Without recourse. All Rights Reserved. Tree of Life©
Statement of belief: “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word
is truth.” (John 17:17 KJV)
Created 5929± 09 03 2025
[2008-12-02]
Updated 5925[(*??*)] 08
26 2029 [2012-12-11] – Extensive revision of the Artaxerxes I vs. II sections
(cf. prior vrsion.)
Added 5926[(*??*)] 09 03 2030 [2013-12-6] – Re
the apparent double fulfillment of Daniel’s 2300 day prophecy (1, 2.)
New Meaning in Familiar Texts
“As soon as the seeker for truth opens the
Bible to read the utterances of God with reverence, possessing an earnest
desire to know "what saith the Lord," light and grace will be given
him, and he will see wondrous things out of God's law. He will not regard the
law of Jehovah as a yoke of bondage, but as the gracious commands of One who is
all-wise and full of compassion. He will make haste to fulfill His
requirements. Great truths
which have been neglected and unappreciated for ages,
will be revealed by the Spirit of God, and new meaning will flash out of
familiar texts. Every page will be illuminated by the Spirit of truth. The Bible is not sealed but unsealed. The most
precious truths are revealed; the living oracles are heard by wondering ears,
and the consciences of men are aroused into action.” --TSS 30. {CSW 34.3}
“I have seen that the 1843 chart was directed by the hand of the Lord, and that it should not be altered; that the figures
were as He wanted them; that
His hand was over and
hid a mistake in some of the figures, so that none could see it, until His hand was removed.” ({EW 74.1} The entire paragraph is
quoted below!)
Daniel 9:24-27 = 490 Years or What?
“Seventy weeks” in Terms of “a Year for a Day”
Fulfillment
Updated 490 year Prophecy Fulfillments.
An Updated Application of Daniel 8:14 and the 2300
Evenings and Mornings.
A Review of the Prior Dates of the 1260 Years and
More.
More re these “seventy week” prophecies as fulfilled
in terms of literal days
What should God’s People Study and Learn at
the End of 2300 Years?
Are We Missing Something Important Until
Now?!
Alternative applications harmonizing with the
Friday, Aviv
17, 19 CE crucifixion
and
the within revised chronology of the 1st centuries
Abstract:
As Seventh-day Adventists we have
been greatly blessed with many things in consequence of paying attention to God’s
exact reckoning of time re the 7th Day Sabbath. In so doing, there have been
many steps of learning and many steps to go in applying that which has been
learned. Some times things have initially been incompletely or incorrectly
understood. Sometimes there have been some things that has had to be unlearned before further steps in the
path to the full truth can be accomplished.
One such valuable lesson of growth on
our way as a People towards God’s Kingdom took place some ten years after the Seventh
day Sabbath was first implemented by our pioneers shortly after the great
disappointment of October 22, 1844. There was some unlearning to do, some
habits to change, and some traditions to correct in order to stay close to the
light provided thus far along our path. At that
time the Sabbath had been kept from 6 PM to 6 PM for ten years by the Sabbath
believers. After about ten years some of our pioneers began waking up to the
realization that the bible was teaching, not 6 PM to 6 PM continually
throughout the year, but sunset to sunset always. As is usually true, the ones
least receptive to the change were the ones most entrenched in teaching the
former traditions. Thus it should come as no surprise that our most stounch
pioneers and leaders, Joseph Bates and Ellen G. White, were the ones last to
accept this new light. Yet, upon prompt and in depth study of the Scriptures
they too soon realized and accepted that which was obviously God’s light
shining forth from the Holy Scriptures. In a vision Ellen White was told: “Said the
angel: "Take the Word of God, read it, understand, and ye cannot err.
Read carefully, and ye shall there find..." ” {1BIO 324.3}
In her book Counsels on Sabbath
School Work, Ellen White, is emphasizing and encouraging us to study our bibles
such that we will discover ever more light in previously familiar passages:
“Great truths which have been neglected and unappreciated for
ages, will be revealed by the Spirit of God, and new meaning will flash out of
familiar texts. Every page will be illuminated by the Spirit of truth.” {CSW 34.3}
In the context of that passage most
important and valuable counsel is given regarding how we may each and together
most effectively relate to new discoveries such that we may retain the real
values while not being deceived by subtle errors and devious teachings leading
us astray.
After being guided by the Lord of
Hosts step by step and day by day through many years of what the Scriptures
have to teach us regarding God’s reckoning of time in both the Old and the New
Testament I have been blessed with a number of “great truths which
have been neglected and unappreciated for ages...” But, is anyone else interested
in the light shed upon our paths by these discoveries? Sometimes I feel as
lonely as did Elijah once, before the Lord made clear to him that there were
seven thousand others beside him...
My time related discoveries in the
New Testament began with the events surrounding the crucifixion. Eventually, as
it seems, under God’s continual guidance I’ve been able to date the greater
part of the events recorded in the New Testament as well as the time of
authorship for most of the epistles as well as the gospels. One of the mixed
blessings of this “new” light from the “Ancient of Days” is that our prior
assumptions regarding Yeshua/Jesus being baptized in 27 AD and crucified in 31
AD does not hold up to the greater light and to the events as they really happened in time. It follows
that some details re our favorite Seventh-day Adventist interpretations of Daniel’s prophecies, the 490 years of Daniel chapter
9 and the 2300 evenings and mornings, seems to be, in certain important aspects, not formerly understood, sometimes even misapplied or
misunderstood. But are we, anyone and all, willing to accept our errors such
that we may become receptive to the real and most important added rays of light and the many additional blessings intended for each and all of us by our Creator? It is my prayer and my
conviction that the Lord still has His seven thousand willing servants who are
willing to be willing to learn and to do in accord with the instructions of His
still small voice.
What all is in those words of
prophetic utterance given to Daniel in chapter 9:24-27? I have no doubt but
that there is more than that which I am presently seeing as God keeps on adding
more light almost daily to that which He has showed me already, but I am
willing to share of the rays of light that keep coming my way. And yes, I have
found what seems to me to be more than satisfacory alternatives for such old “present truths” as are now shown to be
“water under the bridge.” Yes, there are exact
literal
interpretations in real time of those “seventy weeks,” of those “seven weeks
and threescore and two weeks,” of the “one week: and in the midst of
the week,”
and of the “two thousand and three hundred days:”
Considerations re the Hebrew
words interpreted as 490 years:
Alternate 490 “year for a day”
prophecies?:
We are well aware that God is patiently
waiting for and working with His people. The Israelites could have entered the
Promised Land after only 40 days in the desert, but due to their fears and lack
of trust and conviction the 40 days were turned into 40 years. Thus also,
besides the exact literal day fulfillment,
this prophecy also has its 490 year fulfillments, considering also that in
prophetic and biblical reckoning there is also merely a level of difference
between 49, 490, 4900 etc.. (If you wish you may download for reference to
various details of your own choice, my latest version of this rather extensive Excel spread
sheet. Notice, however, that details in that spread sheet may not always be
updated to the latest findings and may therefore cause you to feel lost or
confused. In essence that file is one of the many files I am using for my
ongoing chronology work.)
