Daniel and Revelation: Blasphemy in the Cosmic Conflict

4.1 Blasphemy of the People

The theme of blasphemy in the historical part (Dan. 1–6) is first raised in Dan. 3 (Figure 1). It is in this chapter that the verb βλασφημέω is used, which occurs only once in the book of Daniel (Dan. 3:96 LXX Old Greek). Instead of the verb βλασφημέω, the Theodotin uses the noun βλασφημία (Dan. 3:96 LXX Theodotion).^[36]

Figure 1

Decree prohibiting blasphemy.

The verb βλασφημέω (noun βλασφημία in LXX Th) is used in a decree issued by King Nebuchadnezzar after the miraculous rescue of three Jewish youths from a fiery furnace. The decree says that no one, under pain of punishment, has the right to blaspheme against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The phrase ὃς ἂν βλασφημήσῃ εἰς τὸν κύριον τὸν θεὸν (LXX, Old Greek) can literally be translated as “blasphemous to or for God,” and the phrase ἣ ἂν εἴπῃ βλασφημίαν κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ as “say blasphemy against God” (LXX Th).

The aramaic word שׁלה,^[37] which is translated as blasphemy in the LXX, has the meaning “quietness, ease,” (Ps. 30:6) and “neglect, remissness” (Ezra 4:22; 6:9). Shalom M. Paul writes that the Qere שׁלוּ֙ ָ “is well attested and is used in the Aramaic Targums to translate Heb. שׁכח, ‘to neglect, forget’ (e.g., Ps. 9:13; Job 8:13; 39:15) and שׁגג ,שׁגה, ‘to err, make a mistake’ (e.g., Lev. 4:2; 5:18; Job 6:24; 12:16).”^[38] It also appears in “Neo- and Late-Babylonian texts, both as a verb, šelû IV, ‘to be negligent,’ and as a noun šilûtu, šilіtu, ‘negligence.’”^[39] In Paul’s opinion, this meaning does not fit well with the book of Daniel, and he associates it with the Akkadian word šillatu, which means “blasphemy” and is part of the Akkadian set of terms for sinful language.^[40] Thus, Paul concludes that the phrase אמר שׁלה should be translated as “to speak blasphemy.”^[41]

It is important to notice that Dan. 6:5, like Dan. 3:29,^[42] also uses the noun שׁלוּ֙ ָ,^[43] which is most often translated “error” (ESV, KJV, and ASV) or “negligence” (NET). Daniel’s enemies could find “no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error (שׁלוּ֙ ָ) or fault was found in him” (ESV). Paul states “the correct meaning would be that they were unable to find any ‘improper speech’ or ‘corruption’ against Daniel. The two words would then constitute a merism – in both speech and deed Daniel remained faithful to the king.”^[44] But as J. Paul Tanner writes, “yet he may be overly reliant on drawing the parallel to Akk. šillatu.”^[45] Regardless of what the word שׁלה means in Dan. 3:29, “negligence” or “blasphemy,” the phrase אמר שׁלה conveys the idea of contempt and carelessness. Tanner concludes “In summary, šāluh/šālû probably means something like ‘malicious statement,’ closely related to the classical meaning of βλασφημία (blasphēmia).”^[46]

In addition, in Dan. 3, blasphemy can be seen in the words and actions of King Nebuchadnezzar himself. The very idea of setting up a golden idol and making everyone worship it is blasphemous in itself since it challenges the God of Israel, who, according to the precepts of the Decalogue, is the One who is worthy of worship. In the previous chapter (Dan. 2), God revealed the future to Nebuchadnezzar through an image of various metals (Dan. 2:28–36), which symbolized different empires. The golden head of the image symbolized the Babylonian kingdom (Dan. 2:37, 38), after which, according to the prophecy, others were to come (Dan. 2:39). But the Babylonian king, setting up an image made entirely of gold, decides to oppose God’s plan and establish his own kingdom forever. Tanner writes “That he made it all of gold suggests that this was an egotistical attempt to glorify himself, whereby he took his God-given authority and turned to exalting himself (insulting the God who had given him authority and who was to ultimately establish his own kingdom).”^[47] In other words, Nebuchadnezzar puts himself in the place of God and takes on His prerogatives.

