FRIDAY MORNING MANNA
Biblical Numerology: NUMBER SEVEN (No. 41)
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 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to thethousand three hundred and five and thirty days. Daniel 12: 11, 12. (See also Dan. 8: 11-13; 11: 31, K.J.V.)
Before starting exploration of this little-addressed yet multi-faceted, end-time prophecy, with all the noise and chatter growing louder in the world, in the nation, and in our heads, my attention was mysteriously drawn to a passage that rendered all “breaking news” pale and stale in comparison. I share it with you, hoping it elicits the same solemn yet edifying introspection as in did to me:
“[Rom. 2: 23, 24 quoted]. All who join themselves to the church but not to the Lord will, in time, develop their true character. ‘Ye shall know them by their fruits.’ Matt. 7: 16. The precious fruit of godliness, temperance, patience, kindness, love and charity, does not appear in their lives. They bear only thorns and briers. God is dishonored in the world before the world by all such professors . . . They are, Satan knows, his best working agents while they are unchanged in heart and life, and their works are in such marked contrast to their profession that they are a stumbling block to unbelievers and a great trial to believers. . . . What an account will those have to give in the day of final reckoning, who profess to be keeping the commandments of God, while their lives contradict their profession, for they bear no precious fruit.” E. G. White, Faith I Live By, p. 92.
The ‘Daily sacrifice.’– There are many conflicting views of the gospel as well as the prophecies. But all can agree that the correct ones satisfy all the specifications of the prophecy, is in full harmony with, and can withstand the closest scrutiny of the Scriptures—which rule out all irreverent, inquisitive curiosity. What is the correct view of the prophecy of Daniel 12: 11, 12, also referred to in Daniel 8: 11-13 (and the “little horn”), and 11: 31, for proper context? What does the word “daily” mean? Why is the word ‘sacrifice’ italicized in the King James Version but not in other versions that also use the word “sacrifice”? The correct view helps settle the issue over whether it refers to the daily sacrifice of the sacrificial system or to an entirely different matter that is the very subject of this prophecy! The Lord Jesus gave the correct view to those who, at its divinely-appointed time, proclaimed in a defining movement the ‘Judgment hour’ message of the first angel of Rev. 14: 6, 7 which also was a fulfillment of the parable-prophecy of the Ten Virgins, where the cry is raise at midnight, ‘Behold, the Bridegroom cometh, go ye out to meet Him.” Matt. 25.
In Daniel 8: 13, 14 we read: ‘Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision [1260 day/years] concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden underfoot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” See also verses 11, 12; Dan. 11: 31; 12: 11.
God’s servant wrote [emphasis mine]:
“Then I saw in relation to the ‘daily,’ that the word ‘sacrifice,’ was supplied by man’s wisdom, and does not belong to the text; and that the Lord gave the correct view of it to those who gave the judgment hour cry.When union existed, before 1844, nearly all were united on the correct view of the ‘daily; but since 1844, in the confusion, other views had been embraced, and darkness and confusion have followed. I have also seen thattime had not been a test since 1844, and that time will never be again a test.” – Ellen G. White, Christian Experience and Views, p. 39. Saratoga Springs, NY; published by James White, 1851.
So what was the correct view of ‘the daily’ which “nearly all were united on” before 1844, that is, before the great disappointment of that year, and the darkness and confusion that followed? In the book “Bible Adventism or Sermons on the Coming Kingdom” by James White in the chapter “The Two Desolations,” we read what that “correct view.” Note:
“The daily sacrifice and the transgression of desolation’ represents Rome in its pagan and papal forms. Leaving out the supplied words (‘sacrifice’), the text would read, “the daily, and the transgression of desolation.” These are the two desolating powers; first, paganism, then papacy. Of these, Paul, in 2 Thessalonians 2: 3-8 says [whole text quoted]. These are the two powers which have desolated the people of God, of which the angel speaks in the vision of Daniel 8.”
‘Sanctuary’ and the ‘host.’ – ‘Sanctuary’ in these specific visions given as prophecy is the Hebrew quodesh meaning ‘a sacred place.’ Webster says “a holy or sanctified place, a dwelling place of the Most High.” In Exodus 25: 8 we read God instructing Moses: “Let them make Me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them.” The word “sanctuary” is used at least 146 times in the Bible and is not applied in one instance to Earth. Hence, the sanctuary to be cleansed in this prophecy does not and cannot refer to the “cleansing of the earth,” particularly not by fire. This occurs only after the Biblical millenium. The “sanctuary” to be “cleansed” as announced in Dan. 8:14 is the most holy of the original in heaven typified by the literal day of atonement held at towards the end of the religious calendar of the Mosaic dispensation. See Leviticus chapter 16; 23: 26-32; cf. Heb. 9: 7.
“‘Host” here is the Hebrew tseba’ah meaning, “a mass of persons,” from tsaba meaning, “a mass; army of servants; an assembly of servants.”
