Plain Truth magazine August 1965
In an article titled Satan’s Destructive Battle Plan, PCG’s Gerald Flurry had the following:
The Prophet Daniel addressed his end-time book to spiritual Israel, or the Church, and two nations of Israel: America and Britain. … We must watch for an Antiochus-type in both the Church and the nation today. …
Let’s take another look at this pivotal passage in Daniel. “The host of heaven” from Daniel 8:10 is translated “the host of the stars” in the Revised Standard Version. The stars, or the angels of God, help God’s people when they obey. We lose that help when we rebel. A hideous invisible force stamped on God’s own Church “by reason of transgression”—because of the people’s sins! This happened after Mr. Armstrong’s death in 1986. It is happening in America right now. (For more information, request our free booklet America Under Attack.)
The word “host” is a military term. Strong’s Concordance defines it this way: “a mass of persons, especially organized for war; and soldiers; army. The expression also means to muster soldiers for warfare. Host can refer to an army of demons, angels or men.” God has an army of angels and saints; Satan has an army of demons and men, in this case sinning saints turning away from God. This is a real war! Spiritual war is more dangerous than any physical war.
Verse 11 should read, “Yea, he magnified himself even against the prince of the host, and by him the daily … was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.” Satan and his army violently confronted the “prince of the host,” or Jesus Christ! Christ explains the meaning of this prophecy to His loyal remnant.
The end-time religious Antiochus subverted God’s Church from within. “And an host was given him against the daily … by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered” (verse 12). “It,” or the demon army, “cast down the truth to the ground.” Antiochus is a physical man swayed by Satan to overthrow the Church. The real power comes from the demon army. For 1,150 days, God gave no new truth to His people. For 1,150 days, Satan suppressed the gospel message (Daniel 8:14; English Standard Version).
Here’s what I wrote in America Under Attack:
The obvious question arises, why would God allow such a terrible thing to happen? The answer is back in Daniel 8:12. That verse describes this satanic spirit army wreaking destruction within God’s Church. And notice: It says it was “by reason of transgression.” The sins of the people gave Satan his opening. Their prayers to God are not being answered. That is why Antiochus can do all of his dirty work: because there’s so much sin going on inside Israel. … The sin within gave the devil his opening. Once Satan got inside, he went right into the sanctuary, working through the leaders at the top, and cast the truth to the ground! That is how Satan destroyed God’s Church.
Gerald Flurry has been pushing his false notions about what happened to the old Worldwide Church of God for decades. One of his false premises has to do with his original view that Joseph Tkach, Sr. was the ‘man of sin’ in 2 Thessalonians 2, but after he died, Gerald Flurry switched it to supposedly being his son Joseph Tkach, Jr. This is absurd and wrong. As it sadly turns out, most COG groups do not understand who the ‘man of sin is.’ For details on that, check out the article Who is the Man of Sin of 2 Thessalonians 2?
PCG, like some others, makes odd claims about the past that are not accurate:
The PCG is the only Church that holds onto ALL of what Christ established through Mr. Armstrong (Flurry, Gerald and Leap, Dennis. Ezra and Nehemiah: Building God’s Temple. Booklet. 1997. p.29).
The late evangelist Dr. Herman Hoeh worked for Herbert W. Armstrong for decades. Here is some of what he wrote, that was published in the August 1965 edition of the Plain Truth magazine of the old Radio Church of God (which was renamed the Worldwide Church of God a few years later) about Daniel 8:
What the “Little Horn” Will Do
Continue with this amazing prophecy for the latter days!
“And it {the little horn} waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified himself even to the Prince of the host, and BY HIM THE DAILY SACRIFICE WAS TAKEN AWAY, AND THE PLACE OF HIS SANCTUARY WAS CAST DOWN” (Dan. 8:10-11).
The next verse — 12 — is not clearly translated in the King James Version. It reads: “And a host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression” — the margin reads: “the host was given over for the transgression against the daily sacrifice” — “and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.” A clearer rendering of verse 12 is found in the Jewish translation: “And the host was given over to it [the little horn] together with the continual burnt-offering through transgression.
Many have attempted to interpret these mysterious symbols out of their own human reasoning. They have tried to read into the Bible meanings that are not there. Let THE BIBLE interpret the Bible!
