Daniel 7 builds on the prophecy of Daniel 2, but before we look at the prophecy itself we need to clarify a few things concerning the antichrist.
2Jn 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
The Term "antichrist" is only mentioned four times in the bible-- all in the letters of John. In each case, the term is used to portray a false teacher or deceptive power that corrupts the faith within the church.
An "antichrist" literally means "instead of Christ" or "in the place of Christ". John said there were "many antichrists" within the early church (1 John 2:18) and these antichrists all had a misconception about Jesus Christ. The Original "antichrist" was the Devil himself which we will look at in a separate study later if you want.
Within Bible prophecy there is one specific "Antichrist" who is described in great detail. This power would rise after the early church in Acts, and have dramatic impact on the history of the world.
2Th 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2Th 2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Within the Early church there were people who believed that Jesus would return in their day. The apostle Paul refuted this concept. He predicted that before Jesus returned, the church would experience a major spiritual fall. This "falling away" would reveal the "man of sin" This great Antichrist would exalt himself and be involved in breaking or disregarding the law of God.
It is interesting to note that the Antichrist would arise within the church. In a similar way, Jesus referred to his disciple Judas as the "son of perdition" (John 17:12) Judas was a leader "in the church" who wanted power more than he wanted Christ. Most people think the Antichrist will be a Secular political leader. But the bible is clear. The Antichrist will come from the religious world.
Most of the Prophecies concerning the Antichrist are found in the book of Daniel and Revelation. The focus
of this study will be in Daniel chapter 7.
In this chapter the Antichrist is described as you will see as a "little horn"
This chapter is vital because it outlines the empires of history like in Daniel 2, and Identifies the characteristics of the Antichrist. It also lays the foundation for future descriptions of the Antichrist in the book of Revelation. It may be good to read the whole chapter once before we focus on specific parts. notice the characteristics of the little horn.
Dan 7:2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
Dan 7:3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
While in vision Daniel saw four great animals come up out of the sea. Each of these "beasts" were different animals with unique characteristics.
Before we go on lets identify some prophecy symbols.
The winds.
Read Jeremiah 49:36,37
Winds represent strife, destruction and war. A wind swept sea is one where there is plenty of unrest and commotion. (This method of interpretation is important. we should always let the bible interoperate itself, we could try to guess what the symbols mean, but then we will interoperate according to our won wisdom. It is always best to get our answers from the bible itself.)
The Sea
Read Revelation 17:15
Here the sea represents an area of vast population, a place where there are many people from different nationalities. even today we refer to such a group as a "sea of faces". The beasts of Daniel's vision come up from populated areas on the globe.
A beast
Read Daniel 7:17,23
A beast is a symbol of a kingdom or political power. We still use animals today as representations of our nations. the United states has the "eagle" while here in Australia we have the "kangaroo".
In Daniel 7 we find four great nations or political powers all different form one another, rising up form populated areas of the world, where there has been a history of war and destruction.
By comparing Daniel 2 ( the great image) with this prophecy in Daniel 7, it is evident that Daniel is seeing the same succession of world empires. Both prophecies are aligned perfectly. however Daniel 7 gives greater detail and a number of additional interesting facts. Daniel 2 used metals to symbolize the nations while Daniel 7 uses "Beasts".
To illustrate this link, the fourth beast of Daniel 7 has "iron teeth" and is called the "fourth kingdom" (Daniel 7:7,23). The power represented by Iron in Daniel 2 is also called the "fourth Kingdom" (Daniel 2:40) the four kingdoms represented in both Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 are:
1. Babylon
2. Medo-Persia
3. Greece
4. Rome
Dan 7:4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
The king of beasts is a perfect symbol for the proud and powerful Babylon and an ideal parallel to the "head of gold" in Daniel 2. the prophet Jeremiah also described the King of Babylon as a being "like a lion" (Jeremiah 50:43,44)
Dan 7:5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
The coalition government of the Medes and Persians was "lopsided" because the Persians were a much stronger entity than the Medes. The bear had three ribs in its mouth which indicates it had eaten other beast. The three major powers conquered by the Medo-Persia were Babylon, Lydia and Egypt. Amazing how for us this is History, but this prophecy came before these things had taken place.
