A Critique of the Preterist Interpretation of Daniel 2 &

7
Joel Richardson
In the second chapter of the Book of the Prophet Daniel, we are introduced to King
Nebuchadnezzars dream of a massive metallic statue:
You saw, O king, and behold, a great image. This image, mighty and of exceeding
brightness, stood before you, and its appearance was frightening. The head of this image
was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron,
its feet partly of iron and partly of clay.Daniel 2:31-33
The statue, we are then told, represents a series of historical kingdoms or empires. Daniel
informs the king that the first component of the statue, that of gold, represents the historical
Babylonian Empire, which Nebuchadnezzar ruled over. Scholars and commentators are in
general agreement that the next three empires represented by the respective metals of
silver, bronze, and Iron are the Medo-Persian, Greek and Roman empires. Though this is
the majority position, in my book, Mideast Beast, I demonstrate that the descriptions of
the kingdom of Iron laid out within the text align perfectly with the historical Islamic
Caliphate, and not with the Roman Empire. Though this view will likely be met with
skepticism by those who have not yet considered the exegetical and historical arguments in
support of this view, what is unarguable is that during the final days of the fourth kingdom of
iron, a stone suddenly appears and strikes the feet of the statue, causing the entire statue
to shatter:
As you looked, a stone was cut out by no human hand, and it struck the image on its feet of
iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Daniel 2:34
Commentators of all persuasions identify the stone as representing the Messianic Kingdom
of God here on the earth. As the stone shatters the statue, the fragments are seen to blow
away as dry chaff in the Autumn winds. The stone however, is seen to grow and spread,
until it fills the entire earth:
Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold, all together were broken in
pieces, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried
them away, so that not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the image
became a great mountain and filled the whole earth. Daniel 2:35

Later, in Daniel 7, we are given further details concerning the timing of this victory of the
Kingdom of God over pagan earthly governments. There, we are told that it will come after
a period of intense persecution, even near complete victory, by the final empire, against the
saints:
I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them until
the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest
One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom. Daniel
7:21-22
This is essential to note. The timing of the coming of the Messianic Kingdom of God is
placed in the midst of an intense period of great persecution against the saints of the
Highest One. It is not until after this period of great tribulation that the saints then come to
possess the Kingdom of God.
The Futurist versus the Preterist Interpretation
Among Christian interpreters, there exists disagreement concerning the nature and timing
of the stone striking the statue. Those who take the Futurist position understand this event
to remain yet in the future. The feet of mixed iron and clay represent a secondary, distinct
and final manifestation of the empire or ironthe final Antichrist empirewhich will be
utterly destroyed when Jesus returns. The stone, of course, represents the second coming
of Jesus the Messiah, whose kingdom will then come to dominate the whole world.
Alternately, the Preterist interpretation sees the feet of mixed iron and clay to simply be one
with the legs of iron. To the preterist, there exists no distinction between the legs of iron and
the feet of mixed iron and mixed clay. The stone that strikes the feet represents the first
coming of Jesus with his invisible, spiritual kingdom. Preterists would claim that the legs
and feet represent the historical Roman Empire, which was conquered by the coming of the
invisible Kingdom of God. Today, this spiritual kingdom is spreading throughout the earth.
The purpose of this article is to very briefly discuss some of the more obvious failures of the
Preterist interpretation of Daniel 2 & 7.
The Five Components of the Statue
The first problem with the Preterist view of Daniel 2 is its inability to account for the two-fold
division of the fourth kingdom between the legs and feet. Although the passage speaks of
four kingdoms, when one analyzes the structure of the passage, the statue is seen to be

divided into five distinct components. There is both a continuity and a division between the
legs of iron and the feet of iron and clay. Consider the following structure of the text
translated literally, word for word, in exact order:
The Image Head Fine Gold Breast Arms Silver Belly Thigh Brass Legs Iron Feet Part Iron
Part Clay.Daniel 2:32

,33

The following chart demonstrates the organization and structure of the passage, again with
the words maintaining their exact order:
Body Part / Element

Head / Fine Gold

Breast Arms / Silver
Belly Thighs / Brass
Legs / Iron
Feet / Part Iron Part Clay
Because the Preterist position is unable to satisfactorily account for the clear distinction
between the legs of iron and the feet of mixed iron and clay, it is forced to argue that the
feet merely represent a particular period within the broader historical Roman Empire. Some
argue that the clay intermixed with the iron in the feet represents the mixture of Roman and
Jewish-Herodian rule during the first century. This explanation however doesnt represent
the totality of the Roman Empire, but merely one very small segment of the broader empire.
Nor does this view satisfactorily account for the sharp distinction between the legs and feet.
The Futurist view however, understands the feet of the statue as describing the broader
final period of the fourth empire as defined by its revival in the last days. This latter days
revival of the fourth kingdom is clearly articulated by John the Apostle in the Book of
Revelation. There, John speaks of the final kingdom as suffering a fatal head wound and
coming back to life
I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the
whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast Revelation 13:3
Later, the apostle also speaks of the same final seventh empire, as being an empire which
was, and is not and finally reviving as an eighth:

