Bible scholars, particularly those who study the Book of Daniel, have been grappling with the intricacies of prophecy for decades. However, what if an important component of the puzzle has remained unnoticed because of a misinterpretation of time itself? After forty years of studying the Bible, Randall Gibbons thinks he has discovered the solution: the “Lo Ammi” years and how they affected the Hebrew calendar.
What are “Lo Ammi” Years?
The term “Lo Ammi” comes from the Book of Hosea (1:9), where God declares, “Call his name Lo-Ammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God.” In a prophetic sense, it signifies a period of broken covenant between God and Israel, a time of divine discipline.
But what does this have to do with days on the calendar? According to Gibbons, these periods of broken covenant caused the Hebrew calendar to be missing years on purpose, which he calls “missing years.” He thinks that these absences were not mistakes but deliberate attempts to hide certain prophecies about when things would happen until the “time of the end” (Daniel 12:4).
E.W. Bullinger’s Insight
Gibbons gives credit to E.W. Bullinger, author of “The Companion Bible,” for first pointing out these discrepancies. Bullinger noted that the traditional Jewish calendar reckoning didn’t align with certain historical and prophetic timelines in the Bible. However, Bullinger only scratched the surface. Gibbons contends that Bullinger didn’t fully account for all the missing years.
The Missing 323 Years
After the years of meticulous research, Randall James concluded that a total of 323 years are missing from the Hebrew calendar. The number he argues is not a random guess. It represents 17 cycles of 19 years each. The number 17, according to Bullinger, symbolizes “victory.” For Randall James this signifies God’s ultimate victory in restoring the true understanding of His prophetic timeline.
Where did these years go? Gibbons explains that periods of national heresy and judgment led to the intentional omission of certain years from the calendar. These omissions served as a form of divine “sealing,” hiding prophetic truths until the appointed time. He does research by discovering “missing years” by using both calendars, he has proven over and over that one calendar cannot make sense without the other one.
Connecting to Hosea and Daniel
Gibbons sees a direct connection between Hosea’s prophecy of “Lo Ammi” and Daniel’s vision of the 70 weeks (Daniel 9:24-27). The 70 Weeks prophecy outlines a specific timeline for the coming of Messiah and the establishment of God’s kingdom. However, if the calendar is in accurate, the entire timeline is skewed.
BY accounting for the “Lo Ammi” years, Randall James Gibbons believes he can unlock a more accurate understanding of Daniel’s prophecy. He contends that these missing years explains why so many scholars have struggled to align the 70 weeks with historical events.
A call to Deeper Study
Randall James Gibbons acknowledges that his conclusion is controversial. However, he urges believers to examine the evidence for themselves. He encourages everyone to dig deeper into the Hebrew calendar, study the book Hosea, and prayerfully consider the implications of “Lo Ammi” years. His is the way to see how God ordains things that have happened and that are going to happen. He has made this calendar the way it is for a reason!
What this Means for Today
Randall’s discovery reminds us that there is still much for us to discover with one another as well as to see what God truly wants. By discovering the new information, we can come to learn that God is truly is on the throne. Also, that means that we have been on the earth for that long.