What Specifically Is the Abomination of Desolation?
The abomination of desolation is mentioned in connection with the destruction of Jerusalem both in Daniel and in Matthew 24. Another text links it to the fall of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70. But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. (Luke 21:20-22) In each of the texts before us, first century Jerusalem has been named or alluded to. The abomination of desolation is said to “stand in the “holy place,” (Matthew 24:15). This is a direct allusion to the temple. It forms another clue to the meaning of this abomination. Some expositors and commentators identify the Roman ensigns brought into the temple by the Roman soldiers who invaded the temple as the abomination of desolation. F.F. Bruce, offers the
