The Narrow Path Ministries

Steve,

I know you've been getting a lot of silly type prophecy questions in the last couple broadcasts, and i hope you could entertain one more If you're short on callers or material for you next radio broadcast I was wondering if you could take a quick look at the calculations on this page regarding Israel's restoration as a nation in 1948, and if this is as "precise" as some say, or not? How do you explain this, IF, the numbers indeed check out? What are the implications here for you, if you - for the sake of argument - conceded that yes, this could not be coincidence, and God's hand was in it?

http://www.alphanewsdaily.com/mathprophecy2.html

"...
"Then God said to Ezekiel,
'Now lie on your left side for 390 days
to show Israel will be punished for 390 years
by captivity and doom.
Each day you lie there represents
a year of punishment ahead for Israel.
Afterwards, turn over and lay on your right side
for 40 days, to signify the years of Judah's punishment.
Each day will represent one year . . .'"
(Ezekiel 4:4-6)

...

390 days Judgment against the 10 northern tribes 'Israel'
+ 40 days Judgment against the 2 southern tribes 'Judah'
= 430 years Judgment against the nation of Israel

...

The Fulfillment of the Prophetic Judgment Begins . . .

In 606 B.C. Israel (Judah) was taken into captivity by Babylon for exactly 70 years ...

430 years of judgment determined against nation Israel
- 70 years fulfilled during the Babylonian captivity
= 360 years remaining in judgment against the nation of Israel

...
... but where was the remaining 360 year judgment in Israel's history??!!
...
The 7X Factor of God's Judgment . . .
... "And after all this, if you do not obey Me,
then I (God) will punish you seven times more for your sins."
(Leviticus 26:18)
...(Leviticus 26:21)
...(Leviticus 26:27-28)
...(Leviticus 26:33)
...
Prophecy Fulfilled . . .

Now, let's apply the 7X factor to the remaining 360 years of judgment against nation Israel in this remarkable mathematical prophecy . . .

360 Remaining years of judgment
x 7 The prophetic '7X' factor
= 2,520 Years of judgment remained against nation Israel
...
The Jewish calendar uses a 360 day lunar (and prophetic) year and then adds a 'Leap Month' on specific years to accurately coincide with the Solar cycle we use on our 'Julian' calendar ...[etc]...
...
2,520 years
x 360 days
= 907,200 days of judgment remained against nation Israel after the Babylonian captivity
...

Now, to convert the 907,200 days found in this prophecy into our 365.25 day solar (Julian) years (the .25 adjusts for leap years) . . .

907,200 days ÷ 365.25 days = 2,483.78 years of God's judgment remained


With this information, let's look at this remarkable prophecy again . . .

606 B.C Israel taken into Babylonian captivity
- 70 Years for 70 years
= 536 B.C. End of first 70 years of judgment
+ 2483 Years Now add the 2,483 years remaining in this judgment
+ 1 Year Add 1 year because there is no "0" B.C. or A.D.
= 1948 AD! End of judgment against nation Israel
..."

For me, I see this as a DEFINITE sign that God is signalling His return within a generation (or not much beyond) that point, and to pay attention to this specific period of time as Him resuming where He left off with them in 70 AD.

I don't see an alternate plan of salvation or way for Jews to circumvent Christ's sacrifice. I think at best this is a last chance for those who identify with national Israel and are of a Jewish heritage to pay attention and return to Him, realizing their mistake for rejecting Christ. A great awakening in that particular nationality. Many other nations have had huge conversions to Christ, and I see God saving Israel for last, as a nice bookend.

I also see this as necessary for God to judge the world some last great global conflict, using the middle east as means to draw everyone into the fray.

So it serves primarily as:
a) Israel's turn for a national revival to come to Christ
b) A logistical means to bring about a final conflict by which he judges nations.

Thoughts?

I'm familiar with your talking points on dispensationalism and what you hold to contrary to that. I'm hoping you can address the above points specifically beyond those usual talking points.

Jon

An alternate article: http://www.khouse.org/articles/2000/276/

I'm not one to set dates. I consider every day potentially to be one's last. For me this is just an encouraging curiosity, and yet one more thing that sets apart the Christian faith from all others.

One reason I think this deserves close attention is because 70 precise years were predicted already and came to pass regarding the Babylonian captivity.

