In the eighth chapter of the Book of Daniel, verse thirteen,
it is said: “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?” Then he answered (v. 14): “Unto two thousand
and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed”; (v. 17) “But he
said unto me ... at the time of the end shall be the vision.” That is to say,
how long will this misfortune, this ruin, this abasement and degradation last?
meaning, when will be the dawn of the Manifestation? Then he answered, “Two
thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”
Briefly, the purport of this passage is that he appoints two thousand three
hundred years, for in the text of the Bible each day is a year. Then from the
date of the issuing of the edict of Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem until the
day of the birth of Christ there are 456 years, and from the birth of Christ
until the day of the manifestation of the Báb there are 1844 years. When you
add 456 years to this number it makes 2300 years. That is to say, the
fulfillment of the vision of Daniel took place in the year A.D. 1844, and this
is the year of the Báb’s manifestation according to the actual text of the Book
of Daniel. Consider how clearly he determines the year of manifestation; there
could be no clearer prophecy for a manifestation than this. (‘Abdu’l-Baha,
table talks in Akka, authenticated by ‘Abdu’l-Baha; ‘Some Answered Questions’)
