Daniel vindicates Jesus!

The prophet Zechariah spoke of Jesus, when he wrote: "And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives" (Zechariah 14:4). This saying can be interpreted as a reference to Olivet discourse, in which Jesus confirmed that Daniel was a prophet, when he said:

Mark 13:14
But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:

Jesus referred to this as an event that was yet future.

The "abomination that causes desolation" is first mentioned in Daniel chapter 8, which also contains the prophecy about the 2,300 days or 'evening mornings'. The date Daniel gave for his vision of the 2,300 days is the 3rd year of Belshazzar (Daniel 8:1), about 550 BC.

The critics and skeptics who follow the pagan anti-christian writer Porphyry (232 AD-305 AD) deny that the date provided by Daniel is accurate, and claim the book of Daniel is a fraud written by a contemporary of Antiochus IV. To support their claims, they misinterpret the words of Daniel's prophecy. For example they claim "stars" and the "host of heaven" in Daniel 8:10 are references to Jews, or their priests. They assume the prophecy refers to a lapse of the ritual burnt-offerings during the time of persecution of the Jews by Antiochus IV. But Daniel's prophecies describe the rise and fall of great empires, not trivial matters of no consequence. And Daniel mentioned that the temple sacrifices would be abolished, in his prophecy of the 70 weeks in chapter 9. A temporary lapse of the rituals of the temple service in the 2nd century BC would have no relevance at the time of the end, but this vision was to be significant at the time of the end:

Daniel 8:17
So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.

The critics rely on faulty translations to prop up their flawed interpretations. In many Bibles, the word "continual" or "daily" in Daniel 8:11 is mis-translated "continual burnt-offering" (Jewish version) or "daily sacrifice" (KJV). In many bibles "sacrifice" is printed in italics. It is not in the original text, but the translators misinterpret the prophecy. Their assumption that there is no possibility of fulfilment of Daniel's vision is destroyed by the interpretation summarized below.

In most interpretations of the prophecy of Daniel 8, the following identifications are accepted: the ram represents the Medo-Persian empire; the male goat represents the Greek empire; the great horn of the goat represents the Alexander; the 4 horns of the goat represent the the Diadochi, the successors of Alexander.

Daniel 8:9
And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the beauteous land.

The little horn that grows great represents Antiochus IV, who was one of the Seleucid kings.

The horn extends itself east, south, and to the pleasant land, means Antiochus invades or controls Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Jerusalem.

The interpretation of verses 10-14 presented below makes far more sense that those offered by critics who view Daniel as a fraud.

Daniel 8:10
And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and some of the host and of the stars it cast down to the ground, and trampled upon them.

The horn grows up to the stars means the policies of Antiochus IV stamped out the heliocentric theory, that was supported by astronomers such as Aristarchus and Seleucus, and established the geocentric cosmology which became the dominant cosmology for many centuries afterward. The heliocentric theory threatened the Greek religion in which Zeus was identified with the rigid sky.

The stars and host of heaven were cast to the ground and trampled = stars and sun, moon, and planets were located in the earth's crust (the "raqia" or "firmament") by changes to Genesis 1 and several other scriptures. The revision of the cosmology of the scriptures was initiated by Antiochus.

Daniel 8:11
Yea, it magnified itself, even to the prince of the host; and from him the continual was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.

The prince of the host represents God.

The horn magnified itself, even to the prince of the host, means Antiochus initiated changes to the cosmology of the Bible.

The continual taken away = the knowledge of the earth's diurnal rotation was stamped out. What is more 'continual' than the earth's rotation? An example of this is the story of Joshua commanding the sun to stand still, Joshua 10:12-14.

The place of God's sanctuary was cast to the ground and trampled means the earth's crust or "raqia" was identified with the rigid heaven (which the Greeks identified with Zeus) by changes to Genesis 1 and other scriptures.

The Hebrew word translated "sanctuary" in Daniel 8:11 is 'miqdash'.

