The Popular Encyclopedia of Bible Prophecy

OLD TESTAMENT TERMS

In the Old Testament, the phrase occurs only in Daniel (9:27; 11:31; 12:11). It conveys the feeling of horror that God’s people feel when they witness criminal and barbaric acts of idolatry. These acts rendered the Temple ritually unfit for the worship and service of God.

Daniel laments the foreign domination of Jerusalem and desolation of the Temple: “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?” (Daniel 8:13 NASB). In Daniel 12:11 we read of a foreign invader abolishing the regular sacrifice and substituting “an abomination of desolation.” The word “abomination” shows how appalled Daniel is at the forcible intrusion of idolatry into a place of sanctity in order to cause defilement.

NEW TESTAMENT TERMS

In the New Testament, the phrase appears only in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14), where Jesus has Daniel’s prophecy in mind. The term eremos (“desolation”) does appear in Luke 21:20, but it does not refer to the technical phrase and describes the condition of Jerusalem in general, not the Temple in particular. Jesus uses the same word in Matthew 23:38, and even though He is referring to the Second Temple, He is predicting its destruction (rather than its desecration) and God’s judgment upon it. This is quite distinct from the desecration caused by the abomination of desolation, which results in divine judgment not upon the Temple but upon the one who desecrates it (see Daniel 9:27). Daniel’s and Jesus’ use of the phrase clearly influenced other prophetic scriptures (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; Revelation 11:1-2).

The New Testament uses bdelugma (the Greek word translated “abomination”) four times (Luke 16:15; Revelation 7:4-5; 21:27). The Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Old Testament) uses it 17 times. It comes from a root term that means “to make foul” and “to stink.” Thus it refers to something that makes one feel nauseous, and by implication, something morally abhorrent and detestable. As with the Hebrew meaning in the Old Testament, the New Testament Greek term points particularly to idols or idolatrous practices. The Greek word eremoseos (translated “desolation”) means “to lay waste, make desolate, bring to ruin” (see Matthew 12:25; Luke 11:17; Revelation 17:16; 18:17, 19). The Septuagint uses it to describe the desolation of the Land as a result of desecration and exile.

THEOLOGICAL MEANING

In both Hebrew and Greek, the phrase the abomination of desolation is an unusual grammatical construction. The best explanation for this is the literary and theological linkage of abomination and desolation in the prophetic writings of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. These texts treat extensively the desecration and defilement of the Temple, and they frequently mention the abominations and desolations of pagan profanation of the Sanctuary (Jeremiah 4:1, 27; 7:10; 44:22; Ezekiel 5:11, 14-15; 7:20) as well as the foreign invaders who will further desecrate and destroy the Temple (Jeremiah 4:6-8; Ezekiel 6:11; 7:20-23). Jeremiah 44:22 in particular states that Israel’s abominations have caused the desolation of the Land and made it “an object of horror” (compare Ezekiel 5:11, 15; 7:20-24; 36:19-21).

This brief survey shows that the Israelites considered acts of ritual impurity and especially of foreign invasion of the Temple as ultimate violations of sanctity and as a sign of judgment. The Jews were extremely careful to prevent such acts and even built a protective fence around the Second Temple. It included a warning inscription promising death to any non-Israelite who passed beyond it into the court of the Israelites. The New Testament (Acts 21:27-28) records the violent opposition of a Jewish crowd who believed Paul had taken a Gentile proselyte (Trophimus) into the Temple to offer sacrifice. They accused Paul of “defiling the holy place” (the Temple). With this background, we can understand why the future act of desecration by the abomination of desolation is the climax of Daniel’s seventieth week and signals the intensification of God’s wrath in the second half of the Tribulation (Matthew 24:15-21; Mark 13:14-19).

