The term“little horn” is a prophetic description that has gripped eschatology scholars and students for centuries. Specifically, it is the search for the identity of the one who will become this “little horn”. Thankfully, scripture tells us this “little horn” is a king (Daniel 7:24, Daniel 8:9, 23). This means we ought to be watching for someone who will be in a position of leadership on the world stage. But where does this horn/king come from?
Tracking the origin of the “little horn”
To begin with, the “little horn” mentioned in Daniel 7 and again in Daniel 8 is one and the same. The reason for the two separate visions/prophecies is to provide us with specialized information about this “little horn” from separate perspectives. This results in providing us with the two pieces of evidence that we can use to make a positive identification. Judicially and Biblically, any form of accusation, sentence or identification must be done with two or three witnesses or evidence (Deuteronomy 19:15 / 2 Corinthians 13:1). These two chapters provide us with that necessary evidence.
Daniel 7 gives us details pertaining to the activities of the “little horn” and where it will be situated at the end times. Daniel 8 gives us details pertaining to the activities of the “little horn” so we can see the connection. And this chapter gives us the origin of the “little horn” through historical context which we can apply into the end times.
The dreadful fourth beast prophecy – Daniel 7
In order to track the “little horn’s” origin, we will look at the given prophecies in Daniel 7:7-8 in an itemized manner. This will help us to have a clearer understanding of the events as they build on each step which shapes the outcome for the emergence of the “little horn” in the end times. From this chapter we are informed of the position of the “little horn” on the world stage.
The steps of the Daniel 7:7-8 prophecy begin with:
The fourth beast in Daniel’s night vision came after the third beast (leopard with four wings/four heads), the second beast (bear) and the first beast (lion with eagle’s wings).
The fourth beast is described as being dreadful with great iron teeth that devour and feet that break up the residue.
Ten horns (kings) are on the fourth and dreadful beast.
The “little horn” arises in the midst of the ten horns (kings)
The “little horn” uproots three horns (kings)
The “little horn” has eyes and a mouth which speaks pompous words
So, we can see from the itemized steps above that world events precipitate the emergence of the “little horn”. Those world events involve a ten king collaborated rulership that oversees a ‘dreadful beast-like kingdom’ in the end time’s. The “little horn’ rises within their midst.
This prophecy also shows us that these ten kings/horns are fully committed parts of this dreadful fourth beast (kingdom).
What kingdom is this dreadful fourth beast? Daniel 7:23 gives us the descriptive answer though it does not actually name the kingdom. It is through historical documentation that we can determine that this fourth beast is the Roman Empire. Secular and Biblical historians classify the Roman Empire as the fourth kingdom (beast) on earth that dominates the known world - which confirms the Biblical account. The added description of how this fourth kingdom operated also corroborates that this fourth beast represents the Roman Empire which swept across the known world with crushing results.
This means we can know that the “little horn” will be arising out of a Roman Empire like ‘kingdom’ in the end times. And it will be a kingdom that is dreadful. The descriptions about it using its iron teeth to ‘break apart’ and its feet to ‘crush’ is stating it will be going about conquering the nations of the world.
The human-like image of gold, silver, bronze, iron and iron with clay prophecy
A quick side-note; there is another well known prophecy that confirms this prophecy about the four kingdoms. It is the dream that King Nebuchadnezzar had about the image. In Daniel 2:26-45 is the account of the human-like image of gold, silver, bronze, iron and then iron mixed with clay followed by Daniel’s Elohim-given interpretation. Daniel explains that each of these metals represents kingdoms starting with the most glorious being the head of gold, followed by successive kingdoms that become less glorious but still powerful in their own right. It is the description of the fourth metal/kingdom in (verse 40) on the human-like image that gives us the tie-in to the fourth beast of Daniel 7:7-8. The exact same description is given in Daniel 2:40 as it is in Daniel 7:7. Yet, the image in Daniel 2:41-43 gives us other insights into what the final aspect of this ‘iron kingdom’ will be like in the end times. It will be a kingdom that is like feet and toes made with iron and potters clay, meaning it will have strength but also be fragile (v42-43).
