The Vision Of The Sanctuary War
The Ram. In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king a vision appeared to me, Daniel, subsequent to the one which appeared to me previously. I looked in the vision, and while I was looking I was in the citadel of Susa, which is in the province of Elam; and I looked in the vision and I myself was beside the Ulai Canal. Then I lifted my eyes and looked, and then, a ram which had two horns was standing in front of the canal. Now the two horns were long, but one was longer than the other, with the longer one coming up last. I saw the ram butting westward, northward, and southward, and no other beasts could stand before him nor was there anyone to rescue from his power, but he did as he pleased and magnified himself.
The Goat. While I was observing, then, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground; and the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. He came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing in front of the canal, and rushed at him in his mighty wrath. I saw him come beside the ram, and he was enraged at him; and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns, and the ram had no strength to withstand him. So he hurled him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was none to rescue the ram from his power.
The Large Horn. Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly. But as soon as he was mighty, the large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.
The Little Horn. Out of one of them came out a rather small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land. It grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth, and it trampled them down. It even magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host; and it removed the regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down. And on account of transgression the host will be given over to the horn along with the regular sacrifice; and it will fling truth to the ground and perform its will and prosper.
The Cleansing On Yom Kippur. Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking, "How long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply, while the transgression causes horror, so as to allow both the holy place and the host to be trampled?'' He said to me, "For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly restored." (Daniel 8: 1-14)
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Symbols
The symbols center around the attack on the sanctuary. It destroyed the building, the furniture, the worshippers and removed their God. It stopped the services on the most important day of their cleansing from sin - the Day of Atonement.
- Worshippers. The little horn attacked the people (host). (Verse 10, 13)
- The High Priest. The commander of the host. (Verse 11)
- Sacrifice. It removed the continual sacrifice. (Verse 11)
- Altar. It set up another altar with four horns. (Verse 8)
- The Laver Or River Of Water. The fight occurred in front of the canal. (Verse 3)
- Sanctuary Animals. The goat and the ram were used on the day of atonement. (Verses 4-5 )
- The Sanctuary. The building was thrown down. (Verse 11)
- Direction: Greek Attack. West, north and south. The only directions in the sanctuary that had walls. (Verse 4)
- Direction: Rome Attacks The People. South, East, Pleasant Land. The direction of the people. (Verse 9)
- Menorah (Lights). It removed the stars (prophets, priests and Word of God). (Verse 10)
- The Holy Place And The Most Holy Place. It trampled the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place. (Verse 13)
- The Laws of God. It magnified itself above the feasts (times) and laws of God and changed them. (Verse 12)
- God. It reached into the Most Holy Place and removed the God of the sanctuary. (Verses 10-11)
- The Covering Cherub. Two "Holy ones" announce that the desecration would last for 2300 years. (Verse 13)
- Yom Kippur. It happened on Yom Kippur (verse 14).
In this choice of symbols we see a remarkable creative quality of God. He was able to repeat the events of the previous two prophecies while exploring it as a religious conquest against His sanctuary instead of a military conquest against His people. The vision of Daniel 8 starts with the Medo-Persian empire, rather than with Babylon, because Babylon is about to fall and technically no longer exists.
| Beast | Interpretation | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ram | Medo-Persia (Daniel 8: 3-4) | |||
1 |  |
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| Male Goat | Greece (Daniel 8: 5-8) | |||
2 |  | The male goat is Greece. (Daniel 8: 21,22). The goat has two meanings in Daniel 8.
