"Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand)."
by Donald Ward
One of the most pivotal and relevant
prophecies in the Bible centers around the words Christ spoke in Matthew 24:15: "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken
of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads,
let him understand)." Let's note what Daniel wrote. "And forces shall
be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then
they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination
of desolation.... And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken
away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one
thousand two hundred and ninety days" (Daniel 11:31; 12:11). Once the
abomination of desolation is placed, a definite countdown is set in
motion. This countdown highlights the pivotal nature of this prophecy.
Where will the abomination of desolation
be placed? Christ states that it will be placed in the Holy Place.
Daniel states that the sanctuary will be polluted and the daily sacrifice
will be taken away. He addresses the polluting of the sanctuary and
taking away the daily sacrifice in Daniel 8,9,11-12. So where
is the holy place, where is the sanctuary and what is the daily sacrifice?
Three principal scenarios have been articulated in an attempt to answer
these questions. We need to examine all of these.
