Daniel 12: 1 – 13
Questions Answered
3 Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. 4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” 5 Then I, Daniel, looked; and there stood two others, one on this riverbank and the other on that riverbank. 6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?” 7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished. 8 Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, “My lord, what shall be the end of these things?” 9 And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. 11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12 Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. 13 “But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.”
In verse 8 we read “8 Although I heard, I did not understand. Then I said, “My lord, what shall be the end of these things?”
Daniel was still puzzled by it all, and no doubt concerned by the accounts of desolation and persecution. Thus he wanted to know the final results of it. What would happen to the people of God?
I find it also confusing that I cannot find anyone who can properly answer questions about the things that are going on in this chapter. I tell you something and it is this. I have a problem with all of this. I know that I am not anyone special but do you remember when our Lord said as reported in the Gospel of John chapter 15, “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
So, I am my Lord Jesus Christ’s friend for He has made known His word to me. Should I then not know or understand His Word? Should I have to guess what the books of the bible like Daniel and Revelation are all about? I have looked at all the great teachers of today and the past and they do not know the truth of the word.
The only thing our Lord Jesus said that we all will not know is this as recorded in Matthew chapter 24. It is this chapter that our Lord Jesus Christ covered the same things that we read in this chapter of Daniel. So, let’s see what it says.
1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” 3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” 4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9 “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. 15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. 23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. 29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. 36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
I want to point out two things. Please note our Lord said, “36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” At the time our Lord was questioned by His disciples He did not know when all of this would take place. I will mention that He does now since all power and authority has been given to Him now that He Is back in Heaven.
The other point I want to mention is that our Lord Jesus Christ said, “15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand)”.
Do you see the phrase “let the reader understand”? Why did our Lord Jesus say that? He wanted us to know that he was pointing back to Daniel 12:11 because almost the same phrase is found in Daniel 12:10 where we read “those who are wise shall understand.”
Now if you look back again at chapter 12 of Daniel beginning at verse 9 we read,
9 And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand. 11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12 Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.
Those who were wicked would not understand; that is, they would not know that they were playing a part in the plan of God. Those who were wise, however, would know that they were playing a part in the plan of God. Indeed, they would know that the events that were occurring had been spoken of here in Daniel 11 and 12. Our Precious Holy Spirit Is assuring us that we will ‘understand’ His entire word.
I have gone throughout history and current popular bible teachers and I cannot find one who has or is willing to reveal what the word of God is teaching. This is amazing. Our God has given us His entire message. He Is not keeping any secrets from us so therefore we should be able to know what He says. Will you agree with me on this point?
We are going to take a look at some numbers which has mystified bible teachers throughout history. These numbers will be 1260, 1290, and 1335 days.
In verse 3 our Holy Spirit told Daniel,
3 Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.
‘Those who are wise’, are those who have understanding and have demonstrated it by their lives and faithfulness to God’s covenant. ‘As the brightness of the firmament.’ Daniel may have in mind a glorious day when the whole of the sky is shining with the glory of the sun. Their lives will be glorious. Having been raised by God, and having been refined in the fire of trial, their future is glorious.
Take a hard look at these words ‘Those who turn many to righteousness.’ Are all who participate in the forward-going of God’s purposes? For each who is faithful plays his and her full part in the work of turning many to righteousness. And he or she who is in any way unfaithful hinders that work. Have you done anything in your life to affect others? Have you ever shared the ‘Good News’ with someone else? Have you ever let other people know that you place your hope in trust in the Son of God? If not, I suggest that you get serious with this command.
4 “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”
The idea is not that the book is made so that it cannot be read, only that it’s final fulfillment awaits the time of the end. The book can now be shut up and sealed because it is completed. Then an official sealed copy can be preserved for official consultation while other copies are made available to all. Then the end will reveal its truth. The sealing was for authentication and identification.
5 Then I, Daniel, looked; and there stood two others, one on this riverbank and the other on that riverbank. 6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?”
The two men were angels. They were there only to observe and question, and to witness the oath. Possibly they are to be seen as attendants on the man in the linen clothes, emphasizing his importance. He himself was ‘above the waters’. This repetition emphasized that this great river, which was one of the two sources of the fruitfulness and life of the area, was under his authority. Their question was a simple one. How long would it be before all these awesome events were fulfilled?
7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.
What awesome events are happening? That my friends are what we are going to study today. As you might suspect, Daniel is confused. This story does not seem to have a happy ending. As you know Daniel lived through the destruction of the Temple and of the city of Jerusalem. In his visions he sees the future and finds out that it will happen again. And in fact the Jews will go through more persecution than ever before. How can God’s plan for the Jews end with the complete destruction of Jerusalem and the temple? How can God allow this to happen again? Daniel asks the angel for an explanation of this seeming discrepancy.
