Daniel Chapter 8

Verse 1

In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar – Daniel received this vision in 551 BC, two years after he received the prophecy of Daniel 7.

A vision appeared . . . to me, Daniel – This chapter contains a vision of the same world history as in Chapter 7, but this time using different symbols. In Chapter 7 the nations were represented by savage beasts of prey, while in this chapter they are represented by sanctuary animals used for sacrifices. Why is God repeating the same history, using different symbols? It is because He is presenting world history from two different perspectives. Daniel 7 was history from a political/legal point of view, while Daniel 8 is history from a religious/heavenly point of view.

After the one that appeared to me the first time – This is a reference back to Daniel’s previous dream in Chapter 7.

Verse 2

I was in Shushan, the citadel, which is in the province of Elam – Daniel received this vision in the citadel (fortress) of the city of Shushan, the Persian capital. This is no coincidence, because the first world power presented to Daniel in this vision is Medo-Persia. It would be more than ten years before Persia became the next world superpower, but God was already directing Daniel’s mind away from Babylon and toward Medo-Persia.

I saw in the vision that I was by the River Ulai – The setting for the dream in Chapter 7 was by the sea, which represented the peoples and nations of the world (Revelation 17:15). Here Daniel again finds himself by a body of water, only this time it is a river.

In Bible symbolism, a river has a different meaning than the sea. A flowing river is used to represent the work of the gospel, bringing healing to the nations and life to the people (Ezekiel 47:1 – 12, Revelation 22:1, 2). (SOP 1) In Daniel 7 the animals came up out of the sea. But notice that the animals battling for supremacy in this vision are along side the river but have no direct contact with it. This represents that the gospel work is going on along side the nations striving for world dominion, but they are ignoring it.

Verse 3

A ram – The ram represents the kingdom of Medo-Persia (see vs. 20), and it corresponds to the bear in Daniel 7.

Which had two horns, and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher one came up last – The two horns represent the two nations that made up this kingdom, Media and Persia. The fact that the horns were lopsided, with one higher than the other and coming up last, pointed to the fact that Media was predominant when they began their rule, but the balance of power soon shifted to Persia. This detail corresponds to the bear that was raised up on one side in Chapter 7.

Verse 4

I saw the ram pushing westward, northward, and southward – This verse describes the conquests of Medo-Persia as she arose to power. In 547 BC she pushed west to conquer Lydia, and took Babylon in 539. Driving south, she overran Egypt and Ethiopia in 525. She pushed toward the north to overthrow the Scythians in 512.

No animal could withstand him; nor was there any that could deliver from his hand, but he did according to his will and became great – No earthly powers could stand before Medo-Persia as she arose to the exalted position God had ordained for her. The historian Xenophon tells us that Cyrus “extended the fear of himself over so great part of the world that he astonished all, and no one attempted anything against him.” (Xenophon, The Cyropaedia, Bk. 1, chap. 1)

NOTE: In Daniel 7 a lion was used to represent Babylon, but there is no symbol for Babylon in this chapter. Why is Babylon excluded from this prophecy? Some have suggested that it is because Babylon was about to disappear from history. But that would not take place for another eleven years after this vision was given. The best explanation is that the main focus of this vision is on the 2300 days/years. This prophetic time period began during the period of Persian rule, and not during the Babylonian kingdom, and therefore Babylon was not included.

Verse 5

A male goat – The male goat represents the kingdom of Greece (see vs. 21), which corresponds to the Leopard in Daniel 7.

Came from the west – Greece was situated west of the kingdom of Persia.

Across the surface of the whole earth, without touching the ground –This represents the extreme speed with which Greece conquered the world. This detail corresponds to the swift leopard that had four wings in Daniel 7.

The goat had a notable horn between his eyes – The notable horn represents the first king of Greece, Alexander the Great (vs. 21).

Verses 6, 7

These verses describe the completeness of Medo-Persia’s subjection to Alexander the Great. Over the course of three separate military campaigns, Alexander cut their army in pieces, plundered their towns and villages, and burned the royal city of Persepolis.

Verse 8

Therefore the male goat grew very great – After conquering the west, Alexander moved eastward as far as the River Indus in India. Thus the Greeks grew into the world’s third superpower.

But when he became strong, the large horn was broken – This represents the death of Alexander while his empire was at its height. At the age of 32, Alexander developed a fever which was aggravated by heavy drinking, and died within a few days.

In place of it four notable ones came up – When Alexander lay dying, he was asked to whom he would leave his kingdom. He replied, “To the strongest.” At his death the empire was thrown into a state of strife until it was completely broken. At last, four of his generals divided the empire between themselves. Ptolemy took Egypt, Palestine and part of Syria, Cassander took Macedonia and Greece, Lysimachus took Thrace and part of Asia Minor, and Selecus took other portions of Asia Minor, northern Syria and Mesopotamia.

Toward the four winds of heaven – This is the first mention of the four winds of heaven in this vision. In Chapter 7 we saw the four winds stirring up the Great Sea (vs. 2), which represented strife among the nations as they fought for world dominion. Here we see the four horns described as coming up toward the four winds, which is simply a reference to the strife within the Grecian Empire as these leaders struggled for supremacy.

Verse 9

Out of one of them came a little horn – This little horn represents the kingdom of Rome in both its Pagan andPapal phases. It corresponds to the fourth beast and the little horn that grew out of it in Daniel 7.

This raises an obvious question. Why are Pagan and Papal Rome both depicted using the same symbol? When answering this question, we must keep in mind that Daniel 8 depicts history from a religious perspective. Pagan and Papal Rome are merely two phases of the same power. They both have the same background, the same religion (Paganism), and the same ambitions. God seems to be emphasizing this fact by combining them both in the symbol of the little horn. The only way we will be able to distinguish between Pagan and Papal Rome in this chapter is by the little horn’s activities in verses 9 – 12.

NOTE: Many Christians today believe that this little horn is Antiochus Epiphanes, eighth king of the Seleucid Dynasty. He profaned the temple in Jerusalem by sacrificing a pig at the altar of burnt offering and then sprinkling its broth over the temple walls. While doing all that, he tried to enforce the worship of Olympus and massacred more than 100,000 Jews who refused such idolatrous worship. In spite of the despicable things that Antiochus did, this interpretation cannot be correct. Notice the following points that demonstrate this fact:

1. The ram “became great” (vs. 4), the male goat “grew very great” (vs. 8), while the little horn “grew exceeding great” (vs. 9). Antiochus was only one in a line of Grecian kings and cannot be compared with the Medo-Persian and Greek Empires. In fact, he was anything but great. He did not enlarge his territory, was forced to pay tribute to Rome, and was killed trying to raise money to pay more tribute.

2. Preterists point to the fact that the little horn grew out of one of the four divisions of the Greek Empire (the four horns in verse 8) as evidence that the little horn represents Antiochus Epiphanes. However, this is not correct. The pronoun “them” in verse 9 is actually referring back to the four winds of heaven in verse 8, and not to the four horns. We know this because in the original language the pronoun “them” is masculine, as are the “winds.” On the other hand the “horns” in verse 8 are feminine, and so the masculine pronoun cannot be referring back to them.

3. The little horn is described in verses 10 – 12 as doing things that Antiochus Epiphanes could never do. For example, the little horn exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host (vs. 11), a reference to Jesus. Antiochus could never do this because he died in 164 BC, long before Jesus was born.

Which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land – This describes Pagan Rome’s military campaigns against the Egyptians to the south, the Seleucid Empire to the east, and the land of Palestine (the Glorious Land) as she rose to power.

Verse 10

It grew up to the host of heaven – What is the host (or army) of heaven? The Bible presents three possibilities: 1) The angels (Nehemiah 9:6; Revelation 12:7 – 9, 19:11, 14), 2) the literal sun, moon and stars (Deuteronomy 4:19), or 3) God’s people on earth (Exodus 7:4; 1 Samuel 17:45).

Gabriel’s explanation later in the chapter leaves no doubt as to the identity of the host of heaven upon which the little horn tramples - the holy people (see verse 24). And so the host of heaven here represents God’s people.

It cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them – The stars here represent the spiritual leaders among God’s people (Daniel 12:2, 3; Revelation 1:20). This verse is describing the persecution of the early Christians by Pagan Rome. Nearly all the apostles and many others of God’s people were martyred in the first three centuries AD.

Verse 11

He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host – Who is the Prince of the host? The only other place in the Bible that uses this specific title is in Joshua 5:13 – 15), where it refers to Jesus. The little horn is now beginning to exalt himself heavenward, toward God Himself.

