Daniel 9:27 also says, “And for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate.” The Lord Jesus referred to this when He said, “Ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place” (Matt. 24:15). Antichrist will bring in both abominations or idols, and desolation or destruction, demolishing both the temple and the city of Jerusalem. This is the proper understanding of Daniel 9:25-27. If we have this understanding, we shall see how Antichrist will deal with the Jews.
When we come to Revelation chapter seventeen, we shall see that Antichrist will destroy Catholicism in addition to Judaism. Both Judaism and Catholicism have become abominable in the eyes of God. Although some of us were formerly in one or the other, we praise the Lord that we are no longer in these “isms.” We are now in Christ. For centuries, these two “isms” have been abominable in the eyes of God. In 2:9 and 3:9 the Lord Jesus called the Jewish synagogues the “synagogue of Satan.” Furthermore, the Lord Jesus revealed to the apostle John that Catholicism is the great prostitute (17:1-6). Some may argue, “How can you call the Jewish synagogues the synagogue of Satan? In a synagogue the Jews worship God and study the Scriptures.” But I was not the one who said that the synagogue is the synagogue of Satan—this was the word of the Lord Jesus to His church. It was no longer God but Satan who was in the synagogue. Others, defending Catholicism, may say, “Doesn’t the Catholic Church preach Christ?” But Catholicism preaches Christ as the son of Mary. The worship of Mary comes from paganism. The Mary in Catholicism, who is called “the mother of God,” is another form of the goddess, Venus. This is demonic. Christmas is also demonic, for December 25, the date of a pagan festival in honor of the birth of the sun, is said to be the birthday of Christ. What blasphemy! Although everything in Catholicism has a Christian appearance, its source is Babylonianism. For this reason, in God’s eyes the Catholic Church is the great prostitute who enriches herself by committing spiritual fornication. Therefore, the Catholic Church is called the great prostitute. Both Judaism and Catholicism are Satanic. Under Satan’s instigation, Antichrist will destroy Judaism and Catholicism. He will do this destroying work without realizing that he is doing it for God and for Christ. Over all this, God is sovereign. Antichrist will do all these things in the process of exalting himself above every kind of god, abolishing every religion, and making himself the sole object of worship.
Eventually, Antichrist will be destroyed by God’s wrath (Dan. 9:27). This destruction will be carried out by Christ at the war of Armageddon, when Christ will utterly defeat Antichrist (19:17-21).
Antichrist is also the king in Daniel 11:36-45. We have already pointed out the two kings in Daniel 11, the king of the south and the king of the north. In Daniel 11 the south refers to Egypt and the north to Syria. At times, Egypt and Syria war against each other. The king of Syria, the northern king, has much to do with the coming Antichrist.
The king in 11:36-45 is typified by Antiochus Epiphanes in Daniel 11:21-35 (175-164 B.C.). Antiochus damaged the temple and polluted the sanctuary by putting a swine in the temple. Therefore, the Maccabees stood up to fight against him, as recorded in the two books of the Maccabees in the Apocrypha. Antiochus opposed the holy covenant God had made with His people (Dan. 11:28, 30) and took away the continual sacrifice (Dan. 11:31). Furthermore, Antiochus placed “the abomination (idol) that maketh desolate” in the temple (Dan. 11:31). As we have seen, Antichrist will do the same.