Dan 7:6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
A leopard with four wings represents a very fast and attacking empire. No nation ever contoured as fast as the Greeks under the leadership of Alexander. Notice that the leopard had four heads. After the death of Alexander, the Greek empire was divided between his four generals, the heads of his empire. These four Generals were: Ptolomy, Seleucus, Cassander and Lysimachus.
Dan 7:24 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.
I have skipped to the description of the fourth beast.
Just as the Iron legs of Rome divided into Iron and clay feet and ten toes of Daniel 2, now we find Daniel seeing ten horns arising out of the power of Rome. A "horn" is another symbol of a kingdom (Daniel 7:24, 8:22). The ten horns are the ten powers that rose from the divided Roman Empire. These nations are what we see today as Western Europe.
Now let's take a closer look at this little horn. (v8-28)
Dan 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
The little horn and the judgment is the focus of the rest of this chapter. It is this power that provides the additional information to the Daniel 2 prophecy. Here we will see the character and power of the little horn, the great Antichrist of Prophecy.
Lets now look at 10 clues that the Bible gives us concerning this antichrist power.
clue 1 - It arises from Western Europ.
The Little Horn was seen in amongst the ten horns "coming up from them" - rising out of the head of the fourth beast. (Daniel 7:8) This information provides us with a geographical location of the rise of the little horn. Since the ten horns represent the division of the Roman empire into the nations of Western Europe, the little horn would arise from somewhere within that region.
clue 2 - It is a "little" kingdom
The is political power has the unique characteristics of being a "little horn" (Daniel 7:8). Here we have a small nation that will accomplish large things.
clue 3 - It arises after the ten tribes of Europe were established.
The little horn Antichrist not only comes out of the ten horns but also comes to power after the ten horns were established: "and another shall rise after them" (Daniel 7:24). The ten horns were finally established in 476AD, so we are looking for a power which gained its political clout after this date.
clue 4 - It overcomes three political powers as it rises to prominence.
The Bible says that three of the original ten horns were "plucked out by the roots" (Daniel 7:8). The little horn would overcome three of the tribes of Europe on its way to dominance. Three of the original kingdoms had been removed by 538AD. This kingdom would come to power sometime around 538AD.
clue 5 - Itis different from the other ten powers
The ten tribes of Western Europe were all secular political powers. The "little horn" was unique - there was something different about this power.
clue 6 - It would have a man at its head who speaks for it.
Although this power is a political entity, it would have "eyes like the eyes of a man" (Daniel 7:8). A man would be the focus of this power and would be the absolute spokesperson. (Daniel 7:8).
clue 7 - It would speak blasphemies against God.
This power delves into religion; speaking "pompous words against the most high" (Daniel 7:25).
clue 8 - It would persecute God's people
The "little horn" power would "persecuted the saints of the Most High" (Daniel 7:25). We are looking for a power who is responsible for the deaths of faithful Christians.
clue 9 - It would bin power for 1,260 years.
This power rules for a "time and times and half a times" (Daniel7:25). By comparing Daniel 7:25 with Revelation 12:6,14 it is clear that this time prophecy is another way of saying 1,260 days. A "time" is one year, "times" is two years, and "half a time" is six months or as the Amplified Bible translates it, "Three and one half years". Based on the 30-day calendar used by the Ancient scriptures, three and a half years is 1,260 days.
In Bible Prophecy, a day is symbolic code for a literal year (Ezekiel 4:6). Thus 1,260 days represents 1,260 literal years. Seven times in the books of Daniel and Revelation the same time period is given, using three different phrases, to represent the length of rule for this Antichrist. This means that its rule would end in 1798. Now you may be thinking but that means it is past. you are right it is, but as we will see in further studies later on, this power will rise once more just before Jesus comes.
clue 10 - This power would attempt to change times and law.
In one of the most intriguing clues of all, the "little horn" would "intend to change times and law" (Daniel 7:25). In our search for the identity of the Antichrist we need to discover which power would attempt to alter times in connection with the law.
