Segment 4 – Daniel 8 – The Antichrist

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“Dear Children, this is the last hour; and as you
have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even
now many antichrists have come. This is how we
know it is the last hour.”

- 1 John 2:18

 

Section 1 – The Symbols

 

As we proceed through the book of Daniel, the prophetic matrix will continue to unfold, and our understanding of God’s Word will become clearer. Daniel 8 adds several important elements to the prophetic matrix. God can say so much with very few words! To make this study easier to digest, I have sub-divided it into seven segments.  If you make sure that you understand the issues in each segment as you proceed, you should end up with a deeper appreciation for God’s Word at the end of this study. Before we examine Daniel 8, there are four points from the previous segment that needs to be restated:

1. History confirms the identity of the fourth beast in Daniel 7 to be the empire of Rome.

2. History confirms the identity of the little horn that uprooted three of the ten horns to be the Roman Catholic Church.

3. The timing of the convocation in Heaven (Daniel 7:9) is linked to the wounding of the little horn power on Earth. (Daniel 7:21,22) The time, times and half a time (the 1,260 years of persecution) mentioned in Daniel 7:25 came to an end in February 1798, when French soldiers captured the pope and put him in exile. The downfall of the papacy occurred because the allotted time of 1,260 years ended, and the Ancient of Days pronounced a restraining order in favor of the saints. As a result, the persecution of God’s people ended. The linkage between the wounding of the papacy in 1798 (on Earth) and the issuance of the restraining order (in Heaven) is a key point. Because the event on Earth is linked to an event in Heaven, we can determine when the convocation in Heaven began.

4. Daniel 7:11 (and Revelation 13:3) indicate the Roman Catholic Church will return to a position of world preeminence after 1798. Daniel heard boastful words from the little horn after he observed the courtroom scene in Heaven. (Compare Daniel 7:11 with Revelation 13:3)

Now that these four points have been reviewed, consider the following points that will rise from this study on Daniel 8:

1. Babylon will fall and the Medo-Persian Empire will rise to power.

2. The Medo-Persian Empire will fall and the Grecian Empire will rise to power.

3. The cleansing of Heaven’s temple begins after 2,300 years.

4. During the Great Tribulation, Lucifer, the Antichrist, will physically appear and masquerade as God. He will gain control over Earth for a short period of time and kill a large number of people.

Look over the matrix in Chart 4.1, and notice that it contains some repetition and enlargement of the matrix presented in Segment 3. Especially notice the placement and order of the items located in the rows for Daniel 7 and Daniel 8.

Remember from Segment 1 that “no prophecy is complete within itself,” and Daniel 8 is no exception. As we will see, Daniel 8 cannot be accurately interpreted without using the developing matrix that the four rules produce. Even with a valid set of rules, we have to be careful that we put each element in its intended place. All of the prophetic pieces have to fit together in a harmonious matrix, for God is the Author and Designer of prophecy. Remember, each prophetic element is like a piece of a puzzle that has several sides. The puzzle is solved when all the pieces are positioned in such a way that they harmoniously align with the surrounding pieces.

The Apocalyptic Sequence

God gave the vision in Daniel 8 to Daniel about 550 B.C. Daniel 8 follows the same order found in Daniel 2 and 7. In other words, this vision contains an orderly sequence of events that is followed by commentary that explains the sequence. Carefully study the apocalyptic sequence:

“In the third year of the reign of king Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first.  And I saw in the vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in the vision, and I was by the river of Ulai. Then I lifted up my eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last. I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.

“And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole Earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes. And he came to the ram that had two horns, which I had seen standing before the river, and ran unto him in the fury of his power. And I saw him come close to unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and smote the ram, and brake his two horns; and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast down to the ground, and stomped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand. Therefore the goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.

“And out of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceedingly great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land. And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them. Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.  And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practiced, and prospered.” (Daniel 8:1-12, KJV)

Comments

These twelve verses focus on three symbols: a ram, a goat and a horn power. Because the Bible is its own interpreter, it provides the meaning of these symbols. The ram represents the kingdom of Medo-Persia. (Daniel 5:28; 8:20). The two horns of the ram represent the co-regent reign of two kings, the king of the Medes and the king of the Persians. The higher horn of the ram in Daniel 8:3 also aligns with the “higher shoulder” of the bear in Daniel 7:5. (See Chart 4.1.)

