How does Daniel 12:11 relate to the prophecy of the abomination of desolation? Daniel 12:11 “And from the time the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.” Immediate Literary Context Daniel 12 closes the angel Gabriel’s final vision to Daniel (chapters 10-12). Verse 11 belongs to the angel’s answer about “the end of these wonders” (12:6-7). The discontinuation of the tamid (“regular sacrifice”) and the erection of an “abomination of desolation” mark a pivotal eschatological countdown. Verse 12 then supplies a related period of 1,335 days, suggesting a distinct terminus of blessing. Key Phrase Explained: “Abomination of Desolation” Hebrew shiqqûṣ šômem unites two ideas: a detestable, idolatrous affront (shiqqûṣ) and the resulting devastation or depopulation (šômem). The term reappears in Daniel 9:27 and 11:31 and is echoed by Jesus in Matthew 24:15 // Mark 13:14. Canonical Cross-Links within Daniel • Daniel 8:9-14 – Antiochus IV’s desecration of the sanctuary forms an historical type. • Daniel 9:27 – The “one who makes desolate” halts sacrifice in the 70th-week prophecy. • Daniel 11:31 – The king who sends forces “to abolish the daily sacrifice” prefigures a later, greater fulfillment. Daniel 12:11 gathers these strands and projects them to “the time of the end” (12:9). Historical Foreshadowing: Antiochus IV, 167 BC Ancient sources (1 Macc 1:54-59; Josephus, Antiquities 12.246-253) report that Antiochus set up a pagan altar on the Jerusalem bronze altar and banned Jewish sacrifice for roughly three years (1,095 days). Though the period does not equal 1,290 days, the event supplies a concrete template: foreign oppression, sacrifice stopped, idolatry installed, sanctuary desolated. The Dead Sea Scrolls (4QDanᵃ, 4QDanᵇ) preserve Daniel’s text centuries before Christ, confirming the prophecy predates Antiochus and was not written after the fact. Second Historical Foreshadowing: Rome, AD 70 Jesus cites Daniel when foretelling Jerusalem’s fall: “When you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation’ spoken of by the prophet Daniel” (Matthew 24:15). Luke’s parallel (“Jerusalem surrounded by armies,” 21:20) clarifies Rome’s legions were the proximate instrument. Titus’ standards were borne into the Temple precincts; sacrifices ceased by mid-July AD 70, and the Temple burned on 9 Av—again an incomplete but striking analogy. Future and Ultimate Fulfillment The two historical desolations do not exhaust the prophecy, for Daniel 12 unfolds “the resurrection of the dead, some to everlasting life” (12:2) and “the time of distress such as never has occurred” (12:1)—events Jesus places immediately before His parousia (Matthew 24:21, 29-31). A final antichrist will: 1. Confirm a covenant for “one week” (Daniel 9:27). 2. Break it midway, abolishing sacrifice. 3. Install the abomination for 1,290 days. 4. Be destroyed by Christ’s appearing (2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 19:19-20). The additional 45 days (1,335 – 1,290) may cover cleansing of the sanctuary (cf. Ezekiel 43:26-27), judgment of the nations (Matthew 25:31-46), or final millennial inauguration. Temporal Metrics: 1,290 Days & 1,335 Days • Literal view: 1,290 days = 3 years, 7 months, 12 days (using prophetic 30-day months). • Intercalary perspective: a solar-lunar calendar requires occasional leap-months; 1,290 days fits a 42-month period with one added month (13 months × 30 days). • Symbolic approach: multiples of 3½ signify divinely limited persecution (cf. 12:7; Revelation 11:2-3; 12:6, 14; 13:5). Archaeological Corroboration • Babylonian administrative texts corroborate Belshazzar’s co-regency (Daniel 5), authenticating Daniel’s historical milieu. • The “Silver Scrolls” (Ketef Hinnom, 7th c. BC) demonstrate pre-exilic transmission of biblical blessings, upholding Daniel’s assumption of earlier Torah authority. • The Antiochus desecration is attested by Seleucid coinage depicting Zeus enthroned in Jerusalem. Theological Significance 1. God sovereignly sets limits on evil—1,290 days has a terminus. 2. Persecution purifies the faithful (12:10). 3. History moves teleologically toward resurrection and kingdom (12:2-3, 13). 4. Christ identified Himself as the ultimate interpreter (Matthew 24:15), binding Daniel’s prophecy to His own return. Practical Application Believers are summoned to wisdom (12:10) and perseverance (Matthew 24:13). The precise countdown assures that suffering, however intense, is temporary under God’s fixed decree. The promise of bodily resurrection grounds Christian hope and energizes present obedience. Summary Daniel 12:11 is the prophetic hinge linking prior anticipatory desolations to a climactic future abomination. Previous fulfillments in 167 BC and AD 70 validate the pattern, while Jesus’ endorsement certifies a final enactment preceding His visible return. The verse anchors eschatological chronology, testifies to Scripture’s accuracy, and calls every generation to steadfast faith in the risen Christ. |
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