Daniel 8:1, 2: In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first. And I saw in the vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was in Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.
The second chapter of Daniel presents world history to the pagan king in a very simple form. The seventh chapter reveals world history in its spiritual aspects. The eighth chapter goes into greater detail, revealing truth about the great judgment, of which we had only a glimpse in the seventh chapter. Here is where heaven touches earth. What's going on behind the scenes?
Let us remember that the Book of Daniel was written for us who are living in the time of the end (chapter 12:4, 9, 10), and that the prophecy in this chapter therefore concerns us living today, rather than the people who lived thousands of years ago. All of the Bible story hinges on the events of this chapter.
Daniel 8:3, 4: Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high: but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; and no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.
It was not difficult to recognize who the ram is, for Daniel had already learned that Medo-Persia was to conquer Babylon and rule the world. In verse 20 the angel tells Daniel: "The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia." The one horn that came up higher than the other shows that the Persians took over from the Medes (see comments on 7:5). At the height of their power, the Medo-Persians ruled over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India to Ethiopia, the whole of the then known world (see Esther 1:1).
Daniel 8:5: And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.
Who is this? The answer again is clear: "And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king" (verse 21). At the age of only twenty, Alexander the Great became heir to the throne of Greece. Quickly he forced the scattered towns into a kingdom, trained a disciplined army, and set out to wage wars of conquest. Though his army was small, he taught his soldiers to march swiftly and tirelessly, to maneuver cleverly, and to fight with desperation. After conquering all of Macedonia, there was nothing left for the ambitious young king to do but to attack giant Medo-Persia, the "ram with two horns." This would be like Cuba or Haiti conquering the whole of the United States and Canada!
Daniel 8:6, 7: And he came to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him; but he cast him down to the ground, and trampled upon him; and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.
Alexander clashed with the Persian armies in the bloody battle of Arbela in 331 B.C., and completely overwhelmed them. It was a miracle that the tiny Grecian army should rout the huge hosts of the Persians, like a leopard killing a tired elephant. The Persians could not fight—they simply lost their will.
Daniel 8:8: And the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones [horns] toward the four winds of heaven.
Hardly had Alexander conquered the world at the age of only 32 than he himself, the great horn, "was broken." Conqueror of the world, he could not rule himself. Some history says he died from a drunken spree, whispering that he was leaving his newly conquered empire "to the strongest." His generals therefore fought among themselves.
Finally exhausted, they agreed to divide the empire into four parts: Lysimichas took the North, or Asia Minor; Cassander took the West, or Greece; Seleucus took the East, or Syria; and Ptolemy took the South, or Egypt. These four new kingdoms were the same as the four heads of the leopard in chapter 7, verse 6.
Daniel 8:9: And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant [glorious] land.
The original language gives the idea that it was out of one of the four winds of heaven that this new power arose—out of north, east, south, or west. The previous verses are easy to understand. As a root supports a tree, simple history supports the truth taught in the remainder of this chapter.
Persia was called "great," Grecia was called "very great," now this power which surpasses them all, is called "exceeding great." Rome arose to world supremacy out of one of the "four winds"—the west. Rome conquered Macedonia, thus taking over one of the four "horns" of Grecia. Rome then grew into its destiny, and moved on to world conquest. After 168 B.C., Rome became recognized as the new world empire.
No king of Macedonia could be called this "little horn," for none of them was "exceeding great." The strongest of them, Antiochus Epiphanes, was forced to leave Egypt at the rude command of the Romans. Does not the stronger drive out the weaker? The Romans were therefore the "exceeding great" power. Each successive kingdom becomes more self-exalting than than the one before. Media-Persia was "great" (exalting); Greece "very exalting;" the horn or Rome "exceedingly exalting." This principle of self exaltation is an inherent characteristic of nations and peoples.
"Toward the glorious land" can refer only to the land of God's people, the Jews. The Romans took over the control of Palestine with the consent of the Jews in 161 B.C.
Daniel 8:10-12: And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practiced and prospered.
The prophet saw the Roman power ruling God's people and their leaders, the "stars." The Jews finally disowned Christ, their true and rightful King, by crying out at His crucifixion, "We have no king but Caesar." They chose to remain under the Romans forever.
"The Prince of the host" represents Christ, or the "Prince of princes," as the angel spoke of Him in verse 25. Jesus is called the "King of kings, and Lord of lords" (Revelation 19:16). Thus pagan Rome not only conquered the Jews and their rulers, but put to death their true and rightful King, the Lord Jesus Christ.
As to the meaning of the "daily sacrifice," the words "burnt offering" or "sacrifice" do not appear in the original Hebrew of this text. When the English translations were made, this word "sacrifice" was supplied by the translators who innocently thought the meaning required it. To show that "sacrifice" is not part of the inspired text, they printed it in italics (or in parentheses) in some versions. To understand the meaning of the text, we should read it as it is in the original Hebrew:
"From him (the little horn) the continual was taken away (taken up, lifted up) and the place of his sanctuary was cast down. And an host (or army) was given him against the continual in transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground."
The meaning of this text is easy to understand when we remember that Rome existed in two different forms. Until the empire fell around 476 A.D., its form had been pagan (Daniel 7:8). Afterwards, it arose again in a spiritual form as a church, in the Roman Catholic papacy. Therefore the little horn of Daniel 8 represents the two phases of Rome that followed each other. Pagan Rome springs from one of the "four winds of heaven." Then papal Rome evolves from pagan Rome, and they co-exist together for a time until papal Rome takes over from pagan Rome (which then passes from the scene of action). God represents the papacy as merely another phase of Rome, the fourth kingdom. This is pivotal in understanding the world in relation to God.
In view of the principle of self-exaltation, "the daily" represents the principle of self-exaltation (gadal) associated with ancient pagan nations, and yes, all humanity.
Now if we compare our text above which mentions the "daily" with Daniel 11:31 and 12:11 where the "daily" is also found, we shall see how the pagan form of Rome and its self-exalting character is represented by the term "daily," or "continual in transgression;" and the second, the self-exalting character of the papacy form, is represented by the term, "the abomination that maketh desolate" (verse 13). Both paganism and the papacy are desolating powers. The self-exalting nature of paganism is described as "continually in transgression," but the self-exalting nature of the papacy served in an even more deadly enmity in its warfare against God, "the abomination that maketh desolate" (12:11).
Paganism, although it deceived millions, still left a painful emptiness in human hearts that prepared many to seek after and welcome the word of God. The doctrines of papal Rome "desolate" even that natural hunger of the human heart for God, supplying a false hope that makes one feel so satisfied that he feels no need of the word of God.
The Christian religion of the apostles was so appealing and so satisfying to the people of ancient Rome that paganism trembled and fell away before it. Satan saw that the only way he could hold the world in deception was to invent a religion which professed to be Christian and thus take advantage of some of the ideas of Christianity, and yet was spiritually the same as the old paganism. This principle which infected both paganism and the papacy originated with Lucifer in heaven and has infected all mankind since the fall of Adam. "All have sinned" (Rom. 3:23).
Satan's plan was to lead the early church away from the purity and simplicity of the gospel by introducing pagan philosophies and superstitions to be mixed with the gospel. The result was the great "falling away" which the apostle Paul spoke of in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4. It would finally be so serious that the very "man of sin ... [would] sit in the temple of God," usurping the place of Christ, "showing himself that he is God." Doctrines borrowed from ancient Babylon and mixed with Christian teaching, prepared the way for the temporal exaltation of the Roman bishop to the place of pope.
Note what a recent historian writes concerning paganism surviving within the professed Christian church:
"Few dispute that literacy was spurned during the Dark Ages; however, there is another characteristic of the period that is sometimes overlooked and perhaps disregarded. While Protestants have traditionally held to the idea of a syncretized church to help justify their existence, recent scholarship has demonstrated that the paganism of late antiquity did not die out after the fourth century, but rather attached itself to the church, reshaping it. The aim of this chapter is to examine the reasons behind the church's assimilation of pagan forms and Europe's subsequent plunge into the night. ... The old system was incorporated into the new. ... paganism kept its original character [of self-exaltation] but was placed under new management."
When the pagan Roman Empire was declining, the seat of its government was moved from the city of Rome to Constantinople. Thus the "place of his sanctuary," or worship, was "cast down." (This same transfer is brought to view in Revelation 13:2, where it is said that the dragon, pagan Rome, gave to the beast, papal Rome, his "seat," that is, the city of Rome.)
