Pages1 35
Pages1 35
Pages1 35
unsealed
An exposition revealing what the Book of Daniel
says about the Jewish people and their God
Dan Bruce
First Edition
ISBN 978-0-9816912-1-3
9 780981 691213
Contents
§
Preface: The Scripture of Truth ix
Exposition of Prophecies
Introduction: I, Daniel, Understood 1
Chapter One: Then Shall the Sanctuary Be Restored (Daniel 8:1-27) 7
Chapter Two: What Shall Be The End of These Things? (Daniel 12:8-12) 23
Chapter Three: For a Season and Time (Daniel 12:5-7) 33
Chapter Four: That Which Shall Not Be Destroyed (Daniel 7:1-28) 41
Chapter Five: What Shall Befall Thy People (Daniel 10:1-12:4) 57
Chapter Six: Seventy Weeks Are Determined (Daniel 9:1-27) 79
Chapter Seven: He Shall Confirm the Covenant (Daniel 9:24-27) 95
Conclusion: The Wise Shall Understand 119
Appendices
Appendix One: Background Notes on the Book of Daniel 123
Appendix Two: The Hebrew Calendar in Ancient Times 127
Appendix Three: Calculating Sabbath and Jubilee Years (Daniel 4) 131
Appendix Four: Calendar of Sabbath and Jubilee Years 143
Appendix Five: Chronology in the Book of Ezekiel (Ezekiel 4) 151
Appendix Six: Biblical Chronology Synchronized with Daniel 155
Part 1 - Abraham to the Exodus (2,202-1,482 bce) 156
Part 2 - The Exodus to the Divided Kingdom (1,482-961 bce) 158
Part 3 - The Divided Kingdom (961-586 bce) 161
Part 4 - The Reign of Hezekiah (726-697 bce) 174
Part 5 - Construction of Herod’s Temple (20 bce-28 ce) 177
Part 6 - The Ministry of Jesus (28-30 ce) 179
Appendix Seven: The Modern Nation of Israel - Is it Biblical? 195
Balfour Declaration - November 2, 1917 209
Palestine Mandate - July 24, 1922 210
–v–
Daniel Unsealed
Contents (continued)
Scripture
Book of Daniel, Chapter 4 and Chapters 7-12
Chapter 4 223
Chapter 7 225
Chapter 8 227
Chapter 9 228
Chapter 10 230
Chapter 11 231
Chapter 12 234
Plates
Prophecy Overview (chart) Plate 1
Places in Daniel (map) Plate 2
– vi –
Daniel Unsealed
Abbreviations
AT The Apocrypha: an American Translation
Au Author’s Paraphrase
b. Born in (with year), e.g., b. 1922
BCE Before the Common Era (same as B.C.)
BDB Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon
BHS Denotes Hebrew (Masoretic) text reproduced verbatim from the
Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (Leningrad Codex) published by
Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft (German Bible Society)
ca. Latin circa - about (with year), e.g., ca. 1920
CE In the Common Era (same as A.D.)
CJB Complete Jewish Bible
d. Died in (with year), e.g., d. 1951
ESV English Standard Version
JPS Jewish Publication Society
KJV King James Version
MT Masoretic Text
NASB New American Standard Bible
NIV New International Version
NJB New Jerusalem Bible
NJV New Jewish Version
NT New Testament
NTG Denotes Greek text reproduced verbatim from Novum Testamentum
Graece. 26th ed., 1979; corrected, 1981; Erwin Nestle and Kurt Aland,
eds., published by Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft (German Bible Society)
OT Old Testament
p. Page or pages (with number or numbers), e.g., p. 62 or p. 62-65
r. Reigned (with year or years), e.g., r. 519-524
RSV Revised Standard Version
Strong’s Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong’s Numbers and Concordance
with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary (© 1994, 2003, 2006
by Biblesoft, Inc., and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
TWOT Theological Workbook of the Old Testament
UBS United Bible Societies
VED Vine’s Expository Dictionary
– vii –
Daniel Unsealed
Preliminary Notes
Format for dates: Dates for events before October 4, 1582 ce on the Julian
calendar are displayed as proleptic Gregorian dates, followed by a bce or ce era
notation. Dates for events after October 15, 1582 ce are displayed as standard
Gregorian dates, usually without the ce era notation. Unless noted otherwise,
proleptic Gregorian dates shown throughout this book were generated by using
the Jewish Calendar Conversions in One Step calendar-conversion utility created
by Stephen P. Morse and made available at: www.stevemorse.org.
Accuracy of dates: Dates obtained from ancient historical sources may not
always reflect the exact moment when an event occurred. However, achieving
100% accuracy of interpretation of a chrono-specific biblical prophecy does not
depend on knowing the exact moment any particular event occurred since the
passage of time in ancient Israel was marked in a different manner, namely, by
keeping track of the annual Jewish festivals, such as Passover, Pentecost, and
the Day of Atonement. Thus, exact interpretation of a chrono-specific biblical
prophecy can be accomplished as long as the occurrence of its prophetic events
can be located with respect to the annual Hebrew religious festivals occurring
during the same time period. For example, if the beginning event of a chrono-
specific prophecy can be identified as having happened between Passover in one
year and Passover in the following year, that location between the two Passovers,
because the passage of time in the chrono-specific biblical prophecies is festival-
related, provides the necessary degree of chronological precision that is needed
to achieve absolute accuracy of interpretation.
Scripture quotations: The King James Version is the primary version used
for Scripture quotations, chosen because of its familiarity to both Jewish and
Christian readers, the consistency in the way it translates Hebrew, Aramaic, and
Greek words into English, and because, as a document residing in the public
domain, its use greatly simplifies copyright considerations and permissions. As
a general rule, Scripture quotations embedded in the text are displayed in italics,
followed by a version-used abbreviation in parenthesis.
