The Abomination of Desolation

The title of the sermon today is The Abomination of Desolation. We're going to go on a learning journey. And, of course, to get the full benefit of this, you would have to review and study it more and more. One of the most pivotal and relevant prophecies in the whole Bible is found in Matthew 24. Of course, Matthew 24, the Olivet Prophecy. Many events are listed there. We're going to focus on verse 15 to begin with today. In Matthew 24 and verse 15. In Matthew 24, 15, When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, Jesus Christ, the spokesperson here giving validity to the prophet Daniel, for a long time the Jews debated whether or not Daniel would be in the canon because of the prophecies of the Messiah and other reasons, finally deciding that the Council of Jaimina that it would be in the canon, Jesus Christ himself gives validity to it, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, Stand in the holy place, whosoever reads, let him understand. Now, let's note what Daniel wrote concerning the abomination of desolation. So we go to Daniel 11. Let's see what Daniel writes about this. In Daniel 11, 31, we don't have time in a sermon like this. This will be a broad outline. So do the background lead up to some of these verses. In Daniel 11, 31, an arm shall stand on his part, talking about this beast's power, the beast himself, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that makes desolate. And Christ says, when you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, let him who reads understand. Then we look in chapter 12, verse 11, And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be 2,290 days. So two places in the book of Daniel talks about the abomination of desolation in Christ says, when you see that, let him who reads understand. So we see clearly that once the abomination of desolation is placed, a definite countdown is set in motion. The countdown highlights the pivotal nature of this prophecy. Once again, it says, there shall be 1,290 days. Then, verse 12, blessed he that waits and continues to the 1,335 days. Where will the abomination of desolation be placed? Christ states that it will be placed in the holy place. Daniel states that the sanctuary will be polluted, and the daily sacrifice will be taken away. We'll go to chapters 8, 9, and 11 a little bit later. He addresses the polluting of the sanctuary and taking away the daily sacrifice in quite a lot of detail in Daniel 8, which we'll look at a little bit later. So where is the holy place? Where is the sanctuary? And what is the daily sacrifice?

Three principal scenarios have been postulated in an attempt to answer these questions. So let's look at some of this. First of all, we should define the word holy. Christ says, when you see the abomination of desolation, stand in the holy place.

The Greek word for holy is hagios, and the Hebrew equivalent is kodesh, spelled Q-O-D-E-S-H. So hagios in the Greek, kodesh in the Hebrew, and both words refer to setting apart and separateness because of God's active presence in or upon holy things or persons. Let's read that again. Both words refer to setting apart and separateness because of God's active presence in or upon holy things or persons. Moses was told, take off your shoes because the ground upon which you stand is holy. God's presence makes things holy. Again, God's presence makes things holy. The saints are referred to as holy because God's Spirit is in them. In Exodus 3.7, we've already mentioned Moses instructed to take off his shoes.

The place whereon you stand is holy ground. God's presence was manifested in the tabernacle after it was raised up in the wilderness. So let's look at that in Exodus 40. Exodus 3.7, we see that Moses was told to pull off his shoes because the ground upon which you stand is holy. Moses turned and saw the burning bush there, and God spoke to him.

In Exodus 40, in verse 35, Moses was not able to enter into the tent of the congregation because the cloud abode there upon, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Now glory is sometimes used synonymously with presence, you could just as easily say, and the presence of the Lord filled the tabernacle. And when the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the children of Israel went forward in all their journeys. So God's presence was in that tabernacle. Then you go to 2 Chronicles 5, verse 13. When Solomon's temple was dedicated, God's glory filled the holy place, that temple, in 2 Chronicles 5, verse 13.

2 Chronicles 5, verse 13. It came even to pass as the trumpeters and singers were as one to make one sound to be heard, and praising and thanking the eternal. And when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the Lord, saying, For he is good for his mercy and doers for ever, that the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the Lord.

So the cloud also represents his presence. So that the priest could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud, for the glory, the presence, of the Lord, had filled the house of God. In 1 Corinthians 3, 16 now, we turned there. We've already noted this already, but didn't turn to the Scripture. In 1 Corinthians 3, 16, see, holy things have God's presence upon them or in them.

With regard to true believers, they have God's presence in them, and they are called the temple of God. In 1 Corinthians 3, 16, Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Furthermore, in Stephen's inspired sermon, we go to Acts 7, back a few pages to Acts 7, the deacon Stephen preached an inspired sermon after he was ordained a deacon.

Stephen went about preaching and performing mighty miracles and was called into question by the council, the Sanhedrin, to give an answer, and he gave this powerful testimony for which he was stoned, put to death. In Acts 7, verse 48, he basically recounts the history of Israel coming out of Egypt, the church in the wilderness, about Moses, and all of that, and he comes up to this point. We'll read verse 47, but Solomon built him a house. We just read from Chronicles that the glory of God filled the house that Solomon built, that temple. Howbeit the Most High dwells not in temples made with hands, as says the prophet.

