The Coming 360 Day Year

“Then you offer a pile of information which has little to no reference to the post in question.”

It surprises me that you say this. Nothing in my original post is not directly linked to the material you published above. We’ll see whether or not this becomes more apparent to you. If you stick with the topic for a few volleys of further posting, I am confident that it will.

“Your next comment is the most reliable, “Our current calendar has approximately 365 ¼ days per year…” which is the whole point of my post.”

The point is not in contention, but that wasn’t my point. I was quoting you.

“My point is not the method that Biblical Jews used to count days or years.”

How you can say this now, considering your published material and your argument, is a mystery to me. Why ISN’T that your point? When looking at the methods by which you are seeking to justify Daniel’s language, it absolutely should be your point – at least A point.

“The chronological dating in the books of Daniel and the Revelation seem to me (and many writers of Biblical commentaries) are of the nature of a 360 day year as day numbering is concerned.”

On its face, the verses from Daniel are describing a year with 12 months of 30 days each. That yields a ‘calendar’ year of 360 days. We know immediately we have a problem on our hands when we see this, because we know that the sidereal year does not consist of 360 days. So either Daniel was wrong, or there is an error in scribal work. Unless, that is, we presume the flaw could be with us, and with our understanding of Daniel’s meaning, and our understanding of the very system he was using to calculate time. In the latter case, we can INVENT ideas such as ‘prophetic time’, or we can search the Scriptures far and wide in the hopes of learning the mystery to Daniel’s enigmatic system.

[Another solution would have us searching the historical record for evidence of an actual 360 day (sidereal) year in ancient times. This is what Velikovsky and others have done to various effect. But Velikovsky went looking for specific evidence to fit his hypothesis, rather than following the evidence wherever it led – a dangerous tactic certainly not employed by him alone.]

“I never stated there is a mathematical aberration in the book of Daniel.”

A statement of fact by you? Not really. But certainly a suggestion. You said in effect that a near-passing celestial body COULD alter the Earth’s ‘rotation’ such that the wording in Daniel fit more apparently with what we will at that time see in the heavens, and that it would eliminate any mathematical aberration we can presently detect in Daniel.

“I AM saying that Daniel prophecied that the time spans for certain events would be 1260 days and be equal to 42 months of 30 days each.”

That is because Daniel was using the ONLY scripturally correct ‘calendar.’ That is my point. There is but ONE such calendar. It was exactly the same in Daniel’s time, as it was in the days when Messiah walked the land of Canaan, as it is today. The calendar has not changed. Something else has.

“Daniel wrote the information given to him. Whether Daniel had knowledge of or was concerned about a possible shortened earth rotation around the sun is unknown to me.”

You are attempting to extrapolate based on a flawed assumption. I am suggesting to you Daniel explained what he saw even as he applied the only biblically acceptable time-keeping metric to what he saw.

“Patten and Velikovsky bring confusion to the table only if you totally reject their concepts.”

They are a con-fusion of truth, innovation and imagination. I am very familiar with all of Velikovsky’s work. The more the man wrote, the more he disproved his own theories, and rather than concede defeat, he piled on the fantastic embellishments. In much the same way as our modern ‘Pastor’ Lindsay Williams once made A SINGLE accurate prediction and subsequently built an empire of lies around it, Velikovsky made a career out of a SINGLE very accurate prediction. Everything else he did was smoke-and-subterfuge.

“I am more inclined to believe that you are attempting to bring confusion to the table with your Judaic concepts and principles. I am not certain what you attempting to say or why you are saying it.”

What I am attempting to say is this: There is ONE Calendar of the Most High. He gave it once and it has never changed. It will never change. Does this sound implausible to you? Then maybe you need to re-read your Bible a few times. The fact that we have managed to lose sight of both this Calendar’s usage and its very existence is immaterial to the reality of our situation. It is written in the Book that is what would happen. Why I am attempting to say it is this: In DAYS TO COME, we will be needing this system of time-keeping because we will be expected to be at certain places at certain times. In Scripture, there are many MOEDIM. This is the Hebrew word for ‘appointed-times.’ These are the feasts and the holy-days: times of appointment wherein the Most High has Instructed His people to meet with Him.

