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Daniel 8:1-27 (KJV)
In Process . . . .
• KeySRB = Scofield References
JFB = Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Commentary
JFB = Introduction
AC = Adam Clarke Comentary
AC = Chronology by Adam Clarke
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Daniel
• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OUDaniel 8:1 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.
vision
The eighth chapter gives details concerning the second and third world-kingdoms: the silver and brass kingdoms of Dan. 2.; the bear and leopard kingdoms of Dan. 7., viz., the Medo-Persian and Macedonian kingdoms of history. At the time of this vision (Daniel 8:1) the first monarchy was nearing its end. Belshazzar was the last king of that monarchy.
third year
About B.C. 530.
• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OUDaniel 8:3 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.
ram
(See Scofield "Daniel 8:20") .
• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OUDaniel 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 land.
little horn
The "little horn" here is a prophecy fulfilled in Antiochus Epiphanes, B.C. 175, who profaned the temple and terribly persecuted the Jews. He is not to be confounded with the "little horn" of Dan. 7. who is yet to come, and who will dominate the earth during the great tribulation. (See Scofield "Daniel 7:8") concerning "The Beast". See Scofield "Revelation 19:20" and "The great tribulation," Psalms 2:5. See Scofield "Revelation 7:14". But Antiochus is a remarkable type of the Beast, the terrible "little horn" of the last days. Verses 24,25 go beyond Antiochus and evidently refer to the "little horn" of Dan. 7. Both Antiochus and the Beast, but the Beast pre-eminently, are in view in verses 24,25. That the "little horn" of Dan. 7. cannot be the little horn of Daniel 8:9-13,23 is evident. The former comes up among the ten horns into which the fourth empire (Roman) is to be divided; the little horn of Dan. 8. comes out of one of the four kingdoms into which the third (Grecian) empire was divided (Daniel 8:23), and in "the latter time" of the four kingdoms Daniel 8:22,23). This was historically true of Antiochus Epiphanes. They are alike in hatred of the Jews and of God, and in profaning the temple. Cf. Daniel 7:25 (the Beast) with Daniel 8:10-12 (Antiochus):
one of them
Anticohus Epiphanes came out of Syria, one of the "four notable" kingdoms into which Alexander's empire was divided.
• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OUDaniel 8:10 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.• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OU
And it waxed great
This passage (Daniel 8:10-14) is confessedly the most difficult in prophecy, a difficulty increased by the present state of the text. Historically this was fulfilled in and by Antiochus Epiphanes, but in a more intense and final sense Antiochus but adumbrates the awful blasphemy of the "little horn" of ; Daniel 7:8,24,25; 9:27; 11:36-45; 12:11. In Daniel Daniel 8:10-14 the actions of both "little horns" blend.
Daniel 8:12 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 practised, and prospered.
daily sacrifice
Cf. Daniel 9:27 where the Beast comes into view:
• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OUDaniel 8:13 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?
desolation
Seven times in Daniel the "desolation" is spoken of:
(1) Of the sanctuary, Daniel 8:13 fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanes, B.C. 175-170.
(2) Of the sanctuary, Daniel 9:17 the condition in Daniel's time, when the Jews were in exile and the sanctuary desolate.
(3) Generally, of the land, Daniel 9:18 also referring to Daniel's time.
(4) Of the sanctuary, Daniel 9:26 fulfilled A.D. 70, in the destruction of city and temple after the cutting off of Messiah. Luke 21:20.
(5,6,7) Of the sanctuary, by the Beast, Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11 Cf ; Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:3,8-12; Revelation 13:14,15.
one saint
Or, holy one, idem. Daniel 4:13,17.
• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OUDaniel 8:15 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.
a man
The theophanies. 10:6,10,18; Ezekiel 40:3; Genesis 12:7; Revelation 1:9.
• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OUDaniel 8:19 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.
end
Two "ends" are in view here:
(1) historically, the end of the third, or Grecian empire of Alexander out of one of the divisions of which the little horn of verse 9 (Antiochus) arose;
(2) prophetically, the end of the times of the Gentiles Luke 21:24; Revelation 16:14 when the "little horn" of Daniel 7:8,24-26 the Beast, will arise--Daniel's final time of the end. (See Scofield "Daniel 12:4") .
• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OUDaniel 8:20 The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.
ram
vs. Daniel 8:3,4.
