E.W. Bullinger — Eschatology
b1 — Number in Scripture
Prophetic Year and the Number 2520
Bullinger describes how the number 360 forms the basis of the prophetic year, and 2520 as the highest expression of chronological completeness:
“This is the number, however, which gives us the great Zodiacal, Prophetic, and Biblical year of 360 days, which was given originally to Noah, and employed by the Babylonians and Egyptians. […] It is the multiplication of seven of these great Zodiacal circles, or years, by seven, which gives us the great number expressive of chronological perfection (360×7=2520).”
(Part I, Chapter II — Design Shown in the Word of God)
Bullinger adds:
“The number 2520 is, perhaps, the most remarkable of all numbers, for 1. It is the summary of all the primary rectilinear forms. 2. It is the product of the four great numbers of completion or perfection (3×7×10×12=2520). 3. It is the Least Common Multiple (LCM) of all the ten numbers from which our system of notation is derived; for the LCM of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, is 2520.”
(Part I, Chapter II — Design Shown in the Word of God)
The Four Periods of 490 Years and the Seventy Weeks of Daniel
Bullinger argues that God’s dealings with Israel were divided into four periods of 490 years each (70×7):
“God’s dealings with His people have to do with actual duration of time rather than with specific dates; and we find that His dealings with Israel were measured out into four periods, each consisting of 490 (70 times 7) years. Thus:—
The 1st. From Abraham to the Exodus. The 2nd. The Exodus to the Dedication of Temple. The 3rd. From the Temple to Nehemiah’s return. The 4th. From Nehemiah to the Second Advent.”
(Part I, Chapter I — Chronology)
On the fourth period, based on Dan. 9:24-27:
“The ‘Seven weeks’ (7×7): 49. The ‘Threescore and two weeks’ (62×7): 434. ‘After’ this, Messiah was to be ‘cut off,’ and then comes this present interval, the longest of all, now more than 1890 years, to be followed, when God again deals with His people Israel, by ‘One week’: 7. [Total:] 490.”
(Part I, Chapter I — Chronology, note on Dan. 9:24-27)
Bullinger emphasises that the final ‘one week’ is yet future and concerns the Antichrist:
“This ‘one week’ must be future, because since Messiah was ‘cut off’ no prince has come and made a covenant with the Jews and in the ‘midst of the week’ caused ‘the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.’ […] All these four passages are the work of the same person, and that person is not Christ, but Antichrist. Besides, Messiah was ‘cut off’ after the ‘threescore and two weeks,’ i.e., at the end of the second of these three divisions. This cannot be the same event as that which is to take place ‘in the midst’ of the third of these three divisions.”
(Part I, Chapter I — Chronology, note on Dan. 9:24-27)
Interpretation: Bullinger defends a futuristic, dispensationalist reading of Dan. 9. The 70th week lies in the future and concerns the Antichrist. [TENSION with preterist or historicist interpretations of Dan. 9:27]
The Great Tribulation: 1260 Days / 42 Months (Mentioned Seven Times)
Bullinger observes that the half-period of Daniel’s last week is mentioned seven times in Scripture, in three languages and three forms:
“The half of the important Prophetic period (Daniel’s last week, or the last of the 70 weeks, Dan 9:27) is mentioned seven times. […] Though the period is given in three different languages, two Testaments, and three forms (years, months, and days) the number is still seven:—
Daniel 7:25, Chaldee, ‘Time, and times, and the dividing of time’ — 1 Daniel 12:7, Hebrew, ‘Time, times, and an half’ — 1 Revelation 12:14, Greek, ‘Time, and times, and half a time’ — 1 Revelation 11:2, 13:5, ‘Forty and two months’ — 2 Revelation 11:3, 12:6, ‘Twelve hundred and sixty days’ — 2”
(Part I, Chapter II — Design Shown in the Word of God)
Interpretation: Bullinger sees the sevenfold occurrence of the 3.5-year period as proof of supernatural design in Scripture. The seven references are Dan. 7:25; Dan. 12:7; Rev. 11:2; Rev. 11:3; Rev. 12:6; Rev. 12:14; Rev. 13:5.
Daniel’s Image: Four Gentile Kingdoms and the Fifth Monarchy
Bullinger connects the four metals of Daniel’s image to the coming Kingdom of Christ:
“Three have already passed away; the fourth is approaching its end; and presently, the ‘power’ which was committed to the Gentiles shall be given to Him ‘whose right it is,’ and the fifth monarchy (illustrated by the Rock out of which all the others proceed) shall swallow all up when the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ.”
(Part I, Chapter I — Chemistry)
Interpretation: Bullinger employs the classical four-kingdoms interpretation of Dan. 2 and expects a literal, future Kingdom of Christ following the fall of the Gentile powers.
Number 666 and the Antichrist
Bullinger connects the number 666 to the Greek letter Stigma (ς) and its alleged mystical significance:
“This letter ς (called Stigma) is used for the number 6. Why this letter and number should be thus associated we cannot tell, except that both are intimately connected with the ancient Egyptian ‘mysteries.’ The three letters SSS (in Greek ΣΣΣ) were the symbol of Isis, which is thus connected with 666. Indeed the expression of this number, Χξς, consists of the initial and final letters of the word Χριστος (Christos), Christ, viz., X and ς, with the symbol of the serpent between them, X—ξ—ς.”
(Part II — Introduction, Greek Alphabet)
Note: The full dedicated chapter on 666 is listed in the Table of Contents of Part II but was not present in the extracted text (extraction cut off before that chapter).
Resurrection (anastasis) — 42 Occurrences in the NT
Bullinger argues that the word ‘resurrection’ and related terms occur in multiples of seven in the NT:
“ἀνάστασις (anastasis): rising again: 1 resurrection: 39 raised to life again (with ἐκ): 1 the first that should rise (with πρῶτος ἐξ): 1 [Total:] 42”
(Part I, Chapter II — Occurrences of Words in the New Testament)
Interpretation: Bullinger sees the total of 42 (= 6×7) as part of a system of sevenfold occurrence schemes demonstrating the supernatural design of Scripture.
The Number 7 in the Apocalypse
Bullinger documents extensively that key eschatological words in Revelation occur in multiples of seven:
“In the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ, seven seems to be the predominating number, not only used as a numeral, but in the occurrences of the important words: […] βασιλεύω (basileuo), reign, 5:10, 11:15,17; 14:6, 20:4,6, 22:5, 14 occurrences elsewhere, making 21 in all; […] ἄβυσσος (abussos), bottomless, 9:1,2 / bottomless pit, 9:11, 11:7, 17:8, 20:1,3; […] μακάριος (makarios), blessed, 1:3, 14:13, 16:15, 19:9, 20:6, 22:7,14.”
(Part I, Chapter II — Occurrences of Words in the Apocalypse)
Bullinger also notes: “δρεπάνον (drepanon), sickle, 14:14,15,16,17,18 (twice), 19” — seven occurrences of the harvest/judgment image.
PALMONI — the Angel of Prophetic Numbers
Bullinger discusses Dan. 8:13 in connection with a holy angel whose function concerns prophetic numbers:
“His name is ‘PALMONI,’ and it means ‘the numberer of secrets, or the wonderful numberer.’ So that there is one holy angel, at least, whose function has to do with numbers. Numbers, therefore, and their secrets, hold an important place in the words as well as in the works of God.”
(Part I, Chapter II — Design Shown in the Word of God)
New Creation
Bullinger refers briefly to the new heavens and the new earth in connection with the genealogy of Pharez (Ruth 4:18):
“the last, which relates to Pharez (Ruth 4:18), contains the first mention of the name of David, and tells of the Perfect One—David’s Son and David’s Lord, who shall restore perfection to His people as well as to the new heavens and the new earth.”
(Part I, Chapter II — Genealogies)
Interpretation: This is an incidental mention; no developed doctrine of new creation is elaborated.