1. WHAT appeared to Daniel in 538 B. C., the same year in which Babylon fell? “In the third year of the reign of King Belshazzar a vision appeared unto me, even unto me Daniel, after that which appeared unto me at the first.” Dan. 8:1.
2. Where was Daniel at this time? “And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.” Verse 2.
3. What first attracted the prophet’s attention? “Then I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and, behold, there stood before the river a ram which had two horns: and the two horns were high; but one was higher than the other, and the higher came up last.” Verse 3.
4. What power was represented by the ram having two horns? “The ram which thou sawest having two horns are the kings of Media and Persia.” Verse 20.
5. How are the rise and work of this power described? “I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.” Verse 4.
6. What symbol was next introduced in the vision? “And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.” Verse 5.
7. What did the goat with the notable horn represent? “And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.” Verse 21.
8. How was the conquest of Medo-Persia by Grecia foretold in this symbolic prophecy? “And I saw him come close unto the ram, and he was moved with choler against him, and ran unto the ram, and brake his two horns: and there was no power in the ram to stand before him, but he cast him down to the ground, and stamped upon him: and there was none that could deliver the ram out of his hand.” Verse 7.
9. When the he goat “was strong,” what occurred? “Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.” Verse 8.
10. What was represented by “the great horn,” and what followed when it was broken? “And the rough goat is the king [kingdom] of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power.” Verses 21, 22.
NOTES.—From the interpretation given, it is plain that the notable “horn” upon the he goat represented Alexander the Great, who led the Grecian forces in their conquest of Medo-Persia. Upon the death of Alexander at Babylon, 323 B. C., there followed a brief period of confusion in the struggle for the kingdom, but the succession was definitely determined by the Battle of Ipsus, —Cassander, Lysimachus, Ptolemy, and Seleucus,—became his successors.
“The vast empire created by Alexander’s unparalleled conquests was distracted by the wranglings and wars of his successors, and before the close of the fourth century before Christ, had become broken up into many fragments. Besides minor states, four well-defined and important monarchies arose out of the ruins. Their rulers were Lysimachus, Cassander, Seleucus Nicator, and Ptolemy, who had each assumed the title of king. The great horn was broken; and instead of it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.”—Myers’s “History of Greece,” page 457, edition 1902.
11. What came out of one of the four horns of the goat? “And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.” Verse 9.
12. What interpretation is given of this little horn? “And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.” Verse 23.
13. What did this little horn do to the people of God? “And it waxed great, even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the ground, and stamped upon them.” Verse 10.
14. In what literal language is this persecution of the people of God further described? “And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and practice, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people.” Verse 24.
15. How was this little horn to exalt itself against Christ? “Yea, it magnified itself, even to the Prince of the host; and it took away from him the continual burnt offering, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down.” Verse 11, R. V.
16. In the interpretation of the vision, how is this self-exaltation set forth? “And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.” Verse 25.
17. What similar language is used by the apostle Paul in describing the “mystery of iniquity,” or “man of sin”? “That day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” 2 Thess. 2:3, 4.
NOTES.—The last two scriptures evidently describe one and the same power,—a power which, while professedly Christian, is anti-christian in spirit, and the very “man of sin” himself. Possessed with the selfish ambition of Lucifer (Isa. 14:12-14; Eze. 28:17), he assumes to occupy the very seat and place of Deity in the temple of God. Professing to be Christ’s vicar or personal representative on earth, he magnifies himself against Christ, and “stands up” (or reigns) in the place of, and “against,” the Prince of princes.
18. What was given into the hands of the power represented by the little horn? “And the host was given over to it together with the continual burnt offering through transgression.” Dan. 8:12, first clause, R. V.
19. What did this power do to the truth? “And it cast down truth to the ground, and it did its pleasure and prospered.” Same verse, last clause, R. V.
NOTES.—The interpretation already given to this vision shows plainly that the power represented by the little horn is the successor of Medo-Persia and Grecia. In the vision of the seventh chapter of Daniel, which is closely related to this vision, the fourth beast represented the fourth kingdom, or Rome, in its entirety, special attention, however, being given to the “little horn,” or papal phase, of its history. As shown by the work attributed to it, this little horn, which arose among the ten kingdoms into which Rome was divided, was to be a religio-political power, which was to change the times and law of God, and persecute the people of God. In the vision of the eighth chapter the ecclesiastical features of this fourth world power are especially noted and emphasized, and hence the only symbol there used to represent it is the “little horn” which waxed “exceeding great.”
The religion of all the four great monarchies mentioned in these prophecies was paganism; but the paganism of ancient Babylon was reproduced in pagan Rome, and then adapted and adopted by papal Rome. The little horn of the eighth chapter represents Rome, both pagan and papal, in its ecclesiastical aspect, with its union of paganism—and later of apostate Christianity—and the secular power, with its anti-christian persecution of the saints of God, with its perversion of the priesthood of Christ, and with its assertion of both temporal and spiritual power over all the world. It is evident that pagan Rome is introduced into this prophecy chiefly as a means of locating the place and work of papal Rome, and the ecclesiastical features of pagan Rome as typical of the same features accentuated in papal Rome, and that the emphasis is to be placed upon the fulfillment of prophecy in the work of papal Rome. A careful comparison of Dan. 7:21, 25, with Dan. 8:10-12, R. V., and 2 Thess. 2:3, 4, will amply justify this conclusion.
