Three interpretations of the Little Horn of Daniel 8

Purpose

The Goat of Daniel 8 Using animals as symbols, Daniel 8 predicts two empires, explicitly identified as Medo-Persia and Greece. But Daniel 8 does not explain the main figure, the Antichrist, symbolized as a horn. This article provides an overview of Daniel 8 and describes the alternative interpretations of this evil power.

Previous Conclusions

This article assumes knowledge of the previous articles in this series, which concluded as follows:

Daniel 2

The vision in Daniel 2, received 2600 years ago, uses the statue of a man to give an overview of world kingdoms, from the time of the ancient Babylonian Empire, 600 years before Christ, until Christ’s return. It divides history into six consecutive ages. The first, symbolized by the statue’s Head of Gold, was the Babylonian Empire. This is followed by three more empires, but the prophecy does not say what they are. The fifth age is somehow a continuation of the fourth, but is called a divided kingdom, a time when multiple kingdoms would exist concurrently. The sixth and final age is God’s eternal kingdom. 🔗

Daniel 7

In the vision in Daniel 7, four animals, symbolizing the same four successive empires as in Daniel 2, come out of the sea. The sea symbolizes the people of the world. The fourth animal had ten horns, symbolizing that it would fragment into multiple kingdoms. These kingdoms would reign concurrently, AFTER the fourth empire. These horn-kingdoms are equivalent to the divided kingdom in Daniel 2. After the first ten horns, an 11th horn grows out of the fourth animal. It is the main character in Daniel 7, is not mentioned in Daniel 2, symbolizes the Antichrist, and will only be destroyed when Christ returns. 🔗

The Fourth Animal

Both Daniel 7 and 8 use animals as symbols for empires. Both also symbolize the Antichrist as a horn. But while Daniel 7 does not name any of its animals, Daniel 8 explicitly identifies its two animals as Medo-Persia and Greece. This article compares the descriptions of the animals in Daniel 7 and 8 and shows that the second animal in Daniel 7, the Bear, symbolizes Medo-Persia, and the third, the Leopard, is Greece. It follows that the Dreadful Fourth Beast of Daniel 7 must be the Roman Empire, meaning that the Antichrist is of Roman origin. 🔗

Antichrist

The articles summarized above do not identify the main character in Daniel, symbolized in Daniel 7 by an 11th horn that grows out of the 4th beast. This horn will speak out against God, wear down His people, and attempt to change God’s laws (Daniel 7:25). Most interpreters accept that the evil horn of Daniel 8 symbolizes the same Antichrist. This article lists the alternative interpretations. The next article identifies it.

Overview of the Vision

The Ram and the Goat

There are only two animals in Daniel 8, a ram and a goat:

The first, a ram, explicitly identified as Medo-Persia, conquers in three directions: the north, the west, and the south (Daniel 8:20, 3-4).

Next, a goat with one large horn, explicitly identified as Greece, defeats the Medo-Persian ram and becomes the dominant power (Daniel 8:21, 5-7).

The Horns of the Goat

The goat, at first, had one large horn, but this horn was “broken,” and four horns, extending out to the four winds of heaven, meaning the four compass directions, came up in its place (Daniel 8:8). Commentators agree that the one large horn represents the Greek kingdom of Alexander the Great. The four horns are the four parts into which the Greek empire was divided after Alexander’s death.

The Little Horn

However, the main character is another horn, described as a little horn. It does not attack any beast or kingdom, but opposes God’s people, God’s work of redemption, and God’s agent:

God’s people are symbolized as “the host of the stars” (Daniel 8:10).

God’s agent is called “the Prince of the host” and “the Prince of princes” (Daniel 8:11, 25).

The prophecy refers to God’s work of redemption as the tamid, which means daily or continual. It refers to the continual part of the temple services, the ceremonies that are performed every day (Daniel 8:11-12).

Daniel 8 does not explicitly identify the little horn, and much disagreement exists about its identity.

Conversation in Heaven

Daniel 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” (Daniel 8:13, 14).

Prophecies form a unit.

Daniel 2 and 7 describe human history as a series of six ages, beginning with the Babylonian Empire and ending with God’s eternal kingdom, which will be established when Christ returns. Daniel 8 does not mention the first or the last ages. Instead, it focuses on the evil horn, which is the main character in the Book of Daniel. That horn was already described in Daniel 7, but Daniel 8 provides additional information. Most of Daniel 8 is about this evil ruler. Nevertheless, Daniel 8 must be read with Daniel 2 and 7. These prophecies form a unit.

The Same Horn as in Daniel 7

For the following reasons, commentators agree that the evil horns in Daniel 7 and 8 symbolize the same entity:

(a) The same symbol is used for both, namely a horn. If a distinction was intended, one way would have been to use a different symbol.

(b) They are described as similar. Both begin small, become great, blaspheme God, persecute God’s people, are the main characters in the visions, and are eventually destroyed (see Daniel 7:8, 21, 25, 26; 8:9, 11, 25).

