The Abomination

Matthew 24:3 ESV 

As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Matthew 24:15-16

“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

Mark 13:19-20

For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days.

Jesus speaks to His disciples of the latter days, or the end of the age. The context of the exchange is from the perspective of God’s elect, the Jews, and His chosen city of Jerusalem. The Gentiles have not been grafted into the kingdom of heaven at this point. The surrounding nations are fueled by the hatred of the dragon for the elect of God. Israel is at the center of the great tribulation. 

The Antichrist won’t be waving a sign; he will be the sign. An abomination. 

Jesus connects the Book of Daniel with the end of the age, or the day of the Lord, with the abomination of desolation to come.  

Luke 21:20-24

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

When Jerusalem is surrounded by armies, desolation is near. The time of the surrounding nations has yet to be fulfilled. The grapes of wrath await their final trampling.