HIS WAY IS IN THE SANCTUARY
Part 12/32 - Stephen Bohr
THE SANCTUARY SHALL BE CLEANSED PART 1
I would like to begin by reviewing what we have studied in our last two lectures. Basically I want to go through the sequence of powers that are mentioned in Daniel chapter 2 and Daniel chapter 7.
- The first power, and we are going to Daniel 7 as our example, the first power is a lion, represents what kingdom? Babylon.
- The next kingdom is what? Meado-Persia.
- The third kingdom, the leopard kingdom is what? Greece.
- Then we have a terrible dragon beast, that has iron teeth, and what nation does that represent? It represents the Roman empire.
- Then from the head of that dragon beast comes forth what? 10 horns. And those represent the divisions of the Roman empire, into which the Roman empire was divided when it broke up in the year 476.
- And then among the 10 rises what? A little horn, a nasty Little Horn, and does all kinds of wicked things, and it rules for how long? It rules for 1260 years, and that period begins when? In the year 538 when the Ostrogoths were defeated, the third of the three horns was ripped out by the roots and it continued until what date, the Little Horn? 1798.
And then you noticed that we have the next scene is what? THE JUDGMENT. So after what date does the Judgment take place? It has to be after 1798. But it also happens before probation closes, before Jesus comes. Because we noticed in Revelation chapter 14 which says, “Fear God and give glory to Him for the hour of His Judgment has come” while the gospel is still being preached. Probation can’t have closed, if the gospel is being preached. And only after the third angel’s message do you have Jesus sitting in a cloud with a sickle coming to harvest the earth.
And so we noticed in our study, that the Judgment takes place sometime between 1798 and the close of probation, although we are not told exactly what the precise date is. All we have is the parameters.
But the prophecy that we are going to study in this evening’s lecture as well as our next one, regarding Daniel chapter 8, we are going to notice that Scripture pinpoints the exact date when that Judgment was going to begin. So let’s turn in our Bibles to Daniel chapter 8, and the first thing we are going to notice in this chapter is that it does not begin with Babylon like chapter 7 and like chapter 2. There is no symbol for Babylon. In fact in Daniel chapter 8, the vision begins with Meado-Persia.
Now, you might be wondering, “Pastor Bohr, why does the vision of Daniel 8 begin with Meado-Persia, if Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 begin with Babylon?” Now, the traditional interpretation that has been given in the Adventist Church is that Babylon is about to pass from history. But the fact is this vision is taking place in the year 550 BC and Babylon was not going to fall for another 11 years. There is another more important reason why Babylon is not in this vision of Daniel chapter 8. And let me explain the reason succinctly.
You see, the 2300 days that are mentioned in this prophecy, begin during the period of the Persian empire. And so the vision begins ~ now listen carefully ~ the vision begins where the 2300 days begin. You see the 2300 days do not begin in the kingdom of Babylon. They begin during the period of the kingdom of Persia. And therefore, the 2300 days prophecy begins with Persia and that’s the reason why this vision begins with Persia and not with Babylon. Are you understanding the reason? It is a very important reason. And we will have reason to come back to this a little bit later.
Now, let’s go to Daniel chapter 8 verse 1 and move through this magnificent prophecy. It says there in verse 1 “In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar…” I mentioned that this is the year 550 BC, it says, “In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me—to me, Daniel—after the one that appeared to me the first time…” Which is the one that appeared to him the first time? The one that is found in the previous chapter, in Daniel chapter what? Chapter 7.
Now, listen carefully. The word for “vision” here, is a very important word. You see, in Daniel chapter 8 there are two different words for vision and unless we understand that, we are not going to reach correct conclusions as we study this chapter. The word that is used here for “vision” where it says, “In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared to me” is the Hebrew word חזון [châzôn khaw-zone'], remember that because it is very, very important.
Now, let’s go to verse 2, “…. I saw in the vision…” once again the word חזון [châzôn khaw-zone'], “… I saw in the vision and it so happened while I was looking…” notice the emphasis on eyesight here, “… that I was in Shushan…” which is one of the capitals of the Meado-Persian empire, “… the citadel…” which is the capital, “… which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in the vision…” once again for the third time the word חזון [châzôn khaw-zone'] is used to describe the “vision”.
So it says in verse 2, “ I saw in the vision…” חזון [châzôn khaw-zone'] “… and it so happened while I was looking, that I was in Shushan, the citadel, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in the vision…” that is חזון [châzôn khaw-zone'] “… that I was by the River Ulai….”
