Day-year principle

The day-year principle or year-for-a-day principle is a method of interpretation of Bible prophecy in which the word day in prophecy is considered to be symbolic of a year of actual time. It was the method used by most of the Reformers, and is used principally by the historicist school of prophetic interpretation. It is held by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the Christadelphians. The day-year principle is also used by the Baháʼí Faith, as well with by most all astrologers who employ the "Secondary Progression" theory, aka the day-for-a-year theory, wherein the planets are moved forwards in the table of planetary motion (known as an ephemeris) a day for each year of life or fraction thereof. The astrologers say that the four seasons of the year are directly spiritually, phenomenologically like the four "seasons" of the day. Proponents of the principle, such as the Seventh-day Adventists, claim that it has three primary precedents in Scripture: The Israelites will wander for 40 years in the wilderness, one year for every day spent by the spies in Canaan. The prophet Ezekiel is commanded to lie on his left side for 390 days, followed by his right side for 40 days, to symbolize the equivalent number of years of punishment on Israel and Judah respectively. This is known as the Prophecy of Seventy Weeks. The majority of scholars do understand the passage to refer to 70 "sevens" or "septets" of years—that is, a total of 490 years. While not listed as primary precedent by the proponents, a direct reference to the day-for-a-year concept is made in Genesis. Laban requires an additional seven years of work in contract for Rachel's hand in marriage, calling it a week. Jon Paulien has defended the principle from a systematic theology perspective, not strictly from the Bible. The day-year principle was partially employed by Jews as seen in Daniel 9:24–27, Ezekiel 4:4-7 and in the early church.