Builders of Faith

Builders of Faith Explorer II:  Exploring End-Time Prophecy

Lesson 6—The Hour of God’s Judgment is Now

1.    At the beginning of Daniel’s vision in Daniel 8, what two animals fought each other, and which one won the fight?

“…a ram which had two horns….  …no animal could withstand him…but he did according to his will and became great….  …suddenly a male goat came from the west…; and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.  Then he came to the ram…, attacked the ram…; and there was no one that could deliver the ram from his hand.”  Daniel 8:3-7.  “The ram which you saw, having the two horns—they are the kings of Media and Persia.  And the male goat is the kingdom of Greece….”  Daniel 8:20-21.

Answer:  Daniel first saw a ram, which represented Medo-Persia, having its way.  Then he saw a male goat, representing Greece, attack and defeat the ram (Medo-Persia), which we learned in Lesson #4 happened in 331 B.C.  Except for not starting with Babylon, Daniel 8’s vision seems to be echoing the message of Daniel 2 and 7.


2.    What happened to Greece, and who is the little horn that replaced Greece?

“Therefore the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven.  And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land.”  Daniel 8:8-9.  “…The large horn that is between its [Greece’s] eyes is the first king.  As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation, but not with its power.”  Daniel 8:21-22.

Answer:  The large horn, or first king of Greece, is Alexander the Great.  He was broken when he died at an early age.  After his death, four of his generals fought among themselves and initially divided the kingdom into four parts, but none of the parts was as strong as when it was united.  Most liberal and conservative Bible scholars identify this little horn as a Syrian king, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who came into Jerusalem and took over the Temple in the second century B.C., offering a pig on the Altar of Sacrifice.  However, please note the power of this little horn in comparison with Medo-Persia and Greece.  Daniel 8:4 says that the ram (Medo-Persia) “became great.”  Verse 8 says the male goat (Greece) “grew very great.”  Verse 9 says that the little horn “grew exceedingly great….”  Therefore, the little horn must be at least as powerful as united Greece under Alexander the Great was.  There are numerous other indications that disqualify Antiochus IV as being the little horn.  Moreover, the little horn came out of one of the “four winds of heaven” rather than out of one of the “four notable ones [horns] of the divided Greek kingdom as per the following grammatical reason:

“winds [feminine] of heaven [masculine]  (verse 8)

“one [feminine] of them [masculine]  (verse 9)

The genders line up correctly only in reference to the little horn coming out of one of four winds of heaven.  Thus there is no reason that the little horn must come from the divided Greek kingdom, as would be necessary if the little horn were Antiochus IV.  Our conclusion, then, must be that the little horn was Rome, for Rome was at least as great as united Greece, when it defeated the latter in 168 B.C.—just as we learned in Lesson #4 that Rome followed Greece as the major kingdom or empire in the region.


3.    Who are the host and stars that the little horn casts down and tramples?

“And it [little horn] grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them.”  Daniel 8:10.  “…He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.”  Daniel 8:24.

Answer:  Please note the little horn moves along horizontal directions (verse 9), and then it moves vertically toward heaven in verse 10.  But verse 24 above excludes the idea that the little horn casts down angels in heaven.  Instead, it casts down God’s faithful people who are pictured in heaven because they are associated with God’s kingdom.


4.    Who does the little horn become in Daniel 8:11-12?

“He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.  Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground….”  Daniel 8:11-12.

Answer:  No matter how you interpret the details, clearly the little horn in verses 11-12 became a religious power, in addition to a political power since its symbol is a horn.  In the comparable vision of Daniel 7, the religious-political power that succeeded the Roman Empire was Papal Rome.  Using the same symbol of the little horn ties the Papacy to Rome.  Therefore, the little horn in verses 11-12 is the Papacy, just as it was in Daniel 7.


5.    Who is the Prince of the host in Daniel 8:11?

“He [little horn] even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host….”  Daniel 8:11.  “…He shall even rise against the Prince of princes….”  Daniel 8:25.  “…when Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him….  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.’  And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped….  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.’”  Joshua 5:13-15.  “Then He said, ‘Do not draw near this place [burning bush].  Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.’”  Exodus 3:5.  “And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’  And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.’”  Exodus 3:14.  “Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.’”  John 8:58.