The second symbol, the goat, represents the kingdom of Grecia. (Daniel 8:21) The great horn represents the fist prominent king of the Grecian empire. History reveals this king was Alexander the Great, who died in the prime of life. The four horns that replaced the great horn represent four generals that eventually gained control of Alexander’s empire. Historians identify these generals as Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy and Seleucus.

We know the identity of the ram and goat, but what does the third symbol, the horn power, represent? Until the twentieth century, a majority of Protestants claimed the little horn in Daniel 7 and the horn power in Daniel 8 represented the papacy. True, both horns have important similarities, but they are not the same entity. We will see that the horn power in Daniel 8 is many times more powerful than the Roman Catholic Church.

Beasts Are Kingdoms – Horns Are Kings

In Daniel 8, the two beasts represent empires, but the horns of the ram and the goat represent kings. This distinction is important, because the horn power in this vision is not attached to a beast (a world empire). Further, the Bible says this horn power is a king. (Daniel 8:23) Daniel was told this king will exalt himself to be as great as the Prince of the host, Jesus Christ! (Daniel 8:11) The horn power in Daniel 8 is a stern-faced king that will rule over Earth during the Great Tribulation. (Daniel 11:36) This coming king is the Antichrist, Lucifer, who will dazzle the world with his power, authority and ability to perform incredible miracles. He will gain control of Earth and do more evil than Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot combined. In short, the dreaded Antichrist will not be a mere man. The coming Antichrist will be Lucifer, appearing in the flesh, masquerading as an angel of light, and claiming to be Almighty God. (2 Corinthians 11:14; Daniel 11:36; Revelation 9; Revelation 13:11-18)

Timing Is Everything

The vision in Daniel 8 almost covers the same 2,600 years described in Daniel 2 and 7. The only difference is that6 the Daniel 8 vision starts with the Medo-Persian empire (538 B.C.) instead of the Babylonian empire (605 B.C.). The sequence in this vision ends when Jesus destroys “the stern-faced king” at the Second Coming. Daniel 8:25 indicates the horn power will be destroyed by God: “… he will be destroyed, but not by human power.” (See Daniel 2:44, Daniel 7:11 and Revelation 19:11-21.) This is an important specification. Men will not be able to destroy the Antichrist. Lucifer will do whatever he wants and no one will be able to stop him. Jesus does not lay hands on His enemies at the Second Coming; He simply commands the wicked to die. The sharp sword that comes out of His mouth represents His ability to speak the command and people drop dead. (See Revelation 19:15-21.) It is interesting to note that the voice that calls the righteous dead to life (1 Thessalonians 4:16) is the same voice that commands the wicked to die. (Revelation 19:21)

Because God is the Creator of apocalyptic prophecy, we know Daniel 8 will harmonize with the matrix established in Daniel 2 and Daniel 7. Pay close attention to the words of Gabriel, as he speaks to Daniel about the sequence of events: “And I heard a man’s voice from the Ulai calling, ‘Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision.’ As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. ‘Son of man,’ he said to me, ‘understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.’ While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and raised me to my feet. He said: ‘I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end.’” (Daniel 8:16-19, italics mine)

Look at the words that have been italicized. Gabriel twice emphasized the point that this vision concerns “the time of the end” or “the appointed time of the end.” The word “appointed” means the time of the end was set or predetermined long ago. God has set a date for the Great Tribulation to begin. The Father has also set a date for the second Coming. (Matthew 24:36) So, ready or not, believe it or not, God’s great time clock is counting the days to the appointed time of the end. (Read Revelation 9:15 and notice how the date for the sixth trumpet has been predetermined down to the very hour.)

The Time of Wrath

Gabriel said the appointed time of the end would be a time of wrath. A time of wrath means that everyone will suffer wrath during the appointed time of the end. The wicked will receive God’s wrath for their rebellion and insolence (Colossians 3:5,6; Revelation 16), and the saints will receive the wrath of their governments when they refuse to obey the dictates of Babylon and the Antichrist! (Revelation 13: 7-10) Everyone will suffer wrath.

How does the horn power in Daniel 8 connect to the appointed time of the end? The connection is quite simple because the ram and the goat are not end-time players. History says these world empires disappeared more than two thousand years ago. However, the horn power, or “the stern-faced king,” has not yet appeared. He is the only item left in this vision that relates to the appointed time of the end. As we will see, the horn power in Daniel 8 is the coming Antichrist. He will appear “out of nowhere” during the Great Tribulation. He does not rise out of a nation or a kingdom like the little horn of Daniel 7. Lucifer will suddenly appear in clouds of light with his angels, and through counterfeit miracles, signs, wonders, deceit and lies, he will deceive the whole world. He will gain control of Earth during the appointed time of the end.   

