Fourth Quarter 2004 Adult Sabbath School Lessons:
"Daniel"

Insights to Lesson 9:
The Sanctuary Attacked
November 20-26

(Produced by the Editorial Board of the 1888 Message Study Committee)

If any chapter in the Bible is especially the foundation of Seventh-day Adventist existence, it is Daniel 8. It is theologically and historically “ours.” For us to perform theological surgery on our understanding of this chapter would be like letting someone brandish a scalpel around your aorta; you want to be sure what’s happening.

Apparently the first human who began to take Daniel 8 seriously was William Miller who by 1831 became convinced that there is precious “advent” truth therein. We must not disparage him; he was an honest man living up to all the light he had, and for sure, the Lord led him for his heart was tender toward the cross of Jesus. Our Seventh-day Adventist pioneers did not slavishly follow him; they were simply being intelligent while recognizing that the Holy Spirit was active in the Midnight Cry of the autumn of 1844. What our SDA pioneers retained from Miller can be briefly summarized:

• The year-day principle which eventually fixed 1844 as the terminus of the 2300 day/year prophecy of verse 14. (Seventh-day Adventists were not in existence when the Millerites took October 22 as the beginning of the “cleansing of the sanctuary,” and the assumed literal return of Christ on that date.)

• The rise and fall of Medo-Persia and then Grecia, and the rise of pagan Rome which metamorphosed into Papal Rome (vss. 11-13).

• The conviction that Papal Rome developed into a curse to God’s people greater than pagan Rome had ever been.

• The truth foundational to the later convictions of Seventh-day Adventists that the Papacy would figure prominently in the end-time events, and would invent and enforce the “mark of the beast.” We could never have developed our schema of end-time events unless we built on Miller’s foundations. Otherwise, we would have ended up as either preterists or futurists.

• Both Miller and our pioneers were convinced that Daniel 8 is not concerned with the insignificant role of Antiochus Epiphanes. Millerites and Seventh-day Adventists became the first group in history (aside from Paul and the early Christians who saw it; cf. 2 Thess. 2:1-7) both to identify correctly the “little horn” of Daniel 8, and turn attention away from Antiochus as its fulfillment in any respect.

• Both Miller and our pioneers recognized that the word “sacrifice” in italics in Dan. 8:11 is a mistaken identity on the part of the translators. Ellen White notes this as an important point (cf. Early Writings, pp. 74, 75). J. N. Andrews recognized that the Hebrew expression in the text describes it as “the continual in transgression,” identifying “the daily” as an evil power. This marks a significant departure from the view of the Protestant Reformers and the opposing Evangelicals of our pioneer days.

• Miller and our pioneers noted that the term “the daily” or “the continual” (ha tamid) occurs in Daniel five times, each portraying a different aspect of this evil power: (a) “the daily” is to be lifted up, exalted [Heb., rum] religiously or spiritually, and its military headquarters [Heb. miqdash] “cast down” (8:11); (b) it is in “continual transgression” [ha tamid be pesha], but suffers defeat from military powers (“was cast down,” 8:12); (c) “the daily” functions in apposition with “the transgression of desolation” (vs. 13); (d) military might (“arms”) will “take away” (remove) and humiliate “the daily” as a politico-military power, setting up instead the Papacy (“the abomination that maketh desolate,” 11:31); (e) “the daily” is given a time frame: “from the time that ‘the daily’ shall be taken away to set up [Heb.] the abomination that maketh desolate shall be 1290 days [years].” This time prophecy of course requires a beginning date (cf. Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, p. 881 for an interesting discussion of this detail).

WHAT DID ELLEN WHITE AND OUR PIONEERS SEE “THE DAILY” TO BE?

In his desire to let the Bible explain itself, Miller saw two texts as helpful in identifying “the daily”: 2 Thess. 2:3-7 and Rev. 13:1.

1. The political power of paganism hindered the rise of the political power of the Papacy until it was “taken out of the way.” The baptism and supposed conversion of Clovis, king of the Franks, in 508 A.D. supplied the military power that led to the suppression of paganism as a political power, thus preparing the way for the exaltation of the Papacy as a political power in 538 A.D.

2. The pagan Roman Empire gave the Papacy its “power, seat, and great authority.” In a religious sense, the Papacy “lifted up,” absorbed or “exalted” paganism (Heb., rum, 8:11; cf. The Great Controversy, pp. 50, 54). while in a political sense those who supported the Papacy militarily “took it away” (11:31). (Never did the Papacy “exalt” or “lift up” the High Priestly ministry of Christ, rum).

Shortly after 1900, Louis R. Conradi (who apostatized about the same time) came up with what has been termed the “new view” which sees “the daily” as the ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary “taken away” by the Papacy (this is basically the non-SDA Evangelical view). Surviving pioneers at that time insisted that Christ’s High Priestly ministry cannot ever be “taken away” (Heb 4:14-16; 7:24-26). Ellen White supported the pioneer view throughout her lifetime. She did not take the view that it is meaningless, for she said there is “a correct view of ‘the daily’” (Selected Messages, book 1, p. 164; her support is evident even in her MS. Release 1425, tentatively dated 1910).

Our Teachers’ Quarterly asks a serious question: Could we be “deceived into thinking we are doing God’s will when in fact we are serving the enemy?” All of the powers featured in Daniel 8 were motivated by an overweening desire for self-exaltation [Heb., gadal], “great,” “very great,” and “exceeding great” (vss. 4, 8. 9). The one most daring of all has been the Papacy. As we near the end, this gadal spirit will be the greatest temptation to God’s people. Nothing can save them from it except the revelation of Christ and Him crucified. Only a vision of what His love (agape) means can humble proud, 21st century hearts. This particular spirit of revival and reformation is what characterizes the impact of the 1888 message of Christ’s righteousness. It is the only healing for what Ellen White termed “Baal worship,”--the worship of self disguised as the worship of Christ. Thus there will be two religions on earth at the very end--the self-exalting spirit of gadal, and the self-humbling spirit of the true Christ. “There will be great humbling of hearts before God on the part of every one who remains faithful and true to the end” (1888 Materials, p. 166).

Jesus urges us to “read” and “understand” Daniel. Surely He especially wants us to “understand” chapter 8. May the Holy Spirit bless your study of this pivotal chapter.

—Robert J. Wieland

P. S. Those interested in a deeper study of this topic can e-mail a request to the author.

Read this author's additional study: Have We Followed Cunningly Devised Fables?

Read the study notes for lesson 10