1. Thus counting from Cyrus’ decree in 533 BCE (i.e. within the
biblical year beginning with Tishri 22, 534 BCE, which year, based upon a later
Sabbatical year defined by Josephus, was a Sabbatical year) I find
that 490 years later is one and the same year as when Herod the Great conquered
Jerusalem on behalf of the Emperor of Rome, i.e. under Caesar
Augustus and Anthony, thus making Judah a domain under Roman jurisdiction at
the end of the biblical year 44/43 BCE, which year, per Josephus, was another
Sabbatical year. Indeed, Herod’s appointment as a king happened in Rome “in the
midst of the week” of years (cf. Dan. 9:27,) i.e. in the biblical year 47/46
BCE. Interestingly enough, Herod’s initial Temple project began in the 12th
year following the biblical year within which he captured Jerusalem,
reminiscent of the fact that Darius’ decree, in his 2nd year, took
place in the 12th year following the year when “Zerubbabel...
began to oversee the work of the house of Jehovah” Ezra 3:8-10 (Hendrickson’s
Interlinear Bible.)
2.
In our Sabbath Schools
Bible Study Guide (SDA Sabbath School Quarterly 2004:4:11:Dec 8) it was
made clear that among the three possibilities re the beginning point in time of
the 490 years, 457 BCE was selected because it represented a real time event
that seemed to fit exactly with the assumed year of Jesus’ baptism in 27 A.D..
If now we are willing to make a similar retrograde calculation based upon what
I believe is the correct year for the crucifixion, 19 CE, we will find
something quite interesting and striking, perhaps also something we didn’t
expect: 490 full biblical years before
19 CE is 490 – 18 = ‑472 = 473 BCE (the last complete Scriptural year
prior to Yeshua’s crucifixion ended in 18 CE, and in the spring of 473 BCE the
Lord of Hosts, each our Savior, led His People to a victory over the designs of
Haman.)
The original Purim event took place
Adar 13 (the 12th month,) 473 BCE, and Yeshua was crucified on Aviv 17, 19 CE,
thus 490 – 18 = -472 = 473 BCE. In Esther 3:7 and 8:9 we may read about two
important decrees in the months of Aviv and Sivan, 474 BCE, exactly 490
completed Scriptural years prior to the beginning of the year for the
crucifixion and resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus Christ. What lessons
are we willing to take to heart from that correlation?: Are we willing to take
a firm stand for our convictions as acquired from our own thorough studies of
the Holy Scriptures without wavering before possible death at the hands of men
as did both Esther and Yeshua? Or do we prefer to delegate our God given
responsibilities to other men or women who may not be able to shoulder each our
own personal responsibilities any more than the five wise virgins could
possibly share of the anointment acquired over years of studying, learning, and
applying, with the other five virgins who began realizing only too late what
was at stake?
3.
Although I do not as yet
have a completely reliable or exact reckoning of the years from the anointment
of king Saul unto the end of the Babylonian captivity I find that that time
period is somewhere in the neighborhood of 490 years also. But that can hardly
be said to be prophetic time…
Is anything of lasting value being
learnt from these things, or are we merely repeating history committing the
same errors of principle every 490 years? As in whoever fails to learn from the
mistakes of history is doomed to repeat them?
Are we, each of us, still committing the
ultimate mistake of asking to have a king or State over us in likeness unto all
the other nations around us? Are we failing to take to heart the admonitions of
our Savior through the prophet Samuel in 1 Sam 8 as well as His admonitions
through John the beloved apostle in Revelation 18:4 and by means of the Three
Angel’s Messages as portrayed in Revelation 14? Are we really that unwilling to
realize God’s offer of having us return to His Kingdom and the Garden of Eden
in the here and the now and without any semblance of that which is meant by the
Latin words “Vicarius filii
dei” as engraved within the tiara of the Vatican
pope? That is, without having someone or something as a go between, as a
mediator, any type of manmade insurance or State, anything that limits our own
responsibility, anything that we, I or you, choose for shielding ourselves from
a direct communion with our Creator and God. Cf. Deuteronomy 5:3-5, 8-9! Why is
it that we do not realize the tremendous blessings inherent in accepting the
first three promises inherent in more fully understanding the point of, and how
to obey, the first three Commandments of the Decalogue? Or are we misusing the
Sabbath hours such that we fail to do the first thing, to remember, on that day
of remembrance, the very first three promises of our Creator, i.e. to the
effect that God’s Day of Rest truly becomes a time of sanctification, of
purification of our thought patterns and of the consequent actions and habits
of our lives?
Another
application and beginning of the “490 weeks:”
Another
commandment! Another point of decision!:
How
about if we more closely apply the pattern learned from the literal day
fulfillment upon these 490 “year for a day” prophecy years? Suppose again we
begin with Cyrus’ decree, this time counting from “the beginning… of the
commandment… [that] came forth” (Dan. 9:23) on Tishri 10, 534 BCE. Counting
down time 62 weeks, or 62 x 7 = 434 years, counting completed years, we come to
the end of the year beginning Tishri
22, 100 BCE, or
Tishri 21, 99 BCE. Counting backwards in time 490 years from that last year we
come to Tishri 22, 590 BCE. The event we are looking for should then be in the
accession year preceding the year beginning Tishri 22, 590 BCE. That accession
year is one and the same as Nebuchadnezzar’s 15th Scriptural year of
reign. It is also one and the same year as the 7th Scriptural year
of Jehoiachin's captivity. What, if anything of
interest, happened in that year? The only reference to that year that I am
aware of is found in Ezekiel 20:1-2:
Ezekiel 20:1 KJV And it came
to pass in the seventh year, in the fifth month, the tenth day of the month, that certain of the elders of Israel came to enquire of
the LORD, and sat before me.
Ezekiel 20:2
KJV
Then came the word of the LORD unto me, saying…
Notice
that the messages Ezekiel brought from the LORD God, i.e. Yahweh Elohim, under
that date continue through the 23rd chapter! If those messages,
dated as they are not quite four years prior to the destruction of Jerusalem
and of the Temple, weren’t a clear and timely warning, I don’t know what is!
Read e.g. Ezekiel 21:18-22 re a point of decision, and re speaking falsely in
the name of God:
Ezekiel 22:28 And her
prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying,
Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken.
And re
the absence of anyone willing to stand up and do God’s bidding:
Ezekiel 22:30 And I sought
for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap
before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
How does
this message apply to me and you today? For it does, or does it not?!
But what
about the other end of this 490
“year for a day” application? Was there anything of significance that happened
between Tishri 22, 100 BCE and Tishri 21, 99 BCE? Well, that year falls into a
gap of time (134 BCE – 73 BCE) where I have almost nothing immediately
available. Yet, I am not at a total loss as to this year. I do notice that this
Scriptural year is not only a Sabbatical year, as based upon Josephus, but it
is in fact the 70th Scriptural year of the Asamonean
kingdom (cf. my file
ScriptureChronology.xls,) i.e. the house of kings who ruled Israel until
Palestine fell under the reign of the Roman Empire when Herod the Great captured
Jerusalem on Tishri 10, 43 BCE after another 55 Scriptural years of reign under
the Asamoneans. Was this year a year of another
important decision? Was this year a year with an event corresponding in any way
to the laying of the foundation of the Temple in Jerusalem as encouraged by the
prophets Haggai and Zechariah? Perhaps Jonathan the High Priest, aka (?)
Alexander Jannaeus, king of Judah, took an important
stand “in… conflict with the Pharisee party” or laid an important
foundation in establishing “the Masada fortress” in that year?:
“Alexander Jannaeus (also known as Alexander Jannai/Yannai), king of Judea
from (103 BCE to 76 BCE), son of John Hyrcanus,
inherited the throne from his brother Aristobulus, and
appears to have married his brother's widow, Shlomtzion
or "Shelomit", also known as Salome
Alexandra, according to the Biblical law of Yibum
("levirate marriage"), although Josephus is inexplicit on that point.