Now, let’s go to verse 3, “… Then I lifted my eyes and saw…” notice once again the emphasis on visions, seeing, there’s tremendous emphasis on this, “… Then I lifted my eyes and saw and there, standing beside the river, was a…” what? “… a ram…” just one beast, but now notice what it continues saying, “… which had two…” what? “… two horns…” So this is one nation that is composed of two kingdoms, as horns represent kingdoms. So it is one nation composed of two kingdoms. In other words, two kingdoms in one nation. So, it continues saying, “… which had two horns and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher one…” what? “… came up last.”
So, you have two horns, one is higher than the other and the higher one comes out how? Last. Now, you should have received two sheets tonight. One of the sheets has the dynasty of the Meads and Persians. Now, if you look at that chart ~ we are not going to look at it carefully right now because we don’t have the time ~ from the year 539 when the Meads and Persians began to rule, till the year 522, all of the kings were Meads except for Cyrus who was half Mead and half Persian. But from the year 522 till the year 331 almost 200 years, every single king was Persian. So, what was the nation that became more powerful last? It was the Persians. And interestingly enough, after Daniel chapter 8, everytime that this kingdom appears in prophecy it is no longer called Meado-Persia, it is called Persia. Because the Meads have basically disappeared and now Persia is ruling. Are you understanding my point? And you can see it on that chart. Prophecy is specific and exact on this point.
Now, this battle that we are going to see here at the beginning of Daniel chapter 8 is taking place on a horizontal level on earth. There is no indication that these nations are in controversy or in conflict with God. This is a geographical fight among nations on a horizontal level. There is no fight against God in the early part of the chapter.
Notice Daniel 8:4. Oh, by the way, do you remember that the bear was raised up on one side? Hah! In Daniel chapter 7. And here we have 1 horn that’s what? That’s higher than the other. See, it’s parallel.
Now, Daniel 8:4 “ I saw the ram…” which represents the Meads and Persians, “… pushing westward, northward, and southward…” How many ribs that the bear has in its mouth in Daniel 7? Three! And here the ram conquers in three directions. Westward would be Babylon in 539, northward would be Lydia in 546, and southward would be Egypt in the year 525. And it continues saying, “… so that no animal could withstand him; nor was there any that could deliver from his hand, but he did according to his will and became great.” Now, remember that. The ram became what? The ram became great. That’s important.
Now, we have another power that rises. Go with me to Daniel 8:5 “And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west…” It’s interesting, “… a male goat came from the west…” Do you know that Greece is west of Persia? And you know that Daniel was in Persia when he received this vision? And so he sees this beast coming from the west. What nation does this beast represent, this he-goat? Greece! Interesting, even the points of the compass are precise and exact. And so it says, “And as I was considering, suddenly a male goat came from the west across the surface of the whole earth, without…” what? “… without touching the ground…”
What beast represented Greece in Daniel chapter 7? A leopard. Is a leopard swift? Yes. But the leopard had what? Four wings of a bird, super swift. Here the he-goat represents the same power, it is so swift that it is flying. Have you ever seen a flying goat? Oh, my, he is really conquering in a hurry. And by the way, as I mentioned yesterday, the prophecy tells us that Alexander the Great who is represented by a notable horn ~ in fact let’s read it, and then I’ll tell you something about Alexander the Great. It says that this he-goat “… without touching the ground and the goat had a…” what? “… a notable horn between his eyes…” which later on in chapter 8 says it represents the first king of this nation which is Alexander the Great.
Alexander the Great moves from Athens all the way to the Indus valley, in three years he conquered the known world. And he died when he was only 33 years old of a drunken binge because he didn’t have anything more to do, he didn’t have anything more to conquer. Amazing. He was swift.
Notice Dan 8:6-7. “Then he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing beside the river, and ran at him with furious power. And I saw him confronting the ram; he was moved with rage against him, attacked the ram, and broke his two horns. There was no power in the ram to withstand him, but he cast him down to the ground and trampled him; and there was no one that could deliver the ram from his hand.” Is this battle still taking place horizontally on earth? Is this an earthly battle? Any indication that the he-goat has any bone to pick with the Lord? Absolutely not. This is a geographical fight among nations on horizontal level.
Now, let’s notice Daniel 8:8. “Therefore the male goat grew…” what? “… very great…” Aaaah, the ram grew what? Great. Now we see that the he-goat grows what? Very great. Don’t forget that, because we are going to come back to it. “Therefore the male goat…” which represents Greece, “… grew very great but when he became strong…” in other words at the climax of its strength, what happened? “… the large horn was broken…” Alexander the Great died when Greece was at the apex of its power, in a drunken binge like I mentioned. And notice what happened. It continues saying, “… and in place of it four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven.”
