Matthew 24:15-22
“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place... Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains... For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world... And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved.”
King James Version
Jesus' warning of the abomination of desolation in the holy place, the call to flee Judea, and the great tribulation — unequalled and, for the elect's sake, shortened.
Fulfillment References
Daniel 9:27 Daniel 12:1 Luke 21:20-24 2 Thessalonians 2:4
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalThe one Lord forewarns and preserves His elect through tribulation — His word their shelter and their shortening mercy.
JewishThe 'abomination of desolation' (Dan. 9:27; 11:31; 12:11) recalled Antiochus' desecration and the temple's peril.
CatholicThe desolation and tribulation — fulfilled in part in AD 70, and anticipating the final tribulation.
ProtestantThe abomination and great tribulation — read of AD 70 (Luke's parallel names the armies), of a future Antichrist, or both.
OrthodoxThe tribulation of God's people, shortened for the elect's sake.
DispensationalA future abomination by the Antichrist (mid-Tribulation) and the unequalled Great Tribulation that follows.
AcademicMatthew's 'abomination' (citing Daniel) and Luke's 'armies compassing Jerusalem' (21:20) anchor the debate over AD 70 vs. a future referent.
Scholarship & Sources
Matthew cites Daniel's 'abomination of desolation' (Dan. 9:27; 11:31; 12:11; cf. Antiochus, 1 Macc. 1:54); Luke's parallel (21:20) substitutes 'Jerusalem compassed with armies,' the linchpin of the AD 70 reading. Whether the discourse refers to AD 70, the end, or both (prophetic telescoping) is the central question.
Open the full interactive entry →Cross-references, Hebrew/Greek, Dead Sea Scrolls notes, study tools and multi-tradition analysis in the interactive explorer.
Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, PhD · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.