How does Matthew 24:15 relate to the prophecy in Daniel? Matthew 24:15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation,’ described by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand)….” Daniel’s Key Texts • Daniel 9:27 : “…on the wing of abominations will come the desolator, until the decreed destruction is poured out upon him.” • Daniel 11:31 : “His forces will rise up and desecrate the temple fortress, abolish the daily sacrifice, and set up the abomination of desolation.” • Daniel 12:11 : “From the time the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.” Intertextual Linkage 1. Identical phrase. The Greek τὸ βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως in Matthew matches the Septuagint of Daniel 9:27, 11:31, 12:11. 2. Same temple setting. Both contexts locate the abomination “in the holy place.” 3. Temporal marker. Daniel’s climax is “until the decreed end”; Jesus applies it to an approaching crisis and a still-future consummation. Historical Foreshadowing (167 BC) Antiochus IV Epiphanes erected an altar to Zeus on the Jerusalem altar and offered swine (1 Maccabees 1:54; Josephus, Antiquities 12.253). Daniel’s visions predicted this 400 years earlier; fragments of Daniel (4QDanᵃ-c, c. 125 BC) prove the text predates the event. Secular confirmation of Antiochus’s invasion appears in the Babylonian Astronomical Diaries (BM 36773). Jesus’ First-Century Fulfillment (AD 70) Luke’s parallel (“when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies,” Luke 21:20) clarifies the sign. Roman legions carried eagle standards—objects of idolatrous worship—onto the Temple mount in August AD 70 (Josephus, War 6.316-318). Sacrifices ceased 17 Tammuz AD 70, mirroring Daniel 9:27. Surviving believers obeyed Jesus’ command to flee; Eusebius (Ecclesiastical History 3.5) records the church’s escape to Pella, verifying the prophecy’s practical accuracy. Future Eschatological Consummation Paul places a final “man of lawlessness” in the temple, “exalting himself above every so-called god” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4), echoing Daniel and Matthew. Revelation 13:14-15 depicts an image empowered to speak, paralleling Daniel 12:11’s terminus. Thus Jesus’ citation embraces both the near (AD 70) and the ultimate tribulation preceding His return. Prophetic Telescoping Principle Scripture often presents immediate and ultimate horizons (cf. Isaiah 7:14; 37:30-32). Jesus, interpreting Daniel, applies the same pattern: Antiochus → Rome → final antichrist. Chronological Harmony Using Ussher’s dates, Daniel’s 70 weeks begin with Artaxerxes’ decree (457 BC, Ezra 7). Sixty-nine weeks (483 years on a 360-day calendar) reach AD 26–27, the outset of Jesus’ ministry; “mid-week” crucifixion (AD 30) halts the sacrificial system’s legitimacy; the temple’s literal destruction follows within that generation (AD 70). The final week’s latter half remains future, consistent with Revelation’s 42 months/1,260 days. Archaeological and External Corroboration • Temple warning inscription (found 1871, Israel Museum) matches Jesus’ reference to the “holy place” foreigners must not enter. • Titus-Arch in Rome depicts Temple vessels taken AD 70, attesting to the event Jesus foretold. • Seismological and paleobotanical layers in Jerusalem’s destruction stratum date precisely to the Roman siege, certifying the historical anchor. Theological Significance 1. Christ’s omniscience. Predictive precision authenticates His divine identity (John 13:19). 2. Scripture’s unity. OT prophecy and NT fulfillment stand in seamless continuity. 3. Covenantal warning. Violation of covenant brings desolation; repentance brings restoration (Deuteronomy 30:1-3). Practical Application • Vigilance. “Let the reader understand” calls for informed watchfulness. • Flight from judgment through faith. Just as believers fled Jerusalem, so sinners must flee to Christ (Hebrews 6:18). • Worship purity. Guard the “temple” of one’s body and corporate worship from idolatry (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). Answer in Brief Matthew 24:15 is Jesus’ authoritative citation and reapplication of Daniel’s abomination prophecies, historically foreshadowed by Antiochus, fulfilled in part by Rome’s desecration of the Second Temple, and awaiting ultimate culmination in the final antichrist—thereby proving the coherence, reliability, and divine origin of Scripture. |
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