§
– viii –
PREFACE
– ix –
Daniel Unsealed
who participates in the lives of individuals and controls the affairs of mankind
is often no longer a requirement for students or professors. Biblical concepts,
such as angels, visions, revelation, predictive prophecy, miracles, and divine
providence are routinely discounted as being quaint. Extra-biblical scholarship
often undermines biblical authority, as when the chronology for biblical times
developed by archaeology says by implication that the Bible is not totally accurate
about historical matters. And, absent the authority of Scripture, a Nietzschean
anthropocentrism is usually the de facto rule, with man at the center and the
concept of god just another clever human creation, allowing god to be anything
one desires, even deceased. The latter actually happened here in Atlanta during
the 1960s when a group of academics foolishly proclaimed that “God is dead!”
Now, before you get the impression that this preface amounts to nothing
more than an exhortation to read yet another faith-based rant against the evils
of science, reason, and academia, let me give you my assurances that just the
opposite is true. As someone whose résumé includes years of scientific training,
I place great value on rational thought, scholarly research, and use of scientific
methodologies to validate existing and/or formulate new theorems. Thus, it is no
accident that the basic scientific method—starting with an hypothesis, looking
at the observable evidence, and then drawing logical conclusions from it—is the
methodology used in this book to understand what the Bible’s prophecies say
about the Jewish people and their ongoing relationship with their God.
In the exposition of the Book of Daniel that follows, the seven chrono-specific
predictive prophecies recorded in Daniel, by claiming to tell the history of God’s
people Israel well before that history occurred in time, collectively constitute an
hypothesis that they are divine in origin, supernaturally revealed. The precise
fulfillment of those prophesies by events documented in history provides sufficient
evidence to prove the hypothesis true to all but the most hardened skeptics. The
logical conclusion to be drawn from Daniel is that its multiple chrono-specific
predictive prophecies, all having exact fulfillments in real time, establish that the
Bible of the Jews is the Scripture of truth, and that the information about God and
the Jewish people presented therein is trustworthy today. That same Bible also
reveals why God provided his sure word of prophecy—to help us take heed and
have faith in his eternal Word. That is the intent of this book, too.
Dan Bruce
October 18, 2010 Atlanta, Georgia
–x–
Exposition of Prophecies
§
“The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made
them both.” ‒ Proverbs 20:12 (ESV)
Daniel Unsealed
Principles of Interpretation
“There are, indeed, difficulties in understanding the [precise and complete]
meaning of the prophetic writings, but these are either owing to our ignorance
of history and of the Scriptures, or because the prophecies are yet unfilled. The
latter can only be understood when the events foretold in the prophecies have
actually been accomplished. The former class of difficulties may be removed in
many, if not in all, cases, and the knowledge, sense, and meaning of the prophets
may, in a considerable degree, be attained by prayer, reading [of both history
and the Scriptures], meditation, and [as a way of knowing the mind of God on the
matter directly from the divine source and final authority] by comparing Scripture
with Scripture” ... adapted from Thomas Hartwell Horne, Introduction to the
Critical Study and Knowledge of the Holy Scriptures (London: Longman, Brown,
Green, Longmans, and Roberts, 1856; Section II, p. 216).
I, Daniel, Understood
The seven prophecies in chapter 4 and chapters 7-12 of the Book of Daniel1
are unique, quite unlike any other prophecies found in the Bible. They are chrono-
specific predictive prophecies that collectively tell the story of the Jewish people
from the time of Solomon down to the present day. Despite their chronological
and historical specificity, though, the seven chrono-specific prophecies recorded
by the prophet Daniel while captive in Babylon2 have proven to be an enigma, in
that they have resisted conclusive interpretation by anyone for more than twenty-
five-hundred years. Surprisingly, the one thing that should have been understood
about the prophecies from the beginning—and the one thing that should not
have been a mystery to any serious expositor—is why the prophecies have defied
interpretation for so long. That reason why is plainly stated in Daniel itself, at the
end of the twelfth chapter. There we are told that the prophecies were sealed up
by commandment of God as soon as they were handed down to Daniel. We are
also told how long they would remain sealed. The text clearly states that Daniel’s
prophetic words would stay closed up and sealed until the time of the end.3
Indeed, the very profusion of contradictory interpretations of the Danielic
prophecies offered and rejected since their revelation in antiquity provides the
best evidence that the end-time meanings of the prophecies have been divinely
sequestered from the start. Heretofore, no expositor of Daniel has been able to
interpret the prophecies with any degree of certainty, nor has any expositor been
able to correlate all of the prophesied events with events in history. Acclaimed
Torah sages and Talmudists, renowned Bible scholars and theologians, even one
universally-recognized scientific genius—Sir Isaac Newton—all have strived to
produce the definitive exposition of the Danielic prophecies, and all have come
up short of achieving their goal. Their labors over the centuries have produced
valuable insights and thought-provoking interpretations that have advanced our
understanding of biblical prophecy in general, yet one undeniable fact remains:
Every exposition of the chrono-specific predictive prophecies in Daniel published
prior to modern times has now been shown by history to be inaccurate.
1
See Appendix One: Background Notes on the Book of Daniel on page 123.
2
Daniel was taken captive to Babylon in 605 bce, after the Battle of Carchemish.
3
Dan. 12:9: “And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the
time of the end” (KJV).
–1–
Daniel Unsealed
1
Dan. 12:8: “And I [Daniel] heard, but I understood not: ...” (KJV).
