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of the one making war with the saints, who will sprout after the ten horns at the end of the Roman kingdom, the holy Gabriel said. For having said: "He will humble three kings, and he will speak words against the Most High, and he will wear out the saints of the Most High;" he added: "And it shall be given into his hand until a time, and times, and half a time." This is three and a half years. For he called the "time" a year, and this we shall learn more clearly from what follows; "For a time, he says, and times, and half a time. When the scattering of the holy people is accomplished, they will know a holy one, and all these things shall be finished." For, he says, for three and a half years the scattering of the holy people will prevail, and all these things will be finished. Then they will know the holy one. He alludes here to the great Elias; for appearing around the end of that one's dominion, the great Elias will proclaim the second coming of our Savior. To these things the blessed Daniel adds: 8. "And I heard, but I did not understand, and I said: Lord, what shall be the end of these things?" Not understanding, he says, what was said concerning the time, I was compelled to ask, desiring to learn more clearly; and I longed to be taught also the things that would be after these. And he 9, 10. "Said to me: Go, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Until many are chosen, and made white, and tried with fire, and the lawless will act lawlessly, and all the wicked shall not understand, but the wise shall understand." Not in vain, he says, have I spoken these things rather obscurely, and I have placed obscurity on the words as if they were seals. For the divine things must not be set before everyone simply, but the wise will understand through the knowledge granted to them from above; but those living with lawlessness and impiety will be able to understand none of what is contained therein; but when the events come to pass, they will clearly learn the prophecies about these things. Then also the workers of iniquity will be separated from the just; for the trial by fire will test everything. This also the blessed Paul said: "For the work of each one, he says, will become manifest; for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done." And again concerning not setting the divine things before everyone simply, the Lord says in the holy Gospels: "Do not give what is holy to the dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine." But the blessed Daniel, being holy, and a loyal servant of the Lord, the divine angel teaches the time of the tyranny of the Antichrist, and says: 81.1541 11. "From the time of the removal of the continual sacrifice, and the abomination of desolation is set up, one thousand two hundred and ninety days." For since, having said "for a time, and times, and half a time," He saw that the blessed Daniel had not understood, by breaking down the time into days, He made clear to him what was unknown, but for others He left the saying obscure even so. And he calls the Antichrist himself the abomination of desolation; and the removal of the continual sacrifice, the order of the ecclesiastical liturgy, being scattered and stopped by his madness and rage. To these things the divine angel adds: 12. "Blessed is he who waits, and reaches the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days." And he hints and indicates that, when this one has received the God-sent plague, the great Elias will remain preaching for the remaining forty-five, and the Lord will appear coming upon the clouds of heaven, and will crown those who have kept the possession of endurance inviolate. And this also the Lord says in the holy Gospels: "But he who endures to the end will be saved." And from this it is possible to learn accurately that none of these things fits Antiochus. For in his case he said two thousand three hundred days, but in the case of the Antichrist that the calamity would prevail for one thousand two hundred and ninety; so that the difference in time also bears witness to the difference in persons and in events. 13. "And you, he says, go and rest." It is time, he says, for you to receive of life the