The "higher" horn which "came up last" is Cyrus, the other "Darius the Mede."
• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OUDaniel 8:21 And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.
first king
i.e. Alexander the Great.
• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OUDaniel 8:22 Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.
four kingdoms
The four empires into which Alexander's empire was divided about B.C. 300; Greece, Asia Minor, including Syria, Egypt, the East.
• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OUDaniel 8:23 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.• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OU
king of fierce countenance
i.e. Antiochus Epiphanes who arose out of Syria, one of the "four kingdoms," B.C. 170.
911_j;Daniel 8:1, In the third year of the reignof king Belshazzar• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OU
About B.C. 530.
911_k;Daniel 7:3, before the river a ram which had two horns• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OU
See Daniel 7:20.
912_1;Daniel 8:9, one of them came fortha a little horn, which waxed exceeding great• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OU
The Little Horn
The "little horn" here is a prophecy fulfilled in Antiochus Epiphanes, b.c. 175, who profaned the temple and terribly persecuted the Jews. He is not to be confounded with the "little horn" of Daniel 7. who is yet to come, and who will dominate the earth during the great tribulation. See "The Beast," Daniel 7:8; Revelation 19:20, See Note Page 1349_1, and "The great tribulation," Psalm 2:5; Revelation 7:14, See Note Page 1337_1. But Antiochus is a remarkable type of the Beast, the terrible "little horn" of the last days. Verses 24, 25 go beyond Antiochus and evidently refer to the "little horn" of Daniel 7.
Both Antiochus and the Beast, but the Beast pre-eminently, are in view in verses 24, 25. That the "little horn" of Daniel 7 cannot be the little horn of Daniel 8:9-13, 23, is evident. The former comes up among the ten horns into which the fourth empire (Roman) is to be divided; the little horn of Daniel 8 comes out of one of the four kingdoms into which the third (Grecian) empire was divided (v. 23), and in "the latter time" of the four kingdoms (vs. 22, 23). This was historically true of Antiochus Epiphanes. They are alike in hatred of the Jews and of God, and in profaning the temple. Cf. Daniel 7:25 (the Beast) with Daniel 8:10-12 (Antiochus).
912_2; Daniel 8:10, And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OU
Most Difficult Prophecy
This passage (vs. 10-14) is confessedly the most difficult in prophecy, a dif- ficulty increased by the present state of the text. Historically this was fulfilled in and by Antiochus Epiphanes, but in a more intense and final sense Antiochus but adumbrates the awful blasphemy of the "little horn" of Daniel 7:8, 24, 25; 9:27; 11:36-45; 12:11.
In Daniel 8:10-14 the actions of both "little horns" blend.
912_3; Daniel 8:13, and the transgration of desolation, to give both the sanctuary• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OU
Desolation
Seven times in Daniel the "desolation" is spoken of:
(1) Of the sanctuary, Daniel 8:13, fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanes, b.c. 175-170.
(2) Of the sanctuary, Daniel 9:17, the condition in Daniel's time, when the Jews were in exile and the sanctuary desolate.
(3) Generally, of the land, Daniel 9:18, also referring to Daniel's time.
(4) Of the sanctu- ary, Daniel 9:26, fulfilled A.D. 70, in the destruction of city and temple after the cutting off of Messiah (Luke 21:20).
(5, 6, 7) Of the sanctuary, by the Beast. Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11. (Cf. Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 8-12; Revelation 13:14, 15.)
912_a; Daniel 8:5, behold, an he goat came from the west• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OU
See Daniel 8:21.
912_b; Daniel 8:8, it came up four notable ones• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OU
See Daniel 8:22.
912_c; Daniel 8:9, And out of one of them came forth• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OU
Antiochus Epiphanes
Antiochus Epiphanes came out of Syria, one of the "four notable" kingdoms into which Alexander's emire was divided.
912_d; Daniel 8:12, an host was given him against the daily sacrifice• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OU
The Beast comes into view.
Cf. Daniel 8:12; 9:27.
912_e; Daniel 8:13, I heard one saint speaking• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OU
Or, holy one, idem.
See Daniel 4:13, 17.
912_f; Daniel 8:15, there stood before me as the appearance of a man• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OU
Daniel 10:18.
The Theophanies.
913_1; Daniel 8:19, at the time appointed the end shall be• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OU
The End
Two "ends" are in view here:
(1) historically, the end of the third, or Grecian empire of Alexander out of one of the divisions of which the little horn of verse 9 (Antiochus) arose;
(2) prophetically, the end of the times of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24; Revelation 16:14), when the "little horn" of Daniel 7:8, 24-26, the Beast, will arise —- Daniel's final time of the end (Daniel 12:4, See Note Page 919_2).
913_a; Daniel 8:16, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OU
913_b; Daniel 8:19, And he said, Behold, I will make the know• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OU
See Daniel 8:20
913_c; Daniel 8:20, The ram which thou sawest• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OU
A Higher Horn
Daniel 8:3-4, The "higher" horn which "came up last" is Cyrus, the other "Darius the Mede."
913_d; Daniel 8:21, horn that is between his eyes is the first king• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OU
i.e., Alexander the Great.
913_e; Daniel 8:22, four kingdoms shall stand up• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OU
The Four Divided Empires
The four empires into which Alexander's empire was divided about B.C. 300; Greece, Asia Minor, including Syria, Egypt, the East.
913_f; Daniel 8:23, a king of fierce contenance• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OU
i.e., Antiochus Epiphanes
He arose out of Syria, one of the "four kingdoms," B.C. 170.
913_g; Daniel 8:25, And through his policy also he shall cause craft• SRB Top â € ¢ AC JFB OUVerses 24, 25.
The Beast.
913_h; Daniel 8:25, he shall also stand up against the Prince
DANIEL 8
Daniel 8 . . .The Gospel, the Investigation and Judgment
See Sanctuary Teachings Exposed! Introduction:
Daniel dreams he is strolling by the water when suddenly he is face to face with a powerful sheep with two big horns - and no one is there to rescue him. It turns out his dream is not so much about danger, or adventure, but rather about the future. Let's look closer into Daniel's dream and see what we can learn about the future!
I. The Ram
A. Read Daniel 8:1-3.
How would you react if you had this dream? Would you be frightened?
1. Has Daniel had enough frightening animals in the previous dream that he is probably not frightened?
B. Read Daniel 8:4.
Given the context of the past dreams which Daniel either interpreted or had, what are your thoughts about this ram? (It clearly seems to be a world power. An empire that rules other nations.)II. The Goat
A. Read Daniel 8:5-8.
III. Gabriel on the Ram and Goat
A. Read Daniel 8:15-16.
Why would Daniel write that someone "looked like a man?" Why not just say, "A man stood in front of me?" (Daniel is telling us that this was not a man. He only looked like one.)
1. Who is standing in front of Daniel?
(Gabriel.)
a. Who is Gabriel?
(Read Luke 1:19. He stands in God's presence.)b. Other than speaking to Daniel, who what other important mission has Gabriel handled?
(Read Luke 1:26-28. Gabriel brought the message of Jesus coming to Mary!)c. Daniel 8:16 reports that a "man's voice" was giving Gabriel directions. Who gets to give Gabriel directions?
(God!)d. What does this suggest to you about Gabriel's message to Daniel?
(When God has an important message, He sends Gabriel. God sent him now to Daniel.)
B. Read Daniel 8:17.
How does Daniel react to Gabriel?
1. Why? Why is Daniel not afraid of these wild animals, but is afraid of Gabriel?
(Either he knew who Gabriel was, or Gabriel must have looked not simply like a man, but like someone from heaven.)2. How should we react to Gabriel's message? Should we put great faith in it?
(It comes straight from the throne of God!)3. What does Gabriel say this dream concerns?
(The time of the end.)C. Read Daniel 8:18.
What is happening here? Is Daniel still dreaming? (Either this is a dream within a dream, or Daniel is coming out of his dream state to listen to Gabriel's explanation.)
D. Read Daniel 8:19-22.
What are these two beasts? (Medo-Persia and Greece.)
1. Have we seen this before?
(You bet! We saw these two empires symbolized in Nebuchadnezzar's dream of Daniel 2 and we saw them in Daniel's dream in Daniel 7.)
- Why does God keep repeating the same prophecy? (Have you heard that you need to repeat something three times for your listener to understand? God apparently wants us to understand this. In addition, with each new dream we seem to have more information. God may well be repeating the old information to help us get a better grasp on the new information.)
IV. The Horn
A. Now let's go back and pick up the rest of the dream.
Read Daniel 8:9-12. Have we seen a "horn" power before? (Our study of Daniel 7 revealed the "little horn"(Daniel 7:8).)
1. Do you think the horn of Daniel 8 is the same as the little horn of Daniel 7?
(This puts us in the middle of a great debate. Many commentators believe that the horn of Daniel 7 and 8 are the same, and that they represent Antiochus Epiphanes, a Seleucid king who we previously learned reigned for 11 years (175-164 B.C.). When we studied Daniel 7 last week we found that the timing was all wrong for the little horn to be Antiochus. Not only was Antiochus 500 years too early (coming after the Greek, not the Roman empire), but his reign did not stretch to the end of time.)
2. Is the timing wrong for Antiochus to be the horn of Daniel 8:9?
(The timing of Antiochus fits a lot better in Daniel 8. He came out of the fragmented Grecian Empire (which was the reason he could not be the "little horn" of Daniel 7 - it came out of the fragmented Roman Empire). While I am hardly an expert on this, it seems to me that most commentators who understand the horn of Daniel 8 to be Antiochus, read their interpretation back into Daniel 7 - where Antiochus does not fit - and understand him to be the "little horn" of Daniel 7).3. What if we reverse this, can we read our "little horn" understanding of Daniel 7
(that the horn is the Papal phase of the Roman Empire) into Daniel 8? Could the timing fit for Papal Rome?
- Re-read Daniel 8:8-9. Does the horn come up out of one of the four winds or one of the four horns? (It is not clear. The SDA Bible Commentary on this text points out that the gender identification in the Hebrew fits better with the winds, not the horns. If the horn arises out of the winds, then this dream looks just like the dreams of Daniel 2 & 7 - that the horn is the Roman Empire which follows Medo-Persia and Greece.)
B. Let's review again Daniel 8:9-12.
Consider the rest of the description of this horn. Does it better match Pagan and Papal Rome or Antiochus? (The description of the power of this horn meets or exceeds the description of the power of the ram and the goat. (For example, the ram is called (v.4) "great" and the goat is called (v.8) "very great." Most translations (but not the NIV) translate the description of the horn (v.9) to be "exceedingly great" (NAS, KJV, NKJV, ASV, RSV). Since the horn is described as being greater than Medo-Persia and Greece, it hardly seems appropriate to conclude the 11 year rule of Antiochus, a minor Seleucid king, is comparable to the Persian and the Greek empires! On the other hand, the Roman empire (in both its pagan and Papal phase, is clearly comparable to the Persian and Greek empires.)
1. Did Rome (Daniel 8:11) bring low the sanctuary?
(The Romans destroyed God's temple in 70 A.D.. Psalms 79:1 refers to the first destruction of Jerusalem and the temple as "defiling" the temple.)2. Did Rome (Daniel 8:10) reach to heaven, throw part of heaven's citizens to the ground and trample on them?
V. Gabriel on the Horn
A. Read Daniel 8:23-25.
We now turn to Gabriel's further explanation of the horn part of the dream for Daniel. Who is the Prince of princes referred to in verse 25?
(It must be Jesus.)
1. Did Rome take a stand against Jesus?
2. How does this fit the reference in Daniel 8:10 to the horn reaching to heaven and trampling part of the starry hosts?
(Rome crucified Jesus. I think this fits both the description of trampling heaven's citizens and standing against the Prince of Princes.)
B. How does the horn end?
(Daniel 8:25 tells us it is destroyed by something other than human power.)
- What do you think that means?
(The logical conclusion is that it is destroyed by God.)
C. I understand the argument of those who conclude that the horn power of Daniel 8 is Antiochus Epiphanes, based on the timing
(when Greece was fragmenting) and the fact that he sacrificed a pig on the altar of the sanctuary. On the other hand, I believe Rome (in both its pagan and Papal phases) fits the prophecy better.
- First, the horn of Daniel 7 clearly fits Papal Rome. The parallels between the grand sweep of history in Daniel 2, 7 and 8 make the horn of Daniel 8 the parallel of Rome in Daniel 2 and 7.
- That, coupled with the description of the horn in Daniel 8 as being as great, or greater than Medo-Persia and Greece, make the Antiochus Epiphanes identification most doubtful. How can a minor king, who ruled for 11 years, be considered a world power or compared to the great empires of Persia and Rome? Antiochus Epiphanes just does not fit the description in the way Rome fits.
VI. The Time
A. Read Daniel 8:13-14 & 8:26. How long will this horn have power?
(2,300 days.)
1. What time markers do we have in Daniel 8 to better understand this time period?
For example, when does the power of the horn begin and when does it end? (Clearly, it begins after the goat (Greek empire) and it continues (Daniel 8:17)until the time of the end.)2. Would a literal 2,300 days, or a prophetic 2,300 days
(a day = a year, see Ezekiel 4:6) better fit this time span? (To stretch from the fall of Greece to the time of the end would have to be 2,300 years and not days.)
B. What happens at the end of this 2,300 years?
- What does it mean for the sanctuary to be reconsecrated?
- Is it the end of the world? Daniel 8:26 tells Daniel it concerns the distant future - but we will work on solving this mystery in the next studies!
C. Reading this it is obvious that God wants His followers to know that He controls kings and kingdoms and he is willing to share this knowledge with you.
Are you willing to take the time to listen and learn?
VII. Next: Daniel 9.
Continued Series
"The Gospel, the Investigation and Judgment"
Series on The Gospel,
the Investigation and Judgment~ * ~
- I. Principalities And Powers
- II. Judgment Must Begin.
- III. Daniel 2.
Visions of Nebuchadnezzar And Their Results
- IV. Daniel 7
- V. Daniel 8
- VI. Daniel 9
- VII. The 70 Weeks
- VIII. 1844 Made Simple (2,300 Day Prophecy)
- IX. Day-Year Principle
- X. Rome and Antiochus.
- Lessons inspired by God, created and published by GoBible, Bruce N. Cameron; Edited and compiled by B Craig.
- Scripture links provided by BibleGateway.com.
- Audio Bible readings are read from the King James Bible and spoken by Alexander Scourby.
1844 MADE SIMPLE (2,300 DAY PROPHECY)
The Gospel, the Investigation and Judgment
See Sanctuary Teachings Exposed!
Introduction:
Last week we studied one of the most important prophecies of the Bible. We learned, from Daniel 9:22-27, that the specific dates of the coming of Jesus the Messiah were revealed hundreds of years in advance through Gabriel's message to Daniel. As far as I am concerned, this is the most important message of Daniel. God reveals to His people not only the details of the sweep of history, He reveals the timing of the coming of His Son. Of course, we learned a number of other important things as well. We learned that the sanctuary will be rebuilt and then destroyed again. We learned that the gospel will go from being a message directed to the Jews to a message for all of us today. There are, however, a few "loose ends." (Aren't there always?) One unresolved question is the meaning of the 2,300 days of Daniel 8:14. One wonders what other secrets God has revealed!
I. The Sanctuary
A. Read Daniel 8:13-14.
Put yourself in Daniel's place. If you had a short "wish list" about the future, what would be on it?
(Recall that Daniel had been taken from his home when he was a very young man. He would want to return to his native country, Judah.)
1. What would come to Daniel's mind when the sanctuary was mentioned in his vision?
(Daniel would surely think about the sanctuary (temple) that was built by Solomon. See 1 Chronicles 22:17-19.)
2. Did Solomon's temple exist at the time of Daniel's vision?
(No. The Babylonians had destroyed Jerusalem and Solomon's temple.
This was part of the tragedy of his youth. He had been taken captive, and the important institutions of his country had been destroyed. This included the city of Jerusalem and Solomon's temple, the center of Jewish worship.)
3. When Daniel heard that the sanctuary would be "reconsecrated" (NIV) ("cleansed" NKJV) what would he logically think was going to happen?
(It is logical to believe his first thoughts were that Solomon's temple would be rebuilt. This vision of the future could be about one of Daniel's most dearly held hopes - that the Jewish worship center would be back in operation.)
4. What other possibilities might come to Daniel's mind when he heard about the sanctuary being reconsecrated?
(Read Psalms 102:19, Exodus 25:8-9 and Hebrews 8:1-5. Moses had originally been given "the pattern" so that the sanctuary in the wilderness was modeled after the sanctuary in heaven. Solomon then built a permanent version of the sanctuary to house the ark of God and to continue the worship and the sacrificial services. Only the copy on earth had been destroyed. The heavenly original still existed. Since the sanctuary on earth had been destroyed, Daniel might have thought this had something to do with the sanctuary in heaven.)
