i recently had a question about whether jerusalem fell to babylon in 607bce or 587bce. there were good arguments for both dates. i began to study daniel 4, and have a new question. here is the gist of nebuchadnezzar's dream: daniel 4:10 “‘Now the visions of my head upon my bed I happened to be beholding, and, look! a tree in the midst of the earth, the height of which was immense. 11 The tree grew up and became strong, and its very height finally reached the heavens, and it was visible to the extremity of the whole earth."...13 “‘I continued beholding in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, look! a watcher, even a holy one, coming down from the heavens themselves. 14 He was calling out loudly, and this is what he was saying: “CHOP the tree down, and cut off its boughs. SHAKE off its foliage, and scatter its fruitage. Let the beast flee from under it, and the birds from its boughs. 15 However, LEAVE its rootstock itself in the earth, even with a banding of iron and of copper, among the grass of the field; and with the dew of the heavens let it be wet, and with the beast let its portion be among the vegetation of the earth. 16 Let its heart be changed from that of mankind, and let the heart of a beast be given to it, and let "seven times" pass over it. 17 By the decree of watchers the thing is, and [by] the saying of holy ones the request is, to the intent that people living may know that the Most High is Ruler in the kingdom of mankind and that to the one whom he wants to, he gives it and he sets up over it even the lowliest one of mankind....19 “At that time Daniel himself, whose name is Bel·te·shaz´zar, was astonished for a moment, and his very thoughts began to frighten him.
“The king was answering and saying, ‘O Bel·te·shaz´zar, do not let the dream and the interpretation themselves frighten you.’
“Bel·te·shaz´zar was answering and saying, ‘O my lord, may the dream [apply] to those hating you, and its interpretation to your adversaries.
20 “‘The tree that you beheld, that grew great and became strong and the height of which finally reached the heavens and which was visible to all the earth, 21 and the foliage of which was fair, and the fruit of which was abundant, and on which there was food for all; under which the beasts of the field would dwell, and on the boughs of which the birds of the heavens would reside, 22 “it is you, O king,” because you have grown great and become strong, and your grandeur has grown great and reached to the heavens, and your rulership to the extremity of the earth.23 “‘And because the king beheld a watcher, even a holy one, coming down from the heavens, who was also saying: “CHOP the tree down, and RUIN it. However, LEAVE its rootstock itself in the earth, but with a banding of iron and of copper, among the grass of the field, and with the dew of the heavens let it become wet, and with the beasts of the field let its portion be until seven times themselves pass over it,” 24 this is the interpretation, O king, and the decree of the Most High is that which must befall my lord the king. 25 And you they will be driving away from men, and with the beasts of the field your dwelling will come to be, and the vegetation is what they will give even to you to eat just like bulls; and with the dew of the heavens you yourself will be getting wet, and seven times themselves will pass over you, until you know that the Most High is Ruler in the kingdom of mankind, and that to the one whom he wants to he gives it....28 All this befell Neb·u·chad·nez´zar the king. 29 At the end of twelve lunar months he happened to be walking upon the royal palace of Babylon
33 At that moment the word itself was fulfilled upon Neb·u·chad·nez´zar
, and from mankind he was being driven away, and vegetation he began to eat just like bulls, and with the dew of the heavens his own body got to be wet, until his very hair grew long just like eagles’ [feathers] and his nails like birds’ [claws].34 “And at the end of the days
I, Neb·u·chad·nez´zar, lifted up to the heavens my eyes, and my own understanding began to return to me; and I blessed the Most High himself, and the One living to time indefinite I praised and glorified, because his rulership is a rulership to time indefinite and his kingdom is for generation after generation. 35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are being considered as merely nothing, and he is doing according to his own will among the army of the heavens and the inhabitants of the earth. And there exists no one that can check his hand or that can say to him, ‘What have you been doing?’36 “At the same time my understanding itself began to return to me, and for the dignity of my kingdom my majesty and my brightness themselves began to return to me; and for me even my high royal officers and my grandees began eagerly searching, and I was reestablished upon my own kingdom, and greatness extraordinary was added to me.
The key points are:
The prophecy is:
. 16 Let its heart be changed from that of mankind, and let the heart of a beast be given to it, and let seven times pass over it.Daniel’s interpretation:
24 this is the interpretation, O king, and the decree of the Most High is that which must befall my lord the king. 25 And you they will be driving away from men, and with the beasts of the field your dwelling will come to be, and the vegetation is what they will give even to you to eat just like bulls; and with the dew of the heavens you yourself will be getting wet, and seven times themselves will pass over you, until you know that the Most High is Ruler in the kingdom of mankind, and that to the one whom he wants to he gives it.Prophecy fulfilled 12 months later:
28 All this befell Neb·u·chad·nez´zar the king.29
At the end of twelve lunar months he happened to be walking upon the royal palace of Babylon….33 At that moment the word itself was fulfilled upon Neb·u·chad·nez´zar, and from mankind he was being driven away, and vegetation he began to eat just like bulls, and with the dew of the heavens his own body got to be wet, until his very hair grew long just like eagles’ [feathers] and his nails like birds’ [claws].34
“And at the end of the days I, Neb·u·chad·nez´zar, lifted up to the heavens my eyes, and my own understanding began to return to me; and I blessed the Most High himself, and the One living to time indefinite I praised and glorified, because his rulership is a rulership to time indefinite and his kingdom is for generation after generation.The scriptures clearly indicate that the prophecy was fulfilled 12 months after daniel interpretated it.
I think that one of the most persistent hermeneutical sins is to put two interpretations on one passage of scripture, breaking the force of the literal meaning and obscuring the word of Jehovah. So I started doing some research on where the 2520 years interpretation of the seven times came from and who originated it.
Here is a quote from e.b.elliot in his book “horae apocalyptical” 3 rd edition, 1847 c.e.,vol 3, p 233. “….for the first four centuries the days mentioned in daniel’s and the apocalyptic prophecies respecting the antichrist were interpretated literally as days, not as years, by the fathers of the christian church.”
Joachim of floris (c.1130-1202 c.e.}, a catholic priest, was probably the first christian expositor to apply the year-day principle to the longer periods of daniel and revalation.this was pointed out by charles maitlandm in his book”the apostles school of prophetic interpration” 1849c.e., pp.37,38.
During the following centuries innumerable dates were fixed for the second advent, most of them built on the year-day principle.
The first expositor known to have arrived at a period of 2520 years was john aquilla brown in 1823 c.e.
His time period was:604bce-1917ce. Other expositors and the year they published their interpretation and the time period involved are:william miller, in 1842ce, 677bce-1843ce; e. bickersteth, in 1850, 727bce-1793ce and 602bce-1918ce; n.h. barbour, in 1875, 606bce-1914ce; c.t. russell, in1876, 606bce-1914ce.
When I was a member in the “churches of christ” the interpretation of daniel 4 was a literal one, fulfilled one year after the dream, and we accepted the fall of Jerusalem ay 587bce. No other interpretations were applied to daniel 4. Then I met the Jehovah’s witnesses and they introduced me to the 2520 day-year interpretation starting at 607bce and ending at 1914ce. At first I thought this was really cool and embraced it, but now im not so sure. Any help would be appreciated…thanks…ron