83. BRIEF ANALYSIS.
It is written in Daniel:
I saw in a vision a ram, which had two horns that were high, but the higher came up last; and the born pushed westward, and northward, and southward, and made itself great. Then I saw a he-goat coming from the west, over the face of the whole earth, which had a horn between its eyes; and he ran to the ram in the fury of his strength, and broke his two horns, and cast him down to the earth, and trampled him: but the great born of the he-goat was broken, and instead of it there came up four horns; and out of one of them came forth a little born which waxed exceeding great towards the south, towards the east, and towards honorableness, and even to the host of heaven; and it cast down of the host and of the stars to the earth, and trampled them: yea, he extolled himself to the prince of the host, and took from him the daily sacrifice, and cast away the place of his sanctuary, for he cast down truth to the earth. And I heard one saint saying, how long shall this vision be, the daily sacrifice, and the wasting transgression, that both the holy place and the host should be given to be trodden under foot? And he said, even to the evening the morning, then shall the holy place be justified (8:2-14).
That this vision is a prediction of the future states of the church is very evident, for it declares, that "the daily sacrifice was taken away from the prince of the host, the habitation of his sanctuary cast down, and the he-goat cast down truth to the earth"; moreover, that "a saint said, How long shall this vision be, that both the holy place and the host should be given to be trodden under foot?" and that this should be "even to the evening the morning, when the holy place shall be justified." By "the evening the morning" is meant the end of the old church, when a New Church commences.