“So when you see the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in
the holy place”(let the reader understand ), 16 “then those in Judea must flee to the mountains! 17 A man on the housetop must not come down to get things out of his house. 18 And a man in the field must not go back to get his clothes. 19 Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days! 20 Pray that your escape may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For at that time there will be great tribulation, the kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again! 22Unless those days were limited, no one would survive.But those days will be limited because of the elect. Matt 24:15-22 (HCSB)
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Desolations are decreed. And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” Dan 9:26-27 (ESV)
The Abomination of Desolation
Alexander the Great the Macedonian king and general conquered the majority of the known world. His empire stretched from Greece to India. Alexander died in Babylon in 323 BC, at the age of 33, after two days of drinking and celebrating his victories. Ultimately his empire was divided between his 4 generals. One of those generals was Seleucus who gained control of the section of the empire from the Mediterranean Sea to the border of India.
Antiochus IV Epiphanes was a Syrian king who came to power about 175 BC. He is one of the Selucids, who in succession to Alexander the Great built a realm in Syrian and adjacent lands. Epiphanes’ name means “God made manifest.” He sought to force Greek custom on the Jews. In imposing Hellenism, he was but following out the intentions of his predecessor, Alexander the Great, whose dream was to create an empire by culture. This had a measure of success, but there was a core of priests and people who refused to abandon the faith of their forefathers and be Hellenized.
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By his Hellenism, Epiphanes tried to put an end to the Jewish religious community. The events were the cause of the Maccabean struggle.
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Antiochus IV Epiphanes, heeding the advise of Hellenized Jews, believed that the majority of the Jewish nation was ready to accept GREEK CULTURE. Antiochus decided to turn the temple at Jerusalem into a Greek temple of Zeus or Dionysus. The strong resistance of the people led to the FIRST KNOWN INSTANCE OF RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION IN HISTORY: worship of God was forbidden and the Jews were forced to worship other Gods.
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Antiochus, on his way back to Palestine, sent Apollinius (167 BC) with twenty two thousand soldiers to destroy Jerusalem two years after it’s capture by himself. Apollinius slew multitudes, dismantled and pillaged the city. They then, from a fortress they had built commanding the temple, fell on and slew the devout Jews worshipping at the temple; so that temple services were discontinued. Antiochus decreed that all should conform to Hellenism. The temple was consecrated to Zeus – Dionysus. Identifying himself with that god, WITH FANATICAL HAUGHTINESS HE SOUGHT TO MAKE WORSHIP OF HIMSELF UNIVERSAL (1 Maccabees 1:41; 2 Maccabees 6:7).
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Some 30 cities in Palestine had the status of “polis,” the Greek ideal city, and had become Hellenized.
This pagan Hellenizing caused a major culture war and a split among the Jews. Jews who chose to live according to the laws of their forefathers vs apostate liberal Jews who adopted Hellenist culture, and who collaborated with King Antiochus. A classic conservative vs liberal polarization.
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The Jewish high priests, up to this point, were successors of the line of Zadok since the time of David and Solomon. However, Antiochus appointed Menelaus, someone not of the line of Zadok. Menelaus had Onias, the rightful high priest of the line of Zadok, assassinated. Menelaus was in complete collaboration with Antiochus’ subversive agenda.
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He erected a statue of Zeus-Dionysus at the temple altar. He further desecrated the temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar. It was in an utter abomination to devout Jews, and brought a desolate or defiled condition to the Temple, now no one would come to worship at it. Thus, the abomination of desolation.
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Shrines were built throughout Palestine to Zeus-Dionysus. Jews were forbidden to keep the religion of their forefathers upon pain of death, particularly the observance of the Sabbath and circumcision – the identifying marks of the Old Covenant.
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This caused a massive resistance by devout Jews, and massive persecution and martyrdom of them by Antiochus – in collaboration with the apostate Jews. A persecution that continued for 3 ½ years. It is said that he killed 80,000 Jews, imprisoned 40,000, and sold another 40,000 as slaves.
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Amidst massive martyrdom, the faithful Jews continued their fight against pagan hellenization. Chief of which, were the Maccabees of the Hasmonean clan, a succession of freedom fighters who were strong and did great exploits, ultimately defeating the hellenizers militarily, delivering Israel from their oppressors.
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Then it happened: “On the fifteenth day of the month Kislev in the year 145″ (verse 54, TEV), which corresponds to 167 B.C., “they set up the abomination of desolation upon the altar” of the temple (verse 54, KJV). This was apparently a pagan altar with an image of the Greek chief god Zeus set up atop the temple altar. After all, to the Greek mind the God of the Hebrews simply equated to the chief god in the Greeks’ pantheon.