So we have some background there with regard to what makes things holy and things that are holy in the historical sense. And of course, in the present sense, you are a holy people. You are a chosen generation. You have God's active presence within you. Based on the fact that the physical temple has been destroyed, after that temple that Solomon built, there was a restoration temple led by Zachariah and Haggai, under also the oversight of Zerubbabel and Joshua.

So the restoration temple was raised up in 515 BC and then destroyed by the Romans in circa 6970 AD. Now, in that second temple, God's presence did not fill the holy of holies. But Haggai said that it pointed toward a greater fulfillment that was to come in the spiritual temple. So based on the fact that the physical temple has been destroyed and that God does not dwell in temples made by hands, we just read that from Acts 748, Stephen, some have reasoned that the holy place that Christ referred to in Matthew 24, 15 is the Church of God.

It is true that God and Christ dwells in each of us, as we have noted, and begotten believers constitute the Church of God. But that does not do away with all places that are referred to as holy in the Bible. True, the spiritual temple is composed of spirit-led Christians who are scattered around the world. But the Church is not a place. It is a spiritual organism. When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation stand in the holy place.

Let him who reads understand. So once again, where is this holy place that Christ is referring to? The Bible calls things what they were in the general sense. At the time, the prophecy was written. Moreover, it can refer to what existed in the historical sense. For example, let's go to Isaiah 52.1. I think I'm going to give, as they say, my feast sermon. We already served notice that the Panama City speakers are to have a conference. I think it's on August 23rd, two months almost before the feast. I mean, anyhow, I won't go there. But okay, in Isaiah 52.1, Awake, awake!

Put on your strength, those high end, and put on your beautiful garments. Oh, Jerusalem, the holy city! For henceforth there shall no more come into you the uncircumcised and the unclean. Now, actually, this is looking forward to the millennium and the future, when Jerusalem once again becomes the holy city. It was referred to in the historical sense, and there are other verses that you could go to, to verify that, but it's been called the holy city for a long time.

And also, that area is called the holy mountain. Now, you look at Revelation chapter 11, and paradoxically, I guess you could say, ironically, this is what Jerusalem becomes in Revelation chapter 11. In this time, and we can read in just a moment from Daniel chapter 11, so Jerusalem is meant to be the holy city, the place where God placed his presence, when the Solomon's temple was built. In Revelation chapter 11, the fate of the two witnesses will read in it to it from that. And when they, the two witnesses, finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit, he's mentioned in the first few verses there in Revelation 9, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them and kill them, and their dead body shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

So no doubt it's speaking about Jerusalem. But yet, at the same time, there are a lot of Bible references referred to it as the holy city.

So, as we have noted, the church can be referred to as holy, and we are to be holy. But this is talking about a specific place. At the time that Daniel recorded his visions, the holy place was the temple. The holy place is referred to as the temple mount as well. We'll look at Daniel chapter 9 and verse 16, and we'll see this. Now, Daniel 9 is very interesting to me in the sense of God had decreed that by Jeremiah, what was called the 70 weeks prophecy, that 70 weeks would pass upon Judah before they would be restored, and the 70 weeks prophecy becomes the 490 years of 7 times 70, of which 69 weeks have been passed, been fulfilled, some say that 69 and a half have been. Okay, in Daniel chapter 9, and what I'm leading toward here in Daniel chapter 9, Daniel chapter 9 is about Daniel wanting to understand this 70 weeks prophecy. Maybe we'll read there a couple verses up front. In Daniel chapter 9 verse 1, In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the mead, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans, in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish 70 years in the desolations of Jerusalem. So that 70 years becomes a day for a year, becomes 790 years. In that prophecy, I'm not turning there, you can find in Jeremiah 25, 12, and also in Jeremiah 29, 10. The point I want to get to here is verse 16. The Lord, O Lord, according to all your righteousness I beseech you, let your anger and your fury be turned away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain.

Because for our sins and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people are become a reproach to all that are about us.

Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of your servant and his supplications and cause your face to shine upon your sanctuary that is desolate for the Lord's sake. O my God, incline your ear, hear, open your eyes, behold our desolations in the city which is called by your name, for we do not present our supplications before you for our righteousness but for your great mercies. So Daniel definitely refers to Jerusalem and the mountain as the holy mountain. Therefore, you have to follow this, Paul says that come let us reason together. And Paul, and this is that's in Isaiah chapter one, come let us reason together. And in Acts, he talks about and he reasoned with them on the Sabbath day and you have to have line upon line, precept upon precept, you put it all together.

