The Little Horn of Daniel 7
Overview of Daniel 7
In Daniel 7, four beasts arise from the sea. Out of the fourth, first 10 horns grow. Then an 11th and final horn came up by uprooting three other horns. This 11th horn is the main character in Daniel 7. The only reason the prophecy mentions the preceding four beasts and the ten horns is to enable the reader to identify the 11th horn.
At first, it was small, but it grew and became “larger than its associates,” meaning it would dominate the other 10 horns.
It was different from the other horns. It blasphemed God and persecuted God’s people for a time, times, and half a time.
But a court will sit in heaven, and the dominion of this evil power will be taken away, and it will be annihilated. Then the whole world will be given to the people of the Highest One. This will be an everlasting kingdom.
Previous Conclusions
Previous articles concluded that the four beasts symbolize four consecutive empires. The first was the ancient Babylonian Empire, and the fourth is the Roman Empire. 🔗
In Daniel, horns symbolize divisions of a kingdom. The 11 horns are the kingdoms into which the Roman Empire fragmented in the fifth to eighth centuries. In other words, the horn-kingdoms exist after the Fourth Empire, not during it (cf. Dan 7:24). 🔗
The Roman State Church
The purpose of this article is to show that the only entity that fits the description of the 11th horn is the ancient Church of the Roman Empire, the Roman State Church. To show that, this section provides an overview of the history to explain what the Roman State Church was:
Christianity Legalized
In the Roman Empire, like in many ancient kingdoms, the rulers (emperors) decided which religions to allow. During the first three centuries, Christianity was outlawed and persecuted. In the early 4th century, Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity.
The Nicene Council
However, in the 4th century, the Church was divided, mainly between the Arian East and the Nicene West. The emperors did not tolerate divisions in the Church. They chose sides and forced the church to unite.
The Council of Nicaea in 325, commonly called the First Ecumenical Council, was one example of forced unity. Emperor Constantine ensured that the Council reached the decision he thought best, and exiled all who did not agree. 🔗
These general councils of the 4th century were really not Church meetings. They were the emperors’ meetings. The idea of such meetings came from the emperors. The church never asked for these meetings. They were called and controlled by the emperors. The emperors ensured the outcomes they would find acceptable. These meetings were how the emperors governed the Church. Consequently, in the 4th century, the emperors were the ultimate judges in doctrinal disputes:
R.P.C. Hanson, the leading scholar on the Arian Controversy of the 20th century, stated: “The history of the period shows time and time again that … the general council was the very invention and creation of the Emperor. General councils … were the children of imperial policy and the Emperor was expected to dominate and control them” (Hanson, p. 855).
“If we ask the question, what was considered to constitute the ultimate authority in doctrine during the period reviewed in these pages, there can be only one answer. The will of the Emperor was the final authority” (Hanson, p. 849).
Post-Nicaea Reversal
As another example of the decisive role of the emperors, Emperor Constantine switched sides after Nicaea. In the decade after Nicaea, he allowed all exiled Arians to be reinstated, and all leading Nicenes to be exiled. 🔗
Edict of Thessalonica
In the mid-4th century, Arianism dominated. However, consistent with the principle that the emperors were the final judges in doctrinal disputes, it was a Roman emperor that finally ended the Controversy. In 380, the Eastern Emperor Theodosius did what no other Christian Emperor had done. With the support of the Western Emperor Gratian, He made Nicene theology, which later developed into the Trinity doctrine, the State Religion of the Roman Empire. In other words, it became the sole legal religion. Each and every Roman was required to be a Christian, specifically, a Nicene Christian. That same edict made Arianism illegal and began severe persecution. All Arian churches were confiscated, and Arians were forced out of the cities and towns. 🔗
Second Ecumenical Council
In the next year (381), Emperor Theodosius called what is today known as the Second Ecumenical Council. However, since Theodosius was only the Eastern Emperor, he invited only Easterners. And since he had already outlawed Arianism, he invited only Nicenes. Predictably, the outcome was a Nicene Creed. 🔗
Roman State Church
Subsequently, through severe persecution, the Empire eliminated Arianism, which previously dominated in the East, from the Church hierarchy. In this way, the Roman State Church was formed. All Romans were members, and the emperor was the head of the Church, as explained below.
5th Century – Arians Ruled
However, in the 5th century, Arian Germanic tribes, which previously migrated into the Empire, defeated the Imperial forces, took control of the Western Empire, and divided it into several Germanic kingdoms:
In the East, the Roman Empire continued to rule.
