Warning： The Abomination of Desolation — Shane Idleman

We don't know what this is. We've never read it or seen it. Okay. Can anybody, a couple of people down here? Okay. It's okay. It's not talked about too much. In some circles, in other circles, it's talked about all the time.

The Abomination of Desolation in Daniel and Revelation

And there's a couple of references. Actually, I believe it's 3 in Daniel. And Jesus actually references it as a sign of some coming destruction. And that's where we find ourselves. We're in Revelation 6.

I wanted to hop to Revelation 7, but Matthew 24 is fairly relevant. It explains a lot of what's going on. And even I'd have to continue Matthew 24 one more time to get through it all. So kind of praying about that before we jump to Revelation 7.

And just see how things are going to unfold. You know, Revelation 7, I believe, is where the angels are holding the four corners of the earth and going to bring a judgment on God's people. But God says, seal the remnant.

Seal the 144 ,000. And a lot of weird thoughts come out of that. You know, the 12 tribes are listed there. And Alistair Begg would say that's a number of completion, not a literal number. Other people say it's a literal number.

But when he gives that number with the 12 tribes, you wonder, are Christians gone? And then it's the Jewish remnant that's there. And that's where the rapture view kind of comes in on being raptured before the tribulation, not after the tribulation.

But then as we keep reading through Revelation 7, we'll talk about the tribulation saints. Okay, so believers do die during the tribulation. Or at least maybe Jewish believers. And you can see why this gets a little confusing because there's a lot of different pieces to the puzzle.

It's like my daughter, Gracie, she likes to do puzzles. And she'll open that 1 ,000-piece puzzle, and I'm like, I don't even want to touch a piece. And let me see the box. Let me see, what is this? And that's what you start to do.

And so that's why with end times theology, they call it eschatology. Even my study Bible, and I know I've said this before, but I think it's important for those who maybe didn't hear me. Even in my study Bible, there are six different end times views, going back to Augustine in the fourth century or so.

And different views of Revelation. They just look at it a little bit differently. And so that's why predominantly now, though, you'll hear on the radio, Calvary Chapels, and many people are called dispensational, premillennial, pre-tribulation, dispensationalism, meaning that the church and Israel have separate plans, and we will be out of here before the tribulation comes.

And so that's the current view of many people. And then there's people that challenge that view. And so what I've been teaching, what I will continue to do is I'm in the I'll find out phase. Like, there's some good points on all of that.

And I can see how the church and Israel have separate plans. And I can see why we would be out of here before the tribulation, but there's no verse that tells us we will, other than putting together these different things.

And then there's a very good argument to be made that we will go through the tribulation. And just for me, for 23 years, every time I read the verses, I see Jesus coming at one time, one cataclysmic time.

It's hard for me to put together where we're up, He's there, and then later on, He'll come again. I just see it as one event, but it doesn't mean I'm right. Just how I read Scripture and how a lot of other people read Scripture.

And then many people would disagree with that and say, no, here's why. And so as we're going through Revelation, my goal is to show you the different views and why people believe what they believe. And I think it actually helps to prepare us even more.

Because especially for my kids, I want them to see different views. Because if they're challenged with something later and go, well, that's a good point. Have we been wrong this whole time about the end times?

No, no, no, here's how they come to that view. Here's why they hold to that. It's the same reason I brought my daughter to Dr. Rainbow's class at A .V. College. You know who that is? You know the professor?

He's actually a friend of mine. He said he'll be coming this summer, so hopefully we'll see. But I brought her to the class to explain why we don't believe in evolution. And we're leaving, daddy, how can we come from monkeys?

We can't, here's why. And so you give them the ammunition before the battle. That's what's happening a lot of times in the universities. Do a study on this and look into it. The reason so many young adults fall away is they're not prepared.

You know, let them watch Ray Comfort videos for a couple weeks. And then they'll be prepared, because what happens is like, oh, I didn't know that. Oh, I feel stupid. Oh, you might be right. And they kind of get bullied spiritually.

But if you arm them up with the Word of God, say here's why people believe it, here's what they think, here's what you need to say, here's what the Bible says. The other reason a lot of young adults fall away is because they don't want the Christ they see in many of us.

Remember Josh McDowell? I don't know if you followed him. I used to say this a lot when we first started the church. But he interviewed thousands of young adults. Thousands of young adults. And the question was, why don't you follow Christ?

