Introduction
One of the main sources of proving the Bible contains directly inspired statements from God, is the subject of prophecy; extremely detailed writings in the scriptures penned by individuals who had claimed to have spoken with God, pertaining to events foretold to happen, hundreds, if not sometimes thousands of years before they do.
The book of Daniel is one of the most detailed and filled books of prophecy in the entire Bible. From Messianic calculations, predictions pertaining to various earthly kings and kingdoms, and events regarding the fate of Israel. It has commanded the attention of both Jews and Christians for over two and a half thousand years, as well as the eye of sceptical critics.
One of the prophecies we’ll be looking into today, is of the “Disgusting Destroyer”, also known as the “Disgusting Thing”, or the “Abomination of Desolation”, as cited in Daniel chapters 9, 11 and 12, which was written during the reign of king Cyrus in the 500s B.C.E.
Scriptural References
The first step is looking at the references where this “Disgusting Destroyer” is mentioned:
- “So, you must now reflect on the things that you’ll see in this vision. Seventy periods of seven have been set on behalf of you and your people and for the Holy City on Zion… There will be seven periods of seven, plus sixty-two periods of seven… And after the sixty-two periods of seven the Anointed One will then be destroyed… Then he will come with the leader that will corrupt/destroy(?) the Holy Place and the city. The end will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations have been decreed. He’ll strengthen the Sacred Agreement with many during one period of seven. But in half of that period of seven, he will put an end to sacrifices and offerings. Then, to the Temple will come the disgusting destroyer, and until that time is fulfilled, there’ll just be complete desolation”. – Daniel 9:23-27
- “Since the 1st year of Cyrus, I’ve been standing nearby in power and might. And now, I’ll tell you the truth; Look! In Persia, three kings will arise, then a fourth will come who’ll be richer. And after he gains all his wealth, he will attack the kingdoms of Greece. Then [from Greece], a mighty king will arise who’ll gain a vast kingdom and he’ll do whatever he wishes. But, after his kingdom has been established it’ll be divided and broken towards the four winds of the skies…
Then the king in the south will grow mighty, but another one will grow stronger and he’ll use the authority he’s given to rule a kingdom that’s vast… there’ll be a rebellion against the king of the south, as the rabble among your people grow many, so this vision will be proven true… But then, they’ll also get weaker. Then the king of the north will attack, and he will build many siege mounds to capture their fortified cities…
Yet, from out of his roots, will arise the shoot of a kingdom to oppose him and demand all the glory of his kingdom. Yet, in those days, he’ll be broken… But, not by rebellion or war. There’ll be someone who’ll stand in his place whom he once treated with great contempt and not given any glory in his kingdom. But, in prosperity, he will return, and through treachery, he’ll then take the kingdom. So the strength of the one who was bringing the flood will be broken and washed away from his face… The one who’s in charge of the Sacred Agreement… And when he’s strong, he will set his heart against the king of the south, and attack him with a great army.
But the king of the south will gather an army and beat him with their new weapons of war. He’ll devour everything that he wanted to take, and then, he will destroy their whole army. He’ll break them and he will kill many. So, both kings will have wicked hearts, and when they sit down at a table, they’ll lie and settle nothing at all until the end has arrived. Then, when he goes back to his country, he will do so with things that he’s plundered, and with his heart set firmly against the Holy Sacred Agreement.
But, after he returns to [his] land, he’ll invade the south once again, yet it won’t be the same as he did at the first. Then, [ships] of Cyprus will attack him and [teach him] that he must be humble; so he’ll return and show his rage once again against the Holy Sacred Agreement. He will launch an attack against those who supported The Holy Sacred Agreement, then [they’ll come] and profane the great Holy Place and bring an end to the daily sacrifices. Yes he will bring the disgusting destroyer against all those who are breaking the Law and disregarding the Sacred Agreement.
But those who know God will grow stronger and they’ll do whatever needs to be done… For they’ll come to know many things. Yet, they’ll be weakened by swords and by fire, and as captives, they’ll be carried away… They’ll be ravaged for a very long time…. Thereafter, the king will grow in his might and put himself higher than all of the gods, including the God of all gods. He will forget the Gods of his fathers, and not notice the desires of women. He will ignore all the gods, and put himself higher than all… Within a fortress of refuge, he will act with a strange god(Whichever one he chooses)… He’ll make it grow in its glory, and cause many to bow down before it, and then, he’ll divide the land up as gifts.
Then, in the time of the end, he’ll lock horns with the king of the south… So, he will then enter their land. He will break it and he will pass through it. And then, he will enter the glorious land, and many there, will be weakened. But these ones will be saved from his hands; Edom, Moab, and the sovereignty of Ammon’s sons… His royal tent, he will then set up between the sea and the Holy Mountain of Glory until he comes to his end when no one will be able save him….
And in that time, the Highest Messenger, Michael, will come (The one who keeps watch on the sons of your people), and a difficult time will arrive such as has never happened before, and will never happen again. At that time, your people will be saved (those whose [names] have been written in the scroll), and many that are sleeping in graves will arise, some to life throughout the ages, and others to disgrace and ages of shame. Then, those who understand what I’m saying will shine like lights in the firmament. And the many that prove themselves righteous will shine like stars throughout the ages…
The holy ones will be scattered for three-and a-half times, before these things reach their end…. From the time the disgusting destroyer arrives and the sacrificing comes to an end is 1,290 days. And all of those will be blessed who endure all the way to the end of 1,335 days”. – Daniel 11:1-5, 14-15, 20-22, 25-33, 36-37, 39–41, 45, 12:1-3, 7, 11-12
As we see, there is quite a lot to unpack in these above passages, so we will be examining them all slowly in sections.
Examining Daniel 9
The first passage we should look to is Daniel 9.
We see in Daniel 9, the Disgusting Destroyer is mentioned within the prophecy of the 70 weeks. As we have already covered the calculations for the 70 weeks in my other article, we reached a firm conclusion that this was related to the time of the Messiah’s coming and the destruction of Jerusalem at the hand of the Roman Empire, which resulted in the permanent end of Temple sacrifices and the scattering of the Jewish people down to this day.
In this respect, we can say for certain that the prophecies of Daniel 9 were miraculously fulfilled.
However, when we examine the Disgusting Destroyer in Daniel 11-12, things get a bit more complicated, and the context of the time period appears to be very different…
Examining Daniel 11 & 12
In these following chapters, we are first taken to the period of king Cyrus. We see the foretelling of various Greek kings who follow after Cyrus, and then the splitting of the Greek kingdom into four powers.
