Introduction
At the outset of my attempt to exegete this passage of scripture, I would like to submit that it is a daunting task, one which I believe to be very difficult. Additionally, I do not attempt to state that this writing will contain anything new. Volume after volume has been written concerning this, and I am sure that I have found nothing here that has not already been expounded in some form. It is my opinion that no interpretation will be able to completely stand the test of thorough grammatical criticism. This is due to the fact that there are many different renderings, many translations which contain variations on the wording and words, which are difficult even though we can refer back to the original languages. Add to this that within the original languages, the key words have more than one meaning. For example, in English, the word “order” has over 20 meanings. It is the same with the key words in this passage. In many cases, more than one meaning is available. Because of this and other factors, there are several ways in which many have interpreted this passage.
Now you might be wondering, why would someone go to so much trouble to explain a passage in the book of Daniel? That’s a good question.
For many years I believed the dispensational system of scripture interpretation. But in time, I have found myself questioning some of the things presented. It just seemed to raise other questions. One of these questions was; why at the end of this passage is there a gap of an undetermined time that is still not fulfilled? Why was this prophecy talking about the things which Christ would fulfill, and then all of a sudden switch gears and begin talking about Antichrist? Am I missing something here?
Since this prophecy in Daniel is one of the most important passages in the entire Bible, I have been particularly interested in it. It is vitally important to understand because if it indeed does speak of the future recognition of the Antichrist, then I want to be able to fully understand it.
Having said that, it is well founded that the best way to exegete a passage of scripture is to first of all, view it in its context. We must ask the question, what was this intended to mean to those to whom it was written? Second, since this is a difficult passage, we must use the principle of sola scriptura (Scripture alone), which has come to mean “scripture interprets scripture”. Since we are Christians, we must always view Old Testament passages in the light of New Testament interpretation. It is with these considerations that I submit the following. (Note, since this document is so long, please look at it in PDF form.) Is the 70th week of Daniel Fulfilled
