The second half of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks Prophecy is represented in 1290 days (Daniel 12:11). This time period begins when “the daily sacrifice is taken away” giving placement to “the abomination that makes desolate.” Thus, taking the daily sacrifice away and placing the abomination that makes desolate in its stead is one complete event, and 1290 days after this event the 70 Weeks Prophecy would be fulfilled. This would also be the time, when the Old Covenant ended and the New Covenant would be fully established with the parousia (G3952) or coming of Jesus as the Messiah. It would also be the time of the resurrection of the dead and of the Great White Throne Judgment.[1] The Scripture says:
From the time that the daily sacrifice is removed and the abomination that causes desolation is set in place, there are 1,290 days. (Daniel 12:11)
Most scholars interpret this verse to mean there are 1290 days between the events of removing the daily sacrifice and the setting up of the abomination that makes desolate, but this doesn’t make sense. Why would there be any interval between the two. The second replaces the first. That’s the whole point of removing the daily sacrifice. When Antiochus Epiphanies removed the daily sacrifice in BC 167, he immediately offered an abominable sacrifice in its place. The words: “from the time” can just as easily mean from the time of the occurrence of both events. Notice how the verse reads, if we place the subject of the sentence first:
“1290 days (‘shall be’ or ‘is’ or ‘remains’ – the verb is not in the Hebrew) from the time that the daily sacrifice is removed and the abomination that causes desolation is set in its place.”
If we can agree that the Daily Sacrifice foreshadows Jesus, who is the Reality of the shadow (Colossians 2:16-17), then the Daily Sacrifice, vis-à-vis Jesus, was ‘taken away’ and the abomination that brought desolation (Caesar) was set up on the same day (cf. John 19:15). However, Jesus gave the Jews a season to repent (Revelation 2:20-21). This season is represented between the day of Jesus’ resurrection in AD 31 and the Day of Atonement 3 ½ years later in AD 34.[2] The Day of Atonement represented a day of national repentance. Nevertheless, with the death of Stephen on this date, the Jews were shown to be in rebellion, proclaiming Caesar, not Jesus, as their king. Since this season of repentance ended in unbelief, the 1290 days would be fulfilled later, inserting a “gap” if you will, between the 1260 days, and the 1290 days. This “gap” is understood as a season of judgment for the unbelief of the nation during Israel’s exodus out of Egypt. Originally, they were to be brought immediately into the Promised Land. Instead, they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, because of their unbelief.
During the second exodus, while Jesus was bringing his people out of bondage (Galatians 4:24-26), there were those who didn’t believe. In fact, the nation, as a whole, rejected Jesus in favor of Caesar (John 19:15), and refused to repent, though they were given a season to do so (Acts 7:55-60; Revelation 2:20-21). Therefore, a “gap” of unbelief occurred between the time of Jesus’ crucifixion to the time of his second coming, when he promised to judge Jerusalem and the Temple (Matthew 26:64; cf. 24:30). Therefore, if these things I mentioned are logical, we must look for the fulfillment of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks Prophecy during the Jews’ war with Rome (AD 66-70). However, since Acts ends in AD 62, we must look for those dates in secular history.
Josephus mentions several dates of significance, but only two seem to fit Daniel’s prophecy without any obscurity, and there are exactly 1290 days between them. Consider that the Roman general Cestius first surrounded Jerusalem with his armies, then broke into the city, but for no good reason retreated.[3] This is remarkably similar to what Jesus predicted would take place in Luke 21:20-21.[4] The date of this occurrence was the 8th day of the 8th month in the year AD 66, only a few weeks after the beginning of the war.[5] Once more, if we can agree that Jesus is the ‘Reality’ of the Daily Sacrifice, and Jesus was ‘in’ the believers, then when the believers left, the Daily Sacrifice was removed from the city (cf. Revelation 18:4). Exactly 1290 days later, on the 7th day of the 2nd month in AD 70, the Roman general, Titus, in the name of his father Vespasian, Caesar and king of the kings of the earth, broke into the city of Jerusalem and camped there in the shadow of the Temple.[6] The city was taken and the northern wall was destroyed (Babylon had fallen – Revelation 14:8; 18:2-3). The Temple would be taken and destroyed only a few weeks later on the 10th day of the 5th month, which was the anniversary of the day it was burned by Nebuchadnezzar.[7]
Thus, the 1290 days were fulfilled with Jesus’ judgment of Jerusalem in the person of Titus (the prince that should come – Daniel 9:27). This represents the time of Jesus’ “Second Coming” (Matthew 24:30), the end of the Old Covenant (Hebrews 8:13; 9:15), the resurrection of the just and the unjust (Matthew 13:39-41; 24:31) and the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-13), and the coming of the Kingdom of God in its fullness (Revelation 21:1-3).
