08/09/2026
September 8, 2026
How Long?
"Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, 'How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?" (Daniel 8:13
How long will this war last? As of January 2025, that question still weighs heavily on the hearts of Ukrainians as they endure the relentless destruction of their homeland. Since Russia's invasion in 2022, millions have been displaced, cities have been reduced to rubble, and countless lives have been lost.
When Daniel saw in vision the scenes of war that culminated in the little horn casting down God's sanctuary and His truth (Daniel 8:11, 12), he must have wondered how long this desolation would last. Thankfully, "a holy one" (v. 13), a term often used for angels, brought up this very question.
In most Bibles, italicized words indicate added material that is not in the original language. If we removed these words from today's verse, it would read, "How long the vision, the daily and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?" This shows that "the vision" is not limited to the actions of the little horn but includes everything in chapter 8.
But why would the holy one mention the entire vision when focusing on the actions of the little horn? Daniel's vision begins with the Medo-Persian ram (v. 3)-the power that would free the Judean captives with a decree to rebuild their temple (Ezra 1:2-4). In other words, a transition is likely being made from the earthly to the heavenly temple. At this point, the only temple on Daniel's mind was the one that needed to be rebuilt. Not until his next vision would he begin to understand that the earthly was a "shadow of the heavenly" (Hebrews 8:5).
More than 600 years would pass before pagan Rome would destroy the second temple-and more than 1,000 years until papal Rome would begin to attack Christ's work in the heavenly sanctuary. But today, as we look back on these events as fulfilled prophecy, we have the assurance that Christ is "coming quickly" (Revelation 3:11). Reflect: What signs today are telling me that this great controversy will end soon?
