Daniel 8:8 "The great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven."
The four winds again represent war and conquest.
Ellen White - 1888 - The Great Controversy P 439.3
The great kingdoms that have ruled the world were presented to the prophet Daniel as beasts of prey, rising when the "four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea." [DAN. 7:2.] In Revelation 17, an angel explained that waters represent "peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues." [REV. 17:15.] Winds are a symbol of strife. The four winds of heaven striving upon the great sea, represent the terrible scenes of conquest and revolution by which kingdoms have attained to power.
So Alexander's Kingdom is dived into four
1. Cassander - Macedon - West Of Israel
2. Lysimachus - Thrace - North Of Israel
3. Seleucus - Syria - East Of Israel
4. Ptolemy - Egypt - South Of Israel
Daniel 8:9 "And out of one of them came forth a little horn,"
First off many believe the horn is Antiochus Epiphanes who came from one of Alexander's four Generals.
But there are just too many problems with that as you will soon see.
First lets back up a bit.
Daniel 8:22 "Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power."
And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; (Daniel 11:4)
This is more about the Division or Four Kingdoms than talking about the Four Generals.
So how do you explain this verse (9) as Rome?
And out of one of them (Of The 4 Greece Kingdoms) comes this little horn (Rome which turns into Papal Rome).
The area Rome came from was from the west of Cassander's rule of Macedon.
This is the first area Rome conquered.
From the perspective of Israel, all they know is that this power is coming from the west or Macedon.
So the best I can say is that out of this western Kingdom of Macedonia that was conquered by Rome comes this Little Horn that eventually takes of Israel.
Here is a map of Rome's rise and fall.
Daniel 8:23 "And in the latter time of their kingdom,
(Greece)
when the transgressors
(Israel)
are come to the full,
and sin has reached it's limit
a king
Rome (same as kingdom)
of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.
Who crucifies Jesus, captures Jerusalem, destroys the temple, kills many Christians, and mixes Paganism with Christianity. I could go on.
Also in Daniel 12 we see that Michael Stands Up, here we have the counterfeit standing up or Satan working through Rome/Papal Rome.
Daniel 8:24 "And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:
We see who this power is in Revelation 13.
And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast. (Revelation 13:4).
The Devil himself.
Lets look at a few points why I think this is Rome.
Point One - "a king of fierce countenance"
Daniel 8:23 "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.
This verse tells us a lot!
The transgressors are Israel, this message is for them.
This is a CURSE given to Israel if they do not obey!
What was part of the CURSE?
A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young: (Deut 28:50).
This was told by Moses.
What an amazing prophecy!, first like 1000 years till Daniel gives the warning and then like another 600 plus years till the fall of Jerusalem.
By the Spirit of Inspiration, looking far down the ages, Moses pictured the terrible scenes of Israel's final overthrow as a nation, and the destruction of Jerusalem by the armies of Rome: 'The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; a nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor to the young." The utter wasting of the land and the horrible suffering of the people during the siege of Jerusalem under Titus centuries later, were vividly portrayed: 'He shall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be destroyed.... And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land.... Thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the Lord thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee." 'The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, ... and toward her children which she shall bear: for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates." Moses closed with these impressive words: 'I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: that thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey His voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto Him : for He is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them." Deuteronomy 30:19, 20. (Ellen White - Patriarchs and Prophets - Chapter 42 - The Law Repeated - Page 467)
- cursed shalt thou be in the city, and
- cursed shalt thou be in the field.
- cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.
- cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.
- cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.
- cursing,
- vexation,
- and rebuke,
- in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed,
- and until thou perish quickly;
- the pestilence cleave unto thee, until he have consumed thee from off the land, whither thou goest to possess it.
- a consumption,
- and with a fever,
- and with an inflammation,
- and with an extreme burning,
- and with the sword,
- and with blasting,
- and with mildew;
- and they shall pursue thee until thou perish.
- and thy heaven that is over thy head shall be brass,
- and the earth that is under thee shall be iron.
- make the rain of thy land powder and dust: from heaven shall it come down upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
- cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies:
- thou shalt go out one way against them, and flee seven ways before them:
- and shalt be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth.
- and thy carcase shall be meat unto all fowls of the air, and unto the beasts of the earth, and no man shall fray them away.
- with the botch of Egypt,
- and with the emerods,
- and with the scab,
- and with the itch,
- whereof thou canst not be healed.
- with madness,
- and blindness,
- and astonishment of heart:
- and thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness,
- and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways:
- and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore,
- and no man shall save thee.
- thou shalt betroth a wife, and another man shall lie with her:
- thou shalt build an house, and thou shalt not dwell therein:
- thou shalt plant a vineyard, and shalt not gather the grapes thereof.
- Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes,
- and thou shalt not eat thereof:
- thine ass shall be violently taken away from before thy face, and shall not be restored to thee:
- thy sheep shall be given unto thine enemies, and thou shalt have none to rescue them.
- Thy sons and thy daughters shall be given unto another people,
- and thine eyes shall look, and fail with longing for them all the day long:
- and there shall be no might in thine hand.