And they said, we don't want the Christ we see in our parents. Now that should be a huge wake-up call. Now it doesn't mean your kids won't see your imperfection. They will. But you apologize, you repent, you remain broken and humble and teachable.

And they see you walking through life and how you trust in Jesus, how you fall forward, how you humble yourself. And then they gravitate towards that because it's real and genuine. Everybody hates a hypocrite.

Saying one thing and doing another. So all that is just extra, it's not in my notes. I won't remember any of that for the second service, so this is for the first service. Back on track. Warning, the abomination of desolation.

Defining Abomination and Desolation

An abomination is something that is revolting and disgusting. So because it's revolting and disgusting, and it's really revolting and disgusting according to God's Word, it causes desolation. Have you ever given in to something that is an abomination, an addiction, or something that the path of that is desolation?

It will decimate your marriage. It will decimate your walk with the Lord. And so anything that's an abomination will eventually desolate, make barren, make of no use anymore. And so that's what abomination is.

It's revolting, it's disgusting. And it can cause a lot of hatred and pain. And then desolation, let me move this away a little bit. Desolation is a great void of emptiness because of destruction. It's a great void of emptiness because of destruction.

And now when we hear the word abomination in the Bible, if you look it up, and I did, I looked up all the references, didn't turn to each one necessarily, but the overwhelming correlation is always with idolatry, always with idolatry.

Now there are some verses where it says if a man lies with a man, it is an abomination. So yes, we can say homosexuality, things like that are an abomination. Times change, truth does not. All the moral laws, initiated moral laws, not dietary, not dietary, not ceremonial laws, but the moral laws of the Old Testament still ring true today.

No, we don't punish someone and stone them to death who commits adultery, but it's not right. And so many people, well, that was back then. You also couldn't eat lobster. Did you know the Old Testament says that?

Don't eat lobster, don't eat actually shellfish. And it's funny because with my background in nutrition, I like to delve into a lot of this topic because I believe the physical and the spiritual run parallel.

When you're taking care of this, you're gonna feel a lot better, spiritually and physically, emotionally, mentally. But shellfish actually live at the bottom and they kind of clean up their waste. And so they're not really healthy for you as far as the shrimp and the lobster.

I know that nobody wants to hear that, but God knew what He was doing. Don't eat pigs. Hello? You wanna get into the worms and stuff or no? Okay. So the unclean, unclean things. Anybody eaten a raven lately?

Why not? So you see, these aren't just weird dietary laws. They are laws for the children of God to be set apart, clean food. And so an abomination is yes, certain kind of foods, but an abomination is also sexual sin.

You can use the same without one being, the dietary laws are no longer for us today, but you might wanna follow them to live a little healthier life because God knows what He's doing. And so that's what an abomination is.

The Authority of Scripture and Christian Faithfulness

Now, just saying that, I might go in YouTube jail. It's okay, but that's just the truth. Listen, if we don't have the Bible, we have nothing. All, watch all these woke pastors resigning this, like, I don't know if Paul meant this, I'm not gonna say this.

They're all having nervous breakdowns. They're all quitting the ministry. They're all, they don't, because they don't have the authority of God's Word. That's what we stand on. Without that, we have nothing.

So that's why you can boldly proclaim the truth. You can take the criticism that comes at you 24 -7 because you know that you know that God's Word is true. These wavering, wishy-washy woke, they're gonna crumble under the pressure of the world because they don't have the stability of the truth in their heart.

And that's what I'm doing at Turning Point USA. I'm gonna speak at the, there's a thousand pastors and Christian leaders coming, and wanting to encourage them, but at the same time challenge them that we have to get back to the old path, back to brokenness and humility, back to where when you're a guest speaker, guest worship leader, you don't say I want my limousine at 72 degrees and some organic bananas in there and some Avion water.

Matthew 24 and the Historical Destruction of Jerusalem

No, you're coming to minister to God and be broken and humble. Minister to the people for God. Matthew 24 -14 is where we find ourself. Matthew 14 through 22. And this gospel, what we talked about last week, make sure to go and listen to that.

I would try to listen to these because they go in order, and I'm trying to build up a case here to the end of days, to the tribulation, to the new heavens and new earth. In this gospel, the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come.

And something we do know as we study Scripture, I don't think anybody would disagree with this, we would disagree on the timing, but the end of the age for the Jews is different than the end of the world.

