If the Temple is not going to be rebuilt, what is the abomination spoken of by Daniel and Jesus? There are a few possibilities, and I will present the most likely ones here:

“So when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. (Matt. 24:15-16)

“Abomination” is defined as “to be filthy,” “to loathe,” or “to abhor,” and refers to something that is disgusting and detestable. The term “abomination of desolation” refers to the desecration of a holy site or something that offends the religious sensibilities of a people.

A previous abomination of desolation was when Antiochus Epiphanes erected a statue of Zeus in the Most Holy Place in the Temple and burned sacrifices on the altar to Zeus. Another abomination of desolation occurred after the Romans destroyed the city and the Temple, then brought in their ensigns on the Temple Mount and offered sacrifices to them. There was not even a Temple on the site, and yet it was considered an abomination. These were certainly abominations of desolation, but the context of Matthew 24 puts it still in the future, during the final years.

In the 5th century, the first Islamic empire conquered the Middle East. When Caliph Umar (Omar) entered Jerusalem after its capitulation in 638 AD, he asked Patriarch Sophronius to take him to the site where the Temple stood. Upon arrival, he began–

. . . an oratory for blasphemy and impiety. When Sophronius saw this he exclaimed, “Truly this is the Abomination of Desolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, and it now stands in the Holy Place,” and he shed many tears. (Le Strange, Palestine Under the Muslims, 1890, p. 140. Quoted in F. E. Peters, Jerusalem, p. 190-191)

Some sources report that Sophronius said, “So this is the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place.” Other sources report that he made that statement after Omar built the first wooden structure that later became the Dome of the Rock. The former seems to be the most accurate.

Christian historian, Eutychius (877 – 940), tells us that Caliph Umar wanted to build a structure to Allah and demanded that Sophronius take him to where the Jewish Temple stood. Sophronius said:

I will give to the Commander of the Faithful a place to build a sanctuary where the kings of Rum [Rome] were unable to build. It is the rock where God spoke to Jacob and which Jacob called the Gate of heaven and the Israelites the Holy of Holies. It is in the center of the world and was a Temple for the Israelites, who held it in great veneration and wherever they were they turned their faces toward it during prayer. (Peters, F. E. Jerusalem, page 189-190)

After the structure was built, Sophronius reportedly said:

“Truly this is the Abomination of Desolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, and it now stands in the Holy Place,” and he shed many tears. (Le Strange, 1890, page 140n) (Quoted in Peters, Jerusalem, page 190-191)

The seventh-century historian, Sebeos, agreed with Sophronius:

Sebeos tells of the “horror of the invasion of the Ishmaelites who conquered land and sea.” He too saw in the Arab conquests the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy. (Greek Christian and Other Accounts of the Muslim Conquests of the Near East, by Demetrios Constantelos, in The Legacy of Jihad, Edited by Andrew G. Bostom. p. 395)

According to a second-century Mishnah, the Jews once made pilgrimage to the site where a rock protruded from the ground:

After the Ark was taken away, a stone remained there (in the Temple) from the time of the early Prophets, and it was called “foundation” (shtiyah). It was higher than the ground by three fingerbreadths. (Danby, 1933, p. 167) (Quoted in Peters, Jerusalem, page 196)

In Matthew 24 Jesus never said the abomination would be of the Temple, or in the Temple. He never said the word Temple, he just said it will be standing in the holy place:

“So when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place . . .” (v. 15)

Compare what Jesus said with Dan. 9:

And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator. (9:27b)

Notice that the word “Temple” does not appear here either, merely that something will be made desolate. So it most likely refers to the Temple Mount itself. The wording also suggests that the abomination will continue for an extended period of time, “until the consummation.” Here is how the LXXE words it:

and on the temple shall be the abomination of desolations; and at the end of time an end shall be put to the desolation.

It mentions the abomination, and then it says the abomination will come to an end at the end of the age. So, the wording of this passage suggests that the abomination will continue for a long time, which makes the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque the abomination. Several other translations agree, that the abomination will last a long time:

And on a corner of the altar will be abominations that desolate, even until the end. And that which was decreed shall pour out on the desolator. (ESV)

And in the train of these abominations shall come an author of desolation; then, in the end, what has been decreed concerning the desolation will be poured out. (NEB)

What is certain is that the abomination will be something that can be seen “standing,” so it cannot be the death of the pope, a saint, or a false doctrine; and it is not worshipping on Sunday instead of Saturday. There is evidence that the Muslims are planning a new building project that will take several years to complete. Evangelist Perry Stone reports that the Mufti of Jerusalem, Ekrima Sabri, said the Palestinian Authority has drawn up plans for a large mosque on the Temple Mount (Unleashing the Beast, p. 118, 2003 edition).

There is plenty of room on the Temple Mount next to the Dome of the Rock, so such a plan is certainly possible. There have already been some excavations of the mount near the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is located in the southern corner of the Temple Mount. “All these activities show very clearly that their plan is to make most of the Temple Mount into an area of one great mosque” (http://christian actionfor israel.org/5thtemple.html, at: https://web. archive .org/). All of this destruction and construction is very offensive to Jewish people worldwide, and even to Christians.

In the photo above, the black line shows the extent of the Temple Mount, so there is plenty of room to build another mosque; either between the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, or east of them. The Dome of the Rock is not a mosque, as some people believe, but a shrine to the rock inside it. The first wooden structure was called the Mosque of Omar, so the Dome is sometimes referred to by that name, but is not a mosque.

So, if the Dome of the Rock is the abomination spoken of in Daniel 9:27, then there could be another building constructed on the Temple Mount. Even though the Temple Mount is already in a state of desolation with the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, there will likely be a future abomination of desolation because the statement of Jesus in Matthew 24 makes it take place at the end, or at least near the end.

There are claims that the genuine location of the Temple is actually outside of what is now called the Temple Mount, but the excavations that have been done provide no evidence that the Temple was in this area. However, HolyLandSite.com reports that archae-ologists have found a wealth of evidence for the Temple being on the Temple Mount. This is given in a 1.5 hour-long video on YouTube that said:

What we can clearly conclude from all this evidence, is that the Temple Mount platform that we see today, existed long before the Romans arrived. It was not built by Herod the Great for the Romans as a fort. To say that the current Temple Mount was a Roman fort, is to overlook and deny all this archaeological and historical evidence. . . . No licensed archaeologist in Israel believes the Temple was in the City of David and the Temple Mount was a Roman fort. Those who believe otherwise, are not archaeologists. (Must See New Evidence that Proves the Temple was on the Temple Mount Over the Dome of the Rock!)

Daniel supports the belief that the Dome of the Rock is the Abomination. Therefore, the final abomination of desolation will probably be the completion and dedication of a new structure, such as another mosque, or even an addition to the Dome.

The final Abomination of Desolation is a sign of the end. It is the main sign directly related to Jerusalem that will point to the approaching full Wrath of God at the end of the Day of the Lord. Most other signs will be seen in the sky.