How many heads does the leopard have? The leopard has four heads. Now, how many horns come when this great horn is broken? Four. So Daniel 7 and Daniel 8 are parallel prophecies.
Now, you need to understand what happened after Alexander the Great died. After he died there was a struggle among his generals to gain power in the kingdom. And for a while, sometimes there were three kingdoms, sometimes there were four kingdoms, sometimes there were even two kingdoms. But finally, four kingdoms emerged from what had been Alexander’s empire.
I want to read you a statement that is found in a book by W.W. Tarn “Hellenistic Civilization” page 6 where he explains these four kingdoms. He says this, “By 275 three dynasties descended from three of his generals and they were well established: the Seleucids…” ~ which by the way ruled from 312 to the year 63BC ~ he says, “…the Seleucids ruled much of what had been the Persian empire in Asia. The Ptolomies…” who ruled from 323 to 30BC “… ruled Egypt, and the Antigonids…” who ruled from 283 to 168, “… ruled Macedonia…” and then he says this, “a fourth European dynasty, not connected with Alexander, the Attalids of Pergamum…” 263-133, “… subsequently grew up in Asia Minor at Seleucid’s expense, and became great by the favour of Rome.”
So the four kingdoms that arose, four stable kingdoms that lasted a significant period of time, were the Seleucids, the Ptolomies, the Antigonids, and the Attalids in Pergamon. Now, I want to just mention that many scholars, probably most Roman Catholic scholars and Protestant scholars believe that the Little Horn that is going to come from these four horns at the four winds represents a nasty individual called Antiochus Epiphanus. He was a Syrian ruler that ruled from the year 171-163 BC. I want to tell you that I do not share the idea that this Little Horn of Daniel 8 that comes forth from the four horns represents Antiochus Epiphanus. Because there are too many parallels between the Little Horn of Daniel 7 and the Little Horn of Daniel 8 that indicate that this represents the same power.
Let me just mention some of those parallels:
- First of all both are referred to as a horn. And even though Daniel 7 and Daniel 8 are in two different languages, Daniel 7 is in Aramaic and Daniel chapter 8 is in Hebrew, the same Hebrew word קרן [qeren keh'-ren] is used to describe the horn, the identical word for the horn of Daniel 7 and the horn of Daniel 8.
- Secondly, both are described as “little”.
- In the third place, both of them become great after they had a small beginning.
- In the fourth place, both are described as persecuting powers.
- In the fifth place, the persecution is against the same target group, that is against the people or the saints of the Most High.
- In the sixth place, both of them are self-exalting and blasphemous powers.
- In the seventh place, both are distinguished by crafty intelligence, one has the eyes of a man in Daniel chapter 7, and in Daniel chapter 8 the Little Horn understands riddles and cunning and deceit.
- Number 8, both of these represent the final power that will rule upon this earth.
- Number 9, both of these horns have to do with prophetic time.
- Number 10, both of these horns extend until the time of the end.
- And number 11, both of the horns are supernaturally destroyed when Jesus comes.
- In other words the Little Horn of Daniel 8 represents the same power as the Little Horn of Daniel chapter 7.
Now, there is a problem.
In Daniel chapter 7, the Little Horn rises from the head of the fourth beast.
In Daniel chapter 8, the Little Horn rises from one of the four horns, that were part of Alexander the Great’s broken up empire.
So you see, it gives the impression that in Daniel chapter 7 this Little Horn comes from Rome, but in Daniel chapter 8, this Little Horn comes from one of the four divisions of the empire of Greece, the empire of Alexander the Great.
Well, this problem is not as difficult as some people would believe.
Now, let’s go to Daniel 8:9, it says here, “And out of one of them…” that is out of one of the four horns at the four winds, “… came a…” what? “… a little horn…” now listen carefully, “… which grew…” what? “… exceedingly great…” is there a progression here? The ram was what? “Great.” The he-goat was what? “Very great.” And the Little Horn is “exceedingly great” That’s why I don’t believe this Little Horn can be Antiochus Epiphanus. Antiochus Epiphanus was a non-entity in history, he wasn’t greater than the Meads and Persians and the Greeks. There are other reasons why this Little Horn is not Antiochus Epiphanus, and so notice what it continues saying, “…And out of one of them…” that is out of one of the four horns to the four winds, “… came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, …” that’s Egypt, “… toward the east…” that is towards Greece, Asia Minor and Syria, “… and toward the Glorious Land….” that is Israel.
