In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams, wherewith his spirit was troubled, and his sleep brake from him. Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.

And the king said unto them, I have dreamed a dream, and my spirit was troubled to know the dream. Then spake the Chaldeans to the king, O king, live for ever: tell thy servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation.

The king answered and said to the Chaldeans, The thing is gone from me: if ye will not make known unto me the dream, with the interpretation thereof, ye shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made a dunghill. But if ye shew the dream, and the interpretation thereof, ye shall receive of me gifts and rewards and great honour: therefore shew me the dream, and the interpretation thereof.

They answered again and said, Let the king tell his servants the dream, and we will shew the interpretation of it.

The king answered and said, I know of certainty that ye would gain the time, because ye see the thing is gone from me. But if ye will not make known unto me the dream, there is but one decree for you: for ye have prepared lying and corrupt words to speak before me, till the time be changed: therefore tell me the dream, and I shall know that ye can shew me the interpretation thereof.

The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.

For this cause the king was angry and very furious, and commanded to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain. -Daniel 2:1-13

Daniel and his friends had been educated in the Babylonian mystery schools and were therefore subject to the king's decree. Upon hearing this, Daniel approached the king to intervene on behalf of all the wise men. Upon fervent prayer, God revealed not only the dream, but also its meaning to Daniel so he could approach the king to explain it.

The king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?

Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these; as for thee, O king, thy thoughts came into thy mind upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter: and he that revealeth secrets maketh known to thee what shall come to pass. But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but for their sakes that shall make known the interpretation to the king, and that thou mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.

Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, his legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them. And the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

This is the dream; and we will tell the interpretation thereof before the king.

The prophet describes the successive kingdoms that would arise upon the earth culminating in the final destruction of all earthly kingdoms by the stone that was cut out without human hands. The kingdoms described were all closely associated with God's people and the tension between these pagan earthly powers and the people of God serves as a typology for the much greater conflict that will rage between these forces, on a worldwide scale, at the end of time.

The kingdoms described in sequence are Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome.

Head of Gold = Babylon (605-539 B.C.)

Having related the dream, the prophet Daniel gives the interpretation.

You, O king, are the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory; and wherever the sons of men dwell, or the beasts of the field, or the birds of the sky, He has given them into your hand and has caused you to rule over them all. You are the head of gold. -Daniel 2:37,38

Nebuchadnezzar was Babylon personified. Gold was a fitting symbol of Babylon. The historian Herodotus describes the golden image of Marduk seated upon a golden throne before a golden table and a golden altar. Pliny describes robes of the priests interlaced with gold. NeoBabylon was a golden kingdom from the year 605 B.C. to 539 B.C.

And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron. -Daniel 2:39,40

Breast and Arms of Silver = Medo-Persia (539-331 B.C.)

From an astronomical tablet in the Berlin Museum, we have the thirty-seventh regal year of Nebuchadnezzar II to the exact day. Archaeologists have been able to pinpoint exactly the fall of Babylon to Medo-Persia which was October 29, 539 B.C.

After thee, the head of gold, shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee... -Daniel 2:39

Silver is indeed an inferior metal to gold, just as the Medo-Persian empire was considered inferior to the glory of Babylon. Nevertheless, the Medo-Persian empire endured over a century longer than the Babylonians, just as silver is more durable than gold. The fact that Daniel predicted that the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar would come to an end must have come as a tremendous shock to the monarch. The fall of Babylon is described in chapter 5 of the book of Daniel.

Thy kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians. -Daniel 5:28

The kingdom of Medo-Persia was a dual kingdom, but Cyrus of Persia welded the elements of the two kingdoms together. The two arms of the image were thus a fitting symbol for this power. Medo-Persia was represented by silver, just as silver was used for personal adornment by Persian warriors, and was also the metal of their monetary system. The prophecy, however, predicted that this empire would also fall and be replaced by another kingdom.

Belly and Thighs of Brass = Greece (331-168 B.C.)

Another third kingdom of brass which shall bear rule over all the earth. -Daniel 2:39

Daniel 8:20,21 describes Medo-Persia succeeded by a third kingdom of brass or bronze - Greece. However, this was more properly the Macedonian or Hellenistic empire of Alexander the Great and his successors. In three main battles, Alexander swept across the Old World, defeating Persia at the battles of Granicus (334 B.C.), Issus (333 B.C.) and Gaugamela (331 B.C.).

Josephus described this prophecy of Daniel Chapter 2 in these words:

But their empire will be destroyed by another king from the west, clad in bronze. -Josephus, Jewish Antiquities Book X. Daniel, p. 64,65. Quoted in "The Great Histories", Josephus, Washington Sq. Press, 1965.

Bronze was used for body armour, battleaxes and spear tips by the soldiers of Greece. This kingdom would, however, also be replaced by a fourth kingdom.

Legs of Iron = Rome (168 B.C. - 476 A.D.)

Upon Alexander's death at the height of his career his generals divided the empire amongst themselves, and this divided empire then fell prey to the Romans. Since the traditional founding of Rome about 753 B.C., she had emerged as a world conqueror. Rome defeated the Greeks at the Battle of Pydna in 168 B.C., and thus arose, the fourth kingdom as strong as iron. The historian Edward Gibbon made this comment about Rome:

"The arms of the Republic Rome, sometimes vanquished in battle; always victorious in war, advanced with rapid steps to the Euphrates, the Danube, the Rhine, and the Ocean; and the images of gold, of silver, or brass that might serve to represent the nations and their kings, were successively broken by the iron monarch of Rome." -Edward Gibbon, History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol. IV, p. 161.

