Star Wars in Daniel
It grew so big it reached the army (06635 צָבָא tsaba’) of heaven, and it brought about the fall of some of the army (06635 צָבָא tsaba’) and some of the stars (03556 כּוֹכָב kowkab) to the ground, where it trampled them. (Dan. 8:10 NET)
And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days; afterward I arose and went about the king’s business. I was astonished by the vision, but no one understood it. (Dan. 8:27 NKJ)
Unlike Daniel, modern Commentators see nothing astonishing. None of this causes them to be “faint and sick for days”. The “little Horn” is Antiochus most claim, as for the “army of God” and “stars”, these Israel’s saints, or priests or chief rulers. Nothing much to see here, some even believe Daniel’s vision is history pretending to be prophecy.
But Daniel is made faint and sick by this vision for days. Neither he nor any experts in Bible prophecy could understand it. This is even more surprising in Daniel’s case because God specially gifted Daniel to understand enigma and vision (Dan. 2:47; 4:8-9; 5:11-12).
Their different reaction is proof modern commentators do NOT understand the vision. If it were about Antiochus and the Israelite people Daniel would be as calm and collected as they and everyone Daniel knew would have easily understood it.
Daniel saw the Antichrist and Nephilim piloted spaceships attacking God’s angels, bringing some of their ships down.
Gabriel says the vision occurs in the End Time, not the time of Antiochus Epiphanes.
17 So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was afraid and fell on my face; but he said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.” (Dan. 8:17 NKJ)
Gabriel distinguishes between “the mighty” (= the stars) and “the holy people” (=the army of heaven):
24 His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power; He shall destroy fearfully, And shall prosper and thrive; He shall destroy the mighty (06099 עָצוּם `atsuwm), and also the holy people. (Dan. 8:24 NKJ)
In Joel 2:11 “mighty” refers to angels:
ADONAI shouts orders to his forces- his army is immense, mighty (06099 עָצוּם `atsuwm), and it does what he says. For great is the Day of ADONAI, fearsome, terrifying! Who can endure it? (Joel 2:11 CJB)
Joel stopped talking about locusts or humans, he telescopes to the End Time when he speaks of “the day of the LORD great and terrible.” Therefore, the “mighty army” are angels who in the End Time slay the Assyrian Antichrist (Mic. 5:5-6; Isa. 10:24, 32; 14:25-27; 30:31-33; Zeph. 2:13-15; Zech. 12:2-3; 14:1-4; Rev. 19:17-21).
A “Star Wars” event WOULD astonish and confuse Daniel and all his contemporaries. Especially when the “sanctuary” is the Body of Christ the Temple of God and “the Daily” is their taking up Christ’s cross daily and counting 2,300 days from the start of the End Time Week, the vindicated Church the Temple of God celebrates in heaven (Rev. 15:1-4).
The army (“host”) of heaven denotes both redeemed humanity (Ps. 110:3; Exod. 7:4; Rev. 19:14) and angelic soldiers (1 Kings 22:19). Even some of “the stars” (angels Job 38:7; Ps. 148:2) were brought down, meaning they crashed to the earth (Judg. 5:20; Dan. 10:13, 20; Rev. 12:7-9) and both are dishonored.
Its power reached to the heavens, where it attacked the heavenly army, throwing some of the heavenly beings and some of the stars to the ground and trampling them. (Dan. 8:10 NLT)
The Interpretation
The Assyrian Antichrist (Mic. 5:5-6; Isa. 10:24, 32; 14:25-27; 30:31-33; Zeph. 2:13-15; Zech. 12:2-3; 14:1-4; Rev. 19:17-21) rises from the remnants of the Seleucid dynasty, ancient Grecian Syria. Hence the end time revived Byzantine Roman Empire has a leopard body (Dan. 2:40-44; 7:7-9, 17-27; Rev. 13:2). I infer from the parallels with Antiochus Epiphanes he will rise up in modern Turkey near Antioch his ancient capital.
END NOTES
The usual translation of Dan. 8:14 “sanctuary will be cleansed” is chosen over a more literal and likely meaning, “will be vindicated” because translators refuse to allow Daniel is prophecy actually foretelling events. The vindication of the church’s faith is pictured in Revelation 15:1-8. It appears suddenly disconnected to the surrounding events. Chronologically, it 2,300 days after the beginning of the end time week, after everyone is raptured or gathered by Christ angels. Their faith in God now vindicated and celebrated in heaven.
Commentators reject the literal reading because:
will be purified. The Hebrew verb, weniṣdaq (the only occurrence of the niphal of ṣdq in the MT!) should mean “will be justified.” But this can hardly be said of the sanctuary. The underlying Aramaic was surely yidkê, “will be cleansed, purified,” which was corrupted into, or misread by the translator as yizkê, “will be victorious, justified.”- Hartman, L. F., &; Di Lella, A. A. (2008). The Book Of Daniel: A New Translation With Notes And Commentary On Chapters 1-9 (Vol. 23, p. 227). New Haven; London: Yale University Press.
It is NOT unhistorical the “Temple of God” has gained additional meaning in the End-Time as things have changed (1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19. 2 Cor. 6:16. 2 Thess. 2:4. Eph. 2:21).
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