The angel stands firm in his message. He will not give Daniel the information that he seeks. The words have been shut up and sealed until the time of the end by Daniel himself. But two pieces of information he will give. Firstly that the purpose of all this is the refining and purifying of the righteous. They will ‘purify themselves and make themselves white by how they respond to the suffering in faith and obedience.
The angel reminds Daniel that the end of the vision would not occur for some time. He would not be personally affected by these events. Many good things and many bad things would happen before it came to pass.
In verse 10, the angel is assuring Daniel that God will bless those who are good and the wicked will perish. This is just what Daniel needed to hear since this vision ended with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. That is, it appeared that at the end of this vision the wicked were blessed and the good perished. The angel assures Daniel that just the opposite is true.
Daniel has seen the future but he doesn’t know when all this suffering will take place. He is not given a time but he is given a starting point, that is that all this horrible end time destruction will begin.
11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12 Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.
Daniel was told that everything will begin, when? 11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.
The 1290 days begins when these two things happen. This then brings us to verse one of chapter 12. Please note, ‘at that time’. This is when these two things have just happened.
“At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Michael, the great prince of angels is assigned by Jehovah Elyon – The Lord Most High - to watch over God’s people, will be ‘standing over them’, ever on the alert to watch over them and protect them. Michael is one of only two angels mentioned by name in Scripture. He is described by Jude 1.9 as an archangel, and in Revelation 12.7 he leads God’s army of angels. His part is to deal with the activities of the evil angels who seek to control the world, and to intervene to prevent their final misuse of the people of God.
Who were the people of God at this time? Christians? No, they were Israelites. Please note the verse again – ““At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book.”
What nation are we talking about? - Israel. When Daniel is told that his people would be delivered, again who are we talking about? The Jews
Revelation 12, gives us further insight into this matter starting in verse 7. “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, now is come salvation, and strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God, day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhibiters of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time.
And when the dragon saw that he was cast down unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was angry with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
Now look at these two paragraphs again. Remember we are talking about Jews during Daniel’s time. Some teachers liken the woman to the church because the church in the New Testament utilizes the term of ‘woman’ such as in the book of Ephesians chapter 4, “22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”
However, when you go back and you take a look at what is written “And when the dragon saw that he was cast down unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.”. The woman who brought forth the man child is referring to our Lord Jesus Christ and He came in the flesh as a Jew. We then go on to read, “And the dragon was angry with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
So, are we now talking about Christians? No, in fact we are still talking about Jews as you read from the book of Romans chapter 2, “28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.”
‘And at that time your people will be delivered, everyone who will be found written in the book.’ This phrase is very important. ‘Deliverance’ is now described. For those who have died it is by resurrection to the everlasting kingdom. For the living it means full deliverance, and entry into the everlasting kingdom. In the end it refers to all who are God’s. The intensity of suffering will be followed by the intensity of blessing.
For Daniel this is the final climax to which the book has been leading. The idea here is of final deliverance, the result of the final smiting by the heavenly stone which fills the whole earth that we read about in chapter 2 verses 34-35, the result of the son of man receiving His kingdom and entering into His glory which we learned in chapter 7 verse 14
Also please take note also that only those ‘written in the book’ will find deliverance. It clearly therefore does not simply mean the Jews, for they are not all ‘written in the book’, it means all of God’s people. They are the only ones who enjoy final deliverance.
‘Your people.’ Daniel would here think of the remnant of the people of Israel who would prove faithful to God, although he was not aware of how God would expand that Israel. For the New Testament makes clear that that remnant of Israel was increased by all who came to Christ and in Him.
Take a look again at verse 2 and we see the emphasis of two resurrections, “2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.” We read in the book of Revelation chapter 20 these facts, “4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.”
Take note that all of us who have put our trust in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be part of the first resurrection. Those who awake will be many and not few. They include the multitude that no man can number out of all nations in which we read about in Revelation 7, “9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands.”
Then as we read from the above stated scripture unbelievers will not be resurrected for a thousand years. Others would rise only to face shame and everlasting contempt. They will then be excluded from God’s presence. Wow!
So, we have the 1290 days starting at the abomination that makes desolate and the ending of the sacrifices. For thirty days this stuff is going on and ultimately Satan and all his followers are forever cast out of heaven. He directs his hatred toward the followers of Adoni Yeshua. The 1260 days of tribulation start. In addition to the 1260 days, we read about 42 months, and 3 and one half years which the bible gives as ‘time, times and half a time’. These are all talking about the same time.