Here in verse 11, we see a fundamental change in the activities of the little horn. In verses 9 and 10, its activities were horizontal, restricted to the earth. These verses described Rome in its Pagan phase, as it conquered other nations. Beginning in verse 11, however, the little horn directs its activities heavenward. And so, verses 11 and 12 describe Rome in its Papal phase.

By him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down – In the original Hebrew, the term “daily” was the word tamid, meaning “daily” or “continual.” (The word “sacrifices” was added by the translators and does not belong in the text.) (SOP 2) This passage should read, “By him the daily [was] taken away.” The question is, what is the daily?

The word “daily,” or “continual,” is an adjective with no definite article. In other words, it does not tell us what it is that goes on daily or continually. However the rest of the Old Testament makes it clear that “daily” refers to the daily, continuous ministration of the priest in the court and in the holy place of the sanctuary. So, taking away the daily from the Prince of the host means that the little horn was going to attempt to take away from Jesus His daily ministration in the court and holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. (There is also another sense in which this is true. The little horn would attempt to take away Jesus’ ministration in the temple of our hearts.)

How did Papal Rome “take away” Jesus’ heavenly ministry? By a false religion that counterfeited the true ministry of Jesus. Notice the following ways in which Papal Rome has counterfeited Jesus’ ministry:

The Altar of Sacrifice represents the death of Jesus on the cross for our sins. In the Roman Catholic mass, the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus is repeated over and over again. Instead of looking to the Lamb of God in heaven, believers are taught to look to the wafer host, where the literal body of Jesus in its totality (ubiquity) is supposedly found. Instead of coming boldly to the throne of grace in heaven, believers are taught that they are being nourished by feeding on the literal body of Jesus on earth. Furthermore, the Roman Catholic priest on earth takes the power and prerogatives of Jesus when he pronounces the words hoc est corpus meum, and supposedly transubstantiates the wafer into the real body of Jesus. In other words, the earthly power has the power to create the Creator! This is blasphemy to the fullest degree.

The Table of Shewbread contained two stacks of unleavened bread, which represented the Word of God. This bread was called the “continual bread” (Numbers 4:7, margin) because it was available continually to satisfy the spiritual needs of Israel. How did Papal Rome take away the Table of Shewbread ministry of Jesus? By taking the Word of God away from the people and substituting human tradition in its place. The number of unbiblical traditions is legion: Purgatory, celibacy, an eternally burning hell, lent, the mass, relics, canonization of saints, the rosary, bowing before images, the immaculate conception, the assumption of Mary, baptism of infants, the observance of Sunday, to name just a few.

The Seven-Branched Candlestick represented the continual ministry of the Holy Spirit to God’s people. In Revelation, the ministry of the Holy Spirit is represented by the messages of counsel, reproof and encouragement given to the seven churches. But the Roman Catholic Church taught believers to blindly obey their church leaders instead of encouraging them to follow their conscience under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In fact, the Pope is a counterfeit of the Holy Spirit, because Jesus left the Holy Spirit as His Representative on the earth (John 16:7, 13, 14), and the Pope claims this role for himself.

The Altar of Incense represented Jesus’ intercession for His people as their prayers ascended up before God. The incense represents the merits of Jesus that mingle with the prayers of the saints, and makes them acceptable to God. The Roman Catholic Church took away the Altar of Incense ministry of Jesus by establishing a counterfeit priesthood to whom the people confess their sins. Instead of directing their prayers to Jesus in heaven for forgiveness, they utter them to a human priest on earth who cannot forgive. Furthermore, the faithful are also taught to offer their petitions to Mary and the saints instead of Jesus. In consequence, the eyes of the people are taken off Jesus, who can truly hear their petitions and forgive their sins.

In summary, there are two princes contending for the souls of human beings. One of them performs a continual ministry of salvation in the heavenly sanctuary by pleading the blood of His one and only sacrifice before the Father (the Altar of Sacrifice). He feeds His people with the Word of God (the Table of Shewbread), keeps the light of the church burning by the power of the Holy Spirit (the Seven-Branched Candlestick), and forgives those who come to Him in penitence and prayer (the Altar of Incense). The other prince, unable to usurp the heavenly ministry of the true Prince, has established a counterfeit continual ministry (the mass, tradition, the confessional, the pope) in the earthly temple – the church. By getting people to focus on his counterfeit ministry, he has cast down the place of the sanctuary and deprived human beings from discerning the saving work of Christ! Without being able to discern the saving work of Christ, souls perish in sin!