Now, listen carefully, there is one kingdom that conquered in those three directions to rise to power and that nation was what? Rome. If you look at history, you’ll find that Rome conquered the south: Egypt; it conquered toward the east: Greece, Asia Minor, and Syria where the previous power had ruled; and the Glorious Land which is what? The Land of Israel.
Now, listen carefully to what I am going to say.
In Daniel chapter 8 the Little Horn represents both pagan Rome and papal Rome. And you’ll notice as we study this prophecy, that the Little Horn at first conquers only horizontally and geographically, but suddenly that Little Horn that is only conquering according to this, where? The south, the east and the glorious Land, suddenly he shifts. And now he is fighting against whom? He is fighting against the God of Heaven. Is this true of what happened in Daniel 7 with Rome? The iron monarchy of Rome conquered how? Horizontally. But then suddenly the Little Horn which is also Rome now does what? It speaks blasphemies against the Most High and it persecutes the saints of the Most High and it thinks it can change the law of the Most High.
And you say why is this Little Horn portrays as coming from one of the four kingdoms that came from the kingdom of Alexander the Great. Let me tell you why. The reason why is because historian such as Virgil ~ have you ever heard of Virgil? Seneca, and other historians of Rome make it very clear that Roman religion and Roman civilization and Roman culture had their origins in Asia Minor, specifically in Pergamon. And that was one of the kingdoms into which the kingdom of Alexander the Great was divided. In other words, it is strictly true that the Roman empire grew out of Asia Minor, it grew out of the kingdom of Pergamon, which was one of the four kingdoms that were formed after the fall of Alexander the Great.
Now, let’s go to Daniel 8:10. By the way if you are interested in studying this more extensively, I wrote a document it’s about 30 pages long on the whole message of Daniel chapter 8 and it has a lot more material than what I am able to present here tonight and in our next lecture. So if you really want to get into an indepth study of these things, I have quotations from historians and so on showing that Roman civilization, religion, culture, arose from one of those kingdoms of Greece.
Now, let’s go to Dan 8:10. Suddenly this Little Horn who is only concerned with conquering geographically and horizontally, suddenly like the Little Horn of Daniel chapter 7, it starts fighting against the God of Heaven. Now his fight becomes vertical. Notice Dan 8:10 it says, “And it grew up to the…” what? “… to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them.” Now the question is, what is represented by “the host” or by “the stars”? You know, we might be tempted to think that they were angels but somehow I don’t think that the Little Horn was able to grab the angels and throw them to the ground and trample on them. In fact the Bible uses the word “host” not only to describe the heavenly host of God but to describe His earthly people, His earthly armies because in Scripture the Church is described as what? As an army. Let me prove that.
Go with me to 1 Sam 17:45, this is speaking about the time that David met Goliath, and it says there, “Then David said to the Philistine, ‘You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the…” what? “… of the Lord of hosts…” and now notice who the hosts are, “…the Lord of hosts, the God of…” the what? “… of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”
So what is the “host”? The armies of what? The armies of Israel.
So what is this Little Horn doing? Who is he casting down? In Daniel 7 it says that the Little Horn would persecute the saints of the Most High, so here “the stars” or God’s “hosts” represents what? It represents God’s people. Later on in the chapter we are going to find this very clearly expressed.
And so the first thing that this Little Horn does is the same thing as the Little Horn of Daniel 7. He persecutes the saints and he throws them to the ground and he tramples them. But then you notice in Daniel 8:11 that he goes even further. It says in Dan 8:11 “He even exalted himself as high as…” whom? “… as the Prince of the host…” the leader of the host, in other words, “… and by him…” that is, by the Little Horn, “… the daily sacrifices…” you need to delete that word “sacrifices” because it is not in the Hebrew, it is only the word “daily” and we will come to that in a minute, “… and by him…” that is, by the Little Horn, “… the daily was…” what? “… was taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was…” what? “…the place of His sanctuary was cast down.” Interesting!
Now the question is who is this “Prince of the host”? Well, this identical expression is used in only one other place in the whole Bible. The “Prince of the host” is not translated the same, but it is the identical expression. Joshua 5:13-15, let’s find out who this “Prince of the host” is, from whom “the daily” is taken away, and “the Sanctuary is cast down.”
Notice Joshua 5:13, this is outside the city of Jericho and we have read this once before. And Joshua meets this Man with a sword in His hand, “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, ‘Are You for us or for our adversaries?’ So He said, ‘No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.’…” That expression “Commander of the army of the Lord” is the identical expression to “Prince of the host”. It’s not translated the same but in Hebrew it’s identical. “… So He said, ‘No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.’ And Joshua…” what did Joshua do? Oooh, it says, he “… fell on his face to the earth and worshiped…” what? Was this a common ordinary man? A! A! This was Jesus. “…and said to Him, ‘What does my Lord say to His servant?’ Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, ‘Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.’” Who was that Prince of host? It’s none other than Jesus Christ.
