POST OVERVIEW. (1^st post) A detailed examination and comparison of three portions of end-times Scripture. OBJECTIVE. To discover interpretive clues for better understanding end-times literature in general and understanding these passages in particular. The passages under consideration are Daniel 7:21-27, Revelation 11:3-12, and Revelation 13:1-10.

In this season, I am spending a lot of time reading Revelation and studying how this fascinating final book of the Bible relates and connects to other Scripture. That is partly because I am preparing for a short teaching on Revelation on February 9, but mostly because, the more I study the book of Revelation, the more amazing and interesting the book becomes. This fascination with the beauty of Revelation is further heightened by the state of our world and by the collapsing and disintegration and destruction that we see happening all around us. As we see the chaos ever-accelerating, I cannot help but think that the last trumpet is getting ready to sound and soon we will see the Rider on the white horse (Rev. 19:11).

As I was again reading through Daniel and Revelation earlier this week, I discovered some fascinating connections.

In chapter 7 of his prophecy, Daniel relates to us visions that he saw about four beasts, but also in this chapter there is “a little horn” that appears, and it is this horn that I want to consider. Daniel 7:21 says, “I kept looking and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them.” The little horn here is a manifestation of the antichrist.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON ANTICHRIST

Let’s pause here for a second to give some background about the antichrist. (see “Antichrist” section for further information) The antichrist appears at the end of the age as the human embodiment of all wickedness. He is manifested at least seven times in the Scriptures, first in Ezekiel 38, 39 as Gog prince of Magog, but then again here in Daniel 7 as the little horn, in Daniel 8 (the small horn), in Daniel 9:26 (the prince who is to come), in Daniel 11:21ff (the despicable person), in 2 Thess. 2:3 (the man of lawlessness), and then finally as the beast in Revelation.

COMPARING DANIEL 7:21 WITH REVELATION 11:7 AND 13:7

Daniel 7:21 – “The (little) horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them.”

Rev. 11:7 – “The beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them (two witnesses) and will overcome them and kill them.”

Rev. 13:7 – “It was given to him (the beast) to make war with the saints and to overcome them.”

The fact that these three verses describe, in almost identical words, the actions of the little horn and the beast leads to the logical conclusion that the little horn and the beast are the same person. Not only this, but we can also conclude that, because they are described almost identically, the events of Daniel 7:21 are the same events described in Revelation 11:7 and 13:7 and that they occur at the same time in history. Finally, since the beast will make war with the two witnesses (11:7) and the beast will make war with the saints (13:7), it can be determined that the “two witnesses” of Revelation 11:3-12 is a figurative expression for “the saints” (Dan. 7:21 and Rev. 13:7).

MORE INFORMATION FROM THIS PASSAGE

We have just made three conclusions based on a careful study of these three verses (Dan. 7:21, Rev. 11:7; 13:7), but now we will apply these conclusions to the texts around these three verses to establish a more detailed framework for interpreting these passages. That work will be continued in the next blog post.

Soli Deo gloria            rmb                 1/27/2023                   #615