“His
likely full Hebrew name was Jonathan; he may have been the High Priest
Jonathan, rather than his great-uncle of the same name, who established the Masada fortress.
Under the name King Yannai, he appears as a wicked
tyrant in the Talmud, reflecting his conflict with the Pharisee party. He is among the more colorful historical figures despite being little
known, however, outside specialized history. He and his widow (who became queen
regnant after his death) had substantial impact on the subsequent development
of Judaism and Christianity.”
And
perhaps too, the year (?) of Julius Caesar’s birth should be considered?
“100 BCE
Births: July 12 or July 13 — Julius Caesar, Roman general and politician
(or 102 BC) (d. 44 BC)”
In
summary re this 490 “year for a day” application as patterned upon the literal
4,900 day fulfillment of Daniel’s “seventy week” prophecy:
I notice
in particular that in each of the years here pinpointed important decisions
were made. Decisions with prominent and far reaching consequence noticeable on
a grand scale even today:
1. The
Scriptural year beginning 591 BCE: Ezekiel is given a most important message
from the Lord;
2. The
Scriptural year beginning 535 BCE: The command of Daniel 9:23 issued; and
3. The
Scriptural year beginning 100 BCE: The decisions and actions of Jonathan, the
High Priest?
Let’s see
if we may find another meaningful application:
Suppose,
using the same point of beginning identified in Daniel 9:23, Tishri 10, 434
BCE, and again using the “year for a day” principle, we count down time 4,692
years and then back 4,900 years from that point. That brings us first to Tishri
22 in the year 4,692 – 433 = 4,259 CE, then back to Tishri 22 in the year 4,259
– 4,900 = -641 or 642 BCE. What, if anything, happened in the accession year of
events prior to Tishri 22, 642 BCE? Well, per the work I did a few years back,
which may need reviewing before I dare to rely exactly upon them, that year
would correspond to Manasseh’s, king of Judah, 54th year of reign. A
few years after that, king Josiah, did some remarkable work… cf. 2 Chron.
33:24-25; 34:1-7 (KJV.) Thus, so far nothing remarkable for this suggestion.
What about the prophecy re the
2300 evenings and mornings?
Now, if it is true that we cannot
honestly use 27 AD as our basis for choosing 457 BCE as the starting point of
the 490 year prophecy, then also we cannot build on the assumption we used for
the beginning of the 2300 year prophecy, i.e. the assumption that the 490 year
prophecy and the 2300 year prophecy have a common beginning, can we? What then
is the correct basis and the point of beginning for the reckoning of the 2300
evenings and mornings?
Perhaps it only makes sense that
there could be more than one correct and valuable application of this period of
time, i.e. just as it appears as though I discovered three or four distinct and
different but sensible applications for the time period referenced in Daniel
9:24-27, i.e. “the 490 year prophecy” to replace the one application that after
so many years of valuable and profitable teaching and soul winning is being
shown to have errors in detail, though bringing to light many an important
principle.
At first I am thinking that the 2300
years could be applied either to the entire time period of Nebuchadnezzar’s
dream in Daniel 2, or else and probably preferentially upon that part of it
that pertains to the Roman Empire and the little horn prophecy. Yet, the latter
would point to a time yet far into the future (2300 – 43 = 2257 CE; i.e. 249
years into our future) while the former, if based upon the beginning of
Nebuchadnezzar’s reign (2300 – 604 = 1696 CE,) points to a date that does not
immediately ring a bell in my mind. Counting from the time of Daniel’s vision
(Belshazzar’s 3rd year of reign; Dan 8:1) also does not ring any
bells in my mind (2300 – (547 or 546) = 1753 or 1754 CE.)
Nevertheless,
I do find one application that does make a lot of sense to me in the
context of Daniel 8:14, and especially as defined by the question posed by the
angel in Daniel 8:13: The question posed is focusing upon “both the sanctuary
and the host… be trodden underfoot…” To me the most important and prominent
representation of the tabernacle and the sanctuary, albeit almost entirely
overlooked elsewhere, is nothing other than the family unit as based upon a
covenant between male and female. Who can deny that this is the image being
described in Genesis 1:27 and who can deny that the family unit is being
trodden underfoot by our States and by today’s societies? And who is “the host”
if not the father/husband/male of that family? When did this calamity begin? It
does have more than one beginning, does it not? There are many families and
there are many like calamities throughout history, are there not?!
Nevertheless, I am thinking of one such event that in a very special way is
emphasized in the Scriptures as misrepresenting the very essence of true
Scripture teaching. I am thinking of the misguided initiative taken by Ezra per
the record given us in Ezra 10:17:
"And
they made an end with all the men that had taken strange wives by the first day of the first
month" Ezra 10:17 (KJV).
Here God is using Ezra to do a great
thing in bringing God’s people back from the Babylonian captivity to God’s own
country and to Jerusalem and to make further contributions to the temple. Yet,
when realizing that the people have been making unwise choices in marrying
women of foreign nations, rather than working towards purifying those families
by strengthening each of them and each of their members into a closer walk with
God, Ezra is taking steps towards enforcing whole sale family destruction and
whole sale divorce action. Thus missing the whole key point of the Seventh
Commandment as well as of the chief objective and focus of the work of God’s
People! A breach of the one most sacrosanct covenant, a covenant carrying in
each case the blessing of our Creator from the time of Creation onwards! What a
curse! How can anything but calamity be the consequence of such an action as
thus initiated by Ezra? Where is the faith and trust in God’s providence and
saving power to mend and heal broken families? Where is it now? Where was it
then? Nevertheless, this event did happen and the severe consequences were not
long in waiting and they were not for good, were they? Or weren’t the temple in
Jerusalem being trodden underfoot and being forgotten and mistrusted by the
people within a very few years of that event? Cf. Nehemiah 13:7-8 vs. Nehemiah
10:32-39!:
And I came to Jerusalem, and
understood of the evil that Eliashib did for Tobiah, in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the
house of God. And it grieved me sore: therefore I cast forth all the household
stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber. Neh. 13:7-8 (KJV)
Well, per the conventional order of Ezra
and Nehemiah (but cf. below!!!,)
the event recorded in Ezra 10:17 did happen on Aviv 1, 456 BCE, while the
results described in Nehemiah 13:7-8 took place in Artaxerxes’ 32nd year
of reign (433/432 BCE,) i.e. no more than 24 years later.
Interestingly, I find that Aviv 1,
456 BCE is no more than about one year off from the year previously attributed
to the beginning of the 2300 year prophecy. “In detail there was an error…” {1BIO 323.2} Perhaps, God had a purpose in mind by
allowing this mistake and all its consequential blessings thus far?! Perhaps
too, he is now confirming that indeed, as Ellen White said, “the hand of the Lord… was over and hid a mistake in some of the figures, so that none could see it, until His hand was removed?” Perhaps the Lord is confirming those words of Ellen White by sending
us an added and closely related blessing in a very similar mistake that wasn’t
even seen until now? Thus, again using this mistaken placement of Ezra’s
activities beginning in Artaxerxes I’s 7th year of reign (i.e. as
opposed to the correct placement in
Artaxerxes II’s reign:)
Counting from Aviv 1, 456 BCE (so very close to Aviv 1, 457 BCE!)
that [falsely] presumed year of Ezra’s terrible mistake in initiating whole
sale family destruction, I find that 2300 – 455 = 1845 AD.] Or, more accurately
and to do it the Scriptural way: Aviv 1, 456 BCE being the date of the
initiating event, I find that the end of the accession year and the beginning
of year #1 is the beginning of Tishri 22, 456 BCE. It follows that the
beginning of year #2,300 is the beginning of Tishri 22, 1845 CE… ending one
year later, at the beginning of Tishri 22, 1846.
