Previous Questions and Answers
What is the abomination of desolation standing in the place
where it should not? (Daniel 9 & 12 and Matthew 24 and Mark 13)
Daniel 9:24-27 says, "Seventy weeks are
determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to
make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting
righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know
therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore
and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and
threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous
times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself:
and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and
the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are
determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and IN THE MIDST OF
THE WEEK HE SHALL CAUSE THE SACRIFICE AND THE OBLATION TO CEASE, AND FOR THE OVERSPREADING
OF ABOMINATIONS HE SHALL MAKE IT DESOLATE, even until the consummation, and that
determined shall be poured upon the desolate."
At that mid-point of the Tribulation Period, several changes take place. God allows the beast to rise up and kill His two witnesses, and then resurrects them to heaven 3 1/2 days later. At this same time, there is a battle in heaven, and Satan is cast out of the heavenly realm. Because of Satan's extreme hatred for God's people, God protects them in a special way for that second 3 1/2 years. Revelation 12:6-17 says, "And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were
cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Notice that same number is used for the time of protection for God's people - "a thousand two hundred and threescore days" (3 1/2 yrs.). Later, it describes it in different terms: "a time, and times, and half a time." (a time here stands for one year: a time = 1; times = 2; half a time = 1/2; add those up, and you have 3 1/2). That is how long the children of Israel will need special protection -- the last half of the Tribulation Period when Satan is cast down to earth (no more will he be allowed to go between heaven and earth accusing God's people, like he did in Job's day, and does today, "for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night." At that mid-point of the Tribulation Period, is when Satan will cause all sacrifices to God to cease, and set up the Antichrist as "God" in the Temple. THAT IS THE "ABOMINATION THAT MAKETH DESOLATE." He will direct that all sacrifices be made to him as "God." That is described in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." Daniel 12:11 also describes it: "And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days." This is a new number, 30 days longer than the other number. So at the mid-point of the Tribulation Period, Satan will cause all sacrifices to God to cease. And by the end of 30 days after that, he will have the Antichrist set up as "God," and the sacrifices will resume -- only this time to him. Matthew 24:15-22 tells the Jews what to do when they see the sacrifices cease, and the Antichrist set up as "God." "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." They are told here to flee to the mountains, and that fits with the previous statement, "And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days." Mark 13:14-20 repeats that information. "But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days." So "the abomination of desolation" "standing where it ought not" is the Antichrist standing in the Temple making himself out to be "God." That is when the Jews need to make haste to go to "the wilderness," "the mountains" where God will protect them for 3 1/2 years.