So what did the Little Horn do? He even attacks the Prince of the host, Jesus Christ, and he takes away from Jesus what? The daily! And he casts the Sanctuary to the ground. And you say, what is meant by that? The daily?
As I mentioned, the word “sacrifice” is not there, it is added by the translators but it is nowhere to be found in the original Hebrew. You see, the translators, they felt that this Little Horn represents Antiochus Epiphanus and Antiochus Epiphanus eliminated the sacrifices in the temple for three years, so they got their thinking that it was Antiochus Epiphanus, they are translating “daily sacrifices.” The fact is, that the word “daily” here is an adjective that has no noun to qualify. The word simply means “something that goes on, and on, and on, without interruption.” In other words it’s a technical term and it should be understood not as an adjective although technically it is, it should be understood as a noun.
And of course the question is, he took away the daily what?
Well, it must have something to do with the Sanctuary, right? Because the whole theme of Daniel chapter 8 is the Sanctuary, correct? Even the two animals that you find in Daniel chapter 8 are the two most important animals of the Sanctuary. The daily service, morning and evening, a ram animal sacrifice, and the yearly service a he-goat was sacrificed. So, God is saying, by choosing these two beasts, the central theme of Daniel 8 is what? The Sanctuary.
So the question is ~ the Little Horn took away the daily ~ the question is, the daily what? Well, we need to look at the answer in the Sanctuary. Is that word used in connection with the Sanctuary? It most certainly is.
Now, allow me to tell you that this word is used in connection with the ministry of the priests in the Court and in the Holy Place of the Sanctuary. It’s never used to refer to anything that the priest do in the Most Holy Place. It is used to refer to what he did in the Court and in the Holy Place of the Sanctuary. Let me mention several verses where this very word תּמיד [ tâmı̂yd taw-meed' ] is used.
Exodus 28:30 and we are going to go there quickly. Exodus 28:30. The high priest who ministered in the Holy Place, the Bible says that he ministered continually. Notice what it says there, “And you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim…” we have read this once before, “… and they shall be over Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the Lord. So Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel over his heart before the Lord…” what? “… continually…” that’s the word תּמיד [ tâmı̂yd taw-meed' ].
Notice the similar language in Hebrews 7:23-25 where it talks about Jesus. Hebrews 7:23-25, speaking about the old system, it says, “Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing…” See that word “continuing”? They couldn’t continue because they what? Because they died. But now notice, “… But He, because He…” what? Aaaah, “… He continues forever, has …” a what? “… an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He…” what? “… always lives to make intercession for them.” Is the intercession of Jesus continual? Is it תּמיד [tâmı̂yd taw-meed'] ? See, it shouldn’t really be translated “daily”, it should be translated “continual.”
Notice Exodus 29:42 the sacrifices that were offered morning and evening are also referred to by the word תּמיד [ tâmı̂yd taw-meed' ] continual. It says, “This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the Lord, where I will meet you to speak with you.” Notice, the offering was what? The “continual burnt offering.”
The fire that was used to burn the sacrifices was also a continual fire. Notice Leviticus 6:13, it says, “A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.” In other words it was to be burning continually.
The Table of Showbread, the bread on the table is called the continual bread. Notice Exodus 25:30 “And you shall set the showbread on the table before Me always.” It is translated “always” but it is the word תּמיד [ tâmı̂yd taw-meed' ]. It could be translated “And you shall set the showbread on the table before Me continually.”
Notice also that the 7 Lamps of the Holy Place are called the continual lamps. Leviticus 24:1-4, it says here, “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ‘Command the children of Israel that they bring to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to make the lamps burn…” what? There’s the word, “… continually. Outside the veil of the Testimony, in the tabernacle of meeting, Aaron shall be in charge of it from evening until morning before the Lord continually…” there’s that word again, “… it shall be a statute forever in your generations. He shall be in charge of the lamps on the pure gold lampstand before the Lord continually.’…” once again the same word.
So the continual refers to the sacrifice, to the ministration of the priests in the Holy Place, to the fire that was offered in the Court, it refers to the Showbread, it refers to the 7 Lamps, it also refers to the Golden Altar of Incense in the Holy Place.
Notice Exodus 30:8 it says, “And when Aaron lights the lamps at twilight, he shall burn incense on it, a…” what? Well the translation says “… a perpetual incense…” it’s the same identical word. It could be “… a continual incense before the Lord throughout your generations.”