First Question

After hearing that the horn power is the only part of this vision that applies to the time of the end, one of the first questions people ask is this: “Why did God put two ancient kingdoms in this vision if they have nothing to do with end-times?” There are at least three reasons for placing these ancient kingdoms in a prophecy that point to the appointed time of the end.

1. God placed the ram and the goat in this vision of Daniel 8 so that we could identify by name the two empires that followed Babylon. The Bible says the ram and the goat represent the kingdoms of the Medes and the Persians and the Grecians, respectively. (Daniel 8: 20,21) By stating their names, God eliminated any wiggle room about the identity of the first three empires in Daniel’s historical matrix, namely, Babylon, Medo-Persia and Grecia. Furthermore, the identity of these three kingdoms leave no question about the identity of the fourth beast in Daniel 7 (Rome) nor the identity of the little horn power in Daniel 7 that rose out of Rome (the Roman Catholic Church).

2. The second reason God put two ancient kingdoms in the end-time vision is linkage. The ram is connected by the 2,300 days to an event that occurs in Heaven. Because we cannot see into Heaven with the naked eye, God has linked events in Heaven with well-known events on Earth. The result is simple. Students of apocalyptic prophecy can determine the timing of several heavenly events that no can see.

3. Last, God put two ancient kingdoms in the end-time vision because God wants everyone to know the horn power in Daniel 8 does not rise out of an ancient empire like the little horn of Daniel 7. The horn power in Daniel 8 is not an extension of the Roman Empire or any world empire. The point here is separation.  The horn power in Daniel 8 is separate and isolated from the earthly kingdoms. This is not the case in Daniel 7. We know the little horn in Daniel 7 rose out of the fourth beast and it derived its name from the powerful host. For seventeen centuries, the little horn of Daniel 7 has been called the Roman Catholic Church. To keep us from misidentifying the horn power of Daniel 8, God inserted more than 2,000 years between the ancient kingdoms and the appearing of the horn power. God wants the world to understand the horn power in Daniel 8 does not have an earthly origin. Instead, he will have a supernatural one. Revelation 9 indicates that Lucifer will come down out of the sky attended by millions of angles.

Antichrist Will Not be Human

The books of Isaiah Ezekiel, 2 Thessalonians, 2 Corinthians, Daniel and Revelation harmonize because they are the Word of God. They present a rather startling picture of the coming Antichrist by adding valuable pieces to the puzzle. The following comments are a brief synthesis of what these books say about the Antichrist:

The coming Antichrist will not be a mere mortal. The coming Antichrist will not be born to a woman. Men cannot kill the coming Antichrist. The coming Antichrist will have supernatural powers that far exceed anything man can do. The coming Antichrist will be evil and destructive beyond comprehension. The coming Antichrist will be dazzling and commanding in appearance, but deadly in his manipulation. The coming Antichrist will be a stern-faced king, that is, he will not show mercy unless temporal mercy facilitates his evil schemes. Billions of powerful demons serve him. The coming Antichrist is an ancient foe of Christ. In fact, Lucifer is the most powerful and greatest angel that God ever created. He was the first being to become anti-Christ. The Bible predicts that God will allow Lucifer and his angels to appear in physical form visible to the human race. Just as Jesus became man to save the world, Lucifer will be granted authority to masquerade as God so that he can quickly lead the wicked to their destruction. Lucifer will mimic Christ’s return and appear with clouds of angels. You can be sure the appearing of the devil will be the most spectacular event ever viewed by human eyes (Revelation 17:8) – only to be eclipsed by the brighter and more glorious appearing of Jesus. (Revelation 1:7, 19:11-21)

Horn Power Not Antiochus Epiphanes IV Nor the Papacy

Most Christians believe the horn power in Daniel 8 is either Antiochus Epiphanes IV, an ancient king who ruled with Rome’s permission over a tiny Syrian state (175-164 B.C.), or they say the horn power is the Roman Catholic Church. Of course, the only way we can determine the true identity of this horn is by satisfying all the specifications given to Daniel. We find in this presentation that both interpretations share the same deficiency. Neither conclusion satisfies all the specifications given in Daniel 8.