I also don't consider the 7-fold extension of a previous judgement to be so far fetched. How else are we to under stand that particular detail in Leviticus?

But yeah, I can see how this is all kind of cobbled together from various scriptures, and one cannot say for 100% certain. Not all variables are entirely clear to me, and could there be some wiggle room or manipulation of the data presented on these pages I've not considered?

One other point I'd want to share with Steve is that why can't there be multiple fulfilments of prophecy? Is this unheard of in the bible. I've heard you acknowledge them, but also how you would carefully tread where scripture is less clear, and such things for specific items would seem less necessary. I think my points "a)" and "b)" in my original post somewhat could make a practical case for it. It's certainly not in violation of any scripture.

I appreciate you're broadcasts and careful approach to scripture. I just wonder if you might not be a little to careful and maybe even cynical after hearing and perhaps experiencing a lot of bad predictions and fads in the 1970's/80's. I've not been burned to date, and I think it's easier for me to be less cynical about this. I'm still open to being wrong about this. And I do think Steve you may have mentioned that you're open to God doing something in the future in relation to Israel, but wasn't sure how much of that you really meant. I got the impression you were not entirely clear on what the point of that would be, and were only saying that because you couldn't see a reason to rule it out completely, and thus as a matter of principle would not want to limit God.

Hi jpat1975 ,

I first heard these calculations in a sermon by Jon Courson several years ago. I don't know where he got them. For some reason, I have come to associate it with Grant Jeffrey, but I don't know if he actually deserves the blame for originating it. At the web link you gave I did not see the name of the author, either of the page, or of the advertised book from which the material was said to be drawn. In any case, this material has gotten around in dispensational circles to prove the prophetic significance of the reestablishment of the nation Israel in 1948.

So, how is any of this math justified?

390 days Judgment against the 10 northern tribes 'Israel'
+ 40 days Judgment against the 2 southern tribes 'Judah'
= 430 years Judgment against the nation of Israel

Why would you add the 40 years of judgment upon Judah to the 390 years of judgment on Israel, when they may be intended to run concurrently? Scholars disagree as to when either of these periods are thought to begin and end, but making one start after the other has finished is not the only possibility.

The Fulfillment of the Prophetic Judgment Begins . . .
In 606 B.C. Israel (Judah) was taken into captivity by Babylon for exactly 70 years ...

Since the prophet identified the judgment on Judah as lasting 40 years (not 430), why would you subtract the 70 years of exile from that period? How do you subtract 70 from 40?

If you can justify gratuitously adding the periods of judgment of Israel and of Judah together, making 430 years, why would you start calculating this number from Nebuchadnezzar's first invasion of Judah, in 606 BC? The "390 years" speak of the judgment on "Israel" (as distinct from Judah). The northern kingdom (Israel) had come to an end 116 years prior to 606 BC, so it seems very unnatural—even impossible—to begin calculating Israel's judgment from a date over a century after the nation ceased to exist.

If you can gratuitously justify beginning the calculation of Israel's judgment at the time of Judah's captivity, why choose 606 BC, when there are two other dates that could mark that captivity's commencement (depending on how one wishes to look at it). In 606 (or 605), a few Jews (including Daniel) were captured and taken to Babylon. This hardly qualifies as the captivity of the nation. Then, in 597 BC, a few more Jews (including Ezekiel) were taken into Babylon. It is possible that, because of its impact on him personally, Ezekiel might think of this as the beginning of the captivity. However, one could very reasonably mark the beginning of the general exile in 586 BC, when Jerusalem was destroyed, and Judah was essentially evacuated of Jewish residents by the Babylonians. If we want to calculate some interval beginning at the exile, why choose 606 BC, when two alternative dates are available? Isn't this just a matter of arbitrarily choosing dates that can be made to work with one's desired results?

As an aside, it would seem more reasonable to see the 390 years as those from 975 BC (when Israel separated from Judah under Jeroboam) to the year 586 BC, when Judah's punishment (the destruction of the temple and the exile of its population) was realized.

430 years of judgment determined against nation Israel
- 70 years fulfilled during the Babylonian captivity
= 360 years remaining in judgment against the nation of Israel

This number (360) becomes essential for the later calculations. Yet, how was it arrived at?

