Daniel. Lesson 9. Reverend Rodger J. Gredvig. Interpretation 48 Hellenization of the Region 48. The 2300 Days 49

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1 Daniel Reverend Rodger J. Gredvig Lesson 9 Chapter 8 Interpretation 48 Hellenization of the Region 48 Abomination of Desolation 48 The 2300 Days 49 Personal Application Daniel 9: Much of the history associated with Daniel 8 is intertestamental, that is, it occurred during the time between the Old and New Testaments, roughly 420 BC (end of Malachi) to ca. 4 BC (Jesus birth). Chapter 8 reveals another shift in presentation, this time from Aramaic to Hebrew, presumably to indicate that the following vision was meant for the Jews (see earlier comments in the Introduction). This chapter deals with the middle kingdoms of Medo-Persia and Greece. In chapter 2 they were described as the chest and arms of silver and the belly and thighs of bronze on Nebuchadnezzar s statute, in chapter 7 as the leopard and the bear, and now, in this chapter, as a ram and goat where the details of their demise are elaborated. The Ram and the Goat Daniel s vision occurred in the third year of Belshazzar s reign (8:1), putting it two years after the vision in the previous chapter (7:1), and coinciding with Cyrus s formation of the Medo-Persian alliance in B.C. In the vision Daniel finds himself in Susa within the province of Elam, standing near the Ulai Canal (8:2). Susa, once the capital of Elam, was the setting for most of the story of the book of Esther. The ruins of the city are in present day Iran, and the area was hotly contested during the Iranian-Iraqi war of the 1980s. It remains a vital crossroads at the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the Persian Gulf, and eastern trade routes. The vision consists of a two-horned ram charging to the west, north and south (8:3-4). The second was a goat with a single great horn, who charged eastward, shattering the ram s horns and trampling him (8:5-7). After the goat s victory over the ram, his great horn was broken off and replaced by four other horns (8:8). Out of one of these four horns, yet another smaller horn emerged to exercise power against the Beautiful Land (8:9). This small horn would even presume to take over the heavens and God s throne doing away with daily sacrifices and desecrating God s sanctuary and his seat of truth (8:10-12). 47

2 Daniel Reverend Rodger J. Gredvig Chapter 8 Lesson 9 Daniel then asked how long this abomination would last, and was told 2,300 evenings and mornings, then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated (8:13-14). Interpretation Here, Daniel leaves no doubt as to the identity of the kingdoms. They are clearly labeled as Medo-Persia and Greece. The angel Gabriel (v.16) is instructed to tell Daniel the meaning of the vision. He said: I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end. The twohorned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king. (Daniel 8:19-21) The two-horned ram is undoubtedly the Medo-Persia Empire led by the longer horn, Cyrus, who pushed west, north, and south (8:3-4) into Babylonia, Arabia, Syria, Asia Minor, and Egypt to establish what would become known as the Achaemenid Dynasty of the Persian Empire ( B.C.). Later, the single great horn of the goat represents Alexander III (the Great), who between 336 B.C. and his death in 323 B.C. pushed back and conquered Asia Minor, Syria, Egypt, and Medo-Persia (8:5). Alexander s sudden death (some say by swamp fever, others say poison) stopped the Greek invasion at the height of its dominance. Since Alexander left no written provision for the rule of his Macedonian Empire, Alexander s four generals divided the conquered lands among themselves. Seleucus took Persia, Mesopotamia and Syria. Lysimachus assumed control of Asia Minor and Thrace. Cassander grabbed Macedonia, and Ptolemy secured Palestine and Egypt. But infighting and dissension eventually caused Macedonian unity to collapse. Forty years of war between the Diadochi ( Successors ) ensued before the Hellenistic world settled into four stable power blocks: the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, the Seleucid Empire in the east, the Kingdom of Pergamum in Asia Minor, and the Macedon Kingdom in Greece. Gabriel s revelation of four weaker horns indeed came to pass (v. 22). It may be noted that the four horns also parallel the four heads of the leopard (7:6). Hellenization of the Region Going back to the ram, or the reign of Cyrus the Persian, we see God s hand in history as Cyrus frees the Jews from their exile in Babylonia and allows them to return to their beloved homeland. This is well documented in 2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:2-4; 6:3-5. Under the leadership of Sheshbazzar, Zerubbabel, Nehemiah and Ezra (Ezra 1:8; 7:8; Nehemiah 2:7-11; Zechariah 4:9), and furthered by the prophetic ministries of Haggai and Zechariah (Ezra 5:1-2; 6:14), they returned to Jerusalem to rebuild their city and temple. Later when Alexander conquered the region, Israel came under the influence of Greek culture, specifically the Seleucids. Judah was now squeezed between these two ruling powers, the Ptolemies of Egypt and the Seleucids of Syria. Both domains sought to control Palestine, both promoted Hellenism. Many Palestinian cities were won over to the Greek way of life with its elected representatives, proliferation of gymnasiums and amphitheaters, Greek style of art, aesthetics and, of course, language. Furthermore, the influence of Hellenism brought with it a melding of many religions, including homage to the Greek pantheon. All these influences were threats to the Jewish faith and way of life. Abomination of Desolation The small horn of Daniel 8:9ff (not to be confused with the little horn of Chapter seven, 7:8ff) refers to the Greek Seleucid dynasty. This horn grew out of the one of the four divisions of the empire. Since it set itself against the Beautiful Land, an obvious reference to the Holy Land (cf. Jeremiah 3:19; Ezekiel 20:6, 15), and since its range was south and east (8:9b), it must refer to some ruler among the Syrian Greeks of the Seleucid dynasty. Therefore, there is little doubt that it refers to Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Antiochus, with his adopted name God Manifest (Epiphanes), ascended to the Seleucid throne in 175 B.C. with the intent to abolish Jewish ceremonialism and force the Jews to conform to Hellenistic culture. He looted the temple in Jerusalem, sacked the city, forbade Sabbath-keeping, outlawed circumcision on pain of death, set up pagan sacrifices within the temple, and burned the Torah scrolls. Finally in 167 B.C., he erected an idol of Zeus and defiled the temple altar (1 Maccabees 1:54-61; 2 Maccabees 6:1-6). His attack on the stars of heaven 48