–2–
Introduction: I, Daniel, Understood
So, is there any indication of when the “time of the end” foretold in Daniel
will begin? 1 Yes, there is. Biblical prophecy and recent Jewish history indicate that
we are already living in those prophesied days. The emergence of Zionism in the
late 1800s, the Palestine Mandate approved by the League of Nations in 1922, the
Holocaust and subsequent influx of Jews seeking refuge in Palestine after WWII,
the partition of Palestine by the United Nations in 1947, the declaration of the
nation of Israel as a Jewish state in 1948, and the passage of the Law of Return in
1950, all of these events taken together are an unmistakable end-time indicator to
those who believe the prophecies that require a regathered Jewish people living in
Eretz-Israel 2 at the end of days. Even without the hindsight we enjoy today, those
events, once underway, indicated a clear eschatological progression that should
not have been ignored by Bible scholars at the time, although most did so back
then. Even the early Zionist leaders themselves did not embrace eschatology as the
primary justification for seeking support for their movement. Nevertheless, the
modern rebirth of Israel as a sovereign nation in Palestine was a prophetic turning
point. That event, followed by the accelerated ingathering of Jews from around
the world that began soon thereafter, signaled that the time of the end was at last
underway.3 This meant that it would henceforth be possible for the prophecies in
Daniel to be unsealed at any time. The stage was set.
Meanwhile, as the momentous events of Jewish national rebirth were reaching
their climax during the late 1940s, I was experiencing my earliest childhood years,
far too young to realize that those events were setting the stage for unsealing
the Danielic prophecies. Nor could I foresee that the process of understanding
them would one day involve me. My spiritual awakening came many years later,
when my curiosity about things sacred was overnight quickened by God. For
days on end, I was filled with an around-the-clock desire to read the Bible, and
given clarity of mind to understand what I was reading as I read. During this
period of biblical immersion, I was especially drawn to the prophecies in Daniel,
and my attention was repeatedly focused on the chrono-specific prophecy in the
eighth chapter. Unfamiliarity with the historical details that provide context to
the events described in Daniel soon compelled me to supplement my Bible study
with a survey of ancient Jewish history, and that research ended up exposing me
1
The phrase “time of the end” does not mean “end of the world” or “end of time”; the word
“time” is used as a chronological unit in Daniel and denotes a time period, not a moment.
2
Hebrew-to-English transliteration meaning “Land of Israel” (i.e., the promised land).
3
See Appendix Seven: The Modern Nation of Israel - Is it Biblical? on page 195.
–3–
Daniel Unsealed
to the details of modern Jewish history, and specifically Israeli history, as well.
It was the latter exposure that would provide the key that unlocked everything.
The breakthrough moment—the instant of insight when I first considered the
possibility that the chrono-specific prophecy in the eighth chapter of Daniel might
have had a modern fulfillment—came in the spring of 1974, while I was reading
a magazine article about the Six-Day War miraculously won by Israel seven years
earlier. After finishing the paragraphs describing the liberation of the Temple
Mount in Jerusalem by Israeli paratroopers on the morning of June 7, 1967, the
third day of the war, I was struck by how closely the outcome of that event (return
of the Temple Mount to Jewish sovereignty) matched the fulfillment event of the
prophecy in Daniel, chapter 8, verse 14: “... [then] the sanctuary will be restored to
its rightful state” (CJB). I wondered if it was possible that that event, which had
been captured by the world’s television cameras for anyone with eyes to see, was
now begging to be recognized as a fulfillment of ancient Hebrew prophecy? I was
unaware of any biblical scholar who had come forward to single out that event
as being a prophetic fulfillment in the years since it had occurred, so I exercised
caution, resisting the urge to embrace such a radical interpretation of events
without solid biblical justification for doing so. And, not wanting to be a source
of error, I was reluctant to share my discovery with anyone else. Consequently,
years of Bible study would transpire before I overcame my doubt by finding
confirmation that the 1967 event was an exact fulfillment of biblical prophecy.
More than three decades have now passed since I understood how to correctly
interpret the chrono-specific prophecy in Daniel, chapter 8. That breakthrough
in understanding, and the gradual strengthening of faith that resulted as I went
through the decade-long process of questioning my interpretation against the
Scriptures, gradually opened the door to more understanding. Knowledge gained
from the eighth chapter provided the key for determining the starting point
for working out the chronology of Daniel, chapter 12. The knowledge gained
from the eighth and twelfth chapter then provided the key for understanding
the meanings of the chronological terms “season” and “time” that are required
for assembling the time lines of Jewish history that provide the chronological
framework for understanding the remaining prophecies in Daniel. And so it
went, year after year, as I continued to study and pray for understanding. I found
that the more I understood about one prophecy, the more I was able to understand
about another, with the result that over time, one by one, all of the chrono-specific
prophecies in Daniel were understood, at last revealing their secrets.
–4–
Introduction: I, Daniel, Understood
This book will give you the keys for interpreting the seven chrono-specific
predictive prophecies found in chapter 4 and chapters 7-12 of the Book of Daniel,
and it will explain in detail how those prophecies have been fulfilled in history.
More specifically, it will explain how they have been fulfilled in Jewish history.
Beginning with the chrono-specific prophecy in the eighth chapter of Daniel,
the prophecies are explained in the order in which they were understood. As you
evaluate for yourself the exposition of the prophecies set forth in this book, it is
important that you keep two principles of interpretation firmly in mind: First,
a chrono-specific predictive prophecy will always have an exact fulfillment in
real time. Second, that fulfillment will match both the biblical text and recorded
history exactly. Those two principles are based on the assumption that the
prophecies in Daniel were given for our end-time edification, and that they can
be understood. Thus, as you will see, the interpretations offered in this book are
clear and precise, not arcane, approximate, incomplete, or unverifiable.
You will also quickly discover that the interpretations of the chrono-specific
Danielic prophecies set forth herein are anything but traditional. Giving them
a fair reading may require that you set aside eschatological assumptions and
familiar interpretations that you have read in other commentaries. If you will do
so, however, following the explanations in the order presented and evaluating
each prophecy with respect to the contribution it makes to the overall chronology
of Jewish history, I can assure you that the interpretations will fit together to
give undeniable evidence of God’s sovereign presence in the affairs of mankind.
And, as you begin to understand for yourself that the prophecies in Daniel were
sealed in antiquity, preserved as a divine testimony for this appointed time, and
unsealed as promised for understanding by this generation, my hope is that you
will be inspired to join with me in giving praise to the living God of the Bible.
