The books of Daniel and Revelation provide us with some interesting day counts that deserve serious study. The periods of time we are introduced to include “1 Week”, “Half a Week”, “Time, Times, and Half a Time”, “42 Months”, “1260 Days”, “1290 Days”, “1335 Days”, “2300 Evenings and Mornings”, “Day”, “Hour”, and “Approximately Half an Hour”.
The Prophetic Calendar
The length of a year is currently 365.242190 days. The length of a year is decreasing by approximately 0.000006 every century. (wikipedia) The Bible, however, uses a year length of 360 days. I would assume God uses 360 day years for a reason, not just because the numbers round nice. I believe God created the world with 360-day years, as seen in the Flood account.
In Genesis chapters 7-8 we are told the Flood covered the land from the 17th day of the 2nd month to the 17th day of the 7th month. This time period totals 150 days. This would only be true if each month had 30 days in it.
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. (Genesis 7:11 ESV)
At the end of 150 days the waters had abated, and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. (Genesis 8:3-4 ESV)
In the end times, the year length also appears to be 360 days.
…they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days… (Revelation 11:2-3 ESV)
…and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days. (Revelation 12:6 ESV)
…so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. (Revelation 12:14 ESV)
42 x 30-day months = 1260 days = “time, and times, and half a time” (“time”= 1 360-day year).
In Daniel 9, we are introduced to weeks: Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city.
Seventy weeks uses the Hebrew term “weeks” or “sevens”, which is a period of 7 years (much like our decade is a period of 10 years). Seventy sets of seven years, or 70 weeks of years, is 490 years. These weeks also feature 360-day-years.
“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place… And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” Daniel 9:24-,7 ESV
1 Week = 7 years
1/2 Week = 3.5 years = 1260 days = 42 months = time, times, and half a time
I believe that the earth will be restored to 360-day years at the time of the rapture, for the 7 years of tribulation. I have written more about God’s prophetic time clock in these posts:
- God’s Prophetic Timeline – 7000 Years of Humanity
- What Year Is It Really? (Is It 5991?)
- Daniel’s 70 Weeks
- Ezekiel’s 430 Days of Laying
With this understanding, let’s examine the day counts given in Revelation and Daniel.
One Week of Years
And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. Daniel 9:27 ESV
The counting of days in the latter times begins with Daniel chapter 9. When a covenant is confirmed with Israel, this will begin Daniel’s 70th Week, which is a 7 year period (2520 days). Will this covenant be confirmed with Israel by men, or by God? I personally believe it is the latter, discussed here: The Covenant With Israel – Who Confirms It?
At some point before or during the first half of the “week”, sacrifice and offering will begin. We know this, because it will be caused to cease for the last half of the “week”.
1260
The 70th Week of Daniel, commonly called “The Tribulation”, is divided into two halves of 1260 days each. Within this time frame, God grants authority first to His two witnesses, then to the beast (antichrist). The two witnesses will preach to Israel and many will choose to follow Jesus. These will flee to the wilderness to be supernaturally protected during the time of beast-rule.
First 1260 days:
Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. Revelation 11:1-3 ESV
Second 1260 days:
…and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days. Revelation 12:6 ESV
But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. Revelation 12:14 ESV
“How long shall it be till the end of these wonders?” And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream; he raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven and swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end all these things would be finished. Daniel 12:6-7 ESV
The first 1260 days involves the antichrist’s rise to power; the second 1260 days involves the antichrist’s worldwide rule (the time of “greatest tribulation, as spoken of by the prophet Daniel”).
1290
Daniel chapter 12 gives us a new day count of 1290 days:
And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. Daniel 12:11 ESV
The start point of the 1290 days is when the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination of desolation is set up. It covers the second half of Daniel’s 70th week. The question then is, there shall be 1,290 days until what???
Some speculate that because there is an additional 30 days here over the 1260 day count, that there must be a “leap year” (extra month – Adar II) during the time of Greatest Tribulation. This would actually lengthen the antichrist’s rule. If anything, the time of Greatest Tribulation will be “cut short” for the sake of the elect (Matthew 24). In Daniel 12:6, the angel tells Daniel that it will take “time, times, and half a time” to fulfill the time of trouble, which is the time of greatest tribulation. We have already seen that time, times, and half a time is equivalent to 1260 days. Thus, there can be no additional days added to the Greatest Tribulation.
