The Mystery of Esau and Ephraim

In Daniel 12:4 “but thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days,” and so we are trying to understand this prophecy in the last days.

It must be noted that this book is among the Writings but not among the Prophets. The foundation for their reasoning is based on sands; what seems to have induced them to degrade Daniel is the manifest prophecy of the time of the Messiah’s coming, which they don’t like, hence they dropped it from Prophets to Writings. . .

Daniel 7

¹ In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions in his head upon his bed. Then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. — in the first year of Belshazzar, king of Babylon, who was coregent with his father Nabonidus and the grandson and adopted son of Nebuchadnezzar, according to the secular accounts;

— Daniel had a dream and visions of his head, distinct images of his mind, quite distinct from confused pictures, upon his bed, that is, during the night then immediately or soon after it transpired he wrote the dream and told the sum of the matters, setting forth the main facts in due order and omitting matters of secondary importance such as details pertaining to the appearance of the beasts.

² Daniel spoke and said, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. — Daniel spoke and said in introducing his narration of the strange experience which befell him, and he saw in his vision by night and, behold, the four winds of the heaven from the four main points of the compass, strove upon the great sea, storming along against one another upon the face of the ocean.

³ And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. — and four great beasts, monstrous in size and awful in look, came up from the sea, world-powers rising out of the turbulent political sea of the heathen world, one diverses from another, one after the other issuing from the great deep.

⁴ The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings. I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made to stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it. — the first was like a lion and had eagle’s wings, emblem of kingly power and authority; Daniel beheld till the wings were plucked off, taking from the beast the ability to fly;

— and it was lifted up from the earth to which it was confined after having been deprived of its unrestrained motion and made stand upon the feet as a man, standing upon its hind feet in an upright position and a man’s heart was given to it so that it partook of the mind and the feelings of a human being.

The interpretation of this vision may briefly be given as follows. The lion with the eagle’s wings was the Babylonian Empire, whose victorious progress was halted about the time that Nebuchadnezzar was stricken with the peculiar madness, which caused him to seek the fellowship of beasts, which, however, later received at least some understanding of the true God.

⁵ And behold, another beast, a second, like unto a bear. And it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it; and they said thus unto it, ‘Arise, devour much flesh.’ — and behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, appearing later in point of time and it raised up itself on one side so that it leaned over sideways as it lifted the shoulder on that side to move forward;

— the bear symbolises the Medes, an ancient people, and the Persians, a more modern tribe, formed one united sovereignty in contrast to other kingdoms; the three ribs in its mouth are Media, Lydia, and Babylon, brought under the Persian sway; or Darius the Mede; Cyrus, Ahasuerus, and Darius, forming three ribs;

— but another even more modern possible explanation, the bear which raised himself up on one side could be a new and revised Russian empire, whose warlike nature is testified to our modern era; and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it, a part of a prey which had been seized by it, of animals which it had overcome; and they said thus unto it. Arise, devour much flesh, swallowing up Belarus, Ukraine and Chechnya? being given to conquest and plunder.

⁶ After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl. The beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. — after this Daniel beheld and lo, a third animal coming on the scene somewhat later in history, like a leopard which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl, enabling it to move with great speed;

— the beast had also four heads, indicating that its authority would be divided among four sovereigns; and dominion was given to it, great authority and power in the world.

The leopard upon whose back wings appeared is the Grecian Empire, which, under Alexander the Great, spread over the world with great rapidity.

⁷ After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth. It devoured, and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it; and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. — after this Daniel saw in the night visions and behold a fourth beast, coming on the scene as the last world-power;

— dreadful and terrible, of awe-inspiring fierceness, and strong exceedingly and it had great iron teeth, symbolizing the lust of conquest and destruction; it devoured and brake in pieces, greedily feeding on whatever it could get into its power and stamped any residue, whatever it could not devour with the feet of it, bent upon annihilating all that stood in its way;

— and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it so that the entire animal kingdom could furnish no beast to which it was similar; and it had ten horns, giving further impression of power and ferocity.

