The Prophetic Day/Year PrincipleThis study is from thetop-half of the Mirror Chart. 
Index to this page.
Introduction In a Few Words— What did Daniel understand, —Days or Years? What are we to understand, —Days or Years? Days and Years on The Mirror Chart Conclusion Introduction The foundation which gives the study of Daniel clarity and added understanding is TIME! The prophecies of Daniel are unique because they are placed in time! Prophetic time is very restrictive, exclusive, exacting, and precise. Prophetic time requires a proper interpretation so that its fulfillment can be counted as complete! Thus the people who teach the proper placement of the times of Daniel and Revelation are a force worthy to take note of! The very fact that these time prophecies have a beginning date and an ending date gives them a life of their own, and that life is given to them by the Mighty Angel of prophecy, —Jesus. It is He who holds in His hand the little book of Daniel and unseals its thunderous last-day prophecies. They move through time as we do, and often with us, starting at a specific time or date and reaching sometimes far into the future giving us warnings or blessings. Take children for a ride and it won't be long before the first question is asked; Daddy, how long will it be ’till we get there? And that question is the question that man has been asking since the great controversy of sin started. (“How long” is asked 53+ times in the KJV Bible. [FS]) Daniel asked twice; How long shall it be to the end of time? Dan 8:13; 12:6. We serve a great God! He puts up with our repeated and often impatient (back-seat) questions, and even answers them before we ask. In a Few Words— For centuries prophetic researchers have followed down through Daniel’s time prophecies knowing where they were in the great plan of salvation. These men taught the time prophecies to others and it is recorded for us so that we can understand that they knew exactly where they were in the progression of Daniel’s times and events. Those who believe the 2300 days are symbolic, representing years, use such verses as Numbers 14:33, 34 and Ezekiel 4:5, 6. This principle indicated that a prophetic day stood symbolically for a literal solar year, a prophetic month for 30 literal years, and a prophetic year for 360 literal years. This method for interpreting prophecy is known as the historicists method. “This approach to symbolic prophecy, which will be designated by the term “historicization,” did not originate with (William) Miller but had deep roots in the Christian tradition.” {1977 PGD, FSDA 19.1} (Pieter G. Damsteegt, Foundations of the Seventh-day Adventist Message and Mission, p. 19.1) Daniel— Daniel understood the day-year principle was applied to the time prophecies given him. He knew that the kingdoms of this world would reach, at the very least, 2300 years into the future! [See below.] Jesus— Jesus taught the disciples from all the prophets that He was the fulfillment of the prophecies, which included the seventy weeks of years spoken of on Daniel 9. He said concerning Himself that He was right on time; that He was the fulfillment of time (prophecies). [FS] Disciples— We don’t know how much of the seventy-week prophecy the disciples understood before Jesus taught them; but it is safe for us to conclude that after Jesus taught them, they knew the times of Israel, as well as the times of the Gentiles! [FS] William Miller and the generation of mid-eighteen hundreds— The fulfillment of the fifth and sixth trumpets, August 11, 1840, was proof of the year-day principle. [FS]. William Miller’s dream is a dream of the day-year principle and related prophecies. [FS]. William Miller did not come up with something new by interpretating the time prophecies with the day-year principle. It is obvious that for centuries, if not all the way back to Daniel, that interpreters of the time prophecies understood the times as fulfilled in years! Thus, William Miller could not have unsealed the prophecies, at least not in the sense of the day-year principle! (Nether can it be said that he unsealed the fulfillment of the 2300 year prophecy. He was a strong voice in the generation of the mid-eighteen hundreds who realized, as many before him, that the 2300 years was coming to an end.) The Last Generation— We should regard the day-year principle as fundamental in establishing the basis for not only understanding the proper historical fulfillment, but it is also fundamental in understanding the proper order and timing of the last-day events. We, as the last generation, should be fully aware (wide awake) of the fact that the time prophecies of Daniel and Revelation are written in literal time, and for a specific reason! As there is a type and antitype of the Sanctuary (the type = the Sanctuary the Lord had Moses build; and the antitype = the Heavenly Sanctuary); so we may conclude and reap wonderful blessings from the type and antitype of the prophecies, —especially those relating to the Sanctuary type and antitype, —both earthly and Heavenly. [See below.] What did Daniel understand, —Days or Years? 
Daniel after receiving the vision found in Daniel 7 said; “I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me.” Dan 7:15. Daniel was troubled because he did not understand the vision, hence he asked the meaning of what he had seen and one standing by “made me know the interpretation of the things.” Dan 7:16.Again, he is given another vision, Daniel 8, where a man’s voice is heard from One walking on the river Ulai, “and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.” “So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.” “And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.” Dan 8:16-19. ~1. It appears that we should be cautious about stating that Daniel was upset because of not understanding the time of the visions. Primarily, we need not think for a moment that these times would be less than six years and three months+, which is the literal time of 2300 twenty-four hour days. Daniel well knew that these prophetic days, if taken literally, would be far from covering the duration of any one of the beast/kingdoms of the prophecy taken singly, much less if all taken together; so the days are symbols representing the years of their continuance. 
