TABLE OF CONTENTS:

 

INTRODUCTION.

WHAT THE LITTLE HORN DOES.

THE REIGN OF ANTIOCHUS IV EPIPHANES.

THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION.

 

 

INTRODUCTION

 

 

Antiochus Epiphanes is touted as being the “little horn” of Daniel 8:9, and the personage of Daniel 11:31.  Let’s see how well that holds up.  To see who the “little horn” really is, see my Bible Study on the Old Testament of Daniel, Chapter Eight, and especially Chapter Eleven.

 

Most of the belief of Antiochus Epiphanes being the personage of Daniel, Chapter Eight, comes from the Apocryphal books of 1 and 2 Maccabees; which is an attempt by the Roman Catholic church to get your eyes off of them as identifying the “little horn” of the Bible.

 

 

WHAT THE LITTLE HORN DOES

 

 

We will not discuss here everything that this “little horn” does, but only those things that either identify this entity as being Antiochus Epiphanes, or someone else.

 

According to Daniel 8:11, this personage “magnified himself even to” Jesus.  Also, he will “cast down” “the place of” Christ’s “Sanctuary.”  Jesus was not a High Priest during the time of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (B.C. 175-164).

 

Also, according to Daniel 8:18, this personage will appear “at the time of the end.”  This cannot be the historical Antiochus Epiphanes.  This also plays out in Daniel 8:19:  “in the last end of the indignation; for at the time appointed the end shall be.”

 

According to Daniel 11:20, there was “a raiser of taxes.”  According to Luke 2:1, this was “Caesar Augustus.”  Then, in Daniel 11:21, we have a person who replaces “Caesar Augustus,” which we are told is, “Tiberius Caesar,” Luke 3:1. Then, we are told in Daniel 11:22, during the time of these Caesars, “the Prince of the covenant,” Jesus,” will “be broken,” crucified.  This is around 31 A.D.  Antiochus IV Epiphanes, reigned only 11 years from B.C. September 175 to B.C. December 164.  That Jesus is “the Prince of the covenant,” see Daniel 9:25 & 27.

 

 

THE REIGN OF ANTIOCHUS IV EPIPHANES

 

 

All historians agree that Antiochus IV Epiphanes reign was BEFORE Christ.  Yet, by the time we get to Daniel 11:31, Jesus has already been crucified.  Therefore, this text cannot be referring to Antiochus.  See my Bible Study on this Chapter Eleven of Daniel to find out who this really is.

 

Also, Daniel 11:35 states that this Daniel 11:31 event will take place “even to the time of the end.”  These are speaking of the same events as in Daniel, Chapter Eight.  Compare with:

 

Daniel 8:11 “magnified himself” -- to -- Daniel 11:36-37 “exalt[ed] himself”

Daneil 8:11 “daily sacrifice was taken away” -- to -- Daniel 11:31 “take away the daily sacrifice”

Daniel 8:11 “sanctuary was cast down” -- to -- Daniel 11:31 “pollute the sanctuary”

Daniel 8:12 “host was given him” -- to -- Daniel 11:31 “Arms shall stand on his part”

Daniel 8:19 “In the last end of the indignation -- to -- Daniel 11:36 “Shall prosper till the indignation”

Daneil 8:17 “The time of the end” -- to -- Daniel 11:35 “even to the time of the end”

 

My point is, the “little horn” of Daniel, Chapter Eight, is matching the personage of Daniel, Chapter Eleven, perfectly.  And if we remember, the “king of the north” is after the time of Jesus.  Thus, we cannot conclude that the “little horn” is before the time period of Jesus Christ.  Conclusion.  This cannot be referring to Antiochus.  Plus, Antiochus was Greek, not Roman.

 

Antiochus Epiphanes was only one king (B.C. 175-164) in the middle of a line of Seleucid rulers (B.C. 312-63); and was not at “the latter end” of the Grecian kingdoms (Dan. 8:23).  He did interrupt the Jewish sacrifices for 1,080 days.  But that does not match any of the prophetic time periods as given to us by our Lord through Daniels ministry.

 

In a side note.  In an attempt to cut the 2300 days prophecy in half (1150) in order to fit the 1,080 days of conquest, this simply does not work.

 

Also, Antiochus Epiphanes did not grow “exceedingly great” like Alexander the Great did (greater than Medo-Persia).  All his campaigns into Egypt, Palestine, and the East ended in failure.

 

 

THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION

 

 

Spoken of by our Lord in Matthew 24:15, although a dual prophecy; both of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and a desecration of God’s Law in the end times, this would obviously be speaking of a time after Christ’s death.  Remember, Daniel 8:11 & 11:31 speaks of this event.  And we shall see that this could not be at a time when Antiochus Epiphanes lived when the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. took place.

 

According to Daniel 8:23, “in the latter time of” the four broken off kingdoms from the Grecian “kingdom,” another kingdom (Rome) would “stand up.”  Here is a list of those kings:

 

Selcucus I Nicator, B.C. June 311 to B.C. September 281;

Antiochus I Soter, B.C. September 281 to B.C. June 261;

Antiochus II Theos, B.C. June 261 to B.C. July 246;

Seleucus II Callinicus, B.C. July 246 to B.C. December 225;

Selcucus III Keraunos (or Soter), B.C. December 225 to B.C. June 222;

Antiochus III the Great, B.C. June 222 to B.C. July 187 (two failed campaigns against the Romans);

Selecucus IV Philopator, B.C. July 187 to B.C. September 175;

Antiochus IV Epiphanes, B.C. September 175 to B.C. December 164 (taken to Rome as a hostage because of the lost campaigns of his father; Antiochus III).  Since his father failed in the North, he succeeded in attacking Egypt to the south.  However, Rome told him to stop and he did.

 

Antiochus is the eighth king of Greece, and there were 29 in all.  So Antiochus is also not the king “in the latter time” of the Grecian kingdoms end in B.C. 66/65.  No matter how you work the dates, none come close to the time of Christ nor the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

 

Finally, Jesus Himself interpreted the “abomination of desolation” the Daniel said would be set up by the “little horn,” Daniel 8:12-13; 9:27; 11:31; 12:11, as being still in the future from His perspective in His first century A.D. life (Mat. 24:15-16).  See also Revelation 12:6 & 14.