This extra 30 day period comes AFTER the Greatest Tribulation. It is likely the timeframe in which the judgments of the tribulation survivors will take place. These judgments are detailed in the parables of the Sheep and Goats and the Wheat and Tares in the gospels. They are also detailed in Daniel Chapter 7.
1335
Daniel chapter 12 also gives us a day count of 1335 days:
Blessed is he who waits and arrives at the 1,335 days. Daniel 12:12 ESV
From 1290 to 1335 we have an additional count of 45 days. This timeframe is likely used to cleanse the Temple and make preparations for the Millennial Kingdom to begin. Those who survive through the judgments and are allowed to enter the Millennial Kingdom will be truly blessed!
Discussion of 1 Week, 1260, 1290, 1335 Days
When we discuss how to apply the day counts, our interpretation comes into play. Based on the Red Moon Rapture end times model, I understand that Seals 1-7 are opened all at once at the time of the rapture of the Church (Day Zero). I believe that Seal 6 describes an event so severe that the Earth will be knocked back into a 360-day-year orbit. Whether that includes pole shifts, EMP events, nuclear events, a mysterious Planet X, or all of the above, I cannot say.
What I can say, is that the conclusion of Seal 7 seems to initiate the wrath known as the “Day of the Lord”. In Seal 6, the left-behind all seem to recognize that it is imminent, and in Seal 7 it arrives after a “silence in heaven for about half an hour”. We will discuss this half an hour of silence shortly.
In Revelation 8 we see a heavenly enactment of the Yom Kippur ceremony:
3 Another angel, who had a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense to offer, with the prayers of all God’s people,on the golden altar in front of the throne. 4 The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of God’s people, went up before God from the angel’s hand. 5 Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder,rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.
Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, would seem to mark the beginning of the wrath of God in the Day of the Lord. Beginning and End writes:
This is clearly a picture of the Day of Atonement – and “another Angel” is none other than Jesus Christ – the only One worthy of standing before the Heavenly altar in the true Most Holy Place. As detailed in our prior installment in the Revelation series, at this point in the prophetic timeline, the Church has been raptured to Heaven at the opening of the 6th Seal. On earth, the 144,000 – select Jewish men who will witness the Gospel during the Day of The Lord, have been chosen and sealed with supernatural protection by God. The seven angels who sound the trumpets of judgment during the Day of The Lord were held back for these events and one final intercession by Christ before they unleash more of God’s wrath.
The Endtimes Censer Will Be For Protection of Those on Earth
Jesus will bring up the prayers of the saints before the throne to make intercession for those who are no doubt loved ones of the just-raptured church. These people may be unsaved, but prayers on their behalf could potentially provide relief and a path to salvation during the Great Tribulation. A foreshadow of this event occurred in Numbers 16. Korah, a cousin of Moses, challenged Moses and Aaron’s selection by God as the earthly leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel.
Although almost 15,000 died from the plague, millions escaped death by Aaron offering the incense of atonement and standing “between the dead and the living.” Note that the entire nation revolted but the petition made by Aaron and Moses still saved many from harm. Jesus Christ was the ultimate fulfillment on this through His death on the cross which provides forgiveness for all spiritually dead people who believe upon on Him and receive eternal life. But in Revelation 8, the incense is offered as a final plea for those unbelievers on Earth before the judgment trumpets.
After Christ offers the incense with the prayers of the saints, the censer is filled with Divine fire and that fire is cast to Earth.
Source: http://beginningandend.com/revelation-8-jesus-christ-initiates-the-wrath-of-god/
Seven years later, Yom Kippur would seem to mark the end of the wrath of God in the Second Coming of Christ. If we consider that the Earth will now be in 360-day-year orbit, we don’t have to do any mental gymnastics with mathematics, day counts, or metonic cycles.
Using this model, from wrath beginning on Yom Kippur to wrath ending on Yom Kippur will simply be 7 years exactly – 1260+1260=2520 days – no matter what year it starts and ends.
After the Second Coming of Christ, it will take approximately 30 days to judge the living and either send them to hell or welcome them into the Millennial Kingdom. This is the meaning of the 1290 days. No leap year correction needed.
