Detective Mystery Part 2

Disclaimer: If you have not already read the first part of this series, please go and do so in “Keepsakes” from our website. It is called “Detective Mystery, Part 1”.

Last week, you began to identify what the little horn is in Daniel 7. So this week, we’ll dive into it again, and continue our epic search! This week we’ll find clues by reading the bible!

Let’s look at where we left off last week. We had just identified what the four great big beasts were. There was Babylon, a lion, Medo-Persia, a bear, Greece, a leopard, and finally Rome, which appeared as an indescribable beast. Then, right as we ended, ten horns appeared. No official nation followed Rome; instead, it broke into ten different kingdoms. But, then, something fascinating happens to these horns.

“I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.” (NKJV, Daniel 7.8)

So basically, to summarize that verse, another horn came up and plucked out three of the first ten horns. And this little horn has eyes like a man, and a mouth like a man, speaking blasphemous words. Oh my! This is a lot to digest. Also, we never thought about what a horn symbolizes.

If you think about it, you could probably figure out that the horns are kingdoms. In history, ten kingdoms followed Rome, so this is another kingdom. Also, in Daniel 7:24, it makes that pretty clear! Now that we have established that, we can keep looking for more clues that might help us unlock this mystery.

In Daniel 7:20 and 7:8, it says that it starts out small, and then becomes a great nation, stronger than all the rest of the kingdoms.

From what we’ve already read, in Daniel 7:7-8, it comes up after the ten other horns. So this little kingdom emerged after Rome was divided in 476 A.D. Also, in Daniel 7:8, it comes up among the ten horns. This nation is in the same area as the other ten horns; Europe.

It plucks up 3 horns from their roots. History tells us that three kingdoms - the Heruli, the Vandals, and the Ostrogoths - were completely destroyed as this horn became a nation. The last of the three to be eradicated, the Ostrogoths, was destroyed in A.D. 538. So now we know the EXACT year this horn began its terrible reign.

It will be different from other nations. All the other nations we have looked at have been secular kingdoms. They haven’t claimed to speak for God. This kingdom, however, will be a church kingdom.

It will persecute God’s people. It will think to change God’s times and laws. It will think because no one can actually change God’s laws.

And finally, the last clue tells us how long it reigns. It will reign for a time, times, and half a time. You can easily see this is 1260 days by comparing Revelation 12:6 with Revelation 12:14.  In Bible prophecy, a day equals a year, so it is in power for 1260 years.

Wow. Now we have a lot of information. Just check the bible if you want to make sure everything I just shared is true. You got it - Daniel 7. Now, we need to start putting these clues together.

Is there one kingdom that has all these characteristics? Well, as you might imagine, it sounds a lot like the Roman Catholic Church and the Papacy. But, just to make sure, we should double-check. You know, we want to be good detectives and come to the truth, not just speculation.

So, the Papacy did start small and grow big, so that clue is right. Next, it did come up after the other horns were in place. Yes, it was in Europe in the same place the other horns were. Also true - it plucked up the three horns and began in A.D. 538.

Yes, this kingdom was a church kingdom. It claimed to speak for God. It persecuted God’s people and tried to change his ten commandments, and times. They thought to change the law that says that you should worship God on the seventh day of the week; instead, they decided to change the time to Sunday, the first day of the week.

Now, if it began in A.D. 538, and it reigned for 1260 years. That takes us to 1798. What important thing happened in 1798? We know from history that in 1798 a ruler in France named Napoleon got tired of taking orders from the pope. Napoleon sent his General named Berthier to take Pope Pius the 6th captive.

Wait, so are all these clues really lining up? It would appear as they are. The little horn mentioned in Daniel 7 is the Roman Catholic Church. Jesus sent those signs to warn people not to be deceived by them.

Remember, God always wants us to watch out for counterfeit churches. That's why he gave us the Bible - to give us warnings!

Work Cited:

"Daniel 7 (NKJV) - I was considering the horns,." Blue Letter Bible. Web. 24 Apr, 2023. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/nkjv/dan/7/8/s_857008>.    

"Daniel 7 (NKJV) - The ten horns [are] ten." Blue Letter Bible. Web. 24 Apr, 2023. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/nkjv/dan/7/24/s_857024>.