Answer:  Daniel’s book calls “the Prince of the host” “the Prince of princes”, which immediately reminds us of Jesus.  Note that the phrase in Joshua, “Commander of the army”, is identical in Hebrew to Daniel’s “Prince of the host”.  Note also that Joshua worshiped this Person and was told to take off his sandals since he was on holy ground.  When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush above, God identified Himself as the “I AM”.  Finally, in John 8, Jesus called Himself the “I AM”.  Therefore, these texts tie Jesus to the burning bush episode and to the Joshua episode, thus making Jesus “the Prince of the host”, i.e., the Commander of the Army of the Lord.  So this is Jesus.


6.    What sanctuary does this prophecy speak about, and what is the “daily” that the Papacy takes away from Jesus?

“He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.  Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground…”   Daniel 8:11-12.

Answer:  First, since this prophecy concerns the time of the Papacy’s existence, the only sanctuary that belongs to Jesus (note “His sanctuary”) is the sanctuary in heaven.  Review Lesson #3 for this truth, even if a Third Temple is ever rebuilt in Jerusalem.  This heavenly sanctuary is spoken of numerous times in the books of Hebrews and Revelation.  Second, note that the word for sacrifices in these verses does not exist in the Hebrew text, but was supplied by the translators.  Of course, there are no more animal sacrifices, including in the heavenly sanctuary.  Third, the Hebrew word for daily is a word used many times to describe the continual or daily services in the earthly tabernacle or temple.  Applied to Jesus, this would be His continual work of mediating His perfect righteousness on behalf of those who come to God the Father through Jesus the Savior.  The Papacy cannot literally interfere with Jesus’ work as our High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary.  However, it can take away that work in the minds of Christians on earth by distracting them from Jesus’ work in various ways.


7.    Who is the Papacy’s army that helps oppose the “daily” work of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary and casts down the sanctuary truth?

“Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground….”  Daniel 8:12.  “Therefore He [Jesus] is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”  Hebrews 7:25.  “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus….”  I Timothy 2:5.

Answer:  The Papal Church confuses its people with the mass, which purports to be a reenactment of Jesus’ sacrifice every time it is celebrated.  The eating of the bread by its worshipers is claimed as a major way in which Jesus’ righteousness is obtained through the Church, which subtracts from the righteousness of Jesus, which is given by faith in Jesus’ ministry and death on the earth.  Its priests claim the right to forgive sins through the sacrament of penance (the confessional).  The Pope claims to have the keys to dispense the grace of God as it pleases.  Finally, the work of Jesus as our High Priest is obscured by the Papal Church’s encouragement to pray to various saints, supposedly people already dead who have sufficient righteousness to plead on an individual’s behalf.  Therefore, the Roman Catholic priests constitute the Papacy’s army that helps obscure the work of Jesus in the heavenly sanctuary.  Also, therefore, the truth that the Papacy casts down is the truth concerning Jesus’ high priestly ministry in the heavenly sanctuary for His people.


8.    Is the word “sanctuary” in Daniel 8:14 a proper translation?

“And he said to me, ‘For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.’”  Daniel 8:14.

Answer:  Critics state that the Hebrew word for sanctuary in this verse is also the common word for holiness, which is a true statement; the same Hebrew word is also a common word for sanctuary.  Since this prophecy concerns the sanctuary truth being cast down, they sometimes want to translate it as holy truth that is restored to its rightful place.  However, this word by itself (as is the case here) is never translated as holy truth or holy teachings.  Therefore, in agreement with the large majority of translators, we conclude that the word sanctuary is the proper translation.


9.    Is the word “cleansed” in Daniel 8:14 a proper translation?

“And he said to me, ‘For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.’”  Daniel 8:14.

Answer:  Most critics of our position agree that the word sanctuary is the best translation in this text.  However, they view the sanctuary here as the Jerusalem Temple and its being cast down as what Antiochus IV did to it in the 2nd century B.C.  Therefore, a variety of modern translations translate the word for cleansed here as reconsecrated (NIV), “restored to its rightful place” (RSV), “properly restored” (NASB), and so on.  Despite the good evidence already cited under Question #2 above that the little horn here is not Antiochus IV, but the Papacy, there is more.  Please note that it is not the sanctuary that is cast down in verse 11, but “…the place of His sanctuary was cast down.”  Of course, we have seen overwhelming evidence that this is the sanctuary in heaven as well, which could not be literally cast down.  The word for place is often translated as foundation.  Thus it is the foundational truth about Christ’s sanctuary in heaven that is cast down.  Since a sanctuary doesn’t need to be reconsecrated or restored to its proper place unless it was damaged and had to be repaired and thus be rededicated or restored, we conclude that the only proper translation in this verse is the word cleansed (or perhaps the word purified).


