A key to a deeper insight into the nature of the desolation Jesus spoke of perhaps lies in the story of King David's daughter, Tamar. After Tamar suffered an assault at the hands of her half brother, Amnon, the verse in 2 Samuel 13:20 reads, "And Tamar remained desolate in her brother Absolam's house."
Let us take note of the Hebrew word which is used to describe Tamar's desolation, שׁוֹמֵמָה (shomemah). For simplicity’s sake we can shorten it to its masculine form, שׁוֹמֵם (shomem).
What's important to understand is that, while this word can be used to describe physical desolation, the most apt usage is as we see it here, to describe an emotional state.
We can find further evidence of this in Lamentations 1:4, which reads, "The roads to Zion mourn, for no one comes to the appointed feasts. All her gateways are desolate [shomem, שׁוֹמֵם], her priests groan, her young women grieve, and she is in bitter anguish." This verse personifies roads as mourning and gateways as desolate, describing both physical locations and emotional states, and blending them poetically.
Likewise, Ezra 9:3-4 reads, "When I heard this, I tore my tunic and cloak, pulled hair from my head and beard and sat down appalled [meshomem, מְשׁוֹמֵם]. Then everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel gathered around me because of this unfaithfulness of the exiles. And I sat there appalled [meshomem, מְשׁוֹמֵם] until the evening sacrifice."
If one wished to speak of physical desolation, the most appropriate word would be the very similar שָׁמַם (shemam), as used in Ezekiel 36:34, stating, "The desolate [shemam, שְׁמָם] land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate [shemam, שְׁמָם] in the sight of all who passed by."
Yet another example can be found in Leviticus 26:33, which reads, "I will scatter you among the nations and draw out a sword after you; your land shall be desolate [shemam, שְׁמָם] and your cities waste."
Here we can clearly see that physical desolation tends to use the 'e' vowel (shemam), while emotional desolation leans towards the 'o' vowel (shomem/meshomem).
In the Old Testament the prophecy itself is seen on three occasions, as follows:
Daniel 9:27: "He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation [meshomem, מְשֹׁמֵם], until the end that is decreed is poured out on him."
Daniel 11:31: "His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation [meshomem, מְשׁוֹמֵם]."
Daniel 12:11: "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation [shomem, שֹׁמֵם] is set up, there will be 1,290 days."
Jesus, learned son of God that He was, likely understood this nuanced distinction. So when He quoted the prophecy in Daniel, the warning He issued was to be on guard against moral or spiritual desolation, rather than physical. I find this to be a common motif in regards to our Savior and His kingdom: tradition will assume the physical, with which Yahweh seems all but entirely unconcerned. Our God, and our Lord Jesus are concerned with our spirits, far and above the material.
What I find even more poignantly telling, however, is the manner in which Jesus delivers this warning in Matthew 24:15-16:
"So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains."
The prophesy spoken through the prophet Daniel, let the reader understand. What additional insight is to be gained regarding this desolation? Furthermore, what else can we discern about fleeing to the mountains? Desolation in and of itself is pretty obvious, and easily understood. Running away is entirely straight-forward. I would contend that the only additional inference to be gleaned, the only further insight to be noted, is the implied nature of the desolation as spiritual as opposed to physical.
So, brothers and sisters, perhaps in these last days we should be more so on the lookout for things that intend to inflict the desolation of our spirits within the temples of our bodies. (Read more about that HERE and HERE!) Perhaps the third temple era is the body of Christ: ourselves.
In closing, please read what the Apostle Paul has to say on the matter, in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17: "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for God's temple is sacred, and you together are that temple."
Thank you so much for reading and God bless!
1 Peter 2:4-12:
"As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:
'See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.'
Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
'The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,'
and,
'A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.'
They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us."