Prophecy in the Bible - Theology of Double Fulfillment
I recently became interested in studying the Book of Daniel. I have read a lot about the controversies surrounding the origins of Daniel but what I am really interested in is this notion of prophetic double (or multi) fulfillment.
The reason I am sticking with Daniel is this. Most people agree that Daniel was fulfilled (or written contemporaneously) with the warring between Antiochus and Ptolemy in the 2nd century B.C. Even if you believe that Daniel was written earlier, Daniel 12 suggests that nobody should know about it until it happens anyway. The fact that we do and the very accurate description of Palestine as a battlefront between the Antiochus and Ptolemy seems to make it pretty clear that Daniel 11 is a description of Antiochus as the "despicable person" and the one who desecrates the temple, etc.
But if you look at people who are deep into end-times thinking and writing right now they are basically saying that the events from Daniel 11 are going to happen again followed by the first fulfillment of Daniel 12. My question is, what is the Biblical support for this theology of double fulfillment? Even if you take for granted that Daniel 12 is yet to come and was not a failed prophecy, what Biblical support is there for another fulfillment of 11? You could broaden this topic to any other prophecy that is claimed to either BE a double fulfillment or that WILL HAVE a double fulfillment although I would like to focus on Daniel as a base example and would like to bring in the PRIMARY Biblical support for why double fulfillment is even valid theology.
I'll tell you right now that what I am NOT looking for is an argument that double fulfillment must be true in order to make the Bible accurate. I am looking for direct theological, historical, and Biblical evidence that we SHOULD consider double fulfillment as a valid method for interpreting prophecy in its own right.
I would love input from Christians as well as non-Christian Bible experts such as Brian if he is around.
Bible Accuracy Forum please.
If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be. --Thomas Jefferson
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