The "host given him" (the little horn or the papacy) against "the daily" (or "continual" self-exalting, pagan Rome) was therefore the hordes of pagan tribes of Europe rushing down into Italy and Rome, breaking to pieces the former empire of pagan Rome. These pagan tribes soon accepted outwardly the doctrines of the papacy, persuaded to exchange their former pagan religion for the nominal profession of Roman Catholicism just as many people do today who believe the two religions are basically similar. When these people returned to their homes in central Europe, they fought with the sword to set up the religion of papal Rome.
But their "faith" was not the genuine "faith of Jesus." They had accepted an outward shell, but inwardly were still worldly at heart. The basic principle of paganism has always been what is called gadal in Hebrew, that is, a self-seeking spirit. Thus, "by reason of transgression" the little horn or papal Rome destroyed European paganism politically, "cast down" the truth of simple biblical Christianity to the ground, professed to usurp the place of Christ as head of His church, and "practised and prospered." It followed the spirit of gadal until it tried to usurp the place of "the prince of the host, "Christ Himself.
Thus papal Rome absorbed or took up within herself the doctrine and spirit of paganism, while military force working for her took away its political power. The simple truth of Bible faith was "cast down to the ground." Christ's place as Head of His church was usurped by the "little horn" which henceforth "practised and prospered." To Daniel, all this was an "astonishing" vision!
We now come to the part of Daniel's vision of greatest importance to us today: how long should this desolating power continue to trample the truth of God and hold the world in deception? How long shall this "transgression" which desolates, persecutes, and slays God's people, continue? Will it never have an end?
Worst of all, it seemed in the time of Daniel that the God of Israel had Himself been conquered by paganism. It was natural to ancient people to suppose that a nation's victory in war meant that its gods were supreme. Jeremiah speaks of how "Bel," the Babylonian god, had "swallowed up" or "devoured" Israel and "filled his belly" with God's people, like eating a piece of candy (51:34, 44). The question God's people were asking was, "How long" was this "continual in transgression" to triumph? Some, like Daniel, were more concerned for the honor of God than for their own security. (This kind of paradigm shift in motivation will characterize God's people more and more as we near the end.)
Daniel gets his answer as he listens to a conversation between two angels. They direct him to the symbolical services of the Hebrew sanctuary, which reveal the meaning of world history and make plain God's plan of salvation:
Daniel 8:13, 14: Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, 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.
Good news—there will be an end to the rule of sin! That which has for so long been "trodden under foot" will be vindicated. There is a time determined of God when His truth will be justified before angels and before the world. Then judgment will be given to the righteous, and the cause of truth will triumph.
All this is included in the "cleansing of the sanctuary," a message of astounding Good News. When this righteous judgment is finished, Satan and all "the transgression of desolation" will come to their end.
Before we consider the time (the "two thousand and three hundred days"), we must consider what the sanctuary means; and then what its cleansing means.
What Is the Sanctuary?
When Daniel heard the angels talking about the "sanctuary," his mind immediately went to the beloved Hebrew sanctuary at Jerusalem, which at that time was broken down, desolate, and "defiled." The true worship of God had been carried forward there in types and shadows, something like children playing with toys to teach them about grown-up life. A high priest "chosen from among men" led out in the services. He was a type of Jesus Christ, our true High Priest. All that he did in the sanctuary through ceremonies and types was to teach Israel the meaning of God's plan of salvation. The Son of God must come to earth, become one of the human family, conquer sin "in the likeness of sinful flesh" (Romans 8:3), take over from the fallen Adam the headship of the human race, and save humanity.
Of course, this earthly sanctuary was only for a short time. The ceremonial law of Moses came to an end at the cross when the antitypical Lamb of God was sacrificed. The earthly sanctuary was an object lesson or a picture of the work of Jesus as Savior of the world, a "shadow of good things to come" (Hebrews 10:1). Its services, directed by the earthly high priest and his assistant priests, were only an "example and shadow of heavenly things" (Hebrews 8:5).
You cherish a picture of a loved one when the loved one is absent. But when the loved one finally comes, you no longer look at the picture, for you can see your beloved face to face. So, when Jesus the great High Priest came and died for us in person, the "picture" or "types" of the Hebrew sanctuary were no longer needed. Like a shadow which comes to an end when we see the sunlight which made the shadow, so the "shadow" of the earthly sanctuary met its fulfillment at the cross. The veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom and the ministry of the earthly sanctuary itself lost its significance (Matthew 27:51). That is why there is no earthly "temple" or "sanctuary" like there was in the days of Moses and Daniel. We have something better—the reality in heaven.
