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 the sanctuary was cast down. (cf. on stars: Daniel 12:3)
Magnified Himself EVEN to the Prince of the Host
We saw in Part 2 how the ‘little horn’ magnified himself to the Prince of the host. Click here to access the post and scroll down to section titled Waxed Great EVEN to the host of heaven.
The ’Little Horn’ Tramples Upon the Sanctuary Message
In verse 11, the ‘little horn’ tramples upon the sanctuary message by casting it down to the ground. How does it do this? By obscuring the mediation of Christ and replacing it with a counterfeit earthly mediation. The ‘little horn’ does something that no other kingdom has done: It goes against the Prince of the Host’ in the heavenly sanctuary. This is the vertical dimension of its campaign, and is making an assault against Heaven itself. We get more information in verse 12, which we will expand upon in upcoming posts.
If you are not familiar with the sanctuary message, which is about Christ and his plan of salvation and eradication of sin, we recommend that you read the posts on the subject (September-November 2022 posts). If you are familiar, it is available for review if you like.
The ‘little horn’ magnified himself equal to the Prince of the host. Who else magnified themselves equal with God? Isaiah 14:13-14 tells us that Lucifer (Satan) magnified himself to be equal with God.
The ‘Prince of the host’ is Christ. There is only one other place in the Bible that uses the same identical expression. Joshua 5:13-15, uses the term ‘commander of the army of the Lord’. Although it is not translated the same, in the Hebrew it is identical. What does the commander of the Lord’s army say to Joshua? Remove your sandal for the place where you stand is holy ground (Ex. 3:4-5). The ‘host’ then is the ‘army of the Lord’, which is a reference to God’s people.
Digging Deeper into Verse 11
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 the sanctuary was cast down.
Taken Away / Lifted Up, Then Thrown Down
The phrase ‘taken away’ can actually mean ‘lifted up”. So, if you can imagine that “the daily” or continual was lifted up and the sanctuary was cast or thrown down. The question is, What was ‘lifted up’ or taken away from the Prince of the host? If we go back to the first three uses of “the continual” or daily we have the: the bread, the grain offering, and the burnt offering; so which is it? Let’s go to Daniel 9:27, “27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”
It is the ‘sacrifice’, meaning at the cross of Christ there will no longer be a need for the blood of goat, lambs, rams, etc. BECAUSE Christ did it once and for all on the cross. There is no longer a need for the earthly sacrificial system. No longer is there a need for sacrifice and grain offerings, for Jesus put a stop (cease) to it. Here is the answer to the question asked above, What was ‘lifted up’ or taken away from the Prince of the host? It has to be the bread, because Jesus ended the sacrificial and grain offerings. It is the only thing left that can be ‘lifted up’ or taken away and then thrown down.
John 6:32 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. 34 Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. 35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Jesus is telling us that He is the bread. Also see: Jn. 6:51-58:
John 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
The disciples were talking amongst themselves saying ‘how can we eat his flesh’? They were thinking of the physical, having a literal interpretation of what Jesus said. But, Jesus was not speaking of the literal, he was speaking of a spiritual application. Jesus gave an amazing promise. He is saying ‘eat from Me’, for I am the bread…I am the word of life. It is I who gives you sustenance.
Think about this, ‘the daily’ or continual that was lifted up then thrown down was what was removed from the Prince of the host. It is the ‘bread’, and the theological implications are huge. Question, where was Jesus born? Bethlehem, the “House of Bread”.
Jesus said this in Matthew 4:1-4, “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. 2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. 3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. 4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
1 Corinthians 11:23 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me.
The daily or continual is the most important thing to understand. This is what was removed from the Prince of the host. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, in it we ask to be ‘…give us this day, our daily bread…” This is the daily, we need this.
The ‘little horn’ is attacking the Prince of the host and removed the daily by its policies and practices. It took away the word of God, and subverting the ministry of Jesus Christ by casting it down to the ground, This is the word of God that we feed upon and are nourished by it.
