Perilous Times

15 “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 “Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. 18 “Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19 “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 “But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath. 21 “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will. 22 “Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him. 24 “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25 “Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 “So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27 “For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 “Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

One of the most pivotal and relevant prophecies in the Bible centers around the words Christ spoke in Matthew 24:15: "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand)." Let's note what Daniel wrote. "And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation.... And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days" (Daniel 11:31; 12:11). Once the abomination of desolation is placed, a definite countdown is set in motion. This countdown highlights the pivotal nature of this prophecy.

Where will the abomination of desolation be placed? Christ states that it will be placed in the Holy Place. Daniel states that the sanctuary will be polluted and the daily sacrifice will be taken away. He addresses the polluting of the sanctuary and taking away the daily sacrifice in Daniel 8,9,11-12. So where is the holy place, where is the sanctuary and what is the daily sacrifice? Three principal scenarios have been articulated in an attempt to answer these questions. We need to examine all of these.

At the time that Daniel recorded his visions, the Holy Place was the Temple Mount in the city of Jerusalem because God placed his active presence in the Temple. Therefore, the prophecies that were given to him concerning the abomination of desolation, the pollution of the sanctuary and the taking away of the daily sacrifice, refer to the temple site. Christ stated that the abomination of desolation would be placed in a definite place. The Greek word for place is topos. Strong defines topos as place; any portion or space marked off, as it were from surrounding space. "Topos" can also be used metaphorically. However, Christ clearly states that the abomination of desolation would be seen in a definite place.

The fact that Christ states that the abomination of desolation will be placed in a definite place, and that it can be seen, negates any notion that it can be the church or a false teaching in the church. Furthermore, a false teaching in the church does not pollute a place (sanctuary) or take away the daily sacrifice. It is true that Christians are supposed to offer spiritual sacrifices (1 Peter 2:5), but can a person(s), or the action of any person(s), prevent a Christian from offering spiritual sacrifices?

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego were thrown into the fiery furnace. Daniel was placed in the lion's den. But they cried out to God and were delivered. No person or action of any person(s) can prevent one from offering spiritual sacrifices.

Thus, we can conclude that the abomination of desolation will be placed in a definite "holy" place, a place that can be seen. Moreover, the place is the "sanctuary" where the daily sacrifices were offered.