Also, when three Jewish youths were brought before Nebuchadnezzar, he threatened to throw them into a fiery furnace if they did not worship the golden idol and said “And who is the god who will deliver you out of my hands?” (Dan. 3:15). This phrase is similar to the blasphemous statements of the Assyrian king^[48] and reflects the conceit of Nebuchadnezzar. He denies the will and authority of the Heavenly God revealed to him in the previous chapter. Robert A. Anderson states “for the author and his people the blasphemy of such an assertion is not so much the shallowness of its human boastfulness as the bankruptcy of its theology. Nebuchadnezzar’s bold claim enshrouds the fragility of polytheism, which pits one god against another.”^[49]

The next instance of blasphemy in the historical part of the book of Daniel can be seen in the story of Belshazzar in Dan. 5. The Babylonian king decides to bring to the idolatrous feast the vessels from the temple of God in Jerusalem, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought earlier (Dan. 1:2). This becomes a blasphemous act, leading to the direct intervention of God and the subsequent death of the king. Carol A. Newsom writes that, unlike Nebuchadnezzar and Darius, “only Belshazzar is presented as actively blasphemous in treating the vessels from the Jerusalem temple with disrespect and pressing them into service for praising other gods.”^[50] According to John Goldingay, “from self-indulgence issued sacrilege and blasphemy.”^[51] Belshazzar’s blasphemy was the result of a constant and conscious disregard for the God of Israel, which was active in the life of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 5:22).^[52] Instead of humbling himself, Belshazzar has “lifted up yourself against the Lord of heaven” (ועל מרא שׁמיא התרוממת, Dan. 5:23). He used the vessels of the house of God to drink wine from them and glorify idols. Winfried Vogel argues that since temple items were essential symbols of the sanctuary ministry, this was a usurpation of God’s prerogatives to grant salvation to man and to execute God’s judgment.^[53]

Interestingly, the verb רום “be high, exalted, rise,” is also used in Dan. 8:11 and Dan. 11:36 to describe the exaltation of the little horn and the king of the north. Zdravko Stefanovic states “we can see in this king a type of the anti-God power that is introduced in the visionary chapters of the book… His attitude foreshadows the little horn’s hostile activities toward God, his temple, and his faithful people.”^[54] Stefanovic presents seven parallels between Belshazzar and the little horn from Dan. 7 and in the sixth shows that “both spoke and acted blasphemously (5:23; 7:25; 8:11).”^[55] Like Belshazzar on that fateful night when Babylon was captured, so the little horn exalts idols above the true God, defiles the sanctuary and the ministry in it, and manifests hostility toward the people of God.^[56] Thus, the blasphemy of Belshazzar becomes a type of blasphemy of the Antichrist.

In Dan. 6, there is the last case of blasphemy described in the historical part. This story parallels the story in Dan. 3 and also contains miraculous salvation (in this case Daniel).^[57] We can say that Dan. 6 depicts the opposition of two Laws – God’s Law and human law.^[58] When the satraps could not find any error in Daniel’s deeds, they said “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God” (Dan. 6:5). In this story, the Aramaic word דת “law,” corresponds “to the Hebrew Torah and should be taken in a broad sense, denoting one’s religious life that includes a daily walk with God.”^[59] The cunning rulers induce King Darius to issue a decree according to which everyone who “makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions” (Dan. 6:7). Thus, they present Daniel with a difficult choice where he must choose to which law to be more faithful. Following the decree of Darius, Daniel would have violated at least three commandments of the Decalogue – the first (forbids recognizing any other god except Yahweh), the second (forbids making images and idols to serve them), and the fourth (points to the Creator as the only object of worship). Violation of these three commandments is idolatry. By issuing a decree, the king committed blasphemy – he took the place of God.

