ISBN 0-925675113 (Volume I )

Selected Studies
on Prophetic
Interpretation
Revised Edition
William H. Shea
Selected Studies
on Prophetic
Interpretation
Daniel and Revelation
Committee Series
Volume 1 Selected Studies on Prophetic Interpretation, Revised
Edition
Volume 2 Symposium on Daniel
Volume 3 The Seventy Weeks, Leviticus, and the Nature of
Prophecy
Volume 4 Issues in the Book of Hebrews
Volume 5 Doctrine of the Sanctuary: A Historical Survey (1845-
1863)
Volume 6 Symposium on Revelation, Book 1
Volume 7 Symposium on Revelaiion, Book 2
Daniel and Revelation
Committee Series
Volume 1
Selected Studies
on Prophetic
Interpretation
Revised Edition
William H. Shea
Editor Frank B. Holbrook
Biblical Research Institute
General Conference of [Link] Adventists
Silver Spring, MD
Copyright C 1992 by tbe Biblical Research Institute
12501 Old Columbia Pike
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Ubrary or Congress Cataloging-In-Publication Data
Shea, William H.
Selected studies on prophetic interpretation I author, William H. Shea. -
Rev. cd.
p. cnt. - (Daniel and Revelation Committee series; v. 1) Includes
bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-92567S113. - ISBN 0-92567S.{)3.2 (set)
1. Judgment of God- Biblical teaching. 2. Time- Biblical teaching. 3.
Bible. O.T.-Criticism, interpretation. etc. 4. Bible. O.T. Daniel -
Criticism, interpretation, etc. I. Title II. Series: Daniel and Revelation
Committee series (Rev. cd.) ; v. 1.
[Link] 1990
22l.1'S-dc20 90-39036
CIP
Acknowledgments
Uoless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations throughout the volume are
from tbe RSV, the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyrighted 1946, 1952
C Im1 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Chur
ches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission.
v
Transliteration of
Hebrew and Greek Alphabets
Hebrew Alphabet
M ='
-b
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I -g
I -8
- d

it =h
, =W
I - z
"
a - I
Consonants
=y
- k
., - /
?) - m
I - n
I:) = s
lJ ='
D - p
D -e
S - I
P - q
Masoretic Vowel Polntlngs
-a
=a
., =
Greek Alphabet
a=a
,
1') =e
B-Ih
6-d =i
-e K -k
., . ' (vocal shewa) - <
, - /

- n
, -x
0 = 0
. - i
" ,=(
.. - p
p =r
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l' = t
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.,
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Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Transliteration
To the Reader . .
I. Biblical Parallels for tbe Investigative Judgment
II. Why Antiochus IV Is Not the Unle Hom of Daniel 8
III. Year-Day PrincipJe-Part1
IV. Year-DayPrinciple-Part2
v. Judgment in Daniel 7
VI. Pictures or Jesus at tbe Heart of Daniel
VII. Day ot Atonement and October 22, 1844
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
IX
v
vii
'"
I
31
67
.105
. III
. 155
.165
. . 173
To the Reader
It is sometimes asked, "What is a Seventh-day Atlventist' .. A commOD reply
is, "A Seventh-day Adventist is a Christian who observes the seventh-day Sabbath
and who is preparing for the Saviour's second coming." But the perspective is
larger than this.
A more significant frame that holds together the picture oC biblical truth as
taught by Seventh-day Adventists is their understanding of the prophecies of
Daniel and Revelation. In these prophecies the Adventist people have found their
times, their identity, and their task.
Ad",otists arri>Od at their interpretations 01 Sa,1e propheq by employing the
principles of the historical "school" of prophetic interpretation. The historicist view
(also known as the continuous-lUstorical" ,;"w) sees the prophecies 01 Daniel and
Revelation unfolding in lUstorical time from the days 01 these respective propbets until
the establishment of God's eternal kingdom. As their immediate the Mil-
lerites were which also is true of tbe Reformers of the sixteenth century.
Reformation preaching of the apocalyptic prophecies of Daniel and Revela-
tion had a telling affect on Europe. It tended to center on the Christian apostasy
which had arisen within Christendom whom the Reformers saw symbolized in the
little hom (Dan 7), the leopard beast (Rev 13), and the woman seated on the scarlet
beast (Rev 17).
In the late sixteenth century Counter-Reformation, Rome, rising to the chal-
lenge, sought to divert the thrust of these applications. The result was argumenta-
tion for what would become two distinct but diverse methods of prophetic
interpretation: the futurist and preterist systems.
The futurist system wipes the Christian Era clean of prophetic significance by
removing the bulk of the prophecies of Revelation (and certain aspects of Daniel)
to the end of the age for their fulftllment. The preterist system accomplishes the
same objective by relegating the prophecies of both books to the past. Revelation
is not allowed to extend farther than the sixth century A.D.
With the passage of time these distinctive counter-interpretations began to
penetrate Protestant thought. Preterism was the fltst to enter in the late eighteenth
century. Preterist interpretations of the prophecies have now become the standard
view of liberal Protestantism. Futurism took root in the fltst quarter of the nine-
teenth century. It has since developed into the system of interpretation currently
followed by most conservative Protestants.
xi
Today Seventh-day Adventists stand virtually alone as exponents of the histori-
cist principles of prophetic interpretation. Recent events suggest that the Counter-
Reformation - though delayed - is now knocking on the Adventist door.
The historicist system of interpretation, as well as the positions derived there-
by, is being challenged. Both futurist and preterist perspectives are being urged
upon the church. It is crucial in these times for Seventh-day Adventist Christians
to understand the principles -and the sound rationale for them - by which we as
a people have interpreted the important prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation.
Therefore, it is a pleasure (or the Daniel and Revelation Committee to pub-
lish (or wider study by the ministry and membership a series of selected studies
that reafftrm historicist principles of interpretation (such as the year-day principle)
and the positions (such as the investigative judgment) that our pioneers arrived at
by means of those principles.
Dr. William H. Shea, the author of these studies, iaught 14 years in the
Theological Seminary at Andrews University serving for a time as chairman of its
Old Testament Department. After spending seven years as a mission hospital
physician in Central America. Dr. Shea turned to three years of graduate study in
Assyriology at Harvard University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of
Michigan at Ann Arbor. His specialities are ancient Near Eastern studies and Old
Testament history. Presently he is an associate director of the Biblical Research
Institute.
The Daniel and Revelation Committee,
General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
xu
Chapter I
Biblical Parallels
for the Investigative Judgment
Chapter Outline
I. Introduction
II. Judgments From tbe Tabernacle
III. Judgments From the Heavenly Temple
IV. Judgments From tbe Earthly Temple
V. Ezekiel 110
VI. Summary
Introduction
~
U I l Y developed biblical theology of divine judgment must draw
from the extensive amount of literature in the OT on this as well
from the N1: The full extent of OT literature is too vast to be
dealt with here, as may be illustrated by just one of its categories: the
prophecies against the nations (also called the "foreign oracles").
These are the passages in which the prophets pronounce God's judg-
ments upon the nations outside of Israel. The total volume of text devoted
to this type of prophecy in the OT comes to about 35 chapters. If these 35
chapterS were removed from their respective books and brought together,
the biblical book formed in this fashion would be longer than any book in
the NT and as long or longer than 32 of the 39 books in the 01:
All major prophets contain extensive collections of this material (Isa
13-23, Jer 46-51, Ezek 26-32), as do eight of the twelve minor prophets
(Amos 1-2, Joel 3, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah 5, Nahum, Zephaniah 2, Zecha-
riah 9). Three of the minor prophets consist entirely of prophecies of this
kind (Jonah, Nahum, and Obadiah). This kind of prophecy provides the
1
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
background for the judgments pronounced upon the beastlike nations in
Daniel.
The difference is the frame of time in which such prophecies are set.
The other prophets prophesied against nations that were contemporary
with them, whereas Daniel's apocalyptic judgments were pronounced
upon nations that would rise and fall from his time until the establishment
of God's eternal kingdom. Thus, due to the similarity of this literature, the
prophetic oracles provide the background for the apocalyptic judgments
of Daniel. This is but one of a number of links between classical prophecy
and apocalyptic.
Our purpose, however, is not to analyze the foreign oracles of the O'I
We only call attention to one segment of the literature of the OT that
would also need to be surveyed in order to develop a complete biblical
theology of divine judgment. Consideration would also have to be given to
God's judgments-both favorable and unfavorable-upon His own peo-
ple Israel and to the element of blessings and curses in the covenant
formula (compare Deut 27-33, for example). Both of these categories
encompass an extensive body of literature. Considering the extensive
amount of material on this subject, it is evident that we cannot attempt to
provide a comprehensive survey of it here.
Given these limitations, I have selected one aspect of this subject that
is particularly relevant to the topic in Daniel: namely, the location from
which God's judgments have been issued when that aspect of judgment is
mentioned. The majority of judgment passages in the OT do not comment
on this, but in a significant number of cases the text explicitly states that
God issued these judgments from His sanctuary.
Three different locations are involved in this type of text. The earthly
tabernacle is commonly identified in the book of Numbers as the location
from which God judged His people during their 40 years of wandering in
the wilderness. Later the temple in Jerusalem, as God's dwelling place, be-
came the source from which His judgments were issued, according to some
passages in the Psalms and prophets. God's mighty acts in His earthly
temple have corresponded in nature to His acts in His heavenly temple;
hence, other psalms and prophets describe God's judgments as issuing
from the heavenly temple.
The Adventist concept of the preadvent investigative judgment has
held that God's judgment of His people is currently being conducted in
His heavenly sanctuary. In OT times, whether judgment came from the
earthly tabernacle, the earthly temple, or the heavenly temple, it came
2
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
from a sanctuary God actively used at that time. Thus, God's past judg-
ment activity from His sanctuary provides a background for, and a biblical
link to, what Adventists have bad to say about that type of activity by God
in the present.
These hihlical narallels for the investi2ative iud2ment currentlv beinll
.... . ... ~ - .-
conducted in the heavenly temple. indicate that this modern counterpart
is only unique in its scope and extent, it is not unique in kind or quality per
se. Adventists have been somewhat shortsighted on this subject, thinking
that an investigative judgment at this time is completely and uUerlyunique
and without parallel.
This aspect of the judgment literature of the OT is too extensive to
permit each passage to be discussed in detail. Only a survey will be
provided. The list of texts that follows is extensive but not exhaustive and
is intended to be illustrative.
Judgments From the Tabernacle
Unfavorable Judgments
ImmedIately ratal:
Leviticus 10. Shortly after they were installed as priests, Aaron's sons,
Nadab and Abihu, "offered unholy fire before the Lord, such as he had not
commanded them" (w. 1). Commentaries differ to some extent on the more
precise nature of the sacrilege committed, but in any event it resulted in "fife
{that] came forth from the presence of the Lord and devoured them, and
they died before the Lord" (vs. 2). That this took place by the altar in front
of the tabernacle is evident from Moses' instructions for their burial, "Carry
your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp" (vs. 4).
Numbers 16. Korah was a Levite who challenged Aaron for the priest-
hood (vs. 10). Dathan and Abiram challenged Moses' leadership more
directly (vs. 13). Together they thought themselves just as holy and able to
lead Israel as were Moses and Aaron (vs. 3). A test was arranged to resolve
this issue. "So every man took his censer, and they put fire in them and laid
incense upon them, and they stood at the entrance of the tent of meeting
with Moses and Aaron. Then Korah assembled all the congregation against
them at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And the glory of the Lord
appeared to all the congregation" (vss. 18-19).
The Lord rejected the claim of the rebels and they were swallowed by
the earth (vs. 32). Their leading sympathizers among the elders were
burned with fire (vs. 35). The congregation came back the next day blam-
3
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
ing Moses and Aaron for causing the trouble. "And when the congregation
had assembled against Moses and against Aaron, they turned toward the
tent of meeting; and behold, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord
appeared. And Moses and Aaron came to the front of the tent of meet-
ing." (vss. 42-43).
A plague then broke out among this larger group of rebels, but Aaron
brought it toa halt by making atonement for them. The situations ofNadab
and Abihu and Korah, Dathan, and Abiram are the only cases where judg-
ments (immediately fatal) were specifically identified as issuing directly
from the sanctuary. Both involved man's contrary plans about how he
would minister in the presence of God in defiance of His specific instruc-
tions for those ministrations.
Delayed sentences:
Numbers 14. This narrative tells the story of what happened after the
spies brought their report back from Canaan. Accepting the bad report,
the Israelites lamented that they had not died in the wilderness, and they
wanted to choose another leader to take them back to Egypt. In response,
"The glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting to all the people
of Israel. And the Lord said to Moses, 'How long will this people despise
me?'" (vss. 1011).
God then offered to disinherit the Israelites and make a great nation
out of Moses' descendants, but Moses interceded for them. In response,
God extended His pardon. But Israel did not escape without punishment
for their rebellion. Those especially of the older generation, who had seen
all the signs and wonders God had wrought, and who nonetheless rebelled
against Him, were not to enter Canaan. Theywere to wander in the wilder-
ness for 40 years, until a new generation arose who would go into the
promised land.
Numbers 20. Even Moses was not immune to such treatment. After
wandering in the wilderness forty years, the Israelites came again to
Kadesh on the borders of Canaan. But there was no water at Kadesh, and
the people began to complain, wishing they had died in the wilderness or
remained in Egypt.
Moses and Aaron withdrew from the complaining multitude and made
their way "to the door of the tent of meeting, and fell on their faces" (vs.
6). From this place, His sanctuary, God instructed them to assemble the
people to a certain place and to "tell the rock before their eyes to yield its
water" (vs. 8).
However, Moses struck the rock instead of speaking to it as God had
4
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
instructed. The rock gave the needed water; but because of the dis-
obedience of Moses the Lord said, "Because you did not believe in me, to
sanctify me in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring
this assembly into the land which I have given to them" (vs. 12).
The text dee:; ~ c t sr...ci!:lcaHy stete the! Moses' se!!te!!ce caIne from
the tabernacle where earlier he was given instruction about speaking to
the rock, but this is a possibility.
A lesser sentence:
Numbe1'$12. Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because he had
married a Cushite woman (vs. 1). In so doing they not only criticized his
choice of a wife, they also called his leadership of Israel into question, since
God had also spoken by them (vs. 2). As a result, "The Lord said to Moses
and to Aaron and to Miriam, 'Come out, you three, to the tent of meet-
ing.' And the three of them came out. And the Lord came down in a pillar
of cloud, and stood at the door of the tent" (vss. 45).
There the Lord testified on behalf of His selVant Moses, "and when
the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as
white as snow" (vs. 10). Moses interceded with God on her behalE Al
though healed, Miriam was banished from the camp for seven days.
Favorable Judgments
Judgments with regard to office:
Numbers 11: The responsibility for the children of Israel weighed
heavily upon Moses. "I am not able to carry all this people alone, the bur-
den is too heavy for me" (vs. 14). The Lord then made arrangements to
appoint assistants to aid him in bearing those burdens: "Gather for me
seventy men of the elders of Israel, ... and bring them to the tent of meet-
ing, and let them take their stand there with you. And I will come down
and talk with you there; and I will take some of the spirit which is upon you
and put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with
you" (vss. 16-17).
Moses followed the Lord's instruction in this matter: "He gathered
seventy men of the elders of the people, and placed them round about the
tent. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him and took
some of the spirit that was upon him and pul it upon the seventy elders;
and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied" (vss. 2425).
These men were accepted into office by the Lord at the sanctuary. He
gave evidence of their acceptance, judging in their favor, as it were, by
sending His spirit upon them.
5
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
Numbers 17. A test was arranged to confirm Aaron as high priest after
Korah had challenged him. Twelve rods were selected, one for each tribe.
The name of the leader of each tribe was written on its rod. Aaron's name
was written on Levi's rod. This case was settled not at the door of the
sanctuary but in the sanctuary. "Then you shall deposit them in the tent of
meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you" (vs. 4).
According to instructions, "Moses deposited the rods before the Lord
in the tent of the testimony" (vs. 7). The Lord judged in Aaron's favor and
confirmed him in office. "Moses went into the tent of the testimony; and
behold, the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi had sprouted" (vs. 8).
Ajudgment with regard to land:
Numbers 27. Zelophehad had no sons and thus no male heirs, but five
daughters were born to him before he died in the wilderness. From this
turn of events his daughters felt they had been unfairly disfranchised from
possessing land in Israel. They presented their case at the door of the tent
of meeting in the presence of Moses, the leaders, and the congregation
(vs. 2). Once again there has been investigation of the case at the sanctuary,
and a judgment given from there.
"Moses brought their case before the Lord. And the Lord said to
Moses, 'The daughters of Zelophehad are right; you shall give them pas.
session of an inheritance among their father's brethren and cause the in
heritance of their father to pass to them' .. (vss. 57).
Thus the Lord judged in favor of the daughters of Zelophehad when
their case was presented before Him in the sanctuary.
Judgments From the Heavenly Temple
In the Psalms
Psalm 11. This short psalm begins with a personal lament over the
violence done to the righteous by the wicked. The psalmist then proceeds
to an expression of trust in the justice of God who will right the imbalanced
relationships between these two groups with His judgments. The temple
in heaven is the place where God pronounces these judgments:
The Lord is in his holy temple,
the Lord's throne is in heaven;
his eyes hehold, his eyelids test,
the children of men.
The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked. (vss. 4-5a)
6
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
From the temple come His judgments upon the wicked (vs. 6) and His
judgment in favor of the righteous (vs. 7).
Psalm 14. This psalm begins with the statement, "The fool says in his
heart, 'There is no God.' " This denial of God's existence has borne its fruit
in the wickedness of m ~ n ami l h ~ harm they have done to God's people.
God observes all this from His temple in heaven and evaluates such con
duct "The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see
if there are any that act wisely, that seek after God" (vs. 2).
This situation will be reversed when God judges against the wicked
and in favor of the righteous:
There they shall be in great terror,
for God is with the generation of the righteous.
You would confound the plans oftbe poor,
but the Lord is his refuge. (vss. 5.(i)
Drawing upon this theme, the psalmist concludes with an appeal to
God for the deliverance of His people and His restoration of good fortune.
Psalm 29. This psalm contains an expression of God's judgment upon
the Canaanites. That judgment is described as a storm that comes in 0[[
the Mediterranean to strike Canaanite-not Israelite-territory with de
structive force (vss. 3-83). The description tells how the storm was ordered
by God from His heavenly temple as the angelic host stood by (vss. 1-2,
9b). In response to this demonstration of His power all the host in Yah-
weh's heavenly temple ascribe glory to Him as they were exhorted to do at
the beginning of the psalm. The psalm closes with a reference to the fact
that Yahweh sits enthroned as king forever and with an appeal that He
would give strength and peace to His people (vss. 10-11).
Psalm 53. This is a duplicate of Psalm 14; see above.
Psalm 76. This psalm provides an interesting illustration of the con
nection between God's work in the earthly temple and His work in the
heavenly temple. The psalm opens by describing Jerusalem as His place of
residence:
In Judah God is known,
his Dame is great in Israel.
His abode has been established in Salem,
his dwelling place in ZioD. (vss. 12)
From this earthly residence God defeated the enemies of His people,
according to the following five verses. But this was not just a reflection of
7
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
His activity from His temple in Jerusalem. This judgment on behalf of His
oppressed people actually came down from heaven:
From the heavens thou didst utter judgment;
the earth feared and was still,
when God arose to establish judgment
to save all the oppressed of the earth. (vss. 8-9)
Psalm 102. This psalm is the cry of one whose sufferings are unex-
plained. The first 11 verses convey the psalmist's lament about his personal
condition. The lament is then extended to include his concern about the
sorry state of Zion. Responding to this situation, the psalmistex:presses his
confidence that God will arise from His throne and judge in favor of Zion
and against her enemies:
But thou, 0 Lord, art enthroned for ever;
thy name endures to all generations.
Thou wilt arise and have pity on Zion;
it is the time to favor her;
the appointed time has come. (vss. 12-13)
The throne from which God was to arise to judge on behalf of His
people was located in heaven:
He looked down rrom his holy height,
from heaven the Lord looked at the earth,
to hear the groans of the prisoners,
to set free those who were doomed to die. (vss. 19-20)
Psalm 103. Gratitude to God is expressed all the way through this hymn
of thanksgiving which has been called the Te Deum ~ f the 01: Thanks are
given for the fivefold blessing of the forgiveness of sins, the healing of ill-
ness, rescue from Sheol, admittance to a blessed afterlife, and the eternal
enjoyment of God's beauty in heaven. That these blessings flow from God's
faithfulness to His covenant promises because of His love, is a recurring
theme through this psalm (compare vss. 4, 8, 11, 17).
It is in this context that God judges on behalf of His downtrodden
people, "The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed"
(vs. 6). This justice flows from His throne in heaven from which He rules
over His earthly kingdom, "The Lord has established his throne in the
heavens, and his kingdom rules over all" (vs. 19).
8
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
In the Prophets
Micah 1. God's judgments upon His rebellious people issue from His
heavenly temple according to the introduction to the book of Micah:
Hear, you people, all of you;
hearken., 0 earth. and all that is in it;
and let the Lord God be a witness against you,
the Lord from his holy temple.
For behold, the Lord is coming forth out of his place,
and will come down and tread upon the high places of the earth.
And the mountains will melt under him and the valleys will be clef"
like wax before the fire, like waters poured down a steep place.
All this is for the transgression of Jacob
and for the sins of the house of Israel. (vss. 25)
1 Kings 22. Ahab enlisted the military assistance of Jehoshaphat of
Judah to attack the Syrians who held Ramoth-Gilead in the Transjordanian
territory of Manasseh. Before going along with him, Jehoshaphat wanted
to know if a word from the Lord was available through one of His prophets.
Ahab summoned his court prophets who naturally endorsed the proposed
campaign, even to the acting out of his forthcoming victory. Jehoshaphat
was not satisfied with this, however, and wanted to inquire of a prophet of
Yahweh. Ahab admitted that Micaiah ben Imlah fitted this bill, but he was
loathe to summon him, "for he never prophesies good concerning me, but
evil" (vs. 8). At Jehoshaphat's insistence Micaiah was summoned.
When his evaluation of this project was first sought, Micaiah sardoni-
cally replied, "Go up and triumph; the Lord will give it into the hand of
the king" (vs. 15). Ahab then put him under an oath to Yahweh to tell the
truth. Rising to this occasion, Micaiah replied, "I sawall Israel scattered
upon the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd; and the Lord said,
'These have no master; let each return to his home in peace' " (vs. 17).
The shepherd in this prophecy obviously was Ahab, and Micaiah
clearly had given him a prophecy of his death in battle along with the defeat
of his troops. Micaiah then confirmed that this sentence upon Ahab came
from the heavenly court: "Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the
Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him
on his right hand and on his left " (vs. 19).
Ahab foolishly persevered in this project and Micaiah's prophecy con-
cerning him was fulfilled when Ahab died in battle (vss. 34-35).
9
Biblical ParaIIeIs for the Investigative Judgment
Judgments From the Earthly Temple
In the Psalms
Psalm 9. This psalm opens with praise for God. The particular reason
for this praise is explained as the defeat of an enemy (vss. 5-6). This enemy's
defeat is attributed to a righteous judgment on God's part:
When my enemies turned back,
they stumbled and perished before thee.
For thou hast maintained my just cause;
thou hast sat on the throne
giving righteous judgment. (vss.34)
Following the description of the defeat of the enemy (vss. 5-6), the
psalm returns, in an [Link] thematic pattern, to the idea that this defeat is
attributable to a righteous judgment from God:
But the Lord sits enthroned for ever,
he has established his throne for judgment;
and he judges the world with righteousness,
he judges the people with equity. (vss. 7-8)
The same thought is brought out again toward the end of this psalm:
The Lord has made himself known,
he has executed judgment;
the wicked are snared in the work
of their own hands. (vs.16)
A passage of praise in the middle of the psalm locates the throne of
God mentioned in these verses in Zion or Jerusalem, "Sing praises to the
Lord, who dwells in Zion!" (vs. 11).
Psalm 50. The coming of God to judge his people is described in this
psalm in terms of a theophany. The first stanza of the poem identifies God
as the judge who comes from Zion, hence from His earthly temple. He
summons His people to come to His covenant lawsuit against them (vss.
1-7). The personified heavens act as witnesses in this setting; they do not
refer to the place from which He comes to judge:
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines forth. (vs. 2)
10
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
He calls to the heavens above and to the earth,
that He may judge his people:
"Gather to mc my faithful ones.
who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice'"
for God himself is judge! (>ss.4-6)
The next two stanzas are addressed to the righteous in Israel who had
not fully grasped the type of sacrifice God desired-not a further round
of animals offered, but thanksgiving (vss. 8-15). The next stanza describes
the various ways in which wicked Israelites have broken God's laws and
His covenant (vss. 16-21). The concluding stanza contains a warning to the
wicked and an exhortation to the righteous, the two groups in Israel to be
judged by God from Zion (vss. 22-23).
Psalm 60. This psalm is a communal lament in which a national defeat
is described and prayer is offered for victory over the nation's foes, espe-
cially Edom. It follows an [Link] :A::B' literary structure. A (vss. 3-5) repre-
sents the description of the defeat or past history, and J:\ represents God's
promise to reverse that defeat or future history (vss. 6-8). Band B' both
represent prayers offered by Israel for victory. The J:\ section, which con ..
tains God's promise of future victory, is introduced with the statement,
"God has spoken in his sanctuary" (vs. 6). Thus the future defeat oflsrael's
foes described in this section comes as a judgment pronounced upon them
by God, most likely from His earthly sanctuary.
Psalm 73. This is a wisdom psalm in which the justice of God and the
problem of the prosperity of the wicked are examined. The psalmist could
not understand this until he went "into the sanctuary of God"; then he
"perceived their end" (vs.17).
This verse is the thematic and structural center of this psalm. From this
point on his understanding about the final disposition of the cases of the
wicked and the righteous develops. The wicked will perish like a breath of
wind, but God has promised to receive the righteous into glory. On the
basis of his development of this understanding, the psalmist became will-
ing to trust in God. It was in the precincts of the earthly sanctuary, there-
fore, that he developed this understanding that God's ultimate judgment
would be righteous.
Psalm 99. This is one of the "Lord reigns" psalms which describe God's
rule. The opening description centers His reign in Jerusalem:
11
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim;
let the earth quake!
The Lord is great in ZiOD;
he is exalted over all the peoples. (vss.l2)
The particular aspect of God's character singled out as worthy of wor
ship here is found in the description of Him as:
Mighty [Link] of justice,
thou hast established equity;
thou hast executed justice
and righteousness in Jacob. (vs. 4)
The second half of the psalm tells how God communicated His will to
Moses, Aaron, and Samuel. To even these privileged few, however, he was
"a forgiving God ... , but an avenger of their wrongdoings" (vs. 8). On the
basis of this aspect of His character, as it was demonstrated in His treat
ment of these leaders, Israel is exhorted to worship "at his footstool" (vs.
5), and "at his holy mountain" (vs. 9), that is, at the earthly temple in
Jerusalem.
In the Prophets
Isaiab 6. This narrative describes the call of Isaiah to the prophetic
ministry. The first verse dates the vision to the year King Uzziah died, about
740 B.C., and gives the location where God appeared to him as the temple.
The second and third verses describe the seraphim who accompanied God
and their hymn in which they ascribe holiness to Him.
As a result of this manifestation of the glory of God, "the foundations
of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was
filled with smoke" (vs. 4). Commentators differ on what building was
involved, but it seems likely that this vision refers to the earthly temple.
Isaiah was overwhelmed with this vision of God and His glory. "Woe is me!
For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and dwell in the midst of a
people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!"
(vs.5).
One of the seraphim who accompanied God was sent to Isaiah with a
coal from the aItar. When Isaiah's lips were touched with it, his sins were
forgiven and he was given the ability to fulfill the mission to which he was
then called-to serve as a prophet, taking God's message to His people.
Isaiah accepted that commission and its message.
It is at this point that homilies on the chapter commonly stop. They
12
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
are generally concerned either with God's glory or with the enabling of
Isaiah to serve as God's messenger, or with his willingness to accept that
responsibility. But this narrative contains more than these three elements.
Isaiah was also asked to bear a message of judgment to his people. When
he asked how jong ihis message was to be given, he was loid:
Until cities lie waste without inhabitant,
and houses without men,
and the land is utterly desolate,
And the Lord removes men far away,
and the forsaken places are many
in the midst ofthe land. (vss.ll12)
In spite of the dire nature of this prophecy the last phrase in the
concluding verse of this chapter already gives the embryo promise of the
remnant. These would eventually return from exile to repopulate the
judged and desolate land. It is not surprising, therefore, that Isaiah should
later prophesy of the exile and promise a return from it, since that mes-
sage was originally given to him at the time he was called to the prophetic
ministry.
On the occasion when he saw a vision of God's glory in the earthly
temple, Isaiah was given a message of judgment for his people; and that
message of judgment referred directly to the exile which Judah finally ex-
perienced a century after his time.
Isaiah 18. This reference to God judging from His dwelling place is in
teresting since its context is the series of prophecies against the nations,
the particular prophecy being the oracle against Ethiopia. In the process
of pronouncing judgment upon Ethiopia, God said He would look quietly
from His "dwelling" (vs. 4). The judgment pronounced upon Ethiopia was
that its forces would be defeated: "They shall all of them be left to the birds
of prey of the mountains and to the beasts of the earth" (vs. 6).
Either the heavenly or the earthly temple could have been intended
here. The latter seems more likely in view of Isaiah 6 discussed above and
the conclusion to this foreign oracle which prophesies of a time when the
Ethiopians would bring gifts "to Mount Zion, the place of the name of the
Lord of hosts" (vs. 7).
Amos 1. Amos is reasonably straightforward in the introduction to his
prophecy about the Lord issuing His judgments upon the northern king-
dom of Israel from His residence, or temple, in Jerusalem:
\3
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
The Lord roars from Zion,
and utters his voice from Jerusalem;
The pastures of the shepherds mourn,
and the top of Carmel withers. (vs. 2)
Joel 2-3. Joel 2:30 to 3:21 describes how God was to judge between
His people and the nations. In order to do this the nations were to be
gathered to the Valley of Jehoshaphat ("Yahweh judges") for their judg-
ment: "I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of
and I will enter into judgment with them there" (3:2).
Let the nations bestir themselves.
and come up to the valJey of Jeboshaphat;
for there I will sit to judge
alJ tbe nations round about. (3:12)
This judgment was to be twofold. God was going to judge on behalf of
His people and against the nations. For their part God's people were to be
delivered (2:32), returned to their land (3:7), have their fortunes restored
(3:1), and enjoy a future of peace and prosperity (3:18, 20). The nations
had been guilty of subjugating God's people and lands (3:2), plundering
that land and its temple (3:5), and exiling His people (3:6). The nations
who had brought all these troubles upon God's people were, therefore, to
be judged accordingly. Theirown populations would be deported and their
lands left desolate (3:8, 19). These judgments were to issue from God's
holy mount Zion in Jerusalem, the place where He dwelt:
And the Lord roars from Zion,
and utters his voice from Jerusalem,
and the heavens and the earth shake.
But the Lord is a refuge to his people,
a stronghold to the people of Israel.
So you shall know that I am the Lord your God,
who dwells in Zion, my holy mountain. (3:16-17)
Malachi 3. This prophecy is about the time when "the Lord whom you
seek will suddenly come to his temple" (vs. 1). This will bring in a day of
judgment: "Who can endure the dayofhis coming, and who can stand when
he appears? fur he is like a refiner's fire and like fullers' soap" (vs. 2).
At that time "he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will
purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, till they present
right offerings to the Lord" (vs. 3). The prophecy further identifies that
14
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
time as one of judgment: "Then I will draw near to you for judgment" (vs.
5). Seven classes are then identified among God's professed people who
will not be acceptable to Him.
EzekJell-10. God bore long and patiently with His rebellious people
during tht: eight centuries ihey inhabiied the promised iand of Canaan
(four centuries under the judges and four centuries under the kings). Their
conduct in violation of the covenant with Him and their failure to develop
a genuine relationship of steadfast love finally led God to permit His
professed people to be exiled from the land upon which they had dwelt for
so long.
From the parallels to such a situation which we have seen above it is
only natural to expect that this fate would be expressed in the form of judg-
ment pronounced upon God's people by one of His prophets. We might
not only expect that such a judgment would be pronounced, but more
specifically, that it would come from His temple, the place from which the
judgments studied above were also issued.
And so it was. The judgment that fits these criteria is the most lengthy
of the judgment scenes in the 0'1: It was seen by Ezekiel during the last
years of the existence of God's people under the monarchy. Historically
the judgment scene in this vision was fulfilled or carried out by Nebuchad-
nezzar when he conquered and burned Jerusalem in 586 B.c. and exiled
God's people. The following discussion of this judgment scene is adapted
from my writings published elsewhere.
1
Ezekiel 1-10
An understanding of the investigative judgment of Judah in Ezekiel!-
10 will shed light on the views of the heavenly court referred to by other
prophets. For example, in studying the apocalyptic view of the final inves-
tigative judgment of God as described in the court scene of Daniel 7, it is
well to take the preceding analogue of the final judgment of Judah into
account. The earlier judgment from the temple in Jerusalem mirrors in
microcosm what is foreseen as happening on the macrocosmic scale in the
later judgment session to be convened in the temple in heaven.
1 See, "The InvcsligaliveJudgment of J udah. Ezekiell.I!)," "I'M SorJeAullyand the Alontmmt, cds.
Arnold Y. Wallenkampf, W. Richard wher (Biblical Reseaft'h Inslitute. Silver Spring. MD.
1981) 283-91.
15
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
Journey or God
Ezekiel's prophetic ministry began when the hand of Yahweh came
upon him while he was by the river Chebar on the fifth day of the fourth
month in the fifth year of the exile, or July 592 B.c. (calculating that date
according to a fa1l4o-fall calendar, which I favor for interpreting Ezekiel's
dates [Ezek 1:1-3]).
In order to understand Ezekiel's messages concerning Judah as re-
corded in the first 24 chapters of his book, it is important to notice the com-
pact chronological space into which these messages were compressed. The
siege of Jerwalem began in January 588 B.C, only three and one-half years
after Ezekiel's call, and the city fell to the Babylonians in July 586 B.c.,
after two and one-half years. Thus the messages are dated to the final days
of the kingdom of Judah, and represent God's last warning message to His
people. This portion of Ezekiel's ministry was not spread out over two,
three, or four decades as were the ministries of Isaiah and Jeremiah. Only
when this chronological aspect of Ezekiel's ministry is appreciated can his
messages be put in proper perspective.
Referring to his call to the prophetic ministry, Ezekiel (a contemporary
of Daniel) said that the heavens were opened before him and he sawvisions
of God (Ezek 1: 1). The vision is described in extensive detail in what fol-
lows. The description of the vision deals not so much with God as with the
beings and objects that Ezekiel saw with Him. Much scholarly ingenuity
has gone into studying the various details of this vision for the biblical com-
mentaries. Here we need only note the essential features of the vision,
often missed because commentators dealing with so intricate a subject
have difficulty seeing the forest for the trees.
At the outset Ezekiel saw a great whirlwind coming out of the north.
This storm cloud is described in more than natural terms: ';A great cloud,
with brightness round about it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in
the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming bronze" (Ezek 1:4). The direc-
tion from which this cloud approaches-the north-is significant, and will
be discussed later.
The first features to emerge from the storm cloud took on the form of
four living beings (vss. 5-14). Although these four living beings are iden-
tified in Ezekiel 10 as "cherubim," it is important to note for reasons dis-
cussed below that the term cherubim is not applied to them in chapter 1.
These four living beings reappear around the throne of God in Revelation
4. Although there are minor differences in the descriptions of them by
16
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
Ezekiel and John, it is obvious that the same beings were seen by both men.
They are referred to in both passages in similar terms-as living beings.
Leaving aside the symbols involved in the appearance of the four living
beings, there are three principal features about them that we should note.
They have wings (vss. 6, 8, llt 14). mngs are used fur fiying; thus we see
these living beings in motion (vss. 9, 12, 14). Furthermore, something that
looked like torches of fire with burning coals moved among them (vs. 13).
The use to which the fire was put is described in chapter 10. More impor-
tant in this present context, however, is the description of intense activity
on the part of the living beings; they were in motion-they were going
somewhere. But before we determine where they were going we should
note further what else they took with them.
The next section of the vision describes four wheels, one for each living
being (vss. 17, 19-21). But wheels are used for motion, in particular on the
ground; thus these wheels touch the ground from time to time (vss. 19,21).
The important thing to note from this passage is again the intense descrip-
tion of motion. The wheels were going somewhere, too. Before we deter-
mine where the wheels were going we should determine what they were
taking with them.
The next section of the vision describes the firmament that was spread
out above the heads and wings of the four living beings (vss. 22-25). This
firmament was in motion, too, for the living beings travel with it (vs. 24)
and, on command (w. 25), they bring the firmament to a slop. The firma-
ment served the purpose of bearing the throne of God (vs. 26).
The final section of the vision (vss. 26-28) describes God Himselfwho
is seated upon the throne. He is described as in the "likeness" of human
form, but most of the description of God is taken up with a description of
His glory. Thus the glory encircling Him and radiating from His person is
described as "gleaming bronze, like the appearance of flre, .. . and there
was brightness round about" (vs. 27).
These are the same elements seen in the storm cloud at first (vs. 4);
thus it is evident that the radiance emanating from the cloud was nothing
short of the glory of God. "Such," Ezekiel tells us, "was the appearance
... of the glory of the Lord" (vs. 28). As a result afhaving this glory revealed
to him, Ezekiel fell upon his face. God spoke to the exiled priest and gave
him his charge and commission as a prophet to God's people.
At the heart of this vision is the person of God and His attendant glory.
His person and glory are circumscribed in terms of location, however, for
He is seated upon His throne. His throne is supported by the firmament
17
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
of the divine palanquin, which is accompanied, or borne up, by His atten-
dants, the four living beings, and the wheels underneath them.
The wheels, the living beings, and the firmament are in motion. The
description of that motion is marked throughout the passage. The throne
of God mwt accompany the firmament that bears it up; thw God also is
in motion. God is going somewhere, and that is the point of the vision. God
is riding His celestial chariot toward a particular destination.
Commentators have noted and emphasized that this is a vision of the
glory of God, which it certainly is. But they have only incidentally noted
the motion involved in the vision. God and His glory are not oscillating idly
back and Corth in a vacuum. His movement is intentional and directional.
He is the One who orders the wheels and the living beings to follow the
direction in which they are to travel with the firmament and His throne.
That brings w to the question as to where God was going when Ezekiel
saw Him in vision by the river Chebar. 10 answer this question we should
return to verse 4 where it is stated that the storm-cloud chariot bearing
God was seen coming from the north. From Ezekiel's point of view a storm
cloud coming out of the north could have traveled either to tbe southeast
(to the exiles in Babylon), or to the southwest (to Judah and Jerusalem).
The record of this vision does not tell w which direction God's chariot
took. It is clear, however, from what follows in chapters 9-11 that God was
traveling southwest to His temple in Jerwalem. In the later chapters God
is depicted as taking leave of the temple after having taken up His resi-
dence there for a period of time. The principal point of the vision in the
first chapter of Ezekiel is that God was in transit by means of His celestial
chariot to the site of His earthly residence, His temple in Jerwalem.
Judgment or God
The two chapters containing the prophet's commission and charge
(Ezek 2-3) are followed by three chapters (4-7) that contain a series of in-
dictments for Judah's transgressions and prophecies regarding her coming
judgment. The prophecies of judgment were both enacted (Ezek 4:1-5:5)
and stated in terms of siege, famine, decimation, exile of the population,
and desolation of the land. The dumb prophet could speak only as the
Spirit prompted him.
The indictment for sin opens with a general statement concerning the
rejection of God's statutes and ordinances by the people (Ezek 5:6). It con-
tinues with specific indictments of idolatry (chap. 6) and of the violence,
pride, injwtice, and bloody crimes in society (chap. 7). Finally, it culminates
18
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
with a vision depicting the idolatry which had corrupted the very precincts
of Yahweh's temple (chap. 8).
Ezekiel's vision of the fourfold corruption of the temple precincts is
dated in the sixth month of the sixth year of the exile, or September 591 s.c.
(Ezek 8: 1). Tnis date indicates that Yahweh had been in residence in His
temple for 14 months. The period of time indicated here that Yahweh was
in residence in His temple in a special way raises two related questions:
Why did He come there in the first place, and what did He do while He
was there? The first question is relevant becawe it could be observed that
Yahweh's presence in His temple was already represented by the Shekinah
glory resting over the ark of the covenant in the Most Holy Place before
Ezekiel was given the vision of chapter 1.
If Yahweh's presence was already manifested in that place in this way,
why did He need to come to His temple in terms of the vision given to
Ezekiel in chapter I? The evident answer is that He came there to do a
special work, and this particular view of His coming to His temple places
great emphasis on the important nature of that work.
The messages given to the prophet, as recorded in the chapters span-
ning the gap between the visions of chapter 1 and of chapter 8, suggest
that the special work was of judgment. In other words, Yahweh sat in judg-
ment upon His people in His temple for some 14 months, as may be deter-
mined by the datelines connected with these visions, the contents of the
visions themselves, and the nature of the messages given to Ezekiel during
the interval between the two visions.
The continuation of this vision in chapter 9 provides further support
for the idea that Yahweh took up residence in His temple for this time
period in order to judge His people, for the result of that session of judg-
ment is described in this passage. The people of Judah who professed to
serve God were divided into two classes: those who really did selVe Him-
as evidenced by their sighing and crying for the abominations done in the
land, and those who did not serve Him-as evidenced by the fact that they
were the ones responsible for those abominations. The division between
these two groups was to be made by the angel who was outfitted as a scribe.
He was instructed to pass among the people and write a mark (literally the
Hebrew letter mw) on the foreheads of those who belonged to the first
group (Ezek 9:4).
In this particular instance the we of the letter tlIw as a special marker
may derive its importance from the fact that it was the last letter of the He-
brew alphabet. By selecting individuals in this manner, the angel marked
19
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
them as the lost of the righteous, that is, the righteous remnant to be saved
from the destruction of Judah.
The significance of the symbolism is evident from the subsequent
actions of the destroying angels who were to pass through the city to slay
the people who were not so marked. Historically this prophecy was ful-
filled when Nebuchadnezzar's army besieged and conquered Jerusalem a
few years after this vision was given.
The other part of the judgment was a judgment upon the city. In this
case the city was to be burned with the coals of fire which the four living
beings brought with them (Ezek 1:13; 10:2). Thisjudgmentwas also carried
out historically by Nebuchadnezzar's army (2 Kgs 25:9).
Thus a differentiation was made between the two classes of people in
Judah at this time-the righteous and the wicked-the remnant to be
saved and those not of the remnant to be destroyed. The implication of
this division is that the distinction between the individuals in these two
groups had been drawn up while Yahweh sat in judgment in His temple.
The execution of the sentence was the result of decisions reached during
the session of judgment in the temple. This judgment of the inhabitants of
Judah was investigative in the sense that a decision had been reached in
each case and a division had been drawn between these two classes of
people as a resulL
Departure oC God
When a decision had been reached in every case, there was no longer
any need for Yahweh to remain in His temple. During the vision of the
idolatrous corruptions of the temple (chap. 8), Yahweh raised the ques-
tion, "Son of man, do you see what they are doing, the great abominations
that the house of Israel are committing here, to drive me far from my
sanctuary?" (Ezek 8:6). Thus Yahweh's departure from His temple was not
an arbitrary action carried out on His part; His people had driven Him from
His own house. The scene is given in chapters 9 through 11.
Ezekiel sees the throne upon the firmament with the living beings, now
called cherubim, standing by (Ezek 10: 1). The chariot ofGod stands empty,
waiting for Yahweh to take up His position upon His throne. The descrip-
tion of the movement of God from His temple is repeated three times
(Ezek 9:3; \0:4; \0: 18). The sound of the wings of the cherubim is heard
next (10:5), and the wheels were set in motion (10:13). The divine chariot
is to be taken up once again because Yahweh is taking leave of His temple.