“And he said unto me, Until darkness lightness number two
thousand and three hundred; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Daniel 8:14
(TLT ©. Re the initiating event for this translation, cf. this
link!)
What
happened within the Scripture year that began in 1845, within that 2,300th
year following said whole sale destruction of the family related in the book of
Ezra? Well, the Seventh-day Sabbath was beginning to be honored in 1845 by some
of those that remained after the great disappointment in 1844! What a blessing!
Perhaps the Scripture year 1844/45 CE could be considered another accession
year of sorts – at least in terms of the best available insights known to those
people at that time, i.e. re e.g. Artaxerxes I vs. Artaxerxes II and re the
relative timing of Ezra and Nehemiah? In 1846, before (cf. {1T 75.4} and {CET
85-88,}) James’ and Ellen’s wedding Ellen met for the first time Elder Joseph
Bates at which time she was introduced to the Seventh-day Sabbath truth. Notice
the importance of that meeting in terms of the beginnings of the Seventh-day
Adventist movement!
But
notice also that there is something related to the foundation of every family,
that most blessed eternal Covenant of God: On Sunday August 30 [Elul 6,] 1846
Ellen G. Harmon was married to Elder James White (and later that fall the two
of them together accepted the Seventh-day Sabbath truth after initially
resisting the importance of keeping the Seventh Day as the Sabbath of the
Lord.) Indeed, in that 2,300th year [Tishri 22, 1845 – Tishri 21,
1846,] after that presumed whole sale destruction of the families in 456 AD,
Ellen White had a vision where she saw…
“The
temple of God was open in heaven, and I was shown the ark of God covered with
the mercy seat… Jesus raised the cover of the ark, and I beheld the tables of
stone on which the ten commandments were written. I was amazed as I saw the
fourth commandment in the very center of the ten precepts, with a soft halo of
light encircling it. Said the angel, "It is the only one of the ten which
defines the living God who created the heavens and the earth and all things
that are therein. " ” {CET 85.1-5.}
For
more details re these events of the 19th century pioneers please cf.
{1T 75.4} {2MCP 719.3} {EW 299.3-5} {1T 75.4.}
Now,
if these things, the focus of our pioneers upon the family and upon the Sabbath
as the center piece of God’s Ten Promises of Blessings, are not a most valuable
blessing in consequence of the angel’s response in Daniel 8:14 and our mistaken
reckoning from 457 AD, I don’t know what is:
“And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three
hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Daniel 8:14 (KJV.)
“And he said unto me, Unto
two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings; then shall the
sanctuary be cleansed.” Daniel 8:14 (RV.)
“And he said unto me, Until darkness
lightness number two thousand and three hundred; then
shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Daniel 8:14 (TLT ©.)
And isn’t the use of the expression
“evenings and mornings” a rather strong hint to us by the angel bringing the
message to Daniel that that which is being trodden upon is something that has
to do with an emphasis upon exactly that, “evenings and mornings,” as in God’s
time keeping, God’s own calendar, God’s own Sabbath, and the “daily” “evening
and morning” worship services within each family of God?!
Indeed, isn’t all of this exactly
what our pioneers came to believe it was?: Yeshua entering into the most holy
section of the heavenly sanctuary: For instance as reflected in the
establishment of the family of James and Ellen White, and by the People of God
waking up to the importance of increasingly understanding God’s reckoning of
time and, among other things, keeping the Seventh Day Sabbath as a day of
remembrance and a day for being sanctified and purified by a continual study
and implementation of God’s Ten Promises of unlimited blessings, i.e. of the
Ten Commandments?!
Well, there could be yet another
application of the 2300 year prophecy: What if Ezra’s activities began, not in
Artaxerxes I’s 7th year of reign, but in Artaxerxes II’s 7th year of reign as
seems quite plausible considering the facts pointed out in SDA Bible
Commentary, Vol. 3, pp. 369-37. The beginning of Artaxerxes II’s 7th
year is 398 BCE, and Aviv 1, 396 BCE is the time applicable to Ezra’s whole
sale divorce decree as recorded in Ezra 10:(8,) 17.
Based upon the last date above (Aviv
1, 396 BCE) the 2300 prophetic years reaches to 2300 - 395 = 1905 CE. That is,
the 2,300th year began with Tishri 22, 1905 and ended with Tishri
21, 1906. What, if anything, of significance happened within that Scriptural
year? Well, I can think of one thing: In that year the Protocols of Zion were first
published (cf. also this link:)
These protocols were adopted in 1897. They were
published by Sergyei Nilus
in Russia 1905. August 10 [Av (5th month) 19,] 1906 a copy of this
publication was received at the British Museum.
And why
would this event be of any significance? Think of it! The secret powers behind
the Protocols of Zion have been controlling this planet for hundreds, even
thousands, of years. In finally publishing their intent and much of their modus
operandi they have made available to anyone who wishes to know an open
declaration of what is really going on behind the scenes, thus making
available, to anyone wishing for it, a more solid foundation for his or her decisions
of responsibility in life!!! Think of it! Selah!
A friend sent me a link
that may be helpful in shedding light on what’s happened behind the scenes
since the time when the Protocols of Zion were first made public. I’d probably
be remiss if I didn’t share that one too. But be prepared, if you peel down
that URL you’ll probably have enough to read for a year – Most people I know do
not have strength enough to accept the reality of all this, nor to cease
sharing of their powers to support it all. I believe this stuff requires you to
have a past experience similar to the five virgins with enough oil in their
lamps (Matthew 25:1-13,) and an experience similar to those furthest along the
path in the story of the green cord (Find the story at this
link using {CET 179.1,} which last link is truly loaded with such power as
each one of us need for our traveling through life!) Yet, paradoxically as it
may seem, reading the stuff at that first link while realizing and accepting
the reality of the world we are part of may also provide for you just such an
experience without having to learn it the hard way and by your own trying
experience… as did Adam and Eve and so many others among us, their offspring.
Paragraph added 5926[(*??*)] 09 03 2030 [2013-12-6:]
After rereading the above section re the 2300 evenings and
mornings, it struck me that the difference in timing of the traditional reckoning
of the 2300 evenings and mornings, as based upon a 457 BCE decree of Artaxerxes
I, on the one hand, and on the other hand, the within discovery of the 2300
evenings and mornings, as based upon a 397 BCE decree of Artaxerxes II, is sixty (60)
years! That is,
a parallel to the triple fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy re the 490 years. Cf. the
diagram at this
link!
Artaxerxes I or Artaxerxes II?
- Ezra
and the 7th & 8th years of which Artaxerxes?
Ezra 10:9 – Double date
#1:
Now, which is the real and true basis
for the 2300 years? 458,
457, 397, or 396 BCE? When did the 2300 years really end? 1843,
1844, 1904, or 1905? Perhaps this is an additional piece of evidence:
Ezra 10:9 (TLT) Then all the
men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within Day Three
[beginning at sunset on a Monday.] It was the ninth month,
on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the
street of the house of God, trembling because of this matter,
and for the great rain.
