10-30-22 The Abomination of Desolation: A Unique Link

The Abomination of Desolation: A Unique Link :: By Mark A. Becker Published on: May 10, 2022 by RRadmin7 Category:General Articles Introduction In A Study of Zechariah 14:1-11, I walk the reader through Zechariah 14:1-2 and explain how these two verses are speaking of the aftermath of the Abomination of Desolation event. Specifically, the attack on Jerusalem’s Israeli population after Antichrist declares himself God and sets up his image in the rebuilt third Jewish Temple, and, generally, on the subsequent attempted annihilation of Israel as a people. Zechariah 14:1-2 has always been a difficult two verses for prophecy students and teachers alike because, at first glance, it doesn’t seem to fit any known scenarios, except for the Abomination of Desolation, and yet there seems to be a few problems with this supposition. I would like to take a moment and revisit parts of A Study of Zechariah 14:1-11 and show the reader how I came to that conclusion while addressing those superficial problems within the text and narrative. In concluding our study survey, I’ll share with the reader a unique link that I discovered, which confirms that Zechariah 14:1-2 is indeed the attack on Jerusalem and the Israeli people resulting from the Abomination of Desolation. So, let’s begin. The Problem of ‘Captivity’ Here’s how Zechariah 14:1-2 reads in the King James Version: “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city” (Zechariah 14:1-2). (emphasis mine) The first of two problems that I addressed in A Study of Zechariah 14:1-11 is that of “captivity.” We know that the Jews will flee into the mountains after the Abomination of Desolation to escape the onslaught of the Antichrist’s forces attempting to annihilate the Israeli people. The following is what I discovered, as recorded in A Study of Zechariah 14:1-11. “Into captivity” is the Hebrew word “bag·gō·w·lāh,” a derivative of “golah,” the feminine of “galah,” and its definition is “exile or exiles.” This, to me, seems to be the key as the definition of “exile” is: The state or a period of forced absence from one’s country or home; the state or a period of voluntary absence from one’s country or home. The Complete Jewish Bible renders Zechariah 14:1-2: “Look, a day is coming for Adonai when your plunder, [Yerushalayim], will be divided right there within you. ‘For I will gather all the nations against Yerushalayim for war. The city will be taken, the houses will be rifled, the women will be raped, and half the city will go into exile; but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.'” “Exile” is most certainly the appropriate translation of the verse. An exile doesn’t have to mean that they are taken by force to another country. It can very well mean that these people are able to flee to a safe harbor as exiles when this attack happens, which would certainly fit the narrative of what happens after the Abomination of Desolation. In Matthew 24:15-22, Jesus describes the event this way: “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: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” A perfect fit. The Problem of the ‘Residue’ Again, here is Zechariah 14:1-2: “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity [exile], and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city“ (Zechariah 14:1-2). (emphasis mine) The second of the two issues I had to look into was, if many Israeli people are killed in this attack and half of them escape into the mountains as exiles, then who are “the residue of the people” who are “not cut off from the city”? Here’s what I said, concerning this issue, in A Study of Zechariah 14:1-11. One can be certain that in Jerusalem at the beginning of the siege, when “the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished,” will see many Jews killed in the process. Of those that aren’t killed, “half of the city shall go forth into captivity [exile], and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.” This tells me that those Jews going into exile will be fleeing to what most believe will be Petra when God will supernaturally protect them for the last three and one-half years of the Tribulation: “And the woman [Israel] fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days” (Revelation 12:6). The “residue of the people” that remains in the city can be none other than the Arabs, and other people of differing nationalities, that reside in Jerusalem along with the Antichrist’s UN forces who have probably been stationed there for the first three and one-half years of the Tribulation enforcing the “covenant” treaty that started the seven-year Tribulation (Daniel 9:27). The very same “peacekeeping” forces, representing the nations, that do the plundering, raping, and killing. The Crux of This Short Study With this understanding that Zechariah 14:1-2 is most certainly describing the attack of the Jewish people in Jerusalem following the Abomination of Desolation by the Antichrist, I wanted to share with the reader the crux of this article — that is, there is a unique link that solidifies this interpretation that I had never contemplated before. I recently discovered this unique link as I was meditating on Zechariah 14:1-2 and was, to be sure, quite astonished when it came to me. Houses, Women, and Exiles: A Unique Link Here, again, are the words of our Lord concerning the Abomination of Desolation as cited in Matthew’s account of the Olivet Discourse. “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: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! “But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:15-21). Now, here’s the section I’d like us to focus on with emphasis. “Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!” (Matthew 24:16-19). (emphasis mine) Notice that Christ’s focus in these verses is to “flee into the mountains” and “not come down to take any thing out of his house” and “woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!” Essentially, the three themes specified from our Lord are people fleeing, things in houses, and women. Let’s review Zechariah 14:1-2 and consider this unique link. “Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity [exile], and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city” (Zechariah 14:1-2). (emphasis mine) We see the exact same three themes in Zechariah as we see in Matthew! We see “the houses rifled” in Zechariah and Christ’s warning not to get “anything out of [their] house[s]” in Matthew; “the women ravished” in Zechariah and Yeshua’s warning of “woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck” in Matthew; and “half the city shall go forth into exile” in Zechariah as Jesus insists that the Jews “flee into the mountains” in Matthew! What we have here are parallel accounts of the same event, namely, the attack on the Israeli people in Jerusalem and Judaea following the Abomination of Desolation. Jesus stresses the exact same themes, giving the Bible student the very real impression that He didn’t want us to miss the link between His prophetic Word and the prophecy of Zechariah 14:1-2. I pray you have enjoyed this survey – which included elements from an earlier study – that, at least for me, confirms with greater clarity and understanding the prophecy of Zechariah 14:1-2 and the attack on Jerusalem and Judaea after Antichrist’s Abomination of Desolation. A Quick Reminder May we all continue to be Answering the Call of The Great Commission and giving an answer to every man and woman who so desperately needs Jesus and asks, Why Am I Here and What Is It All About? Keep reaching the lost for Christ while we still have time. [Mark’s note: Please check out my recent article, The Lake of Fire and Salvation, which can only be accessed at FaithWriters.com.] Love, grace, mercy, and shalom in Messiah Yeshua, and Maranatha! ➢ Email: mab10666@yahoo.com ➢ If you have not given your life to Jesus Christ and are seeking answers about God, Jesus Christ, the gospel, and salvation, please email me at mab10666@yahoo.com for information. ➢ I am still taking questions for the Questions from the Body of Christ series. If you or someone you know has a question pertaining to the Word of God – theology, difficult passages, eschatology, etc. – I would really like to hear from you. ➢ A listing of past articles may be found at my Article Listings on Rapture Ready or my Home Page on FaithWriters.