Ezekiel is emphatic that the living beings he had seen formerly were
20
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
now to be identified as cherubim. With the exception of the reference to
the cherubim who guarded the gates to the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:24),
cherubim in the OT are generally connected with the representative
models attached to the mercy seat covering the ark of the covenant in the
l.K .... F:r .... ' . UI ___ .... '" .1. .... < _ __ I .... \,n. __ I..-"' !_gs .. .:.1. V _1. ", I..' _
[Link] .av., .. 0. ........ VI U,'" ... n 110,;;" .."....,... 1110,;; W1UI J.a"wo,;;u.,
chariot in chapter 1, they were only identified as living (that is, heavenly)
beings. Now they are identified with the cherubim who had been present
up to this point in the earthly temple.
Thus these living beings become, as it were, spirits that animate these
formerly inanimate and representative forms from the temple. The iden-
tification of these heavenly beings with their earthly representations -in the
temple, and the departure of both, is another way of stating howemphati-
cally Yahweh's temple had been abandoned-that even the models of the
cherubim from the lid of the ark now went on their way.
The divine chariot is first seen at the threshold of the temple building
itself: "The glory of the Lord went up from the cherubim to the threshold
of the house; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was
full of the brightness of the glory of the Lord" (Ezek 10:4). Next it moved
to the east gate of the temple precincts. "The cherubim lifted up theirwings
and mounted up from the earth in my sight as they went forth. with the
wheels beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gateof the house
of the Lord; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them" (10:19).
Finally it crossed the Kidron Valley, to rest for a fleeting moment over the
Mount of Olives, as Yahweh, His judgment of His people now complete,
takes final leave of His house, His people, and His city. "Then thecherubim
lifted up their wings, with the wheels beside them; and the glory of the God
of Israel was over them. And the glory of the Lord went up from the midst
of the city, and stood upon the mountain which is on the east side of the
city" (11:22-23).
The vision covering chapters 9 through 11 is a reciprocal of the vision
given in chapter 1. In chapter 1 Yahweh came to His temple for a work of
judgment; and in chapters 9-11, that work of judgment completed, He
departed from His temple and city. When Yahweh left His temple, He did
not depart in the direction from which He came, for He came from the
north (Ezek 1:4), the direction from which the earthly agents of His judg-
ment-the Babylonian army-ame. He departed to the east (Ezek \0:19;
11 :23), in the direction of His exilC;d people who would yet return to His
land and city, according to the prophecies that follow in Ezekiel
21
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
Expectancy or God
A related vision o[ God and His glory appean in the tenth chapter o[
the book of Daniel. Daniel had been praying and fasting over some
problem [or three weeks (Dan 10:3). Michael and Gabriel had been wres-
tling with Cyrus, presumably about the same problem, [or the same period
of21 days (10:13). Since the vision of tbis chapter was given to Daniel at
the end of three full weeks, it would have been given to him on a Sabbath.
The vision Daniel was given on this occasion was a vision of God and His
glory. Il is similar to the visions given to Ezekiel, (Ezek 1 and 10). In
Daniel's case, he did not see God going to or coming from His temple; He
was still in the east.
This brings up the question as towhat Daniel, and Gabriel were
so concerned about on this occasion. This vision was given in the third year
o[ Cyrus (Dan 10:1). The fint wave o[ exiles had already returned to Judah
by this time (Ezra 1:1; 3:1, 8) so the return of the exiles was not at stake here.
The cityofJerusalem was not to be rebuilt until almost a century later; hence,
Jerusalem was not at stake here either. That leaves the temple.
As is revealed in Haggai, Zechariah, and Ezra 5-6, it was not Goo's in-
tention that the reconstruction of the temple be delayed as long as it was.
Il was delayed in particular beeause o[ local opposition (Ezra 4:4). One
aspect of this local opposition was that they "hired counselors against them
to frustrate their purpose" (Ezra 4:5). One hires counselors to serve at
court, and the court of greatest importance at this time was the court of
Cyrus, that would have been the most effective place for these hired coun-
selors to have lobbied.
The convergence of these factors suggests that Cyrus acceded to pres-
sure applied by these counselors and had the Jews suspend their building
on the temple. This then is the issue most likely at stake in Daniel
Cyrus' change of opinion as to the reconstruction of the temple in Jerusa-
lem. The glory of Goo was still seen in the east then, according to Daniel's
vision, because He was still waiting to return to His temple, the construc-
tion of which had been delayed by these obstacles, historically not over-
come for another decade.
Return orGod
The picture of the return from exile and the restoration blossoms out
[ully in the last third o[ the book o[ Ezekiel, especially its final eight chap-
ters. A central part of the picture is the restoration of the temple, a
22
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
remarkably detailed description of which is given in chapters 40-42.
After the temple is seen as rebuilt, the glory of Goo could return to it,
and this it does from the east, the direction in which it previously departed
[rom the temple: ')\nd behold, the glory of the God o[ Israel came from
ihe east; and the sound of his coming was iike ihe sound of many waters;
and the earth shone with his glory. And the vision I saw was like the vision
which I had seen ... by the river Chcbar; and I fell upon my face. As the
glory of the Lord entered the temple by the gate facing east, the Spirit
lifted me up, and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory
o[ the Lord filled the temple" (Ezek 43:25).
An interesting aspect of this vision of the restoration of the temple and
the glory of Goo returning to it is the date on which it was given. The
dateline of Ezekiel 40:1 gives that day as the tenth day of ro'l hafiTnlIh of
the twenty-fifth year of the exile. This chronological datum is unique in the
OT and the question arises as to which new year is meant-that of the
spring or that of the fall? The dates in Ezekiel have been interpreted here
according to a fall calendar; and that being the case, the same interpreta-
tion should be followed here. Rosh Hashanah of modern Judaism is
celebrated in the fall. This provides a minor supplementary indication that
a fall calendar is intended in this dateline and elsewhere in Ezekiel.
But this vision was not given to Ezekiel on the day of the fall New Year,
or l1ishri; it was given ten days later. The tenth day of the fall New Year,
or Rosh Hashanah, referred to here, is, therefore, Yom Kippur, or the Day
of Atonement. It was celebrated on the tenth day of the seventh month,
or TlShri. Thus this vision of the cleansed and restored temple was given
on the Day of Atonement, when the first temple was cleansed ritually
during the services. On that day Ezekiel saw in vision the second temple
restored, cleansed, and purified.
Thus the visions of God and His glory given to Ezekiel and Daniel cen-
ter on His temple and His relationship to it. In Ezekiel 1 He is seen com-
ing to His temple from the north to take up His work of judgment. In
Ezekiel 10 He is seen leaving His temple to the east 14 months later, having
completed that work of judgment. Almost 70 years later He is still seen by
Daniel to be in the east waiting to reenter His as-yet-unreconstructed
temple. Then He is finally seen by Ezekiel on the Day o[ Atonement (40: 1)
returning from the east to His temple, which was ultimately to be recon-
structed (43:1-7).
23
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
Summary
passages dealing with judgment in the OT have been sur-
veyed above for their connections with the sanctuary. This Jist is not ex-
haustive. but it is reasonably comprehensive and fairly representative. The
forms of the sanctuary mentioned in these passages are distributed in a
relatively even statistical fashion. About a third of them (eight) are related
to the tabernacle in the wilderness, another third (nine) have connections
with the heavenly temple, and the final third (eleven) are set in the con-
text of the earthly temple in Jerusalem.
In general, connections with the heavenly temple are more common
in the Psalms, while connections with the earthly temple are more evident
in the prophets. The fact that the alternative relations occur in both of
these bodies of literature indicates that this distinction is not of major im-
portance. On the contrary, the rather even statistical distribution under-
scores the fact that this judgment-aspect of the work of God in the temple
of heaven related directly to this work in His earthly residences.
Thus in OT times the work of judgment in the heavenly temple and
the same type of work in the earthly temple/tabernacle were two sides of
the same coin. They were simply different manifestations of the same work,
just as they are directly connected in Psalm 76.
Thereare many prophecies or statements about judgment in theOTwhich
do not contain any specific mention of their connection with the sanctuary.
That relationship did not have to be mentioned in aU instances, however, and
on the basis of the above discussion, a sanctuary setting may be assumed in
these other cases. Just as the sanctuarywas the center of God's redemptive ac-
tivity. whether that point was explicitly stated in any given passage or not, just
so it was also the center from which His judgments were issued.
The sanctuary. whether earthly or heavenly, was the place where God
dwelt. Since He was the one who issued such judgments, it is only natural
that they were issued from the place where He dwelt. Thus the relation-
ship between the sanctuary and judgment described in the passages dis-
cussed above is a natural one. God's government centers in His sanctuary.
It is interesting to note how often these judgments were pronounced
in the context of a theophanic view of God. It is fair to state that when such
views of God are described in the Bible, they are found most commonly in
this type of literature. This relationship may not be exclusive, but it is a
common one. The holiness and glory of God expressed in such scenes cer-
adds solemnity to their import.
24
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
The object of these judgments from the sanctuary should be reviewed.
The cases connected with the tabernacle in the wilderness were obviously
all directed toward God's people. This is true whether individuals were
singled out for judgment or whether large groups of people were involved.
Considering how direct the reiationship was between the tabernacie and
the camp of Israel during the Exodus sojourn, it is only natural that more
personally related judgments occurred in connection with the tabernacle
during that period than in later Israelite history. The judgment upon Ahab
in 1 Kings 22 is the most personal message of this type found in the later
passages connected with the earthly and the heavenly temples. There are
various messages of personal judgment borne by the prophets during the
period of the monarchy, whether their objects were kings or other persons;
but they were not related so directly to the sanctuary.
Beyond these personal judgments, a rather broad spectrum of judg-
ments appear in these sanctuary-related passages. They break down into
six different categories:
1. A favorable judgment upon the righteous. In the passages considered
ahove this aspect of judgment appears by itself only in Psalm \03 where
the judgment is set in the context of the heavenly temple.
2 A judgment which distinguishes between the righteous and the wicked
in Israel Psalm 14 (and Psalm 53-a duplicate of 14) relates such a judg-
ment to the heavenly temple. Malachi 3, Ezekiel 10, and Psalms 50 and 73
relate this kind of judgment to the earthly temple.
3. A judgment given in favor of the righteous over against the wicked
This type of judgment occurs in the context of the heavenly temple of
Psalms 11, 102. It also occurs in Joel 2-3 in the context of the earthly temple.
4. A judgment upon the sins of otherwise-righteous people. This appears
in the setting of the earthly temple in Psalm 99.
5. An unfavorable judgment upon the wicked. This comes from the
heavenly temple in the personal case of Ahab in 1 Kings 22. This same type
of judgment from the same source is applied more generally in Micah 1. It
should be remembered, however, that even though wicked Judah was
judged worthy of exile, the prophetic promise that the remnant would
return from exile was conveyed by the same prophet. This also holds tcue
in the vision of Isaiah 6 which de'als with judgment and the return of a
remnant.
6. The six cases ofjudgmen1S upon foreign nations are explicitly stated
as having come from the sanctuary. The judgment of the Canaanites came
from the heavenly temple (Ps 29). while the judgments upon Edom and
25
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
Ethiopia came from the earthly temple (Ps 60 and Isa 18). The collection
of foreign nations identified in Joel 3 were also judged from the earthly
temple. Psalm 76 contains a general judgment uJX'n unspecified foreign
enemies which came from the heavenly temple, while in Psalm 9 judgment
is identified as having come from the earthly temple.
The relationship between the work of the heavenly sanctuary and that
of the earthly sanctuary is clarified when the judgment passages in the OT
are analyzed within the categories described above. In four out of six of
these categories the same types of judgments are identified as having come
from both the earthly and the heavenly temples. It is in the first and third
categories only that this generalization does not hold true, and in these in-
stances only one passage can be cited as belonging to each category.
The most common types of judgment passages are those directed
against the foreign nations and those which distinguish between the righ-
teous and wicked among God's people. Six examples of the former and
five of the latter have been collected. While the category of judgments on
foreign nations is prominent, it should be noted that when the different
types of judgments of God's people are collected together, they form a
considerably larger corpus than the foreign.
Of the 20 judgment passages related to the earthly and the heavenly
temple, the concern of 14 is with God's people, while six are concerned
with the foreign nations. When the eight cases of judgment from the taber-
nacle are added, the ratio widens to 22 to 6. This ratio fits the general pic-
ture of judgment in the OT
A study of the judgment passages within their larger categories indi-
cates that God was concerned with three categories of persons in the world
(rather than with just two, as some would insist). These three larger
categories consist of the righteous in Israel, the wicked in Israel, and the
nations. While the last two groups shared somewhat similar fates in lenns
of their judgments, they were brought together from different points of
origin. Transfers from the third group to the first group were accomplished
only on an individual basis. This occurred in the cases of Ruth, Uriah, Ebed-
Melech, and others.
Not all of the corporate judgments upon foreign nations were unfa-
vorable. There is, for example, the prophecy of the restoration of Egypt
after its desolation in Ezekiel 29. Beyond this specific type of prophecy
there was the much greater and more favorable prophetic view of the place
these nations were to occupy in God's eschatological kingdom. One of the
more prominent statements is found in the duplicate passages of Isaiah 2
26
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
and Micah 4. It is cited here because it refers to God's judgment of the
nations from His temple:
It shall come to pass in the latter days
shall be established as the highest 01
the mountains,
and shall be raised upon above the hills;
and peoples shall flow to it,
and many nations shall come, and say:
"Come,let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob;
that he may teach us his ways
and we may walk. in his paths."
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between many peoples.
and shall decide for strong nations afar off;
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning books. (Mic 4:1-3)
When one comes to compare the judgment in Daniel with these
aspects of judgments from the sanctuary elsewhere recorded in the 01; it
is evident that Daniel's portrayal contains all of the essential elements of
the latter. The judgment of foreign nations, category six above, is present
in Daniel in the rise and fall of nations and in the final fall, as described in
Daniel 2:44; 7:11-12, 26; 8:25, and 11:45.
Categories one and four above (which deal with the righteous) can be
lumped with category two which distinguished between the righteous and
the wicked among God's people. This is explicitly referred to in Daniel
12:1,3 and is implied in Daniel 8:14. Category five, the rejection of some
of the professed people of God, covers the unfavorable side of the judg-
ment described under category two; this is also explicitly referred to in
Daniel 12:2 and implied in Daniel 8:14.
Finally, the judgment in favor of God's people over and against their
enemies, category three above, is the aspect of the judgment implied in
Daniel 2:44 and more explicitly stated in Daniel 7:22.
Thus counterparts for all of the categories of judgment from the
sanctuary in the OT are also found in the final judgment in Daniel. Just as
a composite picture is developed by considering all of the sanctuary judg-
ment passages outside of Daniel in the OT, so a composite picture of the
27
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
final judgment must be developed by taking all of the judgment passages
in Daniel into consideration.
As with the rest of the OT, these judgments arc sometimes specifically
identified as coming from the sanctuary and in other cases they are noL
For example. the judgment passages in Daniel 2:44, 8:25, and 11 :45 arc not
specifically connected with the sanctuary, whereas the judgment scenes in
Daniel 7:9-13. 22. 26; 8:14. and 12:1 arc. One difference in these two
categories of texts in Daniel is that the judgment passages connected with
the sanctuary are often more concerned with God's people than with the
nations. However, since all judgment decisions issue from God, they may
be viewed in the context of judgment from the sanctuary-God's dwelling.
Two of the significant differences between OT judgments in general
and the final judgment depicted in Daniel involve time and scope. The
judgments from the sanctuary in the OT passages studied above refer to
judgments upon persons, peoples, or nations that were contemporary with
the prophet who announced the judgments.
In Daniel, on the other hand, final judgment is located in the context
of an apocalyptic framework, after the rise and fall of a series of nations
and at the end of a specified period of prophetic time. Thus the other judg-
ments in the OT and the judgment in Daniel we re qualitatively similar but
set in different time dimensions.
Anothe r major difference is that of scope. These other OT judgments
were localized in scope, dealing with different individuals, groups of peo-
ple, or nations of the ancient Near East. However, the judgment in Daniel
is more far-reaching, for it brings present human history to a close. It is
cosmic in scope. The OT judgment passages outside of Daniel are a series
of mini-judgments on the microcosmic scale, as it were. These lead up to,
point to, and provide an earlier re1ection of and parallel to the great final
judgment on the macrocosmic scale as is described in Daniel (and the
Revelation).
Since God convened His heavenly court to try his rib or "covenant law-
suit" against His people on various occasions in OT times, should we not
allow Him the freedom or even expect Him to do so at the end of our era?
Thus while these OT judgments are qualitatively similar to the judgment
in Daniel in the sense that similar levels or categories of judgment are
found in both, they differ in scope and in te rms of the chronological frame
of reference in which they are found.
Of the 28 sanctuary judgment passages compiled from the 01; the
closest parallel to the judgme nt in heaven at the present time is the inves-
28
Biblical Parallels for the Investigative Judgment
tigative judgment of Judah described in Ezekiel 1 10. It is interesting to
compare their respective chronological settings.
God established His people in the promised land of Canaan as de-
scribed in the book of Joshua. fur four centuries thereafter they lived
unuer lhe leauer:ship uf juugt::; anu fur illi-other four ceIlturies under the
rule of kings. It was at the very end of this entire eight-century era that the
final judgment was pronounced upon them in the vision given to Ezekiel.
And this vision was given but a few short years before they were swept into
exile away from the promised land God had given them.
The judgment depicted in Daniel occurs at a similar juncture, but in
terms of the wider history of God', people and the world It is dated at the
"time of the end" of this era of human history, just prior to the ushering in
of God's great eternal kingdom. On a smaller scale, therefore, the inves-
tigative judgment of Judah carried out in the earthly temple in Jerusalem
occurred at an intermediate juncture in salvation history compared with
the investigative judgment in the heavenly temple that was convened to
conclude the final chapter in that history.
29
Chapter II
Why Antiochus IV
Is Not the Little Horn of DanielS
Chapter Outline
J. Significance of the Interpretation
II. Daniel7
III. Daniel8
IV. Daniel9
V. Danielll
VI. Summary
- ~ -
Significance of the Interpretation
~
e vision described in Daniel 8 may be outlined briefly as follows:
The Persian ram appeared in the vision first, conquering to the
north, west, and south (vss. 3-4). The Grecian goat with its prin-
cipal horn came on the scene of action next. By defeating the Persian ram
it became the dominant power in view (vss. 5-7). Mter reaching this posi-
tion, however, the principal horn of the goat was broken and four horns,
extending out to the four winds of heaven, came up in its place (vs. 8).
Commentators concur that the contents of the vision thus far are relatively
straightfolWard, since these four horns can be identified readily with the
four kings, and the kingdoms derivative from them, who divided the em-
pire conquered by Alexander.
The interpretation of the next main element in the vision is more con-
troversial. Another horn ("a little horn") which came either from one of
the four winds or from one of the four horns appeared on the scene. The
attack which this horn launched was not directed so much against other
beasts or kingdoms as against God's people, identified here as "the host
of the stars" (vss. to, 24). It was also directed against God's work of
31
Why Antiocbus NIs Not the Uttle Hom of DanielS
redemption in tbe form of the mnU4 (daily) and tbe temple (vss. 11-12),
and against God's principal representative-"the Prince of the host," "the
Prince of princes" (vss. 11,25).
Daniel then beard two heavenly beings discussing what he had seeD.
One asked the other, "For how long is the vision concerning the [mmf4J.
the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary
and host to be trampled under foot? " The answer given was, "Unto two
thousand and three hundred evening-mornings, then the sanctuary shall
be cleansed/restored" (tr. mine).
Crucial to tbe interpretation of Daniel 8:9-14 is the identification of
tbis little born which was to do all these things against God and His people.
In their attempt to identify the little horn commentators have applied the
methods advanced by the pecterist, futurist, and historicist schools of
prophetic interpretation.
Preterists are committed to the view that the majority of the prophe-
cies of the book of Daniel have already been fulfilled and, therefore, have
no significance for the present day. Thus they hold that the little hom rose
from one of the divisions of Alexander's empire. They conclude that the
activities of the little hom unmistakably point to Antiochus N Epiphanes.
Futurists generally follow this line of interpretation also. In addition, they
see Antiochus as a type of an end-time antichrist who is to arise in the final
years of earth's history before Christ's second advent.
Historicists, on the other hand, declare that the prophecies in Daniel
portray an outline of human and ecclesiastical history and the story of the
struggle between good and evil down to the end of time. Since a flow of
history appears to be involved here, especially when this chapter is com-
pared with the previous one,the historicist holds that the little hom repre-
sents Rome-in its pagan and papal phases.
Just as there are three main identifications for the little horn, so three
main applications have been made of the time period referred to in this
passage. Preterists have proposed that the 2300 "evening-mornings"
should be interpreted as 2300 individual morning and evening sacrifices,
or 1150 literal days. These should be applied to events in the career of An-
tiochus N Epiphanes in the second century B.C.
Utilizing the day-for-a-year principle, historicists have held that this
datum refers to a period of 2300 years which began sometime in the fifth
century B.C. and ended in the nineteenth century AD.
As a type of the work of the final antichrist, some futurists have applied
the "evening-mornings" as literal evenings and mornings, or 2300 days,
32
Why Antiochus IV Is Not the Utile Horn of DanielS
which they claim have not yet begun, because the final manifestation of an
anticbrist belongs to the future.
How is this prophecy dealing with a sanctuary to be interpreted?
Preterists claim it refers to the purification of the temple in Jerusalem
which was polluted by AI,tiochus in the seooiid centurj D.C.
Since the earthly temple was destroyed in AD. 70 (and this prophetic
time period extends beyond this datum), historicists see in it a reference
to the temple in heaven. As the principal representatives of historicist
thought Seventh-day Adventists have understood the cleansing of Daniel
8: 14 as a reference to the heavenly antitype of the cleansing of the earthly
sanctuary which occurred in ancient Israel on the Day of Atonement. Since
this was a day of judgment in Israel, the antitypical cleansing of the heav-
enly sanctuary has been interpreted as the time for a preadvent investiga-
tive judgment of God's people.
This position is quite different from that of the interpreters of the
futurist school who hold that during the final seven years of earth's history
a literal temple (to be rebuilt in Jerusalem) will be polluted by an antichrist
It will be cleansed or restored when Christ comes and puts an end to his
nefarious reign.
These three views on the interpretation of the various elements in
DanieIS:9-14 may be summarized as follows:
Element Preterlst Historicist Futurist
1. Little hom Anliochus IV Rome Future Antichrist
2. 2J()() day> literal days past Prophetic years uleral days future
3. Ttmpl< Eanhly Heavenly Eanhly
4. Cleansing From past defilement Judgment From future defilement
This brief review of the various interpretations, as proposed by the
three main schools of prophetic interpretation, makes it clear that widely
varying conclusions concerning the nature of the events predicted in this
passage of prophecy have been reached. Of particular importance in this
study is the nature of the event that is to occur at the end of the 2300 days.
If one follows the first school of t h o u g h ~ the prescribed purification
was all completed before January I, 164 B.c. If one follows the second line
of interpretation, it refers to a judgment going on now in heaven. This has
not yet happened, according to the third view. When it does, events in
Jerusalem and Israel will be involved. Considering the magnitude of these
33
Why Antiochus N Is Not the Little Horn of Daniel 8
differences in interpretation and the importance of the events to which
they refer, it is evident that these verses in Daniel need to be carefully
examined. They demand our closest attention.
In order to properly evaluate the passage dealing with the little horn
in Daniel 8 it is necessary to understand it in the context of the book. This
is because the prophecies of Daniel parallel each other to a large extent
Consequently, a sound procedure would be to examine the prophecies of
chapters 7, 9, 11, and 12 where they are relevant to the discussion.
Daniel 7
If we inquire of the various schools of interpretation as to how they
identify the different beasts of Daniel?, we will discover that all are agreed
that the lion represents Babylon (vs. 4). The historicist and futurist schools
identify the bear as Medo-Persia, while the preteristschool, which is essen-
tiaJly comprised of critical scholars, identifies it as Media only (vs. 5). Thus
while the historicist and futurist schools continue in the sequence to iden-
tify the leopard and the non-descript beast as Greece and Rome, the
preterist lags one step behind, identifying them as Persia and Greece (vss.
6-7).
Historicists and futurists finally diverge when they come to the little
horn. The former identify it as the papal horn which came out of pagan
Rome. The latter, holding to a gap in the flow of prophetic history, iden-
tify it as the final and still-future antichrist (vs. 8). Since they end their
fourth beast series with Greece, preterists identify the little horn growing
out of this beast as Antiochus IY.
There are, of course, variations in the applications made by individual
commentators within each of these schools of prophetic interpretation, but
these variations are not of real significance to us here. The essential dif-
ference for our present purpose is the divergence that has developed over
the interpretation of the second beast and the consequences that flow from
that divergence into the interpretation of the subsequent beast-nations.
By dividing Media from Persia, preterists have shortened this pro-
phetic scheme to the point where Antiochus IV developed out of the
Grecian beast as the little horn in the second century B.C. The other main
scheme which identifies the second beast as a joint symbol for the com-
bined kingdom of Media and Persia ends one historical step farther down
the road with Rome as the fourth beast. These schemes and this particular
difference can be outlined as on the following page:
:34
Why Antiochus N Is Not the Little Horn of Daniel 8
Preterist Historicist Futurist
Lion Babylon Babylon Babylon
Bear Media Medo-Persia Medo-Persia
Leopard Persia Greece Greece
Non-ikscript beast Greece Rome Rome
Little hom Antiochus IV Papacy F'mal antichrist
Since the interpretation of the symbols for these nations has a direct
bearing upon the identification of the little horn in Daniel 7, these beast-
nations must be identified before an interpretation can be proposed for
the little horn that issued from the fourth one.
One of the principal supporting arguments relied upon by preterists
here is that the author of Daniel committed a historical blunder when he
referred to Darius the Mede in 5:31-6:28 and 9:1. The argument runs as
follows: Although no such figure is known from history, Daniel 's reference
to him thereby allowed for a separate Median kingdom between the Neo-
Babylonian rulers, Nabonidus and Belshazzar, on the Qne hand, and the
Persian king, Cyrus, on the other. The foremost presentation of this view
is found in H. H. Rowley's Darius the Mede and the Four Kingdoms, 1 which
is dedicated to the proposition of proving this historical error in order to
sustain the preterist interpretation of these prophetic symbols.
Rowley's classical conclusion is that "there is no room in history for
Darius the Mede." Unfortunately, hedid not study the relevant cuneiform
sources directly but relied on secondary treatments of them. As I have
pointed out in my study of the royal titles used in the Neo-Babylonian con-
tract tablets written early in the reign of Cyrus,z there is room in history
for Darius the Mede; and the amount of room available for him is delimited
quite precisely.
The title "King of Babylon" was not used for Cyrus in the contract
tablets dated to him during the first year after Babylon's conquest in Octo-
ber 539 B.C. Only the title "King o[ Lands" was used [or him, and this
referred to him in his capacity as king of the Persian Empire. Late in
538 B.C., however, the scribes added the title "King of Babylon" to his
titulary, and it continued to be in use through the rest of his reign and those
of his successors down to the time of Xerxes.
I H. H. Rowley, Darius the Mede I1IIIi the Four Kingdoms (Cardiff, Wales, 1915).
2 William H. Shea, "An Unrerognized Vassal King of Babylon in Ihe Early Achaemenid Period,"
Andrews Univasity Seminary Studies, yols. 910. N06. 12 (Berrien Springs, MI. 19711m).
35
Why Antiochus IV Is Not the Little Hom of Daniel 8
There are only two possibilities here. Either there was an interregnum
and the throne of Babylon went unoccupied for a year, or somebody else
besides Cyrus occupied the throne for that period of time. fo my opinion,
the prime candidate for this other king of Babylon is Ugbaro, the general
whose troops conquered Babylon for Cyrus. According to the Nabonidus
Chronicle, he appointed governors in Babylonia (compare Dan 6:1) and
he resided in Babylon until he died there a year later, one month before
the title "King of Babylon" was added to Cyrus' titulary.
Ugbaru could have been reasonably well advanced in age by the time
of his death, a circumstance which would fit with the age of 62 for Darius
the Mede (Dan 5:31). Cuneiform sources do not provide us with anyinfor-
mation about his father, Ahasuerus, or his ethnic origin as a Mede (Dan
9:1). Darius could have been Ugbaru's throne name, as the use of throne
names is known both in Babylon and Persia. The logical explanation why
the dates in Daniel progress from the first year of Darius the Mede (9:1)
to the third year of Cyrus (10:1) is that Darius died in the interval. This
harmonizes satisfactorily with the cuneiform evidence.
While the case has not been proven conclusively for Jack of direct
reference to Darius the Mede in a cuneiform text, it should be kept in mind
that by far the greater portion of Neo-Babylonian contract tablets are still
unpublished; 18,000 of them from Sippar, for example, are in the British
Museum. Even without the publication of those tablets a reasonable
hypothesis for him can be made out of the published tablets.
One must also keep in mind how very fragmentary the picture of the
past still is which has been recovered thus far from the ancient Near East.
Thus the critical view that the author of Daniel blundered in identifying a
Median king of Babylon has not been sustained by the historical sources
of the sixth century B.e. On the contrary, the detailed knowledge of the
history of Babylon of this period being revealed in this and other passages
in the book of Daniel argues strongly that the author was an eyewitness to
those events.
Lacking historical support for their interpretation of the second beast
of Daniel 7, preterists must fall back on the interpretation of the symbols
themselves. What has commonly been done here, as in the recent Anchor
Bible volume on D a n i e ~
3
is to emend the text by transposing the phrase
about the three ribs in the mouth of the bear forward, so that the ribs end
3 The Anchor Bible, "The Book of Daniel," I new translation with notes and commentary on
chapters 19 by Louis P. Hanman, [Link].R. Introduction and commenlaryon chapters 10-12 by
Alexander A Oi Lelia, O.P.M. (Garden City, NY, 1978).
36
Why Antiochus IV Is Not the Little Hom of Daniel 8
up in the mouth of the lion instead. On the other hand, the phrases relat-
ing to a change in the lion are transferred to the bear. Thus the bear
receives the heart of a man and stands on his hind legs, not on one side.
This altered bear is then supposed to refer to the only ruler of the fictitious
Median kingdom thallhe author of Daniel presumably knew- Delrio.::; the
Mede.
fo contrast to this garbling of history and of the text in support of a
theory, the historicist interpretation of these symbols seems most reason-
able. The raising up of the bear, first on one side and then the other, can
be seen quite naturally as a reference to the composite nature of the
kingdom formed by a fusion of the Medes and Persians. When left in the
bear's mouth, the three ribs may reasonably be taken as representing the
three major conquests of the combined forces of the Medes and Persians
in the sixth century B.e.: Lydia in 547, Babylon in 539, and Egypt in 525.
Support for this interpretation in Daniel 7 can be found on the basis
of the interpretation of the ram in Daniel 8. Its two disproportionate horns
are speeifically identified as the kings of Media and Persia (vs. 20), express-
ing the same duality that is found in the prQphet's view of the bear in chap-
ter 7. The tripartite nature of the ram's conquests also parallels the three
ribs in the mouth of the bear, since it expanded to the north (Lydia), to the
west (Babylon), and to the south (Egypt).
The parallels between these two beasts support the interpretation of
the former already arrivCd at from its context in Daniel 7, namely, that the
bear represents Medo-Persia. This means that the nondescript beast, the
fourth in order there, must represent Rome; therefore, the little horn that
came from it cannot represent Antiochus rv.
From this conclusion about the little horn in Daniel 7, the next main
question is, What is its relationship to the little horn in Daniel 81 Could
the little horn in Daniel 8 still be Antiochus Epiphanes even though the
little hom in Daniel 7 does not represent him?
Among historicist and futurist interpreters there have been a sig-
nificant number who have opted for different interpretations of these two
figures. Virtually all of the pre-Millerite interpreters of the historicist
school from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries referred to by L E.
Froom in volumes 3 and 4 of The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers' identified
the little hom of Daniel 7 as the papacy. Only half of them identified the
4 leRoy Edwin Proom,1M Prophetic FaiJh o/Our FaIhm (Washington, DC, 1946,1954), veIL 3,
4.
37
Why Antiochus IV Is Not the Uttle Horn of Daniel 8
little horn in Daniel 8 the same way. The other half interpreted it as
Mohammedanism.
A similar split can be seen among futurist interpreters of today. Some
of them identify the little horn of Daniel 7 as the future antichrist and the
little horn of Daniel 8 as Antiochus IY. Thus the possibility should be left
open and not ruled out a priori that these two prophetic symbols could
refer to different historical entities.
On the other hand, there are significant arguments in favor of iden-
tifying the little horns in these two chapters as the same historical entity.
First, the fact that the same symbol was used for both of them, whether in
Aramaic (chap. 7) or in Hebrew (chap. 8), suggest .. t tbe outset that tbere
could well be a connection between them. If a historical distinction bad
been intended here, the best way would have been to use a different sym-
bol, but the symbol remained the same.
Second, the powers represented by this same prophetic symbol both
engage in similar actions: Both appear to arise at a somewhat similar time
in history; botb begin small and become great (7:8 and 8:9); both are blas-
phemous powers (7:8, 25 and 8:11, 25); both persecute the saints of God
(7:21, 25 and 8:11, 25); both appear to endure for protracted periods of
prophetic time (7:25 and 8:14); and both eventually suffer similar fates
(7:26 and 8:25).
Thus when two powers represented by the same prophetic symbol arise
and carry out the same kinds of action in the same time slot in the flow of
the visions, the probabilities appear to be on the side of those commen-
tators who have identified them as the same historical entity. Some of the
aspects of the work of the little horn in chapter 7 are not mentioned in
chapter 8, and vice versa. The number of correspondences between them,
however, is greater than those aspects of their work not mentioned in both
passages. None of these individual characteristics are mutually exclusive
so as to rule out the possibility that they could refer to the same power.
Third, the book of Daniel indicates that its later prophecies were in-
tended to be explanations of its earlier prophecies. This is evident from their
parallel order, the interpretations given in them that deal with the same
world powers, their similar imagery, and their similar phraseology. Further-
more, the book itself specifically states this in at least two instances (9:22-
23 and 10:1, 14). Not only has the principle of amplification or expansion
upon materials from the earlier visions in the later visions been recognized
by virtually aU commentators on the book, but it also provides a potential
explanation for some of the differences between those prophecies.
38
Why Antiochus IV Is Not the Uttle Horn of Daniel 8
The prophecy conveyed by a dream in Daniel 2 was given primarily to
Nebuchadnezzar. Although the same vision was repeated to Daniel so that
he could explain it to the king (2: 19), he functioned essentially in that con-
text as a wise man who interpreted the dream of the king. The vision of
chapter 7, on the other hand, was given dirtxiiy and pet'SOtlaUy to Daniel
half a century later. Consequently, Daniel came to serve God as a fuIJ-
fledged prophet in his own right. Being the first of the four main prophecies
given to Daniel, it is quite natural that the vision of chapter 7 stands out
as the major outline of the future. Thus all of the subsequent prophecies
related to him can be seen as amplifying this main original prophetic out-
line.
In this context, the vision of chapter 8 can be seen as an amplification
of the vision of chapter 7. Even the datelines on the prophecies support
that point. The visions of chapters 7 and 8 came together as one pair
grouped two years apart (7:1; 8:1). The prophecies of a more didactic
nature in chapters 9-12 formed a unit as a second pair grouped two years
apart (9: I; 10: I). But the second pair of didactic prophecies came a decade
later than the original pair of visionary prophecies.
Thus the vision of chapter 8 elaborates on the vision of chapter 7, while
the explanations given in chapters 9-12 elaborate on the visions. Their
explanations began already in chapters 7 and 8. This is another way of
saying that all the prophetic imagery God wished to convey was in place
by the time the vision of chapter 8 had been received. The final supple-
ment to the basic vision had been given and no further visions in terms of
prophetic symbols were necessary.
With the vision of chapter 8 standing in this relation to the vision of
chapter 7, certain details of the basic vision could be further elaborated. It
also means that other details did not have to be repeated. The clearest case
of this comes from the fact that there is no beast to represent Babylon in
Daniel 8. The common explanation is that the Neo-Babylonian empire was
drawing to a close. Therefore, it did not need to be represented again. This
is not entirely accurate from the human point of view.
The Harran inscriptions of Nabonidus state that he spent a decade at
Thma in Arabia before returning to Babylon to defend it against the
onslaught of Cyrus. The Verse Account of Nabonidus states that he
entrusted the kingship of Babylon to his son Belshazzar when he took off
on that journey. It was early during this regency of Belshazzar in Babylon
that Daniel received both of these visions. The precise date when Nabo-
nidus returned to Babylon is not known, but it could not have been any
39
Why Antiochus IV Is Not the Little Hom of DanielS
later than 540 B.C, the year before Babylon feU to the Persians. He could
have returned there earlier, but this point cannot be determined with
accuracy because of the damaged condition of Nabonidus Chronicle.
We estimate, therefore, that the vision of chapter 7 was given to Daniel
around 550 B.C., and the vision of chapter 8 was given to him about 548 B.C.
Even by the time Daniel had received this second vision Nabonidus still
felt that his empire was sufficiently safe for him to spend another seven
years in Thma. Judging by the stitualioD in Babylon at that time, it is not at
all clear that the Nco-Babylonian Empire was passing off the scene of
action by the time Daniel's vision of chapter 8 was given. From the divine
perspective, the Neo-Babylonian Empire was already doomed, but it was
not yet evident in terms of human political circumstances experienced by
Daniel and others living in Babylon at that time.
Instead of deleting Babylon from the vision because it was passing off
the scene of action, it could equally well have been deleted because there
was no further need to elaborate on the prophetic imagery used for
Babylon in the first vision. As we follow the order in whch God presented
the elements of these visions, we may rather say that Babylon was deleted
from the second vision not because the human political circumstances had
already experienced dramatic changes, but because God desired to elabo-
rate on other parts of the primary vision. Medo-Persia had already been
introduced as the successor to Babylon in the first vision, and it was not
necessary to repeat this point in the second.
A similar point can be made from the prophecy of chapter 11. With
respect to the Persian kings, the angel says, "Behold, three more kings shall
arise in Persiaj and a fourth shall be far richer than all of them; and when
he has become strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the
kingdom of Greece" (vs. 2). It is clear that the fourth king mentioned is
Xerxes and his invasion of Greece. At this point the focus shifts from Persia
to Greece.
The next verse clearly outlines the actions of Alexander the Great, and
the succeeding verse portrays the breakup of his kingdom in terms similar
to Daniel 7:6 and 8:8, 22 (vss. 3, 4). The question arises then as to what
happens to the rest of the Persian kings. Seven kings ruled Persia after
Xerxes: Arlaxerxes I, Darius II, Xerxes II, Artaxerxes n, Artaxerxes ill,
Arses, and Darius III. Why aren't these seven other kings mentioned in
this prophecy?
Is it true, as some critical scholars argue, that the author of Daniel knew
of only four Persian kings because only four are mentioned by name in the
40
Why Antiochus IV Is Not the Little Horn of DanielS
Bihle? We believe noL It is probable that any reasonably well-informed
citizen of Palestine in the second century D.C. (the date critical scholars
give for the writing of the book of Daniel) would have known about some
of the later Persian kings. The papyri from the Wadi Daliyeh indicate that
lhe people of Samaria were dating documents there to the last t ..... o Per-
sian kings at least. Thus this information should have been common
knowledge a century and a half later. We conclude that this criticism of
Daniel is ill-founded and does not provide an adequate explanation for
this problem.
Any attempt to solve the problem will have to come to grips with a
basic principle for interpreting Daniel's apocalyptic prophecy. That prin-
ciple is this: it is only necessary to continue with one kingdom, or line of
kings, until the new one of importance is introduced on the scene of action.
It is not necessary to describe the whole history of the earlier kingdom.
For example, the reason the Persian kings are only listed down to
Xerxes is that it was he who by his wars against Greece caused it to rebound
and to become a reputable power in the Near East. After this critical turn-
ing point in history the rest of the Persian Icings no longer held any great
prophetic significance and so were not mentioned.
A similar point can be made about the Seleucids and Ptolemies re-
ferred to in this same prophecy. Regardless of which school of interpreta-
tion one follows for the balance of Daniel 11, it is very unlikely that all the
kings of the houses of Seleucus and Ptolemy are referred to in this
prophecy. They are only listed down to the point where the next and more
significant power is introduced. According to one school of thought, it is
Antiochus Iv. Another holds that it is Rome.
The same hermeneutic can be applied here. Power A is only of inter-
est and significance in the visions or their explanations up to the point
when Power B is introduced on the scene of action. The prophecy then
takes up the details of Power B. It is not necessary to list the entire line of
rulerslhistory of Power A. One must bear in mind, however, that the tran-
sition from Power A to Power B is not always sharply delineated.
The setting in which the little horn arose in Daniel 8 may now be
viewed in the light of these parallels from earlier ones in the same chap-
ter as well as from chapter 11. There is not just one beast or kingdom miss-
ing from this vision. There are, in fact, two beasts missing, namely, Babylon
and Rome. From the full vision in chapter 7 with four beasts and a little
horn a reduction down to two beasts and the little horn has taken place.
Evidently, further details concerning the two deleted beasts were not con-
41
Why Antiochus N Is Not the Little Horn of Daniel 8
sidered to be necessary and the details added here concentrate on the lit
tie horn.
In a similar manner, in DanielS the four horns' expansion to the foul
winds was considered to be an adequate basis upon which to introduce the
same little horn into the scene of action in this supplementary vision. II
was not necessary to spell out everything that happened in the interim be-
tween the visions.
Once the transition has been made in this way, everything that folloW!!
concentrates on elaborating details concerning the little horn. This poinl
is emphasized by the fact that the vision in chapter 8 was given a title which
is related to the activity of that horn in verse 26 ("the vision of the eve
nings and the mornings").
The information available from Daniel 7 bearing on the question as to
whether the little horn of Daniel 8 should be identified as Antiochus IV
Epiphanes may now be summarized. First, the historicist position identify.
ing the fourth beast of Daniel 7 as Rome seems to be a sound one. This
means that the little hom coming out of Rome cannot be Antiochus Iv. IJ
the little horns of Daniel 7 and S refer to the same historical entity, we
must conclude that the little hom of DanielS cannot be Antiochus either.
Three important aspects support our conclusions. First, the same sym-
bolic terminology is applied to both powers. Second, both are described as
carrying out similar activities. Third, the general consideration that the
later prophecies in the book of Daniel amplify his earlier prophecies.
In the light of this evidence it seems reasonable to conclude that the
treatment of the little hom in DanielS should amplify the statement con-
cerning the little hom in Daniel 7 rather than introduce another entity.
The third line of evidence noted above also explains why it was unneces-
sary to repeat in chapter S all the details of the vision in chapter 7.
These three related aspects concerning the little horns in chapters 7
and S make it probable that both refer to the same historical entity; but
they do not prove that point conclusively. In order to reach a more defini-
tive position, we must study the little horn in the context of the chapter 8
vision itself. Furthermore, it will be necessary to relate to it information
that is available from the later prophecies of Daniel.
DanielS
Since Antiochus N is commonly identified with the little horn of
DanielS, arguments favoring this identification will be considered first.
42
Why Antiochus N Is Not the Little Horn of Daniel 8
Arguments in Favor of Antiochus N Epiphanes and the Little Horn
Antlochus was a Seleucid king. As one of this dynasty of kings, he
could have proceeded from one of the four horns referred to in Daniel
8:8--provided that was the little hom's origin.
Antiochus' succession was irregular. If the phrase, "but not with his
power [wem belW/l6]," at the beginning of Daniel 8:24 is original with the
MT (the Hebrew Masoretic text of the 01) and not a dittography or scribal
repetition from the end of verse 22, it would suggest that, historically
speaking, the little horn came to power through an irregular succession.
A son of Seleucus N Philopator should have succeeded to the rule
after his father's assassination by the courtier Heliodorus. However, the
king's brother, Antiochus Iv, came to the throne instead, aided by the
armies of Pergamos. It is possible to apply the phrase "but not by his own
power" to this course of events.
