TheAbominationofDesolation

SpokenofbyDanielandusedbyJesusin MatthewandMark
ByRogerCarter

ManypeoplehavequestionsabouttheabominationofdesolationspokenofbyJesusChristand DanielintheHolyBible.Isitinthefuture?Thepast?Wasitsymbolic,orwillitbe?InthisstudyIwill endeavortoalleviatesomeofthisconfusion,bytouchingonwhatIfeelittobe.Iwillbeginwith DanielandmoveintoJosephusonhisAntiquityoftheJewswrittenin98A.D.Hopefullythiswillalso armthepresentdaychristianwithanunderstandingofwhattoexpectinthefutureshouldsomething similararise.Withthisinmindletusbegin. Daniel11:31Andarmsshallstandonhispart,andtheyshallpollutethesanctuaryofstrength,and shalltakeawaythedailysacrifice,andtheyshallplacetheabominationthatmakethdesolate. Daniel12:11Andfromthetimethatthedailysacrificeshallbetakenaway,andtheabominationthat makethdesolatesetup,thereshallbeathousandtwohundredandninetydays. JosephusAntiquitiesoftheJewspg.333 Andindeeditsocametopass,thatournationsufferedthesethingsunderAntiochusEpiphanes, accordingtoDaniel'svision,andwhathewrotemanyyearsbeforetheycametopass.Intheverysame mannerDanielalsowroteconcerningtheRomangovernment,andthatourcountryshouldbemade desolatebythem. JosephusAntiquitiesoftheJewspg.376 NowithappenedthatinthereignofAntiochustheGreat,whoruledoverallAsia,thattheJews,as wellastheinhabitantsofCelesyria,sufferedgreatly,andtheirlandwassorelyharassed;forwhilehe wasatwarwithPtolemyPhilopater,andwithhisson,whowascalledEpiphanes JosephusAntiquitiesoftheJewspg.389extractedfrom6 Nowitsofellout,thatthesethingsweredoneontheverysamedayonwhichtheirDivineworshiphad fallenoff,andwasreducedtoaprofaneandcommonuse,afterthreeyears'time;forsoitwas,thatthe templewasmadedesolatebyAntiochus,andsocontinuedforthreeyears.Thisdesolationhappenedto thetempleinthehundredfortyandfifthyear,onthetwentyfifthdayofthemonthApeliens,andonthe hundredfiftyandthirdolympiad:butitwasdedicatedanew,onthesameday,thetwentyfifthofthe monthApeliens,onthehundredandfortyeighthyear,andonthehundredandfiftyfourtholympiad. AndthisdesolationcametopassaccordingtotheprophecyofDaniel,whichwasgivenfourhundred andeightyearsbefore;forhedeclaredthattheMacedonianswoulddissolvethatworship[forsome time]. 7.NowJudascelebratedthefestivaloftherestorationofthesacrificesofthetempleforeightdays, andomittednosortofpleasuresthereon;buthefeastedthemuponveryrichandsplendidsacrifices; andhehonoredGod,anddelightedthembyhymnsandpsalms.Nay,theyweresoverygladatthe revivaloftheircustoms,when,afteralongtimeofintermission,theyunexpectedlyhadregainedthe freedomoftheirworship,thattheymadeitalawfortheirposterity,thattheyshouldkeepafestival,on accountoftherestorationoftheirtempleworship,foreightdays.Andfromthattimetothiswe celebratethisfestival,andcallitLights.Isupposethereasonwas,becausethislibertybeyondour hopesappearedtous;andthatthencewasthenamegiventothatfestival.Judasalsorebuiltthewalls roundaboutthecity,andrearedtowersofgreatheightagainsttheincursionsofenemies,andset guardstherein.HealsofortifiedthecityBethsura,thatitmightserveasacitadelagainstanydistresses

thatmightcomefromourenemies. JosephusAntiquitiesoftheJewspg.419 AntiochusEpiphanes,who,whenhehadtakenthecity,offeredswineuponthealtar,andsprinkledthe templewiththebrothoftheirflesh,inordertoviolatethelawsoftheJews,andthereligionthey derivedfromtheirforefathers;forwhichreasonournationmadewarwithhim,andwouldneverbe reconciledtohim ThatthisAntiochus,thesonofAlexaderBalas,wascalled"TheGod,"isevidentfromhiscoins,which Spanheimassuresusbearthisinscription,"KingAntiochustheGod,EpiphanestheVictorious."

WhatEpiphaneshaddonewastoremovethesacrificeoftheJews,theironlymethodofattonment forsins.WhenJesusChristisspeakingoftheabominationofdesolationheisusinganeventofthepast symbolicallytorepresentaneventinthefuturewhichjustasinthepastremovedtheabilityforman toattoneforhissins,throughconfessiontoJesusChrist.Olderschoolsofthoughthaveinterpretedboth theOldTestamentandNewTestamentmentioningtobeincontextthesameevent,whileJosephus placedverseinDanielasoccuringwithAntiochusEpiphanes.Itendtobelievethatwhenspokenofby Jesushewasusingtheliteraleventasasymbolicreferenceofsomethingtocomethatwouldlastfora periodof1290propheticdays,hence1290literalyears,somethingnotwidelycovered. Matthew24:15Whenyethereforeshallseetheabominationofdesolation,spokenofbyDanielthe prophet,standintheholyplace,(whosoreadeth,lethimunderstand:) Mark13:14Butwhenyeshallseetheabominationofdesolation,spokenofbyDanieltheprophet, standingwhereitoughtnot,(lethimthatreadethunderstand,)thenletthemthatbeinJudaeafleeto themountains: ItisimportanttonotetheparallelismbetweenDaniel11:31and12:11 11:31 Forcesshallbemusteredbyhim[kingoftheNorth]andtheyshalldefilethesanctuary fortress:thentheyshalltakeawaythedailysacrifices,andplacetheretheabominationofdesolation. 12:11 Andfromthetimethatthedailysacrificeistakenaway,andtheabominationofdesolationis setup,thereshallbeonethousandtwohundredandninetydays. Thetwotextsareclearlyparallelandrefertothesameeventsinhistory.Nowif11:31referstothe pastsomust12:11,becauseScriptureinterpretsScripture.Ifthetwoeventsin11:31and12:11are notthesame,thisprinciplebecomesirrelevant.InDaniel8:11thedailyreferstoChrists intercessoryministrywhichwasusurpedbytheworkoftheprieststhroughthemassandthe