In the West, these Arian nations claimed to remain part of the Roman Empire. Therefore, they allowed the Roman State Church to remain. However, it was subject now to Arian rule. It existed alongside a hierarchy of Arian bishops. 🔗
6th Century – Arians Defeated
In the 6th century, the Imperial forces of the Eastern Roman Empire, under Emperor Justinian, defeated the Arian kingdoms and liberated the Roman State Church from Arian domination in the West. 🔗
Byzantine Papacy – Arians Converted
For the next two centuries, the Eastern Empire ruled the West through the Imperial Forces but also through the Roman State Church. This era is commonly known as the Byzantine Papacy because the Western Roman Church, which was a Latin-speaking organization, became dominated by Greek-speaking Easterners. This reveals that the strategy of the Eastern Empire was to dominate the West through the Roman State Church. ‘Byzantine’ is another name for the Eastern Empire. However, in the phrase ‘ Byzantine Papacy ‘, the term ‘Papacy’ is not appropriate, for it implies that the Pope was the head of the church. During this period, the church remained squarely under the control of the Eastern emperor. To be appointed, the popes required the approval of the Eastern emperors.
During this period, due to the dominance of the Eastern Roman Empire and its Roman Church, the defeated Arian kingdoms officially converted to the Roman State Church. These were top-down decisions, namely, decisions made by the kings for political purposes. The kings then applied varying levels of force to convert the population.
The practice of the Eastern Empire to rule the West through the Roman State Church transformed the Church into a very powerful political animal and an important part of the Roman Empire. 🔗
8th Century – End of the Byzantine Papacy
In the 8th century, the Byzantine Empire lost its richest provinces to Islamic conquests. Suddenly, much of the Christian world was under Islamic rule. Consequently, the Byzantine Empire could no longer control or protect the Western Roman State Church. This ended the Byzantine Papacy. Pope Zachary, in 741, was the last pope to seek the emperor’s approval for his election.
9th century – Carolingian Dynasty
In the absence of the Eastern Empire, the kingdoms that, over the preceding two centuries, converted from Arianism to the Roman State Church continued to protect the Church. Since the Roman Empire was no longer a factor, we can now call it the Roman Church.
The Frankish Carolingian dynasty, founded by Charlemagne (Charles the Great), dominated the West in the 9th century. It ruled in western and central Europe from 800 to 888. Charlemagne was the first emperor to rule most of the West since the fall of the Western Roman Empire three centuries earlier.
However, like the Roman Empire before them, the Carolingians dominated the Roman Church. They asserted “immense authority over the Western church” (Britannica).
On the other hand, the pope exercised influence in Carolingian affairs by claiming the right to crown emperors and by sometimes directly intervening in political disputes. Church and State were united.
10th century – Ottonian Dynasty
After Carolingian power waned, the Ottonian dynasty in Germany became the preeminent power in Europe. Otto I suppressed rebellious vassals, consolidated the German Reich, revived Charlemagne’s empire, and became the Holy Roman Emperor (962–973). The Ottonians protected the Church but also dominated it. They treated churches as their property, appointed bishops, and forbade appeals to Rome. (Britannica)
11th century – Transformation
Up to this point in history, the Church was always ruled over by civil powers, namely, by the Roman Emperors in the fourth century, Arian kings in the fifth, Eastern Emperors from the 6th to 8th centuries, the Carolingians in the 9th, and by the Ottonians in the 10th century. In the eleventh century, the Church began to transform from being subject to the civil powers to being supreme over them.
Traditionally, the monarchs controlled the appointment of popes and high-ranking church officials. It is called investiture, namely, to invest a person with honors or rank. However, beginning in the mid-11th century, in what is known as the Investiture Controversy, the popes challenged and restricted the authority of the monarchs to control appointments.
For example, in 1059, the church formed the College of Cardinals to appoint new popes, restricting interference from political rulers.
The kings and popes continued to argue about lay investiture until 1122, when representatives of the Church and the emperor met in the German city of Worms. They reached a compromise known as the Concordat of Worms. By its terms, the Emperor agreed that the Church would appoint its officials, but the emperor retained the right to veto the appointment of the bishops.
The humiliation of King Henry IV before Pope Gregory VII, during the Investiture Controversy, illustrates how powerful the Papacy had become:
In 1075, Pope Gregory VII claimed the pope as the highest authority in the church and banned lay investiture. The German emperor, King Henry IV of the Holy Roman Empire, the mightiest king in Europe at the time, responded by ordering Gregory to step down. Gregory then excommunicated the king, and the German princes and bishops sided with the pope.
