Have you heard about the 2520 or “seven times” of Leviticus 26? This time prophecy was taught by the Millerite’s of the 19th century so it found a place on the 1843 and 1850 charts as evidenced below.
Notice how the 2520 stood out loud and clear in the 1843 chart but not so much on the 1850 chart below.
In 1863 the Seventh-day Adventist church denomination was officially established. In that very same year they published a new symbol chart that completely removed any reference to the 2520, and instead placed strong emphasis upon the 2300 day/year prophecy. They also published a ten commandment chart as well.
Some believe the 2520 is still on this chart somehow “hidden” in the number 7 but when one looks at all of the evidence it becomes crystal clear that it’s only a figment of their imagination. There is a very good reason the pioneers of the Seventh-day Adventist church abandoned the old Millerite interpretation of the “seven times” of Leviticus 26. The most blatant one is that the word “times” isn’t even in the Hebrew text! Its a supplied word the translators didn’t italicize! Go check the Strongs Concordance for yourself if you don’t believe me. Only the word “seven” or rather “sevenfold” but no prophetic “time”. No, this isn’t “higher criticism” (a straw-man argument) but rather cold hard truth. The Seventh-day Adventist pioneers surely recognized the proper context and interpretation as is already evidenced in the charts themselves. But how do we know for sure? Well the year after the Seventh-day Adventist denomination published these two new charts James White had the following to say regarding the “seven times” of Leviticus 26:
ADVENT REVIEW AND SABBATH HERALD, VOL. XXIII. BATTLE CREEK MICH.,
THIRD – DAY, JANUARY 26, 1864, No. 9. James White, page 68.1-12, The Seven Times of Lev. xxvi.
“The prophetic period of Lev. xxvi, or what has been supposed to be such, has been no small object of study among prophetical expositors. It has been supposed that the expression, “seven times,” in verses 18, 21, 24, 28, denoted a prophetic period of 2520 years, and that this period covered the time during which the throne of Israel should be and remain subverted and trodden down by oppressing powers. To rightly fix the commencement and termination of this period, became therefore a matter of consequence. Where does it commence? and where does it end? have been questions of much study, and perhaps some perplexity. These are not the questions, however, that we propose here to discuss; for there is a question lying back of these, which demands to be answered first; namely, Is there any prophetic period brought to view at all in Lev. xxvi? We claim (who is the “we”? The Seventh-day Adventists!) that there is not, and will offer a few of what are to us very conclusive reasons for this position:”
“A series of judgements is threatened against Israel, in case they hearkened not unto God to do his commandments, before the expression, seven times, is introduced. Verses 14-17. In these judgements is included being slain before their enemies, being reigned over by those that hated them, and fleeing when none pursued them. Now if the seven times were meant to cover the period of God’s special judgements against Israel, especially of their captivity by foreign powers, these seven times should have been mentioned in connection with the first threatening of judgements of this kind. But this, as we have seen, is not the case.”
“After the threatening of these judgements, God says, verse 18, “And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.” Then follows and enumeration of the judgments to come upon them in fulfillment of this, different from the items of the first threatening, and increasing in severity.”
“If they would not for this hearken, seven times more plagues were threatened against them, “according to their sins.” verse 21. Then again follows an\ enumeration of judgments to correspond, more severe still than any preceding.”
“If they would not be reformed by these things, God threatened to punish them sevens time more for their sins. Verse 24. And in like manner with the forgoing, an enumeration of the judgments to be inflicted in fulfillment, immediately follows, more fearful still.”
“And if they would not hearken to God for all these things, he makes a final threat that would walk contrary to them in fury, and chastise them seven times for their sins. Verse 28. And an enumeration of the judgments to be inflicted, again immediately follows, outdoing all before, in their terrible severity. Included among them were the eating of the flesh of their sons and daughters, making waste their cities, bringing the land into such desolation that their enemies should be astonished at it, scattering them among all nations, and drawing out a sword after them in all the lands of their dispersion. With fearful minuteness all this has been fulfilled, even to the eating the flesh of their own children, as in the terrible sieges that preceded the downfall of Jerusalem. Thus we have, first a series of judgments threatened against Israel, without the expression, seven times, and then the declaration four times made, that God would punish them seven times for their sins, each one on condition that the former did not lead to repentance, and each one containing its own specific enumeration of judgments, distinct from those that preceded, and regularly increasing in the severity of their denunciations. Now what is meant by this repeated expression of seven times? We reply, (who is the “we” again? Seventh-day Adventists!) It denotes, not the duration of the punishment, but its intensity and severity. It is well expressed in the language of verse 21, thus: “I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.” The number seven denoting perfection, we are undoubtedly to understand by this expression, the fullness of their punishment; that the measure of their national sins, would in every case be fully equaled by the measure of their national calamities. And this position is fully sustained by the original as a brief criticism will show.”