Now, let me ask you, what did the Altar, and the Lampstand, and the Showbread, and the priests, and the Altar of Incense represent? They represented different aspects of the saving ministry of whom? Of the saving ministry of Jesus Christ.
Now notice the place of the Sanctuary was going to be what? Cast down to the earth. Where does Jesus minister? He ministers in the heavenly Sanctuary. What was the Little Horn going to do? The Little Horn was going to take the heavenly ministry of Christ and he was going to cast it where? He was going to cast it to the earth. He was going to establish a rival earthly ministry in place of the ministry of Jesus Christ.
Let me ask you, how many times does Jesus have to die? The book of Hebrews 7:27 says that He died once for all. But in the Roman Catholic church they teach that at every mass Jesus Christ is sacrificed once again. Interesting. But there is more.
They believed that in the little wafer host, Jesus is contained in each one of those wafer host. If there is 10 million people participating in the host, Christ is fully and complete in each one of them.
Furthermore, the interesting thing is, that is this little host is what shape? Round. And what color is it? It’s yellow. What is round and yellow? The sun!
Now, listen carefully, the host is kept in an artifact that is called the Tabernacle.
In other words, it’s a little circle, and the host is placed inside, and outside the place where you put the host, there are the rays of the sun sprouting out. I don’t know if you have ever seen that in the Roman Catholic church, but it is very interesting. And Catholics are told that when the host is raised up, they are to bow and they are to what? They are to worship the host, because Jesus is in the host.
Furthermore, listen to what I am going to say, the Roman Catholic Church teaches, that when the priest pronounces those words, “Hoc est corpus meum” [= that is My body], he says it in Latin, in the traditional way, what he does is he creates Jesus Christ, really and truly in the host. And the host is no longer bread, even though it appears like bread, the appearance doesn’t change but it is the real body of Jesus Christ, and the grape juice or the wine that the priest drinks, is the real blood of Jesus Christ, even though it tastes like grape juice.
So where is the focus of people in Roman-Catholicism? Is it upon the body and blood of Jesus Christ, in heaven, who died once for all for us? No, it is focused where? It is focused on earth. And an earthly system cannot save. This is very, very serious!
In fact do you know that one Roman Catholic theologian said, that the priest could be called the creator of his Creator, because he creates Jesus in the host? Amazing!
What does the Candlestick represent? We already studied this. What does the Candlestick represent? It represents the oil of the Holy Spirit that is given to the church so that the church can give what? So it can give light. What happened during the period of the dominion of the Little Horn? The light flickered. That’s why it was called what kind of ages? It’s called the Dark Ages. Because the Church no longer preached the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is spoken of as Light in Scripture. In other words, it affected the mission and the message of the Church.
What about the Showbread? What does the Showbread represent? The Showbread represents the Word of God. 12 loaves because there is enough to feed all of Israel, all of God’s people.
What did the Roman Catholic Church establish in place of the Word of God? Tradition! All kinds of traditions came into the Church: purgatory, limbo, celibacy, auricular confession, an eternally burning hell, Lent, processions, the mass, relics, canonization of saints, the rosary, bowing before images, the immaculate conception, the assumption of Mary, the baptism of infants by sprinkling, novena, the observance of Sunday, I could continue the list. None of which are taught in Holy Scripture.
In other words, instead of the Word of God being the rule of the Church, the result was that the Church established traditions and therefore people were starving to death on earth.
By the way, at the Council of Toulouse in the year 1229, the Roman Catholic Church officially forbade lay people from reading the Scripture. And there were other decrees by other councils where people were forbidden from reading the Bible. That’s the reason why Martin Luther, even when he was a monk, when he discovered the Bible he was surprised, because the Bible was not accessible, it was in Latin. In fact, people like Wycliffe, you know, when he translated the Bible into English, they burnt him at the stake, for translating the Bible into a language that people could understand. And so the Roman Catholic Church substituted, instead of the Bible, it substituted tradition.
Let me ask you what does the Altar of Incense represent? The Altar of Incense represents that when we pray our prayers are blended with the perfect merits of Christ’s righteousness and we are accepted in the sight of God.
