The Little Horn of Daniel

Scriptures: Dan. 7:8,11,20-25

Many Christians throughout the history of the Church have related the “little horn” of Daniel’s prophecy with the “man of sin” spoken of by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2, and the “Antichrist” of John’s letters ( The word “antichrist” only appears 4 times in the Bible, all of which are in the letters of John: 1 John 2:18,22; 4:3; 2 John 1:7), as well as one of the beasts outlined in Revelation 13.  

Though there have been countless predictions about who is/was/will be this little horn of Daniel’s vision, there are four main ideas that have gained the most popularity:

1. Antiochus Epiphanes, a king of Syria who reigned around 150 B.C.
2. A Roman emperor (or succession of emperors) who reigned during the time of the early church (in the era of Nero, Domitian, Titus, etc.).
3. The Papacy – the position and succession of Popes of Roman Catholicism.
4. A current/future person who will be connected with Israel and a 7 year tribulation. 

To help us discover which, if any, of these interpretations are correct, we must first examine much of what is prophesied about this little horn.

Here are the different prophecies of this little horn, along with the related prophecies of Paul and John concerning the “man of sin” and “antichrist” (Though the beast of Revelation 13 is surely connected with these other passages, we will not address that prophecy in this Bible study, as it goes beyond what we are seeking at this time):

