The first sign of the end of the age, the abomination that causes desolation, is difficult to grasp, so Jesus gave us a hint. We need to understand what Daniel the prophet has to say about it (Matthew 24:15).
In the Book of Daniel, we discover two abominations, one from the past and one in the future. The past abomination (Daniel 11:31-32) occurred in 167 BC, when Antiochus Epiphanes placed a statue of Zeus on the temple mount in Jerusalem and forced all people to worship it, or suffer death.
The future abomination will occur at the time of the end of the age (Daniel 9:27) 1290 days (Daniel 12:11) before Jesus comes back (Matthew 24:29-31). At that time, an image of the antichrist will be set up on the temple mount in Jerusalem, and everyone will be forced to worship it or face death (Revelation 13:11-15) by beheading (Revelation 20:4). This is when the second sign of the end of the age, the persecution of believers by nonbelievers, will begin (Matthew 24:9).
So, when a statue, hologram, etc. is placed on the temple mount in Jerusalem, you will know who the antichrist or man of lawlessness is (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4), and you will know that the end of the age is upon us.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
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