is formal, and not ancillary in their character, may continue and hold its place during the crisis: for example, the blasphemy; for this was on his heads,
evil form of presumption against the Most High in the beast—we have in verse 8: that is, its character before God. The prophet saw this till the thrones were set; in 9, 10, judgment set and books opened—not now the time of testimony. Then again he beholds till the beast was slain, ver. 11, because of the little horn’s great words. After this, the Son of man’s kingdom is spoken of as given; this in connection with the Lord. The saints, whether of the heavenly places or simply saints, are introduced in the explanation, ver. 21; the character of the horn, as to the saints, is given—saints, whether of the heavenlies or not—it is the horn’s character. Then this is—till, first, the Ancient of days comes; then judgment is given to the saints of the heavenlies; thirdly, the saints, heavenly or on earth, possess the kingdom. As to the actings of the little horn explained, we have first his presumption against the Most High; next he wears out the saints of the heavenlies, and takes providence into his hand, and this is given him for a prescribed period; then the judgment sits, as in close of verses 10,11. The twenty-fifth verse seems to me, then, properly the three years and a half antecedent to the commencement of the judgment or the judgment-sitting, though after that there is a process goes on to take away, to consume, and to destroy; and then the kingdom, under the whole heaven, is given to the people of the saints of the Most High, thus connecting the earthly people at Jerusalem, the city of the great king, with the heavenly people.
The eighth chapter, I conclude to be an entirely different and opposed enemy; and I believe the confounding the Assyrian and Antichrist has much tended to obscure prophecy and embroil the mind as to the simplicity of its statements.
One is the enemy of Christ as coming from heaven with the