Antlochus persecuted the Jews.
Antiochus polluted the Jerusalem temple and disrupted its services.
However, it remains to be seen whether in fact he did all the things against
the temple that Daniel 8 says the little hom did.
There are, therefore, two reasonably straightforward arguments in
favor of identifying the little horn as Antiochus N: his irregular succession
and his persecution of the Jews. There are two other arguments which may
possibly support that identification, but they must be qualified to some
extent. These have to do with his origin and his desecration of the temple.
The question here is whether these four points, two reasonably straightfor-
ward and two qualified, provide a sound basis for making this identifica-
tion. On the other side of this question there are a number of arguments
from Daniel 8 against equating Antiochus N with the little horn. Most of
these are relatively well-known but will be repeated here. Some will re-
quire amplification.
Arguments Against Antiochus N Epiphanes as the Little Horn
Nature of the little hom-a kingdom:
T/U! hom as a symbol/or kinglkingtkJm. Daniel 8:23 identifies the little
hom as a "king." But the question may be raised whether the term was not
intended to stand for a "kingdom" rather than for a single "king," Several
points suggest this possibility. Since the four preceding horns are identified
as kingdoms in verse 22, one might expect them to be succeeded by another
kingdom rather than an individual king. The two horns on the Persian ram
43
Why Antiochus IV Is Not the Lillie Horn of Daniel 8
represented the "kings of Media and Persia;" that is, the dynastic houses
that ruled those nations (vs. 20).
Going back to chapter 7, the historicist interpretation of the little horn
suggests that it represents the papacy which came up among the horn-
nations of Europe that resulted from the breakup of the Roman Empire-
beast. It should also be noted in chapter 7 that whereas the four beasts
were referred to as "four kings" (vs. 17). they were understood to repre-
sent kingdoms and not individual monarchs (vs. 23). The same concept is
evident as early as chapter 2, where Nebuchadnezzar was told that he was
the head of gold to be succeeded by another kingdom (Dan 2:38-39).
The only place among these symbols where one can clearly point to
the identification of a horn as an individual king is in the caseofA1exander,
represented by the great horn of the Grecian he-goat (Dan 8:21). Alexan-
der's horn, of course, did not come up from the other horns of the goat. If
the little horn of Daniel 8 came out of another horn and is interpreted as
a king, such an interpretation would prove to be unique among this series
of symbols. Although this point is not definitive when studied in isolation,
it seems more reasonable to assume that the little horn represents a corpo-
rate kingdom rather than an individual king.
Comparative greatness of the little bom The Persian ram "magnified
himself' (8:4); the Grecian goat "magnified himself exceedingly" (8:8). By
contrast the little hom magnified itself exceedingly in different directions. On
the horiwntallevel it "grew exceedingly great" toward the south, east, and
glorious land On the vertical plane it "grew great ... to the host of heaven,"
and ultimately "magnified itself ... up to the Prince of the host" (8:9-11).
The verb "to be great," g 7 1 d a ~ occurs only once each with Persia and
Greece, but it appears three times with the little horn. In view of this verbal
usage and the adverb for "excessively," which accompanies it in the first
instance, it is evident that this is a progression from the comparative to the
superlative. Translating this into historical terms means that Antiochus IV
should have exceeded the Persian and Greek Empires in greatness. Obvi-
ously, this was not the case, since he ruled only one portion of the Grecian
Empire with but little success.
This argument finds further support as we return to the parallel of the
little horn in Daniel 7. There we discover another point which militates
against the identification of the little horn with Antiochus IV; the judgment
scene. It seems unlikely that the heavenly court would have been called
into session on such a grand scale in order to judge Antiochus IV. A set-
ting far less glamorous, such as Micaiah ben Imlah's prediction concern-
44
Why Antiochus IV Is Not the Lillie Horn of Daniel 8
ing Ahab in I Kings 22, should have been adequate for Antiochus IY. 10
say it differently, because of its grandeur the vision of the heavenly court
session in Daniel 7 would not at all match the political and religious impor-
tance of the party being judged there, if that little horn were Antiochus.
Given the parallels between the little horns of Daniel 7 and 8, this merely
emphasizes the disparity between Antiochus IV and the superlative great-
ness of the little horn in Daniel 8.
Activities or Ibe lillie born:
Conquests. The horn "grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward
the east, and toward the glorious land."
7b the sou/h. Antiochus III was the king who added Palestine to the
territory ruled by the Seleucids when he defeated the Ptolemaic forces at
Paneas in 198 B.C. Antiochus IV attempted to extend his southern fron-
tier into Egypt with the campaign of 17()"168 B.C. He was successful in con-
quering most of the Delta in 169 B.C. The following year (168 B.C.) he
marched on Alexandria to undertake its siege, but was turned back by a
Roman diplomatic mission and had to abandon his Egyptian conquests.
Thus his partial success in Egypt was transitory, and it is doubtful that he
really did grow "exceedingly great toward the south."
7b lhe east. Antiochus III subjugated the east with his victorious cam-
paigns of 210-206 B.c. that lOOk him to the frontier of India. Most of the
territories involved rebelled and became independent, however, after the
Romans defeated him at Magnesia.
Antiochus IV attempted to regain some of this territory during the
eastern campaign he conducted in the last two years of his reign. After
some initial diplomatic and military successes in Armenia and Media,
however, he found himself unable to make further headway against the
Parthians. He died during the course of his campaign against the latter,
apparently from natural causes, in the winter of 164/3 B.C.
While Antiochus IV did have some initial successes, he did not accom-
plish nearly as much in this area as Antiochus III; and this project'was left
incomplete at the point of his death. It is open to question, therefore, as
to what extent these partial and incomplete military successes match the
prophetic prediction concerning the little hom as "growing exceedingly
great" toward the east.
To tM glorious /and. Antiochus IV is noted in I Maccabees 1-6 as the
Seleucid ruler who desecrated the temple and persecuted the Jews. This
did not occur because of any conquest of his own, but because Antic-
chus III had already taken Palestine away from the Ptolemies in 198 B.C.
45
Why Antiochus IV Is Not the Little Horn of Daniel 8
He could not have "grown exceedingly great toward the glorious land,"
Judea presumably, in any sense of conquest or acquiring control of it by
military action. He could have "[grown] exceedingly" only in the sense of
exercising or abusing his control over it, since it was already part of his
kingdom when he came to the throne.
Although Antiochus IV was not the conquerer of Palestine, the de-
feats his forces suffered there toward the end of his reign started the course
of events that eventually led to the complete independence of Judea from
the Seleucids. While he himself was campaigning in the east, his Palestinian
forces suffered defeats at Emmaus (1 Mace 3:57) and Beth-zur (1 Mace
4:29) in Judea. Toward the end of 164 s.c. the Jews liberated the polluted
temple from Seleucid hands and rededicated it (1 Mace 5:52). Antiochus
died in the east shortly thereafter, early in 163 B.C. (1 Mace 6:15).
Summary. Antiochus IV never captured Alexandria, the capital of
Egypt, but he enjoyed military successes in Lower Egypt during his cam-
paigns from 169 to 167 s.c. However, he had to forsake these briefly held,
ill-gotten gains, due to diplomatic pressure from the Romans. Only the first
part of his campaign toward the east was successful. He died before he had
carried out his plans for that region to consolidate his control over it.
Although he bore down harder on the Jews than had his predecessors,
he was not the one who brought Judea into the Seleucid Empire, since it
was already part of that dominion when he came to the throne. The three
defeats his forces suffered there shortly before he died signaled develop-
ments that ultimately led to Judea's independence.
The net results of what Antiochus accomplished in these three geo-
graphical spheres was rather negligible and even negative in some cases.
Thus he does not fit very well the specification of this prophecy which
states that the little horn was to grow "exceedingly great toward the south,
toward the east, and toward the glorious land."
Anti-temple activities. It is fair to say that Antiochus took away the
tlfm14 the "daily" or "continual." It holds true if applied to the continual
burnt offering that was offered twice daily on the altar of the temple, or to
the ministration of the priests who offered those and other sacrifices.
Nevertheless, the phrase, "the place of his sanctuary was cast down" (8: 11,
KJV), which indicates what was done to the temple building itself by the
little horn, does not fit the activities of Antiochus. The word used for
"place" (Hebrew, mlfiWn) is [Link] interesting and important. It occurs in
the Hebrew Bible 17 times. In every instance but one it refers to the place
where God dwells or the site upon which His throne rests.
46
Why Antiochus IV Is Not the Lillie Hom of Daniel 8
This word appears first in the Bible in the "Song of the Sea" which the
Israelites sang on the shore of the Red Sea after their deliverance from
Pharaoh's army (Exod 15:17). In that song God's mlIkOn is identified as
the place where he would establish His abode, that is, His sanctuary in the
promised iand. The term appears four times in the address Solomon gave
when the temple was dedicated (see 1 Kings 8 and its parallel passage of
2 Chronicles 6). Once the king uses the term to refer to the temple; three
times it denotes God's dwelling place in heaven (1 Kgs 8:13, 39, 43, 49).
In Psalm 33: 14 the word likewise is used for God's dwelling in heaven.
Three other texts employ mlfiWn to refer to the place of God's dwelling
on earth. It occurs twice in Isaiah, once referring to the location of God's
earthly abode on Mount Zion (Isa 4:5), and once referring to the place
from which God looked upon Ethiopia injudgment (18:4), presumably the
earthly temple again. In Ezra 2:68 it was used more specifically for the
place upon which God's earthly temple was to be rebuill. In Psalms 89:14
and 97:2 this word was used in the metaphorical sense. Justice and righ-
teousness are said to be the "foundation" of His throne.
Aside from this occurrence in Daniel, therefore, nuriWn is used seven
times for the place of God's dwelling in heaven, six times for the place of
His earthly dwelling, and twice for the place of His throne in a metaphori-
cal sense. The only instance where this word was not used for God's dwell-
ing place, whether earthly or heavenly, is Psalm 104:5 where it is used
poetically for the "foundations" upon which the earth was set.
It was this "place" of God's sanctuary that was to be cast down by the
little horn, accorping to Daniel 8:11. One could apply this to what the
Romans did to the temple in AD. 70. But Antiochus never did anything to
the temple which would qualify as. "casting down its mlfMn, "or "place."
Desecrate it he did; but, as far as is known, he did not damage its architec-
ture in any significant way.
On the contrary, it would have been to his disadvantage to have done
so, since he turned it over to be used for the cult of Zeus. Thus while it is
fair to say that Antiochus suspended the daily or continual sacrifices/minis-
tration of the temple, we have no indication that he cast it down from its
place, or cast down its place. Consequently, this aspect of the prophecy is
in opposition to the interpretation of the little horn as Antiochus xv.
Time factors for the little horn:
Titne of origin. The rise of the little horn is dated in terms of the four
kingdoms which came from Alexander's empire. It was to come up "at the
laller end of their rule" (8:23).
47
Why Antiochus IV Is Not the Little Hom of Daniel 8
The Seleucid dynasty consisted of a line of more than 20 kings who
ruled from 311 to 65 D.C. Antiochus IV was the eighth in line, and he ruled
from 175 to 164f3 D.C. Since more than a dozen Seleucids ruled after him
and fewer than a dozen ruled before him, he can hardly be said to have
arisen "at the latter end of their rule."
It would be more correct to fix the period of his rule in the middle of
the dynasty; and chronology supports this argumenL The Seleucids ruled
for a century and a third before Antiochus IV and a century after him. This
fact places this particular ruler within two decades of the midpoint of the
dynasty. Thus Antiochus IV did not arise "at the latter end of their rule."
DuratiolL The chronological datum given in the question and answer
of Daniel 8:1314 has been interpreted as giving the length of time An
tiochus IV was to have desecrated the temple or persecuted the Jews.
Precise dates are available for the disruption of the temple services and its
pollution. The pagan idol was set up on the altar of burnt offering on the
fifteenth day of the ninth month of the 145th year of the Seleucid Era, and
pagan sacrifices began there ten days later (I Mace 1:54, 59).
On the twenty fifth day of the ninth month in the 148th year of the
Seleucid era a newly built altar was consecrated and the celebrations con-
tinued for eight days thereafter (I Mace 4:52, 54). Thus a period of three
years, or three years and ten days, was involved here. Neither 2300 literal
days (six yea", four and two-thirds months) nor 1150 literal days (made by
pairing evening and morning sacrifices to make full days) fits this histori-
cal period, since even the shorter of the two is two months too long.
Various attempts have been made to explain this discrepancy. None of
them are satisfactory. The troops of Antiochus did sack the temple, though,
on their way back from Egypt two years earlier, but that still falls a year
and a half short of the longer period.
Since a connection between this time period and the temple is lacking,
it has been suggested that it should be interpreted as referring to persecu-
tion. Menelaus (one of two rival Jewish high priests) talked Andronicus,
an official of Antiochus, into killing Onias, a former high priest (2 Mate
4:34). This might have occurred in 170 D.C. (2 Mace 4:23), or six and one
half yea" (2300 days) before the cleansing of the temple late in 164 D.C.
When he heard about it, Antiochus executed Andronicus (2 Mace 4:38).
Thereafter, Menelaus and his brother Lysimachus led a fight against
some of the Jews who opposed them. This was not a Seleucid persecution.
It was partisan Jewish in-fighting, and Antiochus executed his own official
for his part in the alTair. Thus neither the 2300 days nor the 1150 days fits
48
Why Antiochus IV Is Not the Little Hom of Daniel 8
Antiochus' desecration of the temple or his persecution of the Jews as
some of the more candid critical commentators readily acknowledge.
The other way to look at the relationship of this time period to An-
tiochus is by taking the historicist interpretation into account. That school
of prophetic interpretation utilizes the day-ior-a-year principie ior time
periods found in apocalyptic contexts. If this position (see chap. 3) is cor-
reet, it means that we are dealing with a period of 2300 years, not 2300
literal days. Regardless of where one begins in the D.C. era, it is obvious
that they must extend far beyond the narrow chronological confines of
Antiochus' one-decade reign in the second century D.C.
The End. When Gabriel came to Daniel to explain the vision of chap-
ter 8, he introduced his explanation with the statement, "Understand, 0
son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end" (8:17). At the begin.
ning of his actual explanation Gabriel again emphasized this point by stat-
ing, "Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of
the indignation; for it pertains to the appointed time of the end" (8:19).
The phrases, "the time of the end" and "the appointed time of the end,"
are also essential for a correct identity of the little hom.
Since the third and [mal section of the vision is concerned mainly with
the little hom and its activities, it seems reasonable to conclude that the hom
relates most directly to the "time of the end." The end of the little horn,
therefore, should coincide in one way or another with "the time of the end"
At a bare chronological minimum Daniel's time prophecies (Dan 9:24-
27) had to extend to the time of the Messiah in the fi"t century AD. "The
time of the end" could only arrive some time after the fulfillment of that
prophecy. Therefore, there is no way for Antiochus' death in 164/3 D.C. to
be made to coincide with "the time of the end" when the little hom was to
come to its end.
Nature 01 the end 01 the lIttle horn. According to the prophecy, the
little hom was to come to its end in a particular way, "But, by no human
hand, he shall be broken" (8:25). This phraseology sounds somewhat
similar to the description of the fate for the king of the north in Daniel
II :45-"he shall come to his end, with none to help him." The end to the
little hom in Daniel 7 was to come about by a decision of God in the
heavenly courl In Daniel 2 the image was brought to an end by a stone
that smote the image on its feet, and that stone was cut out without the
assistance of any human hand (Dan 2:45).
The conclusions to the prophecies in Daniel 2, 7, 8, and 11 are all to
be brought about by God's direct intervention in human history. Given the
49
Why Antiochus N Is Not the Little Horn of Daniel 8
nature of the statement in 8:25 (and its parallels in the other prophecies
of Daniel), it is difficult to see how Antiochus N could fulfill this particular
specification. As far as is known (compare 1 Mace 6:8-17), he died of
natural causes-not in battle nor from extraordinary circumstances-
during the course of his eastern campaign in 164/3 D.C.
Origin or the little hom. A major question concerning the little horn
in Daniel 8 is whether it came out of the four preceding horns or from one
of the four winds toward which those borns extended.. The obvious reason
why this is important is that if the little horn came from the Seleucid hom,
then it could have been a Seleucid king like Antiochus Epiphanes. How-
ever, if it came from one of the winds, then it would not represent Antio-
chus IV since he should more naturally issue from the Seleucid horn.
Given the importance of this point, the syntax of the statement on the
origin of the little horn in Daniel 8:8-9 should be examined carefully. Any
commentary which does not do this is shirking its exegetical duty, because
the decision on how the Hebrew sentence structure should be translated
will affect the subsequent interpretation of verse 9.
This problem involves the agreement in gender between a pronominal
suffIX at the beginning of Daniel 8:9 ("them") and the antecedents pro-
posed for it in the preceding verse ("horns/winds"). Verse 8 concludes,
"and instead of it [the great horn of Alexander that was broken] there came
up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven." Drawing on
this picture and relating to it, verse 9 continues, "Out of one of them came
forth a little horn .... " The question is, to what in verse 8 does "them"
refer-the horns or the winds?
The linguistic setting is more specific in Hebrew than in the English
translation, inasmuch as nouns and pronouns in Hebrew have gender
which requires their agreement. The problem then is: The pronominal suf-
flx "them" in verse 9 is a masculine plural. On the other hand, the Hebrew
word for "horn" is always feminine. The word for "winds" is written as a
feminine plural, although it can occasionally be written in masculine form.
This means that as the Hebrew text stands there is no agreement in gender
between the pronominal suffIX "them" (vs. 9) and either of its potential
antecedents-"horns" [understcxxl] or "winds"-in verse 8.
This problem is compounded further by the form of the numerals used
in these two verses. The numeral "four" at the end of verse 8 and the
numeral "one" at the beginning of verse 9 are both feminine in fonn. Thus
this masculine pronominal SUfflX ("them") does not agree with the gender
of either of its potential antecedent nouns ("horns/winds"), nor does it
50
Why Antiochus N Is Not the Little Hom of Daniel 8
agree with the gender of the numerals ("four") used with "it" and "them."
The nature of this problem, but not its final solution, has been summarized
thus in The SDA Bible Commentary:
Out or one or them. In the Hebrew this phrase presents confusion of
gender. The word for "them," hem, ismasculine. Thisindicates that, gram-
matically, the antecedent is "winds" (vs. 8) and not "horns." since "winds"
may be either masculine or feminine, but 'horns' only feminine. On the
other hand, the word for "one," 'achath, is feminine, suggesting "horns"
as the antecedent. 'Achath could, of course, refer back to the word for
"winds," which occurs most frequently in the feminine. But it is doubtful
that the writer would assign two different genders to the same noun in
such close contextual relationship. To reach grammatical agreement.
either 'achath should be changed into a masculine. thus making the entire
phrase refer clearly to "winds," or the word for "them" should be changed
into feminine, in which case the reference would be ambiguous, since
either "winds" or "horns" may be the antecedent.
s
In my opinion, it is not necessary to resort to an emendation of the text
if the syntax of this statement is understood. Verse 8 states that four horns
appeared in the place of the great horn that was broken. The last phrase
of the verse indicates that those horns extended "toward the four winds of
the heavens." Verse 9 begins with the prepositional phrase, "Out of one
of them" and goes on to describe how the little hom went forth and grew
up to a position of great exaltation.
The English translation, "Out of one of them," however, obscures and
smooths out the actual Hebrew construction. The sentence actuaUy opens
with two prepositional phrases. 1tanslated literally the sentence reads,
"and from the onefrom them ... ," etc. The reason why it is important to
notice this literal construction is that it provides a precise parallel to the
gender of the elements found in the last phrase of verse 8. This can best
be shown by transposing the first phrase of verse 9 to line up beneath the
last phrase of verse 8with these elements in parallel columns. Such a proce-
dure presents the following alignment:
verseS
verse 9
Fem. Masc.
"to the four winds of the heavens"
Ie''';'a' ~ haIfiimiiyfm
m i n h i i ' ~
"from the one
mihem
from them"
S 1M SI1t Bible CornmmulIy (Washington, DC. 1955), 4:84041.
51
Why Antiochus IV Is Not the Little Horn of Daniel 8
When this procedure is carried out, it can be seen that the gender of
the first two elements in verse 9 ("one/them") lines up perfectly with the
gender of the last two elements at the end of verse 8 ("windsflteavens ").
In writing his visions Daniel simply broke up the construct chain at the
end of verse 8 ("the four winds of the heavens") and distributed its two
elements to two separate prepositional phrases at the beginning of verse
9 ("from the one/from them"). This is not poetic parallelism, it is syntactic
parallelism in which the gender of the elements in the second statement
parallels the gender of the elements in the first, or preceding, statement.
Thus the antecedent of "them" in the phrase "from them" (vs. 9), is
neither "winds" nor "horns," but "heavens." Since "heavens" is masculine
by gender and treated as a plural in biblical Hebrew, according to the verbs
and adjectives used with it, there is perfect agreement in gender and num-
ber with the masculine plural pronoun "them." The feminine "one" of
verse 9 refers back to the feminine "winds" of verse 8. The text discloses
the origin clearly enough: It came from one of the four winds of the
heavens, that is, from one of the directions of the compass.
From this understanding of the syntax: in verses 8-9, it is evident that
when the little horn came onto the scene of action, it did not come from
the Seleucid horn nor from the other three. In the pictorial vision it is
simply seen as coming from one of the compass directions. Thus the syntax:
of this statement does not support the contention that the little horn
developed from the Selucid horn/kingdom.
Daniel 9
The bearing of the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 on whether the little
horn of Daniel 8 is Antiochus must now be examined.
The way to determine whether Antiochus is intended as a historical
fulfillment of some of those things prophesied in Daniel 9:24-27 is to
examine those verses on the basis of a phrase-by-phrase and verse-by-verse
exegesis, comparing the results of that exegesis with potential historical
fulfillments. Such an analysis has been carried out in a separate study on
Daniel 9:24-27.
6
The results of this particular aspect of that exegesis has
proved to be negative in terms of showing any correlation between it and
the historical actions of Antiochus IY. The whole of that exegesis need not
6 William H. Shea, '"The ProphecyofDaniel 9:24-27," in 'lheStvt!n9' HUkr, LeviJicus, andtkNaIW'e
of Prophy, Daniel I/: ReYeJaiion Committee Series, YOI. 3, cd. Frank B. Holbrook (Silver
Spring. MO: Biblical Research Inslilule,l986), chap. 3.
52
Why Antiochus IV Is Not the Little Hom of Daniel 8
be repeated here, but a few salient points from it will be mentioned.
One major problem with the preterist interpretation of Daniel 9:24-
27 has to do with the fact that there is no possible way to fit Antiochus IV
into its prophetic time span, as the more candid interpreters of this school
... ..1_:. 'J'I.. ...... : .... " l"'." .'::.<:.:I..I .. "a . " '90 "ears : ... " .1.. ... ... ", ,,: ,,..1 c__._
.... "u .... u .... ....... .. JI ........ 11>V..-," ,.... .... 1 .... .... ......... UULl1
SfrI/6 B.c. to 165/4 B.C.
A second major problem with the preterist view of Daniel 9:24-27 is
that Antiochus IV never did to Jerusalem what this prophecy says was to
happen to iL The coming conquererwas to "destroy" it (\'S. 260); it was to
come to an "end" (\'S. 26b). and its "desolations" by a "desolator" (vss. 26c-
27) were decreed.
It is difficult to imagine a more emphatic way in Hebrew to have
prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem than through this threefold de-
scription of its fate. Antiochus IV did not destroy, desolate, or bring to an
end, either Jerusalem or its temple; he only desecrated the latter. Thus he
does not fit this specification of the prophecy.
The linguistic evidence also tends to deny the allegation that Antio-
chus IV is the fulfillment of "the prince who is to come" (9:26). In a
separate study on this subject I have presented the evidence from an
analysis of the literary structure that supports the idea that the titles of
Messiah Prince (\'S. 25). the Messiah (vs. 260). the Prince (\'S. 26b). refer
to the same person, that is, to Jesus Christ
Even if one applies only the title of Messiah to Jesus and that of the
Prince to some other historical figure (which the majority of commentators
do). tIult hitler historical figure must still be found in the same general period
of history as the Messiah, in thejintcenlUlyA.D. ofth Roman Era. He can-
not be projected back to the second century B.C. of the Hellenistic Era.
The reference to this nl1gf4 or "Prince," in this prophecy provides a
historical and chronological frame of reference in which to evaluate his
subsequent connection with the prophecy of Daniel 11. It is to that
prophecy that we turn next.
Daniel 11
Introduction
Commentators are generally agreed that the later prophecies in Daniel
explain the earlier ones. They represent a progressive enlargement on the
themes treated in the earlier prophecies. This is quite evident even from
a cursory survey of the book. Its prophecies begin with kingdoms symbol-
53
Why Antiochus N Is Not the Little Hom of Daniel 8
ized through the metals of the image of cbapter 2. Those kingdoms are
symbolized again in Daniel 7 through the use of beasts; but additional
details are given about them and their divisions, in particular through the
use of horns to represent some of their divisions. The same imagery is
carried on into chapter 8 where additional details about them are given.
Finally, in chapter 11 we no longer have beasts with their horns repre-
senting those kingdoms and their division, but rather a series of selected
individual kings who ruled those kingdoms.
In a sense (which may not at first he apparent) the prophecy of chap-
ter 2 balances that of chapter 11. The former presents an image of the indi-
vidual man whose various parts represent the successive kingdoms that
were to rise and fall. In Danielll, on the other hand, we come to a series
of individuals who ruled over those kingdoms. The image of chapter 2 bas,
in a manner of speaking, come to life and now walks through history in the
form of his individual embodiments. In between these two prophecies that
use the imagery of man are found two back-lo-back prophecies that
employ beast + horn imagery (chaps. 7-8). Therefore, as far as these four
chain or outline prophecies are concerned, they are balanced in the literary
structure of Daniel as follows:
Man (2): Beasts + horns (7)::Beasts + horns (8): Men (11)
This literary. form lends further support to the idea that the later
prophetic chapters of Daniel explain the earlier ones. This is also an argu-
ment supporting single authorship of the book.
The question might he raised here as to whether the prophecy of chap-
ter 9 (absent from the above literary balance) is not wrongly placed in the
second half of the book. While the element in the first half of the book
which balances with chapter 9 is not prophetic in character, there still is a
certain balance between them.
First, one might look at the structure of the first half of the book by
itself. This already has heen elaborated first by A Lenglet
7
and sub-
sequently by Joyce Baldwin.
S
The very precise literary structure to the
Aramaic portion of the first half of Daniel, chapters 2-7, is as on the fol-
lowing page.
This chiastic or [Link] :C':B':P; structure is known as a palistrophe,
1 A Lenglel, BiblicD S3 (1972): 16990.
8 Joyce G. Baldwin, Danid, An ifllToductWn WId Commmlilry (Downers GI'OIIe, 11., 1978), S9-62.
54
Why Antiochus N Is Not the Little Horn of Daniel 8
C: Prophecy against a Babylonian
king, Nebuchadne:aar (4)
B: Persecution and deliverance,
Daniel's friends (3)
A: Prophecy about nations (2)
C': Prophecy against a
Babylonian king, Belshazzar
(5)
B : Persecution and deliverance,
Daniel (6)
A: Prophecy about nations (7)
and it argues for a single authorship of this portion of the book.
At the center of this arrangement of narratives (B + B') are the chap
ters dealing with the fate of some of the people of God during their
Babylonian exile (chaps. 3, 6). At the center of the second section of Daniel
(chaps. 8-12) is the prophecy of chapter 9 dealing with the future of the
people of God after their return from Babylonian exile. This prophecy is
introduced by a prayer of one of those exiles, Daniel, whose experience is
described in more detail in the earlier chapters of the book. On the larger
scale, therefore, one of the ways the total literary structure of the book of
Daniel can be analyzed is as follows:
B: Narrative B' : Prophetic
history, history,
God's people God's people
in exile after exile
(3-6) (9)
A: Outline c: Outline C': Outline 1\: Outline
propbecy, I3fophecy, prophecy, propbecy,
Man
eastslhorns
Beasts/horns Men
(2)
(7)
(8) (10-12)
Chapter 1 could be seen as a historical prologue to all of this, and verses
5-12 of chapter 12 cOuld be seen as a balancing prophetic epilogue to it.
Even without a recognition of these intimate literary relations, it has
already been evident to the vast majority of commentators that the later
chapters in Daniel elaborate in detail various aspects of the earlier prophe-
cies. The direct linguistic relations between these prophecies studied
below present us with further evidence which tightens the interconnect-
ing links between them. Thus a recognition of the clear relations between
these prophetic passages is a safe basis upon which to proceed here.
Of particular importance is the direct linguistic evidence from chapter
11 locating the prophecies of chapters 8 and 9 in a historico-prophetic
55
Why Antiochus IV Is Not the Little Horn of Daniel 8
framework in such a manner as to relatc these later chapters to each other.
This relationship, already evident to some extent from an examination of
their eontent, is thus clarified by the later propheey of chapter 11. The
clarification of these relations speaks directly to the question as to whether
or not Antiochus IV is the little born of Daniel 8.
While many pn;)phetic details in Daniel 11 are difficult to interpret,
nevertheless, certain elements stand out as reasonably apparent. No great
difficulties have been encountered, for example. in interpreting verses 1-
13. Interpreters who have proposed identifications for the successive kingS:
alluded to are in general agreement up to this point. The Persian kings
down to Xerxes are referred to in verse 2 By virtue of his attack on the
Greeks, Xerxes brought this nation onto the scene of action with Alex-
ander appearing in verse 3.
Afler Alexander died his kingdom was divided. Those divisions are
referred to in verse 4. The prophecy then narrows, concentrating on "the
king of the north" (the title given to the successive Seleucid rulers) and
"the king of the south" (the title given to the successive Ptolemies). From
verses 5-13 the Ptolemies and Seleucids follow in an order that can be
determined with reasonable certainty down to the Seleucid Antiochus III.
Up to this point there is general agreement. Beginning with the
troublesome reference to the "breakers of your people" in verse 14, how-
ever, interpretations diverge. Somewould see the chapter continuing from
Antiochus III to Antiochus IV and concentrating on him until the end of
the chapter. Others would see this as a reference to the Romans whom the
policies of Antiochus III drew into Near Eastern history for the first time-
just as Xerxes drew the Greeks into that arena from the standpoint of this
prophecy. For our present purposes it is not necessary to decide in favor
of one or the other of those diverging interpretations.
Rather than debating over how different details can be applied to one
king or another from this point on, it is more helpful to see where (farther
down the line of this prophecy) language from the earlier prophecies is
introduced into it. If such formulation is recognizable here, the historical
relationship between Daniel 11 and the earlier prophecies can be estab-
lished. If such points of contact can be recognized, then Daniel 11 can be
used in turn to relate those earlier prophecies to each other. The wording
of Daniel 11 :22 indicates that Daniel 11 first develops clearcut lexical rela-
tions with one of the earlier prophecies.
56
Why Antiochus IV Is Not the Little Horn of Daniel 8
Verse 22
Here is my rather literal rendering of Daniel 11:22-"and the arms of
a flood shall be flooded before him and broken, and the prince of the
covenant also."
The text presents a picture of inferior forces being overwhelmed and
defeated by superior forces. The forces on the defensive are referred to as
"the arms of a flood. " This construct chain ("the arms of a flood") is the
subject of the two following passive verbs which echo each of the elements
in the construct chain. Thus the "flood" if to be flooded., and the "arms"
are to be broken. The lesser flood was to be flooded by an even greater
flood of arms which was to come by an aggressor.
Now, of the five other cases where this Hebrew root word for "flood"
occurs as a noun in biblical Hebrew it appears only one other place in
Daniel-in 9:26 ("Its end shall eome with the flood, and to the end there
shall be war"). This already suggests a close relationship between 9:26 and
11:22. But these two verses are tied together even more closely by noting
who else was to be broken by this aggressor besides the military arms he
would defeat. The prince of the covenant would also be broken.
It is important to note the Hebrew word nllgid. translated "prince" in
this passage. NlIgi4 stands in contrast to the word Jar, translated as "prince"
11 times elsewhere in Daniel. Six times Jar refers to human individuals as
princes (9:6, 8; 10:13, 20 [twice], and 11:5). Sar is used five times for
heavenly or superhuman figures in Daniel (8:11, 25; 10:13,21; 12:1).
On the other hand, nlIgf4 occurs only three times in Daniel, namely, in
11:22 and twice previously in the propheey of 9:24-27. In the propheey of
9:24-27 it occurs first with the Messiah in verse 25 and then again alone in
verse 26, where it refers to the prince "who is to come." The significance
of the nlfgf4 from the propheey of Daniel 9 has been noted in a separate
study on Daniel 9:24-27;9 there it was found to refer to the same individual
in both instances-the Messiah Prince.
It is unfortunate that the distinction between Jar and nlIgf4 has been
lost in the English translations of Daniel by translating both terms with the
same English word-"prince." This distinction is sharp and clear. Applying
these terms prophetically to Christ, the former refers to Him in His
beavenly capacity as the "Prince of the host," the "Prince of princes," and
the "great prince" who will stand up for His people.
9 Shea, "Daniel 9:24-27."
57
Why Antiochus IV Is Not the Little Horn of Daniel 8
N/Igf4, on the other hand, refers to Christ in His earthly incarnate state.
It is as this earthly nIllM that He was to be anointed as Messiah, to be cut
off or broken, to make atonement for sin, to bring in everlasting righteous-
ness, to bring the significance of the sacrificial system to an end, and to
make a strong covenant with His localized earthly people for one final
prophetic week. Here again, therefore, is another term occurring in both
Daniel 9:'2,6.27 and 11:22.
The third Hebrew word occurring in both passages is bem or "cove-
nant." Beri!.. does occur elsewhere in Daniel besides these two passages.
Thus it is not exclusive to them. It is true to say, however, that its connec-
tion with the prince, or nlIgf4. is exclusive to these two passages. In 9:26-
27 it is the nlfgf(i who was to make strong the covenant for one week. In
11:22 we have the nl1IM of the covenant.
If intra-Danietic lexical relations mean anything, then the same indi-
vidual should be referred to in these two passages. fur our present pur-
poses it does not matter whether one interprets the nl1gf4. of 9:26 as a
RomannlIgft1 or as Jesus the Messiah Prince, as outlined above. No matter
which of these two options one follows, the fulfillment of these verses has
to be put in the Roman period.
There are three points of contact between Daniel 9:24-27 and 11:22
The word for "flood" is common to both of these passages, but is not found
elsewhere in Daniel. The same is true of the ward nIllM (prince). The word
for "covenant," although found elsewhere in Daniel, is found only in these
two passages in combination with the word n11gt4 for "prince." In light of
the three linguistic links between these two passages, it is evident that they
should refer to some of the same events in one way or another.
Because of these linguistic relations interpreters who identify the
"prince of the covenant" in 11:22 as the lewish high priest Onias III (mur-
dered about 170 B.C.) are obliged to do the same for the nIllM in Daniel
9:'2,6.27. But since the historical correspondences of the prophecy of
Daniel 9:24-27 found their fulfillment in the Roman period (discussed eIse-
where in a separate study on Daniel 9:24-27), 10 thenlllM ofthe covenant
referred to in 11 :22 cannot be Onias III. The only way such an interpreta.
tion can be maintained is by breaking the linguistic relations between
Daniel 9:'2,6.27 and 11:22 or to date the former in the Maccabean period.
Since the evidence discussed above indicates that both of these positions
are incorrect, a Roman date must be upheld for Daniel 11:22.
10 Shea, "Daniel9:24-27.-
58
Why Antiocbus IV Is Not tbe Little Hom of Daniel 8
This gives us a chronological fixed point from whicb to interpret tbe
historical flow of the prophecy in Daniel II. Everything that precedes
Daniel 11:22 must precede tbe execution of Christ by the Romans, wben
they broke the prince of the covenanL Furthermore, everything that
foUows verse 22 must correspondingly be fulfilled after tbe crucifixion of
lesus. Witb this fixed point in mind, we must seek to discover wbere the
propbecyofDaniel II locates events and activities related to the little born
of Daniel 8. Again, linguistic correspondences are the most direct evidence
on which to rely_
Verses 32-34
A correlation of major importance between Daniel 11 and the preced.
ing propbecies of Daniel is that which relates the persecution carried out
by the little born in Daniel 7:25, and the persecution described as occur-
ring according to Daniel 11:32-34. The relations between these two pas-
sages must be elucidated through the conclusion to the latter (11:32-34)
which is found in Daniel 12:6-7.
After Gabriel had rehearsed to him the whole prophecy of Daniel 11:2
through 12:4, Daniel had one particular question, and that was about time:
"How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?" (12:6). The divinelike
figure whom he had seen in the vision of Daniel 10:5-6 appeared to him
again at this time and swore by the eternal God, .. that it would be for a time,
two times, and half a time; and that when the shattering of the power of the
holy people comes to an end all these thin&, would be accomplished" (12:7).
From the content of Daniel 12:7, it is evident that the prophetic time
period of "a time, two times, and half a time," or a total of three and one
half times, related most directly to the period during whicb the power of
the holy people was to be shattered-the time they were to be persecuted.
This questionandanswer dialogue comes at the end of the prophecy of
Daniel 1112 and, therefore, should relate to something that was previ-
ously described in that prophecy.
The question then is, Where in Daniel II is this three and one-half
times of persecution described? The one and only place in Daniel 11 where
a persecution of God's people is described is found in verses 32-34: ')\nd
those among the people who are wise shall make many understand, though
they shall fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder, for some days.
When they shall fall, they shall receive a little help."
The logical connection between these two passages indicates that the
three and onehalf times of persecution referred to in Daniel 12:7 are
59
Why Antiochus IV Is Not the Little Hom of DanielS
described in more detail in 11:32-34, but without the more specific time
element found in 12:7. The three and one-half times of 12:7 gives the
length of that persecution, while 11:32-34 indicates where in the flow of
prophetic history this period of perseCution was to occur.
These three and one-half times of Daniel 12:7 do not stand in isola-
tioo in Daniel. however; they have connections elsewhere in the book out-
side of chapter 11. The other place where they occur (in Aramaic instead
of Hebrew this time) is in Daniel 7:25. The three and one-half times men-
tioned there were also to be a time of persecution during which the saints
ofthe Most High were to be given into the hand (power) of the little horn,
and be worn out by it.
These two passages (Dan 7:25 and 12:7) thus contain equivalent ele-
ments in linguistic, chronological, and thematic terms. Both refer to a time
of persecution, and both indicate that persecution was to last three and
one-half times. These two time periods, the events that were to occur
during them, and the perpetrator of those events can thus be identified as
the same. Since the three and one half times of persecution were to be
caused by the little horn in Daniel?, it is evident that this equivalence be-
tween these two passages indicates that the little horn of Daniel 7 was to
cause the persecution referred to in Daniel 12:7.
Since the little horn that caused the persecution in Daniel 7 came out
of the fourth beast in the prophecy of that chapter, and since the fourth
beast of that prophecy represented Imperial Rome, it is evident that the
persecution of Daniel 11:32-34 was to be caused by a power that would
arise sometime subsequent to the establishment of dominion by Rome.
On this basis it is evident that neither the persecution of Daniel 11:32
34 nor the desecration of the temple referred to in the immediately pre-
ceding verse (vs. 31; see below) can be projected back to the time of
Antiochus N in the second century S.c. They belong together during the
distinctively religious phase of this Roman power's work, that is, in the
medieval period. On the basis of these associations with the prophecies
elsewhere in Daniel it can be said that the persecution described in Daniel
11:3234 was not the persecution Antiochus N Epiphanes brought down
upon the Jews in Judea between 168 and 165 S.c.
Verse 31
Daniel 11:31 identifies three activities that the power in view will per-
form: Forces from him shall (1) profane the strong temple hammi-
qdlII hammlf'6z)_ (2) remove the continual hattlfmf4)_ (3) set up
60
Why Antiochus IV Is Not the Little Hom of DanielS
the abomination that makes desolate (nIf(ntl haIIiqq(4 meI6mem)_
These activities can be related to those activities conducted by the little
horn in Daniel 8 as follows:
Proranes the strong temple. According to Daniel8:l 1 the place of the
tempie of ihe prince of ine host was io be cast down. Tnis refers to what
the prophet saw in vision. While various aspects of the work of the little
horn are explained at the end of chapter 8, this aspect of his work is not.
Its more earthly equivalent is given here in Daniel 11. Th some extent,
therefore, this passage provides an explanation of what is meant by the
antecedent phrase in chapter 8. A passive verb ("was overthrown/cast
down) occurs with the pair of nouns written in 8:11, while an active verb
("profane") is used in 11:31. This appears to express one way in which the
"casting down" of the temple of the vision was to be accomplished, that is,
by its profanation. Note the comparison of 11:31 with this aspect of the
horn:
"the place of his temple," mektm miqdiiM (8:11)
"the strong temple," hammiqdQJ hammo'8z (11:31)
Although they are coupled in different ways, it is interesting to note
that the nouns in both pairs ("place/temple"-"temple/strong") were writ-
ten with mem preformatives (the letter m prefixed to certain words in
Hebrew) in spite of the fact that it was not necessary to do so. This allitera-
tion emphasizes the link between them. Both phrases are definite. The
first is qualified through the use of the pronominal suffix: ("his"), and the
second through the use of the article ("the"),
MIJ'tJz (strong) agrees in number, gender, and determination with
"temple." It was written following "temple" in the attributive position and
functions like an adjective, in spite of the fact that it is a noun ("stronghold,
fortress"). Either this noun was used irregularly as an adjective for allitera-
tive reasons, or perhaps more likely, it was meant to stand in apposition,
"the temple, that is, the fortress." In either case, there is no conjunction
between them. Since this is not a poetic passage, it is not legitimate to trans
late this phrase, "the temple and the fortress [= city]" (compare the
Revised Standard Version)_
Removes the continual. According to Daniel8:ll the tlfmtd. or "con-
tinual" (sacrifice/ministry), was to be taken away from the prince of the
host Daniel 11 :31 identifies those responsible for taking the tlfmtd away
by using a verb in the causative conjugation ("shall cause to be removed").
61
Why Antiochus N Is Not the Little Horn of Daniel 8
In this sense the phrase in Daniel 11 comes closer to the second reference
to tlfmi4. in Daniel8:12 where it is said that the little hom was to be given
a host (or army) over the tlImfd.. This suggests that the army of the little
horn was to exercise control over thctz1mf4.. According to Daniell1:31 tbis
is what the forces from this power would do by removing it.
The phrases in Daniel 11:31 probably should be interpreted as closely
interrelated. Thus these forces stand up so that they may profane the
temple (vs. 3Ia). They would profane the temple by taking away thetlImfd.
(vs. 31b) and substituting in its place the abomination of desolation (vs.
3Ie). It is implied that it was necessary to remove the tlImt4. in order to set
up that abomination.
Sets up the abomination that makes desolate. The phrase, "abomina-
tion that makes desolate," also has linguistic links with earlier passages in
DanieL The Hebrew word for "desolator" or "that which makes desolate"
is the same in both 9:27 and 11:31. A linkage also appear> between the
"abomination that makes desolate" (11:31) and the "transgression that
makes desolate" (8:13), though not as precise. However, both of these es-
pressions tie in with the tlfmi4 (continual) in their respective contexts
(compare 11:31 with 8:11-12).
These linguistic relationships appear to be sufficiently close to indicate
the same activity of the little horn in both Daniel 8:12-13 and 11:31. The
same can be said about the preceding two phrases examined. The temple
of8:11 is linked to the temple of 11:31, and the fate of the tlImfd. in 8:12 is
also linked with its fate in 11:31.
Therefore, there is sufficient lexical evidence to identify these aspects
of the work of the little hom with what was described as going to occur
according to 11:31. This is another way of saying that, in terms of the
prophecy of Daniel II, the little hom (symbolized in chapter 8) was to
appear on the scene of action and perform his deeds at an important his-
torical juncture in the flow of history recounted in 11:31.