The fourth beast is the Roman Empire with its insatiable fierceness and love of conquest, whose spiritual descendant and successor is the kingdom of Antichrist, of the Pope at Rome, just as delineated in the Book of Revelation. The ancient empire indeed came to an end, but it was revived in the empire of Charles the Great, and the political power of the Pope is felt in practically every nation of the earth today.

⁸ I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. — Daniel considered the horns, observing them very closely and behold, there came up among them another little horn, springing up as the eleventh and at first insignificant in size, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots, to make room for the newcomer;

— and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, symbols of understanding, although not possessing the characteristics of divinity, and a mouth speaking great things, full of proud and blasphemous boasting.

The fourth beast, the Roman Empire, also brought forth the Roman Catholic Church. Practically every feature of the description fits the rule of this Roman Church from the very start. The kingdom of the Pope grew up like a horn, exerting its political power very gradually, but none the less surely. From small beginnings it developed until it reached a station in which it practically controlled the fate of nations.

The Popes have, in many cases, made use of the highest wisdom, together with an almost diabolical cunning, to further their cause. By dint of their cunning they made their authority felt in the counsels of nations; they have impressed people with their power far above the real status of affairs.

The kingdom of the Pope is unlike every other kingdom, since he exerts political power under the guise of spreading the kingdom of God. Time and again the Pope of Rome has spoken blasphemous words against the one true God. History records numerous instances of persecutions carried on by Popes and their millions, as during the terrible inquisitions.

Popes have altered the Word of God to suit their own convenience and to serve their selfish interests. In spite of the reverses which the kingdom of Antichrist has suffered in the past, as when Emperor Otto I deposed Pope John XII, when the councils of the fifteenth century tried to effect at least an outward reformation, and, above all, when Martin Luther carried the fight into the enemy’s ranks, the kingdom of Antichrist will remain till the end of time. Cf II Thessalonians 2; Revelation 17.

The prophecy of Daniel was fulfilled and is being fulfilled in a most remarkable manner, a fact which tends to strengthen our faith in every word of the Bible.

⁹ “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days sat down, whose garment was white as snow and the hair of His head like the pure wool. His throne was like the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire. — Daniel beheld, still engaged in close observation, till the thrones were cast down by a great act of judgement by the Ancient of Days, symbol of the eternal and majestic God, who sit, whose garment was white as snow and the hair of His head like the pure wool, both symbols of unsullied purity and holiness;

— His throne was like the fiery flame, flashing as though composed of a fiery mass and His wheels as burning fire, symbolical of the fiery zeal with which the Lord punishes the transgressors but also purifies His people and prepares them for the future glorification.

¹⁰ A fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him. Thousand thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him: the judgement was set, and the books were opened. — a fiery stream issued and came forth from before Him, to devour the sinful and hostile forces of the world and to purify the children of the Kingdom. Thousand thousands ministered unto Him and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him, an uncounted number of holy angels ready to do His bidding;

— the Judgement was set, everything was made ready for the trial and the books were opened, namely, the books of record in which the deeds of men were entered to serve as the basis of the sentence to be pronounced upon men by the heavenly Judge.

¹¹ “I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke; I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame. — Daniel beheld them because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke for it was due to the boasting of the ruler represented by the last horn that judgement and destruction came upon the world;

— Daniel beheld even till the beast was slain, namely, the fourth, the fierce and destructive beast and his body destroyed and given to the burning flame, whose devouring fiery streams issued from the throne of the eternal Judge.

¹² As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. — as concerning the rest of the beasts, the three which were first described, they had their dominion taken away, their power was also taken away in the general judgement;

— yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time, or rather “for the duration of their life was fixed” as to the season and time; God had determined beforehand how long their dynasty should last.

¹³ “I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. — Daniel saw in the night visions and behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, riding upon them as on a celestial chariot, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. It is on the basis of this passage, which describes the formal inauguration of the Messiah as King of His eternal kingdom, that Yeshua applied the name “Son of Man” to Himself so frequently in the gospels;

— although Jewish authority acknowledges that this book Daniel is a Sacred Text, they relegated it to “Writings” that this book is among the holy writings but not among the Prophets; it isn’t a prophecy, they didn’t quite like it; the reasons they give are based on sands as the Prophet Isaiah speaks of his own people, Israel, which include their own blind shepherd, “Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see,” Isaiah 42:18.