For the first time, the blasphemy of people in the book of Revelation occurs in the second chapter. Jesus addresses the church in Smyrna and says the following words: “I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander (βλασφημία) of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan” (Rev. 2:9). The text testifies that the Christians who lived in Smyrna experienced serious difficulties in relation to other inhabitants of the city, especially with the Jews. The early Christians were often the object of hatred and abuse from the Jews, who allied themselves with the Roman authorities.^[60]

Craig Koester notes “The Jewish community at Smyrna was well-established.”^[61] Since the cult of worship of the emperor was strongly developed in the city, the Jews undermined the reputation of Christians before the Roman authorities and spread slander.^[62] Gregory Beale suggests “The specific accusations of Jews before government authorities were probably that Christians were upsetting the peace of the status quo, were not a Jewish sect, and refused to pay homage to Caesar as Lord.”^[63] The actions of the Jews led to persecution and suffering.^[64] That’s why “For John, those who denounce Christians thereby denounce the God to whom they bear witness, so he calls it blasphēmia.”^[65]

It is worth noting that the name Satan means “accuser,” and he is called “the accuser of our brothers… who accuses them day and night before our God” (Rev. 12:10).^[66] It is no coincidence that John calls the Jews “a synagogue of Satan,” since “These Jewish centers became, literally, ‘synagogues of the accuser.’”^[67] Rev. 2:9 compared with Rev. 12:10 indicates that these texts combine the theme of the war that the devil started in heaven (Rev. 12:7). In Rev. 2:9, this war has a human dimension and is manifested through the blasphemy/denunciation of the Jews against the Christians. Satan, acting through the pretended servants of God, causes suffering to believers, which in turn is waging war against Jesus Christ himself, who identifies Himself with His people.

The following verses, which describe the blasphemy of people, are in Rev. 16. John writes about the seven bowls of God’s wrath that will be directed against the sinners of all the earth before the Second Coming of Jesus. They are “God’s judgments unmixed with mercy.”^[68] People blaspheme God during three plagues: bowl of the fourth angel – “they cursed (βλασφημέω) the name of God” (Rev. 16:9); bowl of the fifth angel – “People gnawed their tongues in anguish and cursed (βλασφημέω) the God of heaven” (Rev. 16:10–11); bowl of the seventh angel – “they cursed (βλασφημέω) God for the plague of the hail” (Rev. 16:21). In this case, blasphemy is a hateful curse against God. Although the punishments are very strong, they do not lead to conversion but rather harden the hearts of sinners even more.^[69] Ranko Stefanovic states, “The context shows that the seven last plagues are God’s final response to the purpose of end-time Babylon to destroy God’s faithful people.”^[70]

It should be noted that the seven plagues of God’s wrath are presented in the context of the war between God and the devil. In particular, during the sixth bowl of the “demonic spirits, performing signs… go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty… And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon” (Rev. 16:14). John shows that the devil will try to consolidate all his forces against the church and God in order to win this battle. However, the war against the people of God ends with a complete defeat for sinners. Satanic forces planned to destroy the faithful remnant, but God intervened in the battle and the lawless are helpless before the cataclysms. The enemies of Christians blaspheme the Lord, and their stubborn unwillingness to repent confirms the justice of God’s judgment.^[71]

4.2 Blasphemy of the Antichrist

Blasphemy in the prophetic part (Dan. 7–12) is found in the actions of the little horn (Dan. 7, 8) and the king of the north (Dan. 11) (Figure 2).^[72]

Figure 2

Blasphemy of the Antichrist.

