G. Daniel 8: A Novel Interpretation of Daniel 8 Prophecies – July 29, 2006
G1. The 2300 Days and
the Sanctuary
Proposition: The prophecies of this chapter are not just
another version of those in Daniel 2 and Daniel 7.
They focus on events
happening in the time of the middle two kingdoms, Medo-Persia
and
showing us details of
events in heaven still future to us, with tangible earthly anti-type events
future to Daniel.
Background:
- In Matt 24:15 Christ says that Daniel is a prophet and that the events he prophesied were still in the future at that time.
- Daniel 2 & 7 specifically address four kingdoms:
- The Little Horn is Papal Rome, which is a different manifestation of Pagan Rome
- The Ten Toes are the distribution of Papal Roman theology throughout the world
- The Kingdoms of men are replaced by the
- Daniel 8 does not specifically address either
- I suggest that this Little Horn in Daniel 8 is not Papal Rome, but a King within the Greek Empire
o
Vs 9: It came out of one of the Goat’s four
horns, and the
o
Vs 10: Grew in power to the South, East, and
threw some of the starry host down to Earth and trampled them
o Vs 11: It set itself up as the Great Prince of Host (Michael/Second Person of God); took away the daily sacrifice
from Him; the place of His sanctuary was brought low.
o Vs 12: Because of the rebellion the Host and the daily sacrifice were given over to him and Truth was thrown
to the ground. An Israelite rebellion invited retaliation.
o Vs 13: How long before this vision will be fulfilled? ie vision included:
§ Cessation of the Daily Sacrifices
§ Rebellion that causes Desolation
§ The surrender of the Sanctuary
§ The Host that will be trampled underfoot
o Vs 14: explains that the sanctuary will be cleansed after 2300 evenings & mornings
§ It appears that these events definitely apply to the Antiochus scenario
§ The “2300 evenings & mornings” has multiple applications in the future. The sacrifices will be
started and stopped several times on Earth. However, it is also directly applicable to what is
happening in Heaven w the Investigative Judgment
- The events of this Prophecy perfectly describe actual earthly events, future to Daniel/past to us
o
Vs 19: The vision concerns the appointed “Time
of the End”. Yet it also applies to
o Vs 20: Two-horned Ram is clearly the kingdom of Medo-Persia
o
Vs 21: The Goat is
o Vs 22: The four horns, which emerge from the broken big horn are 4 kings that follow Alexander, but
do not have his power.
o Vs 23: In the latter part of their reign, when the rebels have become completely wicked, another king
(a master of intrigue) will arise (fits Antiochus Epiphans perfectly)
§ Vs 24: He will become strong, but not by his power
§ He will cause extreme desolation including the mighty men & the Holy People
§ Vs 25: He will stand against God and be destroyed, but not by human hand
o The Vision of the Evenings & Mornings is true but it concerns the “Distant Future”
§ Can’t help thinking it has multiple applications
QUESTIONS:
-
When does the
“Appointed Time of the End” (Dan 8:19) start?
o
It is unlikely that it started before the Greek
Empire began, but the vision may still pertain to
prophecies that also pertain to similar events still future to that empire, ie the vision about the 2300 evenings
and mornings.
o The prophecy about Antiochus Epiphanes may be an anti-type of even more distant events that will occur
in the
“Appointed Time of the End”. If so,
then expect the
Earthly sacrifices resumed first.
o The angel says in Dan 12:4, "Shut up the vision and seal the book until the Time of the End."
o The entire scenario involving Antiochus is foretold in Dan 11: 21-45. Then in Dan 12:1-4 another prophetic
scenario is described, which is clearly said to be during the Time of the End. I can’t see where the vision is
the same as Dan 11 or Dan 8, but it follows that pattern, so I suggest we are to anticipate a similar set of
destructive events involving the Israelites and the “saints”.
o
When in Dan 12:5-7 the question is asked,
"How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?" This is
apparently asking about this Time of the End scenario. If so, then it would be the same one alluded to in Dan 8.
An angel replies with both hands upheld, "that it should be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the
power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.." Is this the same
period in which the wicked power of Dan 7:25 prevails? I think not. These events are future to 1798AD when
that 1260 years is ended. In fact, they are still future to our time, but the events themselves are similar to those
we discussed above from Daniel 8. This is another destructive earthly scenario that happens just before the End
Time when Christ returns. This explanation tells us that like Dan 8 the timeline is literal days not prophetic days.
Once we see this future “anti-Christ” on the scene we should expect Christ’s return in 1150 or 1260 days. We
may not
know when to start counting, but it won’t take centuries to end.
-
Could Daniel’s
prophecies have been written after the facts?
o Possibly, but if you believe Christ in Matt 24:15, then you must believe that Daniel is a prophet and that these
events he prophesized were still in the future at Christ’s time.
-
Is the Dan 8
prophecy about 2300 days or 2300 sacrifices?
o It appears to fit with either depending on the argument you endorse.
o The 2300 days does not fit the events related to Antiochus Epiphanes precisely. But, with 2 sacrifices per day,
there
were definitely 2300 sacrifices missed during the interval between the 15th day of the 9th month of the
145th
year [of the kingdom of the Greeks], when king
Antiochus set up the abominable idol of desolation
upon the altar of God; and the 25th day of the 9th month of the 148th year; when the sacrifices were resumed.
