A Quick Summary of the
Wonderful Prophecies of Daniel 8 & 9
From Nathaniel M. Fajardo
Whole Gospel Ministries
Email:[email protected]
Extracted from “The Cross and Its Shadow” by Stephen. Haskell, pp. 188-197
Opening Statement
See Rev. 14: 6; Acts 17:31. The Day of Judgment is a definite period of time set apart in which to perform this specific work. Note: “God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose, and for every work,” Eccl. 3:17. The world and the churches were not left in darkness or ignorance in regard to the time and the nature of the closing work of judgment of which the literal Day of Atonement and its service in the Jewish economy of the Old Covenant, involving the cleansing of the sanctuary was its type. Through the prophet Daniel God foretold when that event would take place.
In chapter eight of the book of Daniel, we read that in the last days of the Babylonian kingdom the prophet was given a prophetic view of the history of the world and nations from that time until the end of all earthly kingdoms, that is, those that directly impact the experience of His people and truth.
In vision Daniel saw (1) a ram having two horns, then (2) a rough goat with a “notable horn between his eyes,” coming from the west and overcoming the ram and trampling him under foot.” This “rough goat grew very strong; and when he was strong, the notable horn was broken, and in its place came up four notable horns.” Then out of one of these “four horns” came “a little horn which waxed exceeding great,” until “he magnified himself even to the Prince of the host;” that is, claimed to be equal to the Prince of the host, Christ.
“The Daily and the Transgression of Desolation”
While the prophet was watching this “little horn” persecuting the people of God on earth, his attention was arrested by a conversation between “two heavenly beings,” which he records as follows: “Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto the Numberer of secrets, or the Wonderful Numberer, 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 [the Wonderful Numberer, the Prince of hosts] said to me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Dan. 8:1-14, margin.
NOTES:
1. There are three kinds of prophecies (a) Outline Prophecy, as the Book of Daniel is so written (b) Decreed Prophecy, as with the antediluvians; the world history of nation-empires as given in Daniel, namely, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome in its pagan and papal stages. (c) Conditional Prophecy, as in the prophecy regarding Nineveh, etc.,–that if a nation, people, tribe, family, or individual one repents, the judgment against apostasy or gross wickedness is stayed.
2. The “Daily sacrifice and the abomination of desolation” of Daniel 12: 11, 12 should studied and interpreted according to (a) the prophetic time context of the 2300-days, specifically considering that “the time of the end” spoken here is the year 1798, (b) there are no more time prophecies after 1844 (c) the four parallel lines of prophecy of the book of Daniel (chapters 2, 7, 8, 11) all end with the Roman element. Thus, the 1290 and 1335 days of Daniel 12 must be reckoned as part of and taking place within the 2300-day prophecy, which view the advent pioneers were united on “before the confusion after 1844.”
Daniel did not understand the vision, and One having authority over the heavenly forces commissioned the angel Gabriel to make him understand it. Gabriel then gave the following brief explanation: “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 between his eyes is the first king [Alexander the Great].”
He then said that the four kingdoms onto which Grecia would be divided—represented by the four horns—would not be as strong as Grecia, but that the kingdom represented by the “little horn,” i.e., the Roman kingdom, which grew out of one of the four horns, would destroy the people of God, and would even stand up against the Prince of princes Himself when He should come to the earth. This last view was more than Daniel could endure. When he saw that this power would even take the life of the Prince of princes, he fainted; and when angel Gabriel said, “The vision of the evening and morning [a literal day] is true,” he found that it was useless to proceed, as Daniel could not be able to comprehend it and even emotionally handle its implications based on his ebullient expectations for his people, then the ethnic Jews.
Daniel was “sick for some days,” but soon he began to pray for a full explanation of the vision. We have this prayer recorded; it is not long, but after Christ’s valedictory prayer in John17, it is a model intercessory prayer worthy of emulation of all genuine “prayer warriors and intercessors, Dan. 9: 1-21. When he began to pray, God in heaven commissioned Gabriel to go and answer the prophet’s prayer, and before he had finished praying the angel touched him. Daniel 9:1-23. Heaven and earth are brought very near together by the prayer of faith. The one who holds on by simple faith until an answer is sent from heaven, is beloved of the Lord. Dan. 9:23.
Gabriel assured Daniel that he had come to “give him “skill and understanding,” and told him to “consider the vision.” All had been made plain except the question asked the “Wonderful Numberer,” and His reply. All heaven is interested on the work on the earth, and it was not idle curiosity but intense interest which prompted the question, “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?” Note that word “sacrifice” is italicized in the Authorized Version (KJV), showing that it was supplied by man’s wisdom, and does not belong to the text.
