Seventh day Adventist historicist interpretations of Bible prophecy

Methods of Interpretation

According to Shea there is substantial divergence among scholars concerning Daniel’s prophecies in how to undertake the interpretation of prophecy. There are three basic methodologies.

Preterist

Preterists and non-preterists have generally agreed that the Jesuit Luis de Alcasar (1554–1613) wrote the first systematic preterist exposition of prophecy - Vestigatio arcani sensus in Apocalypsi (published in 1614) - during the Counter-Reformation.

The vast majority of modern commentators and critical scholars take the position that God does not interfere in human affairs. The preterist view states that the book of Daniel was written against the background of contemporary events in the second century B.C., during the oppression of Antiochus Epiphanes, by someone other than Daniel. They repudiate the miracle of prediction and prefer the "more reasonable" and "elegant" vaticinium ex eventu. The book of Daniel is thus a work of fiction written during the Maccabean period to encourage resistance against tyranny. The “fulfillment” of all of Daniel's prophecies end during the second century B.C. They don't expect the book of Daniel to be historically accurate or true to the sixth century B.C. setting it describes. The preterist methodology starts with chapter 11 and works backwards through the prophetic chapters. Chapter 11 thus becomes the yardstick by which to approach the other prophecies. They take the position that most of chapter 11 deals with Antiochus Epiphanes who ruled the Seleucid kingdom from Antioch to Syria from approximately 175 to 164 B.C.. They then read him back into the other prophecies of chapters 8, 7, and 2. Antiochus Epiphanes thus becomes the all-encompassing figure of Daniel's prophecies.

Futurist

The futurist view was proposed by two Catholic Jesuit writers, Manuel Lacunza and Francisco Ribera. Lacunza wrote under the pen name "Ben-Ezra", and his work was banned by the Catholic Church. It has grown in popularity in the 19th and 20th centuries, so that today it is probably most readily recognized.

The futurist view considers much of Daniel's prophecies as still future and as yet unfulfilled. While the futurist interpreters begin in the past, starting Daniel's prophecies with the historical sequence . . . they then jump over the entire Christian ere and place the main fulfillment of most of these prophecies in the last seven years of earth's history. This method is nearly the reverse of preterism and projects nearly all prophecies into the future. A classic example of this can be found in the "dispensationalist" system, as it deals with the 70 weeks of Daniel 9:24-27. A gap of about 20 centuries is inserted between the end of the 69th week a Christ's death and the 70th week at the time of the end.

Historicist

The historicist method sees the prophecies of Daniel as being fulfilled throughout history, extending from the past through the present to the future. It is sometimes called the 'continuous historical' view. This method starts with Daniel 2 and works progressively through consecutive prophecies of the book—chapters 7, 8 and 11—resulting in a view of Daniel's prophecies very different from preterism and futurism. According to Shea, Antiochus Epiphanes is thus scaled down to a very modest subheading under the Greek kingdom. "This is the most ancient system of interpretation in both Jewish and Christian traditions. So far it is the only one which respects the historical intention of the biblical author as such. The preterist approach makes the Bible lie, the futurist approach makes the Bible a work of science fiction; neither one seriously takes the historical data into account."

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Historicist interpretation of prophecies in the book of Daniel

Each of the five primary prophecies of Daniel are separately presented below with comparisons between them and with the SDA historicist interpretation of each.

Uriah Smith said "Daniel's prophecy is, in many respects, the most remarkable of any in the Bible. It is the most comprehensive. It was the first Biblical prophecy giving a consecutive history of the world from that time to the end. It located most of its predictions within well-defined prophetic periods, though reaching many centuries into the future. ... And so accurately had its minute and literal predictions been fulfilled down to the time of Porphyry, A.D. 250, that he declared (the only loophole he could devised for his hard-pressed skepticism) that the predictions were not written in the age of Babylon, but after the events themselves had occurred."

