, which happened during the lifetime of Mark’s readers. “But Josh, how do you know this is referring to Jerusalem’s destruction?” Because of Luke’s account of this teaching of Jesus. This is from Luke chapter 21 — beginning in verse 20.
““But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, 22 for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. 23 Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”” (Luke 21:20-24 ESV)
So here’s the bottom line. The vast majority of Bible scholars agree that the destruction of Jerusalem — around 70AD — is what Jesus is warning his disciples about in our verses. And — Mark — wrote his gospel — most likely — right around the time of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem as this promised desolation was taking place. And all of this would’ve been on the mind of Mark’s original readers — “let the reader understand” — they’d understand all right.
So now we have a “when” this desolation took place. But what exactly happened that was an abomination — what great idolatrous sin happened? Unfortunately, we don’t know for certain. Neither the Bible — nor history — records enough detail for us to pinpoint what Mark thought would’ve been obvious to his original readers. It may have been that the Romans erected some sort of altar to make sacrifices to their false gods as a sign of their conquering of Jerusalem. This happened back in 167BC when the Syrians conquered Jerusalem and sacrificed a pig on an altar to their god. Doing things like this was a sign of dominance — where the conquerors would take the sacred religious places of the conquered people — like the temple — and transform it into a place to worship their deities — an abomination.
So we don’t know what exactly happened — that Mark’s readers would’ve understood all of this to mean — but Jesus is pointing his disciples forward — to a time of tribulation that’s yet to come in another 40 or so years. And it’s to this promised tribulation that we now turn.
We’re back in verse 14 of Mark chapter 13.
“But when you see the abomination ofdesolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 15 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, 16 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 17 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 18 Pray that it may not happen in winter. 19 For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. 20 And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. 21 And then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. 23 But be on guard; I have told you all things beforehand.” (Mark 13:14-23 ESV)
What we see here — in Jesus’ words — is that tribulation is promised. And this specific time of tribulation will be marked by false teachers who’ll display great spiritual power. And Jesus tells his disciples that they’re to be ready for these days, they’re to be on guard, they’re to be wise against the deception of these false teachers who will rise up to try to deceive many, and they’re to be prepared for persecution. For this time of tribulation will be a time of an all out assault against God’s people by the Enemy. Talk about uncomfortable news to hear, right?
But — what’s interesting to observe — at least interesting to me — is what Jesus doesn’t do at this point. He doesn’t lament that the temple’s going to be destroyed. The temple — the place of worship for the Jewish people — the house of God — the gathering place he had just cleaned out from all of the corruption going on — all that to say the temple mattered to Jesus. Yet here — in speaking about its desolation to come — he doesn’t weep for the temple. Instead, he demonstrates great compassion and concern for the people who’ll be living in the days he’s describing. “Don’t run to the temple — flee the city,” Jesus says. “Though the temple may seem like a reasonable place to go — for safety and security” — Jesus says “no safety and security will be found in the temple nor anywhere in the entire city of Jerusalem — its desolation is coming — this is guaranteed to happen.”
Then Jesus mentions the different kinds of people for whom it’ll be extremely difficult to escape this coming destruction.
Now — I’m sure that some of you have been wondering — “But what about us, Josh? I thought this whole tribulation thing — that Jesus is talking about — is something ahead of us — something still to come in our future. After all, this is about the end times, right? And all of the movies I’ve seen — even Christian ones — make this out to be about the future — not something that’s happened in the past. So is this time of tribulation — that Jesus is talking about — something we’re going to go through?” Here’s my answer: maybe.
Jesus’ words don’t eliminate the possibility of there being many seasons of persecution and tribulation for the people of God — but he does seem to make it clear that the tribulation — that he’s talking about here — is a very specific event. For the trouble of the days Jesus is speaking of is something that no one had seen the likes of prior to the time of Jerusalem’s destruction. And — again — for Mark’s original readers — the destruction of the temple and the city of Jerusalem would be on their minds — not some future day over 2,000 or more years away — they’d be thinking of the desolation of Jerusalem and the tribulation they were facing — this is what they would have understood Jesus’ words to mean.
And — even more important for us — is to realize that — even though you’ve heard me say that we’re living in spiritual exile — the reality is that we’ve still got it pretty good in our country. Spiritually — things aren’t good — but as far as persecution and tribulation goes — we’re doing better than many Christians around the world. We’re not living under the threat of a foreign or domestic group invading our community, causing desolation, and keeping us from worshiping Jesus. So it’d be good for us to — instead of worrying so much about ourselves and tribulation — to think of what Jesus’ words mean to our brothers and sisters in Christ who live in countries where persecution is high. What can we learn from them — and from Mark’s original readers — so we don’t fear the tribulations that may come our way but — like Jesus said — use the time we have now wisely. Preparing ourselves. Making sure that we’re on guard and are discerning against the deception of false teachers. Using the time — we have now — to prepare ourselves for possible days of persecution that may be in our future. If an all out unprecedented assault — against God’s people by the Enemy — took place in our country — would you be ready? You know the answer. And — if anything has become evident in recent years — it’s that it didn’t even take an all out assault from our Enemy to cause spiritual apathy, division, and powerlessness to increase among Christians in our country. All it’s taken is a small bit of convincing and deception — convincing us to chase after the American Dream, and more money, to binge watch Netflix, and a few other distractions — which have deceived us into believing a lie as to what it means to be faithful Christians in a nation where many have fallen away.