Conclusion
With Daniel 11:22 linked to chapter 9,11:31 to chapter 8, and 11:32-
34 to chapter 7, we are able to establish a relative chronology between
Daniel 11 and these prophecies. Result: Daniel 11 clearly indicates that
the actions of the little hom in chapter 8follow the cutting off of the Mes-
siah (chap. 9) and occur in direct relationship to the pe=ution by the hom
in Daniel 7. See the chart on the following page.
This arrangement indicates that although the actions of the little hom
62
Why Antiochus N Is Not the Little Horn of Daniel 8
Historical and Chronological Interrelations or Daniel's Prophecies
Daniel 11 Daniel 9 DanielS Daniel 7
Persian kings Persian decree Persian ram Persian bear
(vs. 2) (vs.25) (",.24) (vs.S)
Greek king Greek goat Greek lcopard
(vs.3) (",.57) ("- 60)
Kings or North Four horns f'Our heads
and South ("- 8) ( ... 60)
(vss. 4.14)
Imperial Rome Imperial Rome
Niigfd of lVagfd. confirms Fourth beast
covenanl and is (",.8,23)
CX)VCnant is cut off
broken (vs. 22) ("'. 2527)
Forces: UUle horn:
1. profane temple 1. downs temple
2. remove daily 2. removes daily
3. abomination 3. transgression
of desolation of desolation
(vs.31) ( .... 8-13)
Persecution by Medieval Rome
flame and sword
Utile horn: wears
for 3
1
/2 times
oul saints for 3'12
("'. 32.34, 12'7)
limes (vs. 25)
are listed earlier in Daniel (chap. 8), the vision described events that were
to occur after those prophesied in chapter 9. Chapter 11 locates these signifi-
cant events from chapter 8aftert hose of chapter 9 and at essentially the same
time as the persecution of the saints launched by Medieval Rome (chap. 7).
Since we have assigned the bulk of the events in the prophecy of chap-
ter 9 to the Roman period, that is, the first century AD., this means that
the historical fulfillment of the activities of the little horn described in
chapter 8 must be sought some time after the first century AD. Just how
long afterward is immaterial at this point, since we are only concerned here
with the relat ionship of Antiochus IV to the little horn of chapter 8. Since
Antiochus IV passed off the scene long before the events of the prophecy
of chapter 9 had transpired, and since the activity of the little horn must
be dated after those events, the li ttle horn cannot represent Antiochus IV
Epiphanes.
63
Wby Antiochus IV Is Not the Uttle Hom of Daniel 8
Summary
The historicist position that interprets the four beasts of Daniel 7 as
Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome has been adopted above_ The
attempt by scholars to identify the second and third beasts as Media and
Persia appears incorrect, because: (1) It requires making a distinction not
made by the prophet in his own time (sixth century B.c.)_ (2) It necessitates
the rejection of the most obvious historical application of the imagery of
the second beast that makes full allowance for the dual oature of that
kingdom. (3) The historicist alignment of the prophecy is reinforced by its
parallels with the beasts and their explicitly stated identifications in chap-
ter 8.
This means that the little hom (issuing from the fourth beast in chapter
7) came out of Rome. Therefore, the little horn of chapter 7 cannot rep-
resent Antiochus IV Epiphanes who belonged to one of the divisions of
the Greek kingdom represented by the third beast (four-headed leopard).
Since the last earthly figures in the prophecies of Daniel 7 and 8 are
both represented by a little horn, and since a comparison of the activities
of these little horns indicates that they are quite similar, the probabilities
are that both prophecies describe the same historical entity. Since the little
horn of chapter 7 cannot be Antiochus IV the little horn in chapter 8
should not represent him either.
The main arguments for identifying the little hom chapter 8 as Antio-
chus IV rest upon (1) his persecution of the Jews, (2) his suspension of
their sacrifices and pollution of their temple, and (3) locating his origin
from the Seleucid horn, one of the four divisions developed from the
breakup of Alexander's empire. A certain tension is involved here, how-
~ e r . in utilizing the figure of a horn to represent both king and kingdom
at the same time.
If the four horns represent the four kingdoms which arose from
Alexander's empire, then the appearance of another horn on the scene of
action might better represent another kingdom instead of just a single king
in the line of one of those kingdoms. However much one makes out of the
achievements of Antiochus Iv; he cannot be considered greater than
either of the preceding empires of Persia and Greece. although the super-
latives describing the little horn imply its superior greatness.
The little horn was to conquer toward the south, the east, and the
pleasant land, or Palestine. The victory of Antiochus IV in the delta of
Egypt was short-lived since Rome forced him to withdraw after just one
64
Wby Antiochus IV Is Not the Uttle Horn of Daniel 8
year of partial occupation. He attempted to regain the territories in the
east that rebelled late in the reign of Antiochus III, but he was only par-
tially successful in that pursuit by the time of his death.
Not only was he already in possession of Palestine by the time he came
to the throne (thus couid not have exiended himself toward it), but he was
the major reason for the Seleucid loss of Judea. Thus the results achieved
by Antiochus in these three geographical regions do not fit with what the
little horn was to accomplish in those same areas according to the
prophecy.
While Antiochus IV did suspend the regular sacrifices of the temple
in Jerusalem (and he did introduce the worship of another cult there), he
did not cast down the "place" (miI/aln) of the temple, which is listed among
the things the little horn was to do to the temple in Daniel 8. Nor can the
2300 "evening-mornings" be applied to any known historical aspect of his
anti-Jewish career, either in terms of the time he persecuted the Jews or
suspended their sacrifices.
Gabriel told Daniel that the vision was for the time of the end. Since
the bulk of this prophecy is taken up with the little horn and its activities,
that portion of it can hardly be applied to Antiochus IV since he did not
extend down to "the time of the end." As far as is known. his own demise
was quite natural. This information does not match the end predicted for
the little horn in DanielS. Chronologically. the little horn was to originate
at the latter end of the rule of the Seleucid horns. Antiochus Iv; however,
ruled at the midpoint of the Seleucid dyoasty.
The final point examined from chapter 8 relates to the origin of the
little horn. The best syntactical interpretation currently available for the
antecedents of the pronouns and numerals in DanieJ 8:8-9 indicate that
this horn came out of one of the winds (from one of the four points of the
compass), not from one of the horns. Some scholars who have identified
the little hom with Antiochus IV have argued that his origin can be traced
to one of the horns. If the interpretation of the syntax in these verses is
correct, such an identification must be doubted. One could still argue that
Antiochus, the personification of the little horn, came out of one of the
winds rather than out of the Seleucid horn. Such an interpretation, how-
ever, makes the identification of this origin void of any significance.
In a separate study we have concluded that no evidence has been found
for the existence of Antiochus IV in the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 in
terms of its historical fulfillment. On the contrary, in the light of our exe-
gesis of this passage, we have found compelling reasons for interpreting it
65
Wby Antiochus IV Is Not the Little Horn of Daniel 8
more directly as a messianic prophecy than some previous historicist inter-
preters have held. As far as Antiochus IV is concerned, the important point
about the prophecy of Daniel 9 is not just his historical absence from it.
but the way the titles for the Messiah were used there. especially that of
nagi4 or "prince."
When the use of this title in Hebrew is compared with Daniel 11, it can
be seen that the n'iIgfr.l (prince) of the covenant, or Christ, appears in Daniel
11:22. This correlation provides us with a chronological fIXed point which
enables us to interpret the prophetic history of Daniel 11.
When that fIXed point is utilized, it can be seen that the activities of
the little horn, as described in chapter 8, do not appear in chapter 11 until
verse 31, or some historical time after Christ's earthly ministry and death.
These relations are reinforced by the identification of the persecution of
Daniel 11:32-34 with the persecution conducted by the little horn, or
Medieval Rome, in Daniel 7. Since Antiochus IV Epiphanes ruled Seleucia
briefly during the second century before Christ, and the little horn's anti-
temple activities from Daniel 8 were not to be carried out until sometime
after Christ's death, Antiochus IV cannot be that little horn.
66
Chapter ill
Year-Day Principle-Part 1
Chapter Outline
I. Introduction
II. General Lines of Evidence
III . More Specific Lines of Evidence
IV. Most Specific Lines of Evidence
VI. Summary
- -O<>--
Introduction
C
ommentators from two of the three main schools of interpretation
of the apocalyptic prophecies of Daniel and Revelation-pret-
erists and futurists-interpret the time elements in these prophe-
cies as literal time. Historicist commentators, on the other hand, have
interpreted these references as symbolically representing longer periods
of historical time.
These periods, historicists hold, should be interpreted according to the
principle that a "prophetic day" stands for a "year" of actual calendrical
time extending through the historical events in which they were fulfilled.
This year-day principle provides a basic diagnostic difference between the
historicist school of interpretation that employs this principle and the pret-
erist and futurist schools that do not.
Another lesser-known school of prophetic interpretation, while re-
garding the apocalyptic time periods as symbolic (as do historicists), treats
them in very general terms. It is argued that the time periods are not in-
tended to represent any specific length of literal historical time. This view-
point is found in particular among some amillennial interpreters. The
difference between this view of general symbolism for the time elements
in apocalyptic prophecy and the more specifically quantified view of sym-
67
Year-Day Principle-Part 1
bolic time. as held by historicist interpreters, is dealt with in the third major
section of this chapter.
It is of interest for any evaluation of the historicist position. therefore.
to determine whether this principle has heen established through rea-
sonable interpretations of Scripture. The reasons cited below in support
of the biblical basis for this divide into three main lines of
evidence:
1. General evidence: suggests that long periods of literal time were in-
volved in the fulfillment of these prophecies.
2. More specific evidence: indicates that their time elements should
be interpreted symbolically rather than literally.
3. Most specific evidence: indicates that their symbolic time elements
should be interpreted on the basis of a year for a day.
General Lines of Evidence
Philosophy or History
The preterist view of apocalyptic prophecies and their time elements
leaves the whole Christian Era, with the exception of a very small initial
fraction, without any direct historical or prophetic evaluation by God upon
the course of that history.
Such a perspective stands in marked contrast with the aT view of his-
tory in which the mighty acts of God on bebalf of His people are recited
through biblical history from Abraham to Ezra. Old 'Thstament history in-
volves both a recitation of those events and prophetic evaluations of their
character. The same approach to the history of the Christian Era is found
prospectively in the apocalyptic books of Daniel and Revelation when they
are interpreted along historicist lines, but not when they are interpreted
along preterist lines.
The futurist interpretation of apocalyptic poses a similar problem. It
also leaves most of the history of the Christian Era unaddressed by God
except ingeneralspirituai terms. After this lengthy historical and prophetic
vacuum, futurists then see the prophetic voice again taking up a concern
for the last seven years of earth's history.
From the viewpoint of the "continuous" historical school of prophetic
interpretation, the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation provide a divinely
inspired, descriptive overview and evaluation of some of the most theologi-
cally significant events of this era. The Christian Era is seen to stand in
continuity with the historical description and prophetic evaluation of
68
Year-Day Principle-Part 1
events in the aT era. The same God has been active in a similar way in
both of these dispensations.
This larger view of God's more comprehensive interaction with human
history carries with it the corollary that the statements about time found
in these prophecies cover a more exlensive sweep of history than can be
accounted for on a purely literal basis.
Theology or Prophetic Time Periods
A dozen time prophecies occur in the historical narratives and classi-
cal prophets of the 0"[ More than a dozen also appear in Daniel and
Revelation. The volume of material implies that this kind of prophetic view
was important to the God who revealed these prophecies.
In order to determine what is particularly significant about time prophe-
cies, it may be noted, generally speaking, that what happens during these
periods can be evaluated as adverse, or bad, from the human point of view.
At their end a more favorable turn of events occurs. Thus these time
prophecies appear to delimit periods during which adverse circumstances,
or evils, are permitted by God to prevail.
Examples of this kind of activity in the historical narratives and classi-
cal prophets of the OT can be found in the cases of the 120 years to which
man's wickedness was limited before the Aood (Gen 6:3), the 400 years
prophesied for the oppression of Abraham's descendants in Egypt (Gen
15:13), the seven years of drought and famine prophesied through Joseph
(Gen 41:27), tbe 3", years of drought and famine prophesied through
Elijah (1 Kg> 17:1), and the 70 years of exile for God's people prophesied
by Jeremiah (Jer25:11).
In apocalyptic prophecies we find the 3", times-42 montbs-l260
days-for the persecution of God's people referred to twice in Daniel
(7:25; 12:7) and five times in Revelation (11:2, 3; 12:6, 14; 13:5). Another
period of persecution lasting 10 days is referred to in Revelation (2:10).
Men were to be hurt for five months under Revelation's fifth trumpet (9:5),
and men were to be killed for a longer period of time under its sixth trum-
pet (9:15). God's witnesses were to lie dead in the streets for 3112 days before
their resurrection (Rev 11:9), and the abomination of desolation was
allowed to hold sway for 1290 days (Dan 12:11). Again, at the conclusion
of each of these time periods these adverse conditions for the people of
God were to be reversed.
1b recall these examples is not to say that all time prophecies refer to
something bad or adverse as occurring with the epochs they delimit. The
69
Year-Day Principle-Part 1
seven years of plenty in the time prophecy given Pharaoh is an example of .
a period of prosperity (Gen 41:26, 29). While certain dire events were
forecast as transpiring during the 70 weeks prophecy (Dan 9:24-27), yet
some very positive accomplishments would also take place during that era
Nevertheless, even in these two instances the good is linked with the
less beneficial. The seven good years were preparation for the seven years
of famine to follow. The negative response to the Messiah by the people
was seen as resulting in terrible consequences for the nation. Thus when
the whole spectrum of time prophecies are taken into consideration, it may
be seen that in general they delimit periods of adverse conditions.
This pattern is similar to the larger pattern of the whole economy of
sin through the history of the human race. That too will finally be delimited
and concluded when God brings to an end human history as we now know
it. Thus human history can be looked upon as a probationary period during
which evil has been allowed to work its way; but God will soon intervene
and bring that probationary period to a close.
In the same way, but on a smaller scale, these time prophecies appear
to have delimited similar experiences at various points through the course
of human history. The fact that God brought those temporary episodes of
eviJ's ascendancy to their conclusions at prophetically appointed times is
an earnest or token of the fact that He will also bring the whole economy
ofsin to its conclusion at the appointed time (Acts 17:31).
The literal time periods present in the prophecies of the historical nar-
ratives and the classical prophets were ample for the outworking of evil's
purposes. This holds true for the 120 years until the Flood, the 400 years
for oppressing the Israelites in Egypt, and the 70 years they were swept off
their land during the Babylonian exile, etc.
If the time periods in apocalyptic are also interpreted as literal, how-
ever, the same principle of fairness in the great controversy would not
appear to operate. The great sponsor ofthese evils could reasonably com-
plain that he was not given sufficient time to demonstrate the superiority
of his program if the 3112 days, 10 days, 31i1 time-years, etc., in apocalyptic
were only literal time units.
The best way to resolve this theological disparity between the sig-
nificance of literal time in classical prophecy and interpreting time in
apocalyptic as literal is to interpret the time units in the latter as symbolic
rather than literal.
70
Year-Day Principle-Part 1
The End Point of Prophecies
The time periods that occur in the two types of prophecies diseussed
above contrast in general with regard to their length, if they are all inter-
preted as literal time. The time prophecies encountered in historical narra-
tives and classical prophets of the OTrun as long as 400 years (Gen 15:13).
The other extreme is encountered in apocalyptic where one time prophecy
extends for only 3", days (Rev 11:9).
The longest of the time periods in apoealyptic extends foronly6"' years
when the 2300 days of Daniel 8:14 are evaluated as literal time; and some
commentators would (incorrectly) cut this period in half. Two ofthese con-
trasting long and short time prophecies occur in the same chapterofDaniel
9. In this chapter Daniel's prayer for the fulfillment of Jeremiah's 70 years
is answered with another prophecy about 70 weeks, or only a year and a
half, if literal time is involved.
An important point to note here involves the end point in view in these
two different kinds oftime prophecy. In the prophecies found in historical
narratives or classical prophets of the OT the time periods are connected
generally with people who are either contemporaneous or immediately
successive to the time of the prophet.
Apoealyptic prophecies, on the other hand, not only speak to the im-
mediate historical context of the prophet, but also to more distant times-
even down to the end of time when the ultimate kingdom of God will be
set up. Thus a difference in focus-in terms of time-is involved here.
aassical prophecy concentrates on the short-range time view while apoca-
lyptic includes the long-range vie,,!,.
These differences pose a paradox. The time periods in classical proph-
ecy which concentrates on the short-range view are longer than those
occurring in apocalyptic which focus on the long-range view (that is, if the
time elements in apocalyptic are interpreted as literal).
The most reasonable way to resolve the paradox and restore paral-
lelism and balance to this equation is to interpret the time periods in
apoealyptic as symbolic and standing for considerably longer periods of
actual historical time.
Magnitude of Events Involved
The events described in apocalyptic prophecies are not peripheral to
world political and salvation history. Daniel outlines the rise and fall of the
major powers that were to rule the Near Eastern and Mediterranean areas
71
Year-Day Principle-Part I
from his day to the eod of time. We have not yet entered the final kingdom
of God that is to be established at the end, but many centuries have already
passed since Daniel's time. Putting these kinds of events on a time scale
implies that more than symbolic time is being used when such elements are
couched in smaU numbers in the prophetic visions.
In addition, there appears to be a crescendo in this outline as it is ex-
pressed in Daniel 7, since the fourth or Roman beast is described as more
dreadful, terrible, and destructive than any of the preceding beasts. While
political domination is the goal of the as it is expressed in this pas-
sage, the little born that issued from it has concentrated more on religious
issues, such as speaking great words against the Most High and persecut-
ing His saints.
Of all the prophetic entities described in this chapter, the little hom
stands out as the one most directly in opposition to God. That being the
case, the question may be asked, Does this prophecy really mean to say
that the struggle between the little horn and the Most High would be
resolved in just 31Jz literal years? Given the comprebensive scope of sal-
vation history that this prophecy covers, such a figure seems like an inordi-
nately short period of time in which to conclude events of this importance.
Something similar can be said about the reuse of the same time period
in Revelation 12 where the 3", times or 1260 days (vss. 6, 14) delimit a par-
ticular period during which Christ's church (represented by the woman)
was to be persecuted by the dragon, or Satan, working through his human
agencies. Does an allowance of just 31i2literal years do justice to these state-
ments that are set in the context of the height of the great controversy be-
tween Christ and Satan (vss. 7-12)7 The magnitude ofthe events involved
in this context points rather to the symbolic nature of the 31,1z times in order
to accommodate their accomplishment.
Time of the End
In his opening statement of explanation in DanielB, Gabriel told the
prophet that the vision given to him was for the "time ofthe end" (Hebrew:
'e[-q1!1, vs. 17). His explanation then began with the first element, the Per-
sian ram (vs. 20), and continued on down to its last element-the time fac-
tor of "evening-mornings" (vs. 26). The obvious inference of Gabriel's
explanation is that the time element presented with this vision leads the
interpreter along to that "time of the end" in human history.
The same point is brought out in the explanation of this vision given
in Daniel 11 and 12. The final activities of the king of the north are
72
Year-Day Principle-Part I
described as occurring in the "time of the end" (11:40). At that time
Michael stands up and delivers His living saints and resurrects His dead
saints (12:1-2). The reference here is to the establishment of the final
kingdom of God, and this occurs at the end of the "time of the en<i" Within
that same "time of the end" the prophecies of Daniel were to be unseaied,
studied, and understood (12:4, 9).
These references in Daniel 11 :40 and 12:4, 9 indicate that the "time of
the end'" was to be a period of time, and that the prophetic time periods
referred to in DanielB:14, 26 and 12:7, II lead up to that final period.
Since the prophecies in Daniel7-$, and 10-12 all lead up to the "time
of the end" which is to be followed by the setting up of God's final kingdom,
the time periods mentioned in these prophecies should naturally be seen
as extending through history to that "time of the end." In the sweep of his-
tory described in these prophecies that extends from the prophet in the
sixth century D.C. to our time and beyond, literal time periods of only 31,1z
to 6112 years are not capable of reaching anywhere near this final end time.
Therefore, these prophetic time periods should be seen as symbolic and
standing for considerably longer periods of actual historical time extend-
ing to the end time.
More Specific Lines of Evidence
Symbolic Context
In the historical narrative of Genesis 15 the prophecy was given to
Abraham that his literal nesh and blood descendants were to be oppressed
in a foreign land, that is, for a literal 400 years (vs. 13). This was ful-
filled in these very terms (compare Exod 12:40).
The classical prophecy of Jeremiah 25 foretold that Judah was to be
conquered by a literal king Nebuchadnezzar; its inhabitants were to be
exiled to his country of Babylon for a literal 70 years (vss. 8-12). These
events were also fulfilled in the terms in which they were prophesied (com-
pare 2 Kgs 25; Ezra I).
These prophecies, and others like them in the historical narratives and
classical prophets of the 01; are predicted in terms of literal personages,
actions, and times. And they are fulfilled in those terms.
Apocalyptic prophecy, on the other hand, generally makes greater use
of symbols than is the case in classical prophecy. The prophecy of Daniel
2, for example, does not directly foretell the coming of a literal kingdom
of Greece. It does so rather through the symbolic vehicle of the belly and
73
Year-Day Principle-Part I
thighs of bronze in the image. The zoomorphic symbols in the prophecies
of Daniel 7 and 8 are even more striking than the metals in Daniel 2.
The time periods of Daniel are connected with these symbolic figures
and their actions. Those in Daniel 12:7. 11 refer back to times or actions
already described with symbols in Daniel 7:25 and 8:11-13. Thus the 311,
times of Daniel 7:25 belong originally, for example, to a symbolic horn, not
to a person or persons described primarily as such.
The same point can be made about the symbolic contexts of the time
periods mentioned in Revelation. These thoroughgoing symbolic contexts
strongly suggest that we should treat their time units as symbolic.
When time periods in apocalyptic accompany symbolic figures carry-
ing out symbolic actions, it is natural to expect that those time periods
should also be symbolic in nature.
Symbolic Time Units
Not only do apocalyptic time periods appear in symbolic contexts, but
they are expressed on occasion in unusual time units.
The "evening-mornings" of Daniel 8:14 presents an example of this.
That composite unit does not appear elsewhere in the OT as a unit by
which time was commonly quantified numerically. It probably was selected
for this prophecy because it was particularly appropriate for the sanctuary
activity and the symbolism involved with it.
Again, the 31Jz 'iddlIn or "times" of Daniel 7:25 are not the normal ex-
pressions of the Bible writers to denote time units. Although some com-
mentators hold that this term is simply another word for "years," there is
no lexical evidence from either biblical or extrabiblical sources to support
such a contention. The point is that a time unit was used here which was
intentionally symbolic, and those symbolic units must be interpreted to
determine the actual time period intended by the writer.
The use of unusual time units that were not ordinarily employed for
the computation of time, such as "evening-mornings," "times," and to
some extent, even "weeks,"lends support to the idea that something more
than just literal time is involved here. Unusual units like these fit better
with symbolic time and probably were chosen to emphasize that point.
Symbolic Time Numbers
Even if one accepts the exceptional "evening-mornings" of Daniel 8: 14
as a standard unit with which to measure time, 2300 of them still is not the
normal way in which to quantify them. One should rather have referred to
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Year-Day Principle-Part I
the period as 6 years, 3 months, and 20 days rather than 2300 days. The
same is true of the 70 weeks of Daniel 9 which would make up one year
and 411, months on a literal basis.
The normal way to have given the 1290 days of Daniel 12:11 would
have been as 3 years and 7 months; the 1335 days in the next verse would
have come out as a correspondingly longer period (compare Jesus' and
James' expression of time in Luke 4:25; James 5:17). The 3112 times is not
a normal numbering of time either, since the expression reads literally as,
"8 time, two times, and one-halftime."
Thus not one of the time periods in Daniel's prophecies is expressed
the way it would have been if it had been used to express literal time in the
normal manner. The unusual way in which these prophetic periods are ex-
pressed, both with regard to units of time and the numerals used with them,
suggests once again that symbolic rather than literal time is involved.
In contrast to statements about time in classical prophecies, apocalyp-
tic employs symbolic numbers with symbolic time units in symbolic con-
texts. These factors converge to indicate that these references should be
understood as standing for symbolic and not literal time.
Daniel's "Days" in General
Daniel does not present a simple, straightforward pattern of obviously
literal days in the historical passages (1:12-15; 8:27; 10:3) and those that
are either literal or symbolic in prophetic passages. The pattern is more
complex than that, and this complexity provides a spectrum of usage that
blends into symbolic days at the prophetic end of this spectrum.
In the historical narratives the word for "days" could be used to specify
a general number of years that bad passed. For example, Daniel and his
friends appear before the king "at the end of the days" when their school-
ing covered three years (1:5, 18). Nebuchadnezzar recovered his sanity "at
the end of the days" (4:34 [31]) when the period involved covered seven
times (4:25 [22]) or years, as this unit is probably best interpreted. "Days"
is used also in one historical narrative for a passage of a period of time in
the past. The reference back to the "days" of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel
5:11 referred to events that had occurred more than half a century earlier.
A similar kind of usage can be seen in Daniel's prophecies where the
word for "days" occurs without being quantified numerically. For example,
the dream of chapter 2 revealed to Nebuchadnezzar what was to come in
the "days," not latter "years" (2:28). The final end of the image of the
dream was to come in the "days" of the kings who were to rule the divided
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Year-Day Principle-Part 1
kingdom of iron and clay (2:44). Asimilar reference is found in Daniel 8:26
where Daniel was told to seal up the vision, for it pertained to "many days,"
even to the time of the end. The same sort of thing is expressed again in
DaniellO: 14. Likewise, Daniel is to stand in his lot "at the end of ... days,"
that is, he is to be resurrected at the end of tiroe (12:13).
God's side of the usage of this word is found in His title as "the Ancicnt
of days" (7:9-13). The term describes His past existence, which is not
measured in literal days or years, but in ages. He is also sovereign over aU
the historical and prophetic "days" surveyed in this hook.
In Daniel's final prophecy reference is made to the period of a "few
days," following which "the exactor of tribute" (11:20) was to be broken.
Since be could not have collected very much tribute in a few literal days,
figurative or symbolic days must be involved here that refer to his career
as covering some years.
The same thing can be said about the persecution of God's people
referred to in Daniel 11:33 that states they would "fall by sword and flame,
by captivity and plunder, for ... days." That these "days" should be under-
stood quantitatively seems likely from the fact that this reference stands
in the same place in its prophetic flow as do the 3 ... times or 1260 days of
Daniel 7:25. The link between these two passages is confirmed by Daniel
12:7, which applies the time period from Daniel 7:25 to the persecution of
Daniel 11 :32-35. At; is noted under "Especially Short Time Periods" below,
a persecution measured in terms of a few literal days would not have been
very significant, so a longer period of historical time measured rather in
years should be in view here.
The more general and figurative ways that the word for "days" has been
used in Daniel to represent longer periods of actual historical time have
been reviewed here. This type of usage is already present in the historical
narratives of the book. It continues into the non numerical statements
about time in the prophecies of the hook.
Seven of these prophetic statements have been reviewed here. Not
one of them contains a case in which the word for "days" has been used in
tbe normal sense of literal days. One may refer to this kind of usage as
either figurative or symbolic, but it is not literal.
Therefore, on the basis of this antecedent usage, one would expect in
instances where time units like "days" are enumerated in the prophecies
that they too would refer to figurative or symbolic time periods.
The correct typology of the spectrum of usage in Daniel of the term
"days' appears to proceed logically from literal days in historical narra-
76
Year-Day Principle-Part 1
tives, to figurative days in historical narratives, to figurative or symbolic
non-numerical days in the prophecies, to symbolic numerical days in the
prophecies.
Especially Shott Time Periods
As a general rule, one may say that the shorter a time period is in
apocalyptic propheey, the less likely it is to refer to literal time. There are
three cases in point: the last week of the 70 weeks (Dan 9:26, 27), the 10
days of tribulation (Rev 2:10), and the 3h days that God's two witnesses
were to lie dead and unburied in the streets (Rev 11:9).
Is it possible that everything in Daniel 9:26, 27 could have occurred in
a literal week extending, for example, from Sunday to Saturday?
If the 10 days were literal, during which the church at Smyrna was to
experience tribulation, why then was it even necessary to point out this
fact prophetically? Thn literal days does not seem like a very long period
through which to endure persecution. On the other hand, when this time
period is interpreted according to the year-day principle, it fits very well
with the Diocletian persecution from AD. 303 to 313.
In times of warfare and famine bodies have lain in the streets for three
days or more without burial, like the two witnesses of Revelation 11. So
such an occurrence is not without parallel. What is unusual about the two
witnesses is that they are idenified as "the two olive trees and the two
candlesticks"; neither are they buried. At the end of the 3 ... days they are
resuscitated and taken to heaven. The symbolic language employed for
these figures and the symbolic activities connected with them emphasize
the probability that the related time period should also be interpreted sym-
bolically as standing for a longer period of actual historical time.
Short periods of prophetic time like these examples support the idea
that, in general, time periods in apocalyptic are symbolic in character,
inasmuch as these three instances make much better sense when they are
interpreted on a symbolic basis than on a literal one.
Trumpets and Plagues
As Kenneth Strand notes in his paper, "The Literary Structure of the
Book of Revelation,"! "The parallels between the seven trumpets of Rev.
8-9 (and 11 :15ff.) and the seven vials of wrath of Rev. 16 ... are quite obvi-
1 Presented to the XIIIth [Link] of the International Associatioa for the History of Rt:ligions.
[Link]:uter, England (Au""t 1975), 8.
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Year-Day Principle-Part 1
OllS and have long been recognized." Strand has outlined these relations
in more detail in his book, Interpreting the Book of Revelation.2
Thumpets Objects Plagues
8:7 Earth 16:2
8:8 Sea 16:2
8:12 Rivers 16:4
9:2 Sun 16:8
9:2 Darkness 16:10
9:14 Euphrates 16:12
11:15 It is done 16:17
The series of trumpets and the series of plagues occur on oppositesides
of the literary fulcrum at the center of the chiastic structure of Revelation,
which Strand has analyzed in both his paper and book. According to his
structural analysis, the trumpets occur in the historical series (first part of
Revelation) and the plagues in the eschalOlogical series (last part of
Revelation).
The prophecies given under the fifth and sixth trumpets contain
references to time, while their corresponding members in the series of
plagues do not. The ready explanation for this is that the plagues come at
the end of time; while the trumpets, on the other hand, appear to prophesy
a series of events that span the preceding continuum of history leading up
to those final plagues. Thus the time periods under the trumpets should
lead up to the end of time in which the plagues occur.
However, in order to extend that far, the fifth and sixth trumpets would
require a substantial period of time for their accomplishment. This could
only be the case if the units of time mentioned with these trumpets are
construed as symbolic, standing for longer periods of actual historical time.
Time Periods That Span Kingdoms
Regardless of the precise chronological starting point chosen for them,
the 70weeks of Daniel 9 should start sometime in the Persian period, since,
according to Ezra and Nehemiah, it was under one or another of the Per-
sian kings that reconstruction of the city of Jerusalem began. The decree
was to be the starting point for the time period indicated by the prophecy.
2 XenDClh A. rev. ed. (Ann Amort MI, 1976),4'.
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Year-Day Principle-Part 1
The Messiah prince was to appear 69 prophetic weeks thereafter. This
prophetic figure has been correctly identified historically with Jesus Christ.
He was cut off, as the prophecy foretold. Soldiers of Rome crucified Him.
Thus the two historical events that delimit the prophetic period of 69
weeks occurred in the Persian and Roman periods respectively, regardless
of the precise dates chosen for them.
This means that those 69 weeks spanned part of the history of the Per-
sian Empire, ran contemporaneously with the history of the Hellenistic
kingdoms of Syria and Egypt, and extended at least as far into the Roman
period of history as the time of Christ's crucifixion.
A year and a half (the approximate equivalent of 70 literal weeks)
could only overlap two of these kingdoms: either the Persian and Greek,
or the Greek and Roman. Either of these transitions could only be covered
chronologically during the year in which the latter finally overcame the
former. Such a limited period of literal time could not reach as far as either
the beginning or the end of the events described in the prophecy.
The "weeks" in this prophetic time period must, therefore, be symbolic
in nature and not literal. (For the fact that the Hebrew word in this in-
stance means "weeks" and not something else, see "EzelcieI4:6" below.)
The time period of Daniel 8 (2300 days) provides another instance of
a prophetic time element that spans more than one lcingdom. It also begins
in Persian times and extends beyond the conclusion of the 70 weeks to a
point far beyond the fall of the Roman Empire. (See "Weeks and Years in
Daniel 9" below.)
Most Specific Lines of Evidence
Historical Narratives
There is in the historical narratives of the OT a recognition of a par-
ticular kind of relationship between "days" and "years" that transcends the
mere idea that the latter were made up of the former. In these instances
the word "days" (always in the plural form) was actually used to stand for
"years." This usage occurs in three general ways:
1. The term "days" was used to stand for a "year," when an annual or
yearly event was referred to. For example, the Passover was to be kept,
literally, "from days to days," that is, from year to year, or yearly (Exod
13: I 0). A yearly sacrifice was spoken of as the "sacrifice of the days" (I Sam
20:6). Hannah took the garments she had made for Samuel once each year
(literally, "from days to days," I Sam 2: 19). She took them at the same time
79
Year-Day Principle-Pari I
her husband Elkanah went to Shiloh to offer his "sacrifice of the days,"
that is, his "yearly sacrifice" (1 Sam 1:21).
Judges 11:40 tells about the service of mourning which was held for
Jepthah's daughter "from days to days," that is, yearly. This passage is par-
ticularly instructive since it also states that the mourning was held for four
days each year (!lInlIh). Hence, the. equation between "days" ("from days
to days") and "year" (!lInlIh) is made directly through the terms employed
in this verse.
2. The term "days" was used at times to speeify directly. period of
time equivalent to a year. For example, it is stated (in literal terms) tbat
David and his men dwelt in the land of the Philistines "days and four
months" (1 Sam 27:7). That a periodofayearandJourmonths is intended
is evident, and that is the way translators of the Bible have generally han-
dled this phrase.
Number> 9:22 is pari of a passage that discusses Israel's wilderness
journeying. The tribes moved only when the pillar of cloud lifted from the
tabernacle. Otherwise they remained encamped, "whether it was two days
[Hebrew dual form], or a month [singular], or [days]." The logical progres-
sion of time units [Link] here should proceed from days to a month to
a year. Thus the second occurrence of the word for "days" in this verse (as
usual in the plural form) should be taken as standing for a year; which is
the way the versions generally render it.
3. The term "days" is often used in equation with the "years" of an
individual's life. For example, 1 Kings 1:1 states that "King David was old
and advanced in years" (literally, "in the days").
It is espeeially in the book of Genesis that we find this kind of time
statement in its fuUest form. For example, Jacob makes the following state-
ment to Pharaoh: "The days of the year> of my sojourning are a hundred
and thirty ye.r>; few and evil have been the days of the ye.r> of my life,
and they have not attained to the days of the year> of the life of my father>
in the days of their sojourning" (Gen 47:9).
This kind of thought pattern appear> to find its roots in the genealogy
of Genesis S. The formula that is repeated ten times over for the ante-
diluvian patriarchs listed there is: "X lived so many year> and begat Y. And
X lived so many year> after he begat Y and begat sons and daughter>. And
all the days of X were so many years, and he died"
An imporlant relationship between "days" and "year>" and prophecy
has been derived from the use of these two time units in the third sentence
of the Genesis 5 genealogy. Referring to the wickedness of the antedilu-
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Year-Day Principle-Part 1
vians, God said, "My spirit shall not abide in man for ever, Cor he is flesh,
but his days shall be a hundred and twenty years" (Gen 6:3).
The time mentioned here conveys a prophecy about a Cuture proba-
tionary period. During this time Noah would preach and endeavor to per-
suade that sinful generation to accept God's offer of mercy while probation
lingered. Already in Genesis 6, therefore, we find a prophecy about a
sharply delimited amount of future time. And in this[U'Sllime prophecy of
Scripture the terms "days" and "years" are linked directly together.
It can be seen from the above brief survey that the relationship that
came to be established between the terms for "day" and "year" forms the
general linguistic usage and thought pattern from which a later, more
specific quantitative relationship in prophetic texts will spring. It is evident
that the year-day principJedid not crop up suddenly in prophecysuigeneris.
When it came upon the scene of action, it was drawn from a more general
relationship that was already a part of Hebrew thought.
Old Testament Poetry
The poetic literature of the OT does not provide us with a year-for-a-
day principle with which to interpret time periods in prophecy. It does,
however, provide us with instances (like those in the historical prose narra-
tives cited above) in which these two units of time are used side by side in
a particularly close relationship.
In this kind of literature the relationship arises from the poet's employ-
ment of a literary device known as parallelism. Thus, Hebrew poetry
provides us with further examples of the thought patterns out of which the
year-day principle naturally developed.
The book of Job provides several examples in which "days" and "years"
occur as a poetic pair:
Are thy days as tbe days of man.,
or thy years as man's years? (Job 10:5)
The wicked man writhes in pain all his days,
through all the years that are laid up for the ruthless. (Job 15:20)
I said, "Let days speak,
and many years teach wisdom." (Job 32:7)
If they harken and serve him,
they complete their days in prosperity,
and their years in pleasantness. (Job 36:11)
The "covenant lawsuit" poem of Deuteronomy 32 provides another
example of Hebrew parallelism which links these two time units together:
81
[Link] Principle-Part 1
Remember the days of old,
consider the years of many generations;
ask your fatber, and be will show you;
your elders., and tbey will tell you. (Deut 32:7)
A couple of examples may be cited from the Psalms:
I consider the days of old,
I remember tbe years long ago. (Ps 77:5)
For all our days pass away under thy wrath,
our years come to an end like a sigh.
The years of our life [literally. "the days of our years")
are threescore and ten,
or even by reason of strength fourscore;
yet their span is but toil and trouble;
tbey are soon gone, and we flyaway. (ps 90:9-10)
This list of texts is not cited as an exhaustive catalog of such occur-
rences; it is merely illustrative. The parallelism presented in these instan
res does not employ "days" to refer to short periods of time and "years"
to long periods. The terms refer to the same periods but are calibrated in
shorter and longer units. This is the same manner of thinking that is en-
countered in time prophecies, but there the equivalence has been made
more numerically specific.
In every case cited above, "days" is always theA -word that occurs first,
and "years" is always the B-word that appears in second position. These
words probably follow that order beeause of the logical progression in
thought from "days" to ''years.'' When we come to the occurrence of the
word "days" in the time prophecies, therefore, an ancient Semite whose
mind was steeped in this parallelistic type of thought would naturally have
made an association of "years" with the "days" found in a symbolic con-
text, just as he naturally would have identified "years" as the B-word that
would follow theAword "days" in its occurrence as part of a well-known
parallel pair.
The close and particular relationship between "days" and "years" that
is found hath in the prose and poetry of the OT provides a background for
the more specific application of this type of thought in apocalyptic time
prophecies.
(The poetic statement of Isaiah 61:2 presents an uncommon example
of the reverse order of the "day" and "year" time elements. The "year of
the Lord's favor" is followed by "the day of vengeance of our God:" The
specific concept from which this use of the word "day" derives is the "day
82
Year-Day Principle-Part 1
of the Lord," an expression used throughout the prophets to depict a fmal
time of judgment for Israel or Judah, or for nations roundabout God's
people, or for kingdoms and peoples seen in prophecy as arising in the
future. Thus there is a particular theological reason why the more com-
mon order [[Link] has been inverted here. Ii is Lhe [Link]xception for that
reason, and not the rule.)
Leviticus 25:1-7
This is the earliest biblical text in which the year-<lay principle is
reflected. In this piece of Levitical legislation an institution which has come
to be designated as the sabbatical year was established for the Israelite
agricultural economy. For six years the Israelite farmer was instructed to
sow his fields, prune his vineyards, and gather the harvest into his barns
and storehouses. But in the seventh year he was instructed to leave the
land to lie fallow and the vineyards and orchards unpruned. What grew of
itself could be eaten as food by anyone-the alien, the poor, the slave, as
well as by the owner; but it was not to be harvested and stored.
The sabbatical year was marked off as the last or seventh year in a
period of seven years. The legislation was introduced with these words:
"When you come into the land which I give you, the land shall kep a sab-
bath to the Lord" (vs. 2). The "sabbath" referred to in this instance,
however, was not the weekly [Link] Sabbath but the "sabbath" of
every seventh year. A literal translation of the phrase would read, "the land
shall sabbatize a sabbath to Yahweh."
When the command is repeated again in verse 4, it is stated in a slightly
different manner: the seventh year was to be "a sabbath . .. for the land, a
sabbath to the Lord." The comment was also added that it was to be a "sab-
bath of solemn rest (Iabbal!abb111{}n)." When this latter phrase is repeated
in verse 5, the word for "year" occurs in the same position as the word for
"sabbath." Thus the two statements read, The seventh year:
"sball be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land" (vs. 4)
"shall be a year of solemn rest for tbe land" (vs. 5)
The grammatical parallelism reemphasizes the identification of that
year as a sabbath for the land to Yahweh.
(solemn rest), the second Hebrew word which occurs in
these phrases, obviously derives from the root word for "sabbath" (Iabbl1t).
It is commonly translated "solemn rest" or a similar expression. Andreasen
83
Year-Day Principle-Part 1
has found this word "to describe that which really characterize[s] the
Sabbath, or any other day which has Sabbath qualities. In that sense it has
been termed a ""rbal-abstractum, meaning, 'Sabbath keeping.' We con-
clude, therefore, that describes the content of the Sabbath, for
example, it is an abstraction of 'keeping Sabbath.' .. 3
The word occurs only in Exodus and Leviticus, and in those
books it occurs in ten passages. It is applied to the weekly Sabbath (Exod
16:23; 31:15; 35:2; Lev 23:3), the Day of Atonement (Lev 16:31; 23:32),
the Feast of'frumpets (Lev 23:24), and to the first and last days of the Feast
of Booths (Lev 23:39), in addition to its two instances in connection with
the sabbatical year considered above (Lev 25:4, 5).
Since the festival days (Feast of'frumpets, Day of Atonement, first and
last days of the Feast of Booths could fall on days other than the seventh
day of the week, it is evident that the word could also be used for
days other than the weekly Sabbath. However, it is evident that the weekly
Sabbath has been the pattern and that its special significance has been
extended to those festival days. It is their Sabbath-day quality that makes
them sabbaths of solemn rest.
More important for the present discussion is the evidence that lab-
b'lIl6n (outside our passage in Leviticus 25:1-7) is never applied to more
than one day at a time. The day of the Feast of Trumpets and the Day of
Atonement were individual days which fell on the first and tenth days of
the seventh month. It was not the whole Feast of Booths that was a abbal
abblf(6n, but only the first and eighth days of that festival that qualified
for that particular designation. Thus the other usages of this word refer to
single or individual days. In like manner, in Leviticus 25:4, 5 the word bas
been taken over and applied to single or individual years. In this manner
a word with more specific connections to individual days has been applied
by analogy in Leviticus 25 to individual years.
It is clearly implied in Leviticus 25:1-7 that the sabbatical year is
modeled from the sabbatical day, that is, from the weekly Sabbath. Six days
oflaborwere followed by the seventh day of Sabbath rest; six years of farm-
ing were to be followed by a seventh year of sabbath rest for the land. The
seventh-day Sabbath was to be a Sabbath of "solemn rest" (Lev 23:3); and
the seventh year, the sabbatical year, was likewise to be a sabbath of
"solemn rest" for the land (Lev 25:4, 5).
3 NielsErik A. Andreasen, The Old TtsI/lI7IDlI Sabbaths, Society of Biblical Literature, Disserta
tion Series, No. 7 (Missoula, MT, 1972), 113.
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Year-Day Principle-Part 1
Thus there is a direct relationship between the "day" and the "year"
since the same terminology was applied to both, and the latter sabbatical
year was patterned after the former sabbatical day. This relationship be-
comes clearer quantatively when the next piece of legislation in Leviticus
25 pertaining to the jubilee period is considered.
