If the term "Abomination of Desolation" brings joy to a person they have truth in them. They do not believe in a rapture or a so called Second Coming. It really gets to me when people read Christian books over their bible. They try and gain the insight of the writer and miss the whole point of the original message. Futurist have fear and they have to justify for judgment and God's wrath. Then There are others that have commentators in their bible and claim that must be right because he/she said so. Let me tell you something, having commentators in your bible will complicate truth. If you have one get rid of it. There are many endtime scenarios that only lead to fear. I hear people saying "I pray Jesus comes soon to end this world." By this you know this person doesn't know the truth. So, is the Abomination of Desolation a time of the end? or a time now in the past?
Quick lesson before we move on. The use of the pronouns ye, you [plural] and thee, thou, thy, thine [singular] in the King James Bible greatly helps a believer in "rightly dividing the word of truth". For instance: The King James Bible translators never used the word ye in the singular case. Every time the word ye show's up in the King James Bible, it is always used to denote a plural pronoun (in reference to - more than one person).
Another words "Ye" is not you as and individual, It's "thy" that is the individual.
What this all means is "Ye" speaks to you as a group. you were not with them as Jesus spoke to "Ye".
Matthew 24:15
(15) When ye [YOU] therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of
by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him
understand:)
Notice that Jesus said, "When YE (which is "you" in modern English) see." This
meant that the people to whom Jesus was speaking at that time would see it in
their day. Proof this could not be referring to some future antichrist stopping
animal sacrifices is found in the next verses.
Now we will switch from the KJV to the NKJV for the rest of this study
Matthew 24:16
16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the
mountains.
This is referring to the country areas of Judaea. How could people in these
areas see what was happening in the Temple? They couldn't. But they could see
what the true sign was: a Roman army surrounding Jerusalem.
Matthew 24:17
17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to
take anything out of his house.
Some
People think this is a rapture about to occur. It is not. This is Jesus telling His people to hurry and to get out of the city of Jerusalem
before He judges her. This already happened This is not for us today.
It was for the first century people who actually went through this. This
is documented history.
Matthew 24:18-20
18 And let him who is in the field not go back to
get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are
nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter
or on the Sabbath.
Jesus would only give such a warning because He knew when this judgment took
place that there would still be some who were still engaged in the Jewish Law
and its customs. How can we know this? Simply because the unbelieving Jew's
reluctance to accept Jesus' New Covenant was the very reason He brought judgment
against them.
Matthew 24:21
21 For then there will be great tribulation, such
as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever
shall be.
Jesus let those He directly spoke to, know that they were the ones that would see the
Roman army surround Jerusalem. When they saw this they were to escape that
city because Jesus said there was a great tribulation coming there the
likes-of-which had never been seen before, and never would be seen again. Seen
By Them! Not You and I! Did Jesus directly speak you you? No! For a
person to teach that this tribulation is for a future time, he would need to
ignore these scriptures' time references, and the obvious context in which Jesus
spoke them.
Josephus, in his Volume One of the Works of Josephus, says, "Whereas the war
which the Jews made with the Romans hath been the greatest of all those, not
only that have been in our times, but, in a manner, of those that ever were
heard of; both of those wherein cities have fought against cities, or nations
against nations."
Some people contend that several different modern day events have
been the greatest prophetic fulfillment since the crucifixion of Christ. One
would have to wonder how this could be possible with any modern day event since
Jesus even said, "For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are
written may be fulfilled." [Luke 21:22] Furthermore when one compares Matthew
24:21 with these words of Josephus it is easy to see that this occurrence was
without doubt the greatest prophetic fulfillment since the crucifixion of
Christ.
The vengeance is over! making that tribulation (war) the greatest war ever while
vengeance was at hand. Jesus even said it was fulfilled.
Luke made the same statement as Matthew concerning the Abomination of
Desolation, except he revealed what the Abomination of Desolation was.
Luke 21:20
20 "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its
desolation is near.
This is the same statement as Matthew, except Luke replaced the phrase,
"abomination of desolation" with what it actually was, "Jerusalem
surrounded by
armies." Jesus is clearly saying that the instrument He would use to bring
the desolation was the Roman army who would surround Jerusalem in preparation
for her destruction.
The Abomination was actually the abominable sins of Israel, which are revealed
in Ezekiel chapters 8 and 16. The judgment, however, would be carried out by a
heathen army just as God has always done in the past. This is the judgment that
was to be brought against those that refused the seal of God. The New Testament
reveals this seal to be the seal of water and spirit, which is pictured in
Ezekiel 9.
