And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.
Out of one of them came forth a little horn - not to be confounded with the little horn of the fourth kingdom in Daniel 7:8. The little horn in Daniel 7:1-28 comes as an eleventh horn after ten preceding horns. In Daniel 8:1-27 it is not an independent fifth horn, after the four previous ones, but arises out of one of the four existing horns. This horn is explained (Daniel 8:23) to be "a king of fierce countenance," etc. Antiochus Epiphanes is meant. Greece, with all its refinement, produces the first - i:e., the Old Testament Antichrist. Antiochus had an extraordinary love of art, which expressed itself in grand temples. He wished to substitute Zeus Olympius for Yahweh at Jerusalem. Thus, first, pagan civilzation from below and revealed religion from above came into collision. Identifying himself with Jupiter, his aim was to make his own worship universal (cf. Daniel 8:25 with Daniel 11:36): so mad was he in this that he was called Epimanes (maniac) instead of Epiphanes (illustrious).
None of the previous world-rulers, Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:31-34), Darius (Daniel 6:27-28), Cyrus (Ezra 1:2-4), Artaxerxes Longimanus (Ezra 7:12), had systematically opposed the Jews' religious worship. Nebuchaduezzar's and Darius' decrees had not been aimed against the three Jewish youths and Daniel respectively, but had incidentally involved them in penalties for their religion. In the end both monarchs did honour to the God of Israel; as did their successors Cyrus and Artaxerxes. Hence, the need of prophecy to prepare them for Antiochus. The struggle of the Maccabees was a fruit of Daniel's prophecy (1Ma 2:59-61 : Thus Mattathias, the father, stimulated his sons to religious stedfastness, saying, 'Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, by believing, were saved out of the flame. Daniel for his innocence was delivered from the mouth of lions. And thus consider ye throughout all ages, that none that put their trust in Him shall be overcome'). He is the forerunner of the final Antichrist, standing in the same relation to the first advent of Christ that Antichrist does to His second coming.
The sins in Israel which gave rise to the Greek Antichrist were that some Jews adopted Hellenic customs (cf. Daniel 11:30; Daniel 11:32), erecting theaters, and regarding all religions alike, sacrificing to Yahweh, but at the same time sending money for sacrifices to Hercules ("He shall ... have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant" ... "Such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries"). The prophecy was fulfilled to the letter, we know from 1Ma 1:20-53 . 'Many also of the Israelites consented to his (Antiochus's) religion, and sacrificed unto idols, and profaned the Sabbath.' Such shall be the state of the world when ripe for Antichrist. At Daniel 8:9; Daniel 8:23 the description passes from the literal Antiochus to features which, though partially attributed to him, hold good in their fullest sense only of his antitype, the New Testament Antichrist.
The Mohammedan Antichrist may also be included; answering to the Euphratean (Turk.) horseman (Revelation 9:14-21), loosed "an hour, a day, a month, a year" (391 years in the year-day theory), to scourge corrupted, idolatrous Christianity. In 637 AD the Saracen Moslem Mosque of Omar was rounded on the site of the temple, "treading under foot the sanctuary" (Daniel 8:11-13); and there it still remains. The first conquest of the Turks over Christians was in 1281 AD; and 391 years after they reached their zenith of power (their last victory over them being in
1672), and began to decline, Sobieski defeating them at Vienna. Mohammed II, called 'the conqueror,' reigned 1451 AD - 1481 AD, in which period Constantinople fell; 391 years after brings us to our own day, in which Turkey's fall is imminent.
Waxed exceeding great, toward the south - (Daniel 11:25). Antiochus fought against Ptolemy Philometor and Egypt - i:e., the south.
Toward the east - he fought against those who attempted a change of government in Persia.
Toward the pleasant land - Judea, "the glorious land" (Daniel 11:16; 41:45 : cf. Psalms 48:2; Ezekiel 20:6; Ezekiel 20:15). Its chief pleasantness consists in its being God's chosen fund (Psalms 132:13; Jeremiah 3:19). Into it Antiochus made his inroad, after his return from Egypt.