First by assuming that the 390 years and the 40 years should not run concurrently (an assumption possibly true, but possibly not), and

Second, by arbitrarily beginning the period of the punishment of "Israel' (as distinct from Judah) at a year over a century after the extinction of that nation.

If either of the first two assumptions are invalid (the second, at least, seems almost certainly wrong), then the whole calculation is worthless.

Having arrived at this chosen figure (360), we must now find some justification for multiplying it by seven. How is this done? Perhaps Leviticus can help!

The 7X Factor of God's Judgment . . .
... "And after all this, if you do not obey Me,
then I (God) will punish you seven times more for your sins."
(Leviticus 26:18)
...(Leviticus 26:21)
...(Leviticus 26:27-28)
...(Leviticus 26:33)
...
Prophecy Fulfilled . . .

Now, let's apply the 7X factor to the remaining 360 years of judgment against nation Israel in this remarkable mathematical prophecy . . .

Okay, my next question is "Why make this multiplication?" This is the most artificial of all parts of this calculation.

Leviticus 26 lists a series of specific judgments that God will bring upon the nation of Israel, if they violate His covenant. He breaks up the list into segments. After the first of these segments, He says, "And after all this, if you do not obey Me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sin" (v.18).

The "seven times" is repeated three times in the chapter:

"Then, if you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey Me, I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins" (v.21)

"then I also will walk contrary to you, and I will punish you yet seven times for your sins" (v.24)

‘And after all this, if you do not obey Me...I will chastise you seven times for your sins" (vv.27-28)

Notice two important points:

1. God does not say, "I will multiply your punishment (or the length of your punishment) by a factor of seven!" He says, "Seven more times." This could easily mean seven more punishments, rather than seven times as much punishment; and

2. If we wish to take the "seven" literally (almost certainly a symbolic number), then we have to do the math like this:

If you keep sinning, I will multiply that 360 by seven, which equals 2,520! (v.18)

After that, if you don't repent, I will have to multiply that number by seven, making 17,640! (v.21)

If this doesn't get your attention, then I will up the ante, multiplying again by seven, reaching the number 123,480! (v.24)

Finally, if you do not stop sinning, I will have to multiply this by seven again, making a grand total of 864,360 years of judgment! (v.28)

If these verse 18 is speaking of literal multiplication by seven (as the end-times speculators require) then the same multiplication must be applied in vv.21, 24 and 28. It is obvious from the flow of the chapter that these sevens are separate from and sequential to each other. They are not the same seven in each case.

Thus, everything about the calculation is artificial—except, of course, the target date of 1948, which was determined to be the outcome before anyone pulled out their calculators.

How do I explain the incredible coincidence? There is none. Once a particular result is desired (i.e., 1948), any number of mathematical routes may be chosen to reach it. There are many numbers in the Bible. There are the seventy weeks of Daniel. These are divided into seven, sixty-two and one. If I allow myself to take these numbers, there are a variety of ways that I can add, multiply, or divide them by each other in order to seek a result I desire. If none of these processes yield the desired end, I can bring in any other numbers, found anywhere in the Bible—three, five, six, seven, twelve, forty, seventy, 150, 390, 1,260, 1,290, 1,330, 144,000, etc.

Consider also the great number of dates of significant events that might be chosen as starting points for any calculation—one might choose the date of the creation of the world, the flood, the call of Abraham, the descent to Egypt, the Exodus, the invasion of Canaan, the anointing of David, the building of the temple, the division of the kingdom, the fall of Samaria, or of Judah, or the decree of Cyrus, or the first or second decree of Artaxerxes, the birth of Jesus, the baptism of Jesus, the crucifixion, the fall of Jerusalem, the beginning of the Crusades, etc., etc. etc.—depending on what one is hoping to prove.

If I have both the time and the incentive, beginning with a date of my arbitrary choosing, I can continue adding, subtracting, multiplying, squaring, any combination of these numbers that will finally get the result I want.

Some of my number choices and methods of calculation may seem counterintuitive or arbitrary, but no more so than the ones used in the above calculations. The main factor in my success is the gullibility of the Christian public, and their lack of reasoning skills.