So after reading Daniel 9 16 17, I conclude the prophecies that were given to him concerning the abomination of desolation, the pollution of the sanctuary, and the taking away of the daily sacrifice refer to the temple site. What else would it refer to? Because that's what is called the holy city, the holy mountain. That's where the temple was built, where God had placed his presence. Christ stated that the abomination of desolation would be placed in a definite place. The great word for place is topos, T-O-P-O-S. T-O-P-O-S. Strongs defines it as a place any portion or space marked off as it were from surrounding space. Space marked off from surrounding space. It is a holy place. Take off your shoes, Moses, because the ground upon which you stand is holy. So it's marked off as a separate place. As mentioned earlier, some people believe that the abomination of desolation is placed in the church, since Christ does not dwell in buildings made by hands.

However, the fact that Christ states that the abomination of desolation will be placed in a definite place and that it can be seen negates any notion that the abomination of desolation can be the church or a false teaching in the church. Now, let's turn to 2 Thessalonians 2, back when things were really raging and worldwide in the early 90s, a lot of people were saying, well, this is this is the full film of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. And of course, you may say, well, there were parallels along the way, but it is not the abomination of desolation. Because we'll read in a moment. Well, I don't know if it's in a moment or when it would be, but anyhow, that in Matthew 24-21, it says, then shall be great tribulation. When? After the placing of the abomination of desolation. So in 2 Thessalonians verse 1, now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus and by our gathering together unto him.

See, the resurrection takes place. You're caught up in the air, and so shall you ever be with the Lord. Now you be not soon shaken in mind or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

So people were sending out letters saying the day of the Lord is at hand, false letters, evidently saying, feigning or faking Paul's signature. Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come, except there come an apostasia falling away first, a great false teaching, or literally falling away. And that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, or that is, or that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. Now some of the reasoning went along the lines, well, no physical, God does it well in buildings made by hands, and even though, and this is somewhat of a conundrum, and even though that the Jews, let's say, they do rebuild a temple, and that's what we understand at this time, they will rebuild a temple, or at least an altar. There are a lot of different opinions out there on that, but the basic position we have held is there will be a temple rebuilt, or a temple built, third temple, and sacrifices will be instituted.

But it is in a definite place where you can see it, and as we shall read from Revelation 11 a little later, the city is divided, and a lot of things go with that as well.

The fact that Christ states that the abomination of desolation will be placed in a definite place, it can be seen, negates any notion that the abomination of desolation is the church or a false teaching, though obviously that abominable false teaching is an abomination. And it's not to say there have not been false teaching, because the reason there is a United Church of God is because there was a false teaching, not just one, but several.

False teaching can be deliberate, and that one was.

Of course, generally all false teaching is dressed in new truths of greater understanding or something along those lines. False teaching can be deliberate, and false teaching, on the other hand, can be a sincere misunderstanding of the Scripture. And, of course, we have had that as well, and some of it has been corrected. I would imagine there are other things that will need to be corrected along the line. I hope we continue to grow in grace and knowledge. Most people go around like a parrot, repeating what they have always heard. They've never really got down and understood and spent time going through the Scriptures. Furthermore, false teaching in the church does not pollute a place or a sanctuary or take away the daily sacrifice. It does not take away what are our sacrifices? What are Christian sacrifices today? One of the main sacrifices is prayer.

It wafts up before the God, before his nostrils, as a sweet incense. It talks about that in Revelation 8. So it is true that Christians are supposed to offer spiritual sacrifices. Peter talks about that in 1 Peter 2, verse 5, offering up spiritual sacrifice. But can the action of any system or person prevent a Christian from offering spiritual sacrifices?

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were thrown in the fiery furnace. Daniel was placed in the lion's den, but they cried out to God and were to be delivered. No person or action can prevent one from offering spiritual sacrifices. No system, no person can prevent you from offering spiritual sacrifices. You can pray from the deepest, darkest dungeon, and no one can prevent you from offering spiritual sacrifices. It cannot be done. Your spiritual sacrifice cannot be taken away by any system or any man. I don't care what they do to you. You may be on the board where they're... It seems to me that'd be one of the most horrible ones where they're stretching you, elongating you. So I conclude, and I think we can all safely conclude, that the abomination of desolation will be placed in a definite holy place, a place that can be seen. Moreover, the place is the sanctuary where the daily sacrifices are offered. Will the Jews actually offer animal sacrifices in the so-called post-modern age? In somewhere around 1998, I was in New Zealand, and we had a church member there who had a lot of influence in the media circles there in New Zealand, and he got me on what was equivalent to in New Zealand, what would be the equivalent of what used to be the Larry King Show in the U.S. And so, one of the main things I went through... there was big trouble in Jerusalem at that time, and Antiphata was underway. And so the host, the Larry King of New Zealand, was asking me, well, what do you think about the situation in Jerusalem now? And I went through some of what we're going through right now. He said, you mean to tell me that you think that the Jews are going to offer animal sacrifices again? I said, well, that's what the Bible indicates, what it says to me. He said, don't you know that the whole world will be up in arms?

