A Defense of time-space predictive elements as the main features of Daniel and Revelation

Daniel

  • Dan. 2:17-19,36ff – The actual meaning of the fulfillment of the symbols take precedence over the instruction these symbols gave.
  • Daniel 4 (esp. v. 27) – Again, the priority is given to understanding the symbols, but the understanding of the symbols promoted a concern and caution for the king as he did not want these things to happen to him.
  • In Dan. 7, Daniel wrote down only the main facts of his dream, apparently excising some of the details (see 7:1).  This dream prompted Daniel to seek out the interpretation of the dream’s meaning (see 7:16).  Again, Daniel understood the dream’s interpretation of future events to be the main reason for having the dream.
  • Dan. 8:27 – By inference, this seems to be the main thing he was looking for in connection to the dream.
  • In Dan. 10, the angel says, “I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come,” (10:14), and the angel goes on to explain the direct fulfillment of the vision: “Behold, three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be…” (11:2ff).  Again, there is a precedent established that a main purpose of these visions is to “make you [/us] understand what will happen…”
  • Jesus says: “When you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel…then let those who are in Judea flee…” (Mt. 24:15ff).  Here, He is using the book of Daniel with the purpose of showing fulfilled prediction more than anything else.

Revelation

  • Rev. 1:1 – “revelation…to show to his servants the things that must soon take place,” – At earliest, John wrote this around 70 AD; more probably was written in 96 AD.  The events here are meant to show things that are yet to happen, and have not happened at the time of John’s writing (i.e. within the first 40-66 years of the church’s history)
  • 1:3 – “this prophecy…the time is near,” – Revelation is called a prophecy of events that would begin soon.  By inference, this means it is predicting events to come.
  • 1:19 – “[Jesus speaking to John:] Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this.” – 2 elements of Revelation are seen in this passage: (1) Things that are (I relate that to things like chaps. 2-3), (2) Things that are yet to come (i.e. the predictive elements of Revelation)
  • Rev. 2-3 – A type for the book of Revelation: Though Jesus speaks to each church about specific events happening to them, the words are instructive for all churches at all times (“he who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” – note: “churches” is plural, though Jesus was only speaking to one church at that time).
    • Ex. Rev. 2:10 – “The devil is about to throw some of you into prison…for ten days you will have tribulation” – this is clearly referring to a time-space historic event that would happen, however, it gives instruction for all Christians at all times (similar to many of the O.T. prophecies that had fulfilment in time-space events, but can be gleaned for instruction to all of us).
  •  Rev. 4:1 – “I will show you what must take place after this,” – again, the words “after this” relegate these visions into a time-space history, with successive events.
  • Rev. 22:7,10,18-19 – Revelation is called a book of “prophecy.”  The word “prophecy” throughout Scripture seems to always relate to a predictive element of event(s) in time-space history (though 1 Cor. 14:3 defines the effect of prophecy, it does not negate its predictive element).  In fact, Strong’s Concordance defines this Greek word by using only one English word: “prediction.” 
  • Additional Argument:
    • The book of Daniel is a predictive book of time-space historical events (e.g. “Behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia…Then a mighty king shall arise…Then the king of the south shall be strong…” [Dan. 11]).  This is demonstrated above, and is said clearly by Jesus: “When you see…spoken of by Daniel…then…” (Matt. 24:15-16).  
    • Revelation is a book that can be seen as a continuation of the book of Daniel (compare the start of Daniel’s last vision [Dan. 10] with the start of John’s revelation [Rev. 1]; compare the scroll sealed up at the end of Daniel’s vision [Dan. 12:4,9] with the scroll whose seals are opened at the beginning of John’s vision [Rev. 5-6]; etc.).
    • Therefore…it is inconsistent to believe Daniel would predict time-space events and Revelation would not.
  • Additional Argument:
    • All major events of Israel were prophesied in the O.T. before they happened: Flood, events of Abraham and offspring, 400 years captivity, time in wilderness, kings rising up, Babylonian captivity, release of Babylonian captivity, Persia-Media rule, Grecian rule, Roman rule, John the Baptist’s coming, Messiah’s coming, etc.
    • Therefore, it seems incredibly inconsistent that God would so accurately predict major time-space events throughout the history of his Old Covenant people and be completely silent in the Scriptures regarding Major events that would touch his New Covenant people
      • Note: We do see Him predict some events touching the early Christian Church: Famine of Judah, Paul’s persecution in Jerusalem, 70 AD temple destruction in Jerusalem, etc.
    • If God were to predict major events of the Church, the book of Revelation (complemented with portions of other books), would seem the obvious choice.