But
when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let him who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter in, to take anything out of his house. Let him who is in the field not return back to take his cloak. But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babies in those days! Pray that your flight won’t be in the winter.
Mark 13:14-18
Mark 13 [7.] “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don’t be troubled. For those must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places. There will be famines and troubles. These things are the beginning of birth pains. But watch yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils. You will be beaten in synagogues. You will stand before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them. The Good News must first be preached to all the nations. When they lead you away and deliver you up, don’t be anxious beforehand, or premeditate what you will say, but say whatever will be given you in that hour. For it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
Mark 13 [12.] “Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child. Children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. You will be hated by all men for my name’s sake, but he who endures to the end, the same will be saved. But when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let him who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter in, to take anything out of his house. Let him who is in the field not return back to take his cloak. But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babies in those days! Pray that your flight won’t be in the winter. For in those days there will be oppression, such as there has not been the like from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will be. Unless the Lord had shortened the days, no flesh would have been saved; but for the sake of the chosen ones, whom he picked out, he shortened the days. Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, there!’ don’t believe it. For there will arise false christs and false prophets, and will show signs and wonders, that they may lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones. But you watch. “Behold, I have told you all things beforehand.
Mark 13 [24.] But in those days, after that oppression, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. Then he will send out his angels, and will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the sky.
Meaning:
After warning of false messiahs, wars and persecution, Jesus finally gives the disciples a sign, the answer to their question, “What is the sign that these things are all about to be fulfilled?” (Mark 13:4). When they see “the abomination of desolation”, those in Judea must flee at once. The words come from the book of Daniel, and Jesus’ instructions are urgent and practical.
- “The abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet”
An “abomination” in Scripture is something detestable to God, usually an idol or idolatrous practice. “Desolation” means that it empties and ruins the holy place. Daniel foresaw a ruler who would profane the sanctuary: “they shall profane the sanctuary, even the fortress, and shall take away the continual burnt offering, and they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate” (Daniel 11:31; see also Daniel 12:11). In another vision he was told that after the Anointed One is cut off, “on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate” (Daniel 9:26-27). The PIB footnote also points to Daniel’s prayer for God’s “sanctuary that is desolate” (Daniel 9:17).
Every Jew knew of a first fulfilment. In 167 BC the Syrian king Antiochus IV Epiphanes stopped the temple sacrifices, set up an altar to Zeus on the altar of burnt offering and sacrificed unclean animals there. The temple stood desolate until the Maccabees cleansed it three years later. Jesus was saying that something like this would happen again.
- “Standing where it ought not (let the reader understand)”
Matthew says “standing in the holy place” (Matthew 24:15-16). Luke, writing for Gentile readers, explains the meaning plainly: “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is at hand” (Luke 21:20-22). In the Jewish war against Rome (AD 66-70) the temple was first defiled by bloodshed when rebel factions seized it, and then Roman armies surrounded the city. After the temple burned, Roman soldiers set up their standards, which they honoured with sacrifices, in the temple court.
The aside “let the reader understand” is addressed to those reading Mark’s Gospel aloud in the churches. It signals that the words need careful thought. Many Christians also see a further fulfilment still to come, when “the man of sin” will set himself up “as God in the temple of God” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).
- “Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains”
When the sign appears, there is no time to lose. Houses had flat roofs, reached by outside stairs, where people rested, prayed and worked. Someone on the roof should not even go inside to collect belongings. A worker who had left his cloak at the edge of the field should not turn back for it. Life matters more than possessions.
The early church historian Eusebius records that the Christians of Jerusalem, warned by a revelation, left the city before the siege and settled in Pella, a town east of the Jordan. Jesus’ warning saved their lives.
- “Woe to those who are with child… Pray that your flight won’t be in the winter”
“Woe” here is a cry of pity, not a curse. Pregnant women and mothers with babies could not run fast or far. Winter in Judea brought cold rain that turned dry stream beds into torrents and made the Jordan hard to cross. Josephus describes refugees in the winter of AD 68 trapped against the flooded river and killed. Jesus cared about such practical details, and he told his disciples to pray about them.
The Significance of Mark 13:14-18
- God warns before he judges
Jesus’ clear instructions show his mercy. Those who listened to him escaped the destruction that fell on Jerusalem.
- Possessions are not worth our lives
In a crisis, as in all of life, belongings must not hold us back from obeying Christ.
- Pray about ordinary things
Jesus told his followers to pray even about the season of their flight. No need is too practical for prayer.
Cross-References:
Daniel 11:31: "they shall profane the sanctuary, even the fortress, and shall take away the continual burnt offering, and they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate." The original prophecy of the abomination.
Daniel 12:11: "From the time that the continual burnt offering shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up" Daniel’s final vision of the same event.
Matthew 24:15: "When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" The parallel in Matthew.
Luke 21:20: "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is at hand." Luke explains the sign.
Conclusion: Jesus gave his disciples one clear sign: when they saw the abomination of desolation that Daniel foretold standing where it ought not, those in Judea must flee to the mountains without delay. The prophecy recalled the desecration of the temple by Antiochus and pointed to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, which Jesus’ followers escaped by heeding his word. His warning shows his care for his people, and it reminds every reader to take God’s warnings seriously and to bring every need to him in prayer.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible