3/07/22 – Daniel 8:23-27
Daniel 8:23 – And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
the latter time – ‘achariyth (after
part; end; issue; latter time; posterity; last; hindermost) The term “latter
time”
is often considered to be a prophetic term, yet here in Vs 23 above it could
simply be translated as “the after part”. The term derives from ‘achar (after
the following part; behind (of place); hinder; afterwards (of time)). ‘achar is translated “after” in Genesis 9:28 – And
Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.
Because Vs 23 above says “in the latter time”, some interpret this as dealing with the end-times before the Messiah returns. However, this term does not necessarily refer always to the end-times. It must be noted that while this is primarily about Antiochus IV Epiphanes, he is also a type of the coming end-times antichrist and thus “the latter time” could also be applied to the antichrist as well.
‘achariyth is also translated as “the last end” in Daniel 8:19 – And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end [shall be]. where it clearly refers to the end of the indignation (righteous anger) of God using Antiochus to deal with His unrighteous people.
One commentary says that Antiochus IV Epiphanes was
only the 8th king of the Seleucid line with many more coming after
him, and therefore “he did not come ‘in the latter
time of their kingdom’”. However, history does record that
Antiochus’ actions in the taking of the kingdom by deceptions led to the
destabilising of the empire and its eventual collapse, as others also after him
tried to take control of the kingdom. Antiochus was literally the beginning of
the end of the Seleucid empire.
“Antiochus seized the
opportunity to declare himself king instead, and successfully rallied enough of
the Greek ruling class in Antioch to support his claim. This helped set a
destabilizing trend in the Seleucid Empire in subsequent generations as more and
more claimants to the throne tried their luck at declaring themselves king.
After his own death, power struggles between competing lines of the ruling
dynasty heavily contributed to the collapse of the empire.”
(Wikipedia)
Note also that the antecedent of the pronoun “their” is “four kingdoms” of the previous verse (Daniel 8:22). The correct interpretation of “the latter time of their kingdom” is therefore referring to Antiochus, the little horn of Daniel 8:9, and the “king of fierce countenance” in the above verse.
the transgressors – This could apply to Antiochus being the completion of the transgressions of those who went before him, even back to Alexander the Great, and therefore Antiochus represents the culmination of these transgressions. However, the use of the term “indignation” in Daniel 8:19 to refer to God’s righteous anger against the Jews does indicate that the transgressors here are the Jews.
when the transgressors are come to the full – The transgressions (iniquities) of the Jews have reached their full measure. When the Jews’ iniquities against God have reached as far as God will permit, then God permitted Antiochus to wreak havoc on their worship at the temple.
The Jews were originally taken into captivity to Babylon because of their transgressions against God.
2 Kings 20:17-18 (said to Hezekiah by Isaiah) – 17Behold, the days come, that all that [is] in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord. 18And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
After all Manasseh’s (son of Hezekiah) evils, God’s prophets proclaimed:
2 Kings 21:14-15 – 14And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies; and they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies; 15Because they have done [that which was] evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day.
Even when Josiah, the last good king of Judea, turned his people back to God’s word, it could never thwart God’s judgment.
2 Kings 22:17 – Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be kindled against this place, and shall not be quenched.
Babylon was used by God to punish the Jews for their sins, yet Babylon itself was evil and remained evil, such that it was destroyed for its evil against God’s people.
Isaiah 13:19-20 – 19And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees’ excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. 20It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.
And likewise, Antiochus was destroyed by God; see Vs 25 below. God may use evil people and nations to discipline His people, yet that never excuses those who are used as the instruments of His righteous anger.
fierce – ‘az (strong,
mighty, fierce) It derives from ‘azaz meaning to
be strong; prevail; make firm; strengthen. ‘azaz
is translated “hardeneth” in Proverbs 21:29 – A
wicked man hardeneth his face: but [as for]
the upright, he directeth his way. (where “face” is the same word
used for “countenance” in Vs 23 above, and “hardeneth his
face”
can have a similar meaning to “of fierce countenance”)
dark sentences – riddle; difficult question; parable;
enigmatic saying or question; perplexing saying or question.
understanding dark sentences – having an understanding or mastery of riddles and double-talk (ambiguous) statements. The opposite of straight-talk. This one talks in circles (“beats about the bush”) without ever getting to the point of the discussion. Benson says: “One practised in craft and policy, particularly in the arts of seducing men from their religion. In this Antiochus was too successful with the Jews.”
