The Judgement

The Defiling of the Sanctuary by the Little Horn

(vs. 9-12)
While pagan Rome is on record for persecuting the saints and violating (vs. 23-25) the Temple in Jerusalem, papal Rome went further by substituting several counterfeit teachings that have deflected from Christ’s effectual ministry and thereby defiled the Sanctuary of Christ:

• Tradition placed above the sacred Scriptures.

• Salvation by works: penances & indulgences.

• Spurious claims of the priesthood: priesthood claiming power to forgive sins & to create the Creator.

• Transubstantiation: denial of Christ’s fully efficacious atoning sacrifice.

• Mariology: approaching God through Mary; the immaculate conception.

• Changing God’s Holy Law of the 10 Commandments: abolishing the 2nd Commandment; replacing the Holy Sabbath with the pagan Sunday; and abbreviating the 10 Commandments.

• Idolatry: venerating images; praying to the saints & to Mary; veneration of relics; veneration of holy bones.

• Immortality of the soul.

• Purgatory.

• Use of ‘holy water’.

• Christening (sprinkling or pouring) instead of baptism: God-parents - i.e. deciding on the child’s behalf; Confirmation - i.e. confirming the above decision; Last rites.

• Pagan feast days.

• Celibacy.

The Climactic Text in Daniel’s Prophecies

(vs. 13,14)
While considering the vision, the prophet Daniel’s attention was drawn to a conversation amongst two holy beings as to how long were . . . (a) the regular burnt offering, (b) the transgression that makes desolate, and (c) the Sanctuary & host to be trampled upon?

In other words, when was all this falsehood that violated the truth of God along with a system that detracts from the saving ministry of Christ going to be tolerated before God stepped in to arrest the tide? The answer was immediately given: ‘For 2,300 days and then the Sanctuary would be restored to its rightful state’.

(vs. 15-17)
As Daniel struggled to understand the vision, a voice instructed the angel Gabriel to help him understand “the vision”. There are 2 Hebrew words that we need to understand with reference to “the vision”: chazon - i.e. the entire vision; & mareh - i.e. specific to the 2,300 days.

Therefore: “For how long is the vision [chazon] concerning the regular burnt offering …” - v. 13. “When I Daniel had seen this vision [chazon] . . .” - v. 15. “Gabriel, help this man understand the vision [mareh]” - v. 16.

This passage should be understood according to the 2 Hebrew words: Holy beings enquire how long the entire vision [chazon] would be. Daniel tried to understand the entire vision [chazon]. Gabriel sent to help Daniel understand the 2,300 days vision [mareh]. Gabriel stated the entire vision [chazon] is for the “time of the end”.

(vs. 26,27)
During Gabriel’s explanation, Daniel became distressed at what he heard, so the angel did not explain further until later on; but let us identify further the words that Gabriel used at this initial stage: The 2,300 days vision [mareh] is true. Daniel told to seal up the entire vision [chazon] as it is for many days. Daniel dismayed by 2,300 days vision [mareh] he didn’t understand.

(v. 1)
The entire vision [chazon] appeared to Daniel during the 3rd year of Belshazzar’s reign. During that vision, Gabriel was sent to help Daniel.

Chapter 9. Daniel’s Prayer for Himself and his People (the Jews)

(v. 1)
Gabriel was not instructed to return and explain the rest of the vision until the 1st year of Darius, which was sometime later, when Babylon had been overthrown by the Medo-Persians.

(v. 2)
Daniel recognised the 70-year period forecasted by the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25:11,12) for the Jewish captivity was almost completed. It is apparent that Daniel was of the opinion that God was extending their captivity by a further 2,300 years due to the wickedness of his people. No wonder he was very distressed concerning that part of the vision [mareh] he did not yet understand!

(vs. 3-19)
He turned to the Lord with prayer and fasting. Humbly he included himself along with his people while confessing their sins & pleading for mercy.

(vs. 20-23)
During this heartfelt prayer of penitence, Gabriel returned with words of assurance that he was “greatly beloved” and to help him understand the vision [mareh]. NB. the vision here refers specifically to the 2,300 days of Daniel 8:14 rather than the entire vision [chazon] of Daniel 8.

The Key that Unlocks Daniel 8:14

(v. 24)
70 prophetic weeks were decreed for Daniel’s people (the Jews) and their holy city (Jerusalem). On the year-day principle 70 x 7 = 490 prophetic days refers to 490 solar years. This is the only verse in the entire Bible where the Hebrew chathak “decreed” is used. In post-Biblical Hebrew, it appears with the meaning “to cut” or “cut off”. Therefore, the 490 years are to be “cut off” from the 2,300 years for the Jews and Jerusalem:

1. To finish the transgression

2. To put an end to sin

3. To atone for iniquity

4. To bring in everlasting righteousness

5. To seal both vision & prophet

6. To anoint a most holy place (i.e. Hebrew: qodesh qodashim - “something most holy” or “someone most holy”. It may therefore have a dual application to both the Heavenly Sanctuary & Christ Who is our Saviour & High Priest).

(v. 25)
The 490-year period began with the decree to restore & rebuild Jerusalem. From the date of that decree, a specific number of years would reach to the first Advent of the Messiah; but it would also confirm the entire vision [chazon] of Dan.8, thus providing the commencement date of the 2,300 yrs.

Three decrees for the repatriation of the Jews are recorded:

1. Ezra 1:1-4 in 1st yr of Cyrus, c. 537 BC.

2. Ezra 6:1-12 in reign of Darius I, soon after 520 BC.

3. Ezra 7:1-16 in 7th year of Artaxerxes 457 BC. This was the only decree that gave the Jewish state full autonomy. The information recorded in the Book of Ezra as well as 457 BC being the 7th year of Artaxerxes is confirmed by the Elephantine Papyrus, discovered on Elephantine Island in the Upper Nile of Egypt.