— their stout-hearted shepherd seem to have induced their deafness and blindness to degrade Daniel is another prophecy of the time of the Messiah’s coming in this book, that he is the Son of God, which show up in numerous text in the Tanakh; and when their eyes are open, they will see the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son, but that will be sometimes in the later days they’ll have to a change of perception, Zechariah 12:10

¹⁴ And there was given Him dominion and glory and a Kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. — and there was given Him dominion and glory and a kingdom, divine authority over the domain of the earth, that all people, nations and languages should serve Him;

— His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. The description clearly shows that the Son of Man is a person distinct from the Father, and that the fact of His eternal dominion and power is a direct argument for His deity. Cf Revelation 11:15; Revelation 19:16.

¹⁵ “I, Daniel, was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. — Daniel was grieved in his spirit in the midst of his vision for the body contains the spirit as the scabbard contains the sword, and the visions in his head troubled him; he felt most apprehensive concerning them.

¹⁶ I came near unto one of those who stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me and made me know the interpretation of the things: — Daniel came near unto one of them that stood by, one of those engaged in the service of God, and asked him the truth of all this, the true explanation of the judgement scene which was here enacted. So he told Daniel and made him know the interpretation of the things, so that Daniel understood the vision in all its parts.

¹⁷ ‘These great beasts, which are four, are four kings who shall arise out of the earth. — these great beasts, which are four, are four kings; the heads of mighty empires, each one the founder of a dynasty, which shall arise out of the earth, from the surface of the earth, of the earth, earthy.

¹⁸ But the saints of the Most High shall take the Kingdom and possess the Kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.’ — but the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, receiving it as a gift from above and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever. The converted members of the covenant nation, the congregation of the Lord, gathered from the elect of all nations are by virtue of their faith in the Messiah, possessors of the kingdom of God, they enjoy all the blessings of the Lord in this relationship to the Son of God and to their heavenly Father here in time and hereafter in eternity.

¹⁹ “Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron and his nails of brass, which devoured, broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; — then Daniel would know the truth of the fourth beast, that is, Daniel was anxious to know about this beast also, which was diverse from all the others, so utterly different from them;

— exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron and his nails of brass, the feature of the brazen claws being added in this description; which devoured, brake in pieces and stamped the residue with his feet.

²⁰ and of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up and before whom three fell, even of the horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. — and of the ten horns that were in his head and of the other which came up and before whom three fell, even of that horn that had eyes and a mouth that spake very great things, in boastful blasphemy, whose look was more stout than his fellows, that is, his appearance was such as to inspire terror.

²¹ I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints and prevailed against them — Daniel beheld and the same horn made war with the saints and prevailed against them, this being apart of its campaign of destruction, it involved a temporary defeat of the forces of the Lord,

²² until the Ancient of Days came, and judgement was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the Kingdom. — until the Ancient of Days came, the true and only God coming to judgement upon His enemies, and judgement was given to the saints of the Most High for the Lord took their part and effected their deliverance from the oppression of the beast;

— and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom, the Kingdom of God holding the blessings of the Lord even here in time, in spite of all hostility of Satan and his evil forces and entering into undisturbed possession of them in the Kingdom of God.

²³ “Thus he said: ‘The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down and break it in pieces. — thus he said, the fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, following the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian and the Greek empire, respectively, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms and shall devour the whole earth and shall tread it down and break it in pieces, the general effect of its rule being decidedly destructive.

²⁴ And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise; and another shall rise after them, and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. — and the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise, that is, the Roman Empire, upon its disintegration, would be resolved into a number of smaller states, all of which would, however, carry on the traditions of the mother state and still be one in spirit with her;

— and another shall rise after them, a ruler wielding a great deal of power and he shall be diverse from the first, differing from his predecessors and he shall subdue three kings, causing them completely to lose their identity.

²⁵ And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws; and they shall be given into his hand until a time, and times, and the dividing of time. — and he shall speak great words against the Most High in blasphemies of an unusually vicious character and shall wear out the saints of the Most High and think to change times and laws, setting aside human and divine laws at will;

— and they shall be given into his hand for him practically to work his will as he chose until a time and times and the dividing of time, the entire length of time, divided into three distinct periods being figured in terms of God’s time.

