The ten horns are not yet the end. Indeed, what terrifies Daniel the most is what is recorded in Daniel 7:20, And behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.
This little horn eliminates three other big horns. The distinctive feature of this small horn, which becomes so large, is that it exalts itself openly against the Lord Almighty. It openly shows its enmity towards the followers of Christ, towards the faithful church. This power mocks Christ and is characterized by its opposition to God’s standards for life. This is the same as the power described in Revelation 13:5–7, where we read about the beast that arises from the sea and is in the service of the devil, And it was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. And the beast was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation.
This small horn also differs from the others because it features human eyes and mouth. It is not only animal-like but it also has very distinct human traits and it is a power that can rise above and defeat the other horns precisely because of these human traits. What is the meaning of these things? One of the dangers of interpretation we risk is wanting to be very concrete, seeking to fill in all kinds of names, whereas the ten horns are about a general representation of the time after the Roman Empire until Christ’s return. It is precisely during this time that the anti-Christian power will become evident and strong. It is the time in which we are living. It is a power that will not present itself among just one people or one specific country. This power will show itself all over the world. This power will blaspheme the Almighty in the time after Christ’s first coming. It is also the time when the great commission is carried out to proclaim the gospel throughout the world.
8 I considered the horns, and behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, before which three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots. And behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things.