Through this time period, we see a description of civil war, with the “king of the north” against the “king of the south”, and the various political dealings and changes in rulership over this period. By the latter stages of these wars, we see that one of the Greek kings are responsible for profaning the Temple of Jerusalem and bringing the Disgusting Destroyer.
When broken down into detail, the prophetic scriptures in these passages can be seen to have been fulfilled in these historical events, and we can see how they relate to the Disgusting Destroyer of this period:
| Prophetic Scripture | Historical Events |
| “‘In Persia, three kings will arise, then a fourth will come who’ll be richer. And after he gains all his wealth he will attack the kingdoms of Greece”. – Daniel 11:2 | Cambyses II (530‑522 B.C.E), Smerdis, (522 B.C.E), Darius I the Great (521‑486 B.C.E), Xerxes (486‑465 B.C.E). Xerxes attacks Greece, burning Athens, then is defeated at Salamis. |
| “‘Then [from Greece], a mighty king will arise who’ll gain a vast kingdom and he’ll do whatever he wishes. But, after his kingdom has been established it’ll be divided and broken towards the four winds of the skies, and it won’t be as strong as during his rule. For his kingdom will then be plucked up and divided among the outsiders”. – Daniel 11:3-4 | Alexander the Great conquers the Persian Empire and marched his armies to the borders of India before turning back. Alexander dies 323 B.C.E and his empire split under the control of four generals; Antigonus, Cassander, Ptolemy, and Seleucus. |
| “Then the king in the south will grow mighty, but another one will grow stronger and he’ll use the authority he’s given to rule a kingdom that’s vast“. – Daniel 11:5 | Ptolemy I Soter took control of Egypt. One of his own generals, Seleucus rises to ascendancy over Mesopotamia and Syria. |
| “However, after his time, they’ll all become allies; and the daughter of Egypt’s king will go to the king in the north and she’ll make treaties with him. But his arm won’t be strong, and his offspring won’t survive”. – Daniel 11:6 | Ptolemy I dies 285 B.C.E. Ptolemy II Philadelphus arranges an alliance with Seleucid king Antiochus II Theos, in which Antiochus II was to marry Bernice, the daughter of Ptolemy II. Antiochus II’s current wife Laodice, poisons Bernice, her infant son and Antiochus II. Laodice ruled as regent until her own son, Seleucus II Callinicus assumed the throne of the Seleucid Empire. |
| “So his sons will gather an army which will quickly overrun and pass through. [In that land], they’ll thereafter settle, and they’ll fight all the way to his stronghold”. – Daniel 11:10 | Seleucus II was succeeded by Seleucus III who lived three years and is succeeded by Antiochus III (the Great). Antiochus III goes to war and marches to the borders of Egypt, meeting Ptolemy IV. |
| “But during that time, there’ll be a rebellion against the king of the south, as the rabble among your people grow many, so this vision will be proven true. But then, they’ll also get weaker. Then the king of the north will attack and he will build many siege mounds to capture their fortified cities“. – Daniel 11:14–15 | A pro-Seleucid party rose up in Jerusalem but put down by the Egyptian general Scopas. Antiochus III counterattacks, Scopas retreats to Sidon and found himself under siege by the Seleucid King, losing the city to him. |
| “Yet, from out of his roots, will arise the shoot of a kingdom to oppose him and demand all the glory of his kingdom. Yet, in those days, he’ll be broken, but, not by rebellion or war”. – Daniel 11:20 | Antiochus III was killed by a mob when he attempted to rob the temple of Bel in Elymais to pay the Romans. Seleucus IV Philopator succeeded and sought to take funds from the Temple in Jerusalem and was later poisoned. |
| “There’ll be someone who’ll stand in his place whom he once treated with great contempt and not given any glory in his kingdom. But, in prosperity, he will return, and through treachery he’ll then take the kingdom”. – Daniel 11:21 | Demetrius was the next in line for the throne, but the realm was taken by Antiochus IV. He called himself “God Manifest”. |
| “So the strength of the one who was bringing the flood will be broken and washed away from his face. The one who’s in charge of the Sacred Agreement”. – Daniel 11:22 | Ptolemy VII Philometor attempts to regain the lands of Palestine from the Seleucids, but was defeated and captured by Antiochus IV. |
| “And when he’s strong, he will set his heart against the king of the south and attack him with a great army. But the king of the south will gather an army and beat him with their new weapons of war. He’ll devour everything that he wanted to take, and then he will destroy their whole army. He’ll break them and he will kill many”. – Daniel 11:25-26 | Ptolemy VII forms an agreement with his brother, Physcon to split the kingdom of Egypt into two parts and reign jointly and unifiy themselves against Antiochus IV, but he enters Egypt and laid siege to Alexandria. |
| “Then, when he goes back to his country, he will do so with things that he’s plundered and with his heart set firmly against the Holy Sacred Agreement”. – Daniel 11:28 | Antiochus IV returns from Egypt with great plunder. Several years earlier, he had accepted a bribe from a Jewish priest named Jason to remove the current high priest and put Jason in his place. Jason was removed when another priest, Menelaus, offered a higher bribe. Jewish representatives complain, Antiochus IV put them to death. |
| “But, after he returns to [his] land, he’ll invade the south once again. Yet it won’t be the same as he did at the first”. – Daniel 11:29 | Antiochus IV invades Egypt again, trapping the two Ptolemaic kings in Alexandria. |
| “Then, [ships] of Cyprus will attack him and [teach him] that he must be humble; So he’ll return and show his rage once again against the Holy Sacred Agreement. He will launch an attack against those who supported the Holy Sacred Agreement, then [they’ll come] and profane the great Holy Place, and bring an end to the daily sacrifices. Yes he will bring the disgusting destroyer against all those who are breaking the Law and disregarding the Sacred Agreement. But those who know God will grow stronger and they’ll do whatever needs to be done, for they’ll come to know many things. Yet, they’ll be weakened by swords and by fire, and as captives, they’ll be carried away. They’ll be ravaged for a very long time”. – Daniel 11:30-33 “Now on the fifteenth day of Kislev, in the year 145, they set up a disgusting and destructive thing on the altar for entirely burned offerings in the sanctuary. The inspectors built other altars in the surrounding Judean towns. They burned incense at the doors of houses and in the streets. When they found the Law scrolls, they tore them to pieces and burned them. If anyone was caught in possession of a copy of the covenant scroll or if anyone kept to the Law, that person was condemned to death by royal decree” – 1 Maccabees 1:54-57 | Gaius Popillius Laenas of Rome met with Antiochus IV and orders him out of Egypt. Coming to Jerusalem he found the Jews in revolt under Jason, attempting to remove Menelaus from the priesthood. Antiochus IV desecrates the Temple, stops temple sacrifices, and sets up a statue of Zeus whose features were made to resemble Antiochus IV. Many Jews refused to turn from their observance of the Law, leading to the the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucids, but the Jews did not fight on the Sabbath. The Seleucids take advantage and kill many. Following which, priest Mattathias permitted Jews to defend themselves on the Sabbath. |
| “Thereafter, the king will grow in his might and put himself higher than all of the gods, including the God of all gods. He will forget the Gods of his fathers, and not notice the desires of women. He will ignore all the gods, and put himself higher than all. A god of war from his country, he will then glorify (A god whom his fathers never knew) with silver, gold, and most precious gems, and many desirable things. Within a fortress of refuge, he will act with a strange god (Whichever one he chooses). He’ll make it grow in its glory, and cause many to bow down before it, and then he’ll divide the land up as gifts.”. – Daniel 11:36-39 | Antiochus adopts the title “God Manifest.” Coins are forged with image of the god Zeus rather than his customary god Apollos. Antiochus IV tries to convert the Temple Mount to a temple to Zeus. |
| “His royal tent, he will then set up between the sea and the Holy Mountain of Glory until he comes to his end when no one will be able save him”. – Daniel 11:45 | Antiochus IV successfully conquered Jerusalem and the Holy Mountain, but afterward met his defeat and death. |
| “The holy ones will be scattered for three-and-a-half times, before these things reach their end”. – Daniel 12:7 | Many Jews scattered during the time of Antiochus IV’s attack on the Temple and the corruption of worship. |
As we see, we have a very detailed prophetic account of the many things that happened between king Cyrus and his immediate successors, Alexander the Great, all the way down to Antiochus IV of the Maccabean period in the 160s B.C.E, roughly 400 years after Daniel made his predictions. In this respect, we can again see how the prophet Daniel’s predictions were fulfilled, showcasing that he was indeed touched by God, again vinidcating scripture!
