Month: May 2020

A Deep Dive into Daniel — Part 11 — The Daily Sacrifice will Cease

Marcus Walker Van Every1 Comment

Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, “For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” And he said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.”

Daniel 8:13-14

Before diving into the complexity of Daniel’s vision in chapter 9 concerning the 70 weeks, I need to back up and drill down on some important details provided in Daniel 8. Although it is easy to get lost in the proverbial “weeds” of this vision, there are several key details that can be identified and rightly interpreted concerning the last days and what Jesus calls the “abomination of desolation.”

For time’s sake, I will acknowledge that the historical archetype of the Antichrist is most prominently portrayed in the person of Seleucid Tyrant, Antiochus Epiphanes, about which you can read here. While Antiochus provides a type and shadow of the coming son of destruction, he is nothing compared to the last days Antichrist.

Daniel 8 must be interpreted with Antiochus in the forefront of the vision — partially fulfilling the prophecy in history — but also by seeing the Antichrist in full view during the future appointed time of the end. The little horn described in Daniel 8 is the coming man of sin, and this chapter provides key clues about his campaign in the Holy Land of Israel.

“Then from one of the prominent horns came a small horn whose power grew very great. It extended toward the south and the east and toward the glorious land of Israel.”

Daniel 8:9 — NLT

Antichrist will Cause the Daily Sacrifice to Cease

In A.D. 70, hoards from the Roman legions in the Middle East laid siege to Jerusalem and turned it into rubble. Although Roman General Titus commanded his soldiers to preserve the Jewish Temple, the enlisted Syrian and Arabic soldiers defiantly set fire to the Temple, burning it to the ground. Once Titus realized that the Temple complex was lost, he ordered his troops to cast down the massive stones in order to salvage as much gold as possible.

Jesus had predicted this very thing some 40 years earlier.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Matthew 23:37-39, 24:1-2

The Roman siege of A.D. was devastating, leaving the city of Jerusalem and the holy Temple desolate. The Jews were slaughtered, carried into captivity, and dispersed as a people for over 1,850 years. The Levitical priesthood was abolished, the ceremonial rituals ended, and the daily sacrifices ceased. To this very day — despite the miracle of the rebirth of Israel in 1948 — there is no Temple in Jerusalem, which means there is no sacrificial system.

So the obvious line of logic is … without a Temple in Jerusalem, there is no sacrificial system, and without a sacrificial system, then how will the “little horn” cause the sacrifices to stop?

The simple and logical answer is that the Jews will be permitted to rebuild their Temple in Jerusalem and resume their ceremonial system of worship, according to the law of Moses. A third Temple in Jerusalem is not just possible, it’s not merely probable, it is prophetically promised. The stage is already set for the reconstruction of the Temple, it will only take the right political players and conditions to give the green light.

Jesus Himself said the sign of the end of the age would be the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel. He said that when we see the Antichrist standing in the holy place — the inner sanctuary of the Temple — then we know the clock for the great tribulation has begun.

“So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.”

Matthew 24:15-16

Now consider how the Scripture connects the activity of the Antichrist with the prohibition of the sacrifices in the Temple. Once the Temple is rebuilt and the regular burnt offerings are permitted again in Jerusalem, the Antichrist will eventually put an stop to it and defile the sanctuary with his abominations.

“It (the little horn) became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression, and it will throw truth to the ground, and it will act and prosper.”

Daniel 8:11-12

“And he (Antichrist) shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

Daniel 9:27

“Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate.”

Daniel 11:31

“And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days.” 

Daniel 12:11

So from the time that the regular burn offerings begin to the end is 2,300 days, and the time from when they are cut off and taken away is 1,290 days. These give us some parameters for the tribulation period.

Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, “For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” And he said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.”

Daniel 8:13-14

A Deep Dive into Daniel — Part 10 — Prayer Opens Prophecy

Marcus Walker Van Every1 Comment

Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments.”

