End Time Insights

T he Little Horn in Daniel is the model for the Man of Lawlessness described by Paul to the Thessalonians . I n his visions, Daniel sees a malevolent ruler called variously the “ Little Horn ,” the “ King of Fierce Countenance ,” the “ Contemptible One ,” and the “ King who does according to his will .” This figure is an arrogant ruler with a “ mouth speaking great things. ” He profanes the Sanctuary, causes the cessation of the daily burnt offerings in the Jerusalem Temple, erects the “ Abomination that Desolates ,” and “ exalts himself against God .”

The figure called the “ Little Horn ” figures prominently in the visions of the  Book of Daniel . It is explicitly named in the visions of the “ four beasts from the sea ” and of the “ Ram and the Goat .” It is reasonable to assume both visions portray the same figure. The historical references in the first vision are enigmatic, and in the second, they become explicit. But to understand the larger picture, we must begin with the dream of Nebuchadnezzar recorded in Chapter 2 since it provides the fourfold structure underlying the later visions.

Language from Daniel’s vision of the “little horn” that waged war against the “saints” is applied in Revelation to the church – Daniel 7:21.  In the interpretation of the image of the “ little horn ,” this malevolent figure made “ war on the saints and prevail over them .” That same image is reapplied in the  book of Revelation  to the “ war ” of the “ Dragon ” and his vassals against the “ saints ,” those who “ follow the Lamb wherever he goes .” Similarly, descriptive language from this same vision was applied by the Apostle Paul to the coming “ man of lawlessness .”

In the three synoptic gospels, the term “ Son of Man ” is the self-designation found most often on the lips of Jesus. It is derived from Daniel’s vision of the one “ like a Son of Man ” who received the “ dominion and kingdom ” from the “ Ancient of Days .” According to Jesus, “ All the tribes of the Earth ” will mourn when “ they see the Son of man coming on the clouds of Heaven .”

The identities of the second and third beasts  are found by comparing the vision of Chapter 7 with the Book’s other visions.  In his vision, Daniel saw “ four beasts ascending ” from the sea. The first three featured characteristics of certain animals - the winged lion, the bear, and the leopard with two pairs of wings. The fourth beast did not resemble any known species of animal. It was a horrifying monstrosity with “ great iron teeth ,” “ ten horns ,” and another “ little horn, with a mouth speaking great things .”

After contemplating  Jeremiah’s prophecy , Daniel began to pray and repent for the nation’s sins. He did not seek revelation into the meaning of the prophecy since he understood its prediction (“ I understood by the writings the number of the years ”). Instead, he confessed Israel’s sins as Jeremiah had instructed.

Daniel received the revelation about the “ seventy weeks ” in the “ first year ” of Darius the Mede, shortly after the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire to the “ Medes and Persians .” And his inquiry and prayer indicate that the events in chapter 9 occurred before the return of the first Jewish exiles to Jerusalem after the decree of Cyrus the Great.

The period of “ seventy weeks ” concludes with several unanswered questions, but the prophecy is not the end of the matter. Clear verbal links connect it to the visions of chapters 7 and 8, and to the subsequent vision in chapter 11. It is one part of a larger whole. The complete picture becomes clear only when all the visions of Daniel are considered.

The final “ week ” culminates in the desecration of the Temple and the cessation of the daily burnt offerings. In  Daniel , the focus is on the sanctuary and its ritual pollution. The described events occurred in Jerusalem, most pivotally, the “ abomination that desolates .” The latter was installed by the figure who “ corrupts ” many of the “ people .”

Next, the angel briefly describes the first sixty-nine “ weeks ” of the prophecy. As he declared, “ seventy weeks are divided upon your people and upon your holy city .” After presenting the redemption that will be realized by the end of the period, he explains its three subdivisions of “ seven weeks ,” “ sixty-two weeks ,” and finally, “ one week .”

Understanding the “start date” of the “ seventy weeks ” is vital to its interpretation.  WHEN  the period commenced determines when it will end. Fortunately, the interpreting angel provided Daniel with that information - “ From the going forth of the word to return and to build Jerusalem .” And the identification of this “ word ” is found in the context of the chapter.

The angel divided the period of “ seventy weeks ” into three divisions - the initial period of “ seven weeks ,” the second of “ sixty-two weeks ,” and the final segment of “ one week .” The latter is subdivided further into two “ half weeks .” And at the start of the prophecy, the angel listed six redemptive goals that must be achieved by the end of all seventy “ weeks .”

The  Book of Revelation  applies several terms to the saints who are being persecuted by the Devil and his earthly agents. They form a united company that transcends national, social, and cultural boundaries. What they have in common is their redemption by the “ blood of the Lamb .” For his disciples, “ tribulation ” and persecution are not aberrations. Persevering through trials while bearing witness is what it means to follow the “ Lamb wherever he goes .”