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| The Little Horn | Rome (Daniel 8: 9-12) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
3 |  In nature, horns do not grow out of horns. They grow out of heads. This little horn of Daniel 8 grows out of the goat symbolizing another phase of Satan's control in world history. |
And out of one of them came out a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land." "four winds of heaven" (used here, and Daniel 11: 4) it represents directions, or points on the compass. "out of one of them". A little horn comes out of one of the "four winds" symbolizing one of the four directions of the compass. The grammatical structure of the original Hebrew indicates that the word "them" does not refer to the four horns because the word is masculine. The grammar requires that the pronoun have the same gender as the word to which it refers. Horns is feminine and winds is a masculine word. Therefore the pronoun "them" must refer to the winds. Why is this detail important? The little horn does not come out of the remnants of the Greek empire. It is a separate power that arises out of the Satanic goat in one of the four directions. Rome was west of this empire. | ||
| The Conquests Of The Little Horn | ||||
 The little horn grew out of the north west, the direction of Greece. It came to power after Greece.» South: Punic Wars (242-146 BC). Rome conquered Egypt and north Africa. » East: Macedonian Wars (214-148 BC). Rome went to Asia Minor and conquered the Babylonian and Greek empire. » The Pleasant Land (63 BC). Rome conquered Judea and Syria. | ||||
| The Conquests Of Pagan And Papal Rome. Pagan and Papal Rome gained power by removing three rivals. »Physical: Pagan Rome. They conquered the powers in three directions: South (Egypt), East (Greek empire) and Palestine. Three powers fell before Pagan Rome ruled the world, (Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece). » Commander of the Host. Rome crucified the Messiah in 31 A.D. » Magnified to the Commander of the Host. Emperor Augustus Caesar started the cult of the living gods. » Daily Removed. Christ, the Lamb of God, was killed by the Romans under emperor Tiberias. » Host Given to the Little Horn. Israel was given to Rome by emperor Hadrian. » Place Of His Sanctuary Thrown Down. Rome destroyed the temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. by emperor Titus. »Spiritual: Papal Rome. Three powers were uprooted to place it in power -Vandals, Heruli and Ostrogoths. » Magnified To The Commander Of The Host. Pope is god on earth, the representative of Christ. » Daily Removed. The continual ministry of Christ as High Priest was replaced with a human priesthood. » Host Given To The Little Horn. Apostasy caused the church to be controlled by the papacy. » Place Of His Sanctuary Thrown Down. The church will occupy Jerusalem during the final persecution. | ||||
| 4 | The Judgment Of The Righteous (Daniel 8: 14) And he said to me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. (Daniel 8:14) In another study we will look at this prophecy and the one from Daniel 9 concerning this cleansing of the sanctuary. | |||
The Animals On The Day Of Atonement
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"And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house. And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the Lord's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness." (Leviticus 16: 5-10)
Sin Offering: The Lord's Goat
Every sacrificed animal in the Hebrew sanctuary (temple) represented the Great Sacrifice, Jesus Christ. Each pointed toward the sacrifice Christ made as the lamb of God. Jesus paid for the sins of mankind by the shedding of His blood at the cross of Calvary.
The scapegoat was not sacrificed. He cannot represent Jesus Christ.
The goat symbolizing Christ was sacrificed as a sin offering. The high priest would take some of the goat's blood into the Most Holy Place and sprinkle it seven times on the lid of the Ark of the Covenant.
Azazel: The Scapegoat (The Goat Of Removal).
There was a second goat that was not sacrificed. This is the scapegoat who represents Satan. He was not sacrificed for sin, but he is held responsible. The high priest would symbolically take all of the sins that had "accumulated in the sanctuary" during the year and would place them upon his head. He was then led into the wilderness to die far away from the camp of Israel. This symbolically represented the cleansing of the God's house in heaven by a divine judgment after 1798. In this judgment proper blame for the origin of sin is placed upon the head of Satan before his final banishment from the presence of God and His people at the end of time.
This banishment occurs during the millennium and the destroyed earth represents the wilderness where Satan will be confined. The scapegoat is thrown off a high cliff and killed. Satan is killed after the millennium, but He also fell from Mount Zion in heaven after the crucifixion of Jesus. (Luke 10: 18-19)
Burnt Offering: Bull, Ram And Seven Male Lambs.
On Yom Kippur several animals were offered as the burnt offering. It is this ram that the scapegoat attacks in the vision.
The Day Of Atonement
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"Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so he shall do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remains among them in the middle of their uncleanness." "And he shall go out to the altar that is before the Lord, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel.
Satan Hears the Legal Charges against Him. And when he has made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat: And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities to a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. (Leviticus 16: 15,16, 18-22)
The Ram.
A ram was also offered as a burnt offering on this day. This prophecy used this positive image to describe Medo-Persia. Why does it do that?