10.    To what do the uses of a ram and a male goat in this prophecy point us?

Answer:  Daniel 7 features a lion, bear, leopard, and a non-descript beast, all of which were unclean animals.  In sharp contrast, Daniel 8 features a ram and a male goat, both considered clean animals.  Moreover, both of these two animals were used as sacrificial offerings in the sanctuary system.  Even more revealing is the fact that the only time a ram and a male goat appear together in a sanctuary context in Scripture is on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur).  The presence of these animals in Daniel 8 surely points us back to Leviticus 16’s description of the Day of Atonement—just as “…then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.”  As we learned in Explorer I, Lesson #21, Question #6, the annual Day of Atonement was a judgment day in which a separation was made based on who had used the sanctuary throughout the year and who had not.


11.    How does the cleansing of the sanctuary in heaven relate to the little horn?

Answer:  First, the heavenly sanctuary does not need to be cleansed because of the activity of the little horn (Papacy).  The prophecy itself does not directly answer the question about the need for the sanctuary to be cleansed.  But its association with the Day of Atonement tells us that God’s people’s sins will finally be cleansed in reference to Satan, the prosecutor of God’s people.  Forgiven sins are cleansed and gone when they are forgiven as far as God is concerned.  But since Satan is the prosecutor, and there is a final judgment, those sins are recorded in the sanctuary until completely cleansed at the end-time.  Second, the Papacy has obscured and undermined the role of Jesus as our High Priest, which is symbolized (as we have already seen) by His daily work in the heavenly sanctuary.  The end-time cleansing of the sanctuary will vindicate Jesus and His work for the salvation of those who place their trust in Him.  In that way, there is a relationship between the work of the Papacy and the cleansing of the sanctuary.


12.    What is the judgment scene in Daniel 7, and how does it relate to the cleansing of the sanctuary?

“I watched till thrones were put in place, And the Ancient of Days was seated; His garment was white as snow, And the hair of His head was like pure wool.  His throne was a fiery flame, Its wheels a burning fire; A fiery stream issued And came forth from before Him.  A thousand thousands ministered to Him; Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.  The court was seated, And the books were opened.”   Daniel 7:9-10.  “But the court shall be seated, And they shall take away his [little horn] dominion, To consume and destroy it forever.  Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, Shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High.  His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him.”  Daniel 7:26-27.

Answer:  This is obviously a description of the Pre-Advent Investigative Judgment, pre-advent because the people of God receive His everlasting kingdom after the judgment has ended, and investigative because of record books being open.  It is also the equivalent of the cleansing of the sanctuary as per the following chart comparing Daniel 7 and 8:

Daniel 7                                                   Daniel 8

Babylon (Lion)                                       ----------
Medo-Persia (Bear)                         Medo-Persia (Ram)
Greece (Leopard)                               Greece (Goat)
Pagan Rome (Non-Descript Beast)      Pagan Rome (Little Horn, verses 9-10)
Papal Rome (Little Horn)                     Papal Rome (Little Horn, verses 11-12)
Pre-Advent Judgment in Heaven    Cleansing of the Sanctuary after 2300 days


13.    Does the Pre-Advent Investigative Judgment begin after 2,300 days or 1,150 days?

“And he said to me, ‘For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.’”  Daniel 8:14.

Answer:  Again the critics attempt to make the time period here fit Antiochus IV.  Therefore, they view the Hebrew for days here, which is literally “evening-morning”, as referring to the morning and evening sacrifices, interpreting it as 1,150 days instead (half of 2,300).  But the Old Testament always refers to these daily sacrifices as “morning and evening” sacrifices, never as “evening and morning” sacrifices.  Also, the apocryphal book of I Maccabees describes Antiochus IV’s desecration of the Jerusalem Temple in the 2nd century B.C. as lasting for three years and ten days—still at least six weeks short of 1,150 days.  Daniel’s language, which occurs only here in Scripture, is clearly adopted from Genesis 1, where each day began with the “evening” portion and ended with the “morning” portion.  Therefore, the time here is 2,300 days.


14.    Are the 2,300 days literal or symbolic, and if symbolic, what do they literally represent?

“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, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?’”  Daniel 8:13.  “‘Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.’”  Daniel 8:17.