| Nisan | |
| Iyar | |
| Sivan | |
| Tammuz | |
| Av (Ab) | |
| Elul | |
| Tishrei | |
| Marcheshvan, the 8th day – Christians flee city | The Christians left on the 8th day |
| Kislev, the 7th day – AD 66 | 29 days |
| Tevet, the 7th day – AD 66 | 29 days + 30 days = 59 days |
| Shevat, the 7th day – AD 67 | 59 days +29 days = 88 days |
| Adar, the 7th day – AD 67 | 88days + 30 days = 118 days |
| Adar 2, the 7th day – AD 67 | 118 days + 29 days = 147 days |
| Nisan, the 7th day – AD 67 | 147 + 29 days = 176 days |
| Iyar, the 7th day – AD 67 | 176 days + 30 days = 206 days |
| Sivan, the 7th day – AD 67 | 206 days + 29 days = 235 days |
| Tammuz, the 7th day – AD 67 | 235 days + 30 days = 265 days |
| Av, the 7th day – AD 67 | 265 days + 29 days = 294 days |
| Elul, the 7th day – AD 67 | 294 days + 30 days = 324 days |
| Tishrei, the 7th day – AD 67 | 324 days + 29 days = 353 days |
| Marcheshvan, the 7th day – AD 67 | 353 days + 30 days = 383 days |
| Kislev, the 7th day – AD 67 | 383 days + 29 days = 412 says |
| Tevet, the 7th day – AD 67 | 412 days + 30 days = 442 days |
| Shevat, the 7th day – AD 68 | 442 days + 29 days = 471 days |
| Adar, the 7th day – AD 68 | 471 days + 30 days = 501 days |
| Adar 2 |
| Nisan, the 7th day – AD 68 | 501 days + 29 days = 530 days |
| Iyar, the 7th day – AD 68 | 530 days + 30 days = 560 days |
| Sivan, the 7th day – AD 68 | 560 days + 29 days = 589 days |
| Tammuz, the 7th day – AD 68 | 589 days + 30 days = 619 days |
| Av, the 7th day – AD 68 | 619 days + 29 days = 648 days |
| Elul, the 7th day – AD 68 | 648 days + 30 days = 678 days |
| Tishrei, the 7th day – AD 68 | 678 days + 29 days = 707 days |
| Marcheshvan, the 7th day – AD 68 | 707 days + 30 days = 737 days |
| Kislev, the 7th day – AD 68 | 737 days + 29 days = 766 days |
| Tevet, the 7th day – AD 68 | 766 days + 30 days = 796 days |
| Shevat, the 7th day – AD 69 | 796 days + 29 days = 825 days |
| Adar, the 7th day – AD 69 | 825 days + 30 days = 855 days |
| Adar 2, the 7th day – AD 69 | 855 days + 29 days = 884 days |
| Nisan, the 7th day – AD 69 | 884 days + 30 days = 914 days |
| Iyar, the 7th day – AD 69 | 914 days + 30 days = 944 days |
| Sivan, the 7th day – AD 69 | 944 days + 29 days = 973 days |
| Tammuz, the 7th day – AD 69 | 973 days + 30 days = 1003 days |
| Av, the 7th day – AD 69 | 1003 days + 29 days = 1032 days |
| Elul, the 7th day – AD 69 | 1032 days + 30 days = 1062 days |
| Tishrei, the 7th day – AD 69 | 1062 days + 29 days = 1091 days |
| Marcheshvan, the 7th day – AD 69 | 1091 days + 30 days = 1121 days |
| Kislev, the 7th day – AD 69 | 1121 days + 29 days = 1150 days |
| Tevet, the 7th day – AD 69 | 1150 days + 30 days = 1180 days |
| Shevat, the 7th day – AD 70 | 1180 days + 29 days = 1209 days |
| Adar, the 7th day – AD 70 | 1209 days + 30 days = 1239 days |
| Adar 2 |
| Nisan, the 7th day – 70 AD | 1239 days + 29 days = 1268 days |
| Iyar, the 7th day – 70 ADOn the 7th day of Iyar Titus tore down the walls of northern Jerusalem and set his camp inside the city. Jerusalem (Babylon) had fallen (Revelation 14:8; 18:2). | 1268 days + 22 days = 1290 days |
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[1] This study has been revised. I have come to realize that there is a ‘gap’ between the fulfillment of the 1260 days and the 1290 days. Without the ‘gap’ the Jewish nation would have repented. The ‘gap’ represents judgment for their unbelief.
