The Coming "Abomination of Desolation"

An interesting article from http://www.ucg.org/ about the Abonination of Desolation. This follows this post about Hillbilly Heroin. For a free magazine subscription or to get this book for free click HERE! or call 1-888-886-8632.

The Coming "Abomination of Desolation"

What is the abomination of desolation mentioned in the Bible within the book of Daniel?



In His most detailed prophecy of the end time, Jesus said, "When you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place…, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains" (Matthew 24:15-16 [15] When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

[16] Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:





See All...). What was He talking about?



He was referring to Daniel 11, which foretold what would occur in the powers that would vie for control of the Holy Land for centuries to come. For much of the prophecy these kingdoms were Syria to the north and Egypt to the south, both under Greek rulers following Alexander the Great. Eventually the prophecy describes one of these rulers from Syria, Antiochus IV, also known as Antiochus Epiphanes. He would "act deceitfully" by a false peace agreement with the Jews and later come "in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage" (Daniel 11:23-24 [23] And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.

[24] He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.





See All..., 30).



The apocryphal book of 1 Maccabees, although not Scripture, provides us with history of the period. It describes how Antiochus set himself against the Jews, massacred many of them and plundered the temple at Jerusalem (1 Maccabees 1:20-33



See All...).



The temple defiled



Then came the worst. Daniel's prophecy warned of Antiochus: "And they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation" (Daniel 11:31And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.



See All...).



The book of 1 Maccabees gives us details: "Antiochus now issued a decree that all nations in his empire should abandon their own customs and become one people. All the Gentiles and even many of the Israelites submitted to this decree. They adopted the official pagan religion, offered sacrifices to idols, and no longer observed the Sabbath.



"The king also sent messengers with a decree to Jerusalem and all the towns of Judea, ordering the people to follow customs that were foreign to the country. He ordered them not to offer burnt offerings, grain offerings, or wine offerings in the Temple, and commanded them to treat Sabbaths and festivals as ordinary work days.



"They were even ordered to defile the Temple and the holy things in it. They were commanded to build pagan altars, temples, and shrines, and to sacrifice pigs and other unclean animals there. They were forbidden to circumcise their sons and were required to make themselves…unclean in every way they could, so that they would forget the Law which the Lord had given through Moses and would disobey all its commands. The penalty for disobeying the king's decree was death" (1 Maccabees 1:41-50



See All..., Today's English Version).



Then it happened: "On the fifteenth day of the month Kislev in the year 145" (verse 54, TEV), which corresponds to 168/167 B.C., "they set up the abomination of desolation upon the altar" of the temple (verse 54, KJV). This appears to have been a pagan altar, probably with an image representing the Greek chief god Zeus, as 2 Maccabees 6:2



See All... tells us that Antiochus defiled the Jewish temple "by dedicating it to the Olympian god Zeus" (TEV). After all, to the Greek mind the God of the Hebrews simply equated to the chief god in the Greeks' pantheon.



We are further told: "Pagan sacrifices were offered in front of houses and in the streets. Any books of the Law which were found were torn up and burned, and anyone who was caught with a copy of the sacred books or who obeyed the Law was put to death by order of the king…On the twenty-fifth of the month, these same evil people offered sacrifices on the pagan altar erected on top of the altar in the Temple" (1 Maccabees 1:55-59



See All..., TEV). Indeed, pigs, declared unclean in God's law (Deuteronomy 14:8And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you: ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcase.



See All...), were offered over His own altar.



The account in 1 Maccabees 1:60



See All... continues: "Mothers who had allowed their babies to be circumcised were put to death in accordance with the king's decree. Their babies were hung around their necks, and their families and those who had circumcised them were put to death" (TEV).



Yet, as horrible as this was, some still resisted. In fact, 1 Maccabees 1:62-63



See All... reports: "But many in Israel stood firm…They chose to die rather than to be defiled by food or to profane the holy covenant; and they did die. Very great wrath came upon Israel" (New Revised Standard Version).



Yet many in the resistance lived. The account continues with the rise of the Hasmonean priestly family of Mattathias, including his son and successor Judas Maccabeus, who would not compromise with paganism. In the end, the efforts of these patriots and their followers were in large measure responsible for eventually pushing out the Syrians.



