Bible Prophecy Numbers:

"The Writing is on the Wall"

Chapter one

"Yes, it is I"

"Therefore my people will know my name;

therefore in that day they will know that it is I who foretold it.

Yes, it is I."

(Isa. 52:6)

The context of Isaiah 52:4 furnishes 10 epic events with which to unravel the numbers. Notwithstanding, all Scripture is uniquely designed numerically to demonstrate the Christ. Yet, since Isa. 52 covers what is the very core-theme of the Bible itself––(i.e., redemption and salvation)––therefore this text will likewise serve to illustrate what is the mainstream of all numeric patterns. However, above all this, Jesus Christ is revealed––the very fountainhead of "the numbers." Jesus is the mystery "name" of our text. "Yes," says Jesus, "it is I."

Part "A" of this two-part book applies that system in the numbers built upon the Biblical concept that, "one day is as a year," (Num. 14:34; Ezk. 4:5,6). Part "A" in turn, is repeated in part "B," except using that other great numeric system, that is, "one day is as a thousand years" (Ps. 90:4; 2Pet. 3:8; cf. Rev. 7:4-8 with 21:16,17).

There are two parts to this book because everything in the numbers, down to the minutest detail, have at least "two or three witnesses" to them (Deut 19:15). This is because every pattern must be repeatable in at least two or three distinct ways in order to be authentic, and of course they must agree thematically too.

Before continuing, a brief outline of Isaiah 52:4 is necessary. It’s text (and context) will supply us with all the principal dates that will link with one another in flawless symmetry.

Isaiah 52:3-6

Isaiah 52:3-6 (NIV)

(v. 3) For this is what the LORD says: "You were sold for nothing, and without money you will be redeemed."

(v. 4) For this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "At first my people went down to Egypt to live; lately, Assyria has oppressed them.

(v. 5) "And now what do I have here?" declares the Lord. "For my people have been taken away for nothing, and those who rule them mock," declares the LORD. "And all day long my name is constantly blasphemed.

(v. 6) Therefore my people will know my name; therefore in that day they will know that it is I who foretold it. Yes, it is I."

 

How Ten Epoch Dates

are Deduced from this Passage

Verse 4 contains a brief summary of the oppression and exile of God’s people, with Egypt and Assyria specifically named. That Babylon is to be included is certain by the context (cf. vs. 5). G. Grogan represents a typical interpretation of this passage:

"Verses 4- 5 trace a history of oppression and a sequence of oppressors, with Babylonia, it is implied, to be added to Egypt and Assyria." (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, F. Gaebelein, Gen. ed., Vol., 6, p. 296)

In Isa. 52:3, the phrase "without money" refers to the ransom paid to rescue Israel from exile. However, the New Testament (NT) interprets the blood of Messiah to be this payment made "without money," that ransoms from sin and death (1Pet. 1:18). Moreover, Isaiah 53 (the very next chapter in Isaiah) is quoted from in the NT more than from any other Old Testament (OT) passage. Most surely and profoundly, the suffering and redemptive (salvation) themes of our text (Isa. 52:4) qualifies the life of Christ above all to be numbered among the ten epoch events.

 

Ten Epoch Events^{1}

(Derived from Isa. 52:4)

{The dates used are common among modern scholarship, secular and religious alike.^{2} They are found in most modern commentaries and study Bibles.}

 

1.)

1.) Egypt: Israel enters Egypt for exactly "430 years," Ex. 12:41, spring 1876 BC, till spr. 1446 BC––(see Isa. 51:9-13 for reference to Egypt’s shattering).

{Also, Abraham enters Canaan and Egypt (Gen. 12:1-20; cf. 12:10 with Isa. 52:4, see Isa. 29:22, "…Who redeemed Abraham"), 2091 BC––to be explained later.}

2.) Assyria conquers Samaria, the capital of Israel, (i.e., the Northern Kingdom). The siege (likely) lasted a little more than three years, 725 to early 721 BC.^{3}

When Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, it virtually wiped out the Southern Kingdom of Judah too, in 701 BC, but Jerusalem was spared––for a time (Isa. 36-39).

Assyria’s ancient capital of Ashur, and Nimrud (the capital at the time of Samaria’s fall), and Nineveh (the capital after that), all fell to the Babylonians and the Persians between 614-612 BC, "effectively putting an end to the Assyrian empire."^{4}

3.)

3.) Babylonia conquers Jerusalem, the capital of Judah. The full siege lasts 945^{5} days, 589/8–586 BC.^{6}

4.)

4.) Persia conquers Babylon in Oct. 539 BC. In 538 to spr. 536, Jews leave Babylon and begin to re-build the temple.

{Persia falls to Greece in 334–330 BC. See excursus.}^{7}

5.)

5.) "Suffering Servant"

"He was numbered with the transgressors" (Isa. 53:12b, cf. 52:13–53:12).

Jesus was born about 5 BC, (but Dec. 25th 1 BC according to tradition).