Note the “craft” (= deceit; treachery) of this same person in Vs 25
below. “Deceit and treachery” was the name of the
game; political intrigue rather than open truth.
shall stand up – shall arise (as king in this case)
Daniel 8:24 – And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.
power – strength, power,
might – from a word meaning to be firm.
his power shall be mighty – or his power shall be vast or shall increase.
not by his own power – Antiochus was not a born leader of men; the fact that he is depicted by a little or insignificant horn demonstrates this clearly. His power or might was not due to him personally but because he had assistance from other sources. Some suggest that there was a significant group of treacherous Jews who supported the deceits of Antiochus. But if Antiochus is to be seen as a type of the future antichrist, then his power, like that of the antichrist (also noted as an insignificant little horn), will be largely of satan. Antiochus was an insignificant man who could never achieve much on his own, but due to the enabling of satan, whom he obviously served, he was able to achieve significant victories, at least for a time (see Daniel 8:19).
destroy – to spoil; ruin; destroy; to
pervert; corrupt.
destroy wonderfully
– cause extraordinary destruction. One commentary says that he causes
astonishing havoc.
shall prosper – shall bring to a
successful conclusion; that is, he’ll achieve his
goals (for a season, anyway)
practise – He not only talks about
what he’ll do but he also does what he says he will
do. He states his goals and then sets out to achieve them, and will succeed in
this, too.
the mighty and the holy people
– Those who made effective opposition to Antiochus and those who were intent on
serving God faithfully. In general this would include
those who got in the way of the destruction that Antiochus was intent upon
forcing on the Jewish people. That is, even those who tried to do the right
thing according to God’s requirements would be destroyed (for a time, that is).
Note that the little horn (antichrist) of the end-times “shall wear out the saints of the most High”
(Daniel 7:25).
Daniel 8:25 – And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify [himself] in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.
policy – sekel (prudence;
insight; understanding; good sense; cunning; craft in a bad sense)
It is generally used in a positive sense, such as
in 1 Samuel 25:3
– “and the name of his wife Abigail: and [she
was] a woman of good understanding”
But here in Vs 25 above it refers to his policy of
using deceit and treachery (“craft”)
to get what he wants (for a season). Antiochus has reasoned that he will need
to deceive the Jews as to his real intentions in order to
achieve his goal (which would seem to be the destruction of their religious
system which he sees as direct opposition to his religion). He sees himself as
the manifestation of Zeus and the Jews refuse to recognise such importance! And
it works, for a while.
craft – mirmah (deceit;
treachery)
to prosper – to be successful; to bring the desired results. Antiochus’ policy of using treachery is successful; it achieves its goal of taking control of their worship (at least for the time appointed by God – Daniel 8:19). He decided that the best way to destroy their religion was by trickery – and it worked! This included getting rid of the Levitical high priest, replacing him with Menelaus (of the tribe of Benjamin) who then assisted Antiochus to establish false worship in the temple. In around 168 BC Antiochus sent an army into Jerusalem seemingly in friendship, then when they were inside the gates, turned on the people, killing great numbers.
“As long as he was occupied with preparations for his expedition against Egypt, Antiochus had no time for Palestine; but when the Romans compelled him to forego his plans of conquest, his rage at the unexpected impediment was wreaked upon the innocent Jews. An officer, Apollonius, was sent through the country with an armed troop, commissioned to slay and destroy. He first entered Jerusalem amicably; then suddenly turning upon the defenseless city, he murdered, plundered, and burnt through its length and breadth. The men were butchered, women and children sold into slavery, and in order to give permanence to the work of desolation, the walls and numerous houses were torn down.” (https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tje/a/antiochus-iv-epiphanes.html)
This anger of Antiochus resulted from being ordered by Rome to leave
Egypt alone or else!
“The Roman ambassador (Gaius Popillus Laenas) in Egypt
confronts Seleucid King Antiochus IV and demands that Antiochus commit to
withdraw from Egypt. The ambassador draws a circle in the sand around
Antiochus. The Roman ambassador demands that Antiochus—prior to crossing the
circle line in the sand—commit to withdrawing all his forces from Egypt,
implying that Antiochus’s breach of the circle in the absence of a commitment
to withdraw, would provoke war with Rome. Antiochus hesitates, but then
capitulates and commits to withdraw from Egypt. The Roman ambassador shakes his
hand and Antiochus exits the circle in the sand. Antiocus
subsequently indeed withdraws his forces from Egypt.”
(http://www.jewishhistorytimeline.com/timeline/168-bce-line-in-the-sand-antiochus/)
And today we note this event every time we talk about something crossing
that line in the sand!
heart – or thinking; understanding
he shall magnify [himself] in his heart – Antiochus shall
consider himself to be great according to his own delusions of grandeur. He
will consider his successes so far to be the evidence of his greatness. Of
course, he thought he was the manifestation of Zeus and therefore greater than
anyone else, but others around him declared him to be deluded, naming him not
Epiphanes (= manifestation of a god) but Epimanes (=
madman). Like so many dictators, his strength and greatness was
but a delusion that destroyed him in the end.
by peace shall destroy many – He will treacherously promise peace when
his intention is really total control or destruction.
Benson says “Under pretence of peace and
friendship, he invaded and spoiled both Egypt and Judea. The character which
Grotius gives of Antiochus may serve to throw light on these clauses of the
verse. “He had no regard to piety or integrity, to any true or false God, but
measured all things by the rule of his own convenience. He certainly deceived
many nations, and by his flatteries and frauds obtained, as well as enlarged
his dominion; and under the colour of peace, or pretended tranquillity, he
oppressed the unwary, and destroyed multitudes:”” The Jewish
encyclopedia says that “his sojourn in Rome had
taught him how to captivate the common people with an appearance of geniality,
but in his heart he had all a cruel tyrant's contempt
for his fellow men.”
he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes – He will openly oppose the true worship of God, demanding that the Jews worship Zeus instead.
