Posted by Benjamin Hoogterp

When studying things related to the end times, one important topic of discussion is the ‘abomination of desolation’.  Broken down, an abomination is a particularly gross kind of sin that God calls particularly wicked.  There are many things that God refers to as abominations (but not all), including homosexuality, a perverse look, pride, a dishonest balance or scale, condemning the just or justifying the wicked.  The list goes on.  But, as an abomination is a sin of particular disgust, the ‘abomination of desolation’ is an abomination that cause desolation, or a state of complete emptiness or destruction to come about, especially on a people, land, or nation. Thus, when we come to read about the ‘abomination of desolation’, written of in the Bible, it is talking about a particular sin that is so grievous to God and to creation that it causes the desolation of Israel, for Israel to become vacant and not lived in and utterly destroyed.

There are traditionally eight Biblical references to the Abomination (we will capitalize ‘Abomination’ to specifically refer to the Abomination of Desolation, rather than spelling it out).

  1. Daniel 8:13 – Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, “How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?”
  2. Daniel 9:27 – Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.
  3. Daniel 11:31 – 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.
  4. Daniel 12:11 – 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. Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.
  5. 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), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
  6. Mark 13:14 – So when you see the ‘abomination of desolation‘, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
  7. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 – Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day 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.
  8. Revelation 13:12-18 – And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.

Of these eight verses, really only five specifically name the abomination, and the other three are by interpretation or some other thing.  Clearly, the references in Daniel 11, 12, and Matthew and Mark are references.  While the passage in Daniel 8 uses different language, it can be judged to be corollary by interpreting Daniel 8 in context to Daniel 11.  The 2 Thessalonians is often considered to be equal, but, as we could develop, this is merely by method if interpretation.  Likewise, the passage in Revelation is often talked about as the Abomination, it is not called that by Scripture.  If it is referring to the same thing, it is not explicit in the chapter.  This leaves Daniel 9, which is also not explicitly a reference to the Abomination.  While similar words are employed, it cannot say “abomination of desolation” without changing one of the letters.  The word is, as it is written above, a ‘desolator’, a person who desolates.

So, setting aside the questionable reference in Daniel 9:27 (which we will return to examine in the end), as well as the ones that are only interpretations of other texts supposed to be references to it, we have three direct references in Daniel, and two references to Daniel in the Olivet Discourse of the Gospels (Matthew and Mark).  Additionally, it should be noted that in Luke’s account of the Olivet Discourse, instead of the Abomination being the sign to watch for, he indicates Jerusalem surrounded by armies.

And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. [21] Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.

Luke 21:20-21

As this particular phrase, the abomination of desolation, is mentioned no where else in Scripture, we are left to interpret it.  Fortunately, the Apocryphal books of Maccabees seem to provide the most direct reference to it.  As the Maccabees are merely historical, and not considered part of the cannon of Scripture, we cannot treat them as authoritative, but we can use them for reference.  The books of Maccabees are considered inter-testamental, meaning they fall between the Old and New Testament.

  1. 1 Maccabees 1:54 – Now the fifteenth day of the month Casleu, in the hundred forty and fifth year, they set up the abomination of desolation upon the altar, and builded idol altars throughout the cities of Juda on every side;
  2. 1 Maccabees 6:7 – Also that they had pulled down the abomination, which he had set up upon the altar in Jerusalem, and that they had compassed about the sanctuary with high walls, as before, and his city Bethsura.”
  3. 2 Maccabees 6:1-5 – Not long after that, the king sent an elderly Athenian to force the Jews to abandon their religion and the customs of their ancestors. He was also to defile their Temple by dedicating it to the Olympian god Zeus. The temple on Mount Gerizim was to be officially named ‘Temple of Zeus the God of Hospitality’, as the people who lived there had requested.  The oppression was harsh and almost intolerable. Gentiles filled the Temple with drinking parties and all sorts of immorality. They even had intercourse with prostitutes there. Forbidden objects were brought into the Temple, and the altar was covered with detestable sacrifices prohibited by our Law.

These historical references to the time of Anitochus IV in 165 BC correspond to those verses in Daniel 8 & 11.  From these texts, the general reference is to the idolatry of the temple.  While Maccabees identifies specifically the idol placed upon the altar of burnt offering (in the outer court) as the Abomination, it is not necessary to continue with such a narrow definition, as this is not Scripture.

But, if we look at the general pattern of what is going on, we can discern the times of the Abomination.

In Daniel 8, the horn of Daniel 8:9 is Antiochus Epiphanes.  He is not little in the sense that his kingdom is small, but he is small in that his claim on the throne and his strength of leadership is small (he was a hostage in Rome before he was king, and when he seized the throne, the true heir was imprisoned elsewhere.  Never did Antiochus exercise great leadership skills, but ruled as a tyrant and a poor organizer who was most of the time broke).  Daniel 8 speaks of removing the sacrifice and the sanctuary being cast to the ground, as well as truth being cast down as well.

