Jerusalem is the most important city in the world and the nexus of one of the most significant end-time events described in your Bible.  Holy to Christians, Jews and Muslims alike, this fascinating city has been ravaged by 30 centuries of struggle and warfare.  Jews, Christians and Muslims, all three have battled for its possession.  We know from prophecy that this city will once again be the focus of world attention just a few years before Christ returns—and that an Abomination of unspeakable revulsion will desolate a Holy Place within the environs of the city (Matthew 24:15). 

One of the Bible’s most pivotal prophecies is recorded in the book of Matthew, chapter 24.  The context of this prophecy involves a response given by Christ to his disciples concerning what signs would occur just before his second coming at the end of the age (see Matthew 24:3). Christ, speaking to his disciples, tells of a future abomination that defiles a Holy Place in Jerusalem: "Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains . . . For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved . . ." (Matthew 24:15-16, 21-22). 

Though relatively quiet now, trouble lies on the horizon for this ancient city.  Speaking of Jerusalem, Christ warns: "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near . . . For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled" (Luke 21:20-22).  Prophecy reveals in the near future that the Jews in Israel will assign a "holy place" in which they will again offer morning and evening animal sacrifices (Daniel 12:9-11). This will certainly inflame the world of Islam.  Muslims hold Jerusalem to be their third most holy city, behind the Saudi cities of Mecca and Medina.  During this time of intense trouble, a great European power (led by a “King of the North”—Daniel 11:40-45) will seek to dominate Jerusalem for its own selfish ends.

An Abomination in Jerusalem

Now we must address the question, what exactly is this ‘abomination of desolation’?  The key to understanding this expression is found in studying the past.  Remember, God will often use past events as a model and foreshadowing of future events.  Past history informs us that Jerusalem was repeatedly conquered and defiled by Gentile powers.  F.E. Peters, Professor of History, Religion, and Middle Eastern Studies at New York University, tells us that Jerusalem has been conquered 26 times throughout history and has been at least partially destroyed 35 times, making it the most contested piece of real estate in the world.  Among its most devastating invasions were those of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 586 B.C. and the invasion of the Roman general Titus in 70 A.D.—both the King and the General destroyed God’s temple leaving a lasting scar on the hearts of devout Jews to this very day.

But there was one particular Gentile invasion of the city that stands out above all others and serves as the harrowing prototype of what will happen in the not too distant future.  The Jews in Christ’s day painfully understood what the image of an abomination standing in the Holy place (Matthew 24:15) meant.  Approximately 200 years prior to Christ speaking about the ‘abomination of desolation’ to his disciples, the Greek Syrian King Antiochus Epiphanes humiliated the Jewish population of Judea when his army seized control of Jerusalem. He then did unspeakable things in the temple. 

Antiochus built a kingdom in Syria that included adjacent lands, and he was one of the  Seleucid rulers in succession to Alexander the Great.  His name Epiphanes means God made manifest.  He sought to force Greek religion, culture and Greek manners on the Jews.  He stirred up dissention within the Jewish community and seduced many Jews into embracing Greek paganism.  Returning from an unsuccessful fight against Egypt, Antiochus vented his rage by devastating Jerusalem in 168 BC, killing 40,000 people.  Young and old were murdered, women and children were slaughtered and many infants were killed; another 40,000 Jews were taken away as slaves (2 Maccabees 5:11-14). 

Antiochus erected an altar to the Greek God Zeus in the temple of God and placed a statue of the pagan deity in the Holy of Holies, thus profaning the Temple Mount area.  He then did the unspeakable when he defiled the Jewish temple by offering a pig on the altar—God’s word condemns pigs as unclean (Deuteronomy 14:8).  Not only did Antiochus desecrate the Holy Temple, he also demanded that Jews stop keeping the law of God in order to practice the ways of the pagan Greek world.  Here is a summary of Antiochus’ evil edicts issued against the Jews.  The account is taken from the historical book of First Maccabees (1:41-43, 50):

1:41 Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people, 1:42 and that each should give up his customs. 1:43 All the Gentiles accepted the command of the king. Many, even from Israel, gladly adopted his religion; and on the twenty-fifth day of the month (Casleu) they offered sacrifice on the altar which was upon the altar of burnt offering. 1:44 And the king sent letters by messengers to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah; he directed them to follow customs strange to the land, 1:45 to forbid burnt offerings and sacrifices and drink offerings in the sanctuary, to profane sabbaths and feasts, 1:46 to defile the sanctuary and the priests, 1:47 to build altars and sacred precincts and shrines for idols, to sacrifice swine and unclean animals, 1:48 and to leave their sons uncircumcised. They were to make themselves abominable by everything unclean and profane, 1:49 so that they should forget the law and change all the ordinances. "And whoever does not obey the command of the king shall die."—verse 50.

Many Jews refused to follow the Kings laws and paid dearly for their disobedience—Sabbath keepers were killed and those found with a copy of the sacred scriptures were also killed.  Women who circumcised their babies had their dead babies hung around their necks, and then Antiochus’ soldiers murdered them.  This Antiochus who ordered the slaughter of God fearing men and women and violated the Holy Place on the Temple Mount area foreshadows an end-time megalomaniac who will defile a Holy Place in Jerusalem just a few short years before Christ returns!