The passage, Dan. 7:8, says the little horn had “a mouth speaking great things” (ופם ממלל רברבן). In both the LXX Old Greek and the LXX Theodotion, this phrase is translated in the same way, as καὶ στόμα λαλοῦν μεγάλα. Interestingly, Rev. 13:5 contains an identical phrase – the beast from the sea, which has blasphemous names (Rev. 13:1) “was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words” (στόμα λαλοῦν μεγάλα καὶ βλασφημίας). Analysis of the characteristics of the little horn in Dan. 7 and the beast from the sea in Rev. 13 shows that this is the same religious-political power.^[73] When Daniel asks about the little horn, the angel goes into more detail about its activities: “He shall speak words against the Most High (ומלין לצד עליא ימלל), and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time” (Dan. 7:25). The phrase ומלין לצד עליא ימלל (Dan. 7:25) in LXX OG translated as καὶ ῥήματα εἰς τὸν ὕψιστον λαλήσει, and in LXX Th as καὶ λόγους πρὸς τὸν ὕψιστον λαλήσει. John in the parallel text in Rev. 13:6 (καὶ ἤνοιξεν τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ εἰς βλασφημίας πρὸς τὸν θεὸν βλασφημῆσαι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν σκηνὴν αὐτοῦ, τοὺς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ σκηνοῦντας) uses the noun βλασφημία and verb βλασφημέω. This indicates that the author of the book of Revelation understood the actions of the little horn in the book of Daniel as blasphemy. Dan. 7:8, 25 parallels with Dan. 8:11, 24, 25, and 11:36, which describe the struggle of the little horn and the king of the north against God and His people; these texts complete and confirm this understanding.

In the book of Revelation, the Antichrist has seven heads, on which are “blasphemous names (ὀνόμα[τα] βλασφημίας)” (Rev. 13:1).^[74] This text has a parallel with Rev. 17, where John sees “a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names (ὀνόματα βλασφημίας)” (Rev. 17:3). The phrase “blasphemous names” (Rev. 13:1) can be interpreted to mean they “represent the blasphemous titles.”^[75] It should also be noted that the word ὀνόμα in the Bible means character, so the phrase can characterize the essence and nature of the beast from the sea. The plurality of the word ὀνόματα emphasizes the great scale and colossality of the Antichrist’s blasphemy. The same idea is conveyed by the phrase “full (γέμω) of blasphemous names” (Rev. 17:3). The word “γέμω” means “to be full of some substance or objects – ‘to be full of, to contain.’”^[76] John notes that this power is riddled with blasphemy which is its essential essence. The unbridled desire to oppose God and take His place consumed the beast completely. Paige Patterson claims, “The concept of blasphemy is more than failure to believe in God and endorse his programs and ways; it is active repugnance and open opposition to the Creator God.”^[77]

According to Dan. 7:8, the little horn spoke “great things” (רברבן). The word רב “much, many, great” indicates both the scale of the activity of the little horn and the direction and magnitude of the object of the struggle of God himself. Dan. 7:25 complements and indicates that the little horn “shall speak words against the Most High” (ומלין לצד עליא ימלל). According to Stefanovic, the phrase “great things” is used in “a negative sense and indicating pride and arrogance.”^[78] In his opinion, “the Hebrew equivalent expression is used in Psalm 12:3 to describe proud words coming from a flattering tongue.”^[79] Tanner writes about the little horn that “his boasting will even extend to claims of divinity, so that he demands the worship of mankind.”^[80] As 2 Thess 2:4 shows, antichrist “opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.” Curiously, Dan. 7:8 describes the little horn as having human eyes and a mouth. This points to the human nature of this blasphemous power, which is “a counterfeit of the ‘one like a human being’ who is introduced in verse 13 below.”^[81] The book of Revelation confirms and develops the theme of counterfeiting and the Antichrist’s attempt to imitate Christ.^[82] It is also important to note that the little horn speaking out against God with proud and uplifted eyes “continues a motif found in Isa. 10:12 and 37:23 concerning Sennacherib of Assyria.”^[83] Thus, the blasphemy of the little horn manifests itself in an attempt to elevate oneself to the level of God, echoing the definition of blasphemy in the New Testament (John 10:33).

