I kept on considering the horns, and, look! another horn, a small one, came up in among them, and there were three of the first horns that were plucked up from before it. And, look! there were eyes like the eyes of a man in this horn, and there was a mouth speaking grandiose things.”​—Daniel 7:7, 8.

11. What additional feature of it did Daniel want explained?

¹¹ “Then it was that I desired to make certain concerning the fourth beast, which proved to be different from all the others, extraordinarily fearsome, the teeth of which were of iron and the claws of which were of copper, which was devouring and crushing, and which was treading down even what was left with its feet; and concerning the ten horns that were on its head, and the other horn that came up and before which three fell, even that horn that had eyes and a mouth speaking grandiose things and the appearance of which was bigger than that of its fellows. “I kept on beholding when that very horn made war upon the holy ones, and it was prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days came and judgment itself was given in favor of the holy ones of the Supreme One, and the definite time arrived that the holy ones took possession of the kingdom itself.”​—Daniel 7:19-22.

And as for the ten horns, out of that [fourth] kingdom there are ten kings that will rise up; and still another one will rise up after them, and he himself will be different from the first ones, and three kings he will humiliate. And he will speak even words against the Most High, and he will harass continually the holy ones themselves of the Supreme One. And he will intend to change times and law, and they will be given into his hand for a time, and times and half a time. And the Court itself proceeded to sit, and his own rulership they finally took away, in order to annihilate him and to destroy him totally.’”​—Daniel 7:23-26.

14. The “time, and times and half a time” are how long?

¹⁴ In Da 7 verse twenty-five where the expression “a time, and times and half a time” appears, The New American Bible (Roman Catholic) reads: “They [the holy ones] shall be handed over to him for a year, two years, and a half-year.” Moffatt’s translation reads: “And for three years and half a year the saints shall be handed over to him.” Similarly, The Complete Bible​—An American Translation reads: “And they shall be handed over to him for a year, two years, and half a year.” Historically, what years were they?

THE ANGLO-AMERICAN DUAL WORLD POWER

15. How did the “small” horn with eyes and mouth come to be?

¹⁵ The “fourth kingdom,” the Roman Empire, broke up into a number of nations, and one outstanding outgrowth from the empire was Great Britain. To establish itself as the mistress of the seven seas Great Britain with its colonies had to prove itself superior to the Spanish, the Dutch and the French naval powers. This was accomplished by the year 1763 C.E., so that then the British Empire became the foretold Seventh World Power of Bible prophecy. On July 4, 1776, the former British colonies in North America declared their independence and became the United States of America. By later cooperation together in various fields of international importance the British Empire and the United States of America became, in effect, the Anglo-American Dual World Power. Down to 1914 C.E. this Seventh World Power controlled more than a quarter of the earth’s surface and population. It is the “small” horn that plucked up three other horns (Spanish, Dutch and French naval powers) and that had the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking grandiose things.​—Daniel 7:8.

16, 17. How did those three and a half years culminate in 1918?

¹⁶ It was during World War I, from July 28, 1914, to November 11, 1918, that the “saints” or “holy ones” were handed over to this Seventh World Power to do with as it wanted. It was on April 6, 1917, that the United States of America became involved in that world conflict on the side of the British Empire. Daniel’s prophecy specializes on three and a half lunar years during this World War I as the time when the Seventh World Power, the symbolic “small” horn, crushed the “holy ones” of the Most High God, Jehovah. This culminated in the sentencing to many years of imprisonment in the federal penitentiary at Atlanta, Georgia, of seven falsely accused Christian men who were engaged prominently in publishing world wide the good news of God’s established kingdom by word of mouth and by printed page.

¹⁷ This sentencing occurred on June 21, 1918, and on July 4, 1918, these seven leading promoters of Bible study were taken by train from Brooklyn, New York, to Atlanta, Georgia. This served as a crushing spiritual blow to the then-persecuted International Bible Students, who, now, since the year 1931, are known as Jehovah’s Witnesses.

18. Are the “holy ones” shown as wiped out by the “small” horn?

¹⁸ Daniel’s prophecy does not show that the “holy ones themselves of the Supreme One” were wiped out by harassment from the symbolic “small” horn, the Anglo-American Dual World Power. The Most High God, whose universal sovereignty they stick to and proclaim, is on their side. He will see to it that divine justice is done to them. (Luke 18:7, 8) However, the Seventh World Power and all the other nations of the earth do not take seriously the notice served on them by Jehovah’s Witnesses. This notice is to the effect that, since the end of the Gentile Times in 1914, they have been on judgment before the Most High. Daniel’s dream of the four beasts and the “small” horn prophetically portrays this solemn fact.

THE DIVINE COURT SITS

19. How did the Heavenly Court deal with the four “beasts”?

¹⁹ Referring to a time after the “small” horn has come into existence and has spoken grandiose things, Daniel continues on with describing his prophetic dream: “I kept on beholding until there were thrones placed and the Ancient of Days sat down. His clothing was white just like snow, and the hair of his head was like clean wool. His throne was flames of fire; its wheels were a burning fire. There was a stream of fire flowing and going out from before him. There were a thousand thousands that kept ministering to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand that kept standing right before him. The Court took its seat, and there were books that were opened. I kept on beholding at that time because of the sound of the grandiose words that the horn was speaking; I kept on beholding until the [fourth] beast was killed and its body was destroyed and it was given to the burning fire.

22. Why is the fourth beast with its “small” horn destroyed?

²² The fourth symbolic “beast,” with its aggressive “small” horn, suffers destruction because of its violent oppressive course on earth, because of its blasphemous words against the Most High God, and because of its continual harassment of God’s “holy ones.” Such ungodly things have been done more recently by the Anglo-American horn on the head of this fourth beast.

23. What happens to rulerships not pictured by the four beasts?

²³ So, the symbolic fourth beast is pictured as being destroyed along with the “small” horn. In historical reality, however, the symbolic fourth beast, namely, the Roman World Power, has its imperial power taken away, in order to make room for the Anglo-American Dual World Power. Various “kings,” or symbolic “horns,” that had been embraced within the Roman World Power, continued on ruling like inferior “horns,” dominated by the crafty “small” horn that had a man’s eyes and a talkative mouth. So, when the Anglo-American Dual World Power goes down into destruction under the fiery judgments of the Ancient of Days, those hornlike “kings,” as remnants of the Roman World Power, perish with it. (Daniel 7:23-26)