Daniel 8.11-The Small Horn Presented Itself As Great As the Commander of the Host While Taking Away From Him the Daily Sacrifice So That the Holy Place Was Abandoned
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday August 7, 2013
Daniel: Daniel 8:11-The Small Horn Presented Itself As Great As the Commander of the Host While Taking Away From Him the Daily Sacrifice So that the Holy Place was Abandoned
Lesson # 239
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 8:1.
Daniel 8:1 During the third year of Belshazzar’s reign, the king, a vision appeared to me, I, Daniel after the one appearing to me previously. 2 Indeed, I was staring because of this vision. Specifically, I myself was in a trance like state staring as I myself was in Susa, the citadel, which was in the province of Elam. Furthermore, I was staring because of this vision as I myself was beside the Ulai Canal. 3 Then, I lifted up my eyes and then I was staring as behold a ram was standing in front of the canal with it possessing two horns. Furthermore, the two horns were long. However, one was longer than the other with the longer one growing up last. 4 I saw this ram continually butting westward as well as northward and in addition southward as all the beasts could by no means stand in front of it. Furthermore, none could deliver out from its power so that it acted according to its desire. Indeed, it became great. 5 Then, I myself was in a trance like state as behold a male-goat who is ruler over the goats, was traveling from the west over the earth’s surface. In fact, it was not touching the earth’s surface. Also, this male-goat had a conspicuous horn between its eyes. 6 Next, it traveled up to the ram possessing two horns which I saw standing in front of the canal. In fact, it charged against it in a powerful rage. 7 Consequently, I saw it wage an attack opposing this ram while causing itself to become enraged against it. Indeed, it repeatedly struck this ram so as to shatter its two horns. Also, there was no ability in the ram to stand in front of it. Then, it drove it to the ground as well as trampled on it repeatedly. Indeed, to the detriment of the ram, there was none who could deliver from its power. 8 So the male-goat who is the ruler over the goats was very great. However, as soon as it became powerful, the unusual horn was broken. Then, in its place, four conspicuous ones arose towards the heaven’s four winds. 9 Next, from one of them, a small horn in comparison emerged which grew excessively large toward the south as well as the east and in addition the beautiful land. 10 Specifically, it grew larger than the heaven’s host. Indeed, it caused some of this host, yes some of these stars to fall to the earth. Also, it trampled on them. (My translation)
Daniel 8:11 It even magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host; and it removed the regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down. (NASB95)
“Even” is the conjunction wa (וְ) (waw), which denotes that this statement it introduces as an addition to the previous statements in verse 10 is out of the ordinary or unexpected.
The “ascensive” use of the conjunction expresses the shock that the small horn would present itself as or like the commander of the host, who is God Himself and denotes that this is out of the ordinary or not what a human being would be expected to do.
“It magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host” indicates that this small horn will present itself as great as God in the sense that he will present himself to the human race as being like God who is worthy of worship, honor and praise.
“The Commander of the host” is referring to the leader or commander of the saints, who is of course the God the Israel, who the New Testament teaches is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
“And it removed the regular sacrifice from Him” is a temporal clause indicating that the small horn presented itself as great as the commander of the host “while” stopping the daily sacrifice which honors the God of Israel.
“It removed the regular sacrifice from Him” teaches that the small horn took away from God the daily sacrifice offered to him by the Jewish people.
“And the place of His sanctuary was thrown down” presents the result of the previous statement that the small horn presented itself as great as God while taking away the daily sacrifice from God.
“The place of His sanctuary” refers to the Jewish temple standing in the days of Antiochus Epiphanes IV or foreshadows the Jewish temple which will be standing during Daniel’s Seventieth Week.
“Was thrown down” is the verb šā·lǎḵ (שָׁלַךְ) (shaw-lak´), which means “to abandon” in the sense of withdrawing from in the face of danger or encroachment, to give up to the control of influence of another person or agent.
Here it refers to the Jews withdrawing from the temple in the face of being killed by the king represented by the small horn who controls the temple.
Daniel 8:11 It even presented itself as great as the host’s Commander while taking away the daily sacrifice from Him so that His holy place was abandoned. (My translation)
Daniel continues his description of the actions of the small horn in his vision, which emerged from one of the four conspicuous horns of the male goat.