²⁶ “‘But the judgement shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. — but the judgement shall sit, the sentence will be carried out and they shall take away his dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end so that its final destruction is not to be expected before the end of the world.

²⁷ And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’ — and the kingdom and dominion and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, throughout the world, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High so that the Kingdom of the Lord would finally be victorious whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.

²⁸ “Here is the end of the matter. As for me, Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me; but I kept the matter in my heart.” — here is the end of the matter, this is the gist of the vision. As for Daniel, his cogitations troubled him much, namely, after he awoke from his dream and his countenance changed, his face showed the effect of his worry over the matter; but Daniel kept the matter in his heart; he did not make it known, did not discuss it with others.

Daniel 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. — in the third year of the reign of Belshazzar, two years after Daniel had had the vision of the four monarchies, a vision appeared unto him, after which appeared unto him at the first, that is, in addition to that other important prophetic vision which he had recorded in the previous chapter. It is evident that this vision did not come to Daniel in a dream, but that he was awake and conscious while this information came to him.

² And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass when I saw, that I was at 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. — and Daniel saw in a vision in a state of ecstasy; and it came to pass when Daniel saw that he was at Shushan or Susa in the palace, which is in the province of Elam, for Susa was the capital of this province during the Babylonian supremacy while under Persian reign it was located in the satrapy of Susiana;

— and Daniel saw in a vision and he was by the river of Ulai, or Eulaeus, on which Susa was situated. Daniel evidently in his capacity as one of the foremost officials of the empire, visited various provinces from time to time or he may even have had a winter home in this city.

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. — then Daniel lifted up mine eyes and saw and, behold, there stood before the river, probably to the east of it, a ram not in a flock but alone which had two horns; and the two horns were high, both of them expressive of royalty and power but one was higher than the other, and the higher the one possessing the greater power, came up last, it was later in point of time;

The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia, or the Medo-Persian Empire, v 20 below; which destroyed the Babylon empire in 539 BC and ruled to 331 BC.

⁴ I saw the ram pushing westward and northward and southward, so that 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. — Daniel saw the ram pushing westward and northward and southward to subdue all the countries located in these directions so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand, his power, for the time being was absolute;

— but he did according to his will and became great so that the empire which he represented became a world power.

⁵ And as I was considering, behold, a hegoat 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. — and as Daniel was considering, observing very closely everything that transpired, behold, an he-goat came from the west, from Europe, across Asia Minor;

⁶ And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. — and he came to the ram that had two horns, not stopping for any consideration, which Daniel had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power, in irresistible mighty rage.

Then the Greco-Macedonian Empire came on the scene with its first great king, Alexander the Great (verses 6 and 7); the conquest of the Medo-Persian Empire by Alexander the Great occurred in 331 BC.

⁷ And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with fury against him, and smote the ram and broke his two horns; and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground and stamped upon him. And there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. — and Daniel saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him with sudden, explosive anger and smote the ram in a fierce overthrow and brake his two horns; and there was no power in the ram to stand before him;

⁸ Therefore the he-goat waxed very great; and when he was strong, the great horn was broken, and in its place came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven. — therefore the he-goat waxed very great, his power developed mightily; and when he was strong, just as he reached the highest point of his might;

— the great horn was broken, the unity of the attacking power was disrupted with the death of its leader: and for it came up four notable ones, four leaders, who divided the power among themselves toward the four winds of heaven.

— the horn in the goat’s head symbolized the “first king” of the Greco-Macedonian Empire; that was Alexander the Great; but this horn was suddenly “broken”! — Alexander the Great died suddenly of a fever in Babylon little more than thirty years of age!

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. — and out of one of them came forth a little horn, sprouting in a diminutive manner like the branches in the prongs of an antelope which waxed exceeding great toward the south and toward the east and toward the pleasant land, Judea, the glorious land, the land of God’s chosen people;

— this “little horn” appears coming out of one of the four divisions of Alexander’s empire.

