The number 490 comes up in scripture in connection with Daniels End-Time timeline. What is the significance of that number to me as a believer in Jesus and how does it fit into Daniel chapter 9, the bedrock of Bible prophecy? That’s what we are going to take a look at in today’s blog.

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Nebuchadnezzar’s World Conquering Kingdom Vision

• Nebuchadnezzar’s had a vision of a large image.
• The vision is recorded in Daniel two.

Daniel 2:31–35 (KJV) — 31 Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. 32 This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, 33 His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. 34 Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. 35 Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

• The dream the king of Babylon had was a vision of world empires.
• By the revelation ministry of the Holy Spirit, in the form of a night vision, Daniel gives the interpretation of the dream to Nebuchadnezzar.

Daniel 2:19,28 (KJV) — 19 Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel in a night vision. Then Daniel blessed the God of heaven… 28 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;

• There was the golden head of the image which was Babylon.
• Below that was the chest and arms of silver which was the dominating empire of the Medes and Persians.
• Next piece downward was the belly and the thighs of brass which was the almost complete world-conquering kingdom of the Greeks.
• And then came the legs mixed with iron and clay which was the Roman Empire.
• Lastly, there was the feet mixed again with iron and clay which is Antichrist’s kingdom yet to come.
• Jesus came to earth during the time of the Roman Empire, the time of the legs of iron.
• It was the last world dominating empire the world was to see.
• The Church age, which began with Jesus Ascension to heaven, has not seen a world-conquering empire.
• Germany tried to become one under Hitler but magnificently failed.
• The Soviet Union tried to become one but communism was torn down along with the bricks of the Berlin wall.
• What does all of this have to do with the prophetic timeline?

The Significance of the Number Four Hundred and Ninety Years

Daniel 9:24–27 (KJV) — 24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

• Three periods of time are given to Daniel to understand what will befall his people.
  • A seven-week period equating to 49 years.
  • A sixty-two week period equating to 434 years.
  • A one week period of 7 years.
• The total number of years equals 490 years.
• How do these three segments of years fit the chronological timeline of history?
• The Bible helps us here to understand.

Matthew 1:17 (KJV) — 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

• A Bible generation is 35 years.
• Multiple a Bible generation of 35 years by 14 and you get 490 years.
• So, from Abraham to David is 490 years.
• From David to Israel being taken captive by Babylon, is 490 years.
• And from the captivity in Babylon to the first coming of Jesus Christ as a babe in the manger, is 490 years.
• As you can see, the number, 490 years, has great significance.
• The prophetic timeline of 490 years is weaved together with major time periods in the history of Israel.

The Six Objectives of Daniels Four-Hundred-Ninety Years Prophecy

Daniel 9:24 (KJV) — 24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

• The entire 490 year period determined upon the people of Israel had six objectives.
  • To finish the transgression
  • To make an end of sins
  • To make reconciliation for iniquity
  • To bring in everlasting righteousness
  • To seal up the vision and prophecy
  • To anoint the most Holy
• The first four objectives are about sin and righteousness.
• Let’s look at these six areas in a little more detail.

Seventy Weeks Objective One: To Finish Transgression

• Part of the 70 weeks/490 year period was to ‘finish transgression’.
• The Hebrew word ‘finish’ means to come or bring to an end.
• It is the same word used of God in creation in Genesis two.

Genesis 2:1–2 (ESV) — 1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.

• In this 490 year block of time in Daniel nine, transgression will come to an end.
• The Hebrew word ‘transgression’ means evildoing or the violation of a law or a duty or moral principle.
• It means criminal actions or acts which break relationships within the community and with God¹
• During this prophetic segment, evildoing will be finished, violations of the law will be terminated, criminal actions which lead to a severing of relationship with God the Father will be forever no more.
• Sin’s career is done.
• In order for this to be true, there has to be atonement for sin within these 490 years.
• For atonement, there has to be a sacrifice.
• For sacrifice, there has to be a Lamb.
• A spotlessly pure Lamb.
• There has to be Jesus.
• Bible prophecy is rooted in the person of Jesus Christ.
• Following closely on the heels of objective one is objective two, ‘to put an end to sin’.
• We will pick-up here in next week’s blog.

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