~~~ Prophetic Time ~~~
1) The 1,260 Days Prophecies:
  1. Days, months, and times terminology connected with these prophecies all equal 1,260 days.
  2. Many biblical scholars believe in the year-for-a-day principle in interpreting Bible prophecy. To support this principle they quote Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:4-6
    • 1260 days = 1260 years.
    • 42 months (one month = 30 days * 42) = 1260 years.
    • Time, times and half a time (one time = 360 days * 3.5) = 1260 years.
  3. Question is: Why is this value of 1,260 days (or years) expressed using different terms?
  4. Do the 1,260 days (or years) for each of these prophecies mean they share the same timeline, or is it possible the usage of different terms suggest different timelines?
    • Days for the Two Witnesses: Revelation 11
      • The "Two Witnesses" period coincides with the time the Gentiles trample on the holy city.
      • Based on the powers they possess suggests these are representative of the Old and New Testaments.
      • When their testimony is completed the beast from the abyss attacks them.
      • This then is an overt attack on the validity of the Bible.
    • Days and Times for the Woman and the Dragon: Revelation 12
      • This woman is not Mary the mother of Jesus.
      • The symbolism connects her to Israel, the grandson of Abraham.
      • She is therefore the mother of the Messianic Promise.
      • As such the dragon (Satan) becomes enraged and attempts to destroy her.
      • But she is rescued and given refuge in the wilderness during the 1,260 days.
    • Months for the Gentiles to trample on the holy city: Revelation 11
      • John is told to measure the temple but to exclude the outer courtyard.
      • The reason for this exclusion is "because it has been given to the Gentiles."
      • The outermost courtyard in Herod's Temple was called the "Court of the Gentiles".
      • Herod's temple in Jerusalem was completed about 18 BC.
      • This suggests the 1,260 days would begin after this time.
      • Herod's Temple and Jerusalem were destroyed by Roman forces in 70 AD.
    • Months also for the Beast from the Sea: Revelation 13
      • The bodily descriptions of this beast link it with the four beasts of Daniel 7.
      • The seven heads on the beast symbolize the many historical iterations of this persecuting power.
      • The seventh head on the beast foretells a future end-time occurrence of the beast.
      • The False Prophet is instrumental in deceiving the people of earth into worshiping the beast.
      • The ten crowned horns represent the end-time powers on earth who unite with the beast.
      • The beast, the false prophet, and the kings of earth meet their end at Jesus' Second Coming.
    • Times for the Little Horn Power to exercise its authority: Daniel 7
      • This horn has its beginning after the decline and division of the Roman Empire.
      • This would place it sometime after the fifth century AD.
      • The power represented by this horn is brought to an end at Jesus' Second Coming.
    • Times also for the unparalleled Time of Trouble for God's people: Daniel 8, 11, and 12
      • This prophecy covers a long history that begins with vision of the ram and the goat.
      • It begins with the division of Alexander's Greek Empire following his death.
      • Out of one of these divisions comes a power identified as the King of the North.
      • This power meets its end at Jesus' Second Coming, just like the little horn of Daniel 7.
      • This suggests the little horns of Daniel 7 and 8 are actually one and the same.
  5. I have to conclude the 1,260 days applied to these prophecies doesn't mean they occur during the same period of time (i.e. contemporaneously).
  6. It is possible the 1,260 days (or years), however they are expressed, may have a different application that cannot be interpreted literally or prophetically.
2) Prophecies Involving Different Time Periods:
  1. The seven times prophecy of Nebuchadnezzar's dream:
    • In his dream he sees a tree of such enormous height it could be seen from any point on earth. The tree is cut down but the stump is left in the ground.
    • Daniel tells him, "Your Majesty, you are that tree!" The tree was cut down because you will take credit for all your success.
    • You will be given the mind of an animal, driven from human company, and forced to live among the wild creatures.
    • "Seven times (years) will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth." Daniel 4:25
  2. The Seventy Sevens Prophecy:
  3. The 2300 days prophecy:
    • This prophecy spans the period from the time the daily sacrifice is abolished to the restoration (cleansing) of the sanctuary.
