What is the "Holy place" Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:15?

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*When the power of the holy people is broken *

7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.

Daniel 12:7

For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; and then all Israel will be saved; just as it is written,

“The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” 27 “This is [i]My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.”

It is believed and has been believed by many Christians, that at a point before the return of Christ, the Nation of Israel, as a nation, will turn en-mass to Christ. This belief is taken mainly from Romans chapter 11. Paul goes to great lengths in this chapter to explain what he calls a 'mystery'.

A book By Ian Murray called 'The Puritan hope'(Banner of truth trust), is a good twentieth century exposition of this chapter in Romans. The author puts together the history of this teaching particularly from the the 16 century to this day.

Some of the people who hold this view, namely that immediately before the return of Christ there will be a an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on a scale not seen before in history! It will be sparked by the conversion of Israel as a nation (The redeemer will come from Zion). Their conversion as a nation will result in a world wide revival. This belief is taken from Romans 11:11

11 I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. 12 Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be!

In other words if the effect of the rejection of Jesus by the Jews results in riches of knowledge and grace for the Gentiles, what will be the outcome of the Jews accepting the Gospel as a nation? Paul says it will be "Life from the dead". Many Christians deduct from this that not only will Israel turning to Christ bring incredible blessing to the nations, it will also signify the time of the end and of Christs return, ("LIFE FROM THE DEAD")

To put it simply. There will be a turning of the whole World to Christ. Then the abomination or the beast will arise again to destroy this body of believers.

5 And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to [a]rule all the [b]nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she *had a place prepared by God, so that there [c]she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

The final outcome after the beast has ravaged the follows of Christ and a third of the stars are cast to the Earth(Rev 12:1-6), the nations will finally gather together at Jerusalem, what is considered 'The Holy city',

Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

It is possible that the "Temple of God, and the alter do signify the Spiritual worship of God in prayer and therefore, the holy people, not an actual temple or alter! The beast will trample the people of God! The last stronghold in the World will be Jerusalem where the Two Witnesses will smite the beast and his followers with famine and plauge,

Rev 10:4-6

These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. These have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.

Daniel 12:5 NASV

Then I, Daniel, looked and behold, two others were standing, one on this bank of the river and the other on that bank of the river. And one said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be until the end of these wonders?” I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.

It would be difficult, not to see, the two witnesses, in Revelation as here in Daniel. Parallel prophecies from the Old and the New testaments regarding one event..the Revelations of John.

The end. Their will be a slaughter of horrible proportions, a slaughter of Christians. But in order for their to be a mass slaughter their must be a mass conversion.

Matthew 24:22 New American Standard Bible (NASB) Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

Romans 11:11 NASV

I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. 12 Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be! But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them. For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too."

Mathew 24:

“Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Again the bible teaches a great apostacy,

2 Thessalonians 2 New King James Version (NKJV)

The Great Apostasy

"Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 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."

Let me suggest, that there could only be a great apostasy, if there had first been a great revival of Christianity. What caused this great apostasy? A great persecution, for father will betray son and son father. True Christianity is not in any way compatible with the present world system. When hundreds of millions, perhaps billions of people turn to Christ, such people who are presently employed in many services, companies etc who's moral standard will not be compatible with their new minds, will no be able to continue in any employment which is corrupt, or of the nature of the beast's system. "Come out from her my people," will be Gods call to them, and do not participate in her sins for she has corrupted the Earth with her luxuries and vanity. The merchants will cry when they see Babylon destroyed and the Merchants **of the earth will wail because the great city that made them rich **is no more. This will mean massive economic and socialogical upheaval. Jobs where persons are employed in making weapons of war, or of gambling (financial services) or of any other employment that destroys and pollutes the Earth and Gods people, will be abandoned by Christ call to the elect, causing massive disruption to this present corrupt system Babylon(Confusion is the nature of this World system. There is no justice here or truth or righteousness and our thoughts are only sin continually(Gen 6:5). The number of the beast, 666 , is the number of a man, the man that serves numbers or mammon!

It is said of the Beast that..

Revelation 17 English Standard Version (ESV) The Great Prostitute and the Beast

"Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” 3 And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.” 6 And I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of the martyrs of Jesus."

When I saw her, I marveled greatly. But the angel said to me, “Why do you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast with seven heads and ten horns that carries her. The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to rise from the bottomless pit and go to destruction.

I would like to draw your attention to the words "was, and is not, and is about to rise" The present world system and its ruling families will be almost shattered by the revival that is coming. Initially the world rulers will stumble and fall (was), they will see their power dramatically reduced and dying.(is not)(for Christ will rule the world through his people and the gospel will be preached in all nations.) it will be like a millennium of peace(Rev 20: 1-3). Their only recourse will be force. To crush the opposition*(is about to rise)*.

This they will do, in a terrible display of the wickedness of man and sin. Unless those days had been cut short..

Matthew 24:22 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.