01.11. CHAPTER 11 - The Little Horn - A Symbol of the Antichrist
CHAPTER 11
The Little Horn - A Symbol of the Antichrist LESSON TEXT - - Daniel 7:19-20
According to Daniel’s vision the Four Beasts Represented Four Successive World Empires Which Would Come to Pass During the Times of the Gentiles -- A Prophetic Picture of the Revelation of JESUS CHRIST -- It is Prophecied and Promised That Some Day the Saints of GOD Will Take Over the Kingdom -- Daniel Desired to Know More About the Last World Empire and Its Ruler, the Coming Antichrist -- The Ten Horns Represent Ten Kings Who Shall Arise and Rule the World for a Short Time -- The Little Horn Was a Symbol of the Coming Antichrist -- The Saints Will Suffer Temporary Defeat -- Compulsory Worship of the Image -- The Whole Earth to Be Trodden Down -- The Antichrist Will Be an Out and Out Blasphemer
We should always remember that Daniel was the great prophet to the Gentiles. The messages of this book, therefore, are of timely interest and importance to Jews, Gentiles, and Christians alike, especially in the light of those things which are now coming to pass throughout the world today.
THE FOUR BEASTS REPRESENTED FOUR SUCCESSIVE WORLD EMPIRES
Our last lesson was based upon Daniel 7:9-18.
In the first eight verses of this chapter we have a record of the march of empire during the times of the Gentiles as it was revealed to Daniel in a series of visions, under the symbols of four different beasts. The first was a lion which represented the world empire of Nebuchadnezzar. The second was like a bear and represented the empire of Medo-Persia. The third beast was like unto a leopard and represented the empire of Greece under Alexander. The fourth was a nondescript beast, which was dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly, and had great iron teeth. It was used to symbolize the Roman world empire.
DANIEL’S VISION OF THE REVELATION OF CHRIST
In our last lesson we studied chiefly concerning the vision which Daniel had of the coming of the Son of man in glory, as stated in Daniel 7:9-12.
Concerning the coming of the Son of man to reign upon the earth, in Daniel 7:13-14 the Prophet said, "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of Heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."
The reaction of all of these wonderful visions upon Daniel is well expressed in Daniel 7:15-18 where he said, "I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretations of the things. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever." THE SAINTS WILL TAKE THE KINGDOM
We concluded our last lesson by commenting upon the fact stated here; namely, that "The saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even for ever and ever." (Daniel 7:18)
LESSON TEXT -- DANIEL’S QUESTION
We are now ready to advance in our study by considering what is written in Daniel 7:19-20, where the Prophet said, "Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other, which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows."
WHAT DANIEL WANTED TO KNOW
The thing which impressed me about the passage or portion of the chapter, was Daniel’s anxiety to know the truth about the fourth beast which had been revealed to him in his visions concerning the march of empire. It was natural, I presume, that his interest should center in this fourth beast which represented the fourth world empire, because it was to be the last empire to exist upon earth during the times of the Gentiles.
No doubt his interest was also aroused because of the vicious character of this empire, as portrayed in the unusual description of this nondescript beast, which according to the vision, "devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet." (Daniel 7:19) These things naturally made Daniel fear for the safety of his own people, the Jews, who would be upon the earth when all of these things should come to pass.
THE TEN HORNS REPRESENTED TEN KINGS
Daniel’s attention was also centered upon the ten horns which were upon the head of this nondescript beast. Horns, remember, are used in Scripture symbolism to represent kings. The fact that the empire represented by the nondescript beast had ten horns was proof to Daniel that the Roman Empire would be revived and would be ruled over for a time at least by ten kings which were represented by the ten horns upon the beast, which Daniel saw in the vision.
THE LITTLE HORN REPRESENTED THE ANTICHRIST
Daniel was even more concerned about the other horn "which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows."
Here again the little horn was the symbol of a king, who, according to our lesson text, will arise and subdue three of the ten kings represented by the other horns. This king, represented by the little horn, will have a mouth speaking great things and he will be a person with a fierce countenance, for he is described as one "whose look was more stout than his fellows."
All that we have said and much more is confirmed and enlarged upon in Daniel 7:21-25 where Daniel said, "I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time."
