Jeffro, this is what interpretation is all about. I work from the assumption that God is responsible for the Bible, and that he would leave us a map to navigate past the obstacles of the end times. My method includes progressive word studies in the original languages, for what it's worth. In a perfect world one's interpretation would have been evidence-led and/or evidence-driven. But because of huge gaps in our knowledge and limited resources, one must make do with what you have. Unfortunately the topic is subjective to the extreme, but historical reality would add an objective element to the mix. In the end time will tell whether one's interpretation is to stand or fall.
In connection with distortians of the seventy week prophecy, I believe the opposite. The prophecy was so accurate in pointing to Jesus as the Messiah, that the Jews had to change the punctuation of Dan. 9, to break up the weeks (cf. MT to LXX). I believe it to be one of the most effective of the Messianic prophecies, in the same league as the suffering servant of Is. 53.
Bobcat, I have Holladay's Lexicon on BibleWorks and Logos. It is based on Koehler and Baumgartner's Lexicon (HALOT). TDOT is a fifteen volume set, translated from German. What Kittel is for NT Studies, TDOT is for OT Studies, just more recent. The last of the volumes were only recently completed. It is not available online or on Logos or BibleWorks. Some of the volumes one can access through Google books, but only selective articles. Before I owned the set, I was forced to access the volumes through Academic (Theological) Libraries. Now I have the complete set. If you PM me an e-mail address, I will send you some of my studies (in PDF book form). Especially the one on Dan. 11:40-45 you will find interesting. A warning, rather not discuss any of it with JWs. Because of it I was disfellowshipped.
Andrekish, Daniel is one of my favorite hobbyhorses, and I find a lot of pleasure in studying it, which would make me a bit of a wierdo. As I have said, I believe God is the origin of the Bible, directly or indirectly, so he would leave us a guide to get us through the end times in one piece.
Mr Freeze, I will go with the communist combination of Russia-China, both nuclear world powers and economically powerful. I had my doubts until I read When China Rules the World. The End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Word Order, by Martin Jacques. Now there is no doubt in my mind what lies ahead.