Ezra 10:9 (KJV) Then
all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem
within three days. It was the ninth month,
on the twentieth day of the month; and all the people sat in the street
of the house of God, trembling because of this matter,
and for the great rain.
Let’s see upon which day of the week
this day, Kislev 20, i.e. the 20th day of the 9th month,
fell in each of the following years:
Kislev 20, 458 BCE fell on the day
beginning at sunset (Sat Nov 18 or Sun Nov 19, or else) Mon Dec 18 or Tues
Dec 19, 458 BCE(; or else Tue Jan 16 or Wed Jan 17, 457 BCE.)[1]
Kislev 20, 457 BCE fell on the day beginning at sunset Fri Dec 6 or Sat Dec 7, 457 BCE; Sun
Jan 5 or Mon Jan 6, 456 BCE(, or else Mon Feb 3 or Tue
Feb 4, 456 BCE.) [2]
[Kislev
20, 398 BCE fell on the day beginning at sunset Mon Nov 15 (Julian Day 1576372)
or Tue Nov 16; Tue Dec 14 or Wed Dec 15, 398 BCE; or else Thu Jan 13 or Fri Jan
14, 397 BCE. – Irrelevant because Ezra and the
returning Jews did not return to Jerusalem before the 5th month of
the 7th year or about two months before the beginning of the 8th
year. Thus the 9th month of Ezra 10:9 pertains to the 8th
year, which could not be earlier than 397 BCE.]
Kislev
20, 397 BCE fell on the day beginning at
sunset Sun Dec
3 or Mon Dec 4
(Julian Day 1576757,) 397 BCE, or else
Mon Jan 1 or Tue
Jan 2, 396 BCE. [3] – Notice:
The whole sale divorce action of Ezra occurred on Aviv 1, 396
BCE.
Kislev 20, 396 BCE fell on the day beginning at sunset (Thu Nov 22
or Fri Nov 23,) Sat Dec 22 or Sun Dec 23, 396 BCE(, or else Sun Jan 20 or Mon Jan 21,
395 BCE.)
[ - The
Kislev 20, 396 BCE date is added in order to confirm the numbering of the regnal years of Artaxerxes II. Cf. the “Note re accession
of Artaxerxes II:” in ScriptureChronology.xls. 396 BCE is not the year of Ezra
10:9!]
Based upon the above four results I
find that I cannot certainly distinguish between any of those four years based
upon the cross correlation Third Day vs. Kislev 20 alone, though the last
alternative, Jan 21, 395 BCE, is highly unlikely. All I can say is that each of
those years are possible, and that my ToL translation
“Day Three” is supported by each of those placements in time.
Obviously, Day Three of the
week begins on Monday night (as we have also learnt elsewhere
re the resurrection of Yeshua!) Until now, prior to recognizing the commonplace
late Aviv beginnings which may be due to higher altitude, e.g. Jerusalem, aviv ripening, I had not recognized the above January
placements of Kislev 20, and accordingly I had excluded 456 BCE and 395 BCE entirely.
Seeing, as I do now, that those dates may even be the more likely dates, I can
no longer positively rule out the scenario of Artaxerxes I’s 8th
year beginning in 457 BCE, at least not based upon this 3rd Day vs.
Kislev 20 criteria alone, even though the fact that Ezra’s return to Jerusalem,
at the beginning of Abib 1, had its beginning in Babylon where the aviv determination may have been done at a lower altitude
more favorable to an earlier Abib beginning. (The last alternative above,
however, Kislev 20 (Jan 21,) 395 BCE is most likely too
late.) Cf. also the corresponding Abib placements in the years 531 BCE, 483
BCE, 482 BCE, and 474 BCE in column five (5) of the table under this
link and also my Comment in column four (4) at 420 BCE of the same table!
Ezra 7:9; 8:32-34 – Double date #2:
Thanks
Juarez Rodriguez de Oliveira for alerting me (on page 22 of your book Chronological
Studies Daniel 9) to yet another double date of Ezra and for a very
valuable contribution to this study, as follows!:
Ezra 7:9 TLT For upon
the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon,
and on the first day
of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of
his God upon him.
Ezra 8:32 TLT And we came to Jerusalem, and
abode there Day Three. [Cf.
my translation at this link!]
Ezra 8:33 TLT Now on
the Fourth Day [of the week] was the
silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the house of our God by the hand
of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him
was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui,
Levites;
Ezra 8:34 TLT By number and by
weight of every one: and all the weight was written at that time.
And the
KJV for purpose of comparison:
Ezra 7:9 KJV For upon the first day of the
first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem,
according to the good hand of his God upon him.
Ezra 8:32
KJV And we came to
Jerusalem, and abode there three days.
Ezra 8:33 KJV Now on
the fourth day was the silver and the gold and the vessels weighed in the
house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of
Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar
the son of Phinehas; and with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui,
Levites;
Ezra 8:34 KJV By number and by
weight of every one: and all the weight was written at that time.
On what
days of the week did Av 1 fall in 458, 457, 397, and 396 BCE respectively?
Per the above, the only
options open to us, if these Scripture passages are indeed referencing days of
the week:
·
If Kislev 20 of Ezra 10:9
began on Mon Dec 18, 458 BCE, then
it follows that Av 1, 458 BCE began at sunset on Thu Aug 3 or Fri Aug 4, 458
BCE.[4]
·
If Kislev 20 of Ezra 10:9
began on Mon Jan 6, 456 BCE, then it
follows that Av 1, 457 BCE began at sunset on Wed Aug 21 or Thu Aug 22, 457
BCE.[5]
·
If Kislev 20 of Ezra 10:9
began on Mon Dec 4, 397 BCE, then it
follows that Av 1, 397 BCE began at sunset on Wed Jul 19 or Thu Jul 20, 397 BCE[6]; and
·
If Kislev 20 of Ezra 10:9
began on Mon Jan 1, 396 BCE, then it
follows that Av 1, 397 BCE began at sunset on (Thu Aug 17 or) Fri Aug 18, 397
BCE[7].
·
If Kislev 20 of Ezra 10:9
began on Mon Jan 21, 395 BCE, then
it follows that Av 1, 396 BCE began at sunset on Thu Sep 6 or Fri Sep 7, 396
BCE.[8]
Notice
that no one of the above dates is compatible with a “Third Day” translation of Ezra
8:33! However, the Hebrew text is certainly compatible also with a
translation in terms of duration of time as in KJV, and using the standard
accession time reckoning, if the day subsequent to the “three days” fell on Day
Four, then Ezra arrived into Jerusalem on the Seventh Day, most likely shortly
after sunset on a Friday. With that scenario, I find three viable options in
the above list – as highlighted here:
·
If Kislev 20 of Ezra 10:9
began on Mon Dec 18, 458 BCE, then
it follows that Av 1, 458 BCE began at sunset on Thu Aug 3 or Fri Aug 4, 458
BCE.[9]
·
If Kislev 20 of Ezra 10:9
began on Mon Jan 6, 456 BCE, then it
follows that Av 1, 457 BCE began at sunset on Wed Aug 21 or Thu Aug 22, 457
BCE.[10]
·
If Kislev 20 of Ezra 10:9
began on Mon Dec 4, 397 BCE, then it
follows that Av 1, 397 BCE began at sunset on Wed Jul 19 or Thu Jul 20, 397 BCE[11]; and
·
If Kislev 20 of Ezra 10:9
began on Mon Jan 1, 396 BCE, then it
follows that Av 1, 397 BCE began at sunset on (Thu Aug 17 or) Fri Aug 18, 397
BCE[12].