But, it is good to note that the Daniel 8 uses different terminology.  In various versions, the language used reads, ‘rebellion that causes desolation’ (NIV), ‘transgression that causes horror’ (NASB), or the ‘transgression of desolation’ (KJV).  What is going on in this period of history involves the following.

  • The priesthood is corrupted – The high priest Jason bought his position from Antiochus for a large sum of money.  With his position he built a Greek gymnasium in Jerusalem and hosted the nude Greek athletic games with sacrifices to the Greek gods, and began to see people adopting the Greek culture.  After him, another high priest, Menelaus, paid an even greater sum of money for the position, which was open only to members of the priestly line.  For the first time in the Second Temple period, the priesthood was held by someone not of the tribe of Levi, nor had he ever even been a priest.  And, ultimately, he, the spiritual leader of the Jewish nation, answered to Antiochus, the king of an ruling nation.  Many Jews went along with both.
  • Removal of the Sacred and Profane – Menelaus went further than Jason, looking to outlaw all particular Jewish expressions.  He hoped to end circumcision, end all ideas of clean and unclean foods, remove distinctions of holy and profane among the Jews, and remove all the distinctions of sacred times.
  • The temple treasures were plundered – Ten years earlier, a God had stopped an attempt to commandeer the temple treasures, but Menelaus, unable to pay his promised amount to Antiochus, took some of the precious vessels from the temple and used them to pay it.
  • The desecration of the Temple – He further planned to turn the entire temple complex into a form of universalism, an ecumenical place where all religions were free to worship (which would entail the desecration of all things Jewish).  In this context, he had plans to erect a statue of Zeus on the temple’s altar of sacrifice in the outer courts.  This was to symbolize the union of Greek universalism with the universal God of the Hebrews.

So, whether one equates the Abomination with the actual idol or not, the context of the Abomination is the complete subjugation of the sacred to the corruption and unholy.  It is more than simply coming against Judaism, it is the replacing it with a counterfeit.  To those versed in Eschatological scriptures, the following verses should be easily recognized.

[18] Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. [19] They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

[20] But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. [21] I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. [22] Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist–denying the Father and the Son. [23] No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

[4:1] Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. [2] This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, [3] but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.

[2 John 1:7] I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.

1 John 2:18-23; 4:1-3; 2 John 1:7, emphasis added

Here, John highlights that the spirit of antichrist is not ‘against Christ’, but it is replacing Him with another.  Yet, this evil spirit’s forerunner can be seen in the history of the Jewish nation, as not only was the Jewish religion come against, but it was surplanted from within, under the very name and guise of the temple, priesthood, and true and pure worship of God!  The forerunner to the antichrist spirit is the motivating force behind the Abomination!

In Daniel 8 and Daniel 11, the context of both chapters clearly place these abominations in the 3rd Kingdom, or Greece.  Despite both Daniel 7:8 and Daniel 8:14 using, in some translations, ‘little horn’ should not be the same horn, because Daniel 7’s little horn is within the fourth beast and ‘little’ is not a sufficient descriptor to designate the connection (besides which, although one is in Aramaic and the other in Hebrew, the words for ‘little’ are different words entirely).

So, this brings us to the question of Jesus’ reference to the abomination in the Gospels.  One issue stands out here–the Jews had already identified the Abomination and its time frame, Antiochus.  So, Jesus is here, prophesying a “second abomination”.  Now, to some, this is considered the founding case for the idea of ‘double fulfillment’, the idea that many things in prophecy may be fulfilled more than once.  But, in the scope of Scripture, this is the only clear-cut, or so it is called, example of such.  Considering other options, we are left with one other viable alternative.

The problems arises that Jesus is referencing the Abomination as a (then) yet-future-event.  In Jesus’ day, it had not yet happened, and He is stating that when they see it, to be alerted.  But, to many of the Jews, the idea of the abomination was already well known, and was historical by nearly some 200 years.  So, what are the textual indicators to the abomination?

What is left is that the abomination of Daniel 8 and 11 seem clearly fulfilled, leaving Daniel 12 and possibly 9.  Comparing the structure of the introduction of the event in Daniel 8 with that of Daniel 12 then proves to be interesting.

[13] Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking, “How long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply, while the transgression causes horror, so as to allow both the holy place and the host to be trampled?” [14] He said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly restored.”

Daniel 8:13-14, emphasis added

And, in Daniel 12,

[5] Then I, Daniel, looked and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the river and the other on that bank of the river. [6] And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?” [7] I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.

[8] As for me, I heard but could not understand; so I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?”