However, some might notice some slight problems…
One, is that the “Disgusting Destroyer” is said to have been brought by Antiochus IV, and many link this to when he slaughtered many Jews, brought in false idols to the Temple and put a stop to Kosher Jewish sacrifices…. but according to Daniel 9‘s 70 week chronological prophecy, the Disgusting Destroyer that brings destruction and an end to sacrifices doesn’t happen yet until roughly a couple of hundred years from this period, which of course we did indeed also see the fulfillment of in 70 A.D.
Because of this, some critical scholars have asserted that Daniel 9 must have somehow been referring to the Maccabean period and the actions of Antiochus IV, and that either the calculation of the 70 weeks begins from a much earlier date, or, that the calculations are just nonsense.
And this assersion isn’t baseless, even Daniel 8, which speaks of the Seleucid kingdom, represented by a large goat’s horn that grows the biggest out of a group of four, says that the events revolving around these Greek kingdoms would be the “last days” (Daniel 8:8-14, 17, 19-26)…
However, if you have read my article on Daniel’s 70 weeks, you will know that we have exausted every possible calculation justifiable within both the text and historical reference, stretching the limit to the furthest reaches in the aims of playing the Devil’s Advocate, and it is not possible whatsoever that the calculations and pin-point events of Daniel 9 point to the Maccabean period, as Daniel tells us to count the 70 weeks of years from very specific points and years in time.
Furthermore, the idea that the calculations of Daniel 9 are just “mistakes”, or “nonsense”, is an unrealistic assertion, especially if claiming as the sceptic does, that the book of Daniel is not prophetic but just “history written to look like prophecy”, for no Hebrew scribe would have been stupid enough to make such glaring mathmatical blunders of placing Antiochus IV and the events of the Maccabean wars hundreds of years away from the actual date they happened, nevermind over 70 scribes (the typical tradtional number of Jewish scribes and priests who oversee the writing and archiving of the holy scrolls).
We also cannot deny that the events spoken of by Daniel in chapter 9, did for a certainty happen in the time period his calculations foretold, at the hands of Rome….
However, another problem we face, is that Daniel 12 tells us, that by the end of this event, the faithful, including Daniel himself, would be resurrected from the dead… this obviously didn’t happen during the Maccabean period, and it certainly hasn’t been reported to have happened at any other time either such as 70 A.D (with exception to Preterist interpretations of the Christian Gospels – a subject for another time).
So, what does this all mean? Are there two Disgusting Things? Was Daniel a false prophet? A semi-false semi-true prophet who just a few details mixed up? Or do these prophecies have multiple layers to what first meets the eye?
Clues to help us further understand, may just lie in the New Testament, from the words of Yeshua himself and his Apostles, as well as other historical references.
New Testament References
When we look into the New Testament for references to the Disgusting Destroyer and the other events mentioned by Daniel in relation to it, we note these passages:
- “Well, after Yeshua had left the Temple, his disciples came up to him and were pointing admiringly towards its buildings. So he said to them; ‘Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth; there won’t be a stone left on top of a stone here that won’t be thrown down‘. Then, as he was sitting in a quiet spot on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came up to him and asked; ‘Tell us when these things will happen. What will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?… And Yeshua replied… ‘So when you see the disgusting destroyer that was spoken of through the Prophet Daniel standing in the Holy Place (let the reader pay attention to this), those [who are living] in Judea should flee to the mountains! The man who’s standing on his roof shouldn’t go down to remove things from his house, and the man who’s standing in his field shouldn’t [go back home] to get his clothes. Also, woe to those who are pregnant and those who are nursing babies in those days, they should keep praying that their time to run doesn’t arrive in the winter or on a Sabbath! For a difficult time will then arrive that will be unlike anything that has happened since the beginning of this arrangement until now, nor should ever happen again! And if those days weren’t going to be shortened, no flesh could be saved, but for the sake of the elected, those days will be shortened… For as lightning flashes across the skies from the east to the west, that’s how you’ll know that the Son of Man is coming/near(?), [just] as when vultures gather at a carcass. Then immediately after that difficult time; The sun will grow dark,The moon won’t give out its light, the stars will fall from the skies, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Thereafter, the Son of Man’s sign will appear in the skies, and all the peoples of the earth will beat themselves in grief as they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds in the sky with great power and glory. For he will send his messengers [blowing] loud trumpets that will then collect his elected from the four winds… From one end of the skies to the other‘”. – Matthew 24:1-3, 15-22, 27-31
- “Then as he was leaving the Temple, one of his disciples said; ‘Teacher, just look at these stones and these buildings!’ And Yeshua said to him; ‘Do you see these great buildings? There won’t be a stone left on top of a stone here that won’t be thrown down!… Now, when you see the disgusting destroyer standing where it shouldn’t (the readers should pay attention to this), those in Judea should flee to the mountains! The man who’s standing on his rooftop shouldn’t go down to take anything out of his house, and the person who’s out in a field shouldn’t go back home to pick up his clothes. Also, woe to those who are pregnant and those who are nursing babies in those days. Keep praying that this doesn’t happen during the winter! For a difficult time will arrive in those days that won’t be like anything that has happened since the earliest creation by God until now – nor should ever happen again! And if YHWH hadn’t shortened those days, it’s likely that no flesh would be saved, but for the sake of the elected ones whom He’s chosen, He shortened those days… Then in the days that follow this difficult time; The sun will grow dark and the moon won’t shine, the stars will be falling out of the skies, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. For they’ll see the Son of Man arriving in the clouds with great power and glory. Then he’ll send his messengers to collect his elected from the four winds [of the earth], from the ends of the lands to the ends of the skies!’”. – Mark 13:1-2, 14-20, 24-27
- “Now, when you see armies camped around Jerusalem, know that her destruction is near. Then those in Judea should run to the mountains… Yes, everyone in her midst should flee, and those who are in [fields] must not come back into her! For those will be days of avenging and for accomplishing all that’s been written about her. Woe to those who are pregnant and nursing babies in those days, for there’ll be great distress in the land as [God’s] wrath is brought upon these people. They’ll either be cut down by swords or be carried off to the nations as captives. Then Jerusalem will be trampled by the gentiles until the times of the nations are filled”. – Luke 21:20-44
