Notes on Daniel -- Part 10 -- Comparing Daniel and Revelation
By Jay Rogers
At this point some may ask: "Is there is any suggestion that all horns in Daniel 7 were in contemporaneous stages of growth rather than a single diabolic entity?"
There is a contemporaneous succession if you compare this passage to Revelation 17:10-14.
"And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful."
If you will agree that these are the same kings that Daniel described then we are really getting somewhere. Here is the big question: Are the seven kings of Revelation among the ten kings of Daniel? Or do the ten kings come later?
Let's start with the seven kings. John writes: "five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space." I can only conclude that what John means by this is: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. This is a literal statement.
The five Roman Emperors were Julius, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula and Claudius who each fell before Nero.
The sixth Emperor was Nero. John writes, "one is." Nero was alive when John wrote the prophecy.
The seventh is Galba who reigned only seven months. "He must continue a short space."
Other preterists, such as David Chilton in Paradise Restored, have said the ten heads of Revelation are the provincial Roman governors under Nero. However, I think the seven heads are the first seven among the ten Roman Emperors. Here is why I believe that.
First, Daniel does not speak of seven horns, but "ten horns." Since John speaks of "ten heads and seven horns," I conclude that the "seven" horns of Revelation are the first seven of the "ten" horns of Daniel.
Second, John says the eighth is of the seven. This is an idiom that we might have difficulty with today. Apparently, he means that the eighth was revealed to him later, but he is of the seven. He is the Emperor who "is" at the time John is writing Revelation. In other words, the eighth horn that John saw is actually the same Emperor as the sixth.
Now compare this with Daniel 7:8.
"I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things."
It makes sense to say that "another little horn" was Nero because Tiberius, Claudius and Caligula did not persecute the early Christians. On the contrary, Nero was the first Emperor to speak "great things" against Christ.
Third, John writes: "And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them."
It is easy at first glance to say, as Chilton does, that these are ten Roman governors contemporaneous with Nero. But if we say that they are the same as the ten horns of Daniel, then it is not a consistent interpretation.
The ten kings are ten consecutive Emperors, but they also symbolize the unified Imperial might of Rome. "They have received no power as yet" means that they have received no power to make war with Christ until Nero comes along. The ten horns are the ten Caesars who reigned up until the time of the destruction of Jerusalem. Even though five of the first ten are dead, in one hour they will become a kingdom, a power and a unified mind to persecute the church.
Fourth, if we take the tribulation to mean the 3-1/2 year persecution of the church and the 3-1/2 year siege of Jerusalem (A.D. 64 -70) it makes sense for John to see a dividing line in time between the seven kings and the ten kings. Revelation points to the time between the sixth and tenth Emperor as the time when the first generation of the church is about see great tribulation and the Temple at Jerusalem finally destroyed.
According to Ken Gentry: "As the Roman Civil Wars broke out in rebellion against Nero, Nero committed suicide on June 8, A.D. 68. John informs us that the seventh king was 'not yet come.' That would be Galba, who assumed power upon Nero's death in June, A.D. 68. But he was only to continue a 'short space.' As a matter of historical fact, his reign lasted but six months -- until January 15, A.D. 69. He was one of the quick succession of emperors in the famous era called by historians: the year of the four emperors."
In other words, if Galba was the seventh Emperor, the next three of the Daniel's ten horns were, Otho, Vitellius, Vespasian. Titus, Vespasian's son, was the Roman general who destroyed the Temple in A.D. 70. The ten Caesars would also be the ten heads of John's Revelation, who "receive power as kings one hour with the beast." The reign of these kings parallel the period of the ministry of the Messiah and of the Apostles until the destruction of Jerusalem.
Without this comparison of scripture interpreting scripture, one could conclude almost anything about the little horn -- and people have.
As I explained above, if Revelation is compared with Daniel, we see that the "sixth horn" of Revelation is the same as the "little horn" of Daniel. Nero was the sixth in succession the Emperor who "is" at the time of John's writing.
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