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This study is derived from books by:
(1) H.Grattan Guinness:
(a) Light For the Last Days (1917).
(b) The Approaching End of the Age (1880’s).
(c) The Divine Programme of World History.
(2) Burke: Elements of Scripture Prophecy.
(3) George Curle:
I do not necessarily agree with all of the opinions in this study but I feel it is an important interpretation in Church history and so should be noted. Guinness’ books can be found online by Googling him.
A) THE BASIC THEORETICAL APPROACH.
(1) Proof that Biblical Prophecy is Chronological:
The Bible is full of prophetic events that are fixed chronologically.
Four instances:
(i) The Great Tribulation is never called 3 ½ years in the Bible. It has three titles:
- 42 months.
- 1260 days.
- "time, times and half a time".
All of these refer to the same period but it is never called 3 ½ years. This implies that a symbolic interpretation is intended.
(ii) The use of this system (namely "a day symbolises a year") in Daniel is suggestive.
(iii) The structure of Revelation and its intensely symbolic interpretation suggests that we should be more likely to interpret it symbolically than literally. Such would be a more consistent method of interpretation of the book.
(iv) There seems to be no reason to insist on a literal interpretation of the 1260 days, other than some schools of interpretation demand it. Who is to say they are right and this one is wrong?
Author’s comment:
It is my opinion that Revelation has many layers of meaning, and is possible of being interpreted in several ways. Each method gives a "true" understanding of the book, but not necessarily the final and complete story. Presumably there is a particular interpretation which will give a full interpretation which is totally consistent. However other interpretations shed light on the book even if in the final analysis they do not solve all of the book's problems.
The chronological method as described here seems to hold up, as far as it goes. It seems to fall down at the last instance. but that does not mean that it is not a viable and accurate interpretation. It only implies that in the economy of God it is not the FINAL interpretation, which solves all the mysteries. As far as it goes it is truth.
Back to Guinness:
(c) There is a problem. There are three different lengths of Years in the Bible"
(i) The Solar Year - 365 days.
(ii) The Julian Year - 354 days.
One Day = 24 hours.
One Month = 29 days 12 hours 14 minutes 3 sec.
One Year = 12 months 10 days 21 hours.
= 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes 49 sec.
In B.C. 45 Caesar changed the calendar to 3 yrs of 365 days, one of 366 days. Months were 30-31 days except February. This is the Julian calendar.
But the Julian calendar is greater then the solar year by 11 min 11 sec = one day every 130 years. Therefore in the 16th century the error of ten days was corrected, and ten days were not calculated in March 1582.
(iii) The Lunar Year - 360 Days.
Nature runs on all three calendars, as does the Bible.
The problem is this - if we calculate the years out to days, and fix the numbers of days into calendar years then obviously there is a difference in the total number of days depending on which type of year we are using. This discrepancy appears when we interpret Daniel’s 70 weeks (See notes there), however the fulfillment of the prophecy in Daniel is perfectly fulfilled no matter which calendar we use.
With the difference allowed for and the correction made on the Julian calendar the "seven times" may equal 2520, 2484 or 2445 calendar years.
Hence the 1260, 3 ½ times = 1260, 1242 or 1222 1/2 years using the principle from Daniel that “a day symbolises a year”.
Hence in interpreting this prophecy we need to calculate the terminal dates for each type of year to find the important dates prophetically.
Depending on the calendar used it will reveal different types of events:
(i) The Lunar/ Biblical calendar will reveal events in the prophetic history of
(ii) The Solar calendar will reveal events in the prophetic history of the Church.
(iii) The Julian calendar will reveal events in the prophetic history of the World empires.
(d) The destruction of Israel and Judah is taken as the starting point.
It is the beginning of the times of the Gentiles, which were to be a period of judgement on God's people.
This resulted in the captivity of
This in itself was not a single date but a period of time (let's call it "d" dates) in which several significant events happened. The dates of each of these events needs to be projected.
Hence the period begins with:
(i) The fall of God's People Israel
(ii) The Rise of the Antichristian Empires.
(e) The First Period.
Projected 1260 years from "d" dates we should expect to see:
(i) The Spiritual fall of God's people.
(ii) The Rise of the Antichristian systems which brought that about.
If we add to "d" dates 1260 years we arrive at the period of the rise of the Roman Catholic Church and Islam.
This first period is often called the BISECTION.
(f) The Second Period.
If we then add another 1260 years we should expect to see the reverse:
(i) The Restoration of God's people, both physical (
(ii) The fall of the AntiChristian powers that brought that apostasy about.
In Fact we arrive at the period of time of the fall of the political power of the Roman Catholic Church and the Islamic Empire which ruled
Following the "times of the Gentiles" scripture prophecies a period of "the Restoration of all things". This appears to be prior to the actual Second Coming of Christ. After this restoration we seem to have the final apostasy prior to the Second Coming.
(So Guinness' leaves himself an "out" as far as predicting an actual date for the Second Coming is concerned.)
INITIAL SUMMARY:
In general, then, this interpretation seems to give a fairly credible interpretation of Scripture.
