Daniel 8:12
And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered. And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.
The power that casts truth to the ground is Rome, whose history fulfills the symbols of the little horn. It overthrows God's truth by trampling His law underfoot and setting human customs and traditions in its place. This is done above all by setting aside the Bible Sabbath, exalting Sunday as holy, and persecuting and condemning those who keep the Sabbath, so that only by flight can the faithful obey in peace. In the statement about the daily, the word sacrifice was added by translators and is not part of the text, and the right understanding of the daily was given to those who proclaimed the judgment-hour message, uniting nearly all of them before 1844. Its prophetic periods are reckoned from 457 B.C., and after the disappointment in 1844 time is never again to be made a test.
The Daily and Little Horn
The little horn of the vision is Rome, not Antiochus Epiphanes, and the symbols of the chapter are interpreted by the historical facts of Rome. The symbols of the vision, including the little horn, were explained, while the time period was left unexplained. Daniel supposed that the 2,300 days ended with the seventy years of captivity, and his prayer over Jerusalem and its ruined sanctuary led to further explanation through Gabriel.
In the phrase concerning the daily, the word sacrifice does not belong to the text but was added by translators through human interpretation. The correct view of the daily was given by God to those who proclaimed the first angel's message. Nearly all who proclaimed the judgment-hour message were united on that correct view before 1844. After 1844 competing views arose and brought confusion and darkness, with confusion leading people to embrace other views and further darkness following.
The interpretation of the daily remains disputed, and the verse is cited in doctrinal controversy without settling which view is correct.
Casting Truth to the Ground
The verse foretells the papal power casting God's truth to the ground by trampling God's law and exalting human traditions and customs. This was fulfilled in trampling the law, especially the Bible Sabbath, by imposing Sunday as holy and demanding that the Sabbath be profaned. Those who honored the Sabbath were denounced and condemned. The pressure extended even to requiring Sabbath keepers to abstain from work on Sunday.
The pressure confused many faithful people into resting on both days. Only by fleeing and escaping Rome's power could people obey God's law in peace.
Prophetic Time and Application
The chronological periods of the prophecy to which this verse belongs are reckoned from 457 B.C. The correct view of the daily was given by God to those who proclaimed the first angel's message, and before 1844 nearly all who proclaimed the judgment-hour message were united upon it. After 1844 competing views brought confusion and darkness as people embraced other views, and God made no test of time after 1844. Time will never again be a test.
The events of the vision to which this verse belongs are now being fulfilled, and the things it foretold are soon to come to pass. The verse also applies to an unsuccessful public defense of truth, when by entering debates he could not handle Curtis brought the truth into disrepute. In that failure his opponents triumphed over the truth he sought to defend.