When we open Daniel 9 and read about the “seventy weeks,” most of us already bring categories in our heads. We’ve been told there are only two options: either these prophecies were fulfilled in the past (preterism) or they point to events still in the future (futurism).
But here’s the truth: these words—preterism and futurism—don’t come from the Bible. They don’t come from the apostles, or even the early church. They are later inventions, created to defend theological systems. And once we start using them, we are already trapped inside someone else’s paradigm.
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The Rise of Futurism
In the 1800s, teachers like John Nelson Darby and later the Scofield Reference Bible popularized a new way of reading Daniel and Revelation. They argued that most of these visions were not about the past but about a coming end-times countdown. This view came to be known as futurism.
In the 1800s, teachers like John Nelson Darby and later the Scofield Reference Bible popularized a new way of reading Daniel and Revelation. They argued that most of these visions were not about the past but about a coming end-times countdown. This view came to be known as futurism.
Futurism split history into “dispensations,” added a secret rapture, and turned Daniel’s seventy weeks into a detailed calendar leading to the rise of Antichrist and a rebuilt Temple. Millions of Christians were taught to read the Bible through this lens.
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The Counter-Reaction: Preterism
But others pushed back. They said: “No, Daniel’s seventy weeks and much of Revelation were already fulfilled in the first century—especially in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.” This came to be called preterism (from the Latin praeter, meaning “past”).
But others pushed back. They said: “No, Daniel’s seventy weeks and much of Revelation were already fulfilled in the first century—especially in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.” This came to be called preterism (from the Latin praeter, meaning “past”).
Preterism argued that Daniel’s prophecies were not about today’s headlines, but about Rome, the Caesars, and the fall of the Temple. In many ways, it was a correction to the runaway speculation of futurism.
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The Semi-Preterist Middle Ground
Traditional covenant theologians, especially in the Reformed tradition, didn’t want to go all the way with preterism, because they still held to a future resurrection and final judgment. So they developed what is often called semi-preterism—some things fulfilled in the first century, some things still to come.
Traditional covenant theologians, especially in the Reformed tradition, didn’t want to go all the way with preterism, because they still held to a future resurrection and final judgment. So they developed what is often called semi-preterism—some things fulfilled in the first century, some things still to come.
But notice: whether futurist, preterist, or semi-preterist, everyone is still playing inside the same past vs. future game.
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What About the “Sealed Book”?
One of the most misunderstood lines in Daniel comes at the very end: “Seal up the words until the time of the end” (Daniel 12:9).
One of the most misunderstood lines in Daniel comes at the very end: “Seal up the words until the time of the end” (Daniel 12:9).
For futurists, this becomes a license: “We are the generation smart enough to finally crack the code!”
For preterists, it’s brushed aside: “The seal was broken in the first century, so it’s all finished.”
But sealing a scroll in the ancient world didn’t mean locking it away forever. It meant the vision was kept secure until God chose to disclose it in His way and His time. In other words, Daniel’s words weren’t given so that every generation could make charts, but so that God could unfold them in His covenant cycles of history.
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Enter Covenantal Realism
This is where I want to introduce the approach I call Covenantal Realism. Instead of flattening Daniel into past-only or future-only categories, Covenantal Realism reads Daniel as real covenant history playing out in cycles.
For Christians, this frees us from two traps:
Covenantal Realism says: Daniel is still speaking, because God’s covenant cycles are still real.
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This is where I want to introduce the approach I call Covenantal Realism. Instead of flattening Daniel into past-only or future-only categories, Covenantal Realism reads Daniel as real covenant history playing out in cycles.
- Like Israel’s sabbath years and jubilees (Leviticus 25), Daniel’s “weeks” are patterns that repeat: exile, repentance, restoration.
- These cycles are not abstract; they are lived realities that shape the way God deals with His people in every age.
- The “seal” on Daniel’s vision means that we don’t master the timetable, but we participate in the unfolding. Each generation is called to discern its place in the covenant story.
For Christians, this frees us from two traps:
- The futurist trap of endlessly speculating about Antichrist and rapture charts
- The preterist trap of treating Daniel as a closed book of ancient history.
Covenantal Realism says: Daniel is still speaking, because God’s covenant cycles are still real.
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Why This Matters for Christians
This means Daniel is not a puzzle to solve but a wisdom-text to live by. The “sealed book” reminds us that only God knows the times, but He has revealed enough for us to live faithfully: to endure exile, to resist ungodliness, and to hope for restoration.
This means Daniel is not a puzzle to solve but a wisdom-text to live by. The “sealed book” reminds us that only God knows the times, but He has revealed enough for us to live faithfully: to endure exile, to resist ungodliness, and to hope for restoration.
When we read Daniel this way, we stop arguing about labels and start helping one another walk faithfully. We glean wisdom from Israel’s history, we see echoes in our own time, and we look forward with confidence—not because we cracked the code, but because the covenant-keeping God holds the future.
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Reflection Question
What would change if you read Daniel not as a riddle to solve, but as covenant wisdom meant to guide you through exile and restoration?
What would change if you read Daniel not as a riddle to solve, but as covenant wisdom meant to guide you through exile and restoration?