To save his throne, the king sought the pope’s forgiveness. Stripped of his royal robes and clad as a penitent, he came barefoot in ice and snow and requested admission to the pope’s presence. Three days he remained at the door of the citadel, fasting and exposed to the wintry weather, before Pope Gregory received and absolved him.
Imagine the head of the mightiest nation today having to ask the pope for forgiveness in this way.
High Middle Ages
In the subsequent centuries, known as the High Middle Ages, the Roman Church was the dominant power in Europe. It attained power that rivaled and exceeded that of the Monarchs. The Roman Church was not satisfied with full authority over the appointment of its officials. In the pontificate of Innocent III (1198–1216), the papal claims to authority reached their zenith. Innocent:
- Declared that the pope stood between God and humankind as the vicar of Christ, meaning the pope took the place of Christ.
- Claimed jurisdiction over all matters relating to sin.
- Involved himself in the political affairs of France and the Holy Roman Empire.
- Called the Fourth Crusade (1202–04), which led to the sack of Constantinople.
- Approved legislation requiring Jews to wear special clothing.
In this way, popes claimed authority over emperors and kings. Innocent’s successors continued his policies and further extended papal authority. To reign lawfully, emperors and kings had to be in communion with the Pope. Otherwise, the Pope could declare the ruler unfit to reign:
“Emperors and kings had to … be in communion with the Pope, as essential conditions of their reigning lawfully; if these conditions were broken, of which the Pope was the judge, then … he could … declare their ruler unfit to reign.” [Cath Dic, 257]
The Little Horn had grown “larger than its associates,” as Daniel 7 predicted.
The Little Horn is the Roman State Church.
Introduction
We have now given an overview of Daniel 7 and of the history of the Roman State Church. To show that the Roman State Church is the only entity that fits the description of the 11th horn, this section will argue that the Roman State Church, like the 11th horn:
(1) Was one of the horns.
(2) Uprooted three other horns as it came up.
(3) Began small.
(4) Grew “larger than its associates.”
(5) Wore out (persecuted) God’s people.
(6) Reigned for a time, times, and half a time.
(7) Will only be destroyed when Christ returns.
(1) Was one of the horns.
To be one of the horns, the Roman State Church had to be part of the Roman Empire.
As discussed, in the Christian Roman Empire, the emperors decided which factions to allow. In the fourth century, the Church was divided mainly between Arians and Nicenes. In the mid-4th century, most emperors were Arian and suppressed the Western Nicene theology. The turning point came in 380 when the Roman Empire, through the Edict of Thessalonica, made Nicene theology the Roman State Religion, meaning that all Romans had to be Nicene Christians. That same Edict outlawed Arianism. Through severe persecution, Arianism was eliminated from the church hierarchy. Thus, the Roman State Church was formed, to which all Romans were required to belong, with the emperor as the head. The following are examples of how the emperor functioned as the head of the Church:
Firstly, Theodosius exiled the Arian bishop of the Capital, Constantinople, and unilaterally appointed a Nicene bishop in his place.
Secondly, there were many Christian factions, not just two, and Emperor Theodosius himself decided which factions complied with the prescribed theology. In 383, he summoned a council of all sects, such as the Anomoeans, Macedonians, and Novatians. He required all of them to submit their theologies to him in writing, and he unilaterally decided which complied. He accepted only the submissions of the Nicenes and the Novatianists (Ayres, p. 259). “The other sects lost the right to meet, ordain priests, or spread their beliefs” (Boyd, page 47).
Scholars conclude:
“Simonetti remarks that the Emperor was in fact the head of the church” (Hanson, p. 849).
“If we ask the question, what was considered to constitute the ultimate authority in doctrine during the period reviewed in these pages, there can be only one answer. The will of the Emperor was the final authority” (Hanson, p. 849).
The Roman State Church, therefore, was truly part of the Roman Empire.
Secondly, to be one of the horns, it had to become a distinct entity after the Empire collapsed. The Roman State Church, with its teachings and hierarchy of bishops, survived as a distinct organization after Arian nations in the fifth century took control of the Western Empire, and also after Muslim conquests finally neutralized the Eastern Roman Empire in the eighth century.
(2) Uprooted three other horns.
In Daniel 7, there were first 10 horns. Then the evil 11th horn came up by uprooting three other horns. In the events of the 5th and 6th centuries, we see that this describes the Roman State Church:
The first 10 horns symbolize the multiple kingdoms into which the Germanic tribes, in the fifth century, divided the Western Empire. 10 is a round or symbolic number. It does not have to be literally 10.
