End Times-
putting the pieces in place
by Sonny Bowman
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Chapter 4
Abomination of Desolation
Daniel 11:31 (NKJV) "And forces shall be mustered by
him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they
shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the
abomination of desolation.
Understanding what the Bible says about the Abomination of
Desolation is very important for understanding end-time events.
According to Jesus, the Abomination of Desolation is the one
event that will alert the people of God that the Great Tribulation has started.
Matthew 24:15, 21 (NKJV) "Therefore when you see the
'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet,
standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him
understand),
21 "For then there will be great tribulation,
such as has not been since the beginning of the world until
this time, no, nor ever shall be.
All who read Matthew 24:15 are instructed to understand it. As
explained in the Introduction, certain
events in the Bible are similar to interlocking
puzzle pieces in that they provide important keys to the time
relationship of other end-time events. The Abomination of
Desolation is an important interlocking piece that marks
the beginning of the Great Tribulation.
According to the passage in Matthew, the Abomination of
Desolation is an event that is prophesied in the Old Testament
Book of Daniel which was written in the late sixth century B.C.
Daniel prophesies the following about the Abomination of
Desolation.
Daniel 11:31 (NKJV) "And forces shall be mustered by
him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they
shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation.
Daniel 8:9-14 (NKJV) And out of one of them came a little
horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward
the east, and toward the Glorious Land. 10 And it grew
up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the
host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled
them. 11 He even exalted himself as high as the
Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were
taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.
12 Because of transgression, an army was given over to
the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he
cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and
prospered. 13 Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain
one who was
speaking, "How long will the vision be,
concerning the daily sacrifices and the
transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary
and the host to be trampled under foot?" 14 And
he said to me, "For two thousand three hundred days;
then the sanctuary shall be cleansed."
Daniel 12:11 (NKJV) "And from the time that the
daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of
desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two
hundred and ninety days.
Two of these passages in Daniel tell how long the Great
Tribulation will last. Daniel 12:11 states that there will be
1290 days after the Abomination of Desolation is set up. An extra
45 days are also mentioned that occur after the 1290, but their
purpose is not explained (see Dan. 12:12). In Daniel 8:14 the
length of time when the sanctuary and the host (people of God)
are going to be trampled is given as 2,300 days in several
translations. The Hebrew actually says 2,300 evenings and
mornings instead of days (see other translations and
the marginal notes in the NKJV translation). This may be
equivalent to 1,150 days since one morning plus one evening adds
up to one day. (More information on the length of the Great Tribulation is
available in this book.) It is also possible that this passage
(Dan. 8:14) refers to 2,300 days in a time period other than the
Great Tribulation.
Since the Abomination of Desolation involves the holy place
and the forced discontinuance of the daily sacrifices, the temple
in Jerusalem may need to be rebuilt before this event takes place
(Mat. 24:15; Dan. 11:31; 8:11). If such is the case, the Beast
may be instrumental in the peace negotiations that open the way
for the rebuilding the Jewish temple (Dan. 9:27). This would
occur during a time when the Beast's real nature is not as
obvious. However, other ways of fulfilling this prophecy may be
possible (see Will the
temple be rebuilt?). At this point, it is important to
remain sensitive to the warnings of God and not miss the
fulfillment of this prophecy, even if it takes place in a
somewhat different manner than might be expected.
Summary
Definitions:
The Bible does not clearly define the
Abomination of Desolation. Apparently, it is something
that is abominable in the eyes of God. Possibly, it
refers to the Beast’s claim to
be God, and his demand for worship. It may refer to a
pagan altar or the sacrifice of something unclean (such
as a pig) in worship to a false god. Even though it is
not clearly defined, the Abomination of Desolation should
be readily identified by its associated events (see
following).
Events of the Abomination of Desolation:
The Abomination of Desolation includes
the Beast’s declaration that he is God, his demand
for worship, and his stoppage of sacrifices to the true
God. (see Dan. 8:11; 11:31, 36; 2 Thes. 2:3-4; Rev. 13:6,
7, 15). It will begin an intense time of persecution of
God’s people (Mat. 24:15-22).
Significance of the Abomination of
Desolation:
Establishing the Abomination of
Desolation will expose the Beast for who he is. It will
also mark the beginning of the Great Tribulation (Mat.
24:15,21).
Source of the Abomination of Desolation:
The Abomination of Desolation is
established by the Beast under the authority of
Satan—the dragon (see Rev. 13:2,4).
Length of the Abomination of Desolation:
The length of the result of the
Abomination of Desolation is 3½ years since it is in
effect during the Great Tribulation (see Daniel 12:11,
and How long is the
Great Tribulation). However, the actual length
of the specific act that is called the Abomination of
Desolation is not given. The establishment of the
Abomination of Desolation probably takes place in a
single day.
Events Prior to the Abomination of
Desolation:
Prior to setting up the Abomination of
Desolation, the Beast will be establishing his position
of power, largely by deception and lies (see Dan. 8:9-10;
11:21-28). A period of relative peace may immediately
precede the Abomination of Desolation.
Events Following the Abomination of
Desolation:
The Great Tribulation immediately
follows the Abomination of Desolation (Mat. 24:15, 21).
