Dennis Edwards
The prophecies in Daniel 8 also fit nicely
with the outline we have made of a 3 and ½ year tribulation followed by 75 days
of wrath. We know again that the prophecy was given for the time of the end. We
read in Daniel 8:17 and 19.
Daniel 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. 16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of
Ulai, which called, and said,
Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. 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. 18 Now
as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground:
but he touched me, and set me upright. 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.
The angel Gabriel, one of the archangels,
a messenger angel, is sent to help Daniel understand the vision he has just
had. Gabriel explains that in the vision the ram represented Media and Persia
and the goat that destroys the ram represented Greece. The horn that was
between the goat’s eyes represented the first king: Alexander the Great. Let us
read from the Bible.
Daniel 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.
When Alexander dies suddenly during the
height of his conquest, he leaves the kingdom to his four generals who divide
the kingdom among themselves. Aleaxander’s mother, wife and son are ordered
killed by Cassander one of Alexander’s generals. The other major general’s
names were Ptolemy, Antigonus, Lysimachus and Selecus. A simple way to remember
the land areas that Alexander’s Kingdom was eventually divided into is the
phrase: EAT - Greece. Each letter of E-A-T stands for a different country: Egypt, Assryria, Turkey and then
Greece.
In history the name’s of the kingdoms that
developed were the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, the Seleucid Empire in the east
including Syria and going eastward and encompassing Iraq and Iran, the
Macedonia Kingdom around Greece and the Kingdom of Antigonus/Lysimachus which
is mostly present day Turkey. Antigonus originally controlled Asia Minor, and
Lysimachus controlled present day European Turkey and parts of Bulgaria and
northeaster Greece. Over time, Antigonus, at 81 years of age, was killed in
battle and Lysimachus gained control of his terrotory. Antigonus’s son
Demetrius later became ruler of Grecian section of the empire.
From What Country Will the Antichrist Come?
Daniel 8:9 And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.
If we follow a literal interpretation of the above prophecy then the little horn, the Antichrist, will arise from one of the four land partitions of the former Grecian Empire. What were the four general land areas? E-A-T Greece, or Egypt, Assyria, Turkey or Greee. Assyria could contain both the area of present day Syria and part of Iraq. Of these four, Turkey has the most advanced and largest military. It also has formed an aliance with Russia and Iran to share surveilence information amongst them.
However, from Ezekiel 38-39 it seems the Antichrist will come
from a location farther north and both Turkey and Iran will assist him in his
invasion of Israel. Some theologans have speculated that the Antichrist will
some how fulfill both the prophecy of Daniel 8 and Ezekiel 38 amd 39. Exactly
how, we don’t know at this time. But we will look at Ezekiel 38 and 39 more
closely in another article.
Daniel 8:10 And it
(the little horn = the Antichrist) 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.
We see the Antichrist, as we
have seen elsewhere, persecuting God’s people, “the host and stars,” during the
tribulation period.
Daniel 8:11 Yea,
he (the Antichrist) magnified himself even to the prince of the host (Jesus is
the prince of the host), and by him (the Antichrist) the daily sacrÃfice was
taken away, and the place of his sanctuary cast down.
We see the Antichrist stops the daily sacrÃfice. From Daniel 9:27 and Daniel 11:30-31 we believe the taking away of the daily sacrÃfice happens during the midst of the last seven years, “the midst of the week.”
Daniel 11:30 For the ships of Chittim (Cyprus: where both Russian and Nato have naval bases) shall come against him (the Antichrist): therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. 31 And arms shall stand on his (the Antichrist’s) part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrÃfice, and they shall place the abomination that makes desolate.
At the beginning of that seven year period a “holy covenant” will be made with many. Since the Antichrist stops the sacrificial worship in Jerusalem when he breaks the covenant, we assume that the covenant will have had something to do with initiating the sacrificial worship.
It may also have something to
do with Apostle Paul’s verses in 2 Thessalonians were he says,
2 Thessalonians 2:4b …so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing that he himself is God.
It may be when the Antichrist
stops the daily sacrÃfice in Jerusalem and sets up the abomination of
desolation that he also will sit in the Temple and declare himself world ruler.
The following verse in Revelation may be related to that event.
Revelation 13:15 And
he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the
beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image
of the beast should be killed.
Some eschatology professors believe that Revelation 13:15 may take place at the “midst of the week.” They speculate that perhaps the “image of the beast” is in fact the “abomination that makes desolate” which is placed in the holy place in the “midst of the week.” Others believe the “abomination of desolation” is some military machine that will be used in the invasion of Jerusalem. It will enter onto the “holy place” or temple mount and as such, being a machine of death and desolation, will be called “the abomination of desolation.”
