The phrase: “Abomination of Desolation” found in Daniel

Introduction There are certainly some strange interpretations of the very foundations of end time events. It was Jesus that not only stirred our interest in this period of prophecy, but also used it in describing a time-frame which would precede His Second Coming. The disciples had approached Jesus, while they had just commented on the magnificence of the temple buildings. Jesus shocked them as He informed them that the same buildings they were looking at would be so completely destroyed, that “ not one stone would remain upon the other ”, (Mt. 24:1-2) . This began a famous discussion known as the Olivet Discourse, recorded in all three synoptic gospels. Naturally, the disciples were intrigued causing them to seek answers to three very important questions. They were important for them, so as Christians, this should also stir our hearts and minds. The first was “ when will this be ” and the other two were related in that they asked: “ What will be the signs of your coming and the end of the age ”, (Mt. 24:3) . Jesus described a serious of signs which will occur universally and associated them with “ birth pains ” of a woman, implying their increased duration and intensity. The ultimate sign Jesus gave was that when “ you see the ‘abomination of desolation’, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, (whoever reads, let him understand) ”, (Mt 24:15) . He not only directs us to the prophecy of Daniel, but informs us that there are hidden depths. He associated the phrase: “ Abomination of Desolation ” with the words “ Great Tribulation ”. The worst period of time ever experienced in the history of humanity.

The vision of the Seventy Sevens According to Daniel, he received a vision “ in the first year of the reign of Darius, the Mede ”, placing it being written in 538BC, (Dn. 9:1-2) . He was studying the words of the prophets, when he came upon the prophecy of Jeremiah, that Jerusalem would be desolated and under gentile rule for a period of seventy years , (Jer. 25:9-12) . From this date indicator, we realize the reason for Daniels urgent study of the matter. The Babylonian Empire took control of Jerusalem in 606BC and subsequently desolated it in 586BC. Yet this mighty empire had just been conquered by the armies of the Medes and the Persians. You can imagine his heart skipping a beat, as sixty seven years had already passed and now the words of Jeremiah concerning being under gentile control for seventy years, was heavy on his heart. Yet, it is also apparent that he was extremely troubled which is evident by the lengthy prayer which preceded the vision. Just as the prophets of old would do, he dressed in sackcloth and began a lengthy petition to God on behalf of his fellow Jews, (Dn. 9:3-19) . In his prayer, he admits the nations extremely sinful state invokes the curses described by Moses. He began pleading for mercy for the sake of Jerusalem and was standing in the gap for Israel. This prayer and petition continued the entire day until the time of the evening sacrifice. Although the Jewish temple was long destroyed, they would pause and face Jerusalem at the same time as they would have offered sacrifices. It is at this time, that Gabriel appeared before Daniel, being sent to provide him with “ insight and understanding ”, (Dn. 9:20-23) . It is this very insight and understanding that Jesus called on everyone to examine to allow Godly men to realize the time of which He had prophesied.

Gabriel reveals that both “ Jerusalem ” and the “ Jewish race ” have a special time period reserved for them. It is referred to as “seventy sets of seven”, or in some Bible translations as “seventy weeks”. The Hebrew word, “shabua” was a special word that depending upon its context could be translated as weeks or years. The Jewish calendar had two classification of weeks. The one as we would normally have comprised seven days. The other was often referred to as a Sabbatical week, as this consisted of a period of seven years. The seventh year was decreed to be the year of rest, where the land had to lie fallow, (Lev. 25:3-4) . In other words, Gabriel informed Daniel that both Jerusalem and the Jewish race would face a 490 year period, (70 sets of 7 years), before an amazing sequence of events would become a reality for both Jerusalem and the Jews.

490 YEARS DECREED FOR JERUSALEM AND THE JEWISH RACE

To make an end of “transgression”. The word transgression is a deliberate act of committing a sin which we know is wrong. In its simplicity, it means that there will be no more deliberate sinning against God.

“To make and end of sins”. The Hebrew word for sin, literally means to “miss the mark”. When the Bible speaks of sin it defines immoral or disobedient acts which are done unknowingly or with ignorance.

“To make reconciliation for inequity”. This phrase is often translated as “ to make atonement for sin ”. The wages of sin is death and when Christ died, He atoned for the sins of mankind, to reconcile all the Lord chooses, to Himself. While Jesus not only died, but was resurrected as proof of His power over death, the Jewish race have yet to accept this atonement provided.

“To usher in everlasting righteousness”. This is a period of time, prophesied in both the Old and the New Testament where God rules in righteousness over the earth. In John’s apocalypse it begins with the millennium reign of Christ. In the Old Testament it is always associated with God ruling from Jerusalem.

“To seal up vision and prophecy”. Literally, this means all the prophetic words relating to end time events will be complete. The time will come when no more prophecies need to be fulfilled as everyone will have full knowledge of the Lord. There will be no need for prophets, teachers, evangelists or preachers.