“In reference to the Hebrew, we learn from the Hebrew Concordance that the expression, seven times, In Lev. xxvi comes from sheh-vag; and this word is expressly set down by Gesenius, in those texts, as an adverb, also in Ps cxix, 164; Prov xxiv, 16. In Dan iv, 16,25, the expression seven times, twice occurs, where beyond question it means duration. Nebuchadnezzar was to be driven from men, and make his dwelling with the beasts of the field, until seven times should pass over him. There can be no mistaking that here the expression means a certain space of time; but here we find, not the adverb as in Lev. xxvi, but the noun, gid-dakn, defined by Gesenius, “Time, in prophetic language, for a year.” In Dan. vii, 25, where a prophetic period of brought to view in the expression, “a time and times and the dividing of time,” the same word is used. In Dan. xii, 7, where the same period is again brought to view, and in about the same language, we have another word, moh-gehd, defined by Gesenius, “Appointment of time. Spoken of a space of time, appointed and definite. In the prophetic style for a year.” It will be seen by this definition, that this word is synonymous with the one used in Dan vii, 25, as above referred to. Now if a period of time is meant by the expression, seven times, in Lev. xxvi, one of these words should and would most assuredly have been used. And the fact that neither of these words is there used, but another word, and that an adverb, places it beyond question that no such period is there intended. The Greek is equally definite. The Septuagint has in Lev. xxvi, heptakis, which is an adverb, signifying seven times. In Dan iv, 16,25, for Nebuchadnezzar’s seven times we have not heptakis , the adverb, but hepta kairoi, a noun and its adjective. And in all cases where the word time occurs, denoting a prophetic period, as in Dan. vii,25; xii,7; Rev xii,14, it is from the noun kairos. Such a thing as a prophetic period based on an adverb is not to be found. So then, there is no prophetic period in Lev. xxvi; and those who imagine that such a thing exists, and are puzzling themselves over the adjustment of it’s several dates, are simply beating the air. To ignore or treat with neglect, a prophetic period where one is plainly given, is censurable in the extreme. It is an equally futile, though not so heinous, a course, to endeavor to create one where none exists.”
So we can clearly see that James White, a person who used to be an advocate of the 2520, clearly rejected this “time prophecy” after diligent study on the matter. In fact, you wont find any of the Seventh-day Adventist pioneers (1863 onward) teaching any such thing as the 2520 time prophecy. It’s purely a Millerite doctrine.
DANIEL AND THE REVELATION BY URIAH SMITH, THE “SEVEN TIMES” OF LEVITICUS 26, PAGE 736.2-737.2. (1897)
“Almost every scheme of the Plan of the Ages, Age-to-come, etc., makes use of a supposed prophetic period called the Seven Times; and the attempt is made to figure out a remarkable fulfilment by events in Jewish and Gentile history. All such speculators might as well spare their pains; for there is no such prophetic period in the Bible. The term is taken from Leviticus 26, where the Lord denounces judgments against the Jews, if they shall forsake him. After mentioning a long list of calamities down to verse 17, the Lord says: And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins. Verse 18. Verses 19 and 20 enumerate the additional judgments, then it is added in verse 21: And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me: I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins. More judgments are enumerated, and then in verses 23 and 24 the threatening is repeated: And if ye will not be reformed by me these things, but will walk contrary unto me; then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins. In verse 28 it is repeated again. Thus the expression occurs four times, and each succeeding mention brings to view severer punishments, because the preceding ones were not heeded. Now, if seven times denotes a prophetic period (2520 years), then we would have four of them, amounting in all to 10,080 years, which would be rather a long time to keep a nation under chastisement. But we need borrow no trouble on this score; for the expression seven times does not denote a period of duration, but is simply an adverb expressing degree, and setting forth the severity of the judgments to be brought upon Israel. If it denoted a period of time, a noun and its adjective would be used, as in Daniel 4:16: Let seven times pass over him. Here we have the noun (times) and adjective (seven): thus, shibah iddan); but in the passages quoted above from Leviticus 26, the words seven times are simply the adverb (sheba), which means sevenfold. The Septuagint makes the same distinction, using in Daniel 4:16, etc., but in Leviticus simply the adverb. The expression in Daniel 4:16 is not prophetic, for it is used in plain, literal narration. (See verse 25.)”
So are we Seventh-day Adventist’s or Millerite’s?
“Messages of every order and kind have been urged upon Seventh-day Adventists, to take the place of the truth which, point by point, has been sought out by prayerful study, and testified to by the miracle-working power of the Lord. But the waymarks which have made us what we are, are to be preserved, and they will be preserved, as God has signified through His Word and the testimony of His Spirit. He calls upon us to hold firmly, with the grip of faith, to the fundamental principles that are based upon unquestionable authority.”
Selected Messages, Book 1, p. 208.2
The 1872/1889 Fundamental Principles of Seventh-day Adventists
IX – That the mistake of Adventists in 1844 pertained to the nature of the event then to transpire, not to the time; that no prophetic period is given to reach to the second advent, but that the longest one (longest what? The longest prophetic period!), the two thousand and three hundred days of Dan. 8:14, terminated in 1844, and brought us to an event called the cleansing of the sanctuary.
“In a special sense Seventh-day Adventists have been set in the world as watchmen and light bearers. To them has been entrusted the last warning for a perishing world. On them is shining wonderful light from the word of God. They have been given a work of the most solemn import—the proclamation of the first, second, and third angels’ messages. There is no other work of so great importance. They are to allow nothing else to absorb their attention. The most solemn truths ever entrusted to mortals have been given us to proclaim to the world. The proclamation of these truths is to be our work. The world is to be warned, and God’s people are to be true to the trust committed to them. They are not to engage in speculation, neither are they to enter into business enterprises with unbelievers; for this would hinder them in their God-given work.”
Testimonies for the Church, Volume 9, p. 19.2
Seventh-day Adventists don’t “speculate” with Millerite’s over the 2520
SPEC’ULATE, verb intransitive [Latin speculor, to view, to contemplate, from specio, to see.]
1. To meditate; to contemplate; to consider a subject by turning it in the mind and viewing it in its different aspects and relations; as, to speculate on political events; to speculate on the probable results of a discovery.
2. In commerce, to purchase land, goods, stock or other things, with the expectation of an advance in price, and of selling the articles with a profit by means of such advance; as, to speculate in coffee, or in sugar, or in six percent stock, or in bank stock.
SPEC’ULATE, verb transitive To consider attentively; as, to speculate the nature of a thing. [Not in use.]
Websters Dictionary 1828
A prime example of the Millerite’s and their many charts and predictions:
