Daniel 8:9–14

And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land. And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them. He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down. Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered.

Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, “How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?”

And he said to me, “For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.”

This one is scary on a different level. The Glorious Land seems to be referring to Daniel’s homeland, the land of milk and honey that God promised Daniel’s forefathers. So, it tugs at his heartstrings.

But the scariest part is when the vision shows that the little horn cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them. In the Bible, “stars” is typically a reference to heavenly beings. So is “host.” As we’ve been saying all along, the action in Heaven is what matters. This time, that’s where the bad things are happening.

Even if “stars” and “host” are references to great saints or other earthly heroes of the faith, this is far more dreadful than any of the other visions.

Then, the vision moves on to some creepy specifics. He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host. What could that be other than a reference to deity? This horn is one arrogant fellow.

And by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down. That means the cessation of the covenantal system of sacrifices. This guy doesn’t just want to be king; he’s got bigger things in mind—insane things no one should aspire to. The obvious response is, “Oh dear. How long will this last?”

The answer is too specific. “For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.”

All this was fulfilled under Antiochus Epiphanes.

Remember, this vision happens as the end of the 70-year captivity that Jeremiah had prophesied. Daniel is hoping that everyone will soon be able to go home, rebuild the temple, and start proper worship again. Glory days are coming.

This vision trashes that future. It’s so heartbreaking that it will make Daniel physically ill.

To subscribe to The DEEP click here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/community

All the weekly study guides, which include all five devotionals plus related questions for discussion or meditation, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV stands for the English Standard Version. © Copyright 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved. NIV stands for The Holy Bible, New International Version®. © Copyright 1973 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved. KJV stands for the King James Version.