CHAPTER VIII
THE CLEANSING OF THE SANCTUARY
THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION IN THE HOLY PLACE
“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation
spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place,” etc.
Matt. 24: 15; Mark 13: 14.
In relating to his disciples the things which should come to pass
before his presence, and before the end (harvest) of the Gospel Age
(vss. 3-14), Jesus told them there would be many wars and
commotions, etc., and that this Gospel must first be preached for a
witness unto all nations. Then, calling their minds backward on the
streams of time, he tells them of the great abomination of
desolation, and indicates that it will be something very marked.
The words holy place in this text, and sanctuary in the
corresponding passage in Daniel, signify sacred place. We believe
that Jesus made a twofold use of it, referring to the desecration of
the Holy Land and its desolation, and the giving over of that people
(the typical sanctuary and the host) to their enemies. But we
believe that the prophecy of Daniel, and also Jesus’ reference to it,
apply really and with tenfold emphasis, to things typified by that
people and holy land, viz: a desolating abomination which would
gain control over the Christian “host”–believers–and tread them
down, while defiling their dwelling place–the Sanctuary of truth.
We have seen that what to the Israelite was a holy place, is to the
Gospel Church a holy condition; place being used to typify
condition. Our condition is sanctification in the truth, and when the
truth was corrupted by the introduction of errors which made void
the Word of God, it was an abominable pollution of our
“Sanctuary”–a desolating abomination which caused the
overthrow of the Lord’s people (the “host”–believers).
This double significance, we think, is true of very much of
Jesus’ teachings–as well as of the prophecies. The desolating
abomination to the Holly Land was the Roman army under Titus,
who destroyed and made it desolate literally; and the abomination
which desecrated the Sanctuary of truth was Papacy, (the “Man of
Sin”–the world united to the degenerated church, thy twain
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