Bible Prophecy Numbers:

The Writing on the Wall

Bible Numbers: The Writing on the Wall against Belshazzar.

Chapter Two, Part H

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Endnotes (1-11) for Chapter Two

 

{1} Perhaps the two witnesses at the banks of the river are the two witnesses of Rev. 11 since Rev. 11 flows out from the previous chapter which in turn is a virtual repeat of Dan. 12 here under discussion.

And who are these "two witnesses"? This is a question that might as well be answered now since it has great bearing on the numbers.

They represent all those, before and after Christ, who have the Spirit of Christ and testify to the Christ by walking ideally in the footsteps of Moses and Elijah, however weakly that might be.

Will the "two witnesses" culminate in two literal personages at "the time of end"?

I do not know, but probably so. As said, the "two witnesses" are patterned after "Moses" and "Elijah" (Rev. 11; cf. Mal. 4:4-6). And we know that John the Baptist "came in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17; cf. Matt. 11:14); and we know that Jesus was that "prophet liken unto Moses" (Deut. 18:15, 18) even as the Apostle Peter said: "For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me…" (Acts 3:22; cf. 7:37).

Therefore, just as John and Jesus are explicitly likened unto Elijah and Moses––thus it may be that two other literal persons ("witnesses") may arise "in the time of the end" who will likewise be comparable to Moses and Elijah. (Also note "Zerubbabel" and "Joshua" of Zech. 4 with Rev. 1:4.)

But whatever happens, let us fix our eyes on "Jesus alone" as His Father commanded at the Mount of transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-13; cf. 2Pet. 1:16-18). {See next note too.}

{2} The "two olive trees" (Rev. 11:4) in part symbolizes faithful Jews before Christ and Christians (predominately Gentiles) after Christ: These are the "two witnesses" of Rev. 11, if you will, (but see previous endnote). Cf. Rom. 11:17-32 with Rev. 11:4 and Zech. 4.

{3} The phrase, "sons of Joseph" is here used poetically for the Northern Kingdom of Israel (as distinct from Judah, the southern tribe). The two sons of Joseph were Manasseh and Ephraim and were adopted as Jacob’s own children (Gen. 48:5). "Ephraim" became the dominant tribe of the north and so became synonymous for "Israel," the northern tribe. (Hos. 11:12 etc.).

{4} "All countries came into Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was sore in all the earth" (Gen. 41:57).

The household of Israel entered Egypt and sojourned there "430 years" (Ex. 12:40, 41). They entered Egypt two years into the seven-year famine, i.e., in the spr. of 1876 BC (Gen. 45:6).

{5} "Fall of Egypt" in the sense that "Egypt was ruined" by the plagues of Moses (Ex. 10:7); or as Isaiah puts it, "Rehab" (Egypt) was "cut to pieces" (Isa. 51:9-10).

{6} Steve Gregg in his parallel commentary on the four main Protestant views of Revelation lists a number of outstanding theologians who have held the "historicist" view. (The "historicist" regards the Book of Revelation as a survey of the whole of Church history. Personally, I find that all four views compliment one another.)

Concerning the historicist view, Gregg says: "A unique characteristic of this line of interpretation is its advocacy of what is called the "year-for-a-day principle."’" He lists the following among the adherents of this view:

    "John Wycliffe, John Knox, William Tyndale, Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli, Phillip Melanchthon, Sir Isaac Newton, Jan Huss, John Foxe, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, George Whitefield, Charles Finney, C. H. Spurgeon, Matthew Henry, Adam Clarke, Albert Barnes, E. B. Elliot, H. Grattan Guinness, and Bishop Thomas Newton." (S. Gregg, "Revelation: Four Views," Nashville: Thomas Nelson Pub, 1997, p. 34.)

{7} Dan. 9:27 divides the last "week" of the full "seventy-weeks" in half (i.e., one week = 3½ + 3½ days). In Daniel’s subsequent vision, this half-a-week is specified as "1290 days"––equaling 3½ years, (Dan.12:11,12). Thus, half a "week" converts to "3½ years."

