Daniel 8:10,11,25b: The little horn, Antichrist!, frontman of Satan, the original Antichrist!
Study:
Recall Daniel 8's little horn:
Notice it says "...cast down ... the stars to the ground..." Where have we seen this before?
Revelation parallels Daniel's "...cast down ... the stars to the ground..." with "...the stars of heaven ... cast ... to the earth..."
Notice how this obvious parallel can be extended to the not so obvious:
(angels/heavenly messengers)
(true believers/earthly messengers)
(leader of the angelic host)
(???)
Note: Daniel 8's "the host and the stars" refer to human beings as the "little horn" is an earthly, human power namely, papal Rome or the Roman church.
Who is Daniel's "the prince of the host"? The parallel nature of our above passages would seem to indicate that this is none other than Michael. Daniel would not have us be in doubt and so gives us the answer in Daniel 10 and Daniel 12.
"But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia." Daniel 10:13
"But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince." Daniel 10:21
"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book." Daniel 12:1
So the leader of both the angelic host and the earthly, human host is the same being namely, Michael.
Recall the following past points...
- the little horn is attached to the he-goat,
- the he-goat, spiritually, is the devil, and
- the little horn is papal Rome or the Roman church when he moves vertically or heavenward (as opposed to when he moves horizontally, representing pagan Rome).
Notice now, the following connection between these two events, that of Daniel and Revelation.
of Evil Power
(spiritually,
the Devil)
of the he-goat
(Rome, papal)
(the Devil's frontman)
The devil with his angels, a third of the stars of heaven, are cast out of heaven to the earth by Michael and his angels. In response, the Devil raises up a frontman on the earth (a fleshy human extension of his spirit self), the "little horn" power, papal Rome or the Roman church. In retaliation, the "little horn" casts down some of the stars and of the host of Michael, Christ's true disciples, to the ground and stamps on them, persecuting and destroying them.
Question: Who is Michael? Does he have any connection to Christ? Recall that Michael is named in the same chapters where the "man in linen", Christ, appears. Neither of them appears without the other. Why? I'll give you time to ponder that because we will return to it later.
Recall, once again, Daniel 8's "...cast down ... the stars to the ground..." Aside from Revelation 12, have we seen this anywhere else? Yes! Isaiah 14!
"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners?" Isaiah 14:12-17
Isaiah mentions "stars of God" and, as we have previously seen, "Lucifer, son of the morning" is the "morning star" and he is "fallen from heaven ... cut down to the ground [or earth]." This definitely parallels the imagery of Daniel 8. In fact, it clearly describes the fall of Satan as depicted in Revelation 12.
Did you notice our passage has structure? Notice,
This outer material draws us into the material of interest to us, verses 13,14, and also emphasizes the presence of structure. Now to verse 13,14... First, notice the repeated words and imagery.
"For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." Isaiah 14:13,14
It is easier to show you the structure and then explain it so here it is.
Structure:
"For thou hast said in thine heart,"
in the sides of the north:
Obviously, the contents of the structure are the desires of Satan's heart.
Layer A:
The imagery of "ascending."
Layer B1 & B2:
A "throne" and to "sit" on it. But where is this throne that Lucifer wants to sit on? The answer is found in a "mount" and "sides of the north."
"Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King." Psalm 48:1,2
Isaiah 14's imagery comes from Mount Zion, Jerusalem. The mount of the congregation refers to the site of the temple, which was situated on the north of mount Zion. Satan desired to sit in the temple. Where? Does the temple have a throne or seat? Yes! The ark of the testimony or covenant! It is here that God met to talk with Moses. It was here that his presence was to be seen.
"And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel." Exodus 25:22
Notice that where God meets with Moses, "above the mercy seat," it is called a "seat."
Layer B:
Satan thought that he could be "like the most High" by just sitting in His throne and having His power and authority and the worship of the universe. He thought it was unnecessary to have God's character or follow His Law of Love.
There was a problem with Satan's desires. Rulership does not pass from one house to another without the death of the old house. For Satan to have these desires meant he had to be willing to kill God.
"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it." John 8:44
But Satan was cast out. So what happened to his desire? As was stated before, he raised up a frontman, the "little horn." Since he could not accomplish his desire in heaven he accomplished an earthly equivalent through his frontman.
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." 2 Thessalonians 2:3,4
Notice these verses carry the same message as those of Isaiah 14:13,14, a desire to be like God only by having his seat, power, authority and worship but not by having his character.
in his temple:
I will sit also upon the mount of the congre-
gation, in the sides of the north:
sitteth in the temple of God,
How do we know that 2 Thessalonians 2 is the "little horn", papal Rome? How do we know that this is describing the church? Because of what Paul says prior to these verse and because of how the early church Father's understood it what follows.
"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;" 2 Thessalonians 2:3
Paul is speaking to the Christian church, specifically, the church at Thessalonica, a gentile church, when he says"...that day [the Second Coming of Christ] shall not come, except there be a falling away..." A falling away of what? Because he is speaking to the church it seems obvious that he is talking of a falling away of the church. (See Acts 20:29,30 for a similar conversation with the church of Ephesus.) This is confirmed by the title given to this falling away, "the man of perdition," a designation of Christ for Judas, his betrayer, one of the 12 original leaders of the Christian church. That Paul uses this title implies that this falling away, like Judas, will appear to by Christian, all the while betraying Christ.
"And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time." 2 Thessalonians 2:6
The "what withholdeth" has been understood by many of the early church Fathers, to be the Roman Empire. In other words, this falling away would only become visible after the fall of the Roman Empire. So the "falling away" according to Paul is both Christian, or Christian appearing, and it appears after the Roman Empire. Is this not the description of the "little horn" in its verticle or heavenward movement? This is papal Rome or the church of Rome.
In summary:
In heaven:
- Satan, in his heart, sits in God's heavenly temple, the true original, as God,
- Michael casts Satan and his angels out of heaven down to the earth.
On the earth, Satan creates a frontman, the "little horn":
- the "little horn" sits in God's earthly temple, the church, as God,
- the "little horn" casts Michael's earthly angels, his true disciples, down to the ground, persecuting and killing.
Note: Satan retaliates for being cast out by casting down Christ's true folowers and he accomplishes on earth what he could not in heaven, receiving worship as God through the papal church's worship of the pope.
Recall, once again, Daniel 8's little horn:
We want to understand this first line, "the host of heaven"... (after all, we know what the other two lines are: (1) "the host and the stars" are Christ' true followers and (2) "the prince of the host" is Michael).
So, what is the host of heaven?
"And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven,..." Deuteronomy 4:19
"And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;" Deuteronomy 17:3
"...them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven." 2 Kings 23:5
So the host of heaven is the sun, moon, planets, stars, etc. The importance of this is that "the host of heaven" refers to more than just the stars. If the stars are Michael's angels (His earthly and heavenly angels)... then the host of heaven, which includes all the different types of heavenly bodies, must refer to God's universe encompassing government, all levels of it, from the individual inhabitants of planets to the different angelic hierarchies to the cherubim by God's throne, all headed by God himself. "it waxed great, even to the host of heaven" is an attack on God's government and thus an attack on God. But we all ready knew this! Isaiah 14:13,14 told us so.
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