Chapter seven of the Book of Daniel mentions four beasts that rise out of the sea, and they are described as kings or kingdoms. One kingdom in particular, the fourth, had 10 horns, which it also interprets as 10 kings. I’ve already spoken of these things in earlier studies, but what I am particularly interested in at this moment is the strange little horn that has a mouth and eyes. What is this all about?
We are already given a lot of information about the little horn in Daniel 7, and we are expected to be able to figure out from this who or what the it is when he comes on the scene. In as much as the prophecy was for the time of the end (Daniel 2:44; 12:13), neither Daniel nor anyone one else was able to understand who or what the little horn was (Daniel 7:28). Once the little horn appeared, however, the need would arise to identify him, and, according to what was told Daniel, he would appear at the time of the end (cf. Daniel 2:44; 12:13).
Most scholars believe the little horn is a gentile authority. However, there is a problem with this interpretation. Whoever the little horn is, he arises out of the fourth kingdom, and his judgment comes before the establishment of the Kingdom of God. Therefore, if the fourth kingdom is Rome, we cannot look for the little horn to arise after the Roman Empire. Moreover, the Kingdom of God is established in the days of the kingdoms of the four beasts (cf. Daniel 2:44). Therefore, the little horn must have come in or prior to the first century AD, because a) he is associated with the Roman Empire (the fourth beast), and b) the Kingdom of God, which must be established by Jesus, was to appear in the days of the Roman Empire (Daniel 2:44).[1]
What we do already is the little horn is greater or more masterful than the other horns (Daniel 7:20; H7229 – rab), so it must be a ruling authority held in awe by the Jewish people. In verse-21 we see that the little horn is able to wage war with the saints and overcome them. The saints in this context are Jews, but, if the prophecy pertains to the 1st century AD, they must be Messianic Jews, particularly those in Palestine. Daniel tells us that the little horn is able to persecute the saints until he, himself, is judged by God (Daniel 7:22).
In Daniel 7:24-25 the little horn is specifically described as a king or ruler who continually harasses the saints of God, vis-à-vis the elect or Messianic Jews, and he does this with the intention of changing “the times and the seasons.” In other words, he desired to curb or eliminate the influence the elect had in Palestine through the power of God.[2] Jesus claimed that it was the Jewish authorities at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the scribes, who would persecute and kill him (Matthew 16:22), and that they (with the Pharisees) would continue to persecute and even kill all whom he would send to them (Matthew 23:27-36).
The New Covenant text mentions three major persecutions between Jesus’ death and the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Believers were persecuted in some form throughout this. 40-year period, but not always to the death. Nevertheless, the stoning of Stephen marks the first of the three major persecution periods. Stephen was slain cir. AD 34 and continued to AD 38-39. This represented the persecution and excommunication of the more liberal Jewish, Hellenistic, believers. The second wave of persecution commenced with the beheading of James the Apostle by King Herod Agrippa of Acts 12 (AD 43-44). This represented the persecution and excommunication of the Apostles and more moderate believing Jews. Only the most conservative of believing Jews remained in Jerusalem without fear of death.
This changed with the stoning of James, called “the brother” of Christ. His death is recorded by Josephus and occurred in AD 62-63. At this time, any believer who remained in Jerusalem did so at the risk of his or her life. An interesting postscript to this is that each time the righteous blood of the saints was shed a member of the family of Annas, the high priest (Luke 3:2; John 18:13, 24; Acts 4:6), was the officiating the office of high priest. Thus, it seems to me, that the persecuting power of Daniel 7 were the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem, and this was particularly so with Annas and his family of high priests.
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[1] This represents a major change in my eschatology, and this study has been changed to reflect that eschatology. I had been a premillennialist, but now I believe Jesus kept his promise to us and returned in AD 70 and judged Jerusalem and established his Kingdom with his disciples. I will be adding studies to support my eschatological point of view, but I had to change this study and will be changing others as I have time.
[2] “The sin of the king in placing himself with God, therefore, as Kliefoth rightly remarks, ‘consists in this, that in these ordinances he does not regard the fundamental conditions given by God, but so changes the laws of human life that he puts his own pleasure in the place of the divine arrangements.’ Thus, shall he do with the ordinances of life, not only of God’s people, but of all men.” [Kiel & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament]
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