he term abomination of desola-

tion appears in Matthew 24:15

and other scriptures. This subject
has generated much interestalong
with much erroneous speculation. It can
only be correctly understood if you let
the Bible interpret itself. In addition,
history can broaden our perspective on
this intriguing issue.
Lets begin with Matthew 24. In
verse 3, J esus Christs disciples came to
Him and asked, Tell us, when shall
these things be? And what shall be the
sign of Your coming, and of the end of
the world?
Christ continued to explain the
sequence of events that precede His
Second Coming: (1) deception by false
prophets and false christs, (2) greatly
intensifying wars, (3) devastating
famines, and (4) pestilenceswide-
spread diseasesfollowing in the wake
of warfare and famine. These events are
symbolized by the first four seals of
Revelation 6.
Next, Christ explained events and
conditions leading up to the Fifth Seal:
For then shall be great tribulation,
such as was not since the beginning of
the world to this time, no, nor ever shall
be (Matt. 24:21).
World conditions will have serious-
ly deteriorated. Even Gods people will
be affected: And because iniquity
shall abound, the love of many shall
wax cold. But he that shall endure unto
the end, the same shall be saved (vs.
12-13).
Verse 14 gives a general sign of
when the end is upon us: And this
gospel of the kingdom shall be preached
in all the world for a witness unto all
nations; and then shall the end come.
Do you grasp the meaning of this
verse?
Since the time of the first-century
apostles, the true gospel did not go out
as a witness to all the world until the
mid-twentieth century. Astounding, but
true! This sign is still being fulfilled.
(The gospel that most professing
Christians assume as true is not the
gospel J esus Christ taught. It is a coun-
terfeit! To learn more, refer to our book-
let Which is the REAL GOSPEL?)
Now we come to Matthew 24:15,
which speaks of the abomination of des-
olation. This verse gives the specific
sign that identifies the end of the
world (more accurately translated the
end of the age). The earth itself will not
be destroyed, but will continue under a
different world order, governed by the
kingdom of God.
The Beginning of the End
The true gospel going to all the world
is a general sign of the end of the age,
but the event in verse 15 gives the spe-
cific sign that the end is here. It is, to
quote former British Prime Minister
Winston Churchill, the beginning of
the end.
The setting up of the abomination of
desolation will indeed be the beginning
of the end. It ushers in the flight
escapeof Gods true Church (Matt.
24:20-21; Rev. 12:6). This is immediate-
ly followed by the Great Tribulation and
other key events, detailed in Revelation.
Matthew 24:15-16 reads, When you
therefore shall see the abomination of
desolation, spoken of by Daniel the
prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso
reads, let him understand:) Then let
them which be in J udea flee into the
mountains
The parenthetical expression in verse
15 is there for a purpose. Christ is warn-
ing the reader to pay close attention and
understand what it means. This verse
could well have said, When you see
this happen, hurry up and get out!
Verse 16 describes the escape of
Gods people to a location where they
will be protected during the tribulation
and the Day of the Lord. These events
begin after the Church is in her place
(Rev. 12:14).
A Look at the Greek
The word abomination in Matthew
24:15 is derived from the Greek word
bdelusso, meaning a foul thing, loath-
some on account of its stench, a
detestable thing.
Several scriptures refer to it, but do you know what it is?
Is it something merely from historyor a soon-coming
prophesied event? Prepare for the shocking facts!
What is the
Abomination of
Desolation?
T
Page 2
The word desolation is derived
from the Greek word eremoo, meaning
to lay waste, to make desolate, come to
nought.
So an abomination of desolation is
something detestable that destroys, or
lays waste. We shall see that this has
happened to J erusalem in the pastand
prophecy reveals that it will occur once
again.
To understand prophecy, it is crucial
that you grasp the concept of duality
a former and latter fulfillmentof a
prophecy. God usually gives a former
type in order for us to understand the
latter fulfillment. The former is not the
primary purpose of a prophecy. It only
points to the latter fulfillment, which is
the main focus and purpose of the
prophecy.
Understanding the abomination of
desolation is so crucial that God has
provided two former fulfillments of the
ultimate end-time fulfillment, which is
soon to come. The first is mentioned in
the book of Daniel.
The First Fulfillment
In Daniel 11:31, we find a prophecy that
was fulfilled and documented in history.
The series of events foretold in Daniel
11 constitute the longest and most
detailed prophecy in the Bible. (For a
thorough explanation of that prophecy,
read our booklet The MID-EAST in
Bible Prophecy.)