An abomination is anything
that is contrary to God’s nature or character. Lying, stealing, adultery,
killing, sex with animals, homosexuality, prostitution, cheating in business,
are some of the “sins” which are considered an abomination in God’s eyes. An
“abomination that makes desolate” could be something that is able to cause
great desolation or death. Any modern military machine that would enter the
holy place on the temple mount during the Antichrist conquest of Jerusalem
could possibly be the abomination that Jesus mentioned in His prophecy.
However, since the "image of the beast" also has power to kill, the image of the beast may very well be the "abomination that makes desolate. Let us read from Revelation.
Revelation 13:15 And he (the false prophet) had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast show both speak, and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
Back in Daniel we continue.
Daniel 8:12 And a
host was given him (the Antichrist) against the daily sacrÃfice by reason of
transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and
prospered.
Maybe the “host” that was
given to him in the above verse is the same as the “arms,” that we have seen in Daniel 11:31, that help him conquer Jerusalem.
Daniel 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 sacrÃfice, and the transgression of desolation,
to give both the sanctury and the host to be trodden under foot.
It seems that the Lord is
giving us some important information concerning the length of time of the daily
sacrÃfice and the period of the transgression of desolation. He tells us that
both the sanctury, which may be the Holy Place, and the host, which in this
case may be that military or police force that protected the sanctury against
the Antichrist forces, shall be trodden under foot.
The “host” could also be
referring to the “host” in Daniel 8:10
and 8:11 which we interpreted as
signifying God’s people under persecution during the Antichrist reign for
refusing to take his mark or worship his image.
Do we find the term “trodden
under foot” in similar imagery anywhere else in Bible Prophecy? Yes, we do,
none other than in the book of Revelation.
Revelation 11:2 But
the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is
given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they (the gentile forces of
Antichrist) tread under
foot forty and two months (which comes to 3 ½ years).
From the rest of chapter
eleven in Revelation we know the above verse is talking about Jerusalem and the
3 ½ year tribulation period. How can we use the verse in Revelation 11 to help
us understand Daniel 8:13?
It seems that the
transgression of desolation which gives both the sanctury and the host to be
trodden under foot will last forty and two months, or 3 and ½ years, or 1260
days, which is the great tribulation period. We had similar language in Daniel
chapter nine.
Daniel 9:27 And he (the Antichrist) shall confirm the covenant (agreement) with many for one week (one seven year period): and in the midst of the week (at the 3 and ½ year mark) he shall cause the sacrÃfice to cease, and for the over spreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consumation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
It seems that the covenant gives the religious Jewish people the opportunity to renew sacrificial worship. However, at the midst of the seven year period the Antichrist stops the sacrificial worship. The abomination that makes desolate stands in the sanctury or the Holy Place perhaps destroying or making desolate part of the temple mount. We remember that Jesus gave the act of the abomination of desolation standing in the Holy Place as the sign of the beginning of the great tribulation period.
How does all the added
information help us in understanding the verse in Daniel 8?
Daniel 8:13 …How
long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrÃfice, and the transgression
of desolation, to give both the sanctury and the host to be trodden under foot?
The angel is about to tell us
the length of time of the period of the daily sacrÃfice together with the
period of the “trangression of desolation” which seems to be the great
tribulation period. From the many scriptures in both Revelation and Daniel we
know that the tribulation period will be 3 and ½ years long. Therefore, when we
find out how long both the period of the daily sacrÃfice and the period of the
transgression of desolation, (which we are assuming to be the same as the period
of the great tribulation), we will be able to know how long the daily sacrÃfice
will be. In the next verse we find the answer.
Daniel 8:14 And he
said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctury
be cleansed.
When will the sanctury be
cleansed? I suppose he must be talking of the literal return of Christ to
Jerusalem at the Battle of Armageddon. When Christ literally steps on the earth
in Jerusalem, the sanctury or Holy Place will finally be cleansed of the
Antichrist, the False Prophet, and the abomination of desolation whatever it
consisted of. We don’t know exactly when that will be, but we know it will take
place at the end of the wrath of God during the seventh vial.
At one point in time, I thought that the two thousand and three hundred days signified the amount of time of the daily sacrÃfice, (which will be stopped at the 3 and ½ year point), and the great tribulation period together. Therefore, I took the 3 and ½ years of tribulation which in Scripture is often referred to as 1,260 days and subtracted it from the 2,300 days. The answer I came up with was 1040 days as 2,300-1,260=1040. That brought me to the conclusion that the daily sacrÃfice would last 1,040 days and start 220 days after the seven year covenant had been made.
