2300 DAYS OF DANIEL 8:14

DETAILS ON THE 2300 DAYS OF DANIEL 8:14

By Russell Earl Kelly PHD

March 13, 2020

Thanks for the good questions.  I am retired and am prepared to spend as much time as is necessary to discuss the 2300 days with you.

First, I think you realize that the historical school of interpretation ended with the coming of WWI when theologians realized that the Church was not making everything better.

Second, I have done extensive study on Daniel 8 and find the following to be almost irrefutable:

8:8 The he goat is Alexander the Great who was historically replaced by 4 of his generals ruling Greece, Macedonia, Syria and Egypt.

8:9 The little horn was Antiochus IV who came up out of the Syrian horn.

Dan 8:10-12

(1^st) 175 BC) And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven [Hebrews];

(2^nd 175 BC) and it cast down some of the host and of the stars [Jewish leaders] to the ground, and stamped upon them.

8:11

(3^rd 175 BC) Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host [high priest Onias III],

(4^th 171 BC) … and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away [laws forbidding worship],

(5^th 168-167 BC) … and the place of his sanctuary was cast down [defiled the sanctuary and destroyed parts of it].

12 And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practiced and prospered.

8:11-12 Antiochus dethroned the high priest and replaced him with his own choice. He defiled the sanctuary by offering a pig on it on December 25, 168 BC (or 167 BC).

8:13 The question is: “How long will it be before the sanctuary is restored?

Notice that no beginning point is given. How long from which event? Most assume it means “How long from the (final) defilement of the great altar?” However, context could refer to a different beginning point.

8:14 The answer is: The sanctuary will be restored at the end of 2300 worship cycles of evening and morning (ereb-boquer). The normal word “yom” for “days” is not used. .

Solution #1: 2300 ereb-boqer refers to 2300 literal days prior to the cleansing on December 25^th, 165-164 BC. The actual defilement of the sanctuary began in 169 BC prior to December 25, 168-167 BC when the pig was sacrificed. Antiochus III began oppressing the Hebrews as soon as he began ruling in 175 BC when he replaced the high priest and began issuing laws forbidding worship.

Solution #2: 2300 ereb-boqer is actually1150 days of worship cycles. This is less days between December 25, 168-167 and December 23, 165-164 BC.

I very highly recommend reading the (uninspired) historical book of First Maccabees, chapters 1–4 from the Apocrypha.

1:1-7 to the death of Alexander the Great

1:8-9 Alexander’s Greek empire to his officers

1:10-11 Antiochus IV Epiphanes begins to reign, 175 BC

1:12 laws to disregard Jewish worship laws; built gymnasium near the Temple to lure Jewish youth away from Temple worship

1:15 disguised circumcision; taught to abandon Jewish covenant worship

1:16-19 conquered Egypt

1:20-24 169 BC; defiled the sanctuary by removing its furniture and utensils; this would have halted all temple worship.

1:25-38 plundered and burned Jerusalem; tore down its walls, built Antonia fortress beside the Temple

1:39 the sanctuary was already desolate amd deserted

1:43 Jews began sacrificing to idols

1:43-47 laws forcing idol worship and defilement of priests; ignore the law

1:54 December 15, 167 BC; defile the great altar by sacrificing a pig; burned law; death to true worshippers

1:59 offered pagan sacrifice monthly in every city on the 25^th

2:1-    MATTHIAS rebellion began

2-4 civil war

4:42 cleansed the sanctuary

4:52 December 25, 164 BC cleansed the sanctuary

4:54 on the very day it had been defiled