He informs the reader that the small horn did something shocking in that it presented itself as great as the host’s Commander while taking away the daily sacrifice offered to this Commander.
Daniel then advances upon this statement by presenting the implication of this action on the part of the small horn, namely that the Commander’s holy place was abandoned.
Who is the small horn referring to?
Well, in Daniel 8:21-22, the elect archangel Gabriel interprets the male-goat as representing the kingdom of Greece thus the king represented by the small horn emerges out of the Greek Empire.
In Daniel 8:24, Gabriel tells Daniel that this king represented by the small horn will defeat the nation of Israel militarily.
History records Antiochus Epiphanes IV who came from the Greek Empire doing so in the second century B.C.
Daniel 8:9 tells us that this small horn grew excessively large toward the south, east and the beautiful land, which is a reference to Israel.
By way of implication, the point of reference is Syria with “the south” referring to Egypt.
History tells us that Antiochus Epiphanes IV conducted military expeditions south of Syria in Egypt and in the east toward Medo-Persia and in the land of Israel, which resides between Syria and Egypt.
Therefore, Daniel 8:9 symbolizes Antiochus Epiphanes IV defeating Egypt (“the south”), Medo-Persia (“the east”) and Israel (“the beautiful land”) since the description in this verse corresponds to the history of Syria.
Then, in Daniel 8:10, Daniel describes the people of the beautiful land as “the heavens’ host” and “the stars.”
Daniel tells the reader that the small horn grew larger than the host of heaven.
Then he advances upon this by informing the reader that the small horn caused some of this host, yes some of these stars to fall to the earth and he also trampled on them.
The “heaven’s host” and the “stars” are both a reference to the nation of Israel and specifically regenerate Israelites, which is indicated by Gabriel’s interpretation in Daniel 8:24.
In this verse, the elect angel interprets “the heaven’s host” as referring to “the mighty people.”
Also, in verse 24, Gabriel describes the faithful Israelites as a “holy nation,” which parallels and interprets the phrase the “stars” in Daniel 8:10.
Nothing in the context of chapter eight would indicate that the host of heaven and the stars is a reference to the elect angels.
Gabriel’s interpretation and history make clear that regenerate Israel is being referred to by the expressions “host of heaven” and the “stars.”
So in Daniel 8:10, Daniel describes this small horn causing some of the heaven’s host, yes the stars to fall to the earth, which is a symbolic description and prophecy of Antiochus Epiphanes IV waging war against Israel and killing some of regenerate Israel.
The description of the small horn trampling on the stars refers to the Antiochus Epiphanes IV attempting to wipe out this faithful remnant in Israel.
Now, here in Daniel 8:11, Daniel tells us that the king represented by the small horn presented itself as great as the Commander of the host, which is a reference to the God of Israel who we know from the New Testament is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
The daily sacrifice is said to be taken away from Him, which is an indication that God is the Commander of the host.
Furthermore, Daniel says in Daniel 8:11 that “His” holy place was abandon.
The nearest antecedent of the pronominal suffix translated “His” is the Commander of the host.
Lastly, the Scriptures teach that God is the leader and commander of the nation of Israel since He created this nation and chose the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to be a nation of holy people who serve and represent Him before the Gentiles.
Therefore, Daniel 8:11 describes in symbolic prophetic terms Antiochus Epiphanes opposing God by abolishing the daily sacrifice in the Jewish Temple which were offered up to the God of Israel as an act of worship.
Antiochus Epiphanes’ actions foreshadow the actions of Antichrist who Revelation 13, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 and Daniel 9:27 teach will abolish the sacrifices in the Jewish temple during Daniel’s Seventieth Week and proclaim himself as God and demand the world to worship him as God.
He, like Antiochus Epiphanes before him, will set up an abomination of desolation in the temple standing during Daniel’s Seventieth Week, which will be a statue of himself which he will compel the Jews and the earth’s inhabitants to worship or be put to death for failing to obey his orders.
By God forewarning Israel of this persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes, He is reminding the faithful remnant in Israel at that time, that He is sovereign and in control and not Antiochus Epiphanes.