The Prophecy of Daniel 7 by W. A. S.

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 16, 1915

The Prophecy of Daniel 7

By W. A. S.

Part 2. The Fourth Kingdom and the “Little Horn”

It was the fourth great monarchy, Imperial Rome, and the events to follow it, that engaged the anxious inquiry of the prophet. He says:—

“Then would I know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; and of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows. I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.” Dan. 7: 19-22.

The prophet wanted to know the truth about it; and the angel told him the truth. First, the angel said:—

“The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.” Verse 23.

The fourth kingdom, as we have seen, was Rome. As Cardinal Manning said of the empire, “It was ‘exceeding terrible,’ according to the prophecies of Daniel; it was as it were of iron, breaking down and subduing the nations.”

Of the ten horns that appeared out of this fourth great empire, the angel said:—

“And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise; and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.” Verse 24.

We look to the history of the Roman Empire, and what do we see? — Just the picture of the prophecy. We see the original Roman Empire of the West divided into lesser kingdoms. We see the barbarian peoples of the North, sweeping down upon the empire, breaking it up, and establishing within its boundaries the various kingdoms that are to this day represented by the kingdoms of western Europe.

And as we watch the history at this point, we surely see “another little horn,” another kind of power, rising among the horns representing the kingdoms of divided Rome — a kingdom, yet a kingdom “diverse” from the others. The work of this power riveted the attention of the prophet; and it is of the greatest importance that we also should watch closely to catch the lesson of the divine prophecy.

The Prophetic and Historic Pictures of the “Little Horn”

This is plainly the picture presented by the prophet, as we look again, observing details more closely:—

The prophet beheld the division of the Roman Empire into lesser kingdoms. Then, springing up among these kingdoms, he saw the little-horn power, subduing three of the ten kingdoms, speaking great words, and making war with the saints of God. It was to be a religious power, then, ruling among the kings of the earth, and asserting religious dominion over the faith and consciences of men. “The same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them.”

We look to history, and this is what plainly appears:—

We see, as described in the prophecy, a time when ten contemporaneous kingdoms filled the territory of the original Western Empire. Just there we see an ecclesiastical kingly power rise to religious supremacy — the Roman Papacy.

We see, through its influence, three of the ten kingdoms overthrown, “plucked up by the roots”—three Arian, or heretical kingdoms. And as we watch the history, we find this power making “war with the saints” and prevailing against them through long ages.

A Roman Catholic writer describes it in a paragraph:—

Long ages ago, when Rome through the neglect of the Western emperors was left to the mercy of barbarous hordes, Romans turned to one figure for aid and protection, and asked him to rule them; and thus, in this simple manner, the best title of all to kingly right, commenced the temporal sovereignty of the popes. And meekly stepping to the throne of Cæsar, the vicar of Christ took up the scepter to which the emperors and kings of Europe were to bow in reverence through so many ages.—Rev. Jas. P. Conroy, in American Catholic Quarterly Review, April, 1911.

Yet again we look at the picture presented in prophecy. Then we turn to history; and precisely where and when the prophet saw the “little horn” coming up, we see the Roman Papacy rising to supremacy. We see this ecclesiastical power wielding a kingly scepter among the kingdoms of divided Rome, exalting itself above them, with a look “more stout than its fellows.” We hear it speaking great words, and we see it carrying on warfare against the saints.

Clearly, there was no other power in history, rising at that time and in that place, which suggests the slightest correspondence to the prophecy. In every detail the Roman Papacy does correspond to it.

The prophetic outline has brought us to the rise of the great apostasy, so fully dealt with in New Testament prophecy. Yet further specifications in this prophecy of the seventh of Daniel demand brief study.

W. A. S.