There's an awkward tug-of-war when you feel the accurate interpretation of Scripture goes in one direction while the commentary notes go in another. This was my reality as I taught through Dan. 8:9-14. I disagreed with the view that this passage was about Antiochus Epiphanes. This article is the first of two-parts that lay out my rationale for believing this section of Scripture is instead about the antichrist. I unpack a "directional dilemma" that emerges with an honest assessment of verse 9.