However the prophecy only covers the period of the rise and fall of Babylon/Islam and the Roman Catholic Church in its apostasy, not necessarily the period of the Antichrist himself or the Second Coming. Though probably Guinness identifies the Antichrist with the Pope, thus not with an individual, but with an office.
There is a period of restoration in both
However there are other parts of Guinness writings where he seems to have understood this prophecy to lead us right up to the Second Coming, hence in his understanding the prophecy has now fallen.
Curle feels the same but has reworked the dates to give a later terminus.
However this is not strictly necessary. The prophecies of Revelation to do with the 1260 "days" do not necessarily end at the Second Coming, but could end prior to that. thus allowing an undefined period for this "restoration" and the final apostasy. This seems to be Guinness' primary view. (I am a little confused as to what he really meant - it is many years ago since I read the book and I am working off notes made at the time.)
If we understand Revelation so then what we have here is a highly accurate prophecy, which allows us to calculate specific dates of certain types of events. The exact detail of each event is; of course, not able to be defined beforehand, but from our perspective looking back through history we can see how accurately it has been fulfilled.
What the prophecy probably does not allow us to do is fix the time of the Second Coming, as Curle would try to do, as this seems to be outside of the scope of the prophecy.
A MORE DETAILED LOOK.
To see if this is, in fact, an accurate prophecy we need to look more closely at the actual starting dates of the prophecy and see if the addition of the 1260 and 2520 years to these dates give us the sort of significant events we would expect to find from this prophecy.
(1) Important Starting Dates:
747B.C. (?) Nabopollassar began his reign in
Guinness identifies this as the beginning of the times of the Gentiles.
745B.C. Invasion of
741B.C. Destruction of the Ten Tribes and deportation to
723-721B.C. Second Deportation.
718B.C. Sennacherib besieges
676B.C. Esarhaddon destroys
650-648B.C. Asshurbanipal Invades.
598B.C. Nebuchadnezzar takes
Year of Cyrus' birth.
Height of
589B.C.
I.e. the starting period of the destruction of the Nations of Israel and Judah is a period of 160 years, 747-587 B.C.
In this period the years of crisis (listed above) are important.
(2) Computation of Closing Era.
Notes:
(i) Depending on which calendar is used - solar, Julian or lunar - the prophecy runs out three times.
(ii) The closing ERA will span the 160 years PLUS the astronomical margin of error for the difference in the calendars.
(iii) The Greatest difference between the solar and lunar calendars is 75 years. The difference between the solar and the lunar calendars is called the EPACT.
(iv) Therefore the closing period covers 235 years.
(v) The two calendars, which particularly affect us here, are:
(a) The Lunar - on which
(b) The Solar - on which the churches calendar is based.
Hence we are primarily interested in two sets of terminus dates:
(i) The Lunar - should give events important in
(ii) The Solar - should give important events in the church's history.
Why is the prophecy fulfilled on all three calendars?
Answer: Because Daniel's 70 weeks was, but the lunar calendar was the most exact.
However the lunar and the solar are the most interesting to us.
(3) THE FIRST COMPUTATION - 1260 years.
THE BISECTION, OR THE ERA OF THE RISE OF THE APOSTACIES.
Historical Background:
Imperial
It existed in "10", but the ten is symbolic. That it is not literal is indicated by the idea of "another little horn rising" = eleven, and for a while there is only eight (three are "put down”). However at the end of history there are ten. The ten horns appear in the land that was exclusive to the Roman Empire, this is
The Roman Catholic position:
They see themselves as ruling the world for Christ, i.e. the
At the fall of Imperial Rome the city fell into disrepair - it was only a small village. The power of the R.C. church is seen to be a "new creation". The Popes assumed the power of kings.
Calculation:
(i) Start of Period:
1260 lunar years = 446,502 1/2 days.
Nabopollassar rose Feb 26 747B.C.
Augustus Fell Aug 22 476A.D.
Difference = 1222 1/2 Solar Years
= 446,503.
I.e. a difference of 12 hours
Therefore 476 A.D. = the start of the second period.
This is when the imperial head of Antichrist was wounded to death (Rev 13) and now the Papal ruler rises.
(ii) End of Period:
Destruction of
This gives us the date for the end of start of the apostacies:
I.e. time of rise of apostasies = 476 - 637 A.D. = 160 years.
Important Dates:
(i) West Empire.
AD533 All Christians delivered into the Pope's hands.
AD607 Britain and Lombard Empire submit to the Pope.
Emperor Phocas gave Pope Boniface III total power.
Anti-heretical decrees were published, and persecution of saints began.
AD633 Latin language to be only language to be used in worship.
(ii)
AD622 Flight of Mohammed.
AD632 Death of Mohammed.
AD634 Damascus taken.
AD637 Jerusalem taken by Saracens.
AD638 Mosque of Omar begun.
Within 100 years Islam had spread to the coast of
These two powers, the Papacy and Islam destroyed Christianity.
Important Fact: There was 160 years between the rise of the Papacy and the Turks invasion (AD 476-637).
