068 – End Time Prophecies of Daniel 12 – Part 2

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The 1260, 1290 and 1335 end time prophecies of Daniel 12 are still future and will be fulfilled in our generation. They measure the length of: anti-christ’s reign, the persecution of God’s people, and the wait until God’s confirms His covenant with His people.

Introduction

Welcome to Part 2 of the End Time prophecies of Daniel 12. I’m totally thrilled that today we’re finally able to tackle these three powerful end time prophecies.

We laid a very solid foundation before we ventured out on this new ground. I took two studies to give you all the theoretical reasonings and biblical evidence as to why these timelines are still future and how they’re constructed. We did all that preparation to help you understand these timelines because God wants us to be wise! “But the wise shall understand” (Daniel 12:10).

If you haven’t listened to those two previous studies, “Part 1 – End Time Prophecies of Daniel 12” and  “Groundwork for Daniel 12 Time Prophecies”, please make sure that you catch up with those. It’ll help you better understand everything I’ll be talking about today.

Our study today is on the 1335 Day, 1290 Day and 1260 Day prophecies. The function of these timelines is to give God’s people time markers: not specific dates, but events that are important milestones of the Plan of Salvation and the chronology of end time events.

With what purpose did God give His people these three timelines? So that we would be able to stand in the evil day. When we see the events come to pass which trigger these prophetic timelines, we can literally start counting the number of days until our deliverance. These three time prophecies give us confidence that the atrocities we’ll be subjected to in the time of persecution ahead will have an end.

Brothers and sisters, if the Lord has given us this knowledge, it’s because we’re going to need it! Daniel 12 starts with these solemn words:

“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,
Every one who is found written in the book.

The Lord warns us in this verse that there has never been such a horrendous time on planet earth, not even the cruel destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans or the atomic bombs that fell on Japan (Hiroshima and Nagasaki). We can’t even begin to imagine what it will be like. Our most vivid imaginations can’t conjure up the horrors that lie just before us.

This is why the Lord promises that at that time His people shall be delivered, everyone whose name has been confirmed in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Therefore, He wants you to be able to count out the days, so that you won’t lose hope. It’s as simple and as powerful as that. I say “what a loving God we serve!”.

Listen to this statement by Ellen G. White: “In the Scriptures are presented truths that relate especially to our own time. To the period just prior to the appearing of the Son of Man, the prophecies of Scripture point, and here their warnings and threatenings pre-eminently apply. The prophetic periods of Daniel, extending to the very eve of the great consummation, throw a flood of light upon events then to transpire” (Review and Herald, September 25, 1883).

Interestingly enough, current events related to climate change and the Paris Agreement are rushing headlong to fulfill prophecy: specifically, to trigger the beginning of the 1335 Day prophecy of Daniel 12. Stay with me as I show you how close we really are to the fulfillment of these end time prophecies.

Timelines of the three end time prophecies of Daniel 12

The 1335 Prophecy

“Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days” (Daniel 12:12).

The 1335 Timeline is also known as the 1335 Wait. What is the wait for? The wait is for the confirmation of the everlasting covenant between God and men. Those who wait it out receive the blessing.

The 1335 Timeline starts with the voice of the United States legislating a National Sunday Law. This is described in Revelation 13:11-14:

“11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. 12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. 13 He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. 14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived”. 

At the end of this timeline, at the 7th. Plague (Revelation 16:17), the voice of God Himself says “It is done!”. The 1335 Timeline ends with a word of divine judgment against Babylon and all the wicked.

“17 Then the seventh angel poured out his bowl into the air, and a loud voice came out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, “It is done!” 18 And there were voices and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth” (Revelation 16:17-18).

The voice of God also confirms the reward that His people have been waiting and suffering for. He announces to His faithful remnant the day and the hour of Jesus’ return. Let’s read from the book Early Writings by Ellen G. White: “Soon we heard the voice of God like many waters, which gave us the day and hour of Jesus’ coming. The living saints, 144,000 in number, knew and understood the voice, while the wicked thought it was thunder and an earthquake. When God spoke the time, He poured upon us the Holy Ghost, and our faces began to light up and shine with the glory of God, as Moses’ did when he came down from Mount Sinai”.

The total 1335 time span is a “wait” from the US National Sunday Law to the voice of God proclaiming the imminent deliverance of His people. The prophet Isaiah totally confirms the essence of the 1335 Prophecy in this verse: “For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all those who wait for Him” (Isaiah 30:18). Jesus will come in justice, to bring punishment against the wicked and recompense to the righteous.

Let me highlight a couple of other important details regarding the beginning and ending events of the 1335 timeline:

• The National Sunday Law, the decree that marks the beginning of this timeline, also marks the beginning of the Sabbath obedience test and the Judgment of the Living.
• The voice of God, that marks the end of this timeline, is followed by other voices. Those voices that are heard at the 7^th plague are very significant for the 1290 timeline. The Bible doesn’t give us much detail about those voices, but they’re explained in the book the Great Controversy. The voices of doom speak condemnation for Babylon and the wicked. The 1290 timeline starts 60 days after the 1335 timeline and ends 15 days later. It will take 15 days to accomplish the total destruction of Babylon, described in Revelation 18.

Climate Change and the National Sunday Law

 This is where current events meet prophecy. We know from Jesus’ Olivet discourse in Matthew 24 (and the parallel passages in the other gospels) that the end time generation would experience great natural calamities and would be afraid. “Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken” (Luke 21:26).

You might want to listen to a couple of podcasts I did a while back on the topic of climate engineering called geo-engineering ( Prophecy Update: Crime Against Humanity and Nature and Climate Engineering: Race to Total Extinction). The devil understands enough of the science of nature to be very dangerous. Working through scientists and engineers, Satan is tampering with the earth’s atmosphere, the earth’s substratum, wind currents, and marine ecosystems to produce more frequent and increasingly violent natural disasters. This science is called geo-engineering or climate engineering.

Satan is moving the kings of the earth, the leaders of the nations, to be concerned about this issue. The papacy has very cleverly taken ownership of the climate issue and are positioning themselves as the ones with a solution. This is typical of how the Jesuits operate: create the problem and then offer the solution. The Paris Climate Agreement brought together the nations of the world to agree measures to combat climate change.

In September of 2016, then US President Obama signed up the United States for the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Less than a year later, in June of 2017, President Donald Trump announced he was pulling the US out of the Paris Agreement. However, because the United Nations is a thick spider web, his decision to withdraw the US doesn’t become effective until November of 2020 at the earliest.

Immediately a number of city mayors in the US as well as business leaders made declarations against Trump’s decision. They committed publicly to put in place an action plan to comply with the requirements of the Paris Agreement. Members of the House of Representatives stepped forward and proposed a bill of law called H.R. 9, the “Climate Action Now Act”.

The bill was approved in the House of Representatives on May 2 2019. This bill would prohibit the US President from using federal funds to withdraw from the Paris Climate Agreement. This is a way of putting pressure on Trump to desist from his decision to withdraw the US. The other important requirement in this bill reads as follows:

“Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the President shall develop and submit to the appropriate congressional committees and make available to the public a plan for the United States to meet its nationally determined contribution under the Paris Agreement …”.

On June 5th., the H.R. 9 bill of law was introduced to the Senate as S. 1743: International Climate Accountability Act and is waiting to be examined there. If the Senate approves it, the bill would then go on to the White House for signature bby the President. Here are the links to these two bills of law:

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/116/hr9/text

https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/116/s1743/text

Brothers and sisters, we can confidently expect that if this bill goes through and becomes law, one of the measures that the President will be driven to take in order to meet the Paris Agreement requirements is the implementation of a National Sunday Law. Climate change is the Vatican’s trojan horse to bring the whole world under its ecclesiastical authority.

We have very little time left… potentially within a few short months we’ll see the trigger events for these three prophetic timelines of Daniel 12. 

The 1260 Prophecy

“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” (Daniel 12:5-6).

The man who asked the question is the angel Gabriel. The Man who answered is Jesus, the man clothed in linen. Jesus is wearing the garment of the high priest, a white tunic made of linen. This is the very simple attire that the high priest wore on the Day of Atonement. Normally the priest’s garb was much more elaborate, but on the Day of Atonement, a day of humbling oneself before God, the priest only wore a simple white linen tunic. The other reason we know it’s Jesus is because He’s the only man who walks on water without sinking.

This passage in Daniel 12 is referencing the Angel of the Covenant that appears in Revelation 10, wearing a rainbow around His head. That Angel is Jesus in glorified form. The rainbow is the symbol of God’s covenant with mankind. This parallel passage in Revelation 10 is extremely important.

The Angel of the Covenant has a book in His hand that’s been opened. That book is the Hebrew Book of Daniel, which began to be unsealed after 1798 but which is still in the process of unsealing. Then Jesus, in the form of the Covenant Angel, speaks as seven thunders but John the Revelator isn’t allowed to write down what He said.

Then the Angel of the Covenant makes a solemn oath by the Creator that there should be time no longer. Jesus is referring to the 2300-Day Prophecy which guided the Millerites to the understanding of the Day of Atonement and the cleansing of the heavenly Sanctuary. How do we know that the Angel was referring to this prophecy?

Let’s read quickly from Revelation 10:6-7: The Angel swore “6 that there should be delay time no longer, 7 but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished, as He declared to His servants the prophets.” The expression “the mystery of God would be finished” refers to the close of probation, which in turn is related to the theme of the judgment of God’s people. The 2300-Day prophecy refers to the judgment. That prophecy was fulfilled in 1844 when Jesus passed from the Holy to the Most Holy Place of the heavenly Sanctuary to start another phase of His ministration as High Priest. This is how we know that Jesus was referring to the 2300-Day prophecy.

However, when the Angel of the Covenant says “but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound”, he’s talking about the very end of time, the extremity of time, when the mystery of God would be finished. And what is the mystery of God? Let’s just say that the mystery of God is the Plan of Salvation. When time runs out and no one else on earth can be saved because the door of mercy is closed, that’s when the mystery of God will be finished.

Jesus had revealed to John the truth about this prophecy, but He didn’t want John to write it down. There was a generation that would be tested on that prophecy. The Millerites’ faith was tested with the Great Disappointment. Those whose faith wasn’t real walked away. The faithful ones continued studying and discovered their error in interpreting the prophecy. They realized the prophecy wasn’t about the Second Coming but about the beginning of the judgment of God’s people which had started in heaven.

The Angel – who we already said is Jesus in His glorified body – tells John the Revelator that he must prophesy again. Indeed, the Millerites had to review and revise their message and prophesy again to the whole world. That’s exactly what the Millerites did and that’s when the First Angel’s Message of Revelation 14 was first proclaimed.

What relationship does all of this bear to the 1260-Day timeline in Daniel 12? It seems very obvious to me that we need to prophesy again about the 1260 Day timeline. Traditionally it’s been taught that this timeline refers to the 1260 years of papal supremacy during the Dark Ages. I disagree. The time has come to unseal this prophecy. The Angel of the Covenant sets the timeframe as the very end of time: “but in the days of the sounding of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, the mystery of God would be finished” (Revelation 10:7).

Clearly this is talking about the close of probation for the world, which will happen just before Jesus gets ready to come back to the earth. The close of probation is the end of the judgment of God’s people. It’s the end of the Plan of Redemption because at that point, no one else can be saved. The door of mercy will have closed. Jesus will come back with His reward for the righteous.

This is why these two passages in Daniel and Revelation are connected. In the last chapter of Daniel Jesus is giving  His people the same message as He does in the last chapter of Revelation: “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.” (Revelation 22:12).

Because all three timelines (the 1260, 1290 and 1335) are connected, the parallel passage in Revelation 10 is a clear indicator that when we consider any of the three timelines it’s a mistake to situate them during the Dark Ages. Instead, the correct timeframe is just before the end of the world.

Now that we’ve established the overall timeframe as being in our generation, let’s see exactly what the Man clothed in linen in Daniel 12 is saying: “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.”

Jesus is talking about the terrible persecution that will come upon us, His faithful people in this generation. By a solemn double oath He swears that the persecution shall last for a time, times and half a time: that is, 1260 days. Times is two years and half a time is half a year. Add it all up (360 + 720 + 180) and you get 1260 days. As we saw in Daniel 4, a time is a year: not a Gregorian year which is 365 days, but a biblical year which is 360 days. This is why we use 360 as the basis for the calculation.

Why does Jesus swear by a solemn double oath? Because what awaits us is so horrendous, so trying, that we’ll need to remember that double bind promise from Jesus that it will have an end. The anti-christ won’t be allowed to torment us beyond 1260 days, in other words 3.5 literal years. After that terrible period of persecution, the fiercest that has ever been seen on the earth, God’s people just have to wait patiently to receive the Covenant Promise of eternal salvation.

Now that we understand what this timeline is about – the persecution of God’s people across the entire world – let’s look at when it begins and when it ends. Let’s read the parallel passage in Revelation 13: “5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. 6 Then he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, His tabernacle, and those who dwell in heaven. 7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation” (Revelation 13:5-7).

So anti-christ, the papacy, speaks blasphemies against God and he’s given authority to continue 42 months. This passage is clearly referring not to the Dark Ages, but to the continuation or Part 2 of that heinous papal persecution.

A decree will be issued enforcing the papal Sunday as the day of rest. This decree will have authority over every tribe, tongue and nation. This future decree is known as the Universal Sunday Law (USL). When we see the global enactment of a Sunday Law, we begin to count 1260 days until the end of the 1260 Day timeline. It may sound farfetched right now, but as One World Leader the pope of Rome will receive global authority and will have the wherewithal to issue a global decree that national governments will have to comply with. Actually, Satan will so deceive them so that they’ll want to comply with the Sunday decree.

We said earlier that the great Sabbath test will have started in the US with the National Sunday Law thirty days prior to the Universal Sunday Law. The Sabbath test in the US marks the beginning of the judgment of the living. With the Universal Sunday Law being rolled out around the world, the Sabbath test becomes universal. This is why God’s remnant people will once again take the warning of the Angels’ Messages of Revelation 14 to the whole world.

Thirty days after the Sunday Law is decreed in the US the same law will have been rolled out globally. I know it sounds improbable, but such will be the condition of the world that anti-christ will literally be begged to take over. When the Roman Empire was collapsing the Bishop of Rome was asked to take over to preserve safety and order in the Western Empire. History will be repeated in our generation. As the US empire and the current world order collapse, the pope will be asked to take over.

What ends the 1260 timeline? The 1260 days end with the Universal Death Decree. Let’s read from Revelation 13:15: “He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.” This is talking about the United States of America. Apostate Protestants, who have fallen away from Bible truth, will unite with the US government and ultimately the One World Government to implement the death decree against those who remain loyal to God’s holy Fourth Commandment. This death decree will be global.

“And when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished” (Daniel 12:7). The demonstration before the universe of the malignity of sin and the perversity of Satan’s mode of government ends at the Universal Death Decree.

The 1290 Prophecy

We find the 1290 timeline in Daniel 12: 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 first thing we need to understand is this term, the abomination of desolation. This term was used by Jesus in Matthew 24:15 where He even referenced the prophet Daniel, and then we find it defined in the parallel passage in Luke 21:20: “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near.” The term the abomination of desolation also appears three times in the Book of Daniel.

To simplify, the abomination of desolation is always Rome. We find that the abomination of desolation has three phases of existence:

1. Pagan Rome: mentioned in Daniel 9:26-27 as the destruction of Jerusalem wrought by the Roman armies
2. Papal Rome Phase 1: mentioned in Daniel 11:31 it describes the first period of papal supremacy over the European kings and nations
3. Papal Rome Phase 2: mentioned in Daniel 12:11 it references the second and final period of papal supremacy over the entire world

The 1290 timeline traces the length of the papacy’s rule in the last generation. It begins 60 days after the 1335 Day timeline, with the same event as the 1260 Day timeline: the Universal Sunday Law. The Universal Sunday Law is the abomination of desolation. It marks the establishment of the second and final period of papal dominion over the whole world.  Why? Because Sunday is the mark of the pope’s authority.

The kings of the earth will lay aside their national scepters of power. In fact, this process has already begun. Satan will gather the whole world under his control by putting all nations under papal rule in the form of a One World Government.

The driving factor for the national relinquishing of power on behalf of the papacy may be a global economic collapse or an intensification of natural disasters. It could even be the social chaos and unrest caused by Jesuit-controlled immigration into the US and Europe primarily but also Australia. Whatever the catalyst may be, the Bible tells us that in our generation anti-christ will become the One World Leader: the global head of state and church. Anti-christ is the pope, the little horn of Daniel 7 and 8.

Ellen G. White said: “As the siege of Jerusalem by the Roman armies was the signal for flight to Judean Christians, so the assumption of power on the part of our nation (the United States of America) in the decree enforcing the papal sabbath will be a warning to us. It will then be time to leave the large cities, preparatory to leaving the smaller ones for retired homes in secluded places among the mountains” (5Testimonies p. 465).

Obviously, the papacy will be ruling throughout the 1260 Day period of papal persecution. But what happens after the persecution is over? Why is there a 30-day difference between the length of the persecution and the rule of the persecutor?

The answer lies in what happens once the Universal Death Decree (UDD) against Sabbath-keepers is enacted. Two very significant events will take place at the declaration of the UDD, each one taking 15 literal days to complete which adds up to 30 days:

First period of 15 literal days: Reign of the Ten Kings of Revelation 17

There is a period of 15 literal days (one prophetic hour) during which the ten kings of Revelation 17 receive authority from the anti-christ beast. “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast.” (Revelation 17:12-13). The ten kings unite with the beast in order to enact the UDD, and then reign with the beast for two literal weeks. The two weeks of their reign is the lead time to implement the UDD. 

Second period of 15 literal days: The Fall and Judgment of Babylon, the End of Anti-christ’s Reign

When it comes time to implement the Universal Death Decree, which will be at midnight 15 literal days after its enactment, the Voice of God is heard from heaven saying “It is done” (Revelation 16:17). This takes place as the Seventh Plague is poured out upon the wicked.

We had said earlier that the voice of God gives His people the good news of the day and hour of their deliverance. But God’s voice is followed by other voices from heaven, voices of doom proclaiming judgment against spiritual Babylon.

“18 And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. 19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. 19 The great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed. God remembered Babylon the Great and gave her the cup filled with the wine of the fury of his wrath. 20 Every island fled away and the mountains could not be found. 21 From the sky huge hailstones, each weighing about a hundred pounds, fell on people. And they cursed God on account of the plague of hail, because the plague was so terrible” (Revelation 16:18-19).

“Voices of doom” fell down from heaven pronouncing judgment upon Babylon. The voices of doom are accompanied by the official lightnings and thunders which emanate from God’s throne, from the Ark of His Ten Commandment Law. These voices from God’s throne are vindicating God and His Law. They speak from the court of heaven pronouncing verdict and sentence upon the wicked who have trampled on the Law of God.

In the court of heaven, witnesses and judges declare the fall and execution of Babylon who will bring together all the wicked. The judgment of Babylon will take 15 literal days to complete, unless the Lord shortens this period. The 1290 timeline ends when the ruin and destruction of Babylon are complete. Revelation 18 describes in detail the process of Babylon’s destruction, and how the rich and the merchants of the earth wail and weep over her fall.

“2 … “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 3 For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.” … 5 For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities. 6 Render to her just as she rendered to you, and repay her double according to her works; in the cup which she has mixed, mix double for her. 7 In the measure that she glorified herself and lived luxuriously, in the same measure give her torment and sorrow; for she says in her heart, ‘I sit as queen, and am no widow, and will not see sorrow.’ 8 Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her. 9 “The kings of the earth who committed fornication and lived luxuriously with her will weep and lament for her, when they see the smoke of her burning, 10 standing at a distance for fear of her torment, saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour your judgment has come.’ 11 “And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her … 19 “They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate.’” (Revelation 18).

The book “Great Controversy” also gives a detailed account in the chapter called “The Earth in Ruins”. The rich regretted that they lost their idols, but there’s no real repentance in their hearts. They were amazed at how God protected the small company of saints that they detested and called execrable and were about to annihilate.

Ellen White tells us that the false teachers, the pastors who preach smooth things to the people to assuage their fears, understood the voices of doom. They shuddered in fear and wailed.

To Recap:

1. The 1335 Timeline or 1335 Wait starts with the proclamation of the National Sunday Law in the United States. The beginning of this timeline also marks the beginning of the Judgment of the Living. It ends with the voice of God confirming His everlasting covenant and telling His people the day and the hour of their deliverance.
2. The 1290 Timeline starts 60 days after the 1335 Timeline. It measures the length of anti-christ’s power. The 1290 Day Prophecy begins with the Universal Sunday Law and ends with the full destruction of Babylon.
3. The 1260 Timeline starts at the same time as the 1290 with the same event, the Universal Sunday Law. It ends with the proclamation of the Universal Death Decree against God’s commandment-keeping people.

The Warnings in Daniel 12

“Let us read and study the 12^th chapter of Daniel. It is a WARNING we shall all need to understand before the time of the end”. (Ellen G. White, Letter 161, July 30, 1903). Brothers and sisters, I actually find two warnings in Daniel Chapter 12. Let me explain.

The chiastic structure of the book places the 1260-Day timeline as the central focus of the chapter. The chiastic structure is like a mirror effect, or two sides of a coin, where you relate the first verse to the last, the second verse to the next to last verse, etc. In the center of the chiasm you find the apex, which is the central focus of the chapter. The chiastic structure, in addition to the solemnity of the double oath taken by the Angel of the Covenant, tell us that the 1260-Day persecution is the focal point of Daniel 12.

The 1260 timeline is the warning about the ferocious persecution that will come upon God’s people, who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. We’ll need love and obedience, a willingness to die rather than worship on Sunday and be unfaithful to our God. We’ll need faith to stand true though the heavens fall, and patience to endure until the end while we wait for the covenant blessing. This is the primary reason why God has given us these timelines, so that we can count it out and not lose hope.

But there’s another implicit warning in this chapter of the Book of Daniel. The 1335 timeline triggers the beginning of the Judgment of the Living. Each one of us that is alive at that time, which I believe will be very soon, will have to pass a very difficult and challenging obedience test. Our only hope of passing that test is to prepare NOW, diligently and earnestly seeking the Lord who alone can prepare us.

“But ye brethren are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief…” (1 Thessalonians 5:4).