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INTRODUCTION

"The Bible paints a picture of widespread horror known as the tribulation period: Darkness and evil will abound on this planet; Satan's Antichrist will emerge; plagues and judgments will be unleashed upon this planet. To deny these realities one would have to rip entire sections out of the Bible, for the end-time scenario is presented with great clarity and stunning horror." [1]

Futuristic interpreters of biblical prophecy understand the Bible to foretell a time of terrible tribulation that will culminate in the end of the world. At the heart of the tribulation theory (tribulationism) is a system of interpretation utilizing the Old Testament book of Daniel as a blueprint of future events. This work's purpose is to examine the futuristic interpretation of Daniel in light of scholarly studies.

According to futuristic interpreters, symbolic images in Daniel -- toes of iron and clay, wild beasts with wings and horns, a horn with eyes, etc. -- represent events that will culminate in the return of Jesus Christ and the end of the world. Futurists contend Daniel prophesies the rise of an Antichrist as the head of a 10-nation revived Roman Empire. Antichrist will persecute God's people and seek to rule the world. Futurists also contend Daniel prophesies a seven-year period of terrible tribulation; rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple; restoration of ancient sacrifices; and a final great war -- the Battle of Armageddon.

From this basic set of events derived from the futuristic interpretation of Daniel, other biblical texts, such those in Matthew 24 and Revelation, are incorporated into tribulationism to formulate the prevailing endtime scenario. Hundreds of books promoting biblical are built around this scenario. Add the ingredients in a constantly changing world, and prophecy writers have an unlimited supply of fuel to keep the end time fires blazing!

A tragic example of biblical prophecy gone mad was the stand off between the FBI and the Branch Davidians in 1993. The apocalypticism preached by David Koresh was quickly branded insane by conservative Christian groups, and quips such as the "Wacko from Waco" spewed forth from pulpits. However, as a matter of biblical interpretation, how sane is the tribulationism? Is this popular method of interpretation any more credible than endtime scenarios devised by "cults"?

Prophecy writers of this century have identified such personalities as Adolf Hitler, Henry Kissinger, Mikhail Gorbachev, or Ronald Reagan as the Antichrist. Prophecy writers have found the revived Roman Empire in League of Nations, the United Nations, the European Defense Community, NATO, and the European Economic Community (EEC), to name a few.

The Arab Oil Embargo of the 1970's prompted speculation of an impending world-ending war in the Middle East, as did Operation Desert Storm. The Cold War threat of the Soviet Union had prophecy writers predicting a Russian invasion of Israel as a prelude to the end. However, the demise of communism in Eastern Europe and the breakup of the Soviet Union, are now touted as preludes to a new world order. Under the new world order, a one-world government ruled by Antichrist will take control of the nations and force a one-world religion upon peoples of all faiths.

The cries of doom persist, and will likely escalate as A.D. 2000 looms ominously on the horizon. But how credible are the claims of prophecy writers? Better yet, how credible is the theory which forms the basis of such speculation?

This work attempts to dispel the far-reaching conclusions of prophecy writers, not by rebuking their bold claims of prophetic fulfillment as many have done in the past. Rather, this work scrutinizes the very theory which underlies these speculative works.

The theory is first broken apart to determine the significant role assigned to the futuristic interpretation of Daniel. The bulk of this work then consists of an in depth analysis of Daniel's five apocalyptic visions. [2] The futuristic interpretation of Daniel is analyzed against the results of biblical scholarship within Daniel's historical and literary contexts.

Interpreted in their proper context, the visions of Daniel symbolically provide details that coincide with established historical sources of the same era. Once this vital link is established, the controversial portions of Daniel's visions may be expounded with minimal difficulty. It will be concluded that the book of Daniel does not prophesy future events. Rather, Daniel is a book of hope and perseverance that inspired its second-century B.C. Jewish audience to resist paganism and hold to their faith in the one mighty God -- Yahweh.

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NOTES

  1. Jerry Johnston, The Last Days of Planet Earth, (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1991), p. 14. Return
  2. There are three visions attributed to the character Daniel. But for the sake of simplicity, the dream of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2 and the Seventy Weeks Prophecy in Daniel 9 will be catagorized as visions of Daniel since all five are apocalyptic. Return