Q: In 1 Peter 1:10-12 how does Peter’s explanation help explain Daniel’s situation in these verses?

1. God is in control of the timing as to when prophecy comes true, not Jesus. The timing as to when the meaning of the prophecy will be revealed is his and his only. He is sovereign.
2. There are things given in the Old Testament that have been hidden until God’s workings moved from Israel to His church, i.e. age of the Gentile church. Other things had to be set up to fulfill what was revealed; so prophecy often describes a goal or end result, but not always the detailed, specific means.  We confuse or do not understand the prophetic motive unless we can grasp the motivation.
3. Daniel’s desire to know “what will be the outcome” as Peter explained is more focused on the outcome than knowing the greater spiritual meanings behind it.  We cannot understand faith until we practice it.

Q: What is the greater sign that is once again highlighted?

A: In Daniel 12:5-7, the greater sign concerning the timing and fulfillment was “as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people” – spiritual persecution. In v.10 of I Peter it’s the purging, purification, and refinement of God’s people contrasted with those who continue to embrace sin. As Satan turns up the heat, our personal impurities flow to the top as seen by others and our own knowledge of them. This is when a decided action of each person must be made. Is his or her action one of skimming off the impurities that come to the surface or is it going to be a situation of “well enough so left alone” or a “good enough” type of action each individual takes.

JIV NOTE:  There is a great spiritual issue at work behind the events of the End Time that is separating the truly righteous from the wicked. What Christ said He’ll do at the end of that time is actually just confirming the behavior and choices individuals embraced during his or her life. His judgment just puts the exclamation point, so to speak, to what has been going on spiritually the whole time. [Matthew 7:2 and Romans 2:6]

“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.” [Matthew 25:31-33]

This is a verse of critical consequences. Individuals will no longer have excuses. Each will be identified as a sheep of God or a goat (*imitation sheep or nonbeliever). *religious people.

BACK TO DANIEL 12:

Q: So what are the numbers associated with the End Times described in “days”?

A: The numbers given include 1,260; 1,290; 1,335.

Q: How do these numbers fit together? What exactly do they mean?

A: We don’t really know, but many theologians do much guessing.  They may be concurrent days, overlapping days, or different times given in [day-years]. We know they tell us something about the timing and relationships of things yet to come, but as yet it has not been precisely revealed.  This may very well be some of what Daniel was told to “seal up.” However, when we synchronize the Jewish lunar calendar to the seasons, as needed they add an additional “leap month” of *Adar. In other words, there are times when a 3-1/2 year period can have both 1,260 AND 1,290 days.

* Adar was the last month the Jewish people spent in Egypt before the Exodus. Adar’s joy is so great, in part, because it serves as the opening to an even greater rejoicing: the miracles of Passover.

Q: What is the event that will trigger these things? What is the greater spiritual thing at work?

A: According to both Daniel here in 12:11, and Christ Himself in Matthew 24:15, it’s the “abomination of desolation”. This is the kick-off or starting point to identified events; histories that have yet to be current events.

“Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand) [Matthew 24:15]

JIV NOTE: We will know this when it happens. “When we see….” The righteous and studied believer will know but the ignorant will have no clue. This may be an argument for the rapture of Christians to be at the mid-point of the tribulation. We at ahabiblemoments believe that those who become sons and daughters of Christ during the Tribulation are the “WE” in this verse.

Many theories have come and gone concerning 1,260, 1,290, and 1,335 – and many continue to this day – but none of them can come true without the visible witness of the greatest spiritual deception ever attempted. “Many will be deceived…” This is where and when Satan through the person of the Antichrist sets himself up, demands that he be worshiped, and attempts to unseat God including the Islamic Allah (12^th Imam) himself. Nebuchadnezzar, Antiochus Epiphanes IV (during the time of the Maccabees; 167 B.C. to around 30 B.C.), and Titus (the Roman destruction of Jerusalem; 70 A.D.) all teach us about this event. They mimicked it, setting up an idol of themselves to be worshiped in place of the One True God. Before we truly understand the numbers at the end of Daniel 12, we must first understand and recognize the abomination of desolation, Satan’s great spiritual deception.

Conclusion

Many have concentrated on the individual events, perhaps too much, therefore missing the greater spiritual message and meaning accompanying each event:

1. The most important thing is that one’s name is found to be written in the Book of Life; that is, a life devoted to Christ 24/7; a be-liever.
2. This final, seven-year period, the 70^th week of Daniel’s Seventy 7s, holds a reward for all Believers. They can and may by personal choice or assigned be part of the Messiah’s millennial earthly kingdom to come.
3. Those who come to know these things and study them will come to understand them in the same way Daniel did, through earnest prayer, fasting, meditation, on and with the study of God’s Word. This will not mean knowledge alone can or will decipher numbers and such. Knowledge does not mean understanding. Such people defined here as having “insight”, (to be – to live; believers) preach and live righteousness.
4. There are greater spiritual events that will put these things into their proper context: persecution of the nation Israel, Israelis finally accepting Jesus as their Messiah, persecution of all Believers, and Satan’s attempt to spiritually pervert and deceive everyone through the person of the Antichrist in the work of the abomination of desolation. These things pertaining to the spiritual environment are the most important indicators and triggers for which we need to remain vigilant.
5. As Peter explained, prophets such as Daniel – and even the angels themselves – are more interested in how these things speak of Jesus than how they fit together into some kind of timeline. So should we. The spiritual (soul) is far more important than the physical (mind and body).
6. The greater spiritual working during this last seven-year period is separating the sheep from the goats – the righteous from the wicked or imitator – which Christ Himself formally finalizes at the end. So the greater issue at work is the quality of each individual’s faithfulness.
7. Overall, this is a call for spiritual endurance. It’s not a test of knowledge, but a test of faith.

This all adds up to a pyramid or status of people. Like a pyramid, the largest number of the ALL in the world is the baseline. As individuals advance up the pyramid the number included is no longer the “ALL” but whittled to some. It is by choice to accept or deny God.

Awareness, Knowledge and even Understanding are personal choices to everyone. A denomination or particular church cannot make this an actuality. We teach but individuals must decide.

Desire and Action come from the choice to do something about it. We can opt to remain ignorant, but that is a choice. We can understand the consequences but still not opt to follow Christ 24/7. Our action of accepting the truth or rejecting it is tethered to the final judgment of us by God.

Thank you for following this extensive study of Daniel. All rights to use this study are free but not for reproduction to be sold. God’s Plan of Salvation (our GPS) is not for sale. It too is a choice…YOURS! We Teach – You Decide

Rev. Dr. Jstark
2013 (revised 2023)