Matthew 24:15

Context

After hearing Jesus say that the Temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed, the disciples ask, "When shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" (Matthew 24:3). This verse is part of Jesus' answer to that question, the so-called Olivet Discourse, the extended teaching he delivered on the Mount of Olives (Matthew 24–25). The earlier part of the discourse speaks of general signs such as wars, famines, and persecution. Beginning with this verse, Jesus gives a specific sign and then issues a command to flee: "Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains" (v. 16). The same material appears in Mark 13:14, and Luke 21:20 renders it as "Jerusalem compassed with armies."

The phrase "abomination of desolation" is drawn from Daniel 9:27, 11:31, and 12:11. "Abomination" denotes something God detests, such as an idol, while "desolation" conveys the sense of laying the sanctuary waste. Jewish tradition applied the expression to the desecration of the Temple by the Seleucid king Antiochus IV around 167 BC (1 Maccabees 1:54, a book Protestants classify as Apocrypha).

Interpretations

• Past fulfillment: This view holds that Jesus' prophecy was fulfilled in the Roman siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple in AD 70. Its proponents appeal to the parallel passage in Luke and to the words "This generation shall not pass" (v. 34). Many Reformed scholars hold this view.
• Future fulfillment: Dispensationalism reads the verse as describing an end-time event in which the Antichrist sets up an idol in a rebuilt temple, and regards this as the sign marking the beginning of the Great Tribulation. Proponents read it alongside the phrase "he as God sitteth in the temple of God" in 2 Thessalonians 2:3–4.
• Dual fulfillment: This view holds that the verse refers in the first instance to the events of AD 70 and ultimately to the final tribulation before the Second Coming. It reflects an understanding of prophecy in which fulfillment unfolds across overlapping eras, and a number of evangelical commentators take this position.

Debates

Opinions differ on who speaks the parenthetical words "whoso readeth, let him understand." Some regard them as Jesus' words addressed to readers of Daniel, while others see them as a remark the Gospel writer added for his readers. Translations also differ. The original expression is rendered "the abomination of desolation" (멸망의 가증한 것) in the New Korean Revised Version, while the New Korean Standard Version and other versions use different wording that brings out the sense of "desolation."

The timing assigned to this verse varies greatly depending on one's system of eschatology. As a result, interpretations that identify its fulfillment with particular events or individuals have frequently appeared. Such identifications have drawn criticism for taking the verse out of context.

In the Korean Church

In the Korean church, where dispensational eschatology is widespread, this verse has often been cited in revival meetings and end-times sermons to explain the Great Tribulation and the Antichrist. In addition, Shincheonji is known to interpret Matthew 24 according to a sequence of "betrayal, destruction, and salvation," and to identify the "abomination of desolation" with specific events and individuals in the group's own history. Shincheonji claims that this constitutes the actual fulfillment of the Book of Revelation. Major denominations that have declared Shincheonji heretical, along with counter-cult counseling organizations, point to this interpretation as a prime example of the arbitrary application of allegorical interpretation.

Related Passages

• Daniel 9:27
• Daniel 11:31
• Mark 13:14
• Luke 21:20
• 2 Thessalonians 2:3–4