It follows a trend in the prophecies of Medo-Persia rescuing the people of God. Although at some level this kingdom represents an oppressor of God's people, for some reason, God uses symbols associated with this empire to represent a positive role. Let us explore these other images.
| Medo-Persia | Symbol | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Ram | Ram (Lamb) | Attacked by the Satanic goat that represented both the Greek and the Roman empires |
| Cyrus | Conqueror chosen by God | Cyrus is a type of Jesus who rescues Israel. The Persian empire rescued Israel from Babylon. It was also the only pagan empire that rebuilt the temple of God. The others destroyed it in some way |
| Cyrus and Darius | Kings From the East | Revelation 16: 12. The church will be rescued by the kings from the east who dried up the Euphrates river. Israel was rescued by Medo-Persia which was east of Babylon |
Hattamid: The Continual [Daily]
What is this "daily" or "continual" from Daniel 8: 11-13, Daniel 11:31, and in Daniel 12:11?
The terms "tamid" (continual) and "Hatamid or Hattamid" (THE Continual) refers to an offering that is constantly beng made. According to the Stonng's Concordance, the word "tamid" [continual] occurs 104 times and the word "hattamid" occurs 24 of those times, wa-tamid twice and tamid 78 times.
In fact every instance of the "daily" used in Daniel is accompanied by a prefix which is used only in Numbers 4: 7. This prefix is the definite article "The" and the word "sacrifice" is incorrectly supplied by translators.
Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him THE daily [HaTamid] sacrifice was taken away, and the place of the sanctuary was cast down. And an host was given him against THE daily [HaTamid] sacrifice was taken away by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered. 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 [HaTamid] sacrifice was taken away, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? (Daniel 8: 11-13)
- The Temple Offerings. The concept of a continual was maintained in several ways.
- The Priests. The continuation of the priesthood through the sons of one family of Levites.
- Tamid (Continual). In Leviticus 24 and other places the idea of a continual is preserved in these rituals.
- Fire On the Altar (Coals). This fire on the altar of sacrifice was never put out and the coals were used to burn the incense offering at the altar of sacrifice.
- Prayers. The clouds of incense added as a memorial.
- Breastplate: Names Of The 12 Tribes. They are before the Lord as a memorial (Exodus 28: 29).
- Menorah (Leviticus 24: 1-4). According to Jewish tradition, the western lamp, the light closest to the western wall was never put out. It is this light that was involved in the miracle of Hanukkah.
- The Loaves On The Table of Shewbread (Leviticus 24: 5-9). They were changed every Sabbath.
- Ha Tamid. The word HaTamid was used 24 times.
- Evening And Morning Sacrifice. Numbers 28: 10, 15, 23, 24, 31. Numbers 29: 6, 11, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34, 38. Since living flesh perishes, then by burning a sacrifice evening and morning it simulated a sacrifice that is being constantly made.
- The Bread Of The Presence (Numbers 4: 7). The bread on the table of shewbread, was replaced every Sabbath and it is this offering that is THE continual or the Hatamid.
And upon the table of shewbread they shall spread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dishes, and the spoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover withal: and the continual bread [HaTamid] shall be thereon: (Numbers 4: 7)
It is this Hatamid that the little horn replaced. - The Daily Grain Offerings. Numbers 4: 16. Nehemiah 10: 33
Hatamid. For the shewbread, and for the continual [HaTamid] meat offering, and for the continual [HaTamid] burnt offering, of the sabbaths, of the new moons, for the set feasts, and for the holy things, and for the sin offerings to make an atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God. (Nehemah 10: 33 KJV)
for the showbread row, and grain offering for the continual [HaTamid] and burnt offering for the continual [HaTamid], of the Sabbaths, of the new moons ... (Strong's Concordance. Commas added) - Daniel. Daniel 8: 11-13, Daniel 11: 31 and Daniel 12: 11. The little horn replaced the hatamid
- The Exodus. Notice how a supernatural tamid/hatamid was maintained during the exodus.
- Pillar Of Fire. A pillar of fire moved behind them.
- Pillar of Clouds. A pillar of clouds was above and before them.
- Manna. The Bread from heaven fell daily and double on Friday so that it did not fall on the Sabbath.
- The Sabbath Continual. The giving of Manna also restablished the rhythm of the Sabbath.