Later prophetic fulfillment



Now, with all of that as history, consider Christ's warning about the abomination of desolation. When He gave it, this part of Daniel's prophecy had been fulfilled almost 200 years earlier. So Daniel's prophecy, according to Jesus, must have a dual fulfillment.



Jesus revealed to us the time for this prophecy's ultimate fulfillment in Matthew 24:21For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.



See All... when He explained what would immediately follow it: "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time."



This recalls another part of Daniel's prophecy, that in the end time "there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time" (Daniel 12:1And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.



See All...). So this period of tribulation occurs at the end of this age, just before Christ's return.



Lessons from the first fulfillment



We can learn a great deal about this end-time prophecy from the original abomination of desolation Daniel foretold. Antiochus Epiphanes was a forerunner of the end-time king of the North, the world dictator the book of Revelation refers to as the "beast." No doubt this end-time ruler will employ the same deceitful and underhanded methods that marked the reign of Antiochus.



Furthermore, it appears from what we've seen and other scriptural indications that the end-time ruler will feign overtures of peace to the Jews of the modern nation of Israel.



What other parallels do we see? Part of the "abomination" of Antiochus involved the cessation of the daily temple sacrifices (verse 31). Yet Daniel's prophecy makes it clear that sacrifices will again be ended in conjunction with the abomination of desolation to come (Daniel 12:9-13 [9] And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

[10] Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

[11] And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.

[12] Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.

[13] But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.





See All...). For this prophecy to be fulfilled, it appears that sacrifices will again be instituted and an altar rebuilt before the return of Jesus the Messiah.



In another parallel, Antiochus defiled the ancient holy temple when he erected an idol of the pagan god Zeus and sacrificed swine there. The end-time abomination may also involve an idolatrous image at a new temple. What we know for certain is that within the "temple of God" there will be an actual person who claims to be God in the flesh (2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 [1] Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

[2] That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

[3] Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

[4] Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

[5] Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?

[6] And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

[7] For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

[8] And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

[9] Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

[10] And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

[11] And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

[12] That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.





See All...).



Christ will destroy this religious figure at His second coming (verses 5-8), but not before many have been deceived with "power, signs, and lying wonders" (verses 9-12).



Also, just as the original abomination of desolation marked the beginning of a period of unparalleled horror and misery, so will the final one begin the time of the greatest horror ever, the coming Great Tribulation.



We can be thankful that God promises to send His Son back to earth to save mankind from self-annihilation in this coming horrible time of mass deceit and destruction. Indeed, as world events march ever closer to the fulfillment of these prophecies, let us draw closer to God in faith, trusting Him to see us through even the worst of times, knowing that we aren't left without foreknowledge to help us better understand end-time events

Tisha B'Av: Fall of the Temples

An interesting article from www.ucg.org/brp about the readings during the Fall of the Temples. This follows this post analyzing the Ten Commandments. This follows this post about Liberty. For more interesting stories like this click here to follow this blog.

