Mark 3:14-25 ‘The Abomination’
14 “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. 15 Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. 16 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 17 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 18 Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19 because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.
20 “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. 21 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. 22 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 23 So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.
24 “But in those days, following that distress,
“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
25 the stars will fall from the sky.
Pocklington: 5th August 2025
These verses have been interpreted and abused in all sorts of ways. They have been used alongside other scriptures to create a sense of urgency, even panic, about the imminence of the end times, by pointing at various contemporary ‘abominations’. I grew up during the Cold War, and as a teen, I was personally taught, absurdly, that the USSR was the ‘abomination’ which. along with the threat of war, presaged the end of the world. Whilst that was distorted theology, it’s easy to find modern day candidates for the title of the ‘abomination’. But that’s not what these verses are about.
These words do not directly prophecy the end of the world. They do prophecy the end of an era. The prophecy was given by Christ. As we will see, it has been fulfilled.
Context Matters..
As ever, context matters. Let’s start by reminding ourselves that this prophecy comes as part of Christ’s response to a question from his disciples about the timing of the destruction of the temple (Mark 13:1-4). We can see Verses 5-13 as saying to the disciples, and vicariously to us, don’t panic when bad things happen. There was a developing theme. ‘Don’t be discouraged – Be on your Guard – Stand Firm’. Yet here, suddenly, there’s a change of mood – a change of pace. There is a time, we learn, to flee to the mountains! There is a time, it seems, to run for your life!
The trigger for this panicked departure seems to be the ‘appearance of the abomination that causes devastation, standing where it does not belong.’ (v14). Again, context matters. The place where the Abomination should not be standing is very specifically the Temple at Jerusalem. This is a prophecy by Christ, and it was to be fulfilled within a few years of his death and resurrection.
In his reply to the Disciples, Jesus used language drawn from the Book of Daniel. These words would be familiar to the disciples, and their application here would be alarming. Daniel 11:31 and 12:11 refer to the invasion of Jerusalem by an invading army, and the disruption of worship in the Temple. Pagan invaders will, according to Daniel’s prophecy, set up an ‘abomination’. When these days approach, says Jesus, just get out of there – to run.
Daniels prophecies describe exactly what happened in Jerusalem just 40 years later.
Prophecy Fulfilled..
In drawing on the Old Testament prophecies of Daniel, these verses become a prophecy of Christ, relating specifically to the Temple in Jerusalem. So, how was that prophecy fulfilled?
In 66CE, there was a Jewish uprising against the Roman occupiers. This led to serious unrest and ultimately to war between Rome and the Jews. Many false prophets emerged, as Jesus said they would, promising victory for Israel over Rome. The ill fated war ended in 70CE with the arrival of future emperor Titus in Jerusalem. The brutality of the invading army to put down the rebellion defies description. They destroyed the city, murdering and plundering with genocidal zeal. They set fire to the Temple and the entire city. They razed Temple Mount to the ground, utterly destroying the Temple itself. Scarcely one stone remained upon another.
Jesus uses the words of Isaiah to describe the horror of these days:
24 “But in those days, following that distress,
“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
25 the stars will fall from the sky.
The prophecies of Isaiah had seen fulfilment generations earlier, yet Jesus uses them himself to describe the horrors of the sacking of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple to come.
In the build up to these events, there had been a moment of opportunity to get out – to run to the mountains. Those men, women and children who remained in Jerusalem faced destruction, starvation, and in most cases violent death.
This then, ‘is not a prophecy of the end of the world […] but it was the end of their world.’ (NT Wright, p181) For the people of Jerusalem, of that generation, their way of life, and their way of worship, was utterly devastated.
End Piece..
So, since we are saying that this prophecy was fulfilled nearly 2000 years ago, what do we learn? What is Christ saying to us through these verses today?
‘It is vital to read this passage as containing Jesus’ prophecies, fulfilled 40 years later, against the Temple. That is what Mark, at least, believes this whole chapter is about. But we should not suppose that there are no messages for our own day, nearly 2000 years later. Where human societies and institutions set themselves up against the gospel and its standards, producing arrogant and dehumanising structures, deep injustices and radical oppression, there may once more be a place for prophets to denounce and to warn, and for God’s people to get out and run. If we do not find ourselves in that position we should be grateful; but we should remember to pray for those, even today, who do.’ (NT Wright, p182)
Reflecting on these comments from NT Wright, do any contemporary ‘human societies and institutions‘ come to mind? There are so many that it might seem overwhelming. However, we are to remember Christ’s earlier teaching:
‘Don’t be discouraged – Be on your Guard – Stand Firm’.
Gaza: Christians for Palestine
Amongst so may situations which come to my mind, I find myself praying once more for my brothers and sisters in the Palestinian Christian community in Gaza, who, alongside their Muslim neighbours, are innocently caught in an endless and utterly avoidable cycle of devastating brutality, hunger and pain. For them, running is not an option.