THE SANCTUARY, ITS SERVICE, ETC.
The Great Prophetic Period.
(Lesson 8.—Sabbath, February 27.) IN THE VISION OF DANIEL 8, what symbols were presented to the prophet? Daniel saw a ram, and a goat with one notable horn, which was afterwards broken, and in place of which four horns came up. He also saw a little horn coming out of one of the horns of the goat, which grew and became much greater than any of the others. In addition to seeing these symbols, he heard one saint ask another how long the vision should be, i. e., to what time it should extend; and the answer came to Daniel: "Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." Read Dan. 8: 1-14. What interest did Daniel manifest in this vision? Who was sent to make him understand the meaning of the vision? Daniel had so much interest in the vision that, as soon as he had seen it, he sought for the meaning. Immediately a heavenly being appeared unto him, and he heard a voice saying, "Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision." Dan. 8: 15, 16. The twentieth verse of this chapter contains the angel's explanation of the first symbol, which is declared to represent the line of Medo-Persian kings, i. e., the whole Medo-Persian Empire. The explanation of the second symbol is contained in verses 21, 22, which say that the goat represents Grecia, the notable horn, its first king, and the four horns, the four parts into which the Grecian Empire was divided after Alexander's death. Verses 23-25 explain the meaning of the little horn (Rome), and give an account of the work which it should do. Why did not the angel explain the application of the symbolic time spoken of in the fourteenth verse? The 25th verse finishes the explanation of that which Daniel saw in the vision. In verse 26 the angel begins on the explanation of what Daniel heard. Said he: "And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true." The words, "the vision of the evening and the morning," are a direct reference to what is said in verse 14 concerning the 2300 days. Examine the margin of verse 14, and you will see that "evening morning" is given as the literal Hebrew for "days," and so it is rendered in the revised version. The term "evening morning" is the equivalent of "day." See Gen. 1: 5, etc. So it is evident that Dan. 8: 26 is a direct reference to the 2300 days previously mentioned. But no sooner had the angel uttered the words of verse 26 than Daniel "fainted, and was sick certain days." This of necessity caused a postponement of the remainder of the interpretation. When the prophet had recovered from his sickness, how did he regard the vision? Is there any intimation that he did not understand the part that had been explained to him? Daniel says, "And I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it." Dan. 8: 27. This was exactly the case, although the angel had given him a clear interpretation of a large portion of the vision. But since there was a portion of the vision that was yet unexplained, it was true that he did not understand the vision. He could not say that he understood the vision until he understood every portion of it. How long was it before Gabriel returned to complete the work of making Daniel understand the vision? According to Usher's chronology, the one found in the margin of our Bibles, fifteen years intervened between the events of the 8th of Daniel and those of the 9th. But this chronology is based on the supposition that Belshazzar and Nabonadius were the same. It is now known that Nabonadius was the real king of Babylon, and that Belshazzar, his son, was associated with him in the last years of his reign. Therefore from the third year of Belshazzar until the first year of Darius, could not have been more than three or four years, and may not have been more than one. It is, however, a matter of no importance whether the interval was fifteen years or fifteen minutes. The length of time from the beginning of the interpretation until its close does not in the least affect that interpretation. How was Daniel employed when the angel thus returned to him? When Gabriel next came, he found Daniel engaged in earnest prayer to God, confessing his sins and the sins of his people, and praying the Lord to let his face shine upon his sanctuary. Dan. 9: 3, 17, 20, 21. The prayer itself is found in verses 4-19. When Gabriel came, he said, "O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding." Verse 22. Having stated that he had now come to show him, and to give him skill and understanding, the angel said to Daniel: "Therefore understand the matter and consider the vision." Verse 23. "Consider the vision." What vision? Why the vision which he did not fully understand, of course. And what vision was that? The vision of the 8th chapter. And this is verified by what Daniel says in verse 21: "Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, . . . touched me," etc. Here we have a clue by which to ascertain what vision is referred to. It was the vision in which he had seen Gabriel. Now if you read the book of Daniel through, you will find that the only previous mention of Gabriel is in the 8th chapter. This proves that what the angel says in Dan. 9: 24-27, is an interpretation of the portion of the vision of Dan. 8 which was left unexplained in the interview recorded in that chapter. Daniel was called upon to "consider the vision," i. e., to recall that unexplained portion, in order that he might comprehend the angel's remarks upon it. It will be remembered that the only portion not explained in the 8th chapter is that which is found in verses 13 and 14 of that chapter, viz., that which relates to time. In explanation of this point, what does Gabriel first introduce? In harmony with what has just been said, the angel begins just where he left off in chapter 8, with the subject of time. Said he, "Seventy weeks are determined [or cut off] upon thy people." Verse 24. How much literal time is denoted by the seventy weeks? In Eze. 4: 5, 6 we have a prophecy in which a day is used as a symbol for a year. Now in order to have any consistent interpretation, we must follow the rule that whenever a certain thing is used in one prophecy as a symbol of a certain thing, it must represent that same thing in every other prophecy where it is also used as a symbol. With this all commentators, both Protestant and Catholic, are agreed. The seventy weeks, therefore, which are equal to 490 days, denote 490 literal years. What important things were to be accomplished during the period thus allotted to the Jews? "Seventy weeks [490 years] are determined, [cut off] upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy." Dan. 9: 24. "To finish the transgression." This evidently refers to the filling up of the measure of wickedness by the Jews, in rejecting and crucifying Christ. Compare Matt. 23: 30-32, 37, 38. "To make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity." Since this prophecy covers the period of Christ's earthly ministry, these words seem to refer to Christ's sacrifice for sin, agreeing with what Paul says in Heb. 9: 26: "But now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." "To bring in everlasting righteousness." David says, speaking of the law of God, "All thy commandments are righteousness." Ps. 119: 172. Again: "Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth." Ps. 119: 142. From this we learn that the ten commandments are "everlasting righteousness." In his life Christ exhibited the law in its perfection. He came, as was prophesied, to "magnify the law and make it honorable." Isa. 42: 21. This he did by clearing it of the glosses by which the scribes had obscured its true meaning, but most of all, by his death, by which he showed the unchanging nature of the law. By his death it became possible for this "everlasting righteousness" to be brought in among men, because Christ's righteousness is imputed to all who believe in him. "To seal up the vision and prophecy." To "seal" means to make sure, to establish. The events which were to take place in the 490 years, occurred just as predicted; and this made sure the event which was to occur at the end of the 2300 years, of which period the 490 years formed a part. "And to anoint the most holy." This doubtless refers to the anointing of the heavenly sanctuary, which Christ entered when he left this earth (Heb. 8: 1, 2); the expression is taken from the anointing of the typical sanctuary, described in Ex. 40: 9-11.