In this article, we will reconsider the meaning of the word “continual,” which is the core term in the prophecy of Daniel 8. Adventists are characterized by being the Christian denomination with the largest number of Sabbath keepers, and the only one that claims to have the correct interpretation of the prophecy of Daniel 8, which leads us to believe that we are the prophetic church of the time of the end. On this occasion, we will review how well-founded that claim is, starting from the meaning of the word “continual.”
Before starting the mentioned review, it is necessary to remember that the prophecy of Daniel 8 begins with the desecration of the sanctuary, a desecration that begins with the suspension of the CONTINUAL (Daniel 8:11) for 2,300 evenings and mornings (Daniel 8:14); after which, the sanctuary is vindicated or “purified.” The Hebrew Bible translates the last part of Daniel 8:14 as follows: “And the sanctuary will be victorious”; the Hebrew-Spanish Interlinear Old Testament translates it as “… then the sanctuary will be vindicated”; that is, the suspension of the “continual” would end, giving way to its complete restoration or vindication; not purification, as wrongly translated by the Reina-Valera and King James versions, leading us to a mistaken interpretation of the text. The previous revelation poses a problem to our traditional interpretation of Daniel 8; that is to explain: How was the “continual” restored after the 2,300 evenings and mornings in the year 1,844; especially because the Pope, after that date, continued to claim to be the mediator between God and man.
Returning to the meaning of the word “continual,” in a previous article, we briefly reviewed the meaning of that term, which, due to its Hebrew roots and the context in which it is found, is understood to refer to the morning and evening sacrifice that was offered daily in the earthly sanctuary for the sins of the Israelites living in distant places from Jerusalem. Our scholars object to that interpretation, stating that the word “sacrifice” is not found in the Hebrew text; therefore, the term “continual” could be associated with any concept used to describe what happened daily in the sanctuary; such as the continual bread that was to be on the table of showbread, the lamp that was to burn continually, the fire of the burnt altar that burned permanently, etc., etc.; which did not necessarily have to be related to the expiatory sacrifices offered daily. The word “continual” is derived from the Hebrew term (tamid), which can be used as a time adverb as mentioned before, or as an adjective, which is how it is used in Daniel 8. In this regard, the Adventist Bible Commentary, volume 4, page 869, records the following: “In chapter 8:11 tamid -or continual- has the definite article and therefore is used as an adjectival-noun, since there is no other noun … in the Talmud, when tamid is used independently as here, the word uniformly refers to the daily sacrifice.”
In relation to the above, it is important to emphasize that when the word tamid (continual) is preceded by an article -in this case “the”-, it cannot be used as a time adverb (continuously), because adverbs are not preceded by articles. On the other hand, to understand the adjectival-noun phrase; it is necessary to remember that nouns are the names we give to people, things, events, ideas, etc., and adjectives are the characteristics of a certain noun; so an adjectival-noun, in this case tamid, refers to a singular and unique event that is the daily ritual offered in the evenings and mornings. The Adventist Bible Dictionary, page 246, confirms this by recording: “In late Hebrew, tamid is the technical term for the complete daily offering presented morning and evening.” If the above is correct, it makes sense that the translators of Daniel 8 added the word sacrifice to the text, because they understood that the daily evening and morning sacrifices were the main theme of the prophecy of Daniel 8.
At this point, it is important to highlight that Dr. Loron Wade, in his book: “The future of the world revealed in the book of Daniel,” page 152-153, writes the following: “the expression continual sacrifice has been translated from the term tamid … and its translation is continual, perpetual, daily … the term tamid is used expressly to distinguish the daily sacrifice from all others.” Other scholars argue that the word “continual” refers to the continual priestly ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary and to the true worship of the Lord in the evangelical era; suppressing the continual represents … the substitution of Christ as the invisible head of the church, by the authority of a visible head; the pope.
The above statement faces the inconvenience of not being able to explain: How could the papacy usurp the intercessory ministry of the Lord in 457 B.C., during the Persian empire, when the CONTINUAL was removed; approximately 500 years before the existence of Christianity? Regarding the definition of the term “continual,” it is important to note that in 1910, Mrs. White was asked for an explanation of the meaning of that word; to which she replied that she had not received instructions on the matter; and ended up reprimanding those who had asked her, for wasting time on a matter of little importance.
The previous statement is surprising, evidencing that by the mentioned year we did not yet have a definition of what the “continual” was; and especially, that the understanding of that term was a matter of little importance; when identifying the moment when that “continual” was restored depends on it, which according to our traditional interpretation happened in 1844. Most surprising of all, to this day, we do not have an official and definitive explanation of the word tamid or “continual.” This is confirmed by the Adventist Bible Commentary, volume 4, page 867, commenting on Daniel 8:11 mentions: “Perhaps this is one of the passages in Scripture, regarding which we must wait for a better day to have a definitive answer.”
The previous statements are concerning because: How can we claim to understand the prophecy of Daniel 8 if we cannot explain the event -the continual-, which leads to the beginning and end of the prophecy of the 2,300 evenings and mornings? A review of what we have believed about the prophecies of Daniel is essential and urgent, in order to proceed with an honorable rectification. We end by asking: Can we continue feeling proud of being the church of the sanctuary when we still have much to understand and explain about the prophecy of Daniel 8? To be continued. Blessings.
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