Question: what did the Roman Catholic Church establish in place of the only intercession of Christ? We have one Mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ, the man, Scripture says. What does the Roman Catholic Church teach? They say that we are supposed to confess to whom? We are supposed to confess our sins to a priest, an earthly priest! And not only that, they say that if we want access to Jesus Christ, we have to go through the virgin Mary, and we have to go through the saints. Do you know why they teach that even though they would never admit it because in their theological formulations they don’t say this, but in practical reality, it is this way. You see, because Jesus is seen by the Roman Catholics as a stern judge. See, He was human, but He really was not exactly like one of us. So we have to go through someone who can really understand us, like Mary and like the saints. And so what do we have happening here? All of the functions that belong to Jesus Christ in the heavenly Sanctuary, what does the Papacy do? What did the Little Horn do? It took all of those functions and it placed them where? And it placed them on earth.
Let me ask you, is salvation at stake here? It most certainly is. Are you understanding what the taking away of the “daily” is? He took away the continual ministration of Christ: He is feeding the Church with the bread, He is interceding for the Church, He is giving the Holy Spirit to the Church so that it could shed light, the preaching that Jesus died once for all for the sins of the world.
And by the way, the Roman Catholic Church also established the idea that, you know, you have to do penance in order for your sins to be forgiven. So it wasn’t enough for Jesus to die on the cross! You still have to do part of the payment yourself. Are you understanding what Daniel here is talking about? It’s very serious, it has to do with salvation.
Now, let’s go to Daniel 8:12, it says, “Because of transgression…” listen carefully, “… an army was given over to the [little] horn to oppose the daily [the word “sacrifices” shouldn’t be there]…” What does that mean “an army was given over to him”? What did we talk about when we dealt with the feet of the image? What were joined together? Church and what? State. How did the Church make sure that people kept this system going that we talked about? The Church couldn’t do it as a church, they had to have an army, they had to have a political power to back them up. Is that exactly what happened during the Dark Ages? Did the Church appeal to the power of the State to punish anyone who is not in favor of their beliefs and their practices? All you have to do is read the history books.
And so it says, “Because of transgression an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily…” not the “daily sacrifice”, “… the daily, and he cast truth down to the ground…” and now notice, “… He did all this and…” what? “… and prospered.” Did the Little Horn prosper when it was persecuting the saints? Absolutely, it prospered. Things went well.
Was it necessary to perform a judgment in Heaven to rectify things? You think? Absolutely! And we are going to be coming to that in a few moments. Now notice, it continues saying ~ and by the way, the word that is used here “prospered” is the same idea used in Daniel chapter 7 for the Little Horn.
Now, when we get to this point of the vision, the video goes blank, and now Daniel can only hear the audio.
Daniel 8:13-14, the video goes blank, now he is not seeing, he is only hearing. He’s hearing a conversation between two angels. “Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, ‘How long will the vision be…” that is the word חזון [châzôn khaw-zone']. Now, let me ask you, what does the חזון [châzôn khaw-zone'] include? It includes the whole vision, right? Does that include Meado-Persia? Does it include Greece? Does it include the first king of Greece? The four horns? The Little Horn in its first and second stages? That’s the vision, that’s the חזון [châzôn khaw-zone'].
And so the question is, “how long” ~ a better translation would be “until when” will the חזון [châzôn khaw-zone'] be concerning the daily [elimate the word “sacrifices” it is not there] and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?’…” You know we have a similar scene to this in Revelation 6:9-11. There you have some martyrs that are crying out from under the altar, this is the fifth seal, I wished we had time to speak about this in the same historical time frame. And they are crying out and they are saying ~ because they have been mowed down by the Church, that claims to be the Church of Jesus Christ, but they are crying out and they say, “Lord, until when…” same question, “… will You not judge and avenge our blood on those who have shed our blood upon the earth?”
Now, notice verse 14 “And he said to me, ‘For two thousand three hundred days…” literally it says in Hebrews “for two thousand three hundred evening morning” in other words, units that are composed of evening and morning, in other words “days”, translation “days” is good, “… ‘For two thousand three hundred days then…” what? “… then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.’”
Now, listen, there is a very interesting nuance here, before Daniel 8:14 the word that is used for Sanctuary is the word מקּדש מקדּשׁ [miqdâs miqqedâsh mik-dawsh', mik-ked-awsh'] but in Daniel 8:14, the word for Sanctuary is changed. Instead of the wordמקּדשׁ קדּש [miqdâsh miqqedâsh mik-dawsh', mik-ked-awsh'], it uses the word קדשׁ [qôdesh ko'-desh]. Interesting. The Sanctuary shall be cleansed. It’s not the entire Sanctuary that’s been talked about, it must be something different, because a different word is used. Are you understanding me?
So the Sanctuary to be cleansed is not the מקּדשׁ מקדּשׁ [miqdâsh miqqedâsh mik-dawsh', mik-ked-awsh'] the whole Sanctuary structure, it is the קדש [qôdesh ko'-desh ] which must refer to the Most Holy Place of the Sanctuary, and we’ll notice that a little bit later on.