In the second century, Hippolytus wrote of Rome:

"Rejoice, blessed Daniel! thou hast not been in error: all these things have come to pass...Already the iron rules." -Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 5

Historian Charles Rollin says,

"[The Romans] seized indiscriminately all provinces and kingdoms, and extended their empire over all nations; in a word, they prescribed no other limits to their vast projects, than those which deserts and seas made it impossible to pass" -Ancient History, Vol. 4

The great iron monarchy of Rome was not destined to continue forever. From 351 A.D., barbarian tribes made incursions upon the Roman empire until the last Roman emperor, Romulus Augustulus (the Diminutive Augustus), was dethroned in 476 A.D. Then began the divided age.

Foot of Iron and Clay = Divided Kingdoms of Europe

Daniel describes the divided kingdom of Rome as follows:

And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes part of potters clay and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron; forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay...So the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly broken. -Daniel 2:41,42

After the collapse of Rome in 476 A.D., the empire was divided into ten divisions. These were the kingdoms of the Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Franks, Vandals, Suevi, Alamani, Anglo-Saxons, Heruli, Lombards, and Burgundians. Our modern states of France, England, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and others have, through the centuries, shifted their boundaries and organized themselves into national states and languages.

Daniel noted that the divided kingdoms would be partly strong and partly weak. This is indeed what history teaches us about the states of Europe, of which Germany is a prime example. There were numerous attempts to unite a divided Europe, and great statesmen have tried and failed. Louis XIV, Charles the Great, Napoleon, Bismarck, Kaiser Wilhelm, Adolf Hitler, and even the modern European Community are prime examples.

Besides military force, the nations of Europe have endeavored to become one through political alliances and marriages between the various kingdoms.

And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. -Daniel 2:43

The Revised Standard Version says, "So they will mix with one another in marriage." For political expediency, and in order to strengthen their ties, various members of royalty in Europe have intermarried.

Ferdinand of Aragon married Isabella of Castille uniting these two territories into Spain.

Napoleon, for political unity, divorced Josephine to marry Marie Louise of Austria.

Owing to the many marriages, it is no wonder that Queen Victoria was called the Grandmother of Europe. Yet, with all these marriages for unity, they never succeeded. There will be, and there have been, temporary unions politically, economically and otherwise in Europe, but the unions themselves have not welded the nations into one. The Bible predicts that ethnic differences will remain to the close of time.

In 1799, Napoleon set out to give Europe one ruler, one code, one court of appeal, one coinage. Someone protested to Napoleon that Providence would not permit him to rule the world. He is reported to have said,

"Providence is on the side of the heaviest artillery." -Gordon A. Craig, Europe Since 1815

Heavy June rains came and Napoleon's heaviest artillery could not move. His fine cavalry fell in a sunken road and Wellington defeated him at Waterloo in 1815.

And in the days of these kings shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed . . .but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms and it shall stand forever. -Daniel 2:44

We are waiting for the greatest event in the history of mankind - the overthrow of all the political forces of this planet, and the formation of a kingdom that will never fade or be destroyed. The intervention into the affairs of man by the King of Kings and Lord of Lords is now imminent. This brief prophecy of earthly kingdoms is painfully accurate and lays the groundwork for the detailed prophecies to follow.

In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king a vision appeared to me, Daniel, subsequent to the one which appeared to me previously. I looked in the vision, and while I was looking I was in the citadel of Susa, which is in the province of Elam; and I looked in the vision and I myself was beside the Ulai Canal. Then I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a ram which had two horns was standing in front of the canal. Now the two horns were long, but one was longer than the other, with the longer one coming up last.

I saw the ram butting westward, northward, and southward, and no other beasts could stand before him nor was there anyone to rescue from his power, but he did as he pleased and magnified himself. While I was observing, behold, a male goat was coming from the west over the surface of the whole earth without touching the ground; and the goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes. He came up to the ram that had the two horns, which I had seen standing in front of the canal, and rushed at him in his mighty wrath.

I saw him come beside the ram, and he was enraged at him; and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns, and the ram had no strength to withstand him. So he hurled him to the ground and trampled on him, and there was none to rescue the ram from his power. Then the male goat magnified himself exceedingly. But as soon as he was mighty, the large horn was broken; and in its place there came up four conspicuous horns toward the four winds of heaven.

Out of one of them came forth a rather small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Beautiful Land. It grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth, and it trampled them down. It even magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host; and it removed the regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His sanctuary was thrown down. And on account of transgression the host will be given over to the horn along with the regular sacrifice; and it will fling truth to the ground and perform its will and prosper.

Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking, "How long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply, while the transgression causes horror, so as to allow both the holy place and the host to be trampled?" He said to me, "For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly restored."

When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it; and behold, standing before me was one who looked like a man. And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, "Gabriel, give this man an understanding of the vision." So he came near to where I was standing, and when he came I was frightened and fell on my face; but he said to me, "Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end."

Now while he was talking with me, I sank into a deep sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me and made me stand upright. He said, "Behold, I am going to let you know what will occur at the final period of the indignation, for it pertains to the appointed time of the end.

"The ram which you saw with the two horns represents the kings of Media and Persia. The shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king. The broken horn and the four horns that arose in its place represent four kingdoms which will arise from his nation, although not with his power. In the latter period of their rule, when the transgressors have run their course, a king will arise, insolent and skilled in intrigue. His power will be mighty, but not by his own power, and he will destroy to an extraordinary degree and prosper and perform his will; he will destroy mighty men and the holy people.And through his shrewdness he will cause deceit to succeed by his influence; and he will magnify himself in his heart, and he will destroy many while they are at ease. He will even oppose the Prince of princes, but he will be broken without human agency.The vision of the evenings and mornings which has been told is true; but keep the vision secret, for it pertains to many days in the future."

Then I, Daniel, was exhausted and sick for days Then I got up again and carried on the king's business; but I was astounded at the vision, and there was none to explain it.