B. What time frame is given for the sanctuary being reconsecrated? (2,300 days.)
C. Let's back up a minute and read the context for the 2,300 days of Daniel 8:14.
Read Daniel 8:9-13. What sanctuary do you think is being described in these verses?
(In Lesson 5 of this series (on Daniel 8), we concluded that this "horn" was the Pagan and Papal phase of Rome. Thus, this would be the rebuilt sanctuary promised to Daniel.)
- If this is true, could Gabriel be speaking of a literal 2,300 days - a little over six years?
(No. This had to be symbolic days (meaning a day equals a year), not literal days. We know that Rome was hundreds of years in the future.
- Read Daniel 8:19-26. This is Gabriel's explanation of the "vision of the evenings and mornings" and he says it concerns "the distant future." Is there any possible way that the 2,300 days are literal days?
(I cannot see any way that this is possible!)
D. So, what happens at the end of this 2,300 years?
What does it mean for the sanctuary to be reconsecrated? What sanctuary are we talking about? Is this the end of the world?
E. Living in the twenty-first century,
We know that thereafter the temple in Jerusalem was rebuilt and for hundreds of years Jews held their daily sacrifices and worshiped God in the sanctuary. We also know that in 70 A.D., the Romans destroyed the sanctuary. Given our knowledge, what sanctuary do you think is being referred to in Daniel 8:14?
(Read Daniel 8:17. Since this is a vision "of the end," and since we know the sanctuary on earth was destroyed almost 2,000 years ago, that logically leaves only the sanctuary in heaven as the subject of this vision.)
- What argument can you make that the vision might refer to a sanctuary that is again rebuilt in Jerusalem before the world ends?
(Such an argument would deny that Jesus is the Messiah. It would ignore Jesus' High Priestly ministry in heaven referred to in Hebrews. If the Jews rebuilt a temple in Jerusalem it would be to continue the same sacrificial system which Jesus fulfilled by His life and death.)
- Read Hebrews 9:8-12. What does this suggest about the possibility of a new temple being built in Jerusalem?
(Hebrews tells us that the temple on earth was both an illustration and an impediment to Jesus' work for us in heaven. The idea that it would be rebuilt at some time before the Second Coming of Jesus is completely at odds with Hebrews and the entire concept of Jesus fulfilling the symbolism of the sanctuary service.)
F. The reasonable conclusion
Based on what we know about history, and our understanding of the gospel, is that the sanctuary to be reconsecrated (cleansed) is the heavenly sanctuary.
II. The Nature of the Cleansing
A. Read Daniel 8:14.
If Daniel 8:14 is about reconsecrating (cleansing) the sanctuary in heaven, the logical question is, "Why would it need to be cleaned?"
B. Read Leviticus 16:32-34.
These three verses describe in summary form a yearly event for the Jewish people. Can you tell me about this event?
(Throughout the year the people would come to the temple to sacrifice an animal for the forgiveness of their sins. Symbolically, the shed blood of the animal transferred the sin from the person to the sanctuary. Then once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the sanctuary itself was cleansed of all of these sins which had accumulated over the year. On that day the High Priest entered the Most Holy place of the sanctuary.)
C. What about the sins of the people?
Were they completely taken care of during the year?
(Read Leviticus 16:29-30. It appears that the cleansing of the sanctuary on the Day of Atonement was the final act in the removal of the sins from the people.)
D. Since the sanctuary on earth was patterned after the sanctuary in heaven?
Do you think there is a parallel activity in heaven? If so, what is it?
(According to the text in Hebrews that we previously read (Hebrews 9:11-12), Jesus is the sacrifice for the heavenly sanctuary. He is also the High Priest who enters the Most Holy Place.)
- When Daniel 8:14 tells us that the sanctuary will be reconsecrated (cleansed) could it mean that after the 2300 day period the Day of Atonement in heaven will take place?
(That seems to be what is meant. Since the sanctuary could not be the sanctuary on earth, it must be the sanctuary in heaven. Hebrews tells us that Jesus will enter the Most Holy place of the heavenly sanctuary - so it makes sense that this is the meaning of Daniel 8:14.)
III. The Meaning of the Day of Atonement.
A. Let's review a minute.
The sanctuary referred to in Daniel 8:14 is the sanctuary in heaven. The historical meaning of the cleansing of the sanctuary is the Day of Atonement. So, the next question is what would be the meaning of a Day of Atonement in heaven? Read Daniel 8:26-27. Did Daniel understand what it meant to reconsecrate the sanctuary in heaven?
