Now we look at Daniel 7:7-8 which also talks about this beast which was Rome...
Daniel 7:7-8
7 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.
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.
Now notice something peculiar about this last kingdom. Daniel speaks of it, “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.”
Notice here that Daniel, while hearing the angels interpretation of this fourth beast, is told this beast (kingdom) has 10 horns, and one “little” horn came up out of these 10 horns and “plucked up” 3 of the preceding horns.
Now the Ten horns represent ten kings and an “extra” king rose up out of these Ten, and he “plucked up” or destroyed “three” preceding kings. We see something else..
Daniel 7:25
And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
Well out of this we can give the first identifying mark in finding out who the antichrist will be. So how do we know this “little horn” power is antichrist? Well, “Anti” means “opposite or “in place of” and this little horn king makes himself “opposite” of God by speaking “great words against the most high,” trying to change God’s laws, and by wearing “out the saints of the most high”
This little horn power is the antichrist.
So what are the Ten horns? Well remember how this beast power is Rome? And remember how a “horn” represents kings? Well the Roman Empire has been divided and now we have Western Europe. Here are the 10 divisions by ancient and modern name:
(1) Alemanni – Germany
(2) Franks – France
(3) Anglo-Saxons – England
(4) Burgundians – Switzerland
(5) Visigoths – Spain
(6) Suevi – Portugal
(7) Lombards – Italy
(8) Heruli
(9) Vandals
(10) Ostrogoths
Why don’t you see the last three, Heruli, Vandals and the Ostrogoths, on your map? Simply because these are the 3 horns that the antichrist “plucked up.”
So now we have FIVE identification marks to help us identify the Antichrist:
(1) He will rise up out of the Ten divisions of Rome
(2) He will destroy 3 of the kings among these Ten divisions
(3) He will “speak great words against the most high”
(4) He will “wear out” the saints of God. He is a persecuting power
(5) He “thinks to change times and laws” Daniel 7:25
We see Rome today, but it is not as strong as it was when it ruled the world before it was divided, but Rome still exists especially as we see the parts in Europe. That’s why the feet of the image in Daniel 2 still have the same “iron” as the legs, except this time its only “partly” strong, as she is today. So we can see how we are at the last days, because in the dream we see a Stone which “smote” it at it’s feet, and destroyed it. This stone is the kingdom of God.