Literary structure

Building upon Lenglet's basic work on the literary structure of Daniel, William H. Shea proposed in 1987 that Daniel is composed of a double chiasm. (See Daniel—Double Chiasm illustration) He states that the chiastic structure is emphasized by the languages in which the book is written. The first chiasm is written in Aramaic and the second in Hebrew, which explains why Aramaic continues to be used in chapter 7 rather than ending in chapter 6. Those who follow the chiastic language structure, view chapter 7 as the end of the first half of the book. Shea’s explanation of the Daniel double chaism illustration follows:

Parallel themes share common label

Lowest levels in the chiasm are place in parallel because they all have a similar theme: prophecies about successive kingdoms. (see illustration) The second level up deals with the suffering of God's people. The prophecies about the actions of different kings is the topic of the third level. Finally the structure portrays the trial faced by the Anointed One as the focal point of the book.

Structure has precedence over chronology

The first 6 narrative chapters are fit into the structure rather than defining the structure. The actual chronological order of the chapters is 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 6, 8, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12.

Grouping emphasizes prophecies

This chiastic grouping of chapters having the same theme has implications when it comes to the chapters containing prophecies. Not only are they parallel because they contain prophecies, but the prophecies themselves are parallel to each other, which has been recognized for millennia.

Survey of prophecy

This survey section consists of paraphrases and quotations of the significant texts.

In Chapter two, King Nebuchadnezzar has a dream which he cannot remember after waking. He calls in the wise men to tell him of the dream but they cannot do so. In anger he decides do kill them all, but Daniel pleads for a day to pray for his God to give him the dream and its interpretation. The next day Daniel tells the king that he saw a large statue of a man: "The head of the statue was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay." "Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. ... You are that head of gold."

Below the head the body was composed of inferior metals descending in value until they reach their basest form in the feet and toes of iron mixed with baked clay. In contrast to the value of the metals, the hardness of the metals increases toward the feet. "After you, another kingdom [silver] will arise, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule over the whole earth. Then there will be a fourth kingdom, strong as iron. ... [The kingdom of] feet and toes were partly of baked clay and partly of iron." The statue was divided into five parts, each representing a kingdom.

Each material is designed to convey a specific characteristic of the kingdom it stands for. The character of the Babylonian Empire was indicated by gold. It was the golden kingdom of a golden age. The principal is applied to the iron, for example, "strong as iron, for iron breaks and smashes everything."

According to Doukhan the fifth kingdom - the feet partly of Iron and partly of clay - receives three meanings in the prophecy. First, "this will be a divided kingdom;" second, it "will be partly strong and partly brittle;" and third, "the people will be a mixture and will not remain united".

The dream ends with the image being dashed to pieces by a large stone. It was ground to dust, and like chaff, it was finally blown away where no place could be found for it. Then something durable and of heavenly worth occupied it place. Smith states that after the kingdoms of man pass away, the kingdom of God shall be set up and have no end. Ford add that the contrast between the metals prized by men and the unworked stone implies a transition from the efforts of men to the creative work of God.

Kingdoms identified in text

Nebuchadnezzar was informed that he and his kingdom was represented by the head. "Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold."

SDA historicst interpretation of Chapter 2

The SDA historicist interpretation of Chapter 2 is that Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon are represented by the head of gold. There then follows a series of described but, unidentified, successive kingdoms. Then all of the kingdoms come to an end to be replaced by the kingdom of God. SDA historicst interpretation of the other body parts is described in the following sections.

Bible scholars from for over 2 millennia have studied and interpreted this prophecy. The following table gives a shorthand summary of nearly every Bible scholar who commented on the topic over that time period.

Survey of prophecy

This survey section consists of paraphrases and quotations of the significant texts.

During the reign of Belshazzar, the last king of Babylon, Daniel experiences a dream or vision. It has been fifty years since the vision of chapter 2. "There before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea." Smith states that the winds represent strife, political commotion and war. The sea represents peoples, nations and tongues. The four beasts are four kings that will rise from the earth.

The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. There was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and it had three ribs in its mouth. The third beast looked like a leopard with four heads and four wings on its back . The fourth beast was different from the others - terrifying, frightening and very powerful - with large iron teeth and ten horns on its head. Then a little horn came up among the ten and uprooted three of the others. It had eyes like a man and a mouth that smoke boastfully.

Then "thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. ... The court was seated, and the books were opened." Smith says that this is a divine judgment. The beast was slain because of its boastful words and its body destroyed in fire. The other beasts had no power but continued to live for a while. One like a son of man came in the clouds of heaven to the Ancient of Days. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Literary comparison between chapters 2 and 7

SDA Historicist scholars point out the following literary parallels between chapters 2 and 7.