When Jesus ascended after His resurrection, He began His work as High Priest in a "better" sanctuary than the old one. His followers no longer cared about the old sanctuary in Jerusalem, but they followed Christ by faith as He entered the one above. We can easily understand that if Jesus as our High Priest "has passed into the heavens," then the real, eternal sanctuary is also in heaven (Hebrews 4:14). And nothing can ever "take away" His ministry there for "He ever liveth" and His ministry is "unchangeable" (Hebrews 7:25,24).
The New Testament makes it clear: "We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man" (Hebrews 8:1). Our minds are directed to the true one in heaven, of which the earthly was a pattern. "The first tabernacle was ... a figure for the time then present, in which were offered gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; ... but Christ [has] come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building" (Hebrews 9:8-11).
Therefore, since the vision given to Daniel was for "the time of the end," the sanctuary to be cleansed must be the heavenly one, not the earthly one (verses 17 and 19).
But What Is the "Cleansing of the Sanctuary"?
There was an annual service of "cleansing" which was a shadow or type of "cleansing" the heavenly one. It was not a mere janitor's job of cleansing it from dust, mud or blood, as when we clean a house. It was a spiritual cleansing or purification from the sins of God's people. "Almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission [of sins]. It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens [the earthly sanctuary] should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us" (Hebrews 9:22-24).
It is filth and dirt which makes it necessary to "cleanse" an ordinary house. So it was the sin and selfishness of Israel which made it necessary every year to cleanse the sanctuary from these sins. The loving God sought to teach the Israelites what a terrible, self-destructive thing sin is. In fact, the sanctuary service taught them to hate it and to love righteousness.
They saw that nothing could wash the stain of sin from the heart but the blood shed of an innocent victim who had to die. The sinner had to take the knife himself and slay the little lamb. As the blood gushed out, the sinner was reminded that his sin had cost the life of the true Lamb of God. Tears came to his eyes as he thought of the suffering and anguish he had brought upon the innocent Son of God. He began to understand what sin is. He saw a "picture" or "type" of Calvary.
The priest would take some of the blood into the sanctuary and sprinkle it before the veil as a witness that Someone holy and innocent had died for the sinner. The priest might also eat some of the flesh of the sin-offering, symbolizing that he bore the sin "in his own body" as Christ bore our sins "in His own body" (1 Peter 2:24). Thus the record of the sin was transferred from the sinner to the sanctuary. The sinner saw the cross of Christ in the sanctuary service and went home with a new heart. He was really a new man. Thus his sin was forgiven him—that is, removed from him. (Leviticus 4:4-35; 10:16-18)
But what about the record of his sin? Though the sinner was personally forgiven, the blood was still sprinkled as a witness to the sin. That ugly record now defiled the sanctuary. In "type," God had taken upon Himself the guilt. The sinner was forgiven, but the sanctuary was not cleansed from his sin. There must be another service to cleanse the sanctuary of all the sins of Israel. God's name must be cleared of responsibility in this terrible evil.
Also the sinner's heart must be demonstrated to be fully reconciled to God. God's purpose is not to let sins go on forever. This chapter then is pivotal in understanding the Bible. God's great problem has always been what to do with sin; when we sinners become reconciled to Him by the blood of the cross, we too share His great desire to see an end to sin itself. Our motive in this new paradigm shift of motivation is His vindication, not merely our own security.
Once a year, on what was called the "day of atonement," the Israelites took part in the service which taught them about the final judgment that cleanses the sanctuary and vindicates the name of God. The high priest would choose a goat for the Lord, kill him, and take some of its blood into the second apartment of the sanctuary, which was called "the most holy place." There before the mercy seat, which represented the throne of God, the high priest would sprinkle some of the blood as final atonement because of all the sins of Israel which had accumulated in the sanctuary for the whole year. The guilt and the record of these sins must be borne away, in order for the sanctuary to be "cleansed." There must be a final end of sin and sinning, not a mere superficial "pardon for sin" that goes on and on forever, creating an eternal havoc in the universe. Again, this chapter is profound in its implications for the salvation of the world.
