“From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. Daniel 12:11-12 (NIV).
Before Daniel’s account concludes, the angel drops a nugget of prophecy and people have been debating it ever since. In my opinion, the best way to interpret this (seemingly) specific prophecy is “it’ll happen when God says it’ll happen.”
A few days back we discussed how only God the Father knows the day and hour when He will end this Earth. And, all through these discussions about end-times prophecy, we’ve discussed how the best approach to implementing these prophecies is to be ready any time. It’s all well and good to try to understand specifics of dates and times, but those really aren’t for us to know. It’s moot when you can’t know anyway.
A better way is to assume God could end the world today, right now. We should live our lives in faith right now, every day, every minute, knowing that this could be the last. That isn’t a charge to get hog-wild. Instead, it’s a challenge to live life fully in faith in Jesus, freeing ourselves from the burdens of guilt, anguish, self-pity, and the other sins. Then and only then, can we understand what liberty really means. Only when we stop living for self and start living for Him – and thus others – can we be ready to meet Him at any time.
These verses refer to “the abomination that causes desolation.” We’ve discussed this already here in Daniel. To refresh, this prophecy was fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanes, who desecrated the Temple in Jerusalem. The prophecy was also invoked by Christ (recorded in Matthew and Mark), who referred to it in the context of something that occurs in the end times, when Antichrist will desecrate the temple again. Whether that means another Jewish Temple (as many believe) or somehow desecrating the church as a body of believers, we just don’t know.
What we do know is that we should be ready for it when it happens. Like I said, God could end the world at any time; only the Father knows when it’ll happen. We should wisely pay attention to the world around us, recognizing things that may fulfill prophecy as ways to prepare ourselves to endure persecution and stay true to the faith. But, again, when it happens is known only to the Father. Whatever happens when ‘the abomination that causes desolation” occurs will be bad. It will, however, be meaningless compared to the power of abiding faith in Christ.
For further reading: Exodus 29:38, Isaiah 30:18, Ezekiel 4:5-6, Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14, Revelation 11:2, Daniel 12:13
Lord, I put all my faith in You alone. Prepare me to face the end holding on to this faith.
If you’d like to know more about Practical Proverbials, please contact aspiringwriterdt@gmail.com for more information
Practical Proverbs 