Hi hollyfaye!
The Holy Place is not the Church, nor any denomination. It is the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
Matt.24:15 (Jesus speaking about his second coming) "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."
John, I can assure you that Jesus would not have called the Dome of the Rock "the holy place", nor would he have called a Jewish Temple "the holy place". He would have called the Church "the holy place".
The Abomination of Desolation is actually comprised of 2 things:
1. the daily sacrifice is taken away (the Altar of God is shut down), and
2. an image of some kind will be erected somewhere on the Temple Mount.
A study on what Antiochus Epiphanes IV did will prepare you for what the soon-coming Antichrist will do.
Jesus and Daniel were not speaking about the events which took place in ancient Israel, they were speaking about
the end times; the time just prior to Christ's second coming; the time in which we're living
TODAY.
Actually, no. Study it closer.... "And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days...." This verse says that the 2 events will happen on the same day and that from this day the countdown is 3 ½ yrs.
I have in fact studied it closer. The verse clearly states,
"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", which is another way of saying,
"There shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days between the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up.
However, a much more detailed study of this verse with Dan 12:12, Rev 11:3 & Rev 12:6 and other verses that speak of this time frame shows that these 2 events (the shutting down of the Altar and the Image going up) occurs exactly 30 days apart. Whether its the same day or 30 days apart, only time will tell. But the Tribulation begins when that image is placed on the Temple Mount.
These scriptures aren't talking about ancient Israel and the sacrificing of animals, it's talking about the time of the end, ie the present time.
Of the 13 different categories of sacrifices (offerings,) the daily sacrifice falls under the broad 'Whole Burned Offering' category. (See Lev 1 and Lev 6:8-15 for general info.) It consists of an evening and a morning lamb that is placed on the Altar in its entirety to the Lord, and it brings a "sweet savor" to His nostrils. The evening lamb is the very last offering made at the end of each day, while the morning lamb is the very first offering of the day. If any of these lambs are withheld from the Lord, then that Altar is defiled and no longer acceptable to the Lord.
Once again, Jesus and Daniel were talking about the end times or the present time in which we're now living.
They refers to anyone who stands against the Altar of the Lord and/or the offerings being made to Him. Since Antiochus IV defiled the Altar with swine, it wouldn't be a surprise to see that happen again.