What is the Abomination of Desolation?

Jesus warned us of a time of unprecedented tribulation and persecution following an event He referred to as the Abomination of Desolation. In our daily meditations yesterday, we noted that this event marks the beginning of the Great Tribulation in the King James Version, or the time of Great Distress in the NIV English Bible. Many, including this writer, believe it signals a worldwide persecution of believers in Christ. When asked about the signs that precede His Second Coming, Christ spoke of persecution:

9“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved (Matthew 24:9-13. Emphasis added).

Jesus then provided a warning sign that heralds the time of tribulation and persecution. It begins with the conjunction "so," which connects the event to the persecution that lies ahead for us. Now, let's discuss the event. Here again is the text:

15“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be (Matthew 24:15-21, ESV; emphasis added).

The abomination of desolation refers to the desecration of the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem by the Antichrist. We discussed this in our daily meditations a few days ago as one of the three signs mentioned by the Apostle Paul. Here again is the text written by Paul:

3Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; Emphasis mine).

The Book of Revelation also describes an event in which an image is established for people to worship. Here is the text:

...it deceived the inhabitants of the earth. It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. 15The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed (Revelation 13:14-15).

When this event occurs, Jesus warns that there will be great tribulation on earth. I believe that God will use this testing time to spark a mighty revival, deepen believers in their faith, and bring maturity and a heavenly perspective to this world. The persecution driven by Satan targets those who hold to the God of the Bible, including both Jews and Christians. There will be a falling away, rebellion, or apostasy (depending on your translation, 2 Thessalonians 2:3) among those who attend church but have never established a relationship with Christ. This falling away may occur when many are required to take the Mark of the Beast. Accepting this mark, I believe, will involve the acknowledgment of the Antichrist as God. Many will compromise their faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when pressured to receive the Mark of the Beast.

When the time comes, the Lord requires His people to be faithful and endure even to death if necessary. Death is never a believer's end— it is a door into eternal life. These words of Jesus should encourage us if we are those alive during this time of persecution or tribulation. If we see these things occur on Earth, we know that the time is not far off. If this event should happen in our lifetime, we shall soon see Christ coming in great power and glory to receive us to Himself (Matthew 24:30-31). Keith Thomas

These thoughts are shortened from the study called The Great Tribulation or Persecution, found in the End Times series. The YouTube video of this talk is at the following link: https://youtu.be/uE9LJDKUQ2E