The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 4

VI. 70 Weeks Clue to 2300-Year Terminus in 1843

1. YEAR-DAY PRINCIPLE APPLIED TO 1260 DAYS

Davis cites Ezekiel 4:6 for the principle of “a day for a year,” in prophecy, applying it thus in 1811: PFF4 215.3

“Consequently 1260 days are 1260 years, and 42 months are 42 times 30 days, which is 1260. Also a time is a year, or 360 days, the Jewish year; times are two years, 720 days; half a time, or the dividing of time, are six months, or 180 days, all which added together make 1260.” ³¹ PFF4 215.4

2. MILLENNIUM FOLLOWS CLOSE OF 2300 YEARS

Proceeding from the 1260 years, Davis next quotes Daniel 8:13, 14, and then defines the “cleansing of the sanctuary“: PFF4 216.1

“It must be evident that ‘to the cleansing of the sanctuary,’ means, to the commencement of the Millennium, when the true worship of God will be restored to the church. It is also evident that the 2300 days, are 2300 years, and consequently the end of these 2300 years must close the reign of popery.” ³² To him, the cleansing of the sanctuary involved the restoration of the true worship in the church, and a restoration of the true basis of that worship, which had long been lost, perverted, or cast down. PFF4 216.2

3. 70 WEEKS ARE FIRST PART OF 2300 YEARS

On the 70 weeks in relation to the 2300 years, he continues: PFF4 216.3

“We are to take special notice, that these 70 weeks are the first part of the 2300 years. Also, we are to notice that these 70 weeks were to be fulfilled on the Jews, before the Gentiles were connected with the church; therefore they relate solely to the Jewish nation exclusively of the Gentiles.” ³³ This South Carolina teacher adds that the 70 weeks are to make “the atonement of the cross,” “to introduce the gospel dispensation, founded on the atonement actually made,” to seal or “accomplish or fulfil the types of prophecies concerning the Messiah,” and to anoint the Most Holy or Holy of Holies (“to attest the divine mission of the Messiah”). ³⁴ PFF4 216.4

4. CRUCIFIXION IN MIDST OF 70(tm) WEEK

He outlines as “three parts” of the 70 weeks the “seven weeks or 49 years for rebuilding Jerusalem”; then the 62, “to the time when he[Christ] should be publicly inaugurated, which was at his baptism, when he was thirty years old”; and finally His “crucifixion in the middle of” the third division, the final week, or 7 years. The confirming of the covenant “with Abraham” means the “establishing of the gospel with the chosen remnant of the Jews, who should be the first fruits of the gospel kingdom.” ³⁵ PFF4 216.5

Causing the sacrifice and oblation to cease clearly meant “nullifying the rites and ceremonies, and typical worship of the Jews, and introducing the gospel worship in their room.” Thus “the abrogation of the Jewish types, and the commencement of the ordinances, and worship of the gospel, was to take place in the middle of these last 7 years,” at Pentecost, with “only three years and an half, after the day of Pentecost, to close the 490 years to be fulfilled on the Jewish nation.” ³⁶ Then, after speaking of the giving of the gospel to the Gentiles at the end of the period, he asks his readers whether his exposition be not “perfectly correct.” ³⁷ PFF4 217.1

5. 70 WEEKS END IN 37; BEGIN IN 453

Since Christ was baptized when He was thirty years of age, and “was crucified in his 34th year,” Davis asserts: PFF4 217.2

“Daniel’s 70 weeks, or 490 years, comes exactly to the thirty-seventh year of Christ. So that Daniel’s 490 years, overrun the Christian aera 37 years. We must therefore take the 37 years from 490, and the remainder is 453 [years], and will coincide exactly with the birth of Christ. There cannot possibly be any mistake in this calculation, (if I have only set down the right figures; which can easily be rectified if I have not) unless the Christian aera be not exactly to the time date of the birth of Christ.” ³⁸ PFF4 217.3

6. FOUR-YEAR ERROR PROBABLE IN CHRISTIAN ERA

Since he reckons “according to the scripture date,” that is, the year of the birth of Christ, Davis says: PFF4 217.4

