Every Christian Must Know and Understand This Bible Prophecy
Channel: Bible Files
Date: 2024-04-06

The “Little Horn” Power - So here we have a fearsome ten-horned beast, and a new “little horn” comes up in the midst of the ten and plucks three of them “up by the roots.” And, the Bible says, this new little horn has eyes “like the eyes of man” and speaks “great things.” The record of history is the key to identifying this new “little horn” power. And history clearly records that three of those original ten pagan kingdoms into which old Rome splintered were indeed “plucked out by the roots.” And all were overthrown by the same power. When the Roman Empire ended in A.D. 476, a struggle began for control of the ten remaining parts of the empire. On one side were three pagan tribes: the Heruli, the Vandals, and the Ostrogoths. On the other side was the Bishop of Rome and the emperors loyal to the Catholic bishop. One by one, the Catholic emperors overthrew these three rebel tribes: The Emperor Zeno conquered the Heruli by encouraging the Ostrogoths to invade in A.D. 493. The Emperor Justinian sent his General Belisarius to conquer the Vandals in A.D. 534. General Belisarius then drove the Ostrogoths out of Rome in A.D. 538. In A.D. 533, Justinian decreed that the Bishop of Rome was to rule supreme over all the churches. But his decree meant nothing until he and other emperors were able to overthrow the three Arian tribes (Heruli, Vandals, Ostrogoths) – “the three horns” of Daniel 7. By A.D. 538, this was accomplished, and the era of the little horn’s power had began. The papacy would continue in absolute power of another 1,260 years till the year 1798. (Note: This 1,260-year period is found in Bible prophecy in several places. See Daniel 7:25, Daniel 12:7, Revelation 11:2, Revelation 11:3, Revelation 12:6, Revelation 12:14, and Revelation 13:5). When his vision was finished, Daniel asked God for an explanation. God considered the information in this vision so virtually important that even hundreds of years later, He gave John a similar vision in Revelation 13:5. And it did not stop there. God also gave the same time prophecy in Revelation 11:2, 3; 12:6; and 12:14. Let’s see what happens next in Daniel 7:19-25. Now, in order to fully and fairly identify this “little horn” power as the reign of the papacy, let’s allow the Bible itself to provide that identification. We can find at least ten ways in the Word to identify this power. Ten Ways to Identify the Little Horn. 1. It came to power from among the ten divisions of Europe – the ten horns (Daniel 7:8). 2. It came to power after A.D. 476, because the “little horn” succeed pagan Rome, which fell in that year (Daniel 7:7, 8). 3. It began as a “little horn” – a little power at it’s beginning (Daniel 7:8). 4. It uprooted three horns – the Heruli, the Vandals, and the Ostrogoths (Daniel 7:8, 24). 5. It has a man at it’s head (Daniel 7:8; see also 2nd Thessalonians 2:3). 6. It is ‘different’ from the others. They were “state” powers, and the little horn was a “church-state” combination (Daniel 7:24). 7. The little horn would speak great words and blasphemy (Daniel 7:8, 25). The definition of blasphemy from the Bible is to claim to be God and/or to claim to be able to forgive sin. (See Matthew 9:2-6; John 10:30 to 33). 8. The little horn would wear out and kill many of God’s children. During it’s 1,260-year reign, the papal persecutions brought the death of millions (Daniel 7:25). 9. The little horn antichrist would think to change times and law (Daniel 7:25). The Catholic Church notes the changes it made to God’s law in it’s catechism. It removed the second commandment that forbids idolatry, changed the fourth commandment requiring worship on the seventh day of the week, and finally, divided the tenth commandment in two to retain a full ten commandments. 10. The little horn power would rule for “a time and times and the dividing of time” – elsewhere presented in the Bible as 1,260 days or forty-two months of prophetic time. Since a day is equal to a year in Bible prophecy, this power was to rule for 1,260 years. God foretold that it would reign supreme and persecute God’s obedient children for 1,260 years. So, in Daniel 2 and 7, God has given us a sweeping overview of history from the time of Nebuchadnezzar – more than 600 years before Christ’s birth – and continuing to the very end of time at the second coming of Jesus. As we study these two parallel prophecies, we discover exactly where we are today in the stream of time. Yes, we see that we are involved in a great struggle between two systems – truth and error, loyalty and disloyalty, right and wrong, good and evil. But we also are wonderfully encouraged as we realize that we are at the very end of time here on this earth and that the next event yet to happen is the return of Jesus! Our one and only principle should be no different from that of the disciples in the New Testament, when they said in Acts 5:29, “We ought to obey God rather than men.”