Tag Archives: prophecy

Advent 2025

Advent 2025: Week 1, Hope

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Advent 1 Hope (Prophecy)

30th November 2025

Advent is about looking forwards to the coming of Christ. The four Sundays before Christmas are called ‘Advent Sundays’. Four weeks. Four themes.

The first week of Advent is traditionally about hope. I seem to always start my first Advent blog by commenting that hope in our world is in short supply. This year doesn’t feel any different.

False Prophecy = False Hope

There are always people who will tell you that this world would be so much better if we only adopted their policies. There are always people who think that the world is only in this mess because of someone else’s policies. We have people who claim that the most fragile, in fact non-existant ceasefires are actually peace deals. People who ignore scientific data, denying climate emergency whilst forest fires burn and hurricanes and typhoons gather force, setting new records for loss of life and destruction. People who say one thing today and the complete opposite tomorrow. This is the stuff of the modern world. False prophets. False prophecies. Fake news. False hope.

2,500 years ago, the prophet Ezekiel criticised those who claimed to be prophets in Israel (Ezekiel 13). They spoke encouraging words, not because they were (as they claimed) God’s words, but because they were words, possibly well intentioned words, from their own imagination. Prophets should be dependable, but they were letting people down. False prophets. Fales prophecies. Fake news. False hope.

A prophet is judged by the efficacy of their prophecies. ‘If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed” (Deuteronomy 18:21-22).

True Prophecies = True Hope

Hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, when the people of Israel were at a very low point in exile, the prophet Isaiah said that the day would come when ‘a virgin would give birth to a son, and would call him Immanuel’  Isaiah 7:14 . Around the same time, the prophet Micah told the people of Israel that these supernatural events would happen in Bethlehem, a small and dusty town in Judah. Micah 5:2. This child, he said will be ‘one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

Some months before Christ was born, the angel told Joseph that his fiancé would give birth to a son. The boy would be called Immanuel (Matthew 1:23 which means ‘God with Us’. The angel said that the child would be called Jesus, because he would ‘save the people from their sins.‘ (Matthew 1:21)

Long after Isaiah and Micah had died, a child called Jesus was born to Mary, a young woman in Bethlehem, in circumstances which were extraordinary and surrounded by the profoundly supernatural.

When Jesus was about 33, as prophesied in Scripture by the prophet Zechariah, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey and was welcomed as the Messiah. He was acclaimed in that moment as the ruler over Israel. 

Prophecy fulfilled

You get the point. Scripture tells us that these, and many other prophecies about Jesus came true. They can be trusted.

In this world of endless misinformation, we need to be careful, O so very careful, where we place our hope. False prophecy abounds.

Advent is about looking forwards to the coming of Christ. This week, I encourage you to reflect on the baby who was called Immanuel. The one who was called Jesus. The one  who would save his people from their sins. The one who was subjects of prophecies which came true.

Unto us a child is born
Unto us a Son is given.
(Isaiah 9:6)

In his birth, life, death and resurrection, Jesus was in every way a fulfilment of prophecy.

He can be trusted. Take a risk this Christmas. Put your hope in Him.

ADVENT 2025 Posts

Richard Jackson, Horsham, West Sussex, UK

Gospel of Mark

Olivet Discourse 3: Mark 13:14-25 ‘The Abomination’

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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.

Mark 13:14-25

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?

Emperor Titus

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.

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

Gospel of Mark

Triumphal Entry 4: That Prophecy (Zechariah 9:9)

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Perspective..
I’m passing through London on a train, looking at the skyline. I can see a series of tall buildings. Skyscrapers. My eyesight is pretty good and I can see them clearly. Now I know London pretty well, but if I didn’t, I would be hard pressed to be certain which block is nearest or which one is furthest away. Understanding perspective can be a challenge.

Chapter, Verse and Context..
In ancient times, Scripture was not divided into chapters and verses. There’s no question that the introduction of this device has made it easier for us to find and reference specific parts of Scripture, but there is a downside. Even before chapters and verses, students were able to find their way through Scripture, but their familiarity was based on context and themes. But even then, things were still open to interpretation. Once again, getting the right perspective is a challenge.

A Familiar Verse..

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!
    Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!
See, your king comes to you,
    righteous and victorious,
lowly and riding on a donkey,
    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

Zechariah 9:9

We’ve learned this verse. It’s familiar to us, but it was never really intended to stand alone. Understanding the context is critical to understanding what is going on as Jesus enters Jerusalem.

Our Perspective..
This seems straightforward. We make the connection to Jesus, righteous and virtuous, riding a donkey on Palm Sunday. We see him as Messiah, greeted by a welcoming crowd, waving palm leaves and shouting ‘Hosanna’.  For  us, this Jesus is the fulfilment of the prophecies of the child born to be King (2 Sam 7:12-13), and the suffering servant (Isaiah 53}. His resurrection defines him as One who conquers death. So when we read this we see Jesus, coming as King, riding on a donkey, ready to suffer for our salvation.

The Crowd Perspective…
This crowd is really excited. There is joy. ‘Joy’ doesn’t really convey what is going on. This is exuberance. This is sheer jubilation. Why? Because they know all about the prophecies of Zechariah. and they believe that Jesus, this Jesus, is the Messiah. After the long winter of God’s silence, his Son is here! They are shouting ‘Hosanna’  – the word means ‘save now’. This crowd believes that Jesus, riding on his donkey, is capable of delivering salvation.

