Introduction

If I was able tho be 100% unbiased, I would do an episode where I explained the Futurist interpretation of Daniel 9 and how that effects Daniel 8, then I would do an episode on the Historicist/Preterist view of Daniel 9 and how that effects Daniel 8. However, there are a couple reasons why I can't remain 100% unbiased and follow that plan:

1. Any time content is created and separated in two parts, there is no guarantee that people will listen to both parts—there isn't even a guarantee that people will listen to the whole of one part.
2. Many false doctrines have entered the church and are taught as fact; when people learn these ideas from infancy it becomes hard to read the text without reading the interpretation in to the text. Take the idea of Adam and Eve eating an apple; people reference this as though its Biblical. Many will read "they ate the forbidden fruit" and not process that an apple is not mentioned. Similarly, people call Sunday "the Lord's day" even though the only reference to "a Lord's Day" is the Day of the Lord (end time judgment) and the Sabbath. The tradition of false doctrine has been repeated so often it becomes difficult to separate tradition from truth. I do not want to continue that trend by repeating a false doctrine that is so fundamental to prophecy.
3. I feel its important to discus why I (and anyone else who believes the Preterist or Historicist interpretation of prophecy) disagree with the Futurist view.

The Importance of This Prophecy

Knowing where you stand on this particular prophecy is crucial to being able to interpret all the other prophecies. When we dive in to the actual prophecy, and as we discussed a bit in the last episode, the description of the little horn of Daniel 8 parallels some of the prophecy given in Daniel 9. When you add in the fact that once again we have Gabriel giving Daniel information under the instruction to "consider the vision," it seems very likely that 70 weeks are related to the prophecy of Daniel 8 (which was the last vision Daniel told us he had). Determining whether this prophecy is wholly or partially fulfilled, is going to determine the timeline of other prophecies.

You already know where I stand, but it is important to consult the Holy Spirit and read the Word for yourself before you come to any conclusions. I recommend reading multiple translations—the interjection of a translators beliefs can be seen in their translation. Older translations, such as the KJV, which were written during the height of the Reformation when all most all Protestants viewed prophecy throguh the Historicist lens[4] will have slightly different nuances that after better suited for arguing in favor of Historicism, while modern translations like NIV will make it easier to argue for Futurism (and interpretive translations like The Message—please don't use the Message as an authoritative Bible[1]).

The Issue of Time

Daniel 9:24 tells us that 70 weeks are set for Daniel's people to accomplish a number of things. Since a time frame is placed on the events, there are only two possibilities for how this plays out (one being the Futurist interpretation and the other the Historicist/Preterist interpretation). Either, the time can be split into segments, where action and ability to accomplish these tasks are paused during the breaks between segments, or the time is consecutive. Think of it like a timed test. You either take the test in one sitting, or you are permitted breaks during the test, but during those breaks, you aren't allowed to work on the test.

Historicists and Preterists believe the 70 weeks happened consecutively, but Futurists believe the final week (the 70th Week) is split off from the others and occurs at some time in the future. Note that one of the tasks Israel is to accomplish during this time is to make atonement for sins. If we assert that the time is divided, there must be time when Israel cannot atone for their sins. It also means no one can finish the transgression. If I have 70 weeks to end a transgression (or wrongdoing) and you split the time up doesn't that automatically mean I have more that 70 weeks? During the alleged gap between the 69th week and the 70th week, is our ability to choose to no longer transgress taken from us? Have we been without freewill to choose righteousness for the past 2000 years? Whole generations didn't have the ability to choose to righteousness?

In What Week is Messiah Cut Off?

Messiah has already come (the first time) and it was during His first arrival that He was "cut off" (a.k.a., crucified). He won't be cut off during the second coming so the prophecy has to be talking about the first coming. For the Futurist view to hold, this curcifixion must have happened during the 69th week (because the 70th week is in the future). The issue with that is almost all of the translations say Messiah there will be 69 weeks before Messiah arrives and that He is cut off after th 69th week. After the 69th week is during the 70th week.

If you accept the Historicist view that Messiah arrives at the beginning of the 70th week, the prophecy makes perfect sense. Messiah's ministry was about 3.5 years before He was crucified (or cut off), which aligns perfectly with the middle of the week (3.5 days)—we'll get in to the day for a year principle in the next episode, but Futurists, Historicists, and Preterists all agree that this prophecy is 70 weeks of years (some translations render this as well). What happened in the middle of the week? "He" causes the sacrifice to cease... [5]

Who is the Him Confirming the Covenant and Stopping the Sacrifice?

I have never used what I learned in English class as much as when I read the Bible. The last verse of Daniel 9 is where we really need to put our grammar skills to the test. Futurists read the he in this passage as the antichrist. Historicists argue He is Messiah. Daniel 8:11 would help us with this confusion since it seems to be talking about the same event, but it also has some ambiguous pronouns.

"He" should be referring back to the last subject or object mentioned. In Daniel 9 we have to go back to Daniel 9:26 to find subjects and objects. There are a couple subjects and objects but only people that are subjects are "the people" and the Messiah. If verse 27 was talking about the people, the pronoun would be "they" not he. This means the Messiah should be the He that is being referred to. Daniel 8:11 is a little more difficult to break apart. Both the king represented by the little horn and Messiah are subject and object before we get pronouns. He could refer to Messiah or the king. When we look at the context of he, however it definitely seems like we're talking about Messiah. Otherwise, why does this antichrist king have a sanctuary? His sanctuary must be Messiah's sanctuary right? Which means the he before that must also reference Messiah, and now Daniel 8:11 and Daniel 9:27 are in harmony.

Conclusion

These are the main issues I have with the Futurist interpretation. Feel free to discuss respectfully and as brothers and sisters in Christ in the comments, particularly if you are Futurist who can answer the concerns posed in the episode

References & Footnotes

1. Bible translations are created using a method on the specturm from word for word (KJV) or thought for throught (The Message). Word for word means each word was translated as is to create the translate; this can sometimes be hard to read because the linguistics don't transfer from language to language. Thought for thought is when a phrase or thought is translated instead. This allows the translator to create smoother sentences, however it also requires the translator to interjet their interpretation of the passage into the translation. The Message is about as far on the thought for thought spectrum as you can go. There's alot added in (and possibly take out). It's just not a reliable translation.
2. Ree Hughes. "Major Schools of Thought on Interpreting Prophecy". PSALMS to God. December 16, 2023
3. Ree Hughes. "The Ram and the He Goat". PSALMS to God. September 22, 2024
4. "Hictoricism (Christianity)". Wikipedia; visited September 23, 2024
5. Apologies for the noise in the background during the section when I was talking about when the Messiah is cut off. That would be my cat playing with a toy nearby. I was hoping it wouldn't be so pronounced in the recording because I was on a roll 😂
6. "Pronouns". Grammarly; visited September 23, 2024
7. I didn't mention the fact that the destruction of the Temple happens outside of the 70 weeks, that's because no matter how you interpret this passage that remains true. We'll chat about that a bit in the next episode.