[9] He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time. [10] Many will be purged, purified and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand. [11] From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. [12] How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days! [13] But as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end of the age. [End of the book of Daniel]

Daniel 12:5-13

In both of these passages, information about the preceding events is related.  The phrasing is nearly identical, but the context has changed in Daniel 12.  In the Daniel 8 abomination, the events at hand pertain to the re-purification of the temple, but in Daniel 12, the full context of Daniel 10-12 has shifted to the culmination of the Great Tribulation (Daniel 12:1), with the ultimate conclusion of the “shattering [of] the power of the holy people”.  One is restoration, the other is utter destruction.

It is on this grounds, that Jesus, from a prophetic understanding of the prophecies of Daniel, could both look back the (then) historical Abomination of Antiochus IV prophesied in Daniel 8 & 11, and yet prophesy about the coming Abomination of Daniel 12.  They are two separate abominations, one resulting in eventual re-purification of the temple under Judas Maccabeus, and the second, worse one, which completes all of the events of the prophecy given in Daniel 10-12.

Their distinction is secured in the same way as the rest of the chapter, by the location within the beasts.  Not that there may not be some deliberate hiding of these things, but the abomination of Daniel 8 and 11 fall solidly within the 3rd beast, and, given the language of Daniel 12:11, the Abomination of Daniel 12 will fall within the fourth.

If one were to continue to use Daniel 9’s reference to abomination, it too would fall into the fourth, not the third kingdom, and relate to Daniel 12, not Daniel 8 and 11.  Daniel 9, like Daniel 12, speaks of the final end of the Jewish people, the destruction of the city, and does not refer to the time in the third Kingdom under Antiochus.

So, what is the Abomination that Jesus was referring to?  For this, the passage in Luke is the clearest indication of the timing.  Because Luke referred to the armies surrounding Jerusalem, we can look to the time frame of the campaign of Cestius Gallus, the first Roman general to encompass Jerusalem.  Because of the providence of God, after advancing upon the city and camping against it for several days, Cestius Gallus inexplicably withdrew his army towards the Mediterranean, believing the he could not take the city.  The rebellious zealots of Jerusalem, hopeful to defeat all of Rome, chased after them and slew several thousand.  But, this was the sign that Luke had recorded Jesus saying to watch for to know that its desolation was near.  The Jewish historian Josephus records that many notable Jews fled the city at that time, including you can be sure, the Christians who were watching for this prophecy.

But, the events that prompted Cestius Gallus to march upon Jerusalem are the focus.  Indeed, we find the same pattern of events going on then that we find in 165 BC under Antiochus.

  • The high priesthood corrupted – Again, the priesthood was corrupted.  Beginning possibly with Joshua ben Damneus, after Ananus ben Ananus was removed, the position of high priest no longer followed Jewish law.  Three priests came after him, largely political appointees, such that Phannias, such a rough country person, was ultimately appointed as high priest, knowing nothing of the priesthood and not even knowing what the high priest should do.  To appoint him, the zealots simply made claim that the high priest could be appointed by lot, and it fell upon him.  He was a man, says Josephus ‘unworthy of the high priesthood’, and yet they put on him the holy garments and, often, had to tell him everything he had to do.
  • Rebellion and apostasy – The rebel leaders scoffed at the idea of restraint.  They slaughtered the innocent, burnt their own food supplies to try to force others to fight, and, by the record of Josephus, were barbarous beyond all human dignity and decency.
  • Subversion of the Temple – Not only did they do all these things, but the rebel leaders also set up their headquarters in the most defended part of the city, the temple itself.  At one point, the projectiles of the Romans without the city often flew into the temple courtyards, striking and killing the zealots, so that their blood fell upon the altar and holy places, defiling them with their blood.
  • Subersion of all that is good – Like in Antiochus’ day, the idea of Jewish nationalism and independence inflamed the leaders of the Jewish rebellious factions, and the false prophets gave a false hope.  Ultimately, Josephus records 1.1 million Jews killed in the siege.

 

But, the thing that sparked the Jewish war was the act by the Roman governor, Gessius Florus.  He sent to have 17 talents of gold (worth about $50,000) taken from the temple.  From the fact that he apparently tried to get the rest later, it appears that he was successful.  But, the people were in an uproar.  When this had happened 10 years before Antiochus, the prime minister of Selucids Heliodorus had attempted to enter the temple and seize all of its treasures.  But, when he entered the temple, God met him in a vision of a mounted horseman and two young, muscular men, who appeared before him, and beat him.  Eventually Heliodorus was taken from the temple, wounded and humiliated, beaten back by God.