See, we have people now that are tree huggers and lying down, preventing the cutting of trees. Fur coats have become basically obsolete.

So, will the Jews actually offer animal sacrifices in the so-called post-modern age, an age in which activists are demonstrating against the killing of animals to make fur coats? One of the big things in Hillary's speech yesterday was the Trump kids have killed a lot of animals, they're hunters.

Therefore, their fathers should not be president.

Look at Isaiah 29.

Isaiah 29 seems to indicate clearly...

I guess that's an oxymoron seems to indicate clearly.

In Isaiah 29, woe to Ariel. Ariel is another name for Jerusalem. Ariel is another name for Jerusalem. You can look it up because it tells you right here. Woe to Ariel, Ariel the city where David dwelt, and at year to year let them kill sacrifices. Yet I will distress Ariel, and there shall be heaviness and sorrow, and it shall be unto me as Ariel. And I will come against you round about and will lay siege against you with a mount, and I will raise forts against you. And you shall be brought down and shall speak out of the ground, and your speech shall be low out of the dust, and your voice shall be as one that has a familiar spirit out of the ground, and your speech shall whisper out of the dust. Moreover, the multitude of your strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff, that passes away, yet it shall be as an instant suddenly. Then shall you shall be visited of the Lord of Hosts with thunder. The Lord of Hosts is God Almighty the Father, with earthquake and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire, and the multitude of all the nations that fight against Ariel. Remember Zechariah chapter 12 verses 2, 3, 4, that the nations surround Jerusalem.

The nations that fight against Ariel even shall all fight against her and her munitions, and that distress her shall be as a dream of a night vision. It shall be even as when a hungry man dreams, and behold he eats, but he awakes and his soul is empty, or as when a thirsty man dreams, and behold he drinks, but he awakes, and behold he is faint, and his soul has appetite. So shall the multitude of all the nations be that fight against Mount Zion.

And you can read the rest of that. I'll read a couple more verses because it reads into the end times.

You look at verse 11, and the vision of all has become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which man delivers to one that is learned, saying, read this, I pray you, and he said, I cannot, for it is sealed. And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, read this, I pray you, and he says, I'm not learned. Wherefore the Lord said, for as much as this people draws near to me with their mouth and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of man. So he's describing what is taking place. Then you drop down there to verse 18, and when you see that phrase, that prophetic utterance, and in that day, and in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book. Of course, this is beginning of the millennium. And the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darkness, the meek also shall increase their joy in the eternal, and the poor among them shall rejoice in the holy one of Israel. For the terrible one is brought to nothing, and the scourner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off. And you can read the the rest of that, so it definitely indicates that sacrifices will be reinstituted. It talks about Ariel, Ariel, offering sacrifice.

Now, other speculations with regard to the temple or an altar being built, since the area, the Temple Mount, where Solomon's Temple and the Restoration Temple were built, are now under the control of the Arabs, some people have speculated that the Jews might build an altar at the Western Wall, or the Wailing Wall, literally called the the Wall of Tears, the Wailing Wall of the Old City, since this is as close as the Jews can get to the Holy Place.

There are two principal factors that legislate against that speculation. First of all, the priesthood was established and before the Tabernacle and the Wilderness was raised up and before Solomon's Temple was built, the patriarchs built altars in various locations and offered sacrifices. So there is a precedent that even Abraham, you read in Genesis chapter 12, when he came into the land, he built an altar. And so, altars were built by the patriarchs, but after the temple was built, the only place whereby you could offer the sacrifice was at the temple.

Now, Zorubabel and Joshua, when they came back to to build the Restoration Temple, they built an altar and they offered sacrifice.

And apparently, it was on the Temple Mount. No sacrifices were offered in Babylon because after the Temple was built, after Solomon's Temple was built, it was at the temple that you offered the sacrifices. It was under the direction of the priest.

So this thing about building an altar in some other place, other than the Temple Mount, or the immediate adjoining area, that I would say would have to touch it, seems to be out of the question. It should be carefully noted that after the priesthood was established, the tabernacle and the temple were constructed, sacrifices could only be offered by the Levitical priesthood at those altars.