Answer:  First, 2,300 days is a highly unusual way to refer to a literal period of less than 6 ½ years.  Second, this vision begins with the Medo-Persian Empire (ram) and ends in “the time of the end.”  According to Daniel 11:40-12:3, “the time of the end” is a period of time in which end-time events occur, ending with a resurrection (12:2). And since there is only one actual vision in Daniel 8, this means that the period of the 2,300 days must be symbolic of a much longer period of time.  As we learned from the previous lesson, the only thing a symbolic day stands for in the context of a specific period of time is one year.  Therefore, on the basis of the year-day principle, we conclude that the 2,300 days is literally 2,300 solar years.  It is at that point that the Pre-Advent Investigative Judgment begins.


15.    How are the two prophecies in Daniel 8 and 9 related to each other?

Answer:  The 70 Weeks’ Prophecy (partly discussed in Lesson #2) and the 2,300-day/year prophecy in Daniel 8 are related to each other in the following ways:

A.    Literary Pattern:

    A    Presentation of the Prophecy—Daniel 8:3-12
    B    Time Element—Daniel 8:13-14
    B1    Time Element—Daniel 9:24
    A1    Presentation of the Prophecy—Daniel 9:25-27

This literary pattern strongly suggests a correlation between the time elements of Daniel 8 and 9.

B.    Both Prophecies Begin in Days of Persians—Daniel 9:25 speaks of the 70 weeks beginning with a command to “…restore and build Jerusalem….”  All agree that this was a Persian king.

C.    Hebrew Words—The regular word for vision appears several times in Daniel 8.  But the word translated vision in Daniel 8:26 is a word that refers to an appearance, as in the appearance of the holy ones talking about the time element:  “And the vision of the evenings and mornings....”  Then verse 27 tells us that “Daniel…fainted and was sick for days….”  He “was astonished by the vision, but no one understood it.”  In Daniel 9:23, Gabriel appears to Daniel and said that “I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter and understand the vision:”.  The word for vision here is the word for appearance.  In other words, the only part of the regular vision in Daniel 8 that he did not understand was the conversation about the time element.  Now in Daniel 9:23, Gabriel has come to explain to him about the appearance—and then proceeds to mention a time period in verse 24.

D.    Cut Off—The opening line of Daniel 9:24 is “Seventy weeks are determined….”  The root Hebrew word for “are determined” is found only here in the entire Bible, and its more basic meaning is “cut off”.  There are other Hebrew words that clearly mean “determined”, and one of them is used twice, in Daniel 9:26 and 9:27.  Thus, it seems clear that Gabriel intended for the basic meaning to be understood in verse 24.  But a period of time can only be cut off from a longer period of time.  We saw in Lesson #2 that the 70 weeks was literally 490 years.  This is based on the year-day principle since 70 x 7 days per week = 490 days, or 490 years.  Therefore, it must be that the 490 years are “cut off” from the longer period of 2,300 years.


16.    What is the starting date for the 70 weeks and the 2,300 years?

“Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks….”  Daniel 9:25.

Answer:  There were four commands concerning the Jews among the Persian kings, but the first two only gave permission for the Temple in Jerusalem to be rebuilt; nothing was said of the entire city.  The two that concerned the actual city of Jerusalem were given by Artaxerxes I:  (1) In 457 B.C. he made a formal decree giving permission for the city to be rebuilt and for the Jews to have some autonomy under the umbrella of the Medo-Persian Empire; and (2) In 444 B.C., the same Persian king sent what consisted merely of letters of authorization to permit Nehemiah to pass safely through other territories to Jerusalem.  It should also be noted that Nehemiah’s work was simply a repair job on the city walls, a job he completed in just 52 days (see Nehemiah 6:15).  This could hardly encompass rebuilding the entire city of Jerusalem.  Therefore, the command that fits the specification of Daniel 9:25 is the one issued in 457 B.C.


17.    Does our starting date for the 70 weeks and the 2,300 days/years correctly date the first appearance of the Messiah?

“Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks….”  Daniel 9:25.  “Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar…Jesus also was baptized….”  Luke 3:1, 21.

Answer:  7 + 62 = 69 weeks, or 483 literal years.  457 B.C. + 483 years = A.D. 27.  Since B.C. time is like negative numbers, you must do this math problem:  483 minus 457 = A.D. 26.  But since there is no zero year, but 1 B.C. is immediately followed by A.D. 1, you must add one year.  A.D. 26 + 1 = A.D. 27.  If Luke used the Jewish reckoning for the years of kings—and where his gospel is clear in the context, it does use this reckoning—the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign extended from the fall of A.D. 27 to the fall of A.D. 28.  The word for Messiah means “anointed one”, and Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit at His baptism.  Please read Matthew 3:16 and Acts 10:38.  Therefore, since our starting date of 457 B.C. accurately dated the first appearance of Jesus as the Messiah, we can be certain that we have the correct date for the beginning of the Pre-Advent Investigative Judgment.