The Holy Place and Temple Mount

What is the Holy Place referred to in Matthew 24:15?  The disciples, with whom Jesus was speaking, understood the Holy Place to be within the Temple.  They could look down from the Mount of Olives as Jesus spoke and see the massive Temple Mount complex which was dominated by the temple itself—the temple was considered the great religious jewel of the Middle East—a beautiful complex known for its awesome magnificence all throughout the world in Christ’s day.  (Picture below of what the Temple Mount looked like in Christ’s day).

At the time Daniel began his captivity in Babylon, the Temple was considered the Holy location in Jerusalem.  This area was treated as Holy because at one time God’s very presence actually dwelt in the Temple.  Scriptures tell us that just before Judah went into captivity at the hands of the King of Babylon, God’s presence departed from the Temple in Jerusalem (Ezekiel 10). Why did God depart from the Temple in Ezekiel’s day?  Because the nation of Judah and the city of Jerusalem was unrepentant and saturated with sin (see particularly the book of Jeremiah)—The lesson here to remember is that God is too holy to dwell indefinitely in the presence of a sinful nation. 

Christ said in the end time the abomination of desolation would be placed in a specific location—standing in ‘the holy place’.  Christ also said that the Holy Place will be seen—people will know the location of such a place and will visually be able to locate this “Holy Place” (Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place).  We can reasonably conclude that the “abomination of desolation” will be placed in a “holy” place that can be viewed by men somewhere within the environs of the Temple Mount. 

Bible teachers and students continue to debate on whether or not a temple will be built before Christ returns, or whether the ‘holy place’ will be a newly built tabernacle or even a simple altar where animal sacrifices will once again be sacrificed.   What we can be sure of is that there will be a ‘holy place’ where daily sacrifices will take place until the invading power puts an end to those sacrifices (Daniel 12:9-11).

The Temple Mount covers 35 acres and is believed by both Jews and Muslims to be the area of Mount Moriah—the small mountain where Abraham was willing to offer his son Isaac in sacrifice to God (Genesis 22).  According to Islamic beliefs, it was Ishmael and not Isaac whom Abraham nearly sacrificed (this conclusion is clearly in error).  Herod the Great began construction of The Temple Mount beginning in 19 B.C.  Construction continued for 84 years until 64 A.D. when problems with Rome put a cessation to the work. (Photo: Temple Mount area as viewed from the Mount of Olives today).

Following the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman general Titus in the year 70, the Temple Mount area was purposely devastated and left in ruins (first by Rome then by the Byzantines). In time Muslims gained control of the Temple Mount area.  The Muslim leader Caliph Abd al-Malik built the Dome of the Rock (691 A.D.) to enclose the outcrop of rock believed by Muslims to be the location of the Prophet Muhammad’s night journey and his ascension to heaven. 

Understanding the Islamic claim on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount is crucial if you want to appreciate why Jerusalem becomes the focus of religious tensions in the end time.  Muslims believe that one night, while Muhammad was sleeping near the Ka'ba in Mecca, he was taken by the angel Gabriel on his beloved horse al-Burak to al-Masjid al-Aqsa (the farthest mosque) in Jerusalem. Muslims believe that from the rock (now enshrined by the Dome of the Rock), Muhammad ascended to the sky where he met all the prophets who had preceded him (such as Moses, Joseph and Christ).  It was on this journey he witnessed paradise and finally saw God sitting on his throne being circled by angels.  The Dome of the Rock is the third most important pilgrimage site in Islam, after the Ka’ba (black-stoned cubed building) in Mecca, and ‘the tomb of the Prophet’ in Medina (Muhammad is believed to be buried in Medina).

European Power Sweeps into the Middle East

Jerusalem is sacred to Christians, Muslims and Jews. In the Biblical end time, provocation between these three groups will escalate as they all desire control of the city.  A European power backed by a false Christian Church will seek to exercise its influence over Jerusalem in the few years left before Christ returns.

We must remember that the city of Jerusalem is Islam’s third most holy city.  Once Jews begin sacrificing animals at a Holy Place in Jerusalem, the Moslem world will retaliate with vigor.  Turmoil over Jews sacrificing animals in Jerusalem may at some point serve as an excuse for a European power to enter Jerusalem to restore order and stabilize the city (see Daniel 11:40-45).  Shortly after taking control of the city, the daily sacrifices will be stopped and an ‘Abomination’ will be set up in the ‘Holy Place’. 

Jerusalem will continue to live up to its reputation as the world’s most contested city. Antiochus Epiphanes cut off the temple sacrifices and set up an abominable image in the temple—the abomination of desolation    His actions foreshadow what will transpire in the last days (see Daniel 8:11-13; 11:31; 12:11) when a European despot will profane a Holy Place in Jerusalem.  Once this occurs we know it will only be a matter of roughly 3 ½ years before Christ returns to rescue Jerusalem from its oppressors (Zechariah 14:1-15).  In the meantime keep your eyes open, for you will most likely see, in your lifetime, the final Abomination of a Jewish Holy Place in Jerusalem!

The prophecies of the Bible will come to pass regardless of whether we are paying attention to them or not.  While it is not too late, you should heed Jesus Christ's warning, "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (Matthew 24:44).  The window of repentance is open to us now!  God calls all of us to change our wrong behavior and thinking so that we may be accounted worthy to escape the terrible trouble that will come upon the whole world in the future (Luke 21:36).  "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near," God plainly states, "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon" (Isaiah 55:6-7).  Repentance is the key to having a strong relationship with God, and Christ intended that repentance lead to baptism. Be sure to download our booklet Baptism—The Way to Salvation to understand this important subject.