Those who varied from these instructions were swiftly and severely punished. Secondly, the priest in the temple area had to be purified before sacrifices could be offered. That's one of the big things that we'll know a little later here, that the ashes of a red heifer are necessary to cleanse the area according to Jewish teaching. The book of Leviticus explains these rules of purification in great detail, along with the book of Numbers in some places. So in view of the reasons stated above, the building of an altar and offering sacrifices in any place other than the holy place on the temple mount would constitute an egregious breach of the Scripture in the Jewish mind. And I believe in all of our minds. Religious Jews are well-versed in the consequences associated with disobeying the Scriptures. The Temple Institute has dedicated much of its resources in fulfilling the biblical requirements for restoring temple worship. This includes building a third temple, preparing temple vessels, securing an acceptable red heifer from which the ashes are used to purify the temple mount, the re-establishment of the San Hedron, and the San Hedron has been re-established. It was re-established several years ago. Let's see, about six or seven, somewhere along there. Obviously, in today's world you can do anything. Just put it in your search, San Hedron restoration. And now, as we have read from the news items, they are establishing a school to train young men to serve as priests. So, a school is being established. There's already some training going on, but now a formal school, and it's one of the last articles there in your news items. There's virtually no evidence to support the Jews building an altar, offering sacrifices at any other site other than the Temple Mount. However, the sacrifice, according to the precedent set by Zerubbabel and Joshua, the sacrifices could be offered on an altar. But it seems that even this, let's say you just only built an altar, that it would still have to be on the Temple Mount. According to the Jewish Chronicle of July the 31st, 1998, so that is what, 18 years ago, there are groups in Jerusalem who have never visited the area around the Temple Mount for fear of sacrilege. Some won't even fly over it because they are so superstitious about it. In the Jewish text, in this Jewish text, there was a theologian, Jewish scholar, philosopher, Maimonides.

He lived from 1138 to 1202.

He wrote a compendium of Jewish law, 14 volumes, and it is like the law in Jewish thought in a lot of circles. A Jewish text in one of these volumes, in fact it's in 11 verse 1, says that even though that area is desolate, the sanctuaries retain their pristine holiness.

Now, I don't know how you do that, but so they say, the ground is so holy, they would take special preparation, including the sprinkling of the ashes of the red heifer and the reinstitution of the priestly duties to make even the minimal act to set one foot on the area for many observant Jews. Look at Numbers 19. Numbers 19 covers the part about the offering and the sprinkling of the ashes of a red heifer, which we shall see according to lots of sources.

The ashes of a red heifer or the red heifer has been developed that would be acceptable. The red heifer cannot have one white hair. It must be all red. In Numbers 19, the Lord spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, this is the ordinance of the law which the Lord has commanded, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring you a red heifer without spot where it is no blemish upon, which never came a yoke.

And you shall give it to Eliezer the priest, that he shall bring it forth without the camp, and he shall slay it before his face, and Eliezer the priest shall take of her blood with his finger, sprinkle of her blood directly before the tabernac of the congregation seven times, and one shall burn the heifer in his sight, her skin, her flesh, and her blood. With her dung shall he burn, and the priest shall take cedar wood, hissop, and scarlet, and cast it upon the midst of the burning of the heifer.

And it goes on to talk about the purification of the priest and what to do with the ashes of the red heifer. Now, Paul refers to this in Hebrews 9 and verse 13. Remember, Hebrews is comparing and contrasting elements of the old covenant with elements of the new covenant. So in Hebrews chapter 9 and verse 13, For if the blood of the bulls and goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh.

So the ashes of a red heifer, they believe, are necessary to make the temple mount ceremonially clean. Now, there is a segment of the Jews who believe that the temple can only be built, that is, the third temple, by the Messiah. And according to Maimonides, once again, he writes, and this in English, it means the law of the kings and their wars, book 11, and I'm quoting from that book of Maimonides right now, In the future, the Messianic king will arise and renew the Davidic dynasty, restoring it to its initial sovereignty.

He will build the temple and gather the disperse of Israel. Then, in his days, the observance of all the statues will return to their previous state. We will offer sacrifices, observe the sabbatical and jubilee years, according to all the particulars as described by the Torah. Anyone who does not believe in him or does not await his coming denies not only the statements of the other prophets, but those of the Torah and Moses, our teacher. And then he quotes from Deuteronomy 30 verses 3 through 5, which state, God will bring your captivity and have mercy upon you. He will again gather you from among the nations, even if your diaspora, that is scattering, is at the ends of the heavens.

God will gather you up from there and bring you to the land. And, of course, now the evangelicals, since the state of Israel has been reestablished and Jews have returned to Israel, though they say there are more Jews in the United States than they are in Israel, the evangelicals look at that as a fulfillment of what homonades has just written here. The actual restoration of Israel takes place in the ultimate sense after they are converted. They should look on him whom they have pierced, and when they accept Jesus Christ, they can be restored fully.