The 3 horns, which the Little Horn uprooted, symbolize the three of the Arian kingdoms which the Eastern Empire, under Emperor Justinian, to liberate the Roman State Church, defeated and subjected in the sixth century:
In 533–534, his troops dispersed the Vandals of North Africa to the fringes of the empire.
After a protracted war, Justinian defeated the Ostrogoths in Italy in 553. They returned to South Austria.
The Eastern Empire, already in 507, used the Franks to drive the Visigoths out of Gaul. 🔗 In 552, Justinian recovered a strip of land that barricaded the Visigoths from being a threat to the Roman Church in Italy. 🔗
These three Arian nations were the most direct threat to the Papacy. After they were removed, supported by the Imperial Forces, the Roman State Church began to dominate the defeated Arian kingdoms.
(3) Began small.
The Roman State Church, like the Little Horn of Daniel 7, began small.
Daniel 7 describes the beginning of the 11th horn as when it uprooted the other three horns. Hence, the 11th horn began to exist, as a distinct entity, when the Vandals, Ostrogoths, and Visigoths were defeated. However, it began small. After the Eastern Empire liberated the Western Roman State Church, the Church remained subject to the Eastern Emperor. For example, the Emperor still approved the appointment of popes.
In the eighth century, after the Eastern Empire lost most of its wealth and power to Muslim conquests, the Western Roman Church survived but remained subject to, first, the Carolingian and then, the Ottonian Dynasties.
Therefore, until the 10th century, the Roman Church remained ‘small.’ The monarchs controlled the appointments of popes and high-ranking church officials.
(4) Grew “larger than its associates.”
The Roman State Church, like the Little Horn of Daniel 7, grew “larger than its associates.” As discussed, in the 11th century, for the first time, the Roman Church became able to appoint popes and bishops without outside interference. Starting in the 12th century, during the High Middle Ages, the Roman Church attained power that rivaled and exceeded that of the Western Monarchs. It became the Church of the Middle Ages, dominating the nations of Europe.
(5) Wore out the saints.
The Roman State Church, like the Little Horn of Daniel 7, wore out the saints of the Most High. Today, it is no longer fashionable to talk about the atrocities of the Church, but it was an important part of the arguments of the Reformers.
During the Middle Ages, through the civil rulers, the Roman Church engaged in brutal forms of coercion: torturing, imprisoning, and killing countless numbers of God’s people. It sought to compel or exterminate the true people of God who dared to stand up against its evil inventions. For example:
Innocent III (1198–1216) called the Albigensian Crusade in southern France, which resulted in the massacre of Christians.
The Inquisition is infamous for the severity of its tortures. The Spanish Inquisition alone resulted in some 32,000 executions. (History.com)
The Roman Church instigated the Waldensian massacres. The Waldensians identified the Roman Church as the harlot of the Apocalypse. In response, the Catholic Church called for the destruction of the Waldensians, absolving all who would perpetrate such crimes. The Waldensians were looted, raped, tortured, and massacred. 🔗
These atrocities alone are sufficient to identify the Roman Church as the Antichrist. The Bible always describes the Antichrist as the persecutor of God’s people (Rev 13:7; 11:2; and Dan 7:25). The Roman Church killed God’s people in the cruelest ways possible, such as burning them alive at the stake. This reveals the true nature of the Church. David Plaisted discusses the estimates of the Number Killed by the Roman Church in the Middle Ages. The following are some of his quotes:
“From the birth of Popery in 606 to the present time, it is estimated by careful and credible historians, that more than fifty millions of the human family, have been slaughtered for the crime of heresy by popish persecutors” (John Dowling, “History of Romanism, pp. 541, 542. New York: 1871).
“That the Church of Rome has shed more innocent blood than any other institution that has ever existed among mankind, will be questioned by no Protestant who has a competent knowledge of history” (W. E. H. Lecky, “History of the Rise and Influence of the Spirit of Rationalism in Europe,” Vol. II, p. 32. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1910).
“Need I speak to you of the thirty years war in Germany, which was mainly instigated by the Jesuits, in order to deprive the Protestants of the right of free religious worship, secured to them by the treaty of Augsburg? Or of the Irish rebellion, of the inhuman butchery of about fifteen millions of Indians in South America, Mexico and Cuba, by the Spanish papists? In short, it is calculated by authentic historians, that papal Rome has shed the blood of sixty-eight millions of the human race in order to establish her unfounded claims to religious dominion (S. S. Schmucker, Professor of Theology in the Theological Seminary at Gettysburg, The Glorious Reformation, Published by Gould and Newman, 1838).
These books were published more than 100 years ago. They reflect the Protestant views closer to the Reformation. However, over the last century, the Church forgot about these atrocities. It is no longer acceptable to mention them.