Since, as Dan. 7 and Rev. 13 say, the ultimate goal of blasphemy is God himself, “everything directly associated with God is affected.”^[84] This includes the kingdom and authority of God and “one like a son of man” (Dan. 7:13, 14, 22, 26, 27; 8:11, 25; cf. Rev. 12:10; 13:2), God’s people (Dan. 7:21, 25; 8:10, 24; cf. Rev. 12:13–17; 13:7), God’s Law (Dan. 7:25; cf. Rev. 12:17; 14:12), and God’s temple (Dan. 8:11, 12; cf. Rev. 13:6).^[85]

Kingdom of God and power. The book of Daniel is permeated with the theme of God’s kingdom and authority. This is especially illustrated in Dan. 2 and Dan. 7, where both Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and Daniel’s vision culminated in the establishment of God’s eternal kingdom. As shown above, Dan. 3 describes Nebuchadnezzar’s blasphemy in rejecting God’s authority, usurping God’s prerogatives, and trying to make his kingdom eternal, as opposed to God’s kingdom. Something similar happens in the prophetic part of the book of Daniel – the little horn tries to counteract the establishment of God’s kingdom (Dan. 7:26, 27). Daniel 8–12 shows that behind the earthly kingdoms and wars, there is a global cosmic spiritual conflict between the forces of good and evil.^[86] As Stefanovic writes, Dan. 8 “is best understood if related to Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28, and Revelation 12.”^[87] Both Isaiah and Ezekiel, describing earthly kings, go into the past and point to a heavenly angel who challenged God’s authority and wanted to take God’s throne (Is. 14:12–14; Ezek. 28:12–19).^[88] The prophet Isaiah describes the audacious intentions of this angel: “you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’” (Isa. 14:13, 14). Similar terminology is found in Dan. 8:10–12.^[89] This indicates that behind the little horn, there is also the very spiritual hostile force that is fighting against God himself.

In the book of Revelation, John also describes this spiritual battle (Rev. 12:7–10) and points out that to the beast from the sea “the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority” (Rev. 13:2).^[90] This is reminiscent of Christ receiving authority from the Father (Rev. 3:21; Rev. 4, 5; cf. Matt. 28:18). As Sabuin writes, “the sea beast receiving the power, throne, and authority from the dragon seems to exactly imitate Christ receiving the power, throne, and authority from God the Father.”^[91] The worship of the beast from the sea is related to the throne motif and is opposed to the call to worship God in Rev. 14:7.^[92] Laszlo Gallusz believes that “thus, the issue of the legitimate possession of the ruling authority is brought to the center of attention, further indicated by the contrast between the rival thrones of 13.2 and 14.3.”^[93] So both the book of Daniel and the book of Revelation depict a spiritual cosmic conflict in which the devil challenged God’s authority and desired to take God’s throne.^[94] In this struggle, Satan uses the powers of the earth to fight against the authority of God and His kingdom, and he claims to be worshiped.^[95] These actions are inherently blasphemous, as they infringe on divine prerogatives and contradict the fundamental principle that only God is worthy of worship (Matt. 4:10).

God’s people. The book of Daniel and Revelation show that one aspect of blasphemy is the persecution of the People of God (Figure 3). Dan. 7:21 says that the little horn “made war with the saints and prevailed over them” (חזה הוית וקרנא דכן עבדה קרב עם קדישׁין ויכלה להון). The verb עבד means “to do, act, make,” and the noun קרב – “battle, war” (phrase עבדה קרב literally means “made war”). The verb יכל means “to be able, to prevail,” which indicates the success of the little horn in this war. In LXX this phrase is translated as “πόλεμον συνιστάμενον πρὸς τοὺς ἁγίους καὶ τροπούμενον αὐτοὺς” (OG) and “ἐποίει πόλεμον μετὰ τῶν ἁγίων καὶ ἴσχυσεν πρὸς αὐτούς” (Th). Dan. 7:25 adds that the little horn “shall wear out the saints of the Most High” (ימלל ולקדישׁי עליונין). The verb בלה usually means “become old and worn out” (Deut. 8:4; Gen. 18:12) and, according to Collins, indicates “some form of hostile action or aggravation.”^[96] Also, Dan. 8 and Dan. 11 depict the persecution of the saints by the little horn and the king of the north (Dan. 8:10, 24; 11:33–35).

Figure 3

Blasphemy against God’s people.