I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. -Daniel 7:2,3

The rich symbolism used in this vision is the key to its unraveling, and it is essential that we understand the meaning of the symbols employed here. Using the principle that the Bible must be its own interpreter, this diagram of symbols allows us to unlock this prophecy by interpreting this passage the following way:

I saw in my vision war amongst the nations, and four great kingdoms come up from amongst them, different from one another.

We already know these four beasts represent kingdoms. Daniel was provided with an explanation of the vision, so we have no reason to suggest a beast might represent anything other than a kingdom.

I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth.....The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. -Daniel 7:15-17,23

The First Beast/Kingdom: Babylon

The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. -Daniel 7:2-4

The lion is used in the Bible as a symbol of authority and power. The symbol is applied to Christ when He is referred to as the "lion of the tribe of Judah", but it is also the symbol for Babylon the destroyer of nations and the seat of the apostate religion, which would seek to entice God's people into idolatry. Prophesying about the coming destruction of Jerusalem by Babylon, the prophet Jeremiah applies the symbol of the lion to this mighty power.

A lion has gone up from his thicket, and a destroyer of nations has set out; he has gone out from his place to make your land a waste. Your cities will be ruins without inhabitant.-Jeremiah 4:7

...Behold, one will fly swiftly like an eagle and spread out his wings against Moab... -Jeremiah 48:40

The LORD shall bring a nation against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand; A nation of fierce countenance, which shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor to the young... -Deuteronomy 28:49-50

The lion has eagle's wings, a reference to a further symbol of Babylon. Archaeology has revealed that a lion with eagle's wings was a symbol often employed in Babylonian designs and sculptures. Moreover, the eagle was a universal symbol for the sun god, and this lion power is thus powered by this pagan deity. The symbol of the man that stood on two feet is a reference to the union of the human element with this power in defiance of God.

Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God: behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee: with thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: by thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches: therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness. They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas. Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee. -Ezekiel 28

Since the religion of Babylon forms the basis of all pagan religions, Babylon becomes a fitting symbol for the end-time confederacy of religious powers aligned against God and His people. This confederacy will control events at the end of time and is portrayed in Daniel chapter 2 as the feet of iron and clay. In the closing stages of earth history, a power resembling Babylon will once again control events on earth and we will come across the lion symbol associated with the antichrist later again in the book of Revelation. The next kingdom to take the stage of history would be that of the Medes and the Persians:

The Second Beast/Kingdom: Medo-Persia

And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. -Daniel 7:5

The power to succeed Babylon is here portrayed as a bear. The bear was raised up on one of its sides, a reference to the initial inequality of the two powers of the Medo-Persian alliance that was to overthrow the Babylonian empire. The three ribs probably refer to the three principle thrusts to control the Babylonian empire: the thrust into Lydia, Egypt and Babylon itself that was conquered by the armies of Cyrus the Great. The richness of the Biblical typology portrayed in this great historic event serves as a lesson book for the great events that are to unfold at the end of time. Babylon, the ruler of nations, the head of gold, the seat of religious and political power had ruled the nations. It had destroyed Jerusalem and had taken captive the people of God. The time had come for this power to be destroyed and Cyrus is the one chosen by God to accomplish this great feat. Long before his birth the prophet Isaiah called Cyrus the Lord's anointed and prophesied:

Thus says the LORD to Cyrus His anointed, whom I have taken by the right hand, to subdue nations before him and to loose the loins of kings; to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut... -Isaiah 45:1

The same prophet (Isaiah), prophesying about the Messiah wrote:

The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners... -Isaiah 61:1

Cyrus serves as a type of Christ. He would end the rule of Babylon and he would set the captives free. The decree issued by Cyrus was that the Israelites were to be freed, that they could return to their homeland without cost. In the same way, Christ will overthrow Spiritual Babylon at the end of time. He will set the captives free, take them to their heavenly Canaan and their redemption will be without cost.

The Medo-Persians added to the religious rites and ceremonies of the Babylonians and the cult of Mithraism with its seven levels of initiation formed a cornerstone of the system of sun worship. The structure of the cult was hierarchical. Members went through a series of seven grades, each of which had a special symbol and were associated with a planet. From lowest to highest, the grades were Corax (raven, under Mercury), Nymphus (male bride, under Venus), Miles (the soldier, under Mars), Leo (the lion, under Jupiter), Perses (the Persian, under Luna, the moon), Heliodromus (the Sun's courier, under Sol, the sun), and finally Pater (father, under Saturn). When an initiate reached the highest grade, Pater or father, he could become the head of a congregation. Two aspects of mithraic initiation are also noteworthy. First, it was possible for a mithraic initiate to be a member of more than one cult, and second, women were not permitted to become members.

After the Medes and the Persians a third power would arise to take control. History tells us that the Greeks succeeded the Medo-Persian Empire.

The Third Beast: Greece

After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. -Daniel 7:6

In Daniel chapter 8, we read in a further prophecy about the succession and activities of these earthly kingdoms that "Grecia" would subdue the Medo-Persian Empire and that it also would eventually be divided into four subkingdoms before succumbing to the Roman Empire. Because of the subdivision into four, the leopard beast in Daniel 7 has four heads and four wings. The symbol of the leopard is a fitting symbol for the Kingdom of "Grecia" in view of the swiftness of its conquest. The "Grecia" referred to in Daniel 8 should not be confused with the Greece of the classical period which preceded the fall of Persia, but it refers to the semi- Greek Macedonian Empire of Alexander the Great who subdued revolts in the city states of Greece and Thrace and was thus the "first king" of Greece. Alexander declared himself successor to the Pharaohs, and his troops afforded him the position of deity in worshipping him as a god. It was one of the principle aims of Alexander to spread the Greek culture and philosophy throughout his realm. The religion of Greece added many refinements, rites and ceremonies to the earthly systems of worship. The Bacchus cult, the mythologies of the battles of the gods and the worship of female deities became entrenched in the very fibre of society.

