Open the Seal - not the End yet.?
Mat 24:15 Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand).
Mat 24:16 Then let those in Judea flee into the mountains.
In Mat 24, we read of the phrase "Abomination of Desolation".
This term is CENTRAL to the interpretation of Eschatology or the study of End Times.
Some called it the "keystone" phrase. That means it holds all the eschatological teachings together just like in construction, the keystone keeps the elements in its place.
Matthew is asking his audience to "read this and understand it".
What is it to READ and UNDERSTAND.?
READ how Daniel the prophet speaks about the "Abomination of Desolation". UNDERSTANDS what it is about, and how to interpret it correctly.
The phrase "Abomination of Desolation" is NOT to be understood with our 21st Century relevance, but to be understood from the perspective of Daniel the prophet in the book of Daniel.
Q: Why did Jesus referred to the book of Daniel?
A: It is because in Daniel, there were written visions and prophecies that were sealed up, and nobody can understand them. They are to be closed, and hidden from the people. It is not to be discussed or talked about, because God told Daniel to sealed it up, and don't bring it up.
Dan 12:1 And at that time Michael shall stand up, the great ruler who stands for the sons of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation; until that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
In Daniel 12:1, we read of the angel Michael witnessing a great event of troubles coming upon the nation. But the people whose names are written in the book will be delivered.
From first reading, it seems that God was talking about the Jewish people, but the key understanding is "people whose names are written in the book".
How to understand this "people of the book".?
See Rev 5:9 (other verses that talks about who are those whose names are written in the book of life = Rev 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:15 etc.)
Rev 5:9 And they sang a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the book and to open its seals, for You were slain and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every kindred and tongue and people and nation.
The "people of the book" refers to those who have been redeemed to God by the blood of Jesus,! It is NOT talking about the Jewish people or Israel as a nation, but a people who have been redeemed by Jesus.
Revelations was talking about Christians and His church.
So Jesus is referring to Daniel's prophecy, where in the midst of great troubles, His people, those redeemed by His blood, will be delivered from the troubles. Jesus was not referring to any of our future events of great tribulation, where His people are going to be delivered from the troubles. Jesus was talking to His disciples at their moment in time, and in their generation, not ours.
Look at Dan 12:2-4
Dan 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Dan 12:3 And those who are wise shall shine as the brightness of the sky; and those who turn many to righteousness shall shine as the stars forever and ever.
Dan 12:4 But you, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
Daniel was told by Michael to shut up the words and seal the book. Do not open it yet, because it is not the time yet. Seal it up to the time of the End.
What was Jesus talking about in Mat 24:15?
Jesus was answering the disciples' question about when the End of the Age will take place. So Jesus gave them the sign of the "Abomination of Desolation" that is going to take place as according to what Daniel prophesied. This sign was going to take place in their generation. The "seal" that was closed in Daniel, is going to be "open".
So when they read this in Daniel, they should understand it is coming in their time.
Let's see another place in Daniel:
Dan 12:8 And I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, O my lord, what shall be the end of these things?
Dan 12:9 And He said, Go, Daniel! For the words are closed up and sealed until the end-time.
Compare this with Rev 5:1-9, where John wrote about Jesus was worthy to open the seal of the book because He has redeemed us by His blood.
Rev 5:9 was referring to Jesus and His blood that redeemed us.
John wrote about Jesus and only Jesus was able to open the seal of the book.
In Mat 24:15, Jesus was in that process of unsealing the book that Daniel prophesied about.
Daniel lived about 400 - 500 years before Jesus. His book was sealed until the coming of Christ who came to unseal the seal of the book. It happened because of the blood of Jesus that was shed at the Cross.
When John wrote Rev 22:10, he is saying it is happening very soon. Do not seal the book anymore. Do not close it anymore.
Rev 22:10 And he said to me, Do not seal the Words of the prophecy of this Book; for the TIME IS AT HAND.
Why? Because the "time is at hand". It is almost time. It is happening very very soon.