The beast which was and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he
goes to destruction. Revelation 17:11
And so it is seen that only the Futurist position is able to reconcile Daniels prophecies with
the Book of Revelations descriptions, accounting for both the continuity and the division of
the last empire. The Preterist interpretation however offers only a strange and forced
explanation, which does not sufficiently explain the distinction, nor can it define any period
within the Roman Empire when any could say that it was and is not.
It should also be noted that the Preterist position here is forced to understand the seven
heads of the Beast to represent specific historical Roman emperors, rather than as
historical kingdoms, as is consistent with the motif of mountain as found throughout the
Bible. While virtually all Preterists attempt to identify the final seventh heads / mountain of
Revelation 13 and 17 as referring to some series of historical Roman emperors, it seems as
though no two Preterists can agree as to which seven these might be. Virtually every
Preterist seems to have a different list of which Roman emperors they believe fit the
criteria of the prophecy. Futurists however, share general agreement that the seven heads
of the beast represent a series of pan-historical, pan-Biblical pagan empires, beginning with
Egypt, each which at one time, tried to destroy the Hebrew people and her connection to
the promised land.
The Nature of the Destruction of the Statue
Some further insurmountable problems with the Preterist interpretation of Daniel 2 is that
the text portrays the final kingdom, in fact, the whole statue, as being destroyed suddenly,
immediately, and completely. No sooner does the Messianic rock strike the feet of the
statue that it is shattered, and its residue is blown away. The Messianic Kingdom of God
fills the whole world leaving no trace of the previous pagan kingdoms. All four of the
kingdoms are destroyed at the same time (Dan. 2:40

, 44

). When one compares

the descriptions given concerning the end of this final pagan kingdom, in both Daniel 2 and
7, it is clear that the text emphasizes the finality and totality of the transition from pagan to
Messianic rule. First, the establishment of the Kingdom of God is expressly placed within a
particular timeframe. It is established in the days of those kings, a reference to the final
period of the fourth kingdom:
And in the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be
destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these
kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever. Daniel 2:44

An essential portion of the above verse is often overlooked. We are informed that, unlike
the other kingdoms mentioned within the passage, the Kingdom of God will not be left to
others. This same theme is later expressed again in Daniel 7:
Then I kept looking because of the sound of the boastful words which the horn was
speaking; I kept looking until the beast was slain, and its body was destroyed and given to
the burning fire. As for the rest of the beasts, their dominion was taken away, but an
extension of life was granted to them for an appointed period of time. Daniel 7:11-12

Many have misinterpreted this verse to mean that the other kingdoms in Daniel 7 are
essentially contemporary empires or kingdoms that exist in their fullness during the time
when the fourth kingdom is destroyed. This is not the meaning of this verse however.
Instead, its point is to contrast the nature of the destruction of these previous empires. The
other empires, unlike the final empire were given to other peoples, with much of their
culture, languages and peoples having lived on in those empires that conquered them. This
is not the case however with the fourth kingdom. It would first suffer an apparent death.
Then, after having come back to life will suffer a final, devastating, immediate and ultimate
blow. This is also seen to contrast sharply with the Messianic Kingdom of God, which will
never be given to another people, but will last forever:
Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole
heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an
everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him. Daniel 7:27
Yet history informs us quite clearly that the Roman Empire never met such a fate. In fact,
the fate of the Roman Empire was precisely the exact opposite of the descriptions given
within Daniels prophecy. Instead of meeting an immediate and decisive blow, the Roman
Empire continued to exist and even grow for many years after the coming of Jesus in the
first century. The Roman Empire, suffering from internal decay and external attacks,
sputtered and crept along for another 1400 years after the coming of the Messiah. History
informs us that it was not the influence of the Church that destroyed the Roman Empire, but
moral decay within, and pagan forces from without. And all of this, over a very long and
drawn out time-frame, at various times, in various places, long after the coming of Jesus.
Christo-paganism? Who Assumed Who?

Additionally, it can also be argued that instead of being entirely overwhelmed by the gospel,
instead, the Roman Empire essentially incorporated and assumed Christianity into itself,
resulting in a significant Roman-pagan influence within the culture, practices, traditions, and
even to some measure, the liturgy and doctrines of Christianity. Though I reject the radical
views on these matters as argued by Alexander Hislop and many after him, it must be
admitted that the exchange between Roman and Christian culture was certainly not entirely
one-way.
In keeping with the language of the passage, the Futurist interpretation looks forward to the
time when Jesus will return to genuinely shatter the pagan governments, and ungodly
systems of this world, resulting in the complete and utter victory of the very real and
substantial Messianic Kingdom of God filling the whole earth, leaving no remnant of the
former pagan influences.
The Timing of the Coming of the Kingdom: During Great Persecution
Earlier, we showed that the timing of the coming Messianic Kingdom is said to occur
specifically during a time of unparalleled persecution by the final empire against the saints
of the Highest One:
I kept looking, and that horn was waging war with the saints and overpowering them until
the Ancient of Days came and judgment was passed in favor of the saints of the Highest
One, and the time arrived when the saints took possession of the kingdom. Daniel
7:21-22
The Preterist interpretation of these chapters cannot account for this clear statement
concerning the timing of the coming of the Messianic Kingdom of God. When Jesus came
the first time, it was not during a time of unparalleled persecution by the Romans against
the Jewish peoples, nor did the Kingdom come later during Roman persecution against the
Church. The Futurist position, on the other hand, in faithfulness to the text, looks forward to
the time when the Messiah will deliver his people from out of a period of overwhelming
persecution under the Antichrist, perhaps even in the near future.
Who Struck Who?
Another point that few Preterists seem to acknowledge is that unlike the descriptions of the
prophecy, the Romans struck and killed Jesus, not the other way around. It will not be until

Jesus returns that his victorious judgments will be executed against the pagan governments
of the earth.
True Messianic Hope
In the perpetual cycle of increasingly frustrating and even outright depressing seasons of
political elections, it is heartening to take note of the fact that when the Messiah comes, all
corrupt, pagan, and ungodly politicians, governments and unrighteous leaders throughout
the earth will be utterly, completely and finally judged and removed. Unlike the vague,
partial, and perpetually drawn-out hope that is held-out by the Preterist vision of history
(and the future), only Futurism provides us with a vision of the days to come that truly
encourages our hearts with the incorruptible hope of a soon coming transition to truly
righteous, humble and godly leadership throughout the whole earth. Maranatha!