Even since creation the Sabbath itself is given as a continual that serves as a memorial of creation. The Sabbath is established by the falling Manna and the renewal of the Bread of the Presence on Sabbaths.
- Jesus Christ. As the Lamb that is bleeding and the indestructible High Priest, the continual life and ministry of Jesus Christ as our sacrifice who gives us rest from sin, our intercessor and High Priest is the Hatamid.
In fact the little horn replaced two important Continuals, the Bread of the Presence and the Sabbath when it usurped the eternal Continual ministry of God's Witnesses and memorials.
The Little Horn
In the sanctuary service blood was collected from the sacrificed animal and placed on the horns of the furniture. This might be a prophecy that the horn is guilty of blood. So just as Yom Kippur transfers blame from the ram to the goat, it also transfers responsibility for blood (death and murder) to the little horn. Papal and Pagan Rome are responsible. However, a popular interpretation assigns the fulfillment of the little horn to the work of a Greek ruler named Antiochus Epiphanes.
- Repetition And Enlargement. Daniel 2 and 7 were about a series of four empires. By the time of this prophecy Babylon was no longer in power, so this prophecy has to be about the remaining three powers.
- Scope. The scope of the prophecies centered on empires first. The ram and the goat were empires, therefore the little horn is also a ruling system, not one individual. If one individual would be of great importance then the prophecy would have pointed to the empire first and then the career of the leader.
- Latter Part Of Their Rule. This verse has traditionally been applied to the four branches of the broken Greek empire.
The Transgressors. In the latter part of their rule, when the transgressors have run their course, a king will arise, insolent and skilled in intrigue. ... He will destroy many while they are at ease, He will even oppose the Prince of Princes but he will be broken without human agency. (Daniel 8: 23,25)
Since the Messiah Prince was never ruled by the Greek empire we must consider this part of the prophecy in a broader scope. It must include Rome. Suppose this prophecy actually teaches the following.
In the last part of the rule of each of these empires a king will arise whose desecration of the sanctuary and opposition to an important prince will be so outrageous that is will a type of the real prophetic fulfillment. So which despots qualified for this infamous honor?- Babylon (Belshazzar). Nebuchadnezzar burned the temple, exiled and enslaved the people, then blinded and imprisoned king Zedekiah. However it was Belshazzar at the end who desecrated the sacred temple treasures in his profane party and was finally destroyed by the Persians that same night. He opposed Cyrus the Great, the king who was a type of Christ.
- Medo-Persia (Darius III). During the reign of Xerxes I, Haman, an official of the court, used Persian law to try to destroy all the Jews. However, these events did not come in the latter part of the Persian empire.
Darius III, the last Persian ruler, was skilled in intrigue. He was placed on the throne by the vizier Bagoas, who had murdered the royal family of Artaxerxes III and hoped to control him as a puppet leader. Unable to control Darius, Bagoas tried to poison him but was forced to drink his own poison. Darius opposed Alexander the great, who could be seen as a "prince of princes". - Greece (Antipchus Epiphanes). He sacrificed pigs blood on the altar, looted the temple, sold the priesthood and tried to force the Jews to accept the Roman gods. He opposed the Maccabeans who became princes. The southern Greek empire in Egypt under Cleopatra and Mark Anthony conspired to overthrow Augustus Caesar.
In a future lesson we will show how Antiochus Epiphanes and other Roman leaders polluted the sanctuary. - Pagan Rome (Hadrian). Titus destroyed the sanctuary by accident, but Hadrian actually persecuted the Jews through malice. He destroyed the entire city, built temples to the Roman gods and exiled the Jews.
- Papal Rome (Pope). All the popes are princes who stand in the place of Christ. They are responsible for the crusades, the inquisitions and doctrines which oppose Christ. Innocent IV was the first to officially sanction torture in the inquisitions (1243-1254). Innocent XI (1676-1689) persecuted the Huguenot and Waldenses. Pope Pius V (1566-1572) and Gregory XIII (1572-1585) were responsible for the Saint Bartholomew's Day Massacre (1572). Although the popes of the middle ages persecuted the church and banned the Bible, yet there will be a final pope whose crime will be much worse.