Are you aware that in Scripture, things tend to repeat? Are you aware that Joseph (son of Jacob) is a TYPE of Messiah? Are you aware that Joseph’s identity was revealed to his brethren according to scheduled appointed times they had all agreed upon?

Are you aware that in the days to come, certain biblically-important events will be unfolding throughout this world? Are you aware that the Apostles were LOOKING for the Messiah to arrive, even before He was revealed to them? Then you must also be aware that each of the biblically-prophesied events will take place according to a schedule. I am attempting to discuss that schedule with you, solely because you wrote an article which impinges on the structure of that schedule, by denying its very existence.

“I am not marching to the tune of a “prophetic time” or any other time or tune. I am merely stating that 1260 days is equal to 42 months of 30 days each month, and that it is possible some astronomical event could change the length of the year to exactly 360 days as the confused Patten and Velikovsky proved, with historical evidence, was the length of the year prior to the Exodus from Egypt.”

Patten and Velikovsky proved nothing. They merely provided evidence in support of their claims. Proof relates to truth. Evidence can relate to many things – some of which do not even exist. Was Velikovsky a man of Messiah? No. He was a non-religious Ashkenazi. He hated the Gospels, Ephraim. Why isn’t that important to you? To understand the Calendar of Scripture is to at once cease from looking for any other explanation for Daniel’s (seemingly) enigmatic time-keeping. It is to cease from looking for any form of a 360 day sidereal year – either in ancient times, or in the future. This is not to say, however, that an event involving celestial bodies is beyond the scope of possible future phenomena. Scripture alludes strongly to just such a prospect. We do have the matter of Joshua’s discrepancy to contend with – but I can virtually assure you no event will ever set our heavenly calendar to an actual 360 day sidereal year. I say this confidently because I am convinced of what is not-so-plainly written in Scripture. There is a calendar contained in the Book. One needs to look for it, to re-assemble it, to overlay it upon the events described in the verses, to confirm it, and then to study it. And I do not think I speak amiss, or otherwise out of turn.

“I will admit that whatever point you were trying to make is not exactly clear to me. Are you saying, I don’t understand the length of a year?”

My hope is that your question has now been answered by me. I will gladly elaborate further if that is not the case.

“Does anyone need to understand why the Jews attempted to maintain a 360 day year and then add certain days to make it work correctly? They apparently would not have done that if the year had been 365 1/4 days in length from creation.”

The Ancient Israelites had to find a solution to the discrepancy left them after Joshua’s battle. How long do you suppose it was before they could figure out exactly what length of discrepancy they were contending with? I believe Velikovsky himself asked this very question. It could have taken them very many years.

“Daniel was a child when taken to Babylon as a captive. I doubt if he had a written copy of temple procedures and calendar corrections. I am fairly certain he knew the actual number of days in a year and his account of 1260 days; 42 months; and times, time, and 1/2 a time were not based on Jewish religious calendars of which he would not have access to although he did have the book of Jeremiah.”

There is no Jewish religious calendar in question here. There is only the ONE acceptable, verifiable, authentic Calendar of Scripture. You don’t think Daniel knew that Calendar? There’s nothing complicated about it once it’s understood. It only sounds complicated to the unfamiliar ear. It is actually simpler and easier to memorize than even our modern Roman Gregorian calendar – which many children use to proper effect.

“John received his information from the Lord Jesus or a designated angel. Prior to being an apostle his career was as a fisherman. Neither Jesus, John, or any angels were interested in Judaic Pharisee mumbo jumbo. Jesus told the Pharisees their father was the Devil and it is doubtful He would be referring to their knowledge base.”

Now you’re just being insulting for no reason at all. Do we find pharisaic mumbo-jumbo written in Scripture? Do you actually believe I’ve taken the time to bother you with something that exists only OUTSIDE of the written Word? ‘Mumbo-jumbo’ is a term believers like to toss around when they can find no other answer to something staring them in the face. And as I said originally, the habit traces its roots to laziness.

Everything I said to you above is found within the written Word. I have invented none of it. I have looked to sources other than Scripture for none of it. Your insulting attitude makes it clear to me that my energy may have been wasted on you. Very well. There are others reading our exchange whose attitude will be less of an impediment to them than yours is.

Velikovsky was a sensationalist. You might interest yourself in a study of ancient calendars – with particular attention to the calendars of the ancient Near and Middle East.