¹⁰ And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. — and it waxed great, even to the host of heaven, to the congregation of the Lord’s people, for the Jews were at that time representatives of the Lord’s Kingdom on earth; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground and stamped upon them, presuming, in its pride to wage warfare even against the stars (saints) of the Lord;

— the “little horn” will persecute the true Church — the “holy people” who shall shine in the resurrection like the stars of heaven (compare Daniel 8:10, 24 with Daniel 12:3). He seems like Antiochus Epiphanes!

¹¹ 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. — yea, he, Antiochus Epiphanes, magnified himself even to the prince of the host, placing himself on a level with the most high God with the King of kings and the Lord of lords and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, that is, he interfered with the worship of the true God as then carried on in the Temple, and the place of His Sanctuary was cast down, profaned with blasphemous behavior;

— some misguided say the heavenly Sanctuary was “cast down” – it’s just baloney: all the heavenly angels and even God allows this to happen around His Throne? (more at the end)

¹² And a 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. — and an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, that is, “warfare was inaugurated against the daily sacrifice with outrage,” with idolatrous worship by the heathen ruler, Antiochus Epiphanes, represented by the last horn, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practiced and prospered; it accomplished this much, it was successful by divine permission: God permitted the profaning to go on for some time.

¹³ Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint who 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?” — then Daniel heard one saint, one of the Lord’s saints speaking and another saint said unto that certain saint which spoke as they were conversing, the interruption being made in the interest of Daniel;

— how long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, that is, how long would the subject of this vision, the destruction of the Lord’s worship, continue and the transgression of desolation, the horrible transgression which had just been described to give both the Sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? so that the Kingdom of God, then represented by the nation of the Jews returned from Babylon would be made desolate and be hindered from spreading.

¹⁴ And he said unto me, “Until two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” — and he said unto Daniel, Unto two thousand and three hundred days, literally, “evening-mornings” then shall the Sanctuary be cleansed or “justified” which may mean deconsecrated, (the original “days” in Hebrew is “bō·qer e·reḇ” which is morning/evening). The figures and further analysis are given at the end of this chapter

— the doctrine of the Investigative Judgement, which began on October 22, 1844, is an integral part of the Seventh-day Adventist doctrine of the sanctuary, teching that a judgement had begun on that year’s Day of Atonement, when Christ entered the Most Holy Place in heaven to start an “investigative judgement.” One of the mysteries is that according to Jewish reckoning, there is no way Yum Kippur could be so late as October 22 of any year; and in the year 1844 (Hebrew year 5605) it was on September 23, (more on this at the end).

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 one with the appearance of a man. — and it came to pass when Daniel, even he had seen the vision and sought for the meaning, pondering over it, viewing it from every angle, then, behold there stood before me as the appearance of a man the apparition coming with startling suddenness.

¹⁶ And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, who called and said, “Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.” — and Daniel heard a man’s voice, the speaker being invisible to Daniel, between the banks of Ulai, coming from between the two branches of the Eulaeus River, which called and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. So the being who appeared to Daniel in the aspect of a man was one of the Lord’s angel princes. Cf Luke 1:19.

¹⁷ 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.” — so he came near where Daniel stood; and when he came, Daniel as afraid, the close proximity of a holy being filled him with fear and fell upon Daniel’s face; but he said unto him;

— Understand, O son of man, the address reminding Daniel of his human weakness, without, however, humiliating him; for at the time of the end shall be the vision, that is, it gives information concerning occurrences at the end of time, the final period of the earth’s history.

¹⁸ Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face toward the ground; but he touched me and set me upright. — now, as he was speaking with Daniel, who was in a deep sleep on his face toward the ground in a state of numbness or ecstasy, which shut off his senses from earthly things; but he touched Daniel and set him upright, strengthening him for the time being that he might witness the rest of the vision.

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. — CSB and said, “I am here to tell you what will happen at the conclusion of the time of wrath, because it refers to the appointed time of the end; when the wrath of God would be poured out upon the godless world; for at the time appointed the end shall be.

