Matthew 24:15, from the mouthy of Jesus: "Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand)..." One thing Jesus does not do anywhere in this Olivet discourse is tell us what the sign means!
Instead, he refers us to the Prophet Daniel. And there we must go, if we are to understand. Daniel spoke no less than four times about the "abomination of desolation". He approaches the subject several ways, and leads us to some clear conclusions. He also points us to a man in history who actually desecrated the temple in an abominable way. Yet evidence within Daniel and the clear sense of what Jesus is saying tell us that that ancient king has not fulfilled the prophecy of Daniel or Jesus. Not yet.
Jesus says that when we see this abomination, this thing God hates, it will be standing in the holy place. Standing because it is placed there? As in the previews we get in history from Antiochus Epiphanes two centuries before Christ? Or General Titus forty years after Christ? Or standing of his own accord, and sitting too, as Paul reveals in his second letter to Thessalonica, chapter two?Standing in a place that is holy. No need to conjecture as to what was the "holy place" to the Jews. Daniel speaks of a Temple. Jesus was standing near the Temple when He spoke these words. Paul says this man will actually be in the Temple of God!
Yes, we know that our bodies and the church of Christ are both referred to as temples in the Bible. But there is no need for such an interpretation when the text cries out to be literally understood. We are talking about a man here, in one historical -yet still prophetic - incident, who sits in a physical space, inside the yet to come Temple of the Jewish people. So the verse says that when we see what Daniel said it's time to run. And it closes with an all-important admonition to all Bible-readers. The Spirit of God knew that the words being spoken in that day would be more important to readers than to hearers in the long run, and so made sure that they (readers) got the message: understand! Read it over and over, do your homework, figure out what this means! What is inside will eventually jump out at you. Yes, the Lord knew that the words being spoken that day would be committed to pen, to typewriter, to computer, and that literally billions of people would one day have access to them. It has now reached you. May you have the grace to seek the Lord with all of your strength until you have unlocked fully your future.
Many seem not able to believe that God can do the things He seems to be saying. Like, how could there be yet another Temple? Perhaps many asked that when Solomon's Temple was floored. But a new building came. Actually the plans for such an edifice in our day are already on the table. A quick "Google" search for the phrase "Temple Faithful" will yield more than enough evidence that real live Jewish people are planning a come back of sacrificial worship just as soon as it is politically possible. Never mind that it will not be "efficacious" or necessary, it is coming.
http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!
And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.
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