Jesus told us in the book of Matthew about the abomination of desolation. He also told us that as we read about this, we would need to have an understanding. It is important that we understand what Jesus meant by this statement. I believe that He was simply telling us that there was more to this than meets the eye. We would need to understand what the abomination of desolation is.
Matthew 24:15: 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:)
Jesus called it the abomination of desolation (Matt. 24:15). Daniel called it the abomination that maketh desolate (Dan. 11:31, 12:11).

In order to understand these scriptures we must find out what is meant by the two words abomination and desolation.
Daniel told us that the abomination would cause or bring about desolation, the abomination that maketh desolate. This abomination is going to cause someone or something to become desolate. When we understand what is meant by the word desolation we will began to see the light concerning this mystery.

What is meant by the word desolation?

Most of us think of a desert or a barren wilderness with very little growth when thinking of the word desolation. However, the scriptures themselves are talking about something much deeper. We must take a moment to ponder on this since Jesus himself told us that it is important for us to understand. What does it mean to become desolate?

The best illustration I can give is to share with you how I believe that God views nations and the sharing of the Gospel. Picture it like this: God sees nations like women. He wants these nations to produce children to himself, God's children. The Gospel must be preached to all nations with the hope that these nations will bare children through the preaching of His Word. To simplify; He is trying to impregnate nations with the Gospel, which is the only thing that can cause children to be born. Peter said it like this:
1Peter 1: 23: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
The incorruptible seed in this scripture is talking about the word of God, the Gospel that we preach. This how we are born into the Kingdom of God. We must first hear the Gospel before we can believe it to be saved.

Nations who have only small groups of Christians living in them are considered by God to be desolate nations, like barren women who cannot produce children. It is a conclusion, the same as the conclusion he has made concerning Israel. Even though there was a small number of Jewish people saved in Israel through the preaching of the Apostles, God concluded all of Israel in blindness that he might save the Gentiles (Romans 11:32). This is the same way he views the nations today. Even though America does not live for God the way we should, there is a very large group of born again believers in her. God views America as a woman who has given him children. Saudi Arabia for example would be viewed as a barren nation because she has made it against the law for the Gospel to be preached, or even to have a Bible. Because of this, there are very few Christians in Saudi Arabia. God views this nation as a barren woman because she does not give him children through the Gospel. She is considered by God to be a desolate nation.

This is why the Gospel must be preached to all the nations of the world before Jesus returns. God is going to do everything he can to make sure that everyone in all the nations of the world hears the Gospel. But, there is going to be something that is going to prevent people from accepting it in some of the countries of the world. This stumbling stone will be the person of the Antichrist. In Jeremiah he is called the oppressor that will cause nations to become desolate.
Jeremiah 25:38; He hath forsaken His covert, as the lion: for their land is desolate because of the fierceness of the oppressor, and because of his fierce anger.

In Daniel 9:36 we see the people who are working with the Antichrist trying to help him accomplish this. Daniel 9:36; 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.

Jesus spoke of this desolation in Matthew 23:
37: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38: Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39: For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Jesus is telling them that Israel would remain desolate or barren, without children to God, until they have accepted Jesus as their savior. Right now, at this moment, God sees Israel as a barren, desolate nation because they have not accepted Jesus as their Messiah.

In Daniel 9:36; God tells us "unto the end of the war desolations are determined." Which tell us that this desolation is a plan of God. Who is this desolation going to affect? In Daniel 9: 27: 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.

This desolation is going to come upon the nations who are already desolate. Those who are blind will refuse to bare children to God and will remain blind. It is a judgement. Paul said that it would happen because they received not the love of the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12). This is undoubtedly the same in scripture the apostle Paul learned from. He knew that the Antichrist as a judgement from God would deceive the nations who reject the Gospel. But, why is God allowing this to happen?

The Antichrist himself is the abomination that maketh desolate. He is an abomination because he will claim to be God, and people will believe it. This is the abomination to God, not what he does in the temple.

Some believe that he will desecrate the temple by offering up a hog on the altar or something similar to it. Some even go so far as to believe that God is going to save many of the Jewish people through animal sacrifice during that time as a return to the law is obvious. But, let's consider this for a minute. If Israel were to build a million temples and were to offer up a million red heifers on a million altars, God will not accept it as being holy unto him as long as they reject Jesus as their Messiah. He will not save anyone or accept anything except it comes through his son Jesus. He alone is the way. There is no way the Antichrist can desecrate something that is unholy. He himself is the abomination. He may put an end to the daily sacrifice that is offered in the temple, but this will not be the desecration.

God gives the nations that are already desolate an oppressor because of their hatred for Israel, in order to prevent their salvation when the Gospel goes across the earth in the last seven years of this world. The Antichrist is the curse on the nations that have cursed Israel and will become a stumbling stone to the salvation of those countries. But, the nations who have been good to the Jewish people will be blessed by Abraham's promise of salvation through Jesus Christ! The other side of the blessing of Abraham is the curse of Abraham. The Antichrist will be the curse of Abraham on the nations who have hated Israel.

