Nevertheless, when the League was dissolved at the outbreak of the Second World War and the United United Nations was established in the aftermath of the war, the Watchtower then proclaimed that the scarlet beast had ascended from the symbolic abyss. When you see this (let the reader take note), 16 those of you in Judea should flee to the mountains. Who or what is that Disgusting thing that causes desolation? Is this a figure we should still expect, or has he come already? But she had her type back there in Bible times. See Insight on the Scriptures . A great tribulation such as has not occurred since the worlds beginning until now, no, nor will occur again, for it needs no repeating. But all in vain! (b)In spite of what fact has Christendom been most forward in riding the United Nations, and why? 35. Standing where it ought not.--St. "Abomination of desolation" is a phrase from the Book of Daniel describing the pagan sacrifices with which the 2nd century BCE Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes replaced the twice-daily offering in the Jewish temple, or alternatively the altar on which such offerings were made. But how is it even possible that the chosen ones could be misled by the clergy or anyone not associated with the leadership of the trusted Watchtower organization? However, for the reason previously stated it simply cannot be true that the U.N. is presently in the role of the image the idol brought to life by the resuscitated beast. After all, this prophecy alerts God's Named People to the timing of Vindicating Jehovah's Sacred and Holy Name. That destructive hate must therefore strike at Christendom, the hypocritical Christian organization. (b)How is Babylon the Great implicated in this, and who actually is she? The Desolating of Christendom by the Disgusting Thing. In fact, many Christians didflee, sparing their lives, when they saw Romes armies coming. But more often throughout the Bible abomination refers to major covenant violations, especially idolatry (in Deuteronomy alone, see 7:25, 13:6-16, 17:2-5, 18:9-12, 27:15, 32:16). 17:1-6,18) Back in 1930 the publication Light, VolumeII, pages87-93, explained her to be organized Christian religion or organized Christianity as exemplified in Christendom. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. (a)Who should rejoice at the wonderful prospect ahead? Scholars generally agree that the first reference of these prophecies is the Seleucid king Antiochus Epiphanes IV, who ruled Palestine from 175-64 B.C. The angel goes on to relate: Surely any honest-reasoning person who does not have a hidden agenda will discern that when Jesus exhorted his disciples to consider the prophecy of Daniel regarding the desolation of the holy place he had in mind the passages cited above in this article. So, since the Watchtower teaches that Germany was the king of the north during the first half of the 20th century, followed by the USSR, the they is ostensibly understood by Jehovahs Witnesses to be the Anglo-American kings of the south and the Nazi/Soviet kings of the north. 17:11) Consequently, from the start of the great tribulation upon antitypical Jerusalem (Christendom) and down to its end on the rest of the system of things, that time of trouble will prove to be the great tribulation such as has not occurred since the worlds beginning until now, no, nor will occur again.. Thereafter how will all other parts of the system of things show that they deserve to be destroyed? 23. The line let the reader understand (24:15) means that those who read Matthewwhich would have been written before AD 70must be ready to flee when they see Roman armies besieging Jerusalem. (b)How does Revelation 17:12-14 describe the final efforts of the disgusting thing? We begin with the key phrase, "abomination of desolation." The term "abomination" (Hebrew toevah and siqqus) appears more than 100 times in the Old Testament and just a few times in the New Testament. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc. Yet, despite this, Christendom has been more forward than all the rest of her partners in Babylon the Great in riding the mightily armed Eighth World Power (The League of Nations and the United Nations), to have a kingdom over it, if possible. The, the definite article. (b)Is it at the desolation of Babylon the Great (including Christendom) that that system of things ends? 13. is a type or prophetic picture of the desolating of modern-day Christendom, which is likewise unbelieving as regards the Holy Bible and its Author, Jehovah God. This attack on Babylon the Great will be the beginning of the great tribulation. . That empire has ceased to exist, and Rome today is the center of the most populous and powerful part of Christendom. 34 Then at Gods predetermined time, the great tribulation that will surpass anything of previous human history will begin with surprising suddenness. The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics helps Christians show unbelievers the truth, goodness, and beauty of the gospel as the only hope that fulfills our deepest longings. The apocalyptic picture in Mt 24 verse29 also calls for sobriety of judgment.a. It should be noted, however, that Daniel 11:31-35 and 12:9, 11 connect a 'disgusting thing causing desolation' with "the time of the end." It is reasonable that the development of this latter expression of 'the disgusting thing causing desolation' in the time of the end should follow the . But when you shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that reads understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: Daniel 8:13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? It is One whose prophecies have not failed in one case till now. (b)May they be among those to whom what cry of praise to Jehovah is directed? 