Some of us are old enough to remember Edgar Whisenant, and his infamous book.Here is a summary of his infamy, from Wikipedia:

Edgar C. Whisenant (September 25, 1932 – May 16, 2001), was a former NASA engineer and Bible student who predicted the Rapture would occur in 1988, sometime between Sept. 11 and Sept. 13.[1] He published two books about this, 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988 and On Borrowed Time. Eventually, 300,000 copies of 88 Reasons were mailed free of charge to ministers across America, and 4.5 million copies were sold in bookstores and elsewhere. Whisenant was quoted as saying "Only if the Bible is in error am I wrong; and I say that to every preacher in town" and "f there were a king in this country and I could gamble with my life, I would stake my life on Rosh Hashana '88."

He obviously would have lost his bet and his life, had that been possible. Yet he was an engineer—a math expert. His book was filled with calculations from arcane numbers, gleaned from various biblical passages, and factored with each other in arbitrary way to yield his fanciful result: the rapture would be in September of 1988.

Learning nothing from history, Harold Camping calculated from interval between creation and Noah's flood (!) and added and multiplied randomly by other biblical numbers to reach the amazing conclusion that Jesus would come in 1994. When this did not happen, he set another date in May, 2011.

There have been many lesser-known date calculators—every one wrong, but every one convinced that his calculations were valid. The difference between them and the calculations above is only that 1948 is in the past, while these others were calculating to a future date. The arbitrariness of the calculating assumptions, however, are exactly equal. Those who set dates set target dates that they wished for, and then found all the Bible numbers they could use to reach them. In their case, their targets were speculative, and the invalidity of their methods were thus exposed.

The only difference in the present case is that the target date is known in retrospect, so it is not vulnerable to being disproven by future developments (unless, of course, Israel, in the future, comes under a new wave of similar disasters, showing that her "judgment" is not yet finished!).

Steve,

Thank you for the response! I will need to go over this later. But I think a brief mention of some basic points you raised here that calls the "precision' of their calculation into question, might be useful to share on the radio broadcast for other listeners. I'm open to being wrong about this. I like how you think and question things, and the guidelines you used here to come up with your response/questions/doubts would be of benefit for myself and others in how to address articles of this nature, in the future. I guess "question and test everything" might be the briefest of responses

Jon

Jon, do you hear the morning or the afternoon program?

When I moved to McMinnville, in1989, there was a dispensationalist Bible teacher in town who taught only about the last days. Each year, ain January, he handed out to his followers a list of reasons that the rapture would probably come that year. These notes were titled (in respective yuears):

"89 reasons the rapture might come in 1989"
"90 reasons the rapture might come in 1990"
"91 reasons the rapture might come in 1991"
"92 reasons the rapture might come in 1992"
"93 reasons the rapture might come in 1993"
etc.

I don't remember any of the reasons he listed, except for one: 1991 is the last year before 2002 (obviously two late for the Lord's coming!) to read the same way forwards and backwards.

All the reasons were equally ridiculous, though many of them used calculations based on random numbers drawn from some portion of the Bible or other. It never seemed to occur to him, when 1992 arrived, that all 91 reasons he had listed the prevu=ious year were wrong. Likewise each successive year. If my method of Bible study yielded such 100% provable false conclusions, I think I would get a real job.

Referring to the original post:

I know you've been getting a lot of silly type prophecy questions in the last couple broadcasts, and i hope you could entertain one more If you're short on callers or material for you next radio broadcast I was wondering if you could take a quick look at the calculations on this page regarding Israel's restoration as a nation in 1948, and if this is as "precise" as some say, or not? How do you explain this, IF, the numbers indeed check out? What are the implications here for you, if you - for the sake of argument - conceded that yes, this could not be coincidence, and God's hand was in it?

I think the major error here is not the calculations to justify 1948, but the presumption of those who made these calculations that the formation of the nation of Israel in 1948 was the work of God.This is a dispensationalist concept—that God has one plan for the Church and a different one for the Jewish people. Paul wrote that in Messiah Jesus, the two (Jew and Gentile) came together to form one new entity. (Ephesians 2:15)

Though I don't fault anything in your longer response, the crux of it is here:

"Once a particular result is desired (i.e., 1948), any number of mathematical routes may be chosen to reach it."

The issue isn't such math. The issue is what the larger framework of prophetic efforts is point in to.

Doug