Finally, the Bible predicted a fourth kingdom that would rule over the earth:

The Fourth Kingdom: Rome

After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. -Daniel 7:7

The fourth beast defies description. It is terrifying, frightening and very powerful. It would be the kingdom which would fill up the cup of iniquity. Although Rome would become divided, the iron would remain even to the time of the destruction by the stone.

In the time span of the final power, Rome, the final confrontation between those loyal to God and those in league with the adversary will culminate in the battle of Armageddon. It now remains for us to unravel why Rome should be the final power to rule the earth, and why Rome should be the one to reach the level of God's forbearance with sin. What is it about Rome that calls for utter destruction and what refinements of the counterfeit religious systems should call for the wrath of God to be "poured out without mixture" (Revelation 14:10) - that is judgment not mingled with mercy.

Although the Beasts and the metals follow each other sequentially, the entire image (including the head of gold, the arms of silver and the thigh of bronze) is destroyed when the stone strikes the feet. The Medo-Persians conquered Babylon, but the Babylonian system of worship was not destroyed, merely refined. Similarly, when Greece conquered the Medo-Persian Empire, the names of the gods changed but the system of worship remained essentially the same, and the same deities were worshipped in Rome under a different garb. The final apostate power to control world events would thus incorporate aspects and refinements of all the religious systems of history. They would be so clothed and disguised to deceive, if possible, the very elect.

Following the sequence of Daniel 2, the terrible beast of Daniel 7 thus represents Rome, and although divided into ten, it is still Rome that rules till the end of time. The metal does not change, it is just separated by clay and the feet have ten toes that are the equivalent of the ten horns of Daniel 7. The ten horns, according to the prophecy, are ten kingdoms that shall arise from this kingdom.

The Ten Horns/Kingdoms

As for the ten horns, out of this kingdom ten kings will arise... -Daniel 7:24

The ten kingdoms, which arose from Rome after its decline, are the same ones represented by the ten toes of the image described in Daniel 2, and therefore represent the Ostrogoths, Visigoths, Franks, Vandals, Suevi, Alamani, Anglo-Saxons, Heruli, Lombards and Burgundians.

While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts... -Daniel 7:8

In this verse, we again have the reference to a man just as we had the reference to a man associated with the lion that had eagle wings representing Babylon. It was Babylon that deceived the ancient world with its system of worship (representing the type), and the little horn power would have the same elements as Babylon but on a universal scale (representing the great antitype). It was the power that would blaspheme God and speak pompous words and deceive the nations at the end of time. The NIV study Bible identifies this power as the antichrist and the footnote in the Douay Version (Roman Catholic Bible) on verse 8 says:

This is commonly understood of Antichrist.

The little horn power, as we shall see, grows to become greater than all the others and should be seen rather as a horn growing from littleness to great stature. Since the little horn power represents the antichrist, it is essential that we correctly identify this power. Our method should be that of Scripture interpreting Scripture. It is also important to note that 'anti' has two meanings in the Greek. It can mean 'against' or it can mean 'in the place of', and in 75% of cases where it is used, it refers to 'in the place of', rather than 'against'. There are very precise identifying features of the horn power, and every single one must apply in order to make an accurate identification possible.

Now we beseech you, bretheren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him. That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming. -2 Thessalonians 2

Here we have a point on which Paul affirms the existence of knowledge in the Christian Church. The early church knew, he says, what the hindrance was. The early church tells us what it did know upon the subject, and no one in these days can be in a position to contradict its testimony as to what Paul had by word of mouth only, told the Thessalonians. It is a point on which ancient tradition alone can have authority. Modern speculation is positively impertinent on such a subject.....While the Caesars held imperial power, it was impossible for the predicted antichrist to arise.....on the fall of the Caesars he would arise. -H. Grattan Guinness, Romanism and the Reformation, 1887

He who now hinders must hinder until he be taken out of the way. What obstacle is there but the Roman State; the falling away of which, by being scattered into ten kingdoms, shall introduce antichrist. -Tertullian, On the Resurrection, A.D. 200

Only there is one who restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way, that is when the Roman Empire is taken out of the way, then he shall come. -John Chrysostom, Homily on 2 Thessalonians 2, Number 4, A.D. 390

"We have the consenting testimony of the early fathers, from Irenaeus, the disciple of St. John, down to Chrysostom and Jerome, to the effect that it was understood to be the imperial power ruling and residing at Rome." -Edward B. Elliot, Commentary on the Apocalypse, Vol. III, 1862

"Paul did not identify the restraining power which they knew to be Rome, for fear of reprisals. Remember the Christian Church was under persecution by Rome." -Dr. Ron Thompson, Champions of Christianity in Search of the Truth, 1996

Here are all the Biblical criteria of this Little Horn power.

1. It arose out of the FOURTH beast.

The description of the little horn power is in connection with the fourth beast. This is very important, since there are many who adopt a preteristic view of the antichrist and would like to associate the antichrist with Antiochus Epiphanes IV, a Greek king who persecuted the Jews and desecrated the temple. This would, however, not fit the prophecy, as the antichrist is to arise out of the fourth beast, which is Rome.

"When the Roman Empire disintegrated and its place had been taken by a number of rude, barbarous kingdoms, the Roman Catholic church not only became independent of the state in religious affairs but dominated secular affairs as well." -CC Eckhardt, The Papacy and World Affairs

Every single historian agrees that papal Rome emerged out of the ruins of the ancient pagan Roman Empire. Thomas Hobbes, English Historian says:

"If a man consider the origin of this great ecclesiastical dominion he will easily perceive that the Papacy is none other than the ghost of the deceased Roman Empire, sitting crowned upon the grave thereof." -Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan

2. It arose AMONG the ten horns

Note that the little horn arises among the ten, which implies that the ten were already there when it arose and all ten were still in existence when it made its appearance. The antichrist was to come up among the ten horns, growing from a small power to one which would eventually become greater than all the other powers. This is indeed true of the papacy. After the initial fusing of Christianity with the pagan religions of the time, the bishop of Rome increased in power whilst the emperors of the Roman Empire supported him.

