Posted by Steven Benjamin on April 11, 2009, 6:04 pm, in reply to "Re: Shepherds Rod: TRACT No. 3 (pt 6)"
Daniel had the vision in Babylon, northeast of "the pleasant land" -- Palestine. From Babylon the exceeding great horn went first "south," next "east," then north in order to make the turn westward -- "toward the pleasant land. " Thus it went in all four directions, denoting that it became a world power. Moreover, also the "brass" of the great image of Daniel 2, which Daniel explains is to "bear rule over all the earth," represents Grecia. However, as neither the goat's first horn nor his subsequent four horns bore universal rule, then to fulfill the prophecy of the brass kingdom, his exceeding great horn must be the one to "bear rule over all the earth. " Dan. 2:39.
Though the fourth beast of Daniel 7 shows that this desolating power is descended from Rome, the symbolism of the he goat goes further back to show that this world power originally descended from one of the Grecian divisions (Dan. 11:5), and later put on the garb of Christianity -- the religion of "a god whom his fathers knew not. " Dan. 11:38.
Gradually assuming the ornaments of the sanctuary, he before long magnified himself against the Prince (Christ) of the host (the Christians). And disregarding "the god of his fathers," he ostensibly became Christianized, but at what cost to Christianity! -- Not only was the "daily" "taken away," but also "the place of His sanctuary was cast down. " In other words, he "cast down" the Lord's "place" and there set up his own -- elevated himself to Christ's place.
The word "sacrifice" being supplied in connection with the word "daily," it manifestly does not belong to the text. Since, however, the English language does not have an exact equivalent of the Hebrew word "daily," which is variously rendered " continual ," "perpetual ," "everlasting, " and since none of these terms are synonymous, but carry individual connotations, it is consequently imperative to take them all together as a compound word, so as to arrive at the exact truth. In view, therefore, of this fact, also the fact that the Sabbath doctrine is the only Bible doctrine in the Christian era that can possibly be designated as "daily" (pertaining to worship in respect to a day), as well as "continual," "perpetual," and "everlasting," -- from time immemorial to time eternal, -- it is hence evident that all these various renderings can apply to no other doctrine than the Sabbath -- the eternal rest day. And in divine certification of its perpetuity, ring on through the centuries from Sinai the immutable words:
"Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed. " Ex. 31:16, 17.
The horn's taking away the "daily," was therefore nothing other than his taking away from the Christian church the Lord's Sabbath and putting in its place Sunday worship, a pagan sabbath, -- "abomination that maketh desolate," -- a desecration which grieved away God's presence from the church.
The ram and the he goat were shown to Daniel in vision "in the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar. " Dan. 8:1. Daniel was "astonished at the vision, but none understood it. " Dan. 8:27. The time, moreover, had elapsed, and Jerusalem was still a waste. So later "in the first year of Darius," who "was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans" (Dan. 9:1), Daniel was shown "by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. " Dan. 9:2. Jerusalem, however, was still a desolation, though the time of the people's captivity according to prophecy was fulfilled and the vision was still "none [not] understood,' as is clearly seen from Daniel's prayer:
". . . I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: and I prayed unto the Lord my God. . . . O Lord, according to all Thy righteousness, I beseech Thee, let Thine anger and Thy fury be turned away from Thy city Jerusalem, Thy holy moun tain: because for our sins and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of Thy servant, and his supplications, and cause Thy face to shine upon Thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake. . . .
"Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning [in the eighth chapter], being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. . . and said,. . . Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.
"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations He shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. " Dan. 9:3-27.
The angel apportioned the seventy weeks into three periods: "seven weeks, and three-score and two weeks," and "one week. " And though in his words to Daniel, quoted above, he explained the time prophesied, yet Daniel still did not fully understand the vision. As he did certainly, however, understand the angel's interpretation of the "ram" and of the "goat'' to be symbolical of "Persia" and "Grecia" respectively, the work of "the exceeding great horn" was therefore what he did not understand And so it was that later "in those days," he was again "mourning;" this time, "three full weeks. ' Whereupon he says:
I saw "a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz. . . . Then said he unto me,. . . Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days. " "For at the time of the end shall be the vision. " Dan. 10:5, 12, 14; 8:17.
That chapters 11 and 1 2 contain the explanation of the vision promised by the angel in chapter 10, can be readily recognized not only from the continuity of the angel's speech but also from the fact that these chapters are the explanation of the vision in the eighth chapter.
(CONTD)
Message Thread:
« Back to thread