What is the context?
A little horn grows from one of the four and expands toward the south, east and Beautiful Land. Its assault reaches the host of heaven, the daily sacrifice and God’s sanctuary. Truth is flung to the ground while the horn prospers.
A holy one asks how long the sanctuary and host will be trampled. The answer is 2,300 evenings and mornings, followed by the sanctuary being properly restored. The verb behind restored belongs to צָדַק, tsadaq (tsah-DAHK): Brown–Driver–Briggs explains this form in verse 14 as putting the holy place right or vindicating its cause.
The ancient account in 1 Maccabees 1:41–64 describes Antiochus’s suppression of Jewish sacrifices, profaning of the sanctuary and persecution of those who kept the covenant. It provides historical background for the reading that connects this vision with his rule.
How is this passage commonly understood?
Wesley identifies the horn as Antiochus and understands the trampled stars as God’s people. The USCCB notes also identify Antiochus, while reading the host as heavenly angels.
The period is understood differently. Gaebelein reads 2,300 ordinary days; Cambridge reads 2,300 morning and evening offerings, making 1,150 days. Both connect the period with the sanctuary’s oppression and restoration.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church gives the period a different application. Its official Fundamental Belief 24 connects it with Christ’s heavenly ministry and the beginning of its final phase in 1844. That statement also affirms His once-for-all sacrifice at the cross and His intercession beginning at the ascension.
Where does this fit in God's plan?
The concern for God’s house and its worship continues in John 2:13–22. Jesus drives trading out of the temple courts and then speaks of a temple that will be raised in three days. John explains that He means His own body.
This is a connection in the wider theme of worship and God’s dwelling, rather than a calculation from Daniel’s 2,300 evenings and mornings. In the gospel, the horizon reaches beyond restoring a damaged sanctuary to Jesus’ own death and resurrection. God’s purpose for His people’s worship comes into focus through His Son.
What is our position?
We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.