The "Abomination of Desolation" Identified At Last

This foreign sounding phrase is the only visible sign that Jesus gave us for identifying we are in the 70th week. What is it?

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To understand what it is takes a a very good understanding of the Old Testament and especially the Torah, areas of the Bible that are deemphasized in Christianity.

The word shiqqus, translated "abomination" in this case, is associated with idolatrous practices. This idol will cause desolation, or a Hebrew word form meaning the polluting of a santuary rendering it unfit for the worship and service of God. From the Theological Workbook of the Old Testament we learn:

shiqqus. Detestable thing, idol. This noun is always used in connection with idolatrous practices, either referring to the idols themselves as being abhorrent and detestable in God's sight, or to something associated with the idolatrous ritual. Idols generally are referred to as an abomination (Jeremiah 16:18; Ezekiel 5:11; Ezekiel 7:20; 2 Chron. 15:8, etc). Not only are the idols an abomination, but they that worship them "become detestable like that which they love" (Hosea 9:10), for they identify themselves with the idols.

Antiochus Epiphanes, as prophesied in Daniel 11:31, and who is typical of Antichrist, set up an altar to, and image of, Zeus in the temple. This is called the "abomination that causes desolation," a desecration of the altar which destroys its true purpose. Just so will Antichrist establish an abomination in the sanctuary, a demonic counterfeit worship (Daniel 9:27; Daniel 12:11).

The "abominable filth" of Nahum 3:6 is shiqqus. It seems likely that, since shiqqus is everywhere else clearly related to idolatrous worship, the same would be true here.

It is important to recognize that by the use of such a strong word as shiqqus God wants his people to recognize the extreme seriousness and wickedness of this sin, however attractive and popular it might be. God's own people need to view sin from God's perspective (Deut. 7:26).

—Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament

Notice also that the verbs associated with the abomination require it be something that can be "set up" to "stand" at a "wing of the temple" (not on the altar).

Daniel 9:27 (HCSB) — He will make a firm covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And the abomination of desolation will be on a wing of the temple until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator.”

Daniel 12:11 (HCSB) — From the time the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.

Matthew 24:15 (HCSB) — “So when you see the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place” (let the reader understand),

So what will this desolating statue be? There happens to be an statue featured prominently in Revelation 13 where the Antichrist and False Prophet are introduced. It is called the "image of the beast" or a statue made of the Antichrist by the False Prophet that all must worship. The Antichrist will desolate the temple mount by commanding the statue to be set up for worship at the same time that he halts another form of worship to the real God: the daily oblation sacrifices (Daniel 12:11).

This is just as Antiochus Epiphanes also did earlier in setting up a statue of Zeus and stopping kosher sacrifices, as a type of the Antichrist. Therefore it seems Revelation and Daniel indicate that history will repeat itself in how the abomination of desolation is fulfilled by a statue being placed in the Third Temple compound, this time of the Antichrist himself, the image of the beast.

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