Leviticus 25:8
Even though this is a legislative passage, the day-year principle oper-
ates the same way here as it does in Daniel-the use of "days" (extended
into the future) to mark off the "years" of the future.
The passage is concerned with instruction for observance of the jubilee
year. A literal translation of the opening clause of Leviticus 25:8 reads,
"You shall count seven sabbaths of years, seven years seven times, and to
you the days of the seven sabbaths of years shall be forty-nine years."
The explanation of the first numerical expression, as given in the
second phrase of the same clause, indicates that a "sabbath of years" is to
be understood as aperiod of seven years. The Sabbath was the seventh day
of the week. In this passage the seventh day has been taken to stand for a
seventh year. As the seventh and concluding day of the week, the Sabbath
has been taken over here to stand for the seventh year of a period of seven
years. Thus each day of the "weeks" that end with these "sabbaths" in the
jubilee cycle stands for one year.
That the "sabbath" terminology was intended furthermore to stand for
"weeks" is evident from parallel phraseology given two chapters earlier.
Reference is made there to the Festival of Weeks or Pentecost being
celebrated after seven "full weeks," literally, "seven sabbaths, full ones"
Lev 23:15). Since one must count more than full sab-
bath "days" to get to the fiftieth day designated for the celebration of Pen-
tcoost, it is evident that "sabbaths" means "weeks" here, just as it is
commonly translated in the various versions of the Bible. This parallel
phraseology pertaining to Pentecost indicates that the "sabbaths" referred
to in Leviticus 25:8 with reference to the jubilee period must also mean
"weeks."
Thus the Sabbath day and the six days that preceded it came to be used
as the model by which the occurrence of the jubilee year was calculated
according to divine directions. Each of these year-days was to extend into
the future from the beginning of those cycles to measure off the coming
of the jubilee year.
In prophecy this use of the year-day principle is paralled most directly
85
Year-Day Principle-Part 1
by Daniel 9:24-27. A different word (JaI2I1 'a) is used in that prophecy, but
it means the same thing that the "sabbaths" mean in Leviticus 25:8, that
is, "weeks." The applicability of the year-day principle to the time periods
of Daniel 9:24-27 is especially evident, therefore, from the parallel con-
struction of the Levitical instruction on the jubilee year. One could almost
say that the time period involved in Daniel 9:24-27 was modeled after the
jubilee legislation.
Since it is legitimate to apply the year-day principle to the days of the
weeks of Leviticus 25 to reckon time into the future to the next Jubilee, it
is also legitimate to apply that same year-day principle to the days of the
weeks of Daniel 9 to reckon time into the future from the beginning of
their cycle. By extension, this same principle can be reasonably applied also
to the "days" of the other time prophecies in Daniel.
Numbers 14:34
The third specific biblical use oftheyear-dayprinciple is found in Num-
bers 14:34. Here the principle is employed somewhat differently than it is
in Leviticus 25.
In Numbers 14 the "days" used to measure off"years" are derived from
events of the immediate historical past: the 40 days that the Israelite spies
spent in their exploration of Canaan. The people in the camp accepted the
bad report given by the majority of the spies contrary to the divine intent.
As a consequence, God sentenced them to wander in the wilderness for
40 years: to the number of the days in which you spied out the
land, forty days, for every day a year, you shall bear your iniquity, forty
years, and you shall know my displeasure."
Thus the fate of the generation that was to wander in the wilderness
was foretold here in the form of a prophetic judgment, a prophetic judg-
ment calibrated in terms of the year-day principle.
When one comes to the interpretation of a "day for a year" in apocalyp-
tic prophecy, it is evident that the prophetic "day" is used for a historical
"year" in a slightly different way than it is used here. In this instance a past
day stands for a future year, in apocalyptic a future day stands for a future
year.
This does not mean, however, that these two operations are necessarily
unrelated. With two different, but related, kinds of time prophecies (classi-
caVapocalyptic), it is only to be expected that some elements found in the
earlier type would be transformed and used in the later type in a somewhat
different manner.
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Year-Day Principle-Part 1
This does not mean the year-day principle found in both is of indepen-
dent origin. It simply means that it has been adapted and transformed for
its particular use in the later apocalyptic kind of time prophecy. The two
classes of time prophecy can still be seen as related; the former (classical)
still speaks to the nature of the latter (apocalyptic). Apocalyplic dCleS nol
have to use the prophetic days of classical prophecy in precisely the same
way that classical prophecy did; but apocalyptic's later use of such time ele-
ments is still drawn from the basic model provided by classical prophecy.
This is already true of the divergence between the nature of the opera-
tion of the year-day principle in Leviticus and the it was used here in
Numbers. It is also true of the next case discussed, that of Ezekiel 4:6, in
which the same principle has been applied in yet another manner differ-
ing from its application in Numbers 14 and Leviticus 25.
Its still later use in Daniel actually harks back to its earliest use-that
found in Leviticus 25-as has already been pointed out. Thus the spectrum
of this usage may be seen as a continuum, and not as discontinuous. Just
as the linguistic usage of "days" paired with "years" in prose and poetic
passages of the OT forms a background for the development of the prin-
ciple, so those passages in which the year-day principle is employed in dif-
ferent ways provides a background for the specific application that is made
of it in apocalyptic.
Ezekiel 4:6
Ezekiel-4 describes an acted parable with three main points: the mean-
ing of the pantomime; the prophetic time element involved; and the histor-
ical background for the time"element.
The context makes it clear that the parable's objective was to repre-
sent the siege and conquest of Jerusalem and the exile of its people. The
430 years [390 + 40). from which the 430 days were derived for the prophet
to lie on first one side and then the other, appear to refer to the progres-
sively sinful state of Israelite society under the divided Hebrew monarchy.
The days during which the prophet was to bear these sins correspond to
the time that God took to judge His people in the temple as is described
in Ezekiel 1, 9, and 10.
The time elements of this prophecy warrant comparison with those
found in Numbers 14:34. When such a comparison is made, distinct simi-
larities between the two passages emerge. The following is a somewhat
literal translation:
Numbers 14:34. to the number of the days lbemispar
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Year-Day Principle-Part 1
ha)Yl1mim) which you spied out the land, forty days ['arbl1'fm y6m), day for
the year, day for the year [yIlm /aI!I1nlIh y6m /aI!I1nlIh), you shall bear your
evil [tiS 'u 'Dw6n11[fkem) forty years [,arbl1'fm !I1nlIh)."
EzeldeI4:4-6. "The number of the days [mispar ha)Yl1mfm) you lie on
your side, and you shall hear their evil [tifStf' 1. I have given you
the years of their evil [Iem! '"w6nlIm) according to a number of days
[/emispar yl1mim), three hundred and ninety days, and you shall bear the
evil of the house of Israel. .. . and you shall bear the evil [nlI.Il1'[l1 '"woo)
of the house of Judah forty days [,arbl1'fm y6m), day for the year, day for
the year [yIlm /aI!I1nl1h y6m /aI!I1nl1h) I have given you."
Several aspects of the original language in these two passages corre-
spond directly. Both the act of "bearing" and the "eviltt borne are expressed
in the same way. Both are introduced with the same phrase that refers to
"the number of the days," and both express the idea of "each day for a
year" with the same reduplicated phrase: "day for the year, day for the
year."
From these comparisons it can be seen that the later of these two texts
(Ezek 4) is directly dependent upon the earlier one in Numbers in several
significant ways. The year-day principle found in Ezekiel 4:6 is, therefore,
linguistically the same as that found in Numbers 14:34.
While the principle involved in these two passages is the same, there
is a significant difference in the way that principle has been applied.
Ezekiel's prophetically future "days" are derived from historically past
"years." This is the reverse of the situation in Numbers where the "years"
of judgment follow the "days" of sinfulness. In Numbers, therefore, we
have a day-for-a-year application, while in Ezekiel we have a year-for-a-
day situation. But the principle involved in both of these instances is the
same, as is evident from the preceding linguistic comparisons between
them.
Ezekiel does not say "year for the day" when Numbers says "day for
the year. " The latter phraseology ("day for the year, day for the year")
appears in both passages, stated the same way. There is no difference be-
tween them in this regard even though their historico-chronoiogicaI appli-
cation differs. This fact demonstrates the point that the same year-day
principle could be employed in different ways on different occasions.
The symbolic "days" present in apocalyptic refer to events that were to
take place in the future from the prophet's time. The application of the same
year-day principle of these symoolic "days" can simply be seen, therefore, as
one more way this principle onuld be The onmparison of Ezekiel
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Year-Day Principle-Part 1
with Numbers and of Numbers with Leviticus has already opened up that
possibility by demonstrating the different ways this principle was used.
Weeks of Daniel 9
AU commentators on Daniei agree that the evenis prophesied in
Daniel 9:24-27 onuld not have been completed within a literal 70 weeks or
one year and five months. Since this prophetic time period stands symboli-
cally for a longer period of actual historical time, it is important to decide
just how the length of that longer period should be detennined.
Crucial here is the word .fZ1/z.Q'a that occurs six times in its singular and
plural forms in these four verses. Since this word provides the basic periods
of the prophecy, its translation plays an important part in the way in which
the interpreter derives them.
Two main but significantly different approaches have been taken
toward this matter. The first is to translate the word as "weeks" and to
derive the prophecy's time periods from the "days" which compose them.
The calculation is done on the basis of the year -day principle. Thus each
day of these "weeks" is viewed as a prophetic day standing for a historical
year. This is the approach taken by the historicist school of thought.
The second approach is to translate this word as "sevens, besevened,
heptads, hebdomads" or the like. From this purely numerical kind of trans-
lation it is then held that .fZ1/z.Q 'a carries with it directly implied "years," that
is, it is taken to mean "sevens ( of years)," literal and not symbolic time. In
this manner the intervening step through which those "years" would have
been derived from the "days" of the prophetic ''weeks'' has been avoided
by the interpreter. This is the approach taken by the preterist and futurist
schools of thought.
One reason for this approach in translation is to separate the 70-week
prophecy of Daniel 9 from the other time prophecies of the book and to
place it in a distinct class by itself. The effect of this is to blunt the implica-
tions of the year-day principle advocated by the historicist system of inter-
pretation.
If the year-day principle is thus denied its function in the interpreta-
tion of Daniel 9:24-27, then preterists and futurists alike are at liberty to
deny its application to the other time prophecies. On the other hand, if it
is valid to apply the year-day principle to the "days" of the "weeks" in
Daniel 9, then it is logical to apply the same principle to the "days" in the
time prophecies found elsewhere in Daniel as well as to the apocalyptic
writings of Revelation.
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Year-Day Principle-Part 1
Thw a prominent way in which the attempt has been made to parry
the thrust of this logical conclusion has been to transiateSlIlla 'a as "sevens"
instead of "weeks." An examination of the way this word should be trans-
lated is of importance, therefore, in any discussion of the year-day princi-
ple of Daniel's time prophecies.
The Hebrew word for "week," Mila '0, was derived from the word for
"seven," leila. However, it was derived as a specialized term to be applied
only to the unit of time consisting of seven days, that is, the "week. " Adif-
ferent vocalization was utilized for this specialization. This difference is
evident even in unpointed Hebrew texts (Hebrew consonants written
without vowels) since the Hebrew letter wtrw was consistently written as
the u-vowelletter in this particular word (compare Dan 9:27).
This spelling is consistent in the Bible as well as in all six of the texts
from Qumran in which this word has appeared. To give this word only a
numerical value in Daniel 9, therefore, confuses its etymological origin
with its derived form and function.
The masculine plural ending on this word in Daniel 9, in contrast to its
feminine plural ending elsewhere in the 01; is of significance only in indi-
cating that it is one of many Hebrew nouns with dual gender.
4
The same phenomenon can be demonstrated for the occurrence of
this word in Mishnaic Hebrew, Qumran Hebrew, Qumran Aramaic, and
also later Syriac and Ethiopic texts. Furthermore, if the masculine plural
in Daniel 9:24 was intended to be understood numerically, the consonan-
tal phrase of Ib'ym Ib'ym should be translated as "seventy seventies," not
as "seventy sevens."
The word!lIlla'a occurs 13 times in the OT outside of Daniel 9. Virtu-
ally all versions of the Bible are in agreement in translating these instances
as "weeks." If it is "weeks" everywhere else in the 01; then, on the basis
of comparative linguistic evidence, it should be rendered "weeks" in
Daniel 9.
Seven of these occurrences outside of Daniel 9 are connected with the
"Feast of Weeks" or "Pentecost." Clearly, this is the "Feast of Weeks," not
the "Feast of Sevens."
The same point can be made from Daniel 10:2-3 where the word occurs
twice as a reference to a period of three "weeks," during which Daniel
mourned and fasted for the fate of his people. The word is modified in this
4 Diethelm Micbel, Grundkgung dna [Link] Syntax" 1 (VIuyn: Neukirchener Verlag. 1977):
3439; Mordcchai [Link], "The GenderofNouns: in Biblical Hebmv," Smlitics6 (PretOria,
1978): 9.
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Year-Day Principle-Part 1
passage by the qualifying word "days." Because of this some have argued
that the expression should be rendered as "weeks of days," implying there
by that the prophecy of Daniel 9:24 should be understood to mean "weeks
(of years)." But the argument misunderstands the Hebrew idiom present
in this expression.
When a time unit such as a week, month, or year is followed by the
word for "days" in the plural, the idiom is to be understood to signify"full"
or "complete" units. Thus the expression, "a full month" or "a whole
month," reads literally in the Hebrew, "month days," or "month of days."
See Genesis 29:14; Numbers 11:20-21; Judges 19:2 (in this latter instance
the word for "days" precedes the term for "month"). The expression, "full
years," reads literally, "years days." See Genesis 41:1; Leviticus 25:29;
2 Samuel 13:23; 14:28.
Thus the Hebrew expression in Daniel 10:2-3, namely, "three weeks
days," means, according to this idiom, "three full weeks," or "three whole
weeks." Linguistically this idiom prevents the conclusion from being drawn
that "weeks of days" in contrast to "weeks (of years)" is implied in this
passage.
It is quite arbitrary, therefore, to translate !lIlla'a as "seven" or "sev-
ens" in Daniel 9:2427 and to translate it as "weeks" three verses later in
Daniel 10:2, 3, as the New International Version renders it in the body of
its text. Usages elsewhere in Daniel, elsewhere in the 01; in extrabiblical
Hebrew, and in cognate Semitic languages all indicate that this word should
be translated as "weeks." No support can be obtained from any of these
sources for translating this word any other way than as "weeks."
A similar point can be made from the Greek of the Septuagint (com-
monly designated Lxx, a translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek
during the latter part of the intertestamental period before Christ).
The cardinal numeral "seven" occurs more than 300 times in the LXX
and is consistently represented by hep/o and its derived forms. S The ordinal
numeral "seventh" occurs some 110 times in the LXX and is consistently
represented by hebdomos and its derived forms.
6
In 17 of the 19 instances in which .I1rtta 'a occurs in the Hebrew aT, the
LXX translates it with the feminine collective hebdomas and its derived
forms. (The other two instances give no insight on the use of this term,
inasmuch as the "two weeks" of Leviticw 12:5 are rendered "twice seven
S Edwin Hatch and Henry A. Redpath,A Cott<:ordorr 10 1M [Link] (Gru, AWllria: Akademi
5Che DNk- U. Verlagsansall), YOI. 1, passim.
6 Ibid., 361.Q.
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Year-Day Principle-Part 1
days" and the Greek of Jeremiah 5:24 is rather remote from the Hebrew
text.)
There is no overlap in the LXX usage between hebdomas for ''weeks''
on the one hand and hebdomos and hepla for "seventh" and "seven" on
the other. If 11 references tohebdomas outside of Daniel 9 should be trans-
lated as '"weeks" instead of "sevens," then again, on the basis of compara-
tive LXX usage, they should also be translated that way in Daniel 9.
From both Semitic sources and the LXX it may be concluded, there-
fore, that the best linguistic evidence currently available supports translat-
[Link] 'a as ''weeks'' in Daniel 9:24-27. This word thus carries the year-day
principle along with it in the 70-weeks prophecy. Furthermore, its applica-
tion there may be reasonably extended to the other time prophecies of
Daniel.
Weeks and Years in Daniel 9
Daniel's prayer in chapter 9 begins with an appeal to God for the return
of His people to their land on the basis of the 70years Jeremiah prophesied
they would be exiled in Babylon (vs. 2; compareJer 25:12; 29: 10). In answer
to his prayer, Gabriel assured Daniel they would return and rebuild the
temple and capital city. In doing so, Gabriel also delimited another period
of prophetic time: 70 weeks. During that period other events, beyond the
previously mentioned ones, would take place (Dan 9:24-27).
Since these events could not have been accomplished in 70 literal
weeks, it is evident that this later time period was intended to be under-
stood symbolically. The seven-day week provided the model upon which
the symbolic units of that time period were based. Thus we find two
prophetic time periods in this narrative of Daniel 9-the 70 years at its
beginning and the 70 weeks at its end; the one literal, the other symbolic.
What is the relationship between these two time periods?
A relationship between them can be seen from the fact that both are
prophetic in nature, and the latter is given in answer to the prayer about
the former.
A relationship between them can also be suggested on the basis of their
location in similar positions in the literary structure of the narrative. This
structure may be outlined as [Link] : ~ : B ' : C ' , in which A and ~ represent
the introductory verses 1 and 20-23; Band B' represent the 70 years and
the 70 weeks; and C and C' represent the rest of Daniel's prayer and the
rest of Gabriel's prophecy respectively.
The fact that the prophecy of verses 24-27 begins with a time element
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Year-Day Principle-Part 1
(70 weeks) instead of ending with it (as is more common in the other
prophecies of Daniel; compare 7:25; 8:14; 12:7, 11-12), has the effect of
juxtaposing the 70-week period with what precedes it; namely, Daniel's
prayer and the 70-year period he mentions as prompting his prayer.
Another way these two time period" are linked is through their com-
mon use of the number 70. This is no random selection of numbers. The
latter has been directly modeled after the former. The latter time period
(the 70 weeks) issymbolic. The former (the 70-year period) is Ii/eral. When
a literal time unit is sought with which to interpret the symbolic "days" of
the "weeks," therefore, the direct relationship between these two time
periods reasonably suggests that the "years" of the former may be selected
to serve that function.
These two time prophecies are also related by the fact that both are
multiples of seven. When the 70 weeks are multiplied by their individual
units, they are found to contain seven times more symbolic units than the
literal units of the 70 years (70 years: 490 day-years).
Furthermore, when the symbolic units of the 70 weeks are interpreted
according to the literal units of the 70 years, a relationship is produced
which parallels the relationship between the jubilee period and sabbatical-
year period (Lev 25:1-19). It may be recalled (compare "Leviticus 25:1-7"
above) that the years of the jubilee were also measured off in terms of
"weeks" in the legislation given about them in Leviticus 25:8. The relation-
ship between Leviticus 25 and Daniel 9 can be outlined as follows:
A Sabbatical Period
Lev 25:1-7 = 7 years
Dan 9:2 - 7 years x 10 (70)
A Jubilee Period
Lev25:8-17 = 7 weeks ofyearsx7 (49)
Dan 9:24 - 7 weeks of days x 7 x 10 (490)
(apply year-day principle)
Sabbatical year terminology was applied to Jeremiah's 70-year predic-
tion of Babylonian captivity by the chronicler: "to fulfil the word of the
Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths. All
the days that it lay desolate i/ kept sabbath, to fulfil seventy years" (2 Chr
36:21). Since the land rested every seventh year, it is evident that the in-
spired writer viewed the 70 years of captivity as the sum of ten sabbatical-
year periods.
Inasmuch as the 70-year period (referred to by Daniel in verse 2 just
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Year-Day Principle-Part 1
prior to his prayer) was understood to relate to the sabbatical-year legis-
lation (Lev 25:1-7). it may be expected that the 70-week period (at the
close of his prayer) would be related to the jubilee period. This is the
sequence in Leviticus 25:1-17 (sabbatical year-jubilee). Thus the 70weeks.
or 490 years (on the year-day principle). may be seen as ten jubilee periods
even as the 70 years were seen as teo sabbatical-year periods.
This relationship was already evident to the Essenes at Qumran in the
first century B.C. When writers among them came to interpret Daniel's 70
weeks, they more commonly referred to them as ten jubilees. But jubilees
can only consist of years. It is evident. therefore. that they applied the year-
day principle to this time prophecy even though all occurrences of the word
MM'a that have appeared in the Dead Sea Scrolls published thus far in-
dicate that word only meant "weeks" for them.
Supplementary support for these sabbatical year-jubilee relationships
to Daniel's 70 weeks can be found in the fact that they were fulfilled his-
torically through events that occurred in postexilic sabbatical years. The
years 457 B.C. and AD. 27 and 34 were sabbatical years.
7
Summary. Internally, the 70 years and the 70 weeks of Daniel 9 relate
to each other in five ways: (1) Both are prophetic; (2) both are linked in a
sequence of question and answer; (3) both are located in similar positions
in the literary structure of the chapter; (4) both are specifically for the
Jews; and (5) both use the number 70 and its base of seven.
These relations are strengthened by the external parallels between the
70-year and the 70-week couplet in Daniel 9 and the sabbatical year and
jubilee couplet in Leviticus 25:
1. NumericaL Just as the 70-week or the 49O-day-year period is seven-
fold greater than the 70-year period (490:70). so is the jubilee period seven-
fold greater than the sabbatical-year period (49:7).
2. Tenninology. Sabbatical-year terminology is applied to the 70-year
period (Lev 25:1-7; 2 Chr 36:21; Dan 9:2). Since the land "enjoyed" a Sab-
bath every seven years, it is evident that the 70-year period of captivity con-
tained ten sabbatical years. In like manner, jubilee terminology is linked
to the 70 weeks, for a jubilee period was also measured in terms of "weeks"
("seven weeks [sabbaths 1 of years," or 49 years). The 70 weeks. or literally
the 490 years, therefore, contained ten jubilees.
3. Qumran. Inasmuch as the Bible writer (2 Chr 36:21) viewed the 70-
7 Ben Zion Watholder, "The Calendar of Sabbatical Cycles During the Second Temple and tbe
Earty Rabbinic Period," Hebrew Union CoIJcgeAnnuiJl44 (1973): 153-96.
94
Year-Day Principle-Part 1
year captivity as a period of ten sabbatical years in which the land kept Sab-
bath. so it may be inferred that the 70-weeks or 490-year period was to be
viewed as a period of ten jubilees. Since the first century B.C. writers in
Qumran interpreted the 70 weeks as ten jubilees. it is evident that they
consciously employed the year -day principle. It is also evident that they
saw a definite link between the time couplets of Daniel 9 and Leviticus 25.
4. Chronology. The 70 weeks of Daniel 9 are related also to the sab-
batical years of Leviticus 25 through their fulfillment historically in the
known postexilic sabbatical years of 457 B.C., AD. 27, and AD. 34.
On the basis of these internal and external relationships, it is reason-
able to interpret the 70-week period by the calibrations provided by the
70-year prophecy that opened the chapter of Daniel 9 and by the jubilee
period. It was linked to both. and both indicate that the period should be
interpreted symbolically to represent literal years.
Days in Daniel 8 and Years in Daniel 11
Under "Time Periods That Span Kingdoms" above (page 78) it was
noted that prophetic time periods that span kingdoms must be taken to
stand symbolically for longer periods of actual calendrical time in order for
them to extend through the historical epochs of those kingdoms. The ex-
ample cited there was that of the time prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 that
began in the Persian period, extended through the Greek period, and came
to its conclusion in the Roman period.
The 2300 days of Daniel 8:14 presents a similar but broader picture
since they also begin in the Persian period. span both the periods of Greece
and Imperial Rome. but extend well into the period after the division of
the Roman Empire. This can be seen already in Daniel 8 before any con-
nections are made between it and Daniel 9. The evidence for this comes
from the question of Daniel 8: 13 to which the time period of verse 14 is
given in answer.
The first clause of the compound question is, "how long is the vision?"
The question is then qualified by four more phrases that relate to the work
of the little horn. These involve: (1) themmf4 or "daily/continual." (2) the
transgression that makes desolate. (3) the trampling of the sanctuary. and
(4) the trampling of the host.
The syntax of this question is somewhat unusual in that there is no
direct grammatical link between the opening clause and the four succeed-
ing phrases. There is no verb, preposition, or object marker between them.
They do not stand in an adjectival relationship, and the presence of a con-
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Year-Day Principle-Part 1
struct chain here is ruled out by the use of the article with the last word of
the opening clause and the first noun of the sueceeding phrases ("how long
the vision the daily ... ").
By process of elimination, the syntactical relationship present here
should be interpreted as one of apposition. That gives this question the
significance of, "how long is the vision, that is, the vision in which the four
following works of the little born are seen?"
It is important to decide just what vision is referred to in the initial
clause of this question, since it is the length of tbat vision that is measured
ofIby the time period given in answer to this question in DanieI8:14. There
are two alternatives here: Either the vision in question is the whole vision
that the prophet has seen up to that point (vss. 3-12), or it is only the por-
tion of the vision that has to do with the little hom (vss. 9-12).
The interpretation adopted here is that the word "vision" in the ques-
tion of verse 13 refers to the entire vision seen by the prophet up to that
point, the vision that is described in the text from verse 3 through verse 12.
The following reasons may be offered in support of this interpretation:
1. The elements in the question are recited in an order that is the
reverse of what is found in the preceding description. The order in Daniel
8:13 is: (a) t11mf4 + desolation, (b) sanctuary, and (c) host. In the descrip-
tion of the vision in verses 10-12 the order is: (a) host, (b) sanctuary, and
(c) flImtd + desolation. The reverse order of these elements cited in the
question leads naturally back into those elements of the vision that were
not explicitly cited in the question, and in its present position the word for
"vision" becomes a summary for all of them.
2. If one applies the word ''vision'' in Daniel 8:13 only to the activities
of the little horn described beginning with verse 9, then one really has two
visions: one vision about the ram, the goat, and the four horns, and another
vision about the little hom. Since no demarcators to support such a division
appear in the middle of this vision's description, and since the vision is
described in continuous fashion from verses 3 to 12, there are no grounds
in the text for making such an arbitrary division.
3. The use of the word ''vision'' (/l11z6n) elsewhere in Daniel 8 sup-
ports the idea that this occurrence in verse 13 refers to the whole vision of
verses 3-12. This word occurs three times in the introduction of this vision
in verses 1-2. It is obvious in all three instances that it refers to the whole
vision that was seen thereafter. This word occurs next in verse 13; and in
conjunction with the three opening occurrences, its location there forms
an inc/usia around the body of the vision proper. The prophet then reacted
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Year-Day Principle-Part 1
to the scenes that had passed before him by stating, "When I, Daniel, had
seen the vision, I sought to understand it" (vs. 15). The whole vision
appears to be in view here since, in response to Daniel's search for under-
standing, Gabriel's explanation began with the Persian ram (vs. 20). In his
further references to understanding the vision (ys. 17) and scaling it up
(vs. 26) Gabriel also appears to refer to the whole vision of verses 3-12.
The word "vision" or (lZ1zon occurs seven times in Daniel 8: three times
before the question of verse 13 (vss. 1-2) and three times after it (vss. 15,
17,26). In all six occurrences the reference seems most likely to be to the
whole vision of verses 3-12. Since that is the case with all the other occur-
rences of this word in this narrative, that is the way it should also be inter-
preted in the question of verse 13.
This point is further emphasized by the use of the article with /ll1z6n
in the question (the vision). The article is also prefIXed to the last three
occurrences of the word in this chapter, in verses 15, 17, and 26, and it has
been pointed with prepositions in verse 2. It is "the" (whole) vision that is
in view here, not just part of that vision.
Elsewhere I have discussed the we of mar'eh, another word also trans-
lated "vision" in Daniel 8:16, 26, 27.
8
My conclusion from that discussion is that the word mar'eh meant
something like "appearance," that is, the appearance of the angel mes-
senger, or the appearance and conversation of holy personages; whereas
fJlIlon is used particularly for the symbolic vision that the prophet viewed.
This distinction is especially important in establishing the link between the
prophecies of DanielS, 9 on the basis of the use of mar'eh in Daniel 9:23.
Whatever the shade of meaning of the word mar'eh, it does not mate-
rially affect the interpretation of fJalon in Daniel S, where that term is
applied to the whole of what the prophet saw as described in verses 312.
4. This use of the word for vision may also be compared with its use
outside of Daniel S. In two passages in the Hebrew sections of Daniel it
occurs as a broadly inclusive collective for prophetic experiences: once in
Daniel's own case (I: 17), and once in the case of later prophets (9:24). In
three other instances it refers back to visions previously seen by Daniel:
the occurrence in 9:21 refers back to the vision of chapter 7 while the
8 William H. Shea "The Relationship Between the Prophecies of Daniel 8 and Dani el 9 , ~ in Tht
S(lfICmaryarnJtheA/ononrnt, ed. Arnold V. Wallenkampf and W. Richard Lesher(SilverSpring,
MD: Biblical Research Insti tute, 1981), 23539; also Id., "The Prophecy of Daniel 9:2427," in
The Sevt1IlY Weeks, Levi/ieus, and IheNaJUrtQ[Prophtey, ed. F. B. Holbrook, Daniel and Revela
tion Committee series, vol. 3 (Silver Spring, MD: Biblical Research Institute. 1986), 1(J:S-8.
97
[Link] Principle-Part 1
occurrences in 10:14 and 11:14 probably refer back to the vision of chap-
ter 8. All five of the occurrences of this word in the Hebrew of Daniel out
side of chapter 8 are also inclusive with regard to the vision or visions to
which they refer. None of them provides any support for interpreting this
word in 8:13 in such a way as to fractionate the preceding vision of8:312
and apply it only to verses 912
Thus all six of the occurrences of this word in Daniel 8 and all five of
its occurrences outside of that chapter support interpreting it in 8: 13 in an
inclusive manner that takes in the whole of the preceding vision of 8:3-12.
5. This inclusive significance of the word "vision" in Daniel 8: 13 is also
supported by the contrast between the way this question was asked and
the way a related answer was given in 12:11.
The first phrase following the opening question of 8:13 involves the
daily and the transgression that makes desolate. If one wished to inquire
how long the abomination of desolation was to be set up and the daily taken
away, one could have inquired directly about these points without using
the term "vision" as a qualifying word. For example, a statement is made
about these points in 12: 11 in which 1290 days were allotted for this, but
the qualifying term for "vision" is absent.
Since the qualifying word, "vision," is the principle difference between
these two statements about the daily, that qualification appears to provide
the explanation for the difference between these two time periods. The
Jarger overall total of 2300 days is more for the vision, while the smaller
figure of 1290 days is more specifically for the daily and the abomination
of desolation. The latter which is shorter should be subsumed under the
former which is longer and more inclusive.
For the reasons reviewed above, it seems reasonable to conclude that
the word "vision" in the question of Daniel 8:13 refers to all of the preced.
ing vision described in verses 3-12.
To determine the time for the commencement of the 2300 days given
in answer to that question, therefore, one must go back to the beginning
of that overall vision. That takes us back to the time of the Persian ram in
verses 34. From these correlations it may be concluded that the 2300 days
began sometime during the Persian period (539-331 B.c.). the precise year
being left unspecified here. The implication of these observations has been
noted by commentators on Daniel as early as 1684 and as recent as 1978,
as the following quotations indicate:
The Vision of the 2300 Evenings and Mornings, dates most exactly,
and precisely the Time from the very Beginning of the Persian Monarchy
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[Link] Principle-Part 1
or the First of C)tus to the cleansing of the Sanctuary, at the new Jerusalem,
and the breaking of Antichrist wilhout hand, or by the stone CUI out of the
Mountains without hand, at the Kingdom of Christ, DanielS, 14, 25.
Those 2300 are not the Gauge of the doily Sacrifice taken away, but of
the whole VISion, from the Persian through the Grecian, to the end of the
Roman, Antichristian Monarchy, and the Jangdom of ChrisI.
9
Furthermore, it should be noted carefully that the question is not
merely, "How long shall the sanctuary be trodden underfoot?" but, "For
how longis this vision that culminates in the terrible work of the little horn?"
The vision actually begins with Medo--Persia, and thus we would the
2J00.-day period should likewise begin in the days of that empire.
The 2300 days of Daniel 8:14 can thus be cited along with the 70 weeks
of Daniel 9:24-27 as a time period that spallS kingdoms (compare "Tune
Periods That Span Kingdoms" above, page 78). In order to extend that far
in time, its "days"would have to beinterpreted assymbolic rather than literal.
The applicability of the year..<fay principle to this time period can be
elucidated even more specifically, however, when these 2300 days are com
pared with the references to "years" in Daniel 11 :6, 8, and 13.
Virtually all commentators on Daniel agree that the literal description
of historical events in Daniel 11 provides an interpretation of the symbolic
figures and events described in Daniel 8. The "years" of 11:6 belong to
Antiochus II; the "years" ofll:13 belong to Antiochus III; and the "years"
of 11:8 belong to Ptolemy III. These kings ruled Syria and Egypt respec-
tively in the period that followed the breakup of Alexander's empire repre-
sented by the four horns on the head of the Grecian goat in 8:8.
The conclusion to the preceding discussion of the word "vision" in 8:13
indicates that the overarching period of 2300 "evenings-mornings" or
"days" in 8:14 spanned the period through which the Seleucid and Ptole
maic kings reigned. What has been described in the symbolic time units of
8:14 has been explained, therefore, in the literal historical time units of
11:6, 8, and 13. The interpretation and explanation of the latter provide
the "years" with which to interpret the "days" of the former.
This relationship between Daniel 8 and 11 that provides the year..<fay
principle here, and by extension to the other time prophecies of Daniel,
may be outlined as on the following page:
9 T. Beverley, "An of Daniel's Grand Line of TIme, or of His 2300 Evenings and
Mornings," A Scriprwe-LiMo/Tum, pt.t:t, 14 (aulhor'sitalics),cited by Leroy Edwin Proom,
Prophetic FaiJh o/Our Fathen 2 (Washington, DC, 1948): 583.
10 Desmond Pord,Dankl (Nashville, 1978),188.
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Year Day Principle-Part 1
DanielS
I Symbolic Figures
Ram, goat, horns
JGog of north
King of south
t Uleral Figures
Daniel 11
Symbolic Actions
Casting down and
trampling stars, etc.
Come against their
armies, etc.
Uleral Actions
Pragmatic Test of Historical Fulfillment
Symbolic Time
Evening-mornings
Years
Uteral Time
Since the year--day principle appears soundly based in Scripture for the
reasons reviewed above, its application should produce some interpretive
results that could be confirmed from extrabiblical sources where possible.
The 70 weeks of Daniel 9:2427 provide a case in point for examina-
tion. They were to begin with the issuing of the decree to rebuild JenlSa
lem. The decree for the return given to Ezra who began that reconstruction
(Ezra 4:11-16) was issued in the seventh year of Artaxerxes I (Ezra 7:7-
26). The seventh year of Artaxerxes I can be fIXed through classical his-
orians, Ptolemy's Canon, the Elephantine papyri, and Neo-Babylonian
contract tablets to 458/457 B.c. Jews of that time employed a fall-to-fall
calendar (Neh 1:1; 2:1), so Daniel's 70 weeks began in the year that
extended from the fall of 458 B.C. to the fall of 457 B.C.
The first seven weeks or 49 years of this period were required for the
rebuilding of Jerusalem. No biblical or extrabiblical data relating to the
conclusion of this period are extant, so that point is historically neutral as
far as demonstrating the fulfillment of this prophecy is concerned.
The next 62 weeks, or 434 years, takes us to the time for the coming
or appearance of the Messiah. This was fulfilled by Jesus Christ when He
began His public ministry in the fifteenth year of Tiberi us Cacsar, or AD. 27
(Luke 3:1). (For the fifteenth year of Tiberius as AD. 27, see especiallt
J. Finegan's discussion of this date in Handbook oj Biblical Chronology. t
The cutting off of the Messiah that brought the significance of the
sacrificial system to an end in the midst of the final week should be dated
historically in the spring of either AD. 30 or 31. The chronological data
11 Jack Finegan, Handbook of Biblical ChronolOW (Princeton: 1964).159.74.
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Year-Day Principle-Part 1
available is not yet sufficiently precise to determine which of these dates
is to be preferred over the other.
The stoning of Stephen has been reasonably taken as an event of suffi-
cient significance to mark the end of this prophetic period. This event is
not dated in Act-5; but its date can be estimated on the basis of the date of
Paul's conversion. The most common date for this event advocated by NT
chronographers on the basis of Galatians 1 is AD. 34. The stoning of
Stephen probably occurred shortly before Paul's conversion in that same
year.
This spectrum of historical dates for these prophetic e v ~ n t s fits this
prophecy's time periods with sufficient accuracy, given the present state
of the sources available, to say that this prophecy was fulfilled in terms of
the dates predicted for its events. The year--day prinicple has, therefore,
passed the pragmatic test of meeting its required fulfillments on time in
this case.
Pragmatic Tes! of Predictive Use
In the year AD. 1689 an Englisb prophetic interpreter by the name of
Drue Cressener (1638-1718) published his predicted date for the end of
the 1260 days of Revelation 11-13. This particular time period is given in
three different ways in these chapters: 1260 days/42 months!3'" times (Rev
11:2-3; 12:6, 14; 13:5). Beginning the prophetic period in the time of Jus-
tinian in the sixth centul)' AD., and by applying the year -day principle to
these 1260 days, Cressener came to the conclusion that "the time of the
Beast does end about the Year 1800." t2 He applied the symbol of the beast
to the papacy, and the pope was indeed deposed in 1798.
Thus Cressener's specification of the year for that event, and it was
given in approximate terms, came within two years of the time it actually
happened. This he predicted more than a centul)' before by applying the
year-day principle to the time period of this prophecy. Considering the
time when this interpretation was set forth, this was a remarkably per-
ceptive prediction. The extraordinary chronological accuracy with which
Cressner's prediction met its fulfillment lends support to the idea that he
had indeed employed the correct hermeneutical tool with which to inter-
pret this time prophecy, the year-day principle.
12 "Suppositions and ThCOfelll$, ~ 1M ludgmmuofGod Upon 1M Roman Calholik Church, cited by
L B. Froom,Prophak FaiJh of Our FaJhm 2 (Washington, DC, 1948): 595.
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Year-Day Principle-Part 1
Summary
In this study twenty-three biblical reasons validating the application of
the year-day principle to the time periods in the apoealyptic prophecies of
Daniel and Revelation have been reviewed. These lines of evidence have
been divided into three main categories covering the spectrum of thought
from the more general or least specific to the most specific reasons.
In the category of the more general reasons it was noted that the his-
toricist interpretation of these prophecies provides a more philosophically
satisfactory view of God's attention to all human history; and thus His
prophetic attention to the history of the Christian Era requires longer than
literal time periods in these apoealyptic prophecies.
Something adverse or evil for the world or God's people commonly
took place during these time periods, and the reversal of those conditions
came at their conclusions. In this way they provided microcosms of the
economy of sin during which the great controversy between good and evil
has been worked out. If these were merely literal time periods, they would
hot have provided much of a proving ground for that controversy.
Apocalyptic prophecies present a longer range view of history than do
classical prophecies. If their time periods are literal, however, they would
be considerably shorter than the time periods in classical prophecy. This
paradox is best resolved by interpreting the time periods in apoealyptic as
standing symbolically for longer periods of actual historical time.
The importance in salvation history of the events involved in these
apocalyptic prophecies also emphasizes the point that longer than literal
time periods are necessary for their accomplishment. Furthermore, the
emphasis on "the time of the end" in some of the prophecies of Daniel im-
plies that their time periods extend down to that "time of the end" and
delimit it. Only symbolic time standing for longer periods of historical time
could reach that far.
In the intermediate category of somewhat more specific lines of evi-
dence in support of the year-day principle the question of symbolic time
versus literal time is dealt with further. Apocalyptic prophecies employ
symbolic numbers with symbolic time units in symbolic contexts. These fac-
tors converge to support the idea that these references to time should be
interpreted as symbolic rather than literal.
In the book of Daniel there is a spectrum of usage for the word "days"
that leads logically to their symbolic use when they are quantified in its
prophecies. Especially short time periods in apocalyptic, such as the seven-
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Year-Day Principle-Part 1
tieth week, three and one-half, and ten days, are best interpreted symboli-
cally since they provide little interpretive sense on a literal basis. There is
a rather direct correspondence between the contents of the prophecies of
the trumpets and the plagues in Revelation. The former contain time
prophecies, however, while the latter do not. Tnese are best seen as provid-
ing symbolic time periods in the historical series of trumpet prophecies
that lead up to the eschatological plague series. Time periods that span
kingdoms, like those of Daniel 8 and 9, require periods of time longer than
those that are literal in character in order to extend that far in history.
fur the category of specific evidence in support of quantifying sym-
bolic time in apocalyptic on the basis of a "day" for a ''year,'' some back-
ground material from the OT was cited first.
There are a number of instances in the historical narratives of the OT
in which the Hebrew word for "days" was used to stand for "years." There
are also a number of instances in the poetry of the OT in which the word
for "days" stands in parallel with the word for "years." Both ofthese usages
provide a ready background for the kind of thought that could be extended
to the more specific quantitative application of this relationship in apoca-
lyptic.
Leviticus 25: 1-7 is the first biblical passage in which the year-day equa-
tion is applied. In this instance the Sabbath day with its preceding six days
becomes the model for the sabbatical year for the land. The jubilee period
in turn was reckoned on the basis of the days in seven weeks of years. The
jubilee provides an especially apt parallel to the time periods of Daniel
9:24-27.
The next use of the year-day principle is found in Numbers 14:34 where
past days were used to reckon future years. The reverse of this is found in
Ezekiel 4:6 where past years were employed to reckon future days. A close
comparison of the phraseology found in these two passages indicates that
they made use of the same year-day principle, but they applied it in dif-
ferent ways. They differ in turn from the usage made of it in Leviticus 25: I-
S. On this basis one can reasonably see this same principle extended to yet
another use in apocalyptic. That further use comes closest in character to
its earliest use in Leviticus 25:8.
A point of particular importance for this principle is the way the word
used for the time units of Daniel 9:24-27 (!1rM'a) is translated. The bibli-
cal and extrabiblical evidence currently available indicates that this word
should be translated specificaIly as "weeks."
Since the events of this prophecy could not have been accomplished
103
Year-Day Principle-Part 1
within a literal 70 weeks, these weeks should be interpreted as standing
symbolically for longer periods of actual historical time. The parallel from
Leviticus 25:8 provides "years" for the "days" of those weeks. The same
point can be made within tbe narrative of Daniel 9 itself when these days
are compared with Jeremiah's 70 years in verse 2. Several aspects of this
narrative provide rather direct links between these two time periods and
the "year<" of the former and the "days" of the latter_
The same point can be made about the 2300 "evening-mornings" or
"days" of Daniel 8:14 when they are compared with the year< of Daniel
11:6,8, and 13. Events that occurred during the overarching time span of
DanielS 3rc interpreted in greater detail in its explanation in Daniell t.
The year< of 11 :6, 8, and 13 refer to events that occurred during the Helle-
nistic period. They parallel the symbolic "evening-mornings" or "days" of
8: 14 that began in the Persian period and extended through that same Hel-
lenistic period as well as beyond_ Thus the book of Daniel appears to teach
the y e a r ~ a y principle twice: once in chapter 9, and once in chapter 8 when
it is compared with its explanation in chapter It.
Finally, the applications made of this principle have been examined to
see how well it has worked. This has been done through examining histori-
cal dates supplied by extrabiblical sources for the events of the prophecy
of Daniel 9:24-27_ Within the limits provided by the sources available, they
appear to fit together quite satisfactorily.
This principle has also been employed by commentators on Daniel and
Revelation to predict events that were still future from their own time. In
some instances predictions made on this basis have been fulfilled in a
remarkably accurate fashion. The year-day principle appears to have
passed both of these pragmatic tests in ways that lend further support to
its validity.
