Bible Numbers

Writing on the Wall

Chapter Two, Part B

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I) Ezekiel's "Siege" (Ezk. 4:2, cf. ch. 4–5)

A.) 390 + 40 = (see "B," next)

"I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the house of Israel" (Ezk. 4:5).

B.) = 430 days or years

"After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin of the house of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year" (Ezk. 4:6).

II) "The Daily Sacrifice" (Dan. 8:13, cf. ch. 8)

A.) 1150 days^{9} equals 2300 "evenings and mornings" of consecutive "sacrifices" (Dan. 8:13; 9:21; cf. Ex. 29:38-42; i.e., it can be viewed as either 2300 full days or 2300 half-days)^{10}

"How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled––the vision concerning the daily sacrifice…?" (Dan. 8:13a)

"He said to me, "It will take 2300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconstructed"’" (Dan. 8:14).

 III) "Seventy Weeks of Years"^{11} (Dan. 9:24, RSV, cf. ch. 9–12)

A.) 490 (i.e., literally "seventy weeks," KJV)

"Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy." (Dan. 9:24, NIV)

B.) 3½ years (there are seven variations)

The "middle" of the last "week" (‘seven’) of the 490 represents a 7-year period divided into two equal parts (i.e., 3½ + 3½ = 7 years, Dan. 9:27), just as the "2300 " (i.e., 6½ years) is also divided in half.

"He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation…" (Dan. 9:27)

1.) 1260 days:

"And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1260 days, clothed in sackcloth" (Rev. 11:3).

"The women fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1260 days" (Rev. 12:6).

2.) 1290 days: (The 1290 is the 1260, except with the 30-day intercalary month added).^{12}

"From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1290 days" (Dan. 12:11).

3.) 1335 days: ("1335" is both inclusive or exclusive of the 1290, for a total of 3½ or 7 years).

"Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1335 days" (Dan. 12:12).

{"Three-and-a-half-years" can be identified four other ways besides the above three ways. However, since they are found in the Bible implicitly rather than explicitly, these four will be utilized on a secondary level, and only in amalgamation with the above three primary forms. Accordingly, when used they will always be placed in brackets.^{13}

4.) A normal lunar 3½ years of the Jewish cal. is 1270 days.

"…In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering…" (Dan. 9:27).

5.) However, the next (lunar) 3½-year period that completes the full 7-years is generally 1299 days. (Thus there are ordinarily about 2,569 days within any given 7-year period; i.e., 1,270 + 1,299. Yet, "1,270" occurs most frequently over any given 3½-year period.)

6.) Moreover, a strict "42 months" of the lunar cal. amounts to only 1240 days: (I.e., "42 months" is 3½ years without its leap months; 3.5 x 12 = 42.)^{14}

"…They will trample on the holy city for 42 months" (Rev. 11:2).

7.) And correspondingly, "42 months" of our modern solar calendar amounts to exactly 3½ complete years, or 1278 days.

"The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for 42 months" (Rev. 13:5).