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We are further told: “Pagan sacrifices were offered in front of houses and in the streets. Any books of the Law which were found were torn up and burned, and anyone who was caught with a copy of the sacred books or who obeyed the Law was put to death by order of the king. Month after month these wicked people used their power against the Israelites caught in the towns. On the twenty-fifth of the month, these same evil people offered sacrifices on the pagan altar erected on top of the altar in the Temple” (verses 55-59, TEV). Indeed, pigs, declared unclean in God’s law (Deuteronomy 14:8 And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase.)
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The account in 1 Maccabees continues: “Mothers who had allowed their babies to be circumcised were put to death in accordance with the king’s decree. Their babies were hung around their necks, and their families and those who had circumcised them were put to death” (1:60, TEV).
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Yet, as horrible as this was, some still resisted. In fact, 1 Maccabees reports: “But many in Israel stood firm and were resolved in their hearts not to eat unclean food. They chose to die rather than to be defiled by food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die. Very great wrath came upon Israel” (1 Maccabees 1:62-63)
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Yet many in the resistance lived. The account continues with the rise of the Hasmonean priestly family of Mattathias, including his son and successor Judas Maccabeus, who would not compromise with paganism. In the end, the efforts of these patriots and their followers were in large measure responsible for eventually pushing the Syrians out.
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Later prophetic fulfillment
Now, with all of that as history, consider Christ’s warning about the abomination of desolation. When He gave it, hadn’t this part of Daniel’s prophecy been fulfilled almost 200 years earlier, as we’ve seen? Certainly. So Daniel’s prophecy, according to Jesus, must have a dual fulfillment.
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Jesus revealed to us the time for this prophecy’s ultimate fulfillment in Matthew 24 when He explained what would immediately follow it: “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved [alive]; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (verses 21-22, emphasis added throughout).
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This recalls another part of Daniel’s prophecy, which says that in the end time “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 . . . And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake . . .” Daniel 12:1-2 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
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So this awful period of tribulation occurs at the end of this present age, just before Christ’s return when He will resurrect His faithful followers 1 Thessalonians 4:15-16 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
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Indeed, Daniel was told that “from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up,” 1,290 days—a little more than 3 1/2 years—would elapse until, apparently, the resurrection of Daniel and the rest of the saints would occur Daniel 12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
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Lessons from the first fulfillment
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We can learn a great deal about this end-time prophecy from the original abomination of desolation
Daniel predicted. Antiochus Epiphanes was a forerunner of the end-time king of the North, the world dictator the book of Revelation refers to as the “beast.” No doubt this end-time ruler will employ the same deceit and underhanded methods that marked the reign of Antiochus and many of his successors, such as Hitler.
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Furthermore, it appears from what we’ve seen and other scriptural indications that the end-time ruler, to accomplish his ends, will feign overtures of peace to the Jews of the modern nation of Israel. This might help explain why the end-time “king of the South,” evidently an Islamic Arab power, will act against the final beast power Daniel 11:40 And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.
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What other parallels do we see? Part of the “abomination” of Antiochus involved the cessation of the daily temple sacrifices (verse 31). Yet Daniel’s prophecy makes it clear that sacrifices will again be ended in conjunction with the abomination of desolation to come Daniel 12:9-13 And he said, Go thy 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 understand. And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.
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For this prophecy to be fulfilled, it appears that sacrifices will again be instituted and an altar rebuilt before the return of Jesus the Messiah.
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In another parallel, Antiochus defiled the ancient holy temple when he erected an idol of the pagan god Zeus and sacrificed swine there. The end-time abomination may also involve an idolatrous image at a new temple. What we know for certain is that within the “temple of God”there will be an actual person who claims to be God in the flesh.
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The apostle Paul, in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send themstrong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed
not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness, foretold this “son of perdition.”
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Notice verses 3-4: “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day [of Christ’s return] will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God”(emphasis added).
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Christ will destroy this religious leader at His second coming (verses 5-8), but not before he has deceived many with “power, signs, and lying wonders” (verses 9-12). Also, just as the original abomination of desolation marked the beginning of a period of unparalleled horror and misery, so will the final one begin the time of the greatest horror ever, the coming Great Tribulation.
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We can be thankful that God promises to send His Son back to earth to save mankind from self-annihilation in this coming horrible time of mass deceit and destruction. We can also thank God for the wonderful example of those who stood fast—who would not compromise with God’s way—and the awesome hope of the return of Christ, of resurrection to eternal life and of the establishment of His glorious Kingdom on earth.
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Indeed, as world events march ever closer to the fulfillment of these prophecies, let us draw closer to God in faith, trusting Him to see us through even the worst of times, knowing that we aren’t left without foreknowledge to help us better understand end-time events.
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