1. Then, at that time. The disciples probably thought they were asking one question. The problem is how much time intervenes between the tribulation of those days and the vivid symbolisms of Mt 24 verse29. With her the nonreligious elements of this system of things have committed fornication in a spiritual sense, sharing with her in her crimes against the faithful people of Jehovah God and against all the rest of his earthly human creatures. (a)Till when did the chosen ones of nineteen hundred years ago wait before fleeing out of all Judea? While Jehovahs Witnesses are under the delusion that the beast received the death-stroke back during WWI, the reality is that the Anglo-American system is now facing imminent collapse, which is why there is a relentless drive to ignite a global war. Why not? Readers immersed in current debates about sexual ethics may first think an abomination is a sexual sin. One that belongs to his generation, or one from the last days? Most other translations use the expression armed forces instead of merely arms. These forces under the command of the king of the north likely are presently manifest in military alliances such as NATO and various other coalitions, but may also be expressed by militarized police and the oxymoronically named Homeland Security force in the United States, which in the event of martial law will come to the fore as the enforcer of the dictates of the last kingdom of man. For the same reason, the following command not to go back to get a cloak and the woe for nursing mothers who must flee cannot refer to Jesus return. 6:9,10) In fact, in December of 1918 the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America publicly came out in favor of the then-proposed League of Nations as being the political expression of the kingdom of God on earth.. (a)Why in this time of the end is the disgusting thing that causes desolation not the military people of the Roman Empire? No! It cannot possibly apply to Jesus return. What was the first-century type of modern-day Christendom, and how was her desolation typified? Then, in 24:36, Jesus starts to speak exclusively about that daythat is, the last day. What is the connection between the prophecies of Daniel and Jesus? idolatry. Jehovah's Witnesses have also pre-identified the disgusting thing that will bring desolation; recognizing the United Nations as a disgusting thing in God's sight; since it is posed to become a world government, and as such, it presumes to accomplish what only God's kingdom can possibly accomplish. This prophecy makes sense only with reference to the fall of Jerusalem. Such Jerusalem was considered holy by the Jews down till its destruction in 70C.E., and it was the type, the warning example. In all biblical uses, the term can be . In what sense should readers flee to the mountains? The fall of Jerusalem, Jesus return, and the end of the age were one complex event in their minds. the present worldwide system of things has been in its time of the end. (Luke 21:24) The prophet Daniel associates the time of the end with the placing of the disgusting thing that is causing desolation when he writes: Make secret the words and seal up the book, until the time of the end. Hence, although not directly named in Bible prophecy, she is typed or prophetically pictured. Jehovahs Witnesses are well aware that the disgusting thing originally appeared in the form of the Roman armies, which was foretold in the 9th chapter of Daniel. left the city, and moved to a town called Pella.[1] So Jesus, ever the Good Shepherd, told the first Christians how to survive those most harrowing years of the churchs infancy. She is an international religious harlot, for the kings of the earth commit spiritual fornication with her and the commercial leaders of the earth do business with her. 29,30. (a)What has that Seventh World Power professed to be religiously, and so what question arises? Christendoms destruction had its prophetic picture made nineteen hundred years ago. 24. In other words, they receive the judgment of the second death, which Jehovahs Witnesses correctly understand to mean permanent death no resurrection. Probably from an obsolete oro; a mountain: -hill, mount(-ain). (b)Was there to be something similar for the chosen ones of today, and what do Jesus words in Matthew 24:29-31 show on this? No Jew can prove his qualifications as a real member of that priestly family. However, obviously, the Watchtower has a hidden agenda, as they make no such connection. Verb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person Singular. And the prophecy says that the disgusting thing "causes desolation" because the United Nations will play a key role in the destruction of all false religion. Eusebius, the first great historian of the church, says that when the Romans fell upon Jerusalem, the church at Jerusalem . Daniel 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. But, alas, post-WWI Germany did not have anything to do with setting up the League. "So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), A. And yet it will be! 17:7,8) After World WarII it came out of the abyss as the United Nations, the eighth king or world power. 