Constantine was the first emperor to embrace Christianity, but he only cloaked himself with a veneer of Christianity. In the year 533 AD, the emperor Justinian decreed that the bishop of Rome was the spiritual leader of the Christian world.

To qualify as a horn, this power must have the attributes of a kingdom, which indeed applies to the Vatican, which to this day is an independent state. Also, it arose amongst the powers of fallen Rome. The Europe that we know today is the remnant of the horns of Rome.

3. It arose AFTER the ten horns had been established

The rise of the little horn power must be sought after the subdivision of Rome into ten powers, which means it must have been after 476 AD that this power, that had been growing from littleness, became firmly established in order to qualify as a 'horn', which is a king or a kingdom. The Roman Catholic church grew in power after Constantine accepted Christianity, but it did not control secular affairs until the Justinian decrees went into effect. The power of the bishop of Rome steadily increased and papal authority in secular affairs arose after the division of Rome in 476 AD by the Barbarians. The American Catholic Quarterly Review, April 1911, says:

Long ages ago, when Rome through the neglect of the Western emperors was left to the mercy of the barbarous hordes, the Romans turned to one figure for aid and protection, and asked him to rule them; ... and thus ...commenced the temporal sovereignty of the popes. So, meekly stepping to the throne of Caesar, the vicar of Christ took up the sceptre to which the emperors and kings of Europe were to bow in reverence through so many ages.

A further quote from The Papal Monarchy, states the following:

The Pax Romana has ceased. It is universal confusion. But wherever a bishop holds court, religion protects all that is left of the ancient order. A new Rome ascends slowly above the horizon. It is the heir of religion, the emperor is no more... but the Pontifex Maximus abides...He is now the vicar of Christ, offering the old civilization to the tribes of the north. He converts them to his creed, and they serve him as their father and judge supreme. This is the papal monarchy, which in its power and its decline overshadows the history of Europe for a thousand years. -W.F. Barry, The Papal Monarchy

4. It was to be DIFFERENT from the other horns

As a horn is a king or a kingdom, the little horn must represent a king or a kingdom different from all the previous horns, which were secular kingdoms. The precise manner in which the horn was different can be deducted from the sum total of all its attributes. The papacy was different from the pagan kingdoms before it, because it was not only a political power, but a religio-political power as well. With regard to the political aspect of the papacy, it is a recognized state. Its seat is the Vatican, complete with a traditional guard and its own postal service. The Vatican is the smallest state in the world, occupying a mere 100 acres, but it has one of the strongest diplomatic corps in the world. Papal representatives sit in the capitals of the world and in turn, these countries have their representatives in the Vatican. The Pope is not only head of the Church, but also temporal sovereign of the papal state - the Vatican.

"Out of the ruins of the Roman Empire there gradually arose a new order of states whose central point was the Papal See. Therefore, inevitably, resulted in a position, not only new, but very different from the former." -The Church and Churches

5. It was to be MORE STOUT than its fellows

The power depicted by the little horn was greater than that of the other states. This implies a position of political superiority. Although it grew from littleness, it was to become greater than all the other powers. "More stout than its fellows" refers to the greater power which the papacy wielded in the affairs of Europe more than any of the other powers. From 800 AD when Charlemagne received his crown from the Pope, the papacy was to assume power over kings and nations. The "Humiliation of Canossa" is depicted in St. Peters, Rome, when in 1077, Henry IV, King of Germany, stood for three days, a penitent in the snow, before being permitted an audience with Pope Gregory VII. Likewise, King John of England in 1213 stood naked on a cold marble floor waiting for admission to the Pope's presence in order to apologize to him. Note the testimony of a Catholic functionary:

"The vicar of the incarnate Son of God, anointed high priest, and supreme temporal ruler [the pope], sat in his tribunal, impartially to judge between nation and nation, between people and prince, between sovereign and subject." - Henry Cardinal Manning, The Temporal Power of the Vicar of Jesus Christ

Martin Luther wrote:

It is a horrible thing to behold the man who styles himself Christ's vicegerent, displaying a magnificence that no emperor can equal . . . He is, say they, the Lord of the World; but Christ Himself has said, "My kingdom is not of this world." Can the dominions of a vicar extend beyond those of his Superior? -D'Aubigné, History of the Reformation, Book 6

The papacy has always considered its right to interfere in the affairs of states. Countries were divided by papal decrees, and kings enthroned or dethroned by papal decrees.

6. It was to UPROOT THREE horns

Three of the ten kingdoms were to be destroyed by the instigation of the little horn power. Since it made its appearance after the subdivision of Rome into ten different states, (after 476 AD), but before the destruction of three of them (because it arises among all ten), we now have a very definite time frame for the rise of the Antichrist power. The Heruli, Vandals, and Ostrogoths were eliminated by the year 538 AD and so this power was to arise between 476 AD and 538 AD.

Only the papacy answers this description of three of the Roman divisions being uprooted. This is known in the history books as the Arian controversy, because three kingdoms, which did not accept the papal mandates regarding Christ's divinity, were literally uprooted and mercilessly destroyed. Although the doctrine of the divinity of Christ was correct, the method of dealing with it was not in the Spirit of Christ. The Heruli were completely scattered in 493 AD, the Vandals in 534 AD and the Ostrogoths in 538 AD. These conquests strengthened the hand of the papacy and helped to get her established by the year 538 AD, in which year the bishop of Rome ascended the papal throne under the protection of the Roman general Vigilus. The date for the establishment of papal Rome as an independent power can thus be pinned at 538 AD.

