The Sanctuary and the 2,300 Days

THE eighth chapter of Daniel is a prophecy of wonderful interest; for it gives the prophetic history of the world from the rise of the Persian Empire till the final destruction of all earthly kingdoms by the God of heaven. The succession of earthly empires was presented to the prophet under the symbols of a ram, a goat, and a little horn that became exceeding great.

And when these had been to him, he was told by the angel Gabriel that the ram represented the kingdom of Media and Persia; and that the goat was the kingdom of Grecia; and the horn which became exceeding great, though not called by name, was identified by several decisive facts, among which are these: That it should be the great destroyer of the people of God, and that it should put to death the Prince of princes. These facts show that the Roman power is intended.

In connection with these symbols which represent the great empires which have since arisen, the prophet learned the duration of his vision. For he heard Gabriel ask Michael, "How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?" And Michael, who answered the question to Daniel, said: "Unto two thousand and three hundred days: then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." Verses 13, 14.

Now, it is plain that the period of twenty-three hundred days cannot be understood to mean so many literal days; for this would not make quite seven years, and would cover only a very small part of the duration of one of the three great empires of this vision. But we should remember that in this vision the great empires of the world are represented by symbols, and thus are given on a scale which brings them distinctly before the eye of the observer. It is necessary that the time should be given on a scale that corresponds with this in order not to involve an absurdity. For the Persian, Grecian, and Roman empires have in all continued between 2,000 and 3,000 years. Now when these empires were represented by beasts, if the time that the empires were to continue was given without a corresponding abatement, then we should have these beasts living a thousand years apiece! This would be absurd. But it would not be absurd to represent them as living and acting that number of days.

EXPLANATION OF THE DAYS.

The days must therefore represent longer periods of time. If we compare spiritual things with spiritual, we shall find the key to the interpretation of these days. For the different inspired writers were all led by the same Spirit of truth. They were like so many workmen engaged in building a temple. If we can find the rule which governed one of them, we shall find that same rule governing all the rest in like circumstances. Now God gave this rule to Ezekiel in the interpretation of the symbols of his own vision: "I have appointed thee each day for a year." Eze. 4:6. We shall find in Gabriel's explanation of this vision of Daniel, given in the ninth chapter, that the days in Daniel's prophecy are so many years.

This period of two thousand and three hundred days was certainly given for the benefit of the people of God. But it cannot benefit them unless they are able to understand it. We have indeed ascertained that it must be two thousand and three hundred years. But if we do not know when this period commences, we shall be none the wiser for having the period given in Daniel's prophecy. But there is a certain great event to take place when this period expires, and God designed to give his people knowledge of the time. The event is called the cleansing of the sanctuary. We shall find the subject one of very deep interest when we come to examine the Bible to learn what it teaches respecting the sanctuary and its cleansing.

But the date of this great period is not given in the eighth chapter of Daniel. In that chapter, however, the commandment is given by Michael thus: "Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision." Verse 16. And yet in verse 27, he tells us that he "was astonished at the vision, but none understood it." The angel, in explaining to him this vision, set before him the destruction of the mighty and the holy people, and the cruel death of the Son of God. The prophet could bear no more, for he "fainted, and was sick certain days;" so Gabriel reserved the remainder of the explanation till another time.

But in the ninth chapter we find Daniel earnestly seeking God with reference to his sanctuary. Verses 3, 17. He seems to have connected his own vision of the sanctuary with that of Jeremiah respecting the desolation of the temple at Jerusalem. Verse 2. His mind was upon the subject of time. He knew that the seventy years of Jeremiah's prophecy were just expiring, and he was intently studying that period, doubtless in connection with the period which Michael told him marked the cleansing of the sanctuary. It was necessary that he should now be made to understand the reckoning of the great period revealed to him in his vision of the eighth chapter.

THE TIME EXPLAINED.

And so while he was engaged in importunate prayer for the people of God and for his sanctuary, the angel Gabriel touches him, saying, "I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding." Verse 22. And calling attention to the vision which he had been commanded to explain to him, he says: "Therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision." Verse 23, compared with chapter 8:16.

