Chapter 10: 2300 Days, Daniel 8:14.
Following are two of the most difficult passages in Daniel to grasp, at least for me they were. One of several reasons being the Chaldean and Hebrew words Daniel has sprinkled here and there, and are not found anywhere else in the O.T. To get a handle on the following two verses is to get a clearer understanding of God’s long-term timeline for the four empires we find prophesied in Nebuchadnezzar’s image in Daniel 2.
They also lay out a timeline for the Jews, for Israel and for that one parcel of land on top of Mt. Moriah David had purchased for God around the year 974 B.C., the holy place where Solomon’s Temple once stood.
The context of the first of the two, begins with the Medio Persian empire, the Greeks, Rome, and far into the future, until the last days of the tribulation have ended.
I will cover Dan.12:11-12 in my next article. Also, in another article we must discuss the 30 Year period between Jesus birth in October of 4 B.C. and His Baptism by John and the Holy Spirit in October of 27 A.D.
Daniel 8:13, 12:11, and the 30 years lay out for us a clearer time line and will help us to unravel the whole of God’s end time puzzle.
Here are the two verses:
Dan.8:13, “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?”
Dan.12:11, “From the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waits and comes to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.” We will cover Dan.12:11-12 later.
Let’s begin with Daniel 8-9:10-11, this will set us up for verse 13.
Daniel had his vision in the “third year of the reign of Belshazzar the last king of the Babylon who ruled from 549 to 539 B.C. In the third year of his reign, that would be the year 546 B.C. Daniel’s vision begins with a Ram having two horns. The Ram represents the coming Medio Persian empire. Medio Persia’s hay days began with the defeat of king Belshazzar of Babylon on October/29/ 539 B.C., 7 years after Daniel’s vision.
Some 200 years would have passed after the dream, when Daniel sees a great goat having one notable horn. This represents Alexander the Great and his armies around the years 333 or 331 B.C. Alexander goes on to destroy the armies of the Medes and Persians, as prophesied, but his death would come early in his life, the year, 323 B.C.
Following are the verses in Dan.8:10-11-12.
“Therefore the he goat (Alexander the Great) waxed (grew) very great: and when he (the he-goat) was strong, the great horn was broken (Alexander dies); and for it (in place of it) came up four notable ones (Alexander’s four generals, Seleucus 1 Nictor; Lyasimacus; Cassander and Ptolemy) toward the four winds of heaven.”
The four generals would divide Alexander’s conquests among themselves, each taking a part of the conquered territory as their prize.
Verse 9, “And out of one of them (the four horns) came forth a little horn (this would represent the future family of king Seleucid,) which waxed (grew) exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land (Israel).”
Seleucus in August of 312 B.C. returned to Babylon and conquered what remained of Babylon with a small force. This marked the birth of the Seleucid era. On our calendar it would be marked, October 7, 312 B.C., but, on the Jewish or Macedonian calendar it would be April 3ed 311 B.C., around the Jewish Passover.
311 B.C. would be the beginning of the Seleucid era, but King Seleucus would at a later date consolidate the whole of the kingdom in the early months of 281 B.C. He reigned until his death in August or September of 281 B.C.
Seleucus would be followed by his son Antiochus 1 Soter. He would then be followed by his son Antiochus 2ed surnamed (The God). A succession of sons made the succession of kings continued until the last of the family gave way to the Romans in 63 B.C.
The following two verses include the last years of Babylon, which then take us into the Greek empire and stop when Rome is in power. It was prophesied that Rome would declare war with the Jews and with Christian’s.
Daniel 8:10-11, And it (a little horn) waxed (grew) great even to the host (the Israel of God) and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground (Christian’s) and stamped upon them (the church and gospel of Jesus under-foot). Yea, he (the he-goat) magnified himself even to (unto) the prince of the host (Jesus Christ), and by him (Jesus, the prince of the host) the daily (Temple) sacrifice (blood offerings) was taken away (at the cross) (Jesus being the last offering for the Jews) and (then) the place of his sanctuary (The Temple and Holy of Holies in 70 A.D.) was cast down (destroyed by the Romans who were sent by God in 70 A.D. to fulfill the words of Jesus.)”
Words spoken by Jesus in early April of 31 A.D., 2 or 3 days before the cross.
Matthew 23:38, “Behold, your house (the people, the land, the Temple) is left unto you desolate (abandoned by God).”
Let me paraphrase the above,
Daniel 8:10-11, After Alexander’s (the he-goat’s) death, his four generals Selencus 1 Nictor; Lyasimacus; Cassander and Ptolemy (4 notable horns) would divide the Empire and rule as kings.
But, one (the little horn) would rise above the others, his name, Selencus 1 Nector. By the early part of the year 281 B.C. Seleucus 1 Nictor had consolidated the whole of the empire, but was murdered in August or September of the same year. From his seed came his son Antiochus 1 Soter, who became the first of the line of Antiochus’s.
Over the centuries (they grew great in strength and authority) the generations of Antiochus’s would torment the Jews, as would the Romans. Between the two empires, they killed, enslaved, desecrated and attempted to destroy the Jews and Christians for the next 800 years.
