When does the abomination of desolation happen in Matthew 24?
According to Matthew 24:15, the abomination of desolation occurs at the midpoint of the seven-year tribulation, after the first three and a half years. Jesus told the twelve it is the sign spoken by Daniel the prophet, when the man stands in the holy place, prompting Judea to flee.
Les teaches that in Matthew 24 Jesus is speaking to the twelve on the Mount of Olives after they asked about the signs of His coming and the end of the age. The first fourteen verses describe famines, wars, pestilences, and other events that open the seven years. Then verse 15 brings them to the midpoint of that tribulation. Les explains that the tribulation is divided into two three-and-a-half-year periods, and at the end of the first three and a half years the abomination of desolation occurs. This is the event spoken of by Daniel the prophet in Daniel 9:26-27. When that man stands in the holy place, those in Judea are told to flee to the mountains.
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:)
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
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.
More Questions
What is the abomination of desolation according to this teaching?
The abomination of desolation is the Antichrist moving into the temple in Jerusalem and defiling it.
Where does Matthew 24:15 fall within the seven-year tribulation?
The tribulation is a seven-year period divided into two halves of three and a half years each, and Matthew 24:15 brings the reader to the midpoint of that tribulation, at the end of the first three and a half years.
What is the remnant in Matthew 24 that survives the tribulation?
Les identifies the remnant referred to in Matthew 24 as the one-third that will survive the horrors of the tribulation.