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In Matthew Chapter 24 Jesus warned of the end time scenario, and said that when we saw the Abomination of Desolation standing in the Holy Place, that was when things were really going to get bad:

Matthew 24:15 KJV

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:)

I have searched the Scriptures in an effort to determine what he meant by the Holy place, but all I find is that the area in the Tabernacle just outside the curtain designating the holy of holies is called the holy place.

Exodus 26:33 KJV

And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between the holy place and the most holy.

Is there any other guidance that I have overlooked, which someone can point out.

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    One common belief is that it is talking about the most holy place in the temple. Currently, this place does not exist, but the thought is that at some point in the future, the temple will be rebuilt, and the Abomination of Desolation will desecrate the temple, according to Jesus' prophecy.
    – Ben Miller
    Dec 6, 2013 at 21:52
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    @BenMiller That is the start of an excellent answer. You should expand on it and add references. Dec 7, 2013 at 3:05
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5 Answers 5

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*When the power of the holy people is broken *

7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.

Daniel 12:7

For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and then all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,

“The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” 27 “This is [i]My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.”

It is believed and has been believed by many Christians, that at a point before the return of Christ, the Nation of Israel, as a nation, will turn en-mass to Christ. This belief is taken mainly from Romans chapter 11. Paul goes to great lengths in this chapter to explain what he calls a 'mystery'.

A book By Ian Murray called 'The Puritan hope'(Banner of truth trust), is a good twentieth century exposition of this chapter in Romans. The author puts together the history of this teaching particularly from the the 16 century to this day.

Some of the people who hold this view, namely that immediately before the return of Christ there will be a an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on a scale not seen before in history! It will be sparked by the conversion of Israel as a nation (The redeemer will come from Zion). Their conversion as a nation will result in a world wide revival. This belief is taken from Romans 11:11

11 I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. 12 Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!

In other words if the effect of the rejection of Jesus by the Jews results in riches of knowledge and grace for the Gentiles, what will be the outcome of the Jews accepting the Gospel as a nation? Paul says it will be "Life from the dead". Many Christians deduct from this that not only will Israel turning to Christ bring incredible blessing to the nations, it will also signify the time of the end and of Christs return, ("LIFE FROM THE DEAD")

To put it simply. There will be a turning of the whole World to Christ. Then the abomination or the beast will arise again to destroy this body of believers.

5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to [a]rule all the [b]nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she *had a place prepared by God, so that there [c]she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

The final outcome after the beast has ravaged the follows of Christ and a third of the stars are cast to the Earth(Rev 12:1-6), the nations will finally gather together at Jerusalem, what is considered 'The Holy city',

Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”

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:)

It is possible that the "Temple of God, and the alter do signify the Spiritual worship of God in prayer and therefore, the holy people, not an actual temple or alter! The beast will trample the people of God! The last stronghold in the World will be Jerusalem where the Two Witnesses will smite the beast and his followers with famine and plauge,

Rev 10:4-6

These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.

Daniel 12:5 NASV

Then I, Daniel, looked and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the river and the other on that bank of the river. And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?” I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.

It would be difficult, not to see, the two witnesses, in Revelation as here in Daniel. Parallel prophecies from the Old and the New testaments regarding one event..the Revelations of John.

The end. Their will be a slaughter of horrible proportions, a slaughter of Christians. But in order for their to be a mass slaughter their must be a mass conversion.

Matthew 24:22 New American Standard Bible (NASB) Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

Romans 11:11 NASV

I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. 12 Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be! But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too."

Mathew 24:

“Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Again the bible teaches a great apostacy,

2 Thessalonians 2 New King James Version (NKJV)

The Great Apostasy

"Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God."

Let me suggest, that there could only be a great apostasy, if there had first been a great revival of Christianity. What caused this great apostasy? A great persecution, for father will betray son and son father. True Christianity is not in any way compatible with the present world system. When hundreds of millions, perhaps billions of people turn to Christ, such people who are presently employed in many services, companies etc who's moral standard will not be compatible with their new minds, will no be able to continue in any employment which is corrupt, or of the nature of the beast's system. "Come out from her my people," will be Gods call to them, and do not participate in her sins for she has corrupted the Earth with her luxuries and vanity. The merchants will cry when they see Babylon destroyed and the Merchants **of the earth will wail because the great city that made them rich **is no more. This will mean massive economic and socialogical upheaval. Jobs where persons are employed in making weapons of war, or of gambling (financial services) or of any other employment that destroys and pollutes the Earth and Gods people, will be abandoned by Christ call to the elect, causing massive disruption to this present corrupt system Babylon(Confusion is the nature of this World system. There is no justice here or truth or righteousness and our thoughts are only sin continually(Gen 6:5). The number of the beast, 666 , is the number of a man, the man that serves numbers or mammon!