-
How is the
sanctuary defiled?
o
The Old Testament Sanctuary could be defiled
in several ways:
§ By the confessed sins that people offered on the Day of Atonement, which the priest then had to carrying
into the
§ Through illegal contact of ceremonially unclean persons
§ Through the desecration or destruction of foreign enemies
§ By the Israelites themselves in setting up idols (Jer 7:30; 32:34; Ez 23:37,38)
-
How is the
sanctuary cleansed?
o The Earthly sanctuary is cleansed annually. Two verses in Leviticus show that the Day of Atonement is the
cleansing of the sanctuary, and also a day of judgment. (a) Lev 16:16,30 says, "So he shall make atonement
for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel,... on that day the priest shall make atonement for you; to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the Lord."
o This requires cleansing on the Day of Atonement. When the sanctuary is cleansed, all must "afflict their souls"
in repentance. (b) Lev 23:27, 29 says, "The tenth day of the seventh month shall be the Day of Atonement. . .
you shall afflict your souls. . . For any person who is not afflicted of soul on that same day, he shall be cut off
from his people." God alone knows who afflicts his soul and who is pretending. Hence the Day of Atonement
is when God decides the destiny of every soul. This is a type of the investigative judgment in heaven. .
-
If the sanctuary
was defiled and then cleansed prior to Christ, will this scenario happen on
Earth yet again?
o The sacrifices ended in 70AD when the temple was destroyed for the third time, but it may be rebuilt yet a
fourth time in our future.
o The sacrifices became unnecessary with the death of Christ (~30AD), which was once and for all.
o In the Earthly anti-type, we may expect a fourth iteration of the sacrifices, but in God’s Plan, that phase is over
and God has moved on to the Investigative Judgment.
§ First Christ our High Priest must present Himself “to the Father” as worthy to represent the people
(John 20:17). He enters the
§
Then Christ our High Priest presents our sins to
the Father in the
Holy Place, but now (circa 1844AD) He presents our sins against His sacrifice(defiling the heavenly
temple as foreshadowed by the Earthly traditions) and the Investigative Judgment begins.
§ As with the Day of Atonement (anti-type), this sanctuary is cleansed when those, who have “afflicted themselves” (repented and decided to trust God, ie accepted Christ’s atoning sacrifice for them) have
been accepted by God.
§
We are now waiting for Christ, our high priest,
to come out of the
courtyard (ie Second Coming to Earth in glory).
o Perhaps the generation which sees the temple restored and the sacrifices resumed will also witness the
desecration of that temple by another anti-Christ figure still future to our time (Matt 24:33-35). If so, then
I would suggest that it will be only 1150 years from that day until the Day of Judgment is over and Christ returns.
§ The Restoration of the State of Israel in 1948 was prerequisite to the building of a new temple and the resumption of the sacrifices.
§ Some major world-class event(s) will be needed to trigger this rebuilding.
§ Some major world-class event(s) will be needed to trigger its desecration.
§ Re-read Matt 24 in its entirety and see how all this fits perfectly.
The Actual
History:
The kingdom of the Greeks as THE world power lasted approximately three hundred years. More than half way through
that period of time one of the successors of Seleucius (Antiochus Epiphanes) rose and took control of the Seleucid portion
of the
like way. Another of his major aims
was to spread Greek culture and wisdom. Thus
which to impose Greek ways, and its
temple just one more to empty of its wealth. However, in
particularly passionate hatred for the Jews and their worship.
Two and a half years later Antiochus did indeed stop the daily sacrifice and set up an idol in the temple and an altar upon which swine were sacrificed. The temple fell into disuse, weeds and brush grew up in its courtyards. This was the root cause of the rebellion of the Maccabean family, who after three years of fighting, defeated the Greek forces, cleansed the temple, and reinstituted the daily sacrifice. Antiochus, upon hearing of this and other setbacks, took to his bed and in a fever died shortly thereafter.
Calculations
Related to the 2300 Days
At this point there needs to be a consideration of whether the prophecy refers to 2,300 literal days or to 2,300 daily sacrifices, one in the evening and one in the morning, as was the practice since Moses. The latter gives us two sacrifices per day -- 2,300 sacrifices would be accomplished in 1150 days. A period of either just over six years or a period of three years and one and one half months would be indicated. Both positions have their defenders. After a closer look at the text it is obvious that the period being asked about dates from the taking away of the daily sacrifice until it is restored. So in Daniel 8:13: “Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain {saint} which spoke, How long {shall be} the vision {concerning} the daily {sacrifice}, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, “Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.””
The word “days” does not appear in Hebrew. It is erev - boker i.e. evening - morning and the words are singular. It should read 2,300 evening morning; etc.
Few dates are better established in antiquity than
the dates of the interruption of the sacrifice and its restoration. I Maccabees 1:54 says: "On the 15th day of the 9th
month of the 145th year [of the kingdom of the Greeks] king Antiochus set up
the abominable idol of desolation upon the altar of God." The
termination is established in the same book I Mac. 4:52,53 "And they arose before the morning of
the 25th day of the 9th month of the 148th year, and they offered sacrifices
according to the law upon the new altar..."
This prophecy was fulfilled about 165 years before Christ. The dates given in Maccabees, which measures the time of the cessation of the daily sacrifice, are based on a Greek calendar which did not compute the year with 365 days. This clear statement of fact is often overlooked and is the reason for the lack of success in interpreting this prophecy
The Hebrew calendar had a 360-day year and also the intercalary month (ie adding an extra month every other year to correct the accumulated error) was used, though the length of it was not uniform. The addition of it was decided by the high priest. Using the Greek calendar according to Herodotus (which tells us that there were two intercalary months during the years 146 and 148), we come up with the following calculation: 9-15-145 to 9-25-148, the dates given in Maccabees from the desecration to the cleansing, is three years and ten days. Thus, the math sentence following the Greek calendar, which was in use at the time the prophecy was fulfilled, would be: (3 X 360) + (2 X 30) + 10 = 1150.