The Little Horn
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Let's ask God to help us:
Our Lord,
As we go on identifying the servants of evil, we now wish to study the subject of the
little horn.
What does it represent? What role does it play in prophecy?
Please show us, through Your Holy Spirit, the truth about this mysterious power. In Jesus
Christ we pray.
Amen.
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Daniel 7:2,3
Daniel spoke, saying,
«I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the
Great Sea.
And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other.»
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In our lessons about the prophecies of the book of Daniel,
we studied the vision contained in chapter 7.
In this vision, four great beasts appeared in turn, symbolizing a succession of universal
kingdoms, from the time of Daniel up to the end of the world. These kingdoms were:
- Babylon;
- the Medo-Persian Empire;
- Greece;
- and Rome.
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Daniel 7:7,23,24
[The fourth beast] was different from all the beasts that
were before it, and it had ten horns. (...)
The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all
other kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, trample it and break it in pieces.
The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom.
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We have also seen that ten horns came out of the fourth beast, that is, out of
Rome, symbolizing the division of the Roman Empire into ten parts.
In fact, ten nations arose at the time of the fall of Rome.
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Here are the ten nations which arose at the fall of the Roman Empire:
1. The Saxons, originating the English
nation.
2. The Franks, originating the French nation.
3. The Alamanni, originating the German nation.
4. The Visigoths, originating the Spanish nation.
5. The Suevi, originating the Portuguese nation.
6. The Lombards, originating the Italian nation.
7. The Burgundians, originating the Swiss nation.
8. The Heruli, who disappeared in A.D. 493.
9. The Vandals, who disappeared in A.D. 534.
10. The Ostrogoths, who disappeared in A.D. 538.
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Daniel 7:8
I was considering the horns, and there was another horn,
a little one, coming up among them.
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Daniel 8:9,10
A little horn (...) grew up to the host of heaven.
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Then, we witnessed the emergence of a last power, symbolized by a little horn.
In the lessons «The Four Mythical Beasts» and «The Ram and the Goat», on Daniel
chapters 7 and 8, we noted many identifying marks which will now enable us to
discover the identity of this mysterious power.
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Daniel 7 gave us these nine identifying marks of the little horn:
1. It came up among the ten nations (DANIEL
7:8).
2. It rose after the ten nations, that is, after A.D. 476 (DANIEL 7:24).
3. It has a greater appearance than the ten nations (DANIEL
7:20).
4. A man sits at its head (eyes like the eyes of a man) (DANIEL
7:8).
5. It plucked out three nations (DANIEL 7:8,20,24):
- Heruli, in A.D. 493;
- Vandals, in A.D. 534;
- Ostrogoths, in A.D. 538.
6. It blasphemed against God, speaking pompous words (DANIEL
7:8,20,25).
7. It made war against the saints (DANIEL 7:21,25).
8. It intended to change times and law (DANIEL 7:25).
9. It reigned during exactly 1260 years, from 538 to 1798 (DANIEL 7:25).
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Then, Daniel 8 gave us 9 more identifying marks of the little horn:
10. Its identity is closely linked with the name of Rome (DANIEL 8:8,9).
11. It exalts itself as high as Jesus, the Prince of the host, opposing the
daily sacrifices (DANIEL 8:10-12,25).
12. It successfully casts truth down to the ground (DANIEL
8:12).
13. It has fierce features, and acts through cunning (DANIEL
8:23,25).
14. Its power comes from an outer source (DANIEL 8:24).
15. It destroys the holy people (DANIEL 8:24).
[Clue already seen]
16. It magnifies itself in its heart (DANIEL 8:25).
[Clue already seen]
17. It destroys fearfully, destroys the mighty, and many in their prosperity (DANIEL 8:24,25).
18. Its reign will end abruptly, «without human hand»
(DANIEL 8:25).
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Daniel 8:9,10,15
A little horn (...) grew up to the host of heaven (...).
Now it happened, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision and was seeking the meaning (...).
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Luke 11:9
Seek, and you will find.
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At the end of these two lessons, we invited you to imitate the prophet Daniel,
and try to identify the power symbolized by the little horn.
With the help of the 18 identifying marks given by the Word of God, and a good
encyclopedia, you have surely discovered the identity of this little horn...
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Proverbs 23:12
Apply your heart to instruction.
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We may refer to any encyclopedia, any history book, and we will see that only
one power perfectly corresponds to the characteristics of the little horn: the papacy,
also called papal Rome.
However, let's note this very important point: the little horn designates the system of
the papacy, and not the people belonging to this system.
In fact, there are many sincere people who belong to the papal system, and yet love Jesus
Christ with all their hearts.
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John 10:16
[Jesus said:] «Other sheep I have which are not of this
fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and
one shepherd.»
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Let's not be misunderstood: God really loves the individuals who are in the
papacy's system.
That is why He gave us His Word, so that, by studying it, we may become aware of God's
warning, and by responding to Jesus' call, we may leave this system and join the Savior's
flock.
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Daniel 7:8
I was considering the horns, and there was another horn,
a little one, coming up among them.
