Previous articles discussed the metal statue of Daniel 2 (see here) and the four beasts of Daniel 7 (see here). These articles do not identify the four empires in those chapters, nor the main character in Daniel 7, symbolized as an 11th horn that “will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One” (Dan 7:25). This article provides an overview of Daniel 8 and lists the alternative interpretations of its main character, represented by a small horn.
Overview of the Prophecy
The Ram and the Goat
Only two animals appear in the vision in Daniel 8:
The first is a ram, explicitly identified as Mede-Persia (Dan 8:20), conquers into three directions, the north, the west, and the south (Dan 8:3-4).
Next, a goat with one large horn, explicitly identified as Greece (Dan 8:20-21), defeats the Medo-Persian ram and becomes the dominant power (Dan 8:5-7).
The Horns
At first, the goat has one large horn, but this horn was “broken,” and four horns, extending out to the four winds of heaven (the four compass directions), came up in its place (Dan 8:8). Commentators agree that the one large horn represents the Greek kingdom of Alexander the Great and the four horns are the four parts into which the Greek empire divided after Alexander’s death.
The Little Horn
However, the main character in the chapter is another horn (“a little horn“). It does not attack any beast or kingdom but opposes:
(a) God’s people, symbolized as “the host of the stars” (Dan 8:10),
(b) God’s work of redemption, described as the tamid (daily or continual) and the temple (Dan 8:11-12), and
(c) God’s principal representative, called “the Prince of the host” or “the Prince of princes” (Dan 8:11, 25).
Daniel 8 does not explicitly identify it, and there is much disagreement about its identity.
The Conversation in Heaven
Daniel then overheard two heavenly beings discussing the vision. One asked how long God’s holy place and God’s people will be trampled. The other answered that the holy place would be restored after “2300 evenings and mornings.” (Dan 8:13, 14)
Focus on the Evil Power
Daniel 8 does not mention the first kingdom of Daniel 7 (Babylon) or the last (eternal) kingdom. Instead, it focuses on and provides additional information about the main evil character in the Book of Daniel, symbolized by an evil horn-king in both Daniel 7 and 8. Most of Daniel 8 is devoted to this king.
The Same Horn
For the following reasons, commentators agree that the evil horns in Daniel 7 and 8 symbolize the same entity:
(a) The same symbol (a horn) is used for both. If a distinction had been intended, one way would have been to use a different symbol.
(b) They are described as similar. For example, both begin small and become great (Dan 7:8 and 8:9), blaspheme God (Dan 7:8, 25 and 8:11, 25), persecute God’s people (Dan 7:21, 25 and 8:11, 25), are the main characters in their visions, and are eventually destroyed (Dan 7:26 and 8:25).
(c) Later prophecies amplify the earlier ones. Commentators agree on this principle. For example, Daniel 7 repeats the four empires of Daniel 2 with additional information, using heads and horns to represent the divisions of these empires. This principle implies that the vision of Daniel 8 elaborates on the vision of Daniel 7, which supports the conclusion that the little horns in Daniel 7 and 8 represent the same entity. Show More
The book of Daniel itself also mentions this principle at least twice:
In Daniel 9:22-23, Gabriel said that he came to give Daniel an understanding of “the vision,” which would be the vision in Daniel 8.
In Daniel 10-12, Daniel receives a “message” to explain the “vision” (Dan 10:1, 14). This also refers to the vision in Daniel 8, for that is the last “vision” before Daniel 10.
Three Interpretations
Who is this little horn that blasphemes God and persecutes His people (Dan 8:9-14)? And what is its 2300 evening-mornings during which it will profane the sanctuary?
Preterist – The Greek king Antiochus
Critical Scholars believe that the Antichrist horn represents the Greek king Antiochus. In this view:
(A) The ‘prophecies’ of the book of Daniel have already been fulfilled and have no significance for the present day or the future.
(B) The little horn arose from one of the four divisions of Alexander’s Greek empire.
(C) Specifically, the little horn symbolizes the Greek king Antiochus IV Epiphanes (second century BC).
(D) The 2300 “evening-mornings” are 2300 individual morning and evening sacrifices, or 1150 literal days, and describe a period during the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
(E) The sanctuary refers to the literal temple in Jerusalem that Antiochus polluted and the victorious Jewish rebels purified before January 1, 164 B.C.
Futurists – An end-time Antichrist
Futurists believe it is an end-time Antichrist. They generally follow the same line of reasoning as the Preterists but regard Antiochus as a type of an end-time Antichrist who will arise in the final years of earth’s history, just before Jesus returns.
