16 Necessarily the fulfillment of this prophecy means great tribulation for Christendom, the most reprehensible part of Babylon the Great. It is not the military people, the legions of the pagan Roman Empire. When he came to suppress the rebellion, his forces entered the temple, stopped the regular sacrifices, set up an idol of or altar for Zeus, and apparently offered swine there as a sacrifice. . (b)What was the reason for this? Therefore, if people say to you, Look! 24 And as Jesus added: In fact, unless those days were cut short, no flesh would be saved; but on account of the chosen ones those days will be cut short. (Matt. (b)Daniel 11:31 associates the disgusting thing with what power struggle, and what has been the thing that they put in place? idolatry. In view of what does a question of doubt arise as to Christendoms desolation? Keep praying that your flight may not occur in wintertime, nor on the sabbath day; for then there will be great tribulation. (Matt. A mountain, hill. However, obviously, the Watchtower has a hidden agenda, as they make no such connection. 15 "The prophet Daniel said that the disgusting thing that will cause destruction will stand in the holy place. In other words, they receive the judgment of the second death, which Jehovahs Witnesses correctly understand to mean permanent death no resurrection. . is a type or prophetic picture of the desolating of modern-day Christendom, which is likewise unbelieving as regards the Holy Bible and its Author, Jehovah God. Jesus foretells the destruction of the temple; that the gospel must be preached to all nations; that great calamities shall happen to the Jews; and the manner of his coming to judgment; the hour whereof being known to none, every man is to watch and pray, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, NT Gospels: Mark 13:14 But when you see the abomination (Mar Mk Mr). 36. flee to the mountains (Luke 21:10-24). (b)May they be among those to whom what cry of praise to Jehovah is directed? 17 Those who are on the roof should not come down to get anything out of their houses. to discern clearly; by extension, to attend to; by Hebraism, to experience; passively, to appear. As regards the little horn with eyes and a mouth speaking great blasphemies, the prophecy states: I kept watching as that horn made war on the holy ones, and it was prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days came and judgment was rendered in favor of the holy ones of the Supreme One, and the appointed time arrived for the holy ones to take possession of the kingdom., In the book of Revelation, the same event is depicted thusly: But as for the courtyard that is outside the temple sanctuary, leave it out and do not measure it, because it has been given to the nations, and they will trample the holy city underfoot for 42 months. Standing where it ought not.--St. Christendoms destruction had its prophetic picture made nineteen hundred years ago. That destructive hate must therefore strike at Christendom, the hypocritical Christian organization. In the year 1930 it was plainly called the abomination that maketh desolate of Matthew 24:15 in the second volume of the book called Light, pages89 and 103, as published nine years before World WarII. Today, Barry Cooper turns to the context of Christ's warning to give clarity to this figure's identity. The word "desolation" means to be in a condition that is uninhabitable and devastated. 20 The scarlet-colored wild beast and its ten horns devastate Babylon the Great (including Christendom), but not because they want to glorify Jehovah God and because they have come to love him now that they have turned to hating the religious harlot. What? Additional prophecies of a disgusting thing. Is this a figure we should still expect, or has he come already? Let the man on the housetop not come down to take the goods out of his house, and let the man in the field not return to pick up his outer garment. How? Though it has historical fulfillments, there is also a future fulfillment when daily sacrifices will be offered in Jerusalem and then cut off and replaced by some sort of blasphemous display. Thus, the causing of desolation by the disgusting thing was imminent, and so this was the final signal for discerning Christians to flee to the mountains. (Mt 4:5; 27:53; 24:15, 16; Lu 19:43, 44; 21:20-22) Following their flight, the desolation of the city and nation occurred, Jerusalem being destroyed in the year 70C.E., and the last Jewish stronghold, Masada, falling to the Romans in 73C.E.Compare Da 9:25-27. It may well be. Calling to mind the words of the Lord Jesus, discerning Christians living in Judea and Jerusalem seized the opportunityto flee before the disgusting thing returned three and a half years later bringing utter desolation upon the holy city. Keep praying that your flight may not occur in wintertime nor on the Sabbath day; for then there will be great tribulation such as has not occurred since the worlds beginning until now, no, nor will occur again.In fact, unless those days were cut short, no flesh would be saved; but on account of the chosen ones those days will be cut short., That the admonition above applies to Christians in the future and not merely those living in Judea in the first century is evident from the span of verses immediately following, where Jesus went on to say: Then if anyone says to you, Look! This something different does not restrict matters to a modern-day period of three and a half years to parallel the period of 66-70C.E. 5,6. The reasons for uncertainty are easy to list. 32 Other Bible texts combine together to show such guidance. The salvation and the glory and the power belong to our God, because his judgments are true and righteous. Such tribulation means utter destruction for her! 7:9-17; Matt. For just as the lightning comes out of the east and shines over to the west, so the presence of the Son of man will be. 9. . 