This oppressor of nations will come to Israel, but God will help Israel to escape. He will then bring great oppression to all of the desolate countries, Israel's enemies! The blessing of Abraham is salvation through Jesus on the nations who have been good to Israel, but the curse of Abraham will come to those nations who hate Israel as a judgement.

God has already brought this curse or inability to come to Christ by allowing these nations to believe in a false God that was created by Mohammed! This is a stumbling stone to prevent them and their children from receiving Christ and being saved. God is not willing that any man should perish, but His promise to Abraham cannot be broken to people or nations. Many people believe that the Muslims worship the same God as Abraham. Even the Muslims themselves believe it. But, the God that Mohammed created in the Koran is not the same God that Abraham worshipped. The God we worship would never command anyone to kill Christians and Jews. The true God of Abraham is commanding them to reject Mohammed and accept Jesus but they will not hear it.

One of the tragic beliefs of some people in the Church is that the anti-Christ will claim to be Jesus. The scriptures teach that there will be many people come claiming to be the Christ, or will tell us they have seen Christ. Which is referring to a false Messiah. To us Jesus, the Christ or Messiah is one and the same. This is true, but the people who live in that part of the world do not see it like that. If someone in Israel were to claim to be Jesus, they might get stoned. The Jewish people for the most part in Israel have no desire for Jesus. They don't want him around. You see they are still looking for the Messiah. They don't believe that Jesus is he. You certainly would not convert a Jew by telling him that Jesus was there.

The Antichrist will declare himself to be the Messiah, but will never say that he is Jesus. He will never claim to be the Jewish Messiah. You see the Muslims are expecting their own Messiah, Al Mahdi, to return to help them destroy Israel, America and any other nation that will not submit to the teachings of Mohammed. More than likely the Antichrist will declare himself to be Al Mahdi who has come from a cave in the desert.

The Lord will still save a remnant of people out of the countries that are cursed because of the prayers of the Christian people who are praying for them. We must remember that God placed a stumbling stone in front of Israel and put them in partial blindness because of their sins against Him. They and their children have been going to hell for the past 2,000 years over His word! Do you suppose that He will keep His word with Israel, but doesn't intend to keep His word with us because we are Gentiles? It would be wrong to think this.

The last seven years of the earth as we know it will be a judgment on all the nations of the world. We have mistakenly thought that the seven-year tribulation period was a judgment brought on man for not receiving Christ, or a penalty for sin, but this is not the complete truth. Every man will give account, but the last seven years is not that judgment. The last seven years is not about those that have already received Christ, but about those that will receive Him, and be saved. The judgment for sin will come at the time of Armageddon followed by the final judgement for sin at the judgement seat of Christ which will be between the last seven years and the beginning of the thousand year reign of Christ.

Picture it like this: You own a business, and for some reason you have to close. Maybe to retire or possibly to move to a new address. In any event, you are shutting down. When you do this you realize, of course, that you will have to settle all of your accounts. You will pay your debts and collect from the people who owe you before closing the books. You realize that you can't leave these accounts open forever, you must close NOW. It's over.

God is doing the same thing. He is bringing everything to an end. He is slow to wrath, but since the end is near, He must settle His account and pay His debts, and settle with those who owe Him. He will begin with the nations that were good to the Jewish people by bringing great revival and salvation to their nations. During this time, out of these nations, He will raise up seven nations (shepherds- Micah 5:5) to defend Israel. Israel will be saved and return the favor by taking the Gospel, with great zeal.

But, tragically the nations who have hated Israel will be given an oppressor who will blind them through deceit, simply because they received not the love of the truth (II Thessalonians 2:9-12). Unable to receive Christ, they will oppose Him until Armageddon, at which time they will be destroyed. God brought judgment on Europe and parts of Asia because of their hatred for the Jews by giving them three men to lead them to death. These three men were Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin, millions died! He also used this to bring an end to His judgment on Israel. But this time He will use the Antichrist, the false prophet and the leaders of the ten nations he has under his control to bring the final oppression and desolation to the nations that hate Israel. The Antichrist and his people will prevent their salvation and cause their eventual destruction. He is the abomination of desolation that Daniel the prophet spoke about. The rapture of the Church will occur right before this happens at Armageddon.

A similar thing happened when God brought Israel out of Egypt. He delivered Israel and brought judgment on those that hated them at the same time. He raised up a man in Egypt that the people would follow to their death. You would have thought that all of those plagues on Egypt would have caused the whole nation of Egypt to repent. But they didn't only a handful of Egyptians left Egypt. The men of that nation followed Pharaoh to their deaths because they feared and believed in him more than God. He was the oppressor that God raised up to lead many Egyptians to their death.

The Antichrist will only be given one-fourth part of the world. He will try to wreck havoc on a large portion of the rest of the world. But, while he is trying to do this the Holy Spirit will be poured out in a great measure to save the Jewish people and as many Gentiles that will receive the Gospel. While this is happening, God will bring great Revival to the world. It will cause the warfare between good and evil to become stronger and stronger. The good will get better and the wicked will become more wicked, only to end at the battle of Armageddon, with the wicked being destroyed by Jesus. The abomination that causes this desolation is the Antichrist and he will be cast alive into the lake of fire for the terrible deeds that he has done.

Your brother in Christ
Tommie Spurgeon