- “…the Lord himself will come down from the sky and give the command in the voice of the highest messenger [of God] and with God’s trumpet, then those who’ve died in the Anointed One will be the first to be resurrected. And after that, the living (those of us who are still left at that time) will be snatched into the clouds along with them for a meeting with the Lord in the air. And thereafter, we’ll always be with the Lord… Therefore brothers; since you aren’t in the dark, don’t let that Day [sneak up] on you like a thief, for you’re all sons of light and sons of the day… You don’t belong to the night or to darkness!”. – 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, 5:4-5
- “However, brothers, regarding the appearance of our Lord Yeshua the Anointed One and our being gathered to him… don’t allow anyone to mislead you in any way, because [that day] won’t arrive before there’s a rebellion/apostasy(?), and the person of sin (a son of ruin) is revealed, who opposes and puts himself above everyone who’s called a god and revered – and even seats himself in the Most Holy Place of The God, where he publicly displays himself like he is God! [or, ‘like he is a god’]“. – 2 Thessalonians 2:1, 3
- “Look! He’s coming in the clouds and every eye will see him, including those who pierced him, and all the nations of the earth will wail because of him”. – Revelation 1:7
- “Well, that’s when I heard the number of those sealed… 144,000 out of all the tribes of the sons of Israel…. And after that, I saw Look! a crowd so large that no one could count them. They came from all countries, nationalities, ethnic groups, and languages, and they were all standing within view of the Lamb and the throne. They were each wearing white robes and carrying palm branches in their hands, and they were shouting; ‘We owe our salvation to our God who’s sitting on the throne and to the Lamb!’…. Then one of the elders asked me; ‘Just who are these [people] dressed in the white robes? And where did they come from?’ And I replied; ‘My lord, [surely] you’re the one who knows!’ So he told me; ‘They’re the ones who’ve come out of the great time of difficulty and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb'”. – Revelation 7:4, 9-10, 13-14
- “Well at that, locusts started dropping to the earth out of the smoke, and they were given the same power as earthly scorpions. However, they’d been told not to damage any of the earth’s vegetation or trees, only those men who didn’t have God’s seal on their foreheads. They weren’t allowed to kill them, just to sting them for five months... So during that time, men will look for ways to die, but they won’t find any. Yes, although they’ll wish to die, death will escape them. These locusts looked like horses that are prepared for battle.On their heads were what appeared to be gold crowns, and their faces looked like the faces of humans. They had women’s hair, they had teeth like lions, and they wore breastplates that looked like they were made of iron. Also, [the flapping] of their wings sounded like the attack of many chariots in a war, and they had tails with stingers like scorpions. The tails [of these locusts] were to be allowed to sting the people for five months. And they also had a king who led them, the messenger of the abyss. In Hebrew [meaning, Aramaic], his name is Abaddon, but he’s called Apollyon (the Destroyer) in Greek”. – Revelation 9:3-11
- “Next [he] handed [me] a cane that was like a large walking stick, and he said: ‘Now, go measure God’s Most Holy, the Altar, and those who are bowing low there. Pay no attention to the courtyard outside of the Most Holy… Don’t measure it, because it has been given to the nations and they’re going to trample the Holy City under their feet for 42 months. But after that, I’m going to have my two witnesses prophesy for 1,260 days wearing sackcloth. These [two witnesses] are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that have been standing on the earth before the Lord…. Then after they’ve finished their testimony, the wild animal will come out of the abyss to fight them, conquer them, and kill them… ‘There the peoples, nationalities, tongues, and ethnic groups will then look at their corpses for three-and-a-half days, during which time they won’t allow them to be buried…. However, after the three-and-a-half days, The God then sent His breath of life into them and they stood up on their feet, which frightened everyone that saw them. Then [the two witnesses] heard a loud voice from heaven that said to them; ‘Come on up here.’ And their enemies saw them ascend into the sky in a cloud“. – Revelation 11:1-4, 7, 9, 11-12
What we find in several passages here, is that it relates to the coming destruction of Jerusalem during the 1st Century at Rome’s hand, as well as the “Day of the Lord”.
This all is very similar to these statements and themes in Daniel 8, 9, 11-12:
- “Then I heard the Holy One speaking. He asked; ‘How long will this vision stand, when the sacrifices are taken away, and the sin of destruction is allowed, as the Holy Place and its power will thereafter be trampled upon?’ And he said; ‘After 2,300 mornings and evenings, the Holy Place will be cleansed… Pay attention, O son of man, for this vision is of the time of the end!’”. – Daniel 8:13:14
- Then he will come with the leader that will corrupt/destroy(?) the Holy Place and the city. The end will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations have been decreed. He’ll strengthen the Sacred Agreement with many during one period of seven. But in half of that period of seven, he will put an end to sacrifices and offerings. Then, to the Temple will come the disgusting destroyer, and until that time is fulfilled, there’ll just be complete desolation”. – Daniel 9:26-27
- “Then [they’ll come] and profane the great Holy Place and bring an end to the daily sacrifices. Yes he will bring the disgusting destroyer against all those who are breaking the Law and disregarding the Sacred Agreement… Thereafter, the king will grow in his might and put himself higher than all of the god, including the God of all gods“. – Daniel 11:31-32, 36
- “And in that time, the Highest Messenger, Michael, will come (The one who keeps watch on the sons of your people), and a difficult time will arrive such as has never happened before, and will never happen again. At that time, your people will be saved (Those whose [names] have been written in the scroll), and many that are sleeping in graves will arise, some to life throughout the ages, and others to disgrace and ages of shame. Then, those who understand what I’m saying will shine like lights in the firmament. And the many that prove themselves righteous will shine like stars throughout the ages… The holy ones will be scattered for three-and-a-half times before these things reach their end… For, there’ll be many who are chosen and they’ll be [dressed] in white robes, by fire they’ll be purified, and thereafter, they’ll all be made holy.… From the time the disgusting destroyer arrives and the sacrificing comes to an end is 1,290 days. And all of those will be blessed who endure all the way to the end, of 1,335 days. Now, [you’ll] go to your rest until that day and hour arrives. For then, you’ll be resurrected, and you’ll receive your inheritance after those days reach their end“. – Daniel 12:1-3, 7, 11-13
However, as we can see, the majority of Daniel’s quotes appear to be referring to the Maccabean period, and Daniel is even told by the angel that these events refer to the “last days”.