1 Peter 1:23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
The word of God is what feeds and nourishes us, in it we find words of truth: we find salvation in the Word. Recommended study: Heb. 4:11-16, 2 Peter 1:19; Isa. 55:11; Rom. 10:17; Matt. 13:1-23; Eph. 6:17; Jn. 1:1-3,14, 6:63, 17:17; Acts 13:48; 2 Tim. 2:9; 1 Peter 1:23; 1 Jn. 2:14; Ps. 1:2-3.
We cannot separate the life of Christ, and the body of Christ from His word. He is the living Word. His word CANNOT be changed, taken away, or thrown down…it will endure. It is infallible.
Jesus is our High Priest (Heb. 7:15-17, 24-25), he intercedes for us, he advocates and mediates for us – this is His word.
We are getting the BIG picture here, what is being cast down to the ground is His word which contains the truth, which is Jesus Himself for he is the living Word. Christ is the gospel. Christ is the law. He established the eternal covenant by His word.
Think back to the Garden of Eden, was God’s word cast to the ground by the serpent? Yes. How did he do it? By deceit, he remixed the words of God which was a different message – a message that led to sin and death.
The Place
In Daniel 8:11, we are told the ‘place’ of His sanctuary was thrown down. The word ‘place’ in the Hebrew is makon, meaning place, site, support (for a throne); foundation. The following verses provides more insight:
Psalm 89:14 Justice and judgment are the habitation (foundation)of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.
Psalm 33:14 From the place of his habitation (place) he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.
Psalm 97:2 Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation (foundation) of his throne.
The throne of God is His foundation. What do we find in His throne? The Bible tells us that before Him is the ark of the covenant, which contains his law – the ten commandments, which are covered with a mercy seat. The Bible says that the place of His sanctuary was thrown down. What is in His sanctuary: the lampstand, the altar of incense, the table of shewbread, and the ark of the covenant with its mercy seat. The sanctuary represents the plan of salvation and the final eradication of sin. The ‘little horn’ throws the sanctuary to the ground. Reread Daniel 7:25.
Summary of verse 11:
- He magnifies himself in his heart to the Prince of hosts, v.25 tells us he shall magnify himself in his heart and that he shall stand up against the Prince of princes. Pope claims to be God on earth and even angels can be excommunicated.
- It takes away the ‘daily’ by reason of transgression, some will look at the temple being destroyed in AD70 – while this may be true the focus here is not on a building but rather upon the ministerial services that Jesus Christ performs on our behalf as our High Priest, Advocate, and Mediator. Yes, we recognize that the temple was destroyed by the Roman Empire, but even greater than that the “little horn” took away the daily (Christ’s ministry in heaven) by policy and practice. Exodus 29:38-39, what was offered? A Lamb. Who did the lamb represent? Jesus. What was understood by the ‘blood of the lamb’? A person is saved from their sins by faith in the blood of that Lamb that was shed in their behalf. The idea is that judgment will Passover because the Lamb took my place…it is righteousness by faith in the blood of the Lamb. The beast power and all pagan religions teach salvation by works such as giving offering to the gods, penance, pilgrimages on ones knees, etc. The corruption by the “little horn” power is the corruption of salvation by faith…the gospel…the daily.
- It cast down the place, the foundation, of the sanctuary message; which is the entire plan of salvation and the eradication of sin. Jesus is performing his High Priestly duties and as was with the Day of Atonement – Jesus will perform the final Day of Atonement when He eradicates sin forever.
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.
A host (army) was given him against the daily by reason of transgression, composed of troops provided by the various member states of the empire. Remember, in a previous post found that one definition for ‘host’ was people. This could mean godly or ungodly people, the context will command its usage. In verse 12, we read that a ‘host’ was given to the “little horn”
One such form was Clovis, king of the Franks. He was converted to Catholicism in 496 A.D., and then went about converting the other pagan nations of Western Europe. This was done through ward and capitulations. B 508 A.D. Clovis and his military strength, exercised on behalf of the papacy, had finished their work in success.
The ‘little horn” goes on to cast the truth to the ground, and is continues to practice and prosper.
In verse 24 we read again that he shall prosper and practice, and that craft will prosper in his hand (25).