Segment 3 - Daniel 7
God is Sovereign
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The ten horns in Revelation 13 and 17 have not yet appeared. They will appear during the very last days of Earth’s history and will be empowered for a very short time just before the Second Coming. (Revelation 17:12) There are two sets of ten horns in Bible prophecy, because there is an important parallel between them. The ten horns in Daniel 7 were reduced to seven horns after the three were uprooted. Then, the little horn of Daniel 7 dominated the remaining seven hors as the eighth king. In Revelation 13, there is a beast that rises out of the sea having seven heads and ten horns. This beast is not the Roman Empire of Daniel 7, as some suppose. This beast will be diverse world empire made up of seven heads (seven religious systems) and ten horns (ten political powers) during the Great Tribulation. When the devil appears on Earth masquerading as God, he will rule over the seven heads as an eighth king! (Revelation 17:11) The parallel here is obvious. The devil will rule with absolute power over the seven religious systems of the world just like the papacy (the little horn) ruled over the seven kings (the seven horns) it dominated. The devil will divide the Earth into ten sectors and he will appoint ten kings to rule as “puppet kings” of the kingdom. Daniel 2:44 says during the time of these kings, that is, the ten kings, the God of Heaven will set up His kingdom! Study Chart 3.6 and observe two things: First, notice that both kingdoms – the kingdom of the feet and the kingdom of the toes – have ten horns. Second, notice that the ten horns in the kingdom of the feet become seven horns, with the little horn ruling over them. Then notice the kingdom of the toes. During the kingdom of the [ten] toes, the Second Coming occurs while the ten kings are ruling over Earth! (Daniel 2:44, Revelation 17:14)

Reviewing the Ten Horns

History identifies the ten horns that caused the disintegration of Rome as the kings of the Ostrogoths, Heruli, Franks, Vandals, Lombards, Visigoths, Suevi, Bungundians, Alamanni and the Anglo-Saxons. The infrastructure of the Roman Empire finally fell in A.D. 476, because powerful warlords brought the emperor, Romulus, the Roman senate and the empire to an end. The city of Rome was sacked and burned. These warlords included Alaric the Goth, Attila the Hun, and Genseric the Vandal, Theodoric the Ostrogoth, Odoacer, and others who contributed to the collapse of Rome. These kings originated within the ethnic nations that constituted the bulk of the Roman Empire. Geographically, they came from northern Africa, Asia Minor, the Middle East and Europe. These warlords broke the iron fist of Caesar. A new order for world government came into existence after A.D. 476. During the centuries of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia and Rome, there had been one universal empire. After A.D. 476, the world was broken into diverse ethnic nations. When civil Rome fell, the distinction between the nations of the East and the nations of the West became separate and prominent. Perhaps the tow legs and the two feet in Daniel 2 reflect the Eat-West division of Earth. Regardless, one simple fact from Daniel 2 has held true for the past 1,600 years: No man has been able to merge the world back into a single empire since A.D. 476. Would-be conquerors have tried and failed. Nations have come and gone. Some nations have become strong and others have become weak. The continual presence of weak nations is a sociological mystery because the law of the jungle mandates that only the strong survive.

The Ten Horns in Daniel 7 Are Not the same

 As the Ten Horns in Revelation 13 and 17

According to Daniel 7, the little horn appears on the world stage after the ten horns rise to power, because the little horn power uproots three of the ten horns when it appears. Christianity, of course, began in Jerusalem at the time of Christ and was dispersed throughout the world by the Romans in A.D. 70 when they destroyed Jerusalem. The Christian Church in Rome started during the time of the apostle Paul, but grew to become a substantial political force by the beginning of the fourth century A.D. It was then that Constantine determined to make Christianity the defacto religion of the Roman Empire. Constantine was not timid about giving his religious views the force of laws. According to Daniel 7, the little horn power would start small, but grow and become stronger than any of the kingdoms represented by the remaining horns! The timing of this vision is important: After Rome was broken up by the ten horns, the Church of Rome rose to power and, un so doing, it had to uproot three nations to consolidate its dominion over a new Holy Roman Empire.

The Church was instrumental in uprooting the Ostrogoths, Vandals and Heruli, three of the original ten nations, for religious and political reasons. These kingdoms were destroyed because of a long-standing theological dispute over the deity of Christ. This dispute is well documented in history and is called the Arian Controversy. Arius, a theologian from Alexandria, Egypt, taught that Jesus was not co-eternal and not equal with the Father. The Church of Rome countered Arius’ teachings by saying they were heresy and blasphemy, and a power struggle began. This particular controversy raged for about 200 years between Christians in Rome and Christians in Alexandria. Constantine called a general council at Nicaea in A.D. 325 to settle the conflict, but the dispute could not be resolved. Looking at the controversy from our vantage point today, the real issue was theological control. The real issue was not the deity of Christ, but who would define Christian doctrine – the Church of Rome or the Church in Alexandria. By A.D. 508, the Church of Rome had gained enough political support to silence the opposition in Alexandria. For political reasons, Clovis, King of the Salian Franks, destroyed the Ostrogoths, Vandals and Heruli. When the Arian influence was eliminated, the Church in Rome established herself as the guardian and defender of the universal (or catholic) Christian faith. About 25 years after the victories Clovis, Emperor Justinian consolidated supreme authority in the pope in matters of faith and religion. Justinain bequeathed the title, “Corrector of Heretics,” upon the pope in A.D. 533 even though the pope was not in a position to wield complete authority over the nations. However, just five years later in A.D. 538, after Belisarius (Justinian’s general) subdued Italy, the pope had the posture and dominion he sought. He ruled over the Christian church and Christian states with absolute power.