Some futurists apply the 2300 “evening-mornings” to the end time, interpreting it as literal evenings-mornings or the literal 2300 days of the end-time reign of this Antichrist. According to this interpretation, during the last seven years of earth’s history, a literal temple (to be rebuilt in Jerusalem for the Jews) will be polluted by this Antichrist. The 2300 days end when Christ returns, ends the reign of the Antichrist and restores the temple.
Historicists – Church of the Roman Empire
From a historicist’s perspective, the Little Horn is the Roman Church. In this view:
(A) The prophecies in Daniel and Revelation outline the history of the ongoing struggle between good and evil down through the centuries, to the end of time.
(B) The evil horn-king represents the Church of the Roman Empire (the Roman Church). To explain:
In the year 380, the emperor Theodosius made Western Nicene Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire (see here). The Christianity of the other European nations remained ‘Arian,’ which was the Church’s traditional teaching during the preceding centuries.
During the fifth century, these other nations wrestled control of Europe and fragmented it into various kingdoms. Now Europe had become ‘Arian’ again (see here).
In the sixth century, the Eastern Emperor Justinian subjected these ‘Arian’ nations and elevated the Roman Church above the Arian Church. The Eastern Roman Empire ruled the West through the church for the next two centuries. This made the Roman Church very powerful, causing all ‘Arian’ nations to convert to Roman Christianity. (See here)
After the influence of the Eastern Empire in the West evaporated in the eighth century, the Roman Church survived by seeking other protectors.
In the High Middle Ages, the Roman Church became more powerful than the European monarchs. Consequently, the Church of the Roman Empire became the church of the Middle Ages.
(C) Utilizing the year-for-a-day principle, historicists have held that the 2300 evening-mornings describe a period of 2300 literal years, beginning in the time of the Medo-Persian Ram and concluding after the Middle Ages, when the power of the Roman Church to persecute God’s people was broken, with the recovery of Biblical truth after the distortions of the Middle Ages.
(D) The purification of the sanctuary symbolizes the restoration of God’s people and their message.
Comparison of the Three Views
These three interpretations of the various elements in Daniel 8:9-14 may be summarized as follows:
Preterist
Historicist
Futurist
Little horn
Antiochus IV
Roman Church
End-time Antichrist
2300 days
1150 past days
2300 historical years
2300 end-time days
Temple
In Jerusalem
God’s people
In end-time Jerusalem
Cleansing
Before 164 BC
After the Middle Ages
Return of Christ
Other Articles
Other articles in this series identify the fourth animal in Daniel 7, out of which this evil horn grows. By comparing the animals of Daniel 7 to those of Daniel 8, another article identifies the fourth animal as the Roman and the 11 horns as the kingdoms into which the Empire fragmented (see here).
The ultimate purpose of this article series is to identify the Beast of Revelation and the Mark of the Beast. The Beast cannot be identified from Revelation alone. One article identifies the Beast as the evil horn in Daniel 7. Therefore, it is mainly identified from Daniel.
Daniel 2 does not mention the Antichrist, who is so prominent in the later visions, but it provides a broad outline of history, which serves as the framework for interpreting Daniel’s later prophecies. Daniel’s visions are parallel, meaning that Daniel 2, 7, 8, and 11 describe the same events with different symbols and emphases. Daniel 2 divides history into six ages:
It identifies the first (the head of gold) as the ancient Babylonian Empire but does not identify the next three Silver, Bronze, and Iron kingdoms.
The fifth is a divided kingdom, a period when multiple kingdoms exist concurrently.
The sixth age is Christ’s eternal kingdom, in which not a trace of the current world order will be found. The stone, which becomes a great mountain, describes Christ’s return.
Purpose
The ultimate purpose of this article series is to identify the Beast of Revelation and the Mark of the Beast.
Revelation symbolizes the Antichrist as a Beast coming up from the Sea (Rev 13:1-2). It cannot be identified from Revelation alone. As this article series will show, Revelation’s Beast and Daniel’s evil horn in Daniel 7 symbolize that same Antichrist. Therefore, we are able to identify the Antichrist from Daniel’s prophecies.
Daniel 2 gives an outline of history that serves as framework for interpreting Daniel’s later prophecies.
The prophecy in Daniel 2 does not mention the Antichrist but provides a broad outline of history, from Daniel’s time until God’s eternal kingdom. Daniel’s later prophecies say less and less about that outline but focus more and more on the Antichrist. Daniel 2, therefore, serves as the framework for interpreting Daniel’s later prophecies.