1. Dan. 7:8 – Rises to power among the 10 kings/kingdoms of Rome, after its fall (from our last study we learned that after the Western Empire of Rome fell in A.D. 476, its kingdom was split into 10 different kingdoms – e.g. Heruli, Suevi, Burgundians, Huns, Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Vandals, Lombards, Franks, and Anglo-Saxons).
   • 2 Thes. 2:7 – he would rise to power after the fall of Rome
     • The early church fathers agreed that this restraining influence was the power of Rome (from Irenaeus [130-200 A.D.] to Jerome [331-420]).
       • “What is the restraining power?  What but the Roman State, the breaking up of which, by being scattered into ten kingdoms, shall introduce Antichrist upon [its own ruins]?” – Tertullian
       • “Let us therefore say what all ecclesiastical writers have delivered to us, that when the Roman Empire is destroyed, ten kings will divide the Roman world among themselves, and then will be revealed the man of sin.” – Jerome
     • Paul was purposefully discreet in this passage, so that he would not further incite the rulers against Christians by proclaiming Rome would fall (consider what he had already been accused of in this city, Acts 17:7).
       • A common view today is that the restraining influence is the Holy Spirit, but this is not consistent with Paul’s intentional discreetness in this prophecy, whereas he openly talks about the Holy Spirit in this same letter (2 Thes. 2:13) and in his first letter as well.
2. Dan. 7:24 – It will be a kingdom of a different nature than the other ten, therefore, we should not look for Rome to break up into an 11^th division of secular power, but rather, we must look for another ruling power, of a different nature, to rise up in Rome after its fall.
3. Dan. 7:8,20 – This kingdom will start small in its influence, but will eventually grow into a ruling power greater than all the other kingdoms.  
4. Dan. 7:8,20,24 – As this 11^th king/kingdom grows in power, it will eventually take over the power of three of the ten kingdoms that were established after Rome’s fall.
5. 2 Thes. 2:4 – This kingdom will directly oppose God
   • “ANTICHRIST”: 1 John 2:18,22; 4:3; 2 John 1:7
     • The word “antichrist” can mean both someone who is against Christ and someone who takes the place of Christ.
   • “SON OF PERDITION”: John 17:12; 2 Thes. 2:3 – Only twice is this term used: for Antichrist and for Judas.  Thus showing Judas as a type for Antichrist.  That is, Antichrist will have the appearance of a Christian leader and apostle (as Judas did) but will ultimately deny Jesus in his words and deeds.
     • “SIT AS GOD IN HIS TEMPLE” (2 Thes. 2:4) – It would be inconsistent for Paul to refer to the Jewish temple building here when most N.T. references to the temple refer to the body of believers (1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19; 1 Peter 2:5; 1 Tim. 3:15; 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:20-22; even see Jesus own words in John 2:18-22).  Therefore, he will exalt himself among the body of believers (at least ostensible believers), as if he was their god and leader. 
       • Like the “great house” of believers in 2 Tim. 2:20 that contains honorable and dishonorable members, or the “house of God” that was filled with thieves, Luke 19:46
   • BY THOUGHT: Dan. 7:8,20 – This king/kingdom will have the eyes of a man (contrast this with the eyes of God that a prophet has [1 Sam. 9:9] or the role of Christian elders as “overseers” [Titus 1:5-9]), thus many believe the little horn to be identical with the false prophet of Revelation 16:13; 19:20; 20:10.  Dan. 7:25 – This king/kingdom will intend to change times and laws, a responsibility reserved only for God (Dan. 2:21).
   • BY PROUD WORDS: Dan. 7:8,20; 2 Thes. 2:4 – The words of this king/kingdom would be proud and boastful, even speaking against God (Dan. 7:25; see also Rev. 13:11), and trying to change the times and laws of the world that are set by God alone (see Dan. 7:25).
   • BY HERETICAL WORDS: 1 Jn. 2:22; 4:3; 2 Jn. 1:7 – He will deny God and deceive others.  This does not mean that he will be an atheist, but rather, he will apostatize from the true faith.
     • In other Scriptures that speak of denying God, people aren’t portrayed as atheistic as much as they are considered to be heretical: Acts 3:13-15; Titus 1:16; 2 Peter 2:1-2; Jude 3-4.
   • BY FALSE MIRACLES: 2 Thes. 2:9
   • BY WAR AND PERSECUTIONS AGAINST GOD’S PEOPLE: Dan. 7:21,25
     • This will last for “a time and times and half a time” (Dan. 7:25)
       • 1 “time” = 1 year (see Dan. 4:16,23,25,32)
       • “time and times and ½ a time” = 3.5 years
         • “3 ½ times” (Dan. 7:25; 12:7; Rev. 12:14) = “42 months” (Rev. 11:2; 13:5) = “1,260 days” (Rev. 11:3; 12:6), considering the Jewish calendar was based on a 30-day month.
           •  We can gain a fuller picture of this special time period of 1260 days by comparing its several occurrences in the Bible:
           • The little horn will persecute God’s saints for 1,260 days (Dan. 7:25; 12:7).
           • The outward appearance of the church will be worldly and secular (if we accept that the temple of Revelation is symbolic of Christ’s church) (Rev. 11:2).
           • The true witness of Christ will be very small and missing from the church (if we accept that the two witnesses are symbolic of the testimony of God) (Rev. 11:3).
           • The true church will be in a time of seeming barrenness (if we accept that the woman is symbolic of the church) (Rev. 12:6).
           • The true church will be protected from the deception and assault of Satan (if we again accept that the woman is symbolic of the church) (Rev. 12:14).
           • The secular governing authorities will join with the false church and both will be unhindered in speaking false and antagonistic things about God (if we accept that the beast of the sea represents the world powers under the influence of a false church system as is depicted in the beast of the earth) (Rev. 13:5).  
         • A day can be symbolic of a year in prophetic language, therefore, 1260 days may correspond to 1260 years.
           •  Examples: Lev. 25:3-4 indicates that a Sabbath of days would prefigure a Sabbath of years, the lesser being the type for the greater; Num. 14:34 – the spies that wandered in unbelief for 40 days are said to symbolize Israel who would wander in unbelief for 40 years; Isaiah 20:2-3 – though the words are a bit vague, some have assumed that Isaiah walked for 3 days to symbolize the 3 years of Egypt’s bondage; Ezekiel 4:1-6 – the number of days Ezekiel laid corresponded to the number of years of Israel’s sin (this particular prophetic event would have happened a few decades before Nebuchadnezzar’s visions, making Daniel potentially well aware of it by the time of the visions of the book of Daniel); Daniel 9 prophesies seventy weeks/”sevens” of years before Christ would fulfill his ministry, which corresponded to 490 years. 

6.  Dan. 7:11; 2 Thes. 2:8 – This king/kingdom will lose his dominion by the judgment of the heavenly court, and it will ultimately be destroyed by God, given up to his flames.  We see a similar picture in Revelation 20:10.

Evaluating the 4 Major Interpretations of the Little Horn

1. Antiochus Epiphanies

Pros: He is clearly called the “little horn” (Dan. 8:9) and it seems that Daniel’s second reference of “time, times, and half a time” (Dan. 12:7) also refers to Epiphanies.  He is also a prominent figure in multiple visions of Daniel.

