The understanding of the 2,300 days being counted as years begins with a better understanding of the Jewish wedding. The bridegroom (in a Jewish wedding) comes at a day and hour determined by the father of the groom. After the groom comes for his bride, he takes her to the bridal chamber which he has prepared. They go into the bridal chamber for seven days or one week. The Hebrew word used for this week is shavuah. Shavuah means a "seven", and can mean seven days or seven years. An example of this word being used can be found in Daniel 9:24 and 25. This is where the converting of days to years was first understood in prophecy - with Daniel's vision of seventy weeks.

Going back now to the 2,300 days of Daniel contained in chapter 8, I find the content of verse 26 more interesting.

Daniel 8:26...And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.

The first thing to notice here is that Daniel is told that his vision of the evening and the morning was true. Since the vision which was told and explained in the previous verses did not include one about the evening and the morning, then I must take this as being a separate vision concerning the method of counting a day. Remember, in Genesis, each day is described as - "and the evening and the morning were the first day (etc.). This vision is the one that Daniel is told to shut up (not reveal or write about). This verse then, also points to another meaning of a "day" in this vision of things which will take 2,300 days to come to an end. It would further indicate that it was meant to be understood as literal days during that time period.

Through the playing out of history we (today) know that the seventy weeks of Daniel's later vision was weeks of years (one day equals a year). With this knowledge we can go back to the earlier vision (related to the 2,300 days) and apply the same principle. If this method is not correct then I would wonder: Why then do the 6,000 years and the 2,300 days of years come to an end exactly seven years apart - the exact length of the tribulation? It's as though we are being given bookends (events) to mark the beginning and the end of Daniel's final week.

On a final note, there is a pattern of items being counted as days of years (one day equals one year). Examples:

1. Daniels seventy weeks of years.
2. The Antichist's covenant of peace with Israel for one week.
3. Daniels 2,300 days of years.

In all fairness to those who have a different view, these are just my findings and conclusions; thus only time will tell for sure.

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