Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/6_300.lzh/6_334.TXT

Text File | 1994-09-05 | 7KB | 130 lines

the daily sacrilice would be taken away, because of
the transgression of the people, yet it was only for
a certain time, and would be restored again when that
time-was up; .and so is spoken for the comfort of the
Lord's people: and it cast down the truth to the ground:
that is, the little horn Antiochus, or his host and army;
hedid all that in him lay to extirpate and abolish true
religion and godliness; he cut in pieces the copies of
the book of the law, and burnt them, called the law of
truth in Mal. iS. 6. as Jacchiades observes, and put to
death the professors of the truth; and shewed all the
contempt of true doctrine and worship he was capable
of; see I Maccab. i. 59, 60: and it practised, andpro-
spered; he did what he pleased, and he succeeded in
his attempts for a while, there being none to oppose
him.
Ver. 13. Then i heard one saint speaking, &c.] An
angel, either a created angel, pure and holy in his na-
ture, as Gabriel; or the increated Angel Jesus Christ,
the Word of God; what he was speaking of is not
said; perhaps Daniel did not hear what he said, though
he heard him speaking, or perceived that he spake;
5:et did not understand what he said, or what was the
subject of his discourse; very probably it was. some-
thing relative to t'he vision now seen: and another saint
said unto that certain saint that spake ; another angel
said to him that spake, whose name is unknown, only
called such an one, or Palmoni, which some render
tile wonderful numberer ; or, the numberer of secrets, or
that has all secrets numbered g; and apply it to Christ,
whose name is Pele, wonderful; the eternal Word of
God, that is in the bosom of the Father, and knows all
secrets, and the number of times and seasons, how long
they will last; what created angels know not, he does;
and therefore they apply to him for instruction and
knowledge in hidden things: 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 n. nderfoot ? that is, how long will this vision
last? or when will this prophecy be at an end, and have
its full and final accomplishment? how long will the
sacrifice be taken away, or made to cease ? how long
will that transgression, that abomination, making the
temple desolate, the image of Jupiter Olympius set up
b.y Antiochus, continue in it? how long shall it be
given to him, or he be permitted to tread under foot,
and use in the most contemptuous manner, the temple
of the Lord, and his people ?
Ver. 14. And he said unto me, &c.] That is, Palmoni,
the wonderful person, to whom the 'angel put the
above question, gave the answer to it; not unto the
angel that asked it, but unto Daniel that stood by;
knowing that it was for his and his people's sake the
question was asked, and therefore gave the answer to
him, as follows: unto two thousand and three hundred
days; or so many mornings and evenings {}; which shews
that not so many },ears, as Jacchiades, and others, are
meant; but natural days, consisting of twenty-four
hours, and which make six years, three months, and
eighteen days; and reckoning from the 15th day of the
month Cisleu, in the year 145 of the Selucidae, in
which Antiochus set up the abomination of desolation
upon the altar, 1 Maccab. i. 57, to the victory obtained
over Nicanor by Judas, on the 13th day of the month
Adar, Anno 151, are just 2300 days; which day
the Jews kept as an annual feast, in commemoration
of that victory i and from that time enjoyed peace and
rest from war: this way goes L'Empereur after
pellus; but others begin from the .defection of the
people from the pure religion by Menelaus, Anno 141;
though Antiochus did not enter on his impieties till
the following year; and, reckoning from the 6th day of
the 6th month in that year, to the eSth day of Cisleu
in the year 148, when the Jews offered the daily sacri-
fice on the new altar of burnt-offerings, 1 Maccab. iv.
52, were just six years, three months, and-eighteen
days: and so it follows, and then shall the sanctuary be
cleansed; as it was by Judas Maccabeus at the time
above mentioned; when he purified the holy places,
sanctified the courts, rebuilt the altar, renewed the
vessels of the sanctuary, and put all in their proper
places; see l Maccab. iv. 4t--51. Indeed, as Antiochus
was a type of antichrist, and his persecution of that
desolation made by antichrist in the church; these
2300 days may be considered as so many years, which
will bring it down to the end of the sixth Millennium,
or thereabout; when it may be hoped there will be a
new face of things upon the sanctuary and church of
God, and a cleansing of it fi'om all corruption in doc-
trine, discipline,. worship, and conversation.
Ver. 15. And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel,
had seen the vision, &c.] The whole of the preceding
vision, concerning the ram, he-goat, and little horn,
and what were done by them; the prophet not only
affirms he saw this vision, but repeats the affirmation,
expressing his own name, partly for the sake of
emphasis, and partly for the greater confirmation of his
words; wherefore it was a most impudent thing
Porphyry to say, that the true Daniel never saw this
vision; but what is here related was written after
Antiochus's reign, and falsely ascribed to him. It
being so clear a prophecy concerning Alexander, and
the destruction of the Persian empire by him, this
acute spiteful Heathen had no other way of evading
the evidence of it in favour of true religion but by this
false and lying assertion: and I sought for the meaning;
that is, of the vision; for a more perfect, clear, and
explicit meaning of it; something he had learnt con-
cerning the latter part of it, relating to the desolation
of the temple, and the continuance of it, from what
passed between the two saints or angels; but he Was
desirous of knowing more; which he either signified
by making application to the angel that stood near him;
or rather by secret ejaculations in prayer to God; and
he, who is afterwards described as a man, though the
eternal God that knows all things, knew the secret
desires of his soul, and immediately took care they
should be answered: then, behold, there stood before me
as the appearance of a man: not really a man, but in
form and appearance; not Gabriel, or any created angel
in human form, in which angels sometimes appeared
but the eternal Son of God, who was to be incarnate,
and was often seen in the form of a man before his in-
carnation; in like manner he was now seen by Daniel,

{g} \^ynwmlpl\^ "illi qui occulta in numerato habet", Junius & Tremellius.
{h} \^rqwb bre\^ "vespero matutina", Castalio; "vespertina matutinaque
tempora", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
{i} Joseph, Antiqu, I. 12. c. 10. sect. 5.