Most if not all of the commentaries via the link above, appear to be insisting A4E is the little horn in Daniel 8. They clearly ignore or fail to understand that there are time descriptors throughout Daniel 8 that make it impossible that the days of A4E is meant. Not to mention, what Daniel said below.
Daniel 8:27 And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.
How is it even remotely reasonable, that if the little horn was meaning someone in Daniel's near future, A4E in that case, thus would be involving ancient times similar to the times Daniel was already living in, why this then---I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it? That's perfectly understandable if what Daniel was seeing in these visions involves the 21st century and not meaning in a literal sense, for example. But it doesn't make sense that no one could understand if it was supposed to be meaning in their near future.
You can disagree, and
@claninja can disagree all you want, but no way is anything in Daniel 8 involving a literal brick and mortar temple, nor is anyone going to be able to convince me that it does. Therefore, the little horn for sure can't fit A4E's time since that involved a literal brick and mortar temple. Yet, it can fit the end of this age, except it still won't be involving a literal brick and mortar temple, though I realize that you and some others insist a 3rd temple will be built.
If Daniel was literally seeing anyone desecrating a literal brick and mortar temple, in any era of time, including the 21st century, why would he be astonished at the vision, and that none understood it? If these things are not involving literal things, such as literal brick and mortar temples, it's perfectly reasonable why he would have been astonished at the vision, and that none understood. Which vision, though? The vision involving the latter time of their kingdom.
Daniel 8:8 Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.
9 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 what did one of them come forth? The four notable horns? Or the 4 winds? Look at verse 9, it only mentions 3 compass directions rather than 4. Why is that? Maybe because the compass direction not listed in verse 9 is meaning the direction the little horn is coming from.
According to the following article I found recently, and that
@claninja has been arguing genders, the following appears to maybe support my conclusion in regards to verse 9.
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in languages such as French, Greek and Hebrew, each word is considered to be either feminine or masculine. Now, since the texts we are considering were written in Hebrew, it will do us a lot of good to consider the gender. This exercise will enable us to explain correctly the seemingly problematic texts in question.
The texts in question are as follows:
"8:8 Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up FOUR NOTABLE ONES toward the FOUR WINDS OF HEAVEN.
8:9 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."
(Daniel 8:8-9; Capital Emphasis Added)
as we can notice above, the verse 8 mentions four notable HORNS (the word "horns" has masculine gender) and four WINDS (the word "winds" has feminine gender). Now, in verse 9, we read that: "And out of one of THEM came forth a little horn" (Capital Emphasis Added). Some scholars of prophecy, by ignoring the gender base of the Hebrew language, interpret this expression to mean out of one of the four notable horns came forth a little horn. This interpretation implies that the little horn came out from one of the four divisions of the Grecian Empire. And such scholars, through this interpretation, go ahead to relate the little horn power of Daniel 8:9 with Antiochus IV Epiphanes who rose up from one of the divided segments of Greece (that is, Syria to be specific).
But friends, we quickly realize that this interpretation is false when we apply the gender base of the Hebrew language. This is because by applying the Hebrew language properly, we know that the word THEM in verse 9 has feminine gender, and must relate directly with the word WINDS which also has a feminine gender. Thus, the correct interpretation of Daniel 8:8-9 will be: Out of one of the four winds; that is, out of one of the four directions of the compass, came forth a little horn. And in fact, the Pagan Roman Empire which overthrew Greece came out of the Western division of Alexander’s empire (Note that the West is one of the cardinal directions of the compass).
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." (Daniel 8:9)
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