Antiochus403

 

              The Little Horn of Daniel 8
                              Theory 2 - Antiochus Epiphanes
 

    

      The standard preterist interpretation is that Daniel 8:9 is Antiochus

      Epiphanies alone.  He fulfilled  the prophecy  perfectly  and there is

      nothing  more signified.  The prophecy  has  no significance  for our

      generation.

 

      The problems with this theory are well known.
 

                                  Comparative Greatness

                                   Antiochus was not that Great

 

       And  out  of one of  them  came  forth  a little horn,  which waxed

       exceeding  great, toward the south, and  toward  the  east, and

       toward the pleasant land. Dan 8:9.

 

                       Da 8:4  Cyrus was great.

                       Da 8:8  Alexander was very great:

                       Da 8:9  The little horn, was to be exceeding great.

 

       Antiochus was a weakling  compared  to either Cyrus or Alexander

       the Great both of whom conquered the known world in their day.

 

 

                        South, East and the Pleasant Land

                         Antiochus Conquered No One

 

            And out of one  of them came forth  a little horn, which waxed

            exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and

            toward the pleasant land.

       

      1. To the South - He had limited military success against Egypt but

            Rome prevented him from conquering Alexandria.

      2. The Pleasant Land -  His father conquered Palestine. Antiochus

            merely inherited this territory.

      3. The East - Antiochus  died trying to conquer  the East.  But, he 

            was not successful in this theater.

 


                             Anti-Temple Activities

                   Antiochus Did not Cast the Temple Down

 

       He (the little horn) magnified himself even to the prince of the host,

       and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his

       sanctuary was cast down. Dan 8:11

 

      Antiochus  desecrated  the  temple and  he briefly caused the daily

      sacrifices to cease. But, he did no damage the the temple itself. In

      fact he used the temple to set up the worship of Jupiter Olympius.

                           Right Place But Wrong Time

                     He Did Not live in the "Time of the End"

 

      So he came near where I stood:  and when he came,  I was afraid,

      and fell upon my face:  but he said unto me, Understand, O son of

      man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision. Dan 8:17

 

      Antiochus emerged from the Selucid dynasty. This  was one of the

      four horns  of the divided Greek empire.  However,  he lived at the

      wrong time to fulfill the prophecy.

 

      The vision was for the time of  the end (8:17).  At a bare minimum

      Daniel's prophecies had  to extend  to the time of Christ (9:24-27).

      The little horn  would  have  to  extend  beyond Christ's lifetime to

      coincide with the time of the end. But, Antiochus died in 164 BC.

 

      Daniel Chapter 8 verses