“If there be an error in my future calculation [of the end of the 2300 years], it must be an error in the vulgar aera not being correctly fixed to the time of the real birth of our Saviour. I know that it is generally thought that the vulgar aera is four years too late. If so, it will only bring on the Millennium four years sooner than I calculate because I have to calculate by the vulgar aera when the scripture date ends.” ³⁹ PFF4 217.5

Here Davis really implies that the terminus should be in 1843 instead of 1847 (thus agreeing with J. A. B.), although from his “closest calculation” from Daniel he is inclined to prefer a one-year discrepancy, which would put the millennium one year later (1848). ⁴⁰ But he proceeds with his calculation on the ordinary A.D., or “vulgar aera,” basis. PFF4 218.1

7. BEGINNING OF 70 WEEKS TO DESTRUCTION OF POPERY

Davis shows that the 2300 years begin together with the 70 weeks and extend to “the cleansing of the sanctuary, which evidently means ‘till the purging away of Popery.” Describing the Medo-Persian ram and the Grecian he-goat of Daniel 8, he identifies the notable horn as Alexander the Great, and the “exceeding great” horn as the Roman Empire, which “is carried on thro’ the kingdom of popery until it is destroyed.” Thus, he observes, “this vision comprehends the 2300 years, beginning in the reign of the Medes & Persians, and extending to the downfall of Popery.” ⁴¹ PFF4 218.2

Contending that the 490 years “must comprehend the reign of the Persians from the time of the going forth of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem,” and “the time of the Grecian empire,” and “also a considerable part of the Roman empire,” he adds: PFF4 218.3

“It is plain that the 2300 years also must begin at the same time, extend through all those empires, to the close of the empire of Popery; because the state of those very kingdoms are explained by the Angel under this very vision, ... so that the very design of the 70 weeks, was evidently to designate that first part of the vision, which would last until the calling of the Gentiles.” ⁴² PFF4 218.4

8. CALCULATE BEGINNING AND END FROM MIDDLE POINT

Davis then gives “the grand clue” to his whole calculation: PFF4 218.5

“I. The whole vision from the first to last contains 2300 years. But it is impossible by the most accurate dates we have in history, to find the beginning of those years. 2. We can find exactly where the 70 weeks ended, and then we can calculate exactly either backward or forward, and so from a middle point we can ascertain with mathematical exactness both the beginning and the end, and can find precisely both the rise and fall of the Pope.” ⁴³ PFF4 218.6

Below this he puts it in tabular form, thus: 490-37=453 before Christ’s birth; and 2300-453=1847, “the end of the vision.” Such is his formula. PFF4 219.1

9. 1260 YEARS DATED 587 TO 1847

The same tabulation seeks to locate the dating of the 1260 years in this wise:1847-1260=587, the year of the rise of the pope. Finally, beginning with 453 years to the birth of Christ, adding 587 (to the rise of the pope) plus 1260 more (to the pope’s downfall), the grand total is 2300 years. Then he adds the caution that this is the Scripture date, “one year later than the vulgar aera, “therefore it ends in 1848, or at least at the close of 1847. ⁴⁴ PFF4 219.2

10. HUNDREDS OF EXPOSITORS MISSED THE CLUE

Appealing to his readers not to accuse him of arrogance, or to consider his calculation as the “venture of a vain, or a productive imagination,” a sally of wit, or a bold conjecture, he urges that the fact that “hundreds of great and good men” have overlooked the clue, is not valid basis for its rejection now. Then he cites the episode of Columbus and the egg. Thus: PFF4 219.3

“None of the gentlemen around the table could make it stand on its end, ‘till Christopher gave it a tap on the table, and showed them how, and then they could all do it easily.... PFF4 219.4

“The only reason why divines have been so bewildered on this subject, is because they have totally overlooked Daniel’s 70th week, so accurately stated, and consequently had no number to direct their calculations.” ⁴⁵ PFF4 219.5

11. CATASTROPHE EXPECTED 36 OR 37 YEARS FROM 1811

Making allowance for the probable inaccuracy of the Christian Era, Davis presents this startling conclusion: “We must expect that, long looked for catastrophe, to take place at this very given time, according to prophecy, 36 or 37 years from this date.” ⁴⁶ And from 1311, the date of publication, that would be 1847 or 1848. PFF4 219.6