~2. Nebuchadnezzar had his dream about the year BC 603 and the Lord through Daniel gave the interpretation of the dream. The king was told that he was the head of gold and that five kingdoms would follow which would be inferior to his kingdom. Of the kingdoms in the toes of the great image he was told that “in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.” Dan 2:44.The point is Daniel knew that 48 years had elapsed from the dream of Daniel 2 until the vision of Daniel 7 (BC 555), and yet Babylon was still that head of gold. In Daniel 7:25 the fourth beast is to rule “until a time and times and the dividing of time.” It would have been easy for a man as wise as Daniel to deduce that if Babylon had already ruled for 48 years then the fourth beast would rule for 1260 years, and not three and a half years. Again, 2 years had elapsed from the vision of Daniel 7 until the vision of Daniel 8 (BC 553) and 17 years until Daniel 9 (BC 538). Etc., etc., etc. The point again is that we can safely understand that Daniel had no reason to think that all of these beast/kingdoms would rule for a little over six years and then God’s everlasting kingdom would be set up. ~3. And Gabriel “informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding” and Daniel was now shown the prophecy and its meaning concerning the “Messiah the Prince.” He was told that the time for this prophecy was “seventy weeks.” This time was very clear in Daniel's mind. It meant literally, “sevens of years;” or “seventy weeks of seven years each.” Further Study: Strong’s Concordance— H7620  shabuwa` (shaw-boo'-ah) (or shabuan {shaw-boo'-ah} also (feminine) shbu.ah {sheb-oo-aw'};) n-m.1. literal, sevened, i.e. a week (specifically, of years) [(properly) passive participle of H7650 as a denominative of H7651] KJV: seven, week. Root(s): H7650, H7651. What are we to understand, —Days or Years? 
We are living in a unique period in the plan of salvation; it is called the tarrying time. Matt 25:5. We are living between the fulfillment of the symbolic years and the completion of the literal day fulfillment. We are living between the type of prophetic history and the antitype of the cleansing of the Heavenly Sanctuary. We are living between the time for the wedding and the announcement cry to wake us up, “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.” Matt 25:6. What sad words to write! Waiting to be woke up! That very thought tells us that we are aware that we are about to be woke up, yet we are lethargic enough to say, “Leave me alone, I want to sleep!” Not five, but ALL TEN bridesmaids are asleep! It is clear that the church is spiritually asleep; what could they be asleep to? What is it that takes the church by surprise and causes half its numbers to lose their lives? Jesus gives the answer in Matthew 24 (Mark 13; Luke 21), and there will be some, praise the Lord, who will study to learn these great spiritual truths and the event coming soon in the completion of the seven thunders!We are to believe and teach BOTH, the symbolic years and the literal days! In one is the explanation for the other, type and antitype of prophetic time as well as type and antitype of the Sanctuary. Type and antitype are working together, unsealing the last saving events of Heaven on earth. The time prophecies of Daniel and Revelation are written in literal time! Those who believe the 2300 days are symbolic, representing years, use such verses as Numbers 14:33, 34 and Ezekiel 4:5, 6. So then, the question is: If we then teach that the 2300 literal days are understood as symbolic years; What are they symbolic of? Days and Years on The Mirror Chart 
As you can see, the upper half of the chart's timeline is sub-titled The 2300 Years and the bottom half is sub-titled The 2300 Days; and both have the phrase quoted from Daniel 8:14, And then shall the Sanctuary be Cleansed. Great truths concerning our salvation in the Heavenly Sanctuary will soon be understood in the rays of the morning Son.It is important as we study the Mirror Chart that we understand the 2300 days is symbolic of representing 2300 years (prophetic time), —meaning a day-for-a-year. When we accept this, we then begin to understand the meaning of prophetic time coming to an end in 1844, and thus fulfilling Revelation 10:6, “that there should be time no longer.” The thunderous events of the little book of Daniel could not be read or understood (as the seven thunders) until after the symbolic 2300 years were fulfilled, —in 1844. [FS] Conclusion In conclusion, we should realize that we do not need Num 14:33, 34 and Eze 4:5, 6 to prove the day-for-a-year principle in Daniel’s time prophecies. Daniel understood that the literal time he wrote as days was to be symbolicly fulfilled down through the centuries, far into the future. There is no doubt that Daniel had a hard time comprehending what he was to write down. On one hand, he was told to write in literal time; yet on the other hand, he was to write about the life of nations reaching hundreds of years into the future; and then he was told that everything he saw was to have its fulfillment “in the last end of the indignation,” “for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.” (Dan 8:19; 12:9) What he had a hard time comprehending was that these prophecies were to be REPEATED (Rev 10:11) in LITERAL TIME at the time of the end; “Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.” Guess what, Daniel isn’t the only one confused about these prophecies. Most of the Christian Churches today do not know where these prophecies have their complete fulfillment, —history or last-day events. ~~~“And I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.” Dan 8:27. ~~~“Even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.” Dan 11:35. 
~~~“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Dan 12:4.~~~“When he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.” Dan 12:7. ~~~“And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.” Dan 12:9. ~~~“But the wise shall understand.” Dan 12:10. ~~~“But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.” Dan 12:13. The Mighty Angel of Revelation 10 unseals the little book of Daniel and reads (from the book of Daniel) the seven thundering events of the last-day events. It is the last generation to whom the Mighty Angel gives the little book of Daniel to eat, and it is to them also that He gives the commission, “Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.” Rev 10:11. —(Strong’s: G3825 palin (pal'-in) adv.; once more, once again, –again.)  Mirror Event: The 2300 Years The 2300 Days Further Study: A Remarkable Symbol —Question #10 A Great Prophetic Period —Extra Notes: 70 Weeks #1 Our Lord’s Great Prophecy —Question #13 Related Topics: The Sacred Scriptures The Sure Word of Prophecy |