God During the Abomination of
Desolation:
God’s activity during the
establishment of the Abomination of Desolation is not
directly spelled out in Scripture. Surely He will be
alerting Christians to the significance of the event and
instructing them on the appropriate action to take (Mat.
24:15-27).
Christians During the Abomination of
Desolation:
Christians should recognize the
Abomination of Desolation as the primary sign that Jesus
gave signaling the beginning of the Great Tribulation.
For more information on Christians during the Great
Tribulation, see Persecution
of Christians during the Great Tribulation.
Satan During the Abomination of
Desolation:
Satan empowers and directs the Beast
(Rev. 13:2,4; 2 Thes. 2:9).
Beast During the Abomination of
Desolation:
The Beast establishes the Abomination
of Desolation and begins persecuting those who serve God
(Rev. 13:7).
Non-Christians During the Abomination of
Desolation:
Non-Christians will be corrupted with
the Beast’s flatteries and be deceived. They will
join with him in his persecution of those who desire to
serve the true God (Dan. 11:32; Rev. 13:14). These people
will be awed by the power of the Beast and Satan, and
they will worship both of them (Rev. 13:3-4).
Scripture references for the Abomination
of Desolation:
Dan. 8:9-14, 17; Dan. 9:27; Dan.
11:21-36; Dan. 12:11; Mat. 24:15-27; Mark 13:14; 19; 2
Thes. 2:3-4, 9; Rev. 13:2-7, 11-15.
Historical Background
A possible partial fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy of the
Abomination of Desolation was accomplished over 160 years before
the birth of Jesus. Apparently, this was not a complete
fulfillment since Jesus warned of a future Abomination of
Desolation in Matthew 24:15. This earlier partial fulfillment of
Daniel's prophecy is recorded in the apocryphal books of 1
and 2 Maccabees. These two books record historical events
during part of the time period between the writing of the last
Old Testament book and the birth of Jesus. In their titles, Maccabee
(meaning the Hamerer) was the name applied to a family of
Jews who led the revolt against the Syrians.
These apocryphal books and Josephus record a time in 167 B.C.
when Antiochus IV (Epiphanes), king of Syria erected an
idolatrous altar on God's altar in the temple in Jerusalem. He
sacrificed a pig to Jupiter Olympus [Zeus] on his altar. This was
an abomination to the Jews. Antiochus also forbade Jews to engage
in sacrifices, rites, feasts, circumcision, and worship of any
kind. This was apparently a partial fulfillment of Daniel's
prophesied cessation of the sacrifices.
The Jewish revolt began in 167 B.C., when a Jewish man
sacrificed to Zeus under coercion by a Syrian officer. A priest
named Mattathias witnessed the event. Mattathias killed both the
Jew and the Syrian officer and called for all faithful Jews to
follow him. They fled to the hills outside Jerusalem. There, he
and his sons organized for war against the Syrians. In 164 B.C.,
the armies under Mattathias' sons swept over Jerusalem, defeated
the Syrian army, and secured the city. The Syrian leaders were
forced to repeal their ordinances against worship in Israel. The
temple was formally cleansed in December of 164 B.C. The Jews
celebrated the dedication for eight days. Since that time, the
Festival of Dedication (also called the Festival of Lights and
Hanukkah) is celebrated by Jews each year, usually in December.
This event includes lighting of the menorah to commemorate the
cleansing and dedication of the temple. According to Jesus, there
will be a further fulfillment of the prophesied Abomination of
Desolation that will take place in the last days (Mat. 24:15-21).
Historical insights
Certain insights from the partial fulfillment of this prophecy
about the Abomination of Desolation may be helpful in seeking to
understand the future complete fulfillment. For example, in 167
B.C., when the Jews fled to the surrounding hills, it was to
organize for war, not to tremble in fear. Jerusalem became a
stronghold of the enemy, so the people went to an area over which
the enemy had less control. In a similar manner, when Jesus tells
His disciples (now called Christians, Acts 11:26) to flee
to the wilderness at the start of the Great Tribulation, it will
be for purposes of consolidating forces and preparing for war
against the Beast and his forces (Mat. 24:3, 15-21; Dan.
11:32-33). This does not necessarily mean that all Christians
around the world will have to flee to the wilderness.
The warfare that the Jews waged against the Syrians may be a
parallel of the war that Christians will wage against the Beast
during the Great Tribulation. It may also be significant that
after about three years, the Jews under the Maccabees overcame
the Syrians and proper worship was reestablished. This is a
length of time similar to the 3½ years of the Great Tribulation.
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End Times - putting the pieces
in place
Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations are from
the Holy Bible, New King James Version, copyright © 1982 by
Thomas Nelson, Inc.
NKJV indicates quotations taken from the Holy Bible, New
King James Version, copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
KJV indicates quotations taken from the King James Version
of the Bible.
Numbers associated with Greek (italic) or Hebrew (upright)
words refer to the corresponding words in the Strong's Exhaustive
Concordance of the Bible, by James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D.
Please make copies of this book to give to your friends. (A
searchable and printable version in Adobe Acrobat format is
available for download.) Your comments
and suggestion are also welcome. Thank you for helping others to
understand the Bible teachings on the End Times.
God bless you.
Sonny Bowman
If you have questions or comments, please contact
Sonny Bowman.
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