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What makes you think it has to be one man and not a position such as pope itself, or a set of beliefs?
The profusion of masculine singular pronouns referencing him in Daniel 7:24-26
The lain language interpretation given Daniel 7:24 that "horn" == "king"
The testimony of the Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians referring to this same one as "the man of lawlessness" and "the son of destruction."

The plain sense makes perfect sense, so why exert such great efforts to conjure up another sense by introducing multiplied complexity into the situation? The text wasn't written to be deciphered by scholars and pointy-headed intellectuals; it was written to be sensible to common men, and women; people without the written word accessible to them; people without concordances, lexicons, and commentaries; people endowed with no more education than that given by The Spirit, Himself.

Brother, I could go on, in a point-by-point manner, but entertain great doubt as to the worth of such an effort. There isn't time to debate it. Let the matter be reveled to all by the Hand of God, Himself; acting as He has foretold by all the prophets.

The gospel will yet be spread to the last and furthest reaches of this sphere; perhaps in as little as the next decade it will be done.

There will be revival in the Earth; an explosion of salvation and the The Man of Sin will be revealed, and his False Prophet.

These two shall deceive all who have not received the love of the Truth, and there will be Great Apostasy, as many will turn aside in delusion and perish.

But the people who know their God will stand firm to the very end, and follow hard upon the heels of the resurrected dead as they rise to be gathered to Christ at the Seventh (last) trumpet, which announces His coming.

So, the end of the age will come even as revealed to John; and The Son of David will sit upon his father's throne at Jerusalem having dominion over all the Earth; ruling the nations with an iron scepter in righteousness and peace.

In that day, it will matter precious little how we thought things were going to happen; only that we remained steadfast in Truth despite all, and held fast to our faith to the utter end.

The plain sense makes perfect sense, so why exert such great efforts to conjure up another sense by introducing multiplied complexity into the situation?

Revelation 17
8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.

Yep, sometimes it is so clear, no explanation is necessary. :)

Have a good one! :)