1.0 INTRODUCTION
The pioneer reformer of the “Great
Advent Awakening,” William Miller interpreted the time prophecies of Dn.
8:14 and Dn. 12:11 by connecting the “daily” (or the continuance) of
Daniel with the restrainer in Paul’s second epistle to the Thessalonians.134
He identified the man of lawlessness as papal Rome, while the restraining
power in the development of the papacy was interpreted as paganism. Through
analogous reasoning Miller concluded that the “daily” also signified
paganism which gave way to papal Rome. “The daily” was interpreted as
the “daily abomination” or the first abomination and was represented as
paganism in general, or Rome more specifically. The “abomination that
makes desolate” was identified as papal Rome. Thus in Dn. 12:11 the Roman
empire would be taken away and papal Rome would be set up.135
Historically, “the daily” has
been identified interchangeably as paganism or pagan Rome. U. Smith
identified “the daily” in Daniel 8:11 as pagan Rome,136
but in Daniel 8:13 and 11:31 he identified “the daily” as paganism.137
Similarly, William Miller linked “the daily” of Daniel 8:11 with “the
restrainer” in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7, identifying both as paganism which
was interchangeable with pagan Rome.138
1.1
The Man of Sin |