    • "It set itself up to be as great as the commander of the army of the Lord; it took away the daily sacrifice from the Lord, and his sanctuary was thrown down." Daniel 8:11
    • "It" is a reference to the power symbolized by the little horn that Daniel saw in the vision of the ram and the goat.
    • This little horn emerged from one of the four that replaced the one prominent horn on the goat which symbolized Alexander's Greek Empire.
    • Then Daniel hears one "holy one" speaking, and another "holy one" answered:
      • "How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled – the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, the surrender of the sanctuary and the trampling underfoot of the Lord’s people?" Daniel 8:13
      • "It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated." Daniel 8:14
    • What is the daily sacrifice?
      • The word "sacrifice" is not found in the original text. It was added by the translators to clarify the meaning.
      • The word "daily" in the original Hebrew is HaTamid which is more accurately translated "continual". HaTamid, therefore, refers to the morning and evening burnt offerings.
      • "Now this is what you shall offer upon the altar: two lambs a year old day by day continually. One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer in the evening... It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tent of meeting before the Lord." Exodus 29:38-42 RSV
    • Jesus' own words place this event, the cessation of the HaTamid, the abomination of desolation, and the destruction of the sanctuary, in the future.
      • "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel... then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." Matthew 24:15-16
      • "When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written." Luke 21:20-22
    • Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed in 70 AD when Roman forces under General Titus put down the final Jewish revolt. This was the end of the Jewish Temple religious practice and has never been resumed.
    • If 70 AD is the correct starting date for the 2,300 days, then the restoration (or cleansing) of the sanctuary would occur well into the 24th century.
    • Uriah Smith and his interpretation of the 2,300 days.
      • In his book, "Daniel and the Revelation", he sets the start date at 457 BC, which is also the beginning of the Seventy 'Sevens' prophecy.
      • This is the date the Persian king Artaxerxes I issued his decree allowing the return of Hebrew exiles to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.
      • Adding 2,300 days to 457 BC means the restoration of the sanctuary would occur in the year 1844 AD. Daniel and the Revelation, page 163 Smith's 2300 Days
      • Furthermore, according to him, it is not the earthly sanctuary that is being restored but the one in heaven which the earthly was modeled after. Daniel and the Revelation, page 142+
    • I find a number of problems with this interpretation.
      • The four incidents that prequel the 2,300 days found in the first holy one's question:
        1. The vision concerning the daily sacrifice (the cessation of).
        2. The rebellion that causes desolation.
        3. The surrender (overthrowing) of the sanctuary.
        4. The trampling underfoot of the Lord’s people.
      • As has already been identified, the vision is that which Daniel had of the ram, the goat, and the little horn. Daniel chapter 8
      • The goat with its prominent horn symbolized Alexander's Empire which brought to an end the Persian Empire about 330 BC.
      • The power symbolized by the little horn which caused the incidents listed above would have existed perhaps hundreds of years later.
      • Taking all of these points together negates Uriah Smith's setting a starting date of 457 BC.
    • The other problem is in relation to the sanctuary in heaven which Uriah Smith says is the one to be cleansed, despite the fact it is the earthly (Mosaic) sanctuary that is overthrown.
    • He states that Jesus as our High Priest entered the Most Holy Place in the heavenly sanctuary in 1844 AD, not with the blood of animals but his own blood for the remission of sins.
    • The problem I have has to do with the matter of time. It is unlikely that heaven, and therefore the sanctuary in heaven, exist somewhere in our space-time universe.
    • No one knows how time operates in heaven or even if time exists as we know it with a past, present, and future.
    • So I must conclude that Uriah Smith's interpretation of the 2,300 days has too many faults to be credible.
  4. The 1290 and 1335 days prophecy.
    • These two periods appear to be connected with, or cut off from, the beginning of the 2,300 days prophecy. Daniel 12:11-12
    • Daniel struggled to understand the vision and what the heavenly beings tried to reveal. "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are rolled up and sealed until the time of the end." Daniel 12:9
    • As I stated earlier in point 1-6 above, the time periods may have a different meaning that cannot be understood or applied either literally or prophetically.
    • It is perhaps more important to understand the context of the prophecies rather than putting to much emphasis on dating them.