Are the writers of the New Testament simply mistaken? Are they misusing or misreading scripture? Is Yeshua himself wrong in regards to bringing up Daniel’s Disgusting Destroyer and applying it to his time period?
Evidence For Dualistic Application of Daniel
For Christians who have faith in Yeshua as the Son of God and his Apostles, all of whom were said to have been guided and inspired by God’s holy spirit, it is enough to trust in the correctness of Yeshua’s words and how he applies a dualistic meaning of Daniel’s words to the 1st century scenario… However, for the more sceptical mind, that is a much harder pill to swallow, and such reasoning will not suffice to be “evidence”, but rather will come across as an easy and convenient “get out of jail card”.
As it is in the interests of proving scripture to be true by means of evidence in this article, we will not be relying on the “easy way out” answer, but rather we must, as Apostle Peter said, seek “reason” and “prove” our case (1 Peter 3:15).
In this respect, is there internal evidence that Yeshua had the right to call back to Daniel’s writings? Yes.
As we recall, Daniel 9‘s chronological calculations, leads to the time period of the 1st century. Furthermore, we see that during this time period Daniel points to, these things did indeed happen. Therefore, Yeshua certainly had every internal scriptural justification to apply Daniel’s context to the time period they were living in, and not just strictly to the Maccabean period.
Yeshua and the Jews would have been fully well aware, that Daniel’s prophecies had many major fulfillments in the Maccabean wars, which were just over 100-200 years ago from their time period, and so those events would have been fresh in Jewish memory, just as we today are familiar with World War I and II.
In fact these things were even written down for anyone to read, and mention the Disgusting Abomination verbatim (1 Maccabees 1:54-57), and these passages may have even been read during Hanukkah (the Feast of Dedication) every year (John 10:22-23). And so Yeshua wasn’t going to fool anyone with his words if he sought to take them out of true historical context, not devout Jews at any rate. No, he would have been knowingly doing this on purpose, and he had internal textual justification to do so.
Furthermore, Yeshua and his Apostles were not the only ones to make this dualistic connection of Daniel’s prophecies… even the anti-Christian Jewish historian Josephus, came to the same conclusions, but only after the events happened:
“…there should arise a certain king that should overcome our nation and their laws, and should take away their political government, and should spoil the temple, and forbid the sacrifices to be offered for three years’ time. And indeed it so came to pass, that our nation suffered these things under Antiochus Epiphanes, according to Daniel’s vision, and what he wrote many years before they came to pass. In the very same manner Daniel also wrote concerning the Roman government, and that our country should be made desolate by them.” – Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, Book X
Seeing that these scriptures appear then to have evidence of some kind of dualistic or otherwise “multi-applicable” nature, it lays the ground work as to why not every single prediction came to fruition, even though many did.
As opposed to being “false prophecy”, or “semi-correct” prophecy, it seems that the case may be that Daniel’s prophecies have multiple layers or stages of fulfillments, some which appear to be echoed in repetitions, whilst other prophetic details appear to either have symbolic fulfillments, to then be followed by literal fulfillments in the latter manifestations, or vice versa, or are otherwise left unfulfilled until the “final stage” or “fullness” of the prophecy comes about at some later time in whole.
For example, in neither the Maccabean period, nor the Roman period, do we see any evidence of Yeshua’s visible and physical second coming to the Earth, a descending of the angels, Daniel’s resurrection, or the resurrection of anyone else, nor do we see a final conclusion of the “last days” where everlasting peace is brought to Israel and the Earth, though both prophetic statements in the Old and New Testaments mention these things in relation to both of the attacks of Jerusalem, the Temple, and the Disgusting Destroyer.
However, it can be argued that there are “multiple stages” of these things, of which the fulfillments can be seen in repetitive signs and symbols, along with some real physical fulfillments.
The Maccabean period for example, saw a period of peace come to Israel for a short time after the defeat of the Greeks, and there was a restoration of true worship in Israel for a time, where many who were “spiritually dead” came back to life, before the Romans came, along with the corruption of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
Likewise, the same can be said for the Roman period, and the coming of the Messiah, Yeshua, who came to wake up the spirtually dead, and “opened the eyes of the blind”, both physically and spiritually. And during the time of 70 A.D, Jerusalem did indeed fall as he predicted, and during this time we have multiple historical witnesses, both Jewish and Roman, attesting to seeing miraculous signs and hearing voices in the sky on the day of Jersualem’s destruction, which were remarkably akin to some of the descriptions of Yeshua’s second coming given in the Gospels.
With many of Yeshua’s predictions coming true regarding Jerusalem’s fall, yet not all of them to completion, such as his true second coming and rule upon the earth, and the resurrection of the dead, this again bears similarity with Daniel’s prophecies during the Maccabean times.
Seeing that Yeshua himself harkens back to Daniel on purpose, we may be witnessing a pattern or sign emerging, that what Yeshua wants us to know, is that we are in cycle of prophetic fulfillments, until the time comes one day, which no man knows (Matthew 24:36), where it will finally accumulate to its ultimate finalisation.
This is why many Christians and sceptics alike argue over the meanings of these prophetic passages in both Daniel and Yeshua’s Olivet Discourse Sermon in the Gospels, be it claiming “failed prophecy”, or the debates between preterism and futurism. It would appear each group has a very small piece of truth relating a larger puzzle, but are zoning in on these selected pieces with a microscope, missing the forest for the trees.
