TUESDAY, MAY 22
Daniel 7:8, 20-25
2 Thessalonians 2:3-12, Revelation 1:1-20

“Let no man deceive you …”

THE LITTLE HORN

We now intrude into an area of predictive prophecy where even professors of theology fear to tread. The views here expressed must therefore be regarded as only tentative and not authoritative. After all, the writer is only a physician.

Our chief interest is the identity of the “little horn,” the eleventh, which grew up after the ten horns of the fourth beast. The “little” (Dan 7:8) refers to its being the last to appear (i.e. youngest, eg. little sister or little brother). Notwithstanding its youth, this “horn” or “power” excels its ten older fellows in brilliance, intelligence, knowledge (“eyes of man”), in domineering eloquence (“mouth speaking great things”), in size (eg. population and geographic size, “more stout than his fellows”).

Let us pause and piece together the scattered clues to the little horn’s identity. It is a power (people or nation) of West European roots, appearing after its fellow European sister nations, but more brilliant and knowledgeable, bigger in population and geographic size than any of the ten. It has great dominance over the ten and has no difficulty dismissing or removing three of the ten-power Federation of Western Europe. What country or world power could it be? But there are more clues. The little horn also shall “… speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High …” (Dan 7:25). His highhanded reign will last three-and-a-half years (“a time and times and the dividing of time”). He is also the man of sin (2 Thess 2:3-4), and also the Antichrist (Rev 13:5- 8) who will be a man arising from a Western nation, satanically energized, setting himself up to be worshipped, working signs and wonders. He will set up a new economic order and a system of trading, so that “… no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Rev 13:17). As for the Antichrist country, many clues point to one Western country which dominates the world, and is the mightiest nation in the world.

THOUGHT: If Antichrist is coming, can Christ be far behind?
PRAYER: Father, may I walk closely with Thee in these end times.