(c) Commentators agree on the general principle that later visions amplify the earlier visions. For example, Daniel 7 repeats the four empires as in Daniel 2, but with additional information, using heads and horns to represent the divisions of empires. This principle implies that the vision of Daniel 8 elaborates on the vision of Daniel 7, which further supports the conclusion that the evil in Daniel 7 and 8 represent the same entity.

The book of Daniel itself also mentions this principle, that later visions amplify the earlier visions, at least twice:

In Daniel 9, Gabriel said that he came to give Daniel an understanding of “the vision” (Dan 9:22-23), 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 probably also referred to the vision in Daniel 8.

Three Interpretations

Who is this Antichrist horn that blasphemes God and persecutes His people? And what are the sanctuary and the 2300 evening-mornings during which the Antichrist will profane the sanctuary?

1. Préterist – The Greek King Antiochus

Critical Scholars believe that the Antichrist horn represents the Greek King Antiochus, who persecuted Israel in the 2nd century B.C. In this view:

(a) The prophecies of the book of Daniel are not real prophecies, but history written in the form of prophecies. In other words, they do not predict anything relevant to our day or future.

(b) The little horn arose from one of the four divisions of Alexander’s Greek empire, symbolized by the four horns of the Greek Goat.

(d) The 2300 evening-mornings are 2300 individual sacrifices, one offered in the morning and one in the evening. In other words, the 2300 evening-mornings are equivalent to 1150 literal days, describing a period during the reign of Antiochus IV.

(e) The sanctuary refers to the literal temple in Jerusalem, which Antiochus polluted, but the victorious Jewish rebels purified 1150 days later.

For a further discussion of this interpretation, also called the Liberal Interpretation, one article shows that this interpretation does not fit the specifications of Daniel 7 (🔗), and another shows that the vile person in Daniel 11 cannot be Antiochus (🔗).

Futurists – An end-time Antichrist

Futurists believe that the evil horn of Daniel symbolizes an end-time Antichrist. Generally, Futurists 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 a literal 2300 days, about 6.3 years, during which this end-time Antichrist will reign. In this view, during the last seven years, the Jews will build a literal temple in Jerusalem, which the Antichrist will pollute. The 2300 days end when Christ returns, puts an end to the reign of the Antichrist, and restores the temple.

Historicists – The Roman Church

In the Historicist’s perspective, which was the view of the Reformers, the 11th horn of Daniel 7, symbolizing the Antichrist, arose from the Roman Empire. In this view, the Antichrist was a part of the ancient Roman Empire that survived the fall of the Empire, still exists today, and will only be destroyed when Christ returns. Specifically, it symbolizes the Roman State Church, which became the Roman Church after the Roman Empire fragmented. The Reformers often pointed to the atrocities of the Church, such as torturing and murdering millions of God’s people in the cruelest possible way. This site interprets the Historicist identification as follows:

Pre-Nicene Orthodoxy

The traditional belief of the Church, before the 4th-century Arian Controversy, was that Jesus Christ is a second divine Being, distinct from and subordinate to the Father. Today, this is misleadingly called Arianism, as if this were a new heresy formulated by Arius. In reality, Arius was a conservative. He was simply one more adherent of the traditional ‘two hypostases’ view. 🔗

Before the 4th century, Monotheism, the view that only one divine Being exists, opposed the view that the Son is a second divine Being. Monotheism came in different forms, for example, Modalistic Monarchianism, Dynamic Monarchianism, and Sabellianism. Original Nicene theology, as taught, for example, by Athanasius, was also Monotheistic. However, original Nicene theology was not Trinitarian. Athanasius maintained that the Son is an internal aspect of the Father, namely the Father’s own wisdom and power. Therefore, only one divine Person exists. 🔗

However, in the 3rd century, the dominant view remained that the Son is a second divine Being. That was taught by Origen, the most influential writer of the first three centuries, and most others. Monotheism, in the form of Sabellianism, was formally condemned. On the other hand, the church in Rome, in the West, had a Monotheist tradition, probably already from the 2nd century (🔗).

Nicene Council

At first, Constantine was emperor only of the Western Empire and accepted the Monotheism of the church in Rome. Consequently, at the Nicene Council in 325, he forced the delegates to accept a Monotheistic creed, including the term homoousios, which only monotheists used in the 3rd century. 🔗

However, in the decade after Nicaea, Constantine switched sides, adopted the Arian view, allowed all exiled Arians to return, exiled all leading monotheists, and accepted baptism from one of the Arian leaders, Eusebius of Nicomedia. 🔗

Mid-4th Century

In the mid-4th century, Arianism, the belief that the Son is a second divine Being, dominated in the East. For most of the time, it also dominated the church in general because most emperors were Arian. Nevertheless, the church in Rome, continuing its Monotheistic tradition, had significant influence in the Western Latin Church. With the powerful support of Athanasius, the bishop of Alexandria, it strongly opposed the Arianism of the Eastern Greek Church.