So many times we would read the end of the age, and like, oh, that must be the end of all things. No, it's really the end of the age of the, and people would argue that it's the end of the age for the Jews.

And I talked about 70 AD where Titus came in, he conquered Jerusalem, he ransacked it, all the stones were left upon, no stone left upon another, a lot of that was already fulfilled. Their age had come, their sacrificial system, everything they counted on.

The Jews had no more way of worshiping God, that temple was destroyed, and they're still in that predicament. And that's why many say the building of another temple, and I'll hopefully get into that as we get farther into Revelation.

But that was, and all the world, sometimes doesn't mean all the world, it could mean all the land. So when I would say our entire land is destroyed, I'm talking about America and what is going on. However, could it mean the entire world?

Possibly, yeah, is the Gospel gonna go out to all nations, and then the end will come, Jesus' return? Sure, absolutely, I can see that as well. Therefore, okay, so let's put this in context. Context is so important when you're dealing with the Bible.

Especially end times, especially end times. So the Gospel of the Kingdom is gonna go out to all the world, then the end will come, and so He's preparing us, yes, but also who is He preparing? The people He's talking to.

For the life of me, I can't separate this. I can't say, well, no, no, this isn't for them at all. I mean, if you look at just the language, you look at the sentence structure, you look at how Jesus used the law of first mention, how He used talking to this group of disciples in the past, and it just looks like He's speaking to them primarily, first and foremost.

Therefore, when you see, He's talking to His disciples. When you see the abomination of desolation spoken by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, whoever reads this, let him understand. So this is a, Jesus said, watch out for, He's giving them a sign.

Watch out for the abomination of desolation. So basically, the item of paraphrase is when you see something that is revolting and disgusting and it is mocking God while creating great pain and emptiness, take note.

And no matter what side you're on with the debate, many connect the first reference of this with Antiochus. Antiochus, what did he do? Well, he reigned from 17, I think I have it up there, 175 to 64 BC, and he suppressed a Jewish rebellion.

I think MacArthur even notes this in his study Bible. And he set up an altar for Zeus in the temple. And he sacrificed a pig. That is an abomination of desolation for sure. So as I said last week, remember dual fulfillment.

You will see things in Scripture that happened then, and it could also be for us now. We gave many examples of that. And the word of God is alive, and it speaks to people at that point in history, and it will speak to us as well.

Some things are not for them. Some things are for us later. But also some things that we're saying are for us are not for us. They were for them. And so it's hard to find that distinction, but again, you look at the historical background, you look at the Old Testament as well, and you begin to put the pieces together.

Dan Dornani said this, commenting on AD 70. He said this, remember I talked last week, now let me be clear here. I'm not, people are gonna say, oh, Shane's a partial preterist, he's mentioning AD 70. I don't think there's much significance for us today other than it's very interesting what happened at that time period.

Think about it. The sacrificial system was decimated, gone. All the buildings, the temple, not one stone was left upon another. Like Jesus said, He wept over the city of Jerusalem because He saw what was happening.

This is a pretty big deal. And it was a big deal to them, and to me, it's a big deal to us today as well. So, think about this. AD 70, in case you weren't here, Titus comes in, the Roman general, and decimates Jerusalem.

You can read about in Josephus' writings the blood that flowed down the streets. I think, don't quote me on it, Josephus even says that the blood rose to the bridle of horses. Huh, I read that somewhere else in Revelation.

So you can see, if anything, that's interesting. Boy, he got it close, you know? If anything, it makes us think a little bit. And so Israel is in shambles. And he said this, he said the Roman armies were always an abomination because they carried with them idolatrous images of the emperor whom they worshiped.

And those armies brought this desolation because their commander leveled the city and entered the holy of holies. The priests couldn't even enter the holies of holies unless they were prepared and ready.

But Titus and this Roman army came in and went into the temple and decimated it, and made it desolate, and brought down everything that Jesus said. And as I talked about last week, Jesus said the blood of the prophets is going to be required on this generation, talking to his contemporaries.

And so we see just a massive, massive upheaval here. And then he goes on to say, Jesus said, remember, therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation spoken by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place, read or understand.

Futuristic Interpretations and the Tribulation

Now, many will say, and again, I'm not against it, I'm a pantrib, I'm gonna see how it all pans out, but many will say that there will be an abomination coming up, that the antichrist, even though the book of Revelation used the word antichrist, it's a beast, a false prophet, things like that.

