“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand).”(Matthew 24:15 ESV)
With every study of a particular biblical text, it is important to ask five fundamental questions. Those inquiries are fundamental to every devotional I write. The five questions, pertinent to any portion of Scripture, certainly and significantly apply to Matthew 24-25 in general, and to today’s text in particular.
Those five questions are as follows.
- What did the biblical text mean to the original audience?
- What are the differences/similarities between the biblical audience and people today?
- What is/are the principle(s) found in the biblical text?
- Are the principles(s) found in the particular biblical text found elsewhere in the Scriptures?
- How may we apply the biblical text in our lives?
Matthew 24–25 can be divided into three parts. First, Matthew 24:4–14 describes the signs of the times that will mark the present period of history between the time of Christ’s first and second advents.
Second, Matthew 24:15–25 describes a period of “great tribulation” that will come upon Israel and includes the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem.
Third, Matthew 24:26–25:46, focuses especially on the coming of the Son of Man at the end of the age and includes a summons for awareness until He comes.
For the next several days the focus will be on Matthew 24:15-25. Jesus continued to speak to His disciples (Matt. 24:1-14). They remain the original audience. We must be careful to no ignore this fact in correctly interpreting the text.
What did Jesus mean by the phrase abomination of desolation? Linguistically, abomination (βδέλυγμα; bdelygma) refers to what is detestable and abhorrent. It is a repugnant object or situation with no apparent redeemable value. Desolation (ἐρήμωσις; eremasis) is devastation and destruction.
Jesus also said this event should be known by the disciples. Daniel the prophet spoke of this detestable destruction during his ministry. The biblical texts to which Jesus referred to were Daniel 9:17, 9:27 and 11:31.
Daniel 9:17 (ESV) – “Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate.”
Daniel 9:27 (ESV) – “And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”
Daniel 11:31 (ESV) – “Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate.”
“In the second section of the discourse (vv. 15–25), Jesus shifts His attention to the first part of the disciples’ question: When will the temple be destroyed? Although futurist (dispensational) authors maintain that Jesus’ prophecy of the temple’s destruction refers to a future event that will take place after Christ’s coming and the “rapture” of the church, the context of Jesus’ prophecy and a parallel passage in Luke 21:20 conclusively argue against this view,” states Dr. Cornelius Venema.
“The obvious context for this section of the discourse is the disciples’ question regarding when the temple would be destroyed. The language that Jesus uses, including His appeal to the prophecy in Daniel 9:17 (Matt. 24:15), is too specific and graphic to be understood in any other way than as a prophetic description of what transpired at the time of the temple’s destruction in AD 70.”
“As to the erroneous implication of that question, as if the fall of Jerusalem and its temple would be immediately followed by the end of the age, Jesus has set the disciples straight on that. He has shown that many disturbances will occur and that a lengthy period of gospel proclamation is going to intervene before the day of his coming arrives. As to the first part of the question, considered all by itself, “When shall this—destruction of Jerusalem and its temple—be?” Jesus answers it now, but in such a way that the answer suits more than one event in history,” explains Dr. William Hendriksen.
What other events in biblical and recorded history relate to Jesus’ statement in Matthew 24:15? This question will be answered in our next article.
Soli deo Gloria!
His Word Today 