- Destroyed While "At Ease" (Pax Romana). The crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the destruction of the temple and the exile of Israel occurred during the time of Roman peace called the Pax Romana (27 BC - 180 AD).
After 200 years of war, the Roman Peace started after Augustus defeated Mark Anthony in 31 BC. It began a long period of relative peace and minimal expansion by the Roman military force and before the beginning of the Crisis of the Third Century. The term "Pax" was even minted on their coins and with lavish ceremonies to close the Gates of Janus. - The Prince Of Princes. This statement is a reference to Jesus Christ. So the real fulfillment must be found in the Antichrist who comes during the Roman Empire (the little horn) and after the birth of Prince Jesus Christ (4 BC).
- Broken Without Hand. The little horn with be terminated by the kingdom of God, not by human might.
The Explanation
The explanation of the prophecy is given in verses 19-27.
| Prophecy | Explained in Daniel 8 | Spiritual Parallel | Destruction | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ram | Medo-Persian Empire | Jesus Christ | The Place. Sanctuary trampled | |||
 | Two Horns | » | Kings of Media and Persia | » | Human and Divine natures | |
| Goat | Greek Empire | Fallen and corrupted Earth | ||||
| Great Horn | » | First king (Alexander the Great) | » | Satan | |
| Four Horns | » | Breaks into four kingdoms | » | Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome | |
| Little Horn | Fierce King (Rome) | Antichrist | ||||
| Sanctuary Trampled | » | Rome burned the sanctuary in 70 AD | » | There was war in heaven | |
| Great to heaven | » | Mighty but not by his own power | » | Has an army of evil angels | |
| Magnified to Prince of Princes | » | Stands up against Jesus Christ. Claims to be god | » | Covets the throne of God | The People. Host (Jews, Christ and Christians) trampled |
| Cast down stars | » | Destroys the mighty and holy people | » | One third of the angels fell | |
| The host was given to it with the daily | » | Host. The mighty and holy people | » | He got the earth and people | |
| » | Daily. Papal Rome assumed the role of priest and intercessor | » | He became our constant and continual accuser | Laws, High Priest and Offering. Laws trampled. High Priest killed like an animal | |
| Removed the continual from the Commander | » | His policy causes craft and deceit to succeed. Sacrifices stopped in the sanctuary | » | He deceived Adam and Eve. Humans turned away from God | |
| Magnifies Himself | » | Removes laws, changes times and laws, Sabbath. Claims duties of God | » | He gave the curses. Changes time from 40 to 42 and 28 to 30 | |
| Sanctuary Restored | He will be broken without hand (human agency) | Defeated by God | |||
 | 2300 days | Not Explained | ||||
Then I, Daniel, was exhausted and sick for days. Then I got up and carried on the King's business; but I was astounded at the vision, And there was none to explain it. (Daniel 8: 27)
How could Daniel say that the vision was not explained? If you review verses 19 to 27 you will see that the only thing that was not explained was the 2300 days. In the next vision in chapter nine, the angel returns to explain a vision about time.
The People Of God
The place, people and laws of the sanctuary were trampled. How did this happen? We will explore why the people of God were handed over to the little horn.
It even magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host; and it removed the regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down.
And on account of transgression, the host will be given over to the little horn along with the regular sacrifice [daily]; and it will fling truth to the ground and it will perform its will and prosper. (Daniel 8: 11-12)
The record says that they were put under the rule of the little horn because they sinned. This is the curse being fulfilled. God handed them over to their enemies so that they would be ruled by their enemies. Each apostasy accomplished all desolations, but a major event in the global desolation was fulfilled when each group of people were handed over.
- Christ ("The Commander Removed"). He became sin and was given over to Rome to be crucified in 31 A.D. His body temple was destroyed. As far as heaven was concerned, the daily sacrifice of animals could legally stop because the perfect sacrifice was made. The commander of the host was killed.
- Israel ("The Place Of The Sanctuary Removed"). They sinned by rejecting Christ and Rome destroyed their temple in 70 A.D. The daily was forced to stop when the place of the sanctuary was torn down..
