Darkness Before the Dawn
Over and over again, God told Daniel that "the saints of the Most High" (Dan. 7:18; Jewish believers and their Gentile converts) would be crushed by the Antichrist (the "little horn" of Daniel 7:8 and "the king [who] shall do according to his own will" of Dan. 11:36). Verses 21 and 25 describe this further and summarize: "the saints shall be given into his hand" (Dan. 7:25b).
This was very hard on Daniel - and should be on us! "As for me, Daniel, my thoughts greatly troubled me, and my countenance changed" (Dan. 7:28). But, thank God, the spiritual darkness of the Great Tribulation will soon be followed by the Light of the World, our Lord Jesus Christ, who will rescue His people and inaugurate the Kingdom! Someone has said that the darkness is deepest just before the dawn, and so shall it be at the Second Coming.
The Great Tribulation
But how long will this time of incomparable global darkness continue? Daniel heard two angels ask the Lord, "How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?" (Dan. 12:6). The answer? "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" (Dan. 12:7). That means three and one-half years, as explained in Dan. 9:24-27 and Rev. 11:2, 3. It will be the last half of the seven-year transition period that follows the resurrection and rapture of the church and it will end with the glorious Second Coming of Christ.
But how long will this time of incomparable global darkness continue? Daniel heard two angels ask the Lord, "How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?" (Dan. 12:6). The answer? "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" (Dan. 12:7). That means three and one-half years, as explained in Dan. 9:24-27 and Rev. 11:2, 3. It will be the last half of the seven-year transition period that follows the resurrection and rapture of the church and it will end with the glorious Second Coming of Christ.
Daniel's last question would surely be ours as well: "My lord, what shall be the end of these things?" (Dan. 12:8). God's answer was, "Many (saints) shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked (especially Antichrist) shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand" (Dan. 12:10).
The 1,290 Days and the 1,335 Days
Now comes a special revelation, taught nowhere else in the Bible! After the Antichrist establishes his "abomination of desolation" (Dan. 12:11) in the middle of that seven-year period (cf. Dan. 9:27; Matt. 24:15-22), a period of 1,290 days takes place (cf. Dan. 12:11). We know that the Lord will return after 1,260 days (cf. Rev. 12:6; 13:5). Instead of 1,260 days, however, we are told that there will be 1,290 days. Could the answer be that the Lord will set aside those 30 days to purge and purify the Temple for His people to use during the Kingdom age?
Now comes a special revelation, taught nowhere else in the Bible! After the Antichrist establishes his "abomination of desolation" (Dan. 12:11) in the middle of that seven-year period (cf. Dan. 9:27; Matt. 24:15-22), a period of 1,290 days takes place (cf. Dan. 12:11). We know that the Lord will return after 1,260 days (cf. Rev. 12:6; 13:5). Instead of 1,260 days, however, we are told that there will be 1,290 days. Could the answer be that the Lord will set aside those 30 days to purge and purify the Temple for His people to use during the Kingdom age?
Godly King Hezekiah postponed the Passover one month (cf. 2 Chron. 30:2, 15) in order "to cleanse the house of the LORD" (2 Chron. 29:15) and "because a sufficient number of priests had not consecrated themselves" (2 Chron. 30:3) following the abominations committed by his father Ahaz.
"Likewise, Judas Maccabaeus and his army went to great lengths to cleanse the Jerusalem Temple of the abominations of Antiochus Epiphanes in 164 B.C." (John C. Whitcomb, Daniel, Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1985, p.168).
But now, the last detail. "Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days" (Dan. 12:12). Here is another 45 days. Before the Kingdom can officially begin, all unbelievers must be removed. How awesome!
When the 371 days of the Genesis flood finally ended, only believers were alive. Indeed, as our Lord explained, the unbelievers "did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matt. 24:39).
The very first to be removed from the world will be the Antichrist and his demonic team at Armageddon (Rev. 19:17-20:3). Next, the unbelieving leaders of all Gentile nations - "the goats" (Matt. 25:32; cf. vss. 31-46; cf. Joel 3:1-3) - will follow.
Then, any Jews who are still "rebels" (Ezek. 20:38; cf. vss. 33-38; Mal. 3:1-6) will be removed. And finally, by the 1,335th day, any man "in the field," and any woman "grinding at the mill," who still rejects the Savior "will be taken (to judgment)" (Matt. 24:40, 41; cf. Luke 17:34, 35) - the opposite of what will have happened at the rapture of the church seven years earlier.
Thus, what the Lord Jesus Christ said will finally be accomplished: "But he who endures to the end (1,335 days after Antichrist's great blasphemy) shall be saved" (Matt. 24:13).
Daniel had heard enough. "But the wicked shall do wickedly" - especially the Antichrist - however, praise God, "but the wise shall understand" (Dan. 12:10).
Darkness before the dawn! Antichrist is coming, yes, but then the true Christ. The Father will give Him "an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away" (Dan. 7:14).
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