·
If Kislev 20 of Ezra 10:9
began on Mon Jan 21, 395 BCE, then
it follows that Av 1, 396 BCE began at sunset on Thu Sep 6 or Fri Sep 7, 396
BCE.[13]
Of the
above highlighted Fridays, we can rule out the last one, Jan 21, 395 BCE, due
to a most unlikely late aviv, and the Dec 18, 458 BCE
option does not agree with the popular 457 BCE / Artaxerxes I interpretation
anyhow. But that leaves only one real time and viable solution to these
passages, that is, Ezra arrived in Jerusalem on Day Seven, Av 1, 397 BCE
[almost certainly shortly after sunset Fri Aug 18, 397 BCE, that is, such that
Ezra did not travel too far on the Sabbath day; cf. Acts 1:12 !]
Accordingly, I find that the
correct translation is:
Ezra 7:9 TLT For upon the first day of the
first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem,
according to the good hand of his God upon him.
Ezra 8:32 TLT And we came to Jerusalem, and abode
there three days.
Ezra 8:33 TLT Now on
the Fourth Day [of the week] was the silver
and the gold and the vessels weighed in the house of our God by the hand of Meremoth the son of Uriah the priest; and with him was Eleazar the son of Phinehas; and
with them was Jozabad the son of Jeshua, and Noadiah the son of Binnui, Levites;
Ezra 8:34 TLT By number and by
weight of every one: and all the weight was written at that time.
Notice
how nicely the above
confirms and locks in the precise dates for both the Day Three, Kislev 20 date
of Ezra 10:9 (beginning at
sunset Mon Jan 1, 396 BCE,) for the Av 1 date of Ezra 7:9
[beginning at sunset Fri Aug 18, 397 BCE,] for the three days of Ezra 8:32 (Av
2, 3, and 4, 397 BCE,) and for the Day Four date stamp of Ezra 8:33 (Av 5, 397
BCE [beginning at sunset Tue Aug 22, 397 BCE!])
In
contradistinction, I find no likely solution for a scenario fitting the popular
belief that Ezra traveled to Jerusalem in 457 BCE. I find it quite rewarding to
notice that there are so very many events in the Holy Scriptures that have a
sufficient time reference for an exact date. I find Ezra 8:32 being a very rare
example of a time reference in terms of real time duration, that is, I find
that most of the very many passages in the Scriptures that are being translated
in terms of duration are mistranslated. One might say: Ezra 8:32 is the one
exception that confirms the rule! And the reason for the exception seems to be
obvious: Ezra did not wish for anyone to read into his words that extensive
traveling is acceptable Sabbath behavior…
A summary of the basics:
Given the following:
1)
Ezra is reckoning time using Scriptural years (cf. this link,)
2)
The timing
of the reign of Artaxerxes II is known from the Elephantine papyri (cf. this
link,)
3)
There is powerful evidence that the events of Nehemiah preceded the events of
Ezra and that Artaxerxes of Ezra 7 is Artaxerxes II (cf. SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 3, pp. 369-374, entitled
“Additional Note on Chapter 7,”)
4)
my analysis of the dates provided in Ezra,
a.
Ezra 10:9 (see above,) that is, the exact
double dating in the form of i. Day Three of the week, and ii. Kislev 20 of
Artaxerxes’ 8th regnal
year,
b.
and in Ezra 7:9; 8:32-33 (see above,) that is, Av 1, “three days, and “the
Fourth Day,”
I conclude:
That Nehemiah preceded Ezra and that the 8th
year of Artaxerxes, as referenced by Ezra, pertains to Artaxerxes II and began
with Tishri 22, 397 BCE (i.e. not Artaxerxes I and the year beginning with
Tishri, 457 BCE, as popularly believed.)
Paragraph added 5926[(*??*)] 09 03
2030 [2013-12-6:]
There seem to be a double fulfillment of the 2300
evenings and mornings prophecy of Daniel 8:14, such
that said two fulfillments are separated
in time by 60 years. That is, according to the same pattern seen re the triple
fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy re the 490 years. (Cf. also the SDA Bible
Study of December 7, 2013, at this link.)
Confirmation in support
of the above findings:
1)
The
Jewish community at Elephantine was dissolved for unknown reasons very
close to the time of Artaxerxes II’s 7th year of reign. Could it be
that this event was somehow tied to Ezra’s activities?
2)
The account in Nehemiah 13:23-28 re
Nehemiah’s noticing the Jews marrying wives of other countries seems to be much
more of a primary observation than that of Ezra in Ezra 9:1-2, which latter account
seems to point to a prior command that had been disregarded, that is, a
possible, even probable, reference to Nehemiah’s command per Nehemiah 13:25-27!
3)
Per Nehemiah 10:9, Binnui,
a Levite, is being recorded as one “of the sons of Henadad,”
whereas, per Ezra 8:33 i find the words “Noadiah
the son of Binnui, Levites.” To me that seems to
indicate that the Ezra events are placed one generation later than the Nehemiah
events.
4) (Perhaps,
within parenthesis, I may find added confirmation also from the apocryphical
books of Esdras: After having carefully reviewed 1 Esdras and 2 Esdras, I find
1) the historical and chronological outline within 1 Esdras is in full harmony
with my prior studies of the Scriptures, 2) Esdras, the author of the two books
of Esdras, is the same man as Ezra of the Scriptures (cf. Ezra 7:1-5 and 1
Esdras 8:1-2; 2 Esdras
1:1-3,) 3) the 400 year prophecy of 2
Esdras 7:28-29 provides excellent support for Esdras’ [=Ezra’s] leaving for
Jerusalem during the 7th year of Artaxerxes II in a year no earlier
than around 397 BCE (cf. 1
Esdras 8:61; 2
Esdras 1:3-4; Ezra 8:31,) and 4) As do Ezra and Nehemiah, so also Esdras
names Nehemias among the earlier exile of “Zorobabel, with Jesus” (cf. 1
Esdras 5:8; Ezra 2:2; Nehemiah 1:1; 7:7; 8:9; 10:1; 12:26, 47.)[14])
A note
re the weekly Sabbath cycles vs. the lunar cycle:
Notice also that all
these dated texts, as found within the Book of Ezra, demonstrate that the
weekly cycle, as reckoned by Ezra, is independent of the lunar cycle. For
instance, the Day Three, Kislev 20 date (of Ezra 10:9) places the subsequent
Sabbath on Kislev 24 – not on Kislev 22 or 29 as taught by certain Lunar
Sabbath proponents! Neither is the above Ezra 7:9; 8:32-33 finding of Av 1
being a Sabbath and Av 5 being the Fourth Day - and, accordingly, the Sabbaths
of that one month falling on Av 8, 15, 22, and 29 – any evidence in support of
the Lunar Sabbath theory! Indeed, on the average, that pattern should be
expected as often as one out of every seven months… So it is not an uncommon
thing, albeit certainly not based upon any rules re the weekly cycle being
always reset on New Moon day, that is, as the Lunar Sabbath people would have
it…
Now, may I suggest that you, carefully
and after prayer for God’s truth and guidance, study and consider the passage
in SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 3, pp. 369-374, entitled “Additional Note on
Chapter 7!”
