One does not need the word "the" before Antichrist in order to refer back to "the Antichrist" in Dan 7. The "the" is assumed when the context infers a previous reference. In this case, many antichrists have come as precursors to "the Antichrist" mentioned previously in Dan 7, who there is called "the Little Horn."
Dan 9.8 “While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully...
20 I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell—the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully. 21 As I watched, this horn was waging war against the holy people and defeating them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the holy people of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom...
24 The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. 25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people* and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.
*this is what causes John to call him the "Antihrist"
Referring back to this "Little Horn" implies a reference to "the Antichrist." In fact, all references in the NT to the Antichrist, whether the "Man of Sin" or the "Beast" rely on Dan 7 as their point of origin.
You should not argue what you have yet to prove. I just corroborated the position by pointing out a future Antichrist is coming.
Both Daniel and the book of Revelation indicate that the 10 kings arising out of Rome will be, in their time, taken over by the Antichrist. And he will only reign unmolested for 3.5 years after which Christ will "soon" come to destroy him. This is a single generation that has not happened yet.
In some ways I would agree with the Reformers. At that time the Catholic Church had become corrupt under some bad popes, and the Protestant reformers were persecuted and martyrred. The Papacy had become a form of Antichrist, or False Prophet.
I think this is a warning that in the future the organized Church will grow corrupt again, and return to persecuting more doctrinally orthodox, conservative Christians. And they will be part of the false religion associated with the Antichrist.
I don’t think you have ‘tis right at all.
There are only 4 times in the NT where the term “AntiChrist” is found and all 4 refer to this a the “spirit” of the Antichrist- meaning anyone, person or institution, group, etc., that opposes the word of God and the Testimony of Jesus.
However, God has indeed gone to great lengths to speak of a person / institution that IS the one who will oppose Him, His saints, His Word, His laws. He is identified in chapters 7,8 and 11. He is spoken of in Revelation, although the term “little horn” is not found.
God identified 4 and only 4 kingdoms in Daniel- the 4 kingdoms identified as 4 distinct metals. He further confirmed this in chapter 7 but with 4 and only 4 wild animals. Each separate and distinct.
And in chapter 2, God revealed the “clay” that was held WITHIN the iron feet - Rome. This clay represented the Jews who were held captive within the Roman Empire at the time of Christ.
The Stone (Jesus) in 2:34 was not an end time event as ALL contend (that is identified in 2:35), but His first coming where He will symbolically strike the feet (only) and break apart or separate the clay from the iron . Jesus came not to destroy, but to divide.
This “division” separated those Jews (clay) that would later (2:41-43), to be termed either “pottery clay” or “ceramic / miry clay”. The former would represent those of His people that would accept Him as their Messiah and preach the Good News throughout the empire. Those Jews who would reject Him, the majority, would be the latter - there hearts were hardened and the “Potter” could not use them for His purpose.
When we move to chapter 7, God once again confirms the 4 separate kingdoms found in chapter 2, but now He uses animals as symbols. But if you focus only on the 4th kingdom of Rome, you will notice there has been much that has changed within that kingdom and chapter 7 and 8 will focus almost entirely on this 4th kingdom.
That is because the Stone that symbolically struck the feet was the cross and chapter 7 represents the time after the cross (for the 4th kingdom). Now, this beast is unlike the others and we find there are 10 horns COMING OUT from this 4th kingdom (after the cross). But AFTER the 10 horns (which WERE symbolized as the 10 toes in chapter 2 (BEFORE the cross) will come this “little horn.”
Meaning that the 10 toes and the 10 horns are the same entities AND existing both before and after the cross. BUT the “little horn” would only be found to come out of the 4th kingdom AFTER THE CROSS AND AFTER THE 10 horns came out from the 4th kingdom.
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