Little Horn Wages War on the Saints

According to Daniel 7, the little horn power had the same fierce qualities as its parent, the monster beast. It was predicted the little horn would become “stouter” than the other seven horns. It would have a “mouth” that spoke great words against the Most High and it would have “eyes” like a man. Theo mouth on the little horn indicates that the church would “speak;” that is; it would dictate orders (laws and rules) which people must obey if they wanted to receive eternal life. The church blackmailed the laity into obedience with the threat of excommunication. The eyes of the little horn indicated the church would have insight into matters that would allow it to “see” things that political rulers would not understand. In short, the little horn would be religious and it would use the power of religion to control the ways and thoughts of rulers. The power of religion uniquely made the little horn of Daniel 7 much stronger than all of the other horns put together.

In ancient times, religion attracted the best minds, much like science does today. Priests were considered God’s representatives on earth, and whatever they said was “the Word of God.” When Justinian surrendered the state to the higher power of the church, the church became lord over the nations of Europe. The church approved, appointed and coroneted the kings and queens of Europe. The church controlled political issues, as well as religious matters. The church manipulated its members out of fear of hell and eternal death. The church claimed that its priests had the authority to determine eternal life or eternal death, and since few Bibles were available, king and peasant alike believed whatever the priests said. There was no “approved” source of knowledge about God except through the church. In effect, the clergy of the church became God for 1,260 long years (A.D. 538-1798). History rightly calls this period, “The Dark Ages.”

The church became as determined and cruel in conquering her foes as she had been treated in her early years by Romans and Jews. To gain power and dominion, popes bribed people with forgiveness for all sins-past, present and future-if they were willing to fight for the expansion of the Holy Roman Empire. Millions of people perished in the crusades, which, ironically, were fought in the name of God. Popes ruled over Christianity with an iron fist for 1,260 years. The light of truth was extinguished, and religious freedom and the right to worship God according to the dictates of conscience were non-existent. For centuries, the church prohibited ownership of the Bible. The authority of the church knew no bounds. Kings, fearful of losing eternal life, could not overthrow the authority of the pope and his prelates, but as powerful as the church was, God predetermined a limit to the reign of terror. The church would receive an almost fatal wound in 1798.

Little Horn Persecutes Saints 1,260 Years

The angel said to Daniel, “And he[the little horn] shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws and they [the saints] shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” (Daniel 7:25, KJV, insertions mine) This verse says so much. To appreciate the depth of apostasy to which the Christian church fell the reader is encouraged to review the writings of reformers like Martin Luther and John Knox.

It should not surprise you to learn that the conflict between popes and protestors (the beginning of Protestantism) centered on the question of religious authority. The Roman Catholic Church claims that she alone possesses all authority from God in matters pertaining to salvation. This authority, the church claims, has been passed down to each pope from the apostle Peter. (Matthew 16:18,19) Historians on this time period say millions of protestors perished at the stake for disagreeing with the church over this point. (See also Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, written by John Foxe, 1516-1587) Protestors argued that everyone had the right to own a Bible and to determine what was truth. Protestants believed that obeying God according to the dictates of one’s conscience was a matter of personal choice. The following statements may help you to see the great chasm between Catholics and Protestants on matters pertaining to religious authority:

Statement # 1

“That a person with no other equipment than a knowledge of the English language and a seventeenth century English translation of the Bible in his hands is qualified to decide all matters of eternal consequence for himself and the rest of mankind, is the ridiculous conclusion to which the principle of private judgment can finally be brought. In such a process, the countless generations of devout people who have lived and died according to other beliefs simply count for nothing. The centuries of thought and prayer that have gone into the interpretation of the Bible for all these generations likewise count for nothing.” [Some Bible Beliefs Have to Be Wrong!, Booklet #68, page 5, (1963), Imprimatur: Most Reverend John F. Whealon, Archbishop of Hartford, Knights of Columbus.]

Statement # 2

“Since the Catholic Church holds that the Bible is not sufficient in itself, it naturally teaches that the Bible needs an interpreter. The reason the Catholic Church so teaches is twofold: First, because Christ established a living church to teach with His authority. He did not simply give His disciples a Bible, whole and entire, and tell them to go out and make copies of it for mass distribution and allow people to come to whatever interpretation they may. Second, the Bible itself states that it needs an interpreter…. The Holy Spirit was given to the Church by Jesus Christ, and it is exactly this same Spirit who protects the Church’s visible head, the Pope, and the teaching authority of the Church by never permitting him or it to lapse into error.” [Scripture Alone? 21 Reasons to Reject Sola Scriptura, pages 21,26, (1999), Joel Peters, Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., Rockford, Il.]

Statement # 3

“We teach and define it to be dogma divinely revealed that the Roman Pontiff, when he speaks ex cathedra, that is, when acting in his office as pastor and teacher of all Christians, by his supreme Apostolic authority, he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole Church through the divine assistance promised him in Blessed Peter, he enjoys that infallibility with which the divine Redeemer willed His Church to be endowed in defining doctrine concerning faith and morals; and therefore such definitions of the said Roman Pontiff are irreformable of themselves, and not from the consent of the Church.” [The Papacy, Expressions of God’s Love, page 29, (undated), Imprimatur: Most Reverend John J. Carberry, Archbishop of St.Louis, Knights of Columbus.]

These three statements summarize the bedrock of Catholic doctrine and they reflect the nonnegotiable themes that have divided Protestants from Catholics for more than 700 years.

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