It is said of the Beast that..

Revelation 17 English Standard Version (ESV) The Great Prostitute and the Beast

"Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” 3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.” 6 And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus."

When I saw her, I marveled greatly. But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction.

I would like to draw your attention to the words "was, and is not, and is about to rise" The present world system and its ruling families will be almost shattered by the revival that is coming. Initially the world rulers will stumble and fall (was), they will see their power dramatically reduced and dying.(is not)(for Christ will rule the world through his people and the gospel will be preached in all nations.) it will be like a millennium of peace(Rev 20: 1-3). Their only recourse will be force. To crush the opposition*(is about to rise)*.

This they will do, in a terrible display of the wickedness of man and sin. Unless those days had been cut short..

Matthew 24:22 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

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    @ John Unsworth your answer is obviously well researched and you are to be commended for that, therefore I am voting you answer up. However many of your references are not labeled so that they are easily identifiable. I cannot accept your answer as my choice since we differ far to widely in our reading of too many scriptures. I do thank you for your effort and look forward to more input from you.
    – BYE
    Dec 8, 2013 at 14:16
  • Only time will tell Cecil, as regards the interpretation of prophecy! And I think that time is at hand. Apologies for not referencing everything! I have other duties and time is pressing sometimes.! So you do not agree that there is the possibility that the Holy place is actually the people of God and Jerusalem. After all in Rev 11, Jerusalem 'the place', is called, Sodom and Egypt where also their Lord was crucified! But the bride, the New Jerusalem are the Holy City! The twelve gates are the twelve apostles etc.! Thanks for your time in responding..! Dec 8, 2013 at 16:57
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I believe the answer can be found simply by doing a verse by verse comparison with the parallel account in Luke 21. Matthew was writing to Jewish people and therefore left these apocalyptic statements of Jesus in their original form because they would more readily understand the symbolism being employed. Luke on the other hand was writing to Gentiles who needed quite a bit of clarification. The passages that are parallel are as follows:

  • Lk 21:5-6 Mt 24:1-2;
  • Lk 21:7 Mt 24:3;
  • Lk 21:8 Mt 24:4-5;
  • Lk 21:9-11 Mt 24:6-8;
  • Lk 21:13 Mt 24:14;
  • Lk 21:12 Mt 24:9-10;
  • Lk 21:14-15 Mt 24:-- (see Mk 13:11 though);
  • Lk 21:16-17 Mt 24:12;
  • Lk 21:18-19 Mt 24:13;
  • Lk 21:20-21 Mt 24:15-16;
  • Lk 21:-- (see Mk 13:15-16 though) Mt 24:17-18;
  • Lk 21:22 Mt 24:--;
  • Lk 21:23 Mt 24:19-20;
  • Lk 21:23-24 Mt 24:21;
  • Lk 21:-- (see Mk 13:20) Mt 24:22;
  • Lk 21:-- (see Mk 13:21-22) Mt 24:11,23-25

In Luke 21:20 then we find the statement is much plainer. There we learn that the holy place was 1st century Jerusalem.

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  • Perhaps, but Luke 21:20 is not a very close parallel of Matt 24:15.
    – curiousdannii
    Oct 19, 2016 at 12:02
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    On their own, they may not seem related but taken in context as shown above, the association becomes much clearer.
    – Carmine
    Oct 19, 2016 at 13:37
  • @Carmine in addition to your comparison, prior to Darby and his time, the early commentaries all saw Mt. 24 and Revelation as fulfilled, except for the millennial reign. So the point of the holy place as Jerusalem, rather than some rebuilt temple with a holy place, really fits the historic early church view the best.
    – SLM
    Feb 5, 2018 at 0:18
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I agree with John Unsworth's answer above.

