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CHAPTER ONE

Daniel: The Tap Root of Tribulationism

The belief in a future tribulation period is but one tree in a forest of biblical interpretation. Tribulationism's free-flowing branches of speculation captures the imagination of Christians searching for special knowledge of the end times. Tribulationism's primary source of strength, the tap root nourishing the tree, is a futuristic intpretation of Daniel. This chapter will demonstrate Daniel's priority in the in the formation of tribulationism. This will be accomplished by tracing the various schools of prophetic thought to a specific system of interpretation known as dispensationalism. The tribulation, as understood by futuristic dispensational interpreters, will be set forth, and the relationship of other biblical texts explored.

The Millennium

Conservative interpreters categorize their interpretation of future events based on Revelation 20:2-7. The thousand-year period in this Scripture is known as the millennium. The thousand years is commonly interpreted to be the millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ during which time Satan will be bound and the saints will reign with Christ.

There are three schools of interpretation concerning the relationship of the millennium to prophetic events. These are postmillennialism, amillennialism, and premillennialism. Postmillenarians hold that the millennium is a literal period of 1000 years preceding the second coming of Christ. Thus, Christ's return to earth is to be after the millennium. Amillenarians do not believe in a literal 1000-year period, but understand the thousand years symbolically and apply it to the entire period between the resurrection of Christ and His second coming. Premillenarians believe in a literal 1000-year reign of Christ on earth to immediately follow the tribulation period. Thus, Christ's second coming is to be before the millennium.

Premillennialism

Of the three views concerning the millennium, tribulationists follow premillennialism. Premillenarians may be further divided into three schools of thought concerning the events preceding the return of Christ and the establishment of His millennial kingdom. These are preterist, historicist, and futurist. The preterist school holds that the prophetic events described in Daniel, Revelation, etc. were fulfilled in the first century A.D. during the period between Christ's first coming and the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. The historicist school contends biblical prophecy a progressive revelation that has been literally fulfilled over the centuries. Historicists hold that Revelation 4-20 narrates the entire church age up to the second coming of Christ.

The predominate view is the one held by futurists. Futuristic interpreters contend that many of the prophetic elements of Daniel and Revelation still await fulfillment. These events are to be literally fulfilled in a future tribulation period that is to precede the return of Christ.

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