Introduction to Lamentations (Lamentations )
The author of Lamentations is not named in the book, but it is traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah. "In fact, some copies of the ancient Greek Septuagint translation begin the book with these words: 'And it came to pass, after Israel [i.e., the remnant of Israel—Judah] had been carried captive, and Jerusalem became desolate, that Jeremiah sat weeping, and lamented this lamentation over Jerusalem.' Crediting Lamentations to Jeremiah is based on the following considerations: (1) Jeremiah was known as a composer of laments (see 2 Chr. 35:25). (2) Jeremiah was the prophet who mourned, 'Oh, that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!' (see Jer. 9:1). (3) In [Lamentations] 3:1, the author seems to identify himself with Jeremiah when he says, 'I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath.' (4) There are many linguistic similarities between Lamentations and Jeremiah" (The Nelson Study Bible, introductory notes on Lamentations.)
"In the Talmud (Baba Bathra 15a), this book is called qinot ('Lamentations')... The name commonly used in Hebrew, however, is ekah ('How'), the first word of the first, second, and fourth laments [that is, chapters 1, 2 and 4]. In the Hebrew canon it stands in the Writings as the third of the Megilloth, or Scrolls, between Ruth and Ecclesiastes" (Expositor's Bible Commentary, introductory notes on Lamentations). We are reading it now to keep it in the context of its writing in the wake of the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.
"The five chapters of Lamentations are five poems with ch[apter] 3 as the midpoint or climax. Accordingly, the first two chapters build an 'ascent,' or crescendo, to the climax, the grand confession of 3:23, 24: 'Great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion.' The last two chapters are a 'descent,' or decrescendo, from the pinnacle of ch[apter] 3... The poetry of the book enhances its purpose and structure. Chapters 1 through 4 are composed as acrostics of the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Each verse or group of verses begins with a word whose initial letter carries on the sequence of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. This would be similar to an English poem in which the first line begins with A; the second begins with B, and so on. One purpose of this device was probably to aid in memorization of the passage. The acrostic also suggests that the writer has thought things through and is giving a complete account of the subject" (Nelson Study Bible, introductory notes on Lamentations).
While chapter 1 is a perfect acrostic, chapters 2-4 are slightly imperfect, and oddly enough for the same reason. In each case the 16th and 17th letters of the Hebrew alphabet (ayin and pe) are swapped—for what significance we don't know. The acrostic in chapter 3 comes in groups of three—that is, each of the first three verses begins with the first Hebrew letter aleph, each of the second three with the second letter beth, etc. (see Expositor's, introductory notes on Lamentations). And then there is the mysterious chapter 5, intriguingly not an acrostic even though it still seems to divide up into 22 verses. "That chapter 5 has twenty-two verses has caused some to suggest that the laments were first written in normal verse and then rewritten to include the acrostic. This idea is ingenious but unprovable" (same note).
Other laments are written in various books like the book of Psalms, but this is the only book solely devoted to lamenting. Orthodox Jewish custom requires that this book be read aloud on the fast of Tisha b'Av, the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Ab—the traditional day on which the temple of Solomon was destroyed in 586 B.C. and on which the second temple was destroyed by the Roman army in A.D. 70. Jeremiah was present at the destruction of Solomon's temple as Jerusalem was overrun and sacked by the Babylonian armies. He saw the horrifying imagery described in the book. And yet the terrible suffering portrayed seems to reflect even more than what occurred at that time. It evidently anticipates suffering that was, and still is, yet to come—for the judgment described here is what is to befall "all the dwelling places of Jacob...every horn of Israel" (Lamentations 2:2-3), not just Judah. The book, as we will see, calls for the coming of the Day of the Lord and the final judgment on Israel's enemies. Yet there is no question that the ancient anguish and suffering of Judah is also vividly revealed in the pages of this deeply emotional account.
In its introductory notes on the book, The Bible Reader's Companion (Lawrence Richards, 1991) states: "Lamentations does maintain a consistent theological outlook: Judah's [and later all Israel's] loss can be traced to God's sovereignty, His justice, and His commitment to a morality which His people abandoned. Yet Lamentations is primarily a book that plumbs the depths of human sorrow, not from an individual's perspective, but from the perspective of an entire people. Reading the book we experience something of the overwhelming sense of despair that can grip communities and even whole nations. Even the prayers recorded in Lamentations are desperate prayers; cries of anguish rather than affirmations of hope. It is terrible as well as wonderful to be human. It is terrible indeed if we surrender to our human bent to sin. The day must come when we will look back on our lost opportunities, and realize that the misery we endure now is a consequence of our own chronic craving for sin. If nothing else, reading the Book of Lamentations reminds us the pleasures of sin are at best momentary, the painful consequences lasting and deep."

Coninued here

Jews in the News

An interesting post from www.badeagle.com about events that occured this weedend in Jerusalem.