First, the word sacrifice in these verses is italicized in the Authorized Version, meaning, the translators of the King James Version added it but honestly indicated so. Other translations don’t. The, “daily” here is not the “evening and morning” of a literal day (Dan. 8: 26; cf. Gen. 1: 2, 5, 8, 13) but the Hebrew tamiyd, “to stretch;’ continuance, constant; constantly; continualcontinual stretching,” a visceral rendition of the persecution of the early Christians by the Roman emperors. It should thus read: “And from the time that thedaily shall be taken away and the abomination that maketh desolate set up. . . .”
The time of the end — Again, the “time of the end” announced in Dan. 12: 4, 9 is not the end of earth’s history neither of probationary time nor of prophetic time. Not yet. Rather, the year 1798 marks two watershed events in church and world history: a) the end of the 1,260 years of the Dark Ages, b) the beginning of reckoning the closing events of the end times, both of remaining time prophecies within the longest time prophecy of 2,300 day/years ending in the autumn of 1844. Thereafter, all remaining prophecies occur in their given order.
The end of the prophetic time periods. By the prophecies given in Rev. 10: 1-11 God revealed when and how the longest time prophecy of Daniel 8: 14 ends, thus ending all definite time prophecies. Revealed are the following: a “mighty angel with his right foot on the sea and left foot on the earth,” “seven thunders,” the “little book” that when “eaten” results in a “bitter-to-the-belly” yet “sweet-as-honey-to-the-mouth” experience. “Angel,” like the three angels of Revelation 14, describes a movement based on specific messages, not an individual neither a literal “angel.” Hence we are enlightened with the following explanations:
Rev. 10: 2. – “The message itself sheds light as to the time when this movement is to take place. It is declared to be a part of the ‘everlasting gospel;’ and it announces the opening of the judgment. The message of salvation has been preached in all ages; but the message is part of the gospel which could be proclaimed only in the last days, for only then would it be true that the hour of judgment had come. [See Rev. 14: 6, 7]. The prophecies present a succession of events leading down to the opening of the judgment. This is especially true of the book of Daniel [the ‘little book’ described in Rev. 10]. But that part of his prophecy which related tothe last days, Daniel was bidden to close up and seal ‘to the time of the end.’ Not until we reach this timecould a message concerning the judgment be proclaimed, based on the fulfillment of these prophecies. But at the time of the end, says the prophet, ‘many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.’ Dan. 12: 4.”-Great Controversy, pp. 355, 356 (TM 115).
“It was the Lion of tribe of Judah [Jesus Christ, not Haile Selassie of the Rastafarians] who unsealed the book and gave to John the revelation of what should be in these last days. Daniel ‘stood in his lot’ to bear his testimony which was sealed until the time of the end, when the first angel’s message would be proclaimed to our world. These matters are of infinite importance in these last days; but while ‘many shall be purified, and made white, and tried,’ ‘the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand.’ Dan.___. How true this is! Sin is the transgression of the law of God (1 John 3: 4!); and those who will not accept the light in regard to the law of God will not understand the proclamation of the first, the second, and third angel’s messages. The book of Daniel is unsealed in the revelation given to John [in the Revelation], and carries us forward to the last scenes of this earth’s history.” – TM 115
2 SM 107, 108: “’And he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth.’ Rev. 10: 2. “The message of Revelation 14, proclaiming that the hour of judgment is come, is given in the time of the end; andthe angel of Revelation 10 is represented as having one foot on the sea and one foot on the land, showing that the message will be carried to distant lands, the ocean will be crossed, and the islands of the sea will hear the proclamation of the last message of warning to our world.
‘Time no longer,’ not ‘delay no longer.’ – The K.J.V. reads, “There should be time no longer” (Rev. 10: 6). The original Greek actually translates to, “time no more shall be.” However, the N.K.J.V. reads, “There should bedelay no longer.” The difference between “time” and “delay” is critical, for, “time no longer” refers to the end of the prophetic periods, while “delay” is open-ended; it does not alert the reader, as the original Greek and the K.J.V. do, to the prophetic-time sensitive nature of this prophecy as inextricably connected as a continuum to all prophetic time periods within the 2300-day prophecy culminating in 1844. Note:
“[Rev.10: 5, 6 quoted]. This message announces the end of the prophetic periods. The disappointment [bitter-sweet experience] of those who expected to see our Lord in 1844 was indeed bitter to those who had so ardently looked for His appearing. It was in the Lord’s order that this disappointment should come, and thathearts should be revealed.
7 BC 971. “The angel’s position, with one foot on the sea, the other on the land, signifies the wide extent of the proclamation of this message. It will cross the broad waters and be proclaimed in other countries, even to all the world. The comprehension of truth, the reception of the message, is represented in the eating of the little book. The truth in regard to the time of the event of our Lord was a precious message to our souls.”– Ibid, MS 59, 1900/ 7BC 971
“Seventh-day Adventists have generally understood these words to describe particularly the message proclaimed in the years 1840-1844 by William Miller and others in connection with the close of the longest time, that of the 2300-day prophecy of Dan. 8: 14. They have understood the ‘time’ to be prophetic time, and its end to signify the close of the longest time prophecy. After this there is to be no further message bearing on a definite time. No time prophecy extends beyond 1844.” Footnote, An Exhaustive Commentary of E.G. White on Revelation, vol. 2, p. 3: (To be continued next week)