So there are two contingencies. One, the followers of the writings of Maimonides, the very observant, Helechic, and H-A-L-A-C-H-I-C, Helechic Jews, means those of the law, believe that only the Messiah can build the temple. But those of the Temple Institute and many others are determined to rebuild the the temple. And so the red heifer, there's a man named Kaim Richmond, he is the head of the Temple Institute, and ironically he somehow made contact with a rancher from Canton, Mississippi, and they agreed, as this man's name is Clyde Lott, and they agreed to enter into an agreement to breed, develop a red heifer that's acceptable. And supposedly this has been done, that there is a heifer that is, and I read articles from time to time about red heifers ready and that kind of thing. This story of Richmond and Clyde Lott is quite fascinating, but I'm not taking the time to read it. A long story was given in the Jackson, Clare, and Ledger back several years ago.

So we have two schools of thought. The Jews, on the one hand, believe you've got to rebuild the temple to fulfill what's written in the prophets, and since they rejected Jesus Christ, they're looking for the first Messiah. But many believe that the temple plays a role whether it's before the Messiah comes or after, but that the temple has to be built.

And then you have the the Christian world, including nearly all of the denominations of Christianity who believe that you have to build this temple in order for Christ to come.

In the general sense, the great elephant in the room is one world opinion in Islam. Even if you go back to 1998 when Richmond and Clyde Lott first hooked up, and back when the Temple Institute first came to prominence, the Islamic threat was not what it is today, not nearly what it is today.

So how are the Jews going to build a temple on the Temple Mount if that is the holy place? And we've made a case for it being the holy place. The whole of the Temple Mount contains two mosques that are very sacred to Muslims that is the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

And if the Jews, see the Jews can hardly even set their foot on it today, the Temple Mount is under the care of the Jordanians.

And there is an army of types and soldiers that are posted there and so on.

So how are you going to gain it? Is it going to be through strategic negotiations? The two-state solution to the Mennies crisis has been talked about now for years.

In the technical sense, it is believed by researchers that the Holy of Holies was located several feet north of the Dome of the Rock. So it's possible to build a small edifice or an altar in that area without destroying the Dome of the Rock. So that's one possibility, but regardless of the technicalities, as to whether the Jews must regain control of the entire Temple Mount or only a portion of it, dramatic changes have to take place before any Jewish altar or temple can be constructed on that site.

Just consider the geopolitical considerations with regard to this. So there are two basic ways to gain control of it. One, diplomacy, and the other is war, to take it by force.

When the modern state of Israel was established through UN resolution 171 in November of 1947, one of the provisions called for two states, a Jewish state and an Arabic state, with Jerusalem being the capital of both and under international control. So let's go to Revelation 11. In Revelation 11, will that area be divided? According to the Bible, it will be.

In Revelation 11 verse 2, and there was given unto me a reed like under a rod, and the angel stood saying, Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar, and them that worship therein. Now, a lot of people once again said, Well, it's talking about the Church of God. Well, it can be applied. The judgment is now on the house of God, and we are being measured. We're being judged. But is that what this is talking about in the technical fulfillment or the fulfillment of it?

But the court, which is without the temple, leave out, measure it not, for it is given unto the nations.

I doubt the Church would be given to the nations. And the holy city shall they tread down 42 months.

So some kind of a political agreement is going to come to pass, and the nations are going to be able to flow there.

One of the things that has been in the news lately is there is an organization that has several hundred members, had a few thousand now, that, similar to what the pope is doing, they are going to hold in September services that will include Islam, the Jews, and Christianity in that area of the temple mount.

Verse 3, and I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy 1260 days clothed in sackcloth. So going parallel with this, and I will give power to them. Verse 4, these are the two olive trees and two candlesticks standing before the god of the earth. That's quoting from Zechariah 4 verses 12-13. And if any man will hurt them, fire proceeds out of their mouth and devours their enemies. And if any man will hurt them, he must be, in that manner, be killed. So the city is divided, and in Zechariah 14, it talks about the city being divided. One of the things that throw people off so much with regard to the study of prophecy is prophecy is not written in a linear fashion. It goes forward, comes back, goes forward, comes back, their inset chapters, and all of that. In Zechariah chapter 14, verse 2, For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken. The houses rifled, the women ravished, half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Almost every place in the Bible where you see residue or remnant is referring to the people of God.

So some have suggested that the Temple Mount would be taken by war. Even if the Temple Mount were taken by war, the international community would have to enforce some kind of negotiated peace that might be achieved after such a war is over. In other words, for the Jews to erect a place of worship on the Temple Mount and restore any elements of Temple worship, there must be a period of peace. You can't do that in the midst of a war. You can't do that in the midst of the terrorism that is going on in the world today, and especially in that area.