²⁰ The ram which thou sawest having two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia. — the ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia, the Medo-Persian monarchy in its entire historical development. This empire subdued, under Persian leadership: toward the west, Babylon, Mesopotamia, Syria, and the countries of Asia Minor; toward the north, Colchis, Armenia, Iberia, and the states along the Caspian Sea; toward the south, Judea, Egypt, Ethiopia and India.

²¹ And the rough goat is the king of Greece; and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. — and the rough goat, moving eastward across Asia Minor in victorious advance, is the king of Grecia, literally “of Javan” Macedonia, Greece and the Ionian colonies being included in the term; and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king, Alexander the Great, the founder of this world-power.

²² Now that one being broken, in whose place four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power. — now, that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, or “concerning the horn, that it was broken and that four then took its place,” this is the meaning: four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, out of the world of nations united under the rule of the first king, but not in his power, not equal to the founder, neither singly nor all taken together.

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. — and in the latter time of their kingdom, that is, after these dynasties had been in existence for some time, when the transgressors are come to the full, when the apostate Jews would once more have fulfilled the measure of their wickedness;

— a king of fierce countenance, shameless, one like Antiochus Epiphanes, without the slightest regard for God and men, and understanding dark sentences, hiding his true purposes behind ambiguous statements, shall stand up, coming into power as the ruler of that section of the Greek Empire.

²⁴ And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; and he shall destroy wondrously, and shall prosper and perform, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. — and one like Antiochus Epiphanes, his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power, rather on account of his cunning dissimulation, with the permission of God; and he shall destroy wonderfully, so that men would be astonished at his activities in this respect, and shall prosper and practice and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people, venting his spite both upon the warlike enemies opposing him and upon the congregation of the saints;

— the “little horn” which was transformed into the pagan papal Roman Church, has all along persecutes the true Church — the “holy people” who shall shine in the resurrection like the stars of heaven (compare Daniel 8:10, 24 with Daniel 12:3).

²⁵ And through his policy also he shall cause deceit to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by using peace shall destroy many. He shall also stand up against the Prince of princes, but he shall be broken without raising a hand. — and through his, the “little horn” policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand, that is, in accordance with his cunning he would succeed in his deception in various hypocritical plans which he had decided upon; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, becoming proud by reason of these successful maneuvers;

— and by peace shall destroy many, while they were living in care-free security, the suddenness of the attack causing them to yield without a struggle; he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes, presuming to set himself even against God. But he shall be broken without hand; God Himself taking his punishment in hand.

²⁶ “And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true. Therefore shut thou up the vision, for it shall be for many days.” — and the vision of the evening and the morning which was told, concerning the length of the time of the affliction, is true; wherefore shut thou up the vision, to preserve it for such later day, for it shall be for many days, the vision, being concerned with things of the distant future, would retain its prophetic value and should therefore not be revealed generally at this time.

²⁷ And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick several days. Afterward I rose up and did the king’s business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it. — and Daniel, overcome by the startling and overwhelming character of the revelation, fainted and was sick certain days. Afterward Daniel rose up and did the king’s business, attending to the duties of his office as before;

