Rescue Ministries International
Chapter 6 Study — Jewish History and Early Testimony: Confirming the Little Horn
(Continuation of Chapter 5 — Hanukkah and Jesus’ Recognition)
30 Questions & Answers with Full Supporting Text
30 Questions & Answers with Full Supporting Text
Introduction to Chapter 6
So far this study has established the prophecy of Daniel 8, the historical fulfillment recorded in Maccabees, and the remembrance of the cleansing of the sanctuary in Hanukkah, which is acknowledged in the Gospel of John.
This chapter now adds another layer of confirmation by turning to Jewish history and early testimony. The purpose is to show that the events described in Daniel 8 were not only recorded in Scripture and Maccabees, but were also preserved and confirmed by Jewish historical writers.
Section 1 — Jewish Historical Record (Josephus)
1. Who was Josephus?
Answer: Josephus was a first-century Jewish historian.
Background
Flavius Josephus was a Jewish historian who wrote extensively about the history of the Jewish people, including the period of Antiochus Epiphanes and the desecration of the temple.
2. Did Josephus write about Antiochus?
Answer: Yes.
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 12.5.4
“He spoiled the temple, and put a stop to the constant practice of offering a daily sacrifice of expiation, for three years and six months.”
3. What did Josephus say Antiochus did to the temple?
Answer: He spoiled the temple and stopped the daily sacrifice.
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 12.5.4
“He spoiled the temple, and put a stop to the constant practice of offering a daily sacrifice of expiation, for three years and six months.”
4. Does this match Daniel 8:11?
Answer: Yes. Daniel says the daily sacrifice would be taken away.
Daniel 8:11
“Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.”
5. What does Josephus confirm here?
Answer: He confirms that Antiochus stopped the daily sacrifice and damaged the temple, just as Daniel foretold.
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 12.5.4
“He spoiled the temple, and put a stop to the constant practice of offering a daily sacrifice of expiation, for three years and six months.”
Section 2 — Desolation and Persecution
6. Did Josephus describe the temple as being left desolate?
Answer: Yes.
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 12.5.4
“He spoiled the temple, and put a stop to the constant practice of offering a daily sacrifice of expiation, for three years and six months.”
7. Does this fit Daniel’s phrase “the transgression of desolation”?
Answer: Yes.
Daniel 8:13
“Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?”
8. Did Josephus also describe persecution of the Jews under Antiochus?
Answer: Yes.
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 12.5.4
“He also compelled them to forsake the worship which they paid their own God, and to adore those whom he took to be gods…”
9. What happened to Jewish customs and worship?
Answer: They were suppressed and forbidden.
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 12.5.4
“He also compelled them to forsake the worship which they paid their own God, and to adore those whom he took to be gods…”
10. What does this show about the historical record?
Answer: It independently confirms the persecution and desolation described in Daniel and Maccabees.
Daniel 8:12
“And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.”
Section 3 — Duration of the Desolation
11. How long did Josephus say the sacrifice was interrupted?
Answer: For three years and six months.
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 12.5.4
“He spoiled the temple, and put a stop to the constant practice of offering a daily sacrifice of expiation, for three years and six months.”
12. Does this agree with the Maccabean period of defilement?
Answer: Yes, it agrees closely with the historical period of desecration and interruption.
1 Maccabees 4:52–53
“Now on the five and twentieth day of the ninth month, which is called the month Casleu, in the hundred forty and eighth year, they rose up betimes in the morning,
And offered sacrifice according to the law upon the new altar of burnt offerings, which they had made.”
13. Does this duration connect naturally with Daniel 8:14?
Answer: Yes. The period ends with the cleansing of the sanctuary.
Daniel 8:14
“And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”
14. What happened after this time of desolation?
Answer: The temple was restored and worship resumed.
1 Maccabees 4:53
“And offered sacrifice according to the law upon the new altar of burnt offerings, which they had made.”
15. What does this confirm about Daniel 8?
Answer: It confirms that the prophecy reaches a historical completion in the cleansing of the sanctuary.
Daniel 8:13–14
“Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation…?
And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”
Section 4 — The Cleansing Confirmed
16. Did Josephus mention the restoration of worship?
Answer: Yes, he records the restoration of temple worship.
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 12.7.6
“So on the five and twentieth day of the month Casleu… they lighted the lamps that were on the candlestick, and offered incense upon the altar, and laid the loaves upon the table, and offered burnt offerings upon the new altar.”
17. Does this match the record in Maccabees?
Answer: Yes, very closely.
1 Maccabees 4:52–53
“Now on the five and twentieth day of the ninth month, which is called the month Casleu, in the hundred forty and eighth year, they rose up betimes in the morning,
And offered sacrifice according to the law upon the new altar of burnt offerings, which they had made.”
18. Does this fulfill Daniel 8:14?
Answer: Yes. The sanctuary was cleansed and restored.
Daniel 8:14
“And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”
19. What does this show about the historical evidence?
Answer: It shows multiple independent confirmations of the same event.