Here’s my list of Persian kings and
their years of reign:
|
Name of
king |
The 4
kings* of Daniel 11:2 |
Scripture
years (beginning Tishri 22, i.e. 7th month) |
|
Darius, king of Media (and
later of Chaldea) |
|
536/535 –Adar 27±, 533 BCE |
|
Cyrus |
Given
Daniel in Cyrus’ 3rd year : |
Tammuz 27,
534 BCE – 525(/524) BCE |
|
Cambyses |
1 |
531/530 BCE – Av 6, 523 BCE |
|
The false Smerdis |
2 |
Av 6, 523 BCE – Nisanu 10, 522 BCE |
|
Darius Hystaspes |
3 |
Nisanu 10, 522
BCE - 486/485 BCE |
|
Xerxes I / Ahasuerus |
4 |
486/485 – 465(/464) BCE |
|
Artaxerxes I |
|
465(/464) – 424(/423) BCE |
|
Darius II Nothus |
|
424(/423) – 405/404 BCE |
|
Artaxerxes II |
|
405/404 – 359/358 BCE |
*) Cf.
SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, p. 864.
Next, consider Ezra 4:24 and see if
the TLT translation below is not helpful in making more understandable Ezra as
a whole and in particular Ezra 4:5-8, 11; 6:14; 7:1, 7, 11-12, 21; 8:1!:
Ezra 4:24 (TLT) Then ceased the work of the house of God
which is at Jerusalem as it had ceased unto the second year of the reign of
Darius king of Persia.
Ezra 4:24 (KJV) Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second
year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Ezra 4:24 (TLT) ThenH116 ceasedH989 the workH5673 of the houseH1005 of GodH426 whichH1768 is at JerusalemH3390 as it hadH1934 ceasedH989 untoH5705 the secondH8648 yearH8140 of the reignH4437 of DariusH1868 kingH4430 of Persia.H6540
Ezra 4:24 (KJV) ThenH116 ceasedH989 the workH5673 of the houseH1005 of GodH426 whichH1768 is at Jerusalem.H3390 SoH1934 it ceasedH989 untoH5705 the secondH8648 yearH8140 of the reignH4437 of DariusH1868 kingH4430 of Persia.H6540
Ezr 4:24 באדיןH116 בטלתH989 עבידתH5673
ביתH1005
אלהאH426 דיH1768 בירושׁלםH3390
והותH1934 בטלאH989 עדH5705 שׁנתH8140 תרתיןH8648 למלכותH4437 דריושׁH1868 מלךH4430 פרס׃H6540
Now, re-read Ezra chapters 1-6 and
see if it is not making a whole lot more sense to you than it might have
before!
I believe the final stand is up to
each one among us to make, is it not?! Nevertheless, without the Sabbath truth
and the Seventh-day Advent movement I would not have had the foundation I
presently have for reaching thus far in my understanding. As said Ellen Gould
White:
“I
have seen that the 1843 chart was directed by the hand of the Lord,
and that it should not be altered; that the figures were as He wanted them; that His hand was over and hid a mistake in
some of the figures, so that none could see it, until His hand was removed.” ({EW 74.1} The
entire paragraph is quoted below!)
So then, what “sanctuary… [shall] be
cleansed…” at the end of the 2300 days?
Dan 8:14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and
three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
Who will do his or her part? Will I?
Will you? Each one of us within each our own God given dominion and within each
our own family?!
How do we cleanse our families? By
taking steps to destroy them? Or by taking steps for bringing each and all of
us, beginning with our selves, closer to our Creator first, and also to one
another?!
Some other exact 2,300 year fulfillments of
interest:
I notice that counting from the
“commandment” of Daniel 9:23 dated Tishri 10, 534 BCE until the date when Napoleon Bonaparte was
conceived [he was delivered [=EDC±?] August 15, 1769 è LMP Nov 8±, 1768 è Conception on or before
Nov 23±, 1768 =
Kislev 13/14±, 1768 CE.] Thus 1767 full
years [by Tishri 22, 1768] less 2300 = -533 = 534 BCE. Thus, an event within
the year prior to Tishri 22, 534 BCE would fall in the accession year of a 2300
year period being concluded with Tishri 21, 1768. This would fit the conception
of Napoleon Bonaparte perfectly. Given the nature of the beginning of Cyrus’
reign, i.e. a proper meeting
of the minds of two sovereign kings and each their offspring and the
covenant established in consequence thereof, I see this as one perfect example
of God’s covenant as offered to each one among us while also an excellent
application of Genesis 2:24. There are some similarities re the circumstances
of Napoleon Bonaparte’s conception, his father and his mother and Corsica. Given also Napoleon’s
part in breaking the power of the Roman Catholic church in 1798, I see in
Napoleon’s beginnings an interesting fulfillment of the 2,300 evenings and
mornings prophecy.
Based upon Adar 27, 533 BCE as a
published, i.e. effective, date as an initiating event I find it interesting to
notice that some very important practical activities had their beginnings
exactly 2300 completed years subsequently: Wikipedia lists the following:
In
England 1769
CE:
James Watt demonstrates
the first practical steam engine, an invention which inaugurated the Industrial
Revolution in England.
David Garrick holds the
first Shakespeare Festival at Stratford-upon-Avon.
Richard Arkwright invents
the spinning frame.
Additionally, there are 2300 years ±
:
1.
Between the flood and Yeshua’s crucifixion; and
2.
Between the birth of Noah and the birth of Cyrus.
Re “time, times, and half a
time” and “1260 years:”
Beginning
date – March 538 CE/AD:
“The Ostrogoths,
who had been driven from Rome, returned and laid siege to it in 537. The siege
lasted for a full year, but in 538 Justinian landed another army in Italy, and
in March the Ostrogoths abandoned the siege (see
Hodgkin, op. cit. [Thomas Hodgkin, Italy and Her Invaders], vol.
4, pp. 73-113, 210-252; Charles Diehl, “Justinian,” in Cambridge Medieval
History, vol. 2, p. 15).” (SDA Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, p. 827.)
Ending
date – February 10-25, 1798 CE:
“[p. 364] Berthier
advanced to the city by forced marches; summoned the castle of St. Angelo [Feb.
10th], allowing only four hours for its evacuation by the papal
troops; the convicts were set at liberty; the gates of the city secured by the
French, the pope, all the cardinals except three, and the whole people of Rome,
made prisoners at discretion. . . .
“[p. 365] Shortly afterwards [Feb. 15th.],
Berthier made his triumphal entry into Rome; and a
tree of liberty being planted on the capitol, . . . a proclamation was issued,
declaring . . . a free and independent
republic, under the special protection of the French army. A provisional
government was acknowledged, as established by the sovereign people; and every
other temporal authority emanating from the pope was suppressed, nor was he any
longer to exercise any function…
“…the unfortunate pontiff was removed
from Rome to Sienna [Feb. 20th to 25th], where he was
received with consolatory sympathy by the Augustine monks, and lodged in their
convent*. [Note *: . . . He was removed, according to the caprice or policy of
his persecutors, at all hours in the night and day, to many cities in Italy,
where he was exhibited in chains, and at length confined in a fortress at the
top of the Alps, where, under the old French government, it was sometimes
customary to send regiments by way of punishment. In the course of the ensuing
year it was deemed necessary to remove him to Valence, where he terminated his
days amid the horrors of neglect and insult. . . . ]” (SDA Bible Student's
Sourcebook [i.e. SDA Bible Commentary,] Vol. 9, p. 701-2; Source: John
Adolphus, The History of France, Vol. 2 (London: George Kearsley,
1803), pp. 364-369.)
