The End: Flee when you see the sign. Meanwhile Pray.

Jesus teaches that in the end, there will be a sign and then his followers should flee into the mountains.  Meanwhile, pray for good weather.

Okay.  This is weird stuff.  In most of Matthew, Jesus teaches his followers about living a radical life in his community.  He gives practical instructions that we can apply to our every day lives.  But now his disciples have asked him to explain what is going to happen in the end times. From their question in verse 3 "what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?" their expectations have been set that Jesus is going away (his death and resurrection), but he is coming back at the end of the age.   Jesus has just gotten done warning that his followers will suffer, some will be led astray, Pharisee-ism will increase, but to endure.  Now he tells them what the sign will be when the end has begun and what to do...

Matthew 24:15-21 ¹⁵ "So when you see the desolating sacrilege standing in the holy place, as was spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand), ¹⁶ then those in Judea must flee to the mountains; ¹⁷ the one on the housetop must not go down to take what is in the house; ¹⁸ the one in the field must not turn back to get a coat. ¹⁹ Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing infants in those days! ²⁰ Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a sabbath. ²¹ For at that time there will be great suffering, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.

There is a sign that we should not ignore: "a desolating sacrilege standing in the holy place" or in other translations... "the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place" or "the abomination of the desolation ... standing in the holy place."  Jesus refers us to the prophet Daniel to understand what this means.  Yet, there is much disagreement among scholars over what it does mean: a powerful human figure?  armies? weapons? something demonic?  I can't pretend that I understand.  The prophet Daniel speaks in visions of creatures and happenings that I haven't been able to wrap my mind around.

But when we see it... we are to flee into the mountains... to a safe place... to avoid the worst suffering the world has ever known.

Weird stuff.  And meanwhile, we are supposed to pray for good weather and that it won't happen on the Sabbath?  I am pretty sure most of us have ignored Jesus pretty successfully on this matter.

Do we ignore Jesus' teaching that when we see the sign, we are to immediately flee to safety?  Are we praying for good weather and timing?  Or is this stuff so weird that it is better to just ignore that Jesus said it?    Can we follow a Messiah who points us to a prophet who sees creatures with many heads and eyes... who seems to have been a mad man?  Or do we heed Jesus' instruction, pray, and watch for the sign?