These ten toes on the image represent the ten horns on the dreadful beast. Just as the description of the iron part of the image ties-in with the description of the dreadful beast, so too do the ten toes with the ten horns. The feet and toes have some strength but also are fragile. This means the ten horns have some strength but are also fragile.
When we again read about the dreadful beast in Daniel 7:7-8 we can add that extra piece of understanding about the ten horns (kings). These ten horns are a loosely collaborating group – much like a coalition.
What happens with loosely collaborating groups? The ability to govern the nation becomes frustrating and bogged down in comparison to a single majority government. We see that happen in many nations today that have coalition governments. Most of the European countries have coalition governments[i], and there is the better known example of Israel’s government.
Could this be why the “little horn” uproots three horns (kings) as it rises up? It is a king who takes advantage of an opportunity and steps in. By taking the power of three kings, this “little horn” is now the majority holder of power and takes command of the whole group of kings, solidifying the coalition into one accord. This ends the bogged down governing of the now seven kings who take their lead from the “little horn” and begins a new era of governing that invokes change within the ‘dreadful beast/iron kingdom’. What is that change? That is a topic presented in another article, but suffice-it-to-say, it is not good, for the ‘little horn’ propels itself into an even more powerful position in the world and its dominance causes much harm to those who will not follow it. Eventually it becomes the Revelation 13 beast from the sea.
Read “The Other Names of the Anti-Messiah (Anti-Christ)” for those details.
Let’s get back to tracking the origin of the “little horn”. Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 have given us some very helpful insights into who this “little horn” will be, but these chapters do not give us any information about where the “little horn” comes from.
The ram and the goat prophecy
Graphic by LoudCry.org
In Daniel 8, is Daniel’s account of his vision of the ram and the goat. The whole chapter is dedicated to this vision. In verse 3 he first describes a ram with two horns that are very high, with the taller horn coming up after the first horn. This ram spread out westward, northward and southward and became great (verse4). Then in verse 5 Daniel describes a goat with one very notable horn between its eyes coming across the earth swiftly (without touching the ground). It engages the ram and defeats it in short order (verses 6-7).
What happens next is that the single large horn on the goat is broken off and four notable horns rise up in its stead. Then another “little horn” rises and becomes the prominent horn (king). The following itemizations of its actions are listed below and will come in handy further along in this article to help our identification of the ‘little horn’ and its origin for the end time’s context.
From verses 9 – 12 we are given extra insight into this “little horn”:
It grows to great dominance toward the south, the east and the “pleasant land” (v 9)
It grows so powerful it can cast down some of the host of heaven and some of the stars, stamping on them (v10)
In its self exaltation it declares itself to BE the prince of the host (v11)
To uphold its self exaltation and to push it upon the host, and takes away the daily sacrifice (v 11)
And it casts down the place of the sanctuary (v 11)
Due to transgressions, the host is given over to the ‘little horn’ (v 12)
It crushes truth and continues to prosper in its ways (v12)
The events regarding the sacrifices and the sanctuary in this chapter are similarly documented in Daniel 9 within the 70 weeks prophecy when the people of the prince (another name for the “little horn”) takes over Jerusalem (at his behest) and stop the sacrifices and offerings.
What is note-worthy for this article is that Daniel 8: 9 tells us the origin of the “little horn”. It rises up from one of the four notable horns.
Now, which one of these four notable horns does the ‘little horn’ rise from? Once we know this, then we will know the origin of the “little horn”. To do this will require looking at the events of the ancient world to figure this out.
As is the principle with prophecies, there is a duplication in which the prophecy happened in the ancient context but will also happen in the end time context. The best example is that of the exodus out of Egypt. This event occurred in 1446 BCE and is well documented in the Torah. The future end time context is documented for us in Jeremiah 16:14-15, “Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “that it shall no more be said, ‘The LORD lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ but, ‘The LORD lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had driven them.’ For I will bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers.”
