Two Common Opinions
One opinion — found in most Bible commentaries on Daniel 8 — is that Antiochus Epiphanies (died 163 B.C.) is the "little horn." The "sanctuary" is assumed to be the Second Temple in Jerusalem. The daily sacrifice the Levitical offerings.
Antiochus did indeed prohibit the daily sacrifice — from 168-165 B.C. He defiled the Temple with an idol of Jupiter Olympus, and offered swine’s' blood upon the altar. He burnt as many scrolls of the Law as he could lay hands on. He attempted to stamp out the truth. But he did not fulfill this prophecy of the "little horn" — except, perhaps, as a forerunner.
Antiochus Epiphanies died long ago — in 163 B.C. The ruler symbolized by the "little horn" is to be alive at the second coming of Jesus Christ. He comes on the world scene in the "latter days" when human transgression — sin and suffering — is to reach its climax. He is to stand up and resist Christ at His second coming! Antiochus Epiphanies came over two thousand years too early to fulfill this prophecy! He is not the "little horn."
Another opinion has it that the "little horn" is pagan and/or papal Rome. Those who hold this view believe the "sanctuary" is not on earth, but in heaven — that it is God's throne. The daily sacrifice, according to this view, is the work Christ has been performing in heaven as High Priest.
Is this the Bible explanation?
NOT Heavenly Sanctuary!
Turn to Daniel 8:11. See the Bible answer with your own eyes: "Yea, he [the "little horn"] magnified himself even to the Prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down."
The margin in the King James Version provides an alternative rendering. Instead of "by him" — meaning the "little horn" — it has "from him" — meaning the Prince of the host. The original inspired Hebrew can be translated both ways into English. Either translation is correct.
But notice what this scripture says!
The daily sacrifice is to be taken away! The sanctuary is to be cast down! Now consider: If the daily sacrifice is, as some believe, the daily work of Christ in heaven, then a mortal man — the "little horn" — would have power to intervene in heaven and stop the work of Jesus Christ!
Further, if the "sanctuary" were in heaven, he would have the power to "cast down" the sanctuary — the very throne of God in heaven!
IMPOSSIBLE!
No man can stop Jesus Christ from performing His work in heaven! No man — no ruler — not even the devil himself — can cast down the throne of God and profane His Holy Sanctuary!
Then what is the meaning of this astounding prophecy for our day?
The Bible Answer
First read verses 13 and 14 of Daniel 8:
"Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, '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?' And he said unto me, 'Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.' "
Another enigma!
This answer to this mysterious time period was hidden from Daniel's understanding — was not to be revealed until the latter days!
This is a prophecy for our day — this climactic 20th Century!
Some have tried to explain this prophecy before God's time came to reveal it! Those who assume the "sanctuary" is in heaven claim that this vision of "2300 days" commenced in 457 B.C. and ended in A.D. 1844. (They say that the "2300 days" represent 2300 years in fulfillment) They further insist that the "sanctuary" that was cast down — the Holy of Holies in heaven itself — God's very throne — was to be "cleansed" beginning in 1844.
Is the date 457 B.C. the beginning date for the "2300 days"?
Notice the Bible answer from this 8th chapter of Daniel:
The Medo-Persian Empire — the "ram" in this prophecy — ruled the world until 331 B.C. Then Alexander came on the scene. He died in 323 B.C., after which his empire in 301 B.C. was divided into four parts. Out of one of the four divisions of Alexander's Empire is to rise the little horn "in the latter days"! It is the little horn which takes away the daily sacrifice and casts down the sanctuary! Whatever the little horn is to do for "2300 days" cannot have begun until after the division of Alexander's Empire into four parts! But 457 B.C. is over a century and a half too early! That date cannot be the commencement of the "2300 days"!
The date 457 B.C. is the commencement of another prophecy altogether — the "seventy weeks" prophecy in Daniel 9:25. The year 457 B.C. marks the commencement of Daniel's prophecy of "seventy weeks" which led to the first coming of Jesus Christ! That prophecy has nothing directly to do with the prophecy recorded here in Daniel 8!
The prophecy of Daniel 9 is not the explanation of the "2300 days." The prophecy in chapter 9 was explained to Daniel (see verse 23). The prophecy in chapter 8 was sealed from human understanding until this "time of the end." Daniel did not understand it (vs. 27 of ch. 8).
But notice further. The little horn takes away the daily sacrifice for "2300 days." Was any daily sacrifice — whether on earth or in heaven — taken away from 457 B.C. until 1844?
No!
Did a king — or even a line of kings, the Roman Emperors or the Popes for example — for 2300 years prevent the daily sacrifice from being offered? Did pagan or papal Rome for 2300 years — from 457 B.C. to 1844 A.D. — cast down the sanctuary of God?
Of course not! The Jews were offering the daily sacrifice almost continuously from the days of Ezra and Nehemiah until the Jews were driven out of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
But, it is insisted, the sanctuary was not on earth but in heaven!
Granted that the earthly sanctuary was a type of the heavenly sanctuary, God's throne. But what king or power has ever cast down God's throne in heaven for 2300 years?
First, notice the last part of Daniel 8:13. The "sanctuary" is to be "trodden underfoot"! Has any kingdom, any power ever trodden underfoot God's heavenly sanctuary for 2300 years?
Certainly not!
The Bible itself proves that this amazing prophecy has nothing to do with a heavenly sanctuary. Nor was it fulfilled from 457 B.C. to 1844!
Then what does the prophecy of the "2300 days" really mean?
A Common Misunderstanding
Notice Daniel 8:26: "And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true. . . ." The vision of "2300 days" is actually called in the Scripture "the vision of the evening and the morning." Why?