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

During the construction of the Second Temple, a host of actual and would-be desecrators of the Temple invaded Jerusalem. However, Daniel appears to be predicting the invasion of the Syrian–Greek ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175–164 b.c.), who erected an idol in the Temple near the Brazen Altar. In Daniel 11:31 we read, “Forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress [Temple compound], and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation.” This occurred in 167 b.c. In response, the Jewish priests revolted and rededicated the Temple (an event commemorated as the Feast of the Dedication in John 10:22-23), leading to a Jewish military over-throw of Antiochus’ forces.

Some critical scholars have dismissed an eschatological interpretation of the abomination of desolation in Daniel, assuming all references must refer to Antiochus’ desecration and claiming Daniel was written after this event. However, Jesus understood that the historical application of the phrase to Anti-ochus’ desecration was a pattern of the ultimate eschatological event—the abomination of the Antichrist. Citing Daniel’s prophecy (some 200 years after Antiochus’ desecration) and referring to the still-future abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15; Mark13:14), Jesus affirmed both His and Daniel’s awareness of the eschatological application of the phrase.

PROPHETIC IMPLICATIONS

Jesus saw His message as a continuation of the biblical prophets and evaluated His generation in the light of them. He frequently cited Jeremiah and Zechariah and applied these prophecies to the soon-coming judgment of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 as well as the more distant final judgment. For example, at the “cleansing of the Temple,” Jesus quoted both Jeremiah 7 (which referred the threat of ritual defilement to the Temple following Jeremiah’s Temple sermon) and texts in Isaiah and Zechariah (which referred to the Temple’s future state). Jesus’ Olivet Discourse also sets the Temple in an eschatological context. When the disciples heard Jesus’ prediction of the Second Temple’s destruction (Matthew 24:1-2; Mark13:1-2; Luke 21:5-6), they apparently connected it to the messianic advent at the end of the age and asked for a sign (Matthew 24:3; Mark13:4; Luke 21:7; see also 1 Corinthians 1:22). The “sign” He gave them was that of Daniel’s abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15; Mark13:14). This, then, was the sign that the Jewish nation was nearing the time of messianic deliverance and restoration, for the desecration of the Temple would begin the persecution of the Jewish people (that is, the “great Tribulation,” Matthew 24:16-22; Mark13:14b-20). Only the Messiah Himself will be able to bring them redemption from their enemies (Matthew 24:30-31; Mark 13:26-27; Luke 21:28).

Luke’s account does not include the abomination of desolation in the Temple because this is an eschatological event, and he has selectively focused on the immediate concern of the disciples (note the phrase “about to take place” in Luke 21:7) concerning when the predicted destruction of the Temple (and Jerusalem) would occur. For this reason he also omits the end-time persecution of the Tribulation (Greek, thlipsis), which is connected with this event, substituting the term “great distress” (Greek, anagke), which better describes the local invasion and trampling of the city (Luke 21:23-24), fulfilled in the Roman conquest of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

Matthew and Mark place the abomination of desolation in the time when “the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). It separates the period of “tribulations” or “birth pangs” (Matthew 24:6-12; Mark 13:7-9) from the “great tribulation” period (Matthew 24:21; Mark 13:19). Luke does this in Luke 21:24 by separating the event of Jerusalem’s desolation (A.D. 70) and the times of the Gentiles (present age) from the time when “the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”

The abomination of desolation marks the midpoint of Daniel’s seventieth week, dividing the Tribulation into two divisions of lesser and greater intensity (Daniel 9:27). This corresponds to the “42 months” of Revelation 11:1-2 and the 1290 days of Daniel 12:11.

Preterists interpret the abomination of desolation (as they do most prophetic events) as having its ultimate fulfillment in the destruction of the Temple in A.D. 70. However, the events of the First Revolt that culminated with the destruction of A.D. 70 do not match the details in the “abomination of desolation” texts. None of the incursions by Roman officials during this time could be regarded as abominations that caused desolation because they did not affect the sacrificial system. Foreigners in the Temple may desecrate the Temple without defiling it. That is why the Jews could rebuild the Temple after its desecration and destruction by the Babylonians without the need of a purification ceremony (Ezra 3:2-13). Further, the entrance of the Roman general Titus (who destroyed the Temple) occurred only after the Sanctuary was already in flames and had been largely ruined and after the Jewish sacrifices had ceased. This is important to note since the abomination of desolation of which Daniel speaks, and to which Jesus refers, speaks only of the cessation of sacrifice in the Temple, not of the Temple’s destruction.