13 Exactly so, the international organization for world peace and security springs from the preceding seven world powers or surviving relics of them, and it is in itself an eighth world power. 4. 31. CHRISTENDOM is represented by her hundreds of religious sects. 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. That is almost unbelievable! But Jehovah God has a heavy account to settle with all the rest of the world empire of false religion, namely, Babylon the Great. 17 Those who are on the roof should not come down to get anything out of their houses. And the wild beast that was but is not, it is also itself an eighth king, but springs from the seven, and it goes off into destruction.Rev. in the tribulation upon Jerusalem it was the armed forces of the Sixth World Power (Imperial Rome) that acted as the disgusting thing that causes desolation. In the coming great tribulation as it affects the antitypical unfaithful Jerusalem (Christendom), it is the members of the Eighth World Power that carry out the work of the disgusting thing that is causing desolation. And are these members of the Eighth World Power armed? These have one thought, and so they give their power and authority to the wild beast [the disgusting thing]. This act was the abomination of desolation, the abomination causing desolation. 17 Nineteen centuries ago great tribulation came upon the ancient Jewish Jerusalem. What? "When you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be" (let the reader understand), "then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. That such parts deserve to be destroyed also will be shown to all the universe when the disgusting desolator, the mightily armed Eighth World Power, turns its forces against the Founder of Christianity, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God at HarMagedon.Rev. 14,15. In 24:4-14, the, Jesus is preparing his disciples for eventsmost of them extremely difficultthat will take place in their lifetime. Verb - Present Imperative Active - 3rd Person Plural. 1495-1553 - Reference Bible (Rbi8) Woe to the pregnant women and those nursing a baby in those days! When you see this (let the reader take note), Though it has historical fulfillments, there is also a future fulfillment when daily sacrifices will be offered in Jerusalem and then cut off and replaced by some sort of blasphemous display. Jesus warned His disciples of an "abomination of desolation" who would defile the temple. Some versions translate the phrase as "the abomination that causes desolation." The original event that defined the term occurred about 200 years earlier, when Antiochus Epiphanes sacrificed a pig to Zeus in the temple. It will bring to an end the total present-day system of things. Help train Christians to boldly share the good news of Jesus Christ in a way that clearly communicates to this secular age. (a)To be true to type, Christendoms desolation must come within what time period, and Daniel associates that time period with the placing of what? , 1 Corinthians 14:7,8,20 And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? GREAT TRIBULATION ENVELOPS ALL THE SYSTEM OF THINGS. Many will rove about, and the true knowledge will become abundant. 24:3-15) This present-day system of things does not itself end with the desolating of antitypical Jerusalem (Christendom) and of the remainder of Babylon the Great. That connection is confirmed in the 8th chapter of Daniel as well, where we read regarding the fierce-looking king: It exalted itself even against the Prince of the army, and from him the constant feature was taken away, and the established place of his sanctuary was thrown down. And the ten horns that you saw, and the wild beast, these will hate the harlot and will make her devastated and naked, and will eat up her fleshy parts and will completely burn her with fire. 5,6. 24:15, 16) In the first fulfillment, the "standing in a holy place" occurred in 66 C.E . . (b)With whom else must Jehovah God settle accounts, and by what means? (Rev. a great crowd of sheeplike persons have been separated from the goatlike persons who do not do good to the anointed chosen ones, the spiritual brothers of Jesus Christ. In fact, she is said to be the great city that has a kingdom over the kings of the earth. (Rev. 36. 31 Since the tribulation of those days upon ancient Jerusalem nineteen centuries have passed. How do we know the eighth king has not begun ruling? It will be the grand finale of the great tribulation. During that finale it [that is, the scarlet-colored wild beast that came up out of the abyss in the year 1945] goes off into destruction. (Rev. 4 In the spring of the year 33C.E. When he came to suppress the rebellion, his forces entered the temple, stopped the regular sacrifices, set up an idol of or altar for Zeus, and apparently offered swine there as a sacrifice. 27 Nineteen centuries ago the anointed chosen ones did wait until they saw the disgusting thing standing in the holy place before they found it advisable and urgent for them to flee out of Jerusalem and all Judea, that is, from 66C.E. (Daniel uses siqqus, a term that always appears in connection with idolatry.). , Luke 21:21-24 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. (a)What signal were the chosen ones of nineteen centuries ago given to flee at once from Judea? If a group of Christians sat down to list perplexing passages, it wouldnt take long for someone to mention Matthew 24:15-16: So when you see standing in the holy place the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of through the prophet Daniellet the reader understandthen let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.. Keep praying that your flight may not occur in wintertime nor on the Sabbath day; for then there will be great tribulation such as has not occurred since the worlds beginning until now, no, nor will occur again.In fact, unless those days were cut short, no flesh would be saved; but on account of the chosen ones those days will be cut short., That the admonition above applies to Christians in the future and not merely those living in Judea in the first century is evident from the span of verses immediately following, where Jesus went on to say: Then if anyone says to you, Look! Wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.. 