2Jn 1:7 For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
The Term "antichrist" is only mentioned four times in the bible-- all in the letters of John. In each case, the term is used to portray a false teacher or deceptive power that corrupts the faith within the church.
An "antichrist" literally means "instead of Christ" or "in the place of Christ". John said there were "many antichrists" within the early church (1 John 2:18) and these antichrists all had a misconception about Jesus Christ. The Original "antichrist" was the Devil himself which we will look at in a separate study later if you want.
Within Bible prophecy there is one specific "Antichrist" who is described in great detail. This power would rise after the early church in Acts, and have dramatic impact on the history of the world.
2Th 2:1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2Th 2:2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
2Th 2:3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2Th 2:4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
Within the Early church there were people who believed that Jesus would return in their day. The apostle Paul refuted this concept. He predicted that before Jesus returned, the church would experience a major spiritual fall. This "falling away" would reveal the "man of sin" This great Antichrist would exalt himself and be involved in breaking or disregarding the law of God.
It is interesting to note that the Antichrist would arise within the church. In a similar way, Jesus referred to his disciple Judas as the "son of perdition" (John 17:12) Judas was a leader "in the church" who wanted power more than he wanted Christ. Most people think the Antichrist will be a Secular political leader. But the bible is clear. The Antichrist will come from the religious world.
Most of the Prophecies concerning the Antichrist are found in the book of Daniel and Revelation. The focus
of this study will be in Daniel chapter 7.
In this chapter the Antichrist is described as you will see as a "little horn"
This chapter is vital because it outlines the empires of history like in Daniel 2, and Identifies the characteristics of the Antichrist. It also lays the foundation for future descriptions of the Antichrist in the book of Revelation. It may be good to read the whole chapter once before we focus on specific parts. notice the characteristics of the little horn.
Dan 7:2 Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.
Dan 7:3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
While in vision Daniel saw four great animals come up out of the sea. Each of these "beasts" were different animals with unique characteristics.
Before we go on lets identify some prophecy symbols.
The winds.
Read Jeremiah 49:36,37
Winds represent strife, destruction and war. A wind swept sea is one where there is plenty of unrest and commotion. (This method of interpretation is important. we should always let the bible interoperate itself, we could try to guess what the symbols mean, but then we will interoperate according to our won wisdom. It is always best to get our answers from the bible itself.)
The Sea
Read Revelation 17:15
Here the sea represents an area of vast population, a place where there are many people from different nationalities. even today we refer to such a group as a "sea of faces". The beasts of Daniel's vision come up from populated areas on the globe.
A beast
Read Daniel 7:17,23
A beast is a symbol of a kingdom or political power. We still use animals today as representations of our nations. the United states has the "eagle" while here in Australia we have the "kangaroo".
In Daniel 7 we find four great nations or political powers all different form one another, rising up form populated areas of the world, where there has been a history of war and destruction.
By comparing Daniel 2 ( the great image) with this prophecy in Daniel 7, it is evident that Daniel is seeing the same succession of world empires. Both prophecies are aligned perfectly. however Daniel 7 gives greater detail and a number of additional interesting facts. Daniel 2 used metals to symbolize the nations while Daniel 7 uses "Beasts".
To illustrate this link, the fourth beast of Daniel 7 has "iron teeth" and is called the "fourth kingdom" (Daniel 7:7,23). The power represented by Iron in Daniel 2 is also called the "fourth Kingdom" (Daniel 2:40) the four kingdoms represented in both Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 are:
1. Babylon
2. Medo-Persia
3. Greece
4. Rome
Dan 7:4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it.
The king of beasts is a perfect symbol for the proud and powerful Babylon and an ideal parallel to the "head of gold" in Daniel 2. the prophet Jeremiah also described the King of Babylon as a being "like a lion" (Jeremiah 50:43,44)
Dan 7:5 And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh.
The coalition government of the Medes and Persians was "lopsided" because the Persians were a much stronger entity than the Medes. The bear had three ribs in its mouth which indicates it had eaten other beast. The three major powers conquered by the Medo-Persia were Babylon, Lydia and Egypt. Amazing how for us this is History, but this prophecy came before these things had taken place.
