(First published 7 September, 2009. Revised September, 2014; January, 2016; January, 2019; April, 2022. Scriptures quoted are from the King James Version of the Bible, unless noted otherwise.)
1 – Introduction and Clue #1
2 – Clue #2: What Kind of Desolation?
3 – Clue #3: Overspreading of Abominations in a Time of War
4 – Clue #4: The “God of Forces”
5 – Clue #5: Better Perspective on Matthew 24
6 – Clue #6: Historical Precedents
7 – Clue #7: Perspective of Ancient Times
8 – Clue #8: What about Daniel 11:31 and 12:11?
9 – Clue #9: Idol Worship in a Secular World?
10 – Clue #10: “Image” and “Abomination” – Separate Inventions
11 – Summary
12 – Appendix: News Articles
1 – Introduction and Clue #1
There are plenty of mysteries in the Bible, one of which is that puzzling reference to an “abomination of desolation” – to come in the closing era of our present Age. Our study here will focus on that ancient mystery, the one spoken of by Daniel the prophet some 2,500 years ago, and later referred to by Jesus Himself. (Daniel 9:27, 11:31; Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14)
It will advance what may seem a surprising solution to the meaning of this mysterious phrase: that the term “abomination of desolation” can be understood as an ancient way of describing a modern weapon or vehicle of war – perhaps an armored tank, helicopter gunship, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), or some such thing.
That may sound far-fetched, of course. For since ancient times the assumption has always been that the “abomination” had to be an idol of some kind, possibly an image of the world’s final anti-God ruler – the “beast”, often referred to as the Antichrist. This customary interpretation carries a lot of weight for it bears the stamp of approval of generations of Biblical interpretation.
But could it be that this is just an inherited mindset, an idea that’s taken on a life of its own, which it was never meant to have, and is hindering us from getting a more accurate understanding of this ancient mystery? If so, then it might be worth our while to probe a little further into this baffling riddle passed down to us from ancient times. And if we can just let the evidence of the Scriptures speak for itself, we may be in for quite a surprise.
But now, why should we bother making the effort to step outside past explanations? Well, there is no harm in setting aside our preconceptions for a moment. (That’s what happens in any brainstorming session, and it’s almost the only way to achieve a fresh perspective on any issue.) And here are some reasons why this particular doctrine could benefit from some re-evaluation:
1) We live in a secular, modern world; idols are not worshiped in a religious or superstitious way anymore.
2) More historical hindsight now gives us a better handle on how to understand this thing. We have that priceless advantage that eluded former generations: that is, we can see and experience the actual culture and technology which the ancient prophecies were referring to. Plus we have a larger pool of knowledge than was available in the past. But because of the heavy weight of scholarly opinion from the past, the task of adjusting our understanding of these intriguing passages can develop into a major overhaul.
3) A thorough investigation of the Scriptures points easily to the “abomination of desolation” phrase as an ancient way of referring to the superior weapons of destruction that are a standard feature in modern warfare. If this is closer to the correct interpretation, then we should, in these Last Days, be aware of it and try to understand the reasoning behind it.
Let us endeavor then to view this mystery from a fresh perspective by checking out the following “clues” based on Scripture, historical example, and even just plain common sense:
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CLUE # 1 “Abomination” = idol?
This word “abomination” doesn’t have to refer to idols; it’s anything abhorrent to God, e.g. “a false balance”, “he that soweth discord”, the unclean animals of Leviticus 11, etc. Jesus Himself said, “That which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.” (Luke 16:15) A general definition like that would surely include these horrible, death-dealing inventions of modern times, these weapons that are so “highly esteemed among men”.
Agree!
Thanks so much for all the hard researching, reflecting and praying job that is required to write articles like these ones! God really bless you. These are seds that will bear a very good fruit of healthy Christian leaders for this Endtime.
Later on I’ll share to you the corrrresponding issuu.com link of the article
AndrésNV
Good thought provoking insight.
Hello, Brother! Another Brother from India just showed me your site, I’m so thrilled just by the title: Endtime Upgrade! That’s what we need now more than ever! I’m reading old materials about “the wars of the Antichrist,” and I just think, MAN, this is so ahead of its time, yet needs to be updated to today’s headlines! So in anycase, can’t wait to look into your materials more in depth, and hope to get in touch sometime! Blessings!