Thereupon he gives Daniel the key to the reckoning of this great period. "Seventy weeks," says he, "are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city," etc. Verse 24. The word determined does not express the full sense of the Hebrew word used by the angel. That word signifies "to cut off," "to divide." The translators not seeing the propriety of such a word in this place, for they did not note the fact that the ninth chapter is the key to the eighth, and so thought nothing of the long period in that chapter, could not understand how the seventy weeks could be said to be cut off, and so they departed from the literal meaning, and said that seventy weeks were "determined," that is appointed, upon thy people and thy city. But with the prophet the case was different. The angel had bidden him "consider the vision." And nothing was more natural, when told that seventy weeks were cut off, than that he should recur to the long period revealed to him without a date in that vision.

THE BEGINNING OF THE DAYS.

This shorter period being cut off from that long period gives us the key to the reckoning of that period from which it is cut off. When we ascertain the date of the seventy weeks, we have also ascertained the point from which the twenty-three hundred days are to be reckoned. And this date the angel next gives us. "Know therefore," said Gabriel, "and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks." Verse 25. The commandment for the restoration of Jerusalem, which city then lay in ruins, is the event which marks the commencement of this period. Cyrus gave the Jews permission to return and build the temple, but did not say anything respecting the city itself. Ezra 1. This decree Darius renewed when the Jews were hindered by their enemies, and he provided means for the expense of finishing the temple. Ezra 6. But Artaxerxes added to the work of Cyrus and Darius the full restoration of the city to its ancient privileges, and the re-establishment of the law of God as the law of the city; and he authorized the rebuilding of its walls. Ezra 7:11-26; 9:9. The commandment is the prophetic command- ment of the God of heaven (Isa. 44:26-28; 45:13), and was carried into effect by Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes, whose successive action is recognized as the legal establishment of that commandment by the authority of the Persian Empire. Ezra 66:14.

The decree of Artaxerxes, which marks the going forth of the commandment, was in the year B.C. 457 (see margin of Ezra 7), a date which has been established by the infallible testimony of many eclipses. Sixty-nine weeks, or four hundred and eighty-three prophetic days, extended from this date to the Messiah, that is, to Christ. This period was fulfilled in exactly four hundred and eighty-three years, which proves that we have made no mistake in reckoning Daniel's days as years, nor in fixing their date at B.C. 457.

It was in the autumn of A. D. 27, just four hundred and eighty-three full years from the going forth of the commandment in B.C. 457, that our Lord began his ministry. And this was the announcement which he made:

"THE TIME IS FULFILLED."

Mark 1:15. He did in these words refer to the sixty-nine weeks which marked the commencement of his ministry, and he announced the fulfillment of that period. For the period extends not simply to the birth of the Saviour, but to his anointing, which took place at his baptism, the word Messiah signifying the anointed one. See John 1:41 (margin); Acts 10:38, 39; Luke 3:21, 22; 4:14-21.

The sixty-nine weeks did, therefore, end with the beginning of our Lord's ministry in the autumn of A.D. 27. One week of the seventy remained in which the covenant was to be confirmed with many. Verse 27. In the midst of this week, the sacrifice and oblation were to cease. This must signify that he should take these away by becoming himself the great sacrifice for sin which these typified. Heb. 10: 1-13; Col. 2: 14-17. And so it was that our Lord preached during three years and a half, until the spring of A.D. 31, when he was crucified for the sins of men. This date Dr. Hales, one of the most distinguished of chronologists, establishes by conclusive evidence. See his "Analysis of Chronology," second edition, vol. 1, pp. 94-100. There remained of the period which was specially assigned to the Jews three and a half prophetic days to complete the seventy weeks. The termination of this period in A.D. 34 marked the close of the exclusive work for the Jews, and the commencement of the work for the Gentiles in the conversion of Saul, who was at once commissioned to them. Acts 26:17-20. Here ended the seventy weeks which were cut off from the 2,300 days. When, these four hundred and ninety days were finished, there remained 1,810 days before the time should come for the cleansing of the sanctuary. As the four hundred and ninety ended in the autumn of A.D. 34, the remaining 1,810 days ended in the autumn of 1844. (To be continued.)