They say that that person is going to put up an abomination in the temple of God, he'll have a peace treaty for three and a half years, and then that abomination of desolation is going to happen in the future.

And that's possible. I just don't say that's exactly how it's gonna happen. I would say, hey, here's what I'm thinking, here's how it lays out, this is an interesting possibility. I just kind of, I get a little uneasy when people say, oh, no, no, this is exactly how it's gonna, how do you know that?

Great theologians, great theologians are divided on the word of God. You know, I might just show you this now. Cindy, can you find that slide where it's just, it actually moves, it actually moves, and it shows a, it's probably five or six slides in, it shows a commentary on, Luke knows, because I think he put it in there, it shows a commentary on one verse.

Okay, let's push play. One verse, Daniel 9 .27. Here's the different views, folks. One verse, there you go. And people get mad at me because I don't take their side. That's one verse, Daniel 9 .27. Benson says this, the pulpit commentary says this, Matthew Henry says this, John Wesley says this, Spurgeon says this.

I think we need to humble ourselves and get off of our eschatology high horse, if that makes sense, because it causes a lot of division. All my Calvary Chapel friends are gonna be mad at me, I know that.

So here's the thing, Jesus said, when you see the abomination of desolation, what are you supposed to do, flee, right? Well, look what he says. Let those who are in Judea, how does that apply to us? That has no application to us whatsoever because actually those in Judea should have fled when Titus was conquering Jerusalem.

It makes absolute perfect sense. And then also he goes on to say flee to the mountains and if you're on the housetop, don't go down, don't take anything. In other words, get out of Jerusalem. Get out of the area of Jerusalem because destruction is coming.

Don't go back to your house, don't go to your field, flee to the mountains. And if you're pregnant and you're nursing babies in those days, it's going to be very challenging and pray that your journey fleeing will not be in the winter or on the Sabbath.

Again, Sabbath, no relevance to us today. Now, am I saying this can't have relevance in the future? No, of course not. It could, it may, absolutely. Some of you say, well, we'll be out of here when it does.

Others say, well, no, we're gonna go through it. So we just know for us then if you're still around, watch out if there is an abomination of desolation. And I think we will see as we get closer in the future as these things are coming out about one world currency and this one world leader, how he will deceive and how the Jews might resurrect that temple and begin to have sacrifices again.

And he possibly could bring in this abomination after he signs his covenant with them and then changes his mind on that. That is one interpretation for sure. And also, if this is Jesus' return, why would believers flee His return?

It doesn't, to me, it never really made a lot of sense. If this is His return, He's coming, why are we fleeing? Matthew 24, 15 through 22, continuing, for then there will be great tribulation such as not been seen since the beginning of the world until this time.

Okay, now I have to hop over to the side of my Calvary Chapel futuristic friends, right? That's a good point. I don't know if this has to do with Jerusalem and Titus. He's saying here, there'll be great tribulation such as not been seen since the whole world nor until this time, nor ever shall be.

Hitler, what about Hitler? What about a lot of different things? And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved. But for the elect's sake, those days will be shortened. Talked about how it could be future.

Now, let's go over here and let's see, how could this have been fulfilled in 80, 70? Well, a couple different things. For there'll be great tribulation such as not been seen since the beginning of the world.

And that is actually true for that area. No destruction has ever been on that one area. A million Jews are right there. Well, Shane, you mentioned Hitler. Yeah, but if you go the scope of Poland, you look at all of Germany, that is a huge area compared to this one area of Jerusalem.

And to me, when I read, when he talks about for the elect's sake, there is election where it has to do with salvation. But then the elect's sake, as Harry Ironside would say, all the mentions of the elect have to do with Israel.

And many would agree, the elect, the elect of God, the elect of God are Israel, the children of God. Now, election, do we become the elect of God grafted in to the branch? I mean, I could go for a rabbit show for a while.

And I don't know if you wanna be here till two o 'clock. So let's bring this back here. For there will be great tribulations such as not been since the beginning of the world. So the elect were God's people.

And if that time of judgment with Titus was not shortened, he would have wiped out all the Jews, is what they would say. Jonathan Mann, he said this, about this applying to 8070. There have been greater numbers of deaths.

Yes, like under Hitler. But never so high a percentage of a great city's population at one time. So thoroughly and painfully exterminated and enslaved as during the fall of Jerusalem. So I can see how this verse definitely applies to 8070 with those parameters I just gave you.

