Matt. 24.
The Abomination of Desolation.
In Scripture the word “abomination” is frequently used for idols. Idols were an abomination to the Lord, because the people worshipped them instead of Him. In King’s we read of Milcom, or Molech, the abomination of the Ammonites, Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, and Ashtoreth, the abomination of the Zidonians. And when Jesus speaks of “the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet,” He evidently refers to an idol that will bring desolation upon the Jews who worship it.
This idol is going to be set up in “the holy place,” that is, in the temple at Jerusalem, and the unbelieving Jews will pay homage to it. This will awaken the indignation of Jehovah against them, and He will send a besieging army against Jerusalem because of it.
In the time of Jeremiah, God allowed the Jews to be carried captive to Babylon, because of their idolatry. And there they remained captive for a period of 70 years, and were made to suffer from the terrible idolatry of that nation. This cured the Jews, for the time being, of their idolatry; and those who returned to Jerusalem have never worshipped idols since.
But when Jesus, the true God, came and presented Himself to them, they refused to own and worship Him; and because of this, God will allow them to be deluded by the antichrist, and then they will return to worse idolatry than ever. They will worship the antichrist; they will worship the beast, the head of the revived Roman empire; and the antichrist will cause an image to be made to the beast, and will give it breath, so that it can speak, and deceive the people, and they will also worship this image. (See Rev. 13.) In all probability this image will be the idol which will be set up in the temple, and which will be worshipped instead of the true God. This will be an abomination to
God, and because of it, He will send upon them a desolating scourge—an army which will besiege the city, and bring great distress upon them. They will then find that their idols cannot deliver them. Of this we hope to write more in another article, if God permit.
What I would like to impress upon my young readers now, is the terrible sin of having rejected Jesus, when He came as the Christ, and gave every proof that He was the true God. God has had long patience with the Jews, even since they murdered His Son. But when they finally accept the antichrist, — “the man of sin”—the embodiment of all wickedness—, instead of His Son—whom they would not receive, and when they setup an idol in the temple consecrated to the worship of Jehovah alone, then He will bear with them no longer, but will pour upon them His holy indignation. Oh! think of this, dear young reader, if you too are still despising Jesus. Do not be like the foolish and wicked Jews who would not receive Him. and who will be given over to the delusion of the antichrist. Accept Jesus now. Believe and be saved, while mercy’s door is still open. The door will soon be shut, and then it will be too late. “Behold now is the day of salvation.” Tomorrow, the door may be closed.
ML 03/06/1904