Desecration of the Temple

Series on Daniel

III. The Consummation

A Abomination in the Holiest, Text: Daniel 8

Title: Desecration of the Temple

Introduction

In the distinct Aramaic section of Daniel, chapters 2-7 we saw the triumph of the kingdom of God and of God’s rule and purpose over heathen empires. The section we now begin reviews some of the same material and adds new but has as its special emphasis the history of Daniel’s people, the Jews. Like the previous section however, it stretches far beyond to the very end of history past us and our time to the day of judgement and resurrection. The central point of this section is that the attack on God’s people does not change. It is a lesson in prophetic perspective. There is no clear division between the near and distant future. The events that are to take place in the near future, from the time of Daniel until the coming of the Messiah are outlined in bewildering detail. So great is the precision of this prophecy that many who tend to doubt and disbelieve have rejected it as inconceivable and unimaginable that such prophecies could exist. But then we pass almost imperceptibly into those sections of the prophecy which deal with the far distant future and they become less precise and more general with less attention to detail. If you look to the end of this section you can plainly see that it moves from a very precise description of the history of the near future  to the end of all things in Daniel 12:1-3, At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. Notice that there Daniel’s people include not just the Jews and their history but the people of God in all ages which includes us, Thus we begin with chapter 8 which according to the majority of Bible students has to do with events which came after Daniel’s time but before the birth of Messiah. This chapter describes primarily the arrogantly self titled Theos Antiochus Epiphanes who came to power in 175 BC. He was a Seleucid, one of the powers descended from the empire of Alexander the Great. The Seleucids governed Syria. He was the worst enemy of the Jews and the revolt against him is recorded in the Jewish books of Maccabees and remembered to this day in Chanukah. He killed 40,000 people in the space of 3 days, he sacrificed a pig on the altar of burnt offering, removed the sacred furniture, put a crony in power as high priest, prohibited the Jewish sacrifices and ordinances, sacrificed humans on the altar of the temple, and set up a statue of Zeus in the temple. He thus became emblematic of the anti-christ since his activity was the embryonic form of the evil that all antichrists do. The descriptions of antichrist in the words of Jesus and Paul both hearken back to this figure. even the language of the book of Daniel, when it describes him, seems to stretch beyond the historical person to a more hideous and horrible evil. Today we examine what he did as it relates to us. He is the main point of the vision. It describes the Medo-Persian empire as a goat, and Alexander the Great’s empire as a ram and the secular history of these empires parallels the description here in the vision in verses 1-8, In the third year of King Belshazzar’s reign, I, Daniel, had a vision, after the one that had already appeared to me. In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa in the province of Elam; in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal. I looked up, and there before me was a ram with two horns, standing beside the canal, and the horns were long. One of the horns was longer than the other but grew up later. I watched the ram as he charged toward the west and the north and the south. No animal could stand against him, and none could rescue from his power. He did as he pleased and became great. As I was thinking about this, suddenly a goat with a prominent horn between his eyes came from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. He came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at him in great rage. I saw him attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering his two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against him; the goat knocked him to the ground and trampled on him, and none could rescue the ram from his power. The goat became very great, but at the height of his power his large horn was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven. It is the horn which started small in verses 9-12 who is the main character, Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land. It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. It set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host; it took away the daily sacrifice from him, and the place of his sanctuary was brought low. Because of rebellion, the host of the saints and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground. This character comes after the kingdoms described in verses 1-8 and we look at his deeds under three headings: deception, delusion and destruction.

I Deception

At the outset we need to hear the interpretation of the vision which is given to Daniel. This is where we see the rest of the deception, delusion and destruction that concerns us. It is found in verses 15-27, While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man. And I heard a man’s voice from the Ulai calling, “Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision.” As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. “Son of man,” he said to me, “understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.” While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and raised me to my feet. He said: “I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end. The two-horned ram that you saw represents the kings of Media and Persia. The shaggy goat is the king of Greece, and the large horn between his eyes is the first king. The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power. “In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise. He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power. “The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.” I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for several days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding. Scholars readily identify the kings and kingdoms from the earlier part of this prophecy, Medo-Persia and Greece. The division of Alexander’s empire was represented by four horns and from one of these grew another horn which forms the climax of the entire vision. He is easily identified as Theos Antiochus Epiphanes (Antiochus, the Illustrious God), and was referred to by others as Epimanes (‘the madman’). In his expansionist policy he overran Palestine, called here the Beautiful Land; and sacked Jerusalem amid terrible bloodshed. As we have mentioned he abolished the daily morning and evening sacrificial offerings (11; cf. Ex. 29:38–43) and committed the blasphemy of sacrificing a pig on the altar of burnt offering, later placing a statue of Zeus in the temple and making human sacrifices on the altar. He forbade circumcision and profaned the Sabbath. How the children of God must have thought where is God? Like the Psalmist they said why do the wicked prosper? Like the disciples on the Emmaus road they said that they hoped that He would be the deliverer, but Jesus was in the grave. As in the time in the ministry of Paul when the powers of darkness had him beaten and imprisoned and appeared victorious for a while. In all these circumstances there is that deception which says evil will triumph. but Jesus came forth from the grave. Paul was more than a conqueror. The evil that is perpetrated finally catches up with the evil-doer. After 11 miserable years Antiochus died suddenly of disease in 164 BC.

