The "abomination of desolation", as spoken of in the book of the prophet Daniel, and in teachings of Jesus, is an act of desecration of the Temple and its holiness as a place for God’s name to have its physical location of association and worship. The abomination is something so abominable to God that He abandons the holy place because it has been made an utter affront to His holiness. It symbolizes a profound failure to maintain the sanctity of what is holy, particularly the Temple, which in the Jewish tradition was the center of God's presence among His people. The recurring desecration of the Temple throughout history, whether by foreign invaders like Antiochus Epiphanes or through moral and spiritual decline, reflects humanity’s persistent struggle to uphold the standards of holiness required by God.
The "abomination of desolation" represents humanity's recurring failure to maintain holiness and a right relationship with God, underscoring the need for divine intervention through the Messiah. Humanity's sin and inability to uphold God's standards led to the first coming of Jesus Christ, who provided spiritual redemption and inaugurated the New Covenant through His death and resurrection. Despite this, the persistent presence of sin and evil in the world reveals the necessity of a more complete intervention.
The concept also anticipates a future crisis that could manifest either symbolically as increasing apostasy and moral decay or as a real, catastrophic event. Many believe this event could be instigated by a blasphemous Antichrist or beast-like ruler during the last three and a half years before Christ's return. This final act of desecration would represent the ultimate rebellion against God, signaling the culmination of human wickedness and the onset of the Great Tribulation. In response, Christ's second coming will bring final judgment, the defeat of all evil, and the establishment of God's kingdom in its fullness. Christ will restore order, reconcile all things to God, and hand over the renewed and purified world to God the Father, completing His redemptive work and establishing God's eternal kingdom where holiness and righteousness prevail.