It will take an additional 45 days to cleanse the temple in preparation for inaugurating the Millennial Kingdom. This would seem to mark when the regular burnt offering would be able to be reinstated, as we know it will be during the Millennial Kingdom from Ezekiel chapters 40-48. This is the meaning of the 1335 days. There are 75 days between 1260 and 1335. There are 75 days between Yom Kippur and Chanukah in any given year. The 1335 day count would seem to re-enact the Festival of Chanukah.
The Festival of Chanukah
As I mentioned, I believe that the 1335 day count points to Chanukah (Hanukkah, the festival of lights). No matter what year, there are always 75 days between Yom Kippur (10 Tishrei) and Chanukah (25 Kislev). This festival marks the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after the revolt of the Maccabees. Traditional Torah readings connect to the dedication of the Tabernacle in the wilderness.
There is some suggestion that this festival initially started as a delayed celebration of Sukkot (Tabernacles). This would also make sense prophetically, since at the time of the Second Coming there will be much judgment and cleanup required. Remember that there will have been an “abomination of desolation” in the Temple that must be destroyed and cleansed.
Hebrew4Christians writes about this festival:
The Hebrew word chanukah means “dedication” and marks an eight day winter celebration (from Kislev 25 – Tevet 3) that commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple after a small group of Jewish believers defeated the forces of assimilation at work in their world. As such, Chanukah represents the victory of faith over the ways of speculative reason, and demonstrates the power of the miracle in the face of mere humanism.
Source: http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Winter_Holidays/Chanukah/chanukah.html
While not a Feast of God, we do know that Jesus celebrated Chanukah while He was on earth and that it is considered a very important Jewish holiday.
Perhaps the 1335 day count will mark the fulfillment of the final piece of Daniel’s 70 weeks – “to anoint the most holy” (Daniel 9:24). This anointing is actually an interesting study in and of itself!
2300
The 2300 day count is perhaps the most difficult one to discern. I will present my interpretation here!
Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land. It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them. It became great, even as great as the Prince of the host. And the regular burnt offering was taken away from him, and the place of his sanctuary was overthrown. And a host will be given over to it together with the regular burnt offering because of transgression, and it will throw truth to the ground, and it will act and prosper. Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to the one who spoke, “For how long is the vision concerning the regular burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled underfoot?” And he said to me, “For 2,300 evenings and mornings. Then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.” Daniel 8:9-14 ESV
First of all we have to understand whether the 2300 evenings and mornings refers to days (one evening and morning equals one day), or half days (one evening sacrifice, one morning sacrifice, total 1150 days). For this we turn to the interlinear which reads: hundred-and three-two thousand-mornings evenings.
The word used for mornings and evenings are boqer (H1242) and ereb (H6153).
We see this same phrase used repeatedly in Genesis chapter 1:
And there was evening [boqer] and there was morning [ereb], the first day.
The regular burnt offering that is being referred to in Daniel chapter 8 is described in Exodus 29:
38 “Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day regularly. 39 One lamb you shall offer in the morning [H1242], and the other lamb you shall offer at twilight [H6153]. 40 And with the first lamb a tenth measure of fine flour mingled with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and a fourth of a hin of wine for a drink offering. 41 The other lamb you shall offer at twilight [H6153], and shall offer with it a grain offering and its drink offering, as in the morning [H1242], for a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord. 42 It shall be a regular burnt offering throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. 43 There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory. Exodus 29:38-43 ESV
We know that the regular burnt offering will be restored at some point in the first half of the 70th week of Daniel, and that it will be taken away at the mid-point of the week. Also occurring at this midpoint will be the “transgression that makes desolate”, or the abomination of desolation. From that point until the Second Coming of Christ, the sanctuary and believers in Christ will be given over to the beast/antichrist/little horn to be “trampled underfoot” until the “times of the gentiles are complete” (Luke 21:24). After that, the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state – cleansed, or “made holy”.
We just completed a discussion on Chanukah, in which we discussed the cleansing of the Temple and the “anointing the most holy”. I believe this will mark the regular burnt offering being re-instated for the Millennial Kingdom.
I understand “2300 morning evenings” to represent the regular burnt offering that was to be offered on the altar of sacrifice each day. Thus, I take the 2300 to literally mean 2300 days / sets of morning-evening sacrifices (not 1150). I believe the start point of the 2300 days is the start of the regular burnt offering. This would seem to occur 295 days into Daniel’s 70th Week. I believe the endpoint to the 2300 days is Chanukah following the Second Coming of Christ.
