The LORD showed Daniel some things that were simply…appalling. Empires collapsing, terrible destruction, ending of sacrifices and offerings, temple and city destroyed, times of great suffering. Could be depressing but in each of these segments he ends with the triumph of God’s people.
And now chapter 12 sums it all up – the ultimate triumph.
As the LORD has just shown Daniel a very specific vision about a great battle that will occur for many years, now he gives hope—The righteous dead will be raised to life and the wicked will have to face their wickedness. When you suffer so much, both are encouraging.
But this question brings with it several questions:
- Is this the end times as the uninspired subtitle seems to indicate?
- Is this a time that has already happened?
- What is meant by the 1290 days and 1335 days?
Clearly there is reference here to the day of judgment. The wicked will suffer eternal contempt and the righteous unto eternal life. But is that it? There appears to be a fuller context.
If we look, we see that it says that the righteous will shine like stars in the dark times. We also see that the wicked will continue in their wickedness. This would lend itself that this text isn’t all about what happens to those who die, but is actually descriptive of people who are living. The righteous will become wise and the wicked just won’t stop their wickedness.
Then we have reference to the ending of the daily sacrifices and the abomination that causes desolation. This is definitely a reference yet again of chapter 9. We also have v. 7 which is the “power of the holy people has been finally broken.”
This seems again to be the temple with it’s sacrifices and offerings being destroyed, and then the destruction of the city by Titus as the abomination that causes desolation.
What this section seems to be saying is that there will be terrible distress (v. 1) on the land, but be encouraged. Those who are killed during these times will one day be resurrected to life, and those doing this evil will one day be resurrected to eternal punishment.
Based on the reality that people are still living, I think this isn’t end times but rather as the text actually says, “the time of the end.”. The end of the temple which was the central part of Judaism and the power of the Jewish people. Nothing else could really describe the power of the people being broken like the temple being destroyed.
But what about the 1290 days and 1335 days? Perhaps the 1290 days is the times, times and half a time. Three and a half years is 1260 days. But the old Jewish calendar occasionally had leap months instead of leap days every 4 years. Add another month and you get the 1290 days.
As for the 1335 days? Perhaps it is saying that the suffering will last a little longer. This is really not certain.
To me all the textual indicators point to this being fulfilled in the first century. But as we know history has layers and repeats itself.
Will there be more times of terrible suffering? Guaranteed.
Will the righteous who stay true in the darkness matter? Definitely. They will be like the stars.
Is there a still a hope for those who die in the LORD? Absolutely.
This is the hope. No matter whether we live or whether die, hold on to righteousness for there is an eternal story.