— and Daniel was astonished at the vision, he kept his counsel concerning it, but none understood it, for the full significance of the revelation he received would be possible only with its fulfillment. Antiochus Epiphanes is rightly regarded in history as a type of Antichrist, the papacy of Rome, for he made every effort to drive out the worship of the true God in the Holy Land and to substitute instead a veneration of himself.

~~~

More on the 2300 days when the daily sacrifices are taken away (Daniel 8:13-14)

First read Daniel 8:13-14

Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint who 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, “Until two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”

A key to this mysterious time period was hidden from Daniel’s understanding — was not to be revealed until the latter days! It is a prophecy for our time — this climactic 21st Century!

Some try to explain this prophecy by assuming the “sanctuary” is in heaven and claim that this vision of “2300 days” commenced in 457 BC and ended in 1844, (using a day for a year principle, hence the “2300 days” represent 2300 years). During this time of 2300 years the “sanctuary” that was cast down — the Holy of Holies in heaven itself — God’s very throne — was to be “cleansed” beginning on October 22, 1844.

Oh Goodness! Such thinking are just Nonsense! How could “the little horn” cast down the Holy of Holies in heaven? Insanity asides, how could well over 20 millions believe such balderdash today? Unless, of course, they were deceived by a Prophetess Jezebel. “O Blind Guides! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” The first thing that these believers need to clean is to clean their own brains. God the Almighty is well capable of looking after his Holy of Holies in heaven! Or, is he not so Almighty?

Whatever the answer is, it has to do with an earthly event concerning the Sanctuary or the Temple in Jerusalem. But notice the little horn takes away the daily sacrifice for “2300 days.” Were there any daily sacrifices taken away since the writing of Daniel?

One possible answer is that this prophecy of the taking away of the evening and morning sacrifice has already been fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanes. This is rather possible! Notice why: what happened to the daily sacrifice in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes (168-165 BC). The wicked deeds of Antiochus Epiphanes are recorded in Daniel 11:31. He polluted the ancient sanctuary. He took away the daily sacrifice, and the 1150 days is one possibility; or perhaps it could be a preamble.

Now consider who the “little horn” in this prophecy is. It spring out from the King of the North; which originally was Syria, the Seleucid Empire — north of Palestine. But Syria was soon swallowed by ROME. The Roman system of government became the “King of the North.” Later the “little horn” became the papal Roman Church, which persecutes the true Church — the “holy people” shall shine in the resurrection like the stars of heaven (compare Daniel 8:10, 24 with Daniel 12:3).

The papal Roman Church had existed to our time in Europe, Asia and now all over the world. In the Middle Ages it was called the Holy Roman Empire, and the church ever since was and is the Roman Catholic Church.

Notice Daniel 8:26: “And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true….” The vision of “2300 days” is actually called in the Scripture “the vision of the evening and the morning” The word “days” this note reveals that the original Hebrew of the word “days” is “evening morning” (the original “days” in Hebrew is “bō·qer e·reḇ” which is morning and evening). This prophecy is NOT referring to 24-hour days but to evenings/mornings; that is, the evening and the morning sacrifice!

According to verse 11 the little horn takes away the DAILY SACRIFICE. The daily sacrifice was offered in the evening and in the morning. In Exodus 29:39, “The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning, and the other lamb thou shalt offer at evening.”

Verse 14 in other versions “two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings.” In other words, here is a prophecy that two thousand three hundred evening and morning sacrifices would cease to be offered. Since the daily sacrifice was offered TWICE A DAY, this prophecy is actually speaking of one thousand one hundred fifty (1150) days. In 1150 days there would be exactly two thousand three hundred sacrifices offered at evening and morning.

Some excerpts from Wikipedia (Hanukkah)

When the Second Temple in Jerusalem was looted and services stopped, Judaism was outlawed. In 167 BCE, Antiochus ordered an altar to Zeus erected in the Temple. He banned brit milah (circumcision) and ordered pigs to be sacrificed at the altar of the temple.

By 164 BCE, the Jewish revolt against the Seleucid monarchy was successful. The Temple was liberated and rededicated. The festival of Hanukkah was instituted to celebrate this event. Judah ordered the Temple to be cleansed, a new altar to be built in place of the polluted one and new holy vessels to be made.

We may not be sure of the exact dates, but one account says the abomination took place on the 15th of Kislev (1 Maccabees 1:54) in 167 BC, and at the end of this 1150-day period the sanctuary is to be “cleansed” or “justified” and on another account this cleansing was established on the 25th of Kislev in 164 BC to celebrate this liberation: Hanukkah; which would be roughly 1105 days, short of 1150 days by 45 days, or 90 “evening morning, bō·qer e·reḇ.” Thus this prophecy of “2300 days” could have been or partially fulfilled by the abomination set up by Antiochus Epiphanes until its liberation.

And finally, such a prophecy could be dual, that is, another possibility could reoccur if the third Temple is to be built in Jerusalem in the future and another transgression of desolation causing the daily sacrifices to cease. This final time, it could be fulfilled exactly “2300 days.”

And skipping forward to  Daniel 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.” And in Matthew 24:15 “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him understand).” There we are, another transgression of desolation yet in the future. How will all these play out, well, we’ll have to wait and see.

~ by Japheth on December 20, 2021.

Posted in Daniel