Avoiding the Abomination

The "what" of the abomination of desolation

[Continuing excerpts from chapter five of my new book - First Sign: beginning of the end- available on Amazon.com.

As a result of their other mistaken views of the end times, the most popular teachers of our generation totally misunderstand the Abomination of Desolation (AoD) and the great tribulation which follows it. The AoD signals the end of the present age in a clear and direct way. So many of those who claim to follow prophecy seek for signs proving that we live in the final years before Jesus returns. Chasing after earthquakes, wars, deception, moral decline and other “signs” is a fool’s errand. Don’t fall for it.

Jesus presents the most obvious sign of His return in the passages we study here. He doesn’t tell us to fear when wars occur (quite the opposite). He doesn’t tell us to run when earthquakes or famines sweep the land. He only tells us to flee for our lives when we see the AoD. There is no time to prepare. Those who have prepared will find themselves at a disadvantage because they will instinctively run in the wrong direction (towards their supplies) and neglect the freedom the Father prepares for those who can reach it in time.

The AoD starts the final countdown towards the return of Christ. We will know that His coming will occur within our natural lifetime. The only question we’ll have is whether we will live to see Him return. Let His words, “he who endures to the end will be saved” guide and comfort you if you live long enough to see these days.]

We now turn to the single most important event of the final years before Jesus returns – the Abomination of Desolation (AoD). Daniel predicts its timing. Jesus tells us where it begins and how to respond. Paul captures its essence. Revelation describes its motivation. It starts the final countdown towards Jesus’ return, begins the reign of the Antichrist on earth and signals the start of the Great Tribulation. This end-times prophecy comes complete with its own command, warning and prayer. It sets the stage for the most well-known aspects of end times prophecy.

What?

In this chapter, we address the six basic questions (who, what, when, where why and how) beginning with what happens and its meaning:

Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand) (Matthew 24:15)

Naturally, I will start with the passage(s) which describe the event by name. Jesus references Daniel to help jog our memory of this event. He doesn’t define it Himself because He assumes that we understand what it means.

The Gospel of Mark provides our New Testament witness of this event:

But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be (let the reader understand) (Mark 13:14)

Mark doesn’t make a reference to Daniel but says everything else the same.

Communication

Try looking for “abomination” and “desolation” in a dictionary. You will find they mean something disgusting and utter destruction (respectively). The New American Standard Bible includes a note that points out a cause-and-effect aspect of the term, “abomination which causes desolation” (Daniel 11:31). This note provides the best book definition I have heard. Antichrist places (or does) something disgusting in the temple which causes (or leads to) mass devastation. The term’s ambiguity opens multiple interpretations.

Slide 68 What is “Abomination of Desolation”

Put down the dictionary and review the Scriptures for “abomination” and “desolation.” Abomination describes sins which God finds particularly offensive. In many cases, the word pertains to idolatry, so many Christians expect the AoD to involve that sin. This fits with Jesus’ prediction of something seen in the temple’s holy place. The AoD would demand worship from temple-goers (not merely decoration or furniture) and would detract from the true worship of God.

Desolation refers to lands devoid of life, burnt by fire and containing only ruins. It pictures complete destruction without hope of recovery.

Reputation

Daniel receives three predictions of the AoD. One of these occurred before Jesus spoke His words. We see it in Daniel 8 and here:

Forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation. (Daniel 11:31)

An angel delivered this prophecy to Daniel about four hundred years before 165 B.C. when the Greek tyrant Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the temple in Jerusalem by setting up an idol to Zeus and sacrificing a pig on the Lord’s altar. In his rage, he killed thousands of people to force the Jews to reject their Mosaic heritage and adopt Greek culture and language.

Jesus, aware of the historical fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy, requires that another incident occur in His future. Some teach this as a double fulfillment and then use this example to multiply fulfillments of other prophecies: two returns of Christ, multiple raptures (Church, Israel, tribulation saints), etc. Please understand Daniel 8 & 11 witness to each other as a single prediction of events in the second century B.C. Two other predictions (Daniel 9 & 12) witness to each other of Jesus’ prophecy. An abomination happens twice in history, because of Jesus’ words and because the details of the prophetic texts differ from each other. God never gave us carte blanche to double any prophecy we desire. Careful Bible students pay attention to the details!