–5–
Daniel Unsealed
Photo: Copyright © State of Israel, Government Press Office, National Photo Collection. Used by permission.
–6–
CHAPTER ONE
–7–
Daniel Unsealed
kings of Media and Persia,1 and the he-goat with the notable horn is identified
in verse 21 as the first king of Greece.2 The little horn that arises from the four
notable horns is not identified by name, but is described as a king of fierce
countenance who destroys the holy people. Most Bible expositors agree that the
fierce-king imagery is referring to the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes,3
and most agree that the term “holy people” in verse 24 is a reference to the Jews
living in Judea under his rule. A prediction of harsh oppression and persecution
of the holy people closes part three, but that part closes with a reminder that
the prophecy in part two, the one in verses 13-14 foretelling that the sanctuary
will be restored to its rightful status after 2,300 “evening-morning”(s),4 will most
certainly come true. It is the eventual fulfillment of this two-verse prophecy that
projects the context of Daniel from ancient to modern times.
Interpretive Schemes
Most modern expositors assign the fulfillment event of chapter 8, verse 14
(i.e., the restoration of the sanctuary), to the time of Antiochus IV Epiphanes
and the Maccabean revolt.5 None of them allow for a modern-day fulfillment.
In those expositions that assign fulfillment to the time of Antiochus, two main
interpretive schemes are employed, one postulating that the 2,300 “evening-
morning”(s) define a period of persecution of the Jews lasting 1,150 days (a
calculation based on 2,300 twice-daily morning-and-evening sacrifices for
1.150 actual days) and another saying that the 2,300 “evening-morning”(s)
are actual twenty-four-hour days. These two interpretive schemes are popular
mainly among conservative expositors, those who interpret the Bible literally
and believe in the reality of predictive prophecy.
One often-quoted conservative expositor, the late Dr. Leon Wood, professor
of Old Testament at Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary for many years, correctly
rejected the 1,150-day approach in his commentary on Daniel,6 saying:
1
General reference to all Achaemenid kings from Cyrus the Great to Darius III.
2
Alexander the Great (r. 336-323 bce), first king of unified Greece (all Greek city-states).
3
Antiochus IV Epiphanes (r. 175-164 bce), king of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire.
4
rq#B) br#u# (BHS) “evening-morning”(s), mistranslated as “days” in the KJV and other versions.
5
The Maccabees were a priestly family that sparked and led a revolt by Jews in 167 bce
against Antiochus IV, who was attempting to replace Judaism with Hellenism.
6
Leon J. Wood, A Commentary on Daniel (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock, 1998), p. 217-218.
–8–
Chapter One: Then Shall the Sanctuary Be Restored (Daniel 8:1-27)
“The angel’s answer is a definite number of time units called ‘evening-mornings’ (‘ereb
bôqer), literally, ‘evening-morning.’ Some expositors take the expression to mean 2,300
evenings and mornings totaled together, equaling only 1,150 full days. They find
supporting evidence in the mention in the immediate context of regular offerings and
the fact that the regular burnt-offerings came every morning and evening, asserting
that the true intent is to designate 2,300 occasions of burnt offerings. The commentary
on verse eleven [previously discussed in Wood’s book] has shown, however, that all
ceremonial observances are in view in the context, not merely the regular offerings.”
“Moreover, that two half-days are intended by the expression is not likely in view of
the order of mention: evening-morning, rather than morning-evening.1 The order of
evening-morning suggests that part of the twenty-four-hour period at which a full day
closes and a new one begins—a part which comes only once every twenty-four hours.
Twenty-three hundred of these parts would mean the elapse of 2,300 full days.”
On the other hand, Wood fails to point out the most serious flaw in that
approach, namely, that counting 1,150 days from the desecration of the Temple
by Antiochus IV Epiphanes on 25 Kislev in the 145th Seleucid year (or instead
from the rededication of the Temple by Judah Maccabee on 25 Kislev in the
148th Seleucid year), the usual starting or ending points for those who espouse
the 1,150-day approach, does not lead to any significant historical event at the
other end of the count. Furthermore, since both the desecration and rededication
dates are recorded in and verifiable from historical records,2 a quick calculation
shows that the time between them is only 1,093¾ days, not the required 1,150
days, so using those dates as the two end points cannot be accepted as a valid
1
The twice-a-day burnt offerings are always referred to as “morning and evening” sacrifices
(cf. 2 Ki. 16:15, 1 Chr. 16:40, 2 Chr. 2:4, 2 Chr. 13:11, 2 Chr. 31:3, Ezra 3:3), never as
“evening and morning” sacrifices. The Hebrew construct in verse 14, translated literally as
“evening-morning” (see footnote 4 on page 8), is found only this once in the entire Bible.
2
According to Josephus, Antiquities, 12:5:4, the desecration of the Temple occurred on the
25th day of Kislev (1 Maccabees 1:54 gives the date as the 15th of Kislev) in the 145th year
of the Seleucid Empire, which is equivalent to the modern Gregorian date December 13,
167 bce, and according to Josephus, Antiquities, 12:7:6 and 1 Maccabees 4:52, the
rededication of the Temple occurred on the 25th of Kislev in the 148th year of the Seleucid
Empire, which is equivalent to December 10, 164 bce; also, see footnote 1 on page 69.
–9–
Daniel Unsealed
interpretation. When using the 1,150-day interpretive scheme, the result always
ends up depending on an approximation of history as the interpretation, which
is unacceptable as fulfillment of chrono-specific predictive prophecy.
After reviewing the shortcomings of the 1,150-day approach, Wood then
offers his exposition of verse 14 using the 2,300-actual-day approach, as follows:
“How are 2,300 days to be fitted into the history concerned? The answer is that this
amount of time was the duration of Antiochus’ period of oppression of the Jews.