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Let's review the characteristics of the little horn one by one, to see if they
really apply to the papacy.
First, the little horn came up among the ten nations: the only power which came out of the
ten nations, shortly after the fall of the Roman empire, is well and truly the system of
the papacy, which arose out of Rome.
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Daniel 7:24
The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this
kingdom.
And another shall rise after them.
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The little horn arose after the ten nations, that is, after A.D. 476, the year
when the division of the Roman empire was completed.
Now, history teaches us that the papacy imposed its religio-political supremacy from A.D.
538 on, only 60 years after the division of the Roman empire.
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Daniel 7:19,20,24
Then I wished to know the truth (...) about the other
horn which came up, before which three fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth
which spoke pompous words, whose appearance was greater than his fellows. (...)
[This king] shall be different from the first ones.
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Different from the ten nations by the religio-political nature of its power,
the papacy has taken on, and still takes on a more impressive appearance than any other
power on the earth.
In fact, at all times, popes have always surrounded themselves with majestic pomp in all
their actions and travels.
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Daniel 7:8
And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a
man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.
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At the head of the papacy stands only one man: the pope.
Proclaimed infallible, his decisions affect the lives of millions of people around the
world.
And, throughout history, the declarations of this leader have often been very pompous, as
we will see in a moment.
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Daniel 7:8,24
There was another horn, a little one, coming up among
them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. (...)
The ten horns are ten kings who shall arise from this kingdom.
And another shall rise after them; he shall be different from the first ones, and shall
subdue three kings.
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Exactly as foretold, the papacy brought about the elimination of three of the
10 nations, which were opposed to the authority of the Bishop of Rome:
- the Heruli, in A.D. 493;
- the Vandals, in A.D. 534;
- and the Ostrogoths, in A.D. 538, the year when the papacy began to reign
freely over Europe.
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Daniel 7:20,25
[That horn] had eyes and a mouth which spoke pompous
words (...).
[This king] shall speak pompous words against the Most High.
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Daniel 8:25
Through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper
under his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart.
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The papacy's arrogance is reported in Daniel chapters 7
and 8.
But arrogance isn't enough: it even goes as far as to blaspheme against God, speaking «pompous words against the Most High».
The Bible's definition of blasphemy will help us to understand how this happened.
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John 10:33
The Jews answered Him, saying, «For a good work we do
not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.
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Mark 2:7
Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can
forgive sins but God alone?
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So, blasphemy is not only taking the name of God in vain.
According to the Word of God, the following two actions are also blasphemy:
- when a man makes himself God;
- when a man claims to have power to forgive sins.
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The pope claims to be God, and to have power to forgive sins:
«The pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man
(...) he is as it were God on earth, sole sovereign of the faithful of Christ, chief of
kings, having plenitude of power.»
(Lucius Ferraris, «Prompta Bibliotheca», 1763, Volume VI, "Papa II", pp.25-29)
«And God himself is obliged to abide by the judgment of his priest and either not to
pardon or to pardon, according as they refuse to give absolution, provided the penitent is
capable of it.»
(Liguori, «Duties and Dignities of the Priest», p.27)
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«In this horn, [was] (...) a mouth speaking
pompous words.» (Daniel 7:8)
«The supreme teacher in the Church is the Roman Pontiff. Union of minds,
therefore, requires (...) complete submission and obedience of will to the Church and to
the Roman Pontiff, as to God Himself.»
(Leo VIII, «On the Chief Duties of Christians as Citizens», Encyclical letter, 1890)
«God separates those whom the Roman Pontiff, who exercises the functions, not of mere
man, but of the true God (...) dissolves, not by human but rather by divine authority.»
(«Decretals of Gregory IX», Book 1, Chapter 7.3)
«Hence the Pope is crowned with a triple crown, as king of heaven and of earth and of
the lower regions (infernorum).»
(Lucius Ferraris, «Prompta Bibliotheca», 1763, Volume VI, "Papa II", p.26)
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Daniel 7:21,25
The same horn was making war against the saints, and
prevailing against them. (...)
[This king] shall persecute the saints of the Most High.
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More people were killed by the papacy, during its reign throughout the Middle
Ages, than by Hitler during World War II.
In fact, about 50 million people, who refused to recognize its authority, were killed by
the papacy.
Historian W.E. Lecky wrote: «The Church of Rome has shed more innocent blood than any
other institution that has ever existed among mankind.» («Rise and influence of
rationalism in Europe», volume 2, p.32).
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Daniel 7:25
[This king] shall intend to change times and law.
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The papacy removed God's second commandment which forbids carved images and
idols.
And, in order to preserve the appearance of the ten precepts of the Decalogue, it divided
the tenth commandment into two parts.
Moreover, it attacked the fourth commandment, moving the day of rest from Saturday to
Sunday, thus changing «times and law».
«The Pope is of so great authority and power that he can modify, explain, or
interpret even divine laws.» (L. Ferraris, «Prompta Bibliotheca», Volume VI,
"Papa II", p.25).
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Daniel 7:25
The saints shall be given into his hand for a time and
times and half a time.