- the fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up;
- and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:
- so that thou shalt be mad for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
- in the knees,
- and in the legs,
- with a sore botch that cannot be healed,
- from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head.
- and thy king which thou shalt set over thee, unto a nation which neither thou nor thy fathers have known;
- and there shalt thou serve other gods, wood and stone.
- and thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.
- thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in; for the locust shall consume it.
- thou shalt plant vineyards, and dress them, but shalt neither drink of the wine, nor gather the grapes; for the worms shall eat them.
- thou shalt have olive trees throughout all thy coasts, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil; for thine olive shall cast his fruit.
- thou shalt beget sons and daughters, but thou shalt not enjoy them; for they shall go into captivity.
- all thy trees and fruit of thy land shall the locust consume.
- The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.
- he shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him:
- he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.
- shall come upon thee,
- and shall pursue thee,
- and overtake thee,
- till thou be destroyed;
- serve thine enemies which the LORD shall send against thee,
- in hunger,
- and in thirst,
- and in nakedness,
- and in want of all things:
- and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck,
- until he have destroyed thee.
- bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand;
- A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor shew favour to the young:
- and he shall eat the fruit of thy cattle,
- and the fruit of thy land,
- until thou be destroyed:
- which also shall not leave thee either corn, wine, or oil, or the increase of thy kine, or flocks of thy sheep,
- until he have destroyed thee.
- and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land:
- and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.
- and thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the LORD thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:
- his eye shall be evil toward his brother,
- and toward the wife of his bosom,
- and toward the remnant of his children which he shall leave:
- of the flesh of his children whom he shall eat: because he hath nothing left him in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee in all thy gates.
- her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom,
- and toward her son,
- and toward her daughter,
- and toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet,
- and toward her children which she shall bear:
- for she shall eat them for want of all things secretly in the siege and straitness, wherewith thine enemy shall distress thee in thy gates.
- make thy plagues wonderful,
- and the plagues of thy seed,
- even great plagues,
- and of long continuance,
- and sore sicknesses,
- and of long continuance.
- bring upon thee all the diseases of Egypt, which thou wast afraid of; and they shall cleave unto thee.
- also every sickness,
- and every plague,
- which is not written in the book of this law,
- so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you,
- and to bring you to nought;
- and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.
- scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other;
- and there thou shalt serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, even wood and stone.
- and among these nations shalt thou find no ease,
- neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest: but
- a trembling heart,
- and failing of eyes,
- and sorrow of mind:
- And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee;
- and thou shalt fear day and night,
- and shalt have none assurance of thy life:
- in the morning thou shalt say, would God it were even!
- and at even thou shalt say, Would God it were morning!
- for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou shalt fear,
- and for the sight of thine eyes which thou shalt see.
- bring thee into Egypt again with ships, by the way whereof I spake unto thee,
- thou shalt see it no more again:
- and there ye shall be sold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen,
- and no man shall buy you.
But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God,
to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day;
that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
The LORD shall send upon thee
Because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.
The LORD shall make
The LORD shall smite thee with:
The LORD shall
The LORD shall:
The LORD will smite thee
The LORD shall smite thee
The LORD shall smite thee
The LORD shall bring thee,
Moreover all these curses
Because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:
And they shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed for ever.
Because thou servedst not the LORD thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things;
Therefore shalt thou
The LORD shall
So that the man that is tender among you, and very delicate,
So that he will not give to any of them
The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to set the sole of her foot upon the ground for delicateness and tenderness,
If thou wilt not observe to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful name, THE LORD THY GOD;
Then the LORD will
Moreover he will
Them will the LORD bring upon thee, until thou be destroyed.
And ye shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for multitude; because thou wouldest not obey the voice of the LORD thy God.
And it shall come to pass, that as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you;
And the LORD shall
The LORD shall give thee there
And the LORD shall
These are the words of the covenant, which the LORD commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel
Back To The Top of the curses.
Point Two - The Direction The Horn Comes From.
Daniel 8:9 "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."
So we can see this power coming from the Northwest of Israel.
Rome comes out of Macedon (133-14BC), moving east, south and into Israel's own land.
This does not FIT for Antiochus IV Epiphanes, his kingdom was to the East of Israel.
Point Three - "exceeding great"
Daniel 8:9 "And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great"
Antiochus Epiphanes took power but never became greater.
This power must become exceeding great. Rome became exceeding great.
Medo-Persia becomes great in verse 4.
Greece becomes very great in verse 8.
Now Rome becomes exceeding great in verse 9.
No way does Antiochus Epiphanes fit here either.
Point Four - "he magnified himself even to the prince of the host"
Daniel 8:10 "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."
Daniel 8:11 "Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host,
Daniel 8:25 "he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes"
Jesus is the prince, Rome is the one who crucified him.
Antiochus Epiphanes died long before Jesus came.
More Points seen here describing the language of the Little Horn.
1843 Chart (By Charles Fitch and Apollos Hale) |
1850 Chart (By Otis Nichols) |