The high priest would bear these sins himself as he came out from the most holy apartment. Then, having chosen a second goat, "Azazel," or Satan's goat, he would lay his hand upon its head, thus transferring the responsibility for all these sins upon the scapegoat to signify that Satan has been the original source for all the sin ever committed. A strong man would then lead this scapegoat out into the wilderness, that it might perish far away from the camp, symbolizing the eternal end of sin. (Thank God!)
It was like casting their sins "as far as the east is from the west," into the depths of the sea (Psalm 103:12; Micah 7:19): Thus the old earthly sanctuary was cleansed.
But it was only a type.
Of course, the "blood of bulls and goats" could never really take away even one sin. Therefore, this whole service re-enacted every year was an object lesson to the people of the greater work of cleansing the heavenly sanctuary of the sins of God's people at the end of time.
How often we have all struggled, and tried to overcome, only to fail again and again! And there goes up to heaven daily the record of more failures, more sins, to defile the heavenly sanctuary. Satan appears to triumph, and like Daniel, we cry out almost in despair, "How long, how long!"
But here's the good news: in the last days, "then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." When that work is completed, Satan will be forever vanquished, because sin will have lost its dominion in the last place where it has found a home—in the hearts of God's people. And when sin is expelled from there, that will be its end forever, for there is no other place in God's universe where the poison of sin can find lodging.
Included in this work of cleansing the heavenly sanctuary is the work of judgment. In ancient Israel, those who would not afflict their souls on the day of atonement were to be "cut off from among God's people (Leviticus 23:29, 30). Likewise, in the end of the world those who will not give up sin and lay it on the Lamb of God and receive His forgiveness, cannot share in the blessings of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary. It is a solemn thought.
The angel does not tell Daniel when the 2300 "days" are to begin. But in chapter 9 he will return to explain that part of the "vision." As we saw in our last chapter, in Bible prophecy a day is a symbol of a literal year (Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6), and has been so understood by Bible scholars for many hundreds of years. Daniel is therefore speaking of 2300 literal years. This will bring us down to near the close of time.
Daniel 8:15, 16: And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.
Just as Daniel the prophet sought for the meaning of what was revealed to him, so we living in the last days want to understand it. Be hungry and thirsty, and the Lord will make you "to understand."
The name Gabriel means in Hebrew "the strength of God," or "man of God." This mighty angel appears to the virgin Mary, and to Zacharias (Luke 1:19,26). The "man" whose voice commanded Gabriel to enlighten Daniel was probably no other than the Archangel, Michael, or Christ (Jude 9). He is spoken of in Daniel 7:13 as "one like the Son of man."
Daniel 8:17-19: So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision. Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright. And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.
The command, "Understand, O son of man," comes to each reader of this book as well as to Daniel. The command is a promise.
What does the "indignation" mean? Daniel has already understood that Israel's captivity in Babylon for seventy years is the beginning of God's "indignation." Their unfaithfulness left Israel subject to cruel, wicked, pagan kingdoms. They were so stubborn there was no other way they could learn. Even God's spiritual Israel today are often subject to this same "indignation." When Jesus Christ returns who alone has the right to the throne, God will give to Him the diadem and the crown, and He alone shall reign over His people. Then the "indignation" will have ceased (see Ezekiel 21:25-27,31).
Daniel 8:20-23: The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia. And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power. And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
We have seen that the kingdom which succeeded Greece was pagan Rome. The phrase "dark sentences" probably means the language of the Romans, Latin, which forms the basis of many European languages today.
Daniel 8:24, 25: And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
There was something strange about how Rome grew up to win world supremacy. Their conquests were made so easily that it seemed that some more than human power was aiding them.
"He shall be broken without hands" refers to Rome's final destruction by the great stone "cut out without hands" (Daniel 2:34) which puts an end to all earthly kingdoms.
Daniel 8:26, 27: And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days. And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.
"The vision of the evening and the morning" refers to the "2300 days." Having explained everything in the vision except the part about this time prophecy, the angel now leaves Daniel for a time. He is "astonished," or desolated, by the vision.
But Gabriel has been commanded to make this man to understand the vision. Daniel has fainted, and now can understand no more. We shall expect Gabriel to return that he may complete where he left off, that is, explaining the 2300 days. In chapter 9 he does return. There we shall find the puzzling 2300 years explained.