During this 2300 day timespan, the sacrifices will occur, will be stopped, the abomination of desolation will be set up, the holy place and believers will be trampled, Jesus will come, and the Temple will be cleansed and prepared for the Millennial Kingdom.
About Half An Hour
The Day of the Lord seems to be equivalent to the 70th Week of Daniel, or the “Time of Jacob’s Trouble”. It also is referred to as the “Hour of His Wrath” (Revelation 3:10). Can these references give us a clue as to how long “about half an hour” is?
When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. Revelation 8:1 ESV
To understand how long “about half an hour” is, let’s do some math. Now, as I’ve said previously, I don’t believe that end times prophecy requires one to understand convoluted equations and mental gymnastics. So, take this interpretation with a grain of salt. We already talked about how the opening of the Seals knocks Earth back into 360-day-years. So here goes:
The Day of the Lord = 1 Week = 7 Years = 42 Months = 2520 Days
One Day = 24 Hours, Or Does It?
Taking the phrases “Day of the Lord” and “Hour of His Wrath” literally:
One Day of the Lord = 84 Months
Hour of His Wrath = 1/24 of the Day of the Lord = 3.5 Months
Half Hour of Silence = 1.75 Months
I had someone PM me months ago, asking me “How many hours are there in a Hebrew day”? Now, there are obviously 24 hours in a day, but the way that the Jews historically calculate the hours in a day is by dividing the number of hours of sunlight on any given day into 12 equal parts. Thus, the length of an “hour” varies from day to day.
The Halachic Hour
The hour has a special meaning in Jewish law. “The third hour of the day” doesn’t mean 3:00 a.m., or three sixty-minute hours after sunrise. Rather, an hour in halacha is calculated by taking the total time of daylight of a particular day, from sunrise until sunset, and dividing it into twelve equal parts. A halachic hour is thus known as a sha’ah zemanit, or proportional hour, and varies by the season and even by the day.
For example, on a day when the sun rises at 5 a.m. and sets at 7:30 p.m., one sha’ah zemanit, or proportional hour, will be 72.5 minutes long. The third hour of the day will come to a close at 8:37:30 a.m.
This information is important because many observances in Jewish law are performed at specific times during the day. The calculation of these halachic times, known as zmanim(“times”), depends on the length of the daylight hours in that locale.
Source: https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/526872/jewish/Hours.htm
If we take this halachic hour into account:
One Day of the Lord = 84 Months
Halachic Hour of His Wrath = 1/12 of the Day of the Lord = 7 Months
Halachic Half Hour of Silence = 3.5 Months
Note that 3.5 months of 30 days each gives us a total of 105 days. 105 days seems to nicely parallel “time, times, and half a time” using months instead of years. I’m not big on mathematical patterns, but this one stuck out for me as a possible verification of this interpretation:
Why “Approximately”?
The day counts given in Daniel and Revelation are very specific. Why would this “half hour of silence” be approximate? Why would it be the only day count that isn’t exact?
In considering this question, remember that I suggest the Seals on the wrath-scroll all open at the time of the rapture. I believe the seals are currently being restrained from being opened by the Restrainer (Holy Spirit indwelling the body of Christ). The opening of the Seals marks the transference of sealing from the hearts of the body of Christ to the foreheads of the firstfruits of the Jewish tribulation saints (the 144,000). The resurrection/rapture event itself is pictured in Seals 5&6, and is followed by the “approximate half hour of silence” of Seal 7.
The events listed in Seal 6 are completely catastrophic. Remember that the entire world is shaken by earthquakes at this time. Similar to the days of Noah, when the global flood caused the earth’s orbit to change, I believe the opening of the seals and the nuclear transformation event of the resurrection/rapture will cause the earth’s orbit to change. I believe Isaiah describes this orbit change:
For the windows of heaven are opened,
and the foundations of the earth tremble.
The earth is utterly broken,
the earth is split apart,
the earth is violently shaken.
The earth staggers like a drunken man;
it sways like a hut;
its transgression lies heavy upon it,
and it falls, and will not rise again.