In answer to the challenge posed in the introduction to this study it
may be concluded, therefore, that the application of the year-day principle
to the time periods in the apocalyptic prophecies of Daniel and Revela-
tion has been established through reasonable interpretations of Scripture.
104
Chapter IV
Year-Day Principle-Part 2
Chapter Outline
I. Introduction
II. Synopsis
III. Hellenistic Jewish Literature
IV. Qumran Literature
v_ Summary
VI. Post-Qumran Interpreters
- ~ - -
Introduction
H
aving looked at the biblical evidence for the application of the
year-day principle to the interpretation of time periods in the
apocalyptic prophecies of the Bible, we DOW turn to the question
of when and where that principle came to be applied in the history of
prophetic interpretation. The following discussion surveys the earliest
body of literature relating to this subject, namely Jewish writings of the in-
tertestamental period.
. Jewish interpreters were first and foremost in the application of the
year-day principle to the prophecies. Due credit is to be given them as we
examine the history of their interpretation. Christian interpreters, of
course, have folJowed suit in their application of this principle as welL
Synopsis
On the basis of recent researches into the Jewish materials of the
second century B.C., it has become evident that the year-day principle was
known and applied by Jewish interpreter< during the second century down
to the post-Qumran period. It is no longer tenable to hold that the princi-
ple was a ninth century AD. phenomenon.
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Year-Day Principle-Part 2
However to be purely objective, it should be pointed out that the
discovery of the application of the year-day principle in the extrabiblical
sources of pertinent Jewish materials does not "prove" that this method
of prophetic interpretation was applied by Daniel, nor does it "prove" the
correctness of such a method. But it does indicate a very early use by the
Jews.
Before turning to the Qumran sources, we will briefly survey the
relevant Hellenistic Jewish literature previously known to scholars before
!he Qumran discoveries.
Hellenistic Jewish Literature
Book of Jubilees
The Book of Jubilees does not make the specific equation: 10 jubilees
= 70 weeks = 490 year period. Nevertheless, in this document we find
c!ear evidence of an extensive use of the year-day principle to mark off the
historical periods in Israel's past according to the author's scheme or
arrangement.
In this work the word for "weeks" is especially instructive. It occurs
more than 80 times. It is clear that these references to "weeks" must be in-
terpreted on the basis of the year-day principle.
The principle is used in several ways in the work. A striking example
is the computation of Noah's age at his death. His age is first given as 950
years. Then it is given as 19 jubilees, two weeks, and five years. Conse-
quently, we have the following equation:
950 years - 2 +ks = 2 x 7 years = 14 years
{
19 jubilees - 19 x 49 years - 931 years
5 years = 5 years = 5 years
950 years
The use of the year-day principle is evident in this example from the
way the word for "weeks" (2 weeks x 7 days = 14 days [= years]) was used
in combination with jubilees and years.
Testaments of Levi
The Testament 0/ Levi is one section of the intertestamental pseud-
epigraphical work known as the Testamenl of the Twelve Patriarchs.
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Year-Day Principle-Part 2
An examination of this document reveals that its chronological system
is composed of an overarching time period of70 weeks that"Levj" foretells
will be a time of priestly wickedness. It is evident that the author intended
to divide this period into 10 jubilees (although in the document he dis-
cusses events oniy up through the seventh jubilee). The seventh jubiiee is
subdivided into weeks (with emphasis on fifth and seventh).
Since jubilees can refer only to a period of years, it .. evident thattbe
"weeks" of the 70weeks period and of tbe fifth and seventh weeks of the sev-
enth jubilee were taken as composed of day-years. Thus it .. evident that the
author employed the year-day principle when he composed his chronology.
1 Enoch 89-93
In this passage two time units may be noted: (1) the 70 time periods-
each governed by an angelic shepherd-extending from the divided mon-
archy to the Maccabean period, and (2) the ten "Great Weeks."
While these time units do not employ the year..<fay principle, two ele-
ments-the number 70 and the unit of weeks-have been drawn from
Daniel 9:24-27 and transformed by the author to present a totally different
account. This kind of treatment suggests that Daniel was written before
1 Enoch, which is dated to the second century B.C. Furthermore, it is recog-
nized that these units in 1 Enoch stand for symbolic, not literal, time.
Qumran Literature
11 Q MeIchizedek
This remarkable eschatological document from Qumran provides in-
formation relating to a future Melchizedek figure. The date for his appear-
ance is given in terms of a prophetic chronology based upon sabbatical and
jubilee years.
Important scholars have concurred that the Melchizedek document is
based upon Daniel's prophecy of the 70 weeks (Dan 9:24-27). However,
the time period of 70 weeks is rearranged as ten jubilees, clearly indicat-
ing that the "weeks" were viewed as weeks of years.
This document provides evidence that (in Qumran thought) jubilees-
which could only consist of years-were' to be subdivided into weeks.
Therefore, the interpretation of its time periods required the use of the
year-day principle whether or not it is explicitly stated in the portions of
the text that have survived. The document indicates that the principle was
used by at least some Jews at Qumran.
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Year-Day Principle-Part 2
4 Q 384-390 Pseudo-Ezekiel
In this document we find evidence for 10 jubilees, or 490 years. While
the jubilees of 490 years were most likely to be broken down into their
smaller components, there is DO evidence from the surviving portions of
this text that they were. On the other hand, a jubilee delimits a period of
years only. Thus we can safely infer that whenever jubilees are mentioned,
their weeks were to be divided into seven individual years whether explic-
itly stated or not.
Like the II Q Melchizedek document, this fragmentary unpublished
document derives its building blocks from Daniel's 70 weeks, but it pre-
sents them in a rearranged form. In the few lines published it is noteworthy
to observe the specific calibration of "a week of years." This kind of
identification is left unspecified in the canonical prophecy of Daniel 9:24-
27.
4 Q 180-181 The Ages oCCreation
The second section of the surviving passage from this document deals
with a period of 70 weeks. During this time span the evil angel Azazel was
to lead heael astray into sin and forgetfulness of God's commandments.
Although the year-day principle is not explicitly stated, it must be
employed in order to make any historical application of the 70 weeks of
Azazel regardless of whether one dates them in the middle of the second
millennium B.C. or in the second half of the first millennium B.C. Without
the year-day principle this text would have been unintelligible to its ancient
readers. and yet that principle is not stated in its surviving portions and
probably was not stated in the original text when it was whole.
Summary
In short, the year-day principle can be seen at work in these ancient
Jewish writings briefly surveyed. Four of the texts discuss a prophetic time
period of the same length, given either in terms of 70 weeks or as 10
jubilees. The authors of these documents have most likely put the daie for
the commencement of this prophetic period toward the end of the sixth
century B.c. Thus the 490 years, or approximately five centuries that these
70 weeks/IO jubilees would cover, would extend to about the end of the
first century B.C. These documents thus reinforce the general idea that the
period of time between the end of the first century D.C. and the beginning
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Year-Day Principle-Part 2
of the first century AD. was, indeed, a time when the Messiah was expected.
The evidence for the use of the year-day principle in these Jewish
documents is derived from the way the writers use the word "weeks." The
biblical origins of this practice (which these later writers have fcHowed)
can be traced back to Daniel 9:24-27, for here the same word is used in the
same way.
Post-Qumran Interpreters
Josephus
Josephus applied the "little horn" of DanielS to Antiochus Epiphanes
(Am. 10. 275-276). He took the time element of the prophecy as literal
time, stating it to be 1296 days (Ant 10.271). This figure is apparently a
garbled form of the 1290 days assigned in Daniel 12:11 to "the abomina-
tion of desolation" which he substituted for the 2300 evening-mornings
(or days) originally in the passage of Daniel S:14. The 1296 days are
approximated to the three literal years the Thmple service was disrupted
by Antiochus.
Josephus' use of the 1290 days here is indirect evidence, incidentally,
for the fact that he probably understood the 2300 evening-mornings as
longer, not shorter than the 1290 days. That is, he evidently understood
that they should not be divided in half to make 1150 days, a procedure that
would have suited his interpretation better had he accepted it as the time
unit involved.
Although it is not entirely clear, it seems that Josephus understood
Daniel 9:24-27 as containing a reference to the Romans and their destruc..
tion of Jerusalem and the Temple by them (Ani. 10.276). If so, such a view
would require him to interpret the 70weeks as symbolic. Thus the evidence
for his use of anything like the year-day principle is indirect and may only
be proposed for this particular passage.
Early Rabbinical Interpreters
As to early rabbinic sources we will note only the Seder O/am, a docu-
ment attributed to Rabbi Jose ben Halafta (second century AD.). Chap-
ters 29-30 may be regarded as a kind of exposition on Daniel 9:24-27.
However, the author tailors the chronology to span the period between
the burnings of the first and second Thmples. In other words the author
sees 10 jubilees = 70 sabbatical cycles = 490 years elapsing from Nebu-
chadnezzar's overthrow of the nation and its temple to the Roman con-
109
Year-Day Principle-Part 2
quest by Titus. 1b expand the 70 weeks of Daniel to fit this era assumes
that the "weeks" are to be taken as symbolizing longer periods of actual
time on a day for a year scheme.
4Ezra
This pseudepigraphical apocalypse from about A.D. 100 makes use of
the word for "week" as a "week of years" on the basis of the year-day princi-
ple in two passages. The most interesting one refers to a seven-year long
judgment that would precede the messianic kingdom. "And its duration
shall be as it were a week of years. Such is my judgment and its prescribed
order" (4 Ezra 7:43).
This apocalypse employs the word for ''week" as representing (by
means of the seven days of the week) a period of seven years. The year-
day principle is thus made explicit here since the ''week'' is identified as
one "of years."
Assumption of Moses
In this possibly first century A.D. document, a time element is men-
tioned that suggests it was interpreted symbolically rather than in a literal
sense. Moses is quoted as saying, "From my death and assumption until the
advent of God there shall be 250 times." According to Charles these
"times" are probably to be taken as year-weeks. Thus 250 times would
equal 1750 years (250 x 7) that were to pass between the two events
referred to. Thus if the death of Moses would be dated around the middle
of the second millenium B.C., the time period would then end early in the
Christian Era.
110
Chapter V
Judgment in Daniel 7
Chapter Outline
J. Introduction: Recent Literature
II. Literary Structure
III. Poetic Structure and Exegesis
IV. Date of the Judgment in Daniel?
V. Nature of the ludgment in Daniel?
--O:o---
Introduction: Recent Literature
M
ajor contributions have been made recently to OUf understand-
ing of Daniel 7 by two Seventh-day Adventist scholars. Arthur
Ferch has studied the identity of the Son of man (in Daniel
7:13)1 and Gerhard Hasel has considered the identity of the saints of the
Most High (in Daniel 7:18, 21-22, 25, 27).2
In contrast to a sizeable number of modem commentators who take
the Son of man in 7:13 as a corporate figure standing for the saints,3 Ferch
came to the conclusion that in context this figure represents an individual
eschatological heavenly being who, at the end of the age, displays certain
messianic characteristics on behalf of the saints, and who shares with them
an eternal dominion and glory and kingdom.
4
1 Arthur J. Ferch, wrbe Apocalyptic 'Son or Man' in Daniel 7," I doctoral thesis submitted to
Andfe'Nli [Link], 1979. Some important clements in this thesis hive been published unde.f
tbe title ol'7bcJlKIgment Scene in Daniel 7," The SancllWYand theAtonmletu; cd. A V. WIJ-
lenklmpl and W. R. Lesher (SilYer Spring. MD: Biblical Research Instit ute, 1981). Ferch Jw;
1.1so the same topic in a more popular form in "'The PreAdvent [Link]," Adwn-
wt Rrnats October 13, 1980, 4.
2 HHeI. "'The Identityol7he Saints oltbe M05t Hip' in Daniel 7," BibiicIJ S6 (1975).
3 For a bibliography of relevant literat ure .nilabJc. from nonAdventist scholars tbe reader iI
referred to tbe 3()..pagc bibliography Ihal accompanies the thesis by Arthur Ferch.
4 Arthur J . Ferch, wrbe Apocalyptic 'Son oCMan' in Daniel 7," 4.
111
Judgment in Daniel 7
Hasel unden;tands "the saints of the Most High" to be the holy rem-
nant-the nucleus of a new people-who stand in a right relationship of
faith, trust, and obedience to God. The remnant constitutes the elect of
God and is the carrier of the covenant promises. This conclusion is in sharp
contrast to that of recent scholarship which interprets "the saints of the
Most High" in Daniel 7 as angelic rather than human beings.
s
Thus the conclusions of Ferch and Hasel are that the Son of man in
Daniel 7 represents an individual heavenly Being who receives the king-
dom at the end of the age and who exercises His rule on behalf of the saints
of the Most High, that is, the earthly people of God. These conclusions
are accepted as valid and are given further support in what follows.
Literary Structure
Contents of the Chapter
This study of Daniel 7 will concentrate on the vision of the judgment
as it was seen transpiring in the heavenly court. The prophecy was given
to Daniel sometime during the first year of Belshazzar's coregency, about
550 B.C. In contrast to Nebuchadnezzar's dreams in chapters 2 and 4, the
vision of chapter 7 was given only to Daniel. It stands as the primary vision
of his later ministry. The subsequent visions and prophecies are in many
ways elaborations upon this primary vision.
Daniel saw the "four winds of heaven" blowing upon the great sea and
stirring it up (vs. 2). Out of this commotion four successive beasts symboliz-
ing kingdoms came forth: a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a terrifying beast
that was more difficult to describe because it did not resemble the preced-
ing beasts nor othen; known in the natural world (vss. 3-7).
One or more principal characteristics of each of these beasts is men-
tioned. The heart of a man was given to the lion. The bear devoured much
flesh and had three ribs in its mouth. The leopard had four wings and four
heads; and the fourth beast had great strength, ten horns, and trampled
everything in its path.
From among the ten horns of the fourth beast came a little horn that
grew up and rooted out three of the preceding horns. The little horn had
human eyes and a mouth speaking great things (vs. 8).
From these earthly scenes of strife and contention for political suprem-
acy the prophet's view was then lifted to heaven where he beheld the com-
5 Hasel, "The Jdenlityor "The SainI!; of lbe Mosl High.' ''
112
I udgrnent in Daniel 7
meneement of a great assize, or judgment, in the presence of God (vss. 9-10).
His attention was then diverted back to the earth where he saw the
body of tbe fourtb beast burned and destroyed (vs. 11). Parenthetically, it
is mentioned that the preceding three beasts did not meet such an im-
mydiate e n ~ (vs. 12).
The prophet's view was then shifted back to heaven where he saw one
like a Son of man come to the Ancient of days who was presiding over the
judgment scene. The Son of man was given an eternal kingdom in which
all peoples, tongues, and nations would won;hip Him forever (vss. 13-14).
The consecutive portions of the recorded vision end at this point. The
propbet has been shown two earthly scenes (vss. 3-8, 11-12) and two
beavenly scenes (vss. 9-10, 13-14). His view was shifted back and forth be-
tween them in an [Link] order. The vertical dimension (earth-heaven)
of this vision is of intrinsic interest and is also of importance when com-
pared with the vision of chapter 8.
Startled by what he had seen, Daniel naturally asked what it meant
(vss. 15-16). His angelic interpreter fin;t gave him the brief explanation
that four kingdoms would arise out of the earth, but that the saints of the
Most High would eventually receive the kingdom and occupy it "for ever
and ever" (vss. 17-18). This reply conveyed the esseneeof the vision from
tbe fin;t of the four beasts to the final and everlasting kingdom of the saints.
Daniel then directed his inquiry to the latter portion of the vision, from
the fourth beast to its end. In so doing, he formed his question almost ver-
batim from those portions of the vision described in verses 7-8, and he con-
cluded his question with three final phrases about the judgment and its
results in verses 19-22. The angel interpreter then gave a more detailed in-
terpretation of that portion of the vision considered in Daniel's lengthy
question (vss. 23-27). The narrative concludes witha briefepiJogue in verse
28 that describes how troubled Daniel was about this experience.
Structure of the Vision
From this description of the contents of the chapter it can be seen that the
record of the vision, the prophet's experience in viewing i ~ and the interpreta-
tion of it given to him, follow a relatively straightforward outline. Furthermore,
this report appean; 10 have been given through the particular literary vehicle of
a chiasm or palistrophe, as Ferch has outlined recently in his thesi<. That out-
line is borrowed here with some of my own alterations in his terminology.6
6 Compare ibid., 136-37.
113
Judgment in Daniel 7
I. Preliminary view of the earthly kingdoms (vss. 2b-3)
II. Details ofthe vision (vss. 4-14)
A; First three beasts (\ISS. 4-6)
B: Fourth beast (vs. 7)
C: Description of the little hom including its verbosity (vs. 8)
D: Commencement of the judgment (vss. 9-10)
C': (Fate of) the little horn and its verbosity (vs. lla)
B': Fate of the fourth beast (vs. llb)
A: Fate oflhe first three beasts (vs. 12)
D': Conclusion of the judgment: the kingdom given to the Son of man
(vss.13.14)
In order to balance the first element in the outline, an alternate
arrangement could be made by identifying the last element as:
III. Final view of the heavenly kingdom: the kingdom given to the Son oeman (vss. 13-14).
Structure of the Chapter
This vision passage can now be set in the broader context of the entire
chapter, including the prophet's reaction to the vision and the angel's
interpretation of it. For this purpose Ferch's outline of the chapter has
been adapted here with minor alterations in terminology.7
A; Prologue (vss. 1-28)
B: The vision proper ('ISS. 2b-14)
C: The prophet's first brief reaction to the vision (vss. 15-16)
D: The angel's first brief interpretation of the vision ('ISS. 17-18)
C': The prophet's second and more lengthy reaction to the vision (vss. 19-
22)
B/: The angel's second and more lengthy interpretation of the vision (vss. 23-27)
A, Epilogue (v.. 28)
Not only was the vision proper described in the form of a palistrophe,
but the narrative of this chapter as a whole appears to have been described
in a similar fashion. The first brief statement of interpretation given by the
angel occurs at the center of this narrative describing the essence of the
prophecy from the first beast-kingdom to the final kingdom of the saints.
At this point in our study these aspects of literary structure are only of aes-
thetic interest and serve as a memory device to keep the contents of this
prophecy easily in mind. However, they will be seen to be exegetically sig-
nificant for establishing the chronological location of the judgment scenes.
7 Compare ibid. , 142.
114
Judgment in Daniel 7
Poetic Structure and Exegesis
Three major blocks of material in Daniel 7 are written in poetry (vss.
9-10, 13-14, 23-27). The first two are the prophet's description of the
heavenly scenes set before him. He uses poetic form to describe only those
scenes in which he viewed the heavenly court. None of the earthly scenes
are recorded in poetry, and none of the heavenly scenes are written down
in prose. The distinction is clear-cut in the use of the form in which he com-
municates what he saw.
There is no evidence from the vision that he was instructed to use
poetry to describe what he saw transpiring in heaven, nor is there any
evidence for an audition of poetry at any time during the vision. Casting
this material in poetic form was probably Daniel's own spontaneous reac-
tion to the grandeur and majesty of the scenes that passed before him.
The accompanying angel gives Daniel his final interpretation in poetic
form. The interpretation illumines that portion of the vision dealing with
the fourth kingdom, the little hom, the destruction of the little hom, and
the establishment of the kingdom of God's saints on earth. With the excep-
tion of the passing reference to the judgment in verse 26a this is entirely
a description of successive events that are to transpire on earth. Thus the
angel who brought this interpretation to Daniel makes a different use of
the poetic fonn than did the prophet. This pattern for the use of poetry is
a characteristic of OT classical prophecy. It is also observed in the poetic
form of Ihe prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27.
The relationship between these two passages in the book is interest-
ing in view of the fact that both the interpretation of 7:23-27 and the
prophecy of 9:2427 were given by the angel Gabriel. Gabriel is referred
to in Daniel 9:21 as the one whom Daniel had seen in the vision "at first"
(Hebrew. tef!ililIh). Which vision was that? DanieI8:! refe", back to the
vision of chapter 7 as the vision which was given "at first" (telzilliIh). Since
the same Hebrew word is used in Daniel 8 and 9, we may assume that the
mention of the visiop given "at first" in Daniel 9 refers to the vision of
Daniel 7. Thus it must have been Gabriel who appeared to Daniel in the
vision of chapter 7 as his angel interpreter.
There is a reciprocal relationship in the poetry used in chapters 7 and
9. Daniel who was from earth spoke only of heaven in poetry, while Gabriel
who was from heaven spoke of what was to transpire on earth in poetry.
Since much that is of importance to us in the consideration of this
prophecy is contained in its poetic sections, an analysis of those special sec-
115
Judgment in Daniel 7
lions is appropriate for the insights this kind of literary form will provide.
Our analysis will start then with a literal translation of the passages.
DanieI7:9-10
Parallelism Verbal
Theme Verse Translation and Meter* Forms
I keplloolting ext pi + pf
A:
9a U alii thrones were set synt,3:3 pf
and One ancient of days sat; pf
B,
9b His garment (was) white like snow,
syn,3,' exist
and the hair or His head (was) pure
likewoolj
C,
9c His throne (was) flames of fire,
syn,3,3 exist
Its wheels (were) burning fire.
C':
lOa A stream of fire p r ~
syn,3,3
pi
and went forth before it; pi
B':
lOb A thousand thousands served Him,
syn,3:4
impf
ten thousand ten thousands stood impf
before Him;
1<.:
lOe The judgment sat,
synt,2:2
pf
and books were opened. pf
-Ext = extrametricaJ; synt = synthelic; syn = synonymous.
Pt = paniciple; pC = perfect; exist = existential; impf = imperfect.
The beautiful balance of this powerful description of theophany in
judgment is readily apparent. The six bicola (or couplets) employed in this
description are thematically related in the same chiastic pattern of [Link]
:C':B':A: that we found previously in apoealyptic. This is evident from the
meter, from the types of parallelism employed, and from their thematic
and lexical relations.
A + };,. The use of the plural "thrones" in verse 9a has raised the ques-
tion among commentators about who was to sit on them. A study of the
poetic relations in the chiasm indicates that the angelic host of verse lOb
is described in verse tOe as sitting on them. This explains why a singular
noun and verb were used in verse lOc-"the judgment sat." Why did Daniel
not say that those in attendance at the judgment sat down? The answer is
that to have done so would have required a plural subject and verb. This
would have destroyed the correspondence of the phrase ("the judgment
116
Judgment in Daniel 7
sat") with the earlier expression ("One ancient of days sat"). Thus the same
verb,yeriQ (to sit), is used in verse 9a for God and in verse lOe for the an-
gelic host who sat down with Him in judgment.
This direct verbal relationship is further emphasized by the verbs used
along -withyeriQ (to sit) in these two bicola. They are both perfect passive
plural verbs. Thus verse 9 reads, thrones "were cast, placed, set" (remta);
and verse 10 states, books "were opened" (pe!f!UI). Thus the relation of
these two sets of verbs in verses 9a and IOc in their respective sequence is:
vs. 9: A verb in the perfect, passive plural form ("were placed"): yetill
(to sit).
vs. l0: [Link]. (to sit): a verb in the perfect passive plural form ( ~ e r e
opened").
In this manner these two sets of verbs form an indusio around this
stanza and bind it together. This' binding effect is further emphasized by
the fact that both bicola are written in synthetic parallelism in contrast to
the synonymous parallelism of the other couplets, and by the fact that they
are the only bicola in this stanza to employ verbs in the perfect (See the
chart above giving translation, meter, and verb forms.)
B + B'. The thoughts expressed in verses 9b and lOb may not appear
at first to be directly related. Upon closer inspection, however, it can be
seen that the first refers to the person of God; the second to the persons
of the angels gathered before Him. Therefore, there is a relationship of
persons being paired in these two corresponding bicola.
The use of the suffIXed pronouns emphasizes this relationship. In verse
9b the pronoun "his" is suffIXed on the nouns ("his garment," "his head")
at the beginning of the two cola; while in verse lOb the pronoun "him" is
suffIXed on the verbs ("served him," "stood before him") at the ends of the
two cola; thus providing a perfect poetic balance between "his" and "him."
These two bicola are also balanced, in that they are written in the same
3:4 meter. The use of this particular paired meter in the two bicola required
the alteration of normal grammatical expression. For example, in verse 9b
the prophet-poet speaks of "the hair of his head" instead of the simple
phrase, "his hair." In the second colon of verse lOb he inserts a preposi-
tion ("before") to which he suffIXed the pronoun ("him"), instead of simply
suffIXing it to the verb as he had done in the first colon of verse lOb.
The synonymous parallelism employed in these two bicola is also direct
and complete in both cases. Another similarity may be noted in their similar
order of sequence. For example, in verse 9b both cola consist of a noun
("garment") or noun phrase ("hair of His head") that is linked to its predi-
117
Judgment in Daniel 7
cate nominative ("white," "pure") by way of a comparative preposition
("like") in a pattern of [Link] :A:B in terms of poetic form. In verse lOb the
numerical statements ("thousand thousands," "ten thousand ten thou-
sands") of both cola are each followed by their verbal statements ("served,"
"stood") in the same pattern of [Link] :;\;B.
These parallel and advancing numerological statements of verse 10b
("thousand thousands" to "ten thousand ten thousands") are interesting
in view of the use of this poetic technique elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible
and in Canaanite poetry. For example, the description of the angelic host
in verse lOb proceeds from a smaller numerical statement about them to
one that is larger and more comprehensive. The Hebrew Bible uses a num-
ber of similar numerical poetic pairs:
1. The 1/2 sequence -Job 33:14; Ps
2. The 3/4 sequence - Pray 30; Amos 1-2
3. The6!7 sequence-Prav6:16; Job 5:19
4. The 7/8 sequence-Mic 5:5; Ecclll:2
5. The 60/80 sequence-Song of 5016:8
6. The 70/80 - Ps 90:10
7. The l,OOO/lO,OCXJ sequence-l Sam 18:7; Ps 91:7
Examples in Canaanite literature of the use of this type of poetic tech-
nique are seen in the "Legend of King Keret" that has been pieced
together from a series of texts found in the thirteenth century B.C. destruc-
tion level at Ugarit on the Syrian coast. King Keret's story includes the use
of 2/3, 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, and 70/80 sequences.
8
It is evident that this kind of expression was an ancient poetic way of
expressing completeness. The ultimate numerical pair in Daniel 7:10,
therefore, takes in so vast an assembly in this heavenly assize that even this
kind of comparison does not adequately describe in human terms the vast
numerical extent of the assembled throng.
C + C'. The two central bicola of this stanza, verse 9c and verse lOa,
develop the same theme-the glory surrounding the throne of God. The
expression of that glory is conveyed through the use of the word "fire"
(nllr), that occurs in three of the four individual cola ("flames of fire,"
"burning fire, " "stream of fire"). In addition, fire (or glory) is obviously the
subject of the verb in the second colon of verse lOa ("and [fire] went forth
before it").
A minor translation problem is involved in interpreting the masculine
8 Compare J. B. Pritchard, ed.,Ancimt Near EAstml Tau, 143-48.
118
Judgment in Daniel 7
pronominal suffIX attached to the preposition "before" in the second colon
of verse lOa. Is the antecedent of this pronominal sufftx "God" or His
"throne"? Since these two bicola are parallel to one another, and since the
subject is clearly identified as God's throne in verse 9c, the literary struc-
ture suggests that the pronoun at the end of verse lOa should be translated
"it" ("went forth before it"), referring to the throne rather than "went
forth before Him" as various English translations have rendered it
When God is described at the beginning of this stanza as sitting, it is
not stated precisely where He was sitting. The implication of the first colon
of verse 9 is that He was sitting upon a throne; but as has been seen above,
the reference to "thrones" appears to designate the seats the angels were
to occupy when they sat down with Him in judgment. God's own personal
throne is identified and described more specifically in the heart of this
stanza, in the couplet consisting of verses 9c and lOa.
It is both interesting and important to note that this description under-
lines the idea of motion onto the scene of action. Just as flames of fire are
active rather than static, so their use to describe God's throne presents a
vibrant and dynamic picture of it. The wheels of His chariot-throne are
described as a "fire of burning." The implication is that it was through some
kind of locomotion related to these wheels that, riding upon His throne,
God came into the audience chamber where He met with His angelic host.
A comparison can easily be drawn with God's chariot throne described in
detail in Ezekiel 1. The motion of that chariot-throne also conveyed the
Deity to His temple for judgment
The parallelism in the bicolon of verse 9c is synonymous and complete
since both of its cola consist of nominal subjects ("thrones," "wheels") fol-
lowed by predicate nominatives ("flames," "fire"). A comparative prepo-
sition ("like") could be understood from the preeeding bicolon ("like
snow," "like wool").
Note that this bicolon, like the preceding one, is an existential state-
ment (a state of being). Thus this pair ofbicola leading to the center ofthe
poem have the same type of verbal structure (existential). The following
bicola-those on the other side of the center of the poem-contain pairs
of participles and verbs in the imperfect form. These reflect the idea of on-
going action as the prophet viewed the scene before him.
One minor alteration is found in the parallelism of verse 9c. Both of
its cola involve nominal phrases as predicates ("flames of fire, " "burning
fire"), but they are written in different ways. The end of the first colon of
verse 9c has the relative pronoun (dt) first, then followed by the word for
119
Judgment in Daniel 7
fire ("flamesdt [of] fire"). The second predicate nominative of this bicolon
consists, on the other hand, of a construct chain in which the word for fire
comes first ("fire of burning"). Thus tbe overall pattern of the bicolon in
verse 9c is [Link] :A::C' :B'. A kind of mini-<:biasm OCCUR here at the end
of this bicolon leading to the center of the poem.
A chiasm of another type occurs on the other side of the center of this
stanza in the bicolon of verse lOa. The first colon of this bicolon begins
with a nominal subject ("a stream"'), and it ends with a verb ("preceded"').
Its second colon begins with a verb ("went fortb") and ends with a preposi-
tional phrase ("before it"). Thus its pattern is [Link] :B:C, in which the verbs
are arranged back-lo-back at the end and beginning of their respective
cola. Thus a partial chiasm occurs at the end of verse 9c and another one
occurs in verse lOa. These two chiasms bridge the center of the poem. This
illustrates the general rule that chiasms in biblical poetry commonly occur
at the center of the poems in which they are found.
The two bicola from verses 9c and lOa which form this C:C' couplet at
the center of the stanza are written with the same 3:3 meter. They also
convey complimentary ideas. The first describes God's glorious throne; the
second depicts its movement.
A study of the verbs in verse lOa gives support to the latter idea. The
Aramaic pa '.1 participle (preceded) which occurs at the end of its
first colon derives from the same root as the preposition [Link]. which
means "toward, in the direction of.'" The idea appears to be that flames of
fiery glory flowed or poured forth in front of the throne in a specific di-
rection.
The second participle, expresses the same idea, since it means
"to go forth, come forth, " and is used here with the preposition "before."
Daniel 2:13 uses this verb to refer to the decree that "went forth," and in
Daniel 3:26 it expresses Nebuchadnezzar's command to the three Hebrew
worthies to "come forth" from the fiery furnace. Even though the more
specific subject of these verbs in verse lOa is the fire from the throne rather
than the throne itself, they nevertheless convey the idea of motion and
direction: the throne of God moved and came to the place where it was to
be established.
Thus both of the verbs of this bicola indicate that the flames appeared
in front of the chariot-throne, flashing "toward" the position to which the
throne was bearing its divine occupant. The emphasis of this stanza upon
the throne of God (rather than upon God Himself) appears to be due to
the prominence of its activity in bringing God into this scene of judgment.
120
Judgment in Daniel 7
Having outlined the poetic relations between the units of this stanza,
we may consider briefly some final details.
The first bicolon of this stanza begins with the Aramaic preposition
'ad, "until" (vs. 9a). This connecting link with what went before in the
vision implies that Daniel had gazed at the little horn and its actions [or
some time before his attention was directed elsewhere. Compare verse 4.
The phrase "ancient of days'" (vs. 9) is written without the article in
contrast to the succeeding stanza in which it is written with the article (vs.
13). This could be cited as an example illustrating tbe point that the
presence or absence of the article is not of great significance. However, in
this particular phrasing, it may be that the article was used in the second
instance for a particular reason. (See following discussion on verses 13-
14.) If the nan-the Hebrew leller corresponding to the English n-of
'attfq, the word used here for "ancient," had not been assimilated, it would
be more readily recognized as the loan word that has come into English as
"antique."
The existential type of verbal statements ("was"t'were") in verse 9b
and 9c is balanced by the pairs of participles ("preceded"t'went forth")
and imperfects ("seIVed"t'stood") used in verse lOa and lOb. The imper-
fects in verse lOb are of interest, especially the second one ("stood"). The
verb comes from the root qam and more commonly means to "arise, get
up, stand up." The more common Hebrew verb used to express the simple
notion of standing is However, in contrast, the root meaning ofqllm
could indicate the idea of "arise.'"
In this context the emphasis may not be so much on the hosts continu-
ing to stand before God as upon their rising to demonstrate their honor
and respect for Him as He arrives in His chariot throne.
Regardless of whether one translates this verb "to stand" or "to stand
up," that is to "arise," it is obvious that it describes an action that is the
antithesis of the actions described by the next verb in the stanza, "to sit.'"
Since it is the angelic host that is standing in verse lOb, and since the "judg-
ment" in verse 10e is a collective of some sort, it seems that the angelic
host is involved in the act of sitting. The angels are probably also involved
in the following action of opening the books for God.
The picture, therefore, is that of the hosts of angels standing up before
God as He enters into a court setting and takes His position upon the dais
in His glorious chariot throne. The angels then take their seats to begin
the business of the heavenly court.
This stanza concludes with the shortest bicolon of them all. The meter
121
Judgment in Daniel 7
is written in 2:2, and its verbs are in the perfect ("sat"f' were opened").
This section brings the preparations for the judgment to a fitting and
punctiliar close.
The actual acts of judging are not described here; we are only provided
with a picture of the commencement of that judgment. This is one way of
emphasizing the fact that what is undertaken here is a new divine act of
judgment in contrast with those views of judgment from the tabernacle and
temple elsewhere described in the 0'1:
As a concluding note to the poetic analysis provided above, it may be
observed that this stanza conforms to the canons of classical poetic expres-
sion from OT times. It ranks along with the best of the other examples of
these poetic techniques. This lends minor support to an early date for
Daniel since the use of the classical canons of Hebrew poetry faded from
Jewish literature in the last centuries B.C.
Daniel 7:1314
Verse Translation
I saw in the visions of the night
13a And behold, with the clouds of heaven
One like a Son of man came:
13b And to the Ancient of days he reached,
and before him they brought him near;
143 And to him was given dominion and glory
and kingdom,
and all the peoples, the nations, and the
languages shall worship him;
14b His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one that shall not be
destroyed.
-Ext = extrametrical: synt = synthetic; syn = synonymous.
--Pt = participle: pf = perfect; impf = imperfect.
Parallelism Verbal
and Meter- Forms--
ext pt + pf
synt.4:4
pt + pC
syn,4:2
pC
pC
pC
synt,5:5
impf
impf
syn,5:3
impf
The poetic structure in these verses is not chiastic as in verses 9-10.
Rather, the passage is in the nature of a pair of parallel couplets. These
may be outlined as on the following page:
122
Judgment in Daniel 7
I. The Son of man, verse 13
1. His arrivaJ ...................... Da
2. His presentation ................ Db
II. The kingdom., verse 14
1. Its presentation .......... . . . . . ... 14a
2. Its nature ...................... 14b
The meter expressed in the bicola of this stanza is longer than that
found in the preceding stanza (vss. 910). Even though the preceding
stanza was written with six bicola and this with four, the length of this stanza
almost equals that of the preceding one with a total of 32 stress accents,
compared with 36 in the preceding stanza.
Only one of the four bicola in this stanza-the second-is as short
meterwise as any of those found in its predecessor. The meter of this stanza
also lengthens progressively so that the first bicola of these couplets goes
from 4:4 to 5:5, and the second bicola goes from 4:2 to 5:3. The former are
balanced (4:4,5:5), and the latter are unbalanced (4:2,5:3).
Thus the couplets follow the same pattern, with the exception that the
second couplet is longer than the first. In this way a climax is built. The
apex of the poetic crescendo of the two stanzas may be found in the 5:5
bicolon, which tells about the kingdom being given to the Son of man.
The first bicolon of the stanza starts with the exclamation, "behold'"
It calls attention to how deeply the prophet was involved with this scene
as it passed before him. (Compare similar references throughout the vision
in verses 2, 79.)
The verbs used for the approach of the Son of man to the Ancient of
days are different in all three cases ("came"f'reached"f'brought near").
In the first instance a compound construction is used with a participle of
the verb "to come" and a perfect of the verb "to be" ('[Link] h
a
wlIh). This
construction is another way to express the past tense ("One ... came").
The second verb is a simple perfect of metlIh (to come, reach, arrive). The
third verb is also a perfect, but it is a plural written in a causative form from
the verbqerel! (to come near, before). The antecedent subject of this plural
verb is "the clouds of heaven" (vs. 13a) with which the Son of man came.
The use of three different kinds of perfect verbal constructions to
describe the movement of the Son of man to the Ancient of days empha-
sizes that movement as a process. The verbs suggest that he came closer
and closer and closer to the Ancient of days.
The same feature is emphasized by the poetic structure in which this
movement is couched. The meler of the first bicolon is 4:4, giving it a total
123
Judgment in Daniel?
of eight stress accents. A compound verb is found at the end of its second
colon. The first colon of the second bicolon also contains four stress
accents, and the verb likewise is found at its end Finally, the second colon
of the second bicolon contains only two words or stress accents, and the
verb is again located at its end.
Thus we have three different types of poetic units written with a decre-
scendo meter as the Son of man came closer and closer and closer to the
Ancient of days. That meter goes from an e ight-stress accent bicolon with
the verb at the end, to a four-stress accent colon with the verb at the end,
to a two-stress accent colon with the verb at the end.
There is a similarity between the first half of this stanza (vs. 13) and
the first half of the preceding stanza (\'S. 9). The Son of man comes on the
scene of action just as the Ancient of days also comes. In contrast to the
description of the Ancient of days, this stanza does not furt her depict the
Son of man. In neither case is the location explicitly stated from which
either of these Persons enters the scene.
The use of the definite article in the first bicolon is interesting. It is
used in the expression "the clouds of heaven," perhaps suggesting they
were more specifically something like clouds of angels rather than merely
atmospheric clouds.
On the other hand, the absence of the article in the phrase "Son of
man" is conspicuous. If one takes the absence as significant, the phrase is
most accurately translated, "a son of man." But that this "Son of man" also
partakes of divine characteristics is evident from the fact that he comes
with " the clouds of heaven." Such phraseology is reserved elsewhere in
Scripture for theophanies.
There is an interesting balance of usage in the Aramaic portions of
Daniel between the phrases, "Son of man" and "Son of God. "In an earthly
context Nebuchadnezzar saw someone like "a son of gods" (also written
without the article) as the fourth personage in the fiery furnace with the
three Hebrewworthies. That reference is balanced by this view of one "like
a Son of man" found in a heavenly context.
Both couplets of this stanza follow the same pattern: first synthetic and
then synonymous parallelism in their respective bicola. The parallelism of
the first bicolon is synthetic since it first identifies "the clouds of heaven"
as the vehicle involved, and then identifies the Son of man as the personage
borne by that vehicle. The second bicolon describing the arrival of the Son
of man before the Ancient of days is essentially synonymous parallelism
and uses prepositional phrases and verbs in the same [Link] :A:B pattern.
124
Judgment in Daniel?
The first biealoD of the second couplet is likewise synthetic since it first
indicates that the kingdom is to be given to the Son of man. It then
elaborates to define the all-inclusive nature of that kingdom. The second
bicolon expresses the eternal nature of that kingdom in synonymous paral-
lelism by the use of similar terms. (Positively stated, the dominion is eter-
nalj negatively stated, the kingdom is indestructible.)
Just as in the first stanza (vss. 9-10), a chiasm also occurs at the center
of this stanaza in verse 14a. It begins with a prepositional phrase-p ("and
to him"); that is followed hy a verb-v ("was given"); this in tum is fol-
lowed by three nouns--n ("dominion," "glory," "kingdom"). These de-
scribe the nature of realm given to the Son of man.
The second colon of this same biealon begins with three nouns ("peo-
ples," "nations," "languages"), and these are followed in turn by a preposi-
tional phrase (literally, "to him") and a verb ("shall worship"). Thus the
pattern of this bicolon may be diagramed as: Ap-v:B
n

n
: :B' n-n-n:A:p-v. This
chiastic form emphasizes the discontinuity between the nature of the
kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of the Son of man to come.
The use of the article is again of interest in this bicolon. None of the
three singular nouns in its first colon have the article ("dominion," "glory,"
"kingdom"). On the other hand, all three of the plural nouns in the second
colon have it ("the peoples," "the nations," "the languages"). The dif-
ference in the use of the article places emphasis upon the unified nature
of the Son of man's all-embracing rule. That rule is over every possible ele-
ment which may be conceived as coming under its sphere.
The parallelism involved in the last bicolon (vs. 14b) of this stanza is
incomplete. A phrase stated in the fi rst colon is to be understcxxl as
repeated in the second: "His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which
shall not pass away, and His kingdom [an everlasting kingdom] one that
shall not be destroyed."
In verse 14a the verb referring to the giving of the kingdom to the Son
of man is in the passive voice ("was given"). It is obvious that the active
agent who gives the kingdom to the Son of man is the Ancient of days, for
that is why the Son of man is presented to Him.
The expression "the Ancient of days" is written in this stanza (14. 13b)
with the definite article ("the Ancient of days"). This is in contrast with the
indefmite state of the same title in the preceding stanza. The use of the arti-
cle is significant here in that it probably provides a link between the t\\U stan-
zas by indicating that it was this same Ancient of days previously referred to
in the judgment scene who would give the Son of man the kingdom.
125
ludgment in Daniel 7
This relationship emphasizes the thematic connections between the
content of these two stanzas. The Ancient of days comes upon the scene
in the first, and the judgment begins. In the second stanza the Son of man
comes upon the scene at the end of that judgment, and it is as a result of
that judgment that the kingdom is conferred upon him. In brief, therefore,
these two stanzas provide us with two pictures of the judgment: its begin-
ning and its end. Their separation into two poetic stanzas, between which
a piece of prose intervenes, suggests that some time was to elapse between
the realization of these two events. Thecourse of the judgment in between
them is not described.
The second verb ("sball worship") in the bicolon, which refers to the
kingdom being given to tbe Son of man (V>. 14a), is particularly important
to note. Its root, pelafJ, identifies the action in which all of the nations,
peoples, and tongues will participate as worship. The Son of man is thus
to be worshiped by every human being who will populate his new world-
wide and e ternal kingdom. This is another indication of the divine charac-
ter of the Son of man, since only a divine supra-angelical personage like
the Ancient of days is worthy of such worship. The extent and nature of
the kingdom to be given Him also suggests that the Son of man is divine
in character.
The word used for "dominion" (!al/l1n) is related to our loan word "sul-
tan." No future person or power such as those represented by the preced-
ing beasts and horns are to receive or to take this dominion from Him. In
contrast to the kingdoms represented by the beasts and horns, the kingdom
of the Son of man will never be destroyed. The shift in the tense of the
verbs employed in the stanza e mphasizes this point.
Verbs in the form of the Hebrew perfect occur throughout the stanza
until its last three lines or colons. These verbs may be described as "pro-
phetic perfects," as are also the verbs in the first and last bicola of the
preceding stanza (vss. 9-10). (The "prophetic perfect" is an expression
used to designate a phenomenon in the Hebrew language in which afuture
event is stated in the perfect form of the verb as though it had already hap-
pened.) This usage of the perfect is common to OT prophecy.
With the last lines of this stanza, however, there is a shift to imperfects
("shall worship," "shall not pass away," "shall not be destroyed"). These
verbal expressions do not emphasize so much the future occurre nce of this
kingdom as they do its ongoing and enduring nature. The last two verbs
that express this idea ("shall not pass away, sball Dot be destroyed") are
paired together at the end of the last bicolon of the stanza. The second of
126
ludgment in Daniel 7
them is even written in a reflexive conjugation that conveys the idea of
repetitive action, thus doubly emphasizing the ongoing nature of that
enduring eternal kingdom.
