This phrase, mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 24, has two long, rather dramatic-sounding words. And it has many interpretations in the Christian world.
But looking at the patterns in the Bible, here’s what we find: The abomination of desolation, used in two senses in the book of Daniel, was a specific kind of disrespect toward God by the Israelite people, almost making a mockery out of the kind of relationship and worship He desired from them. That’s the abomination part. And it’s followed by desolation (or destruction of the Israelites’ land by foreign nations).
That still feels like a lot in one paragraph. So let’s break it down and understand how this event occurred in history and how it sets a precedent for events in the end times.
We’ll cover:
- What the abomination of desolation is
- How it ties in with Adventist teachings about end-time events
- Why this teaching matters today

What is the abomination of desolation according to the Bible?
The abomination of desolation, or the abomination that causes desolation, is a phrase used by the prophet Daniel in the Old Testament. It refers to false or insincere worship that actually dishonors God instead of acknowledging His sovereignty. This dishonor showed that God’s people, the Israelites, were turning away from Him and His protection, and as a result, they experienced destruction and desolation in A.D. 70.
But let’s back up a little.
What does the word abomination truly mean?

What is an abomination?
The Hebrew word used in Daniel is šiqqûṣ (shik-koots) and refers to something “disgusting” or “filthy; especially idolatrous or concretely an idol.” In other passages, the Hebrew word tôwʻêbah (to-ay-baw’) is also translated as “abomination” and means “something disgusting (morally).”1
God calls numerous things in the Bible abominations. Here’s one passage that lists seven things:
“A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren” (Proverbs 6:16-19, NKJV).
And some other examples are:
- Idol worship (Deuteronomy 7:25-26; 32:16)
- Spiritualism (Deuteronomy 18:9-14)
- Turning away from God’s law (Proverbs 28:9)
- Adultery (Jeremiah 13:26-27)
- Pagan worship rituals (Jeremiah 32:35)
- Sun worship (Ezekiel 8:15-16)
- Hubris (Luke 16:15)
But why exactly are these things so disrespectful and offensive to God?
It’s not only because they’re “false gods” or because they go against God’s ways. It’s deeper than that.
God understands that these things will hurt us.
He offers us loving, pure, and protective leadership. But when we choose something else above Him, we’re exchanging that leadership for things that will ultimately leave us empty and destroy us.
Think about it—what would hurt more? If you were disrespected by someone you didn’t know well or didn’t particularly like? Or if you were disrespected by someone claiming to care deeply for you, and you cared for them as well?
These abominations were personal. And they were committed by people who claimed to be followers of God. People who knew better.
They also contradict the principles of love in God’s law—what it means to love God and others (Matthew 22:37-40). So not only do they hurt us, they also hurt our relationships with others and, ultimately, with God.
What about the word desolation?

What does desolation mean?
Desolation refers to something being destroyed and ravaged.
So, when we bring the two ideas together, the abomination of desolation is an action that shows utter contempt toward God’s law, and that also leads to destruction.
Jeremiah 44:22 confirms this when it describes the situation of the people of Judah:
“So the LORD could no longer bear it, because of the evil of your doings and because of the abominations which you committed. Therefore your land is a desolation, an astonishment, a curse, and without an inhabitant, as it is this day” (NKJV).
Let’s look at the specific passages in the Bible that speak of the event called “the abomination of desolation.”

The abomination of desolation in Daniel 9:27 and Matthew 24:15
The first occurrence of the phrase “abomination of desolation” is in Daniel 9:27, a prophecy that foretold the destruction that the first-century Jewish people would experience after the time of Jesus.
Daniel 9 speaks of the selfless act of Jesus’ sacrifice, and how this brought an end to the need for ritual burnt offerings in the temple. Then, it goes on to discuss the desolation of Jerusalem that would follow:
“…And the abomination of desolation will be on a wing of the temple until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator ” (Daniel 9:27, CSB).
Jesus refers back to this prophecy in Matthew 24:15-162:
“So 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” (CSB).
Luke 21, which is another account of the same discussion, gives us some more hints about what this abomination of desolation is:
“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:20-24, ESV).
Pastor and evangelist Chris Holland, DMin, points out that Jesus was speaking of an event in the future. Since Jesus lived from 4 B.C. to A.D. 31, this event had to happen after that.
So we can conclude He was discussing the destruction of Jerusalem that happened in A.D. 70.
But Daniel refers to another abomination of desolation that we haven’t yet discussed. We’ll look at that next.
All the talk about end-time prophecy can sometimes stir up our fears. Learn more about how to deal with “end-time anxiety.”