7. It was to have eyes like the eyes of a man and a MOUTH SPEAKING GREAT WORDS AGAINST THE MOST HIGH

We have already discussed the reference to the man and its connotation with Babylon. The little horn power is man rising up against God and speaking great words against God. It refers to a system that defies God directly and sets itself up in opposition to God. In ancient Babylon, the king of Babylon was referred to as the head of gold. All power was vested in the king. His word was law, and he was considered a god. Similarly, in the great antitype, all power will once again be vested in one man who as the spokesman for the system will utter blasphemies and claim a status not due to mortal man. The Bible identifies blasphemy in the New Testament. We read in the Gospel accounts that the Jews twice wanted to stone Jesus for blasphemy.

'Son, be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you.' And at once some of the scribes said within themselves, 'This Man blasphemes!' -Matthew 9:2,3

'Son, your sins are forgiven you.'. . . . .'Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?' -Mark 2:5-7

For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God. -John 10:33

Unlike Jesus, who is the Son of God and therefore can forgive sins, the little horn power is a power that claims to be able to forgive sins, and then has the effrontery to claim the position of God. Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, reiterates this point with regard to the antichrist.

Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. -2 Thessalonians 2:4

Does the papacy have any such distinction in her ecclesiastical or political machinery? Yes, she does. One of the Roman Pontiff's titles is the Latin "Episcopus Episcoporium" meaning "Overseer of Overseers". When referring to the little horn power, it is significant that it is likened unto a 'man'. This same symbol was also applied to Babylon (the lion).

Papal power is seated in one man, a system that is termed ultramontanism. At the council of Trent, ultramontanism was entrenched in its present form, whereby the decrees of a pope become as the very decrees of God. The doctrine of papal infallibility further expanded this concept and gave to the popes a position hitherto only ascribed to God. In Revelation chapter 13, the same system described here in Daniel is again brought into prophetic view and in addition to some of the identifying points mentioned in Daniel chapter seven, the number 666 is ascribed to it, which "is the number of a man." In the chapter The Beasts of Revelation 13, this subject will be dealt with in greater detail. John Calvin said about the papacy:

His kingdom will consist of speaking great words, or blasphemies, against the Most High. -Institutes, Vol.2

It is a blaspheming power. No other power on earth has dared to make such claims as the papacy. The Roman Catholic Council of Trent declared:

All temporal is [the Pope's], the dominion, jurisdiction and government of the whole Earth is his by divine right. All rulers of the Earth are his subjects and must submit to him.

Another daring claim comes from the lips of Pope Leo XIII:

"We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty." -Encyclical Letter, June 20, 1894

The Catholic National, July 1895 states:

Thou art a priest forever says the ordaining bishop.....He is no longer a man, a sinful child of Adam, but an 'Alter Christus' another Christ....Forever a priest of the Most High with power over the Almighty. The Pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, but he is Jesus Christ himself, hidden under the veil of flesh.

A further few examples of the blasphemous statements regarding their poison on earth are as follows:

The Pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man, but as it were God, and the vicar of God; He is likewise, the divine monarch and supreme emperor, and king of kings; so that if it were possible that angels might err in the faith, or might think contrary to the faith, they could be judged and excommunicated by the Pope. -Extracts from Ferraris' Ecclesiastical Dictionary

Cardinal Bellarmine says,

All names which in the Scriptures are applied to Christ, by virtue of which it is established that he is over the church, all the same names are applied to the Pope. -On the Authority of Councils, Vol. 2

We define that the Holy Apostolic See and the Roman Pontiff holds the primacy over the whole world -Most Holy Councils, Vol. 13

Given in Rome from our palace, the 10th of February, 1817, the XIV Jurisdiction of the most holy Pontiff and Father in Christ, and our Lord our God the Pope, Leo XII... -Rome As It Is

Although the Bible is so clear on the blasphemy of claiming to forgive men their sins, the Catholic Encyclopedia makes this statement on papal authority:

"This judicial authority will even include the power to pardon sin." -Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. 12

In the Catechism of the Catholic Religion, the question is given:

QUESTION: Does the priest truly forgive the sins, or does he only declare that they are remitted?

ANSWER: The priest does really and truly forgive the sins in virtue of the power given him by Jesus Christ. -Joseph DeHarbe, Catechism of the Catholic Religion

In Dignity and Duty of the Priest, it states:

The priest has the power of the keys or the power of delivering sinners from hell, of making them worthy of paradise, and of changing them from slaves of Satan into children of God. And God himself is obligated to abide by the judgment of his priest, and either not to pardon or to pardon according as they refuse or give absolution. . .When Michael comes to a dying Christian who invokes his aid, the holy archangel can chase away the devils, but he cannot free his client from the chains till a priest comes to absolve him. . .The sentence of the priest precedes, and God subscribes to it. -Dignity and Dutiy of the Priest

"Seek where you will, through heaven and earth, and you will find one created being who can forgive the sinner, who can free him from the chains of hell. That extraordinary being is the priest, the Roman Catholic Priest." -The Catholic Priest

"The poor sinner kneels at his confessor's feet. He knows he is not speaking to an ordinary man but to another Christ,...he hears the words, "I absolve thy sins..." and the hideous load of sins drops from his soul forever." -William Doyle, Shall I Be a Priest

Not only does the papacy claim to hold the position of God, but it usurps the position of God and takes His divine prerogative to forgive mankind's sins. These are blasphemies of the highest order.