Historical data available are insufficient for a precise reckoning to the very day, but an
approximation [emphasis added] is definitely possible. The closing point of this period is
indicated in the verse to have been the restoration of the Temple. The date when this was
accomplished, under the leadership of Judas Maccabeus, was December 25, 165 B.C.,1
according to Barnes, who refers to Prideaux. Figuring back from this date 2,300 days
brings one to September 6, 171 B.C.; which should be, then, the day when an event
occurred that was of sufficient significance to mark it as a beginning of these atrocities,
and such an event could easily have occurred on that date.”
Perhaps such an event could have occurred, but if indeed it had occurred and
if it had been truly significant, it doubtless would have been recorded by some
ancient scribe, yet there is nothing in the historical record to indicate that any
such event ever happened. Wood himself does not seem to be bothered by the
uncertainty at the core of his interpretation. However, it cannot be ignored, and
it means that his 2,300-actual-day approach is just as inaccurate as the 1,150-day
approach he rejected. Unfortunately, Wood is not alone in using an interpretive
scheme that produces a result that is less than precise. Essentially all modern
conservative expositors have based their interpretations on approximations.
Another example of an influential conservative expositor using approximation
exegesis to interpret chapter 8 can be found in the commentary written by the late
Dr. John F. Walvoord,2 long-time president of Dallas Theological Seminary, who
offered the following comments as his exposition of the 2,300-day prophecy:
“Taking all of the evidence into consideration, the best conclusion is that the twenty-
three hundred days of Daniel are fulfilled in the period from 171 B.C. and culminated
1
See footnote 2 on page 9 showing that the December 25 date referenced here is incorrect.
2
John F. Walvoord, Daniel: The Key to Prophetic Revelation (Chicago: Moody Press, 1971), p.190.
– 10 –
Chapter One: Then Shall the Sanctuary Be Restored (Daniel 8:1-27)
in the death of Antiochus Epiphanes in 164 B.C. The period when the sacrifices ceased
was the latter part of this longer period. Although the evidence available today [this
was published in 1971] does not offer fulfillment to the precise day, the twenty-three
hundred days, obviously a round number, is relatively accurate [emphasis added] in
defining the period when the Jewish religion began to erode under the persecution of
Antiochus, and the period as a whole concluded with his death.”
– 11 –
Daniel Unsealed
faith, more than a few expositors, unable to decipher the chronology revealed
in chapter 8 and other chapters in Daniel, have simply chosen to remain silent
about the chronological aspects of the prophecies altogether.
Exact Fulfillment
That brings us to the interpretive approach employed in this book, which
uses a better principle of interpretation than the approximation of history, silence
about chronology, or outright disbelief in predictive prophecy approaches used by
most expositors to expound the Danielic prophecies, and it can be summed up as
follows: The chrono-specific predictive prophecies in Daniel will always have exact
and understandable fulfillments in real time. Thus, the interpretation of Daniel,
chapter 8, offered in this chapter, as well as the interpretations of other prophecies
set forth in later chapters, will fit the biblical text exactly and the historical record
exactly. In fairness to past expositors, they had no choice but to settle for offering
approximations or silence since the Bible stipulated that the prophecies in Daniel
were sealed until the time of the end (but teaching disbelief in the meantime was
unforgiveable). Fortunately, that was no longer the case for me. A modern event,
the liberation of the Temple Mount by Israel on June 7, 1967, had unsealed the
prophecy in chapter 8, verses 13-14, for full understanding by this generation.
The restoration of the Temple Mount to Jewish sovereignty was the fulfillment
event specified in verse 14, and it occurred while the whole world was watching
during the Six-Day War.1 Then, seven years after that event had occurred for all to
see, my eyes were opened so that I could see its eschatological importance. Right
away, I was thrilled at my discovery, but soon learned that my new interpretation
incorporating a modern fulfillment of an ancient prophecy would not find easy
acceptance in traditional circles, at least not until I could find Scriptural validation
for such a radical interpretive approach. So, I began searching the Bible,2 keeping
in mind that my interpretation had to fit both Scripture and history exactly to be
accepted as a true interpretation, and that is what I found. Now, I want to share
with you the keys for interpreting the prophecy with exactitude.
1
See photograph on page 6 showing the prophecy being fulfilled.
2
While researching Daniel, chapter 8, in Bible commentaries, I came across Adam Clarke’s
Commentary on the Bible (1825) and found that he had offered the same interpretation of
chapter 8. However, his calculations incorrectly yielded 1966 as the year for the restoration
of the sanctuary. Still, it was brilliant exegesis, though generally ignored by later scholars.
– 12 –
Chapter One: Then Shall the Sanctuary Be Restored (Daniel 8:1-27)
Keys to Interpretation
The first key to interpretation of the chrono-specific prophecy found in
Daniel, chapter 8, verses 13-14, is to understand the scope of the question being
asked in verse 13, “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?” (KJV). I quickly realized that past expositors had underestimated
the question, assuming it to be asking only how long the interruption of the
Temple sacrifices and other transgressions against the Temple would last. That
was not the question being asked, however. The questioner was seeking to know
the duration of the entire vision. A better translation of verse 13 reads, “How
long will the events of the vision last, this vision concerning the regular offering and
the transgression which is so appalling, that allows the sanctuary and the army to
be trampled underfoot?” (CJB). This wording recognizes that the question about
duration pertains to all of the events in the vision, a time period that includes
the events described in verses 1-12 as well as the trampling of the sanctuary
underfoot that, we now know from history, continued in one form or another
from the time of the exile in Babylon until June, 1967. When the full scope of the
question is understood, it is easy to see that the first action event of the vision, the
king of Greece going against the king of Persia described in verse 6, is the starting
point for calculating the duration of the vision. Verse 14 then states that the final
event of the vision will come after 2,300 “evening-morning”(s). Putting all of
these pieces together, I understood that verse 14 was saying that the sanctuary
would be restored after 2,300 “evening-morning”(s), with the count beginning
from the time when Alexander the Great moved against Persia in 334 bce.