In Rev. 13:7, we find virtually identical words – “ποιῆσαι πόλεμον μετὰ τῶν ἁγίων καὶ νικῆσαι αὐτούς.” Anyone who does not want to worship the image of the beast from the sea will be in danger of being killed (Rev. 13:15). Revelation 12 clearly shows that the devil, in his struggle against God, after he failed to destroy Christ, directed all his fury against the people of God (Rev. 12:13–17). Thus, in persecuting the children of the Lord, he is acting against God himself, which, according to the New Testament definition, is blasphemy.

God’s Law. The little horn opposing God “shall think to change the times and the law” (ויסבר להשׁניה זמנין ודת) (Dan. 7:25). The verb סבר has the meaning “to think, intend,” and the verb שׁנה means “to change.” The little horn will think to change זמנין ודת. The noun זמן is used in the plural and occurs elsewhere in the book of Daniel with meanings such as “a fixed time” (Dan. 7:12, 22), “period of grace, respite” (Dan. 2:16), “moment” (Dan. 3:8; 4:33; cf. Ezr. 5:3), and “time, turn” (Dan. 2:21; 6:11, 14; cf. Neh. 9:28). The word דת is used in the singular and has such meanings as “decree of king” (Dan. 2:13, 2:15; cf. Ezr. 7:26), “unchangeable law of Medes and Persians” (Dan. 6:9, 6:13, 6:16) and “law of God” (Dan. 6:6; cf. Ezr. 7:12, 7:14, 7:21, 7:26). According to Collins, Dan. 7:25 refers to a violation of the cult calendar, such as the ban on celebrating the Sabbath and other religious Jewish holidays.^[97] According to the interpretation of Jürgen-Christian Lebram, this is a change from the solar calendar (365 days) to the lunar calendar (360 days).^[98] While Newsom believes that the “most plausible interpretation is to situate the phrase in relation to the book’s preoccupation with the divine power to determine times (2:21, 44–45; 4:16–17, 23, 25, 31–32, 34 [13–14, 20, 22, 28–29, 31]).”^[99] The little horn challenges the authority of the Almighty to determine who should exercise sovereignty.^[100] According to Goldingay, the change of times “denotes the taking of decisions regarding how human history unfolds and in particular how one regime follows another.”^[101]

As mentioned above, the book of Daniel shows the opposition between two laws – the law of God and the law of man (Dan. 6). Both Dan. 3 and Dan. 6 show the loyalty of the Jews to God’s Law (the first commandments of the decalogue). The persecution suffered by the Jewish youths prepares the reader for the upcoming events depicted in the prophetic part (7–12), where the little horn will persecute God’s people and attack God’s Law. The passage Rev. 13, where the beast from the sea persecutes the children of God, is also in the context of God’s commandments.^[102] The dragon persecuting the woman “went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus” (Rev. 12:17). These words parallel Rev. 14:12 where it says “Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus.” The attempt to get all the inhabitants of the earth to worship the image of the beast (Rev. 13:15) is in the context of worship and is reminiscent of the stories in Dan. 3 and 6.^[103] But, as there, so in Rev. 12–14, God’s people remain faithful to God’s commandments. It is important to note that in the words of the first angel’s message, “and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water” (Rev. 14:7), one can see an allusion to the fourth commandment of the decalogue, directly related to worship.^[104] John Paulien states, “At the decisive centerpoint of Revelation’s description of the final crisis is a direct allusion to Exod 20. Attention to the Sabbath command is, therefore, the ideal response to God’s final call to worship, the ideal response to the beast’s seven-fold call to worship the Unholy Trinity.”^[105] Since the book of Revelation complements the book of Daniel and helps to better understand it, it is reasonable to conclude that Dan. 7:25 speaks of the attack of the little horn on the commandments of the decalogue, including the Sabbath. The fourth commandment is the only commandment in the decalogue that is related to time, and this is consistent with Dan. 7:25 where the little horn “shall think to change the times and the law.”^[106] It is important to note that Scripture portrays God as the only Lawgiver (Jas. 4:12). Therefore, when the little horn attacks God’s law and tries to change it, it puts itself above God and thus commits blasphemy. This interpretation can be complemented by the Newsom interpretation (presented above), according to which the little horn has assumed God’s prerogative to determine the times, also of blasphemy.

