What historical events might fulfill the prophecy in Daniel 12:11? The Prophetic Text “From the time the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.” (Daniel 12:11) Key Terms in the Verse • Daily sacrifice (Heb. tamid) – the continual morning and evening offerings prescribed in Exodus 29:38-42. • Abolished – an enforced cessation, not a voluntary pause. • Abomination of desolation – an idolatrous intrusion so repugnant to God that it leaves the sanctuary deserted (cf. Daniel 9:27; 11:31; Matthew 24:15). • 1,290 days – 3 years, 7 months, and 15 days using the 360-day prophetic year. Historical Setting of Daniel Daniel received this vision ca. 536 BC, two years after Cyrus’s decree (Daniel 10:1). Scrolls of Daniel found in Caves 1 and 4 at Qumran (4QDana, 4QDanc; 4th–3rd cent. BC) confirm the text predates the Maccabean era, demonstrating prophetic rather than retrospective writing. Event #1: Antiochus IV Epiphanes (167–164 BC) 1. Cessation of sacrifice: On Kislev 15, 167 BC, Antiochus erected an altar to Zeus over the altar of burnt offering (1 Maccabees 1:54; Josephus, Antiquities 12.5.4). 2. Abomination: A swine was sacrificed, and forced pagan rites polluted the sanctuary. 3. Duration: Temple worship was restored on Kislev 25, 164 BC by Judas Maccabeus (1 Maccabees 4:52-56). Counting inclusive sacred days, the interval Isaiah 1,095 days (exact three-year period), but Daniel cites 1,290. Solutions: • Start the count with Antiochus’s earlier decree (Chislev 7, 168 BC; 2 Maccabees 6:1) and end with temple rededication → 1,290 days. • Or end with Antiochus’s death (Adar 11, 164 BC) → also 1,290 days. Archaeology: A dedicatory inscription to Zeus Olympios from the Seleucid period found on the Acra ridge supports the historical narrative. Event #2: Rome and the Fall of Jerusalem (AD 66–70) 1. Cessation: On 17 Tammuz AD 70 soldiers burned the northern colonnade, ending the tamid (Josephus, War 6.2.1). 2. Abomination: Roman standards bearing the imperial eagle were planted in the temple court on 9 Av AD 70 (War 6.6.1). 3. Duration: From Gessius Florus’s seizing of the temple treasury (Iyyar AD 66, the act that stopped normal worship) to the standards-raising yields roughly 1,290 days. New Testament tie-in: Jesus quotes Daniel in forecasting this desolation (Matthew 24:15), authenticating the earlier fulfillment and pointing to a later, ultimate one. Event #3: The Future Man of Lawlessness Paul places a yet-future desecration in “the temple of God” (2 Thessalonians 2:4). Revelation’s 42 months = 1,260 days (Revelation 11–13). Daniel’s 1,290 extends that tribulation by one festival cycle (30 days) to complete the purification (cf. Daniel 12:12; Ezekiel 39:12-14). The correspondence suggests: • Mid-Tribulation: Antichrist ends sacrifice in a restored temple. • 1,260 days: Great Tribulation proper. • Additional 30 days: Cleansing, judgment of nations (Matthew 25:31-46). • Total 1,290 days: Full span from desecration to complete restoration. Why Multiple Fulfillments? Biblical prophecy often displays near-and-far patterns: • Type → Antiochus (historical prototype). • Echo → Rome (transitional reminder). • Antitype → Final Antichrist (ultimate consummation). This “recapitulation” model aligns with Jesus’ already/not-yet kingdom teaching. Archaeological Corroborations • Maccabean campaign sites at Modein and Beth-zechariah excavated (IAA reports 2013-2020) validate Josephus’s descriptions. • Titus’s triumphal arch in Rome still displays temple vessels, corroborating the AD 70 plunder. • First-century “freedom coinage” from Jewish rebels bears “Year 4 of the redemption of Zion,” anchoring the 66-70 timeline. Theological Significance • God’s sovereignty: He foretells and limits persecution periods (Daniel 7:25; 12:7). • Covenant discipline: Desecration arrives when Israel breaks covenant, yet God preserves a remnant. • Christ’s victory: The pattern climaxes in the resurrection (Daniel 12:2-3) fulfilled first in Christ (1 Corinthians 15:20) and finally in His people. Practical Application Believers can trust Scripture’s precision, proven by fulfilled prophecy and manuscript fidelity. The 1,290-day marker reminds us that tribulation has a fixed terminus under God’s timetable. Therefore, “those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens” (Daniel 12:3)—a call to endure, evangelize, and exalt Christ until His return. |
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