But it didn’t end there, this fourth beast, Secular Rome, found new life in what was called the Holy Roman empire, the Catholic church beginning in the middle of the 5th century A.D. The church grew in wealth, strength, authority and influence. It ruled over vast areas of the old Roman empire, especially in Europe. The church picked up where Secular Rome left off. Born of the perverted Church doctrine was the man Mohamod and his new religion of Islam. (I’ll post my findings in a separate article on Mohamod and Islam.)
The nation of Israel would be caught between these two raging beasts who, to this very day are waging a spiritual war against Israel and non-Catholic Christian’s.
Acts 4:25-26, “Why did the heathen rage, and the people (the Jews) imagine (plot) vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the LORD, and against His Christ.”
Eleven of the apostles were killed by 68 A.D., as was Paul, several years before the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem except for John.
John was sent to Patmos by the Roman Caesar Domitian during his persecution of Christians. John was saved by God in order to completed his work concerning end time prophesy found in the book of Revelation. This book was written in 95 or 96 A.D. The revelations given John and his last three letters would fill in the last pieces of the end time prophesy puzzle.
The Medes, Persian, Greek kings, Roman Caesars, Popes, Mohamod, and every king and dictator to this day have all magnified themselves above the prince of the host, Jesus Christ.
Let’s move on to,
Dan.8:12, “And a host (gentile Christian) was given him (Jesus) against (over) the daily (continual) sacrifice (blood offerings of the Jews in the temple) by reason of transgression (because the Jews violated God’s law), and it (the transgression), cast down the truth (the gospel message) to the ground; and it practiced (they continuing their rejection of Christ and the gospel) and it, (the transgression against Christ) prospered (increased).”
The question, “how long” was asked by one of the saints (or Holy ones),
Daniel 8:13, “How long shall be the vision concerning the daily (perpetual animal) sacrifice and the transgression of desolation (rejection of Christ and the gospel) to give both the sanctuary (where the Holy of holies once stood, but now where the Dome of Rock stands) and the host (Christian’s and Israel) to be trodden under foot (by the Gentiles)?”
The answer,
Daniel 8:14, “Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”
One of the keys for understanding this prophesy is to get the full impact of the word “days” in verse 14. The whole period of time Nebuchadnezzar’s image represents from the head of gold to the feet and toes of iron and clay is measured in years, not days. From 605 B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar began his reign until this very day, almost 2600 years have passed.
We also see that the 70 weeks of years were measured not in days but years, 490 to be exact. Also, the number of years the Jews spent in captivity was measured in years. So, to be constant, I understand the 2300 days to also mean years.
The word “DAYS” in verse 14, consists of two words (“ereb” & “Boger). Nowhere else in Scripture is this combination of words used. Daniel continues, “then” (being a word of time future) “shall (without doubt), the sanctuary (where Holy of Holies stood in the Temple) “be cleansed” (meaning purged, made clean, free and justified.”
“Ereb” is used as a noun masculine singular. it represents a period between light and darkness: The Jews reckoned two evenings to one day: The paschal lamb was to be killed (as Jesus was) between, or in the middle of the two evenings,
The second word “Boger” means the morning, which peeps or looks out, and separates from the night. This represents the Light; Malachi 4:2, “Unto you that fear my name shall the Son of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings—.” But since the cross the Jews and the Land have remained in darkness as they continue to be trodden under foot by the gentiles.
Paraphrased, verse 14 reads,
“The Light of Jehovah withdrew from them (the Jews), and there would be a time of (2300 years) that the nation of Israel shall exist between two darkness’s; and between these two darkness’s, the Jews and the land shall suffer scourging and punishment from the lashes and rods of their enemies as prophesied, for 2300 years.”
Now the most obvious question is, “When did the 2300 years begin?”
In Daniel 8, the text and context speak of the Greeks, the chest and arms of bronze; followed by the Romans, the legs of iron, and the feet and toes of iron and clay mix.
The 4 main players of the Hellenistic state builders had died. Cassander in 297, Diadochi who took Cassander’s place died in 275 B.C. Ptolemy died in 282 B.C., Lysimachus in 281 and Seleucus toward the later part of the year 281 B.C.
After Seleucus death, his sons and their sons followed, each considered themselves to be gods; and all hated the Jews. The empire had been consolidated toward the later part of the year 281 B.C. If we add 2300 years to 281 B.C., we come to the month of October 2019 A.D., the same year the modern state of Israel will complete a full 70 years of statehood, that day, May 13th 2019.
Sometime between April 18th and October of 2020, may be the catching away Rapture) of the church, and the start of the seven years of tribulation.
From Sept.30 to Oct.1, 2019 is the day of Atonement. This is the Jews holiest day of the year. This day for the Jews is to provide prophetic insight regarding the 2ed coming of the Jewish Messiah, the restoration of national Israel, and the final judgment of the world. I believe they are going to get their insight like never before!
Also, it is to reveal the High Priestly work of the Jewish Messiah, He who is after the order of Melchizedek. This will be fulfilled, but not exactly the way the people of Israel had hoped for.
The rapture of the church will open the door for the beginning of the tribulation. Those who remain behind will understand that the time of God’s wrath and His vengeance are about to be unleashed on the world. Seven years will pass, and I believe it will end sometime around the Jewish New Year, Yom Kippur 2027.
September 22, 2027 will usher in the new day, possibly the 1000 Year reign of Jesus Christ.
Phillip LaSpino www.seekfirstwisdom.com