Chapter Summary

The Disgusting Thing

Daniel’s book, chapter 11, reports on the desecration of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. There, the Seleucid ruler Antiochus Epiphanes let set up a Zeus Altar (= “abomination that makes desolate”, Daniel 11:31) in the year 168 BC to make Jewish worship impossible. Jehovah’s Witnesses, however, interpret Daniel 11:31 completely different. For them, the abomination is identical with the League of Nations (1919-46) which they call “the disgusting thing”. They believe, that the League of Nations resurrected, as announced in Revelation 17:8, as the UN in the year 1945. In fact, however, Daniel’s book has nothing to do with the League of Nations and Revelation 17:8 doesn’t aim at the UN but at the Roman emperor Nero.