Cons: Antiochus Epiphanies came from the empire of Greece, not Rome, therefore, if this interpretation is correct, the fourth kingdom could not be Rome.  This puts strains on the prophecies of the four kingdoms, usually forcing people to split Media and Persia into 2 separate empires, which is inconsistent with the Bible and history.  Also, the kingdom of God that is established “in the days of those kings” (Dan. 2:44) is very clearly referring to Jesus (Jesus even quotes Dan. 7:13 as being fulfilled in Him, see Matt. 24:30).  However, Jesus came to earth when Rome ruled, long after Antiochus Epiphanies.  Finally, if this figure be Antichrist, he will be destroyed by the coming of Jesus (see 2 Thes. 2:8), whereas Epiphanies died before Jesus ever came to earth the 1st time.  

2. Nero and/or other early Roman Emperors

Pros:  These Roman Emperors came from Rome, persecuted God’s people, set up the “abomination of desolation” of Daniel when they destroyed Jerusalem’s temple in A.D. 70. (compare Jesus’ words in Matt. 24:15 and Luke 21:20).  Also, their siege on Jerusalem’s temple has been said to have lasted 3.5 years.  All these things seem to fulfill many of the prophecies of Dan. 7.

Cons:  Since much of Revelation overlaps Daniel, if the climax of the events of Daniel were all fulfilled in A.D. 70, it would force much of Revelation to have been fulfilled in A.D. 70 along with it.  Therefore, this Revelation would have had to been given to John prior to A.D. 70 (which disagrees with the testimony we have of church history and church tradition, dating Revelation around A.D. 95).  Along with this, if this interpretation is correct, much of the history of the church and the world in the near 2,000 years since A.D. 70 are forced to be practically ignored by God’s Word, which seems inconsistent when we consider all the detailed history of the world predicted by Daniel up to the time of the Roman Empire.

3. The Papacy

Pros:  It seems that the Papacy fulfills most, if not all, of the conditions of this prophecy:  Before the fall of Rome, the Pope of Western Christendom was an office that was becoming established, but lacking much power and political sway that it would later gain.  After Rome’s fall, though, the Pope began to be recognized as the ultimate authority of religion among Rome’s 10 kingdoms, and later, the ultimate political authority as well.  In 538, Justinian officially declared the Pope as head of all churches in the West, which gave secular power as well as religious (this secular empowering of the Pope would continue until Napoleon declared him stripped of his title in 1798, which was 1,260 years altogether).  Around the time of Justinian’s decree, three of the ten kingdoms of Rome challenged this political and religious position of the Pope.  However, these three kingdoms were eradicated from before the Pope, and, in effect, their territory was directly given over to the Pope (The Heruli were overthrown in 493, the Vandals in 534, and the Ostrogoths in 553).  The Papal office has been labeled the “Vicar of Christ”, a title that means he is a vice-Christ, or a substitute Christ, and throughout the long uninterrupted reign of the Pope, it is estimated that nearly 50 million Christians were killed and/or persecuted.  Also, some of the Popes have introduced many false (and even heretical) doctrines.

Steve Wohlberg, in his End Time Delusions, says an important clarifying note on this interpretation:

Let me clarify something right here.  Even though…I will apply the Bible’s prophecies about the “little horn” and “the beast” to the papal system in general (because of its doctrines and practices), this does not reflect a judgment on individual Catholics.  Personally, I have nothing against any member of the Roman Church.  Because God is merciful and judges men fairly based on the light they have (see James 4:17), I know I will meet many sincere Catholics in Christ’s Kingdom.

Nor does my position reflect an exclusive view of the word antichrist itself.  I realize “the spirit of antichrist” is now working inside various organizations and non-Christian religions, including many churches that call themselves Protestant.  Nothing written here is designed to promote hostility toward any human being.  Jesus said “God so loved the world” (John 3:16) which includes the Pope; and His clear command to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39) applies to Protestants, Catholics, Muslims, Hindus, and everyone else.  Yet this book is about the prophetic truths of god’s Word, truths which must not be ignored by any God-fearing, Bible-believing Christian. (90)

Cons:  The “time, times, and half a time”, which correspond to 1,260 days, must be interpreted as 1,260 years, where 1 day = 1 year.  And though this mentality is seen in other prophetic portions of the Bible, it seems somewhat obscure, and was virtually unknown for the first couple centuries of the church.  On the other hand, in light of all the history the church has gone through over the last 2,000 years, 3.5 literal years may be considered too short a time period to be the predominant focus of Daniel and Revelation as compared to 1,260 years.