This seal is the same one that is found upon the 144,000 of Revelation. They had
experienced the new birth, which means they had the seal of God on them. Because
of that they escaped the judgments of the Law that came against Jerusalem.
Revelation 14:1-6 says these people were the firstfruits unto God and to the
Lamb. They also were the same people who preached the everlasting gospel which
is found described in Acts 2:38. Both Paul and James confirmed that the early
church was the firstfruits of the Spirit.
Romans 8:23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the
redemption of our body.
James 1:18
18 Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of His creatures.
The firstfruits were from the first century.
Jesus disciples where among the 144,000. Those that claim the 144,000 are
future, do not study the bible enough .
God's usage of numbers in the Scripture has a message of importance for us. To
give you an example, first look at the way the Scriptures use the number twelve.
Twelve is recognized as God's number of perfection in the Church. You can really
see this truth about twelve in the descriptions written about the New Jerusalem
as is found in Revelation 21. There everything is in twelve's or multiples of
twelve, and if you take 1,000 [a number of unending perfection], and multiply it
by 12 you get 12,000. If you take that 12,000, and multiply it by 12, you get
144,000. The number 144,000 is a symbolic picture of those in the Church who are
sealed by the preaching of the gospel.
Seven is also a number that holds a lot of importance in God's Word. It is His
number of perfection as well. If you take 10 [a number that symbolizes unending
perfection], and multiply it by 7, you get 70. Take this 70 and multiply it by 7
and you get 490, which is exactly the number of times that Jesus told Peter he
must forgive; it is also the number of years that Daniel's 70-week prophecy said
would transpire before perfect forgiveness would come to all nations. This
forgiveness did come to all through the blood of the Messiah Jesus Christ. These
numbers are significant because they help us better understand to what these
prophetic passages are referring. An example of this is the 144,000. Some claim
that the 144,000 are a people that are yet to happen some time in the future. If
that were true then they would be the last fruits and not the firstfruits as
Romans 8:23, James 1:18, and Revelation 14:4 describe them. The 144,000 were
warned by Jesus in Luke 21 and Matthew 24 to flee from Jerusalem when they saw
the approaching judgment and go into the wilderness. They were the same ones who
were sealed by the Holy Spirit and born again in Jesus' name.
Luke 21:21
21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the
mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who
are in the country enter her.
This is the same scripture as found in Matthew 24. These people who are in the
countryside will see the Roman army coming, and when they do, they are to flee
away from them and from Jerusalem.
Luke 21:22
22 For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be
fulfilled.
Now, would one want to question the New Testament? Is it right? Was it really
true that by the time this event was completed, "all things" that were written
in the Old Testament (at least concerning this subject) would be fulfilled? Or
would one dare side with the critics that claim that Jesus' statement was
incorrect?
Luke 21:23
23 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those
who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the
land and wrath upon this people.
This again is not talking about rapture! A pregnant woman could be raptured
just as easily as one who is not. This is speaking of the discomfort she would
experience while fleeing, and the difficulties one would have trying to escape
from God's judgments while traveling with a small child.
Luke 21:24
24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword,
and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by
Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Those who did not fall by the edge of the sword were led away captive into all
nations is definite proof that this scripture refers to the 70 AD tribulation
and not to some final future tribulation. Many believe that Jesus will
come at the end of this tribulation to rescue the Jews, and to set up His
1000-year reign of peace. This is not true! What is true is this
happened in 70 AD the destruction of Jerusalem. During this siege
1.1 million Jews were killed, and over 900,000 captives were led away and
dispersed into all nations. Are you getting this This already
happened. It is not in the future.
The verses found in Luke 21, which parallel those of Matthew 24, are the exact
fulfillment of those verses known as the Song of Moses [Deuteronomy 32]. We find
Moses' song and the Song of the Lamb sung in the book of Revelation. The Song of
the Lamb is the song of the redeemed of Jesus. The Song of Moses is a song about
the judgment that God said He would bring against those who rejected Him as
their Messiah, and against those who killed the servants that He sent. God said
this judgment would be the destruction of Jerusalem and her worship system. That
took place during the final Jewish generation that lived under Law, and those
Jews were the ones who also fulfilled these horrible rejections of truth. Much
of the language of Deuteronomy 32 is exactly the same language that the book of
Revelation uses to describe the fall of Babylon [Jerusalem]. In Deuteronomy
32:41-43 God clearly says He will send vengeance [these are the "Days of
Vengeance"] to those that hate Him and that He will kill with the sword and take
captives. He also will avenge the blood of His servants by taking vengeance on
their enemies and having mercy on His true people. When you compare that with
Revelation 18:20, 24; 19:2, you find it is the same wording.
