Mekôn of Daniel 8:11 and Isaiah 9:6: The
same language
On the basis of one root, kûn, in both texts, as
well as the contexts, one can see a complimentary set of information that
should be taken together to give a fuller picture of what is going on in both
Isaiah and Daniel.
The Rebellion in Heaven in Daniel 8:11 once
more
Daniel 8:11:
Suddenly with the Little Horn, Daniel is not using feminine verbs as in
verses 10 and 12 referring to the Little Horn. He is using masculine verbs. He
is not referring to the papacy as Little Horn here but to Satan as the nexus of
the Little Horn or papacy. He has Isaiah 14:12 in mind. The desire of Satan is
given in Isaiah 14 and God’s punishment but here in Daniel 8:11 the process of
Satan during that Rebellion in Heaven is identified. It is a “and throwing
down” (wehašlak = וְהֻשְׁלַ֖ךְ) of the place (mekôn = מְכ֥וֹן) of His Sanctuary (migdašo = מִקְדָּשֽׁו). In Isaiah 14:19 the same verb is used
(hašlaketa = הָשְׁלַ֚כְתָּ). In the similar language regarding Satan
in his rebellion in heaven, in Ezechiel 28:17 one also finds this word “I have
cast you…” (hišlaketîka = הִשְׁלַכְתִּ֗יךָ). So it is a firm thinking to say that
when Daniel talked about the papacy as Little Horn in Daniel 8:10, the church
as symbol is a woman and also Little Horn has the Hebrew gender of feminine so
that the verbs used should be feminine and it is. That is both in Daniel 8:10
and Daniel 8:12. But, when he suddenly had the origin of evil in mind that is
at the heart and nexus of the papacy or Little Horn, Satan is treated as a male
and masculine verbs are used in Daniel 8:11.
What did Satan do in Heaven that is
symbolically continued in the activities of the papacy as Little Horn on earth?
The question is relevant since Daniel 8:11
outlines his misdeeds in the Rebellion in Heaven activities: “and unto the
prince of the host he magnified himself” (wead šar haṣaba
hagedîl = וְעַ֥ד שַׂר־הַצָּבָ֖א הִגְדִּ֑יל ). He wanted to sit on the mountain and he wanted to be God.
The mountain is where the Heavenly Temple of God is, His throne. That was
Satan’s desires and Isaiah 14 and Ezechiel 28 outlined it about this perfect
cherub in a trusted place in heaven. The second thing he did, according to
Daniel 8:11, is that Satan “removed the continual offering” (harim hatamîd = הֻרַ֣ם הַתָּמִ֔יד). It was removed “and from it/from Him”
(ûmimenû = וּמִמֶּ֙נּוּ֙).
From the Sanctuary in Heaven, from the Trinity’s tranquility in the universe,
the harmony, the established peace and security was “removed”. Heaven was
disturbed. Subsequently, said Daniel in 8:11, when Satan was “thrown down”
(wehašlak = וְהֻשְׁלַ֖ךְ) to
the earth (according to Isaiah 14 and Ezechiel 28), he was “throwing down” with
himself the place (mekôn = מְכ֥וֹן) of His Sanctuary (migdašo = מִקְדָּשֽׁו). Heaven, and the universe, was no longer
the same. The Trinity’s tranquility and peace forever, was disturbed.
What did the Trinity do about this
disturbance of the Rebellion in Heaven?
The answer to this question was already dealt
with earlier by the prophet Isaiah in 9:6 (7 in the English).
The English reads: “To him who increases the
authority, and for peace without end, on David's throne and on his kingdom, to
establish it and to support it with justice and with righteousness; from now
and to eternity, the zeal of the Lord of Hosts shall accomplish this.”
Many scholars will just see it as a kingly
honorification by God to make it the divine kingship of those who were on the
throne of David. Not so. The context is the Messiah, the everlasting God
(verses earlier). Christ is the one Who will do these actions in this verse and
it should be paraphrased like this:
“To Him(Christ) who increases the authority, and
for peace without end, on David's throne and on His (Christ’s) kingdom, to
establish it and to support it with justice and with righteousness; from now
and to eternity, the zeal of the Lord of Hosts (Christ) shall accomplish this.”
With this proper understanding of the context of
the verse, it is possible to break down the fine detail linking it with the
activities of Daniel 8:11 to get more detail what happened in Daniel 8:11.
The Trinity gave Christ the transformational and
incarnational role to be able to “increases the authority”. This was done in the
Eternal Covenant between the three before the Creation of the World. Here is
another phrase we are using which is a mistranslation of the original Greek.