The second key to interpretation of the prophecy is to understand the unit
of time meant by the Hebrew phrase rq#B) br#u# (BHS, Strong’s OT: 1242, 6153),
literally “evening-morning,” which is used in verse 14. I recalled that the King
James Version renders it as “days,” based on similar Hebrew wording in Genesis,
chapter 1, verses 5-31, “the evening and the morning were the [first, second,
third, etc ...] day” (KJV). Expositors adopting that translation have traditionally
considered the phrase “evening-morning”(s) to mean literal twenty-four-hour
days, as the late Leon Wood did, but I knew that none of them had been able
to make that interpretation fit historical events. Other translations render the
phrase in Daniel as “evening and mornings,” adding the conjunction “and”
which is not found in the best Hebrew manuscripts. This has led to expositions
– 13 –
Daniel Unsealed
– 14 –
Chapter One: Then Shall the Sanctuary Be Restored (Daniel 8:1-27)
2,300 Passovers
verse 6 verse 14
333 bce to 1967 ce
know when to begin and when to end the count (see Diagram 1.1 above). I knew
that the initial Passover in the count had to occur after the first action event of
the prophecy, the Battle of Granicus stipulated in verse 6, had occurred. This
battle was the first time that Alexander the Great met and defeated an army of
Darius III of Persia. There is no direct historical reference to a specific date for
the Battle of Granicus, but a mention by Plutarch of Chaeronea,1 who recorded
that the battle took place in the Macedonian month Daesius in the year 334 bce,
is sufficient to locate it chronologically. That reference shows that Alexander
moved against the Persians in late May or early June. Passover was celebrated in
March in 334 bce, so it had already occurred before the battle began, and thus
the next Passover, the one celebrated in 333 bce, is the one that must be used
to start the count that determines the duration of the 2,300-Passover time span
1
Life of Alexander by Plutarch of Chaeronea (section 16, verses 1-3): “In the meantime,
Darius’ captains, having collected large forces, were encamped on the further bank of the
river Granicus, and it was necessary to fight, as it were, in the gate of Asia for an entrance
into it. The depth of the river, with the unevenness and difficult ascent of the opposite bank,
which was to be gained by main force, was apprehended by most, and some pronounced it
an improper time to engage, because it was unusual for the kings of Macedonia to march
with their forces in the month called Daesius. But Alexander broke through these scruples,
telling them they should call it a second Artemisius. And when Parmenion advised him
not to attempt anything that day, because it was late, he told him that he should disgrace
the Hellespont, should he fear the Granicus.” ... translated by Mr. Evelyn for John Dryden’s
Plutarch’s Lives by Several Hands, published in 1683.
– 15 –
Daniel Unsealed
P336 in 3 ce, P337 in 4 ce, P338 in 5 ce, P339 in 6 ce, P340 in 7 ce.
follows: Passover number 330 in the count (P330 above) occurred in the year 4 bce, P331 in 3 bce, P332 in 2 bce, P333 in 1 bce, P334 in 1 ce, P335 in 2 ce,
Note that there was no year “0” (zero) when going from bce to ce, so the count for the Passovers in the transition decade from 4 bce to 7 ce is determined as
P2210 - 1877 ce
P2110 - 1777 ce
P2010 - 1677 ce
be concluded before the Temple Mount was liberated by
Israeli army paratroopers on June 7, 1967. This meant
that the last Passover in the count, the 2,300th Passover,
had to be the Passover in 1967, which occurred on April
P2220 - 1887 ce
P2120 - 1787 ce
P2020 - 1687 ce
25th. Were there exactly 2,300 Passovers between the
Battle of Granicus in 334 bce and the liberation of the
Temple Mount during the Six-Day War in 1967? There
P2230 - 1897 ce
P2130 - 1797 ce
P2030 - 1697 ce
was only one way to find out, and that was to count the
Passovers. So, I did, and you can, too.
Table 1.1 (on the opposite page) demonstrates how
the 2,300 Passovers should be counted. Included in the
P2240 - 1907 ce
P2140 - 1807 ce
P2040 - 1707 ce
count are all Passovers occurring after Alexander the
Great led his army against Persia at the Battle of Granicus
P2250 - 1917 ce
P2150 - 1817 ce
P2050 - 1717 ce
the Temple Mount in 1967. The count is initiated with
the Passover in 333 bce, which is the first Passover that
occurred after the Battle of Granicus. The count ends
with the Passover that occurred in 1967. Each Passover
P2260 - 1927 ce
P2160 - 1827 ce
P2060 - 1727 ce
in the table is denoted as “P#” (where “#” is its number in
the count), followed by its corresponding Gregorian year.