Are this removal of the daily sacrifice and this abomination of desolation the same ones that we read about in Daniel 11:31? They cannot be. Jesus pointed to a prophecy of Daniel in Matthew 24:15 regarding the abomination of desolation and said that it had not happened yet, but that it would happen in the first century (Matthew 24:34). The abomination of desolation in Daniel 11:31 happened nearly 200 years before the birth of Christ.
Now, I know what you are thinking. How do I get these facts? The answer lies within the Jewish feasts.
So, If our Precious Holy Spirit has listed something in the bible then the bible has to have the answers. So, again what about the 1290 days and the 1335 days? What do they denote?
Paul said in Colossians 2:16-17 that the Jewish feasts and celebrations were a shadow of the things to come through Jesus Christ. And though as Christians we may not commemorate these holidays in the traditional biblical sense, as we discover the significance of each, we will certainly gain a greater knowledge of God's Word, an improved understanding of the Bible, and a deeper relationship with the Lord.
Therefore, I believe the answer lies within the ‘feast days’ which our Holy El Elyon – Lord Most High has given. I know that this is long, but stick with me. You will see a blessing at the end. From the bible we see that there were spring and fall feasts. Our Lord specified three to be observed. Two are in the spring; Passover [Pesach] and Pentecost [Shavuot]. In the fall we have The Feast of Atonement [Yum Kippur]. Would you agree with me that the feasts of Passover [Our Lord Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross as the Passover Lamb] and Pentecost [The church born] have been fulfilled? So, one is left to be fulfilled and that is in regard to the fall feasts.
Without knowing it the Jews have been revealing the end times in their holiday feasts. Let me show you which will assist in the explanation of 1260 days, 1290 days, and 1335 days.
Our Great Adoni Yahweh, Father God, gave the Israelites holidays in the Spring and Fall. The Jews have added ones not specifically prescribed by our Holy God.
In the summer prior to the fall feasts the Jews celebrate some added feasts. Remember our Lord’s words in Matthew 24, “32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.
A month or 30 days before the fall ‘High Holidays’ the Jews celebrate the ‘Fast of the 17th of Tammuz’ or ‘Three Weeks Of Sorrow’ The 17th day in the Jewish month of Tammuz, Jews the world over fast and lament to commemorate the many calamities that have befallen our people on this ominous day. Now remember our study and see similarities. Here are some of the things that the Jews lament over.
1. Going all the way back to Biblical times, Moses descended Mount Sinai on this day and, upon seeing the Golden Calf broke the first set of Tablets carrying the Ten Commandments
2. In the First Temple Era: The priests in the First Temple stopped offering the daily sacrifice on this day.
3. The walls of Jerusalem were breached after many months of siege by Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian forces and the city and Temple destroyed
4. The heathen Apostomos, captain of the occupation forces under Antiochus Ephinanes, who also set up an idol in the Temple, publicly burned the Torah - considered open blasphemy and desecration.
5. During the period of Roman persecution an idol was placed in the holy sanctuary of the Temple, and These were followed by Titus and Rome breaching the walls of Jerusalem in 3760 (70 CE).
Now what was it that Daniel wrote down again? 11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12 Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.
So taking in the feasts of ‘Summer’ we see a month or 30 days of things which also Daniel mentions. We can now understand that as the Scripture has pointed out that the 1290 starts and goes on for 30 days [1290 – 30 = 1260 days of tribulation.]
In a time of great hardship, as described in Revelation, God's people are identified as those needing endurance (patience) to continue till the end. Again, this group is identified as those who keep the commandments of God and remain loyal to Jesus. It will indeed require patience on their part, as they are being hunted and killed. But they hang on because they know that Jesus will one day come to save them from their trouble.
Satan will try to take over the world and endeavor to force all the inhabitants of the world to follow him, and he will do his best to kill anyone that goes against his plans. However, as indicated in Scripture: Satan will come to his end.
So, now back to the day counts. The start will begin at the abomination. Again this is when the countdown of the 1290 days begin After 30 days then there will be 1260 days of tribulation on those who refuse to renounce our Precious Holy God. Our Lord Jesus returns to earth the Victor. This is the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Now we have to think about 45 days. This is the time frame from the end of the 1260 and 1290 days in which our Lord Jesus has returned until the listing of 1335 days. So, what happens in the next 45 days? Again let us take a look at God’s Holy Fall Feasts Days.
