Verses 9-12, 23-25. The heart of Daniel’s message here and in other chapters is the defining of another horn on the goat, the territory of the Grecian Empire after Alexander, represented by four horns now, thus four parts. Now Daniel sees a fifth horn. It is small at first. Thus the term “little horn” has been applied to the person represented. He was small at the beginning. “Vile”, says the angel in chapter 11. Despised. Rejected from royalty. But he does not stay small. Over time, over the ages, he grows to become a fantastically significant world power.

In this tiny fragment of a verse hidden away in your Old Testament is a secret that is larger than you can imagine. Let’s see where the angel takes us.

First we see the temporal or earthly rise of the little horn. It/he grows to the south, to the east, and toward Israel, the “glorious land.” Two things we learn here about the man who will come. One, there must be a land farther south of him than Israel. And, two, from where he is at the beginning, Israel is not east. Chapter eleven will identify him much more clearly, and show how he indeed did move to the directions here indicated.

Then am I saying that he is merely a historical figure and that this passage has been fulfilled? A thousand times, no! Historical yes, but fulfilled , no! Bear with me until you see the whole vision as Daniel saw it! And you still will have trouble. That’s why God saw fit to give Daniel another view of the same man from a different perspective in chapter eleven. There will be no mistaking the identity of this man.

And let me pause here to remind readers that we are not talking about a bright young man named Daniel who conjured up a cool story about the future of nations. We are talking about a very old, confused and overawed man who cowers in the presence of angels and who is being given visions directly from Heaven. Let not cynicism enter our thinking here or we will lose sight of what God is saying. This Word is from heaven. It is pure in every syllable and must be examined carefully.

Verse ten is a turning point. Read it again. This man suddenly is having influence in heaven as well as earth. This is no mere mortal any longer. Something has changed! The “little” king has grown up! Grown up to the heavens! Because of him, some of Heaven’s armies are cast to the ground! Perhaps they are in part responsible for the earthly army that surrounds Jerusalem (or is this army heavenly too, in the worst sense?).

The plot sickens. This vile contender for the throne of Syria and surroundings is now contending for a universal throne, and the throne of the King of Kings. He wants it all! That’s what Gabriel says. He exalts himself to the Prince of Heaven.

As the army encircles Jerusalem in this last showdown of history, the horn commands that daily sacrifices of the Jews be stopped. No more need to sacrifice to this Jewish God, when a better one is available. The sanctuary is entered, then cast down.

Historically this man has been identified as Antiochus Epiphanes. But Biblically, so far, there is no need to do that. I say, there is no need so far. Chapter eleven will tie together the historical man with the future man. But chapter eight does not do that except in one phrase. In explaining who this man is, Gabriel says simply that he arises (not that he is born and raised) in the latter days of one of the four divisions of Alexander’s Empire. This clue, coupled to the descriptive “out of one of them” phrase earlier in the chapter (verse 9) lets us know only that the end time tyrant comes originally from somewhere in post-Alexander Greece. That is, he was born either in Greece, Turkey, The Middle East, or Egypt.

We cannot bring prior knowledge into a text. We let the text speak first. So far the text has only pointed us to Greece and the very end of time, and tied these two eras together in a man. There is no demand by the chapter eight text to bring in Antiochus or any man we have known in history. All that this man does in this text can be done in the future.

We now know, with certainty, where antichrist arises! We also know that when he arises it is with supernatural help. We know that it is he who will, aided by an army –perhaps a heavenly one– stop the Jewish sacrifices and himself profane and destroy the Temple. We see soon the phrase “transgression of desolation” (verse 13) and know we are close to the very sign Jesus gave for His soon return. And then comes the clear definition of the timing of this man:

Verses 13-14. First there is the exchange between two angels who identify the time period involved as a little more than six years. This time seems to comprise the lead-up to the abomination, the abomination itself, and the subsequent “trampling” (remember that word from Luke 21?) of Jerusalem. We’ll discuss the seven-year time frame when we get to chapter nine.

Verses 15-17. The key conversation which we are granted grace to overhear is between a Man and the angel Gabriel. The Man commands Gabriel to help Daniel understand the vision. The first and perhaps most important thing that Daniel is made to understand is that (verse 17) the vision refers to the time of the end. This phrase will be spoken and expanded on several other times later in this book. There is no doubt allowed here that the little horn vision culminates in the end time, not 200 years before Christ came to earth, via Antiochus Epiphanes!

So our conclusion can only be that “the abomination of desolation” spoken of by Daniel the prophet, still in the future when Jesus spoke about it, refers not to any episode in the life of Antiochus Epiphanes, but to the end of all time, as demanded by the angel Gabriel and the Man who commanded the message.

I understand why books and teachers in our day try to make everything fit neatly in pre-Christian history. The alternative explanation, that the man Daniel saw was actually alive thousands of years later, is too incredible for words. But all who ignore what is being said must give account to Gabriel and to his Master. Fair warning, before we get to chapter eleven, when the incredible becomes nearly unbearable. There we will discover a master plan that has been executed by the enemy of our souls. It is a plan for world-wide domination. It has reared its ugly head time and again. Many have been the willing tools in Satan’s hand to grasp world power and attempt to dethrone Jesus and all those for whom Jesus has throne plans, His elect. He shall fail. But the attempt is clear, and we have been privileged to see it beforehand, so that we will not be deceived when it surfaces yet again. Truly the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and no other!