1. Notice that verse 27 says that Daniel did not understand the vision. Did he not understand any of it?
(This is the Ram/Goat/Horn vision of the first half of Daniel 8. Gabriel told Daniel about the meaning of the Ram and the Goat. It was only the horn and the 2,300 days that was not specifically explained. Since Daniel calls the this (verse 26)"the vision of the evenings and mornings" it must be the 2,300 days that most specifically created the mystery.)
2. What do you think the Day of Atonement in heaven represents? Is this the beginning of the judgment? The end of the judgment? The Second Coming of Jesus?
B. Trying to solve this mystery
It sure would be nice to know when this 2,300 years ended. What do we need to know to determine this?
(When that period of time started.)
- Does Daniel 8 say when the 2,300 year period begins?
(No. Indeed, Daniel 8:26 seems to say the details are "sealed up" for now.)
C. Let's re-read what we studied previously:
Daniel 9:25-27. We have some very hard dates from this. Does this sound like the same subject matter?
(Yes. I'm quite certain that Daniel is not understanding what sanctuary Gabriel is speaking about, but we are back to the theme of the future of the sanctuary and its "desolation.")
- Let's make the assumption - a reasonable one - that our "Seventy Weeks" message of Gabriel in Daniel 9 is a further answer and explanation of Gabriel's message of Daniel 8. Since we concluded last week that the seventy weeks began in 457 B.C., where does 2,300 years end?
(1844 A.D. The title of our lesson is "1844 Made Simple." The math is surely simple, but I'm far from sure any other aspect of this is simple!)
D. Trying to tie the two prophiecies together.
If we are right about tying the two prophecies together and starting them in 457 B.C., what does that clarify about the previous question about the nature of them cleansing of the sanctuary, this Day of Atonement?
(It does not mean the end of the world - unless God is simply delaying His coming. We know from the parallelism in the visions we have studied that the end of the world starts with a judgment of the righteous and ends with the Second Coming of Jesus. Historically the judgment and the "conclusion" to sin, occurred within the Day of Atonement.)
E. What should the reaction of a Christian be to this prophecy?
(The message is important, it came straight from the throne of God by Gabriel. The message is reliable - because all of the other prophecies given to Daniel came to pass. Whether 1844 was the "target time" for Jesus' Second Coming, or whether it begins the time of the final judgment, our main conclusion should be that Jesus' Second Coming is imminent. Something very important is happening in heaven and it has to do with our Messiah bringing sin to its final conclusion.)
F. Are you ready for the judgment?
For the Second Coming? Are you looking for your Savior to return?
IV. Next: Day-Year Principle.
Continued Series
"The Gospel, the Investigation and Judgment"
Series on The Gospel,
the Investigation and Judgment~ * ~
- I. Principalities And Powers
- II. Judgment Must Begin.
- III. Daniel 2.
Visions of Nebuchadnezzar And Their Results
- IV. Daniel 7
- V. Daniel 8
- VI. Daniel 9
- VII. The 70 Weeks
- VIII. 1844 Made Simple (2,300 Day Prophecy)
- IX. Day-Year Principle
- X. Rome and Antiochus.
- Lesson 10 is the last that this writer will publish on my Web Pages. Ignore any links you may find! -- Bob Craig
- See Sanctuary Teachings Exposed.
- Lessons created and published by GoBible, Bruce N. Cameron; Edited and compiled by B Craig.
- Scripture links provided by BibleGateway.com.
- Audio Bible readings are read from the King James Bible and spoken by Alexander Scourby.
See Sanctuary Teachings Exposed!
----- A WORK IN PROGRESS
NOTE: If your reference search placed you here it is indication that there are no Outline References for your search on this page. To return . . . click the link on the Key above ~ Or CLICK- Daniel 8:1.
• Key
SRB = Scofield References
JFB = Jamieson, Fausset, Brown Commentary
JFB = Introduction
AC = Adam Clarke Comentary
AC = Chronology by Adam Clarke
OU = OUtline of Daniel
Additional Resources
Copyright Statement
These files are considered public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that is available in the Online Bible Software Library.Bibliography Information
Scofield, C. I. "Scofield Reference Notes on Daniel 8". "Scofield Reference Notes (1917 Edition)". <http://www.studylight.org/com/srn/view.cgi?book=da&chapter=008>. 1917.
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