- Christians ("The Daily Removed"). They sinned by apostasy and Pagan Rome handed them over to Papal Rome in 538 A.D. The continual ministry of the heavenly sanctuary was removed through the apostasy as earth looked to human intercessors. Under these conditions, they were able to do their will and fling truth to the ground by changing the laws and ceremonies of God.
The Pattern: Jesus The Ram
This vision was also the pattern of future events. Jesus is the ram with two horns (human and divine). The higher horn came up at the end because the divine would reclaim the human at His resurrection. He was attacked and killed by the scapegoat Satan on Passover 31 AD, the beginning of the day of atonement. That scapegoat has prospered for 2000 years through the little horn power. At the end of time the day of atonement events will conclude when the scapegoat appears alive before the people in the false second coming. Then his original fate will be imposed as he is banished during the millennium.
Spiritual Warfare: The Destruction Of The Sanctuary (Numbers 10)
Numbers 10 is the law about the disassembly of the sanctuary and people during the exodus. Our exodus began after the crucifixion with Christ leading as our High Priest. This prophecy suggests that because of transgression we were handed over to the little horn of the scapegoat who usurped the place of Christ and tore down the true sanctuary on the day of atonement. These are the steps in transporting the sanctuary and people.
First, the priest leads the people.
- Angel Of The Lord Leads. One angel came to comfort Christ in Gethsemane (Luke 22: 43).
Guardian Angel. Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. (Exodus 23: 20) - The Cloud. The cloud indicated when they were supposed to begin their exodus (Exodus 40: 34-38).
Jesus ascended in a cloud (Acts 1:9) and He will return with clouds to lead us back to heaven (Revelation 1: 7). - Ark Of The Covenant. Christ keeps the covenant and earns the right to be High Priest and King.
- High Priest. Christ the High Priest leads the people to worship the Lord.
- Judah ("East"). Christ the King from the tribe of Judah leads the people on an exodus until they reject Him.
The First Alarm. But when you blow an alarm, the camps that are pitched on the east side shall set out. (Numbers 10: 5)
Sounding The Alarm. Although four sides set out, yet an alarm is only blown when the first two leave on their journey. Why? Trumpets sound for several events. The rules state here that an alarm is sounded for war.
War. When you go to war in your land against the adversary who attacks you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, that you may be remembered before the Lord your God, and be saved from your enemies. (Numbers 10: 5)
So the tribes of Judah and Reuben are attacked by the enemy. Christ is the ram who was attacked and killed over 3.5 days by Satan, the scapegoat (Daniel 8: 7), but the little horn attacked the holy people over 3.5 prophetic years.
 Ark of the Covenant  | The Goat Attacks | The Little Horn Attacks |  Holy Objects Arrive |  | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moses Aaron | Judah |  |  Gershon | Merari | Reuben |  |  Kohath | Joseph | Dan | ||||
 Led By Christ (Priest-King) | Sanctuary Destroyed | Church Afflicted | Sanctuary Restored | People Reunited | Wicked | ||||||||
| Passover Ram Killed | "Lord's Goat" Christ Killed | Jews Afflicted | Martyrs | ||||||||||
| Eastern Tribes | 31 AD | Southern Tribes | 1798 | 1844 | West (Pleasant Land) | North | |||||||
Rejection. Christ was rejected by both branches of the church. So each was turned over to Rome.
- Jews Rejected Christ (31 AD). For 3.5 years after the crucifixion, the disciples ministered to the Jews.
- Covenant (34 AD). The covenant was given to the Gentiles through Jesus.
- Temple (70 AD). The temple was burned to the ground.
- People (135 AD). The people were exiled from Jerusalem and both groups separated.
- Christians Rejected Christ. The church was exiled to Rome 400 years after the division of the kingdom.
- Covenant (31 AD). The eternal covenant was made with Christ and it will never be given to another.
- Temple (300 AD). The religion was corrupted and the people fell into apostasy.
- People (538 AD). The church was given to Rome for 1260 years.
Transgression. When the people rejected the leadership of Christ and went astray, they were given up to the little horn because of transgression. Then the little horn destroyed everything (Daniel 8: 9-14).
And on account of transgression the host will be given over to the horn along with the regular sacrifice; and it will fling truth to the ground and perform its will and prosper. (Daniel 8: 12)
- Sanctuary Torn Down. The sanctuary is destroyed by removing the ceiling and then the building.