(6) Reigned for a time, times, and half a time.
As the sixth proof that the Roman State Church is the Little Horn of Daniel 7, it reigned for a time, times, and half a time. This period is first mentioned in Daniel 7:25 but is repeated six more times in Daniel and Revelation. As discussed in another article, this period is not the End Time but always precedes the End Time. It is a symbolic period, not literally 1260 days but 1260 years, namely, the period beginning with the birth of the Roman Church, when it uprooted three other horns, until the French Revolution, when the ability of the Roman Church to persecute and dominate was significantly curtailed, and the modern era of religious freedom in the West began. 🔗
(7) Destroyed when Christ returns.
As the seventh and final proof that the Roman State Church is the Little Horn of Daniel 7, it still exists today. Daniel predicted that it would only be destroyed when Christ returns. It no longer has the power it once had, but it remains extremely large, wealthy, and powerful.
Conclusion
The Roman Church is the only historical entity that fits both the timing and the characteristics of the 11th horn of Daniel 7.
The Power of the Beast
We will now discuss the factors that enabled the Church to become “larger” than the kings of Europe. These include:
1. Tithing
Ordinary people had to ‘tithe’ 10% of their earnings to the Church. This allowed the Church to amass great wealth and power, as attested by the cathedrals. Built during the Middle Ages, these were the largest buildings and could be found at the center of towns and cities across the continent.
2. Hell
The Church ruled by fear. It taught that people are damned to eternal hell unless they find salvation through church sacraments. To control the gates of hell is quite a lucrative business.
The church also used this monopoly on salvation to wield power over political rulers. When a king would not submit to the pope, the pope could use a frightening weapon: the interdict. This meant that many sacraments and religious services could not be performed in the king’s lands, causing civil unrest because the king’s subjects believed they were doomed to hell.
3. Marriages
The Church made very strict rules around marriages. For example, it prohibited marriages involving blood kin and kin by marriage to the seventh degree of relationship. This forced people to seek permission from the Church for marriage. Under these rules, almost all marriages among the aristocracy required special approval from the Papacy.
4. Monasteries
Christian monastic communities, which practiced ascetic and secluded living, dedicated to worship, became popular in the Middle Ages. They became storehouses of knowledge, education, crafts, artistic skills, and agriculture. For example, before the invention of the printing press in the 15th century, books were works of art. Craftsmen in monasteries created handmade books with colored illustrations, gold and silver lettering, and other adornments.
5. Crusades
In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Catholic Church authorized military expeditions called the Crusades to expel Muslim “infidels” from the Holy Land and to return it to Christian control. These Crusades gave the people a common purpose and inspired waves of religious enthusiasm, greatly enhancing papal prestige.
Crusaders wore red crosses on their coats to advertise their status. They believed that their service would guarantee the remission of their sins and ensure them eternal life. They also received worldly rewards, such as papal protection of their property and forgiveness of some kinds of debts.
Since the popes called for the crusades, they were also a sign of the authority of the popes over the political rulers. By participating in the crusades, in a sense, the kings submitted to the Pope’s authority.
Final Conclusions
The Roman Church is the only historical entity that fits both the timing and the characteristics of the 11th horn of Daniel 7.
To believe in God is not always easy. We live in a world where we see evil, pain, and death. We get used to these things, and sometimes we fail to see the infinite miracles of life in us and around us. For example, see Inner Life of a Cell. We must also observe the miracles in the Bible, such as the miracle of His laws, the Sermon on the Mount, and the prophecies. Daniel 9 seems to be a clear prediction of the life and death of Jesus Christ. And Daniel 7 seems to be a clear prediction of the Church of the Roman Empire.
Other Articles
Daniel’s Antichrist
🔗 Daniel 2 – The Vision of the Statue of a Man
🔗 Daniel 7 – The Vision of Four Beasts
🔗 Daniel 7 – What is the Fourth Beast?
🔗 Daniel 7 – What is the 11th horn?
🔗 Daniel 8 – Three Interpretations of the Little Horn
🔗 Daniel 8 – Out of what does the Horn come?
🔗 Daniel 11 – Who is the Vile Person?
🔗 Daniel 11 – Antiochus IV is not Daniel’s Antichrist.
Other Core Articles
🔗 All articles on this Site
🔗 Daniel’s Little Horn
🔗 Daniel 9, verse-by-verse
🔗 The Mark of the Beast
🔗 The Trinity doctrine
🔗 The True Origin of the Trinity Doctrine
🔗 The Sabbath was part of the Arian Controversy
For general theology, I recommend Graham Maxwell.