Similar symbols are used in chapters 2 and 7 concerning the first kingdom of both. Speaking to Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 2 Daniel said, "You are the king of kings, ... in your hands he has placed all mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds in the sky." In Chapter 7 Daniel said, "The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle, ... it stood on two feet like a human being, and the mind of a human was given to it." The related terms are mankind with human being, beast of the field with lion (king of beasts), and bird with eagle. The lion therefore denotes, according to Smith, the same kingdom as the head of gold of the great image. The parallel is strengthened by another story in the book of Daniel. While bragging about himself, Nebuchadnezzar "lost his mind", he "lived with the wild beasts of the field, a king among beasts, his hair was like feathers of an eagle, his nails were like claws of a bird." After a period of time, "he raised his eyes to heaven and praised the Most High. Immediatly his sanity was restored, his advisers and nobles restored him to the throne." Thus Douchan states that the first beast, the lion, corresponds to the first kingdom of the statue, namely Bablylon.

In the text of chapter 7, the second beast, the bear, immediately follows the Lion just as the kingdom of Chest and Arms arises after the Head of the image of chapter 2. Shea says that the literary placement of both implies that the differing symbols apply to the same kingdom.

The same concept applies to the placement of the Leopard immediately after the bear in chapter 7 making it number three in the list, while the kingdom of Belly and Thighs is enumerated as the third kingdom of chapter 2. Thus, according to Shea, the symbol of the leopard corresponds to that of the Belly and Thighs.

The iron legs of the image in chapter 2 are called "a fourth kingdom", while the corresponding terrifying fourth beast of chapter 7 is the fourth kingdom. The kingdom of the iron legs will be "strong as iron — for iron breaks and smashes everything — and as iron breaks things to pieces, so it will crush and break all the others." Similarly, the terrible beast with iron teeth "will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it."

Both visions end with a final kingdom. In chapter 7 the people of God will receive an everlasting kingdom and possess it forever and ever. In chapter 2 the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people

Between the Kingdom of God and the fourth kingdom the visions differ. In chapter 2 there is the Kingdom of Feet and Toes. In chapter 7 there is a scene of heavenly judgement. Given their literary placement between last and fourth kingdoms, then the Kingdom of Feet and Toes and the heavenly judgment are contemporaneous.

On the head of the beast there were 10 horns. According to David Jarnes, they picture 10 kingdoms that grew out of the terrifying beast as it aged.

Jarnes says that chronologically, it rose to power in the time of the ten horn kingdoms. Three of the horn kingdoms were removed to make way for little horn which was to become greater than the others. This horn kingdom would be different from the others in that it would speak against the Most High God and it would persecute the saints of the Most High. It would be in power for "a time and times, and half a time." While it was a political power like the other horn kingdoms, it would also have something to do with religion since it blasphemes God, persecutes the saints, and tries do change laws (not human laws, but the laws of God).

Kingdoms identified in text

Although none of the beasts or horns are directly identified in the chapter, the Lion, through literary comparisons, is identified by Pfandl as the same Babylon of the golden head in chapter 2 (see above). Further, the symbol of a winged lion was "particularly appropriate for Babylon. Representations of lions appear on the walls of the great processional way to the Ishtar Gate as well as the gate itself. They occur also on the outer wall of the throne room in Babylon." Shea says that the wings on the back of the lion gave it the rapidity of flight. This speed was demonstrated in Babylon's early conquests under Nebuchadnezzar. But the situation changed, speed on the battlefield declined and conquests grew scare as the kingdom shrunk under weaker kings—The wings had been ripped off. Smith says, "From these symbols we may easily deduce that Babylon was the kingdom of the lion."

The Judgment

According to Goldstein a court in heaven is convened that pronounces judgment against the "little horn" and for the "saints." He says that there is presented in chapter 7 an immovable train of events—empire after empire after empire followed by judgement—that leads to the Second Coming or Second Advent. The judgment, a pre-Advent judgement, is as firmly routed as the massive world empires that pave the way toward it.

Survey of prophecy

This survey section consists of paraphrases and quotations of the significant texts.

