Antichrist will not only be the fourth beast in Daniel 7 but also the little horn revealed in Daniel 8:8-12 and 21-25. This little horn denotes Antiochus Epiphanes, the king of Syria, who invaded Jerusalem and plundered the temple between 171 and 165 B.C. Antiochus Epiphanes typifies the coming Antichrist. Verse 8 says, “The male goat became very great. But once he became strong, the great horn was broken, and in its place four conspicuous ones came up toward the four winds of heaven.” The goat in this verse refers to Alexander the Great of the Grecian Empire. Alexander the Great had four generals. After his death these generals occupied certain territories and were divided into four kingdoms. These four kingdoms are the four conspicuous horns. “Out of one of them came forth a little horn, which grew very great toward the south, toward the east, and toward that which is beautiful” (v. 9). South refers to Egypt, east refers to Syria, and that which is beautiful refers to the Holy Land. Hence, Antichrist as the little horn will arise probably either from Greece or Macedonia.
Furthermore, this little horn “grew great, as high as the host of heaven; and it caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth, and it trampled them. Indeed, he grew in greatness to that of the Prince of the host” (vv. 10-11). Verse 25 says that he will stand up against the Prince of princes. This means that the little horn will exalt himself against God and take away the daily sacrifice (v. 11), stopping the worship of God by the Jews. Even though the Jews have returned to the land of their fathers, they are presently in a very poor situation, being full of sins and transgression. Therefore, God will be disgusted with their offerings. Because of their transgression, He will allow Antichrist to cause the sacrifice to cease.
Antichrist, the little horn, will also throw down the place of the sanctuary of the Prince of the host (v. 11). This indicates that he will destroy the rebuilt temple. He will “cast truth down to the ground” (v. 12), abolishing and tearing down every truth. He will take action and prosper (vv. 12, 24). “His power will be mighty, but not by his own power” (v. 24). Antichrist’s power will be the power of Satan. Revelation 13:2 says that “the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.” Since Antichrist will be the embodiment of Satan, he will “destroy in an extraordinary manner” (Dan. 8:24) the mighty men and the holy people. He will also destroy cities and even nations in an unprecedented manner, and he will also destroy the people of God.
Antichrist is also the prince in Daniel 9:26-27. In the last seven years of this age Antichrist will confirm a covenant of peace with Israel, permitting the Jews to offer sacrifices and to worship God according to their religion. However, after three and a half years Antichrist will cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, bring in both abominations and idols, and destroy both the holy city and the temple.
Antichrist is also the king in Daniel 11:36-45. This king is typified by Antiochus Epiphanes (vv. 21-35). Antiochus damaged the temple and polluted the sanctuary by sacrificing a sow in the temple. Judas Maccabaeus, a strong man of Judah, rose up and fought against him. Antiochus opposed the holy covenant that God had made with His people (vv. 28, 30) and removed the daily sacrifice (v. 31). Furthermore, he set up in the temple the abomination that desolates (v. 31). In the last three and a half years, Antichrist will do the same. He will “exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and against the God of gods he will speak extraordinary things...And he will not regard the gods of his fathers or the desire of women, nor will he regard any other god; for he will magnify himself above all” (vv. 36-37).
Antichrist will “enter the countries and overflow and pass through” (v. 40); “he will also enter the beautiful land” (v. 41) to take over the Jewish nation. “He will pitch the tents of his palace between the sea and the beautiful holy mountain” (v. 45). The sea in verse 45 is the Mediterranean Sea, and the beautiful holy mountain refers to Zion, which is in Jerusalem. Antichrist will pitch the tents of his palace between the Mediterranean Sea and Mount Zion.
Antichrist is also the angel of the abyss in Revelation 9:11. He will come out of the abyss (11:7; 17:8) and will possess the spirit of Caesar Nero. As the angel of the abyss, Antichrist will be the king of the demon-possessed locusts (9:1-11). At the sounding of the fifth trumpet, Satan will fall to the earth and will be given the key of the pit of the abyss (v. 1). After Satan has been cast down to earth, he will use the key of the pit of the abyss to release an army of extraordinary, demon-possessed locusts. The spirit of Nero will also be released at the time that the locusts are released from the abyss. Thus, Antichrist will become the king of this army of locusts. These locusts will torment men for five months. This will be the first of the three woes, the beginning of the woes of the great tribulation. During the last three and a half years, the angel of the abyss will be consumed with rage, will be obsessed with a satanic hatred, and will bring destruction wherever he goes.