Abomination of Desolation

What the Antichrist does in the middle of the Tribulation is referred to in other portions of Scripture as "the abomination of desolation." All Jews are familiar with the prophecies of Daniel regarding "the abomination of desolation." In 167 B.C., Antiochus Epiphanes king of Syria desecrated the temple of Israel by sitting up an altar to Zeus in the Holy of Holies and sacrificing a pig there. This is a dualism in that this historical event is a mirror of what the Antichrist will do as he sets himself up as God in the Holy of Holies of the Tribulation Temple.

The Antichrist presenting himself to Israel as Christ is a transitional point in the seven-years of the Tribulation in that the Antichrist will begin to take extreme control of the lives of people through his "mark of the beast" (Revelation 13:17). Most unbelievers will willingly accept this marking if for nothing other than utilitarianism reasons to be able to "buy and sell." Most people think survival in this life is the utmost priority of existence. Of course, this is only true when one considers this existence the primary existence. It is not!