“Abomination of Desolation”
By
District Elder M. L. Maughmer, Jr.
The Abomination of Desolation – What is it? The very phrase is enough to make anyone feel uncomfortable and cause an uneasy sensation of doom. Why is it that this term causes such an emotion in a person? The answer is rather simple although the understanding of abomination of desolation may not be so clear yet. I believe the reason for such an emotion of doom when you mention abomination of desolation is due in part to the spirit of man understands that the very act, which causes abomination that makes desolate is the total separation from God and the lost of hope. Abomination of Desolation is mentioned in the book of Daniel, the 9th chapter and the 27th verse to be exact also 11:31 and 12:11. The ambiguous statement has lead to many interpretations of what is the Abomination that shall make desolate really is. Jesus refers to this passage of scripture in His “Olivet Discourse” in Matthew 24 verse 15.
Understand that I do not proclaim to be a prophecy guru or have a private interpretation of the Word of God, but I believe the Word of God and strive to be obedient to what it says. Matthew 24:15 says “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). So the purpose of this lesson is to give understanding to “Abomination of Desolation”.
The 24th chapter of Matthew is called the Olivet Discourse. Lets’ give a brief background here first. Jesus had made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem this is the last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry. He had gone into the temple and overthrew the money changer’s tables stating the Lord’s house was to be a house of prayer and they had made it a den of thieves. He had criticized the Scribes and the Pharisees for having a form of godliness and denying the power thereof. He said that they were as sepulchers, whitewashed and clean on the outside but on the inside were full of dead men’s bones. In the 24th chapter Jesus turns a leaves the Temple as He and the disciples are leaving the temple, the disciples make reference to the grandeur of the Temple. We know according to Josephus (Jewish Historian) that this Temple was beautiful and considered to be one of the wonders of the ancient world. The marble columns, porches, gold, massive stones, Corinthian designs were indeed a sight to behold. Such beauty and massive structures often will cause one to place confidence in human efforts rather than God. Thus Jesus said to the disciples (paraphrasing) don’t get so caught up in materialistic things and human ability for there is going to come a time when there shall not be a stone standing upon stone Matthew 24:2, human efforts will fail. Jesus and the disciples leave the Temple and go to the Mount of Olives. The disciples come to Him and ask three (3) questions.
When shall these things be?
What shall be the sign of thy coming?
The end of the world?
Jesus gives them an answer that is filled with (25) twenty five signs. In this lesson we will not discuss in depth all 25, but will focus mainly on the (17th) seventeenth one mentioned the Abomination of Desolation.
Matthew 24:4 says “And Jesus answered and said unto them Take heed that no man deceive you”. Here is wisdom.
To understand Prophecy you must look at prophecy very carefully and you must not regard a single event as total fulfillment, but as a string of events.
The event known as the Abomination of Desolation will take place and be directed against the “Temple of God”, remember that. It is this event that literally separates the Tribulation Period first 3 ½ years from the Great Tribulation the second 3 ½ years also known as the Seventieth week of Daniel. This lesson suggest that the Abomination of Desolation is more than an act directed merely against a rebuilt temple, but will reach out and infect humanity which causes one to become desolate.
The term itself “Abomination of Desolation” proposes an act more repulsive then the desecration of a temple made of stone and mud. If the abomination of a temple was all that was meant then Antiochus Epiphanies, whose names means “The Manifested or The Illustrious”, he was called Epimanes meaning the maniac, who desecrated the temple in 173 B.C. by sacrificing a pig to Zeus, did as much if not more then the antichrist. If desecration of a temple made of stone and mud was all it is about surely in 70A.D. when Titus burned the temple and destroyed it this should have been the abomination of desolation. Surely the atrocities that have happened in places made of stone and mortar from killings, to spreading lies, preaching false doctrines, and people claiming to be the messiah would constitute an abomination. Yet these particular events as horrific as they may be have not caused desolation.
