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) Matthew 24: 15
The disciples had asked Jesus to describe the signs of His Coming and of the end of the world, whereupon Jesus began to set out an order of future events. When He reached the point where He said “and this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations,” (Matthew 24:14) He stated, “and then shall the end come.” In the very next verse Jesus describes the scene which will echo the end and warns us to read and understand the signs. He spoke the words recorded above, “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet…” Moffat interprets this as “When you see the appalling horror spoken of by the prophet Daniel.” Ferrar Fenton calls it the “desolating beast” and Goodspeed translates it as the “dreadful desecration.”
Now, I’m not saying it is, but I’m not saying it isn’t, but the present debacle in Lebanon could very well fit the bill of “appalling horror.” Lord knows what it will look like and how much it will have expanded when this magazine is published a month from now in September, 2006. For the horrific Israeli bombing of Lebanon is destroying that nation’s infrastructure and the killing and maiming of thousands (many of whom are Christian peoples) is setting off alarm bells all over the world. By the same token, the indiscriminate rocket war against Israel by Hezabolah is taking an increasing toll day after day. Worse yet, this conflict has all the earmarks of an expanding war, first drawing into the fray other Mid-East countries like Syria and Iran, with perhaps America and Britain following along, then possibly Russia, China and who knows what other nations.
Initially, there was some understanding of the Israeli position but with the growing intensity and devastation of their bombing, world and public opinion has waned to some degree. Even the Christian community, who since 1948 has firmly embraced the fable that Israel (of old) has been restored to her land in fulfillment of the prophecies mouthed by the prophets of God, is now looking upon the violence and destruction with growing division.
But, what is this “appalling horror” or “abomination of desolation” spoken of by Daniel the prophet? We must turn back to Daniel 9:27, the finale, you might say, of the seventy week prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27, a prophecy which had a short term and also has a long term fulfillment. Of course, from a prophetic standpoint, the 70 weeks correlates to 490 days (70 x 7) and employing God’s instructions for Israel, as found in Ezekiel 4:6, “I have appointed thee each day for a year,” the 490 days further correlates to 490 years. You might like to look at the accompanying graph to see how these 490 years unfolded for the Nation of Judah (Jews) the first time around and how they are unfolding in the second fulfillment, this time for “True Israel.”
After Daniel wrote that Christ would confirm the Covenant with many for one week (seven days) and in the midst of the week would cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease, he penned these words to which Matthew referred, “and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” As Rand suggested in his “Study of Daniel” Rev. Elbert Barnes, in his own study of Daniel written in 1853, demonstrated how the word “overspreading” means a “wing,” like the wing of a bird. Of course, Rev. Barnes had no way of foreseeing the appalling horror that could be unleashed by today’s airplanes, missiles and rockets. Interestingly enough, one major newspaper has speculated that what is taking place in Lebanon now could well blossom into World War Three. If this is the case, the appalling horror will expand to every part of the Mid-East, then, as Ezekiel wrote, to the lands of the unwalled villages (Canada, America, Britain, etc.).
This is such a vast subject that it could not possibly be discussed in a short editorial but there is a strange correlation between the first and second fulfillments of the Seventy Week prophecy that might be mentioned. In the first fulfillment, the Jews believed themselves strong enough to throw off the bonds of the Romans but after Christ withdrew the protection of the Kingdom and described their future, their nation was destroyed some forty years later. This time, through its airpower, the modern Israeli State, along with its allies, America and Britain, appear invincible and whether we like to admit it or not, these nations are inflicting tremendous damage on the lands of the Middle-East. If Scripture holds to course, the airpower of enemy nations will also inflict severe damage in their part of God’s Plan. Mark 13:14 is interesting in that he writes that the abomination of desolation [winged destruction] is “standing where it ought not.” This is a chilling thought as we think of our forces entrenched in Afghanistan and Iraq and Israeli forces moving into Lebanon and with an eye on Syria and Iran.
 Jesus said, “and then shall the end come.” He also told us in Matthew 24:25 and Mark 13:23 that He told us before. Where, you might ask. Well, He warned us through the prophet Ezekiel’s prophecy that the end was coming, in fact, Ezekiel 7 records four such statements, another one that the “time is come” and that the “day draweth nigh.”
So, perhaps the time is close at hand. Yet, after describing the return of the Lord in 1 Thessalonians 4, the Apostle Paul writes [and I quote Knox] that “there is no need to write about the times and the seasons because we are keeping it in mind without being told, that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. It is just when men are saying, All quiet, all safe, that doom will fall upon them suddenly, like the pangs that come to a woman in travail….” So, perhaps one of the best clues to the fulfillment of prophecy is to keep an eye on the Middle-East turmoil and see whether some sort of peace treaty is brokered by the United Nations. Indeed, this may be the best evidence of the times and seasons.
There was forty years between the Crucifixion of Christ and the end of the Jewish Nation at Massada and one might ask whether there will be forty years also between the end of the second fulfillment of the Seventy Week prophecy and the Kingdom age. Probably not! Because after Christ warned of the abomination of desolation, He said that the days would be shortened. With the mindset of man and all the weapons of mass destruction pointed at each other, it would be like Daniel described in 12:1, “and shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation…” I like the way Knox has interpreted Matthew 24:22, “There would be no hope left for any human creature, if the number of those days had not been cut short, but those days will be cut short, for the sake of the elect.”
You might say, Reader, that we are in the most interesting of times, yet we must steel ourselves against devastating events. Still, the prize at the end for the believer will be worth all the tribulation. May God protect us and give us courage as we face a troublesome future. |