17:1-6,18) Back in 1930 the publication Light, VolumeII, pages87-93, explained her to be organized Christian religion or organized Christianity as exemplified in Christendom. 8. 18 The United Nations organization is described as a "disgusting thing" because it claims to be able to do something that only God's Kingdom can do bring world peace. (a)Why does not the scarlet-colored wild beast gain a reward for being used as an instrument in devastating Babylon the Great? a great crowd of sheeplike persons have been separated from the goatlike persons who do not do good to the anointed chosen ones, the spiritual brothers of Jesus Christ. Yes, the ten-horned scarlet-colored wild beast is still the thing that Babylon the Great hailed as a substitute for Gods Messianic kingdom. Help train Christians to boldly share the good news of Jesus Christ in a way that clearly communicates to this secular age. An expression like that of Daniel (associating disgusting things with desolation) appears in the Apocryphal book of 1 Maccabees (1:54) as applying to this event. While the Jewish people, and particularly their religious leaders in Jesus days on earth, were evidently scrupulous in avoiding anything connected with literal idols, they were, nevertheless, guilty of disgusting practices of self-idolatry, disobedience, hypocrisy, greed, and falsehood, and Jesus said that, like their forefathers, they had turned the temple into a cave of robbers. (Mt 23:1-15, 23-28; Lu 16:14, 15; compare Mt 21:13 and Jer 7:11,30.) (a)What other gathering under angelic guidance has been going on since 1935C.E.? Love of Christendom is not going to deepen or to spread. See Insight on the Scriptures . For then the closing part of the great tribulation will eternally desolate the disgusting desolator of all Babylon the Great. The Gospel Coalition supports the church by providing resources that are trusted and timely, winsome and wise, and centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus gave relatively little attention to the question When? and much toward the question How shall we live faithfully? Preaching on such texts today should be shaped by Jesus concern for the welfare and endurance of his church. And they will put in place the disgusting thing that causes desolation., First, it is important to note that there is an obvious connection between the profanation of the sanctuary, the fortress and the removal of the so-called constant feature, as well as the putting in place of the disgusting thing that causes desolation. And those armies brought desolation because their commander leveled the city and entered the holy of holies, defiling it. (b)What salvation will they experience as regards the coming tribulation? All political rulers pictured by the ten horns, yes, in fact, the whole political system pictured by the scarlet-colored wild beast will hate her. The death toll reached over a million due to the fact that the Romans besieged the city during Passover when Jerusalem was packed with worshippers and sojourners from faraway. Such Jerusalem was considered holy by the Jews down till its destruction in 70C.E., and it was the type, the warning example. It was in the year 66 C.E. Verb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person Singular. Returning to Daniel 11:31, what are the arms that will stand up proceeding from the king of the north? As regards the proper identification of the they who put in place the disgusting thing, we must look to the 13th chapter of Revelation, where we are informed that a two-horned beast will ascend from the bowels of the earth and authoritatively speak as a dragon commanding that an image of the seven-headed beast be made, which then comes to life. 2 Who, though, suggested such an almost unbelievable thing? A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. An entity needs to have a linkage with food, have contamination potential, and also a sense of 'offensiveness' in order to . Jesus foretold: "When you catch sight of the disgusting thing that causes desolation, as spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in a holy place, (let the reader use discernment,) then let those in Judea begin fleeing to the mountains." (Matt. The desolating of unbelieving Jewish Jerusalem in the year 70C.E. . A desolation, devastation. (a)When in the great tribulation does Christendom get destroyed? 18 So when Revelation 17:16 foretells that the symbolic wild beast and its ten horns turn to hating the religious harlot and make her devastated and naked and eat up her fleshy parts and completely burn her with fire, it means that this treatment will be experienced and shared by Christendom, the antitypical unfaithful Jerusalem. The Disgusting Thing that Causes Desolation - part 2. Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases on Amazon.com. 24:3-15) This present-day system of things does not itself end with the desolating of antitypical Jerusalem (Christendom) and of the remainder of Babylon the Great. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. And a believer will not wantto flee. The fall of Jerusalem, Jesus return, and the end of the age were one complex event in their minds. It is One whose prophecies have not failed in one case till now. What was the first-century type of modern-day Christendom, and how was her desolation typified? She is an international religious harlot, for the kings of the earth commit spiritual fornication with her and the commercial leaders of the earth do business with her. This is what is symbolized in Revelation the 17th chapter where the 10 kings, symbolizing all the national governments, give their kingdom to the wild beast until the will of God is accomplished. Will Gods chosen ones of today yet have a similar signal to flee and begin fleeing out of the antitypical unfaithful Jerusalem, Christendom? Their being gathered together has doubtless been done under the active guidance of the heavenly angels sent forth by the invisibly present Jesus Christ. Concerning this a number of questions come to mind foremost being: What is this disgusting thing? 31 Since the tribulation of those days upon ancient Jerusalem nineteen centuries have passed. 35 But will the great tribulation then be complete? In the 1st century CE it was taken up by the authors of the gospels in the context of the Roman destruction of . (a)Till when did the chosen ones of nineteen hundred years ago wait before fleeing out of all Judea? (a)Despite the destruction of Babylon the Great, what will the Eighth World Power never be able to boast of having accomplished? But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 18:4) They did not wait until after the year 1945 nor until after they saw correctly what the disgusting thing is. In the concluding words of the prophecy Daniel recorded the words of an angel who said: It is apparent that the removal of the constant feature and the placing of the disgusting thing are inseparable. It may seem to us that they asked three questions: But a close reading shows that Jesus heard and answered two questions. Eusebius, the first great historian of the church, says that when the Romans fell upon Jerusalem, the church at Jerusalem . Whatever remains of the Watchtower then will be subservient to Satans kingdom. But primarily what causes the Bible to call it disgusting or abominable is that it was put in place of Gods Messianic kingdom for which Christians are taught to pray. 14 Of the 127 members of the United Nations do the many non-Christian nations love Christendom? It should be noted, however, that Daniel 11:31-35 and 12:9, 11 connect a disgusting thing causing desolation with the time of the end. It is reasonable that the development of this latter expression of the disgusting thing causing desolation in the time of the end should follow the general pattern of that in the first century C.E., though not being restricted to the land of Israel. From ana and ginosko; to know again, i.e. Who or what is that Disgusting thing that causes desolation? An abominable thing, an accursed thing. The priesthood in the family of Aaron the brother of Moses that carried on the religious services at that temple does not exist anymore. Hence what affects the most important part will also affect the rest or remaining part of Babylon the Great. So, a careful reading of the Scriptures indicates that the disgusting thing standing in a holy place precedes the revelation of the Son of man and the gathering of the sons of the Kingdom. According to Daniels prophecy, Da chapter eleven, verse 31 thirty-one, the disgusting thing is something that is put in place during the struggle between the king of the north and the king of the south. That verse reads: And they will certainly put in place the disgusting thing that is causing desolation. In this time of the end for both the democratic king of the south and the totalitarian king of the north, this disgusting thing that has been put in place has been the international organization for world peace and security. When, whenever. And the wild beast that was but is not, it is also itself an eighth king, but springs from the seven, and it goes off into destruction.Rev. Judea, a Roman province, capital Jerusalem. The disciples then asked Jesus to explain: When will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age? (24:3). (a)What has that Seventh World Power professed to be religiously, and so what question arises? But Jehovah God has a heavy account to settle with all the rest of the world empire of false religion, namely, Babylon the Great. In reality, the idols were merely fronts for the demons to receive the worship that belonged to Jehovah. (b)In spite of what fact has Christendom been most forward in riding the United Nations, and why? However, there are still a number of serious problems with Bethels latest, revised interpretation foremost being, that the eighth king, symbolized by the scarlet-colored wild beast from the abyss regardless of what agency ultimately fulfills the role has not begun ruling for the prophesied one hour.. Up until relatively recently (1999) Jehovahs Witnesses believed that the United Nations was already standing in the holy place, which I will not bother to explain the convoluted rationale behind since it has been discarded. On the word immediately Dr.A.T.Robertson says in his commentaries: This word, common in Marks Gospel as euthus, gives trouble if one stresses the time element. 