Page 195 - Daniel

Empire historically in the phrase “and it had ten horns.” The
interpretation of the vision later in the chapter only serves to emphasize
this problem.

Interpreters who agree that the Roman Empire is in view differ in their
explanations of how the ten horns relate to Rome. Amillennial scholars
like Young and Leupold tend to spiritualize both the number ten and the
number three, and thus escape the necessity of finding any literal

fulfillment. Both of them find literal fulfillment impossible because no
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ten kings reigned simultaneously in the Roman period. Young,
however, considers fulfillment in the Roman Empire in the past, with no
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further fulfillment being necessary. Leupold finds ultimate fulfillment
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at the second coming of Christ, rather than in history. Premillennialists
offer another view, providing literal fulfillment: ten actual kingdoms will
exist simultaneously in the future tribulation period. 45

In verse 8, as Daniel continued to gaze intently upon the vision, he
saw another little horn emerging from the head of the beast, and in the

process, uprooting three of the first ten horns. The little horn was
described as having eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking
great things.
If there were no commentary on this passage and the interpreter was

left to find its meaning simply on what the text states, it would be a
reasonable conclusion that the little horn is a man, and that, therefore,
the ten horns that precede were also men who were rulers in
relationship to the fourth kingdom. Eyes and a mouth are human
characteristics. 46

Commentators have been quick to note that in chapter 8 there is also a
little horn, which conservative expositors have identified with Antiochus
Epiphanes. This has been taken as evidence that the little horn of Daniel
7 is also from the Greek or Maccabean period in its latter stages. Further

consideration is given to this in chapter 8. It must be observed, however,
that the little horn of chapter 8 comes out of an entirely different context
than that of chapter 7. Although both horns are described as “little,” the
horn of chapter 7 is not said to grow like the horn in chapter 8, although
in the end he becomes a greater power than the little horn of chapter 8.

To assume that the two little horns are the same is to decide the matter
on assumed similarities without regard for the contradictions. Archer