Rev. 11:3,9 brings this out most clearly. After they prophesy 1260 days (i.e., 3½ years), the two witnesses are put to death but rise again 3½ days later––thus placing years in direct parallel with days. What we have here evidently, is a narrowing down "like birth pains" (Matt. 24:8,15) of the 3½ period––1260 years (i.e., 3½ years of years) + 1260 days (i.e., 3½ years) + 3½ days.

The equivalence of "1290 days" (Dan. 12:11) with three cycles of Ezekiel's "430–day–years" further implies this day-year conversion; (i.e., 430 x 3 day-years = 1290 day-years too).

{8} The numbers "70," "40," and "65," are mere subparts of these primary numbers and therefore not included in this list. The number "70" (Jer. 25:11,12; 29:10; Zech. 7:5) and "40" (Ezk. 29:11-13 etc.) are explicitly identified in the Bible as subparts of the major numbers "490" (Dan. 9:2,24) and "430" (Ezk. 4:6).

Likewise, "seven-years" is a subpart of the "490" (Dan. 9:27), and is divided in half as 3½ + 3½ years, which in turn is the same as 1260 days (Rev. 11:3; 12:6) + 1290 days (Dan. 12:11), etc.

The number "65" is mentioned only once in the Bible (Isa. 7:8) and is part of the "390" (which in turn belongs to the "430"). The "65" is 390 divided by 6. It will be looked at much later.

Eventually, however, it will be observed that even the major numbers are related to one another like a giant jigsaw puzzle!

{9} It is generally believed that the "2300 evenings and mornings" was fulfilled when Antiochus Epiphanes ("a little horn," Dan. 8:9) desecrated the temple, which remained defiled exactly 3 years (Kislev 25, (Dec.) 168 BC to Kislev 25, 165 BC). Jews today celebrate its restoration as the feast of Hanukkah, mentioned in John 10:22.

Because this 3–year desecration lasted a little less than the specified 1150 days (i.e., Dan. 8:14), it is presumed by many that the missing two months be due to Antiochus having removed the Lord’s altar shortly before he desecrated it, (and thereby removing "the evening and morning" sacrifices too). Thus, we compute the 1150 days as 70 days (without sacrifices) plus 3 x 360 days (without sacrifices and defiled as well) = 1150 days. (The "360"-days-in-a-year is the standard year of the prophets. Compare the "70" here with the previous endnote).

{10} E.g., The Good News Bible reads "1150 days."

The dividing of the nearly seven years ("2300 days") in half (i.e., 1150 days), accords well with the dividing of the seven years ("week") of Dan. 9:27 (i.e., 1260 x 2). To be consistent, the dividing of the one number necessitates the dividing of the other, even without the textual clue to the same (viz. "evenings and mornings" of sacrifices).

Furthermore, since the "2300" of Antiochus (see previous note) is understood by scholars to be the prophetic archetype of the coming antichrist (whose career shall last one-half of seven years, Rev. 13:5), surely then, the 2300 should likewise be halved––which in any case agrees with the actual historic length of Antiochus’ desolation, about 1150 days.

Also, compare the striking similarity between the 2300 of Dan. 8:13,14 with that of "the dividing of a ‘seven’" of Dan. 9:27––the accounts are virtually the same! Therefore, the number, context, historical fulfillment, and parallel textual study all validate the optional dividing of the 2300 in half.

{11} I have placed the numbers into three main groups––430, 1150, and 490––although the 490 is in fact the father of all three (including itself). This is because the three internal divisions of the 490 are declared to be "7 x 7," "62 x 7," and "the dividing of 7 (years)," (Dan. 9:24-27). As a result, we have in substance our own three main groups: The "490" because "7 x 7" equals 49 (i.e., a jubilee, Lev. 25)––and 490 is an even 10 jubilee cycles; the "430" because "62 x 7" equals 434, a variation of the 430; and "1150" because "the middle of seven (years)" equals 3½ years and 3½ years is roughly "1150 days."

This "rough" margin is in keeping with the current margin of 1335 days established in Dan. 12:12: I.e., "1335 days" are in excess of an exact 3½ years (i.e., 1260 days) almost as much as the "1150" are short. Also see previous endnote).

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