II Delusion

Antiochus brought great delusion against the people of God. His ruthless and irresistible power was vulnerable because he believed in his own deity and his own strength. In II Thessalonians 2:11 Paul is describing the time of the end and the forces of anti-Christ and he writes, And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie. Antiochus is a model of all the anti-Christs that follow him. He believed the lie and he wanted everyone to believe the lie. II Chronicles says of Uzziah the king that when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction. He believed the lie like all the oppressive tyrants who are followed by foolish deceived people. This is the result of the false impressions that people have that some great man or group of men, usually the government, will save them. There is no shortage of delusional messiahs in any age. This chapter and the whole book of Daniel is a lesson in delusion. Every one of these great conquerors, leaders, and/or persecutors is false and Godless.

III Destruction

Antiochus and successive anti-Christs attempt to bury three precious and sacred things.

A Destroy the Sacrifice

We see first the removal of the daily sacrifice in verses 10 and 11, It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. It set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host; it took away the daily sacrifice from him. Antiochus forbid the sacrificial system .Sacrifice was the major part of the religious experience of the people of God. Though the sacrifices of animals have ended with the once for all sacrifice of Christ it is still Satan’s strategy as it was through Antiochus to remove sacrifice from our lives. First by removing our dependence on Christ’s atoning sacrifice as fully sufficient to bring forgiveness, peace and a clear conscience. Secondly by removing sacrifice as the principle of Christian living. In other words get rid of the cross and you destroy the work of God. As you think about the attacks of liberalism and unbelief in our own time the central thrust is to remove the daily sacrifice, that is to make the cross which is foolishness to the Greeks and a stumbling block to the Jews of none effect by promoting salvation by works instead of through Jesus’ work in dying for us.

B Destroy the Sanctuary

Again in verses 10 and 11 we read, It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. It set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host and the place of his sanctuary was brought low. According to verses 13 and 14 the sanctuary would be closed off from the people for over 6 years, Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, “How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled—the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host that will be trampled underfoot?” He said to me, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated.” The sanctuary was the only place where legitimate sacrifices for sin could be offered. This is the awful vandalism which trampled underfoot that which is holy and tore down that which had been built up as a monument to God’s revelation and was absolutely essential to Israel’s worship. So today modern counterparts of Antiochus endeavor to destroy the temple of God, the Church of Jesus Christ from without and within. Destruction without; dissension within. The Bible sets before us both the peace and purity of the Church. Peace is paramount here. Satan makes war from without and when that does not succeed he makes war from within. If we do not watch and pray it happens to us.

C Destroy the Truth

And so we read in verses 10-12, It grew until it reached the host of the heavens, and it threw some of the starry host down to the earth and trampled on them. It set itself up to be as great as the Prince of the host…Because of rebellion, the host of the saints and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground. Truth was thrown to the ground. Here the issue is purity. Remember that Antiochus sacrificed pigs and humans on the altar and set up a statue of Zeus in the sanctuary. This was the abomination of desolation. It was idolatry of the grossest kind, but idolatry is not always so gross. The apostle John says, Little children keep yourselves from idols, as his final word of his first epistle. Let us not think it is superfluous. The mass of the American church has been invaded with false teaching. They say Christ is not God, Mary was not a virgin, the Bible is not true, the atonement is not sufficient, and the resurrection is a myth and can we honestly ask if the spirit of Antiochus is dead? Paul warned that after his departure from Ephesus savage wolves would come in speaking perverse things, not sparing the flock.

Conclusion

I think we get the point. The vision given to Daniel of what will happen to his people is a vision of what will continue to happen to God’s people in our own time. Let us not sleep. As Samuel Stone says in his great hymn “The Church’s One Foundation,’ “Though with a scornful wonder men see her sore oppressed, by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed, yet saints their watch are keeping.” And again, “Though there be those that hate her and false sons in her pale, against or foe or traitor she ever shall prevail.” Read the closing verses of this chapter, verses 26 and 27, “The vision of the evenings and mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.” I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for several days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding. He was properly appalled for he had been told about the future which was then still distant to him, but a future that was full of frightening prospects. But he recovered and continued to do what he ought to do which was the king’s business and also the business of the King of Kings.