Prophetic Expositions, vol. 1

WHO IS THE LITTLE HORN OF THE EIGHTH OF DANIEL?

Having gone through with my argument on the 2300 days, I will spend a few moments on the little horn; not because I think the decision essential to the argument, but for the sake of those who may wish light in reference to it. PREX1 141.4

I. Some say it is Mahomedism. To this I object,-First; because Mahomedism did not come out of one of the four horns of the goat, but out of Arabia, which Alexander never conquered. Secondly; the little horn “became great, but not by his own power;” but Mahomedism became great by its own efforts and prowess. Thirdly; the little horn waxed great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the pleasant land; whereas Mahomedism arose in the south and increased toward the north. Fourthly; the little horn waxed great even to the host of heaven, the church, and magnified himself even to the prince of the host. But Mahomedism neither professed to be the only church of Jesus Christ, nor to be Jesus Christ, and exercise his prerogatives and fill his place. PREX1 142.1

II. Some say the little horn is Rome, both pagan and papal. They contend, 1. That Home came out of Greece, as the ten horns, or barbarian kingdoms came out of Rome, by conquering and establishing their power there. 2. That Rome became great, not by its own power, but by the power of God. God gave them their dominion, as he did Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel 2:3. 3. They did wax great to the host of heaven, the church, when Constantine embraced and adopted Christianity as the religion of the empire, and finally, when Rome became the papal church. 4. Rome papal, magnified himself even to the prince of the host, Jesus Christ, in the pretensions of the pope. 5. Rome waxed great toward the south, and toward the pleasant land, Palestine. 6. Rome cast down some of the host and of the stars (saints and Christian ministers) to the ground, and stamped upon them, during both the pagan and papal form. It also destroyed the mighty and holy people, whether we understand either Jews or Christians. 7. They who apply it to Rome would explain “by him the daily was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was cast down,” by adopting the marginal reading; and FROM him (Rome) the daily, paganism, shall be taken away and the place of his, the daily’s sanctuary, the city of Rome, was cast down. “A host, an army was given him, Rome papal, against the daily, and it (the host or army of popery) cast down truth to the ground, and it practised and prospered. 8. Rome has ever been Anti-Christ, and will, in the final issue, in the battle of that great day of God Almighty, stand up against the Prince of princes, Jesus Christ, and be broken without hand: that is, by Almighty power, like the great image of Daniel, second chapter. PREX1 142.2

III. To the foregoing interpretation I have no very particular objections, except that the character of the little horn appears to me to be more perfectly met in popery alone, than by including pagan Rome. 1. Popery came out of Greece, one of the four horns of the goat. 2. It became great by the power of the Greek emperors, who gave the Pope his supremacy, and conquered and gave him Rome. 3. Popery has spread to the south, into Africa; to the east, all over the eastern world; and in the time of the crusades, the banner of the cross waved on Mount Zion. 4. Popery boasts itself the exclusive church of Christ; and the pope professes to be the vicegerant of Christ on earth. 5. Popery has murdered her 50,000,000 of the saints of God. 6. The daily was taken away by or for popery, to make way for it; the same as three of the ten horns are said to be plucked up by the roots by the little horn, in chapter 7. They were plucked up to make way for him. So the daily was taken away by or for him, etc. 7. He is to stand up against Christ in the last great battle. 8. And finally, the strongest reason I have to urge in favor of understanding the little horn to be popery, is, that it is “a little horn;” the same emblem which is used in the 7th chapter, where it most clearly means popery. PREX1 143.1

One or the other of these powers it must mean. Which one, it is immaterial, so long as the Roman beast and little horn will be destroyed together, as being parts of the same whole; or rather, the one being a whole, and the other a part of it. I am as willing it should be understood of one as the other. Only I rejoice that the time is so near when the whole man of sin will be destroyed by the brightness of Christ’s coming. PREX1 144.1

Note 1. On the import of the word rendered, in our common translation of Daniel 9:24, “determined,” in addition to the authorities cited page 133, for rendering it “cut off,” I find also that Leigh’s Critica Sacra, a learned and critical work, published in 1650, gives it the same definition. PREX1 144.2

Note 2. On the date of the seventy weeks of Daniel, ninth chapter, since writing the preceding argument in favor of dating them in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, I find, by reference to the Annals of the World, by Arch-bishop Usher, that he dates them at the same point. PREX1 144.3