Daniel 9:3-4

When dealing with the prophetic, typically I encounter two extremes within the church. On one end of the spectrum is a group that dangerously elevates modern-day “prophets” and sensationalizes the prophetic gifts. What is most strange about the modern-day, charismatic understanding of prophecy is that it is almost always divorced from the the teachings of Biblical prophets themselves — such as Isaiah, Zechariah, or Daniel.

On the other extreme end of the spectrum is a group of pastors and teachers who completely ignore and purposefully avoid the prophetic word because it is either too difficult to interpret or too deep to appeal to the average audience. Once again, the actual words and writings of the Biblical prophets are largely ignored in this camp, virtually eliminating 30% of the Bible.

To make matters worse, prophecy preachers are so often stereotyped with those on the fringes who unnaturally obsess about prophecy, usually making bold headline predictions and foolishly setting dates for the return of Christ.

All of these approaches to the study and interpretation of prophecy are unbiblical and dangerously misleading.

We need a balanced approach when studying prophecy. We need a Biblical approach. And more than anything, we need a prayerful approach.

We are indebted to the prophet Daniel for providing one of the best examples of someone who handled God’s prophetic word responsibly and faithfully. Let’s take a closer look.

Daniel Studied the Prophetic Word

“In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.”

Daniel 9:2

At the time Daniel is writing this portion of Scripture, the Jews had been in Babylonian captivity for about 60 years. Daniel was getting older and approaching the final season of his life and ministry. Daniel had been studying Torah and the writings and Psalms and the prophets for years. He would have disciplined himself in learning the whole counsel of God.

The prophet Jeremiah was older than Daniel but still a contemporary. Daniel would have been quite familiar with his writings, but for some reason on this particular day, Daniel saw something in the prophecies of Jeremiah that apparently he had not seen before. According to Jeremiah, the exile was only to last 70 years [see Jeremiah 25:11-12].

What can we learn from Daniel?

We can learn that we must study all of Scripture, faithfully and consistently. We can learn that in the same way God has progressively revealed Himself to mankind, He also progressively reveals truth to His people who diligently study the Scriptures. We also can learn that when studying prophecy, it may take years to understand and rightly interpret the mysteries of God’s prophetic word.

Daniel Committed to Fasting and Prayer

This is where Daniel 9 gets really interesting. God had already revealed to Daniel that the Babylonian exile was almost over. He already understood Jeremiah’s prophecy about the 70 years of captivity, but he didn’t stop there. He wasn’t complacent. He wanted to go deeper and know more about God’s bigger picture.

So what does Daniel do? He committed to a season of prayer and fasting. Daniel says, “then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes” [Daniel 9:3].

So often we want to understand prophecy without first putting in the hard work and spiritual disciplines of prayer and fasting. We often are so content with a surface level understanding of Scripture that we rarely reach a place of deeper interpretation and insight. Daniel knew there was more, and he demonstrated to the LORD that he was willing to deny himself and seek God’s face in order to find out.

Daniel’s example shows us how prayer is the key to unlocking prophecy. Fasting is the proof that one is serious about getting closer to God and being dependent on the LORD. When examining my own life, I must confess that dedicated times of prayer and fasting are too few and far between. I am fully convicted that I often try to tackle the difficult passages of prophecy in my own strength instead of with the divine discernment of the Holy Spirit.

Daniel Consecrated Himself and Confessed His Sins

“We have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules … To the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against him and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God by walking in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.”

Daniel 9:5,9-10

Notice that Daniel confessed both his own sin and the sins of his people. Daniel agreed with God about the rebellion and unbelief of the Jewish people. Daniel knew that God was just in chastising His own people, using the Babylonians as a rod of His punishment. Daniel was grieved over his sin and the sin of his people and made pleas for God’s mercy and forgiveness.

How many times do we seek God’s favor and face when we fail to acknowledge the glaring sin in our own lives and hearts? How often do we minimize our unbelief and rebellion and expect it to have no effect on our relationship with the LORD? How much can we ignore spiritual complacency, idolatry, apathy, and indifference?