Yeshua taught this very principle to the disciples. In Matthew 24:15 Yeshua said these words after being asked by the disciples about the end time events; “When you therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, whose reads, (let him understand:)"
The historical event of the abomination of desolation had already taken place in 168 BCE, about 200 years before Yeshua spoke to His disciples. Therefore, He was not talking about that abomination of desolation, but a yet future defilement of the Holy Place.
Indirectly, He was teaching the disciples and us that this principle of duplication of the prophecies is valid. What happened to our fathers will happen to us in the end times as well. The historic events that are well documented about the “little horn” in ancient times will happen again in a similar fashion. It is for this reason that the preteristic outlook on prophecy is not valid.
The ancient “little horn” as our example for the end time’s “little horn”
So, when we look at historical events in the ancient world, we will be able to have an example of what to look for with the end time application.
Historically, there was a “little horn” that ruled and did what was listed above in Daniel 8. That “little horn” has been identified as Antiochus Epiphanes IV, the ruler of the Seleucid Empire that dominated from the northern area of the former Assyrian empire (Iraq/Iran/lower Turkey) towards the south within “the pleasant land” (Israel) and eastward towards what is modern day Iran. His reign was from 175 to 164 BCE. The map below gives details of the extent of the Seleucid Kingdom during Antiochus’s reign.
The historically documented “little horn” actions he perpetrated in Jerusalem in 167 BCE match perfectly with the above itemized list of events of the “little horn” from Daniel 8 and Daniel 9. It is his stopping of the daily sacrifices and the setting up of an image of the Greek god Zeus that is considered the abomination of desolation that desecrates the Holy Place for that time period. His arrogant disregard for Hebrew worship fostered the Jewish revolt, lead by the brothers dubbed the Maccabees. The revolt was so profound that the Maccabees succeeded in defeating Antiochus.
The celebration of the eight days of Hanukkah helps to remind us each year of that period of time. The reason for the celebration of light festival stems from the desecrating actions Antiochus did in the Temple. And each year during the Days of Hanukkah, we can be reminded about what this ancient “little horn” did and can remember its origins so we can be watchful for the duplication of a future “little horn”.
From what lineage did Antiochus Epiphanes come from?
Now that we have identified the ancient “little horn” is Antiochus Epiphanes IV, we will look at his lineage to use as the example for the end time “little horn”.
Historically and Biblically, we know that this king (little horn) comes from the Seleucid lineage as descendants of the great general Seleucid who served as one of four generals under Alexander the Great. What empire did Alexander rule? He ruled the GREEK Empire and so did his four notable generals (notable horns of Daniel 8:8).
When Alexander the Great died, his kingdom of Greece was divided into four smaller kingdoms with each being ruled by one of these generals. Seleucid’s kingdom eventually grew to the land mass as noted in the map above under the rule of Antiochus Epiphanes. Therefore, Antiochus Epiphanes, the ancient “little horn” was of Greek origin.
Initially, when reading Daniel 8:9 the information about the “little horn’s” origin is vague. All four horns on the goat are of Greek heritage, so it would seem that the intent of the verse is to simply tell us that the “little horn” is of Greek lineage.
However, through historic information, the ancient “little horn” of Antiochus Epiphanes IV comes from the Seleucid horn. Is this telling us some finer detail about the origin of the future “little horn”? The Seleucid Empire was conquered by the Roman Empire in 64 BCE, and reduced to the region we know as Syria and southern Turkey today. But this is not where the end time “little horn” originates.
With the eventual conquering of all four of the Greek empires (the Seleucid Empire / the Ptolemine Empire / the Antigonos Empire / the Kassandros Empire) the Roman Empire adopted the Greek culture, eventually creating the Greco-Roman culture, spreading it throughout all the regions they conquered – including Europe, the birthplace of the Western world. Today, Greek philosophy, art and other forms of culture are considered the cradle of the modern Western world.
