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Four 490-Year Intervals in the Old Testament

God has used in the entirety of the scriptures, Old and New Testament, to give the message of His Great Love with redemption through Jesus Christ that contains incredible patterns of consistency dealing with numbers, idioms, patterns of how He deals with everything, and so much more that computer algorithms are now discovering more and more astonishing encryptions.   The science of the numbers in the scriptures is called Gematria, and it is a proof that God authenticates the source of the scriptures is God.

There are four pattern periods of 490-Years between calendar events in the Old Testament that show a significance and pattern of God dealing with number 70 and 490 that many Biblical Scholars equate and link as part of Jesus Christ's answer dealing with forgiving in Matthew 18:22.

The four patterns of 490-years are:

1. Abraham to the Exodus was 490-years when subtracting the time that Ishmael was with Abraham.
2. Exodus to the Temple Completion was approximately 490-years when adding the time of building and installing of Temple furnishing.
3. Babylonian Captivity because Israel owed God for 490-years of not giving the land its Sabbaths.
4. Solomon's Temple to the Edict of Artaxerxes was 490-years

After the fourth event is the most amazing prophecy concerning the Messiah being "cut-off", executed, for the sins of the world that is contained in the 69-Weeks of Daniel message from the Angel Gabriel to Daniel.  The start date was 14-March-445 BC that after 173,880 days the Messiah would be executed on Wednesday, 5-April-32 AD.  See Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 topics for more wonderful details about Jesus Christ's Glorious achievement.

There are some 490-year pattern documents, that the reader may encounter, that state there is a fifth 490-period after the time of Artaxerxes to day of Pentecost, but the calculations are contrived and incorrect as the 490-years would end approximately 5-April-46 AD, which is many years after Pentecost.  The starting point of the 69 Weeks of the Daniel 9:20-27, from Angel Gabriel's message to Daniel, is set in concrete to the exact day that Jesus Christ would be Crucified, which is a period 173,880 days, which is 476 years and 22 days with the starting point of 14-March-445 BC.  

Additionally, some websites state that there was a sixth 490-year period which consisted of a 483 years from the 14-March-445 BC starting point with a remaining 7 years that is the 70th Week of Daniel that contains the Tribulation Period.   This is contrived and incorrect, even though it appears to be a wonderful and hopeful calculation.

The Daniel 9:20-27 prophecy of 173,880 days for the Messiah, Jesus Christ, being "cut-off"  is undeniably exact.   Attempts to include some 490-year period around it that includes the two previous fifth and sixth calculations are spurious, contrived and even offensive to the Word of God.

Forgiving Someone until 490 Times?

When reading the scriptural passage of Matthew 18:15-35, we can understand the natural thought process the Disciples were progressively asking questions of Jesus Christ that lead to forgiving 490 times teaching by Jesus Christ.  The Grace and Mercy of God is exemplified by Jesus Christ story of forgiving of a debt by a king that was beyond the amount of anyone repaying. 

Points to consider on the full scriptural passage of Matthew 18:15-35:

1. Jesus in earlier verses of Matthew 18 is explaining sin can cause others to sin, and there are many stumbling blocks in life to overcome.  The most precious in God's view are Children.
2. The Disciples began a process that can be described as a natural thought process of progression in asking how God and everyone should forgive sins along with how many time to forgive.
3. After Jesus Christ explains a limit of forgiving of "seventy times seven" which is 490 times, then Jesus Christ speaks about a forgiveness that is so large that no one could repay concerning a King. 
   (a) In the parable, the King is God the Father.
   (b) The Kingdom is the Kingdom of Heaven
   (c) The slave, which is a servant that has a job function for the King is forgiven but the slave does not forgive others.  The King expected the slave to forgive others as evidenced by pattern that the King has shown the slave. 
   (d) The forgiveness amount by the King, to the slave, represents the debt of a lifetime.  That is exactly the predicament that we all have that required Jesus Christ's payment for our sins that dealing with our entire life.
   (e) The forgiveness not given by the slave to his  fellow slave represents a small debt.  The King, a representation of God the Father, expected the slave to forgive his fellow slave just as the King had done for the slave.  This is also exactly the requirement we have in our lives. 
   (f) When taking this parable by Jesus Christ with the entirety of the scriptures, then we know forgiveness is additionally about removing our anger and desires for revenge from our thoughts.  We still are to have human government exercise justice for crimes and allow God to handle good and bad sowing and reaping.

In the parable the money, currency, and scales of debt: that are referenced in the King was collecting debts owed to him by his slaves, which is a modern-day servant who is performing job functions:

• A Talent is the most valuable description of a momentary figure.  It is not a coin but a description of a weight of gold or silver that would equate to a specified value.  In the year 2023 it could be equated to a figure around 25,000 USD. 
• Dnari is a coin of ancient Roman commerce, that was made of silver.  It was often equated to a wage for a day's labor, where a few Biblical Scholars have stated that it could be equated to wage of the lowest paying job in a position of manual labor.  In the year of 2023, this could be equated to a figure of 100 USD.