The Jews recognize for thirty days beginning their fall feasts starting with the feast of Elul.
The beginning of the month of Elul commences the thirty day season of preparation for the Day of Proclamation, Yom Teruah which is Hebrew for the "Day of Blowing". The shofar is blown to call the people to attention, to sound a warning, to give an alarm and to announce the coronation of kings. Yahweh Himself blew a heavenly 'shofar' at Mt Sinai to call the people to attention and to announce His Presence for the inauguration of the covenant with them. The blowing of the shofar at Yom Teruah is a rehearsal of the future announcement of the arrival of the King of all the earth for His coronation, when all the earth will come before Him to be accounted for.
The thirty days of Elul is set aside for this purpose in personal reflection and evaluation to examine our own lives and repent in those areas where we need improvement in our walk with Yahweh in Y'shua our Messiah. As such it becomes a yearly accounting and evaluation of our lives in the searching light of His holy Ruach (Spirit).
This season of preparation is known as Teshuvah which in Hebrew means "to repent or return". This season extends past the actual day of Teruah and includes the ten days up until Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, making forty days in all of spiritual preparation. The thirty days of Elul are called the High Holy Days and are specifically to prepare for Yom Teruah and the last ten are to prepare for Yom Kippur the final day of judgment. Yom Kippur is the tenth day of the seventh month. These last ten days are known as the "Days of Awe" (Yamim Nora'im), preceding judgment. Five days after Yom Kippur is the Feast of Tabernacles.
Are you aware if you are a believer that we will be judged? Here is this judgment. We read in the book of 2nd Corinthians chapter 5, “9 Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences.”
1st Corinthians chapter 3, “9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.”
The Bible reveals dual significance in the Feast of Tabernacles. Agriculturally, Sukkot is Israel's "thanksgiving," a joyous harvest festival to celebrate the ingathering of grain and wine. As an historical feast, its main characteristic is the requirement to dwell in temporary shelters or booths in remembrance of God's protection, provision and care during their 40 years in the wilderness. There are many interesting customs associated with the celebration of Sukkot.
During Sukkot, two important ceremonies took place. The Hebrew people carried torches around the temple, illuminating bright candelabrum along the walls of the temple to demonstrate that the Messiah would be a light to the Gentiles. Also, the priest would draw water from the pool of Siloam and carry it to the temple where it was poured into a silver basin beside the altar. The priest would call upon the Lord to provide heavenly water in the form of rain for their supply. During this ceremony the people looked forward to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit. Some records reference the day spoken of by the prophet Joel.
In the New Testament, Jesus attended the Feast of Tabernacles and spoke these amazing words on the last and greatest day of the Feast: "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." (John 7:37-38 NIV) The next morning, while the torches were still burning Jesus said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (John 8:12 NIV)
Now my friends how much is 30 + 10 + 5 =? Also 1335 minus 1290 =? The answer is 45.
These my friends are the 1260, 1290, and 1335 days.
Daniel doesn’t understand how God’s plan for the Jews could end with the destruction of the Jews. God’s advice to Daniel told him that God’s plan for the Jews did not end with the destruction of their city and their temple. He also told him that those who destroyed the city and the temple would themselves be destroyed, and thus would not ultimately be victorious.
Those who saw all this go down will certainly count themselves as blessed. True worship would not only have been restored, but would also have been firmly secured.
The important lesson that comes from this is the need for the people of God to endure with perseverance under all persecution, because they can be sure that a time limit has been put upon it by God. He has even numbered it in days. The advancing lengths of time indicate the need to persevere that little bit longer even in the darkest hour, because even though God might allow it to go on longer than we expect, we can be sure that finally it will all come to an end.
13 “But you, go your way till the end; for you shall rest, and will arise to your inheritance at the end of the days.”
In closing remarks the angel tells Daniel that his task is finished. He may now go his way satisfied that he has fulfilled God’s will. ‘The end’ is probably the end of his life, for it is the point at which he will rest. Then he will sleep, taking his rest until at the end of the days he is resurrected to enjoy his destiny, and shine as the stars forever and ever.
Daniel is assured that while he will not live to see these events (“and you shall rest”), he will be present at “the end of the days.”
The book ends with a complete confirmation of one of the book’s principle themes: the absolute and total sovereignty of God. God is in control of this world and this universe and he has a plan to bless the entire world through his son Jesus Christ. This book has given us a glimpse of just what was involved in bringing that plan about.
1 Peter 1:18-21 You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was destined before the foundation of the world but was made manifest at the end of the times for your sake. 21 Through him you have confidence in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