And I could see how this might be something we have to deal with in the future and be prepared for. The loss of the temple was very significant. Judaism came to an end. That's a big deal. That's a very big deal.

So the end of the age for the Jews was, and I totally agree with, was 8070. The age for the Judaism sacrificial system, the end of their age was 8070. And the end of the times of the Gentiles could be for us in the future.

And that's what's happening here. Again, dual fulfillment. Obviously, we're not at the end of the age, obviously. And actually, if you go on reading Matthew 24, it says, as lightning comes from the east to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

I don't know how that happened in 8070. I've read, again, you can see the, and it's like, I don't know about that. That could be what we will see or experience in the future. Or if you're raptured, and others will see.

That could definitely be something coming up in the future because that, I don't know how you put that as already happened. Because it's gonna be like, lightning comes, it'll be clear, the whole world will know.

And so we see all these things unfolding before our own eyes. Matthew 24, 35. I'm kind of fast forwarding here because I won't get to this this week. Jesus said, assuredly, I say to you that this generation, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away. So, we can get controversial again on what is this generation. I spent some time in the Hebrew, actually in the Greek for this generation.

And guess what? Well, it could mean this. It could mean this. Oh my goodness. It could mean this generation is the generation of Jews living then. They would not pass away before the end of their age.

And so I believe that is true. Or it has to do with the Jewish race in general. And that's what many contemporaries would say, like Chuck Smith used to teach on this often. I listened to his whole tape series, about 500 tapes.

I met Morgan, I remember, she would bring them to me. I was out in a, I had a backhoe, you know what those are? Enclosed cab, radio, air conditioning. I would just dig, and dig, and dig, and dig miles, and miles, and miles.

And I just listened, listened, listened for three years, 3 ,000 hours. And just listened to all these tapes. And Morgan, I'm done, go get another set, go get another set, go get another set. And love his teaching, I'm not, but this is what they would say, that this has to do with, this generation has to do with the Jewish race, which would of course be in the future still.

I tell you that the Jewish race, he says, will by no means pass away till all these things take place. For me, contextually, I don't see that. I see this as the generation of people he's speaking to, his contemporaries.

And as D .A. Carson said, if this means a future generation, then it's the only time in all the recorded Gospels where Jesus does an audience shift. Away from his contemporaries, 2 ,000 years in the future.

But again, it's nothing to argue over. I told you, I'm just a simple country preacher. I've been avoiding revelation for 23 years. The whole earth often meant the whole land, like saying our whole land is corrupted.

So when he says the whole earth, it could mean that, and there's actually verses that would show you the whole earth actually meant the whole earth. When God flooded the whole earth, it wasn't localized.

But there are other verses when the census went out, for example, to the whole earth. Well, no, it was just the land under Roman occupation. So again, you have to look at the context. What is the writer trying to say?

And ask God for wisdom and direction as well. So Daniel 9 .24. Here's where this abomination of desolation comes from. So Daniel 9 .24, 70 weeks are determined for your people. So Daniel writing, oh, don't quote me on this, probably 500 years or so.

Donna, give me a thumbs up or thumbs down. Okay, 500 years or so before Jesus. I know Daniel's in captivity. I know Isaiah, Jeremiah, 700, 600, 550 BC. So he's probably around there 500 years before Jesus, Daniel's saying 70 weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city.

To finish the transgressions, to make an end of sin, and to make reconciliation for iniquity. To me, that sounds like what was accomplished on the cross. To bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy.

Basically, God was saying, I will atone for sin. And many people view the 70 weeks as flowing together based on the context. Others say that the final week, the final seven years is in the future. Now, I could spend a whole hour sermon just on seven weeks, the 70 weeks of Daniel, and how they break it down, and maybe in the future.

You Bible students, you probably know it well. You know that it's 490 years, so Nehemiah, the call went out from Cyrus and Nehemiah rebuilt, and okay, you got it now. Other people are gonna get really confused if I start going into, is it the Gregarian calendar we use in here, or the Roman calendar?

You know, and so, there are 70 weeks, and it's not what we think of weeks. It was actually 490 or so years. And so, Daniel breaks it up. You know, the 67 weeks are fulfilled here, and supposedly, there's one more week, one more week that is supposed to be fulfilled in the future.

That's gonna be the seven year tribulation. They'll get to later. Others say, however, if you just read in context, the 70 weeks flows, and it all happened back at this time in history. And I will read that when it happened.