Verse 31 states, And arms shall
stand on his part, and they shall pollute
the sanctuary of strength, and shall take
away the daily sacrifice, and they shall
place the abomination that makes deso-
late.
This verse, taken out of context, does
not give the full picture of the event
described. After the death of Alexander
the Great, in 331 B.C., the Grecian
empire was divided into four regions,
each ruled by one of his four generals.
One region, the Seleucid empire to
the north of J udea (including Syria),
eventually assimilated much additional
territory. It was constantly in conflict
with another of these regions, the
Ptolemaic empire to the south (based in
Egypt). The boundaries between these
adversarial empires were originally in
Syria, but moved continually during the
ongoing confrontations for over two and
a half centuries.
This placed the region of J udea in the
middle of the disputed territories
between the king of the north and the
king of the south.
In about 176 B.C., Antiochus IV
(king of the north) acquired the kingdom
from his older brother (A Manual of
Ancient History, Rawlinson). After this,
Antiochus Epiphanes removed the high
priest in J erusalem and installed some-
one who was loyal to him. Antiochus
Epiphanes grew in power and influence.
Although his father and grandfather had
shown favor to the J ews, he took steps to
alienate them at every opportunity.
Upon a triumphant return from
Egypt, in 168 B.C., he sacked the temple
at J erusalem and took its golden vessels.
Shortly thereafter, following a less
successful confrontation with Egypt,
which had enlisted the help of Rome,
Antiochus returned to vent his anger
against the J ews as he was returning to
his capitol at Antioch. He offered favor
to any of the J ews who would renounce
their beliefs and practices.
Then Antiochus dispatched troops to
J udea in 167 B.C., destroying the temple
and its sanctuary. (However, the basic
structure of the temple remained intact
and was later restored.) This act did
away with the daily sacrifice. Antiochus
then set up an image directly on the alter
of the templethus defiling and making
it desolate.
The image he set up was that of
J upiter Olympus (Rawlinson, p. 255).
This is the same image that the historic
counterfeit church has pawned off to the
world as the image of J esus Christ. As if
this were not enough, Antiochus further
alienated the J ews by offering swines
blood upon the alter.
These historical events constituted
an unmistakable fulfillment of the
prophecy in Daniel 11:31. This was one
of the former fulfillments or types of
the end-time abomination of desola-
tion. But there was another type (or
former fulfillment), which occurred
about two centuries later.
The Second Fulfillment
Lets begin with the Roman siege and
destruction of J erusalem in A.D. 70.
For years leading up to the siege, the
persecution of J ews and Christians
increased. Many considered this the
result of the J ewish wars that ignited in
A.D. 66. Contrary to Roman claims, the
main catalyst for the J ews rebellion was
not their unpredictable fanaticism.
Rather, the scandalous and unscrupulous
Roman procurators in J udea continually
provoked the J ews. They encouraged the
plundering of the temple and the looting
of the priests ornamental garments,
along with other sacred treasures. This
was the breaking point and sparked the
inevitable revolt (Wars of the Jews,
J osephus, book II, chapters XIV-XVI).
During the first century, the Romans
considered Christians to be nothing
more than a J ewish sect. They took
revenge against them along with the
J ews.
In A.D. 66, the Roman army, under
General Cestius, came in sight of the
walls of J erusalem and could have taken
the city at that time. But for some
unknown reason, Cestius stopped his
momentum and turned back. The J ews
took heart and Cestius had lost his
chance. The Roman army later regained
momentum under General Vespasion.
Their advance was suddenly halted,
however, as he raced to Rome to become
emperor.
Upon his departure, his son, Titus,
assumed command. These two delays
were not random events. Gods Church
was still headquartered in J erusalem. It
was only a matter of time before Romes
mighty armies inevitably defeated the
city.
Christ, who oversees and protects His
Church, guided and altered events to
allow His people to vacate J erusalem
before it was taken.
J osephus gave a detailed account of
various signs that occurred at the time of
Pentecost of A.D. 69. He related that
many had witnessed, shortly before
Pentecost, what seemed to be formations
in the clouds that took the form of troops
and chariots surrounding cities.
Moreover, at that feast which we
call Pentecost, as the priests were going
by night into the inner court of the tem-
plethey said that, in the first place,
they felt a quaking, and heard a great
noise, and after that they heard a sound
as of a great multitude, saying, LET US
Page 3
REMOVE HENCE (Wars of the Jews,
book VI, chapter V, section III).
Gods people did escape J erusalem.
