A Warning Sign
The abomination of desolation, in Matthew 24: 15, was given by Jesus as a sign, and warning, for Christians inside Jerusalem to leave the city and flee to the mountains where they would find safety ( verse 16).
This week’s article examines the likelihood of a dual meaning of the abomination of desolation, one that would apply to the coming great tribulation when those who remain faithful to the Law of God will be outlawed, and many even martyred ( Revelation 13: 15- 17; 20: 4).
The short response, verses 15 and 16 are a direct reference to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, and make no mention of a dual interpretation.
However, the way in which Jesus blended the signs showing the destruction of Jerusalem with those of His second coming, and given similar parallel conditions between its destruction and endtime tribulation prophecies, a parallel application serving as a like sign and warning to the faithful can easily be seen, and as such, should be heeded.
For an example see the following.
“Of course the Catholic Church claims that the change ( Saturday Sabbath to Sunday) was her act... And the act is a mark of her ecclesiastical authority in religious things” ( H. F. Thomas, Chancellor of Cardinal Gibbons).
Many Bible students believe the man- made Sunday Sabbath standing in the holy place where the Seventh Day Sabbath rightly belongs ( in the heart of God’s holy Ten Commandment Law) will eventually be legislated into a national law, with a “cannot buy or sell” penalty against dissenters who refuse to comply.
See Revelation 13: 16, 17. With Sunday Blue Laws as a forerunner, which the Supreme Court has repeatedly ruled are constitutional, it would be a small step to reinstate them, with the above stiffer penalty.
In the event of such a law it would be correct to say, as the siege of Jerusalem by the Roman armies was the signal for flight to the Judean Christians, so that law will be a warning for Christians to leave the large cities, preparatory to leaving the smaller ones for retired homes in secluded places among the mountains.
Imagine the danger and hardship for Christians living in large cities after a church/ state union has brought its power to bear upon those who refuse to worship the beast and its image, by receiving its mark of authority.