Even though Bible students and scholars have studied the book of Daniel for centuries, it was impossible for them to know the truth about Daniel 8 because the knowledge of the architecture of Daniel was sealed up until the time of the end. (Daniel 12:4,9) Because the end of the age is here and the Great Tribulation is about to begin, the book of Daniel has been unsealed and God’s Word now speaks with a clarity and precision that it did not have before. When Daniel 8 is integrated into the historical matrix that the four rules of interpretation produce, the horn power in Daniel 8 cannot be Antiochus IV or the papacy! The horn power in Daniel 8 is something far more powerful and far more sinister. The horn power in Daniel 8 is the great enemy of God and man. He is the coming Antichrist.

Section II – Antichrist as King of the North

All Specifications Have to Be Fulfilled

 Rule Two says, “A fulfillment of apocalyptic prophecy occurs when the specifications within that prophecy are met. This includes the order of events outlined in the prophecy,” With this rule in mind, we will carefully examine all of the specifications of the horn power in Daniel 8. We will begin with the origin of the Horn Power. “The goat [Grecia] became very great, but at the height of his power his large horn [Alexander the Great] was broken off, and in its place four prominent horns grew up toward the four winds of heaven [North, East, West, South]. Out of one of them [the four winds] came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward [the west] the Beautiful Land.” (Daniel 8:8,9, insertions mine) The Bible says the large or prominent horn of the goat was broken off at the height of its power. This seems odd. A person would not expect a powerful horn to “break off” at the peak of its strength, but remember, this horn represents a king, not an empire. Alexander the Great died at the peak of his military power. His kingdom was divided between his four generals that are represented by the four horns. Gabriel told Daniel, “The four horns that replaced the one that was broken off represent four [kings or] kingdoms that will emerge from his nation but will not have the same power.” (Daniel 8:22, insertion mine) It is interesting to observe that prophecy is history written in advance. History confirms Gabriel’s words. None of Alexander’s generals was strong enough to reunite the Grecian kingdom.

God used beasts in Daniel 7 and Daniel 8 to represent empires, but He consistently used horns to represent kings. The Hebrew word for horn, malkuwth, can mean king, ruler or kingdom. Most translators treat malkuwth in Daniel 8:22 as “four kingdoms,” however, in this context malkuwth is better translated “four kings.” Because horns represent kings in Daniel 8, this consistency forces the horn power in Daniel 8 to also be a king. In fact, the Bible emphasizes this point by indicating the horn power in Daniel 8 will be a stern-faced “king” who appears during the appointed time of the end! (See Daniel 8:19,23)

The Horn Power Comes out of the North

“And out of one of them [the four winds] came a forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the [west] pleasant land.” (Daniel 8:9, KJV, insertions mine) From the evidence that follows, we will discover that the horn power (the stern-faced king) does not originate within an earthly kingdom. Actually, the Antichrist just appears out of nowhere. The Bible reveals he comes from the north, out of one of the four winds.  There is more to this direction than one might think at first. As we proceed, notice how the horn power in Daniel 8 does not have its roots in ancient kingdoms such as Medo-Persia, Grecia or Rome!

Daniel 8:9 say, “And out of one of them came another horn….” To understand this phrase we have to examine the grammar. To what noun does the pronoun, “them” refer? The Hebrew pronoun “them” (hem) is masculine, and the Hebrew word for “winds” (ruwach) can be masculine or feminine, but the Hebrew word for “horn” (qeren) is feminine. Therefore, a gender agreement (masculine “them” and masculine “winds”) is possible if we say, “out pf the four winds….” But if we say, “out of one of the four horns…,” the gender in the grammar does not agree. Even though grammar suggests the horn power comes out of one of the four winds, grammar alone does not make this conclusion airtight. So, let us see if there is stronger evidence.

Daniel was standing on the banks of the Ulai River when he received this vision. From his point of reference, the horn power started out small, but became “exceeding great” as it grew toward the south, east and ‘toward the beautiful land.” Daniel refers to his homeland as “the beautiful land” without explicitly saying “west.” (See Jeremiah 3:19.) Maps of this region show Jerusalem to be due west of the province of Elam where Daniel was located. Therefore, after analyzing verse 9, we discover the horn power comes out of the north and grows toward the south, east and west.

 The direction of north is very significant. The ancients thought the world was flat, and north was “up” and south was “down.” Two thousand six hundred years later, while we know the world is not flat, we still follow this tradition. Most people think the North Pole is on top of the world and the South Pole is at the bottom. The ancients believed that God’s throne was above the world, so they concluded that divine judgments came down from the north. Carefully study the following seven texts and notice how the direction of north is associated with divine destruction (italics and insertions mine):

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