According to Webster’s On Line Dictionary the word Abomination means something extremely disgusting or hateful and loathing. The Hebrew definition is: 08251 shiqquwts {shik-koots’} or shiqquts {shik-koots’} from 08262; TWOT - 2459b; n m AV - abomination 20, detestable things 5, detestable 1, abominable filth 1, abominable idols 1; 28
1) detestable thing or idol, abominable thing, abomination, idol, detested thing.
The word desolate means to abandon, devoid of habitation, deserted, forsaken, lonely, showing the effects of abandonment. The Hebrew definition is 08074 shamem {shaw-mame’} a primitive root; TWOT - 2409; v AV - desolate 49, astonished 20, desolation 7, waste 5, destroy 3, wondered 2, amazed 1, astonishment 1, misc 4; 92 1) to be desolate, be appalled, stun, stupefy to be desolated, be deflowered, be deserted, be appalled 1a2) to be appalled, be awestruck 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be desolated, be made desolate 1b2) to be appalled. The verb “to desolate” means to lay waste or forsake.
The word desolation is the condition of being barren, forsaken, abandoned, wasted, deserted, and void of being inhabited. Understanding the meaning of the words we can say that “Abomination of Desolation” in conjunction with the Temple of God means a loathsome and disgusting action that will cause abandonment, barrenness, desertedness, and an uninhabited place where God does not exist. What could cause this reaction from God? Standing in a temple of stone and mortar claiming to be the Messiah or would it be more understandable by the total rejection of receiving God.
The Bible says in Daniel 9:27 “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”. We really do not get an idea of what Daniel is speaking about here this is rather an ambiguous statement. However in the New Testament Jesus speaks of this in Matthew 24:15 “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:). This discourse was given to the disciples just after Jesus had told the Pharisees destroy this temple an in (3) three days he would rebuild it John 2:19-21. We know that Jesus was referring to His body when He said temple. This is the key factor in this lesson.
Let’s look at a few scriptures 1st Corinthians 3:16-17 says “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are”. 1st Corinthians 6:19 says “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own”. 2nd Corinthians 6:16 says “And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in [them]; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people”. Ephesians 2:20-22 says “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner [stone]; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit”. Understand that when Paul was speaking here he used a Greek word called Naos or Neokoros. Strong’s 3485 & 3511. When he speaks in other passages such as Acts 22:17, 24:12, 18, 25:18, 1st Cor. 9:13 he used the Greek word Hieron. This word deals with the structure of stone. In 2nd Thessalonians 2:4 “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’. The word used here in the Greek is “Naos” - New Testament Greek Definition: 3485 naos {nah-os’} from a primary naio (to dwell); TDNT - 4:880,625; n m AV - temple 45, a shrine 1) used of the temple at Jerusalem, but only of the sacred edifice (or sanctuary) itself, consisting of the Holy place and the Holy of Holies (in classical Greek it is used of the sanctuary or cell of the temple, where the image of gold was placed which is distinguished from the whole enclosure)
2) any heathen temple or shrine
3) metaph. the spiritual temple consisting of the saints of all ages joined together by and in Christ or servant, worshipper.
There are two dimensions involved here when talking about the Abomination of Desolation and they have to do with the Spiritual and the Natural. When we look at this understanding that the Temple of God is not just some place of stone and mortar, but is in fact the human body, the habitation of God, this earthen vessel then we can see that the Abomination of Desolation is far more heinous than we first believed and is in fact a threat against humanity itself. Understand that if the Abomination of Desolation was limited to a Jewish Temple and understanding the contempt people have for the Jewish people why would such an Abomination cause Desolation. Therefore, desecration of the temple (the 3rd temple - hieron), termination of the sacrifice and oblation, and the erecting of an image has a far more profound impact embedded in the meaning of Abomination of Desolation. It was this devastating impact that Daniel, Jesus, and Paul had in view.