I would add a few verses to consider:

In Rev 11:1,

And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.,

The reed given to John is like a staff. That is a shepherd's tool for separating the sheep from the goats.

In Eze 9:6

Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.

Lastly, in Dan 9:27,

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

The "sacrifice and the oblation" of our present time is the Blood and Body of Holy Communion.

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Mathew 24:15 refers to area around the city of Jerusalem

When the idolatrous standards of the Romans should be set up in the holy ground, which extended some furlongs outside the city walls, then the followers of Christ were to find safety in flight.

Luke says "when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies."

If you go to Nehemiah you will find out why they told the merchandisers not to come near the city of Jerusalem on Sabbath. The area around Jerusalem was considered Holy ground. To see Roman signs of their pagan gods being placed around the city was revolting to the Jews. It was a sign given by Daniel as the abomination that causes desolation (destruction)

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  • Please edit your answer to include a citation / scriptural passage, for where Luke refers to that. Welcome to Christianity.SE. Please take the tour and visit the help to see how an SE site is not a discussion forum. I edited your post out of "wall of text" format. "Wall of Text" is not an acceptable presentation style for this kind of Q&A site. Jul 31, 2019 at 15:49
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Either people are not reading their bibles, or God is spiritually blinding people for some reason because He doesn't want them to see this (I don't know) but it is quite shocking that people don't know what The Holy Place is. That some people with think perhaps it's the western wall, perhaps it is that pile of dirt in the land is quite shocking.

Matthew 24:15

KJV 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:)

Exodus 26:33

And thou shalt hang up the vail under the taches, that thou mayest bring in thither within the vail the ark of the testimony: and the vail shall divide unto you between The Holy Place and the most holy.

1 Kings 8:10

And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of The Holy Place that the cloud filled the house of the Lord,

enter image description here

http://larryavisbrown.homestead.com/files/ot_history/unit3/Solomons_temple_layout.jpg

So now we know what the Holy Place is. Now what exactly is the abomination of desolation? I'm gonna go a step further and compare three passages.

Matthew 24:15

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:)

Mark 13:14

But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:

2 Thess 2:4

Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Here is how we know 2 Thess 2:4 is not the AOD (abomination of desolation).

2 Thess 2:4 says the antichrist SITS, Mat 24:15 says the AOD stand, MK 13:14 says standing, so we learn it doesn't SIT it stands.

Secondly the Antichrist is a HE in 2 Thess 2:4, the AOD is an IT in MK 13:14. And we know this IT that STANDS is in The Holy Place Mat 24:15. I'm pretty sure the AOD is the image of the beast, it is going to be placed in The Holy Place, I can't say for 100% certainty it is the image of the beast, but I'm about 95% sure that is what it is.

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  • ok so if AOD is "the image of the beast" then what is "the image of the beast" then? I mean, what does it stand for or symbolize?
    – user100487
    Feb 5, 2018 at 15:54
  • Also 2 Thes. 2:4 is about the temple of God, that's believers.
    – SLM
    Feb 5, 2018 at 16:44
  • Quote:ok so if AOD is "the image of the beast" then what is "the image of the beast" then? I mean, what does it stand for or symbolize...... I'm using the KJV, Rev 13:14 says the people on the earth are to make an image to the beast,13:15 says the image speaks, and kills those that do not worship it. It's some type of Idol that moves and speaks. I'm thinking a robot, they are messing with technology now creating robots, there is a movie called "Image of the beast" from the 1980s which showed the image as a Robot in the temple also. So I believe it will be a robot of the antichrist.
    – user4463
    Mar 30, 2018 at 13:53
  • @SLM No 2 Thess 2:4 is about the Jerusalem temple, 2 Thess 2:3 tells us who sits in the temple of V4, and the one sitting in the temple is the man of sin also called the son of perdition, the Holy Spirit is not the man of sin/the son of perdition in 2 Thess 2:3. 2 Thess 2:3-4 is not referring to 1 Corinthians 3:16.
    – user4463
    Mar 30, 2018 at 14:02
  • @user4463 all Pauline references to temple as the Greek "naos" refer to believers. The man of sin sits in the temple of believers as God. Those who teach it is about a rebuilt physical temple simply are defraying the obvious historical record.
    – SLM
    Mar 30, 2018 at 17:46

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