This idea also possibly is expressed by the angel who visited John in the book of Revelation:
- “Therefore write down the things you have seen, and the things that are, and the things that will happen after this“. – Revelation 1:19
- “The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and yet will come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because it once was, now is not, and yet will come“. – Revelation 17:8
Regardless on whether John wrote this book, be it before or after 70 A.D and the fall of Jerusalem, the book of Revelation appears to describe many events which match up to the fall of Jerusalem, but also then appears to “spiritualise” these events, giving them greater meaning for the future of Christianity. Again, a possible “repetitive theme”, just as it is with the book of Daniel. Though the deeper discussion of these themes is an article for another time…
The main point we should pay attention to here right now, are these statements on the “past, present and future”.
If the statement in Revelation 1:19 means three different eras, it possibly may be referring to the Maccabean period, the Roman period, and then a future period, all symbolised by the attacks on Jerusalem at the hand of the “Disgusting Destroyers”. Alternatively, it may be referring to the things John saw in Jerusalem in 70 A.D, the things he was experiencing currently with the state of the Roman Empire and the Christian congregation, and then a future time period. Or simply, it may have just been a reference to the ‘immediacy’ of John’s visions, of the things he saw when the angel came to him, what he was seeing in the moment, and the things he was about to be shown.
But likewise, Revelation 17:8 gives a similar theme, of a “coming beast” that “once was”, to the shock of those who witness it, for they assumed it was dead and in the past.
Hence, it seems there is a possible hint of “repetitions” via symbols of past events from both the Maccabean and Roman periods, expressed throughout the entire book of Revelation, and all these writings from the Old and New Testaments connect up to one another, which propels the past into the future, which again is another theme of Yeshua’s preaching (Luke 17:26-30).
Hence, neither Daniel, nor Yeshua are false prophets, rather, what we are seeing evidence of, in both external historical fulfillment and internal textual context, are multi-stage repeating prophecies, which are being fulfilled in sections, both physically and spiritually.
Fulfilled Prophecies
Understanding the nature of the prophecies of Daniel, and in turn, Yeshua. What specific prophecies can we actually observe to have been fulfilled from the passages in regard to the Disgusting Destoryer?
Maccabean Period Fulfillments
Firstly, we of course know that Daniel predicted the events throughout the Maccabean wars, as were shown in the table above in this article.
King Antiochus IV, the Disgusting Destroyer of that period, came and defiled the Temple with false worship, put a temporary stop to sacrifices, and slaughted many Jews, causing many of them to scatter for just over three years whilst others remained behind to fight.
These prophecies of Daniel written 500 years before these specific events alone, prove scripture to truly contain the inspired words of God.
Roman Period Fulfillments
Of the 1st century Roman period, Daniel’s predictions, and in turn Yeshua’s, came true again, when the Romans came acting as the second Disgusting Destroyer:
| Prophetic Scripture | Historical Events |
| Then he will come with the leader that will corrupt/destroy(?) the Holy Place and the city. The end will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations have been decreed. He’ll strengthen the Sacred Agreement with many during one period of seven. But in half of that period of seven, he will put an end to sacrifices and offerings. Then, to the Temple will come the disgusting destroyer, and until that time is fulfilled, there’ll just be complete desolation”. – Daniel 9:26-27 “Then [they’ll come] and profane the great Holy Place and bring an end to the daily sacrifices. Yes he will bring the disgusting destroyer against all those who are breaking the Law and disregarding the Sacred Agreement”. – Daniel 11:31-32 “Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth: there won’t be a stone left on top of a stone here that won’t be thrown down… So when you see the disgusting destroyer that was spoken of through the Prophet Daniel standing in the Holy Place (let the reader pay attention to this), those [who are living] in Judea should flee to the mountains!”. – Matthew 24:2, 15–16, Mark 13:2, 14 | Yeshua claimed to end sacrifices by offering himself as a sacrifice, strengthening and fulfilling the Covenant. The Roman army under orders of Nero, lead by Vespasian and Titus, came and attacked Jerusalem. The soldiers destroyed the Temple despite being ordered not to. Temple remains in ruins today, and Temple sacrifices never restablished. |
| “They weren’t allowed to kill them, just to sting them for five months…. These locusts looked like horses that are prepared for battle. On their heads were what appeared to be gold garlands, and their faces looked like the faces of humans. They had women’s hair, they had teeth like lions, and they wore breastplates that looked like they were made of iron .Also, [the flapping] of their wings sounded like the attack of many chariots in a war, and they had tails with stingers like scorpions. The tails [of these locusts] were to be allowed to sting the people for 5 months. And they also had a king who led them… The messenger of the abyss. In Hebrew [meaning, Aramaic], his name is Abaddon, but he’s called Apollyon (the Destroyer) in Greek”. – Revelation 9:5, 7–11 | At the end of the Jewish-Roman war, the Romans comitted to a five month siege before they were finally able to destroy Jerusalem. |
| “Then I heard the Holy One speaking. He asked; ‘How long will this vision stand when the sacrifices are taken away, and the sin of destruction is allowed, as the Holy Place and its power, will thereafter be trampled upon?’ And he said; ‘After 2,300 mornings and evenings, the Holy Place will be cleansed”.– Daniel 8:13-14 “Yet, they’ll be weakened by swords and by fire, and as captives, they’ll be carried away. They’ll be ravaged for a very long time”. – Daniel 11:33 “They’ll either be cut down by swords or be carried off to the nations as captives. Then Jerusalem will be trampled by the gentiles until the times of the nations are filled”. – Luke 21:24 | The Romans slaughter countless Jews and burn Jerusalem to the ground. Jews who survived were captured and sold into slavery, and have continued to be mistreated throughout history. Jerusalem was never restablished as God’s holy city, but has been trampled on and fought over by Gentiles (non-Jews) ever since. |
| “The holy ones will be scattered for three-and-a-half times, before these things reach their end”. – Daniel 12:7 “So when you see the disgusting destroyer that was spoken of through the Prophet Daniel standing in the Holy Place (let the reader pay attention to this), those [who are living] in Judea should flee to the mountains!” – Matthew 24:15-16, Mark 13:14 “Now, when you see armies camped around Jerusalem, know that her destruction is near. Then those in Judea should run to the mountains”. – Luke 21:20-21 | The Roman armies surrounded Jerusalem for a short time before unexpectedly retreating in 66 A.D, allowing faithful Jews & Christians to flee and scatter as instructed by Yeshua. Romans returned to Jerusalem after three and a half years and destroy it in 70 A.D |