Without Gods intervention, they never
would have been able to leave, since the
Roman armies were preparing their
siege upon J erusalem. They had to exit
in full view of Roman soldiers, before
crossing the J ordan River. They also had
to contend with fellow J ewish fighters
who might have considered them trai-
tors. With Gods protection, His people
escaped northeast to the little town of
Pella.
Shortly thereafter, J erusalem was
under siege. After much horrible suffer-
ing and starvation, the city fell to the
Romans. The temple was destroyed.
As a side note, this destruction of the
temple took place on the 9th and 10th of
the month of Ab of the Hebrew calendar
in A.D. 70. The former destruction by
Nebuchadnezzar in 585 B.C. also took
place in the 9th and 10th of the same
month. Even to this day, many J ews still
observe this time by fasting on the 10th
of Ab and reading (most appropriately)
from the book of Lamentations.
To illustrate the brutality of the
Roman Empire, we should note the time
of A.D. 69-70. When J erusalem was
under siege, and in desperate need of
food and water, many J ews were cap-
tured trying to escape or bring in desper-
ately needed supplies. To better perceive
the utter unmerciful thirst for blood of
the Roman soldiers, the following quotes
from J osephuss Wars of the Jews, book
V, chapter XI, sect. 1-2, tell the story:
So now Tituss banks [mounds of
earth with which to transverse the walls]
were advanced a great way, notwith-
standing his soldiers had been very
much distressed from the wall. He then
sent out a party of horsemen, and
ordered they should lay ambushes for
those that went out into the valley to
gather foodand when they were going
to be taken, they were forced to defend
themselves, for fear of being punished:
as, after they had fought, they thought it
too late to make any supplications for
mercy: so they were first whipped, and
then tormented with all sorts of tortures
before they died, and were then crucified
before the wall of the city. This miser-
able procedure made Titus greatly to pity
them, while they caught every day five
hundred J ews; nay, some days they
caught more
The main reason why he did not
forbid that cruelty, was this, that he
hoped the J ews might perhaps yield at
that sight, out of fear lest they might
themselves afterwards be liable to the
same cruel treatment.
So the soldiers, out of the wrath and
hatred they bore the J ews, nailed those
they caught, one after one way, and
another after another, to the crosses, by
way of jest; when their multitude was so
great, that room was wanting for the
crosses
This sight kept many of those with-
in the city who were so eager to desert,
till the truth was known; yet did some of
them run away immediately, as unto cer-
tain punishment, esteeming death from
the enemies to be a quiet departure, if
compared with that by famine.
The siege of J erusalem and the
destruction of the temple in A.D. 70
served as forerunners (or types) of the
final fulfillment of the abomination of
desolation. In fact, Christs famous
appeal to J erusalem is recorded directly
before the key prophecy that He gave in
Matthew 24.
Read this passionate lamentation in
Matthew 23:37-39: O J erusalem,
J erusalem, you that kills the prophets,
and stones them which are sent unto
you, how often would I have gathered
your children together, even as a hen
gathers her chickens under her wings,
and you would not! Behold, your house
is left unto you desolate. For I say unto
you, You shall not see Me henceforth,
till you shall say, Blessed is He that
comes in the name of the Lord.
In the siege of A.D. 70, J erusalem
was surrounded by armies, besieged and
destroyed. Thus, the sacrifices there
ended. Another key element added to
this second fulfillment was the miracu-
lous deliverance of Gods people. This
was recorded for a vital PURPOSEit
relates directly to the future!
The Future Major Fulfillment
Now read the account in Daniel 12. This
event is the benchmark around which
other time frames are reckoned. Begin in
verse 8 and continue to the end of the
chapter: And I heard, but I understood
not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be
the end of these things? And he said, Go
your way, Daniel: for the words are
closed up and sealed till the time of the
end. Many shall be purified, and made
white, and tried; but the wicked shall do
wickedly: and none of the wicked shall
understand; but the wise shall under-
stand. And from the time that the daily
sacrifice shall be taken away, and the
abomination that makes desolate set up,
there shall be a thousand two hundred
and ninety days. Blessed is he that waits,
and comes to the thousand three hundred
and five and thirty days. But go you your
way till the end be: for you shall rest, and
stand in your lot at the end of the days.
(1) Gods people are prophesied to
wait until 1,335 days before Christs
Return. God mustand willsignify
when this 1,335-day mark has been
reached. Even many of Gods true ser-
vants will have fallen asleep spiritually,
becoming blind to the urgency of events
around themto what is happening and
when. (Understand! Luke 21:19, coupled
with Matthew 24:13, reveals that true
Christians survive in the end time
physically and spirituallyby practicing
extraordinary patience andendurance.)