Then the tabernacle was taken down and the sons of Gershon and the sons of Merari, who were carrying the tabernacle, set out. (Numbers 10: 17)- Gershon ("Ceiling"). The little horn grew up to heaven and cast down some of the host and stars.
- Merari ("Building"). The sanctuary and fence were thrown down and trampled.
The little horn moved the heavenly sanctuary to the earth and trampled on it.
But the testimony is that God kept the pieces of the sanctuary safe among two groups. One has knowledge about heavenly things, and the other carried knowledge about the sanctuary system. A prophecy in Ezekiel shows that the Christians are entrusted with knowledge about Christ as our High Priest in heaven and the Jews with knowledge about the laws, feasts and sanctuary until God unites them and restores complete knowledge about the Plan of Salvation. Both groups kept the temple treasures safe. - Ark Of The Covenant ("Laws And Throne"). It changed the Ten Commandments and took the place of God.
- Reuben ("South"). The little horn trampled down the host and stars. The people were afflicted. The Second Alarm. When you blow an alarm the second time, the camps that are pitched on the south side shall set out. An alarm is to be blown for them to set out. (Numbers 10: 6)
An alarm is sounded for this phase of the church because they are being attacked by their enemies. The early church was attacked and slaughtered by the little horn for 1260 years. - Kohath ("Furniture Or Holy Objects"). The little horn successfully trampled truth and changed the ordinances. It took away the holy objects.
- Altar Of Sacrifice ("Offering"). The sacrifice of Christ which was done once for all is killed repeatedly on their altars as the Eucharist in the doctrine of transsubstantiation.
» Daily Stopped ("Continual"). While the sanctuary and furniture are disassembled and in transit, the continual offering cannot be burned. People confessed to human priests, not Jesus Christ.
» Manna ("Continual"). Note that during the exodus, before the sanctuary was built and while the sanctuary was in transit, the continual existed in the form of the manna from heaven.
So even in transit, the continual does not stop simply because the sanctuary has been disassembled. - Laver ("Washing"). Baptism was replaced with sprinkling.
- Menorah ("Light"). Darkness replaced the light of the Gospel. Bible reading was forbidden.
- Table of Shewbread ("Bread and Wine"). Passover was replaced with something inferior and Pagan.
- Altar Of Incense ("Prayer"). Praying to the true High Priest was replaced with a human priesthood and dead saints.
The Horror Of The Great Transgression. The little horn placed all the holy objects under its jurisdiction. The testimony of God is that what the little horn did was a horrible transgression that was equivalent to tearing down the building and the people, maliciously stepping on them and smashing them into the dirt. - Altar Of Sacrifice ("Offering"). The sacrifice of Christ which was done once for all is killed repeatedly on their altars as the Eucharist in the doctrine of transsubstantiation.
- Sanctuary Restored. The sanctuary is restored after 2300 days so that the holy people will find truth.
Then the Kohathites set out, carrying the holy objects; and the tabernacle was set up before their arrival. (Numbers 10: 21)
Notice that two sequential events occur.- Sanctuary Restored. Knowledge of the sanctuary will be restored before the great awakening and reunion. The Millerite movement of 1844 began this study of the sanctuary.
God is restoring knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. - Sanctuary Science Restored (21 December 2008). On the first day of Hanukkah, God began revealing wonderful models of all sciences in the structure of the Mishkan - Moses' sanctuary.
God is restoring knowledge of Himself as the Creator. - Kohatities Arrive With the Holy Objects. The righteous people in the south, who are now one group, will possess the holy truths that have been tarnished and neglected. The sons of Kohath camp in the south and many prophecies suggest that at the time the two branches of the church reunite, they will be symbolically waiting in the south. So here they are, the people of the south, with the holy truths.
- Sanctuary Restored. Knowledge of the sanctuary will be restored before the great awakening and reunion. The Millerite movement of 1844 began this study of the sanctuary.
- Joseph ("West"). The people are vindicated and restored and their reproach is removed. Joseph, who receives a double inheritance, now represents the two united branches of the church, Jews and Gentiles. No alarm is sounded when they set out. The implications are that God is with us and we do not need to sound an alarm to call Him to battle because we stand silent as He fights for us.
