Northern Caribbean University

School of Religion and Theology

Research Paper

A Paper
Presented in Partial Fulfillment
of the requirements for the course,

Apocalyptic Literature 1 RELB404

ID#: 20181777

Name: Daniel Crawford

Lecturer: Pr. Odiaka Walker, JP

INTRODUCTION
In the eighth chapter of the book of Daniel, a vision is recorded that shocked and amazed

Daniel. He was unable to fully understand its meaning. In the vision of the eighth chapter, a

small horn stands out, which has become extremely large. While others hold the view that this

horn is Antiochus IV or some other powers. To seventh day Adventist it is identified the little

horn as Rome in its pagan and papal stages. To Seventh-day Adventists this conclusion is

significant because an important pillar of their faith stands secure. Had the little horn been

Antiochus Epiphanes, and the 2,300 days just a period of three and a half years, then the

doctrine of the judgment hour beginning in 1844 would have crumbled. As for the vision itself,
Daniel was shown in turn: a ram, a goat, a large horn, four horns that grew when the main horn

was broken, and finally a small horn that grew out of one of the four horns. It is this small horn

that presents the problem of this research.

TEN COMMENTARIES OF THE LITTLE HORN IN DANIEL 8

• According to Rodney Stortz, the little horn in Daniel 8 is Antiochus IV.

• According to Arthur Bloomfield, the little horn in Daniel 8 is Adolf Hitler.

• According to Francis Darter, the little horn in Daniel 8 is Pagan & Papal Rome

• According to William Glenn, the little horn in Daniel 8 is Kingdom of Rome

• According to Clarence Larkin, the little horn in Daniel 8 is Last Roman emperor at time of

end.

• According to William Pettingill, the little horn in Daniel 8 is A future antichrist.

 • According to Charles Wright , the little horn in Daniel 8 is Seleucid Kingdom

• According to Edward Young, the little horn in Daniel 8 is Antiochus Epiphanes

CORRECT SDA POSITION ON THE LITTLE HORN

Seventh-day Adventists identified the little horn as Rome in its pagan and papal stages. The

work of the little horn (Dan. 8:10-12, 24-26) describes functions carried out by both pagan and

papal Rome. For example, verse 25 speaks about standing against the Prince of princes. The

reference in verses 11 and 25 to being exalted as high as the Prince of the host is reflected in

the papal claim to the office of Christ as Mediator between God and humanity. The persecution

of saints spoken of in Daniel 8 was accomplished in both the pagan and papal stages of the

little-horn power. The Seventh-day Adventist church, from its very beginning, has vigorously

disagreed with the interpretation of Antiochus Epiphanes as the little horn. According to the

official understanding of the church, the horn is a symbol of both the Roman Empire and the

Roman church. This understanding is important to the Adventist church because it is

foundational to their centre-piece doctrine of the investigative judgment, which the church

believes is one of the special truths that God has commissioned it to proclaim to the world.

7 SIMILARITIES OF THE LITTLE HORN OF DANIEL CHAPTERS 7 AND 8

• The four heads of the leopard in Daniel 7 and the four horns of Daniel 8. Are recognized
 as symbols representing the same four kingdoms. Yet, a ten-horned beast succeeds the

four kingdoms in Daniel 7, and a little horn succeeds the four kingdoms in Daniel 8.

• The little horn in Daniel 7:25 his described as one who: Speaks great words against the

Most High. Similar to the little horn of Daniel 8 acts in the same manner: Magnifies

himself to the Prince of the host. v. 11.

• The little horn in Daniel 7:25 his described as one who: Wears out the saints. The little

horn of Daniel 8 acts in the same manner: Destroys the mighty and the holy people. v.

21.
(d) The little horn in Daniel 7:25 is described as one who: Thinks to change times and laws.

The little horn of Daniel 8 acts in the same manner: Casts the truth to the ground. v. 12.

• The little horn of Daniel 7 ends at, the judgment, and the little horn of Daniel 8 reaches

to the time of the end. John the Revelator shows that the judgment hour immediately

precedes the second coming of Christ; therefore, the judgment takes place in the time of

the end. Thus the terms would be synonymous.

• In Daniel 7:8, 20 the little horns eyes speak of his brilliance. Also his ability to fix global
problems has this connotation, similarly, Daniel 8:23 Insolent and skilled in intrigue.

• In Daniel 7:20 the horn looked more imposing than the others, similarly, Daniel 8:23

when rebels have become completely wicked, a stern-faced king.

CONCLUSION

With the evidence in, there is but one conclusion: The little horn is Pagan and Papal Rome.
Unless history was re-written, no other power of the past could qualify as the little horn.

Neither could a power of the future qualify, for the little horn must have its roots in the past.

This conclusion is of special significance to Seventh-day Adventists, and to conservatives in

general. To Seventh-day Adventists this conclusion is significant because an important pillar of

their faith stands secure. Had the little horn been Antiochus Epiphanes, and the 2,300 days just

a period of three and a half years, then the doctrine of the judgment hour beginning in 1844

would have crumbled. There would be no foundation for the Three Angels' Messages. But

Antiochus proved to be a failure; the Pagan and Papal power is the little horn; the judgment
message did go forth in 1844 in verity; the foundation of the Seventh-day Adventist faith is

solid, and it cannot be moved. To the conservatives in general, this conclusion gives a certain

reassurance that the word of God does prophesy of the future. Preterits teach that the majority

Daniel’s prophecies have already been fulfilled and, therefore, have no present significance.

They hold that the little horn rose from one of the divisions of Alexander’s empire; they

specifically identify it with the reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164 B.C.). Futurists follow

this basic line of interpretation as well, though they see Antiochus as a type of an end-time

antichrist appearing in the final years of earth’s history. Historicists declare that the prophecies

in Daniel portray an outline of human and ecclesiastical history from ancient Babylon down to

the end of time, with the little horn power being identified as the Roman Empire, in both its

pagan and papal stages.

The parallels between Daniel 7 and Daniel 8 make it abundantly clear that the little horn

depicted in both visions refer to the same entity, and because the little horn in Daniel 7 cannot

be Antiochus Epiphanes, the little horn in Daniel 8 can’t be either. Besides this parallel, internal

evidence of Daniel 8 regarding the nature, activity, origin, time–frame, and demise of the little

horn prove that the Antiochus interpretation simply doesn’t work. Of the three main prophetic

schools of interpretation, it’s clear that only the historicist is true to the basic meanings of the

texts.
 Bibliography

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Bloomfield, Arthur Edward. What Daniel Knew about Hitler. Rochester, NY: The Interstate
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Darter, Francis M. "The Time of the End": Daniel Identifies Latter Day Temples and Jesus as the
Christ. Los Angeles: Wetzel Publishing Company, 1928.
Glenn, William Newton. Things Foretold, Past, Present, and Future; Lessons in Prophecy for
Children. Oakland, Cal, New York: Pacific Press Pub. Co, 1902.
LARKIN, CLARENCE. The Book of Daniel. GLENSIDE, PA: CLARENCE LARKIN ESTATE,
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Young, Edward J. The Prophecy of Daniel: A Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans
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Pettingill, William L. Simple Studies in Daniel. Findlay, OH: Fundamental Truth Publishers,
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