How are you preparing yourself — using the time you have now wisely — so that you’re not caught off guard, or deceived by false teachers, or someone who ends up a casualty of the spiritual war we’re in?
Well — ready or not — the time to prepare is now. And — ready or not — there’s unexpected Good News for us in the midst of this tribulation talk. For though this news of tribulation is disturbing — it is concerning — it is news that can cause us to be anxious — there’s a promise I don’t want you to miss. We find it in verse 20. This is our hope — your hope — if you believe in Jesus Christ. Regardless of how close the doomsday clock gets to midnight — no matter how intense persecution or tribulation becomes for us — this is our hope.
“And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days.” (Mark 13:20 ESV)
The promise — to God’s people — the promise to you — if you believe in Jesus Christ — is that you will persevere through whatever trials and tribulations you experience in life — including the tribulation of all tribulations — if this ends up being something that happens not only in 70AD but also in the future. And why will you persevere — why will you not fall away? Because God is faithful and merciful towards you. And your God is sovereign over all things. Your hope is found in your God — who is reigning and ruling over all things — including your Enemy — including whatever you may face in life that’s troubling and difficult. And your sovereign and faithful and merciful God has promised you this — you will persevere. You will endure to the end. For you are his — and he has said that all who are his will persevere — will be preserved by his powerful hand — and nothing is more powerful than God’s promises to his people.
This is the promise of hope that Mark’s readers would’ve held tightly to as Jerusalem was being destroyed all around them — as the temple was desolated — they would’ve held on to the promise that their God will never stop being faithful to them and will preserve them through the tribulation. As bad and terrible and wicked the destruction of Jerusalem was — they knew that God’s grace was intervening. And God kept his promise — he ensured that a remnant was saved — thus Christianity didn’t die out in 70AD — yet endured — thrived — and is still alive today.
So be hopeful — dear Christian. Be hopeful when you read about — or study — or meditate on and think about the end times — even the difficult times of tribulation. Be hopeful — why? Because your God is both powerful and merciful — focus on his power and mercy. And — remember — if the Lord had not determined the exact length of time the tribulation would last — all would be hopeless. But for the sake of his people — the elect — those he’s chosen in love to save — God has numbered the days of tribulation — in fact — he’s numbered all of our days — both the good and bad.
So be hopeful and let Jesus’ words be a comfort to you. ““I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”” (John 16:33 NLT)
Or Paul’s words — Paul — a man who kept his eyes fixed firmly on the mercy of God as he faced trials and tribulations of all sorts. Let Paul’s words give you hope for he said, “Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he [God] will reveal to us later.” (Romans 8:18 NLT)
Or as James — Jesus’ younger brother — writes, “God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12 NLT)
Or as Peter tells us, “Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad — for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.” (1 Peter 4:12-13 NLT)
And as he later writes, “In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.” (1 Peter 5:10 NLT)
Dear Christian — hold fast to these promises. Though the days may be hard and difficult and exhausting — Jesus has promised that for the sake of his people — these end times — these last days will come to an end. And a great and glorious eternal day will begin for the people of God. A day of peace and hope and love and joy unimaginable. This is God’s promise to us — this is God’s promise to all of his people — this is God’s promise to you if you believe in his Son. God has made this promise to you: Through faith in my Son, you will be preserved by my powerful and merciful hand until we meet face to face in glory. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, it seems like week after week after week we begin this time of prayer by thanking you for undeserved blessings and promises. And here we are yet again — thanking you for your promise to us. Through our faith — in your Son — you are preserving us by your powerful and merciful hand. And you will do so until we see you face to face in glory.
Spirit of God — give us confidence in your promises to us. Remind us that we are the promise-breakers — you are the promise keeper. Forgive us when we doubt your goodness to keep your promises to us. Doubt your ability to keep your promises. Doubt your love for us. Doubt your kindness. Forgive us for allowing the deceptive voice of the Enemy to cause us to distrust that you are our promise-keeping God.
And — Jesus — thank you for words of mercy in the midst of difficult words to hear. You don’t want your people to be ignorant of what’s to come — but neither do you want us to live in fear. And the confidence we have — to live by faith and we live in the difficult days of the end times — the confidence we have is based on your love for us. Love you have proven to us in your life, death, and resurrection. For anyone hearing my voice — who is doubting your love for them — Jesus awaken their eyes and heart to your love so they believe. And we pray all of this in your name. Amen.
May you go believing God’s promise to you: Through faith in his Son, he is preserving you by his powerful and merciful hand until you see your Savior face to face. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
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