| Daniel 7:7
| After this I beheld in the vision of the night, and lo, a fourth beast, terrible and wonderful, and exceeding strong, it had great iron teeth, eating and breaking in pieces, and treading down the rest with his feet: and it was unlike to the other beasts which I had seen before it, and had ten horns.
| Unlike. It is not named: but shews the incomparable power of the Romans, governed by kings, consuls, tribunes, dictators, and emperors, at different times. (Worthington) --- This is the opinion generally received, which we shall explain. Yet many think that the kingdoms of Syria and Egypt are designated, as [in] Daniel 2:40. St. Jerome acknowledges that what is understood of antichrist, had been partly verified in Epiphanes, his figure. The beast was to be slain before the coming of the Son of man, ver. 11, 26. It would persecute for three years and a half; but God would grant victory to his saints, as he did to the Machabees. Yet they only exhibited a faint idea of what has been done by the Church. The same subject is treated, Daniel 11. Many things caused the dominion of the successors of Alexander to be unlike that of others. It was never united, and was very destructive to the Jews. (Calmet) --- Horns. That is, ten kingdoms, (as [in] Apocalypse 17:12.) among which the empire of the fourth beast shall be parcelled: or ten kings of the number of the successors of Alexander, as figures of such as shall be about the time of antichrist. (Challoner) --- Epiphanes was the eighth king, and Laomedon, Antigonus, and Demetrius, had been governors of Syria before. Most understand this of antichrist, whom Epiphanes foreshewed. Others think that it points out Vespasian, the tenth successor of Caesar, who made war on the Jews. The same prediction may regard different events, as the abomination (chap. 9.) may allude to the profanations committed by Epiphanes, by the Romans at the last siege, and by antichrist. Others apply this to the Turkish empire, which may be paving the way for the great antagonist of Christ. (Calmet) Dioclesian and Julian may also be meant, as well as other forerunners of the man of sin. (Haydock) --- He shall overcome many, but his fury shall continue but a short time, ver. 25. (Worthington)
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