The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 3

II. A Retrospect of Past Developments

The new center of interest involved a prophetic time period which had not been emphasized through the centuries—the 2300 years of Daniel 8:14. To this, the longest of all Daniel’s prophetic time periods, the year—day principle of prophetic calculation was now applied. First, however, let us take a retrospective glance over the centuries to see the relationship of the new emphasis to the slowly growing recognition of the year-day principle of prophetic calculation. PFF3 11.1

First, the seventy weeks “of years” (Alexandrian Septuagint) was discerned by the Jews, at least by the third century B.C.E. ² It was the one and only time period of Daniel which had contemporary application and concern to the Old Testament church of the time. The seventy weeks were cut off for the Jews, and led to the cutting off of the Messiah in the seventieth week, or end—week, of years. This principle of a day for a year was tenaciously held by the Jews in the succeeding centuries, and came to be well-nigh universally accepted by Christian expositors. PFF3 11.2

Then, after the great persecuting apostasy had come to full fruition, and the year A.D. 1260 was approaching, Joachim of Floris, just before the close of the twelfth century, was led to apply the year-day principle to the 1260 days (or forty-two months, or three and a half times) of both Daniel and the Apocalypse. ³ This became an accepted principle among both Catholics and the opponents of Catholics. It was held as a cardinal principle in the Protestant Reformation, until it was challenged by Cardinal Bellarmine in the seventeenth century. Meantime a score of conspicuous Jewish expositors applied this year-day principle to all the time periods of Daniel. PFF3 11.3

Among the Christians it was applied beyond the seventy weeks and 1260 years, to the 1290 and 1335 years, and finally under Nicholas (Krebs) of Cusa, in the fifteenth century, to the 2300 days—dating their beginning from the time of the vision. Two centuries then passed before John Tillinghast projected the new principle that the seventy weeks are a lesser epoch within the larger one of the 2300 years, but he did not yet understand the precise relationship. Finally, shortly before the French Revolution, two men—Petri of Germany and Wood of Ireland—declared the seventy weeks to be the first part of the 2300 years, but did not date them with full accuracy. ⁴ PFF3 12.1

But beginning about 1810, just after the French Revolution and the close of the 1260 years in 1798, in the new era of “running to and fro” in the prophecies, predicted and taking place in the time of the end, a simultaneous study of the 2300 years and the impending judgment hour broke out in the various countries of Christendom. On both sides of the Atlantic, and in different lands, men were led independently to similar conclusions. Not one or two voices, but a swelling chorus of men on three continents and in different countries, as well as in the British Isles, proclaimed the approaching terminus of the 2300 years as the message of prophecy for the hour. It was as unique, emphatic, and clear as any contemporary emphasis in the advancing epochs of the past. It was obviously the message and the emphasis then due, calling for the most urgent inquiry and proclamation. PFF3 12.2