The first 69 prophetic weeks (483 yrs) are divided into two periods: -

• 7 prophetic weeks (49 yrs) from 457-408 BC., for rebuilding the city.

• 62 prophetic weeks (434 yrs) from 408 BC to AD 27, for further building development but in troubled times. It also brings us to “the time of an anointed prince” - i.e. anointing of the Messiah in AD 27.

In the prophecy of Daniel 8, Christ is referred to as “the prince of the host” (v. 11) & “the Prince of princes” (v. 25). The names ‘Messiah’ in Hebrew & ‘Christ’ in Greek mean ‘Anointed One’. Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit at His baptism: Matt.3:16,17; Act.10:38. This took place in the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar: Luke 3:1-3. External sources confirm Tiberius was enthroned in AD 12; so his 15th year brings us to AD 27 when Jesus was baptised exactly on time in line with the prophecy.

(v. 26)
After the 62 prophetic weeks (i.e. after AD 27) the Messiah was to be “cut off” - a term referring to being put to death (c.f. Isaiah 53:8,9). In this (v. 27) final 7 years of the 490-year prophetic period, Jesus was to die in the midst of that prophetic week bringing an end to the sacrificial services of the sanctuary. That is why the temple veil was rent in two from top to bottom at that decisive moment: Matthew 27:50,51. Halfway through 7 yrs is 3 ½ years - i.e. Autumn AD 27 + 3½ years brings us to the Spring of AD 31 when our Saviour died at the time of the Passover. The remaining 3½ years came to Autumn AD 34 when the gospel went to the Gentiles.

Chapter 8. The Judgement Has Come!          

2300 years – 490 years = 1810 years + 34 years = year 1844   

Then the sanctuary shall be restored. (NRSV)
Then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. (KJV)

The terminology of Daniel 8:14 is with reference to the Day of Atonement, otherwise known as Yom Kippur. It was a day of cleansing, restoration, putting right & reconsecration. Yom Kippur was a day of judgement:

“God, seated on His throne to judge the world, at the same time Judge, Pleader, Expert, and Witness, openeth the Book of Records; it is read, every man’s signature being found therein. The great trumpet is sounded; a still, small voice is heard, the angels shudder, saying, this is the day of judgement: for his very ministers are not pure before God. As a shepherd mustereth his flock, causing them to pass before Him to fix the limit of every creature’s life and to foreordain its destiny. On New Year’s Day the decree is written; on the Day of Atonement it is sealed who shall live and who are to die, etc. But penitence, prayer, and charity may avert the evil decree.” (Jewish Encyclopaedia, Vol. 2, p. 286, Art. “Atonement, Day of”).

In the sequence of events in the prophecy of Daniel 7, after the 4 empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece & Rome, the 10 invading tribes divided the Roman empire. 3 of those tribes were destroyed to make way for the Little horn. It was after the little horn’s 1,260-year reign of supremacy that ended in 1798 that the Judgement commenced: c.f. Daniel 7:9-14, 25,26. It is in this pre-advent phase of the Judgement that Christ receives His kingdom - i.e. the saints for whom He will come as “King of kings and Lord of lords” at His Second Advent to gather into His Kingdom (Daniel 7:14,18,22,26,27).

The Judgement has 3 phases: -

1. 1844
   Pre-Advent or Investigative Phase of Judgement 

2. 2nd Advent
   Millennium Phase of Judgement

3. 3rd Advent
   Executive Phase of Judgement

4. 2nd Death – New Earth

Three Time Indicators in Daniel 8

• The vision is for the time of the end: v. 17, c.f. after 1,260 years (i.e. 1798) Daniel 7:25,26;

• It refers to the appointed time of the end: v. 19 c.f. fixed day to judge the world Acts 17:30,31;

• The vision of evenings and mornings refers to many days - “distant future” (NIV): v. 26; from 538/537 BC to AD 1844 was “the distant future”.

 Notice the Tenses:

• In 6th century BC, Judgement was a future event.

• In the 1st century AD, Paul referred to “the coming judgement” as a future event Acts 24:24,25.

• In our 21st century, God says that the Judgement has come: Revelation 14:6,7 - it is now a current event!

Where Do We Stand?

The Bible teaches that human probation will shortly close and Jesus will return soon afterwards: Revelation 22:10-12. The question is put to us, “and who is able to stand?” (Revelation 6:14-17). The only way we can stand acceptably before God is by being clothed in the white robe of Christ’s righteousness (Revelation 22:14; 7:14). We must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). If we are clothed in Christ, we shall not be condemned (Romans 8:1; 1 John 4:17).

Our lives need to be in a loving relationship with Jesus Christ, where we are faithful to Him, trusting in Him and obeying His Commandments because that is what is right. Our faith in Christ will give us the victory (1 John 4:18-5:5).

From around 1844 onwards, the great truths conveyed through the ministry of the Sanctuary continued to be rediscovered. The pure teachings that had been cast to the ground and replaced by counterfeit teachings & practices that deflected from the ministry of Christ were brought to the fore in what became God’s Last Warning Message to the world (c.f. Revelation 14:6,7) in preparation for the soon return of our Saviour.

This article serves as the script for presentation #10 in "The Book of Daniel" series, delivered by Pastor Michael I. Walker. If you're interested in downloading a printable PDF version, just click here.

You can also find the video presentation recorded during the Zoom meeting on Friday, 7 March 2025, below.