Judgment · The abomination of desolation; great tribulation

Matthew 24:15-22

Jesus · ~30 AD · Status: Future · Confidence: 60%
“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:”
King James Version · the opening — all 8 verses are below
More of Matthew 24 on this siteMatthew 24:2 · Matthew 24:3-14 · Matthew 24:23-31 · Matthew 24:32-35 · Matthew 24:36-51

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.

Read the whole passage — all 8 verses (KJV)

24:15When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

24:16Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:

24:17Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:

24:18Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.

24:19And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!

24:20But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:

24:21For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

24:22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be 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.

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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, D.Min. · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.