For the details of this detestable ruler’s activities, we have to go back to Daniel 11:29-35. When he first advances into the Middle East, he will be scared by threats from powerful European nations that have escaped his power.

Ships of Kittim will come against him, and being intimidated, he will withdraw (Dan 11:30a).
Kittim was the ancient name for Cypress. It represents the Mediterranean Sea and the nations that surround it. When the military leader invades the Middle East, he will be opposed by European ships (from the UK and France). When they make their threats, he will be intimidated and withdraw. However, before he withdraws, he will make further changes in Israel.
Then he will rage against the holy covenant and take action. On his return, he will favour those who abandon the holy covenant. By smooth words, he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant (Dan 11:30b, 32a).
The ruler will switch his support from religious Jews towards secular Israelis. He will rage against religious Jews, but will favour the atheists, who are nearly half of the population. To make this change, he will have shaken himself free from the control of the religious right in America.

The government of Israel is scared of Iran. The irony is that it will actually be invaded by the United States.

Detestable Devastation

Daniel 11:31 is a difficult verse to interpret. Most translations imply that this ruler will stop the temple sacrifices. That does not make sense, because there is currently no temple in which sacrifices could be offered. If there were, they would be an insult to the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, so God would not care if they were abolished. To help clarify the verse, I have tried to give a very literal word-for-word translation.

His armed forces will stand and they will penetrate (bore into) the consecrated fortress, and they will stop the regular/continuing something and give the one causing disgusting devastation (Dan 11:31).
To get the message that this ruler shuts down the temple sacrifices, the verse needs considerable amplification. The first problem is that the word sacrifice is not used in the Hebrew text, (although it does creep into most English translations). The basis for this addition is the adjective “tamiyd”. It comes from a root meaning “stretch”, but means “continuing” or “regular”. The noun this adjective is applied to is not stated, so I have put the word something in italics.

In Numbers, the word is used for regular offerings, but it is not applied to sacrifices in Leviticus, the main description of the temple sacrifices. However, it does not apply just to sacrifices, but could apply to anything that is continuing on in a regular way. Therefore, there is no reason to impute the word sacrifice into the text. It refers to something continuous or regular, ie normality.

English translations tend to read “desecrate the temple fortress”. These words read a lot into the text. The words “temple” or “sanctuary” are not in the text. The Hebrew word is “miqdash”, which refers to any consecrated thing, not just a temple. It is more accurate to describe this as a consecrated fortress, whatever that means.

The word “desecrate” is also an overstatement. The Hebrew word “Chalal” means bore or penetrate. Desecrate or defile are figurative meanings of the word. Therefore, it is more correct to say that this army penetrated this fortress, by drilling into it in some way, and not that the temple was desecrated.

The famous words in this translation are the words “abomination of desolation”. A more literal translation is “disgusting devastation”.

Jesus clarified the meaning of this expression in his prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem.

When you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains (Matt 24:15-16).
This is hard to understand, but Luke explains what it means in his account.

When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city (Luke 21:20-21).

The abomination of desolation is not a religious event. Jesus states clearly that the sign is “Jerusalem surrounded by armies”. Jerusalem was the Holy City. To have a heathen army surrounding it, was a terrible insult to God. This was a terrible insult to God’s people. It would bring terrible devastation that would disgust the Jewish people. The event described by Daniel was a terrible desolation by a foreign army.

Going back to Dan 11:31, the verse is a description of a foreign army invading Israel and attacking Jerusalem. The context is military, not religious. The succeeding verses describe a ruler who believes in war. This ruler penetrates a fortress that is sacred to the Jewish people. Daniel might be referring to an electronic penetration, but it is more likely a penetration by missiles. This is an attack against the main defensive fortification of Israel. It could be a reference to the destruction of their hidden nuclear weapons.

This event brings to an end the political independence that has continued since Israel was established in 1948. This is replaced by a situation where Jerusalem is surrounded by the armies of foreign nations. They devastate the Israeli system of government in a way that is disgusting to the Jewish people who love their independence.

Daniel 8

The same events are described in a couple of other passages. The vision of the Ram and the Goat ends with an evil ruler that brings changes in Israel (Dan 8:9-12).

It grew as high as the heavenly army, made some of the army and some of the stars fall to the earth, and trampled them. It acted arrogantly even against the Prince of the heavenly army (Dan 8:10-11).
This is a big shift in the spiritual realms. The government-spirit that controls this ruler rises to a much higher place in the spiritual realms, while other spiritual forces lose their positions of power and are cast down. This spiritual power attempts to take on God's spiritual forces head-on in a contest of power, rather than by using deception and manipulation. This big shift in the relative balance of power amongst the spiritual powers of evil that bring big changes on earth. Military force and power move into an ascendancy.

After describing these spiritual changes, Daniel repeats the message of Dan 11:31.

It revoked the continuous something and overthrew the consecrated place. In the rebellion, the spiritual army was given over to him together with the consecrated place (Dan 8:11-12).
This is a condensed version of the fuller message in Daniel 11. This ruler allows warring spirits in the spiritual realms to gain immense control. The result is rebellion on earth and special places are destroyed.

This ruler is successful.

The horn threw truth to the ground and was successful in what it did (Dan 8:12b).
This ruler has amazing success, but the result is that truth is destroyed.

The angel who explained the meaning of the vision to Daniel clarified the meaning of these words.

Near the end of their kingdoms, when the rebels have reached the full measure of their sin, a ruthless king, skilled in intrigue, will come to the throne. His power will be great, but it will not be his own. He will cause outrageous destruction and succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the powerful along with the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper through his cunning and by his influence, and in his own mind, he will exalt himself. He will destroy many in a time of peace; he will even stand against the Prince of princes (Dan 8:23-25).
This is very clear. The vision is about rebellion, evil rulers working destruction, persecution of good people, and hostility to God. There is no mention of stopping sacrifices or other religious actions. The vision is about the rise of corrupt military and political power, which will be brought down by God.

Persecution of Believers

The detestable ruler will persecute people who believe in God, whether or not they follow Jesus.

The people who know their God will be strong and take action. Those who have insight among the people will give understanding to many, yet they will fall by the sword and flame, and be captured and plundered for a time. When they fall, they will be helped by some, but many others will join them insincerely. Some of those who have insight will fall so that they may be refined, purified, and cleansed (Dan 11:32-35).
This ruler will persecute Christians and Jews who are loyal to God. Those who are wise will know how to prepare and respond. They will establish strong Kingdom Communities that are places of safety and security. They will stand together to protect and support each other. However, despite their efforts to support each other, some will suffer for their faith. This is a parallel to the fifth seal in Revelation 6:9-11. Some people who deny their faith will be rescued by loyal friends. Others will join Kingdom Communities insincerely and betray those who are following Jesus.

The intense persecution will purify the church. Those who understand what God is doing and persevere through their trials will be refined and purified. They will become the beautiful bride that God is preparing for his son. This persecution could go on for some time.

Until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time (Dan 11:35).
The end comes when God is ready.

Next Final Battle.

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