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Abomination. Repugnant or detestable act, person, or thing. The idea of abomination derives from the specific demands God’s holiness makes upon his people. Adjectives frequently used for abominations in the OT are “abhorrent,” “loathsome,” “unclean,” and “rejected.”

Of the four major Hebrew words translated “abomination,” the one most frequently used indicates violation of an established custom or ritual which, in turn, draws the judgment of God. Examples range from defective sacrifices (Deut 17:1) to magic and divination (Deut 18:12) or idolatrous practices (2 Kgs 16:3). A second Hebrew word refers to the meat of certain kinds of animals that were ritually defiling, whether touched or eaten (Lev 11:10–13). A third word designates three-day-old sacrificial meat (Lev 7:18). A fourth word refers almost exclusively to idolatrous objects of pagan origin (Jer 4:1; 7:30). The Greek OT, particularly in the Book of Ezekiel, associates the term “lawlessness” with abomination, thus adding ethical and moral content to the term. Apart from the specialized usage of “abomination of desolation,” the Greek word for “abomination” is used only infrequently in the NT (Luke 16:15; Rom 2:22; Ti 1:16; Rev 17:4, 5; 21:8, 27) and is translated by many English words. The primary connotation is anything that is abhorrent to a holy God.

Abomination of Desolation

A phrase used in Daniel, 1 Maccabees, Matthew, and Mark to designate a detestable object of pagan idolatry so loathsome to God that his people would feel desolate and devastated in its presence.

In Daniel’s vision of the assault of evil, the ultimate corruption was seen as the “wing of abominations” and subsequent desolation (Dan. 9:27). In another vision of the coming abomination, a detestable object would be set up in the temple in Jerusalem (Dan. 11:31) 1,290 days after the beginning of a period of sacrilege (Dan 12:11), thus destroying the temple’s holiness and rendering it unclean by ceremonial and ethical standards.

In 1 Maccabees it is recorded that the Syrian Antiochus Epiphanes invaded Palestine (167 BC) and erected a desolating sacrilege, probably a statue of Zeus, upon the altar of burnt offering in the temple (1 Mc 1:54). The humiliation of the Jews was climaxed by sacrificing swine on the altar, and by the death penalty for circumcision or for possessing the “Book of the Covenant.”

Jesus used the phrase “abomination of desolation” in answering the disciples’ questions concerning the destruction of the temple and the general course of the age until his return (Mt 24:1–31; Mk 13:1–27; Lk 21:5–28). In alluding to the Daniel passages, Jesus predicted that something analogous to the destruction by Antiochus would reoccur. Jesus applied the prediction and fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy in part to the coming Roman desecration, which did take place in AD 70. In Luke 21:20, the words “surrounded by armies” were perhaps an allusion to the capture and sack of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 BC. Jesus’ point was that in rejecting him, Israel again had chosen the road which would end in disaster. To refuse his mercy was to choose destruction.

Jesus warned that the erection of the abomination of desolation (desolating sacrilege, RSV) was a signal to flee the city of Jerusalem (Mt 24:15; Mk 13:14). The phrase “let the reader understand” shows that the enigmatic phrase symbolized an appalling and complete devastation of the sanctity of the temple.

The Greek version of the Book of Ezekiel sometimes used “lawlessness” in place of abomination, leading to association of “man of lawlessness” (man of abomination) with the detestable sacrilege of the antichrist (2 Thes 2:3). A similar theme is reflected in the Book of Revelation, where the image of the creature or beast from the sea symbolizes the power of the forces of evil, demanding obedience and submission (Rev. 13:1–10).

Abomination of desolation is thus a symbol for the most devastating activities through which the hostile forces of evil make their attack, whether upon the Jewish people in Maccabean times, upon Jerusalem in the first century AD, or upon the people of God in a final assault of evil at the end time.

The above by Morris A. Weigelt

What happened during those 1,260, 1,290, and 1,335 Days of Daniel’s Prophecy?

Daniel 12:7 (1,260 days): a time of persecution during the great tribulation for the holy ones and yet, they turn many to righteousness

Daniel 12:11 (1,290 days): evangelizing, the great commission is the continual offering that will be taken away for some time during the great tribulation

Daniel 12:12 (1,335 days): the holy ones find happiness as the great tribulation closes, knowing Jesus’ words, “the one who endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 24:13) Jesus’ words fit well with the angel’s closing words to Daniel in 12:13.

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In Daniel Chapter 11, we find two kings in opposition, fighting one conflict after another for power and dominion. As the decades go by, one will rise up while the other will fall, then the other accumulates domination. One king will be at the pinnacle of his rulership, while the other will be subservient. Then, out of nowhere, periods of peace. Suddenly, they emerge to battle once more. These kings are known as the kings of the North and the South. Over time, they change. The end is an event yet seen, far removed by millenniums from the initial kings. Daniel chapter 12 delves into a question Jesus asked, “when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Lu 18:8) The close of Daniel deals with the identity of the true worshipers in the time of the end. Furthermore, discover when the great tribulation starts and how many years, months, and days it will last. Andrews also offers three additional appendices to better understand Daniel and the end times. APPENDIX A What Does the Bible Really Say About the Millennium? APPENDIX B Authorship of Daniel Defended APPENDIX C Identifying the Antichrist.