Strong's Hebrew Lexicon 4720 miqdash mik-dawsh' or miqqdash (Exodus 15:17) {mik-ked-awsh'}; from 6942; a consecrated thing or place, especially, a palace, sanctuary (whether of Jehovah or of idols) or asylum:--chapel, hallowed part, holy place, sanctuary.

It usually refers to the temple, but can also refer to the heavens, as in these scriptures:

Psalms 78:69
And he built his sanctuary ('miqdash') like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever.

Psalms 96:5-6
For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary ('miqdash').

Jeremiah 17:12
A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary ('miqdash').

Heaven existed "from the beginning" in Genesis 1:1. The above cannot refer to the Jerusalem temple built by Solomon. God's throne is heaven in the following scriptures:

Psalms 45:6
Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.

Psalms 93:2
Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.

Psalms 103:19
The LORD hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.

Isaiah 66:1
Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?

Matthew 5:34
But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God's throne:

Acts 7:49
Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?

The above references all offer support for the identification of God's "sanctuary" or 'miqdash' with heaven in Daniel 8:11. It is certainly reasonable to interpret 'miqdash' as heaven since the context in verse 10 is stars and the host of heaven, which refers to the sun, moon, planets, stars and galaxies.

Daniel 8:12
And the host was given over to it together with the continual through transgression; and it cast down truth to the ground, and it wrought, and prospered.

It cast down truth to the ground = the cosmology of the Bible was revised, and made to comform to the geocentric cosmology of the Greeks. Since the scientific revolution this has caused many to abandon their faith in God and reject the authority of the Bible.

The transgression concerning the continual = the knowledge of the earth's rotation was stamped out, as it implied Zeus did not exist! Zeus was identified with the rigid heaven that was needed in the geocentric cosmology.

Daniel 8:13-14
Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said unto that certain one who spoke: 'How long shall be the vision concerning the continual, and the transgression that causes appalment, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled under foot?' And he said unto me: 'Unto two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings; then shall the sanctuary be victorious.'

The 2300 days = 23 centuries.

The 2300 days start = 3rd year of Belshazzar, 550 BC.

The 2300 days end = the scientific revolution, 1750 AD.

Evening mornings = a pointer to Genesis 1, where crucial changes to the cosmology of scripture were made.

The sanctuary cleansed = during the scientific revolution the notion of a rigid heavenly firmament and the planetary spheres were abolished, and the diurnal rotation was assigned to the earth.

In Daniel 8:13 and 14 the word translated "sanctuary" is 'qodesh'. Strong's Hebrew Lexicon says:

6944 qodesh ko'-desh from 6942; a sacred place or thing; rarely abstract, sanctity:--consecrated (thing), dedicated (thing), hallowed (thing), holiness, (X most) holy (X day, portion, thing), saint, sanctuary.

It is the word "holy" used in the phrase "holy ground" when God spoke to Moses at the burning bush.

Exodus 3:5
And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ('qodesh') ground.

The word 'qodesh' occurs in the following scriptures:

Psalms 11:4
The LORD is in his holy ('qodesh') temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.

Psalms 20:6
Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy ('qodesh') heaven with the saving strength of his right hand.

Psalms 77:13
Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary ('qodesh'): who is so great a God as our God?

Psalms 102:19
For he hath looked down from the height of his sanctuary ('qodesh'); from heaven did the LORD behold the earth;

Psalms 150:1
Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary ('qodesh'): praise him in the firmament of his power.

Isaiah 63:15
Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness ('qodesh') and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? are they restrained?

The significance at end time (Daniel 8:17) = the prophecy of Daniel 8 was accurately fulfilled, and shows that God controls history.

The opinions that critical scholars express about the book of Daniel, which imply Jesus was a deluded false prophet, fulfill Daniel's prophecy, that "none of the wicked shall understand" (Daniel 12:10). Daniel's prophecy about the 2,300 days has been accurately fulfilled, and shows Jesus was right about Daniel.