Craig Mcelheny Christian Author

Getting this right is critical to the proper placement of God’s Wrath with respect to the Tribulation.

A precedent has been established to ascribe the 2300 days in Daniel 8:14 to Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Daniel 8:13 describes a ‘ transgression of desolation’ relevant to the daily sacrifices and their removal (Daniel 8:11). Antiochus IV Epiphanes stopped the sacrifices and set up a statue of Zeus in Herod’s Temple, in the year 167 BC.

Dr. Henry H. Halley, in his handbook ‘Halley’s Bible Handbook’, mentions the Little Horn of Daniel 8:9 and states, “it is generally agreed to mean Antiochus Epiphanes (175 – 164 BC)…who made a determined effort to stamp out the Jewish religion.” Dr. Halley is not 100% confident, however, and goes on to mention the references to the end time in Daniel 8:17 and Daniel 8:19. He states, there may be "the ominous outline of a far more terrible Destroyer."

John MacArthur, in his NASB Study Bible, directly states the 2300 days started when Antiochus Epiphanes began his persecution of the Jews, Sept. 6, 171 BC and ended with his death, Dec. 25 164 BC. This is precisely 6.3 years as described by the 2300 days, but Dr. MacArthur does not start his 2300 days from the removal of the sacrifice, he starts it with Antiochus’ persecution of the Jews.

I think the Scripture is reasonably clear that the 2300 days begin with the removal of the sacrifices (Daniel 8:11 and Daniel 8:13-14). Dr. MacArthur states the 2300 days are, in fact, whole days and do not describe a period of 3.15 years. He could have marked off 3.15 years from Antiochus’ removal of the sacrifice in 167 BC, and it would fit nicely with the cleansing of the Temple, which Dr. MacArthur claims happened after Antiochus’ death in 164 BC, but he didn’t.

The key to getting this right is Jesus’ statement in Matthew 24:15. This is in a list of events that describe the sign of Jesus’ coming and ‘the end of the age’. It has nothing to do with Antiochus Epiphanes, and everything to do with the Tribulation (Matthew 24:20-21). It is the Abomination of Desolation that is key. It is a veiled reference in Daniel 8:13, but more prevalent in Daniel 9:27.

In the vision regarding the 2300 days, Gabriel explained to Daniel that it pertained to ‘the time of the end’ (Daniel 8:16-17). Then, after Daniel had prayed about Jerusalem, Gabriel appears again with reference to ‘the vision at the beginning’ regarding the 2300 days (Daniel 9:21), and says he is going to give Daniel more understanding about ‘the’ vision (Daniel 9:23).

Gabriel’s explanation in Ch. 9 references the vision in Ch. 8 by his statement in Daniel 9:24 that it is “To seal up ‘the’ (KJV) vision and prophecy, and anoint the Most Holy (sanctuary/Temple).” Gabriel’s explanation does go back to Artaxerxes’ declaration to rebuild the Temple (Daniel 9:25), but the next two verses are critical. In Daniel 9:26 Gabriel is definitely speaking about the Antichrist. The words ‘shall come with a flood’ are indicative of the First Seal when the Antichrist goes out ‘conquering and to conquer’ (Rev. 6:1-2). The root word for ‘flood’ is ‘shatap’ H7857 – “to gush;… by analogy to gallop, conquer”.

Now to tie this back to the vision regarding the Little Horn and the 2300 days. Daniel 9:27 states that ‘he’, the Antichrist in Daniel 9:26, shall make a covenant with the Jews (many), but in the middle of the Tribulation he will put an end to the regular sacrifice. Then Gabriel makes the connection between the vision regarding the 2300 days, a ‘transgression of desolation’ Daniel 8:13-14, and the Antichrist in the Tribulation when he says “on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate (Daniel 9:27).

The ‘Prince who is to come’ in Daniel 9:26 is the ‘King’ who exalts himself in Daniel 8:25 and persecutes the elect (holy people) in Daniel 8:24. He is the ‘little horn’ who exalts himself in Daniel 8:11. They are all one and the same person.

October 23 2014 • 6 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

John Appelt

“The time of the end,” Daniel 8:17, is best understood as the closing of the period described in Daniel 8:13-14. 

In context, Daniel saw a “little horn” growing and exalting himself very high and becoming violent, Daniel 8:9-12, 23-26. (The “little horn” of Daniel 7:8 is not the same as this one. He emerges from the ten horns of the beast which is interpreted as the last day’s reconfigured Roman Empire.) The Daniel 8 “little horn” is an offshoot of the Greek Empire which divided into four kingdoms, Daniel 8:5-8. Two of them became rival powers, Egypt (Ptolemies) and Syria (Seleucids). Egypt first controlled the land between them, and eventually, Syria became the stronger. From these people came the “little horn,” the Syrian ruler, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who ruled 175-164 BC. He is also described in Daniel 11:21-35. 

History confirms the Scriptural description of Antiochus as a ruler of tyranny, brutality, and deceit. He also exalted and magnified himself as “Theos Epiphanes” or “God manifest.” Daniel 8:11, 25 refers to this when it says he rose against the Prince of the host and the Prince of princes. Due to his eccentric behavior, he was called in derision, “Epimanes,” meaning “the Mad.” 

After expanding his territory toward the Glorious Land (Israel), Daniel 8:9, Antiochus caused the daily sacrifices to cease in Jerusalem, forced the worship of Zeus, and sacrificed a pig at the altar. Finally, he died not by battle or assassination, but by painful disease, thought to be divinely inflicted. 

In Daniel 8:13, the question is posed as to how long the period of the ceasing of the daily sacrifices and the desecration or desolation in Daniel’s vision would be. The answer is in Daniel 8:14. The reference to 2,300 days is literally, “evening-mornings,” as some versions have it. It is explained by Daniel 8:11 as the daily sacrifices that Antiochus took away. As the sacrifices were twice a day, Exodus 29:38-42, the 2,300 days should be divided by two to indicate 1,150 days for this interval, or just over three years. Some think this period is from the desecration to the cleansing, but the sense is more the duration of time the regular sacrifice is disrupted, the time from his plundering the temple to the desecration of it. 

Then, the sanctuary was cleansed, Daniel 8:14b, which was done by the Maccabeans and from which arose the Hanukkah holiday, or “Feast of Dedication,” John 10:22. 

The “time of the end,” and “latter time of the indignation,” Daniel 8:15-19, pertain specifically to Daniel’s vision, called “the vision of the evenings and mornings,” Daniel 8:26. In this verse Gabriel told Daniel to seal up the vision and indicated it referred to “many days in the future.” The event would take place over 290 years after the vision, definitely many days. Nothing in these phrases indicates the last days.

Gabriel was referencing the time of over three years that Antiochus Epiphanes stopped the sacrifices and desecrated the temple as given in Daniel’s vision.

September 20 2023 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report