Edict of Thessalonica

The turning point came in 378, when Theodosius, a committed monotheist, became emperor in the Greek East. In the Roman Empire, the emperors decided which religions to allow. Since the Church was divided, the emperors also decided which factions to allow. Therefore, with Monotheism already dominating in the Latin West, the appointment of a monotheist as emperor in the Arian East was bound to have a huge impact.

In 380, with the support of the Western Emperor Gratian, Theodosius issued the Edict of Thessalonica, which made Monotheism the State Religion of the Roman Empire. The Edict also outlawed Arianism. Monotheism came in different forms, but the Edict explicitly mentioned the bishops of Rome and Alexandria as the norms for acceptable faith. In contrast to the Nicene Creed, which still described the Father as the one God, Theodosius’s edict explicitly describes the Father, Son, and Spirit, in other words, the Trinity, as the one God. 🔗

Second Ecumenical Council

The next year, in 381, Theodosius called the Council of Constantinople. It is often described as ‘ecumenical,’ meaning it had worldwide representation. In reality, since Arianism was already outlawed, Theodosius invited only Nicenes. And since Theodosius was emperor only in the East, he invited only Eastern bishops. In fact, only bishops from the jurisdiction of the church in Antioch were invited. So, it was only a local affair, probably intended to end the Meletian Schism. 🔗

Roman State Church

By making Nicene theology the State Religion of the Roman Empire, all Romans were required to be members of the Roman State Church. For all practical purposes, the emperor was the head of the Church. For example, Theodosius unilaterally appointed an unbaptized civil servant as the bishop of the Capital, Constantinople. Furthermore, in 383, he called another council at which he decided which of the several factions would be allowed in the Church.

The Edict was followed by severe persecution of Arians. Theodosius banned them from living in cities and towns, prohibited Arian worship meetings, and confiscated Arian churches. In this way, Theodosius eliminated Arianism from the Roman State Church.

In conclusion, the Roman State Church, adhering to the doctrines prescribed by the Edict of Thessalonica, with all Romans as members, and the emperor effectively as the head, was fully part of the Roman Empire.

We will now explain how it became a distinct organization after the Empire fragmented:

Fifth Century: Arian Rule

After the Edict of Thessalonica forced all Romans to confess Nicene theology, the other European nations mostly remained Arian. They converted to Christianity while Arianism still dominated. Consequently, in the fifth century, after Germanic tribes had conquered and fragmented the Western Empire into multiple kingdoms, Europe was under Arian rule. Nevertheless, the Arians allowed the Roman State Church to continue. They did not reciprocate with persecution. Nevertheless, the Roman State Church was now subject to Arian rule. 🔗

Sixth Century: Byzantine Empire

In the sixth century, the Eastern Emperor Justinian defeated and subjected the Arian kingdoms in the West, liberating the Roman State Church from Arian rule. For the next two centuries, known as the Byzantine Papacy, the Eastern Empire ruled the West through the Roman Church. The dominant position of the Eastern Roman Empire and the Roman State Church caused all the Arian nations to convert to the Roman State Church. Conversion was top-down. It was a political decision made by the kings, which the population was forced to accept. 🔗

The Roman Church

In the eighth century, Muslim conquests weakened the Eastern Roman Empire. It was no longer able to dominate the West. However, the Western kingdoms, which converted to the Roman State Church over the previous two centuries, now protected it.

However, they also dominated the Church. During the first millennium, political rulers always dominated the Church, strongly influencing the appointment of the senior church officials. However, in the 11th century, the Roman Church managed to free itself from the domination of the secular rulers, allowing it to become the Roman Church of the Middle Ages, which ruled over the nations of Europe. 🔗

In this way, the Roman State Church survived the fall of the Roman Empire, grew in strength, and became the Roman Church of the Middle Ages and of today.

Comparison of the Three Views

These three interpretations may be summarized as follows:

Preterist

In the Preterist view, the Horn is Antiochus IV, the 2300 evening-mornings are 1150 literal days during his reign, the sanctuary is the literal temple in Jerusalem, and the sanctuary was cleansed by the victorious Jewish rebellion, 1150 literal days after it had been defiled.

Historicist

In the Historicist view, the Horn is the Roman State Church, which survived the Fall of Rome, continued as a distinct organization, actually grew in power, dominated the other kingdoms that originated from the fragmentation of the Roman Empire, and became the Roman Church of the Middle Ages. The 2300 evening-mornings are 2300 literal years, beginning in the time of the Medo-Persian Ram, ending with the French Revolution, when the persecuting power of the Roman Church was broken. The sanctuary symbolizes God’s people and God’s message. The purification of the sanctuary symbolizes the restoration of Biblical truth after the distortions of the Middle Ages.

Futurist

In the Futurist view, the Horn is an End-time Antichrist, the 2300 evening-morning are 2300 literal end-time days during which an Antichrist will rule, the sanctuary is a literal temple which will be built in Jerusalem, and the cleansing of the sanctuary is Christ’s return.

The next article in this series will identify Daniel’s Little Horn by comparing its description in Daniel 7 to history.