Isaiah 24:18-20 ESV
This “reeling like a drunken man” of the earth in its’ orbit will affect the day counts during the “half hour of silence” and could explain why they might be defined as “approximate”. It might be difficult to track the days at this time; the day length may vary; the month length may vary. It seems that the orbit stabilizes in time for Daniel’s 70th Week to begin, as those day counts are listed as definite.
Can We Find “Approximately Half an Hour” in End Times Prophecy?
Remember that we are looking for an APPROXIMATE half an hour of time. Is there any significant date range that is approximately 3.5 months in duration?
I have recently undertaken writing a series on Pentecost being the highest watch Feast of God for the rapture of the church. It seems that the Restrainer (the Holy Spirit sealing the body of Christ) might just leave the same day He came down. Links to the full study are found here: The Biblical Feasts – God’s Appointments.
Considering the entire Red Moon Rapture model I have presented in this blog, I believe that this “approximate half hour of silence” in Seal 7 supports a Pentecost rapture. The Halachic Approximate Half Hour of Silence = Approximately 3.5 Months. There are approximately 3.5 Months between Pentecost (Sivan) and Yom Kippur (Tishrei). Remember that the dates don’t have to be exactly 105 days, as it’s the only day count that’s given as an “approximate”.
During this silence, I believe the war in heaven occurs, the 144,000 are sealed on earth, the 2 Witnesses appear, the effects of the Seals begin to play out, the antichrist starts his rise to power and is revealed, the birth pains begin in full force, and the blood moon sign occurs. These events are stated to occur BEFORE the Day of the Lord, and yet, they must occur AFTER the rapture of the church. What a perfect timeframe for them to be placed within – the “approximate half hour of silence”! For more on these, please see: Precursors to the Day of the Lord.
Once the silence ends, the Yom Kippur ceremony is performed in heaven and wrath is poured out upon the earth for 7 years in the Day of the Lord.
This year (2018), the days between Pentecost (11 Sivan) and Yom Kippur (10 Tishrei) are approximately 119 (correcting for 360-day-years; at 365.25 day years the count is 114). This count will vary from year to year.
Summary
I believe that a Pentecost rapture of the church, followed by an “approximate half hour of silence” of a halachic ~3.5 months perfectly fits in to the big picture of end times prophecy. During this time, the earth will be restored to a 360-day-year orbit. Once this ~3.5 months is complete, Yom Kippur will begin the wrath of the Day of the Lord. This will also mark the start of the 70th Week of Daniel as a covenant is confirmed with Israel (I personally think it will be God who reconfirms His Abrahamic covenant with them).
295 days later, I believe the daily sacrifices will be able to restart in the Third Temple. The entire temple doesn’t need to be complete, but the altar of sacrifice does.
1260 days later, the 2 witnesses will be killed and the abomination of desolation will be set up. Using 360-day-years, this will fall on 10-14 Nisan (covering the 3.5 days the 2 Witnesses lay dead). Note the date – 14 Nisan – Passover. The antichrist will begin his worldwide rule at this time.
2520 days later, Jesus will come at the Battle of Armageddon on Yom Kippur.
2590 days later (1260 + 1290), the judgments of the living survivors will be complete.
2595 days later (1260 + 1335), the Temple will be rededicated and “made holy”. This also completes the 2300 days from the restarting of sacrifices – the interruption of them – and the restarting of them again. Sacrifices will begin for the Millennial Kingdom as it is inaugurated.
Further Resources:
Are you CERTAIN of your Salvation, beyond a shadow of a doubt? Do you KNOW that no matter when the rapture occurs, you will be counted worthy to escape? If not, please read What Must I do to Be Saved.
1260, 1290, 1335 Days – Gotquestions
The End Times According to Daniel – Gracethrufaith
God’s Prophetic Timeline – 7000 Years of Humanity
What Year Is It Really? (Is It 5991?)
Everything You Need to Know About Pentecost, the Feast that Ties It All Together For The Church
The Covenant With Israel – Who Confirms It?
God’s Mosaic – A Whole Scripture Overview of Things To Come
Main Menu – God’s Mosaic Prophecy Model
The Bible is infallible. I am not. I am merely challenging traditional models and testing them against Scripture. I believe that traditional pretribulation teachings provide a solid backbone upon which to lay the musculature of details. I encourage you to consider my thoughts as you also examine the scriptures to see if these things are so!
Red Moon Rapture 