dear george,i was reading my bible this morning and jesus talked of DESTROYING TERROR,and i do not know what that means,and daniel talked of it too.oh well,please respond if you can,thanks and god bless…
It took me a little bit to figure out what you were referring to, but I did an online parallel Bible search on the word “terror” and I believe I found what you were referencing in Matthew 24:15.
Matthew 24:15 “Daniel the prophet spoke about ‘the destroying terror.’ You will see this standing in the holy place.” (You who read this should understand what it means.) — New Century Version
In this particular passage, Yeshua (Jesus) is referring to the events prior to His return as referenced in Matthew 24:3 —
Matthew 24:3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
The verse you are referring to is a picture of an event that already took place, yet a double fulfillment is in store since Yeshua mentioned it specifically in Matthew 24. So in order to understand this particular passage, you have to study a little bit of history. This is a brief description of what happened roughly 2,150 years ago.
Over 150 years before Jesus’ birth, a group of Jewish warriors led by Judah Maccabee, defeated Anticochus IV. Though terribly outnumbered by their foes, the Maccabees triumphed over the Grecian Syrian Empire. This led to the establishment of Chanukah — the feast of dedication.
Judah entered into Jerusalem only to find the Temple desecrated by a sacrificed pig and an idol of Zeus. Upon seeing this, he immediately began to cleanse the Temple. — read more at Worthy Devotions
So the “abomination of desolation” was the worship of a pig in the midst of the Temple. We know that Paul talks about the rising of the man of sin (anti-christ) and how he sits as God in the Temple of God, a picture of a coming “abomination of desolation”. In 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, it says:
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
So ‘the destroying terror’ is a picture of the anti-christ rising to power in the future, becoming a type of the “abomination of desolation”, and the means by which he deceives the entire world. Obviously, I could go into greater detail, but I’m limited in time today. May the Lord richly bless you as you continue to study His Word!
Until next time…
by George Whitten, Watchmen in the Wilderness