A Day for a Year PrincipleBible Truth for the End Times

The day for a year principle in Bible prophecy is rejected by many prophecy students and teachers, but I believe it is the only way to interpret certain time prophecies, and below I will list different reasons to back up my belief of using this system. First, just to clarify the months and years, let's take a look at some verses that tell us how many days and months are in a year.

Genesis 7:11 ...'In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.'

Genesis 8:3-4 ...'And the waters returned from off the earth continually: and after the end of the hundred and fifty days the waters were abated. And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.'

So we can see from the above Bible verses that the flood waters started on the second month and seventeenth day. And after 150 days we come to the seventh month and seventeenth day. So this tells us that there are 30 days per month according to the Bible.

Now what about months per year?

1 Kings 4:7 ...'And Solomon had twelve officers over all Israel, which provided victuals for the king and his household: each man his month in a year made provision.'

If you reference the above verse with 1 Chronicles 27:1-15, you will see that a year has 12 months.

Reason 1:

The terms "time, times and dividing of time", "42 months", "70 weeks" all have a symbolic flavor to them. And they are surrounded by symbolic language in the verses where they come from. Let's look at a couple of examples:

Daniel 7 ...'And four great beasts came up from the sea ... The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings ... And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear ... After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads ... After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth ... and it had ten horns ... I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn ... And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.'

Revelation 12 ...'And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars ... And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns ... And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven ... And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child ... And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.'

Revelation 13 ...'And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns ... And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power ... and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.'

Can you see that these time prophecies are surrounded by symbolic imagery? Now how could ALL of the language surrounding the time prophecies be symbolic and yet the time be literal? I believe the times to be symbolic also and the day for a year principle to be used.

Reason 2:

Everyone accepts that the 70 weeks of Daniel 9 that equate to 490 literal days to actually be interpreted as 490 years. So in reality, everyone uses the day for a year principle with the 70 weeks. But the answer that many will give to get them off the hook from using the day for a year principle is "the 70 weeks means 70 sevens, or 70 weeks of years". Do you know what? This answer really baffles me, because Angel Gabriel clearly says 70 WEEKS. Now a week has seven days, so you HAVE to interpret this in the first place as 70 x 7 days NOT years. Even the original Hebrew word for "weeks" means a week of seven days. This word 'shabuwa' is used 19 times in the Hebrew scriptures and every time it refers to a literal week of seven days.

Now we all know that the 70 weeks of Daniel 9 have to be 490 years not days, therefore, we HAVE to use the day for a year principle in this instance. So if we use it here, then why not use it in other time prophecies?

Reason 3:

The little horn of Daniel 7 arose among the ten horns on the head of the forth beast (Rome). It is clear from history that the Roman Empire was fragmented when the Barbarians came from the northern sector of the Empire and broke it up. Now Daniel 7 makes it clear that there are no gaps in the historical flow of nations. The lion is succeeded immediately by the bear, the bear by the leopard, and the leopard by the beast. The beast then sprouts ten horns and the little horn comes up among the ten.

Now if the little horn (Roman Catholic Church) rose among the ten and the ten were complete in 476 A.D, and the little horn came to power in 538 A.D. and ruled for 1260 days, that would only bring it to 541 A.D. But we know that the Roman Catholic Church (little horn) ruled until 1798 A.D. How long? 1260 YEARS!

Reason 4:

Number 14:34 ...'After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.'

Ezekiel 4:6 ...'And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.'

So God even confirms this day for a year principle in these Bible verses above.

Reason 5:

If you go along with the 'preterist' and 'futurist' views of Bible prophecy, then you accept that God is virtually silent about the last 2000 YEARS of earths history. And yet look at what has happened over the last 2000 years! Only the 'historicist' view is able to show God's guidance during ALL of the church's history, including the last 2000 years, of which the Papal church persecuted and murdered tens of millions of Christians.

Reason 6:

The test for the day for a year principle is in the fulfillment of the time prophecies. Take a look at the following facts:

The little horn of Daniel 7 (Roman Catholic Church) is said to rule for 1260 days. The Papal church of Rome did in fact rule for 1260 years between 538 AD - 1798 AD.

The Church during the period of 'Smyrna' (Revelation 2) did in fact experience 10 years of persecution at the hands of Diocletian between 303-313 AD.

The 70 weeks of Daniel 9 started in 457 BC at the decree to restore Jerusalem, and was fulfilled 490 years later in 34 AD when Stephen was stoned by the Jews and the kingdom of God then went to the Gentiles.

Reason 7:

Great scholars of the past knew the truth about the day for a year principle, Isaac Newton being one of them:

"Three times and a half, that is, for 1260 solar years, reckoning as time for a calendar year of 360 days, and a day for a solar year." (Sir Isaac Newton, Observations upon the prophecies of Daniel and the Apocalypse of St John, part 1, chap. 8, page. 114. London: J.Darby and T.Browne, 1733)

When thought about, and comparing these time prophecies with history, it is my belief that we must use the day for a year principle to interpret them correctly.