“[p. 46] That the head of the church
might be made to feel with more poignancy his humiliating situation, the day
chosen for planting the tree of liberty on the capitol was the anniversary of
his election to the sovereignty [Feb. 15]. Whilst he was, according to custom,
in the Sistine chapel, celebrating his accession to the papal chair, and
receiving the congratulations of the Cardinals, Citizen Haller, the
commissary-general, and Cervoni, who then commanded
the French troops within the city, gratified themselves in a peculiar triumph
over this unfortunate potentate. During that ceremony they both entered the
chapel, and Haller announced to the sovereign Pontiff on his throne, that his
reign was at an end…
“[p. 47] …At the same time that his
Holiness received this notice of the dissolution of his power, his Swiss guards
were dismissed, and Republican soldiers put in their place.” (SDA Bible
Student's Sourcebook [i.e. SDA Bible Commentary,] Vol. 9, p. 702-3; Source:
Richard Duppa, A Brief Account of the Subversion of
the Papal Government. 1798 (2d ed.; London: G. G. and J. Robinson, 1799), pp.
46, 47.)
”Procopius... Byzantine
historian from Cæsarea in Palestine (died no earlier
than 560 CE), a contemporary of Caesar Justinian I, is the best source of
information re the era of the latter and in general the best Greek historian
since Polybius…”
(Free
translation from Swedish: “Prokopios… bysantinsk historieskrivare från
Cæsarea i Palestina (d. tidigast 560), en samtida till kejsar Justinianus I, är
den bästa källan för kännedomen om dennes tid och över huvud den förnämste
grekiske historikern efter Polybios...” (Svensk
Uppslagsbok, Malmö 1935, Band 22, spalt
45.))
”Vitiges…
Ostrogoth king (died after 540) who was elected 536 CE as king of the
anti-Roman party and who had the legitimate king Teodahad
murdered; these events intensified the conflict with the East-Roman Caesar, who
was now able to appear as the legitimate protector of order. In the fights for
Italy Vitiges was not able to stand up to
Belisarius…”
(Free
translation from Swedish: ”Vi’tiges, V i t i g i s, östgotisk konung (d.
efter 540) valdes 536 till konung av det antiromerska partiet och lät mörda den
legitime kung Teodahad; dessa händelser skärpte konflikten med den östromerske
kejsaren, som nu kunde uppträda som den legitima ordningens väktare. I
striderna om Italien kunde V. ej mäta sig med Belisarius (se denne)...” (Svensk Uppslagsbok, Malmö 1936,
Band 29, spalt 1110.))
”Goths, a Germanic people. The
first reference to the Goths in the literature is found in Tacitus, about 100 CE.
The Goths were then living near the outlet of the Weichsel River. Their former
experiences are unknown; one author from 500 CE, however, is stating that the Goths
originated from Scandia Island (Scandinavia), but this is doubtful…”
(Free translation
from Swedish: ”Goter, germanskt folk. Första gången, g. med säkerhet
omtalas i litteraturen, är hos Tacitus, o. 100 e.Kr. De äro då bosatta i landet
kring Weichsels mynning. Deras tidigare öden äro obekanta; en förf. från
500-talet säger visserligen, att g. urspr. bott på
ön Scandia (Skandinavien), men denna
uppgift är av högst tvivelaktig sanningshalt...” (Svensk
Uppslagsbok, Malmö 1934, Band 11, spalt
613.))
“GOTH… The Goths
probably originated in what is now southern Sweden. They migrated
to an area north of the Black Sea during the A.D. 100’s. During the 200’s, they
raided the northeastern frontiers of the Roman Empire… The Ostrogoths
remained in Italy until the 550’s, when they were destroyed by armies of the
Byzantine (East Roman) Empire. (The World Book Encyclopedia, Vol. 8, p. 268.)
Considerations re the reckoning of 1260 years:
Re the
dates for these events: February and March correspond to the biblical months
Adar and Aviv, both of which are about midpoint of the biblical year beginning
Tishri 22. Considering the biblical usage of accession years (by default;
exceptions being Esther and Haggai) and the last calendar year of any biblical
year being attributed to the last prior king, one should reckon thusly: The ending
biblical year, including the events of Feb 1798, is 1797/1798, and the
beginning biblical accession year, including the events of March 538, is
537/538. It follows that simple subtraction of either of those pairs of years
result in a correct calculation of the time period: 1798 – 538 = 1260 and 1797
– 537 = 1260. Thus I perceive no problem with the reckoning of these 1260 year
prophetic periods.
Considerations re the
reckoning of 1290 and the 1335 days/years:
Per the original version of SDA Bible
Commentary, Vol. 4, pp. 60-65, 842-3, 880-1 there are at least two prevalent
SDA interpretations re the daily and thus also on the 1290 days. Those two
views came originally from James White and Uriah Smith respectively (ibid.
p. 65.) I find no exactly dated event pertaining to 508 A.D., though two events in that year are being referenced:
“the conversion of Clovis, the king of the Franks, to the Catholic faith, and…
the victory over the Goths, an important stage in the establishment of the
supremacy of the Catholic Church in the West. (ibid. p. 881.)” Even less
is said re the “1335 days” (ibid. p. 881.)
I
conclude that there is room for further study re these numbers, at least on my
own part! Indeed, I think I may have found
some nuggets of gold tying 508 CE directly to the chain of 490 year cycles
staked out by 1) the disappearance of the Ark of the Covenant out of Jerusalem,
2) the original Purim event described in the Book of Esther, 3) the Mt. of
Transfiguration event with the subsequent crucifixion and resurrection, and 4)
the event of 508…
More
considerations by Ellen G. White:
“September 23, the Lord showed me that He had stretched out His hand the
second time to recover the remnant of His people, [SEE PAGE 86.] and that
efforts must be redoubled in this gathering time. In the scattering, Israel was
smitten and torn, but now in the gathering time God will heal and bind up His
people. In the scattering, efforts made to spread the truth had but little
effect, accomplished but little or nothing; but in the gathering, when God has
set His hand to gather His people, efforts to spread the truth will have their
designed effect. All should be united and zealous in the work. I saw that it
was wrong for any to refer to the scattering for examples to govern us now in
the gathering; for if God should do no more for us now than He did then, Israel
would never be gathered. I have seen that the 1843 chart was directed by the hand of the
Lord, and that it should not be altered; that the figures
were as He wanted them; that
His hand was over and hid a mistake in some of the figures, so that none could
see it, until His hand
was removed. [THIS APPLIES TO THE
CHART USED DURING THE 1843 MOVEMENT, AND HAS SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE
CALCULATION OF THE PROPHETIC PERIODS AS IT APPEARED ON THAT CHART. THE NEXT
SENTENCE EXPLAINS THAT THERE WAS AN INACCURACY WHICH IN THE PROVIDENCE OF GOD
WAS SUFFERED TO EXIST. BUT THIS DOES NOT PRECLUDE THE PUBLICATION OF A CHART
SUBSEQUENTLY WHICH WOULD CORRECT THE MISTAKE, AFTER THE 1843 MOVEMENT WAS PAST,
AND THE CALCULATION AS THEN MADE HAD SERVED ITS PURPOSE.]” {EW 74.1} - Please note that the capitalized
text within brackets is added by the editor!
TheRegnalYearsAndDatesOfRomanEmperorsII.htm
The 1843 Chart
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