ESCHATOLOGICAL FOCUS

Any interpretation except the eschatological leaves us with unresolved details that we must either interpret in a nonliteral, nonhistorical manner, or dismiss altogether. The eschatological view also explains the meaning of types that await their anti-type for ultimate fulfillment. Moreover, Daniel’s seventieth week, and especially its signal event of the abomination of desolation, influenced the literary structure of the Olivet Discourse and the judgment section of the book of Revelation (chapters 6–19). Jesus’ interpretation of the order of the events of the seventieth week in the context of prophetic history appears to confirm an eschatological interpretation for Daniel 9:27. Matthew 24:7-14 predicts that persecution, suffering, and wars will continue to the end of the age, climaxing in a time of unparalleled distress (verses 21-22). This corresponds to “the time of Jacob’s distress” (Daniel 12:1; Jeremiah 30:7). Only after these events does Jesus make reference to Daniel 9:27 (verse 15) concerning the signal event of this time of Tribulation. If the seventy sevens (KJV, “weeks”) were to run sequentially, without interruption, then why does Jesus place this intervening period before the fulfillment of the events of the seventieth week? The text of Matthew in particular shows that Jesus was answering His disciples’ questions concerning His second coming and the end of the age (Matthew 24:3). Jesus here explains that His coming is necessary for divine intervention and national repentance (verses 27-31; Zechariah 12:9-10) and will occur “after the tribulation of those days” (Matthew 24:29). According to Matthew, the events described in this period prior to the messianic advent could not have been fulfilled in A.D. 70 with the destruction of Jerusalem because these events usher in and terminate with the coming of Messiah.

Although the phrase abomination of desolation does not appear in Paul’s description of the end-time desecration of the Temple in 2 Thessalonians 2:4, he obviously has this event in view. For example, the Septuagint sometimes uses both bdelugma (“abomination”) and anomia (“lawlessness”) to refer to idolatrous practices. Thus in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, Paul describes the figure who magnifies himself above every idol as “the man of lawlessness.” In fact, Paul’s explanation of this event serves as a commentary on both Daniel’s “abomination of desolation” texts (particularly Daniel 9:27) and Jesus’ statement of it as a “sign” in the Olivet Discourse. Moreover, Paul uses the event to answer the same time-related question of the end time that Jesus’ disciples asked. This further affirms the eschatological interpretation of the abomination of desolation.

Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church to admonish Christians who had abandoned the normal affairs of life. They believed the imminent coming of Christ that Paul had previously espoused (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) was already set in motion (2 Thessalonians 2:2). Paul explained that before the “appearance” of the Messiah, the Antichrist must first appear (verses 3-9). The signal event that will manifest the Antichrist, whom this text refers to as “the man of lawlessness,” “the son of destruction” (verse 3b), and “that lawless one” (verse 8), is his usurpation of God’s place in the Temple (verse 4; see also Exodus 25:8). This act will reveal not only the Antichrist but also “the lie” (the deification of the Antichrist, Revelation 13:4-6, 15) that will mark his followers (Revelation 13:16-18) and confirm them in the eschatological judgment that will occur at the coming of the Lord (2 Thessalonians 2:8-12).