Daniel reminds us that there is direct connection between confession of sin and drawing close to a Holy God. We will never grow deeper in our walk with Christ while harboring unconfessed sin in our hearts. We especially won’t experience fruitful Bible study when we refuse to address the deeper issues of the heart.

Daniel Gained Wisdom, Insight and Understanding

“As it is written in the Law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us; yet we have not entreated the favor of the LORD our God, turning from our iniquities and gaining insight by your truth … At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision.”

Daniel 9:13, 23

As a result of Daniel’s approach to prophecy, what did God reveal to Him?

The LORD graciously revealed one of the greatest prophetic visions in all of Scripture.

The vision of Daniel 9:24-27 was the result of Daniel’s study, prayer, fasting, confession, and utter dependence upon God. The 70 years of captivity was just the tip of the ice berg. The LORD wanted to show Daniel everything else that was underneath the surface, and the result is fascinating. God would reveal a prophetic timeline for the ages — 70 weeks of years = 490 years.

Daniel’s heart obviously was with his God, his people, his holy city Jerusalem, and the holy sanctuary. Because Daniel’s heart was right before God, he was ready to receive the vision that would unravel the mysteries of the coming Messiah and the final judgment and restoration of the Jews and Jerusalem.

“Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and to his pleas for mercy, and for your own sake, O Lord, make your face to shine upon your sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive. O Lord, pay attention and act. Delay not, for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name.”

Daniel 9:17-19

In my next installment, I will begin to unpack the amazing details in Daniel 9:24-27 involving the 70 weeks in Daniel’s vision. Until then, I invite you to join me in a season in prayer and fasting.

A Deep Dive into Daniel — Part 9 — The Little Horn Rising High as Heaven

Marcus Walker Van Every2 Comments

“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. And it 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 8:9-10 — NKJV

As I’ve said in my earlier posts, the visions of Daniel can be both daunting and downright difficult to interpret. Daniel chapters 7-12 is overlaid with cross references that describe the same subject matter from different perspectives. None of the parts in Daniel can be rightly interpreted independently of the whole. It is important to identify the common phrases, ideas, and images to make the connections and build a complete picture.

When it comes to the identity, ascension, and activity of the little horn — aka the Beast or Antichrist — there are some deeper waters to navigate. It is easy to get bogged down in the finer details, so I will do my best to focus on one component at a time.

As I shared in my last post, Daniel 8 begins by providing the geopolitical backdrop behind the emergence of the little horn. The little horn will emerge after a regional war between Turkey and Iran. He will start out relatively small but eventually will grow exceedingly great.

The little horn will supplant three other regional kings and begin to advance militarily to the south [Egypt], the east [Iraq/Iran] and toward the Glorious Land [Israel].

The next part of the vision in Daniel 8, however, takes an unexpected turn and is nothing less than mysterious. The little horn will “grow up” to the host of heaven and “cast down” some of the stars to the earth and trample them.

So the obvious question is … in what way does the little horn — this earthly king — grow exceedingly great up to the host of heaven? What does that mean? How are we to interpret such a concept?

The language about the host of heaven and the “stars” deserves a closer look.

The Host of Heaven

“You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.“

Nehemiah 9:6 — ESV

The Biblical concept of the heavenly host always alludes to the angelic beings who operate in the spiritual realm. The Bible says that there are myriads upon myriads of these heavenly beings, an innumerable host that exists behind the scenes. These heavenly beings are often referred to as “stars,” bright celestial entities that are far removed from our earthly realm.

Some of these stars are divine princes who remain loyal to Yahweh — the Most High God — while others are divine rebels who have followed the path of Satan. These evil principalities and powers in the heavenly places seem to be in some way subservient to the prince of demons and the prince of the power of the air — Satan — the god of this age. This is precisely why the LORD warned the Israelites about the temptation of forsaking Him and bowing down to the heavenly host.

“And beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, you be drawn away and bow down to them and serve them, things that the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven.”