Dan 7:6 After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.
A leopard with four wings represents a very fast and attacking empire. No nation ever contoured as fast as the Greeks under the leadership of Alexander. Notice that the leopard had four heads. After the death of Alexander, the Greek empire was divided between his four generals, the heads of his empire. These four Generals were: Ptolomy, Seleucus, Cassander and Lysimachus.
Dan 7:24 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.
I have skipped to the description of the fourth beast.
Just as the Iron legs of Rome divided into Iron and clay feet and ten toes of Daniel 2, now we find Daniel seeing ten horns arising out of the power of Rome. A "horn" is another symbol of a kingdom (Daniel 7:24, 8:22). The ten horns are the ten powers that rose from the divided Roman Empire. These nations are what we see today as Western Europe.
Now let's take a closer look at this little horn. (v8-28)
Dan 7:8 I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.
The little horn and the judgment is the focus of the rest of this chapter. It is this power that provides the additional information to the Daniel 2 prophecy. Here we will see the character and power of the little horn, the great Antichrist of Prophecy.
Lets now look at 10 clues that the Bible gives us concerning this antichrist power.
clue 1 - It arises from Western Europ.
The Little Horn was seen in amongst the ten horns "coming up from them" - rising out of the head of the fourth beast. (Daniel 7:8) This information provides us with a geographical location of the rise of the little horn. Since the ten horns represent the division of the Roman empire into the nations of Western Europe, the little horn would arise from somewhere within that region.
clue 2 - It is a "little" kingdom
The is political power has the unique characteristics of being a "little horn" (Daniel 7:8). Here we have a small nation that will accomplish large things.
clue 3 - It arises after the ten tribes of Europe were established.
The little horn Antichrist not only comes out of the ten horns but also comes to power after the ten horns were established: "and another shall rise after them" (Daniel 7:24). The ten horns were finally established in 476AD, so we are looking for a power which gained its political clout after this date.
clue 4 - It overcomes three political powers as it rises to prominence.
The Bible says that three of the original ten horns were "plucked out by the roots" (Daniel 7:8). The little horn would overcome three of the tribes of Europe on its way to dominance. Three of the original kingdoms had been removed by 538AD. This kingdom would come to power sometime around 538AD.
clue 5 - Itis different from the other ten powers
The ten tribes of Western Europe were all secular political powers. The "little horn" was unique - there was something different about this power.
clue 6 - It would have a man at its head who speaks for it.
Although this power is a political entity, it would have "eyes like the eyes of a man" (Daniel 7:8). A man would be the focus of this power and would be the absolute spokesperson. (Daniel 7:8).
clue 7 - It would speak blasphemies against God.
This power delves into religion; speaking "pompous words against the most high" (Daniel 7:25).
clue 8 - It would persecute God's people
The "little horn" power would "persecuted the saints of the Most High" (Daniel 7:25). We are looking for a power who is responsible for the deaths of faithful Christians.
clue 9 - It would bin power for 1,260 years.
This power rules for a "time and times and half a times" (Daniel7:25). By comparing Daniel 7:25 with Revelation 12:6,14 it is clear that this time prophecy is another way of saying 1,260 days. A "time" is one year, "times" is two years, and "half a time" is six months or as the Amplified Bible translates it, "Three and one half years". Based on the 30-day calendar used by the Ancient scriptures, three and a half years is 1,260 days.
In Bible Prophecy, a day is symbolic code for a literal year (Ezekiel 4:6). Thus 1,260 days represents 1,260 literal years. Seven times in the books of Daniel and Revelation the same time period is given, using three different phrases, to represent the length of rule for this Antichrist. This means that its rule would end in 1798. Now you may be thinking but that means it is past. you are right it is, but as we will see in further studies later on, this power will rise once more just before Jesus comes.
clue 10 - This power would attempt to change times and law.
In one of the most intriguing clues of all, the "little horn" would "intend to change times and law" (Daniel 7:25). In our search for the identity of the Antichrist we need to discover which power would attempt to alter times in connection with the law.