Many Bible scholars speculate
that the Jewish people will construct the third Temple at that time. Much has
been written about the materials needed for the Temple already being prepared.
The Temple Institute in Jerusalem dedicates themselves to the mission of being
prepared to build the Temple and start the sacrÃfices at the needed time. They
have prepared the sacrificial instruments, have a portable altar, are training
priests in the various rituals that must be performed during the sacrÃfice.
Others have sewn the curtain that will be needed to separate the inner
sanctuary, the Holy Place, from the rest of the Temple. Others are preparing
the animals which will be needed, a red heifer is one in particular that is
being groomed for sacrÃfice.
However, recently, I have been reevaluating the idea that the cleansing of the Temple of the Antichrist happens “immediately after the tribulation of those days.” What was it that Jesus said about “immediately after the tribulation of those days?” Let’s look again at the Gospel of Matthew.
Matthew 24:29-31
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and
the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from the heavens,
and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. 30 And then shall appear the
sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth
mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with
power and glory. 31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a
trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one
end of heaven to the other.
“Immediately after the
tribulation of those days” is the rapture event, not the destruction of the
Antichrist, nor the cleansing of the Holy Place. The cleansing of the Holy
Place would seem to take place after or during the Battle of Armageddon when
Christ lands in Jerusalem, captures the Antichrist, and the False Prophet and
condemns them to the lake of fire. Christ would no doubt remove the abomination
and or the image of the beast which would be the cleansing of the Temple or
Holy Place.
Is there any place in
Scripture that gives us more information about the time period in which we are
talking about? Let us look at Daniel chapter twelve.
Daniel 12:1 And at
that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which stands for the
children of thy people: and
there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation
even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered,
every one that shall be found written in the book.
Of course, “a time of trouble,
such as never was since there was a nation” sounds very similar to Jesus’s own
words about the final great tribulation period.
Matthew 24:21 For
then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the
world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Therefore, Daniel seems to be
talking about the same time period as Jesus’s “great tribulation.”
According to Jesus, “immediately
after the tribulation of those days,” the rapture takes place with His angels
going forth to gather together the elect from the earth. What do we find next
in Daniel 12?
Daniel 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the
dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting
contempt. 3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the
firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and
ever.
Could Daniel 12:2 be referring to the rapture event? Let’s look at Apostle Paul’s description in his epistle to the Thessalonians.
1 Thessalonoans 4:13 But I
would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep
(or have died), that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For
if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in
Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the
Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not
prevent (preceed) them which are asleep (have died). 16 For the Lord Himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we
which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds,
to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Daniel 12:2 seems to be talking about the rapture event. Is verse 3 talking about when the true believers will come before the judgment seat of Christ and receive their rewards, possibly at the marriage supper of the Lamb found described in the beginning of Revelation 19.
After the marriage supper
Jesus returns and it is only then that we see the defeat of the Antichrist and
his forces. It is only then that the sanctury shall be cleansed. [Daniel 8:14]
It is not at the end of the 3 and ½ years of tribulation, but actually near the
end of the wrath of God that the sanctuary will be cleansed by Jesus.
Revelation 11:18 And
the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that
they should be judged, and that thou should give reward unto thy servants the
prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and
should destroy them which destroy the earth.
The above verse may be
confirmimg the idea that as the wrath starts the saints are receiving their
rewards which would be at the marriage supper of the Lamb.
The next verse in Daniel that
seems to be talking about the tribulation period is Daniel 12:7.
Daniel 12:7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the
waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto
heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when
he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all
these things shall be finished.
We believe that the “he” who is scattering the
power of the holy people is the Antichrist as we have seen elsewhere in the
Daniel prophecies and in Revelation 12 and 13. The “time, times, and an half”
signify the 3 and ½ years of great tribulation mentioned by Jesus.
The next important and new information given in
the chapter is found in verse eleven.
Daniel 12:11 And from the
time that the daily sacrÃfice shall be taken away, and the abomination that
makes desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
What is the new information? From Daniel 9:27 and
Daniel 11:30-31 we know the daily sacrÃfice will be stopped at “the midst of
the week,” or in other words, at the 3 and ½ year mark of the last seven years.
But here we see that the abomination that makes desolate shall stand not only for
the 1,260 days of tribulation, but for another thirty days, or until 1,290 days
are fulfilled. Therefore, we can speculate and deduce that the cleasing of the
abomination of desolation by Christ takes place some 30 days after the end of
the tribulation period. After the first 30 days of wrath the abomination of
desolation is no longer in the holy place. Like we read in Daniel 8:14, “then
shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”
But what was the rest of that verse in Daniel?