The New Testament in Ephesians 1:1-4 is not saying that it happened before
“Creation” as scholars are interpreting the Greek word. It is before the
“throwing down” of the earth. It is the Fall in Eden that is the point before
which the Eternal Covenant between the Trio in heaven was made. Increase can
only happen in the environment of a denial of divine authority. That denial is
on earth since Eden with Satan who stole the earth. It was necessary for the
Trinity to “increase” their authority on this earth (Isaiah 9:7a).
In Ephesians 1:4 Paul wrote: 4καθὼς ἐξελέξατο ἡμᾶς ἐν
αὐτῷ
πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου
εἶναι ἡμᾶς ἁγίους καὶ
ἀμώμους κατενώπιον
αὐτοῦ
ἐν ἀγάπῃ.
“Just as He [Triune God] has elected us in Him (Christ) before the “throwing
down” [katabolēs = καταβολῆς] of
the earth [a time of deterioration of the earth due to Satan’s impact in Eden
with the Fall by Adam and Eve], us, to be holy and unblemished before Him
[Triune God] in love”.
It is the Fall, not Creation of the World that
is mentioned here in Ephesians 1:4. Bales is “throwing” and kata is “down”. It
is not Creation that is ktisein or ktiso. We need to be more precise in our
language so that we can be more precise in doctrine as well. I am talking to
the non-SDA’s here.
Christ had the function, as coming Messiah, to
increase authority and “for peace without end” (ûlešalôm ên-qṡ
= וּלְשָׁל֣וֹם אֵֽין־קֵ֗ץ).
That is why the angels sang at His birth, “peace on earth….” to the shepherds
in the fields. It was the Messiah’s second task. Christ, while dealing with
this earth between Eden to Eden was increasing His authority (ulemarebba
hammisera = ולְמַרְבֵּ֨ה הַמִּשְׂרָ֜ה).
This peace was not just short-term peace between kings or people this was
“peace without end”. It is eternal peace that was to be gained. It was lost. An
usurper stole it from the Trinity. Harmony, tranquility, peace was stolen in
heaven. The makon of His Sanctuary in heaven was “thrown down” as Daniel 8:11
said. The root kûn is present in Daniel 8:11 but it is going to show up soon in
Isaiah 9 to.
Locality of the authority and peace to be
gained in the Messianic Program
Isaiah says that it is “on David’s throne” and
“on His kingdom”. Scholars will misunderstand it all to be preteristically
interpreted in the past history of David and his descendants. But that is not
the case, unless one says Descendant, meaning the Messiah = Christ. And that
was He according to Matthew 1. His kingdom had to be established over this
earth. The kingdom of Glory was to reign over this earth but it was
eschatological as long as Satan is around. Only after the Hell event would it
kick in. Of course He comes in glory as King of Kings in heaven to take the
resurrected to heaven but it will be established in this earth after the Hell
event.
Establishing and supporting judgment and
righteousness
Isaiah is not done yet with the Messianic
program. He (Christ) was to “establish” something. It is in this word that we
are back with the root kûn (see makon in Daniel 8:11). He said: “to establish
it” (lehakîn otah = לְהָכִ֚ין אֹתָה֙). The root is in kîn = kôn = kûn. We have just strung together
verses 9:6 of Isaiah and Daniel 8:11. What Satan destroyed in Daniel 8:11
through the Little Horn and papacy and himself, is regained and restored by
Christ in Isaiah 9:6 (7 in English).
Two aspects needed to be establish and
supported: Judgment and Righteousness. Righteousness was demonstrated at the
cross in 31 CE and that is Christ our Righteousness. The Messianic Lamb of God.
The goal of the tamîd or continual offering. Once and for all, Hebrews said. It
will have continual application and continual power to support the harmony and
peace regained forever. That much we know.
How long was the Judgment and Righteousness
to be established and supported?
“From now and to eternity” (me`ata wead ôlam = מֵֽעַתָּה֙ וְעַד־עוֹלָ֔ם). This was a task that had eternal
repercussions and effects. Christ would be working from Eden to Eden to involve
the Trio in heaven in a salvation engine for the regaining of authority, of
peace, of Judgment (both investigative 1844 as a process until the Door of
Mercy closes and executive after the millennium at the Hell extermination event
once and for all) and of Righteousness giving His life at the cross, once and
for all.
Who will accomplish this?
“The zeal of the Lord of hosts [Christ] shall
accomplish this”.
Dear God
We are able to gain a deeper understanding
of Your work for us through these texts. We are very thankful for that and
submit our lives to You to be part of Your eternal peace program. Amen.