Appendix: The 2300 days of Daniel

The Great Tribulation

"So will I choose their delusions,
And bring their fears on them;
Because, when I called, no one answered,
When I spoke they did not hear;
But they did evil before My eyes,
And chose that in which I do not delight." Isaiah 66:4

Israel as a nation, having rejected their Messiah Jesus, faces an accounting for this in the seventieth week of Daniel's prophecy, the final seven years before the return of the Messiah.

Jesus taught, "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened" (Matt. 24:15 - 22).

This "great tribulation" that Jesus referred to is spoken of in Daniel: "At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time ..." (Dan. 12:1). And, as Jesus said, "no, nor ever shall be." This worldwide tribulation is so great that "no flesh would be saved" if it wasn't ended by the coming Messiah. This is a unique "time of trouble" that will be unmatched in all of human history.

Destruction by the Antichrist

Part of this tribulation will be natural disasters, but a large part will be wrought by the Antichrist, and especially against God's people Israel: "And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their fullness, a king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes. 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, and also the holy people" (Dan. 8:23 - 24).

The book of Revelation speaks of the Antichrist: "And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months" (Rev. 13:5). It is during this time that the book speaks of Israel: "Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days ... But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent" (Rev. 12:6, 14).

Correction by God

Jeremiah prophesied of this: "Alas! For that day is great, so that none is like it; and it is the time of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it" (Jer. 30:7). And again, " 'For I am with you,' says the Lord, 'to save you; though I make a full end of all nations where I have scattered you, yet I will not make a complete end of you. But I will correct you in justice, and will not let you go altogether unpunished' " (Jer. 30:11). The purpose of the great tribulation will be to correct the rebellion of Israel and bring them back into a right relationship with God. This tribulation is also designed to shake the gentiles and, likewise, bring them to repentance.

"I will shake heaven and earth"

The book of Haggai prophesies of this shaking. Although the immediate context of the book is the building of the second temple after the return of Israel from captivity, the book ultimately speaks of the Messiah's coming and the temple He will build. Haggai writes, "For thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,' says the Lord of hosts. 'The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,' says the Lord of hosts. 'The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,' says the Lord of hosts. 'And in this place I will give peace,' says the Lord of hosts" (Haggai 2:6 - 9).

The book of Haggai concludes, "Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying: 'I will shake heaven and earth. I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overthrow the chariots and those who ride in them; the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother. "In that day," says the Lord of hosts, "I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel," says the Lord, "and will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you," says the Lord of hosts' " (Haggai 2:20 - 23).

The writer to the Hebrews writes of Haggai's prophecy, "See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, 'Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.' Now this, 'Yet once more,' indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:25 - 29).

Israel's power shattered

The time of this great tribulation will be the three and one-half years prior to the coming Messiah, which is the last half of Daniel's seventieth week. An angel told Daniel, "that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished" (Dan. 12:7b). The end result of the tribulation will be to completely shatter Israel's self-reliance and power so that they turn to God in repentance. Every confidence of mankind will be shaken: all institutions, all government, every economic system, every defense, and all natural earthly and cosmic order. This shaking will cause Israel to call on God to save them from total destruction and annihilation.

In his dream, Nebuchadnezzar saw a stone shatter and destroy the idolatrous image. This represents the coming of Jesus the Messiah to end the self-reign of mankind and to establish His eternal kingdom over all. This shattering has two aspects: that against the kingdoms of the earth where mankind exalts himself above God, and that against the personal idolatry of mankind where each individual places himself above God. Jesus spoke of Himself in this way: "What then is this that is written: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone'? Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder" (Luke 20:17 - 18). Nebuchadnezzar's dream shows the latter, where the kingdoms are ground to powder. But for Israel, the Scripture says, "when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered." This is the brokenness that Jesus spoke of toward those who come to Him. The last kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar's image was made of iron, said to be exceedingly strong, yet was broken up by the stone. In like manner, Israel will be broken of self-reliance on her strength and power such that she turns to God.

Jesus said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate; for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' " (Matt. 23:37 - 39). Jesus is He who is spoken of in Psalm 118 as the one who comes in the name of Yahweh. Israel, in their exceedingly desperate moment at the end of Daniel's seventieth week, must recognize and call upon Jesus their Messiah to come and save them.

A time of indignation

The angel Gabriel said to Daniel in his third vision, "Look, I am making known to you what shall happen in the latter time of the indignation; for at the appointed time the end shall be" (Dan. 8:19). There is a "time of the indignation" caused by the "transgression of desolation" during which "the sanctuary and the host" will "be trampled underfoot" (Dan. 8:13). The "man of sin," the Antichrist, who commits the abomination of desolation and sets up an idol in the temple, and worships himself, will represent the transgression of Israel against God. God's desire was to dwell among His people, Israel. They were to be His tabernacle. But this requires holiness and submission to Him as the One True God. The trampling of the "sanctuary and the host" represents the spiritual condition of the people. It is God's indignation against the idolatry of the people for which the great tribulation has come.

Jesus said concerning Jerusalem, "Your house is left to you desolate." Because Israel was "not willing" to come to Jesus at His first coming, they committed a transgression against God that left them desolate. They served themselves rather than God. From God's viewpoint, this was an abomination that resulted in their desolation. Repentance from this idolatry is required before Jesus will return. They must confess concerning Jesus Christ, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" It is then, as the "stone" of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, that the Messiah will smash the nations that have come against Israel and deliver her.

The only hope

What applies to Israel on a physical level, their being saved by their Messiah from the surrounding armies of the nations, applies to all on a spiritual level. Tribulation and trials humble an individual so as to bring an end to rebellion against God. All that an individual might rely upon is shattered, so that only an upward look and a call to God remain one's only hope. The Lord said through Isaiah, "But on this one will I look: on him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word" (Isaiah 66:2b).

Scripture says, "that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, 'Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.' For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. For 'whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved' " (Rom. 10:9 - 13).