Notes on Daniel -- Part 18 -- Definition of "Preterist"
By Jay Rogers
Here is the dictionary definition of preterist.
PRETERIST: 1. One whose chief interest is in the past; one who regards the past with most pleasure or favor. 2. (Theol.) One who believes the prophecies of the Apocalypse to have been already fulfilled. Farrar.
Preterism means past fulfillment. Historicism means ongoing historical fulfillment.
I am a partial preterist in that I believe that Daniel and Revelation are partly fulfilled.
The difference between a partial preterist and a historicist is that the historicist thinks that these prophecies are being fulfilled in a progressive manner in history.
The terms futurist, preterist and historicist deal with how much prophecy has been fulfilled at what time. According to the definition above, these terms describe the approach of the interpreter, not the viewpoint of the biblical prophet.
If that were the case, all prophets would be futurists until they lived to see their prophecies fulfilled. Then they would be historicists. A year later, they would become preterists. Ridiculous.
A preterist is a person who believes that the prophecies of Revelation are mostly fulfilled in the first century.
If we accept that definition, then it is problematic to call the same interpreter a historicist when viewing the same events described in the apocalyptic passages of Daniel.
Of course, Daniel's prophecy deals with events in history after he lived. It is not Daniel who is preterist, but the interpreter who believes that Daniel's prophecies were fulfilled at about the time that the New Testament canon was completed.
It is further problematic to call the Reformers (those who believed Pope Leo was foretold in Revelation) "historicist" when they believed that prophecy was being fulfilled in their day. This view was similar to today's futurists who place the fulfillment of nearly every biblical prophecy in the not too distant future.
To avoid confusion I think we should settle on the following definitions.
AD 70 "preterist" (one who believes that most of the apocalyptic prophecies of Daniel, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Mat. 24 and Revelation had a first century fulfillment.)
AD 1500 "historicist" (one who believes that most of the apocalyptic prophecies have an ongoing fulfillment throughout history -- a view similar to some of the reformers of the 1500s.)
AD 2000 "futurist" (one who believes that most of the apocalyptic prophecies are yet to be fulfilled -- a view held by most evangelical Christians in the 21st century.)
The historicist view must combine the preterist and the idealist view.
Preterism (unless it is heretical hyper-preterism) allows for idealist and historicist views as well.
I interpret a few (but not most) of the apocalyptic prophecies to be ongoing in history (especially Daniel 12 and Revelation 20; also the last part of the Mount Olivet Discourse).
I agree that some fulfilled prophecies do have an application beyond the specific kings and kingdoms mentioned. But where I disagree is that I say that some of the specific symbols were fulfilled only by specific historical figures.
I would say that the "little horn" of Daniel 7:25 refers specifically to Nero. The historicist applies the symbol the the whole Roman Empire and even the pagan institutions that arose from the influence of Greece and Rome. That application can be made. However, extending the application beyond AD 70 is irrelevant to the context and purpose of the prophecy of Daniel.
I would say that the "little horn" of Daniel 8:25 refers specifically to Antiochus. Some of the details of chapter 8 are so specific that it could not refer to any other person.
I would say that the same language and imagery of Daniel 8:9,10 is used again in Daniel 9:25-27, but this time to refer to Titus and the destruction of the Temple in AD 70, which Jesus refers to in two of the Olivet Discourse passages.
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