After the initial ten Passovers (P1 through P10), shown on
P2270 - 1937 ce
P2170 - 1837 ce
P2070 - 1737 ce
and ending events that are used for the count, namely,
the Battle of Granicus and the liberation of the Temple
Mount by Israel during the Six-Day War, between which
– 16 –
Table 1.1 - How to Count the 2,300 Passovers
P1 - 333 bce P2 - 332 bce P3 - 331 bce P4 - 330 bce P5 - 329 bce P6 - 328 bce P7 - 327 bce P8 - 326 bce P9 - 325 bce P10 - 324 bce
1-10 see above P20 - 314 bce P30 - 304 bce P40 - 294 bce P50 - 284 bce P60 - 274 bce P70 - 264 bce P80 - 254 bce P90 - 244 bce P100 - 234 bce
Chapter One: Then Shall the Sanctuary Be Restored (Daniel 8:1-27)
P110 - 224 bce P120 - 214 bce P130 - 204 bce P140 - 194 bce P150 - 184 bce P160 - 174 bce P170 - 164 bce P180 - 154 bce P190 - 144 bce P200 - 134 bce
P210 - 124 bce P220 - 114 bce P230 - 104 bce P240 - 94 bce P250 - 84 bce P260 - 74 bce P270 - 64 bce P280 - 54 bce P290 - 44 bce P300 - 34 bce
P310 - 24 bce P320 - 14 bce P330 - 4 bce P340 - 7 ce P350 - 17 ce P360 - 27 ce P370 - 37 ce P380 - 47 ce P390 - 57 ce P400 - 67 ce
P410 - 77 ce P420 - 87 ce P430 - 97 ce P440 - 107 ce P450 - 117 ce P460 - 127 ce P470 - 137 ce P480 - 147 ce P490 - 157 ce P500 - 167 ce
P510 - 177 ce P520 - 187 ce P530 - 197 ce P540 - 207 ce P550 - 217 ce P560 - 227 ce P570 - 237 ce P580 - 247 ce P590 - 257 ce P600 - 267 ce
P610 - 277 ce P620 - 287 ce P630 - 297 ce P640 - 307 ce P650 - 317 ce P660 - 327 ce P670 - 337 ce P680 - 347 ce P690 - 357 ce P700 - 367 ce
P710 - 377 ce P720 - 387 ce P730 - 397 ce P740 - 407 ce P750 - 417 ce P760 - 427 ce P770 - 437 ce P780 - 447 ce P790 - 457 ce P800 - 467 ce
P810 - 477 ce P820 - 487 ce P830 - 497 ce P840 - 507 ce P850 - 517 ce P860 - 527 ce P870 - 537 ce P880 - 547 ce P890 - 557 ce P900 - 567 ce
– 17 –
P910 - 577 ce P920 - 587 ce P930 - 597 ce P940 - 607 ce P950 - 617 ce P960 - 627 ce P970 - 637 ce P980 - 647 ce P990 - 657 ce P1000 - 667 ce
P1010 - 677 ce P1020 - 687 ce P1030 - 697 ce P1040 - 707 ce P1050 - 717 ce P1060 - 727 ce P1070 - 737 ce P1080 - 747 ce P1090 - 757 ce P1100 - 767 ce
P1110 - 777 ce P1120 - 787 ce P1130 - 797 ce P1140 - 807 ce P1150 - 817 ce P1160 - 827 ce P1170 - 837 ce P1180 - 847 ce P1190 - 857 ce P1200 - 867 ce
P1210 - 877 ce P1220 - 887 ce P1230 - 897 ce P1240 - 907 ce P1250 - 917 ce P1260 - 927 ce P1270 - 937 ce P1280 - 947 ce P1290 - 957 ce P1300 - 967 ce
P1310 - 977 ce P1320 - 987 ce P1330 - 997 ce P1340 - 1007 ce P1350 - 1017 ce P1360 - 1027 ce P1370 - 1037 ce P1380 - 1047 ce P1390 - 1057 ce P1400 - 1067 ce
P1410 - 1077 ce P1420 - 1087 ce P1430 - 1097 ce P1440 - 1107 ce P1450 - 1117 ce P1460 - 1127 ce P1470 - 1137 ce P1480 - 1147 ce P1490 - 1157 ce P1500 - 1167 ce
P1510 - 1177 ce P1520 - 1187 ce P1530 - 1197 ce P1540 - 1207 ce P1550 - 1217 ce P1560 - 1227 ce P1570 - 1237 ce P1580 - 1247 ce P1590 - 1257 ce P1600 - 1267 ce
P1610 - 1277 ce P1620 - 1287 ce P1630 - 1297 ce P1640 - 1307 ce P1650 - 1317 ce P1660 - 1327 ce P1670 - 1337 ce P1680 - 1347 ce P1690 - 1357 ce P1700 - 1367 ce
P1710 - 1377 ce P1720 - 1387 ce P1730 - 1397 ce P1740 - 1407 ce P1750 - 1417 ce P1760 - 1427 ce P1770 - 1437 ce P1780 - 1447 ce P1790 - 1457 ce P1800 - 1467 ce
P1810 - 1477 ce P1820 - 1487 ce P1830 - 1497 ce P1840 - 1507 ce P1850 - 1517 ce P1860 - 1527 ce P1870 - 1537 ce P1880 - 1547 ce P1890 - 1557 ce P1900 - 1567 ce
P1910 - 1577 ce P1920 - 1587 ce P1930 - 1597 ce P1940 - 1607 ce P1950 - 1617 ce P1960 - 1627 ce P1970 - 1637 ce P1980 - 1647 ce P1990 - 1657 ce P2000 - 1667 ce
Table 1.1 continued on facing page (below)
Daniel Unsealed
there must be a count of exactly 2,300 Passovers, can be verified in the historical
record exactly as described in the Scriptures. This is a major improvement over
the traditional interpretations mentioned earlier in this chapter, which always
fail to identify either a starting event or an ending event that can be identified in
recorded history and thus fail as legitimate interpretations of Daniel, chapter 8.
The interpretation offered here, with a count of 2,300 Passovers occurring
between the verified Battle of Granicus in late May-early June, 334 bce, and the
liberation of the Temple Mount on June 7, 1967, satisfies the textual constraints
of Daniel, chapter 8, verses 13-14, exactly.
The exact correlation of Bible prophecy with recorded history (see insert
of facing page) provides strong evidence for the reality of divine providence.
However, most modern Bible scholars, including more than a few conservative
scholars, have argued that the chrono-specific prophecies in the Book of Daniel
claiming to foretell events that will happen in the future (from Daniel’s viewpoint
in the sixth century bce) and later fulfilled exactly are nothing more than a
record of events written down by anonymous scribes in the second century bce,
after those events had occurred. The reason for their attitude of skepticism is that
they reject outright the concept of predictive prophecy, and, in many cases, they
reject the concept of divine revelation of the Bible as well. The interpretation of
Daniel, chapter 8, just explained shows the fallacy of that approach. The 1967
fulfillment of the predictive prophecy in verses 13-14, verses that even the most
skeptical Bible scholar will have to agree were written down no later than the first
or second century bce (based on radiocarbon dating of the Dead Sea Scrolls),
should settle the argument in favor of the reality of predictive prophecy once and
for all, and that assumption underlies the remainder of this book.
