Daniel's prophecy in chapter 8 highlights the Greek Empire, focusing on its rise under Alexander the Great and the later reign of Antiochus IV Epiphanes, a Syrian king surnamed Epiphanes, meaning the manifest or the illustrious. The Jews, with tragic wit, called him Epimanes, or the madman, due to his violently anti-Jewish policies. Determined to Hellenize the Jews, this little horn systematically forbade, under penalty of death, circumcision, Sabbath and holy day observance, and the reading or possession of the Torah scrolls. He executed some for refusing to eat swine's flesh and butchered others who would not bow to a pagan image. Additionally, he erected a statue of Zeus Olympius in the Temple, sacrificed swine on God's altar, and permitted pagan rites, orgies, and festivals in the Temple grounds. In his pride, he decreed that he should be worshiped as Zeus, with his coins bearing the inscription theos epiphanes, meaning God manifest. Other despicable deeds of Antiochus, including his wars against Egypt and the Maccabees, are detailed in prophecy, where he is depicted as a precursor to a future world dictator who will also speak blasphemies and persecute God's people.

In 168 BC, on the 25th day of the month Kislev, Syrian king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, with the aid of his army, erected an altar to the Greek god Zeus on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and offered swine upon it. This act intensified Jewish resistance, sparking the Maccabean revolt. Subsequently, in 165 BC, the Jews retook Jerusalem, cleansed, and rededicated the Temple, an event commemorated in the Jewish Hanukah celebration.

Antiochus IV Epiphanes stands as a significant historical type of the end-time Beast, embodying the militaristic zeal and ruthless ambition that characterize this prophesied figure. Known for his aggressive conquests and desecration of sacred spaces, Antiochus exemplifies the Beast's obsession with war and domination. His actions, marked by a relentless drive to impose his will through overwhelming force, mirror the predicted behaviors of the coming ruler who will thrive on military victories and the destruction of enemies. Like Antiochus, the Beast will be a formidable conqueror, delighting in the imposition of harsh terms on the subdued and reveling in the power and riches that conquest brings. These traits of unyielding martial prowess and strategic cunning, as seen in Antiochus, serve as critical clues to recognizing the Beast when he rises to prominence.

Some have been perplexed about the apparent paradox within Christ's Olivet Prophecy which, on one hand, describes the end time in human history—so severe that without the intervention of Almighty God, no flesh would survive. But, on the other hand, Christ compares those same days to the ordinary routines of Noah's and Lot's times, namely eating, drinking, marrying, buying, and selling, that is, life carrying on as if nothing were amiss. The paradox can be neutralized by realizing that Christ does not emphasize the prosperity but the suddenness of the destruction, striking when people least expect it. The paradox is also resolved when we realize the incredible ability of people to adapt to suffering such as the victims of the Warsaw Ghetto during WWII when people maintained a sense of "normal life" amid horrific conditions, some heroically, while others betrayed their fellow victims through compromise. Humans have an incredible resilience seeming "normal" even though tribulation. The true danger is not the result of human weapons or disasters, but Almighty God's "days of vengeance" on both Israel and the gentile nations for rebellion and oppression. In this context, unless God shortens those days, all flesh would perish. Adaptability can numb us to sin. Just as elites of the Warsaw Ghetto danced among the corpses, God's people tragically can adapt to lawlessness as their love turns ice cold. God's people must resist adapting to sin and spiritual complacency but stay ready for Christ's unexpected return.