The abomination of desolation in Daniel 11:31 and 12:11
Daniel has two more references to the abomination of desolation—this time within the context of prophecies after A.D. 70:
“His forces will rise up and desecrate the temple fortress. They will abolish the regular sacrifice and set up the abomination of desolation” (Daniel 11:31, CSB).
“And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes its desolation is set up, there shall be 1,290 days” (Daniel 12:11, ESV).
What is the “abomination” referring to here? Let’s look at some clues, such as the Hebrew word tamid, which translates as “daily” when referring to sacrifices, offerings, or important sacred activities.
Notice that both verses mention an activity or ritual that happens daily (or continually) in the sanctuary. The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary comments on this:
“In Daniel this abominable thing that causes appalling desolation is mentioned in connection with the ‘daily sacrifice,’ and apparently applies to a rival religious system that takes a position of avowed hostility to the worship of the true God centering in the services of the sanctuary, or Temple.”3
The book of Daniel, as a prophetic book, uses symbolic language of the sanctuary and daily sacrifice to refer to Jesus’ ministry as our high priest in the heavenly sanctuary (Hebrews 8:1-2). These can’t be a reference any longer to the Jewish nation because they occur after A.D. 70, the time when God gave all who wish to be followers of Christ the privilege of being His people.
These passages, then, must refer to a power within the Christian Church that will set up a worship contrary to God’s ways.
That power is the “little horn” religious power, which Daniel 8:13 mentions as committing “the rebellion that makes desolate” (CSB).
In another article, we identified the little horn as the same as the Antichrist and the beast of Revelation 13, a religious power that seeks to enforce worship to itself. And we can pick up on this same theme when it comes to the abomination of desolation:
“This substitute system of worship is abominable, or detestable, because it stands in implacable opposition to that of the true God…. In the symbolic prophecy of Daniel 8 it is the power represented by the “little horn” that terminates the worship of the true God in His sanctuary and institutes a false system of worship in its place.”4
These activities of the little horn power will also be revived in the end times.

How does the abomination of desolation tie in with Adventist end-time prophecy interpretations?
The abominations of desolation mentioned by Daniel and by Jesus have already happened, though they set a precedent for other abominations that will take place in the last days. Revelation 13 identifies a “beast,” which Adventists interpret as a religious power that will enforce worship that is contrary to the sincere worship of God.
First, we have to remember that Revelation is full of symbols and often isn’t literal.
The beasts in Daniel and Revelation refer to political and religious powers (Daniel 7:17, 23; 8:9-14).
The religious power in Revelation 13 and 14 will enforce “a mark” and set up a worship system that dishonors God’s principles. As a parallel to the abomination of desolation that took place in history, the abominations in the last days—false worship and breaking of God’s commandments—will come from among those claiming to be God’s followers.
“There is a time coming when there will be an attempt to change God’s laws and an attempt to sit on God’s throne,” says Holland. “And then, there will be the ultimate manifestation [revealing] of that abomination of desolation.”
The Scriptures often use a woman, or a bride, to symbolize a church. So a woman who is a prostitute or adulterer represents God’s church/people turning away from Him (a symbol used throughout the book of Hosea).
The book of Revelation picks up on this symbolism and uses a prostitute to represent a corrupt church. It describes her as having a “cup full of abominations” and the following name on her forehead:
“MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH” (Revelation 17:4-5, NKJV).
Notice the use of the word abominations.
What kinds of abominations does this church commit?
We find hints as we understand the mark of the beast more. But here’s the short version: Revelation 13 and 14 show us that the final crisis in earth’s history will deal with the issue of worship. The beast will command worship, threatening people with a loss of economic privileges and even death (Revelation 13:7-8, 17).
Those who receive the mark of the beast—or those who agree with the abominations of the church at large—will be those who disobey God’s commandments.
On the other hand, those who don’t receive the mark of the beast are those who remain faithful to Jesus and keep His commandments that teach us how to love God and love others (Revelation 14:12).
Eventually, disobedience to God will lead to the destruction of the earth when the seven last plagues are poured out. God will have to respect the decisions of those who turned from Him, so He removes His protection and His Spirit from them.
But these are not events that we as followers of God have to fear. God will protect those who hold tightly to Him, just as He did in the past (Psalm 27:5). And He will return after the time of trouble to rescue His people.

Why does this teaching matter today?
The patterns in history teach us important lessons, and the abomination of desolation is no different. As we’ve seen, when God’s people turned away from Him and disobeyed Him, desolation was the result. And this can serve as a warning to us of how Satan tries to turn us away from God and our obedience to Him.
Understanding these events before they happen will bolster our faith and help us be prepared.
What’s more, when we commit ourselves to the care of Jesus, He promises to protect us from the evil things that will arise in the end times.
We can say with the apostle Paul:
“I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day [the Second Coming]” (2 Timothy 1:12, NKJV).
Each of us has the privilege of having that confidence in Jesus and being part of the group of people “who keep the commandments of God and have the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12, NKJV).
To get a fuller understanding of the full timeline of biblical prophecy and the end times, start your own Bible study on the book of Revelation.
- Lexicon :: Strong’s H8251 [↩]
- Mark 13:14 and Luke 21:20-21 repeat the same account. [↩]
- Horn, Siegfried, SDA Bible Dictionary, p. 7 [↩]
- Ibid., p. 8. [↩]