Chanukah, Actions of Antiochus: In what way did Antiochus Epiphanes commit the Abomination of Desolation? I thought this was a future event.
The event describing the desecration of the Temple by Antiochus, even though it actually was carried out by an Athenian senator (2 Maccabees 6:1), was in fulfillment of the Prophet Daniels words in Daniel 11:31: Forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation. It may seem confusing for us because the eschatological term that often describes the Abomination of Desolation in most pre-millennial prophecy circles is used to refer to another event, that of Daniel 9:27: And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate. Without a doubt, what happened in the period of the Maccabees was an abomination before the God of Israel. But it wa