"For the Son of God became man so that we might become God. The only begotten Son of God, wanting to make us sharers in his divinity, assumed out nature, so that he, made man, might make men gods." -Catechism of the Catholic Church (New York, Image Books, 1995)

8. It was to MAKE WAR AGAINST THE SAINTS

The little horn power was thus to be a persecuting power that would war against God's people, and have success against them. It is a fact of history that the great wars of Europe were fought on religious grounds. The Protestants of Europe were relentlessly persecuted by Rome. Europe was plunged into the 'Thirty-year war' and the 'Hundred-year war' with the sole purpose of destroying the Protestant Reformation. The Waldenses, the Albigensers, the Huguenots were all relentlessly persecuted, and the Inquisition ordered the cruelest of punishments to be executed by the princes of Europe upon all those who refused to bow to the supremacy of Rome. In 1200 AD Pope Innocent III ordered the king of France to exterminate the Albigensers because they refused to accept the papal teachings and regarded the Bible as the ultimate Word of God. Historians D'Augbigné and Wylie say that more than a million of these innocent people were massacred in one single campaign.

John Calvin in a letter to Emperor Charles V, wrote:

I deny that See to be. . . the vicar of Christ, who, in furiously persecuting the gospel, demonstrates by his conduct that he is Antichrist. -Tracts relating to the Reformation, Vol.1

The noted Catholic, Thomas Aquinas, said that convicted heretics should be put to death just as surely as other criminals, because they were counterfeits. In a Catholic magazine we read:

You cannot excite any piety in our souls by whining accounts of Catholic atrocities . . . We have never written a line in extenuation or palliation of the Inquisition. We never thought it needed a defence.17

The church historian, Philip Schaff, comments:

So far as we know, the popes never uttered a word in protest against the inhuman measures which were being practised by the Spanish Tribunals.18

The historian Lecky says,

The Church of Rome has shed more innocent blood than any other institution that has ever existed among mankind.19

 

 

9. It would "think to change times and laws"

And shall think to change times and law. Daniel 7:25

Which times and laws would God be particularly concerned about? Surely this must refer to laws that God Himself has established and times which God Himself has set. The law that stands out throughout the Bible is the Ten Commandment Law. Changing the times and the laws must therefore refer to the attempt to tamper with God's law itself and tampering with times set by God.

10. The saints were to be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. Daniel 7:25 NKJV

In order to understand this time prophecy, it is necessary to understand the Biblical meaning of prophetic time. We shall deal with prophecy shortly, but at this stage, we can say that this power will have power over and persecute God's people for a specific time period.

11. It shall devour the whole earth

Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. Daniel 7:23

This prophecy is made in reference to Rome. But Pagan Rome did not fulfill this prophecy to the letter. As seen in the sixth identifying feature, the little horn power was that component arising out of the Roman Empire which was to be different from all the others, and it is this different power which was eventually to devour the whole earth. The prophecy predicts that the little horn would obtain power over all the kings of the world, referring to all the political entities existing at the end of time.

12. It shall reign until the Ancient of Days comes

... until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was given to the saints of the Most High, and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. Daniel 7:22

This is one of the most profound prophecies concerning the antichrist. The antichrist was to arise before 538 AD (the final date for the uprooting of three of the ten initial kingdoms arising out of the Roman Empire), and was to prevail until the Ancient of Days came - a reference to the second coming of Christ. No individual could therefore fulfill this prophecy, and only a power could achieve such longevity. Since it is identified as a horn, or a king or kingdom according to the Biblical definition, we must be dealing with a kingdom and its rulers that has been around for more than a millennium and a half.

13. Its dominion will be taken away

But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. Daniel 7:26

The good news is that God will triumph. When Christ returns, this power will be destroyed and God will set up His kingdom which will never be destroyed and in which there will no longer be any persecution. There will be no more sickness and God will dry away all tears.

Sad and shocking as it may seem, there is only one power that qualifies for all the identifying points. Before going into the details, it is essential that we realize that the Bible is not here dealing with individuals, but with a system that for more than a millennium and a half has claimed the power to control conscience. Moreover, for a set time, it had power to enforce its decrees and to persecute all who chose to obey God and His Word rather than man. Christ died for all mankind and all have access to the grace of God through Him The Bible is here dealing with a power that is misusing its position, and is placing itself in God's place, presuming to take the very place of God. Individuals are responsible to God for the light they live up to. In condemning the system, God is not condemning the individuals within the system who are living up to light they have and long to have a relationship with Him. Sadly, there is only one system that qualifies in terms of all the identifying features listed in Daniel chapter 7, and this is the Papacy. Before rejecting the outcome, I would recommend that each person prayerfully study the scriptures, asking guidance from God, and then, like Paul, ask the question:

And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. Acts 9:6

 

 

"Mavellous dignity of the priests, in their hands as in the womb of the blesseed virgin Mary the Son of God becomes incarnate. Behold, the power of the priest! The tongue of the priest makes God from a morsel of bread, it is more than creating the world." -Eucharist Meditations

"The sinner that ventures directly to Christ may come with dread and apprehension of his wrath; but let him only employ the mediation of the virgin with her Son and she has only to show that Son the beasts that gave him suck and his wrath will immeddiately be appeased." -Catholic Layman, July 18567

I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. -Daniel 7:21-22

...and shall wear out the saints of the most High -Daniel 7:25

And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them -Revelation 13:7

"The Catholic Church is a respecter of conscience and of liberty...Nevertheless, when confronted with heresy...she has recourse to force, to corporal punishment, to torture...She lit in Italy the funeral piles of the Inquisition." -The Catholic Church, Renaissance and Protestantism

“Heretics may be not only excommunicated, but also justly put to death” -Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. XIV

“[The Pope is] the only one authorized to act and teach for God...What is not in accord with truth [i.e., Roman Catholicism] has objectively no right of existence, propagation, or action.” -Pope Pius XII

...and think to change times and laws... -Daniel 7:25

"The Pope has power to change times, to abrogate laws, and to dispense with all things, even the precepts of Christ." -Decretal, de Tranlatic Episcop. Cap

Paul wrote an important message to the Thessalonians about the Messiah's second coming and the revelation of this man of sin, the son of perdition.