THE LAST WORLD EMPIRE
To summarize what is stated here, the prophet has given to us here a prophetic foreview of the fourth and last world empire which is to exist, during the times of the Gentiles. And the little horn represents the last powerful king who shall arise to reign over that empire. Of course, we know that this is the Roman Empire as symbolized by the legs of iron and the feet, in the image which Nebuchadnezzar saw. The ten toes of the image which Nebuchadnezzar saw, correspond to the ten horns of the nondescript beast, which Daniel saw, which as we have seen represented the Roman Empire in its revived form, as it will be accomplished during the closing days of the present dispensation.
Having discovered that the ten horns of the nondescript beast stand for the ten kings of the Revived Roman Empire, and that the little horn which came up among them was a symbol of the coming Antichrist, we are now ready to make a more detailed study of the character and the work of the little horn or Antichrist! Going back to Daniel 7:21-22 of our lesson text, Daniel said, "I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." TO WAR AGAINST THE SAINTS
These words reveal the true nature and character of this coming man of sin. The fact that he will make war with the saints shows that he will be Antichrist in spirit and in conduct as well.
We remind you that the saints, spoken of in this passage, most likely will be the saints of the tribulation period. They are not the church saints of the present-day, because we expect the church to be completed and raptured away to be with CHRIST before Antichrist is revealed, but there will be many people saved during the tribulation period who will rightfully be called the saints of GOD. When the Antichrist arises and makes war with them he will prevail against them and many of them will become martyrs because of their faith in the Lord JESUS CHRIST. We do not need to wonder at this because we know that when Antichrist comes into power he will be utterly godless and will voice his hatred of GOD in open blasphemy.
This is confirmed in Revelation 13:6-7, where it says, "And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in Heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds and tongues, and nations."
A DEATH PENALTY ANNOUNCED
That he will cause many of the saints to be killed is also confirmed in Revelation 13:15, where it says of the false prophet, who will be associated with the Antichrist in his diabolical work of destruction, "And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that, as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed."
No doubt the words of Revelation 6:9-11 have reference to the martyred saints of the tribulation period who will be slain under the cruel reign of the coming Antichrist. In Revelation 6:9-11 it says, "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled."
THE REIGN OF ANTICHRIST TO BE VERY SHORT
But mind you, my friends, the reign of the Antichrist will be of short duration and even though he will be permitted to make war with the saints and to prevail against them, it will only be for a short time.
In Revelation 13:5 it says of the Antichrist, "There was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months."
Forty and two months is the same as three and one-half years. So we see that even though the reign of the Antichrist will be terrible it will not cover a great period of time, and we know that when his reign is ended JESUS Himself will return in His revelation back to the earth and the saints of GOD shall possess His kingdom. This is confirmed in our lesson text in Daniel 7:21-22 where Daniel said, "I behold, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." A WORD ABOUT CHRIST’S SECOND COMING
This agrees with what is stated in Daniel 7:13-14 where Daniel said, "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of Heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."
When this time comes we may rest assured that judgment will be given to the saints of the most High and that they will possess the kingdom. then will be fulfilled the words of JESUS in the Beatitudes when He said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 5:3-10)
WHAT TO EXPECT
In the meantime, before these things come to pass we may expect that the Roman Empire will be revived and that it will devour the whole earth and shall tread it down and break it in pieces, as stated in our lesson text.
This is confirmed in Daniel 7:23 of our lesson text where it says, "Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces."
The extent of the Revived Roman Empire is difficult to determine. Some people would limit it to the territory formerly occupied by ancient Rome. Be that as it may, I am constrained to believe from our lesson text that the Roman Empire in its revived form will reach out in its influence and power until it covers the whole earth. In other words I believe that all the nations of the earth will eventually be brought under the power and direction of the ten kings who are to rule over the Revived Roman Empire! In other words, Roman influence at that time will be world-wide. Instead of being a lot of small countries, such as we have now, the whole world will no doubt be divided into ten kingdoms all of which will be under Roman power and influence. My conviction in this regard is based upon what is stated in Daniel 7:23 of our lesson text where it says, "The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces."
When the Revived Roman Empire shall have reached this stage in its development, then the Antichrist as the little horn will arise and subdue three of the ten kings and set himself up as a dictator of dictators and make himself the world ruler that he is described here and elsewhere in the Scriptures to be.
ANTICHRIST WILL BE A BLASPHEMER
When the Antichrist shall have ascended to world dominion in Daniel 7:25-28 of our lesson text in Daniel, Daniel 7:1-28, it says, "And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole Heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart."
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