Now, notice Dan 8:15-19 “Then it happened, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision…” the חזון [châzôn khaw-zone'] “… and was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me one having the appearance of a man…” That word “appearance” is the same word as translated “vision” we are going to notice in verse 16. Notice, so it says, “… and was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said…” what did he say? “… ‘Gabriel, make this man understand the מראה [mar'eh mar-eh']…” see if you are only reading in English, you wouldn’t know that a different word was used for “vision” here.
It’s not the word חזון [châzôn khaw-zone'] it’s not referring to the whole vision, but a different word is used, the wordמראה [mar'eh mar-eh'] which is the same word that is used here where it says, “One appeared to me one “having the appearance of a man…” the word “appearance” is מראה [mar'eh mar-eh']. The word מראה [mar'eh mar-eh'] is used in connection with the 2300 days. With that particular conversation between the two heavenly beings.
Verse 17 “So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, ‘Understand, son of man, that the vision…” this is the חזון [châzôn khaw-zone'] “… refers to the time of the end. Now, as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me, and stood me upright. And he said, ‘Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time the end shall be.’”
And then he goes on to explain the vision that we just looked at. Let’s go to Dan 8:20 quickly, we have very little time. “The ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are…” what? “… the kings of Media and Persia…” now comes the explanation, verse 21 “… And the male goat is the kingdom of…” what? “… Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king…” Verse 22, “… As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four…” what? “… four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power…” in other words they are not going to be the descendents of Alexander the Great. Is he explaining the vision? Absolutely, the whole vision.
Verse 23 “And in the latter time of their kingdom…” that is of the four, “… when the transgressors have reached their fullness, a king shall arise…” this is the Little Horn by the way, “… having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes…” You know he is a crafty politician. Verse 24 “… His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power…” why not by his own power? Where is he going to get his power from? What was given to him? An army was given him. In Daniel 7 who was it that helped him? The iron monarchy of Rome, the iron mixed with the clay. And so it says, in verse 24, “… His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power, he shall…” what? “… destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive…” we already saw that, “… he shall destroy the mighty, and also…” what? Aaahh, there’s “the host” explained. He was going to destroy what? “… the holy people…” that’s “the stars” that he was going to trample.
Now, comes the last part with has something to do with the Prince of the host. Verse 25,
“Through his cunning…” so, he is a shrewd politician, “… he shall cause deceit…” he is using deceit “… to prosper under his rule; and he shall exalt himself in his heart…” Is he going to be a hardy power like the Little Horn who spoke blasphemies against the Most High? And tried to occupy the place of the Most High? Absolutely! And notice, and “… He shall destroy many in their prosperity….” And now notice the last part, “… He shall even rise against…” what? “… against the Prince of princes…” that’s the same as the Prince of host, right? Is he explaining every element of this vision? Absolutely. And then he says, “… but he shall be broken without human means.” But there was one part that he did not explain. The one part he did not explain was the conversation between the two angels. The time period. He ends with the Prince of princes.
Let’s notice verse 26:“And the vision…” this is the מראה [mar'eh mar-eh'] the conversation of the two, the appearance,“And the מראה [mar'eh mar-eh'] of the evenings and mornings…” see, we know what the מראה [mar'eh mar-eh'] is, it has to do with the 2300 days of the evenings and mornings, “…“And the vision of the evenings and mornings which was told is true; therefore seal up the vision, for it refers to many days in the future.’” What was the only thing that was not explained in Daniel chapter 8? The 2300 days aspect. Do you know why? Because Daniel got sick.
Notice verse 27 “And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days; afterward I arose and went about the king’s business…” And now listen carefully. “… I was astonished by the vision…” that is the מראה [mar'eh mar-eh'] not the חזון [châzôn khaw-zone']. Have the חזון[châzôn khaw-zone'] been explained? Yes. “… I was astonished by the מראה [mar'eh mar-eh'] but no one…” what? “… no one understood it.” He understood the חזון [châzôn khaw-zone'] because God told him through Gabriel. Everything upto the Prince of the host. But the only thing that was left unexplained was what? The time period. The 2300 days.
Now the big question is, how can you know where the 2300 days end if you don’t know where they begin. Daniel doesn’t tell us where they begin. Where would you expect to find in the Bible the place where it will tell you where the 2300 days begin? How about the next chapter? We are going to notice in our next study, that the next chapter tells us the exact date for the beginning of the cleansing of the Sanctuary.
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