The Prophecy ... (Ezekiel 4:4-6)
"Then God said to Ezekiel,
'Now lie on your left side for 390 days
to show Israel will be punished for 390 years
by captivity and doom.
Each day you lie there represents
a year of punishment ahead for Israel.
Afterwards, turn over and lay on your right side
for 40 days, to signify the years of Judah's punishment.
Each day will represent one year . . '"
(Ezekiel 4:4-6)
A Mathematical Bible Prophecy . . .
Although a little obscure (and sophisticated) this is one of the most fascinating prophecies found in the Bible.
Here, we find God telling Ezekiel that each day he (Ezekiel) lies on his side will represent one year of punishment for the nation Israel (Israel + Judah) because of their iniquities (sins) against God . .
So, we have:
390 days Judgment against the 10 northern tribes 'Israel'
+40 days Judgment against the 2 southern tribes 'Judah'
= 430 years Judgment against the nation of Israel
The Fulfillment of the Prophetic Judgment Begins . . .
In 606 B.C. Israel (Judah) was taken into captivity by Babylon for exactly 70 years...
430 years of judgment determined against nation Israel
-70 years fulfilled during the captivity in Babylon
= 360 years remaining in judgment against the nation of Israel
The Mystery of 360 Years . . .
There should have been a total of 360 years left in judgment against Israel after their release from Babylonian captivity by the Persian general Cyrus, exactly 70 years after the Babylonian captivity began (just as the prophet Jeremiah had prophesied before the captivity) .. but where was the remaining 360 year judgment in Israel's history??!!
The '7X' Factor of God's Judgment . . .
Bible scholars could not find any specific captivity or dispersion that fulfilled these 360 years left in the judgment until a close look in the book of Leviticus revealed a startling prophetic warning ...
"And after all this, if you do not obey Me,
then I (God) will punish you seven times more for your sins."
(Leviticus 26:18)
"Then, if you walk contrary to Me,
and are not willing to obey Me,
I (God) will bring on you seven times more plagues,
according to your sins."
(Leviticus 26:21)
"And after all this,
if you do not obey Me,
but walk contrary to Me,
then I (God) also will walk contrary to you in fury;
and I, even I will chastise you seven times for your sins.:
(Leviticus 26:27-28)
"I (God) will scatter you among the nations
and draw a sword after you;
your Land shall be desolate
and your cities waste."
(Leviticus 26:33)
The 7X factor of God's judgment against nation Israel: God warned Israel if they continued in their disobedience He would multiply their judgment by seven times! Remember, as noted throughout these prophetic studies, God says what He means and He means what He says!
Prophecy Fulfilled . . .
Now, let's apply the 7X factor to the remaining 360 years of judgment against nation Israel in this remarkable mathematical prophecy .
360 Remaining years of judgment
x 7 The prophetic '7X' factor
= 2,520 Years of judgment remained against nation Israel
God gave the Jews the most sophisticated calendar on Earth. It is both a Lunar and a Solar calendar. The Jewish calendar uses a 360 day lunar (and prophetic) year and then adds a 'Leap Month' on specific years to accurately coincide with the Solar cycle we use on our 'Julian' calendar ..
The Bible uses 360 day years for prophecies and expects us to add the appropriate 'leap months' on schedule. So, the easiest way to unravel this prophecy is to first convert this prophecy into days ..
2,520 years
x 360 days
= 907,200 days of judgment remained against nation Israel after the Babylonian captivity
Now, convert the 907,200 days found in this prophecy into our 365.25 day solar years (the .25 adjusts for leap years) . .
907,200 days ÷ 365.25 days = 2,483.78 years of judgment remained against nation Israel
With this information, let's look at this remarkable prophecy again . .
606 B.C - Israel taken into Babylonian captivity
-70 Years - for 70 years
= 536 B.C. - End of first 70 years of judgment
+2483 Years - Now add the 2,483 years remaining in this judgment
+1 Year - Add 1 year because there is no "0" B.C. or A.D.
= 1948 AD! - End of judgment against nation Israel
Israel Back in Her Land as a Nation . . . in 1948!
Judah (Israel) was taken into captivity by the Babylonians in 606 B.C. They were released from captivity 70 years later by the Persians in 536 A.D., exactly as the prophet Jeremiah had prophesied, but their land was still under the control of the Persians. The Persians were later conquered by the Greeks, and the land of Israel remained under Greek control. The Greeks were then conquered by Rome and the land of Israel remained under Roman control. After failed rebellions against Rome around 70 A.D. and another around 100 years later, the Romans removed the Jews from the land of Israel, dispersed them around the world, and renamed the land 'Palestine' after the enemies of Israel. Then, after 2,500 years, for the first time since the Babylonian captivity in 606 B.C., the world watched as Israel once again appeared on the world map as a sovereign nation, on May 14, 1948 ... exactly when the Bible said it would!