The vision in Daniel 9 is an exception, for while the other prophecies in Daniel deal with all nations and all time, Daniel 9 deals only with the nation of Israel and the 490 years allocated to her. (see here).
Daniel 2’s vision divides history into six ages.
In a dream, God gave Nebuchadnezzar a vision of the statue of a man consisting of different metal parts (Dan 2:32-33), dividing history into six ages: The first is the Babylonian Empire (626-539 BC), followed by three empires that will rule one after the other. Then will follow a divided kingdom, a period when multiple kingdoms exist concurrently. In the sixth and final phase, the world will again be ruled by a single king, but it will be God’s eternal kingdom, ruled by Jesus Christ.
The first is the ancient Babylonian Empire, but Daniel 2 does not identify the next three empires.
The man of Daniel 2
1. Head of Gold – Daniel identifies this first kingdom as Nebuchadnezzar’s. However, since it will be followed by “another kingdom” (Dan 2:37-39), it symbolizes the entire Babylonian Empire. Show More
The Neo-Babylonian empire was founded by Nabopolassar in 626 BC, inherited by Nebuchadnezzar the Great in 605 BC, and ended when the Persians captured Babylon in 539 BC. The gold symbolizes the quality of that empire, perhaps something like the quality of rulership or human rights.
2. Breast and Arms of Silver – Another but inferior kingdom will follow after the Babylonian Empire (Dan 2:39).
3. Belly and Thighs of Bronze – “Another third kingdom of bronze, which will rule over all the earth” (Dan 2:32, 39).
4. Legs of Iron – “A fourth kingdom as strong as iron … will crush and break all these in pieces” (Dan 2:40).
Daniel 2 explicitly identifies the first kingdom as the Babylonian Empire, but none of the others. Daniel 7, which describes the same four empires, followed by the divided kingdom and the eternal kingdom, also does not identify any empire by name. On the other hand, Daniel 8 uses two animals (a ram and a goat) to symbolize two of the empires and names them explicitly as “Media and Persia” and “Greece” (Dan 8:20-21). One of the later articles in this series identifies the four kingdoms by comparing the animals in Daniel 7 and 8 (see here).
The fifth is a divided kingdom, a period when multiple kingdoms exist concurrently.
The statue’s iron legs are followed by its feet, partly of iron and partly of clay, symbolizing “a divided kingdom” (Dan 2:33, 41). In other words, during the first four empires, a single supreme king rules, but during the “divided kingdom,” different kings rule different parts. They will attempt to “combine with one another” through intermarriage but will fail (Dan 2:43).
The iron parts symbolize strength, and the clay parts weakness.
Some propose that the clay represents a spiritual authority. But the prophecy says: “Some of the (divided) kingdom will be strong and part of it will be brittle” (Dan 2:42). Therefore, while the iron parts will be strong, as iron symbolizes “toughness” (Dan 2:41), and as the fourth (iron) kingdom will be as “strong as iron” (Dan 2:40), the brittle clay symbolizes weakness.
The ten toes emphasize that many kingdoms will exist during this phase.
When Daniel recited Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, he said nothing about toes. He only mentioned the feet. But he referred to the toes when he explained the dream (Dan 2:33, 41-42). He said that “the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of pottery” (Dan 2:42). That seems to make the toes equivalent to the feet.
Daniel 7 also predicts that a divided kingdom (symbolized by ten horns growing out of the fourth animal) will follow after four kingdoms (symbolized as four animals). The ten toes in Daniel 2 are parallel to the ten horns in Daniel 7.
The ‘divided kingdom’ continues the fourth kingdom in a fragmented form.
In both Daniel 2 and 7, the fourth kingdom continue into the divided kingdom, but in a fragmented form:
Daniel 2 symbolizes the fourth kingdom as iron, and the divided kingdom contains iron fragments.
Daniel 7 symbolizes the divided kingdom as horns growing out of the fourth animal.
The sixth age is Christ’s eternal kingdom, in which not a trace of the current world order will be found.
Then “a stone was cut out without hands” (Dan 2:34; cf. Dan 2:45), meaning supernaturally. Similarly, in Daniel 8, the evil horn “will be broken without human agency” (Dan 8:25).
It “struck the statue on its feet” (Dan 2:34), symbolizing the very last part of the kingdoms of this world.
It “crushed” “the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold … all at the same time” (Dan 2:34-35). Although the first four empires dominate one after the other, remnants of each continue to exist until the eternal kingdom is set up. Only then will they all be fully destroyed at the same time and disappear without a trace. Show More
“Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold … became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them was found” (Dan 2:35). Nothing will remain of the current world order. God promised: “Behold, I am making all things new” (Rev 21:5).
We see this also in the description of the Beast in Revelation. It inherits characteristics from all four of Daniel’s empires (Rev 13:2) but is only destroyed when Christ returns (Rev 19:20).
The stone is God’s eternal kingdom. It will be on Earth and ruled by Jesus Christ.
The stone “became a great mountain and filled the whole earth” (Dan 2:35). It is sometimes said that the stone symbolizes Jesus Christ, but it represents the eternal kingdom:
“The God of heaven will set up a kingdom … it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms” (Dan 2:44).Show More
The stone is Christ only indirectly in that Jesus will rule the eternal kingdom, and Daniel frequently uses the terms “king” and “kingdom” interchangeably. For example:
The head of gold is identified as Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 2:37), but “after” him, “there will arise another kingdom” (Dan 2:39). So, Nebuchadnezzar represents the Babylonian empire.
The four beasts in Daniel 7 are explained as four “kings” (Dan 7:17), but the fourth is explained as “a fourth kingdom on the earth” (Dan 7:23).
This kingdom “will never be destroyed” (Dan 2:44). The parallel vision in Daniel 7 refers to it as the “everlasting kingdom” (Dan 7:27). Show More
“The saints of the Highest One will receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever” (Dan 7:18).
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever” (Rev 11:15).
God will establish this kingdom on earth (Dan 2:35) and rule it through the Son of Man. Show More
“The Ancient of Days” gave to “One like a Son of Man” “dominion, glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him” (Dan 7:13-14).
The stone, which becomes a great mountain, describes Christ’s return.
Some argue that the “kingdom” that God will set up (Dan 2:44) does not refer to a physical kingdom but to “the kingdom of God” that Jesus often mentioned and which refers to a spiritual reality that always exists, also today. Show More
For example:
Jesus said: “If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matt 12:18; cf Luke 17:20-21).
However, once the stone has crushed the statue, all traces of the previous age have been obliterated (Dan 2:35; cf. Dan 2:44), all people will serve Christ (Dan 2:35; Dan 7:14, 27), and the Antichrist will cease to exist (Dan 7:26). Since none of these are true today, that stone lies in our future.
Furthermore, Daniel 12 interprets the stone crushing the statue as “the end of time” and “the end of the age” (Dan 12:4, 13). At that time, the dead in Christ will be raised to life (e.g., Dan 12:13). Since the dead will be resurrected when Christ returns (e.g., John 5:25), “the end” in Daniel 2 is Christ’s return.
Therefore, the stone that becomes a great mountain describes God taking full control of the earth, including judging the dead and rewarding His bond-servants (Rev 11:18).
Principles from Daniel 2
The following are some of the principles we can take from Daniel 2 and apply to Daniel’s other prophecies:
Prophecy describes the kingdoms as worldwide but this is relative to God’s people.
In the Old Testament, these four empires dominated the world of the Nation of Israel. The prophecies of the Book of Revelation also seem to describe the whole world but could be interpreted as describing the Christian world specifically. For example, when Revelation says that the whole world will worship the Beast (Rev 13:4, 8), that might exclude the Muslim world.
Visions are Parallel. Daniel 2, 7, 8, and 11 describe the same events with different symbols and emphases.
For example, Daniel 2 and 7 both describe the kingdom that “will never be destroyed” (Dan 2:44; 7:14). This implies that the visions in the Book of Revelation are also parallel.
Mountains symbolize kingdoms.
The stone that struck the statue was cut out of a mountain (Dan 2:45) and itself “became a great mountain and filled the whole earth” (Dan 2:35) (cf. Dan 2:34, 44). There are, therefore, two mountains in Daniel 2, both symbolizing kingdoms.
In academic circles, which do not accept the possibility of miracles, such as knowledge of the future, Daniel was written after the ‘prophesied’ events that can be verified with history. Specifically, they say that Daniel was composed during the second century BC.
However, the accuracy with which the Book of Daniel foretells the events after the second century BC, as will be shown by later articles in this series (see here), gives great assurance that God knows the future. For example:
Daniel 9 accurately predicted the coming of the Messiah in the first century, two centuries after the Critics say Daniel was written.
Daniel 7 accurately predicted how the Roman Empire would fall in the fifth century after Christ (see here).
Daniel 2: The foundation of all prophecy – ReadShow More
Daniel 2 sets the stage to identify the Antichrist. It divides world history into six eras, beginning with the Babylonian Empire, followed by three further world empires, and a divided kingdom, culminating in God’s everlasting kingdom on Earth, governed by Jesus Christ. This serves as the framework for interpreting Daniel’s later prophecies.
Daniel 7: Four Beasts and Eleven Horns – ReadShow More
The four beasts symbolize four consecutive empires. The ten horns of the fourth beast are ten concurrent kingdoms formed when the fourth beast fragments. However, the main character is the eleventh horn that will become the Antichrist.
Daniel 7: The fourth beast is Roman. – ReadShow More
This article identifies the beasts of Daniel 7 by comparing them to the beasts of Daniel 8, which Daniel 8:20-21 explicitly identifies as the Medo-Persian and Greek empires. This identifies the fourth kingdom as the Roman Empire. Consequently, the Antichrist grows out of that empire.
In 380, the Roman Empire made Nicene theology its State Religion and outlawed all other views. After the Empire fragmented over the following centuries, the Church of the Roman Empire (the Roman Church), with its theological principles and hierarchy of bishops, survived to become the Church of the Middle Ages. Daniel 7 symbolized it as the 11th horn.
Daniel identifies the Ram and the Goat as Mede-Persia and Greece but does not explain the central figure in the chapter—the Antichrist, who persecutes God’s people and corrupts His message. This article gives an overview of Daniel 8 and describes three alternative interpretations of this evil power.
In Daniel 8, the horn emerges “out of one of them.” If this refers to one of the four horns of the Greek goat, then the horn might represent a Greek king. However, the genders indicate that it came from one of the compass directions.
Daniel lived centuries before the Greek empire, yet the book Daniel mentions that empire explicitly. Liberal scholars believe that accurate predictions of future events are impossible and suggest that the book was written when the Greek empire already existed. They believe that Antiochus IV was the Antichrist ‘foretold’ by Daniel. However, he was only a type of a later and much greater Antichrist.
Antiochus IV does not fit Daniel’s Antichrist. – ReadShow More
Critical scholars believe that the Antichrist in Daniel is Antiochus IV, a Greek king from the second century before Christ. While there are many similarities, this article outlines several differences between Daniel’s Antichrist and Antiochus. Antiochus was a type of a later and greater Antichrist.
Revelation 12 describes a series of wars between God and Satan, beginning before Christ until the end-time war, and, in all instances, describes Satan’s forces as the Dragon. Revelation 13 distinguishes between specific roleplayers. In this chapter, the Dragon is the same as Daniel’s terrible fourth animal, which symbolizes the Roman Empire.
There are several strong allusions in the description of the Sea Beast to Daniel 7 generally and to the 11th horn specifically that identify the Beast as the 11th horn. Both grew out of the Roman Empire. There are also several indications the Beast-power is Christian in name.
The fifth plague angel pours his bowl out on the throne of the Beast. It received its throne (authority) from the Roman Empire, but it is not military might. Neither is it the power of money. The throne of the Beast is a Christian religious authority. In the Bible generally, in history, and in Revelation, it is always false religion that opposes God’s people.
The Beast has 7 heads, symbolizing the 7 phases of the Beast. It has a fatal wound on one of its heads. Revelation 17 identifies the fatal wound as the sixth head, which is the current age of religious freedom. But the wound will be healed, as the entire world will follow after the Beast.
Previous articles discussed the metal statue of Daniel 2 (see here) and the four beasts of Daniel 7 (see here). These articles do not identify the four empires in those chapters, nor the main character in Daniel 7, symbolized as an 11th horn that “will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One” (Dan 7:25). This article provides an overview of Daniel 8 and lists the alternative interpretations of its main character, represented by a small horn.
Only two animals appear in the vision in Daniel 8:
At first, the goat has one large horn, but this horn was “broken,” and four horns, extending out to the four winds of heaven (the four compass directions), came up in its place (Dan 8:8). Commentators agree that the one large horn represents the Greek kingdom of Alexander the Great and the four horns are the four parts into which the Greek empire divided after Alexander’s death.
Revelation symbolizes the Antichrist as a Beast coming up from the Sea (Rev 13:1-2). It cannot be identified from Revelation alone. As this article series will show, Revelation’s Beast and Daniel’s evil horn in Daniel 7 symbolize that same Antichrist. Therefore, we are able to identify the Antichrist from Daniel’s prophecies.