The explanation of verse 10 is revealed in verse 24: “And his {the little horn’s} power shall be mighty.” That’s the explanation of the first part of verse 10: “it waxed great.”
To continue with verse 24: “But not by his own power.” This king will not accomplish his great deeds by his own strength. Revelation 17:17 reveals why. Ten lesser kings GIVE THEIR MILITARY POWER AND STRENGTH “unto the Beast.”
This little horn (Dan 8:24) “shall destroy wonderfully” — shall have marvelous, frightening military powers “and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people” (verse 24).
Here is a persecuting power, a union of church and state, which destroys the hosts — armies — of the “mighty people” — God’s people Israel. That includes not only the Jews — the House of Judah, but the whole English-speaking world — the House of Israel, the so-called Lost Ten Tribes! …
The “little horn” also persecutes the true Church — the “holy people” who shall shine in the resurrection like the stars of heaven (compare Dan. 8:10 and 24 with Dan. 12:3). …
NOT Heavenly Sanctuary!
Turn to Daniel 8:11. See the BIBLE answer with your own eyes:
“Yea, he {the “little horn”} magnified himself even to the Prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.”
The margin in the King James Version provides an alternative rendering. Instead of “by him” — meaning the “little horn” — it has “from him” — meaning the Prince of the host. The original inspired Hebrew can be translated both ways into English. Either translation is correct.
But notice what this scripture says! The daily sacrifice is to be taken away! The sanctuary is to be cast down! Now consider: IF the daily sacrifice is, as some believe, the daily work of Christ in heaven, then a mortal man — the “little horn” — would have power to intervene IN HEAVEN and STOP THE WORK OF JESUS CHRIST!
Further, IF the “sanctuary” were in heaven, he would have the power to “cast down” the sanctuary — the very throne of God in heaven! IMPOSSIBLE!
No man can stop Jesus Christ from performing His work in heaven! No man — no ruler — not even the devil himself — can cast down the throne of God and profane His Holy Sanctuary!
Then what is the meaning of this astounding prophecy for our day?
The Bible Answer
First read verses 13 and 14 of Daniel 8:
“Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, ‘How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?’ And he said unto me, ‘Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.'”
Another enigma! This answer to this mysterious time period was hidden from Daniel’s understanding — was not to be revealed until the latter days! …
The King of the North
The little horn in Daniel 8 is none other than the LAST KING of one of the four divisions of Alexander’s Empire. He is, in fact, the final “King of the North” described in Daniel 11. … That “little horn” — the final “king of the north” — is about to manifest himself on the world scene! (Hoeh H. The 2300 Days. Plain Truth, August 1965)
So, Dr. Hoeh believed that the little horn had to do with the power that would become the King of the North. A power that has been developing in Europe that will be led by this King after two prophesied reorganizations (Revelation 17:12-13).
In 2009, I, Bob Thiel, wrote the following in my book 2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect:
Daniel 9:26–27 and the Rise of the European King of the North . . .
Now, in the book of Daniel there is another prophecy related to the end times that states:
26 And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate (Daniel 9:26-27).Notice that there is a “prince to come” from the people who destroy “the city” (probably Jerusalem; cf. Revelation 11:2) and that he will stop sacrifices and be related to an abomination that brings desolation. This leader will apparently change from a peaceful one to a militaristic one (cf. Isaiah 10:5–11).
There are several reasons for referring to a future top leader from a developing superpower rising in Europe. (cf. Isaiah 10:5-11). The Roman Empire, however, offers the most compelling reason to suspect that this leader will arise in Europe. Much of the current European Union (EU) covers areas once controlled by the old Roman Empire. The people of the Roman Empire fulfilled the portion of Daniel 9:26 in the 1st century as they destroyed the city (Jerusalem) in 70 A.D. And verse 27 refers to the “prince” coming from the people who had destroyed that city. Hence, this prophecy tells us that a leader will start to rise up about 3 1/2 years before the great tribulation.
There is another reason to suspect that the area involves the territories of Europe. Millennia ago, Daniel wrote a prophecy that discussed a little horn that would mainly expand to the south and east:
This audio news report will be continued with Part Two: PCG’s Gerald Flurry and Radio COG’s Dr. Herman Hoeh disagree on Daniel 8
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