Daniel 9 .25 says, no, therefore, and understand, from the going forth of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. Is that interesting? One of the kings, Cyrus, he put out a decree to go and rebuild Jerusalem.

Rebuild the temple, rebuild the wall around it. And that's why, when you read Ezra and Nehemiah, they are rebuilding the city based on this prophecy in Daniel. Isn't that interesting? That is so cool.

So they will go and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince. There will be seven weeks and 62 weeks, which is 69 weeks. The streets shall be built again and the wall even in troubleless times. Was it easy to rebuild?

Read Nehemiah. He said, on one hand, I had a trial to cement the wall. What do I have in the other hand? A sword. And I posted watchmen. Those sneaky guys, Samballot and Tobiah, wanted my destruction, and they wanted to stop the work of God.

So this is clearly talking about when Nehemiah and Ezra, and that's why if you study, you know history, it makes the Bible come alive. Like this is what Daniel talked about. It's actually happening. Evidence for Christianity said this.

It just so happens that almost exactly 490 years after this decree went out, the 70 weeks in Daniel, that Jesus came into Jerusalem. He was killed to atone for wickedness and to bring in everlasting righteousness and to seal up the vision and prophecy and to anoint the Messiah.

The most likely date of the execution and resurrection of Jesus is around A .D. 30, and that's why they come up with this number. They do the math. Again, I think it's a Gregorian calendar had 360 days in it.

Then you had the Roman calendar. I mean, it's just, I'm pretty sure they're off a little bit, right? Because unless you're keeping, unless God inspired His Word, of course, and these days are right on the money, but it doesn't give us an exact day.

It just gives us the weeks to break down from the command to restore. I believe even in Ezra, no, maybe Daniel, Ezra or Daniel, there was three commands to rebuild. Okay, so which one are you going off of here?

And then that gets, but that's more for a systematic teaching through Daniel that more than we can handle here. Daniel 9 .26, and after the 62 weeks, Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself, and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary, and the end of it shall be with a flood till the end of the war.

Desolations are determined. Wow. The theologian unpacked that. But here's where we get controversial again. One group says this happened in AD 70. Another group says some of this is still coming in the future.

One view says the people of the prince were the Jews. Josephus, in his book, The War of the Jews, wrote this. There's adequate historical proof that the destruction of Jerusalem was entirely the fault of the Jewish people, just as Daniel 9 .26 predicts.

So the people of the prince who is to come would be, in this view, the Jews. The prince who is to come, Jesus. The people, the Jews, destroyed the city. They brought it upon themselves. Another view, which would be the most common view among a lot of the Bible teachers we listen to, is the prince to whom these armies or people belong was not Titus, the Roman general, but a prince who is to arise from a revived Roman empire, conceivably 2 ,000 years later from this date.

Daniel 9 .27 continues, then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week. So, Bible students, if you're dispensationalism, premillennial, and pre-tribulation, you would say that this has to do with the Antichrist coming in the future to confirm a covenant with Israel.

And in the middle of that week, in the middle of that seven-year period, he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. So you see that? He will confirm a covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week, he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.

So it's always been a struggle for me for 23 years is how that second he becomes an Antichrist. I mean, it doesn't say that. The context doesn't support that. However, is that possible? I guess so, but usually it would flow.

It would make a lot of sense. And so he goes on to say, let me read that. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week, in the middle of the seven years, he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.

This Antichrist. However, didn't Jesus bring an end to sacrifice and offering? Absolutely. So the beginning of this is about Jesus, right? After 62 weeks, the Messiah will be cut off, but not for himself.

And the people of the prince who is to come, Titus, shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. And the end of it will be with the flood till the end of the war of desolations are determined. And then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week.

And in the middle of the week, he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. Now, how did Jesus confirm a covenant and then in the middle of the week, break that covenant? That's what I don't know.

That's what I'm not sure of. However, he did bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And we'll get a little more confusing if you want to. And on the wing of abominations, in other words, when the Bible says on the wing of something, it means it goes together.

It's on the wing, it's going, like you picture on the wings of an eagle, and so what's coming with the abomination, whatever's coming with that abomination, it's going to make something desolate. And that's what happened with Jerusalem in 70 AD.

Or if it's for us in the future, it's going to make something desolate. Even until the consummation means when it comes together, which has already been determined, and it's going to be poured out on that which is desolate.