“Antiochus IV issued decrees aimed at helping the most enthusiastically pro-Greek faction of Jews (usually called "Hellenizers") against the traditionalists. He outlawed Jewish religious rites and traditions and the Temple in Jerusalem was changed to a syncretic Greek-Jewish cult that included worship of Zeus.” (Wikipedia)
“The possession of a sacred book or the performance of the rite of circumcision was punished with death.” (Jewish Encyclopedia)
he shall be broken without hand – This could mean that his death was not by any act of human violence, but it is generally assumed to mean that it was God’s judgment upon Antiochus for his wicked acts. 2 Maccabees says “But the all-seeing Lord, the God of Israel, struck him with an incurable and invisible blow. As soon as he stopped speaking he was seized with a pain in his bowels, for which there was no relief, and with sharp internal tortures— and that very justly, for he had tortured the bowels of others with many and strange inflictions. …. And so the ungodly man's body swarmed with worms, and while he was still living in anguish and pain, his flesh rotted away, and because of the stench the whole army felt revulsion at his decay.”
The Jewish historian, Josephus (in The Antiquities of the Jews) says “When this concern about these affairs was added to the former, he was confounded, and by the anxiety he was in fell into a distemper, which, as it lasted a great while, and as his pains increased upon him, so he at length perceived he should die in a little time; so he called his friends to him, and told them that his distemper was severe upon him; and confessed withal, that this calamity was sent upon him for the miseries he had brought upon the Jewish nation, while he plundered their temple, and contemned their God; and when he had said this, he gave up the ghost.”
Daniel 8:26 – And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told [is] true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it [shall be] for many days.
true – or faithful; reliable; trustworthy
shut thou up – or keep these sayings secret or hidden
it [shall be] for many days – It is about events that are many days (a long time yet) in the future.
the evening and the morning – the same phrase is translated “days” in Daniel 8:14. Why should the translators translate it as “days” and then as “the evening and the morning” soon after when it is clear that both times it has to refer to the same situation? It is very clear, though, that it must refer to the evening and morning sacrifices as per Exodus 29:38-39 – 38Now this [is that] which thou shalt offer upon the altar; two lambs of the first year day by day continually. 39The one lamb thou shalt offer in the morning; and the other lamb thou shalt offer at even:
Especially when Daniel says that this vision of the evenings and mornings “is true”. That is, what he has already previously stated as part of the vision is trustworthy. So, if the two phrases refer to the same situation, why not record each the same way?
Daniel 8:27 – And I Daniel fainted, and was sick [certain] days; afterward I rose up, and did the king’s business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood [it].
fainted – literally “came to pass”; “was brought about” or “was finished or done”
It is translated “brake” in Daniel 2:1 (“his sleep brake from him”) Effectively here, Daniel has come to the end of his endurance, thus he faints, possibly from exhaustion or maybe mental anguish.
was sick – was sick, worn out or tired. Thus exhaustion of some sort is implied.
(certain) days – For a definite period of time, a number of days.
was astonished – or appalled, astounded or stupefied
none understood (it) – No-one understood it or no-one was able to understand it. Did he tell others about his vision? However, if Daniel were told to shut the vision up, then it probably doesn’t involve what others thought about it. Did Daniel tell others about the vision but without the interpretation given by Gabriel? Maybe. Did Daniel understand it because of that interpretation but others couldn’t understand because they lacked the interpretation?
I think it likely that Daniel himself had had so much astonishment in the understanding of it that he was declaring that no-one else would be able to understand it, that it was not possible to understand it without the input of Gabriel, especially as he, Daniel, may have struggled to understand it in spite of knowing the interpretation given by Gabriel.
The Jews considered the little horn of Ch.7 to be Antiochus.
“For Jews, Antiochus is the 'little horn' of Daniel 7. Rabbinical sources style him 'the wicked.'” (New World Encyclopedia)
However, while there are many similarities between the little horns of Ch.7 & 8, there are some critical differences, such as the length of time (3½ years vs 2300 evenings & mornings), their initial appearing (one arises among ten other horns, while the other grows from one of the four horns), and their end (one leads to an everlasting kingdom while the other does not mention this).
Also, if they are both to refer to the same being, then that must be Antiochus, yet Jesus spoke of the abomination as spoken of by Daniel as yet in the future (Matthew 24:15), and therefore not Antiochus.
Paul also wrote of the antichrist who would sit in the temple claiming to be God, a yet-future event.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 – 3Let no man deceive you by any means: for [that day shall not come], except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
This would also relate to the beast of Revelation 13 where the beast (antichrist) will continue his assault against God’s people and his blasphemy against God for 42 months = 3½ years (Revelation 13:5).
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