For a second time during the reign of Belshazzar, Daniel receives a dream. This time he is standing beside the Ulai Canal in the city of Susa.

Before him was standing a ram with two horns, one was longer than the other. It attacked to the North, then west, then south. No animal could stand against it. It did as it pleased and be came great.

Then a goat with a single horn came 'flying' across the earth from the west and charged the ram. The ram's horns were broken and it was powerless against the goat. The goat knocked it down and trampled it. No one could rescue the ram from the power of the goat. But the large horn is broken off when it is most powerful and four prominent horns grow up in its place.

Another horn appeared and grew in power to the south, east and the Beautiful land. It thought itself to be as big as the host of the heavens and threw stars down to earth and stomped on them. He pretended to be the commander of the army of the lord, took away the daily and threw down the sanctuary. It prospered and truth was thrown to the ground.

An angel asked, "How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled?" Another angel responds, "It will take 2300 evenings and mornings and then the sanctuary will be cleansed."

At the end of Chapter 8 Daniel does not understand the vision; "I, Daniel, was worn out. I lay exhausted for several days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was appalled by the vision; it was beyond understanding." so in Chapter 9 he prays for more understanding. Gabriel then comes to give more information about the ending of the vision in Chapter 8.

Daniel 9 consists of an introduction (verses 1-3), a prayer (commonly called the Prayer of Daniel, verses 4-19), and an angelic discourse explaining verses 25:11-12 and 29:10 from the Book of Jeremiah (verses 20-27):

Introduction, verses 1-3: the vision is set in "the first year of Darius son of Xerxes, a Mede by descent, who had been appointed king over Babylon;" its subject is "the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years."

Prayer of Daniel, verses 4-19: Daniel prays to God admitting the sins of Israel and the justice of God's punishment (i.e., the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple and the exile of the Jews in Babylon); he reminds God of his past salvation of Israel from Egypt, and asks him to forgive Israel's sins and restore the city and the temple.

Angelic discourse (verses 20-27): The angel Gabriel tells Daniel of Seventy 'sevens' to come for his people.

Literary comparison between chapters 8 and 7

SDA Historicist Scholars point out the following literary parallels between chapters 8 and 7.

The Ram had two horns, one was longer than the other but grew up later. Smith and Shea say that this compares to the Bear of chapter 7 that was raised up on one of its sides. The Bear had three ribs in its mouth and the Ram charged toward the [1] west and the [2] north and the [3] south. Ford shows that no animal could stand against the Ram or be rescued from its power, while the Bear was told to 'Get up and eat your fill of flesh!’ Ford says that the first kingdom of chapter 8 - the Ram - is parallel to the second kingdom of chapter 7 - the Bear - because the last days of Babylon were approaching when Daniel saw the vision.

The leopard of chapter 7 had four wings like a bird and the Goat crossed the whole earth without touching the ground. Smith declared that the four wings denote celerity of movement even more than the speed of a leopard which corresponds with the goat seemingly flying from point to point with the swiftness of wind.

Like the horn in chapter 7, this horn starts small and then becomes very strong. And, the Saints are opressed by the horn power.

Literary structure of Daniel 9

William H. Shea notes that verses 25-27 forms a chiasm placing the death of the "anointed one" at its centre.

A. Jerusalem Construction: Know therefore and discern, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem Daniel 9:25a (ASV) A'. Jerusalem Destroyed: and upon the wing of abominations shall come one that maketh desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate. Daniel 9:27b

This prophecy concentrates on the future of the Jewish people and their Messiah rather than world's nations.

Seventh-day Adventists identify the beginning of the seventy weeks of years, and the departure of the "word" in v. 25a, with the decree given to Ezra in the seventh year of Artaxerxes I, which is dated on this view to 457 BCE.

The appearance of an "anointed ruler" at the end of the sixty-nine weeks of years in v. 25a refers to the baptism of Jesus in 27 CE, and the "cutting off" of the "anointed one" in v. 26a is then understood to refer to the crucifixion of Jesus three and a half years later—bringing an atonement for iniquity and "everlasting righteousness." In this way, Jesus "confirms" the "covenant" mentioned in v. 27a between God and humanity via his death on the cross in the Spring of 31 CE, which is also the midpoint of the last week of years. At the moment of Jesus′s death, the curtain between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place in the temple was ripped from top to bottom, marking the end of the sacrificial system. The final week of years then ends in 34 CE when the gospel was redirected from the Jewish people to all peoples.