3 Daniel Reverend Rodger J. Gredvig Chapter 8 Lesson 9 (the Jewish people), and upon the altar as God Manifest were direct assaults on God himself ( hosts of heaven ) predicted by Gabriel. The identity of the Prince of the host, whom Antiochus opposes, is more difficult to ascertain (8:11a). a. He may be Michael, the archangel prince who stands as the protector of the Jewish people (12:1; cf. Josiah 5:13-15), b. He could be the Messiah (cf. 9:25), c. Possibly he is Onias III, the high priest in Jerusalem whom Antiochus deposed and had executed (2 Maccabees 3:1; 4:7; cf. Daniel 11:22). d. Or he is God himself, the Prince of princes (8:25), which seems most likely given the context. The 2300 Days What is probably the most difficult portion of Chapter 8 to interpret is the reference to the 2300 days. Three major, but quite different, interpretations are most often posited. If the period of time the angel is alluding to covers the time from the beginning of the desecrating of the temple by Antiochus to its re-consecration by Judas Maccabaeus, then somehow 2300 has to mean the three and a half years that the desolation lasted (i.e., from mid-167 B.C. to late 164 B.C.). In order to be able to calculate that from 2300, some suggest it is half that number, namely 1150, interpreting the evening and morning sacrifices as 2 units per day. This would come nearer to the 1260 days or 3 and half years duration of the desecration, but not that precisely. Historian Josephus indicates that the time Antiochus took and held Jerusalem by force before being expelled in the Maccabean revolt was three years and three months. Using the Jewish reckoning of lunar years (360 days) and lunar months (30 days), this computes to 1170 days, which, while not the exact figure of 1150, is closer. completeness. Thus, this interpretation is saying that the re-consecration occurred before it was too late, or just in the nick of time, so to speak. A third theory is that 2300 stands for years not days (as it does in Ezekiel 4:6 and Numbers 14:34), so dispensationalists, who are fond of this theory, measure the starting date as 457 BC (the announcement to rebuild the temple by the Persian King, Artaxerxes), and the concluding date as 1844 AD. This was popular with the Millerites in the 19 th century, and now with modern day Seventh Day Adventists who still promulgate this interpretation. Less popular theories include the 1 year can equal 50 years principle (derived from the Jubilee observance). They would refer to John 2:19-20 where Jesus said Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then the Jews said, It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days? The math works out to 2,300 years divided by 50 = 46 years. Such manipulation of figures, however, requires seeing Medo-Persia and Greece as symbolic for Jews and Christians, which is not consistent with the Daniel 8 text. Still others see the number as symbolic and may have other meanings not yet determined. In any case, there is a lot left to speculation. As we will see in subsequent chapters, there is the spiral aspect of prophecy to consider, that is, the immediate application during the time of the hearer, and an additional prophetic meaning tied to the revelation of the gospel in the time of Christ. After all, the angel kept saying seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future (8:17, 26). The angel s admonition may also explain why these revelations are in Hebrew and not the more familiar Aramaic of the time. Much more will be revealed in the next narrative. Another theory suggests the number 2300 is equivalent to 6.3 years (2300/365) or 6.4 years (2300/360) according to the Jewish calendar of 360 days a year. In either case, it would be just less than 7, the usual number for 49