“To anoint the Most Holy place”. The phrase “the most Holy place” has always been associated with the temple of the Jews. This particular fulfilment of prophecy, speaks of a time in the future, where the temple of God will be anointed by Him walking in its midst. This is one of the events which occurs at the Second Coming of Christ, when He commences His millennium reign.

One has to admit that the outcomes of the prophecy is the hope of every believer. While we have been blessed excessively by Christ atoning for our sins, none of these six outcomes are experienced by Jerusalem or the Jewish race. We still wait ourselves in anticipation of the other five outcomes.

The First 483 Years “69 sets of seven” Gabriel then reveals and intertwines the two time frames and how they are related to each other. The period begins with “ a command going forth to restore and and build Jerusalem until Messiah the prince comes ”, (Dn. 9:25) .

This period was a major part of the prophecy, which would commence with a decree or command to rebuild Jerusalem. It would end with the Messiah being revealed to the Jewish race. We do not need an interpretation since it was mapped out for us already in 538BC. We are even told that “ the streets and the walls will be rebuilt, but in troublesome times ”, (Dn. 9:25) . Concerning the rebuilding of the temple, there were four decrees issued. The first decree was issued in 536BC by King Cyrus, in the first year of his reign, (Ez. 1:4) . This was followed by a decree issued by Darius in 520BC, (Ez. 6:1-12) , followed by a third by King Artexerxes in 457BC, (Ez. 7:14) and the final decree recorded also by King Artexerxes in 445BC, (Neh. 2:1-8) . The reason why the rebuilding of the temple overlapped with the coming of the Messiah, is that the Jews returned and rebuilt their temple in stages. This is the very reason why four decrees were issued before the Jews were ready for temple duties. It has been calculated that it actually took them forty nine years to rebuild Jerusalem, its walls and their temple, but they were hampered by many unbelievers amongst them. Three very important events were prophesied to occur at the conclusion of this 483 year period. All of them have since been fulfilled to the letter. This is how Daniel described events at the conclusion of this first part of the prophecy.

The Anointed One, “The Messiah” would be “cut-off” from the land of the living.

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Both the city of Jerusalem and its temple would be completely destroyed.

Interestingly the fact that the Messiah would not only come during this time frame, but at its conclusion would die was openly declared by the prophets more than five centuries before it was fulfilled. The phrases: “ cut-off ” was a common saying for those who were killed, while the other: “ having nothing for himself ”, was common for describing that the Messiah would have no physical offspring. With this open declaration, it is still remarkable why people still attempt to question the authority of the Bible. It is one of the reasons why Jesus slammed the Pharisees for not knowing the signs of the times. Many believe this is one of the reasons they treat the book of Daniel as history and do not assign Daniel the title of a prophet. Anyone who attempts to read this prophecy are declared to be cursed in Jewish literature .

The second event predicted would have naturally been discerning for any Jew. There city and their temple was both their identity and their heritage. Following the Messiah’s death, a ruler would emerge, designated by the phrase: “ the people of the prince to come ” and will once again destroy the city and the sanctuary. In 70AD, less than forty years after Christ was crucified, the Romans entered the city and desolated both the temple sanctuary and left the entire city in ruins, dispersing the Jews among the nations of the world. With this description given, we are given a clue that after its destruction, a coming ruler who originates from the territories of the Roman Empire: “ the people of the prince to come ”, will play a leading role before the entire prophecy is fulfilled.

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Wars and desolations are decreed until the end of the age

You will notice that after the first part of this prophecy there is a gap. Not only was it prophesied that Jesus would be killed after this first period of 483 years, but it would also be followed by Jerusalem and the temple’s own destruction, (which occurred about forty years later), and then will continue as wars and desolations are decreed before the final period. All these events were prophesied to occur before the commencement of the last seven years.

The last seven years, (1 set of seven) It is here where we get to the brunt of the prophecy to which Jesus was referring to in His Olivet Discourse, the key sign which will usher in His Second Coming. It is actually a very short scripture, but together with the background prophecies fulfilled is an eye opener to all who read it for the first time.

The pronouns “ he ” and “ him ” occurs four times in this final seven year period. Naturally, it can only have two possibilities. The first that this is Jesus and the second is the “ people of the prince who is to come ”. Since Jesus was part of the prophecy which concluded at the end of the first 483 years in His death and many years later, the destruction of the city and its temple, it certainly cannot refer to Him. There is a reason why Daniel tells us “ the prince to come ” and not merely that the city and its sanctuary will be desolated by armies. It is a paradox, as after the first 483 years of prophesy, Jerusalem was desolated, yet Jesus emphasized that before His Second Coming, not only would the Jews be back in their homeland but their temple will also be rebuilt. This ruler can only refer to one who emerges from the former Roman Empire Territories. You will also notice he is not the one who makes the agreement between Jerusalem and many other nations for seven years. He is the one who confirms it. Others make this seven year treaty. We know it takes place with Jerusalem as the entire prophecy concerns Jerusalem and the Jewish race, (Dn. 9:1). It is only with this confirmation, that Jerusalem’s desolations begin its final countdown. Seven years later, all the outcomes of the prophecy will be fully realized.

