Segment 4 - Daniel 8
The Antichrist
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How Jesus Cleanses the Temple in Heaven

Unlike the earthy temple, which was cleansed annually, Heaven’s temple is cleansed once, at the end of the age. (Hebrews 9:24-26) This cleansing began in 1844, which is 2,300 years after the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem given by Artaxerxes in 457 B.C. (457 B.C. also marks the beginning of the seventy weeks in Daniel 9.) The Day of Atonement service in the earthly temple was a shadow of the plan of salvation. Notice what the shadow reveals:

Two animals, a bull and a goat, were sacrifices in this service. (Leviticus 16) This service began right after daybreak with the slaying of a bull that belonged to the high priest. This bull (a very expensive sacrifice) represents the sacrifice that the Father made in order to redeem mankind. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” (John 3:16, KJV) The Father gave up the most valuable asset He could provide so fallen man could have the offer of salvation. After the bull was slain, the high priest carried some of the bull’s blood behind the veil into the Most Holy Place where he met with God. The high priest had to be worthy to cleanse the temple before he could conduct the service. The slaying of the bull and the worthiness of the high priest shadows the sacrifice that the Father made and the qualifying process which Jesus our High Priest underwent before He could conclude the sin problem. (See Revelation 4 and 5.)

The next event on the Day of Atonement was casting of lots to determine which goat should die. After the lots were cast, the Lord’s goat was slayed. The Lord’s goat represents the death that Jesus was willing to experience in order to save man. A goat was used for this sacrifice because a goat has a free spirit. Jesus freely gave up His life for sinners. After the Lord’s goat was slain, its blood was mixed with the bull’s blood. Then, the high priest went behind the veil a second time to begin the cleansing of the temple. The first item to be cleansed was the Art of the Covenant. The second item was the Altar of Incense and the last item to be cleansed was the Altar of Burnt Offering. These items were cleansed in this order and they became free of sin (cleansed, recons crated, restored) when the mixed blood of the bull and the goat was sprinkled on them.

The last event in this service was the laying of hands on the head of the scapegoat. The scapegoat represents Lucifer, the author of sin, who freely exercised his power of choice to commit sin. After the temple furniture had been made holy with the sprinkling of blood, the high priest placed his hands on the head of the scapegoat. Through the placement of hands on the scapegoat, the sins of the people (which had been stored on the temple’s altars) were transferred onto the head of the scapegoat. Then, the scapegoat was led out into the wilderness to slowly starve to death.

This may come as a shock, but in God’s economy, sin is never forgiven because someone other than God is responsible for sin. The beauty of salvation is that sinners can escape the penalty of sin through faith. If a sinner makes restitution for his sin and confesses his sin to God, he transfers his guilt to Heaven’s temple. At the end of the 1,000 years in revelation 20, Lucifer, the scapegoat, will receive all of the guilt transferred into Heaven’s temple because he is responsible for the presence of sin. On the other hand, if a sinner does not transfer his sin to the temple, his sins remain upon his own head and in God’s economy; the wages of sin is eternal death. (Romans 6:23) At the end of the 1,000 years, God will execute justice on the scapegoat and the wicked and they will suffer in proportion to their guilt until they are annihilated. This is the meaning of divine justice.

The Temple to be Cleansed Is in Heaven

The cleansing of the earthy temple shadows a process that began in Heaven in 1844. It is interesting to notice that 1844 is exactly forty-six years after 1798. When Jesus began His ministry on Earth, His first action after returning from fasting in the desert was the cleansing of the temple that took forty-six years to restore! (John 2:13-21) The parallel is that Jesus began cleansing the heavenly temple forty-six after the twenty-five thrones had been arranged and the convocation in Heaven began!

Before the cleansing of Heaven’s temple could begin, someone had to be found worthy to conduct the process. Jesus was found worthy to cleanse Heaven’s temple. After Jesus was found worthy, both Daniel (Daniel 7:13,14) and John (Revelation 4 and 5) saw Jesus highly exalted. Daniel 7 and Revelation 4 and 5 describe the same scene from slightly different angles. After Jesus was found worthy to cleanse Heaven’s temple, He began passing judgment on the records of the dead. Since the Spring of 1844, Jesus has been going through the books of record – one sinner at a time. Standing before the hosts of Heaven, Jesus has been deciding who will be a part of His eternal kingdom and who will not.

When Jesus determines a person will be saved, Jesus removes the record of sin from Heaven’s book and He transfers the guilt of the sinner to the head of Lucifer. When Jesus determines a person cannot be saved, Jesus places the guilt of that sinner on the sinner’s head. The point is that the temple in Heaven is cleansed as the guilt of sin is removed and placed on the appropriate party. (Leviticus 20; Ezekiel 11:21; 22:31; 18:1-24)

When the time comes for the destruction of sinners at the end of the 1,000 years, every wicked person will suffer the appropriately penalty for his sins. God will see that every condemned sinner gets their due reward: “For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:30,31)

Jesus will complete the task of judging mankind during the Great Tribulation. People living during the Great Tribulation will not be judged in the same way as those who have died. The faith of people living at that time will be tested with persecution. In this way, they will choose and determine their eternal destiny. At the sounding of seventh trumpet (Revelation 11:15-19) the cleansing of Heaven’s temple will be finished and the temple will at last, be free of sin. (Revelation 15:1-8) The book of Revelation reveals much more about this process, but this synopsis is intended to give you a general overview of the judgment process. Consider these comments by Bible writers:

 “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12: 13,14, italics mine) King Solomon

“Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.” (John 5:22,23, italics mine) Apostle John

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10) Apostle Paul

“For he [the Father] has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he had appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31, insertion and italics mine) Apostle Paul

“As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, ‘That is enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.” (Acts 24:25 italics mine) Apostle Paul

“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.” (Revelation 22:12) Apostle John

Remember that the 2,300 days in Daniel 8:14 have been a great mystery for most Bible students. The reason for the mystery is quite simple. The event to which this prophecy points is not on Earth, but in Heaven.  God uses the Heaven-Earth-Linkage-Law again to inform us of the timing of something we cannot see. God put the kingdoms of Medo-Persia and Grecia in Daniel 8 because the 2,300 days began during the time of Medo-Persia. Then, God linked the decree of a Persian king (Artaxerxes, Ezra 7) with the cleansing of Heaven’s temple in 1844 by inserting a 2,300-year time-period in the prophecy of Daniel 8. (Review Chart 4.4 and notice how Daniel 7 and Daniel 8 align.)

A starting date for the 2,300 years is not mentioned in Daniel 8 because the starting date is given in Daniel 9. To make matters more mysterious, the cleansing of the temple is in Heaven and not on Earth! No wonder this time-period has been a great mystery for nearly twenty-six centuries! Fortunately, God has revealed the architecture of Daniel and we can determine when the 2,300 evenings and mornings began. We will find in our study on Daniel 9 that the seventy weeks and the 2,300 days start together and we will find that Daniel 7, Daniel 8, Daniel 9 and Revelation 4 and 5 perfectly align. I hope you will be patient enough to allow the prophetic matrix to build. My frustration, as we go through this study, is in trying to explain why each piece of prophecy belongs in a certain place (according to the rules) before all the pieces that belong to the story have been identified! Therefore, all I can ask at the present is that you allow the matrix to place each new piece in its place.

Section VI – The Horn Power in Daniel 8 Cannot be the Papacy

The Time of Wrath

The reformation Christians believed the horn power of Daniel 8 represented the papacy and some Christians today believe the same thing. Let us briefly examine this view, Gabriel told Daniel, “… I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end.” (Daniel 8:19) Since the ram and goat represent ancient empires, this leaves the horn power as only element in this vision that can appear at “the appointed time of the end.” This vision includes a prophetic span of 2,300 evenings and mornings, so the appointed time of the end has to occur after 1844! In other words, the horn power described in Daniel 8 does not appear prior to 1844. This simple fact eliminates the Roman Catholic Church as a possible candidate for the horn power of Daniel 8 because the Roman Catholic Church achieved absolute power in A.D. 538. The little horn of Daniel 7 and the horn power of Daniel 8 cannot be the same entity for the following reasons:

1.      The little horn of Daniel 7 rises out of the Roman Empire. The horn power of Daniel 8 does not derive its strength from Rome or any nation. The horn power in Daniel 8 is a power unto itself. It appears out of one of the four winds, specifically, the north.

2.      The little horn of Daniel 7 arises in A.D. 538 after the ten horns have broken the Roman Empire. The horn power of Daniel 8 has to appear after 1844 because it appears during the appointed time of the end.

3.      The little horn of Daniel 7 represents a diverse or different type of kingdom (Daniel 7:8) that wars against the saints for a very long time (1,260 years). The little horn in Daniel 7 was unlike the remaining seven horns in that it had eyes and a mouth. The horn power of Daniel 8 represents a man, a stern-faced king who will take “the daily” away from Jesus during the appointed time of the end. As we will see, taking the daily away from Jesus is something that no ordinary mortal can do, not even a pope!

4.      Daniel 7 predicts the papacy will recover from its wound and speak boastfully against the Most High. Revelation 13:1-5 confirms the deadly wound will be healed at the time of the end, but Daniel 8 reveals that the Antichrist will destroy the authority of the papacy by casting all religions to the ground and trampling on them. The Antichrist “will exalt himself over everything that is called God” by means of the miracles, he has power to do. (2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:14) The Antichrist will abolish all the religious systems, including the papacy, to establish his global religion. The stern-faced king in Daniel 8 will lead the world to war against the King of kings, and the prince of darkness will take his stand against the Prince of Heaven’s host (Jesus, King of kings) at the Second Coming.

5.      The horn power in Daniel 8 cannot be destroyed by human power. This feature stands in contrast to the fact that the little horn in Daniel 7 is subject to mortality. The papacy was almost destroyed by the sword (war) in 1798.

Daniel 11:36-12:3 contributes several important points to apocalyptic matrix. Even though we have not studied Daniel 10-12, this prophecy amplifies the works and activities of the horn power in Daniel 8. The king of the north in Daniel 11:36 and the stern-faced king that comes out of the north in Daniel 8 are the same entity. The papacy cannot meet all of the specifications that go with the horn power of Daniel 8. A study of Revelation 9 and Revelation 13:11-18, will show the antichrist, the physical appearing of Lucifer with millions of his angels, to be the only solution that satisfies all of the specifications for this power in the books of Daniel and Revelation.

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