| “And in that time, the Highest Messenger, Michael [who is like God], will come (The one who keeps watch on the sons of your people)…” – Daniel 12:1 “For as lightning flashes across the skies from the east to the west, that’s how you’ll know that the Son of Man is nearby, like when vultures gather at a carcass... Thereafter, the Son of Man’s sign will appear in the skies, and all the peoples of the earth will beat themselves in grief as they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds in the sky with great power and glory. For He will send his messengers [blowing] loud trumpets that will then collect his elected from the four winds, from one end of the skies to the other”. – Matthew 24:27-28, 30-31, Mark 13:26-27 Look! He’s coming in the clouds and every eye will see him, including those who pierced him, and all the nations of the earth will wail because of him”. – Revelation 1:7 | Heavenly signs, armies and voices were reported to have been seen and heard in the skies by both Roman & Jewish historical sources during the attack on Jerusalem. |
| “Thereafter, the king will grow in his might and put himself higher than all of the gods, including the God of all gods. He will forget the Gods of his fathers, and not notice the desires of women. He will ignore all the gods, and put himself higher than all. A god of war from his country, he will then glorify (A god whom his fathers never knew) with silver, gold, and most precious gems, and many desirable things. Within a fortress of refuge, he will act with a strange god (Whichever one he chooses). He’ll make it grow in its glory, and cause many to bow down before it, and then he’ll divide the land up as gifts.”. – Daniel 11:36-39 However, brothers, regarding the appearance of our Lord Yeshua the Anointed One and our being gathered to him… don’t allow anyone to mislead you in any way, because [that day] won’t arrive before there’s a rebellion/apostasy(?), and the person of sin/law violator(?) (a son of ruin/destruction) is revealed, who opposes and puts himself above everyone who’s called God and revered – and even seats himself in the Most Holy Place of The God, where he publicly displays himself like he is God! [or, ‘like he is a god’]”. – 2 Thessalonians 2:1, 3 | Emperor Nero, (ruled 54-68 A.D), ordered Jerusalem to be conquered by Vespasian. Was worshipped as a god, and was declared by some to be the “New Apollo”, “Mithras” and “Sol Invictus”, which he encouraged. Emperor Vespasian (ruled 69-79 A.D) worshipped by Romans as a god. Jersualem destroyed in 70 A.D at the hand of Commander Titus, who was worshipped in the Temple along with idols of Vespasian and sacrificed a pig in the Temple complex. Many false Christians had emerged by the time of 66-70 A.D, and the Jews revolted against Rome. |
As we see, many of Daniel’s prophecies, as retold through Yeshua, were miraculously fufilled in many specific details.
The Roman army came, but didn’t stay, being pushed back by the Jewish rebels in 66 A.D, allowing the faithful to flee, before the Romans returned three and a half years later in full force, echoing Daniel 12, before they then finished off Jerusalem in a five month siege, a detail that all secular historical research can confirm.
The revolt began in 66 CE, during the twelfth year of the reign of Nero… This prompted widespread rebellion in Jerusalem that culminated in the capture of the Roman garrison by rebel forces as the pro-Roman king Herod Agrippa II and Roman officials fled…. To quell the unrest, Cestius Gallus, the legate of Syria, brought in the Syrian army, consisting of the Legion XII Fulminata and auxiliary troops. Despite initial advances and the conquest of Jaffa, the Syrian Legion was ambushed and defeated by Jewish rebels at the Battle of Beth Horon with 6,000 Romans massacred and the Legion’s aquila lost… The Roman general Vespasian was given four legions and tasked by Nero with crushing the rebellion…. In 69, Vespasian marched on Rome and crowned himself as emperor, leaving Titus to besiege Jerusalem in 70 CE“. – First Jewish–Roman War, Wikipedia
“The siege of Jerusalem of 70 CE was the decisive event of the First Jewish–Roman War (66–73 CE), in which the Roman army led by future emperor Titus besieged Jerusalem, the center of Jewish rebel resistance in the Roman province of Judaea. Following a five-month siege (14 April – 8 September), the Romans destroyed the city and the Second Jewish Temple… Many followers of Jesus of Nazareth also survived the city’s destruction. They spread his teachings across the Roman Empire, giving rise to the new religion of Christianity.” – Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE), Wikipedia
Revelation 9 may appear to describe this invasion, of a king leading locusts wearing armour, who also sting like scorpions, in which the description strongly resembles the features of 1st Century Roman uniforms with golden tops and horses manes on their helmets.
Ever since the Temple was destroyed in the time period Daniel 9 pointed to, it has never been rebuilt, and no official sacrifices have been carried out ever since to this day.
Even more spectacular, are the historical reports of Heavenly signs during this attack on Jersualem, by both Jewish and Roman historians, along with the confirmation that the Romans did not intend to burn down Jerusalem, but found themselves doing so regardless, as Yeshua foretold:
“A star resembling a sword stood over the city, and a comet that continued a whole year… a bright shining light was around the altar and temple… chariots and troops of soldiers in armour were seen running about amongst the clouds… They [the temple priests] felt a quaking… they heard the sound of a great multitude saying; “let us remove henceforth”… and a great noise.
…two of the [Roman] legions had completed their banks on the eighth day of the month Lous. Whereupon Titus gave orders that the battering rams should be brought… But when Titus perceived that his endeavors to spare a foreign temple turned to the damage of his soldiers…
…Titus said, that “although the Jews should get upon that holy house, and fight us thence, yet ought we not to revenge ourselves on things that are inanimate, instead of the men themselves;“ and that he was not in any case for burning down so vast a work as that was, because this would be a mischief to the Romans themselves, as it would be an ornament to their government while it continued…
Hereupon the Jews … shut themselves up in the inner [court of the] temple…. the eastern gate of the inner court… which was [made] of brass and been difficultly shut by twenty men… fastended with bolts of stone very deep into the stone floor… was seen to be opened of its own accord about the sixh hour of the night…
…But as for that house, God had, for certain, long ago doomed it to the fire; and now that fatal day was come… although these flames took their rise from the Jews themselves… these Romans put the Jews to flight, and proceeded as far as the holy house itself. At which time one of the soldiers, without staying for any orders, and without any concern or dread upon him at so great an undertaking, and being hurried on by a certain divine fury, snatched somewhat out of the materials that were on fire, and being lifted up by another soldier, he set fire to a golden window, through which there was a passage to the rooms that were round about the holy house, on the north side of it….