The Battle In The Silence. The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent. (Exodus 14: 14)
At this phase of the church we are on the offensive until we are actually safe in heaven. For those who fear the time of trouble, this is encouraging. We will win battles like Joshua, Gideon and David did! - Dan ("North"). The little horn will be judged and punished as a serpent by God. No alarm is sounded because God is already at war during the judgment and the battle of Armageddon.
Spiritual Warfare: The Day Of Atonement
Daniel 8 has always been presented here as a Yom Kippur drama because of the symbolism of a broken sanctuary. Then I recently learned from the Talmud and others about Erev-Boker.
- The Sanctuary Symbols. The structure of the sanctuary is being maliciously destroyed.
- Day of Atonement Animals. The clean animals and the battle between the goat and the ram both signal a Passover ram and a Yom Kippur scapegoat. Since all sacrifices were fulfilled on Passover and Jesus was therefore the Yom Kippur Lord's Goat, then the prophecy could not present two goats in battle - the Lord's Goat and the scapegoat. The Passover death makes the Ram precedent over the Lord's goat image to represent Christ.
- Evening-Morning ("Erev-Boker"). The "daily" or "continual" sacrifice as animals were described as "Morning Evening" sacrifices except for Yom Kippur which uses the "evening morning" order.
Continual Oil. Command the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamps to burn continually. Without the vail of the testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it from the evening unto the morning before the Lord continually: it shall be a statute for ever in your generations. (Leviticus 24: 2-3)
Yom Kippur. It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath. (Leviticus 23: 32) also Exodus 27: 20-21
Continual "Morning-Evening" "Boker-Erev". The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb shalt thou offer at even; (Numbers 28: 10)
In the Genesis 1 creation we see the order of time as "evening morning". This also points to a Yom Kippur drama, which then points to normal time when holiness is restored - a recreation.
Repetition and Enlargement
Daniel has another vision about the same empires. At the time the vision was given, Babylon was about to be conquered by the Persians. Therefore, you will notice that this nation was no longer mentioned. It is no longer prophecy, it is history.
Again, let us take a look at the symbolism. They were important because of the audience and the specific details being introduced.
- Precious Metals. To Nebuchadnezzar, the symbolism of wealth would immediately help him to understand the value of each successive kingdom. It also reminded him of the pagan view of time. This cyclic time will be interrupted by the Rock.
- Wild Beasts. To the Jew, the symbolism of an attack on the nation by wild beasts would lead them to think of the curses of the covenant.
- Yom Kippur Animals. To the Jew, the symbolism of the ram and the goat would invoke images of Yom Kippur and the cleansing of the sanctuary. This fact is very significant because Daniel 8: 14 introduced the cleansing of the sanctuary. This prophecy describes the attack on the sanctuary during Yom Kippur.
| Power | Daniel 2 | Daniel 4 | Daniel 7 | Daniel 8 | Additional Information | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metal Man | Tree | Wild Beasts | Yom Kippur | |||
| Repetition | Enlargement | |||||
| Babylon | Head of gold | Leaf, fruit | Lion | - | Not mentioned because Babylon is about to be conquered | |
| Medo-Persia | Chest of silver | Stump, axe | Bear | Ram | Two horns one is higher than the other. Same as the bear with one side higher than the other. The higher horn came up last is a new detail | |
| Two Arms | Two sides - one higher | Two Horns - one higher | ||||
| Greece | Belly and thighs of brass | Brass band | Leopard | Goat | The Goat came from the west. Had a great horn which was later broken into four horns at a time when he was very strong | |
| Four heads | Four horns | |||||
| Rome (Pagan) | Legs of iron | Iron band | Terrible beast | Little horn | Horizontal | The terrible nature. The two phased attack |
| Rome (Papal) | Little horn | Vertical | A religious power with a big mouth | |||
| Europe | Ten toes (Iron and clay feet) | Roots in clay | Ten horns | Little horn | Not mentioned because it is the little horn that becomes significant in the rest of the prophecy - not the ten horns | |
| Kingdom of God | Rock | Holy Ones | Judgment | Sanctuary cleansed | A judgment scene - specifically Yom Kippur | |