Fulfillment in History
The chrono-specific predictive prophecy in Daniel, chapter 8, encompasses
more than twenty-five-hundred years of Jewish history. Verse 6 starts things off
by successfully predicting that the king of Greece (Alexander the Great) would
defeat the king of Persia (Darius III) in battle. This prophecy was revealed
more than two-hundred years before its fulfillment took place. In 334 bce,
after crossing the Hellespont from Greece to Asia, Alexander’s disciplined foot
soldiers and cavalry clashed with the forces of Darius III near the site of the ruins
of Troy, in what history records as the Battle of Granicus because it took place
– 18 –
Chapter One: Then Shall the Sanctuary Be Restored (Daniel 8:1-27)
on the banks of the Granicus River. Alexander and his Greek army won a great
victory over the numerically-superior Persian forces assembled by Darius III to
oppose him, and they would go on to defeat the armies of Darius two more times,
in the battle at the Issus River in 333 bce and then in the climactic battle on the
– 19 –
Daniel Unsealed
flat plains of Gaugamela in 331 bce. The latter battle brought the Achaemenid
Persian Empire to a close. From a biblical standpoint, though, the earlier Battle
of Granicus in 334 bce was the event in history that set into motion the conflict
between Hellenism and Judaism that would profoundly shape the history of the
Jewish people for many hundreds of years into the future.
The Battle of Granicus was the signal to begin the Passover count prescribed
in Daniel, chapter 8, verse 14. As we now know, the count ended twenty-three
hundred Passovers later, on April 25, 1967. The Six-Day War began soon after
that 2,300th Passover was observed. In the morning hours of June 7, 1967, the
third day of the war, soldiers from Israel Defense Forces (IDF) 55th Paratroopers
Brigade were poised on the Mount of Olives, ready to fight their way through
the Lion’s Gate into the Old City of Jerusalem. Their commander was Colonel
Mordechai “Motta” Gur, who exhorted his troops with these words: “Soon we
will enter the city, the Old City of Jerusalem, about which countless generations
of Jews have dreamed, to which all living Jews aspire. To our brigade has been
granted the privilege of being the first to enter it ... Now, on, on to the gate!” 1
Within the hour, they had captured the walled Old City and liberated the sacred
Temple Mount. Five days later, on June 12, the men of Brigade 55 assembled in
parade formation atop the Temple Mount to commemorate their victory and
remember their fallen comrades. They were again addressed by Colonel Gur,
who told them, “You have been privileged to restore to the people of Israel their
capital and their sanctuary.” 2 As for Alexander the Great, there is no historical
evidence that he understood the biblical importance of the Battle of Granicus
or the role he played in Hebrew prophecy except Josephus’ story of Alexander’s
visit to Jerusalem,3 during which he was supposedly met as he entered the city by
1
Mordechai Gur, The Battle for Jerusalem (New York, New York: Popular Library, 1974), p. 354.
2
Amos Alon, Jerusalem: City of Mirrors (London, England: Flamingo, 1996), p. 91.
3
From Josephus, Antiquities, 11: 8 :5 (Whiston): “When asked by one of his generals why
he welcomed this group [the high priest and his entourage], Alexander replied: ‘I did not
adore him, but that God who hath honoured him with his high priesthood; for I saw this
very person in a dream, in this very habit [garment], when I was at Dios in Macedonia,
who, when I was considering with myself how I might obtain the dominion of Asia,
exhorted me to make no delay, but boldly to pass over the sea thither, for that he would
conduct my army, and would give me the dominion over the Persians; whence it is, that
having seen no other in that habit, and now seeing this person in it, and remembering that
vision, and the exhortation which I had in my dream, I believe that I bring this army under
the divine conduct, and shall therewith conquer Darius [III], and destroy the power of the
Persians, and that all things will succeed according to what is in my own mind.’”
– 20 –
Chapter One: Then Shall the Sanctuary Be Restored (Daniel 8:1-27)
the high priest and presented with the Book of Daniel, an account which most
scholars believe to be based on a fable. Likewise, there is no historical evidence
that Colonel “Motta” Gur and his troops recognized the exegetical significance
of their heroic deeds during the Battle for Jerusalem in 1967. They obviously
realized that what they had done was significant within the context of Jewish
identity and Israeli history, but perhaps not that their actions were the literal
fulfillment of a specific biblical prophecy. They were not alone, though, since no
one else at the time recognized the prophetic significance of what had transpired
by the return of Jerusalem’s Old City and Temple Mount to Israeli sovereignty.
Nevertheless, Gur and his men had carried out the fulfillment of the prophecy
set forth in Daniel, chapter 8, verses 13-14, which foretold that the restoration of
the Temple Mount to God’s people Israel would take place as soon as the 2,300th
Passover of the prophecy, the Passover of 1967, had occurred.
– 21 –
Daniel Unsealed
after it was captured, the administration of the platform area by the Islamic Waqf
was continued by Moshe Dayan, the Israeli Defense Minister at the time, and
it remains so delegated today. The skeptics correctly point out that Jews (and
Christians or persons of any faith other than Islam) still cannot pray openly
there without risking rioting or worse by young Muslim hotheads. But, make
no mistake about it, the Temple Mount is under the sole sovereignty of the State
of Israel and has been since June 7, 1967. The government of Israel determines
who has access, and when, and the Jewish people will determine its ultimate
status. Judging from the turbulent history surrounding the Temple Mount since
its liberation, it seems obvious to me that the restoration event that occurred
on that June morning forty-plus years ago was but the beginning event in a
progressive restoration that is unfolding daily before our eyes.
– 22 –
Want to know what the rest of the
prophecies in Daniel say?
See www.prophecysociety.org