92    The Bible and the Future of the World 

Antichrist and his associates. But they are not successful because it is God's 

will that the Antichrist be permitted to have power for nearly seven years, to 

test the nations and to punish them. The Antichrist cannot be removed from 

power until God's plan requires it, after the Church's great suffering. 

     And three of the first horns were rooted out by its presence. And behold, 

eyes like the eyes of a man were in this horn, and a mouth speaking 

unnatural things.  (Dan 7:8). 

    The beast is the kingdom of the ten kings. The ten horns represent the ten 

kings (Dan 7:7). The little horn is the Antichrist. He begins as a leader 

without much power; thus, he is referred to as a little horn. After he replaces 

one of the ten kings, the king of the North, he then defeats three of them: the 

king of the South, the king of the Meridian, and the king of the East. These 

three kings are the three horns rooted out by the presence of the Antichrist. 

After  the  Antichrist defeats these three kings, the rest of the rulers of the 

world follow him, giving him power over nearly the whole world. 

More About the Antichrist's Rise to Power 

     But the he goat among she goats became exceedingly great, and when he 

had prospered, the great horn was shattered, and four horns were rising up 

beneath it by means of the four winds of heaven. But from one of them came 

forth one little horn, and it became great against the Meridian, and against 

the East, and against the strength.  (Dan 8:9). 

    The great monarch gains very great power; he becomes ruler over a vast 

empire (in the A.D. 2040's), including Europe, Eastern Europe, Israel, the 

Middle East, and northern Africa. But when his leadership ends, his 

kingdom is shattered into  four pieces. Centuries later, within one of these 

pieces, the North (Europe), the Antichrist (the little horn) rises to power and 

becomes king of the North. He defeats the Meridian (Africa), the East 

(China), and the Strength, which refers to the kingdom also called the South. 

This kingdom is the last bastion of Christianity during the time of the ten 

kings, and it includes Israel, and so it is called the Strength. 

     And it was magnified even towards the strength of heaven, and it threw 

down those of the strength and of the stars, and it trampled them.  And it 

was magnified, even to the leader of the strength, and it took away from him 

the continual sacrifice, and cast down the place of his sanctuary. And the 

advantage was given to him against the continual sacrifice, because of the 

sins, and truth will be struck down to the ground, and he will act, and he 

will prosper.   (Dan 8:10 12). 

    The Antichrist magnifies himself, even above the Christian faith and God. 

He defeats the leader of the South (a Christian leader) and he attacks the