Verse 12

Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices – In verse 11 we found that the true Prince has His host. Now we discover that the little horn is also given a host (army) to war against the daily. The little horn’s army is the secular power that under the influence of Papal Rome persecuted and killed the saints.

Notice that the little horn’s army helps fight against the daily because of transgression. The original word translated transgression literally means “rebellion” or “revolt.” The little horn and his army are literally revolting or openly rebelling against the Prince, the daily, and the place of the sanctuary. In other words, they are fighting against heaven!

He cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered – This is a summary of the work of the little horn during its reign of 1260 years.

Now, in the last part of the vision (verses 13 and 14), the video suddenly goes blank. But the audio portion continues as Daniel hears two heavenly beings in conversation.

Verse 13

Then I heard a holy one speaking – Daniel doesn’t identify this heavenly being or tell us what he said. However, the evidence indicates that the first holy one who speaks is Jesus Himself. The original word translated here as “holy one” is Palmoni, which means “Wonderful Numberer of Secrets.” Variations of this same word are used elsewhere in the Bible, and they are names of Jesus (see Judges 13:17, 18; Isaiah 9:6).

And another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking – The second holy one that asks the first Holy One a question is the angel Gabriel (see Verses 15, 16). So this conversation is between Jesus and Gabriel.

How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot? – Gabriel’s question refers to the work of the little horn in its papal phase, previously described in verses 11 and 12. The thrust of his question is, “How long will these things continue?”

Verse 14

And he said to me – This verse contains Jesus’ answer to Gabriel’s question. But notice that Jesus directs His answer to Daniel instead of Gabriel. Obviously this conversation is taking place for Daniel’s benefit.

For two thousand three hundred days – The 2300 days is the length of time that must pass before God would begin His work that would finally bring to an end the work of the little horn. This is symbolic prophecy, and so this time period is given in prophetic time, where each day equals a literal year (Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6). The 2300 days are actually 2300 years.

Notice that Jesus gave no starting point for the 2300 days. Because we have no information about the beginning of this time period, we can’t determine the ending date. It is not until Daniel Chapter 9 that we are given a starting point for the 2300 days.

This verse is the focal point of the entire vision. All of the history previously described in the vision moves toward the crucial moment when God would convene the heavenly judgment and bring to an end the rebellious work of these earthly kingdoms. This verse is also crucial to Seventh-day Adventists. It was the study of this verse that resulted in the Great Advent Movement of the early 1800’s, and eventually the rise of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

NOTE: In the original language, the word “days” is expressed as evenings mornings. Commentators who believe that the little horn is Antiochus Epiphanes have argued that the 2300 evenings mornings equal only 1150 days. But Genesis 1, where God referred to the days of creation as evenings and mornings, makes it clear that an evening morning is a literal day.

Then shall the sanctuary be cleansed – This is what would take place at the conclusion of the 2300 days – the sanctuary would be cleansed. This portion of Jesus’ answer immediately raises two questions: What sanctuary is Jesus referring to, and what is the cleansing of the sanctuary? We will deal with these questions separately below.

1) What sanctuary is Jesus referring to?

When answering this question, it is important to keep in mind that we are talking about the end of the 2300 days. Later we will find that the 2300 days ended in 1844 AD, at a time when there was no earthly sanctuary. The earthly sanctuary was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, and was never rebuilt. Not only that, but when Jesus died on the cross, God indicated that the earthly sanctuary had no further significance (see Matthew 27:50, 51. Also compare Matthew 21:13 with Matthew 23:37, 38).

After Jesus’ resurrection, He ascended to heaven to minister in the true sanctuary, to which the earthly sanctuary had pointed (Hebrews 8:1, 2). And so the sanctuary that was to be cleansed at the end of the 2300 days is the sanctuary in heaven, where Jesus is currently ministering in our behalf.

2) What is the cleansing of the sanctuary?

