1,335 Days And 2,300 Days Series

The Prophecies of Daniel

Part 17: 1,335 Days and 2,300 Days

After seventeen weeks of study we have finally come to the end of our study on the prophecies found in the Old Testament book of Daniel. I don’t know about you, but I’m almost sorry to see it end. If you have suggestions for further studies you would like us to cover please let me know.

But this morning we are going to wrap up our studying by finishing what we started two weeks ago in Daniel 12. The prophecies found in the book of Daniel started out with the large picture. First, we saw the whole expanse of time called the Times of the Gentiles and what empires would be in power during this time. Then with each successive prophecy God revealed more and more details about these empires, and their leaders.

Then the last prophecies covered the last world leader, known as the Antichrist, in great detail. Telling us where he would come from, how he would come to power, what he would do to Israel, etc.

And with this final chapter in Daniel we have seen that God ends His visions to Daniel with two specific lengths of time. Let’s read Daniel 12:11-12, “From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. [12] Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.”

These two lengths of time are found nowhere else in Scripture. This fact makes them very difficult to understand, because while this passage tells us when to begin counting this length of time and how long they will last, it doesn’t tell us what happens at the end of these lengths of time. Why give us such specific dates? What is the importance of them? What is God trying to tell us?

Moedim – Appointed Times

Two weeks ago I showed you how I believe the clue to understanding these times and what events they mark can be found in the Jewish feast days or days of feasting and commemoration. I think this because the Bible tells us that certain end time events will occur at appointed times.

For example, in Daniel 8:19 an angel appears to Daniel and says, “…I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end.”

Daniel 11:27, 29, and 35 all mention something happening at the appointed time. And that phrase “appointed time” in the original Hebrew is the word moed from which comes moedim, a term referring to the Jewish holy days that occur each year at an appointed time.

9th of Av – The Beginning Date

So, in order to figure out at what appointed time these lengths of time will come to an end on, we first had to know at what appointed time they began. Daniel 11:12 told us to begin counting when the sacrifices are taken away and the Temple is made desolate. This will happen half way through the Tribulation period according to Daniel 9:27. So, we had to discover what Jewish holy day marks the middle of the seven-year Tribulation period. And I told you that I believe it will be the 9th of Av. This is a day of fasting and mourning for the Jewish people because of all the tragedy that has befallen them on this day throughout history.

But the fact that convinced me that the 9th of Av will mark the desecration of the third Temple by the Antichrist is the fact that both the first and the second Jewish temples were destroyed on the 9th of Av. It only seems reasonable then that the third Temple will likewise be desecrated on the same day.

1,290 Days – The Month of Adar and the Feast of Purim

With the 9th of Av being our starting point we then counted 1,290 days later or 3 years and 7 months into the future and came to the month of Adar and the feast of Purim. The entire month of Adar to Orthodox and Conservative Jews is a month of celebration and rejoicing.

The feast of Purim is observed in the month of Adar. This feast commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people from complete annihilation at the hands of one evil man. The fascinating thing about the feast of Purim and the story behind it is that it foreshadows the Tribulation period in great detail. You can read about the feast of Purim in the Old Testament book of Esther.

Now, knowing what the feast of Purim celebrates and knowing that the 1,290 days brings us to the time of year when this feast is celebrated we can begin to see why God gave us this specific length of time to make note of.