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τοῦ ποιοῦντος πόλεμον μετὰ τῶν ἁγίων, ὃ μετὰ τὰ δέκα βλαστήσει κέρατα ἐν τῷ τέλει τῆς Ῥωμαϊκῆς βασιλείας, ὁ ἅγιος ἔφη Γαβριήλ. Εἰρηκὼς γάρ· "Τρεῖς βασιλεῖς ταπεινώσει, καὶ λόγους πρὸς τὸν Ὕψιστον λαλήσει, καὶ τοὺς ἁγίους Ὑψίστου παλαιώσει·" ἐπήγαγε· "Καὶ δοθήσεται ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ ἕως καιροῦ, καὶ καιρῶν, καὶ ἥμισυ καιροῦ." Τρία δὲ ταῦτα καὶ ἥμισυ ἔτη. Τὸν καιρὸν γὰρ ἐνιαυ τὸν προσηγόρευσε, καὶ τοῦτο ἐκ τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα σαφέστερον μαθησόμεθα· "Ὅτι εἰς καιρὸν, φησὶ, καὶ καιροὺς, καὶ ἥμισυ καιροῦ. Ἐν τῷ συντελεσθῆ ναι διασκορπισμὸν λαοῦ ἡγιασμένου γνώσονται ἅγιον, καὶ συντελεσθήσονται ταῦτα πάντα." Τρία γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ ἥμισυ ἔτη ὁ τοῦ ἡγιασμένου λαοῦ κρατήσει διασκορπισμὸς, καὶ συντελεσθήσονται ταῦτα πάντα. Εἶτα γνώσονται τὸν ἅγιον. Τὸν μέ γαν Ἠλίαν ἐνταῦθα αἰνίττεται· περὶ γὰρ τὰ τέλη τῆς ἐκείνου δυναστείας ἀναφανεὶς ὁ μέγας Ἠλίας, τὴν δευτέραν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐπιφάνειαν προκη ρύξει. Τούτοις ἐπάγει ὁ μακάριος ∆ανιήλ· ηʹ. "Καὶ ἐγὼ ἤκουσα, καὶ οὐ συνῆκα, καὶ εἶπον· Κύριε, τί τὰ ἔσχατα τούτων;" Μὴ συνιεὶς, φησὶ, τὸ εἰρημένον περὶ τοῦ χρόνου, ἠναγκάσθην ἔρεσθαι, σαφέστερον μαθεῖν ἐφιέμενος· ἐπόθουν δὲ καὶ τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐσόμενα διδαχθῆναι. Ὁ δὲ θʹ, ιʹ. "Ἔφη πρός με· ∆εῦρο, ∆ανιὴλ, ὅτι ἐμ πεφραγμένοι καὶ ἐσφραγισμένοι οἱ λόγοι ἕως καιροῦ πέρατος. Ἕως ἐκλεγῶσι, καὶ ἐκλευκανθῶσι, καὶ πυρωθῶσιν οἱ πολλοὶ, καὶ ἀνομήσουσιν οἱ ἄνομοι, καὶ οὐ συνήσουσι πάντες ἀσεβεῖς, καὶ οἱ νοήμονες νοήσουσιν." Οὐ μάτην, φησὶν, ἀσαφέστερα ταῦτα εἴρηκα, καὶ οἱονεὶ σφραγίδας τοῖς λόγοις τὴν ἀσάφειαν ἐπέθηκα. Οὐδὲ γὰρ δεῖ πᾶσιν ἁπλῶς προσκεῖ- σθαι τὰ θεῖα, ἀλλ' οἱ μὲν νοήμονες διὰ τῆς ἄνωθεν αὐτοῖς χορηγουμένης γνώσεως συνήσουσιν· οἱ δὲ ἀνομίᾳ καὶ δυσσεβείᾳ συζῶντες, οὐδὲν τῶν ἐγκειμένων νοῆσαι δυνήσονται· ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ τὰ πράγματα, σαφῶς τὰς περὶ τούτων μαθήσονται προφητείας. Τότε καὶ ἀποκριθήσονται τῶν δικαίων οἱ τῆς πονηρίας ἐργάται· πάντα γὰρ ἡ πύρωσις δοκιμάσει. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἔφη Παῦλος· "Ἑκάστου γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸ ἔργον φανερὸν γενήσεται· ἡ γὰρ ἡμέρα δηλώσει, ὅτι ἐν πυρὶ ἀποκαλύπτεται, καὶ ἑκάστου τὸ ἔργον ὁποῖόν ἐστι τὸ πῦρ δοκιμάσει." Πάλιν δὲ περὶ τοῦ μὴ δεῖν ἅπασιν ἁπλῶς προτιθέναι τὰ θεῖα, ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις φησί· "Μὴ δῶτε τὰ ἅγια τοῖς κυσὶ, μηδὲ τοὺς μαργαρίτας ὑμῶν ῥίψητε ἔμπροσθεν τῶν χοίρων." Τὸν δὲ μακάριον ∆ανιὴλ ἅγιον ὄντα, καὶ εὔνουν τοῦ ∆εσπότου θεράποντα, ὁ θεῖος ἄγγελος διδάσκει τῆς τοῦ Ἀντιχρίστου τυραννίδος τὸν χρόνον, καί φησιν· 81.1541 ιαʹ. "Ἀπὸ καιροῦ παραλλάξεως τοῦ ἐνδελεχισμοῦ, καὶ δοθῆναι βδέλυγμα ἐρημώσεως, ἡμέραι χίλιαι διακόσιαι ἐννενήκοντα." Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἰρηκὼς "εἰς καιρὸν, καὶ καιροὺς, καὶ ἥμισυ καιροῦ," Εἶδε μὴ νενοηκότα τὸν μακάριον ∆ανιὴλ, ἀναλύσας εἰς ἡμέρας τὸν χρόνον, δῆλον αὐτῷ τὸ ἀγνοούμενον πεποίηκε, τοῖς δὲ ἄλλοις καὶ οὕτως ἀσαφῆ τὸν λόγον κατέλιπε. Βδέλυγμα δὲ ἐρημώσεως αὐτὸν καλεῖ τὸν Ἀντίχριστον· ἐναλλαγὴν δὲ τοῦ ἐνδελεχισμοῦ, τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς λειτουργίας τὴν τάξιν, ὑπὸ τῆς ἐκείνου μανίας καὶ λύττης σκεδαννυμένην τε καὶ παυομένην. Τούτοις ἐπιφέρει ὁ θεῖος ἄγγελος· ιβʹ. "Μακάριος ὁ ὑπομένων, καὶ φθάσας εἰς ἡμέρας χιλίας τριακοσίας τριάκοντα πέντε." Αἰνίττεταί τε καὶ παραδηλοῖ ὡς, τούτου τὴν θεήλατον δεξαμένου πληγὴν, ἐπιμενεῖ μὲν ὁ μέγας Ἠλίας κηρύττων τὰς ὑπολοίπους πέντε καὶ τεσσαράκοντα, φανήσεται δὲ ὁ ∆εσπότης ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐρχόμενος, καὶ στεφανώσει τοὺς ἄσυλον τῆς ὑπομονῆς τὸ κτῆμα φυλάξαντας. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς Εὐαγγελίοις φησίν· "Ὁ δὲ ὑπομείνας εἰς τέλος, οὗτος σωθήσεται." Καὶ ἐντεῦθεν δὲ ἔστι μαθεῖν ἀκριβῶς, ὡς οὐδὲν τούτων ἁρμόττει τῷ Ἀντιόχῳ. Ἐπ' ἐκείνου μὲν γὰρ δισχιλίας τριακοσίας ἡμέρας ἔφη, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ Ἀντιχρίστου χιλίας διακοσίας ἐννενήκοντα κρατήσειν τὴν συμφοράν· ὥστε καὶ τοῦ χρόνου τὴν διαφορὰν μαρτυρεῖν τῇ τῶν προσώπων καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων διαφορᾷ. ιγʹ. "Καὶ σὺ, φησὶ, δεῦρο καὶ ἀναπαύου." Καιρὸς, φησὶν, τοῦ δέξασθαί σε τοῦ βίου τὸ