At the time the question was asked, the sanctuary, or temple, built by Solomon, lay in ruins, and God’s chosen people at that time–the Jews—were in captivity to Babylon. The vision had revealed to the angels as well as to Daniel that far down in their future, a power would arise that would bring a worse persecution upon the people of God than they had ever experienced in the Babylonian and Medo-Persian kings, which was fulfilled in the 1260 years of papal persecution, known in history as the Dark Ages. This persecution could not affect the heavenly sanctuary, as no earthly power can reach heaven; but it “trod under foot the host who worshipped toward the heavenly sanctuary,” and by depriving the people of the word of God, it hid the correct knowledge in regard to the heavenly sanctuary for a long period of time. The “host” is the worshippers of the true God in heaven.
When the Wonderful Numberer answered the question, He directed His words to Daniel instead of to the one who asked the question. None but the Father or the Son could reveal the time appointed for the great court of judgment to convene in the heavenly sanctuary. It was Christ then, who “numbered” the years to intervene before the opening of the great judgment. He is truly called the Numberer of Secrets, or the Wonderful Numberer. Dan. 8:13, margin.
When Daniel was told “to consider the vision” in Daniel 9, no doubt the words addressed directly to him would come into his mind: “Unto two thousand and three hundred days [evening, morning]; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Dan. 8:14, margin. As Daniel’s mind reviewed these words, Gabriel began the explanation of the portion of the vision he had been unable to explain during his previous visit [in Dan. 8].
The prophecy regarding the 2,300 days of Dan. 8:14 is one of the grandest prophecies in the entire Bible. There are other lines of prophecy that foretell the rise and fall of nations, but the 2,300 days definitely locate two of the greatest events in the history of mankind; namely (1) the time when Christ would come to the earth, and offer Himself as a ransom for the lost race; and (2) the opening of the great tribunal in heaven, when the Judge of all the earth will decide the eternal destiny of every soul that has ever lived upon the earth, as decided in the Investigative, or Pre-advent Judgment.
During Gabriel’s first visit to Daniel, he explained the symbols of the ram, the rough goat, and the four horns, and gave an account of the work of the little horn; but Daniel fainted before he [Gabriel] had explained the 2,300 days; therefore, when he returns to give the prophet skill and understanding and asks him to consider the vision, he immediately introduces the subject of time. His first words are, “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, and upon thy holy city.” The word “determined” [Heb. chathak, decreed; cut off] signifies cut off from some longer period of time. The only time period under consideration is the 2,300 days. Therefore, 70 weeks were to be cut off from that period, and allotted to the Jews, “the people of Daniel,” and their holy city. Dan. 9:24-27. [
A day in prophetic time represents a year in real time. Num. 14:34; Eze. 4:6. Seven years make a week of years. Gen. 29: 27. Seventy weeks would be 70 x 7 = 490 years. Four hundred and ninety years would be determined upon the Jewish people to accomplish six (6) things, namely:
1. “To finish the transgression.” – During this time the Jewish people would fill up the cup of iniquity, and commit the crowning act of all transgressions,–to take the life of the sinless Son of God, the Creator of heaven and earth and the Savior of mankind.
2. “To make an end of sin.” – Christ partook of death, “that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil,” and thus forever end all sin in all who cast, not cling to, all their sins upon Him, the Sin-bearer. Heb. 2: 14. It also announces the cessation of all the ceremonial, ritual, shadowy sacrifices for sin in the various typical offerings, (festivals, feasts, and the Aaronic priesthood) that all pointed forward to Christ, the Lamb of God who would die at Calvary, resurrect, and ascend to become our High Priest and Intercessor “at the right hand of God” in the “heavenly places.”
3. “To make reconciliation for iniquity.” – Christ “made peace through the blood of His cross,” and “reconciled all things to Himself.” Col. 1: 20.
“Christ’s mission was to effect reconciliation between the sinner and an offended God. He taught men lessons in the science of divine government, whereby He revealed the righteousness of the reconciliation of mercy and justice. The reconciliation of mercy and justice did not involve any compromise with sin, or ignore any claim of justice, but by giving to each divine attribute its ordained place, mercy could be exercised in the punishment of the sinful, impenitent man without destroying its clemency or forfeiting its compassionate character, and justice could be exercised in forgiving the repenting transgressor without violating its integrity. All this could be done because Christ laid hold of the nature of man, and partook of the divine attributes, and planted His cross between humanity and divinity, bridging the gulf that separated the sinner from God. [Heb. 2: 16-18; 4: 15; 5:1-9 quoted].”- 1 SM 260-1.
4. “To bring in everlasting righteousness.” – The death of Christ opened the way by which every son or daughter of Adam could obtain everlasting righteousness, if he “hungers and thirsts for righteousness” “as a deer that panteth after the waters.” Matt. 5: 6; Ps. 42:1; Rev. 22, 17, etc. (to be continued)