Applying the estimated values from Jesus Christ's King forgiving of debt parable:

• The King forgave the slave a debt of 250,000,000 USD. 
• The slave that was forgiven by the King, would not forgive the fellow slave of 10,000 USD. 
• The amount repayable by the fellow servant could be achieved.  The amount forgiven by the King could never be repaid.

There is Absolutely No Sin to cause Loss of Salvation

It is impossible to lose Salvation once it is received from God after requesting Jesus Christ to be our Savior.  If it were possible to lose our Salvation, then everyone of us would lose it eventually as we are not capable of living perfect lives, but as we grow older, we should be growing in our love of God so that we should be improving in our life to focus on righteousness.  Our improvement is about to sinning less and less where we constantly need God's Grace and Mercy.

490-Years

There is area that not all Christians know about which is the perfection in the scriptures in the use of numbers that validates the scriptures' source is form God.  The scriptures always use consistency of numbers, phrases, idioms and so much more to convey a specific meaning and underlying message.  As an example, we know that our God is a God of Three and three is always used in the scriptures as completion and perfection. 

When examining the history of Israel, there are four distinct periods of 490-Years that have a specific duration that is not accidental.  Everything God does is in perfection where with the perfection, God always shows in the details.

70-Years

The scriptural history of Israel when examining the four different periods of 490-years, there is a unique 70-year period dealing with a Judgment against Israel for not doing something for 490-years.  The judgment is discussed later in this topic, where it is not a coincidence that Jesus Christ uses "seventy times seven" in His discussion with the Apostles. 

Jesus Christ could have just stated we are to forgive 490 times, or 489 times plus one, or 500 times minus 10.  Since "seventy" was used then God in His perfection is relating something additional in the scriptural passage to authenticate God is the source of the entire Bible.  One of the ancient rabbinical beliefs that the "seventy" is a remez, meaning pointing to something in the scripture having a deeper meaning along with the initial correct meaning.

First - Abraham to the Exodus was 490-Years

The significance of Abraham to the Exodus of Egypt is God is making and keeping a promise to the people of the Nation of Israel.  God promises in Genesis 15:5 was to Abram, later renamed to Abraham, would be a father that has descendents as numerous as the stars in the sky.  Next the promise included the land that would be Abraham's descendents that was the land the Moses and Joshua conquered and possessed after the Exodus period.

The years calculation based on the scriptures show there was a 490 year period between the promise and the receiving the promise by Moses after the Exodus.  Note we are not told in the scriptures:

• An exact age for Ishmael such as 14 years and 5 months. 
• An exact age of Isaac's weaning being complete.  Some sources of weaning state no younger than six months to begin weaning, where Isaac would have been at least seven months and still less than a year old to start eating adult food along with drinking water and goat's milk.

Regardless of the exact ages of Ishmael and Isaac, there is enough preponderance of the dates and years in the scriptural passage to reasonably show that there was 490-Years.  The reason for subtracting the fifteen years of Ishmael being in the camp with Abraham and Sarah, was Ishmael was not the child of promise, Genesis 21:10 and 21:16, so his time at the camp is subtracted. 

Note that it is interesting the prophecies concerning Ishmael in Genesis 16:12, which have been true from that time until the present dealing with the problems in the Middle-East of nations against Israel.

Second - Exodus to the Temple Completion was an Approximate 490-Years

There are several interesting theories on trying to map 490-Years out of the period of time from the Exodus to the Temple construction completed.  Unfortunately, the scriptures do not support all the theories that this author has read.  King Solomon completed the building of the temple in the eleventh year of his reign, where King Solomon began the Temple building in the fourth year of his reign as King.

After the physical building structure was completed, then King Solomon had the task of constructing, installing and providing other features to the Temple areas and inside the Temple which included:

• Sacrificial Equipment
• Bronze Basin
• Two Pillars: Jachin and Boaz

The time to complete these additional areas can be estimated to be two and half years where "1 Kings 7-51" states at the point of these areas being completed then the Temple was finished.  Note that this author has not see the two and half years estimate in any Biblical Commentaries but this is my theory.

Is there a 480 year scriptural reference error? No

Some Biblical Commentaries state there is an error in "1 Kings 6:1" because there could not have been 480 years after the Exodus from Egypt.  The correct Biblical Commentaries state that 480 years is absolutely percise as there are the periods of the Israel Servitudes that are not included.  There is a pattern that God uses many times in the scriptures to remove periods of time and people, such as the scripture Royal Blood line of Jesus Christ that removed four men that offended God greatly: Ahaziah, Joash, Amaziah and Jeconiah where Jeconiah had a blood lineage curse on him that is one reason for the virgin birth.

Perhaps one of the best is Sir Robert Anderson (1841-1918):

Using Sir Robert Anderson's explanation, which this author agrees:

These are the list of Servitudes, with Judges 10:7-8 that is only one area of Israel that is  of the Nation of Israel:

601 Incorrect Theory

So that the reader of this topic will be aware, there are some elaborate theories that propose, through archeological evidence plus theories, that there 601 years between the Exodus and the Temple completion.  This author has not seen any reasonable calculation to build the 601 years that match scriptures.  Therefore is this author's opinion that the 601 years starting point theory is wrong for two reason:

1. No scriptures to prove the starting point of 601 years since the Exodus.
2. The 601 year theory incorrectly includes #5, highlighted in red as required to make the calculations end with 490, where the mistake is for those 18-years, Israel was only oppressed beyond the river Jordan, in the land of Gilead

Third - Babylonian Captivity, 490-Years because of not observing the Sabbaths

There are two law requirements for Israel concerning the Sabbaths with the land, and one concerning the 50th year for the land. 

1. The first is to not work on the seventh-day, Exodus 20:9-11
2. The second is to not work the land after the seventh-year, Exodus 23:11 and Leviticus 25:4. 
3. Additionally there is the Jubilee year that land was not to be worked that had special instructions, Leviticus chapter 25.

The years that the nation of Israel collectively had not observed the seventh-day was 490-years, therefore God stated there was going to be 70-years of the land not being available as a consequence.  Notice in 2 Chronicles 36:21, God is stating the land will "enjoy its Sabbaths", which means to lay unused and not kept orderly.  Also notice in Jeremiah 25:11, the land remaining unused is compared to a "desolate wasteland" which also means unused in state of desolation.

In Jeremiah 25:11, the consequences revealed in 2 Chronicles 36:21 are confirmed.  The Prophet Daniel, Daniel chapter 9, goes into fervent prayer knowing the seventy-years are almost completed, and Daniel wants God's guidance, intervention, and security for the people of Israel.

Fourth - Solomon's Temple to the Edict of Artaxerxes to Rebuilding of Jerusalem was 490-Years

Note that some Biblical Time-Lines have different years of the approximation of Ark of the Covenant placed in the Temple built by King Solomon.  Regardless of the year approximations, we can have complete 100% confidence in God keeping His Promises, Prophecies and His Word being Holy. This author respects the outstanding research done to yield the approximation, which this author relies upon.  Therefore, the undeniable period of 490-years in-between Solomon's Temple dedication and Artaxerxes is absolutely 490-years because of many other areas of proof that are absolutely amazing.

The two scriptural passages of "1 Kings 8:1-11" and "Nehemiah 2:1-6" give us the starting point of the 490 years and the ending point of the 490 years:

The starting point of the Ark of the Coventant placed in the Temple, that was established in the previous section of this topic proves it was in the year 1005 BC.  The date that the King Artaxerxes gives Nehemiah authority to rebuild the Temple in the destroyed city of Jerusalem is confirmed by the points listed above in this topic.  In Jeremiah 29:10, God gives Israel the wonderful news that Israel would return and rebuild the Temple and the city of Jerusalem.

Concluding Remarks regarding Matthew 18:22

The entirety of scriptures inform us of the Glory of God and the wonderful good news of God's plan to enable us to spend Eternity with Him.  The scriptures, such as Matthew 5:18, are perfect and there are no mistakes where this gives us comfort, hope and Faith.

The Parable of the King forgiving His slave the debt that was beyond the ability to be repaid that Jesus Christ speaks about in Matthew 18:15-35, informs us there is no limit to forgiveness to enable us to enter Eternity with God.  The statement of "seventy times seven" lets us know that there are limitations to Grace and Mercy in our lives to stop sinful actions before negative consequences will occur. 

Seventy times seven is four hundred and ninety (490), and 490 is not meant to be a marker to let a Christian continuing in sinful actions, where the Christian might incorrectly think there will be no negative consequences if stopped at the 489th occurrence.  Sowing and Reaping, when understanding the scriptures, let us know that consequence can be done by a single action as was the case of the most well-known single sinful action of Adam and Eve with the Forbidden Fruit.

There is no contradiction of forgiveness to enter Eternity with God and receiving punitive consequences in our Earthly lives.  The 490-year patterns in the Old Testament is there for at least these reasons:

1. Show God's incredible use of patterns in numeric usages that confirms God is the source of the scriptures and Master of human-beings' history with starting and finishing time-periods.
2. Show God's perfection in confirmation of 490 with the history of periods in the Old Testament to validate Jesus Christ's speaking of 490 being a limit and number of completion.

What to read next?

(a) Adam's Lineage carries the message of the Gospel, (b) the Daughters of Zelophehad was required for the Royal Blood Line of Jesus Christ, (c) Three Days in the Bible, (d) The Tenth Man, Blotted out and the Blood Curse of Jeconiah, (e) Time Domains (f) Ten or more Dimensions