Daniel 7:23-27
Parallelism Verbal
Verse Translation and Meter"
Forms .. ..
Thus he saki of the fourth beast, ext pI
23a There shall be a fourth kingdom on the
earth,
synt,4:4
impf
which shall be different from all the impf
lringdoms,
23b And it shall consume aU the earth,
s y n , ~ 2
impf
and it shall trample it and crush it. impf+ impf
And of the 10 horns., ext
24a From this kingdom ten lOngs shall arise,
synt,5:3
impf
and another shall arise after them; impf
24b And he shaJl be different from the former
impf
ones, s y n ~ 4:3
and he shall bring three lrinp down;
impf
25. And he shall speak words against the Most
impf
High, synt, 4:3
impf
and he shall wear out the saints oCtile
Most High,
25b And he shall seek to change times and law,
impf + inf
and they shall be given into his hand for synt, 4:6
impf
a time, two times, and half a time.
26a But the judgment shall sit and they shall
take away his dominion,
impf + impf
26b to destroy and annihilate it to the last. syot, 4;3 inf + inf
27. And the kingdom and the dominion,
and the greatness of the kingdoms under
the whole heaven,
shall be given to Ihe people of the saints synt,[Link] impf
of the Most High;
27b His lringctom is an everlasting kingdom,
synt,3:5
and all the dominions shall serve and
impf+ impt
obey him.
"&1 = extrametrical; syot = synthelic; syn = synonymous.
.... Inf = infinitive; impf = imperfect; pf = perfect.
127
Judgment in Daniel 7
A certain amount of poetic balance may be seen in chapter 7 when its
three poetic passages or stanzas are compared. If the bicola of the first two
stanzas are added together, they are seen to nearly equal the bicola of this
third stanza (10 bicola: :8 bicola and 1 tricolon). Furthermore, the first six
bicola of the third stanza (vss. 23-25) equal the six bicola oftbe first stanza
(vss. 9-10); and the two bicola and one tricolon of the third stanza almost
equal the four bicola of the second stanza (vss. 13-14)_
The consecutive order of this narration outlined in the third stanza is
emphasized by the continuous use of the imperfect form of the verbs
throughout (vss. 23-27). Following the introductory perfect, which puts
Gabriel's speech in past time, 18 imperfects appear in the consecutive
course of this narration. The three infinitives in it take their time reference
from the imperfects with which they are linked. This use of the imperfect
as the narrative verbal form for the description of future actions stands in
contrast with the "prophetic perfects" found in Daniel's description of his
vision as mentioned above in the analysis of the two preceding stanzas.
In addition, a dozen perfects appear in the narration of the vision that
runs from verse 2 to verse 8, along with three more compound verbal con-
structions expressing past time. This frequency stands in contrast with the
three participles, two imperatives, and one imperfect that are found in the
prose passage. Thus chapter 7 presents a distinct differentiation-an
almost classical instance--of tbe use of tenses to prophesy future events.
The perfect is used to narrate its vision, and tbe imperfect is used to nar-
rate its interpretation. The synthetic nature of virtually all tbe parallelisms
employed in the bicola also emphasizes the consecutive order of its narra-
tion.
The first bicolon of the couplet dealing with the fourth kingdom (vs.
23) begins and ends with the word "kingdom." (Literally, "Kingdom, the
fourth, shall be on the earth which shall be different from all the king-
doms.")
The verbal construction of the second bicolon in the same verse em-
phasizes the intensive nature of the destructive actions of this kingdom
since three verbs ("consume," "trample," "crush") appear in its two cola.
A pair of them are linked together in its second colon ("shall trample ...
and crush"). This construction is of interest when it is noted that the same
arrangement occurs only in verse 26 where the angel states how thoroughly
tbe judgment will dispose of the kingdom of the little horn ("shall take
away," "destroy," "annihilate").
Another observation on the verbs of the second bicoJon in verse 23 is
128
I udgment in Daniel 7
that they occur in short lines with a 2:2 meter. This kind of meter is com-
monly used to describe physical activity in contrast to the longer meters
that serve more descriptive functions.
The words for "king" and "kingdom" are used synonymously in this
passage. Although the little born is identified as a "king" (vs. 24a), it is
preceded by the fourth kingdom, followed by the kingdom of "the people
of the saints of the Most High," and has its "dominion" taken away by the
judgment Thus the term "king" in this context can stand for a "kingdom"
just as it does in verses 17 and 23, where the four beasts are designated
both "kings" and "kingdoms." See also Daniel 2:37-39; 8:22 for a similar
interchange of the terms.
Verbal fonns from qam, "to arise," occur twice in the bicolon of verse
24a. Their usage here lends support to the meaning suggested for this verb
in the first stanza describing the heavenly hosts at the judgment (see dis-
cussion on verse 10). The words "another" and "after" found at the end of
verse 24a are related, being derived from the same Aramaic rool They are
separated from each other in this line by the repeated expression "arise."
The same verb, "to differ, be different," is used in verse 23a and in
verse 24b. lust as the fourth kingdom was different from the preceding
three kingdoms, so the little horn differs from the preceding 10 kingdoms.
The verbs in the bicolon in verse 24b ("shall be different, shall bring .. .
down") are found at opJX>Site ends of their respective cola in the Hebrew
text. This chiastic arrangement contributes to the imagery of the falling
horns.
A cognate accusative relationship ("speak-words," a verb and its
noun object deriving from the same root) is broken up by a prepositional
phrase in the first bicolon of verse 25a. The line reads literally: ''And words
against the Most High he shall speak."
The parallelism involved in this bicolon is direct, but incomplete. The
prepositional phrase ("against ... "), the reference to the Most High, and
the verbs ("shall speak," "shall wear out") all follow in order in both cases.
The "saints," however, have taken the place of the "words," and the term
appears in construct with the Most High ("saints of the Most High"). Thus
the pattern of the bicolon is [Link] :B' :C' :D' . This bicolon takes on
more interest when its relations with the succeeding one are noted.
The bicoIa of verse 25 form an interrelated couplet in which the
thematic relations between the individual cola are organized in the [Link]
:A::B' pattern as on the following page:
129
Judgment in Daniel 7
VS.2531 A
VS.2532 B
vs. 25b1 X
vs.25bz B'
And he shall speak words against the Most High,
and he shall wear out the saints of the Most High;
And he shall seek to change times and law,
and they shall be given into his band for a time, two
times, and half a time.
This arrangement means that the words directed against the Most High
(vs. 25a1) relate or pertain in some manner to God's times and law accord-
ing to verse 25b1. In like manner, the persecution of His saints spoken of
in verse 25a2 is to continue through the period of time delimited in verse
25Jn. Thus the thoughts expressed in verse 25b parallel and supplement
the thoughts expressed in verse 25a in true poetic fashion. Other links be-
tween these two bicola may be observed. For example:
In verse 25a the verbs ("shall speak," "shall wear out") come at the
end of the cola; in verse 25b the two verbs ("shall seek," "shall be given ")
come at the beginning. Thus these two sets of verbs are placed back-to-
back and link their respective thoughts. A nominal object ("words") occurs
at the beginning of the first colon of verse 25a; a nominal object ("law")
occurs at the end of the first colon of verse 25b. The use of the infinitive
("to change") in verse 25bl requires that the letter lamed be prefIXed to it
in the middle of that colon; lamed is also used as a preposition ("against")
in the middle of verse 25al. Thus there is a chiastic relationship between
these two cola of [Link] :C':B':A:.
A similar chiastic relationship can also be seen when verse 25a2 is com-
pared with verse 25ln in the Hebrew textual arrangement. The order is-
prepositional phrase ("to/for saints"): verb ("shall wear out"): :verb ("shall
be given"): prepositional phrase ("into his hand"). These chiastic relations
express the disruptive power of the little horn.
The lengthy wording of the temporal phrase that comprises the last
statement of verse 25 ("for a time, two times, and half a time") makes this
the longest colon in the stanza in terms of its meter. This brings the little
horn to the climax of its work. But all that work is to be undone by the judg-
ment described in the next verse (verse 26). The saints referred to at this
point in time are the people of God living on the earth.
It has been proposed-and reasonably so-that the juxtaposition of
"times" and "law" in this verse (w. 25) represents a case ofhendiadys, a gram-
matical construction in which two coordinate words connected by "and" ex-
press a single idea, and in which one of the terms defines the other.
9
9 E. A. Speiser, Genesis, Anchor Bible 1 (Garden City, NY, 1964); 70.
130
Judgment in Daniel 7
This means that it is in regard to the law that the little horn will attempt
to change times. Since, according to our poetic analysis, this is the law of
the Most High, and since the Ten Commandments are the highest expres-
sion of His law, and since the fourth precept of that moral code is the par-
ticular one that has to do with time, an attempt by the little horn to tamper
with the Sabbath would fulfill that aspect of its work described here.
The phrase "the judgment shall sit" (vs. 26) is identical with the phrase
"the judgment sat" (vs. 10). The minor difference is that the form of the
verb has been changed from a perfect in the vision to an imperfect in the
esplanation. Obviously, it is the judgment depicted earlier (vss. 9-10) that
will take away the dominion of the little horn.
The plural subject and verb, "they [those who sit in the judgment] shall
take away his dominion, " evidently refers back to the angelic personnel in-
volved in the heavenly court as we observed earlier (vss. 9-10).
The verb used for "take away" is the same that is used in verse 14
regarding the dominion of the Son of man that will never be taken away.
The intensive verbal construction that describes the destruction of the
little horn in the second colon of verse 26 ("to destroy and annihilate it to
the last") has already been discussed above in connection with the parallel
construction in verse 23.
Verse 27 contains the only tricolon in these three stanzas. It tells about
the reception of the kingdom by the saints of the Most High. This action
reverses the fate they suffered earlier under the little horn (vs. 25). The
verb ("shall be given") occurs in the third colon. The first two cola describe
the kingdom they are to receive.
The first colon refers to "the kingdom" and "the dominion," using the
definite article. They are in reverse order to their earlier occurrence in
connection with theirreception by the Son of man (vs. 14); they also occur
in that passage without the article. These differences appear to be inten-
tional and could serve to differentiate the Son of man from any corporate
figure for the saints as a collective.
The grammatical construction implies that the Son of man receives
dominion or authority over the kingdom, and then gives [Link] saints the
kingdom or territory with attendant authorization for its use. The kingdom
they receive is that one and the same kingdom He received and has given
to them; hence, the use of the article in their case is reasonably viewed as
an article of previous reference.
The middle colon in the tricolon ("the greatness of the kingdom under
the whole heaven") is a parenthetical elaboration on the extent of their
131
Judgment in Daniel 7
kingdom. While this localizes the kingdom to the earth, it is also all-enoom-
passing in that it is the whole earth that is granted to them. Thus in addi-
tion to the primary statement that the kingdom will be given to the saints,
the extent of that kingdom is also emphasized If the first two cola were to
stand alone, they would be called a synonymous bicolon. However, the
third colon, which adds the further thought about who will receive the
kingdom, makes this tricolon synthetic, foUowing the [Link] pattern with
its thematic elements.
The final bicolon of this stanza (vs. 27) is particularly important for dif-
ferentiating between the Son of man in the preceding stanza (vss. 13-14)
and the saints of the Most High in this one. The poetic relations between
the final bicola of these two stanzas underscore that differentiation. At the
outset it may be noted that the final bicolon in the third stanza does not
start with a conjunction. Considering the fact that all of the preceding
bicola and the tricolon that follow from verse 24 on are connected with
conjunctions. This disjunction is stylistically distinctive and emphasizes its
thematic differentiation.
The way one translates the pronominal suffixes in the final bicolon ob-
viously has much to do with how one interprets the relations of this poetic
unit. As they stand in the Masoretic text, the suffixed pronouns are in the
third person masculine singular form. It is his kingdom that is everlasting,
and it is to him that all dominions shall give worship and obedience. The
connection with the Son of man in the preceding stanza is clearly evident,
if these translations of the pronouns are retained
The pronouns can only be disposed as has been done by scme
modem English versions, by emending the text; that is, by changing the
pronouns from the singular ("his," "to him") to plural forms ("their," "to
them"). Manuscript evidence for the support of such an emendation is
lacking.
In addition, the prepositional Ilfme4. ("to, for") occurs ten times pre-
viously in the chapter with the singular pronominal sufflX; it occurs only
twice with the plural suffIX. In neither of the latter is the plural sufflX used
in such a way as to identify the saints with the Son of man. One would ex-
peet Daniel to have used the same plural suffIX, if he intended to refer to
the saints of the Most High. Thus it is evident that the translations adopted
by some ("their kingdom" and "all dominions shall serve and obey them"
[literally, "to them"]) do not follow the Aramaic text. In the two plural ex-
amples we have in the chapter,Ieh6n in verse 12 refers to the beasts, and
in verse 21 to the saints, in this manner: the little horn prevailed "over
132
Judgment in Daniel 7
them." However, as noted above, neither of these two uses of the preposi-
tionalllfme4 and the plural suffIX identifies the saints with the Son of man.
Thus several aspects of lexical relations already indicate that the saints
should be differentiated from the Son of man. In addition, it will be seen that
certain poetic relationships reinfoo:e that differentiation even more strongly.
For example, it is to be noted the bicolon with which the third
stanza ends (vs. 27b) is not really a new literary creation, for it reuses the
elements found at the end of the preceding stanza (vs. 14). The first colon
of this bicolon is borrowed from the first colon of the final bicolon of the
preceding stanza. It will be noted that the terms "dominion" and "king-
dom" have been reversed (as they are also in verse 27a) from their order
in verse 14.
VS. 14bl
vs.27b1
Jiil(iineh Jii/(iin 'iilarn
"His dominion is an everlasting dominion"
malkil(eh ma/ktl( 'li/am
"His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom"
To emend the suffIX in verse 27b 1 to read h6n, their kingdom, as the
RSV does, breaks up this parallelism. This emendation misaligns this
phrase in verse 27 with its previous counterpart in verse 14. It is unaccep-
table from the standpoint of comparative poetic analysis.
The second colon of verse 27 ("and all the dominions shall serve and
obey him") demonstrates even more complex relations with the statements
penned by the prophet at the end of the previous stanza (vs. 14). In verse
14a the first thing given to the Son of man is "dominion"; the second colon
begins with the different groups of mankind who will wo!1lhip/serve Him.
Now in the last colon of verse 27, several elements have been trans-
posed into it from verse 14. and the article are retained. The term
"dominion" has in effect been coalesced with "peoples," etc., to yield the
plural, "dominions"; and the verb for "worship/serve" has also been re-
tained. The anticipatory sufflXed preposition (teh, "[to] him") is also trans-
posed and precedes the same verb in both cases:
'Is. 14a2
vs.27b,
wekOl 'ammOY,Ya' ... teh yiJZfebfm
"and all the peoples . . . sball worship/serve him"
wekO/ IQ/(iinayya' /eh [Link]
"and all the dominions sball worship/serve him"
Again, to emend the pronoun from "him" to "them" would break up
this natural parallelism; the phrase of verse 27 would no longer be in line
133
Judgment in Daniel 7
with the antecedent colon in verse 14 to which it is related. Considering
the fact that parallels from two cola are involved, such conjectural emen-
dations become doubly unlikely.
The fmal phrase of verse 27 has two verbs. The first ("shall worship!
serve") is conjugated as an imperfecL The second, deriving from a verb
root meaning "to hear, hearken, obey," appears as a reflexive conjugation.
Both convey in this setting the notion of repetitive action. (The last verbs
in verse 14a2 and verse 14bz are also written in the same conjugations and
in the same sequence though not together as in verse 27.) This final verbal
pair ("shall worship"f'serve and obey him") conveys in even more decided
terms the ongoing and everlasting nature of the kingdom of God to come.
Given the poetic relations described above, it seems evident that the
same person praised and worshiped at the end of verse 14 is also praised
and worshiped at the end of verse 27. Thesaints of the Most High obviously
are not worshiping themselves in the latter instance.
As a result of the judgment, the Son of man is given the kingdom (w.
14); and all the nations are to worship Him as a result of that decision. The
saints of the Most High also receive the kingdom as a result of the same
judgment, but one aspect of life in the kingdom that they are given is to
worship Him. He should be the one. therefore, who gives the kingdom to
them, just as the Ancient of days is the one who gave the kingdom to Him.
The two figures of the Son of man and the saints are separate and distinct;
the former need not be taken as the corporate image of the latter, as the
poetic relations discussed above indicate.
Further supplementary evidence for making a distinction between the
Son of man and the saints comes from the realm in which they operate.
The Son of man receives the kingdom from the Ancient of days in heaven
in the presence of the angelic host, but the saints receive the kingdom upon
the earth "under the whole heaven." There is no confusion in terms of the
prophecy between the realms in which these two figures operate.
There is no explicit reference in this passage to a coming of the Son of
man to earth. That idea is revealed in the N1; but it is not evident in this
passage. Had we only Daniel 7 to consider, we would not know that it was
the intention of the Son of man to come personally for His saints. As far
as the contents of this prophecy per se is concerned, He could have ruled
over their earthly kingdom from a heavenly throne set up beside that of
the Ancient of days or from some other appropriate heavenly location.
This is further evidence that the Son of man should not he confused with
the saints of the Most High in this chapter.
134
Judgment in Daniel 7
But that He will act on their part is already strongly implied from the
relations described above, and it becomes even clearer as the prophecies
of Daniel progress into chapters 8 and 12. When the saints are described
as receiving the kingdom in verse 27a, it is its worldwide extent that is em
phasized. But its eternity comes to the fore only when it is discussed in con
neclion with the Son of man. It seems evident that it derives its eternal
nature from His rule.
Date of the Judgment in Daniel 7
While no specific date is given for the judgment in the chapter, an
approximate date can be established. Before addressing the point, how-
ever, some preliminary remarks should be made about what Daniel sawon
the one hand regarding the judgment, and what he was told but did not
see. Once this is done, the relations of the three references in the chapter
to the judgment can be aligned with their respective contexts, and a
prophetic date can be suggested for it in terms of the sweep of history.
Supplements to the Initial Description of the Vision
New elements are introduced in Daniel's second question (vss. 1922)
that were not noted previously in his initial description of the vision. A new
element-the saints' reception of the kingdom-is also introduced by the
angel interpreter in his response to Daniel's first question for further ex-
planation (vss. 16-18). Does this point about the saints' reception of the
kingdom that Daniel includes in his second question (vss. 19-22) refer back
to what the prophet had seen in the vision or to the first answer of the
angel? Additional details to the original description are added in the inter-
pretation the angel gives to Daniel's question.
Since Daniel's second question (vss. 19-22) is basically a rephrasing of
his initial description in verses 7-8, a preliminary step in approaching this
question is to align these two passages to see what new elements appear
in the later verses. The new elements thus disclosed can then be evaluated
in tenns of origin. The translation from the next page is from the RSV.
It may seem excessive to our modern western ways of thought for
Daniel to repeat the content of the vision for the sake of forming his ques-
tion. But this is a good example of the ancient Semitic manner of thinking
about things-a thought pattern in the form of parallelism. The classical
illustration in the OT is the book of Job in which the essence of the
speeches is repeated almost ad naweum, to our way of thinking. Far from
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Judgment in Daniel 7
Daniel 7:79, 14
After this I saw in the night v i s i o ~
and behold, a fowth beast, terrible
and dreadful and exceedingly strong;
and it had great iron teeth; it devoured
and broke in pieces, and stamped the
residue with its feet. It was different
from all the beasts that were before it;
and it had tcn horns. I considered the
horns, and behold, there came up
among tbem another horn, a little one,
before which three of the first horns
were plucked up by the foots; and be-
hold, in this horn were eyes like the
eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking
great things.
As I looked, thrones were placed and
one that was ancient of days took his
seat; ...
and to him [the Son of man] was given
dominion and glory and kingdom ....
Daniel 7:1921
Then [ desired to know the truth
concerning the fourth beast, which
was different from all the rest, exceed-
ingly terrible. with its teeth of iron and
claws of bronze; and which devoured
and broke in pieces, and stamped the
residue with its feet; and concerning
the teD horns that wefe on its head,
and the other hom which came up and
before which three of them fell, the
hom which had eyes and a mouth that
spoke great things, and which seemed
greater than its fellows.
As I looked, this hom made way with
the saints, and prevailed over them,
until the Ancient of days came,
and judgment was given for the saints
of the Most High,
and the time came when the saints
received the kingdom.
losing the attention of the Semite, this kind of speech and writing built a
story up to an even greater climax.
The differences between the first two verses of Daniers question (vss.
1920) and the preceding description of the vision are minor. fur example,
"the claws of bronze" were doubtlessly seen by the prophet in the vision
hut were passed over in his first description. Other differences involve mat-
ters of phraseology and the order of the remarks-none of which present
a serious contrast with the first passage.
The really significant differences begin with verse 21 where the war that
the little horn was to make upon the saints is mentioned for the first time.
This aspect of the little horn's activity is neither mentioned in the initial de-
scription of the vision nor in the angers reply to Daniel's flCSt question. The
136
Judgment in Daniel 7
same is true of the reference to judgment being given for the saints. One
might argue that the destruction of the beasts (vs. 12) represents judgment
being given for the saints, but that could only be assumed if the persecution
of the saints had already been seen in the vision. But the persecution of the
saints is not part of the original description of the vision either.
The reference to the coming of the Ancient of days is obviously drawn
from the first ofthe two preceding scenes of the judgment (vss. 910). The
final reference to the saints receiving the kingdom forever could have
come from the angel's response to Daniel's first question (lithe saints of
the Most High shall receive the kingdom, ... for ever, for ever and ever."
(vs. 18). At. we have already seen, the Son of man's reception of the
kingdom is not the equivalent of the reception of the kingdom by the saints.
Thus this reference is not to be seen as drawn from that second and clos-
ing scene of the judgment recorded earlier (vss. 1314).
The most likely interpretation of the origin of the first statements con-
cerning the saints is that they were seen in the vision but were not included
in its initial description. These facts are now stated because the prophet is
filling in details he had not previously mentioned.
There appear to be two main alternatives to explain the origin of the
final phrase about the saints' reception of the kingdom (vs. 22). Either the
prophet had seen this event in the vision and did not record it in his initial
description, or he took the concept from the condusion of the angel's
answer to his earlier question (vss. 16-18). In view of thefact that the two
previously mentioned references to the saints were probably seen in the
vision, there is no strong reason against explaining the origin of this latter
reference to them in the same way. The dose proximation of this phrase
to the vision in verse 21 suggests that the reception of the kingdom by the
saints was seen in it also.
Thus the most likely interpretation for three additional references to
the experience of the saints (persecution of the saints, judgment for the
saints, and the saints' reception of the kingdom) is that they probably do
refer to what was previously seen in the vision but not recorded in Daniel's
initial description. Thus both Daniel and the angel interpreter fill in for
the reader details of the vision as the narration continues.
Outline oCRelated Events
The substance of the vision is stated essentially three times in the chap-
ter: (1) the initial description of the vision (vss. 114), (2) Daniel's second
and lengthy question about the vision (vss. 19.22), and (3) the angel's
137
Judgment in Daniel 7
second response (vss. 23-27). The matter of particular importance for us
in this study is the judgment and its contextual setting. The events and their
order of sequence from the heart of these three passages are as follows.
Daniel 7:8-14
1. Uule horn arises
2 Three horns downed
3. Speaks great words
4.-
5.-
6. Anc. or days comes
7. The judgment sat
8. Beast body burned
9. Son of man's Icing-
dom
Daniel 7:20-22
Uttle born arises
Three boms downed
Speaks great words
Persecutes sainu
Anc. or days comes
Judgment for saints
Daniel 7:24-27
UUle born arises
Three horns downed
Speaks great words
Persecutes saints
Changes law/times
The judgment stu
Horn destroyed
10. - Kingdom to saints Kingdom to saints
11. _ Son of man's kingdom
Note tbe emphasis on the Son of man's reception of tbe kingdom.
The place of the judgment in Daniel 7 has thus been established in its
prophetic context and framework through the preceding studies of literary
structure, poetic analysis, and thematic and linguistic relations. The ties
that have been developed in this way have located this judgment in a par-
ticularly important juncture in the flow of this prophetic narration.
It is this judgment that demarcates in a final manner the transition from
Ihe kingdoms of Ihis world 10 the eternal kingdom of God. This fact already
says something about when the judgment is to take place. However, a more
definite chronological location can be proposed from the way one inter-
prets the other prophetic symbols of Ihis chapter. It is these symbols tbat
provide the contextual setting for this judgment scene.
Historical Date for Judgment
Elsewhere the three main schools of interpretation of these symbols
have been discussed and evaluated. Here we need only note that the his-
toricist approach to the interpretation of this prophecy has been adopted
in this study. This approach outlines the four powers symbolized by the
four beasts of this chapter as Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia, and Rome.
Following the divisions of the Roman Empire, a new power arose on
138
Judgment in Daniel 7
the scene of action. That new power represented by the little horn is the
center of attention for a considerable portion of this prophecy. Given the
origin of the new power at this particular time in the flow of history, and
given its satisfactory fulfillment of the characteristics ascribed to it in this
prophecy and others, historicist interpreters have commonly identified this
power as the papacy. That conclusion is a logical development from follow-
ing the principles of interpretation held by commentators who belong to
this school of thought.
Since an important function of this judgment is to respond to and pass
sentence upon that historical entity and its actions, this judgment must
naturally be convened sometime during its existence. This already gives us
a preliminary date for the commencement of this judgment. It is only
natural to expect that this judgment would convene to do its work some-
time during the latter portion of the little horn's career. Only then would
this power have time to develop the aspects of its work as described in this
prophecy.
It is also noted that one result of the end of this judgment is the end
of the little hom power. Thus there is good reason to date this judgment
scene sometime during the latter portion of its career as the outlines of
Daniel 7:8-14 and verses 19-22 indicate in a general way.
It is the third stanza of this prophetic poetry, however, that presents
the most precise date for the judgment. This stanza contains the only time
element mentioned in this chapter: the 311t times (vs. 25). The reference
to the 3lfl times is located just before the judgment session (vss. 25-26).
It has been noted already that the imperfect form of the verbs in this
stanza is used as the normal narrative tense with which to describe succes-
sive events. Since the statement that "the judgment shall sit" follows imme-
diately after the 31,1z times of persecution in the order of the text, and since
they are connected by the continuing use of imperfect verbs, it is evident
chronologically that this judgment follows the end of the 3", times period.
On the historicist basis of applying the year-day principle to the 311t
times (compare Rev 12:6, 14), and by connecting this time period with sig-
nificant historical events, the date of AD. 1798 is established for the end
of the 3112 times. Thus the judgment is to be convened sometime after 1798.
The prophecy of Daniel 7 itself does not demarcate the end of the little
horn. It only delimits the end of this period of its persecution of the saints.
Just how long after the end of the 3", limes the judgment was to be convened
is not spelled out bere. This point can only be refined by an examination of
the information available in the succeeding chapters of DanielS and 9.
139
Judgment in Daniel 7
The chronological conclusion should be emphasized again: In terms
of the contents of Daniel 7 itself, the judgment depicted here should have
convened sometime after 1798. The events that stem from the convoca-
tion of this session of judgment should naturally follow thereafter, accord-
ing to the logical order of the prophecy.
Alternatives
Other dates, of course, have been suggested for these scenes in Daniel
7 by scholars working from other presuppositions, methods of exegesis, or
schools of interpretation. One illustration that might be noted in particular
is the treatment given to the second stanza of prophetic poetry that con-
tains the description of the Son of man's reception of the kingdom (vss.
13.14). In his book, New Testament Development a/Old Testament Themes,
F. F. Bruce sums up Christ's first advent fulfillment of various OT perspec-
tives. Sacred history, he notes, has reached its climax in Him with the
offering and acceptance of the perfect sacrifice. Not only is the promise
confirmed, but types also are fulfilled. 10 Christ the Prophet like Mooes
appeared, the Son of David reigns, the Servant of the Lord was smitten,
and the Son of mao received dominion from the Ancient of days. to
But to interpret Daniel 7:13-14 to mean that Christ, the Son of man,
received the kingdom from the Ancient of days at His ascension would
obviously date this prophecy to AD. 31. Can such an interpretation be sus-
tained from the text of Daniel? Is this what the prophet saw according to
the description of the scene from his vision?
In order to make such an identification. two main approaches may be
taken: (1) One must either remove this block of material from its context,
or (2) move the whole framework in which this passage is found to a period
earlier than that proposed by the historicist principles of interpretation.
Moving the whole framework to an earlier time is by applying
the principles of the preterist school of interpretation to the prophecy.
Such a procedure involves certain difficulties. For example. the second
beast must be identified as Media, the third as Persia, and the fourth as
Grecia. According to this school of thought, the little horn represents
Antiochus Epiphanes, who came from one of the divisions of Alexander's
empire. This interpretation's difficulties need not be belabored here. What
can be done is to see how this interpretation would fit with the connection
Professor Bruce has proposed for the Son-of-man passage.
10 F. F. 8J'\1Ce (GJ1Ind5 Rapids, 1968), 21.
140
Judgment in Daniel 7
The preterist interpretation of Daniel 7 argues thatAntiochus Epipha-
nes is the fulfillment of the little hom of this chapter. This not only re-
quires his identification as the persecutor of God's people. but it also
requires that the divine court be called into session sometime during his
reign to judge him, lift his persecution of the Jews, and take away his
dominion. Aside from problems in historical fulfillment discussed below,
the scale of heavenly participation in this session of the divine court
appears too grand for just Antiochus. Something scaled down to the order
of Ahab's judgment from the heavenly court (see 1 Kgs 22) would have
been adequate and appropriate in Antiochus' case.
The preterist interpretation conjectures that the motive for the writ-
ing of this prophecy was to give the Jews courage to endure persecution
and strength to throw off the yoke of their oppressor. Hartman and
Di Leila's recent Anchor Bible volume, The Book ot provides an
example of this kind of application to the passage.
1
The Son of man in this school of thought is identified with the saints-
especially those who have endured Antiochus' persecution. As a result of
the judgment, the kingdom that was to be given to the saints should have
been realized in the Maccabean kingdom. Unfortunately, the Maccabean
rulers were far from saintly, and their kingdom lasted less than a century,
not the "forever, for ever and ever" of the prophecy (7:18).
Any resemblance between the picture of the judgment of Daniel 7 and
its intended results and what actually transpired in the history of Palestine
in the second century B.C. is purely coincidental. If the unknown author of
Daniel (so this school of thought) wrote his work while riding the crest of
a wave of enthusiasm resulting from the liberation and purification of the
temple late in 165 n.c., then perhaps he can be forgiven for his excesses in
his unfulfilled expectations! The last glimmer of any such hopes being real-
ized as a result of these developments in the second century B.C. flickered
out with the Roman conquest in 63 B.C., a century before Jesus ascended
to heaven.
Those interpreters who would apply Daniel 7:13-14 to Jesus' experi-
ence at the time of His ascension in AD. 31 (while pagan Rome ruled the
Near East), are caught upon the horns of a dilemma: If they accept the
preterist point of view (which moves the whole framework of Daniel 7 to
an earlier time), then the divine court should have met in session and be-
stowed the kingdom upon the Son of man in the second century e.c.1f they
11 Hanman and Oi Leila, 1M BookofDtWd, AncborBible (1978), 220.
141
Judgment in Daniel 7
accept the historicist point of view, then the divine court should have met
in session and bestowed the kingdom upon the Son of man sometime after
1798. The futurist interpretation has not been discussed, because it would
remove this scene even farther from Jesus' ascension.
Thus the preterist interpretation of Daniel 7 is too early for an applica-
tion to be made to Jesus in AD. 31, and the historicist and futurist inter-
pretations are too late in the course of human histoJY to make an AD. 31
application to Jesus. Thus it is evident that there is no legitimate biblical
basis for applying the heavenly court session and the bestowal of the
kingdom on the Son of man during the days of the Roman Empire and the
time of Christ's ascension. Furthermore, inasmuch as Daniel 7:9-10 and
7:13-14 are so intimately connected, one might also ask why it would be
necessary to open the books of investigation at the time when Jesus
returned to heaven and His priestly ministry was beginning, not ending.
Since there is no reasonably well established method of interpreting
this passage within its context in such a manner as to apply it to Christ's
AD. 31 ascension, the only alternative is to lift it from its setting and apply
it to the ascension without regard to context. Such an exegetical procedure
might be legitimate, if one could find it used in this manner by an inspired
NT writer.
Many commentators have suggested that Jesus may have intentionally
identified Himself with the Son of man figure in Daniel by applying that
title to Himself. This observation may well be correct; however, it does not
follow that each time He used the title He intended thereby to identify the
events transpiring about Him with those events described in Daniel 7. Th
establish such a connection, it would be necessary for the title to have been
used in a NT context that could be identified with the events described in
our passage of Daniel 7.
It is sometimes argued that a link is made with Daniel 7:13-14 in Jesus'
proclamation to the disciples just before His ascension: '1\l1 authority in
heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matt 28:18). It should be
noted, however, that Jesus did not use the title "Son of manit in this con-
text. Furthermore, the reference to "authority" (exousia) does not employ
the same political terminology such as "dominion" (kralas, kurioMS) and
"kingdom" (basi/eia), as is found in Daniel 7.
If Jesus intended to indicate that Daniel 7:13-14 was fulfilled on this
occasion, He took a very roundabout way of doing so. He could have been
more direct and said something like the following:
142
Judgment in Daniel 7
Dominion, glory, and kingdom have been given to me,
alI peoples. nations, and tongues worship me.
Aod this dominion is an everlasting dominion,
and this kingdom shall never be destroyed.
Whatever else Jesus claimed for Himself at the time of His ascension,
it is not at all clear from any recognizable lexical relations that He claimed
that Daniel 7:13-14 was fulfilled for Him then. Historically He would have
been wrong had He claimed such, since all the "peoples, nations, and
tongues" (kli/ 'anunayyl1' 'umayya' we/i!zInayyl1') did not worship Him
then (lZh JiIlIe/llln), and still do not do so. Since no NT writer can be cited
who applies this passage out of its context, any attempt by a modem inter-
preter to do so is unwarranted. Making such an application of Daniel 7:13-
14 runs all the risks of the proof-text method of exegesis in which context
receives little attention.
The historicist interpretation of the whole schema of Daniel 7 remains
the method of interpretation that is grounded in the most reasonable appli-
cation of the entire passage. On historicist principles we may date the com-
mencement of the judgment described in Daniel 7 sometime after 1798.
Nature of the Judgment in Daniel 7
Having established in general terms the date for the judgment in
Daniel 7, we move to the question that has to do with its nature. What is
the function of this and who is to be judged by it? Although the
decisions reached in this session obviously have something to do with the
little hom, is that the only focus of this judgment? How directly are the
subsequent events described in this chapter (Christ's reception of His
dominion, and the saints' possession of the kingdom) related to this
judgment as results stemming from it? These are some of the areas that
should be addressed in treating the subject of the nature of the judgment
in Daniel 7.
Investigation in Judgment
The question whether this judgment is "investigative" or not deserves
some consideration. In the first place, the use of the term "judgment" (vs.
10) to refer to these scenes in heaven immediately suggests that what is to
transpire in that celestial realm will take on the nature of an investigation.
It is only after the judgment description (vss. 9-10) that reference is made
to events that can be seen to carry out the "judgments" or decisions of that
143
Judgment in Daniel 7
tribunal. Thus the heavenly assize described here must be understood to
involve the process of reaching those decisions to be acted upon later. In
such a context the use of the word "judgment" implies investigation.
The other way to reach a decision would be by random choice. This
surely is not the basis upon which God operates His government As
Einstein said, "God does not throw dice." If human courts exercise some
care in investigating the subjects brought to their attention before reach-
ing decisions, surely God would exercise even greater care in such matters.
In the second place, this judgment is investigative in nature because of
the reference to the opening of the books or scrolls (vs. 10). Regardless of
the precise form in which those records are kept. these books or scrolls
certainly represent some kind of recordkeeping in heaven. An examina-
tion of records of one type or another is thus involved in this judgment
Thus it is evident that this heavenly judgment is investigative in nature.
The use of the phrase, "the judgment sat," implies deliberation, and
the reference to the opening of books reinforces its investigative nature.
These "books" surely contain the records that are to be examined during
the course of the proceedings. The question then is not whether this judg-
ment is investigative in nature, but who is to be investigated thereby?
Charaeler of Little Horn as Object onnvesligation
The most transparently direct connection of this judgment is with the
little hom, since his dominion is taken away and he is to be destroyed as a
result of this judgment.
However, the question is, ls this all that is involved in this assize? The
question naturally arises because of the description of the little hom and
its activities prior to the time of judgment. Is it really necessary to convene
a session of the heavenly court just to decide on the character of the little
hom? That character is already quite apparent from the description given
in the preceding portions of the prophecy. The fourth kingdom is depicted
as worse than the three preceding beasts, and the actions of the little hom
are characterized as even worse than those of the fourth kingdom, as com-
pared with God and His people.
Given these circumstances identified by the prophet, it seems doubt-
ful that anything more than a cursory investigation into the actions of the
little horn should have been necessary. The little hom is already demon-
strably evil; the only question to be decided is the manner of its execution.
An executive decree from God could have taken care of this without the
need for an investigation of the type described here. It would hardly be
144
Judgment in Daniel 7
necessary to open the books to render such a decision.
Thus there does not appearto be any real need for an investigation into the
actions of the little born, since it is self .evident that it bas been viciously opposed
to God aod His people. At the outset, the oontrllSt implies that more is in",lved
in [Link] judgment than just investigating the character of the little hom.
Nature of Little Hom as Object oflnvesligation
We refer here to those elements in human society that the little horn,
as a prophetic symbol, represents. If the horn stands for Antiochus N, then
only a pagan monarch (standing in the line of pagan powers described in
this prophecy) is to be dealt with when this judgment convenes.
If, on the other hand. the historicist interpretation of the little hom is
adopted, as indicated above, then the matter takes on quite a different
complexion. For if the little horn stands for the papacy (as various inter-
preters in this school of interpretation have held), then this judgment has
to deal, among other matters, with a professedly Christian entity.
This symbol has generally been taken to apply to the papacy in par-
ticular as the governing head of a religious communion. But that leader-
ship has had millions who have followed its lead. It seems reasonable,
therefore, to conclude that any judgment of this professed Christian power
would also involve those who have followed and supported its lead.
Thus a judgment of the little hom would appear to involve a judgment
of the millions of people who have attempted to follow God through alle-
giance to this alleged earthly representative of His. Any investigation by
this judgment of the little hom should therefore involve an investigation
into the cases of those professed Christian individuals who have made up
and followed this corporate group.
Since the little hom professes a relationship with God, it is evident that
this heavenly judgment is dealing with religious issues rather than secular
matters. This fact, therefore, implies that in some manner the heavenly
assize will involve all persons (of whatever communion) who profess a
relationship with God.
10 identify the little horn as the papacy is not to say that the judgment
upon those who have followed it will be unfavorable just by the fact that
they followed it. Nor does this mean that those outside that religious com-
munion who have professed allegiance to God are automatically classified
with the "saints of the Most High," and as a consequence, are entitled to
enter the kingdom of God. We may be sure that all classes will be weighed
fairly in the impartial balances of this court. The ultimate issue at stake for
145
Judgment in Daniel 7
fairly in the impartial balances of this court. The ultimate issue at for
all involved relates to the manner in which they have sought to receive
vation. This issue comes to the fore in DanielS. Here we do well to heed
Jesus' words of warning to all who have taken His name.
"Not every one who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom
of heaven but he who does the wiU of my Father who is in heaven. On that
, .
day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not 10 name,
and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works m your
name?' And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from
me, you evildoe,,' " (Matt 7:21-23). .
"Then they also will answer, 'Lord, did we thee or
thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or 10 prISOn, and did not to
thee?' Then he will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as y<?u did It to
one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' And they Will go away mto
eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (Matt 25:44-46).
Subjects oUhe Kingdom as Objects ofinvestigation
The results of the judgment described in [Link] 7 cut both
unfavorable decision is rendered in the case of the little horn: Its dommlOD
is taken away and it is destroyed (vs. 6). On the other a favora?le
decision is rendered in behalf of the saints of the Most High: They receive
the kingdom (vs. 22).
The preferable of the 1irme4 (7:22) is so
that the statement regardmg the samts reads: Judgment was gIven/or
the saints of the Most High." Thus the judgment of the saints is contrasted
with the judgment of the horn. It is not that judgment is given "to" the
saints (KJV), since that could not happen until they enter God's
The term for "judgment" in verse 22 is the same as that used 10 verses
10 and 26. This indicates that the word "judgment" may be used to refer
to the verdicts or decisions of the court as well as to the court session itself.
Although no reference is made to the saints in the initial description
of the judgment scene, it is only natural to expect that the ones to whom
the kingdom is finally to be given should also be examined. The people of
God are accepted for citizenship in the future kingd?m as a
of this judgment in their favor. The fact that the samts are gtven the
dom as a consequence of this judgment implies that they have been
judged worthy-through Christ-to be admitted to the eternal kingdom.
146
Judgment in Daniel 7
God's People as Objects ofInvesligation Elsewhere in the OT
In this section a brief comparison will be made between the judgment
depicted in Daniel 7 and those judgments described elsewhere in the 0'[
Old Testament Judgments in general. It is a fact that in the OT judg-
ment passages more attention is directed toward Israel-the professed
people of God-than toward the surrounding nations. For example,
although Jeremiah and Ezekiel (Daniel's contemporaries) wrote large sec-
tions regarding judgments on the nations (six and eight chapters respec-
tively), it is to be noted that the bulk of their messages consisted of
judgments upon God's people in Judah; that is, upon "the sinners in Zion"
(compare !sa 33: 14). The same pattern and proportion of attention is
sistent through the judgment passages recorded elsewhere in the 0'[ Thus
it would be expected that Daniel's scene of final judgment would also in-
volve a separation of the false believer from the people of God as well as
a judgment upon their enemies.
Old TestamentJudgments from the sanctuary. When the judgments
of God are specifically identified as coming from God's sanctuary (the
earthly tabernacle/temple or heavenly temple), two-thirds of these in-
stances directly involve God's own professed people. As noted in the
ter on judgment in the 01; 200f the 28 passages having to do with judgment
from God's sanctuary specifically involved a judgment of God's people.
Since these passages naturally provide the background for the scene in
Daniel 7, and since Daniel 7 represents an even greater example of what
they have described on a smaller scale, it follows that God's people will be
involved in this ultimate judgment as well.
Old TestamentJudgment and the books. Another important point has
to do with the use of "books" or "scrolls" in the judgment of Daniel 7.
God's book or books in heaven are mentioned six times in the 0'[
The first two references come from the account of Moses' intercession
with God on behalf of rebellious Israel at Sinai. Moses pleads with God and
requests that his owD name be blotted from God's book if Israel cannot be
forgiven (Exod 32:32). God responds by stating that the impenitent sinner
would be blotted out of His book (vs. 33). Psalm 69:28 conveys the same
idea: The impenitent will be "blotted out of the book of the living" (KJV).
The reference to God's book in Psalm 139:16 expresses a JX>Sitive
image about it, since God's intimate knowledge of His
ing even the physical aspects of their being-are recorded therein. A
similar idea is carried into the world of the spiritual experience in Psalm
147
Judgment in Daniel 7
56:8 where it is the struggles of the righteous that are recorded in that
book. "Thou hast kept count of my tossings; put thou my tears in thy oottle!
Are they not in thy book?"
An even more positive image of a book of God is conveyed by the
reference to the book of remembrance in Malachi 3:16 where the reflec-
tions of God's people upon His goodness to them are recorded.
Thus every reference in the aT to a book of God in heaven is con-
nected in one way or another with God's people rather than with His
enemies. Therefore. these parallels suggest that the books referred to in
the judgment scene of Daniel 7 should also have some record of God's
people in them.
New Testament Judgment and tbe books. The same idea is found in
the NT as is found in the aT in reference to books. Paul refers to his fel-
low workers whose names are in the book of life (Phil 4:3). The book of
life is mentioned six times in Revelation (3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27).
