| The
key which unlocks the door to the mystery of “the daily” is Daniel’s
application of counterfeit cultic language in chapter 8. The ram, the goat,
the horn, the daily (hattamid), the sanctuary (miqdash) are
representative cultic symbols taken from Leviticus and Numbers but which
have counterfeit cultic significance in Daniel 8. Verification of the
counterfeit significance comes from the initial clue that the ram and the
goat represent pagan world powers. Furthermore, the cultic language of the
phrase, “from him the daily was lifted up” in Daniel 8, in conjunction
with similar and parallel cultic phraseology in Leviticus defines a
counterfeit priest, a counterfeit sacrifice, and a counterfeit hattamid
in Daniel 8.
The identification of “the daily”
(hattamid) depends on the answer to the pivotal question upon which
the exegesis of Daniel 8:11 revolves: “What is the antecedent of the
pronoun `him’ in the phrase ‘from him the daily was lifted up?’” Is
the antecedent “the Prince of the host” or “the one exalting himself.”
A definitive answer to this pivotal question comes from the cultic language
parallels in Leviticus where the priest lifts up the fat from the cultic
beast sacrifice. The cultic-counterfeit cultic parallel of Leviticus with
Daniel 8, respectively, demands that “the daily” be lifted up from the
cultic horn/beast power (the one exalting himself in 8:11), since the prince
of the host intrinsically manifests no cultic significance.
The hattamid lifted up from
the cultic horn in Daniel 8 and the fat lifted up from the cultic sacrifice
in Leviticus are linked together by the sweet aroma associated with burning
of the fat of the cultic sacrifice and the sweet aroma of the daily (hattamid)
burnt offering. “The daily” (hattamid) and the sweet aroma are
consistently linked together in Leviticus by “the daily” burnt offering,
“the daily” grain offering, “the continual” bread, and “the
perpetual” incense all of which are associated with the daily worship
cycle. The counterfeit sweet aroma of hattamid is the self-exalting
character associated with all pagan worship practices.
Moreover, the incorrect
identification of “the daily” as the positive, beneficial high priestly
ministry of Christ creates a counterfeit thesis-antithesis between Daniel
8:11 and Daniel 8:14. That which is good is taken away in 8:11 (thesis) and
restored in 8:14 (antithesis). This would necessitate a commencement date of
the 2300 years no earlier than AD 300 with a termination in AD 2600. This
conclusion decimates the “putting right” and the cleansing of the
sanctuary commencing in 1844, the foundational pillar of the Seventh-day
Adventist Church. The correct identification of “the daily” as the
negative self-exalting character of paganism inherent in mankind precludes a
counterfeit thesis-antithesis between Daniel 8:11 and 8:14. The genuine
thesis-antithesis exists between Daniel 8:13 and Daniel 8:14 where the
positive and beneficial sanctuary (qodesh) is trampled for 2300
evening-morning (years) commencing in 457 BC and “put right,” restored
and cleansed commencing in 1844 with the termination of the 2300 years. With
both the genuine thesis-antithesis and the correct view of “the daily,”
the 2300 years of Daniel 8, commensurate with the activity of the horn
associated with “the daily,” become self-consistent with the 70 weeks of
Daniel 9 and 457 BC.
This exegesis of Daniel 8:9-14 has
established multiple lines of self-consistent evidence demonstrating that
“the daily” is the self-magnifying character of Satan and the world
kingdoms under his banner. This contravenes the current position of
Adventist scholars that the “daily” is Christ’s high-priestly
ministry. A summary of specific evidence supporting this conclusion
includes:
A
Summary of Specific Evidence |