God’s temple. The blasphemy of the Antichrist is also shown in the attack on God’s sanctuary (Figure 4). The temple and its service play an important role in the book of Daniel.^[107] In it, we find several references to the earthly temple: 1) Nebuchadnezzar takes away some of the vessels from the temple of God in Jerusalem (Dan. 1:2); 2) Belshazzar later brings these vessels to a feast and defiles them (Dan. 5:1–2); 3) Daniel, in his prayer to God, remembers the Jerusalem temple and its desolation (Dan. 9:16–17); 4) The prophecy of the 70 weeks points to another destruction of the temple in the messianic era (Dan. 9:26); 5) A possible reason for Daniel’s fast is the problems with the difficulties of resuming the earthly temple in Jerusalem by the Jews who returned from captivity (Dan. 10:1–3).^[108] In addition, in the book of Daniel, there are references to the Heavenly Temple, against which the struggle of the little horn is directed.^[109] Although Dan. 7 does not directly mention the sanctuary, as Carlos Elias Mora states, “the motif of the heavenly council that meets for judgment is clearly connected with the sanctuary (Dan. 7:9–13; 8:13–14; Isa. 6:1–8; Joel 3:6–16; Ezek. 10:1–12; Zech. 3)”.^[110]

Figure 4

Blasphemy against God’s sanctuary.

The passage, Dan. 8:11, is talking about the little horn: “It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown.” The first phrase indicates that the little horn is trying to become powerful against “the Prince of the host” (שׂר הצבא). This Prince is closely associated with the sanctuary and its ministry. According to Stefanovic’s interpretation, שׂר הצבא refers to Jesus Christ.^[112] The passage, Rev. 13, confirms this interpretation by depicting the Antichrist as the beast from the sea imitating Christ. The little horn, waging war against God, carries away תמיד from the Prince of the host. This word is directly related to the sanctuary, as it denotes various aspects of the constant and regular service that was performed there.^[113]

The next phrase in Dan. 8:11 adds to the description of the actions of the little horn: “the place of his sanctuary was overthrown” (והשׁלך מכון מקדשׁו). The verb והשׁלך is used here in a hophal form in the perfect third masculine singular and would be better translated in this context as “was overthrown” or “was thrown down.”^[114] The passage, Dan. 8:1, says that the object that “was thrown down” is מכון (“the place” or “foundation”). This word is used to denote the place of God’s dwelling, as in the heavenly sanctuary (Ex. 15:17; 1 Kgs. 8:39, 43, 49; 2 Chr. 6:30, 33, 39; Ps. 33:14) and in earthly things (1 Kgs 8:13). It is in the temple that the place of God’s throne is located, the basis of which is “righteousness and justice” (Ps. 89:14). From there, He governs the universe (Ps. 103:19), executes judgment (Dan. 7:9–10), and enables sinners to receive forgiveness and salvation (1 Kgs. 8:39, 41, 43, 49). According to Gerhard F. Hasel, the little horn’s actions are attempting to render the ministry in the heavenly sanctuary ineffective.^[115]

The book of Revelation also depicts the attack of the Antichrist on the heavenly sanctuary. The passage, Rev. 13:6, says, “It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling (καὶ τὴν σκηνὴν αὐτοῦ), that is, those who dwell in heaven (τοὺς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ σκηνοῦντας).” The Greek text uses the word σκηνή (a tent, tabernacle), which primarily refers to God’s temple, both earthly (Ex. 27:21; 29:4; Lev. 1:1; Num. 1:1) and heavenly (Heb. 8:2; 9:11). Thus, it becomes clear that the Antichrist usurps the priestly ministry of Christ and encroaches on the divine prerogatives of governing the universe and bestowing salvation on people. Since only Jesus is the High Priest (Heb. 2:17; 4:14–16; 7:26–28; 8:1–2) who has the right to perform the high priestly office, the act of the little horn is blasphemy.