confessional.BysacrificingChristanewineverymass,thepapacyhasremovedChristsheavenly ministryinthethinkingofthepeople.

UriahSmithin1863stated,Nowitismanifestlywrongtodatethe1290daysfromthesettingupofthe papacy,whentheprophecysaystheyaretodatefromthetakingawayofpaganism,whichwasthirty

yearsprevious.Wethereforedatethe1290daysfromtheyear508;andasthe1335daysarespokenof inconnectionwiththese,nopossiblereasoncanbegivenwhytheydonotcommenceatthesamepoint. The1290and1260endtogetherin1798. Idothinktheyarecorrectintheirplacementandcalculationofthe1290days.Sowhathappened duringthistime?Here'sonehistoricaltakeonthingsbelowdoneverywellandwithIbelievethebest accuracy. Inactuality,bytheyear508,ithadbeenmorethanacenturysincetheterm"Arian"meantafollower ofArius.Atthispoint"Arian"simplymeant"nontrinitarian." Sotheyear508bringsustoashowdownbetweenTrinitarianismandnonTrinitarianism. "ForthefirsttimethediffusionofbeliefinthenatureoftheGodheadbecametheavowedpretextforthe invasionofaneighboringterritory."Milman,HistoryofLatinChristianity,quotedinA.T.Jones,The TwoRepublics,p.526. Itwasintheyear507thatClovisandhisFrankisharmymetthearmyoftheVisigothsundertheirking, AlaricII.Alaric,realizinghisweakness,triedtodelaytheconfrontation,hopinghelpwouldcomefrom Theodoric,kingoftheOstrogoths.Butnohelpcame,andsoontheVisigothswereinflight,andAlaric wasslain. "ThevictoriousFrankspursuedthemasfarasBordeaux(Burdigala),whereClovispassedthewinter, whileThierry,hisson,wasoverrunningAuvergne,Quincy,andRouergue.TheGoths,whosenewking wasaminor,madenofurtherresistance;andinthefollowingyeartheSalianchieftookpossessionof theroyaltreasureatToulouse.HealsotookthetownofAngouleme."TheHistorian'sHistoryofthe World,Vol.7,p.473. "A.D.508.Ashorttimeaftertheseevents,ClovisreceivedthetitlesanddignityofRomanpatricius andconsulfromtheGreekemperorAnastasius."WalterC.Perry,TheFranks,p.85. "In508ClovisreceivedatTourstheinsigniaoftheconsulshipfromtheeasternemperorAnastasius." EncyclopaediaBritannica,11thed.,art."Clovis,"Vol.VI,p.563. Historianswhogiveonlybrieftreatmenttothiswargenerallyfocusontheyear507,duringwhich Alaricwaskilled.Yet,astheabovereferencescorrectlyindicate,theFrankscontinuedtheirconquestof Visigothicterritoryuntilwellintotheyear508.Theconclusionofthewar,andtheimperialrecognition ofit,occurredintheyear508. "Norwashisatemporaryconquest.ThekingdomoftheWestGothsandtheBurgundianshadbecome thekingdomoftheFranks.Theinvadershadatlengtharrived,whoweretoremain.Itwasdecidedthat theFranks,andnottheGoths,weretodirectthefuturedestiniesofGaulandGermany,andthatthe Catholicfaith,andnotArianism,wastobethereligionofthesegreatrealms."RichardW.Church,The BeginningoftheMiddleAges,pp.38,39. "ThusinA.D.508terminatedunitedresistancetothedevelopmentofthepapacy.Thequestionof supremacybetweenFrankandGoth,betweentheCatholicandArianreligions,hadthenbeensettledin favoroftheCatholics."DanielandtheRevelation,1944ed.,p.330. "ThuswhenClovisandtheFranksdefeatedtheArianVisigothsanddrovethemintoSpain,itwasalso atheologicalvictoryforthebishopofRome."WilliamH.Shea,BibleAmplifierDaniel712,p.220. "ThuswasthebloodycourseofClovisglorifiedbytheCatholicwriters,asthetriumphoftheorthodox

doctrineoftheTrinityoverArianism."A.T.Jones,TheTwoRepublics,p.528. Abovesourcefrom:http://www.patmospapers.com/daniel/in508.htm OncethequestionoftheTrinitywassettledthentherestofthedoctrinessuchasmass,originalsin, transubstantiation,Maryworshipandotherseasilyconstituteanabominationofdesolation,hencenot onlyremovingtheGoodNewsofChristbutalsoremovingdirectaccesstoHimthroughfaith.The confessionremovedrepentance.In1798PapalAuthorityinsuchmatterswasdestroyedcompletely.The conscienceofmanwasnowfreetochoose.5081798is1290yearsor1290propheticdays.