And now a certain person came running to Titus, and told him of this fire… he rose up in great haste, and, as he was, ran to the holy house, in order to have a stop put to the fire;… there was a great clamor and tumult raised, as was natural upon the disorderly motion of so great an army. Then did Caesar, both by calling to the soldiers that were fighting, with a loud voice, and by giving a signal to them with his right hand, order them to quench the fire. But they did not hear what he said, though he spake so loud, having their ears already dimmed by a greater noise another way; nor did they attend to the signal he made with his hand neither, as still some of them were distracted with fighting, and others with passion…
…they made as if they did not so much as hear Caesar’s orders to the contrary; but they encouraged those that were before them to set it on fire.… And thus was the holy house burnt down, without Caesar’s approbation….“. – Josephus, Wars Book VI
“In the sky appeared a vision of armies in conflict, of glittering armour… The doors of the holy place abrupty opened… a sudden lightning flash from the clouds lit up the whole temple… a superhuman voice was heard to declare that the gods were leaving [them]” – Tacitus, Histories Book V
“A certain figure appeared of tremendous size, which many saw, just as the books of the Jews have disclosed, and before the setting of the sun there were suddenly seen in the clouds chariots in the clouds and armed battle arrays by which the cities of all Judaea and its territories were invaded…” – Pseudo-Hegesippus
We see clear manifestation of the truth of Yeshua’s words, and within the context of Daniel’s writings, pointing to two time periods, demonstrating dualistic fulfillments, confirmed by several historical witnesses of these things.
Futhermore, seeing fulfillment of these things during the Roman period, secures the book of Daniel as a true prophetic book, as not merley as “history written to look like prophecy” as many sceptics would claim in regard to Daniel’s prophetic accuracy when it comes to the Maccabean period, for these writings without a shadow of a doubt, pre-date the 1st Century.
Thus in turn, the Roman period of prophetic fulfillment, establishes truthworthiness, and hence supports Daniel’s earlier fulfillments of prophecy in retrospect.
Things Not Yet Fulfilled?
There are of course, some details which arguably were not fulfilled. For example, a Heavenly rapture of Yeshua’s followers, a resurrection of the dead on the Earth, and the Lord’s return to rule upon it with his Elect.
We are also told in 2 Thessalonians that Yeshua would “reveal and consume” the Man of Lawlessness upon his arrival, and of course, such a thing did not happen to either Nero, Vespasian, nor Titus:
- “And you know what’s stopping him from being revealed during his time [of activity]. Indeed, this sinner has started operating in secret, but only until the one who’s holding him back is no longer among us – for that’s when that sinner will be revealed. [He’s the one] our Lord Yeshua will consume with the breath from his mouth and will eliminate by the appearance of his arrival“. – 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8
Such things even being admitted by early Christian writers between the 2nd-3rd Centuries, who were aruging against the notion of Yeshua’s second coming and the Resurrection having already happened:
“…We must after all this turn our attention to those scriptures also which forbid our belief in such a resurrection… that it is either to be assumed as taking place now, as soon as men come to the knowledge of the truth, or else that it is accomplished immediately after their departure from this life.… we are not permitted to place the accomplishment thereof, as I apprehend, previous to Christ’s coming…
Who has yet beheld Jesus descending from heaven in like manner as the apostles saw Him ascend, according to the appointment of the two angels? Up to the present moment they have not…. No one has as yet fallen in with Elias; no one has as yet escaped from Antichrist; no one has as yet had to bewail the downfall of Babylon. And is there now anybody who has risen again, except the heretic?”. – Tertullian, On the Resurrection of the Flesh (3rd Century A.D)
However, as we have already covered, this is not to be seen as unusual, if understood in the prophetic style of Daniel…
We have seen repetitions of certain fulfillment of several prophetic details, whilst others possibly having “minor”, “typological” or “symbolic” fulfillments, such as the signs seen in the sky during Jerusalem’s fall, which may be an echo of the future of Yeshua’s true return to the Earth when he collects his faithful, just as Yeshua’s ministry brought “life” to the “spiritually dead”. Likewise, many Christians during the fall of Jerusalm may have been “collected” or “protected” during that time by God’s angels, to ensure their escape from the city, in the manner that Lot and his family were ushered out of Sodom, which was also referenced by Yeshua (Genesis 19:15-16, Luke 17:28).
It’s important to take note, that Yeshua instructed his followers to “flee” Jerusalem, even though he also said “one will be taken, the other left” on that day when the “angels come to collect” them (Matthew 34:31, 40-41, Mark 13:27, 1 Thessalonians 4:15–17). Likewise, Yeshua tells us that the Jews would not see him ever again until they “welcomed him” as their Messiah who had “come in the name of YHWH”, a point also repeated by Paul who mentions that Israel would in the end be saved by coming to faith (Matthew 23:39, Romans 11:25).
It can be reasoned that there would have been no need to flee if such a “collecting into the air” was to happen at this time. Another point to bare in mind, is that Israel was destroyed for its “lack of faith”, whereas the return of Yeshua would be a time when Israel has faith once again, and it being the ‘other Gentile nations’ who are “in grief” at his coming (Matthew 24:30).
Hence, we can see implication of more than one meaning contained within Yeshua’s speech on the times of the end, one that applied in the immediate context of Jerusalem’s fall, and one for a different time, yet they are intertwined.
Likely these words of Yeshua allowed the false prophets of Jerusalem in that day to mislead several people into remaining in the Temple under the false promises of a miraculous salvation:
“A false prophet was the occasion of these people’s destruction, who had made a public proclamation in the city that very day, that God commanded them to get up upon the temple, and that there they should receive miraculous signs of their deliverance…”. – Josephus, Wars Book VI, Chapter V
The book of Revelation appears to point to the events of 70 A.D, and then proclaims them to be events pertaining to the “last day” when finally, the whole Earth will be ruled by God’s Kingdom, and with the Lord Yeshua as its active king. If then, Revelation claims these things, it may just be akin to the manner that Yeshua harkened back to Daniel, claiming likewise that his prophecies had more than one fulfillment, which explained why not every single detail was yet completed.
In this we can be confident, by the observation of the many accurate prophecies that were indeed fulfilled in both of these historical periods.
Perhaps now, we await for such things to happen again, next time to the third Temple of Jerusalem, the Body of the Anointed One (1 Corinthians 3:16), who have been foretold to suffer persecution and death at the hands of God’s enemies, the ones who “flee” to the spiritual mountains of Zion out of Babylon the Great, to the New Jerusalem. Perhaps currently being “symbolically raptured” over time by means of receiving a seal and robe from God, confirming them to be “in Heaven above” before they experience the true and real resurrection and rapture on the Last Day, awakening from their “rest” (Hebrews 12:22, Revelation 6:9-11, 7:3, 11:12, 18:4, John 8:23, 17:16).
Conclusion
In conclusion, we have been able to clearly see, fulfilled prophecies contained in scripture, in two time periods as foretold by the same prophet, Daniel, who intentionally wrote regarding two different time periods, but applied one set of prophetic predictions to both of them.
Furthermore, Yeshua himself, harkening back to Daniel, solidifies, not only the additional deeper meanings of Daniel’s words, but also confirms his own words to be truly prophetic, showing indeed, how both of these individuals were inspired by God, and that their words contained in the scriptures, are worthy of our trust and faith.
Proselyte of Yah 