Time is at hand does not mean 21st Century or 2000 years later. It means their generation, their time line, their time-clock, their moment in time.
What does that tell you about Mat 24 and Rev 22? They are speaking of the same event, and the same timeline, before the End of the Age in AD70. So, the book of Revelations is written before AD70.
Revelations is not about our future event about to happen.
If you want to interpret Revelations, it must be interpreted in according to Matthew 24, and Daniel 12, because Jesus talked about "Abomination of Desolation" in Mat 24:15, and refer it to Dan 12:1, and "people whose names are in the book" in Dan 12:1 refers to "people whose names are in the book" in Revelations..!!
Revelations cannot be speaking about a new Temple that is going to be destroyed in the "Abomination of Desolation". In fact, book of Revelations does NOT say anything about Jews rebuilding a new Temple. People just assume it because there is the word "temple" in Revelations. Revelations has NO mention of "Antichrist", NO mention of "one world government", NO mention of "micro-chips" or "debit card". All these are presumptions to fit into a futuristic view (or dispensation theology), that evolved about 200 years ago in America.!
Q: How would you react to a teaching that says that we need to build an ark, and put all the animals inside it, two by two, because a flood is coming just as in the days of Noah? The preacher will even tell you, it is stated in the bible.
A: You will not accept it and called it wrong teaching or wrong prophecy. Why Because, the flood and its warning already happened in the time of Noah. It already took placed. The prophecy was already fulfilled. The warning was for that generation at that timeline and the flood already took place. Even though the preacher uses scripture, but he used it incorrectly.!
Note: Similarly, don't expect a repeat of fulfilled prophecy, because what Jesus prophesied about the "Abomination of Desolation" already happened at the timeline of the audience that He was talking to.
Just because it is in the bible, or scripture, don't assume that God is going to fulfilled it a 2nd, 3rd or a 4th time. It is bad assumption, and bad interpretation.
This is the cause of many confusions, cults, and denominations, where people are just taking verses from the old testament, and say God is doing it again. No audience relevance. No Context. No historical relevance.
To share a personal experience in this:
Many years ago, I was attending a charismatic church on an island, and the church was going through some problems. The preacher took the prophecy given to Joshua, and asked the congregation to march around the church everyday, and on the 7th day, to march 7 times, and then blow the musical instruments, just like what was instructed in Joshua 6. Guess what? The "walls" did not fall down, and the church still remains as it is. The instruction was specifically given to Joshua, and Joshua obeyed and the event happened as God said it would.
It is very dangerous to believe someone who says that "God spoke to me" and asked him to fulfill the same prophecy again.
Q: Why did Daniel use the phrase "Abomination of Desolation".? Is it something that all the Jews understand? Has it been used before to represent any particular event that Israel can identify?
Answer:
Actually, Daniel did not just use the phrase "Abomination of Desolation" in 1 place in the book of Daniel. He use it in 3 places in Dan 9:27; 11:31; 12:11.
The Jews understand this term "Abomination of Desolation" very well indeed. It fact, it shocked the whole nation of Israel during the Abomination of Desolation. To understand this, we need to look at writing of historians, and realized that the Jews understood that the "Abomination of Desolation" referred to the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem. According to Jewish history, in December 168BC, the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes, on his destruction of Jerusalem, sacrificed a pig on the altar of the Temple, and erected an idol representing their god Zeus. This was the Abomination of Desolation. It was to mock the God of Israel. Daniel wrote about this event as it was happening.
Jesus took this Daniel's event of "Abomination of Desolation", and said His disciples are going to see it. Jesus took that event that happened during Daniel's time and prophesied a similar event in their lifetime, and in their generation, as a sign of the End of the Age.
See a write up on Daniel:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_(biblical_figure)
See a write up on Antiochus Epiphanes:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiochus_IV_Epiphanes
See a write up on Abomination of Desolation:
https://preteristarchives.org/matthew-2415-study-archive/
