But one must be very careful that what they believe is a starting point truly is.
Agreed, but the Bible gives us many clear starting points.
For example:
Matthew chapter 24
[
15]
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)
[
16]
Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
[
17] Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
[
18] Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
[
19] And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
[
20] But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
[
21]
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
[
22]
And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Here, the trigger point is "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place", and here is what Daniel said in relation to the same:
Daniel chapter 9
[
27] And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,
and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
The "he", contextually, is the antichrist. Furthermore, this whole prophecy was given to Daniel in relation to "thy people and upon thy holy city" (Dan. 9:24) or in relation to the Jews and the city of Jerusalem.
With such being the case, we should be looking for the antichrist to confirm a covenant with the Jews/Jerusalem for "one week" or 7 years out of which will come a rebuilt Jewish temple. For the first 3 1/2 years of this "week", we should expect the temple sacrifices and oblations to be in effect because the antichrist will cause them to cease "in the midst of the week" or at the midway point of this 7 year period of time. It is at this midway point when the antichrist, "for the overspreading of abominations shall make it desolate", or when he shall set up "the abomination which makes desolate".
Again, Daniel said:
Daniel chapter 11
[
31] And arms shall stand on his part,
and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
It's the same exact scenario.
"The sanctuary of strength" or the coming third Jewish temple will ultimately be "polluted" when the antichrist "takes away the daily sacrifice, and places the abomination that maketh desolate" within it.
Again, this is precisely what Jesus was referring to when he said:
Matthew chapter 24
[
15]
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)
[
16]
Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
[
17] Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
[
18] Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
[
19] And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
[
20] But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
[
21]
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
[
22]
And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
"The abomination of desolation" will eventually "stand in the holy place" or within the coming Jewish temple in Jerusalem. This is why Jesus specifically mentioned "them which be in Judaea". "Judaea" is the region that was given to the tribe of Judah by inheritance, and it includes Jerusalem. Furthermore, as I've already documented, this "abomination" is set up "in the midst of the week" or in the middle of the 7 year timeframe which begins when the antichrist confirms a covenant with the nation of Israel, and it is at this mid-way point that the "great tribulation" actually begins. There are MULTITUDES of professing Christians WORLDWIDE who insist that "the great tribulation" is a period of 7 years, but it is not. Instead, it is a period of 3 1/2 years, and it is precisely this 3 1/2 year period of time that Jesus was referring to when he mentioned how "those days should be shortened". In other words, if the tribulation went beyond this timeframe, then all Christians would be wiped out.
Again, Daniel said:
Daniel chapter 12
[
11] And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
Just more of the same.
The sacrifice in the coming Jewish temple "shall be taken away" at the midway point of Daniel's 70th week "and the abomination that maketh desolate shall be set up". What follows is 1290 days or approximately 3 1/2 years.
Again,
IF we know what Daniel actually said in relation to the setting up of "the abomination that maketh desolate",
THEN, AND ONLY THEN, can we properly understand what Jesus said and meant in his Olivet Discourse.
This is but one example of why we need a working knowledge of the Old Testament scriptures BEFORE we can properly understand much of what is written in the New Testament.
Hopefully, this makes sense.