4 Daniel Reverend Rodger J. Gredvig Chapter 9:1-19 Lesson 9 Personal Application Daniel 9:1-19 Lord God Almighty, you have directed civilizations and nations, chastised stubborn empires and governments. Keep my heart from being hardened in order that your Holy Spirit can lead me in the paths of righteousness. In Jesus name. Amen. 1. In verse one we are told Darius the Mede was made ruler over Babylonia rather than became ruler. What does this suggest about who really was the supreme ruler of Medo-Persia? (6:28, 10:1) 2. Although Ezekiel, Daniel, and Jeremiah were contemporaries, what did Daniel call Jeremiah s scroll? (v. 2 NIV, NCV, or GNT) In whose company does Ezekiel put Daniel? (Ezekiel 14:14, 20; 28:3) What does this say about how much time it takes to recognize genuine prophecy and affirm it as part of Scripture? Does it take a generation or centuries? 3. Why did Daniel consult Jeremiah s scroll, and how much time was set for the exile? (v. 2) If the destruction of the temple occurred in 586 BC by Nebuchadnezzar, in what year would you expect the terminus to be? (Do the math remember to subtract BC dates) What happened in that year? (Ezra 6:13-16) 4. What did Daniel hope would be accomplished by that time? (Isaiah 40:1-2) Yet what did he fear was not completed satisfactorily? (v. 13, 1 Kings 8:33-34) What did Daniel decide to do about it? (v. 3) 5. For whom does Daniel pray, i.e. what pronoun does he use? (v. 5) Who specifically does he name? (v. 8) 50

5 Daniel Reverend Rodger J. Gredvig Chapter 9:1-19 Lesson 9 How many people does he include? (v. 11a) What punishment does he acknowledge was justly deserved? (v. 11b-12) 6. The relationship of God to his people was not of equal status. In what way was the covenant lopsided? (Genesis 15:6-21, Deuteronomy 28:1-8) Who kept his promise? Who did not? (v. 15) 7. To whose law does Daniel refer? (vv. 11b, 13) Chapter 9 is the only place in Daniel that uses the name Yahweh. Moses asked for a definition of that name. What did God say to him? (Exodus 3:13-15) In John s vision from Revelation, how does God describe himself? (Revelation 1:8) 8. By what name did Jesus call himself? (John 8:56-59) What did God call him? (Matthew 3:16-17) What did the author of Hebrews say about Jesus? (Hebrews 1:3, 13:8) 9. Daniel prayed for Israel. Who intercedes for us according to these passages? Romans 8:26-27 Romans 8:34 Hebrews 7: To what attribute of God does Daniel appeal? (v. 9) To what can Daniel not appeal? (v. 18b) Why does Daniel ask God to turn away his anger? (v. 16) What does the Psalmist say about God s anger? (Psalms 30:4-5) 51

6 Daniel Reverend Rodger J. Gredvig Chapter 9:1-19 Lesson Daniel concludes his prayers with a Kyrie. For what 4 things does he plead? (v. 19) 12. What does Jesus encourage us to do? (Matthew 7:7-8) 13. What did God promise Israel? (2 Chronicles 7:11-16) What does Christ promise us? (John 14:13-14) What reservation does John insert? (1 John 5:14-15) How is it discerned? List three steps. (John 14:5-7, Acts 17:11, Romans 12:1-2) 14. Jesus promises that we would do miraculous works too (John 14:12). What greater work is always available to us? (Mark 9:26-29, James 5:16) 15. To what two precautions does Jesus alert us regarding prayer? (Matthew 6:5, 7) To help us pray rightly, what did Jesus give us? (Matthew 6:9-13) What qualification is mentioned in verses of Matthew 6? What does James warn? (James 1:5-8) 16. For whom and/or what should we pray? List at least five petitions. 1 Timothy 2:1-2, 8 Matthew 5:44 Matthew 9:38 Matthew 26:41 James 5: