In a close study of Daniel, chapter 8, is a possible revelation of the end times yet in our future.
In verse 9, first we see the temporal or earthly rise of the "little horn." It/he grows to the south, to the east, and toward Israel, the "glorious land." Two things we learn here about the man who will come. One, there must be a land farther south of him than Israel. And, two, from where he is at the beginning, Israel is not "east." Chapter eleven will identify him much more clearly, and show how he indeed did move to the directions here indicated.
Then am I saying that he is merely a historical figure and that this passage has been fulfilled? A thousand times, no! Historical yes, fulfilled , no! Bear with me until you see the whole vision as Daniel saw it! And you still will have trouble. That's why God saw fit to give Daniel another view of the same man from a different perspective in chapter eleven. There will be no mistaking the identity of this man.
And let me pause here to remind readers that we are not talking about a bright young man named Daniel who conjured up a cool story about the future of nations. We are talking about a very old, confused and overawed man who cowers in the presence of angels and who is being given visions directly from Heaven. Let not cynicism enter our thinking here or we will lose sight of what God is saying. This Word is from heaven. It is pure in every syllable and must be examined carefully.
Verse ten is a turning point. Read it carefully. This man suddenly is having influence in heaven as well as earth. This is no mere mortal any longer. Something has changed! The "little" king has grown up! Grown up to the heavens! Because of him, some of Heaven's armies are cast to the ground! Perhaps they are in part responsible for the earthly army that surrounds Jerusalem in Luke 21 (or is this army heavenly too, in the worst sense?).
The plot sickens. This vile contender for the throne of Syria and surroundings is now contending for a universal throne, and the throne of the King of Kings. He wants it all! That's what Gabriel says. He exalts himself to the "Prince" of Heaven.
As the army encircles Jerusalem in this last showdown of history, the "horn" commands that daily sacrifices of the Jews be stopped. No more need to sacrifice to this Jewish God, when a better one is available, himself. The sanctuary is entered by this ruler, then cast down.
Historically this man has been identified as Antiochus Epiphanes. But Biblically, so far, there is no need to do that. I say, there is no need so far. Chapter eleven will tie together the historical man with the future man. But chapter eight does not do that except in one phrase. In explaining who this man is, Gabriel says simply that he arises (not that he is born and raised) in the latter days of one of the four divisions of Alexander's Empire. This clue, coupled to the descriptive "out of one of them" phrase earlier in the chapter ( verse 9 ) lets us know only that the end time tyrant comes originally from somewhere in post-Alexander Greece. That is, he was born either in Greece, Turkey, The Middle East, or Egypt.
We cannot bring prior knowledge into a text. We let the text speak first. So far the text has only pointed us to Greece and the very end of time, and tied these two eras together in a man. There is no demand by the chapter eight text to bring in Antiochus or any man we have known in history. All that this man does in this text can be done in the future.
We now know, with certainty, where antichrist arises! We also know that when he arises it is with supernatural help. We know that it is he who will, aided by an army -perhaps a heavenly one- stop the Jewish sacrifices and himself profane and destroy the Temple. We see soon the phrase "transgression of desolation" (verse 13) and know we must be close to the very sign Jesus gave for His soon return. And then comes the clear definition of the timing of this man:
Verses 13-14. First there is the exchange between two angels who identify the time period involved as a little more than six years. This time seems to comprise the lead-up to the abomination, the abomination itself, and the subsequent "trampling" (the word used in Luke 21) of Jerusalem.
Verses 15-17. The key conversation which we are granted grace to overhear is between a "Man" and the angel Gabriel. The Man commands Gabriel to help Daniel understand the vision. The first and perhaps most important thing that Daniel is made to understand is that (verse 17) the vision refers to the time of the end. This phrase will be spoken and expanded on several other times later in this book. There is no doubt allowed here that the "little horn" vision culminates in the end time, not the days of Antiochus, 200 years before Christ came to earth!
So our conclusion can only be that "the abomination of desolation" spoken of by Daniel the prophet, still in the future when Jesus spoke about it, refers not to any episode in the life of Antiochus Epiphanes, but to the end of all time, as demanded by the angel Gabriel and the "Man" who commanded the message.
http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. Just about every day I'm writing a blog featuring some news, a book, or a story of North Korea. There's a live news feed on the site, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Let's love Chosun together!
And who am I? A man found of God over 50 years ago, called to the ministry, serving the Lord as needed in my world. Married, member of a local church in the Chicago area, with full time work in public education. Who are you? Would love to fellowship with believers who respond on my site.
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