His ministry lasted 3½ years, aut. AD 26 to spr. AD 30; (although according to tradition the spr. of AD 30 is ironically when Jesus began His ministry instead!)^{8}

 

Seven-Year Famine

of Joseph

Our text of Isa. 52:4––"At first my people went down to Egypt to live"––pertains to when the children of Israel were compelled to live in Egypt that they might survive a seven-year famine. This seven-year famine fell upon Egypt and "all the world" (Gen. 41:57), and is a prototype of the well-known future "seven-year tribulation-period," also destined to come upon "the whole world" (Rev. 3:10; 16:14).

By means of this famine, the children of Israel and all nations were made to bow before Joseph, (just as they will bow one day before Jesus, Phil. 2:10). This seven-year famine, (which began "two years" before Israel entered Egypt, Gen. 45:6), lasted spr. 1878 to spr. 1871 BC.

 

Seven-Year Famine

of the Sieges

The sieges of the capital cities of Samaria (of Israel), and Jerusalem (of Judah), also foreshadow this future seven-year tribulation-period, just as Joseph’s famine did. The prophets speak much about these two sieges and the terrible famines that resulted. The Book of Revelation echoes with similar themes (6:5; 18:8).^{9} {9} Generally, "famine" will be the rope that binds our events together thematically.

In addition to these famines of nature and of war, the prophet Ezekiel underwent a self-imposed famine in 593 BC. In obedience to God, He symbolically acted-out a siege against Jerusalem by being tied on his side with ropes (while rationing his food as if in a real famine)––390 days for Israel, and 40 for Judah––"A day for every year" (Ezk. 4:5-9). This was meant to foreshadow the actual siege and fall of Jerusalem, whose shadow fell exactly seven years later in 586 BC!

 

"Waters To Swim In"

Like the ever deepening river of Ezekiel’s vision (47:1-12), the following are revealed in this book:

1.)

1.) The seven-year famine of Joseph overlaps the seven composite famine-years of the three sieges when aligned by the numbers found in the Book of Daniel.

2.) The symbolic days-of-years (e.g. 1,290 years) intersects literal days of the same value (e.g. 1,290 days)––a large "wheel" intersecting a small (Ezk. 1:16).

3.)

3.) The Bible divides the numbers (490, 1260, etc.), into two or three smaller sub-parts. The "time, times, and half-a-time," of Dan. 12:7 (i.e., 1-year, 2-years, and half-a-year), is the most straightforward. These sub-parts also connect with our epoch events!

4.) The writing style and construction of Isa. 51:17–52:1 implements a mirror within the text itself. (We explain the mirror soon.)

5.) The above steps "1 to 3" continue into the A.D. era (i.e., after B.C.) and repeat themselves as if in a "mirror," just as did the very writing construction of Isa. 51:17–52:1!

6.) Also, there are yet two more completely different ways of "mirroring" in the numbers that rally a total of three separate "witnesses" to the self-actuality of this mirror. (The mirror presumes Jesus to be the center of time, hence proving His Messiahship.)

7.) Once again the BC–AD mirror is crisscrossed, but now at the points of restoration, (rather than at the ruins). The four famous decrees of restoration (Dan. 9:25) will demonstrate this while engaging its very own "490" (also of Dan. 9:24).

8.) The numbers intersect smaller and larger numbers of like kind, on a one-tenth or ten-times ratio. (E.g., "490" with 49 and 4,900, etc.)––a large "wheel" intersecting a small (Ezk. 1:16).

9.) The numeric-patterns flow unceasing unto our present day.^{10}

10.) Moreover, a straightforward calculating (from the Bible) of the reigns of the kings of Judah, and of Israel, yield two new lines of idealistic dates that are grounded upon the actual dates. By them, all previous patterns are consistently and greatly enhanced.

11.) Amazingly, the ancient Jewish traditional dates for the entry into Egypt and the exodus etc., repeat these same marvels. Moreover, traditional dates link with actual! Thus, tradition supplies an independent, impartial, witness to the Christ of the numbers.

12.) Most of these steps are again repeated in part "B," except using the "one-day-is-as-a-thousand-years" principle of reckoning. Therefore, part "B" constitutes the great second major witness to "The Writing on the Wall," by maintaining in the same fashion "the testimony of Jesus" (Rev. 19:10).

"Worship God: for the testimony of Jesus

is the spirit of prophecy."

Notes:

{1} The initial exiles from Israel and Judah (before their complete destruction in 722 and 586 BC), are of secondary importance and will be treated as such. This holds true for Judah’s subsequent returns from exile as well, (after the main return of 538 BC).

Sennacherib’s catastrophic invasion of Judah in 701 BC is listed among our "epoch events" because it is the very focal narrative of the Book of Isaiah (Isa. 36–39), and therefore especially applicable to our text of Isa. 52:4. (Note the importance granted it by the rest of Scripture as well, 2Kgs. 18–20; 2Chr. 32).