25. In what sense should readers flee to the mountains? Verb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person Plural. (a)What signal were the chosen ones of nineteen centuries ago given to flee at once from Judea? 6 The present time of the end is therefore the period of time in which Christendom will be brought to desolation by the disgusting thing that is causing desolation. Christendom, be it remembered, is the dominant part of todays worldly system of things, and so unavoidably she must come to an end with it. Please make sure all fields are filled out. The survivors on earth will look back at the desolating of Christendom and of all Babylon the Great and the supernatural destruction of all the remainder of this system of things as proving to be just what Jesus Christ foretold it would be. 11 Well then, is it the desolator? PREVIOUS Matthew 24:14 NEXT Matthew 24:16. All of them are armed, more heavily and destructively so than has been the case of the nations in all previous history. No Jew can prove his qualifications as a real member of that priestly family. Young's Literal Translation for Matthew 24:15. the present worldwide system of things has been in its time of the end. (Luke 21:24) The prophet Daniel associates the time of the end with the placing of the disgusting thing that is causing desolation when he writes: Make secret the words and seal up the book, until the time of the end. It states: And arms will stand up, proceeding from him; and they will profane the sanctuary, the fortress, and remove the constant feature. We begin with the key phrase, "abomination of desolation." The term "abomination" (Hebrew toevah and siqqus) appears more than 100 times in the Old Testament and just a few times in the New Testament. 19. . Here is a link to a Watchtower article fleshing out the setting leading up to the desolation of Jerusalem. And an army was given over, together with the constant feature, because of transgression; and it kept throwing truth to the earth, and it acted and had success., In the next verse the fierce-looking king is shown to also bring desolation upon a holy place. The sheeplike ones, who are gathered to the right hand of the King Jesus Christ, will make up the flesh that will be saved by the cutting short of the days of tribulation on account of Gods chosen ones. So these sheeplike ones will not join the nations in beating themselves in lamentation when the Son of man makes it evident to all people on earth that he, although invisible as if enveloped with the clouds of heaven, is coming with power and great glory to destroy the goatlike persons.Matt. The Watchtower first began teaching that the League of Nations was the original abomination as well as the manifestation of the symbolic scarlet-colored beast of Revelation back around 1929. . CHRISTENDOM is represented by her hundreds of religious sects. 21,22. [1] Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, trans. He was also a lead pastor of a very small church (5 years) and a very large church (eleven years. Most other translations use the expression armed forces instead of merely arms. These forces under the command of the king of the north likely are presently manifest in military alliances such as NATO and various other coalitions, but may also be expressed by militarized police and the oxymoronically named Homeland Security force in the United States, which in the event of martial law will come to the fore as the enforcer of the dictates of the last kingdom of man. This prophecy makes sense only with reference to the fall of Jerusalem. Now, lets consider Daniel 11:31 more closely. Woe to the pregnant women and those nursing a baby in those days! 13 Exactly so, the international organization for world peace and security springs from the preceding seven world powers or surviving relics of them, and it is in itself an eighth world power. The abomination of desolation is a prophetic event found in the book of Daniel (Daniel 12:11) and referred to by Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:15). Why, hate will soon lead to the destruction of the Babylonish world empire of false religion. Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 2nd Person Plural. In all biblical uses, the term can be . And since that is prior to the destruction of Babylon the Great the disgusting thing includes the harlot with her cup full of disgusting things. Besides that inconvenient fact, the U.S. was not even a member of it. When you see 'the abomination that causes desolation' standing where it does not belong--let the reader understand--then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. . And then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will beat themselves in lamentation, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. An abomination is normally a great sin, commonly worthy of death.