The following is an excerpt from The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Matthew 24. Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, stan
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The Abomination of Desolation
The following is an excerpt from
The MacArthur New Testament Commentary on Matthew 24.
Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand). (
Matthew 24:15)
During the end times, the Antichrist will head a confederacy of ten European nations that will generally correspond to the territory of the ancient Roman empire (see
Dan. 7:24; cf.
2:40–43), and he will at first pretend to be Israel’s deliverer from her enemies, and she will make an alliance with him (9:27). But after he is victorious over the nations from the south, north, and east who have come against Israel, he will reveal his true evil character and his hatred for Israel and for God (
Dan. 11:40–45). It is while occupying Israel under the guise of being her protector that the Antichrist will commit
the abomination of desolation.
Bdelugma (
abomination) denotes an object of disgust, repulsion, and abhorrence. In Scripture it is used primarily to denote things associated with idolatry and gross ungodliness. The Hebrew equivalent was often used of rites and paraphernalia associated with the wicked conduct of pagan religions. In the book of Revelation it is used to represent the immoralities and spiritual uncleanness of the false religious system known as “Babylon the great, the mother of harlots” (17:4–5). In the new heaven and new earth there will be “nothing unclean and no one who practices abominations and lying” (21:27).
The abomination of desolation may be translated, “the abomination which makes desolate, or lays waste.” In other words,
the abomination causes the
desolation.
The prophet Daniel referred to the abomination of desolation three times (9:27; 11:31; 12:11). Virtually every Bible scholar, no matter what his views on eschatology, identifies that abomination as the sacrilege committed by Antiochus IV, the Syrian king who ruled Palestine from 175–165 b.c. as a surrogate of the Greek empire. He took to himself the title Theos Epiphanes, which means “manifest god,” but his enemies nicknamed him Epimanes, which means “madman” or “the insane one.” Ironically, when he died in 163, he was totally insane, outraged to the point of madness because of his military defeats by the Jewish rebel Judas Maccabaeus. The text of
Daniel 11:21–35 perfectly describes the rule of Antiochus, who gained his throne “by intrigue” (v. 21), made numerous excursions into Egypt (vv. 24–27), broke his covenant with Israel (v. 28), and desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem (v. 31).