The cleansing of the sanctuary refers to the work of the high priest on the Day of Atonement, at the end of the Hebrew religious year. On that day, the sanctuary was cleansed of the record of the sins of Israel, which had been accumulating in the sanctuary throughout the year as their sins were forgiven (Leviticus 16:19, 33). A parallel work of cleansing the people also took place on that day (Leviticus 16:30).

It is important to recognize that the cleansing of the sanctuary and the judgment are the same event. (SOP 3)This can clearly be seen by comparing the prophecies of Daniel 7 and 8, which are parallel prophecies describing the same events. In Daniel 7, the judgment takes place after the rule of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Pagan Rome, divided Rome and Papal Rome. In Daniel 8, the cleansing of the sanctuary takes place after the rule of Medo-Persia, Greece, Pagan Rome and Papal Rome. These prophecies both describe the judgment, but from different perspectives. The Day of Atonement is called the judgment in Chapter 7 because history is being presented from a political/legal perspective. The Day of Atonement is called the cleansing of the sanctuary in Chapter 8 because history is being presented from a religious/heavenly perspective.

How is it that the Day of Atonement and the judgment are the same event? The sanctuary was cleansed on the Day of Atonement through an act of judgment by God. A blood record of each forgiven sin had been previously placed in the holy place of the sanctuary throughout the year. But before this record of forgiven sins could be removed from the sanctuary on the Day of Atonement, it was necessary for God to make a final decision concerning the Children of Israel. Had they faithfully confessed all of their sins? Were they in right relation to Him?

Israel’s standing with God on the Day of Atonement determined their fate. Either the record of their sins would be blotted out, or they would be rejected by God. God’s final decision (or judgment) was symbolized by the high priest going directly into the presence of God in the most holy place and sprinkling blood seven times on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. God’s acceptance or rejection of this final atonement symbolized His act of judgment concerning Israel.

This is why the Day of Atonement was such a solemn day, and why God required the people to lay aside their usual activities and search their hearts while the final atonement was being offered inside the sanctuary (Leviticus 16:29 – 31).

The experience of Israel on the Day of Atonement applies directly to us. The true Day of Atonement is currently in progress in heaven, and our eternal fate will be determined by whether we follow God’s instructions for His people on the Day of Atonement. Our very first duty is to lay aside all earthly distractions and make it our top priority to search our hearts, and make sure that we are right with God. If we are faithful in doing this, we can be sure that our record of sins will be blotted out in the heavenly sanctuary.

Verses 15, 16

The vision now ended, Daniel began to earnestly contemplate what he had been shown, trying to understand. Suddenly, a heavenly being appeared before him and he heard a voice coming from over the River Ulai. The voice was that of Jesus (the first “Holy One”), and He instructed Gabriel (the second “holy one”) to make Daniel understand the vision.

Verse 17

As Gabriel drew near, Daniel fell on his face in fear. But Gabriel began his explanation, telling Daniel to understand that the vision referred to the time of the end.

NOTE: Two different words are used for the word “vision” in this chapter. When referring to the entire vision, the Hebrew word chazon is used. When referring specifically to the 2300 days of verse 14, the word mareh is used.

Only chazon has been used for the word “vision” through verse 15. But when Jesus instructed Gabriel to make Daniel understand the vision in verse 16, He used the word mareh. Gabriel responded in verse 17 by telling Daniel that the mareh referred to the time of the end. In other words, the 2300-year time period extends all the way down to the time of the end. The significance of this will become clear as we study Gabriel’s explanation of the vision.

Verse 18

Daniel was so overcome by the glory of heaven’s mightiest angel that he felt as though he was asleep. Gabriel gently stood Daniel up before he continued his explanation.

Verse 19

What shall happen in the latter time of the indignation – The term indignation refers to the work of the little horn. Gabriel is telling Daniel that he is about to make known what will happen during the last part of the 2300 days, when the little horn rules.

Verses 20 – 22

Before giving a more detailed description of the little horn, Gabriel briefly passes over Medo-Persia and Greece.

Verse 23

In the latter time of their kingdom – In other words, near the end of the rule of divided Greece (symbolized by the four horns on the goat).

When the transgressors have reached their fullness – That is, when these nations have filled up their cup of iniquity.

A king shall arise – This is a reference to the rise of the little horn (Pagan Rome).

Having fierce features – Compare this with Daniel’s description of the fourth beast in Daniel 7:7.