Deuteronomy 4:19 – ESV

So if the little horn grows in power, even to the host of heaven, then he somehow is interacting and interfering with the spiritual realm. Although there may be various speculations and conjectures about how an earthly, human ruler potentially could engage in some type of spiritual warfare with the “stars” of heaven, I will share my interpretation here.

I believe the key to understanding this prophecy has everything to do with the supernatural union of the little horn with Satan himself. If this son of destruction becomes the earthly vessel of the devil, then he and the devil will be one as it were. So as the little horn expresses power and authority while waging war on earth, Satan will be working behind the scenes in the spiritual realm, waging war with the stars in heaven. In other words, the little horn is the earthly reflection of the devil, who is the spiritual reflection of the little horn. They mirror each other.

We know that Daniel 8 says that the little horn somehow casts down the stars of heaven and tramples on them. Let’s take a closer look at Revelation 12 to see how this potentially will play out in the last days.

WAr in Heaven

Most Bible scholars see the direct correlation between Daniel 8 and Revelation 12. I believe these parallel passages provide some clues of interpretation concerning the little horn.

Let’s read Daniel 8 and Revelation 12 together.

“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.  10And it 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.  11He 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.  12Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices;and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered.”

Daniel 8:9-12 – NKJV

“And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth.“

Revelation 12:3-4 – ESV

These two passages are most certainly connected. The Dragon — who is the Devil — cast down 1/3 of the angels — the stars of heaven — and threw them to the earth. The common language is undeniable, but the classic interpretation of Revelation 12:4 is wrong in my opinion. Almost every commentary will suggest that the “stars” in this verse represent the evil angels who are loyal to Satan and are the same group of angels mentioned in Revelation 12:9.

But I believe Daniel 8:10 and Revelation 12:4 are describing something else entirely. I believe the Dragon first delivers a considerable blow to the good guys by defeating 1/3 of the heavenly host, casting them down and trampling on them. The language of these verses clearly implies that the Dragon and little horn are hostile to these “stars,” not friendly.

Why else would the Antichrist be trampling on these stars? Why would the Dragon sweep his own angels down and cast them to the earth? That seems counterproductive to say the least. No kingdom is divided against itself. That is why I believe Daniel 8:10 and Revelation 12:4 are describing a heavenly assault against the loyal angels that results in a considerable blow to the angelic army. Satan exalts himself as high as the Prince of the host — which is the Lord Jesus Himself [Daniel 8:11].

Now I don’t pretend to understand everything about this prophecy, but I believe it is yet future. Contrary to what almost every Christian has been taught, Satan never convinced 1/3 of the angels to follow him. The reference here to 1/3 of the angels are the good guys. Satan launches a successful attack against the stars in heaven and casts them down and tramples on them.

I’m not sure how all of that plays out in spacetime, but I believe it is the only possible explanation that makes sense of Daniel 8 and the rise of the little horn.

An all out war breaks out in heaven AFTER this initial trampling of the stars of heaven, which is described in the following verses in Revelation 12.

And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.  9So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.  11And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.  12Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

Revelation 12:7-12 — NKJV

So in response to the Dragon’s initial attack, Michael will rise up against the Dragon and finally will cast him and his angels down to earth. Satan will be expelled from heaven and confined to the earth.

It is at this point that the Dragon — Satan — will give all of his authority and power to the little horn and unite himself to the son of destruction, creating the Beast.

“The dragon gave him [the Beast] his power, his throne, and great authority.”

Revelation 13:2

Once the Beast — or little horn — has all of Satan’s power and authority he will boldly pursue total domination and destruction. Daniel 8 speaks to this. The king of bold face will succeed, not by his own power, but by the satanic, supernatural power of the Dragon.

“And in the latter time of their kingdom,

When the transgressors have reached their fullness,

A king shall arise,

Having fierce features,

Who understands sinister schemes.

His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power;

He shall destroy fearfully,

And shall prosper and thrive;

He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.”

Daniel 8:23-24 – NKJV

In my next post, we will begin to develop the concepts surrounding the sanctuary and the profane transgression known as the abomination of desolation.