Decoding Daniel: The Rise of a Man Who Will Be a God

The book of Daniel is more than a collection of ancient tales; it is a profound blueprint of human history and a solemn warning for the final days. The prophetic visions Daniel received were so overwhelming that they left him physically ill, a testament to the gravity of God’s revelations about the end of the ages. For the discerning believer, this is a call to pay close attention to the details of what is to come.

Before we look at the prophecy yet to be fulfilled, it's crucial to understand the foundation upon which our confidence rests: God’s perfect track record. The vision in Daniel, chapter 8, begins with a two-horned ram, which was explicitly identified as the Medo-Persian Empire.The prophet's description of one horn growing higher than the other perfectly mirrored history, as Persia overtook Media to become the dominant power.This was followed by a furious he-goat that "did not seem to touch the ground," a stunningly precise image of the lightning-fast conquests of Alexander the Great . At the height of his power, the great horn was broken off, a foretelling of Alexander's death at a young age . In its place, four lesser horns arose, representing the four generals among whom his empire was divided.

This impeccable historical fulfillment serves as a powerful, verifiable testament to the accuracy of God's word. The same God who foretold the rise and fall of these ancient empires with perfect clarity has also given us a detailed picture of the ultimate world ruler: the Antichrist.

The Antichrist: A Two-Stage Prophecy

The prophecy of the "little horn" in Daniel 8 has a dual fulfillment. Its immediate, historical fulfillment was in the actions of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a ruthless ruler who seized power through cunning and deceit . He was a man of "fierce countenance" who persecuted the Jewish people and blasphemously defiled the Jerusalem temple by sacrificing a pig on the altar . This act of desecration, known as the "Abomination of Desolation," was a chilling prefigurement of a greater evil to come .

The Bible makes it clear that Antiochus was a type of antichrist, but not the final one . The ultimate Antichrist will not simply be "against" Christ but also "in place of" Christ . He will be a satanic substitute for the true Messiah, using his position to deceive the world . He will be a man of extraordinary charisma, described as a "golden-tongued orator" with extreme good looks and a magnetic personality that makes him virtually irresistible to the masses . He will come not as a conqueror, but as a man of peace and prosperity, offering a "workable formula for world peace" . He will control the world's wealth and even promise to end world hunger and class distinctions.The world will flock to him, embracing him as a "godsend".

A central truth for understanding this final era is the concept of the "Restrainer" mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2. According to prophecy, the Antichrist cannot be revealed until the "one who now restrains it is removed".This is understood to be the Holy Spirit, working through the Church. The removal of the Restrainer is directly tied to the Rapture of all believers, an event that will set the stage for the Tribulation period . The great moral decay and widespread apostasy we are witnessing today are not random; they are signs that the stage is being set for the Antichrist's arrival .

The Unholy Agenda and the Triumphant End

After rising to global power through deceit and flattery, the Antichrist will show his true colors. The man of peace will become a merciless dictator who will wage war against the "holy people". His hatred will be particularly focused on the Jewish people, whom he will try to exterminate.

The climax of his evil will be his re-enactment of the Abomination of Desolation . He will break his covenant with Israel, enter a newly rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem, sit on God's throne, and declare himself to be God, demanding worship from all of humanity . This act is the ultimate manifestation of Satan's ancient pride, echoing his original sin in Isaiah 14:14: "I will be like the Most High" .

But for all his power and satanic empowerment, the Antichrist is a mere puppet in God's divine plan, and his reign is short-lived. The final, futile act of his rebellion will be gathering the armies of the world at the Battle of Armageddon to fight the returning Jesus Christ. Daniel's prophecy is clear: "he shall be broken without hand" . The Antichrist's intricate rise to power will be ended by a supernatural act of pure divine power . As the apostle Paul confirmed, Jesus will "consume" him "with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming".

The Antichrist and the False Prophet will be captured and cast alive into the Lake of Fire, their eternal prison . His defeat is not a tragic end but an effortless, supernatural event that affirms the absolute sovereignty of Jesus Christ.

The prophecy of Daniel is not meant to be a source of fear. Instead, it serves to equip believers with spiritual discernment and a sense of mission . Jesus told us that the ultimate sign of the end is when "the gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come". Our response to prophecy is not to fear the future, but to be an obedient part of making the gospel known.

DMMC 9-17-25