Through another vision further light was thrown upon the events of the future; and it was at the close of this vision that Daniel heard "one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision?" Daniel 8:13. The answer that was given, "Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed" (verse 14), filled him with perplexity. Earnestly he sought for the meaning of the vision. He could not understand the relation sustained by the seventy years' captivity, as foretold through Jeremiah, to the twenty-three hundred years that in vision he heard the heavenly visitant declare should elapse before the cleansing of God's sanctuary. The angel Gabriel gave him a partial interpretation; yet when the prophet heard the words, "The vision . . . shall be for many days," he fainted away. "I Daniel fainted," he records of his experience, "and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it." Verses 26, 27.

Daniel fik endnu et syn, som kastede lys over fremtidens begivenheder, og ved slutningen af synet hørte han "en hellig tale, og en anden hellig spurgte den talende: "Hvor lang tid gælder synet ....." Dan. 8,13. Da han hørte svaret: "2300 aftener og morgener; så skal helligdommen komme til sin ret igen" (14. vers), blev han tvivlrådig. Han bad af hele sit hjerte for at få klarhed over, hvad synet betød. Han kunne ikke forstå, hvilken forbindelse der var mellem de halvfjerds års fangenskab, som var forudsagt ved Jeremias, og de 2300 år, som den himmelske gæst i synet havde sagt skulle forløbe, før Guds helligdom kom til sin ret igen. Engelen Gabriel gav ham en delvis forklaring, men da profeten hørte disse ord: "Men du skal lukke for synet; thi det gælder en fjern fremtid," blev han syg. Han siger om sin erfaring: "Men jeg, Daniel, lå syg en tid lang; så stod jeg op og udførte min gerning i kongens tjeneste. Jeg var rædselsslagen over synet og forstod det ikke." 26-27. vers.