From Nebuchadnezzar's destruction of
Summary thus Far:
In general it would appear that the prophecy accurately predicts a time period of apostasy and bondage for both
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(4) THE SECOND COMPUTATION - THE END OF THE AGE.
Five features of the end times:
(1) Approx. 2500 years from the captivity - the fall of
(2) 1250 years from the rise of the apostasies.
(3) A period in which "
(4) Renaissance of the Nation of
(5) Church is experiencing a similar renewal.
Limits of the End Times:
Captivity era began 747BC and extended till 587B.C.
Add 2520 years:
On Lunar scale = AD 1699-1860.
On Solar Scale = AD 1774 - 1934.
AD1699 - Two Great Wars on:
(i) Catholics Vs Protestantism.
(ii) Christian Vs Islam.
The Russian and Austrian wars shrunk the hitherto expanding Ottoman power. There was a loss of prestige. A treaty was enforced on the
Two treaties were signed around this time:
(i) Peace of Ryswick in
(ii) Peace of Carlourite in the East (1697).
AD 1774 - Accession of Louis 16 in
The Treaty of Kainardte was signed.
AD1826 - The Turks surrendered Asia to
AD 1828\29 Two more invasions of
AD 1840
AD 1844 Turks forced into religious freedom by
AD 1856
AD 1860 is the...
(i) Latest projection date from the captivity.
(ii) Year of foundation of Universal Israelite Alliance.
(iii) Massacre of Christians by Turks. Resulted in Syria/Palestine being invaded by
(iv)
(v)
AD 1876
AD 1877
End Times - Jewish Aspect:
(From Daniel 10) 7 years tribulation = 2520 years = Jacob's trouble = times of Gentiles.
Inequalities of the years give three terminus periods: 2520, 2484, 2445 years.
Dan 12:11 - 30 years extra given to the Islam power (1290 days) projects to 1889.
Solar computations:
(i) B.C. 747+2520 = 1774 (earliest date) + 75 years.
75 = 30 + 45.
1774+30 = 1804 = coronation of Napoleon as emperor. Pope was commanded to attend ceremony and to be insulted.
1804+45 = 1849 = Pope flees from
(ii) 723 B.C. Overthrow of ten tribes.
723 + 2520 = 1798A.D.
1798 - Pope and Cardinals driven out of
(iii) B.C.713 Invasion of Sennacherib.
B.C. 713-708 - several campaigns.
713-708 + 2520 = A.D.1808-1812 = campaigns of Napoleon against Papal state.
1812 Armies of France lost in Russian Winter.
(iv) Deportation of ten tribes under Esarhaddon (B.C.676).
676 + 1260 = Date of Hegira.
676 + 2520 = 1844A.D. = Decree of religious toleration wrung from Turks by
A.D.1844 = year 1260 in Islam lunar calendar.
(v) Other Critical Dates = 1st and 8th years of Nebuchadnezzar, when he carried out his two sieges of
The first: 606-5B.C.+ 2520
(i) Lunar = A.D.1840.
(ii) Julian = AD 1878-9.
Year of
Death of Pope Pius 9 - the last Pope to wield temporal power
(iii) Solar = 1915A.D.
The second: 598B.C.
Principle captivity. Nebuchadnezzar is the greatest type of Antichrist.
+2520
(i) Lunar = 1848.
A Year of Revolution. Four periods end in 1848.
(a) Seven times solar from era of Nabopollassar with the extra 75 years.
(b) End of seven times lunar from Jehoiachin.
(c) 1260 years from bisection date of Pope Gregory the Great.
(d) 1260 Julian from the bisection date of Pope exalting decree of Emperor Phocas.
(ii) Calendar = 1887.
(iii) Solar = 1923.
(c) 587B.C.+2520
(i) Lunar 1859-60.
(ii) Julian 1898.
(iii) Solar 1934.
Comments:
To get the details of these last events you will need to read Guinness’ book (on line). But as you can see from the general trend he manages to prove his point very well. But the whole theory then falls down. Guinness wrote “Light for the Last Days”, his last book in early 1917 and predicted a major event in the restoration of
But 1934? This should have been a major event in the restoration of the church – I can’t track it down and Guinness, I think, was dead by then.
The major event of the time was the rise of Hitler, but it doesn’t seem to fit the bill. And this would seem to be more of an event against the church and
There are indications in Guinness’ writings that he expected the Second Coming of Christ then. I personally don’t think Hitler was the Second Coming.
Curle reworked Guinness’ dates – having found an extra 75 years somewhere, thus taking the last date up to 2009. Curle (who also has since gone to glory) confidently predicted the Second Coming in 2009, but that is clearly going to be wrong.
So my conclusion is this:
This is a valid interpretation of bible prophecy – as far as it goes. But it breaks down right at the end – the last date fails to be fulfilled and Christ does not return. I put it into the category of a “Divine Revelation” – how could it be otherwise when it yields such amazingly accurate results? But it is simply another “layer” of understanding of the Book of Revelation that brings us so close to the end, but not all the way. It is a true – but only partial – fulfilment of Revelation.
So there still awaits us another fulfilment that will take us all the way.
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