So, as I've already mentioned, the Pope and other prominent religious figures have one of the articles in the news items, are feverishly working to unify the religions of the world.

The book of Daniel states that the person who's responsible for taking away the daily sacrifice comes to power in the name of peace.

We'll read that in just a moment. Then, after the period of pseudo-peace, the truce is broken. Then, with the aid of Satan and powerful armies, this person places the abomination of desolation and takes away the daily sacrifice.

So, let's go to Daniel 8. Daniel 8 deals a great deal with the daily sacrifice.

Daniel 8 won in the third year the reign of King Belshazzar. A vision appeared unto me, even unto Daniel. After that, which appeared unto me at first, and I saw a vision, and it came to pass when I saw that I was at Shushan in the palace in the province of Elam, and I saw a vision, and I was by the river of Eli. I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns, and the two horns were high, but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. And then, it talks about the ram and the goat pushing against each other.

Verse 7, and I saw him come close into the man, and he was moved with color against him, smoked the ram, broke his two horns, and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, stomped on him, and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. Therefore, the he-goat waxed very great, and when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven. So, it's talking about the battle between Alexander the Great and Persia. Alexander the Great is the great one in the goat in verse 8. And after Alexander died, his kingdom was divided into four divisions among four of his generals. In verse 15, well, let's read 13, then I heard one saint speaking and another saint saying unto the certain saint which spoke, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice and the transgression of desolation to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden underfoot? And he said unto me for 2,300 days, 2,300 days. Now, we have had articles written and worldwide about this. Some said, well, it's the morning sacrifice and the daily sacrifice. So, instead of 2,300 days, it's half of 2,300 days. So, 1,150 days. And we've had other speculation about the 2,300 days. I think that's the least clear about this prophecy. It came to pass when I, even I, Daniel, had seen the vision and sought for the meaning then, behold there stood before me as the appearance of a man. And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Eli which called and said, Gabriel! Gabriel is a messenger angel. Make this man to understand the vision. So, he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and fell down and fell upon my face. And he said unto me, understand, O son of man, for at the time of the end shall be the vision. And this word end in the Hebrew is q-e-t-s, kets, pronounced probably kates in the English, and it literally means what it says. It means the end times, continuing. Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground, but he touched me and set me upright, and he said, Behold, I will make you know what shall be the last end, once again that word, end of the indignation for at the time, the moed, and time appointed. And that word time appointed means a specific time, the time appointed, the end, kets, once again, q-e-t-s. So the vision is for the end of the age. So, once again, the significance of verse 17 should be noted, make him understand what shall be at the end. Now, some Bible commentators believe that Antiguus Epiphanies fulfilled a prophecy in 168 when he offered swine's blood upon the altar and placed the statue of Jupiter Olympus in the Holy of Holies.

And the actions of Antiguus can obviously be viewed as a type of fulfillment, but the angel Gabriel restates, as we have read, verse 17 and verse 19, that the vision is for the end time. And he said, look, I'm making you to know what shall happen in the latter times of the indignation, for at the time appointed, the end shall be.

Now, look at verse 20.

One of the main things... I'm going to read verse 19 also.

When I first started studying the church literature somewhere around 61, 1961, one of the articles, I don't know which one it was or whatever, but one of the subjects that I taught initially when I was teaching high school was world history. And of course, I was familiar to some degree with the Persian Empire, the Greek Empire, and all of that. And then I read Daniel 8 for what it said, and it specifically identifies Alexander the Great. And so that was like...

The Bible is true. Of course, I already believe it was, but in verse 19, O Lord, heal, O Lord, forgive, O Lord, hearken and do, defer not for your own sake. Oh my God, for your city and your people are called by your name. And while I was speaking and praying, this is Daniel, see, to really understand, to really understand the Word of God and prophecy and all that, you got to want to. You got to want to. You got to pray. You got to study.

And while I was speaking and praying and confessing my sins and the sin of my people, Israel, and presenting my supplications before the eternal my God for the holy mountain of my God, notice that once again, the holy mountain, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, the messenger angel whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.

Now, notice what happens here. This prophecy is interpreted so clearly. And he informed me and talked with me and said, oh Daniel, I have now come come forth to give you skill and understanding. At the beginning of your supplications, the commandment came forth, and I am come to show you you are greatly beloved. Therefore, understand the matter and consider the vision. 70 weeks to determine upon your people, upon your holy city. To finish the transgression, to make an end of sin. Of course, Christ had to come, and through the sacrifice of Christ, that sins can be forgiven. To make reconciliation for iniquity, which he did, and to bring in everlasting righteousness.