According to Uriah Smith, "The distinguishing feature of the Persian Empire, the union of two nationalities which composed it, is represented by the two horns of the ram." The Medes and Persians were related peoples who occupied the Iranian plateau. The Medes were the more powerful of the two and they gave the Assyrians considerable difficulty on their eastern border. The royal houses of the Medes and Persians intermarried and eventually under Cyrus, the Persians became the stronger of the two as illustrated by the one horn being larger than the other and the bear being raised on one side in chapter 7. Cyrus conquered the Media and incorporated it into his kingdom hence the combination of the Medo-Persian Empire.

The ram made conquests in three directions - the North, West and South. According to Shea the Persians first conquered the kingdom of Lydia in Anatolia to the north in 547 BC. To the west, Persia, under Cyrus, conquered Babylon in 539 BC. Then Cambyses, son of Cyrus, turned south and conquered Egypt in 525 BC. These are the three ribs in the mouth of the Bear of chapter 7.

Uriah Smith states that the goat is the king or kingdom of Grecia. Thomas Newton observed that the Macedonians were called AEgeadae, or the Goat's people. Caranus, first king of the Macedonians, followed goats fleeing from a storm to Edessa which became the seat of his empire. He made goats his ensigns and called the city AEgeae -- Goat's Town. Gabriel identifies the large horn between his eyes as the greatest king -- an obvious reference to Alexander says Shea. Pfandl states that commentators generally agree that the four horns represent the four division of the Greek kingdom after the death of Alexander the Great.

The Chest and Arms, The Bear, and The Ram

Through the literary parallels the Ram of Daniel 8, the Bear of Daniel 7 and the Chest and Arms of Daniel 2 are identified as representing the same kingdom - the Medo-Persian Empire. Extra-biblical history and the books of Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah show that Media-Persia followed Babylon. Although the Persians conquered Babylon and Media-Persia included more territory than Babylon, it was inferior to Babylon, as silver is inferior to Gold in Daniel 2, in that the culture of Babylon was renowned throughout the ancient world while that of the Persian was looked down upon as rustic and primitive. They had no written language until the time of their empire. The royal houses of the Medes and Persians intermarried and eventually under Cyrus, the Persians became the stronger of the two as illustrated by the one horn being larger than the other and the bear being raised on one side in chapter 7. According to Shea the Persians first conquered the kingdom of Lydia in Anatolia to the north in 547 BC. To the west, Persia, under Cyrus, conquered Babylon in 539 BC. Then Cambyses, son of Cyrus, turned south and conquered Egypt in 525 BC. These conquests are the three ribs in the mouth of the Bear.

The Belly and Thighs, The Leopard, and The Goat

The Greeks commonly employed bronze in trade and warfare. Soldiers were noted for their helmets, shields and battle-axes consisting of brass. The leopards have a reputation for swiftness and agility. The four wings are fitting symbol for the speed of movement characteristic of the young Alexander. The four heads of the leopard illustrate that the kingdom would fragment into four kingdoms, which happened in 301 BC when four generals split up the country. Commentators generally agree that the four horns represent the four division so f the Greek kingdom after the death of Alexander the Great.

The Legs, The Terrible Beast, and The Horn

So far, the kingdoms have been identified, but starting with the Legs, the readers are left to figure out the rest of the kingdoms based upon what they have learned. As iron is stronger than the other metals, the fourth kingdoms will be stronger than all its predecessors. From history we know that the iron legions of Rome croshed and demolished all resistance. It conquered all the Hellenistic kingdoms. The Terrible Beast was different than the others as a republic. The 10 horns represent the barbarian nations that swept into the fading Roman empire. Out of the ruins of political Rome arose the great moral Empire in the giant form of the Roman Church. Seventh-day Adventists identify the little horn as pagan and papal Rome, rather than Antiochus IV.

Chapter 11 & 12 - Kings of North and South

Unlike the previous visions that have many symbols, this vision describes the actions and interactions of kings of the North and kings of the South. The following tables compare, phrase by phrase, the text of Chapter 11 with history as understood by SDA historicists.