Jews in the News
by David Yeagley
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Jewish people do not control the media. Certainly not the Associate Press wires. Look at this latest headline:
Israeli police storm Jerusalem’s holiest site
Immediately our hearts stop, as we wonder what those evil Israeli police could be doing, what sacrilege those wicked Jews could be up to. Invading the “holiest site” in Jerusalem! Just think of it.
“Palestinian” youth, wondrous devotees, noble defenders of the Islamic cult, elevated spiritual champions, throw rocks at the Israeli police whom they have intentionally provoked. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
Then we find that the specific site in questioned isn’t a Jewish site, did not involve Jewish people, and is not a site considered holy by Jewish people.
You guessed it. It’s an Islamic mosque, a Muslim issue, again. It’s “Palestinians” at it again, making anti-Jewish headlines for an eager press, ever so anxious to malign and misrepresent the Jews.
Not until the fourth paragraph of the AP wire do we get something that might represent the truth.
Israel’s national police chief, David Cohen, accused a small group of Muslim extremists of trying to foment violence — echoing a charge made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu two weeks ago.
“The police will act with a strong hand against anyone who disrupts order on the Temple Mount and against those incite to riot,” Cohen said.
So, the “Palestinians” created a ruckus, to provoke Israeli police, to get a headline against the Jews? That’s certainly what happened. The AP headline wants everyone to think that Jews are sacrilegious devils, quick and happy to commit blasphemy, to denigrate anything holy, to totally trash others. Look at the headline again.
Israeli police storm Jerusalem’s holiest site
This time, consider the author: Rawhi Razim. If knowing the headline was an AP wire wasn’t enough, we could have noted the fact that the author is a very carefully obscured personage, obviously Arab, and no doubt Muslim. We know that in 2001 or 2002, a “Rawhi Kazim” was working for the Islamic Association for Palestine, in Mississaugua, Ontario (Canada). Google identifies the IAP as an Islamic terrorist site on the web. There are even YouTube clips of some of their public meetings here in the United States. It’s all about killing the Jews.
So, I don’t think it is likely that the Associated Press would be controlled by the Jews, as anti-Zionists love to claim.
But, the important theological issue inherent here is the matter of the holy. “Jerusalem’s holiest site,” as “Palestinian” terrorist Rawhi Kazim calls it. It is clear he refers to the black-domed Al-Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount (the site of the 2nd Temple of the Jews, razed to the ground by the Roman Titus, in 70 AD).
Obviously, there is nothing holy about any Islamic mosque. There is nothing holy about anything man declares holy. Man does not have power over the holy. People that make this claim have a totally false concept of what it holy. As man uses the term, it is an egotistical, sociological power grab, of one kind or another. Declare something holy, and you can control all logistics pertaining to it. You can control people, kill people, create war, etc. All because you say the person, place, or thing, is “holy.”
In the Bible, the Jewish account of the living Creator, only God Himself has power to make anything holy, or to declare anything holy. In this, the Jewish religion is distinct from all others. Even in concept, the holy is something “wholly other” than man, than man’s mind, than man’s power. Man cannot create the holy. Man simply cannot make anything holy, or declare it to be such. He can merely act like it is holy. He can only seek to control behavior–based on such a claim.
Wrong ideas of the holy create wrong social relationships, wrong centers of power, and wrong behavior. Wrong ideas of the holy create war, often. This is the Muslim hold on the world, in their minds. It is completely false, arrogant, and maniacal. It is a perversion of man’s natural intuition of the existence of something beyond himself, something greater than himself, something “holy.”
I have written a scholarly research book about the holy. I have studied the subject in detail. (In January, 2007, the first edition of my book, Altered States, appeared on Amazon.com. Unaccountably, it was not available, but a false advertisement. August, 2007, an available edition appeared. Unfortunately, this edition was sized incorrectly, and the pagination made the index irrelevant (i.e., incorrect). There were numerous typographical errors as well. In the near future, a third and final edition will be available.) The full title of the book is, Altered States: The State of the Dead, and the State of the Holy. I feel that the proper, objective understanding of the holy is critically important, especially at this time in history, when what is truly sacred and honorable is being blasphemed and denigrated on a daily basis, while that which is artificial, arrogant, and manipulative, is being coerced upon humanity by the power brokers of the world–Communists, Muslims, and global capitalists alike.
I say, beware the claim of holy. Find out what is holy, where the idea came from, what it means, and how it is to function in the world. Study, research, make the effort to know. The false claim of holy is the foundation for all ills in the world. It is a simply matter of priorities. It is a clear case of psychological hierarchies. More on this latter.
For now, just note that the “Palestinian” terrorist headline, by Mr. Rawhi Kazim, and the first four paragraphs of his story, are as false and intentionally misleading as a false concept of the holy could make them.
And, to be “fair” to the Associate Press, they do have a Jewish version of the story: Violent clashes erupt at Jerusalem’s holiest site, by Matti Friedman. At least Friedman’s account is objective–the major feat in reporting a “Palestinian” story.