My husband and I have read and pondered over all you have said concerning the image of the beast and the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet and Jesus Himself. As we understand from what we have read, you are saying that the ‘abomination of desolation” which will stand in the holy place is not necessarily the same as the image of the beast spoken of in Revelation chapter 13. (We find your views extremely interesting and to be taken seriously). Our understanding has always been that the image of the beast and the abomination of desolation are both one and the same. These ideas were put forward particularly in the early 70s and since those days, the world itself and all the affairs of man have become highly computerised, so we are now living in a world that is largely run by computers. Computers have become the driving force, in a sense, behind society. In short, just about every organisation, business, and institution is somewhat run by computers. All of this reinforcing our belief, that the image of the beast and the abomination of desolation spoken of by both Daniel the prophet and Jesus Himself, and further reinforced by John the beloved as given to him from Jesus and His angel sent. What else can we conclude, other than that the abomination of desolation will be some kind of computer placed in the temple in Jerusalem that will somehow in a sense, be the master computer of the whole world? You find yourself thinking by what you have read and seen from all the evidence around us, that all roads are leading to Rome. Rome on this occasion being a world run by computers and television taking a kind of second place to the computer revolution that we are all part of, that computers and particularly smart thinking computers are superseding both man’s intelligence and will even reach the level of some kind of godlike intelligence.
The problem we have with your point of view is that placing television above all of this seems somewhat primitive in its foresight. It surely has to be accepted that the world will without doubt be run by computers as made by “them that dwell on the earth” Revelation 13:14. That man will finally get to worship the works of his own hands and will become as gods as inspired by the devil himself, as from the Garden of Eden to this day; interpreted as meaning that mankind will reach god status and that the devil himself will be the principle god of all flesh dwelling among us. He himself coming in the flesh and rejecting that the anointed one (Jesus) has already come in the flesh. This being the deal of all deals, the agreement of all agreements, the pact of all pacts, the covenant of all covenants. The sad fact is, is that man has been taught that he is evolving. I guess it has to be seen that even television itself is evolving, it’s all evolving out there and even weapons of war as you say are evolving. This evolution is all thanks (but no thanks) to our wonderful creation of our own hands as inspired by the devil, the great and wonderful computerised age of man and his coming quantum leap into the computerised new age and New World Order as being run by the devil himself and man himself through the works of his own hands.
Thank you, Karen, for your observations. Regarding this issue about the image and abomination, I won’t insist that my view is the correct one. Most of these doctrinal questions about the meaning of the Bible’s revelations about the future are not central to our faith as Christians. So to have a little disagreement on these less important issues is something that can be tolerated; in fact, it is healthy sometimes to disagree. That is often the path to getting answers and better understanding.
Regarding the abomination of desolation, when I first began exploring this mystery back in the 90s, I marveled at how the pieces seemed to fall into place. To understand it as a weapon/vehicle of war seemed to explain nicely the various details given about it in the Scriptures. It seemed too at the time that there was no definite link between the abomination and the image that would necessitate considering them as two ways of describing the same thing. Why not just understand them as being separate inventions, I felt. This was contrary to what I had been taught, and I too had believed that the abomination was some kind of computerized idol (because it had to be linked with the image).
Then, exploring the mystery of the image, it seemed reasonable that, as far as worship is concerned, television (or nowadays, holograph imaging is coming into vogue), would be extremely effective to generate worship throughout the world. An image that can be broadcast everywhere and is like a mirror reflection would be an ideal way to generate worship, just as politicians do nowadays by communicating themselves through television. The fact that John’s description sounds as if he’s talking about an idol can be understood by the fact that it is John’s description. It’s not an angel talking, or the Lord, it’s just John trying to describe the vision (with all his baggage of 1st century understanding of how images were made).
Computer technology, certainly, is important and may factor into this more than I realize. So my interpretation could be wrong or incomplete, and if I feel the Lord shows me that, I hope I will have the grace to change direction. Even if it’s a minor doctrine, it’s important to “get it right”, I feel, and maintain a commitment to excellence.