{2} Many secular scholars refuse to believe the exodus really occurred and therefore do not assign it any date.

Also, there are believing scholars who place the exodus around 1290 BC instead of the customary 1446 BC, but they must reject the natural meaning of "the 480^th year" of 1Kgs. 6:1 to do so.

In any case, "1290 BC" is significant since 1,290 is the number specifically mentioned in Dan. 12:11. Also, the 1,290 exodus date amounts to the same as 3 x "430" years (of Ezk. 4:4-6), which further combines with the previous "430 years" just spent in Egypt till this exodus (Ex. 12:40)! Moreover, 1290 BC is approximately the same as the Jewish traditional date for the exodus of 1313 BC––an important date that will be examined later.

The New International Version Study Bible, (in the Introduction to the "Exodus"), outlines the main argument for the 1290 BC date.

"The appearance of the name Rameses in Ex. 1:11 has led many to the conclusion that the 19^th-dynasty pharaoh Seti I and his son Rameses II were the pharaohs of the oppression and the exodus respectively…(and) lead to a date for the exodus of c. 1290"

In spite of that, the NIVSB still strongly favors the traditional view of adhering to the "480^th year" of 1Kgs. 6:1, pointing out that "Rameses" (Ex. 1:11) is very likely a late editorial-update, just as in Gen. 47:11.

However, since all Scripture is inspired of God, the insertion of "Rameses" into the text is meant to draw our attention (among other things) to the time of Rameses as being symbolically related to the exodus.

Symbolic (idealistic) dates LOGICALLY deduced are consistently significant in the numbers, usually more obvious in meaning then the actual literal dates themselves.

{3} From 2Kgs. 17:5 and 18:10, we learn that the siege of Samaria by Shalmaneser king of Assyria lasted "3 years." Then, Shalmaneser himself died Dec. of 722 BC. However, his son who succeeded him also lays claim to Samaria:

"In his annals Sargon II lays claim to the capture of Samaria at the beginning of his reign, but it was hardly more than a mopping-up operation." (Footnote to 2Kgs. 17:6 in the NIV Study Bible).

Hence we have a late 722 or early 721 BC date for the end of the northern kingdom of Israel.

{4} John Brinkman, "Nineveh," in Encarta 97 Encyclopedia, CD-ROM.

{5} To be exact, the siege of Jerusalem lasted 942 or 945 days since there is a three-day discrepancy between 2Kgs. 25:8 and Jer. 52:12. Both siege spans are used in our studies however, although the 945 of Jeremiah predominates since he was a prophet, and since he was contemporaneous with Ezekiel––the one who had himself "besieged" Jerusalem.

Ironically, Jewish tradition complicates matters still more by their attempt to correct this three-day discrepancy. They have 944 days (to Av 9) instead of 945 (to Av 10).

{See http://genealogy.org/~scottlee/calconvert.cgi for help in calendar conversion and exact day counts even over thousands of years. But keep in mind that this site uses the modern Jewish system of reckoning (rather than the ancient practice of adjusting to the equinox, and to the first sighting of the crescent moon), so that any particular lunar day may be out a day or two, or behind one full month.

For example, there are 29.53059 days averaged in a lunar month. Since the siege lasted exactly 32 months, therefore 32 x 29.53059 = exactly 945 days––nevertheless, it is given as 943 days at that web site.}

{6} Some scholars (not the majority) put the dates of the three exiles of Judah back a full year; (i.e., 606, 598, and 587 BC instead). They reach these conclusions based upon another viable method of computing the years of a king’s reign.

The standard dates for the siege however are Dec. 11, 589 BC (or, Jan. 9, 588 BC), to the destruction of the temple in July 14 (or, Aug. 13), 586 BC, as based on Jer. 52:4-12.

Unless otherwise stated, dates will be set to the Gregorian calendar (i.e., the modern calendar that we all use today).

{7} Since the Persian kingdom is not one of the oppressive nations specified or clearly implied in Isa. 52:4, but is only the instrument by which Babylonia falls, a summary of patterns to do with Persia’s demise will be presented as an excursus only.

{8} Generally speaking, the tradition that placed the birth of Jesus on Dec. 25, 1 BC, also fixed spr. of AD 30 as the start of His ministry––calculated as "30 years" from His conception.

{9} It is interesting that whereas Rev. 18:8 mentions a "famine" at the fall of "Mystery Babylon," yet the fall of ancient Babylon in 539 BC was without famine or even much bloodshed:

"Therefore in one day shall her plagues come, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong is the Lord God who judged her" (Rev. 18:8).

{10} E.g., the cessation of "Jerusalem" from being "trodden down of by the Gentiles" (ending AD 1948 and 1967, Luke 21:24), the release of the Jews from Russia in 1988, and the assassination of the Prime Minister of Israel in 1995, are all in alignment.

Back to table of contents

To next chapter

(To Home Page)