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 12.7.6
“So on the five and twentieth day of the month Casleu… they offered burnt offerings upon the new altar.”
20. Why is this important for interpreting Daniel 8?
Answer: Because it shows that the prophecy has a concrete historical fulfillment, not merely an abstract symbolic one.
1 Maccabees 4:59
“Moreover Judas and his brethren with the whole congregation of Israel ordained, that the days of the dedication of the altar should be kept in their season from year to year…”
Section 5 — Early Jewish Understanding
21. Did the Jewish people preserve the memory of Antiochus’ actions?
Answer: Yes.
1 Maccabees 4:59
“Moreover Judas and his brethren with the whole congregation of Israel ordained, that the days of the dedication of the altar should be kept in their season from year to year…”
22. What feast preserved that memory?
Answer: The Feast of Dedication, Hanukkah.
John 10:22
“And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.”
23. What did Hanukkah celebrate?
Answer: The cleansing and dedication of the temple after desecration.
1 Maccabees 4:56
“And so they kept the dedication of the altar eight days…”
24. Does this show that Jewish understanding saw these events as historical?
Answer: Yes.
1 Maccabees 4:59
“…that the days of the dedication of the altar should be kept in their season from year to year…”
25. What does this prove about early Jewish interpretation?
Answer: It proves that the desecration and cleansing were understood as real fulfilled events in Jewish history.
Daniel 8:14
“And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”
Section 6 — Agreement Across Sources
26. What sources now agree in this study?
Answer: Daniel, Maccabees, Josephus, and the Jewish feast tradition.
Daniel 8:14; 1 Maccabees 4:59; John 10:22
“And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”
“…that the days of the dedication of the altar should be kept in their season from year to year…”
“And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter.”
27. Do these sources contradict each other?
Answer: No. They align on the major events.
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 12.5.4
“He spoiled the temple, and put a stop to the constant practice of offering a daily sacrifice…”
28. What key events match across these sources?
Answer: The temple was defiled, sacrifices were stopped, the people were persecuted, and the temple was later cleansed.
Daniel 8:11–14
“…the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down…
…How long shall be the vision…?
…then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”
29. What does this strong agreement indicate?
Answer: It indicates a solid historical basis for identifying Antiochus as the fulfillment of the little horn in Daniel 8.
1 Maccabees 1:54
“Now the fifteenth day of the month Casleu… they set up the abomination of desolation upon the altar…”
30. What is the final conclusion of Chapter 6?
Answer: Jewish history and early testimony confirm that Antiochus Epiphanes fulfilled the events described in Daniel 8.
Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 12.5.4; Daniel 8:11–14
“He spoiled the temple, and put a stop to the constant practice of offering a daily sacrifice…”
“…the daily sacrifice was taken away…
…then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”
Conclusion of Chapter 6
This chapter adds another layer of confirmation. Daniel foretold the events, Maccabees recorded them, Josephus confirmed them, and the Jewish people preserved their memory through Hanukkah.
The key truth of this chapter is this: the fulfillment of Daniel 8 is confirmed not only by Scripture, but also by Jewish history and early testimony.
Closing Thought
This study has now shown prophecy, historical record, Jewish remembrance, and early Jewish testimony all pointing in the same direction. The case for Antiochus as the historical fulfillment of Daniel 8 is not based on one source alone, but on a consistent line of evidence.
| Back to Series Untangling Daniel 8:14: Antiochus Epiphanes, the Little Horn, and the Cleansing of the Sanctuary Chapter Topics 1. The Bible’s Own Explanation of the Little Horn This chapter lays the foundation by showing that Daniel 8 itself identifies the kingdoms, sequence, and setting of the little horn. 2. The Ram, the Goat, and the Rise of Greece This chapter focuses on Medo-Persia, Greece, and the great horn, showing that the prophecy moves directly into the Greek world. 3. The Division of Greece and the Emergence of the Little Horn This chapter shows that the little horn arises from one of the four divisions of Alexander’s empire, making its Greek origin unmistakable. 4. The Historical Fulfillment: Antiochus Epiphanes and the Little Horn This chapter demonstrates from Daniel and the books of Maccabees that Antiochus fulfills the little horn in origin, action, and outcome. 5. The Cleansing of the Sanctuary, Hanukkah, and Jesus’ Recognition This chapter shows that Daniel 8:14 was fulfilled in the cleansing of the temple, preserved in Hanukkah, and acknowledged in the time of Jesus. 6. Jewish History and Early Testimony: Confirming the Little Horn This chapter uses Jewish historical witness, especially Josephus, to confirm the temple desecration, the stopping of sacrifice, and the later cleansing. 7. Early Church Fathers and the Historical Understanding of the Little Horn This chapter shows that early Christian interpreters recognized Antiochus as the historical fulfillment of Daniel 8, even when some also saw him as a foreshadowing of later evil powers. 8. Modern Churches, Scholars, and the Debate Over Daniel 8:14 This chapter compares the broader historical interpretation of Daniel 8 with later views, especially the Adventist 1844 interpretation, and asks whether the evidence supports history or later tradition. |