In two instances it is identified as the Lamb's book of life (13:8; 21:27).
Since the book mentioned nine times in chapter 5 is given to the Lamb, it
may be best identified as the Lamb's book of life.
Finally, there are the books of record by which the dead, especially the
wicked, are judged according to their deeds at their resurrection at the close
of the millennium (20:12). This is the only context in which such books are
found in the Bible where they do not relate more directly to God's people.
This judgment is however, and the judgment of Daniel 7 is
"premillennial" since it is convened while the little hom is still activeon earth.
Whatever one does with these final books of record., the pattern found
in the NT is similar to that found in theOT: The book(s) of God in heaveD
have more to do with God's people than otherwise. Again, this NT pattern
also supports the idea that the books opened in the judgment scene of
Daniel 7 involve God's people.
Summary. The far greater share of the judgment passages in the OT-
and specifically those connected with God's sanctuary-are involved with
God's professed people. Considering the importance to this final judgment
in Daniel 7. and considering the fact that this judgment results in the identi-
fication of the saints of the Most High as those who receive the kingdom,
these parallels suggest that God's people are also involved in this judg-
ment. If the books of record opened in the judgment scene of Daniel 7
contain only the record of the actions of the little hom, then such a connec-
tion is unique to all the biblical references to the function of the book or
books of God that are kept in heaven. On the contrary, the parallels to
148
Judgment in Daniel 7
these books elsewhere suggest that the people of God are intimately in-
volved with the outcome of the examination of these books.
God's People as Objects orInvesligation in DanielS
We note that an issue similar to that presented in Daniel 7 is aiso found
in DanielS, but a new dimension is added to it In the first place, the issue
in both case. involves the people of God, especially as they are persecuted
by the little hom At the outset, therefore, one might expect that the
deliverance given to the saints in chapter 8 is related to their deliverance
in chapter 7. But the deliverance of the saints in chapter 7 is specifically
connected with the scene of judgment where a decision is made in their
favor and against the persecuting horn. Therefore, although it is not
spelled out as explicitly in chapter 8, one would expect that a judgment
similar to the court scene in chapter 7 would come from the sanctuary scene
described in chapter 8.
One need not expect each of the succeeding prophecies in Daniel to
spell out the previously noted details of earlier visions, if the visions belong
to the same prophetic framework. Otherwise. the evident function of the
subsequent prophecies as explanations of selected details in the earlier
prophecies would be denied.
The basic framework into which the vision of chapter 8 fits its supple-
mentarydetails is that provided by the prophecy in chapter 7. The relation-
ship between Daniel 7 and 8 is especially close. They were given but two
years apart, and both were given in visions involving various symools. The
prophecies of chapters 9 aDd 10.12 were also given two years apart, but
they came a decade later and were given in the form of verbal explanations
only, without pictorial symbols.
Given this close relationship between Daniel 7 and 8, the vision of
chapter 8 can be seen as a supplement to the vision of chapter 7. Once this
visionary framework (Dan 7) had been given, there was no further need
to speak in terms of those symbols. That particular part of the picture had
been filled out. What was needed now was a further elaboration and expla-
nation of that now-complete picture.
It should also be noted that the supplement (Dan 8) does not deny or
alter the content of the primary vision (Dan 7); it only complements it.
Where the judgment stands in chapter 7, therefore, it should also be under-
stood as standing in chapter 8. The omission of a description of the judg-
ment scene is not to be construed to mean that it does not belong at its
appropriate juncture in the flow of prophetic history in the second vision
149
Judgment in Daniel 7
present in chapter 8.
This prophetic parallelism is similar in nature to the way incomplete
parallelism was used in Hebrew poetry. The poet did not have to repeat
the verb from the first colon in the second colon of a bicolon, because its
idea was understood as recurring there even though it was not explicitly
expressed. Given the metrical allowance offered to the poet through the
use of incomplete parallelism, he was allowed in the second colon to ex
tend the thought of the first in the direction he wished to pursue. This
similar relationship of incomplete parallelism has allowed the prophet to
expand upon some other aspects of the controversy between the Prince of
the host and the little horn in chapter 8 that were not covered in chapter
7, while at the same time retaining the substance of chapter 7.
The particular point at issue in chapter 8 not covered in chapter 7 has
to do with the temple and the ministry of its sacrifice. This issue is distinctly
religious and goes beyond blasphemy and persecution already described
in chapter 7. The plan of salvation is at issue, for it is through the ministry
of the sacrifice in the temple that salvation is made available. The little
horn has a rival system of salvation set up in opposition to that exercised
by the Prince of the host. Thus the differences between the chapters deal
with the differences between the realms of the political and religious.
Chapter 7 is more concerned with the political aspect of this contra
versy: To whom docs dominion over the territory of this earth rightly
belong? First, it is the little horn that is in control; but then, through the
judgment, dominion is given to the Son of man and to the saints of the
Most High. The issue in chapter 8, on the other hand, is more religious in
nature, for the salvation of the saints is at stake in the controversy between
the Prince of the host and the little horn. The religious connotation of the
confrontation with the horn in Daniel 8 supplements the political struggle
with it in chapter 7. God's ultimate answer in both instances comes in the
final judgment from His sanctuary court in heaven where His host assem
bled when "the judgment sat" (Dan 7:10).
God's People As Objects or Investigation in Daniel 12
The principle that the later prophecies of Daniel supplement the
earlier ones can also be applied to the prophecy of chapters 11 and 12. In
Daniel 7 it was the judgment which decided against the little horn and gave
the kingdom to the Son of man. He in turn gave the kingdom to the saints.
The parallel of these events in Daniel 1112 occurs in this sequence:
(1) The "king orthe north" comes to his end with none to help him (Dan
150
Judgment in Daniel 7
The parallel of these events in Daniel 1112 occurs in this sequence:
(1) The "king of the north" comes to his end with none to help him (Dan
11:45); (2) Michael stands up (Dan 12:1); and (3) the deliverance of God's
people takes place; that is, "every one whose name shall be found written
in the book" (Dan 12:1). This deliverance is accompanied or followed im
mediately thereafter by a resurrection (Dan 12:2). Some of those who
come up in that resurrection will be given everlasting life; some will only
be worthy of everlasting shame and contempt (Dan 12:3).
By comparing the Dow of events in both sections, the following paral
leis may be noted:
1. The "king of the nortb" comes to his end (Dan 11).
The little born is destroyed (Dan 7).
2. Michael stands up (Dan 12)
Tbe SOD of man receives tbe kingdom (Dan 7)
3. The saints are delivered and resurrected to everlasting life (Dan 12)
Tbe saints receive an everlasting kingdom (Dan 7).
The similarity of the order and nature of these events suggests that
they refer to the same sequence, the latter being a verbal explanation
further elaborating upon the former visual demonstration. The paraUel
position occupied by the Son of man and Michael in these two passages
suggests that they should be identified as the same Personage. (For discus
sion of this point, see the relevant section in the thesis by Arthur Ferch).
A point of interest is that the names of the people to be delivered are
written "in the book." The use of the definite article (the book/scroU) sug-
gests that reference has been made to some particular book: about which
the reader of Daniel should be familiar. What book? Where does the book
come from? Aside from the reference to the scroll containing Jeremiah's
prophecy in Daniel 9:2, the only mention of books in a similar heavenly con
texl are those opened at the beginning of the judgment (Dan 7:10)_
Since those whose names are written down in this book (Dan 12:1) evj.
dently receive everlasting life along with the righteous who are resur
rected, according to the next verse (vs. 2), it seems fair to call this a book
of life. One group is given life by deliverance from their enemies (vs. 1).
and the other group is given life by virtue of their resurrection (vs. 2). The
two groups are obviously identical.
Thus this book: "of life" can be seen to function in a manner similar to
the books in the judgment scene of Daniel 7. The latter are books of
record; out of their examination come those whose names are registered
151
Judgment in Daniel 7
in this book of life. This motif of the book thus forms an envelope or i n ~
clusio around the prophecies of the last half of the book of Daniel. The
books are examined in the heavenly judgment in the first of these prophe-
cies, and the book of life where the saints are registered appears at the end
of the last of these prophecies. It seems reasonable, therefore, to see the
latter book (Dan 12) as related to the former books (Dan 7); both are
bound up with the judgment described in Daniel 7.
The final note involves the distinction to be made between the two
classes of those who are to be resurrected. 1b make such a distinction be-
tween these two classes means that a judgment has taken place. This judg-
ment evidently involved investigating cases and deciding upon respective
rewards. Regardless how one applies this passage (whether it denotes a
general or a special resurrection), it implies an antecedent investigation
into the cases of the people of God before it occurs.
The best context in which to find such an investigation in the book of
Daniel is the heavenly court scene of chapter 7. The details added by this
parallel passage in Daniel 12 supply further support for identifying that
judgment as investigative in character with reference to the professed
people of God. Thus the people who are delivered and resurrected after
Michael stands up have been adjudged worthy by that heavenly court to
enter into everlasting life and to possess the eternal kingdom of the Son
of man.
Summary on the Nature or the Judgment in Daniel 7
Six reasons have been presented above as to why the judgment de-
scribed in Daniel 7 involves an examination of the cases of tbe professed
people of God. While it also involves a decision in the case of the little
hom, the evil character of that figure is already evident from the prophecy.
Thus the investigation described here must transcend a mere examination
of the self-evident nature of the activities of the little hom.
Those who would limit this judgment to a consideration of the little
hom (suggesting thereby that the people of God are not investigated in
this judgment) have not come fully to grips with the historicist interpreta-
tion of the little hom. According to that interpretation the little horn rep-
resents a religious communion, especially its leadership, that professes to
be Christian in nature. Thus it is only natural that the cases of these
professed people of God, both leaders and followers represented by this
corporate symbol, will be investigated in any judgment of the little hom.
It is evident, therefore, that this is a religious judgment, a judgment d e a l ~
152
Judgment in Daniel 7
ing with religious issues and human relationships to these matters.
Furthermore, inasmuch as a judgment is rendered in favor of the saints
and they receive the kingdom as a result of this judgment, it is only natural
to expect such to be examined in this judgment to detennine whether
through Quist they are worthy to enter into that kingdom. Parallels with
judgment passages elsewhere in the 01; especially those connected with
the sanctuary, make it likely that this judgment in the heavenly sanctuary
also involves the people of God.
The reference to an examination of books in the judgment points in the
same direction since, according to both OT and NT references to such
books, they are especially kept for the people of God -not for His enemies.
Parallels between DanielS and 7 bring out another dimension of this
judgment: that the contest between the Prince of the host and the little
horn, over the plan of salvation, will be resolved by this judgment.
Finally, parallels with Daniel 12 suggest that the deliverance that
comes to those whose names are written in the book should be seen as a
result of the judgment of Daniel 7 in which the books of record were
opened. That this involves an investigation into the cases of the professed
people of God is supported by the division made between the two classes
of those who are resurrected as referred to in Daniel 12
These lines of evidence indicate that the judgment of Daniel 7:9-10 in
heaven is investigative in nature, and that the cases of the people of God
are examined during the course of that investigation. The glorious decision
rendered by the high court gives dominion, glory, and the kingdom to the
Son of man, and His saints will share that kingdom with Him for ever and
ever. On the basis of evidence from Daniel 7, this investigative judgment
has been dated as beginning sometime after AD. 1798. The date is estab
lished more precisely in the prophecies recorded in DanielS and 9.
153
Chapter VI
Pictures of Jesus at the
Heart of Daniel
Chapter Outline
I. Introduction
II. Daniel9
m. DanielS
IV. Daniel7
V. Interrelations
VI. Temporal Relationships
-<)0<>--
Introduction
W:
en we refer to the heart of the book of Daniel, we mean in par-
ticular the prophetic chapters. The prophetic sections begin with
Nebuchadnezzac's dream chapter 2 and end with the descrip-
tion of the kings of the north and south in Daniel 11-12. These prophecies,
at the two poles of the book, are not our concern just now. The dream
given to Nebucbadnezzar is so simple that even a pagan king could under-
stand it, while the detailed and intricate prophecy of chapter 11 is so com-
plex that it is difficult to find two commentators who agree upon it For
these reasons we omit them from our present consideration. This leaves
us with the prophecies more centrally located in the 7, 8,
and 9.
The thesis presented here is that these visions are interrelated in a
thematic way. One of the great connecting themes is their several views of
the Messiah, prophetic portrayals later fulfilled by Jesus Christ. Thus, at
the heart of Daniel we find a series of interrelated pictures of Jesus.
155
Pictures of Jesus at the Heart of Daniel
Daniel 9
Our aim is not to deal with the individual details of these prophecies
but to concentrate upon what is at their center, their climax, their heart.
At the center of the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 stands the Messiah. He is
the great hub around which this prophecy revolves. According to Gabriel,
the angel interpreter, the Jewish people would return to Jerusalem and
the land of Judah. They would rebuild their city and temple.
Thward the end of the prophecy, after the appearance and work of the
Messiah, the city of Jerusalem and its temple were to be overtaken by disas-
ter once again. The details are discussed in the third volume of the Daniel
and Revelation Committee Series.!
In concentrating upon the figure of the Messiah, we should look at
those specifications of the prophecy that apply especially to Him. These
come both in the summary verse of 24 and in the detailed applications of
verses 25-27. Logically, we may consider the detailed statements about
Him first before looking at those aspects of the summary that apply espe-
cially to Him.
Time of Messiah's Appearance
First, verse 25 gives the time when the Messiah would appear. These
calculations have been worked out in the detailed study presented in
volume 3 alluded to above. The point we make here is simply a broad one:
This prophecy foretold the time of the appearance of the Messiah among
the people of Judea, and it was fulfilled in detail by Jesus of Nazareth.
Messiah's Death
The second great fact of this prophecy, is that the Messiah Prince
would be "cut off." This is an idiom that refers to the nature of His death.
It indicates two important facts about His death. (1) He would be killed.
He would not live out a normal life span and die of natural causes. (2) He
would suffer this kind of death at the hands of other persons. The verb is
passive. This was fulfilled in the experience of Jesus of Nazareth when He
was crucified by the Roman soldiers at Jerusalem in the spring of AD. 31.
1 William H. Shea, Wfbe ProphecyofDaniel9:2427," in TM Seventy uteks, witicus, andlhe NaJUre
of Prophecy, Daniel and Revelation Committee Series, ed. Prank B. Holbrook (Silver Spring,
MD: Biblical Research Institute, 1986), 3:75118.
156
Pictures of Jesus at the Heart of Daniel
Tenninates Sacrificial System
The third fact prophesied about the Messiah is given in verse 27. He
would brL1'lg the sacrificial system to an. end in "the midst of the week."
Without going into the detailed calculations found elsewhere, it can be
seen that Jesus died in the midst of the seventieth week of this prophecy.
The seventieth week extended from AD. 27 to AD. 34, placing His death
in AD. 31.
Some might object that Jesus did not end the sacrifices and offerings
at that time. In a purely physical sense this is true. for they continued to be
offered until the temple was destroyed in AD. 70. In the religious, spiri-
tual, or theological sense, however, He did indeed bring these sacrifices
and offerings to an end in terms of their significance. As the great Antitype
of the ceremonial types. Jesus wrapped uP. embodied. and fulfilled the
sacrificial system that pointed forward to His death in type. This was signi-
fied by the rending of the inner veil of the Temple at the time Jesus died
on the cross (Matt 27:51).
The Covenant Confinned
Another statement in verse 27 declares that the Messiah would "make
strong" the covenant with many for one week, that is, during that same seven-
tieth week of the prophecy. It was during this time thaUesus personally, then
His disciples, amplified and magnified the covenant to the people. As the
seventieth and last week of OT times this should apply to the covenant that
God had offered, first to Abraham and then through Moses at Sinai.
The nature of this offer and teaching of Jesus is well illustrated in the
Sermon on the Mount. There He amplified the Ten Commandments. He
magnified them by saying that mere external observance was insufficient;
these commandments go down into our very hearts and probe our motives.
Regrettably, the Israel of His time did not accept His teaching, and the
promised renewal of the covenant (Jer 31:31-34) was made with thechurch
(Matt 26:28).
Summary Passage
From these details of the prophecy we tum to the summary verse-
verse 24. Three of the six statements in this verse apply directly to the work
of the Messiah. The first is found in verse 240. The text states that by the
end of the 70 week period an atonement would have been made for iniq-
uity. This was not the ongoing round of repeated atonements that charac-
157
Pictures of Jesus at the Heart of Daniel
terized the tabernacle and temple (Lev 4-5). Rather, this was the one g r e a ~
final atonement for iniquity. This was what Jesus Christ accomplished with
His death upon the cross.
This atonement was to have the ongoing effect described in the next
phrase. By making atonement for sin the Messiah would "bring in ever
lasting righteousness." Here was something beyond the temporary and
transitory righteousness of the sacrificial system. Here was a righteousness
that has flowed from His death upon the cross and continues to do so now,
2000 years later.
The last phrase of verse 24 also cites a messianic action. It refers to the
anointing of a Holy of Holies. A word study of this phrase in the OT indi
cates that it always is used to refer to a sanctuary. It is never used to desig.
nate the person of the Messiah and His anointing. The anointing of the
Messiah is referred to directly in His own titie, for the word "Messiah"
means "anointed one." However, the prophecy is talking about the anoint
ing of a sanctuary for service, along the lines of the anointing of the taber
nacle in the wilderness when it was dedicated (Exod 40).
With what sanctuary then are we dealing in this prophecy of Daniel?
The tabernacle in the wilderness no longer existed and the first Thmple
stood in ruins. The prophecy said it would be rebuilt, but it also predicted
that it would be destroyed again (vs. 26b). We should look, therefore, for
another temple. The Bible koO\W of only one other temple for the work
of the true God: the heavenly temple, discussed in some detail in Hebrews
7-9. It was this temple that went into a new phase of operation with the
ascension of Jesus to heaven to become our High PriesL This then was the
sanctuary to be anointed by the time the prophecy of Daniel 9:24 came to
its endj so it was dedicated at the time of Jesus' ascension in AD. 31.
We can review the statements of the prophecyofDaoiel9 DOW in terms
of what it said about the Messiah and His work:
1. It foretold the time for the appearing of the Messiah (vs. 25).
2. It foretold that He would be "cut alI," that is, killed (vs. 26a).
3. It foretold that He would bring the sacrificial system to an end (vs.
27a).
4. It foretold that He would make a strong offer of the covenant to
many people in His teaching and ministry (vs. 27b).
5. It foretold that He would make the great atonement for iniquity (vs.
24c).
6. It foretold that by making this atonement He would bring in ever-
lasting righteousness (vs. 24d).
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Pictures of Jesus at the Heart of Daniel
7. It foretold that a new--even a heaveoly........ftanctuary would be
anointed or dedicated for His work as our high priest (vss. 24-25).
All the specifications of this prophecy with regard to the Messiah were
fulfilled in the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus of Nazareth.
He becomes its center and focus; all else in it revolves around Him. The
list given above can be summarized into one central teaching about Him:
He was tbe great suffering Servant of God who came to give His life as a
sacrifice for sin. What lies at the heart of the prophecy of Daniel 9 is the
picture of Jesus as sacrifice.
DanielS
Moving to Daniel 8, we come to a prophecy of a different character.
It is a symbolic prophecy involving beast-nations and horns, alongside their
symbolic actions. The outline of the first half of the prophecy is relatively
straightforward and agreed upon by aU commentators. The action begins
with the ascendency of the Medo-Persian ram, followed by the Greek goaL
The Greek goat's great hom is Alexander, and he is followed by tbe
breakup of his empire into four kingdoms symbolized by the four horns.
Pagan Rome
At this point a new "little" born comes upon the scene. For historicist
commentators this little hom is Rome whose conquests to the east, south,
and the glorious land of Judea are described in Daniel 8:9. For interpreters
in other prophetic schools this little hom is Antiochus IV Epiphanes. This
interpretation has been dealt with in detail in the second chapter of this
book, and those materials and conclwions need not be discussed here. We
continue on the basis that we are dealing with Rome under this symbol
Papal Rome
A new phase of Rome begins in verse 11. This new phase is symbol-
ized by actions that introduce the hom's vertical dimension beyond the
stellar heaven in contrast with the horizontal conquests it has carried out
previowly. The symbolic nature of these actions should be stressed. We
are ~ o t dealing with a literal hom, nor did it literally reach up to heaven.
This is a symbol for a human organization that makes an attack upon four
objects: (1) the saints of the Most High (by pe"ecution); (2) the sanctuary
in heaven that it casts down (this act implies in contrast the elevation of
an earthly temple in which the little horn power dwells and functions [com-
159
Pictures of Jesus at the Heart of Daniel
pare 2 Thess 3-4]); (3) an attack upon the "daily" or "continual" (not a
single sacrifice as some translators would have it, but a "ministration" that
covers all types of activity going on in the heavenly sanctuary); and (4) an
attack upon tbe Prince to whom tbe sanctuary belongs.
In other words, this prophecy describes a great conflict at its climax.
This conflict pits the heavenly Prince against tbe little horn, a conflict in-
volving nothing less tban tbe plan of salvation. On one hand is the true
plan of salvation, ministered by the true beavenly High Priest. On tbe other
band is an earthly substitute, an earthly priesthood functioning in earthly
temples, that would take the eyes of mankind off the true High Priest in
His true sanctuary, which God pitched and not man (compare Heb8:1-2).
Who is this great heavenly High Priest, and who is this priestly Prince?
None other than Jesus Christ. His priesthood (in this manner) is identified
especially in the book of Hebrews, chapters 7-9. And the anointing of His
sanctuary in heaven is referred to in tbe very prophecies of Daniel as dis-
cussed above (Dan 9:24-25). So the portrayal of Jesus presented in the
prophecy of Daniel 8 islesus as priest.
Daniel 7
Once again in tbis great prophecy we have a succession of kingdoms
symbolized by a series of beasts. These can be readily identified as Babylon,
Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. The kingdom or empire of Rome was
then to break up, as symbolized by the 10 horns upon the head of the
Roman beast, and among them would sprout another "little" hom. By a
number of characteristics-the same type of work that was done by the
little hom in DanielS-this little hom can be identified as a Roman hom,
the religious phase of that power.
A particular period of time was allotted to the hom for its exercise of
power and dominion, a time period specified in verse 25 as 311: "times" or
years. Applying the year-day principle to this time prophecy, as discussed
in chapters 3 and 4 of this book, we identify its 1260 years with the Middle
or Dark Ages, from AD. 538 to AD. 1798.
But God has an answer to all of the beast-kingdoms and horns found
in this prophecy. The answer is His judgment. That judgment is described
in Daniel 7:910, 1314. Here the prophet looks into the heavenly sanctu
ary and in verses 9-10 he sees the great heavenly tribunal begin. The
Ancient of Days moves to sit upon His throne, placed upon a dais at the
commencement of this session. All the angels gather, the court sits in judg-
160
Pictures of Jesus at the Heart of Daniel
ment, and the books of record out of which the judgment is to be conducted
are opened.
Three important decisions stem from this judgment: (I) The saints of
the Most High will go into the heavenly kingdom (Dan 7:27), (2) the little
hom and the other beasts and those allied with them and him will be
destroyed (Dan 7:11, 22, 26), and (3) the kingsbip oftbe eternal kingdom
of God is awarded or reaffirmed to the Son of man. This final bestowal of
direct and pbysical rule over the eternal kingdom of God is awarded to the
Son of man in the scene of verses 13 and 14. Here is the picture of His
being brought before the Ancient of days by a retinue of angels and with
the clouds of heaven. Emphatically we are told that His kingdom will in-
clude all who will dwell on earth in the future, and this kingdom-in con-
trast with those that have gone before it-will last for ever and ever. It will
never be interrupted or brought to an end.
Who then is this Son of man who receives the eternal kingdom? Jesus
took this very title Himself when He said things like, "the Son of man is
come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). Revelation
14:14 makes this connection explicit with the same title phrased in the same
way, in the same context, upon the clouds of heaven, applying it there to
the second coming of Jesus. From a New 1estament perspective, there-
fore, there can be no question about who this figure is-it is King Jesus.
The picture of Jesus at the heart of the prophecy in Daniel 7 is, therefore,
lesus as king.
Interrelations
We have identified three pictures of Jesus at the heart oftbree prophe-
cies in the heart of the book of Daniel. The picture of Him in Daniel 9 is
Jesus as sacrifice, the picture of Him that emerges from DanielS is Jesus
as priest, and the picture of Him found in Daniel 7 is Jesus as king.
At this point a question may arise about the order in which these fea-
tures have been presented. Why are the portrayals presented in the reverse
sequence-king, chapter 7; priest, chapter 8; sacrifice, chapter 9-of their
actual occurrence (sacrifice, priest, king)?
In part the literary order has to do with the Semitic way of thought
Modem western European way of thougbt reasons from cause to effect.
Ancient Semitic thought, both in the Bible and outside of the Bible, com-
monly reasoned [rom effect back to cause. Instead of saying, "You are a
sinful, wicked and rebellious peeple, therefore your land wiU be de-
161
Pictures of Jesus at the Heart of Daniel
stroyed, " the biblical prophets could also put the matter the other way
around: "Your land will be destroyed." Why? "Because you are a sinful,
wicked and rebellious people." A good biblical example of this kind of
thought order can be found in Micah 1:10..15 where the cities that mourn
for the exiles are listed first. then the cities that gave up exiles follow. We
would put the matter the other way around
Seventh-day Adventists emphasize that the time period of Daniel 9,
the 70 weeks, is connected with or cut off from the time period of Daniel
8, the 2300 days. This is working backwards, if you please. What we have
in terms of the three pictures of Jesus in these prophecies is the same kind
of pattern, although we are dealing in this case with thematic relations, not
time.
In these thematic relations one sees their effect when the book is read
from the beginning. By the time the reader reaches chapter 7 and encoun-
ters the picture of the messianic King, the question is, Who is this Being,
and where does He come from? DanielS answers by saying, the King be-
comes king in part because previously He has been the priest. He is the
one who has ministered on behalf of the saints of the Most High; now He
can accept them into His kingdom.
But that simply raises another question: How did He qualify as priest?
In order to become a priest one had to have something to offer, a sacrifice.
Where do we find that? Answer: In Daniel 9. Thus the sacrifice of Daniel
9 enabled the Priest of Daniel 8 to become priest, and the priesthood of
the Prince enabled the Prince of chapter S to become the king of chapter
7. There is a logical, consistent, and interrelated sequence here that is quite
direct and reasonable when we understand that the sequence begins at the
end and works backward as far as the literary order of the book is con-
cerned.
Temporal Relationships
Another way to look at this sequence is to relate the pictures of Jesus
to the time elements found in these prophecies. It is evident that Daniel 9
is the shortest of the three prophecies because its time span extends for
only 70 prophetic weeks or 490 years. The time period of this prophecy, as
understood historically, takes us to first century AD. Roman times when
Jesus walked this earth and was crucified under that power.
The prophecy in DanielS on the other hand is longer in length, simply
by virtue of the fact that its time period extends for 2300 evening-morn-
162
Pictures of Jesus at the Heart of Daniel
ings or days, which is the symbolic equivalent of2300 historical years. This
takes us into the Christian Era, through the Middle Ages and beyond, down
to relatively recent times, the nineteenth century AD. This means that the
priest of that prophecy has been functioning through a part of that time
period (beginning at the ascension in AD. 31).
At the same time His counterfeit has been active too. But the prophecy
of DanielS tells about a time when this will come to an end It tells about
it verbally. Its end is not shown to the prophet in vision. When the visual
portion of the prophecy concludes in Daniel 8:12, the little hom is still
practicing and prospering.
It should be Doted that DanielS does not take the saints of the Most
High into the final eternal kingdom. It speaks to the fact ttJat there will be
a judgment to bring the bad things of that chapter to an end, but it does
not refer directly to the reward of the saints at all. That is reserved for the
final prophecy in this backward sequence.
In Daniel 7 we see the final culmination when the King receives His
kingdom (vss. 1314) and the saints are ushered into that eternal realm (vs.
27). This is the longest in length of these three prophecies at the heart of
the book of Daniel. Daniel 9 is the shortlength prophecy in terms of time,
DanielS is the [Link] prophecy in tenns of time and events,
and Daniel 7 is the longestlength prophecy in terms of the events that it
describes and concludes upon. All of these relationships can be sum-
marized in a chart-diagram:
'I'brec Plctura .f JeIIUI ill the PropbedCl at the Heart of Danld
Dulcl 7
LoDrI..,u. prophecy
L.
IluIet
163
Dulcl9
Sbort-loqtb propbocy
I.
Chapter VII
Day of Atonement and
October 22, 1844
~
e question has been raised whether October 22 was the correct
Gregorian calendar equivalent for the Day of Atonement on 10
Tishri (tenth day of the seventh month in the ancient Jewish calen-
dar) in 1844.
Calculations to ascertain the modern equivalent for an ancient date
like this depend upon (1) the projection ofthat date forward into modern
times through mathematical computations, or (2) the survival of the an-
cient calendrical practice through its continual use by a perpetuated com-
munity of persons. The Karaite sect of Jews has sometimes been cited as
an example of such a community that (it is assumed) has banded down the
ancient Jewish system of calendation as a living tradition.
This assumption about the Karaites is open to question. Some chro-
nographers, E. Bickerman for example, have held that there were periods
in their history when the Karaites used a more programmatic calendar, as
opposed to one based more directly upon observational factors. This
applies in particular to the problem of how the intercalary month was
added in periodically to keep the Jewish lunar calendar even with the
actual solar year.
When the Millerites set out to establish the correct modern equivalent
in the Gregorian calendar for the date of the Day of Atonement on
10 rlShri in 1844, one source of authority which they consulted was the
Karaite calendar as it was thought to have preserved the most original
calendrical practice among the Jews. This assumption may not have been
completely accurate.
Even if the Karaites did retain a more original usage of the ancient
Jewish calendar, their practice may still have been adapted or interrupted.
It is also possible that the Millerites may not have understood their Karaite
sources with perfect clarity. However, regardless of the problems involved
165
Day of Atonement and October 22, 1844
in such an approach, the Millerites should still be commended for having
made the effort to obtain the most accurate determination of that date that
they could arrive at from the sources then available to them.
I do not know how original nor how accurately preserved the Karaite
calendrical practices are since I have not studied them in any detail myself.
Neither do I know how well the Millerites understood the Karaite&.
However, I DO longer consider the Karaite practice in this regard particu-
larly relevant to the problem.
With the passage of more than acenturysince the Millerita made their
October 22 calculation, more accurate, direct. and ancicnt contemporary
sources have come into our hands. These DOW enable us to deal with such
a determination with more precision. I refer to the results that have come
from the work of a number of scholars who have been engaged in research
on ancient mathematics and astronomy.
Mathematical computations have produced a complete table of dates
for all the new moons of antiquity. These have been correlated with the
lunar calendar used in ancient Babylonia through the use of a represen-
tative number of datable references to intercalated months in the datelines
on Babylonian business documents. Not only do these references indicate
the particular years in which the extra month was intercalated, but enough
of them are also available with which to establish the mathematical prav
tice by which they were intercalated.
This line of investigation indicates that probably by the sixth century
B.c. (and certainly by the fourth century D.C.) the intercalated months were
added on a systematic mathematical basis and not on just an ad hoc obser-
vational basis.
The end product of this work has been the compilation of tables with
the Julian equivalents for the dates of all the new mooDS in the Babylonian
calendar from 626 D.C. to AD. 75. See the work entitled, Babylonion
Chronology. I
We can therefore bypass the intermediate state of the Karaite calen-
dar in our study of this problem and go to materials that have been derived
directly from contemporary texts of the ancient world.
Before this source is consulted for its input into the problem, a basic
qualifying question should be asked here. Is it legitimate to utilize a
Babylonian source to determine dates in the calendar used by the Jews
who lived in Palestine under Persian rule?
1 R. A Parker and W. H. [Link] (ProvideDCe, 1956).
166
Day of Atonement and October 22, 1844
It is true that the Persians did employ a different set of month names
than those found in the cuneiform texts from Babylonia. These month
names appear, for example, in the texts from the time of Darius I that were
excavated at Pen;epolis.
In Babylonia under Persian control, however, the scribes continued to
use the normal Babylonian month names, and these month names spread
west from there to Palestine where they appear in several postexilic bibli-
cal books (Neh 1:1; 2:1; 6:15; Esth 2:16; 3:7; 8:9; Zech 1:7; 7:1) and on to
Egypt where they appear in the Persian-Babylonian half of the double
datelines of the Elephantine papyri from the fifth century B.C. (the other
half gives the date in native Egyptian terms).
While it is technically true that there was a distinction between the
native Persian and Babylonian calendars, for practical purposes what we
are talking about here is the Babylonian calendar that was in use in
Babylonia and its western dependencies during the Persian period. It was
under this calendar that the biblical personages like Ezra and Nehemiah
and their immediate predecessors lived and worked.
If we were working on the problem of dating Christ's death or some
of the other events that took place later in the 70 weeks' prophecy, then
our use of this source would have to be qualified to a serious degree. But
in this instance-coming as it does at the beginning of the 70 weeks-we
are not dealing with Jews who lived in later Palestine. We are dealing with
the date when a Persian king gave a decree to the Jewish exile Ezra who
lived in Babylonia prior to his journey to Palestine. Thus it is quite legiti-
mate to use the Babylonian calendar for that purpose. The fact that Ezra
adapted that calendar to his purposes by dating his New Year on 1 TlShri
does not negate the usefulness of the underlying Babylonian scheme as a
vehicle with which we can investigate this problem.
Before entering into our calculations we should make a further obser-
vation in regard to the effect of the difference between the Julian and
Gregorian calendars. As a standard convention, historians employ Julian
dates for the B.c. period uniformly. The Julian year of 365.25 days is,
however, 11 minutes and 4 seconds longer than the true tropical year. By
the sixteenth century AD. the accumulated excess of numbered days over
the true solar years elapsed had reached about 10 days.
Pope Gregory XIII decreed that this excess should be compensated
for by adding 10 numbered days to the month of October 1582. Thus
Friday, October 15, followed Thursday, October 4, in that year. The prin-
cipal reason for this adjustment was to bring the vernal equinox, and Easter
167
Day of Atonement and October 22, 1844
with it, back to March 21 when it had drifted forward-in terms of the
Julian calendar-to March 11.
2
The adjustment required by the Gregorian calendar necessitated a
renumbering of the days involved; but it did not affect the order of the days
of the week (= rotations of the earth), or the regular astronomical occur-
rence of new and full moons, or the total number of calendar years elapsed.
In the case of the calculations offered below, this difference may be
ignored. The reason for this is that we are dealing basically with lunar
months and dates for new and full moons, especially those that overlap the
autumnal equinox. The calendar revision described above was intended to
fix the date of the spring equinox. In accomplishing that purpose it also
fixed the dates for the autumnal equinox that, in ancient times, fell in the
month of TlShri.
What we really wish to know is, given the total number of 2300 solar
years elapsed, how did the new moons of the same months of the years at
the beginning and the end of this whole cycle relate to each other?
Since there were main positions for the moon in terms of the
numbered dates of the lunaryear in relationship to the solar year (see chart
below), it is the position of the new moon and tbus the lunar month in
relationship to the fall equinox that we are most interested in, not the
Gregorian day number assigned to the day of the new moon at that time.
The tables employed below, that are based on the Julian calendar, suffice
to serve that purpose adequately.
What we want to know, therefore, is when (in terms of the Babylonian
system of intercalation) did the month of Ttshri start in 458 and 457 B.C.?
These are the dates which demarcated the fall-ta-fall year during which
Artaxerxes I issued his decree and Ezra returned to Jerusalem with his
fellow exiles_ These dates can be determined by simply looking them up in
Parker and Dubberstein's tables. The tables indicate that 1 Ttshri in
458 B.G. fell on October 2 and in 457 B.G. on September 21 (p_ 32)_
These two dates can be related to their corresponding numbers which
bounded that fall-to-fall year (1843-1844) in which the 2300 prophetic day-
years ended. This can be done mathematically. At this point we are helped
by the fact that 235 lunar months have almost exactly the same number of
days as 19 solaryears.
3
Thus we do not yet need to be concerned with the
specific years within this cycle during which intercalations were designated.
2 Por I popular diKuWon oIlhis subject, see G. Moyer, '7hc Gregorilln Cllendar," in ScimliJic
American 246 (May, 1982): 144-53.
3 Plrlter and Dubberslein,IJahyIonian 1.
168
Day of Atonement and October 22, 1844
The Babylonian astronomers were well aware of this 19 year cycle. It
provided one of the bases upon which the finer details of those cycles were
established and worked out.
For our present purpose we can simply divide the 19 years of this inter-
cycle that was based upon the solar year into the 2300 years of the
prophecy. Every 19years the dates in the lunar calendar repeat themselves.
For this reason any multiple of -19 years later would give the same date for
1 TlShri-whether it be in AD. 1844 or any other year. Nineteen goes into
2300 a total of 121 times with one left over. In other words, 19 x 121 =
2299 with one year left over.
If 19 had divided evenly into 2300, then 1 TIshri would have fallen on
the same Babylonian day in 1844 that it did in 458 B.C., but it didn't divide
evenly. There was one year left over, and now we have to deal with that
left over year. This is done by noting the finer details in the intercalary
cycle. In order to do this I have copied below the new moon dates for the
first seven months of 459 to 456 B.C. to provide a basis for further discus-
sion of this point:
B.C. Yr. Nlsan ()YOr Sivan Tammuz Ab Elu) TIshri (Position)
459 419 5-18 6-17 7-16 8-15 9-13 10-12 A
458 4-8 5-8 7,(, 8-4 9-3 10-2 B
457 3-27 4-26 5-25 6-24 7-24 8-22 9-21 C
456 4-15 5-14 6-13 713 811 910 10-10 A, etc.
As can be seen from a comparison of the dates in these years, the Julian
date for the same lunar calendar date basically moved forward 10 days for
each of the three years. Then, with the intercalation of a second Adar (a
second month (XII) on March 16, 456 B.c., the whole cycle was thrown
back a month later in the year, from which point the sequence started over
again. For example, the date for the new moon in Nisan 459 RC. is 4-19. It
occurs approximately 10 days earlier the next year (4-8), and still another
10 days earlier the following year of 457 (3-27). But in 456 B.C. the inser-
tion of an intercalary month moves the date for the new moon to 4-15,
nearly what it was in 459.
The reason for this advance of the lunar months through the solar year
until they were retarded again stems from the fact that 12 lunar months of
169
Day of Atonement and October 22, 1844
29.5 days results in a year of 354 days which is essentially 10 days short of
the solar year. The ancients allowed this 10 day deficit to accumulate for
three yean; (resulting in a total of 30 days). They then compensated for
this difference by inserting a thirteenth month of 29.5 days (= 30) at the
end of that third year. Whether they realize it or not, Christians are familiar
with this system through the way the dates for Easter change from year to
year.
Unfortunately the deficit compensated for every third year or so was
not precisely a third of a lunar month. This mathematical fact produced
some irregularity in the pattern of the years in which the additional month
was added. This problem need not concern us greatly here for we have the
19 year cycles with which to work over the long haul like the 2300 day-
years.
Now we need to decide to which of the three years of the intercalary
cycle 1844 belonged. Since there was an excess of one year when the 19-
year cycle was divided into the 2300 yean;, the year at the end of the 2300
years was one year farther down the intercalary cycle than the year at the
beginning of the 2300 yean;. It will be necessary, therefore, to look at the
year in which the 2300 years began in terms of which year of the cycle it
fell in. The year at the end of the 2300 years, 1844, can be identified as the
next year in the cycle.
From the table quoted above we may refer to 459 as the late year, or
positionA, because I TlShri fell on October 12 (10-12) then. The inter
mediate year, or position B, is 458 because I TlShri fell on October 2 (10-
2). The early year, or position C, is 457 because I TlShri fell on September
21 (9-21) of that year.
The year we are interested in feU 2300 years later than the fall-te-fall
year of 4581457. The fallto-fall year of 4581457 was measured by I TlShri
that fell in the Band C positions, the intennediate and early positions of
October 2 and September 21. The I TlShri of thefall-tofall year 2299yean;
later fell in these same Band C positions. But from our division of 19 into
2300 we are interested in the pattern of the next fall-tofall year because
of the one year left over from that division.
This means that we must move one year farther along in the cycle to
delennine those dates. When we do so, we find that they come out at the
C aodA positions, because after the third or Cyear, the cycle reverts back
to start over again due to the intercalation at the endofthe third or Cyear.
Th summarize: This means that in the fall of 1843 I TlShri fell in the C
position or around September 21 (9-21). In the springofl844-atthe end
170
Day of Atonement and October 22, 1844
of that Babylonian lunar year-the Babylonians normally would have in-
tercalated a second Adar according to their regular and established math-
ematical proeedure. This means t h a ~ in the fall of 1844, I TlSbri would
have been retarded by the intercalary month back to the late orA position.
The date given for its corresponding number 2300 yean; earlier is October
10 (10-10). '!Cn days more to the Day of Atonement on TlShri 10 would
thus take us to October 20.
The two-day slippage over the 2300 yean; has developed from minor
mathematical differences and is not statistically significanL This is evident
from the fact that the Millerites only had to make a choice between one
new moon or the other in 1844: the one for an early TIShri, or the ooe for
a late TISbri. They chose the late one, and that was the correct one when
it is figured from the Babylonian lunar year of 4581457 D.C
If the Karaites did not come up with this date, then they simply dif-
fered from the pattern that was in operation during the year when Ezra
returned to Jerusalem. There were plenty of opportunities for such a dif-
ference to have developed over the years. But we no longer need be c o n ~
cemed with such potential differences because now, with advances in
research on ancient astronomy and calendation, we can trace this matter
all the way back to its source-the year when Ezra left Babylon. 1facing
this trail back that far has indicated that the Millerites did select the cor-
rect date for 10 TlSbri by dating it to October 22 in AD. 1844. This point
has now been established as definitively as it can be through the study of
ancient mathematics and astronomy.
171
Index
A
Ancient or Days, 116-122, 125-126
Antiochus IV Eplpbanes, claims for
analyzed, 31-66
Daniel 7, 34-42
Daniel S, 42-52
Daniel 9, 52-53
Daniel 11, 53-63
Atonement, day or (antltype),
October 22, 1844, identity, 165-171
B
Books or record (beavenly), and
God's people, 147-149
C
Chiasms,lilerary (Dan 7), 113-114
D
Daniel, book or, schools of
interpretation on, 32
Daniel 7, exegesis of, 115-135
literary structure of, 112-114
Daniel 7, subsequent visions amplify,
39
Daniel 7, temporal relationships,
162-163
Daniel 10, link to Ezekiel 1-10, 22
Darius the Mede, identification of,
35-36
E
Ezekiel (cbaps. 1-10), exegesis of,
15-23
173
G
God's People, as objects of
judgment. 14()..lS3
H
IrazAn (vlslon),96-99
Hebrew thought, reason from effect
to cause, 161-162
J
Judgment (Dan 7), analysis of,
111-153
date of, 135-143
nature of, 143-153
parallels to, 1-29
poetic structure of, 115-143
K
Karaite Caleodar,165-166
L
Literary structures (Daniel) , 53-56
Daniel 7, 112-114
Uttle horn (Dan 8), origin of, 50-52
M
~ a k f j n (place), 46-47
Mar'e}a (appearance),97
Messiah, depicted in Daniel. 155-163
king (Dan 7),160-161
priest (Dan 8), 159-160
sacrifice (Dan 9), 156-159
P
Poetry (Dan 7), heavenly scenes
descri bed in, 115-135
R
Rib, covenant lawsuit, 28
S
Sanctuary (Dan 8), identit y of, 33
SOD orman (Dan 7), 111-113.
122127,132135
T
TiimI4 (dally), 32, 46, 9596
law (Heb. alphabet), sagnificance
of, Ezekiel 9. 19-20
174
"Times and law" (Dan 7:25), a
bendiadys. 130-131
2300 days, views on., 3233
W
Weeks (Dan 9), translation issue,
8992
y
Year-day principle, biblical basis for,
67 104
Jewish (early) applications of,
105110