ABOMINATION OF THE ANTICHRIST

Paul introduces the desecration of the Temple in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 by saying that the man of lawlessness “exalts himself.” He elevates himself “over every so-called god or object of worship.” While this might indicate a superlative blasphemy of God such as in Revelation 13:6, the immediate setting is the future (rebuilt) Jerusalem Temple, and so the “objects of worship” are sacred vessels (see 2 Chronicles 5:5-7; Hebrews 9:2-5) and the “desolation” occurs within the innermost sacred part of the Temple (the Holy of Holies), where God’s presence was previously manifested (Exodus 25:22; 30:6; see also Ezekiel 43:1-7).

The abomination, however, is the Anti-christ’s act of enthroning himself in the place of deity to “display himself ” (Greek, apodeiknunta) as God (literally, “that he is God”). This blasphemous act fulfills Daniel’s prediction that the Antichrist “will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods” (Daniel 11:36). With the satanic background of Revelation 12:9, 12-17; 13:4-10, the abomination has allusions to Isaiah 14:13-14 and Ezekiel 28:2-9, where the usurping figures “raise [their] throne above the stars of God,” “make [them-selves] like the Most High,” and declare, “I am god; I sit in the seat of the gods.”

Despite the precedent of the literal interpretation of the Olivet Discourse, which clearly refers to the desecration of the historic Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, some interpret 2 Thessalonians 2:4 in a nonliteral manner, taking “the temple of God” metaphorically as a reference to the church. They view the act of desecration by the “man of lawlessness” as apostasy in the church. However, writing to a first-century audience at a time when the Second Temple was still standing, Paul’s reference to “the temple of God” could only mean one place—the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.

We also have other reasons for rejecting the symbolic interpretation and applying the prophecy to a literal Temple (and therefore a literal abomination of desolation):(1) In the few places where Paul used the Greek word naos (“temple”) to mean something other than the actual Holy Place at Jerusalem (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:21), he always explained his special meaning so that his readers would understand his metaphorical usage. (2) The word “temple” in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 has the definite article (“ the temple”) in contrast to Paul’s metaphorical usage, where “temple” is usually anarthrous (“ a temple).” (3) “In the temple of God” modifies the verb “takes his seat” (Greek, kathisai), a verb suggesting a definite locality, not an institution (such as the church). If Paul were referring to apostasy in the church, he would better have expressed this with a verb for “enthronement” or “usurpation” rather than a verb that referred to the literal act of “taking a seat.”

The ante-Nicene church fathers affirmed the literal understanding of this passage. For example, Irenaeus (A.D. 185) wrote:“But when this Antichrist shall have devastated all things in this world, he will reign for three years and six months, and sit in the Temple at Jerusalem; and then the Lord will come from heaven in the clouds, in the glory of the Father, sending this man and those who follow him into the lake of fire; but bringing in for the righteous the times of the kingdom.” Irenaeus’ literal interpretation of the Temple’s desecration is both eschatological and premillennial. By contrast, the symbolic or “spiritual” use of “temple” for the church does not appear in developed form until the third century A.D. with Origen, who was influenced by the allegorical interpretations of the Hellenistic idealist school of Philo.

Consequently, the eschatological interpretation of the abomination of desolation has both textual support and the witness of early church apologists. It warns us of the future day of deception and desolation at the midpoint of the Tribulation, which will call for divine judgment climaxing in the return of the Lord.

—Randall Price

Dodd, C.H. “The Fall of Jerusalem and the Abomination of Desolation.” Journal of Roman Studies 37 (1947), pp. 51-63.

Ford, Desmond. The Abomination of Desolation in Biblical Eschatology. Washington, DC: University Press of America, 1979.

Price, Randall. The Desecration and Restoration of the Temple in the Old Testament, Jewish Apocalyptic Literature, and the NewTestament. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI, 1993.

Wenham, David. “Abomination of Desolation.” In Anchor Bible Dictionary. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

Zmijewski, J. “Bdelugma.” In Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament. Edited by Horst Balz and Gerhard Schneider. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1978.

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Excerpted from The Popular Encyclopedia of Bible Prophecy by Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, general editors; Wayne A. Brindle, managing editor. Copyright © 2004 by Harvest House Publishers. Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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