Let me explain: Genesis 1:26 says “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth”. Focus on the word image because that is very important - image means likeness. God is a Trichotomy, Triune, Trinity, or Tripartite what ever word you want to use. He is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost (Spirit) the (3) three manifestation of God. This is His image and likeness a Trichotomy. Man is created in a Trichotomy (3) three fold manner he is spirit, soul, and body Genesis 2:7 & 1st Thess. 5:23. It is in this same manner that the Tabernacle in the wilderness, the (1st & 2nd) First and Second Temples were built and the 3rd Third Temple will follow this same pattern. They had an outer court, inner court (holy place), and the Holy of Holies (innermost sanctuary). Here lies the devastation of the Abomination of Desolation.
Diagram: Man & Tabernacle/Temples
NAOS = Temple
The spirit of man is the innermost sanctuary – John 3:6 says “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit”. Notice the capital S = the spiritual realm. Within the spirit of man (innermost sanctuary) we have communication, intuition, and conscience. In the soul of man we have will, intellect, and emotion. In the body we have bone, blood, flesh. Therefore man is divinely designed to commune with God in the spirit, when man fell this communication was severed and without communication a relationship is destroyed. The crucifixion of Jesus bridged that gap and gave us access to commune with God once again through Jesus Christ. Therefore when we experience the New Birth by being born again John 3:3, which is to be made anew and brought back into communication with God and a right relationship with Him. When we are born again the Regeneration of our human spirit which begins the process of Sanctification of the soul 2nd Corinthians 3:17-18, and are waiting the transformation of our bodies which is Glorification Romans 8:23 & 30. This phrase I got from my father and have heard it many times since “We are saved (Regeneration), we are being saved (Sanctification), and we will be saved (Glorification)”.
HIERON = Temple
During the Abomination of desolation the Antichrist will enter into the innermost sanctuary (BOTH MAN -Naos & TEMPLE -Hieron), which is the temple of God and this causes desolation 2nd Thessalonians 2:3-4.
Let’s look at a witness. Luke 22:3 says “Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve”. Where did Satan enter? He entered into the spirit of Judas his innermost sanctuary. John 17:12 says “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled”. The word “Perdition” means utter desolation, spiritual ruin, wasted, destruction, without possibility for communion with God or redemption.
So when Jesus tells the disciples in Matthew 24:15 “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:)” and Paul comes in 2nd Thessalonians 2:3-4 with “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(NAOS) of God(the innermost sanctuary), shewing himself that he is God.”. It is spoken with divine understanding that Satan has usurped his way into the innermost sanctuary (the spirit of man) committed the Abomination of desolation (sitteth himself up as God), causing the spirit of man to be transformed into his image (likeness) of perdition causing many to become the sons of perdition and is now desolated and in spiritual ruin unable to be redeemed. It is with this embodiment commences the persecution of the saints, the Great Tribulation and culminates in the Battle of Armageddon. That’s why Jesus gave the warning in Matthew 24:16 -31.
Therefore with this understanding we stand firm in saying that the Abomination of Desolation is far more devastating then the desecration of a temple of stone and mortar. I truly believe that there will be a literal third (3rd) temple built in Jerusalem, I believe that the Antichrist will in fact enter into this temple (hieron) and commit Abomination of Desolation in the natural 1 dimension, but I truly believe that in the spiritual aspect 2 dimensional he will enter into the innermost sanctuary of man turning them into his image and creating thus the sons of perdition when they reject their only hope Jesus and receive the Mark of the Beast – which literally is the Abomination which causes Desolation..
Proverbs 6:32 says “But whosoever committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul”. Adultery comes from the Hebrew na’aph {naw-af’} figuratively speaking means idolatrous worship. The accepting of the Mark of the Beast is idolatrous worship and causes ones soul to become desolate.
District Elder M.L. Maughmer, Jr.
Southern Ohio
Assistant Pastor
O.G.C.O.G.I.C.