Who understands sinister schemes – This may be a reference to Rome’s skill in intrigue and stratagem. Both Pagan and Papal Rome were masters of international and religious diplomacy.

Verse 24

His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power – With this statement, Gabriel has already moved to Papal Rome. This is a reference to the fact that the Papacy controlled the civil power and used the sword of the state to enforce her decrees.

This is another reference to the little horn’s army first described in verse 12.

He shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive – This is a summary of the Papal rule. Compare with the last part of verse 12.

He shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people – The mighty are Rome’s political enemies, and the holy people are the persecuted people of God.

Verse 25

Through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule – Through deceit and falsehoods, Papal Rome persuaded millions to follow pagan traditions instead of the Bible. Compare with the last part of verse 11.

He shall exalt himself in his heart – The medieval popes exalted themselves until they finally claimed to be God on earth.

He shall destroy many in their prosperity – This is another reference to Papal Rome’s policy of destroying those who opposed her. Not only did Rome kill the saints, but she destroyed all those whom she perceived as a threat. One example is her persecution of those who tried to advance the arts and sciences.

He shall even rise against the Prince of princes – This is a reference to the work of the little horn in taking away Jesus’ heavenly ministry. Compare with verse 11.

But he shall be broken without human means – In other words, God Himself will finally destroy this power. He will accomplish this by the judgment (cleansing of the sanctuary at the end of the 2300 days), and finally by the second coming of Christ.

Verse 26

The visions of the evenings and mornings which was told is true – Here Gabriel assures Daniel that the vision of the 2300 days (evenings and mornings) is true. It will come to pass just as Jesus has predicted.

Therefore seal up the vision, for it refers to many days in the future – The word used here for vision is chazon, referring to the entire vision. Daniel was not told to seal up any of his previous visions. Only this vision, which deals specifically with the 2300 days, was to be sealed. (SOP 4) This point will become significant when we get to Chapter 12, where Daniel is told to seal up his book until the time of the end (Daniel 12:4).

Verse 27

Notice that Gabriel has explained the entire vision to Daniel except for the 2300 days. But instead of explaining the 2300 days, he assures Daniel that it is true and tells him to seal it up. Daniel was so distressed by this development that he fainted and was sick for several days.

I was astonished by the vision, but no one understood it – The word used here for vision is mareh, referring to the 2300 days. Daniel concludes this account by pointing out that he didn’t understand the 2300 days.

Spirit of Prophecy Quotations

1 “So through His people today God desires to bring blessings to the world. Every worker in whose heart Christ abides, everyone who will show forth His love to the world, is a worker together with God for the blessing of humanity. As he receives from the Saviour grace to impart to others, from his whole being flows forth the tide of spiritual life. Christ came as the Great Physician to heal the wounds that sin has made in the human family; and His Spirit, working through His servants, imparts to sin-sick, suffering human beings a mighty healing power that is efficacious for the body and the soul. "In that day," says the Scriptures, "there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness." Zechariah 13:1. The waters of this fountain contain medicinal properties that will heal both physical and spiritual infirmities.

“From this fountain flows the mighty river seen in Ezekiel's vision. "These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed. And it shall come to pass, that everything that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live. . . . And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, shall grow all trees for meat, whose leaf shall not fade, neither shall the fruit thereof be consumed: it shall bring forth new fruit according to his months, because their waters they issued out of the sanctuary: and the fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine." Ezekiel 47:8-12.” – Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 6, pages 227, 228.

2 “I saw in relation to the "daily" (Dan. 8:12) that the word "sacrifice" was supplied by man's wisdom, and does not belong to the text, and that the Lord gave the correct view of it to those who gave the judgment hour cry.” – Early Writings, page 74.

3 “Both the prophecy of Daniel 8:14, "Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed," and the first angel's message, "Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come," pointed to Christ's ministration in the most holy place, to the investigative judgment, and not to the coming of Christ for the redemption of His people and the destruction of the wicked.” – The Great Controversy, page 424.

4 “The prophecies present a succession of events leading down to the opening of the judgment. This is especially true of the book of Daniel. But that part of his prophecy which related to the last days, Daniel was bidden to close up and seal "to the time of the end." Not till we reach this time could a message concerning the judgment be proclaimed, based on the fulfillment of these prophecies.” – The Great Controversy, page 356.