The student of prophecy can not fail to see the striking similarity between the description of the little horn in Daniel 7 and that of the ten-horned leopard-beast of Revelation 13.  The following parallels prove their identity: 

1.  Both are blasphemous powers (Dan. 7:25; Rev. 13:6).

2.  They speak great things and blasphemies (Dan. 7:8, 20; Rev. 13:5).

3.  Both are persecuting powers making war on the saints (Dan. 7:21; Rev. 13:7).

4.  The chronology of each shows that the power rose to prominence about the time of the cessation of the pagan Roman Empire.

5.  The length of time during which they were to continue is the same—­forty-two months, or twelve hundred and sixty days.

6.  Both are to be gradually but finally destroyed (Dan. 7:26; Rev. 13:10).

These powers, then, appear at the same time, in the same territory, have the same character, do the same work, continue the same length of time, and meet the same fate. These facts prove identity. We have, therefore, positive proof drawn from the parallel prophecies in Daniel that the first beast of Revelation 13 signifies the politico-religious system of Rome.

[Sidenote:  Length of papal reign]

The identification of the little horn of Daniel 7 with the leopard-beast of Revelation 13 is now complete.  That both apply to the papacy has been conclusively shown.  We shall now turn our attention to the length of time that this power was to reign.  Daniel limits the triumph of the little horn to “a time and times and the dividing of time” (Dan. 7:25).  “Time,” in the singular, of course, signifies one time.  “Times,” plural, without a designating number, signifies two times.  “The dividing of time” is rendered in chapter 12:7, also in both texts in the Revised Version, “a half.”  So the entire period is three and a half times.

The seven-year period of Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity is described as seven times (chap. 4:25).  We therefore conclude that the period of three and a half times signifies three and a half years.  This agrees with the reign of the leopard beast of Revelation 13, namely, “forty and two months” (verse 5), or according to the Jewish method of computing time—­thirty days to the month—­twelve hundred and sixty days.  Notice that this also agrees both in the manner of statement and in point of duration with the flight of the woman into the wilderness, as described in Revelation 12.  She was to be nourished for “a time, and times, and half a time” (verse 14), which period is spoken of in verse 6 of the same chapter as “a thousand two hundred and threescore days.”