When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains.
Matthew 24:15-16 KJV
This event and/or thing is mentioned three times in the Book of Daniel:
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Daniel 9:27 KJV
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 maketh desolate.
Daniel 11:31 KJV
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.
Daniel 12:11 KJV
It was also mentioned by Saint Paul:
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.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 KJV
What is this "abomination of desolation"? As described in the above scriptures, it has two main features:
- Someone halts the daily temple sacrifices, and
- He also declares himself to be G-d.
The three religions who claim Jerusalem as their spiritual capitol each have a messianic figure they believe will rule the earth in the coming Kingdom of G-d:
- I. The Jewish Messiah
- II. The Muslim Messiah
- III. The Christian Messiah
Which of these three, if any, would cause the abomination of desolation to take place?
I. The Jewish Messiah will be a man (not a deity), and according to Maimonides he will have the following characteristics:
If the person succeeded in all these endeavors, and then rebuilds the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and facilitates the ingathering of the Jews to the Land of Israel—then we are certain that he is the Moshiach.
Once the Jewish Messiah accomplishes these deeds and the Temple sacrifices begin again, it is inconceivable that he would cause the sacrifices to cease, and he would NEVER under any circumstances say that he is G-d. Anyone who could do that is NOT the Jewish Messiah.
II. The Muslim Messiah, also known as the Mahdi, will be a man (not a deity), and he will rule the earth from Jerusalem as Imam al-Mahdi.
He definitely would cause the daily sacrifices to cease, and I suspect he would destroy the rebuilt Jewish Temple. However, he would NEVER under any circumstances say that he is G-d. Anyone who could do that is NOT the Muslim Messiah.
III. The Christian Messiah, Jesus Christ, is a man, but as a part of the Holy Trinity He is considered to be a manifestation of G-d.
Upon His return to the earth, Jesus Christ is expected to destroy the wicked and establish the Kingdom of G-d. He will rule the earth from Jerusalem.
The sacrifice of Himself which Jesus made upon the cross REPLACES the sacrifices made in the Temple. His followers in fact do believe that He is G-d.
Therefore, it seems possible that the Christian Messiah Jesus Christ will be responsible for the future abomination of desolation, in the following sense:
- He will halt the daily temple sacrifices, and
- He will once again reveal Himself to be G-d.
NEXT TIME: How can Jesus be His own Antichrist?
http://sainthoward.blogspot.com/2013/08/how-can-jesus-be-his-own-antichrist.html
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