So in the 70 weeks prophecy, that part is there about Messiah coming, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.

Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment, to restore and to build Jerusalem under the Messiah, the print shall be seven weeks, three score, and two weeks, and the streets shall be built up, and the wall even in troubleous times.

Now I want to go back to chapter 8.

Chapter 8, verse 20, The realm which you saw having two horns are the kings of media and persia. The rough goat is the king of Grisha, Alexander the Great. The great horn that is between his eyes, the first king, Alexander the Great. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, his kingdoms was divided among his four generals.

Kastalami got Egypt, Cassandra got Macedonia, Lysimatius got Bithynia, and Seleutius got Syria.

Four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power. And in the latter times of their kingdom, when the transgressors would come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power. He shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper and practice, and shall, in that word, destroy, better translated, corrupt the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also, he shall cause craft to prosper in the land, witchcraft, divination. He shall magnify himself in his heart. Remember 2 Thessalonians chapter 2, 3, 4, sits in the temple of God, saying that he is God. And by peace, and by peace, shall destroy many, and he shall stand up against the prince of peace, Jesus Christ. But he shall be broken in that without hand. And the vision of the evening and the the evening in the morning was told, is true, wherefore shut you up the vision, for it shall be for many days. And I, Daniel, fainted, was sick certain days after it. I rose up and did the king's business, and I was astonished at the vision, but non-understood it.

Now you look at Revelation 17, where it says, and he shall stand up against the prince of princes. You look at Revelation 17, and you see something very similar, and we'll read into it. Revelation 17, verse 12, and ten horns which he saw are ten kings which have received no kingdom as yet, but receive powers kings one hour with the beasts. These have one mind shall give their power and strength unto the beasts. These shall make war with the lamb. See the prince of princes, he shall stand up against the prince of princes, from Daniel chapter 8. These shall make war with the lamb, and the lamb shall overcome them for he is Lord of lords and king of kings, and they that are with him are called and chosen and faithful. That's you and I if we remain faithful.

So in verse 23 of Daniel 8, the prophecy moves toward the end time. At the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their full, a king shall arise with a fierce countenance who understands sinister schemes. The king of fierce countenance is the little horn of verse 9 that grows out of one of the divisions of Alexander's empire. So at the end of the age, a person from one of the four divisions of Alexander's empire comes to power. That's what the Bible says. You can read all kind of things, but that's what the Bible says.

I just read it. This person is energized by a power Satan greater than himself. He uses deceit to corrupt the people. His strategy brings about prosperity. This causes people to be just corrupted in their prosperity. This person is on the scene during a time of pseudo-peace and prosperity. Furthermore, he's on the scene when Christ returns again. He shall rise against the prince of princes, but he shall be broken without hand, just like I read in Revelation 17, verse 14.

Thus, the king of fierce features described in Daniel 8 is equated with the beast of Revelation 17, because it says in Daniel 8 that he stands against the prince of princes. In Revelation 17, 14, it says that he shall stand against the lamb.

Once again, Antiochus of Pibaneus may have been a type of what is to come, but when Christ referred to the placing of the abomination of desolation, he's referring to a future event. We've already noted, Daniel 1211, that the placing of the abomination of desolation marks the beginning of the countdown of 1290 days. So there will be another person who comes on the scene at the appointed time who will be the anti-type of Antiochus. This prophecy is yet to be fulfilled. This person's activities will lead to the final fulfillment of the verses we read from Daniel 8, Daniel 11, Daniel 12, Matthew 24, and other places. World affairs are filled with events that are relevant and critical to the fulfillment of the placing of the abomination of desolation. It is not the time to bury your head in the sand. It is not the time to think, oh well, we've heard all of this before. It is not the time to try to retreat to Bonanjal land. It is not the time to turn away. It is the time to be diligent.

So where are we going to stand in the days that lie ahead? Will your eye be deceived? Or will we keep our nose in the Bible, the pages of the Bible, keep up with world events and affairs so that we will not be deceived, that we will have this love of the truth? You know, we read, I think it was two weeks ago, that in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2 verses 10 and 11, it says, because they love not the truth, God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie.

In Matthew 24, 24, it says that if it were possible, the very elect would be deceived.

You see, if you love the truth, and if you are reading and studying and praying and keeping up with things, God will not allow you to be deceived.

See, if it were possible, you would be deceived. But if you are the very elect, you will not be deceived. And it is the love of the truth. And there are all kinds of things that are floating around out there in the churches of God. I just heard one thing this past Sunday morning. Unbelievable. Unbelievable.

And we really need to be on guard and not tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, that we really put ourselves and our being into the Bible and understand what it is saying. I guess, once again, be with and let him hear.