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The reign of the little horn was to last 1260 years (3½ times = 3½ x 360 days
= 1260 days, that is, 1260 years, as we have already seen in many lessons so far).
Now, the papacy reigned exactly 1260 years: from A.D. 538, when the last of the three
tribes rejecting its power - the Ostrogoths - was eliminated, until 1798, when the papacy
lost its political power, as French general Berthier took Pope Pius VI prisoner.
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Daniel 8:9
Out of one of [the four horns] came a little horn.
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The identifying marks of Daniel chapter 8 also
point to the papacy.
First, our lesson «The Ram and the Goat» showed
us that the little horn describes not only the papacy, but also the Roman Empire, since it
succeeded the Greek Empire.
This fusion between the Roman Empire and the papacy indicates that the little horn indeed
symbolizes a power closely linked with the name of Rome.
In fact, having received authority from the hands of the Roman Empire, the papacy is also
called «Papal Rome».
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Daniel 7:7,8,19,20
Behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible,
exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and
trampling the residue with its feet.
It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns.
I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among
them (...).
Then I wished to know the truth about the fourth beast, which was different from all the
others, exceedingly dreadful, (...) and about the ten horns that were on its head, and
about the other horn which came up.
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The prophecy of Daniel chapter 7 already told us
that the identity of the little horn was closely linked with the name of Rome.
In fact, we have seen the little horn coming up, like the other ten horns, directly from
the head of the fourth beast, which symbolizes the Roman Empire.
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Daniel 8:10,11
And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down
some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them.
He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host.
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Revelation 19:13,14
His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in
heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
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The papacy «grew up to the host of heaven», «as high as the Prince of the host», who is Jesus, Prince of the
heavenly armies.
How did this happen?
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Daniel 8:10,11
And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down
some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them.
He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices
were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down.
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The papacy took away «the daily sacrifices» from
the Prince of the host, and cast down «the place of His sanctuary».
By claiming to be the mediator between God and men, the pope elevated himself to the place
of Jesus, robbing Him of His ministry of intercession in the heavenly sanctuary.
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Daniel 8:12
Because of transgression, an army was given over to the
horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground.
He did all this and prospered.
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Teaching salvation by works, rather than salvation by grace, the papacy
attacked Jesus' work of sacrifice.
In addition to casting a shadow over this perfect work, it «cast
truth down to the ground» about many other subjects, allowing doctrines coming
from paganism to take the place of the Bible's teachings.
The lesson «Letter to the Church of Thyatira»
showed us some of the false doctrines which were introduced in the Church by the papacy.
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Daniel 8:16,23
And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai,
who called, and said, «Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.» (...)
«In the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors have reached their fullness,
a king shall arise, having fierce features, who understands sinister schemes.»
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The angel Gabriel was sent to explain to Daniel the meaning of the vision of
chapter 8, and to give him interesting details about the little horn.
He confirmed that the leader of this power would be a king «having
fierce features» and «sinister schemes», as we had
already seen in Daniel 7.
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Daniel 8:24
His power shall be mighty, but not by his own power.
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The power of the papacy indeed came from an outer source.
It first came from the Roman Empire, when, in A.D. 313, Roman emperor Constantine embraced
the Christian cause, which elevated the Church to a position of undisputed popularity and
power.
Then, from 313 to 538, the power of the papacy came from surrounding nations with which it
made alliances.
The cost of these alliances was a number of doctrinal compromises which resulted in a sad
mixture of Christianity and paganism within the Church.
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Daniel 8:24,25
He shall destroy fearfully, and shall prosper and thrive;
he shall destroy the mighty, and also the holy people.
Through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper under his hand; and he shall magnify
himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity.
He shall even rise against the Prince of princes.
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In addition to rising against Jesus, «the Prince of
princes», and against His people, the papacy also destroyed «many»
to achieve its aim.
Crusades against the Muslims, from the 11th century to the 13th century, and the
Inquisition against the «heretics», are only a few examples of its «sinister
schemes» (Daniel 8:23).
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Daniel 8:25
He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; but he
shall be broken without human hand.
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Fortunately, the sad reign of the little horn will end abruptly, «without human hand», at the end of the world.
This destruction is not the end of its 1260-year reign (which ended in 1798), but rather
the end of its second reign, which will come to an end at Jesus' return.
In our next lessons, we will study this return to life of the papacy which has reigned,
since 1929, over the state of Vatican.
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Daniel 7:25-27
The saints shall be given into his hand for a time and
times and half a time.
But the court shall be seated, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and
destroy it forever.
Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven,
shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom.
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The prophecy about the little horn ends happily.
God will put an end to the papacy's domination, and will establish His everlasting kingdom
for all those who have responded to His call to salvation.
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Let's thank God for His prophetic Word:
Father,
You have shown us that the little horn symbolizes the papacy, a power which tried to
change Your law, and which made war against Your people for 1260 years.
On the other hand, we know that You love sincere people who are still in the papal system,
and that You call them to come out of this system, and join Your Church.
Please give us the courage we need to leave this system, in order to join Your people,
take a stand for You, and worship only You.
In the precious name of Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
The test of Lesson 64 is waiting for you!