Turn in your Bibles to verse 14 of chapter 8. In most Bibles you will find a marginal note for the word "days." This note reveals that the original Hebrew of the word "days" is "evening morning." This prophecy is not referring to 24-hour days but to evenings and mornings — the evening and morning sacrifice! According to verse 11 the little horn takes away the daily sacrifice. The daily sacrifice was offered in the evening and in the morning. See Levs. 6:9 and 12.
Verse 14 is a mistranslation in the text of the King James Version, though it is correct in the margin. The Revised Standard Version reads, "for two thousand three hundred evenings and mornings."
In other words, here is a prophecy that two thousand three hundred evening and morning sacrifices would cease to be offered. Since the daily sacrifice was offered twice a day, this prophecy is actually speaking of one thousand one hundred fifty (1150) days. In 1150 days there would be exactly two thousand three hundred sacrifices offered at evening and morning.
The Jewish Soncino Commentary, by Dr. Judah J. Slotki, comments on this verse: ". . . the numeral refers to the number of times the offerings, normally brought twice daily, will be omitted, giving a total period of 1,150 days. . ."
At the end of this 1150-day period the sanctuary is to be "cleansed" or "justified." This prophecy is yet to be fulfilled! That's why it was shut up and sealed from human understanding until our time. It was not for God's people or the world until these latter days!
Some scholars have contended that this prophecy of the taking away of the evening and morning sacrifice has already been fulfilled by Antiochus Epiphanies. This is NOT TRUE!
Notice why: what happened to the daily sacrifice in the days of Antiochus Epiphanies (168-165 B.C.) was only a type of what is yet to occur! The wicked deeds of Antiochus Epiphanies are recorded in Daniel 11:31. He polluted the ancient sanctuary. He took away the daily sacrifice, but not for exactly 1150 days.
Daniel 11:31 is not referring to the same event described in Daniel 8. Notice especially in Daniel 11 that the latter days do not commence until verse 40. "And at the time of the end . . ." That's in this generation, almost two thousand years after the days of Antiochus Epiphanies.
Now consider who the "little horn" in this prophecy is.
The King of the North
The little horn in Daniel 8 is none other than the last king of one of the four divisions of Alexander's Empire. He is, in fact, the final "King of the North" described in Daniel 11.
When Alexander's Empire was divided into four parts General Seleucus obtained the area north of Palestine. He made Syria, which lies to the north of Palestine, the center of his kingdom (see map on page 26). The story of that kingdom is not recorded in Daniel 8. That prophecy skips all intervening time to our day. But the missing centuries are recorded in Daniel 11.
Here is what happened. The "Kingdom of the North" was originally Syria — north of Palestine. But Syria was soon swallowed up by Rome. (See map on page 29) The Roman system of government became the "Kingdom of the North." It has existed to our time in Europe. In the Middle Ages it was called the Holy Roman Empire. It’s amazing history is described in Daniel 11:36-41. (The entire 11th chapter of Daniel is explained in the article "Middle East in Prophecy.")
Rome swallowed up Syria and became the Kingdom of the North of Daniel 11.
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In Daniel 11 the last King of the North is pictured as occupying "the glorious land" Palestine (verse 41). This is the same region that the "little horn" of Daniel 8 is yet to control in our day!
In Palestine the final King of the North "shall come to his end, and none shall help him" (verse 45). The "little horn" of Daniel 8 also comes to his end in Palestine when he stands up against the "Prince of princes" (Dan. 8:25). Both these prophecies refer to the same event!
That "little horn" — the final "king of the north" — is about to manifest himself on the world scene!
The Final Fulfillment
This amazing prophecy of the 2300 evenings and mornings is yet to be fulfilled in our day. A great crisis is yet to occur in Palestine. After nearly 19 centuries a part of the tribe of Judah — the Jews — has come back to Palestine. In their war of independence in 1948 they gained possession of the new part of Jerusalem, but the Arabs still control old Jerusalem. Not only Jerusalem, but the whole land of Palestine is divided. It is an armed camp likely to ignite at any moment!
Daniel 8 indicates that in the near future we shall literally see fulfilled this mysterious prophesied event for Palestine — "the daily sacrifice" and "the sanctuary" restored before our very eyes.
The Bible does not give the exact sequence of events — only the duration. We must watch world news to discover how and when it will happen.
Then will come World War III and the occupation of Palestine and half of Jerusalem.
A great European Church-State union will be in control of Palestine and the whole Western World. It will prohibit the truth. It will "cast down the truth to the ground." It will practice and prosper!
It will persecute and martyr God's Holy people. It will be allowed to tread Jerusalem underfoot and to prohibit "the daily sacrifice" at the sanctuary for 1150 days. It will substitute its own abominable, idolatrous rites in place of the evening and morning sacrifice. Jesus referred to this same event in Matthew 24:15. "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, STAND IN THE HOLY PLACE, (whoso readeth, let him understand) Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains . . . for then shall be great tribulation . . ." — climaxing in the second coming of Christ (verses 15-21).
The Gentiles will tread down Jerusalem for 1260 days (Rev. 11) — a period which includes the 1150 days. It is the time of the two witnesses who will prophesy in the streets of Jerusalem for 1260 days, then be killed, and — just immediately before the return of Christ — be raised from the dead in the sight of the people!
God will suddenly intervene in human affairs. He will put an end to this wicked idolatrous system. "The sanctuary shall be cleansed."
We are very near the fulfillment of these amazing prophecies. It is time we wake up to world events and free ourselves from fables and traditions begun more than a century ago! It's time we believe the Bible and not false teachers! It's time we asked God for wisdom and ask Him to lead us and to show us His Truth!