August 28, 2022
“For two thousand three hundred days, then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.” Daniel 8:14
Daniel is hearing two angels speaking to each other. He has been shown distressing visions of the future, including details of the end-time earthly kingdom whose leader would exalt himself as high as the Prince of the host (8:11a). This Prince of the host is Jesus! The wicked activities in this kingdom would include persecuting God’s people, substituting man-made rules regarding daily communications with Him and casting truth to the ground . . . and prospering! (see 7:25 & 8:11-12). The concise answer above is to the question “How long will the vision be concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?” (v.13)
In the earthly tabernacle, the yearly cleansing of the sanctuary was a ceremonial removal of the record of confessed sins of the people. They had been recorded by the high priest in blood on the horns of the altar of incense all during the year. (The emphasis for God’s people was to confess their sins daily and get them “recorded” in the sanctuary.) The yearly cleansing of the sanctuary was a “pre-enactment” or a “rehearsal” of the once-for-all-time removal of the record of sin—to be executed by our Great High Priest—during the period of judgement just before His return. Daniel and his contemporaries, although they had been taken captive to Babylon as teenagers, had a solid understanding of the sanctuary and its daily and yearly services. They had been raised to look eagerly for their Messiah. The future suffering of the people of God was highly distressing to poor Daniel, a man greatly beloved by God and His angels! (see 9:23 & 10:19)
And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days; afterward I arose and went about the king’s business. I was astonished by the vision, but no one understood it. (8:27)
The revelations given to Daniel were consistently reviewed and expanded. As more details were given to him in visions and angelic explanations, the “big picture” was continually filled in with details. Jesus refers His listeners who inquired about end-times to Daniel in Matthew 24:15.
Daniel’s reaction is certainly understandable. Very often, it is in the details that must occur before we reach a goal that we become overwhelmed. But, even at this point in Daniel’s revelations, he had enough to go on to know for certain that his LORD would prevail. Examples include:
“. . . the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed . . . it shall stand forever.” (2:44)
“Then to [the Son of Man] was given dominion and glory and a kingdom . . . His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away. And His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.” (7:14)