 

"The vicar of the incarnate Son of God, anointed high priest, and supreme temporal ruler [the pope], sat in his tribunal, impartially to judge between nation and nation, between people and prince, between sovereign and subject." - Henry Cardinal Manning, The Temporal Power of the Vicar of Jesus Christ10 Kingdoms

Alemanni (Germans)

Anglo-Saxons (English)

Burgundians (Swiss)

Francs (French)

Lombards (Italians)

Suevi (Portuguese)

Visigoths (Spanish)

Heruli (Destroyed)

Ostrogoths (Destroyed)

Vandals (Destroyed)

 

...and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. -Daniel 7:25

...it shall be for a time, times, and an half -Daniel 12:7

...where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. -Revelation 12:14

...and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. -Revelation 11:2

...and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. -Revelation 13:5

...and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days.... -Revelation 11:3

And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. -Revelation 12:6

Remember we are using the Biblical Hebrew calendar year, so we count 360 days in a year. Forty-two months is equal to three and a half years (360 + 360 + 360 + 180 = 1,260 days) and a time is equal to one prophetic year. The times given to us in each of these chapters are identical and it's important to remember the diagram of Biblical symbols which tell us to take a day for a year.

The little horn can be none other than the Papacy; it is the only world power that meets every criteria of this prophecy.

Behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots.....and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. -Daniel 7

The three were the Heruli, Ostrogoths and the Vandals.

in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. -Daniel 7:8

had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things -Daniel 7:20

And he shall speak great words against the most High -Daniel 7:25

And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. -Revelation 13:5-6

I've already explained on the Vatican page in the Occult section how Pope Gregory XIII changed the times by introducing a pagan calendar, but they have made changes to the law of God as well. For example, take a close look at the ten commandments:

Ten Commandments	Roman Catholic Commandments
I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.	I am the Lord your God; you shall not have strange gods before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them...
Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.	You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.	Remember to keep holy the Lord's day
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.	Honor your father and your mother.
Thou shalt not kill.	You shall not kill.
Thou shalt not commit adultery.	You shall not commit adultery.
Thou shalt not steal.	You shall not steal.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.	You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.	You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
	You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.

If you'll notice, the Catholic commandments don't include, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them." To make up for this deletion they split the last commandment in half. Also notice they changed the Sabbath to the Lord's day, which has traditionally been Sunday ever since this power has dominated the Earth. Sunday has never been the Lord's day. Sabbath is from Friday sundown to Saturday sundown, not Saturday at midnight to Sunday at midnight - the Roman Catholic system has indeed thought to change the times and the laws of the Almighty moreso than any other system that has ever existed.

"The Church.....after changing the day of rest from the Jewish Sabbath, or seventh day of the week, to the first, made the third commandment refer to Sunday as the Lord's Day." -Catholic Encyclopedia

Question: "Which is the Sabbath day?"

Answer: "Saturday is the Sabbath day."

Question: "Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday?"

Answer: "We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea (A.D. 336), transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday." -Convert's Catechism of Catholic Doctrine

...and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. -Daniel 7:25

Remember this is equal to 1,260 literal years.

"With the conquest of Rome by Belisarius...commences the history of the Middle Ages." -Greece under the Romans

"Vigilius...ascended the papal chair (538 AD) under the military protection of Belisarius." -History of the Christian Church

At the very moment in time the Ostrogoths are removed (the last of the three to be uprooted as the little one emerges) Pope Vigilius assumes his throne as the vicar of Christ - with significant military power. This action provides the fulfillment of this Papal entity becoming a "beast power" with political and religious authority. The prophecy says this power will rule until the second coming of Christ.

We are also given a period of time when this beast will exercise his persecuting authority throughout the world, to make war with the saints, and to overcome them. The prophecies tell us this will last for a period of 1,260 years. If we apply this span of time to the date 538 AD, we come up with the date 1798 (538 AD + 1,260 years = 1798). Did anything significant happen to this beast in the year 1798?

"Berthier entered Rome on the tenth of February, 1798, and proclaimed a republic.....Half of Europe thought Napoleon's veto would be obeyed, and that with the Pope the papacy was dead." -The Modern Papacy

After exactly 1,260 years the temporal power of the papacy was halted by Napoleon.

If any man have an ear, let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. -Revelation 13

This is precisely what happened to the Roman Pontiff in 1798.

"The murder of a frenchman in Rome in 1798 gave the French an excuse for occupying the Eternal City and putting and end to the Papal temporal power...The aged Pontiff himself was carried off into exile to Valence...the enemies of the church rejoiced. The last Pope, they declared, had resigned." -Church History

The little horn power of Daniel chapter 7, the beast which arises out of the sea in Revelation chapter 13, received a mortal wound precisely when the prophetic time period of 1,260 years had expired.

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast...And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them; and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues and nations. -Revelation 13

We are told this little horn, or beast, will seem to have a mortal wound. After this wound is healed, the whole world will wonder after this beast, and all will eventually submit to it.

"It is our duty therefore to strain every muscle in working for the time when all war will be completely outlawed by international consent. This goal undoubtedly requires the establishment of a universal public authority acknowledged as such by all and endowed with the power to safeguard on bealf of all, security, regard for justice and respect for rights." -Second Vatican Council

"This international collaboration on a worlwide scale requires institutions that will prepare, coordinate and direct it until finally there is established an order of justice which is universally recognized...Who does not see the necessity of thus establishing progressively a world authority capable of acting effectively in the judicial and political sectors." -Pope Paul VI, Toward an Effective World Authority, 1967