4. A Current/Future Person Connected with Israel and a 7 Year Tribulation. 

Pros:  This interpretation provides an easier solution to explain many of the aspects of these prophecies that are difficult to fit with the historic information on hand.  Also, people who believed this interpretation predicted that Israel would become a nation (I have been told that Israel was predicted to become a “kingdom” rather than a “nation”, which makes some people doubt the veracity of those predictions) decades before 1948, the year it actually happened.

Cons:  This viewpoint, like the A.D. 70 fulfillment, would believe that God’s prophecies have virtually ignored most of the history of the past 2,000 years of the church and of the Roman Empire, and instead He turned His attention, almost solely, on events of the last years before Christ returns.  This viewpoint also tends to place an undo emphasis on literal Israelites as God’s people, when the letters of Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews all adamantly declare Christians to be the spiritual Israel, or “Israel of God” (Gal. 6:16), and the old covenant is said to have been replaced by the new covenant, therefore, Christians are the true inheritors of God’s promises to Israel.  Another argument against this viewpoint is their interpretation of the seven years of tribulation.  Where they believe that the last 7 years of Daniel’s prophecy in Daniel 9 refers to Antichrist, the majority of Christians and commentators throughout Church history have understood this as referring to Jesus Christ (and I believe this is the far more favorable reading of Dan. 9:26-27).

The Papacy as Antichrist

To many Christians today, the idea of the Papacy (the office of the Pope) being the Antichrist seems far-fetched and obscure.  In studying the thoughts and comments of many Christians and Christian movements throughout the centuries, however, we see this position was extremely prevalent:

Notable Christians who believed the Papacy was Antichrist (arranged alphabetically by last name): 

• Albert Barnes
• J. A. Bengel
• Walter Brute (associate of John Wyclif)
• John Bunyan
• John Calvin
• Robert Caringola (present day)
• Samuel Cassels (Author of Christ and Antichrist, 1846)
• Adam Clarke
• Thomas Cranmer
• Eberhard II (1200-1246)
• Jonathon Edwards
• E.B. Elliott
• Charles Finney
• John Foxe (author of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs)
• John Gill
• A.J. Gordon (founding father of American fundamentalism)
• William Gouge, see Building a Godly Home: A Holy Vision for Family Life, 2013, p. 37
• H. Grattan Guinness
• Dr. Henry H. Halley
• Matthew Henry
• Charles Hodge
• John Huss
• Jesse Johnson
• Dr. Martin Lloyd Jones
• John Knox
• Hugh Latimer
• King James Bible translators (1611)
• Martin Luther
• Cotton Mather
• Michael of Cesena (early-mid 1300s)
• Joseph Mede
• Philip Melanchthon
• Fred P. Miller (present day)
• John Napier (1550-1617)
• Bishop Thomas Newton
• Sir Isaac Newton
• Sir John Oldcastle (1360-1417)
• Dr. Ian Paisley
• Nicholas Ridley
• Charles Spurgeon
• William Tyndale
• Vitringa
• John Wesley
• Westminster confessors (original)
• William Whiston
• George Whitefield
• Roger Williams
• Steve Wohlberg (present day)
• Ralph Woodrow (present day)
• John Wycliffe
• Huldreich Zwingli
• And growing…If there are notable names left out, please let me know.

Notable Protestant Creeds that believed Papacy was Antichrist: 

• Westminster Confession of Faith (used by Church of England and later the Presbyterian Church)
• The Savoy Declaration (of the Congregational Church)
• The Baptist Confession (of 1689)
• The Philadelphia Confession of Faith
• The Helvetic Confession (Reformation work in Switzerland in 1536)
• Smalcald Articles (the Lutheran statement).

This vast list of witnesses does not prove that their position was the truth.  But, at the very least, anyone who wants to seriously study this issue must understand why all these great heroes of the faith believed this way.  We all must study to find out whether they were right or wrong.

Sources

There have been many volumes written just on the fulfillment of the Papacy as the Antichrist.  Recent books are Ralph Woodrow’s Great Prophecies of the Bible and Steve Wohlberg’s End Time Delusions, but a classic on this subject is the four volume work of E.B. Eliott, Horae Apocalypticae.  The bibliographies in these 3 books will give many more suggestions of sources.  

Along with these, you could access many classic Bible commentaries on the Internet, which have provided a vast amount of details on this subject (see, for instance, studylight.org/com).