Some Christians think that the desecration of the temple in 70 A.D. by the Romans satisfies Jesus’ prediction of the AoD. The destruction of Herod’s temple corresponds to this:

Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. (Daniel 9:26)

Jesus witnesses this prophecy in another location (Luke 21:20-24). Although it involves the desecration of the temple, it doesn’t count as an AoD. Other desecrations don’t count either, so don’t sweat it.

Termination

Jesus’ prediction of Jerusalem’s destruction in Luke 21 corresponds to Daniel 9:26. Neither passage uses the abomination term. Instead, His prophecy of the AoD in Matthew and Mark corresponds to this verse which contains the term:

And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate. (Daniel 9:27)

The underlined phrase contains the Hebrew words for “abomination of desolation” (Strong’s # H8251 H8074). Translation issues obscure the words.

In addition to the reasons for the timing of the AoD I present in the first book – The Fourth Kingdom: our place in God’s timetable – you can add these occurrences of the term, “abomination of desolation.” The Bible predicts each event with multiple witnesses. Two for past fulfillments and an extra witness to demonstrate the importance of the future event. Rather than following popular theories, based on human understanding, the Bible Scriptures present its own solution. We find it when we start with the actual term rather than from obscure passages with vague words.

Slide 69 Matching fulfillments

Paul presents the stark difference between the future AoD, and all other acts of desecration committed against the temple:

who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. (2 Thessalonians 2:4)

Jesus sees something standing in the temple that doesn’t belong. The person of the Antichrist becomes the AoD (not a Greek pig, a Roman flag or a dumb idol). Antichrist rejects all other gods (idols). He claims to be a deity for himself and demands exclusive worship from all.

Remember, the context begins with the timing of The Day of the Lord. The apostasy comes first along with the revealing of the Antichrist. Paul presents this action as our way of recognizing the Antichrist. It reveals his true nature.

It makes sense to me that the Antichrist would feel entitled and politically empowered to do this in the swell of emotion following his recovery from a fatal wound. Therefore, I usually tie these incidents together into a single event: a human being dies from a head wound, he comes back to life (possessed by the Antichrist demon) and enters the temple to proclaim himself as God. He may also claim to have stopped the locusts which have plagued mankind for five months and uses this excuse to declare war on Christians because they were the only people immune to their attacks.

This scenario helps me make sense of these incidents in my mind. However, I could have put the pieces together in the wrong order and I may have the wrong timing. These events could unfold over days, weeks or months rather than quick succession. Always remember to hold speculation loosely while holding the Scriptures tightly.

Automation

Like the person of the antichrist, the image of the beast may play a role:

And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life. And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed. (Revelation 13:14-15)

The image of the beast may serve as a long-term version of the AoD. It can remain in the temple while the Antichrist goes about his daily agenda (overthrowing kings, playing golf, waging war against the saints, cosmetic surgery from the fatal head wound, etc.). We know for sure that false prophet calls for worship of both Antichrist and his image, so it also competes with God.

With all the special-effects available today, you could imagine that someone could create a life-like robot to impersonate the Antichrist. Even 40 years ago, I recall seeing Disney’s animatronics on display. Their representation of different presidents seemed very realistic until you realized their limits of motion and they couldn’t walk. Our robotic technology has advanced substantially since then. Every few months we see more improvements in imitation of human form and behavior.

Yet, the text tells us that false prophet gives “breath” to the image of the beast to allow it to speak. We have so much talking technology (phones, toys and even greeting cards) that this hardly seems impressive at all. But I wonder whether false prophet will infuse the image with something more than a speech synthesizer and a friendly voice, “Please place the item in the bagging area.” It’s this animation of something inanimate that leads me to believe that the Antichrist could animate, partially heal and possess the corpse of a previously respected and powerful politician.

I refuse to guess the identities of the Antichrist or false prophet from a vague verse or symbol (number of horns or heads, sea vs. land, lambs vs. dragons, 666, etc.). You won’t find speculation about their ethnicity, name, political party, or country of origin in my writing. Why? Because the Bible says we must wait for events to expose them, not attempt to discover them. We won’t uncover the Antichrist by his ethnicity (like separating the Czechs from the Slavs), political party (every group has its share of kooks and crooks), or religion (John tells us that Antichrists come out from among Christians, why not the genuine Antichrist?). We must wait and watch while we work for Jesus. The AoD offers our clearest sign of the Antichrist.