With these final words things get very interesting. The ruler who confirms this seven year treaty, is the same one who at the half way mark, (after three and a half years), stops all sacrifices and offerings. It is at this very point that he sets up “ an abomination that causes desolation ”. Daniel provides no further details other than this ruler will meet his ending in a very nasty manner in that “ the end that is decreed is poured out on him ”. As the Bible always prophecies according to the Jewish calendar, in other words on a 360 day a year basis and not our gentile 365 ¼ days, we know that the period is divided into two periods of exactly 3 ½ years each, consisting each of exactly 1,260 days or 42 month s. This is confirmed with the flood of Noah, where five months was noted as being 150 days, (five months of 30 days each). According to the prophecies of Revelation, a ruler will emerge who will have complete authority over the entire earth for 42 months , (Rv. 13:5) , confirming the parallel between Daniel and Revelation. One would certainly expect there to be harmony with the scriptures and this is where multiple statements in prophecy begin to make sense. Jesus confirms with His own words, that this ruler is “ standing in the Holy Place ”, a direct referral to the rebuilt temple of the Jews. The Gospel of Mark adds “s tanding where it ought not ”, (Mk .13:14) , indicating the presence of something which leads to the final outpouring of God’s wrath and the Second Coming of Christ. Then Paul, the apostle, completes the framework in his letter to those in Thessalonica. He was reprimanding Christian believers, who saw the growing persecution of Christians as being a sign of the end of the world. He forewarns them that the event cannot occur, until first “ the man of sin is revealed ”, who exalts himself above God, ultimately stands in the temple of God, to portray himself as God, (2 Ths. 2:4) . Although this man has many titles, in church tradition, he is commonly known as the Antichrist.

Why did Jesus quote Daniel’s prophecy? While many people stop with Daniel’s prophecy, Jesus only used this as a sign that His return was imminent. The “abomination of desolation ” at the mid-point of this seven year period is the super-sign that things are about to get drastically worse , (Mt. 24:15) . He instructs the Jews that when they see the armies surrounding Jerusalem, they must flee in haste. This period of time is so filled with destruction, evil and judgments that He called it the “ Great Tribulation ”. He described it as being a period so intense in its destructiveness that it has never occurred before in the history of humanity. World War II will pale into insignificance if we take Jesus words at face value. Of course, there is never a reason not to as He cannot lie, but rather tells us before hand of what will occur. He further says that if this time was not limited, “ no flesh will be saved, but for the elect’s sake, those days will be shortened ”, (Mt. 24:22) . Of even greater importance, He informs us that He returns “ immediately after the tribulation of those days ”, (Mt. 24:30) . The entire world which remains will be a witness to the Second Coming of Christ. His return is also likened to lightning as it flashes from the east to the west. It is also a time of destruction as indicated by the phrase: “ For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together ”, (Mt 24:27-28) . It is clearly a time of mourning as “ all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory ”, (Mt 24:30). Incidentally, in another reference by Daniel he described the time associated with the Great Tribulation, in virtually the exact same wording as Jesus used: “ And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time . And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book ”, (Dn. 12:1) . It is with Jesus Second Coming that all the outcomes mentioned by Daniel will be accomplished. There will be no more transgressions, no more sin, many Jews will accept His atonement made for their sins, a period of everlasting righteousness will be ushered in, resulting in the fulfilment of many visions and prophecies. Most importantly, a new age will dawn as Jesus enters into the temple anointing it with His holiness, (Dn. 9:24) . Jerusalem’s desolations will finally be over and many of them will be re-united with God. Below is a graphical display of the outline of both the seven year tribulation and the half way mark, where the last three and a half years is known as the Great Tribulation.

While we never find the exact words: “ Great Tribulation ” in Daniel, we do find the phrase: “ Abomination of Desolation ” on three occasions in the book of Daniel. In all cases, it refers to an event which at its conclusion utters in a new kingdom on earth. It relates to a specific time period in the vision of the seventy sevens, (Dn. 9:27) , which brings about destruction of a magnitude never experienced before. In its second mention, most believe it refers to a shadow of end time events, which occurred more than a century and a half before Christ’s ministry, and will occur again, (Dn 11:31) . In its final mention it is associated with the resurrection of dead Jews, something which Daniel himself will experience, described as occurring, “ at the time of the end ”, (Dn. 12:11) . Jesus also said to us to understand the timing of His Second Coming, this event must be read and understood, (Mt.24:15) . Although it is very hard to understand the phrase, especially if the meaning appears so foreign. The word abomination is found on many occasions in the Bible and means: “ an act or something that is vile, evil, loathsome and repugnant ”, in the eyes of God. It describes something so incredibly evil an corrupt that it invokes God to fury. It is a fearful thing, according to the scriptures, “ to fall into the hands of the Living God ”, (Hb. 10:31) . The word desolation is more readily understood and means “ a state of complete destruction or emptiness ”. In other words the combined phrase: “ Abomination of Desolation ” refers to an extremely evil event which result in everything on our earth being desolated.