Pastor Peter's Bible Insights
Daniel Chapter Eight
Chapter 8:10-27
Vs. 10 The host of heaven are God’s chosen people. The “stars” are prominent individuals.
Vs. 11 Antiochus wanted to be worshiped as God. He suspended the temple worship, set up a statue of Zeus in the temple. He sacrificed a pig on altar and sprinkled pig’s blood in the Holy of Holies.
Vs. 12 Once again the Jews had turned away from God and were being punished.
Vs. 13 An angelic question…. How long?
Vs. 14 What do the 2,300 days stand for? As with most prophecies, it probably has two fulfillments.
Near term:
171 BC Menelaus bribed Antiochus Epiphanes to appoint him as high priest.
On December 25, 165 Judas Maccabeus cleansed temple (Maccabeus 4:36ff). This is known in the New Testament as the Festival of Lights (John 10:22).
Long term:
Daniel’s seventieth week will have 2,520 days.
The halfway point is 1,260 days. We learned that the antichrist will break his peace treaty with the Jews at this halfway point.
The 2,300 days in chapter eight falls short of the entire tribulation period by 220 days.
Here is a possible scenario: 220 days after the antichrist has signed his treaty with Israel, something earth-shaking takes place. The antichrist is assassinated.
Revelation 13:3
I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast...
Revelation 13:12
He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.
Revelation 17:8
The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.
220 days into the tribulation the antichrist is assassinated or an assasination attempt is contrived and then covered up. This is an attempt to duplicate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
2,300 days later the tribulation will end with the second coming of Christ. The sanctuary will be cleansed and the Lord will build Ezekiel’s new temple (Ezekiel 40-43).
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