The abomination of desolation sounds like a Spider-Man villain, but it will be very real and far more serious. Mentioned in Daniel 9, the Old Testament prophet alludes to a ruler who will wreak havoc on Israel and a ruler who will wreak havoc on Christians in the end times.
Daniel 9:27 - "He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him."
But which is it? If the abomination of desolation, set up by said ruler, has already happened… then what’s with this future business? We must remember that the Bible often hints at things to come. Just as there are many antichrists (people pretending to be Christ or claiming Christlike authority) before the Antichrist steps onto the scene, so goes the same way with the abomination of desolation. This article will explore it, its past, and its future.
What Does the Bible Say about the Abomination of Desolation?
Before exploring this typology, we do have to develop an understanding of the nature of this thing.
As noted in the passage above, Daniel 9 describes a terrible ruler who will rule over God’s people. This alludes to the Antichrist and the many antichrists who have come before him. He will set up an abomination (hence the name) in the temple of God. An unclean sacrifice that goes against the laws found in the Pentateuch. He will also attempt to thwart the laws of God. This means ending the sacrifices in the temple, changing the religious calendar, etc.
A few other passages in the Bible talk about antichrists and the abominations they create. Daniel 11:31- "His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation." - talks about how the Antichrist will do away with the sacrifices the Israelites participated in. Remember that God set up the sacrificial system to show people their need for salvation.
According to Daniel 12:11, the abomination of desolation lasts 1290 days (or roughly 3.5 years). - "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days."
In Matthew 24:15, Jesus talks about an abomination of desolation occurring in the future. It happened in the past and will reappear in the end times. - "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.“So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains."
That’s about all the Bible lets on about the abomination of desolation. We know that the abomination of desolation stands against everything God stands for. When the Antichrist steps onto the scene, he will create pseudo-everything. We have an unholy trinity, their false religion, and their mark (as opposed to the mark placed on believers in Revelation). So it makes sense that even the sacrificial system would get edged out by something unholy.
Now that we’ve uncovered what Bible verses mention the abomination, let’s explore the first one to defile the temple of Israel.
What Was the Abomination of Desolation in the Past?
Enter Antiochus Epiphanes IV, one of the meanest rulers in earth’s history. You may not have heard of him. You may have heard of the Maccabees, who did everything they could to supplant what he did. And they succeeded.
After Alexander the Great swept onto the world’s stage, much of the world was Hellenized (changed to follow Greek culture). Hellenization had many consequences, including a Hellenized progressive group in Jesus’ time known as the Sadducees.
Antiochus Epiphanes IV sought to do the same to Israel. He stopped the sacrifices in Jerusalem’s temple. Then he entered the temple, set up a statue of Zeus—the abomination of desolation—and sacrificed a pig in its sanctuary.
For those unfamiliar with kosher laws, Antiochus essentially pointed his middle finger at the Jewish religion. Jews could not eat pigs. We even see Peter object to this after he’s saved and no longer under the law (Acts 10).
This act would’ve defiled the temple in every sense of the word. It sparked the Maccabees’ rebellion to defeat the Hellenization of their country. Their revolt did manage to reclaim Israel’s culture for a time. The Maccabees ruled Israel as a free nation for several generations until the Romans arrived.
So, the first abomination of desolation is a historical event. This begs the question of whether Daniel just referred to this abomination or hinted at one to come. Our best lead for the latter comes from the Matthew 24 verse above.
What Is the Abomination of Desolation in End Times?
As described before, there can be many types and shadows in Scripture. We see Christ is a new Adam, as described in the New Testament.
Antichrists like Nero existed long before the final boss battle will occur on earth. There’s no reason not to believe that another abomination of desolation could exist in the end times. Matthew 24 more than alludes to that.
Dr. James MacDonald highlights how this verse prophecies something coming (and how the first abomination of desolation was created by an antichrist, thought not the big one):
“‘So when you see standing in the holy place “the abomination that causes desolation,” spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand...’ (Matthew 24:15)
In Matthew 24, Jesus gave us some clear connecting points between Daniel 9 and the Book of Revelation. If we are going to be diligent about Bible reading, we are going to have to learn how to read prophetic passages. God is very clear that a prophet speaking for Him must be exactly right or he should be killed! (see Deuteronomy 18:20–21) This means the ‘prophets’ featured in the supermarket papers wouldn’t last long!
Some of the things that happen through church history to make the fulfillment of prophecy apparent to the people of God are what are called ‘touchdown fulfillments.’ Not the ultimate fulfillment, but an intermediate fulfillment. Take, for example, the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, ‘A virgin shall conceive and bear a son.’ There was a fulfillment of that in Isaiah’s day, and then ultimately in Christ.
The prophecy of Joel 2 mentioned in Acts 2 about young men dreaming dreams and old men seeing visions. That was fulfilled in Joel’s day and again in the birth of the Church, and there will be an ultimate fulfillment of that prophecy in the time ahead.
So it is with the Matthew 24 passage and the “abomination of desolation’ that Jesus mentioned. Interesting, in 175 B.C., Antiochus IV, a Syrian king, took the name Theos Epiphanes which means God Manifested. He marched through the Holy Land, down to Egypt. But because he was turned back (in 170 B.C.), he had such anger that he took it out on the Nation of Israel. He went into the Holy of Holies in the Temple and offered a pig on the altar there. And then he forced Jewish people to eat that meat and to bow down to him.
Now Theos Epiphanes had a bit of an ego problem, right? ‘Just call me God Manifested.’ Eighty thousand Jews refused to bow down to him and they were all murdered in the streets of Jerusalem. Daniel’s prophecy was fulfilled and will be fulfilled again in the end.
Biblical prophecy is not a fantasy movie script. These are realities. And God has given us times in history to see a touchdown fulfillment of it. So we’re like, ‘That could totally happen. I can see that happening. It has happened—It will happen!’ Like that. The ultimate fulfillment of the abomination of desolation is yet future, as Matthew points out when he notes, ‘let the reader understand.’ Let’s anticipate God’s promises every day!
Taken from “It Will Happen” by Walk in the Word Ministries (used by permission).
So, knowing that this prophecy will be fulfilled, what do we watch out for?
First of all, the Antichrist operates in a very similar way to Antiochus.
He hates God’s people and wants to do away with the religion of God’s people, to the point where he’ll create his own and deceive many into following it. He’ll shift the religious calendar and form his own way of worship.
Secondly, he will set up an abomination of desolation. Presumably, this can’t happen until the third temple is built in Jerusalem. Once the stage is set, he will attempt to defile everything good and God-honoring.
Finally, his reign will get cut short. As mentioned earlier, the abomination has 3.5 years. We don’t know if that passage refers to Antiochus or the Antichrist, but we do know in the 70 weeks mentioned in Daniel that the Antichrist won’t get to live out his ruling fantasies for as long as he thought. God cuts it short.
With this in mind, where do we go from here?
Why Should We Care about the Abomination of Desolation?
It doesn’t seem like something that would top our lists when we have other things like the tribulation and Christ’s second coming to anticipate. But hear me out. Everything is placed in the Bible for a reason. And when the Bible commands us to watch and be ready for all things end times, we should pay attention to everything.
First, Satan repeats history. Satan really isn’t that creative. The more we pay attention to how he operates in history—through rulers who grappled for control and religious dominance—we can know how he’ll operate in the end times. History tends to repeat and rhyme. And if we don’t pay attention, we can miss some big moves from the evil one.
Second, anything that defiles God’s holy work should churn our stomachs. Those who follow Christ love what is good and hate what is evil. It was absolutely stomach-churning for the Israelites to watch Antiochus set up a statue to Zeus—basically telling the Israelites that Yahweh was powerless against his god—and slaughter that pig. In the same way, we should get a sick feeling in our stomach when we think about how the Antichrist will create a religion that celebrates everything evil and twisted.
Finally, the abomination of desolation tells us we’re nearing the end of the story. Ever open the Bible to figure out which chapter of Revelation we’ve entered? I know I’m not the only one. We all anticipate where Christ can make the world right again, and we can enter paradise with him.
Of course, our job isn’t finished. We still need to share the Gospel until Jesus tells us to stop.
Still, when we see events and prophecies unfold, we know we can experience hope during the most desperate times. Because when the story reaches its worst, it can only go up from there. And the abomination will only last briefly before Jesus rules forever.
Photo Credit: Natalya Bosyak/Getty Images
Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.
This article is part of our larger End Times Resource Library. Learn more about the rapture, the anti-christ, bible prophecy and the tribulation with articles that explain Biblical truths. You do not need to fear or worry about the future!
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