(2) Forty-five days later, the abomina-
tion is set up1,290 days before the
Second Coming. This allows thirty days
for the Church to flee to her place of
protection (Rev. 12:6; Matt. 24:16-20).
(3) The Great Tribulation begins
(Matt. 24:21), lasting for 2years, fol-
lowed by the Day of the Lord. Together,
these events last for 3years, fulfilling
the 1,260 days before Christs Return.
The thirty-day period mentioned
above is the time cited in Hosea 5:7:
They have dealt treacherously against
the LORD: for they have begotten strange
children: now shall a month [thirty days]
devour them with their portions. This
triggers the time of Jacobs trouble
(Jer. 30:7), when the cities of the modern-
day descendants of ancient Israel will be
laid waste (Jer. 4:7; Ezek. 6:6; 12:20).
This is why Matthew 24 and Luke 21
stress great haste and urgency in the
Churchs flight into a place of safety.
Remember that Matthew 24:16
points to the abomination of desola-
tionwhen J erusalem will be besieged
by armiesas the signal for Gods peo-
ple to flee.
Page 4
Luke reinforces this timing: And
when you shall see J erusalem compassed
with armies, then know that the DESOLA-
TION thereof is near. Then let them
which are in J udea flee to the mountains;
and let them which are in the midst of it
depart out; and let not them that are in
the countries enter thereinto. For these
be the days of vengeance, that all things
which are written may be fulfilled. But
woe unto them that are with child, and to
them that give suck, in those days! For
there shall be great distress in the land,
and wrath upon this people. And they
shall fall by the edge of the sword, and
shall be led away captive into all nations:
and J erusalem shall be trodden down of
the Gentiles, until the times of the
Gentiles be fulfilled (21:20-24).
Every mention of the abomination of
desolation in Daniel (12:11; 11:31, 9:27;
8:11-13) shows that the daily sacrifice is
taken away. Antiochus Epiphanes did
this in 167 B.C. And Titus did the same
in A.D. 70, when his soldiers sacked and
destroyed the temple, bringing the sacri-
fices to a halt.
The spirit behind both of these
actions is identified in Daniel 9:27. This
verse addresses the final week of the 70
weeks prophecy and shows that Christ
would be cut off in the middle of the
week (after the 3 days actually
3 yearsof His earthly mission).
The phrase at the end of the verse
reads, and for the overspreading of
abominations he shall make it desolate,
even until the consummation, and that
determined shall be poured upon the
desolate.
The context of the final word deso-
late refers to the perpetrator, or causer
of desolation (Jamison, Fausett and
Brown Commentary, vol. 1, p. 757),
hence, the DesolatorSatan. To para-
phrase: the abomination shall defile the
sanctuary until the end when the
appointed doom or judgment falls upon
Satan.
For future sacrifices to be taken
away, it appears that there will first be a
temporary restoration of the sacrifices
by orthodox J ews at J erusalem. After
the Levitical system of daily sacrifices
is restored, the beast power, guided by
Satan, will intervene and take away
the sacrifices once more. Technically, a
temple structure may not need to exist in
order for the J ews to inaugurate daily
sacrifices. But time will tell what partic-
ular steps will be taken.
Watch You Therefore, and Pray
At this time, the land of modern J udah
is in great turbulence. There are certain
movements pressing toward beginning
daily sacrifices at the site of the Temple
Mount in J erusalem. A number of web
sites exist, advocating this very action.
They discuss the rare presence of red
heifers and other prerequisites to the
sacrificial system, and seek to hasten
the coming of the Messiah. When the
sacrifices are implemented, they will
eventually serve as a catalyst for a
prophetic backlash. According to Luke
21:20, this could bring about the very
sign of the abomination of desola-
tionJ erusalem surrounded by armies
of the beast!
The intensity of clashes and con-
frontations in J erusalem escalates with
each month. Meanwhile, Gods Church
diligently labors to warn this dying
world. His people seek to spread this
eleventh hour warning to as many as
can be reached.
Christ commands His servants,
Watch you therefore, and pray always,
that you may be accounted worthy to
ESCAPE all these things that shall come
to pass, and to stand before the Son of
man (vs. 36).
Christians must watch world events
in order to recognize the formation of
the final beast power, which will lead to
J erusalem being surrounded by its
armies. This is the precursor or sign of
the final fulfillment of the abomination
of desolationtruly the beginning of
the end!

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