Deuteronomy 32:41-43;
Revelation 18:20;
Revelation 18:24;
Revelation 19:2;
1 Thessalonians 2:14-16
God plainly said in Deuteronomy 31:29 that this song of Moses was going to be
about the evil that would befall Israel in the latter days, and Deuteronomy
32:5, 20 revealed that it would happen to a particular generation. Jesus warned
in Matthew 23:33 & 36 that this would happen to the generation of Jews that He
was talking to at that time. As you compare these passages, their prophetic
interpretation becomes so easy to see that I can't help but wonder how anyone
could continue believing the man-made unbiblical teachings of futurists over
these clear teachings of Jesus and His Bible.
Some teach this "time of the Gentiles" [Luke 21:24] refers to the time of the
Gentile Church Age. The problem is there is no "Gentile" Church Age since the
Church of Jesus Christ is plainly explained in Scripture as being Jew and
Gentile together in one body. The Scripture makes it clear that a Jew is not
cut-off from the salvation of Jesus Christ. They can easily receive the Holy
Spirit now if they -- like everyone else -- believe in Jesus, and accept His
message of salvation. It is Jesus' will for all of them to be born again right
now! They are not cut-off except by their own unbelief.
I believe this reference to the "time of the Gentiles" is the time that God
allotted to the Gentiles for the destruction of Jerusalem. In the generation
following his 70-week prophecy, Daniel described this time as a war that would
not end until there was a total destruction of the city of Jerusalem and its
Temple. This siege was prophesied to last approximately 42 months, and according
to history, it did.
Let's lookat these 42 months in Bible prophecy.
Revelation 11:1
11 Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod.
And the angel stood, saying, "Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and
those who worship there.
Here God is separating the New Jerusalem -- the true Church -- from the old
Jerusalem.
Revelation 11:2
2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it,
for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city
underfoot for forty-two months.
He is saying, "I don't want you to measure the old city, because it is no longer
the exclusive city of My worship system. But I do want you to measure My true
temple, the Church, My true worship system, because what's outside this 'Holy
City' is no longer part of it." God goes on to show that because Jerusalem is no
longer the place of His true worship system, she is going to be, "trodden down
of the Gentiles," for 42 months. This was fulfilled a few years later in 70 AD.
This scripture is one of the "proofs" that help prove that the book of
Revelation was written probably sometime in the early 60's, and before the fall
of Jerusalem. The reason why I say this is because if the Temple and city were
not still standing when it was written, then this scripture would not have made
any sense to John's readers. The prophet Daniel agrees with this 42-month time
period in the twelfth chapter of his prophecy.
Daniel 12:6-7
6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, who
was above the waters of the river, "How long shall the fulfillment of these
wonders be?"
7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river,
when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who
lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the
power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall
be finished.
Every Bible scholar out there, agrees this is the three and one-half year
Great Tribulation. The problem is futurists place the tribulation sometime
in the future instead of allowing it to stay in the timeframe in which the Bible
says it should remain. The generation that was alive during the 70 AD fall of
Jerusalem.
Daniel 12:8-9
8 Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I
said, "My lord, what shall be the end of these things?"
9 And he said, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till
the time of the end.
It says, "time of the end," not "end of time." It was revealed to Daniel that
there would be 7 seventies -- 490 years -- which would have to be fulfilled
before this would come to pass. The Bible shows that this is exactly what took
place because it was in the middle of this seventieth week that Jesus was
crucified, and all that Daniel wrote concerning these 70 weeks were completed.
The time of the end would be during the generation that followed the death of
Jesus. History reveals the three and one-half year siege of Jerusalem began in
the Spring of 67 AD, and ended around September of 70 AD. That would have made
that siege to have lasted approximately 42 months. Some writers say that the
September date in which this war actually ended is consistent with the 1,335
days of Daniel 12:12. For more about Daniel's 70 weeks see
70weeks.html
Let's compare these scriptures of Daniel, which were commanded to be sealed
until the time of the end, with the language of Revelation.
Daniel 12:9
9 And he said, "Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till
the time of the end.
John opened the book that Daniel had sealed over 500 years
earlier. John did this because "the time of the end," and not the "end of time"
was at hand. This time period is recorded in Daniel 12:7 as being a "time,
times, and a half." It would result in the scattering of the holy people and
bring to an end all the other things that were prophesied.
Daniel 12:7
7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river,
when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who
lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the
power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall
be finished.
Daniel 12:7 clearly shows when the resurrection would happen for more see
prediction.html
Now, let's compare this with the wording and time text of the book of Revelation.
Revelation 1:1
1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants-things
which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to
His servant John,
He didn't say this was going to happen 2,000 to 3,000 years in the future. He
said this was "shortly" coming to pass.
