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The Antichrist Most Definitely Is Not a Person! 17

makes some faltering attempts to name the three kingdoms to be taken over by the Antichrist. Since
they are in the future to him, he has little success identifying them. But Rome has been identified,
and he knows the empire must fall. He continues –

These things shall then be in the future, beloved, and when the three horns are cut off he
will begin to show himself as God (ibid.).

Hippolytus has a composite of Daniel, Revelation and II Thessalonians in his fulfillment.
He knew enough to put together the four beasts of Daniel and the little horn with the beasts of Reve-
lation 13 and 17 -- as well as the image to the beast -- to make this interpretation. Out of that he has
properly identified Rome as the beast and has the name 666 identified with the Romans because,
“they still, at present, bear rule.” In other words, they are the fourth empire from the Babylonians as
per Daniel’s prophecy. We should be impressed.

Scolia. Sometime between the years 250 and 300 A.D. An unnamed person wrote comments called
“scolia” in the margin of Hippolytus’ writings. They are very enlightening and contain a detailed
exposition of Daniel 7, analyzing and interpreting each of the beasts. This person states that Baby-
lon is the first, the bear is Persia, the Leopard is Greece -- and the four heads of the leopard are the
fourfold division of Alexander’s kingdom. He clearly names each of the principalities, and makes a
very accurate historical assessment of Daniel’s prophecy. The scolia then go on to the fourth beast:

...A fourth beast. Now that there has arisen no other kingdom after that of the Greeks
except that which stands sovereign at present, is manifest to all....for there is no other
kingdom [bearing rule over all the earth] remaining after this one, but from it will spring
10 horns.

And it had ten horns, for as the prophecy of the leopard with four heads...was
fulfilled, and Alexander’s kingdom was divided into four principalities, so also now, we
ought to look for the ten horns which are to spring up from [the fourth beast] when the
time of the beast shall be fulfilled, and the little horn, which is Antichrist shall appear
suddenly in their midst (Hippolytus, Fragments from the Commentaries, Scolia 6-9, p.
189).

It is obvious that the author of the scolia has concluded from the prophecies that the four
world empires spoken of by Daniel would end with the Romans. He concluded that the imperial
system would then end! Now this was quite a feat for someone who did not have the advantage of
hindsight! He stated that there would be no further united empire after the (Roman) empire in which
he lived! What incredible insight to a scenario we now know to be correct. Take note that with the
lengthening of time since the giving of the prophecy the fulfillment was no longer expected to be
sudden, i.e. the sudden appearance of the Antichrist was now expected to take place after the empire
was divided for some space of time. The same unfolding of events (rather than instant fulfillment) is
surmised in Hippolytus above -- “he will begin to show.”

The scolia goes on to ask for patience and prayer -- that people might avoid these things that
he was convinced would transpire. It is indeed ironic that the author was living contemporaneously

The Berean Voice July-August 2002