Sounds pretty similar to our interpretation. But this crowd is looking at a very different Messiah from the one we see.

The Jewish Perspective..
This crowd is almost exclusively Jewish, and their cultural lens is very different from ours.  For them, Zechariah is a great prophet, but the prophecy doesn’t stop at the end of what we call verse 9. In reality, they know the prophecies of Zechariah better than we do. They knew all of it. For them,  there was a wider context. The themes of these prophecies were in their DNA.

To catch a glimpse their perspective, their interpretation, their context, we need to look beyond verse 9.

10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim
    and the warhorses from Jerusalem, 
and the battle bow will be broken.

In the Jewish mind, the coming Messiah will rid Israel of it’s enemies. He will rid Jerusalem of the chariots and war horses of their oppressors (v10). He will restore peace to Israel ‘from sea to sea, from the rivers to the ends of the earth,‘ (v10) He will free those who are captive (v11), he will restore their security and wealth – he will give them hope (v12). He will give Israel victory over the gentile oppressors (v13). This messiah will bring physical, literal and long lasting restoration to the nation of Israel (v14-15).

This is their expectation of the coming Messiah. This is the ‘restoration’ which the coming Messiah would bring to Israel.   Here is their messiah. Here is their King. This is the Messiah they are so excited about.This is the ‘salvation’ which they believe that Jesus will deliver.

The idea of this messiah facing his death in Jerusalem in a few days time was not on their agenda.

Two Very Different Perspectives..
The first part of the prophecy speaks of a King riding a donkey, symbolic of his coming in peace. That’s the part we focus on. This second half speaks of the King who will come in force and power. One Messiah. That’s the part which the Jews were focused on.

Two prophecies.. One Messiah..
You start to get the picture. There are two very different, but entirely accurate, expectations of the Messiah. The suffering servant and the conquering hero. These two descriptions of the Messiah, both rooted in prophetic writings, look as if they are in conflict with each other. Actually, they’re not. We all need to adjust our lenses so that we can see the bigger picture.

It’s a bit like my story about the London skyline. We’ve effectively got two prophecies about the Messiah. Both are familiar. They both foretell the coming of the Messiah. Each of them relates to a specific point in history. The problem is that it’s not the same point. When we read them, our spiritual eyesight doesn’t tell us which is the nearest and which is furthest away.

 The End Piece..
Jesus, this Jesus, is the Messiah. In that, we agree with most of this excited crowd.

A few days after this exuberant scene, Jesus is arrested, tried and crucified. To us, his death, and the resurrection to come, affirm that He is the Messiah.  His journey leads to seismic, universal and eternal change. Light overcomes darkness. The veil over God’s sanctuary is torn. Good triumphs over evil. Life is victorious over death.

To this Jewish crowd, however, his death is profoundly undermining. Their Messiah should defeat the Romans, not be killed by them. So, what about the conquering prophecy of a Messiah  who will restore peace and deal with Israel’s enemies?

After his death and resurrection there was a 40 day period when people, lots of people, saw Jesus face to face. There were many, many witnesses to his resurrection (1 Corinthians 15). At the end of that 40 day period, he was taken up into heaven. You can read that part of the story in Acts 1. Notice verse 11:

‘this Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.‘ Acts 1:11

Did you notice the words, ‘Jesus […] will come back..’ The theme continues throughout New Testament writings.

The teaching of the Apostles Paul, Peter and John are crystal clear. These are the guys who had been taught directly by Jesus. He will be back, and when he returns, it will herald another time of seismic, universal and eternal change. This time, justice and peace will be restored. Jerusalem will be restored. The enemies of the redefined Israel will be dealt with and crushed, and the Kingdom of God will be restored.

Jesus often said that those around him were so close to understanding, and maybe that was true of this crowd.

I don’t think that there’s any doubt that many people in this noisy crowd did, in that moment, believe that Jesus was the Messiah, but they were anticipating the imminent fulfilment of the wrong part of Zechariah’s prophecy. It’s a question of perspective. The one which they thought was nearest, was actually furthest away.

Christ has died
Christ is risen
Christ will come again.

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

 

Gospel of Mark

Truly I tell you: Mark 9:1

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And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”

Mark 9:1

28th October 2024: Horsham

This passage is commonly misunderstood as implying that the end of time – the end of the world – would take place during the lifetime of some of the disciples. Jesus, some would like to say, got this bit wrong.

Not a bit of it! I want to suggest that this is a complete misreading of the words of Jesus.

I’m going to let NT Wright explain!

‘Jesus thinks, it seems, that the kingdom of God will come during the lifetime of some people present. It has been fashionable to take Mark 9:1 as a classic example of misplaced hope, with Jesus and the early Christians looking for the end of the space-time world and the establishment of a totally different existence. But that’s not what Jewish language like the good world that God made and loves.  Jesus seems to think that evil will be defeated and the kingdom will come, precisely through his own suffering and death.’

NT Wright: Mark for Everyone; p111

I read this passage as a prophecy in the words of Jesus. It is seen to come to pass in the lifetime of many who were present at the time it was given. With the death and resurrection of Christ, and following the death of one of the disciples (Judas Iscariot), we see the power of God break out in amazing and extraordinary ways, empowering the remaining disciples, exactly as prophesied by Jesus.

‘Till they see the kingdom of God coming with power – So it began to do at the day of Pentecost, when three thousand were converted to God at once.’

John Wesley: Ultimate Commentary on Mark, p2464

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK