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THE 1260, 1290, AND 1335 TIME PROPHECIES OF DANIEL 12
Daniel 12:7,11,12 ...'And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon
the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and
an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished ... And from the time that the daily
sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.'
The mistake that many people make regarding the 70 weeks prophecy of Daniel 9, is in disconnecting it from the 2300 day prophecy of Daniel 8. The same mistake is made regarding these time prophecies of Daniel 12. Many people disconnect them from the previous chapters, placing them in the future, and thus coming to a completely wrong understanding of them. So let us look at the whole context of Daniel chapter 8 to Daniel chapter 12.
In Daniel 8, God gives Daniel a vision with a ram, a goat and a little horn power, and the time prophecy given is 2300 'days.' At the end of the chapter in verse 27 we are told that none understood the vision, including Daniel. In chapter 9, while praying to God for forgiveness for Israel, Gabriel comes to Daniel and tells him in verses 22-23 "I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding ... therefore understand the matter and consider the vision." What did Daniel NOT understand? What vision was he to consider? The very one he didn't understand, the 2300 'days' vision with the ram, goat and little horn in chapter 8. Gabriel then gives Daniel the 70 weeks prophecy, which everyone agrees is 490 years, not literal days, with a starting point of ... "from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem.". THIS is the 'understanding' that Gabriel gives Daniel concerning the 2300 'day' prophecy of chapter 8. Do you see? This is so important to understand. This proves beyond doubt that the 70 weeks is connected with the 2300 'days' and therefore the 2300 'days' must be prophetic time just like the 70 weeks and is 2300 literal years, just as the 70 weeks is 490 literal years.
You can see indepth studies proving these points on our pages THE 2300 DAY PROPHECY OF DANIEL and THE 70 WEEKS OF DANIEL.
Moving into chapter 10 of Daniel, we are still in the context of Daniel 8 and 9. We know this because in verse 1 of chapter 10 it confirms that the "time appinted" for the vision "was long." Which must be referencing the 2300 'days' (literal years) and the 70 weeks (490 literal years). Daniel had understanding of the vision as verse 1 confirms, but the fact that verses 2-3 tell us that Daniel fasted and mourned for 3 weeks, show us that Daniel still wanted more understanding concerning the 2300 days and 70 weeks. Then an angel tells Daniel in verse 14 of chapter 10 ... "Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days." What vision is for many days? Clearly the 2300 year vision. Daniel is then given a long hisorical account from the days of Medo Persia, when the 70 weeks and 2300 day prophecies were to begin, right up to the end of time in Daniel 12:1-2. And you will notice that Daniel 12:1 is a continuation from Daniel 11:45.
Do you see the greater context? All these chapters from 8 to 12 are linked and involve the same time prophecy, the 2300 'days' (years) of Daniel 8.
So now in verse 6 of chapter 12, one asks the question ... "How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?" What wonders? All that has been revealed to Daniel. And the answer given are the three time prophecies which we are examining in this page. But to come to a true understanding of these three time prophecies given in Daniel 12, we must understand the whole context of Daniel 8 to Daniel 12, as we have shown above. They are all linked together, and if anyone breaks that link by removing any of these time prophecies from the context and placing them into the future, like the Sunday churches do in removing the last week of the 70 weeks prophecy, breaking the linked chain, and placing it in the future, then that person will be on the path of error, not truth.
The moment you disconnect any of these time prophecies from the others in Daniel 8 to Daniel 12, you are on the path of error.
Time, Times and a Half - 1260
Daniel 12:7 ...'And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.'
We know that this time, times and a half, or 1260, is linked to the 2300 'days' (years), not just because it is linked in the context as we have shown above, but also because both times are connected with the trampling down and scattering of God's people, look:
Daniel 8:13-14 ...'How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.'
Daniel 12:7 ...'and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.'
Do you see? They are both connected with the trampling down and scattering of God's people. So this 1260 must also be years, not days, because it is so connected with the 2300, which are years. If you read our page linked above concerning the 2300 'day' prophecy, you will see that it spanned from 457 B.C. to 1844 A.D. Therefore, the 1260 years is a specific period of trampling down of God's people within that 2300 years timeline. So can we locate this 1260 years within the 2300? Yes. Take a look at the following verses:
Daniel 7:8,25 ...'I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn ... And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.'
Here we have the 'time, times and half a time' again, which is 1260 literal years. And who is it that reigns for this length of time? The little horn power. And what does the little horn power do during that time? "Wear out the saints of the most High." Exactly what Daniel 12 is referring to regarding the 'time, times and half a time' (1260 years) in that chapter. This little horn power in Daniel 7, which comes from the fourth beast (Pagan Rome) is none other than Papal Rome, as you will see from our page THE FOUR BEASTS OF DANIEL 7.
Think about this. The question in Daniel 12 was "How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?" That word 'wonders' literally means 'extraordinary,' 'astonished,' 'something too hard to comprehend.' If you go back and read Daniel 7, you will see that Daniel was mainly focused on the fourth beast (kingdom) and its little horn, due to it being different from all other, and that it would specifically wear out the saints for the 'time, times and half a time.' So too with the vision of Daniel 8. Would Daniel be troubled or in 'wonder' concerning the ram and goat (Medo-Persia and Greece) warring against each other? No. Civil nations warring against each other isn't an astonishing thing. What Daniel would have been astonished at, was this 'abomination of desolation,' which would trample the sanctuary and God's people under foot. Same too with Daniel 11. This chapter is simply a literal history of kingdoms since the time of Persia warring against each other. Would that have been a 'wonder' to Daniel? No. But again, this 'abomination of desolation' (verse 31) would have been. Why? Well, look at what the apostle John said in Revelation regarding the Mother of harlots:
Revelation 17:6-7 ...'And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel?'
Again we have this power that tramples down the people of God. And what does John do? 'WONDER.' And not with a fondness as the English seems to portray. But with great astonishment. Now would Daniel or John be astonished at a heathen kingdom persecuting God's people? No, they have seen that all too often before, and expect it. So why were they both astonished at this particular power? Because it was a professed Christian power. Daniel and John were shown the SAME power - the Papal Church of Rome. One that professes to follow Jesus Christ, and yet at the same time unite with the heathen state and persecute God's own people!
Please see our pages WHO IS THE WHORE OF BABYLON and 29 CHARACTERISTICS OF ANTICHRIST to see that the little horn of Daniel and the harlot of Revelation is the Roman Catholic Church.
"It was in A.D. 533 that Justinian issued this decree declaring the Bishop of Rome head of the church and 'corrector of heretics;' but it was not until five years later that the last of the three Arian powers that opposed the pretensions of the Pope was destroyed and driven from before Rome. From this date, A. D. 538, for twelve hundred and sixty years, or until 1798, when the Papacy was temporarily abolished by the French, the Pope held sway over the people of God, fulfilling to the letter Dan. 7:25." (American Sentinel, June 1, 1893, p.170)
The Roman Catholic Church began its unrestricted reign over the world in 538 A.D. when the last of the barbarian tribes were destroyed with the help of King Clovis of France who converted to Catholicism. And the reign of Papal Rome came to its end in 1798 when the French army, under General Berthier, marched into Rome and deposed the pope. How amazing that it was France who helped place the Roman Catholic Church into power and France who took that power away. The providence of God! It was Papal Rome that placed the heaviest and most brutal persecution upon God's people, with some historians claiming over 50 million people killed at the hands of Papal Rome during her reign. Which is why both Daniel and John 'wondered' (were astonished) at this prophecy, and which is why God prophesied specifically of the reign of Papal Rome in this 1260 years of Daniel 12.
So the 1260 of Daniel 12 is a prophecy of the 1260 years of Papal rule from 538 A.D. to 1798.
Thousand two Hundred and Ninety days - 1290
12:11 ...'And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days'
Once again, this verse shows that chapter 8 through to chapter 12 are connected. In Daniel 8:13 the question is asked concerning the daily and the transgression of desolation (or as above says, abomination that maketh desolate - same thing.) In Daniel 11:31 we are told that the daily would be taken away to place the abomination that maketh desolate. And here in Daniel 12:11 we are given a time prophecy from the taking away of the 'daily' to place the abomination of desolation. So you cannot separate any of these prophecies. They are all linked together in one chain within the longest time prophecy of Daniel, the 2300 years, which you will see from our study page on the 2300 DAYS OF DANIEL, spans from 457 B.C. to 1844 A.D.
The 'daily' (the word 'sacrifice' is supplied and doesn't belong in the text) points to the daily abomination of Paganism that Satan used to trample underfoot God's people. Which is why in Daniel 8 the question is asked 'how long shall the daily and abomination of desolation trample underfoot the sanctuary and host' (Daniel 8:13). The daily has nothing to do with any sanctuary sacrificial service. It points to the continual abomination of Pagan rulership. And Daniel chapter 8 through to Daniel chapter 11 includes this daily (Pagan abomination). But in Daniel 12, God is specifically focusing on the setting up and timeline of the Papal abomination. The 1260 'days' prophesied of the number of years the Papal abomination would reign, from 538 A.D. to 1798. And the 1290 now pinpoints the time when the daily (Pagan rulership) would be taken away to put in place the Papal rulership (a church-state alliance, with the church ruling the state).
Now Daniel 12:11 as it reads makes it sound like the 1290 'days' is the length of time from the taking away of the Pagan 'daily' until the setting up of the Papal abomination. But what it is saying is ... "And from the time that the daily shall be taken away, in order to set up the abomination of desolation, there shall be 1290 'days' (literal years) from then, until the end of this abomination." In giving us the 1260 'day' prophecy, God is telling us the length of time the Papal abomination would rule - 1260 years from 538 to 1798. In giving us the 1290 'days' God is giving us the length of time from when the rulership of Paganism would be taken down in order to place the Papal, until the end of Papal rule.
So where do we place this 1290 years? Well, if we look at history, we can see that when Emperor Constantine moved his capital from Rome to Constantinople, he left a vacant seat of power in Rome, which the bishops desired to fill. Up until the conversion of King Clovis of France to Catholicism, France and other nations of Western Rome were Pagan. Constantine had already converted to Catholicism and was uniting church and state in the Eastern empire. After the conversion of King Clovis in 496 A.D., France and the other nations of Western Rome were also brought into subjection to Catholicism, and by 508 A.D., all the nations of the broken Roman Empire had been subjected to Catholicism. And so Pagan rule had been replaced with Catholic rule. The 'daily' (Pagan abomination) had been 'taken away' to set up the Papal abomination. But the pope in Rome did not himself have complete rule over the nations at this point in 508 A.D. That was to come 30 years later.
"From the above extracts from history it is seen that in Clovis, king of France, was the supremacy of the Catholics, and in him was vested the civil power of state in the ten-horned kingdom of Rome from 508 up to 538. This power then passed into the hands of the pope who held it for 1260 years, up to 1798." (Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, January 24, 1856, p.130)
To understand this prophecy more fully, it is important to understand what the apostle Paul spoke of in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-10. Paul warns of the 'man of sin'
that was coming. And Paul says ... "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then
shall that Wicked be revealed." The words 'he who now letteth will let,' actually means in the original Greek, 'he who NOW HOLDS BACK.' There was something
IN PAUL'S DAY which was holding the man of sin back. What power was ruling in Paul's day? Pagan Rome! And it was this 'daily' abomination that was witholding the
man of sin (PAPAL Rome). Notice that Paul even repeats the words of the prophecy of Daniel in saying that this power which was 'holding back' the man of sin
had to be 'taken out of the way.' What did Daniel 12:11 say? "the daily [sacrifice] shall be taken away." Do you see? This 'daily'
was Paganism, which needed to be deposed of its power in order for the Papacy (man of sin) to ascend to power.
So the 1290 of Daniel 12 is a prophecy of the 1290 years from 508 A.D., the time when Paganism was deposed of its civil power and replaced with a false Christianity power (Catholicism), leading up to the time when the Papal power would come to an end in 1798.
Thousand Three Hundred and Five and Thirty days - 1335
Daniel 12:12 ...'Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.'
This time prophecy is clearly a continuation from the 1290 years which ended in 1798. Verse 11 ends with the 1290, and then verse 12 continues this timeline by saying "Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days." So clearly it is a continuation, not 1335 years from 1798, but from 508. What verse 12 is saying is, "there will be 1290 years from the taking away of the daily ... blessed are those who continue and wait until 1335 years after the taking away of the daily." A clear continuation from 1290 years, up to 1335 years after 508 A.D. And what year do we reach, 1335 years after 508? 1843.
Was there a blessing to those who came to 1843? Yes, a blessing because of the unsealing of the prophecies of Daniel and truth of God's Word and law. A blessing that light and truth would shine forth to free people from the shackles of error of the Roman Church. A blessing because God would now gather His true remnant people, after His people were scattered and under oppression for millenia. This was fulfilled with the preaching of William Miller concerning the end of the 2300 'day' (years) prophecy of Daniel 8, and the light that shined upon our Adventist pioneers concerning the ministry of Christ in heaven, the sanctuary, the commandments of God and faith of Jesus.
Jesus said to His disciples ... "Blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear" (Matthew 13:16). The light and truth which came to our Adventist pioneers, while the other churches shut out that light, was a real blessing. And this was prophesied in Revelation 10. The angel with the 'open book' symbolized the prophecies of Daniel which were 'closed' and sealed (Daniel 12:4), but now open and unsealed. John is told to 'eat the book,' which was 'sweet in his mouth,' a prophecy of the experience of our pioneers as they studied, and God 'opening' the prophecies of Daniel to them. Then the 'bitter in the belly' experience as they misunderstood the event at the end of the 2300 years, thinking that Christ was to return to cleanse the earth. But oh what blessing to be tried and purified through the bitter disapointment, and then even more light to shine from the Word of God as they continued to study to find their mistake and see the truth that Christ wasn't coming to earth to cleanse it, but was entering His final phase as our High priest in the heavenly sanctuary to cleanse it and God's people from sin.
So the 1335 of Daniel 12 is a prophecy of the 1335 years from 508 A.D., the time when Paganism was deposed of its civil power and replaced with a false Christianity power (Catholicism), leading up to the time when the prophecies of Daniel were opened and God began to gather His people in the truth of His law and faith of Jesus.
These time prophecies show that our 7th day Adventist pioneers preached the truth of God's Word. All other churches tear these time prophecies from their context and make a complete mess of them. While our Adventist pioneers were receiving the light from heaven and the light from the prophecies of Daniel which were opening to them in the 1840's and onwards, and went forward preaching the three angels messages of Revelation 14, which are closely connected to the prophecies of Daniel, the other churches rejected this light from heaven and thus the proclamation was given against them ... "Babylon is fallen, is fallen!" (Revelation 14:8), repeated in Revelation 18:2. And God's call for His people who are still in these fallen churches is to come out of them and join His true remnant people who walk in the light of heaven. Will you heed the call?