Matthew 24:15-22 15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for ethe sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

Life altering events are hard to see coming or to notice when they do happen. Imagine a community wiped out by unpredictable wildfires in the American west. Seasons when wildfires spread can bring with it unexpected shifts and destruction of homes and lives. Yes, the wildfires are predictable in that they will come each season, but the devastation they leave behind can often come from unexpected natural occurrence.

We now come to a passage within Jesus' Olivet Discourse that speaks to an event that was known to occur long before by the prophet Daniel. The vision of the Abomination of Desolation was known in Jewish tradition as an apocalyptic sign that would certainly come, but the prophecy was shrouded in mystery even as Jesus prophesied its coming in Matthew 24:15-16.