[2] Had the Jews repented instead of killing Stephen, the 1290 days would have ended here, because there are exactly 1290 days between the day Jesus rose from the dead in AD 31 and the Day of Atonement in AD 34. Jesus would have returned, the Kingdom of God would have been established, the Old Covenant would have ended embracing the New Covenant, and the resurrection would have occurred on the Day of Atonement AD 34, **IF** the Jews, as a nation, repented and received Jesus as their Messiah.
[3] Josephus, Wars, 2.19.4, 7
[4] Josephus, Wars, 2.20.1.
[5] Josephus, Wars, 2.19.9.
[6] Josephus, Wars, 5.7.2-3.
[7] Josephus, Wars, 6.4.5
Smoodock's Blog 
26 responses to “The 1290 Days of the 70 Weeks Prophecy”
I hope that churches like mine; charismatic, as well as other mainstream churches would come to realize they are so musguided on this topic. But would you clarify this passages relationship to tge second coming and the great white throne of judgement? I suspect yiu are right in, I just can’t quite wrap my brain around it. Thanks
Greetings Dave. It is good to hear from you again. I’m not certain I understand your whole question, but I’ll give it a go. Don’t hesitate to question me more if I’m unclear or don’t address your question properly. This idea is so new to me, that I’m still changing the content of my blog studies (over 1200 — but fortunately not all on eschatology), and this study on the 1290 days is one of my most recent changes.
I don’t know if you read my study on the 1260 days and the 1335 days, but the one ends at the crucifixion and the other on the day of Pentecost. The “gap” between them and the beginning of the 1290 days is the Millennium–not a literal 1000 year period. 1000 years is compared to a day (2Peter 3) and as “yesterday when it is past” and as a watch in the night (Psalm 90), which is probably the text from which Peter derives his point. The 40 year period (give or take) between the crucifixion and the Lord’s Second Coming was the so-called Millennial period.
Matthew 24 speaks of the Lord’s coming in 70 AD to judge Jerusalem. Jesus said it would occur in a single generation — that generation that rejected him (Matthew 23:32; 24:34). Jesus told the leaders of the Jews to fill up the measure of their fathers, because all of the blood of all of the righteous would be required of that generation (Matthew 23:32-35).
Isaiah 25:1-2 speaks of the Lord coming and destroying the city (Jerusalem), and verse-8 puts this at the time death is destroyed (i.e. the time of the resurrection, and resurrection is the time of the judgment). If we place this in the context of Revelation, it is the time of the judgment of Jerusalem (the whore of chapter 17 & 18), but it is the city the nations come against in Revelation 20, after the 1000 year period (really cir. 40 years). This is when judgment and resurrection occur. I’m still fitting it all together **neatly**, but the skeleton is there–Jesus’ coming, judgment, resurrection, and the establishment of the Kingdom of God with the Church in Revelation 21. God makes his dwelling with us and that’s where we are today.
If you have the time, you can probably find a better explanation of this concept on a couple of You Tube channels, one by Don K. Preston and the other by William Bell. There may be more, but I know these two men have helped me see and understand that Jesus’ coming occurred in 70 AD.
If you would rather read about this point of view. I’m here. I don’t change my point of view easily, but I am convinced that this is true. I have not found any argument to the contrary that is convincing. I believe the Lord kept his word to us cir. 70 AD, and we don’t have to go on apologizing for **his** delay–not his, but men accuse him of delaying his return. I don’t wish to impute motive, but to say Jesus delayed his coming, if indeed he did not, is an evil and wicked doctrine (Matthew 24:48). Hope delayed is sickness to the soul, but hope realized is a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12).
Anyway, Dave, may the Lord bless you in your studies and guide you to a peaceful conclusion.
Thank you for the clarification. Sorry about the typos. We are travelling so I’m using the phone, plus having clunky fingers!
I understand more and it certainly makes sense. So. Is there an end of the age yet to come?
Hi Dave, business or pleasure (traveling)? If pleasure, I hope you are having great time.
As much as I am able to tell, our age will never end (Daniel 2:44). The Gospel age simply keeps going. When we die, we go to be with the Lord. So far, I am unable to see more than this as it pertains to the future. I have to say, though, it is so much better not knowing much about the future now (understanding as I do now), than when I was a premillennialist and thought I knew a great deal more. It also places me in a position to say no matter who it is who points to the soon coming of Jesus, he or she is flat out wrong. So many people have been hurt by this doctrine, and now I can understand why–it is all a doctrine of men, and as Jesus claimed in Matthew 23, such things hurt the innocent.
Lord bless you, Dave.
Ed could you please send me your previous calendar of 1290 days using the intercalary calendar? I have the 1260 and 1335 but cannot piece together the 3.5 years from 31AD to 34AD atonement. thank you
Emerson