Let us review it again.
Daniel 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? 14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three
hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
It seems that the angel is
saying that the vision concerning the daily scacrifice and the time that the
abomination shall be standing in the holy place shall be 2,300 days. Therefore,
if the abomination stands for 1,290 days according to Daniel 12:11, then the
daily sacrÃfice will take place however many days it takes to reach 2,300. Or
in other words a total of 2,300 days for the sacrÃfice and abomination, minus
1,290 days of the abomination, equals 1,010 days of sacrÃfice.
If in the Holy Covenant an agreement
is made to allow the Orthodox Jews to reinitiate their daily sacrÃfice on the
Temple Mount, the holy place; if the sacrificing lasts a total of 1,010 days
and is stopped at the midst of the week when the Antichrist breaks the
Covenant; then the sacrificing would begin some 250 days after the signing of
the Holy Covenant. How do we get the 250 days? We know the 3 and ½ years of
tribulation is also spoken of as 1,260 days. The last seven years is divided
into two 3 and ½ year periods: 3 and ½ years of “peace” before the tribulation,
followed by 3 and ½ years of tribulation and war during the tribulation.
Therefore, the first 3 and ½
years is also 1,260 days. If we subtract 1,010 days from the 1,260 days of the
first 3 and ½ year period we get 250 days. That would mean that a little more
than 8 months would pass from the time of the signing of the Holy Covenant
until the begining of the daily sacrÃfice. The daily sacrÃfice would take place
for 1,010 days before the Antichrist breaks the Covenant and stops the daily
sacrÃfice like we have seen in Daniel 9:27 and Daniel 11:30-31.
Daniel 9:27 And he (the Antichrist) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (7
year period): and in the
midst of the week (at the 3 and ½ year mark) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to
cease (stops the sacrÃfice), and for the overspreading of abominations
he shall make it desolate (placing the abomination that makes desolate or that
destroys, which seems to be some type of military armament), even until the
consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Daniel 11:30-31 For the ships of Chittim (USA/NATO bases in Cyprus?) shall come
against him (the Antichrist): therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and
have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even
return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. 31 And arms shall stand on his
part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the
daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
The last verse in Daniel that
we will look at is Daniel 12:12. Again we are given new information and we will
speculate on what it may mean.
Daniel 12:12 Blessed is he
that waits, and comes to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.
In Daniel 12:11 we said that the 1290 days were
the amount of time the abomination which makes desolate would be standing in
the holy place. The great tribulation lasts 1,260 days according to various
scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments. Immediately after the
tribulation the rapture takes place. But the abomination of desolation would
still be standing for the first 30 days of the wrath of God. The wrath of God,
the vials of God’s wrath, follow the tribulation period. But now we have
another 45 days in order to get to 1335 days. 1,290 days plus 45 days equals
1,335 days. What in the world is the verse talking about?
It could very well be indicating the end of the
wrath of God and the beginning of the Millenium period which follows
immediately after the wrath. Those people who lived during the wrath of God and
managed to live through it; those who had not received the mark of the beast,
nor worshipped his image; those people, those anti-antichrists would be surely
blessed to live into the new dispensation period, the Millenium, a 1,000 year
period of peace on earth.
Daniel 12:12 Blessed is he
that waits, and comes to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.
Therefore, wrapping up a bit we see that the wrath of God period would seem to be from the end of the tribulation period which from Scripture is 1,260 days. The Millinium starts at 1,335 day mark, which would mean the whole wrath of God would consists of 75 days. 1,260 days plus 75 days equals 1,335 days. The wrath of God would be 75 days long. After the first 30 days, the abomination of desolation is removed from the holy place. The next 45 days could be the mopping up operation around Israel and or areas controlled by the Antichrist forces. Sometime after the first 30 days of the wrath or during the last 45 days of the wrath, the Antichrist and False Prophet are thrown into the lake of fire and the rest of the Antichrist forces are killed.
Revelation 19:20 And
the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles
before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the
beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a
lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21 And the remnant
were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded
out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.
Revelation 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
The Devil will be bound for a thousand years while the Millenium period is taking place on earth. Thus the anti-antichrists who refused to take the mark of the beast and worship his image and have lived through the great tribulation and the wrath of God will be priviledged to live on into the 1,000 year reign of Christ on earth. They will be given a chance to believe on the Lord Jesus and be saved. Another example of God’s everlasting mercy toward His creation, a God who desires that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.
If you would like to read my online book Where is America in Bible Prophecy? click on the title.
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