[SoothingDave]

you would have a minor point, but I do have a literal translation of those 70 weeks that point to Christ. If you say those 70 weeks are figurative, than you should have an idea of what they refer to.

You have a figurative translation of those 70 weeks. A literal translation is that they would be 490 days. You know, 70 weeks. Period.

Plus those "70" units are a literal 70 units not 55 or 1236 or 34 units. They are 70 weeks. Now you have yet to show me one example of a figurative use of the debated terms.

OK, now you've changed the argument. You admit that a temporal word can be used outside of its normal, literal meaning. "70 weeks" is now "70 units of time." This is not literal. This is an interpretation.

Likewise, 40 days and 40 nights is an example of temporal words being used that do not necessarily mean their literal time period. It doesn't mean literally "40 days" but rather 40 "units" where each unit is defined as 1/40th of the actual amount of time being discussed. Ta Da!

SD

[JohnnyM]

You still haven't answered my question: Show me one case in the Bible where 40 days and 40 nights is used figuratively. Show me one case in the Bible where years are used in a prophecy and they are figurative. Just one. It shouldn't be too hard.

JM

[OLD REGGIE]

You are forgiven, my son. Now go say 5 of those speed talk "Hail Marys". ;o)

No sooner asked than
tick-tick-tick-tick-tick,
tick-tick-tick-tick-tick,
tick-tick-tick-tick-tick,
tick-tick-tick-tick-tick,
tick-tick-tick-tick-tick,
done!

Whew! I'm happy I didn't have to do five decades.

[al_c]

Just a little fyi ... the way I learned it is that the whole "40" thing was just a way of saying "a very long time." And before someone throws out the old standard "but if you learned that in the Catholic Church, you're wrong" thing ... I'll remind you that I was raised in a Disciples of Christ denomination church and converted to the Catholic Church in my 20s so I didn't learn anything in a Catholic school. As far as which church taught me that ... I'll just keep that one to myself.