15 `Whenever, therefore, ye may see the abomination of the desolation, that was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever is reading let him observe) Read Matthew (YLT) Read Matthew 24:15 (YLT) in Parallel. 12:4-11; see also 11:40. Instrumental in executing this judgment of Jehovah God upon her will be the modern-day disgusting thing that causes desolation, the Eighth World Power. These will battle with the Lamb, but, because he is Lord of lords and King of kings, the Lamb will conquer them. Feminine of Ioudaios; the Judaean land, a region of Palestine. In reality, the idols were merely fronts for the demons to receive the worship that belonged to Jehovah. Simply put, the Watchtowers teaching regarding the desolation of the holy place cannot stand up to critical examination. let the reader understandthen let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.. She is listed as having a membership of over nine hundred million church members. "The daily sacrifice will be stopped. According to Daniel's prophecy, Da chapter eleven, verse 31 thirty-one, the "disgusting thing" is something that is put in place during the struggle between the "king of the north" and the "king of the south." That verse reads: "And they will certainly put in place the disgusting thing that is causing desolation." According to divine prophecy (Daniel 11:31 and Da 12:11), a "disgusting thing that causes desolation" was to play a shocking role in this twentieth century. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate (11:31). And when you see the SHIKUTS MESHOMEM (the abomination of desolation, the abomination that causes desolation, DANIEL 9:27; 11:31; 12:11) standing where it ought not . How J. K. Rowling Played, then Lost, the Polarization Game, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Christian Nationalism, GAFCON IV: Lessons from a Communion in Birth Pains, What to Do When Your Child Is Addicted to Video Games, Radical Christian Gentleness in an Era of Addictive Outrage, The FAQs: Anglican Group Calls on Church of Englands Leader to Repent, Whats the Earliest Evidence for Christianity? The pagan desecration of the temple altar by Antiochus, however disgusting in Gods sight, did not result in desolationfor Jerusalem, for the temple, or for the Jewish nation. "When you see the disgusting thing that will cause destruction standing where it should not (let the reader take note), those of you in Judea should flee to the mountains. 15 Gods angel, who said to the apostle John: And the ten horns that you saw mean ten kings, . It may well be. Inasmuch as the appointed times of the nations ended in the year 1914C.E. The same Eighth World Power will be his handy tool in making the desolation of Babylon the Great complete. And, as modern history shows, the anointed chosen ones of Jehovah God have been fleeing from bondage to Christendom and Babylon the Great since the year 1919C.E., the year in which the disgusting thing that causes desolation was set up, even though they did not perceive in that year that the League of Nations was then the abomination of desolation or the disgusting thing that causes desolation. But they did understand Gods command, Get out of her, my people, that is, out of Babylon the Great, as including Christendom. Additional prophecies of a disgusting thing. The chief promoter of this international organization for world peace and security was the Seventh World Power, the Anglo-American dual world power. It should be noted, however, that Daniel 11:31-35 and 12:9, 11 connect a disgusting thing causing desolation with the time of the end. It is reasonable that the development of this latter expression of the disgusting thing causing desolation in the time of the end should follow the general pattern of that in the first century C.E., though not being restricted to the land of Israel. Not only the religious features and elements of this wicked system of things must be forever desolated, but all other parts of that worldwide system must be destroyed. (b)What question does this raise regarding the chosen ones of today? It states: First, it is important to note that there is an obvious connection between the profanation of the sanctuary, the fortress and the removal of the so-called constant feature, as well as the putting in place of the disgusting thing that causes desolation. 26 Fleeing out of the antitypical unfaithful Jerusalem (Christendom) has been the right thing for them to do at any time since the end of World WarI in 1918. Now, though, Jehovahs Witnesses expect Jesus words to be realized in the future, coinciding with the attack of the beast upon the harlot. The interpretation of Daniel 9-11 is difficult and disputed, but it does have some fixed points, and the nature of the abomination that causes desolation is one of them.