What does this all mean? Clearly, the Seleucid lineage as well as the lineages of the other generals have disappeared and are untraceable. However, there is another way of determining the origin of the “little horn” via the Seleucid lineage. This can be accomplished by understanding the characteristics of the Seleucid kingdom. Since the Seleucid kingdom was the largest in land mass and population, it was the driving force in Hellenizing far more regions than the others, including Hellenizing the “pleasant land” (Israel).
Thus this same characteristic will be what the future “little horn” with Greek heritage will be doing. What would modern day ‘Hellenizing’ look like? It will be a promotion of a new form of culture resulting in societal changes. Could that be the Green Initiative being promoted today? We are recycling, reusing, and reversing our ‘footprint’ on this earth within industry and our personal lives. Compared to how we lived just 20 or 30 years ago, we are going through a culture change that is being promoted upon us in much the same way that the Seleucid’s promoted the Greek culture on the peoples they conquered. That is the reason for understanding the Seleucid lineage factor in determining the origin of the future “little horn”.
We are in the end times now
Fast forward to our current time, we can say we truly are in the end times. We know this because right now we are in the midst of the 62 weeks/years portion of the 70 weeks/year prophecy of Daniel 9. This prophecy began in 1967 with the Six Day War in Israel and was confirmed seven years later with the Yom Kippur War in 1973/1974. That completed the first segment of 7 weeks/years and began the next segment of 62 weeks/years. Simply subtract 1973 from the current year to understand where we are in the 62 weeks/years portion of the prophecy. As well, by simply subtracting 1967 from the current year, will provide the information on where we are within the whole 70 weeks/years prophecy.
For deeper information see article; “70 Weeks/Shavuots Prophecy of Daniel 9 – Overview Explanation”.
Who could be the end times “little horn”?
There are many who are watching the British monarchy for evidence that one of the main members could become that “little horn”. There are a number of factors that make the speculation concerning them very plausible. The Royals promote many organizations and events. Of utmost importance is the promotion of cultural change in how we live so we lessen our impact on the environment – the modern version of Hellenizing.
See the article "A Period of Struggle in the End Times"
And we can add to that watch list the information about the Greek lineage indicating the origin of the “little horn”. This makes the plausibility of someone with the royal family becoming the ‘little horn’ that must more compelling.
How is the Greek lineage tied to the British royal family? That is made possible through the late Prince Philip, the husband to the late Queen Elizabeth. Prince Philip was of the royal house of Greece. His grandfather was King George I, King of the Hellenes who reigned from 1863 to 1913. Prince Andrew was King George’s seventh born child; therefore he was not an heir to the Greek throne. However, Prince Andrew was the father to Prince Philip.
Prince Philip would become the husband to Princess Elizabeth, who eventually became Queen Elizabeth II, monarch of the United Kingdom. It is through Prince Philip that the Greek lineage has now been inserted into the British lineage, specifically within his son, King Charles and Charles’ two children (William and Harry) and the successive grandchildren.
Lineage of King Charles III through his father, Prince Philip
So, we have discovered that the “little horn” (who will rise up in the midst of ten horns (kings) in the end times) will be of Greek origin. It will promote a modern version of Hellenizing, quite probably to do with changing how we live to lessen our impact on the environment. It will rule the end time Roman Empire and establish its capital in the city of London, England.
See article, “Mystery Babylon the Great??” to discover the reason why the “little horn”/ beast will establish its capital (that will be nicknamed Babylon) in London, England. The book of Revelation tells us that Babylon is a city and not a kingdom, whereas Daniel 2, 7 and 8 tell us that the final worldly kingdom is the Roman Empire. This means that the “little horn” who transitions into the beast will be ruling the resurgence of the Roman Empire from its capital city of Babylon located where London, England is now.
Let this mind be in you that is in Messiah, Yeshua.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. And feel free to share this information.
[i] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_with_coalition_governments (though Israel is not mentioned)
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