"Abomination and Desolation"

today's

15“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. (Matthew 24:15-16 ESV)

If we asked different Christians what the most confusing passages of scripture were, no doubt many from Revelation would be quoted. You might not think of today's scripture as hard to understand, but for some, the “abomination of desolation " causes confusion.

What makes this passage perplexing? It's not hard to spot-it's the 'abomination of desolation' phrase. What exactly is this abomination that Christ is referring to? Does it pertain to the last days or a different time? How do the prophecies of Daniel and Jesus intertwine? And who, exactly, is 'the reader '? These questions, while challenging, are crucial to unlocking the deeper meaning of this passage.

In understanding Scripture, we must read it in four contexts: canonically, literarily, historically, and culturally. We are not done yet; we must also examine and analyze the text in the lexical and grammatical sense.

 When examining the Hebrew words toevah and siqqus (תּוֹעֵבָה and שִׁקּוּץ), we find the word abomination appears more than 100 times in the Old Testament, yet only a few in the New Testament. Traditionally, an abomination is usually a greater sin. We see all sin as equal, but in the Old Testament, some sins were a death sentence while others required various levels of sacrifice.

If you follow current debates about sexual ethics, you may first think an abomination is a sexual sin. You would be correct; The Old Testament calls sexual sins like adultery, homosexuality, and bestiality abominations (e.g., Leviticus 18:22, 29-30). “Jesus now introduces the subject of sexual immorality. He referred to the sin of adultery, but He raised the standard. The Ten Commandments said, “You shall not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14) But instead of the act of adultery, Jesus included sexual lust and fantasy. Many New Testament Scriptures like Romans 1:24-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21, and Ephesians 4:17-19 lumps all sexual sins together under “immorality.” Things like fornication, homosexuality, and pornography all fit into this category.” [1] Often, “the Bible “abomination” refers to significant covenant violations, especially idolatry (in Deuteronomy alone, see 7:25, 13:6-16, 17:2-5, 18:9-12, 27:15, 32:16). Abomination may describe idolatry, including that which involved child sacrifice (1 Kings 11:7, 2 Kings 23:13). We also see the word abomination referencing idolatry in the prophets, including Daniel 9 and 11.

             The link between the prophecies of Daniel and Jesus is often disputed, but many agree it centers around the Seleucid king Antiochus Epiphanes IV, who ruled Palestine from 175-64 B.C. To suppress the Israelite rebellion during his rule, Epiphanes entered the Temple and defiled it with an idol of Zeus. This is an abomination because it is idolatry, and it brings desolation because it defiles the holy place at the heart of Israel.

Now that we have established what abomination and desolation are, we can apply them to our text. This verse is a part of the Olivet discourse where Jesus talks about the temple's destruction. This was disheartening to the apostles who asked Jesus, “When will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” (24:3).  When we look at verse 3, we interpret three questions. When, what, and will be. Jesus answered two. It is in verse 36 that Jesus starts speaking about "that day," that He is speaking of the last day.[2] 

Most scholars agree that Jesus’ prophesy referred to the Roman destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. Jesus confirms this in verse 35 when he says, “This generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.” Within 40 years of Jesus telling the apostles this prophecy, the temple fell, fulfilling his promise.

The reader is simply the reader of Matthew. This would apply to those reading Matthew’s Gospel after it was made public, now, and in the future. In Jesus' time, this was a predictor; now, it is revelatory, revealing the fulfillment of one of Christ’s prophetic statements that give us confidence His other prophecies will also come to be fulfilled. God is true to his word; He fulfills all promises and is steadfast and true. We take assurances in His words. Jesus said He would come again on the clouds, and He will.

Do you know Jesus Christ? Has he changed your heart by giving you the free gift of eternal life? If not, there is no time like the present to ask Him to become your Savior by speaking your faith in Jesus and repenting your sins before his majesty.

Grace and Peace!

[1] Go Serve Global, Breaking Sexual Bondage: Matthew 5:27-28, October 7, 2022

[2] Dan Doriani, The Gospel Coalition, What is the Abomination of Desolation, 2004