But, in the case of Florus, God did not stop him.  For this to have happened, the Roman guards or whomever appropriated the money must have entered the temple to take the imageless currency.  This subjection of the temple to the occupying power of Rome is the same that can be seen happening under Antiochus, and represents the second Abomination standing within the temple.  Gessius Florus’ comments about the money was that it was “for Caesar”.  Hence, just as under Greece, the temple, its priests, courts, and jurisdiction, all came under Rome, as Romans with their idolatry and uncleanness had stood in the temple of God. While the people cried out against what Florus had done, he sent his soldiers to the upper market resulting in a slaughter of a great many Jews.

This, as Josephus records, is the spark that inflamed the rebellious in the city and nation to war.  As a result of this provocation, Eliezar ben Hanania ceased the daily sacrifice to Caesar.  Josephus records the first escalation of the conflict that would last three and a half years.

Eleazar, the head of the Zealots, fanned the revolutionary spirit of the people, and drove them  on to complete rupture with Rome. He dissuaded the priests from receiving any presents or sacrifices from heathens, and so great was the power he exerted that the officiating priests discontinued offering the daily sacrifice for the emperor Nero. That was the starting-point of the revokition. Allegiance to the emperor was thenceforth renounced. The party of peace saw also the grave importance of this step and tried to retrace it. Learned teachers of the Law, doubtless of the school of Hillel, explained to a large gathering of the people that it was unlawful to shut out the offerings of heathens from the Temple, and aged priests declared that it was an ancient custom to receive such offerings. The officiating priests, however, remained unconvinced, and threw themselves without reserve into the maelstrom of revolution. From that time on, the Temple obeyed its chief, Eleazar, and became the hotbed of the insurrection.

The advocates of peace saw with sorrow the progress made by the rival party, and tried to smother the flames before they could accomplish the work of destruction and ruin ; but the means they employed to quench the revolutionary fire only made it burn the more fiercely. They sent deputies to Florus and Agrippa, earnestly entreating that a sufficiently large number of troops should be instantly despatched to Jerusalem. The former, actuated either by timidity or by the spirit of revenge which made him desire that the hated Judaeans should become more and more hopelessly entangled, refused to comply with that request. Agrippa, on the other hand, sent 3,000 horsemen, Auranites, Batanseans, and wild Trachonites, under the command of Philip of Bathyrene, and Darius, a commander of cavalry, to help the party that wished to remain at peace with Rome. When these troops arrived, they found the Mount on which the Temple stood, as well as the lower town, already in the possession of the Zealots. The aristocratic quarter of the higher town alone remained open to them. A fierce combat took place between the two parties, the royal troops joining the few soldiers left of the Roman garrison. Fighting continued for seven days, with no decided results.

At the time of the festival of wood-carrying (15th Ab), however, the situation changed. The Zealots barred the entrance of the Temple against any one belonging to the peace party, and gained over to their side the masses who had brought wood for the
altar, as well as the Sicarii who had made their way into the Temple through the crowd. Strengthened by the increase of numbers, the Zealots drove away their opponents and became masters of the upper town.- The anger of the people was roused against the friends of Rome, they set fire to the palaces of King Agrippa and Princess Berenice, devoting to the flames likewise the house of the rich priest Ananias, and the public archives, among which the bonds of debtors were kept. Some of the partisans of Rome crept in terror into the sewers, while others took refuge with the troops in the western palace of Herod. Shortly after this the Zealots attacked the Roman guards in the fort Antonia, overcame them after a siege of two days, and put them to death (17th Ab); they then stormed the palace of Herod, which was defended by the combined troops of Rome and Agrippa. After eighteen days of incessant fighting the garrison capitulated and the Judaean soldiers under Philip were allowed to depart unhurt. The Romans, too proud to sue for mercy, retreated to the three towers in the wall, Hippicus, Phasael, and Mariamne. The Sicarii under Menahem rushed into the fort after the Romans had left it, and killed all who had not been able to save themselves by flight (6th Elul — August).

Graetz, History of the Jews, Chapter 9, pp258-260.

So, the abomination occurred as Jesus predicted with the subjection of the priesthood, temple, and religious life to the hands of the zealots, and, as the war rose, Cestius Gallus came and surrounded the city, and inexplicably withdrew, allowing for the Christians in the city to flee to the town of Pella, across the Jordan, and away from the fighting that would soon take place.

The final siege lasted 5 months, and consisted of two and two legions, for a total of four legions.  They were lead by the destroyer of the city city and temple, Titus, son of Vespasian, who became emperor in the year after Nero died, bringing stability to the throne after the ‘year of four emperors’, 69 AD, wherein there were three other short-lasting individuals who claimed the throne before him.

It was, however, the cessation of the receipt of gifts and sacrifices of the heathens (contrary to Isaiah 56:7), and the daily sacrifices to Caesar, which were ended first, followed by the consolidation of the the rebellious within the temple that signified it.  This subjection of the city to the worldly, then, and the setting up wickedness and rebellion in the place of the Temple is what is referred to as the Abomination in Daniel 12:11.