Revelation 1:3
3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and
keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. (KJV)
3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the
words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the
time is near. (NKJV)
He said the time is "at hand." Compare the phrase "at hand"
or "near" with its usage in
the rest of the New Testament, and you will discover that this is a reference to
it being close by, not far off, something that was soon to take place.
Revelation 1:7
7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye
will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth (land)
will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
How are those who pierced [crucified] Him going to see Him coming unless they
are still alive on that day? This fulfillment would be impossible if this is
referring to a time in the future. And no, their not awaken from their
grave. It would have been easy to fulfill if this
was referring to His coming in their generation. The word "earth" here is the
same word that means "land," and is normally used in reference to the tribes of
the land of Israel.
Many try to say the Jews looking on Jesus is future, because they claim this
occurrence is the fulfillment of Zechariah 12:10. To the futurist mindset who
have been taught incorrectly all of their life, this all seems to
fit so well. The problem is that this viewpoint goes against the Apostles'
interpretation as recorded in the New Testament. The Apostle John quoted
Zechariah 12:10 in John 19:37 and claimed it was being fulfilled at the time of
Jesus' crucifixion, which in turn resulted in the outpouring of the "spirit of
grace."
John 19:33-37
33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He
was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers
pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35 And
he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he
is telling the truth, so that you may believe. 36 For these things were done
that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken."
(Psalms 34:20) 37 And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him whom
they pierced." (Zechariah 12:10)
Zechariah 12:10
10 "And I will pour on the house of David and on
the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they
will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns
for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.
The Apostle John has given an accurate interpretation as to the
fulfillment of Zechariah 12:10. He even said in John 19:36 that "these things
were done, that the Scriptures should be fulfilled." A person is then faced with
the choice of accepting the historical interpretation given in the New Testament
by the Apostle John, or man made Futurist interpretations.
Jesus and the Apostles interpreted many of the same scriptures from the Old Testament. We have to use Old Testament biblical imagery when interpreting the same type biblical imagery in the New Testament. This allows scripture to interpret scripture, and keeps man's opinion out of it as much as possible, which allows an accurate interpretation of the scriptures.
Let's look in Revelation 22, which is the closing chapter of that great book, for
even more proof that the book of Revelation was to be fulfilled immediately
after it was written.
Revelation 22:6
The Time was Near
6 Then he said to me, "These words are faithful and true." And the Lord God of
the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which must
shortly take place.
Even at the closing of the Book of Revelation He said it again, "The things
which must shortly take place."
Revelation 22:7
7 "Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the
prophecy of this book."
He said you had better keep these things because I am coming soon! And
according to Daniel 12:7 it would happen when the power of the holy people has
been completely shattered. When was this? It was when Israel and her
covenant relationship was "completely shattered"
Daniel 12 predicted the end of the age, the resurrection. The only age predicted
to come to an end in the entire bible was the old covenant age of Israel.
For more about this see
prediction.html
Revelation 22:10
10 And he said to me, "Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for
the time is at hand.
John opened the sealed vision of Daniel
because it was then "the time of the end." This does not mean that it was "the
end of time" as most preach.
Revelation 22:12
12 "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every
one according to his work.
Jesus said in Matthew that some of them would still be alive when He came back
to give His rewards. Here He is giving those rewards out: to the wicked He will
destroy them in His wrath; to the righteous He is going to allow them to flee
into the wilderness and be safe from the destruction of Jerusalem. The Song of
Moses (Deuteronomy 32:4-43) says the same thing. There Moses says it will be a
time when God will reward the wicked and be merciful to His people.
Revelation 22:20
I Am Coming Quickly not 2,000 or 3,000 years later.
20 He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
God told Daniel to seal his book because its prophecies would not be fulfilled
in the days in which they were written. But that is not what He told the apostle
John. God told John not to seal his book because the time for its fulfillment
was at hand. Even though this is what the Bible says, some contend that the
language of Revelation is misleading and say its prophecies will be fulfilled
sometime in the future. What I want to know is how can they say such a thing
when Revelation's wording is so clear? How can they honestly believe that the
angel who spoke to John missed it? Or that Jesus, who was the one who inspired
John's writings, missed it? I contend that neither the angel nor Jesus missed
anything! Rather, those who have misinterpreted Revelation's prophetic timetable
are the ones who have missed it. They have done so because they refuse to see
that most of Revelation, which was given in biblical imagery, is John's detailed
account of the Matthew and Luke's Mount Olivet Discourse, which describes Jesus'
AD 70 destruction of Jerusalem. That occurrence was the time of the end, the
time of the Abomination of Desolation.
Adapted in part from Pastor Smith