18.    So when did the Pre-Advent Investigative Judgment begin in heaven?

“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’”  Revelation 14:6-7.

Answer:  As per the use of math when moving from a B.C. date to an A.D. date above, here is the solution:  2300 minus 457 B.C. = A.D. 1843 + 1 = A.D. 1844.  Therefore, as the fulfillment of the annual Day of Atonement judgment, the Pre-Advent Investigative Judgment began in the fall of 1844.  (The Day of Atonement always fell in the fall of the year.)  We are living in God’s Judgment-Hour now, so let us grasp onto the gospel by which we are saved, and fear God, give Him all the glory, and worship Him as the Creator.  “The Hour of God’s Judgment is Now!”


      7 weeks                   62 weeks                      70th            week                                  1,810 years
│───────│──────────────│────────│────────│
457 BC.   408 B.C.                                 A.D. 27          A.D. 34   A.D. 1844                                                           

 

 Quiz for Lesson 6—The Hour of God’s Judgment is Now

 

1.  After the goat (Greece) defeated the ram (Medo-Persia) in Daniel’s vision of Daniel 8, who replaced the goat (Greece)? (2)

  The little horn

  Antiochus IV Epiphanes

  The Roman Empire

 

2.  What kind of power does the little horn become from Daniel 8:11 onward? (2)

  It is still a political power because the term horn designates a kingdom.

  It also becomes a religious power because it challenges the Prince of the host, casts down the place of the Prince’s sanctuary, and casts truth to the ground.

  It represents the Roman Empire’s persecution of Christians.

 

3.  In the parallel with Daniel 7, what is the power of the little horn from Daniel 8:11 onward? (2)

  Its continued description of the little horn ties it in some way to Rome.

  It is the same as the little horn in Daniel 7, which is the Roman Catholic Church.

  It represents the division of the Roman Empire into smaller kingdoms.

 

4.  Which of the following statements about the Prince of the host are true? (4)

  He is also called the “Prince of princes”.

  He is also called the “Commander of the army” in Joshua.

  He is God the Father.

  He is the great “I AM”.

  He is Jesus.

 

5.  Of what sanctuary does the Papal System cast its foundation or truth to the ground? (1)

  The Temple in Jerusalem during the 2nd-century B.C.

  The rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem at the end-time

  The Temple in heaven where Jesus functions as our High Priest

 

6.  Which of the following statements describe how the Papacy opposes Jesus’ “daily” work in the sanctuary by obscuring it in the minds of people on earth? (4)

  Eating the bread in the mass is taught by the Papal Church to be an important way to receive God’s grace of Jesus’ righteousness.

  The bread and wine of the mass are taught as only symbols of the body and blood of Jesus.

  Its priests claim the authority to forgive sins.

  Its members are encouraged to pray to various saints to help intercede for them in heaven.

  Every time the mass is said, this Church teaches that it is a re-enactment of Jesus’ sacrifice.

 

7.  Which of the following statements about the animals in Daniel 8 are true? (3)

  They are both clean animals.

  A ram and a male goat are sacrificial animals under the Old Testament sanctuary system.

  Their appearance in Daniel 8 points the readers back to Exodus 16.

  The only time these 2 animals appeared on the same day in the Old Testament sanctuary system was on the annual Day of Atonement.

 

8.  Both the clause “then the sanctuary shall be cleansed” and the parallel of that clause with the Pre-Advent Judgment in Daniel 7 mean that the prophecy in Daniel 8 points to the Day of Atonement judgment—that is, the Pre-Advent Investigative Judgment. (1)

  True

  False

 

9.  Which of the following statements about the 2,300 days are true? (4)

  They represent a literal period of 2,300 days.

  On the year-day principle, they represent 2,300 literal years.

  Those days begin in the Persian period of dominance and end in “the time of the end”.

  The 2,300-day prophecy begins where the 70 Weeks’ Prophecy begins.

  This prophecy began in 457 B.C., when Persian King Artaxerxes I first issued a formal decree for the Jews to rebuild their city of Jerusalem.

 

10.  When did the Pre-Advent Investigative Judgment begin in heaven? (1)

  Fall of 1944

  Spring of 1844

  Fall of 1844

  Spring of 1944