5.) A Study on the 1260,1290,1335
/What will it be like to be living when the final events of earth’s history take place? How will we know that Jesus’ coming is “near, even at the door”, and that we have come to the generation of people who will be alive when He comes? Near the end of Jesus’ ministry on earth, He listed many signs of His second coming, and bade His followers to watch and be ready. The most well-known recording of His sermon on this topic is found in Matthew 24. Notice carefully these words which are found in vs. 32-35:
“Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
The first thing to notice in these texts is that Jesus is expecting His servants to be so awake and alert to the signs of the end, that they will see and recognize the very first appearance of the events which will indicate that they are in the generation who will live to see the return of Jesus and the end of the world. Actually, Matthew 24 is a composite picture of all that would happen from the time He went back to heaven and began His work as Intercessor and High Priest in the Sanctuary in heaven, until He comes again. In a way, it is a short version of the book of Revelation, which is a more complete description of His heavenly ministry after His ascension. Notice the major events in this chronology:
Vs. 4-8: False Christs and false prophets; wars and rumors of wars, and nations rising up against each other; famines and earthquakes in various places.
Vs. 9-14: Persecution and martyrdom; a falling away with many false teachers, and an increase of wickedness; the preaching of the gospel to the whole world.
Vs. 15-20: The rise of the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, with the warning to flee to the mountains for safety.
Vs. 21, 22: A time of great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world, whose time must be cut short to preserve life, especially for God’s chosen ones.
Vs. 23-28: Continued warnings against false Christs and false teachers who perform great signs and miracles.
V. 29: Signs in the sun, moon and stars.
Vs. 30, 31: The coming of Jesus in power and glory, accompanied by the angels of heaven, and announced by the loud trumpet call which will gather His elect from the four winds, and from one end of the heavens to the other.
Hidden away in these few verses are the major signs throughout history which have spoken to God’s people through the ages. The disciples themselves, and the early believers, took the message of Jesus to the then-known world, and suffered persecution and martyrdom. Some of that generation lived to see the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., which was the first fulfillment of the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel.
But that was only the beginning of the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy. As the years went by, we see the same pattern repeated in the seven churches of Revelation, chapters two and three, and the seven seals of chapter six—the powerful preaching of the gospel, followed by persecution and martyrdom, the rise of false teachers, the falling away, the papal rise to power with continuing persecution. Finally in chapter 7, the remnant of all preceding ages is introduced—the 144,000, who represent the saved from all generations—the firstfruits of the earth (Rev. 14:4), who are pronounced blameless (v. 5), and follow Jesus wherever He goes (v. 4).
Let’s go back now and read again Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:33, 34:
“Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.”
Go back to page 1 of this article, and notice the list of signs that Jesus gave. Are we not seeing them ALL right now? Yes, they have happened before in preceding ages. But not all at once for one generation! Is it not time to recognize that this is the generation who will live to see Jesus come in the clouds of heaven, and that it is near, even at the doors? Notice these words by Ellen White:
“In the great final conflict, Satan will employ the same policy, manifest the same spirit and work for the same end, as in all preceding ages. That which has been will be, except that the coming struggle will be marked with a terrible intensity such as the world has never witnessed.” GC 11.
“Each of the ancient prophets spoke less of their own time than for ours so that their prophesying Is in force for us. The Bible has accumulated and bound up its treasures for the last generation. All the great events and solemn transactions of Old Testament history have been, and are, repeating themselves in these last days.” 3 SM 338, 339.
“We are standing on the threshold of great and solemn events. Many of the prophecies are about to be fulfilled in quick succession. Every element of power is about to be set to work. Past history will be repeated; old controversies will arouse to new life, and peril will beset God’s people on every side. Intensity is taking hold of the human family. It is permeating everything upon the earth. . . .Study Revelation in connection with Daniel, for history will be repeated.” TM 116.
“The perils of the last days are upon us, and in our work we are to warn the people of the danger they are in. Let not the solemn scenes which prophecy has revealed be left untouched. If our people were half awake, if they realized the nearness of the events portrayed in the Revelation, a reformation would be wrought in our churches, and many more would believe the message. We have no time to lose; God calls upon us to watch for souls as they that must give an account.” TM 118.
“There is need of a much study of the Word of God; especially should Daniel and the Revelation have attention as never before. . . .The light that Daniel received from God was given especially for these last days.” TM 112, 113.
“Let us read and study the twelfth chapter of Daniel. It is a warning that we shall all need to understand before the time of the end.” 15 MR 228 (1903). [LDE p. 15.]
“The solemn messages that have been given in their order in the Revelation are to occupy the first place in the minds of God’s people.” 8 T 302.
“Those who place themselves under God’s control, to be led and guided by Him, will catch the steady tread of the events ordained by Him to take place.” 7 T 14.
“Let the watchmen now lift up their voice and give the message which is present truth for this time. Let us show the people where we are in prophetic history.” 5 T 716.
“Those who are watching for the Lord are purifying their souls by obedience to the truth. With vigilant watching they combine earnest working. . . .As Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Moses each declared the truth for his time, so will God’s servants now give the special warning for their generation.” DA 634.
In this seminar I have already shared with you a current application of the seven trumpets of Revelation and their relevance for our time as God has revealed them to me. But for a brief review, I will outline them again for you.
#1. Rev. 8:7 – The fall of the NY towers on September 11, 2001, which was the first foreign attack upon the shores of the U.S. mainland.
#2. Rev. 8:8, 9 – A cluster of major natural disasters in different parts of the world, beginning with the great tsunami of December 26, 2004, which hit Indonesia and several other Indian Ocean coastal countries, and extending through the spring of 2005, with U.S. hurricanes Katrina, Rita, etc.
#3. Rev. 8:10, 11 – The economic fall beginning in mid-September, 2008, which is known to be the worst world financial crisis since the great depression of 1929.
#4. Rev. 8:12 – The modern resurgence of the papacy bringing spiritual darkness upon the earth. There has been a gradual growth in papal power “since their rights to sovereignty over Vatican City and international affairs was restored by the Lateran Treaty in 1929. However, in recent years this growth in power has taken a definite upsurge, and with it a growing pressure to idealize Sunday observance as a necessity for all Christians, and indeed for all peoples.”— Carol Zarska, Countdown, p. 59.
It is evident that the papacy has been actively seeking world political authority and pushing the Sunday issue more vigorously in the last 10 years (see Countdown, chap. 8). But I see special significance in the bold public stand taken by pope Benedict XVI at the Seventh World Meeting of Families, held in Milan, Italy from May 30-June 3, 2012. In his homily he quotes the 4th commandment, and then applies it to Sunday, as I quoted to you yesterday in this seminar from p. 61 of my book, Countdown.
During the years since then, Pope Francis, who became the current pope on 3/13/13, has continued to push for world power and Sunday observance in place of the seventh-day Sabbath. According to TIME Magazine, Special Edition, 12/4/15, p. 95, “Francis’s mission is to move the Church to the political center, the margins of the world, and the heart of the gospel.” In his short tenure, he has accomplished a great deal toward this goal. An international Gallup poll report on March 24, 2016, indicates that in three short years, he has become the most popular political and religious leader in the world. His 183-page encyclical, “Praised be You,” addressing climate change, was released on June 18, 2015, and was warmly received by President Obama. In this encyclical Pope Francis seeks to bring the whole human family together and help save the planet through a resurrection of spirituality and returning to God. He also makes a definite appeal to the whole world to find a new start by keeping Sunday as a day of rest, seeking a relationship with God, ourselves and others, and also the value of relaxation and festivity. (See Countdown, p. 64.)
I believe the fourth trumpet closed when Pope Francis visited the United States on September 22-26, 2015, and addressed our Congress and the United Nations. By that act, his world leadership was firmly established. He already had won the allegiance of numerous protestant leaders, such as Joel Osteen, Rick Warren, T.D. Jakes, and others who have publicly called him “our pope.” The question now is, Where do we go from here?
#5. Rev. 8:13-9:11 – This is the first of the three woes. In this trumpet, the abyss is opened and demons are let out to torture the people of earth. Locusts also come down upon the earth to attack and bring intense suffering to people. Throughout history, Bible scholars have interpreted this as referring to the invasion of the Moslems. Only those who have the seal of God upon their foreheads are kept safe from the ravages of the demons and locusts hoards.
#6. Rev. 9:13-21 – In the second woe, the four angels who have been holding back the four winds of strife until the people of God—the 144,000—are sealed, as mentioned in Revelation 7:1-4, are now let loose. Probation for the world closes and the seven last plagues are poured out upon the wicked, while God’s sealed ones are protected, as was Israel in the land of Goshen in Egypt. (See Ex. 8:22, 9:26.) War will rage, and many people die, but the wicked who are left continue in their wicked ways in rebellion against God and His law.
#7. Rev. 11:15-19 – Jesus takes His kingdom and begins to reign. His righteous judgments result in rewards for His own people, and wrath and punishment for the wicked. He brings destruction upon those who are destroying the earth, over which He has ultimate authority. (Notice the pope’s present emphasis upon saving the earth and environment, but also includes Sunday observance. What a glaring counterfeit of Jesus’ rulership, His law, and His Sabbath, which is the sign of His Creatorship and ownership of this world!) He then opens His temple in heaven, and prepares to come to earth to get His people, and descends in majesty, surrounded by all the angels from heaven blowing their trumpets to announce His coming! (See Matt. 24:30, 31; 1 Cor. 15:51, 52; 1 Thess. 4:16, 17.)
All these insights which I have shared with you have come to me as a result of many years of study and prayer and asking God to reveal His mysteries to me as they relate to Bible prophecy, especially Daniel and Revelation, and where we are in prophetic history. But I have avoided asking God the current meaning or significance of the five months mentioned in Revelation 9:5, the hour, day, month and year in verse 15, and the 1290 and 1335 days in Daniel 12:10-12 which only the wise will understand. As a fourth-generation Adventist, and familiar with the dangers of time-setting, I have studiously avoided anything that would seem to be in that category.
However, that avoidance came to an end on Sabbath, July 2, of this year, when God specifically impressed me during my worship that He wanted me to ask Him specifically about the meaning of these numbers for our time. I will not take you with me through the days of prayer and study that followed, but will try to give you the significant highlights and results of that study, as far as I have come at this time, for God has asked me to share what I have, and then continue to study and pray for further light on our pathway as the end approaches.
First, I want to point out that in the trumpet countdown—as many people have observed—the significant events that mark the trumpets come at approximately three and one-half year intervals, often coinciding with the time of the spring and fall Jewish festivals. I don’t believe this is simply a coincidence. I believe God is using the language of these three and one-half year timing intervals, which are so familiar in Scripture, to signal His people that He is using these events to speak to this generation.
Now please follow my reasoning on the timing of the trumpets. Let’s suppose that the timing of the fifth trumpet is consistent with the first four, and is also three and one-half years. Since the fourth trumpet ended in September 22-26, 2015, with the papal visit, and we are now ten months into the three and one-half year of the fifth trumpet, how long do we have until the beginning of the sixth trumpet and the close of probation for the world? If my calculations are correct, that would bring us to the spring of 2019. But would probation close at the beginning of the sixth trumpet, or sometime later? At this point I was impressed to go back and study the same journey that our forefathers took in understanding the time outlines of the historic trumpets.
“The Lord has declared that the history of the past shall be rehearsed as we enter upon the closing work. Every truth that He has given for these last days is to be proclaimed to the world. Every pillar that He has established is to be strengthened. We cannot now step off the foundation that God has established. . . .There is need now to rehearse the experience of the men who acted a part in the establishment of our work at the beginning.” 1 MR 54.2.
I turned for help to the Bible Commentary, and studied carefully the experience of Josiah Litch as he pieced together the time prophecies of the fifth and sixth trumpets, and placed them back to back without a break in between. He was the first of the early Advent leaders to do this. Using this method, Litch came up with the date of August 11, 1840, as the time when the Ottoman empire would fall. (See 7 BC 795.) On exactly that date, the Turkish Empire was overthrown. This gave impetus to the Millerite movement, and the Midnight Cry that Jesus would come in October of 1844. (See GC 334, 335.) The Midnight Cry ended in the seventh month of 1844. (See EW 42, 43.)
Using this information as a pattern, I asked God for guidance to understand the same time period for us now. The five months would then be placed at the end of the fifth trumpet as Litch had done. In Revelation 9:4, 5, the locusts are not given power to kill during that time, but to torment or cause suffering. I asked God what would bring this about, and He impressed me that it would be caused by the enactment of the Sunday Law in which people will not be able to buy or sell unless they have the Mark of the Beast. But He will save and provide for His faithful ones through that time.
Before the time of this final enactment, the Sunday-Sabbath issue will progress in stages just as it did in the long time period of the dark ages, as described in the Great Controversy, pages 52-54. In fact, it has already begun, as I have described earlier. We are in stages one and two, where Sunday keeping is being urged as a family day of worship and festivities, but becoming more urgent because of the ecology crisis. I assure you, if our people are ignorant about this stealthy approach, they will be taken by surprise when the real time of trouble begins in earnest, and the time of preparation before probation closes is so short! But it was approximately the same as our pioneers from 1840-1844, when they thought Jesus would come.
Which brings me to the next and last phase of the trumpets – how long will the sixth trumpet last? Since it is the time when the seven last plagues will be poured out, I wondered how we could live through three and one-half years of such deprivation and suffering. He directed me to Revelation 18:8: “Therefore in one day her plagues will overtake her: death, mourning and famine. . . .” Cross referencing this with Isaiah 34:8, it became clear: “For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion’s cause.” The Lord impressed me that this is the time that would be cut short, for no flesh would be lift alive. (See Matt. 24:22.) This coincides with Litch’s calculation of the hour, day, month, and year of Revelation 9:15. He added 391 to the five month period, and using days, not years, that would be a little more than one year, placing the end of the sixth trumpet in the spring of 2020.
Of course, we are never going to be able to pinpoint the exact time of Jesus’ coming. But He wants us to know when it is near, even at the doors. Otherwise we will tend to put off the preparation, and wait until it is too late for us and our loved ones to prepare our hearts to meet Him.
Now I will address the mysterious 1260, 1290, and 1335 of Daniel 12. Our forefathers were very careful about making positive statements about these texts, usually coming to the conclusion that they will be understood more clearly by those who live in the time of the end. (See 4 BC 877, 880, 881.) An example is this statement on “the wise shall understand”:
“A guarantee that those in the last days who study devoutly and intelligently will understand God’s message for their time.” 7 BC 880.
I felt the Holy Spirit urging me gently to seek for understanding on these texts, so I asked when they would begin. I found on page 880 (7 BC) that it is reasonable to believe that these three time periods—the 1260, 1290, and 1335—cover approximately the same historical era. Seeking for a beginning date, I found this:
“In the sixth century [538 A.D] the papacy had become firmly established. . . .And now began the 1260 years of papal oppression foretold in the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation.” GC 54.
“The prophetic period of the little horn began in A.D. 538, when the Ostrogoths abandoned the siege of Rome, and the bishop of Rome . . . was free to exercise the prerogatives of Justinian’s decree of 533, and thenceforth to increase the authority of the ‘Holy See’.” 4 BC 834.
“The term ‘daily’ . . . refers to the continual priestly ministry of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary,” and “the substitution by the papacy of compulsory unity in a visible church in place of the voluntary unity of all believers in Christ.” 4 BC 843.
On June 25, 2014, in a homily given at St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis stated:
“We are not isolated and we are not Christians on an individual basis, each one on his or her own, no, our Christian identity is to belong! . . .In the Church there is no ‘do it yourself,’ there are no ‘free agents.’ . . .There are those who believe they can maintain a personal, direct and immediate relationship with Jesus Christ outside the communion and the mediation of the Church. These are dangerous and harmful temptations.” Countdown, p. 64.
I believe we are now seeing right before our eyes the repeat of the things that happened in the historic period of papal supremacy, and the healing of the little horn power as predicted in Revelation 13. It is time for us as a people to “prophesy again!” Rev. 10:11. There is so little time! We must arouse from our slumber and stop waiting for the Sunday law to begin our preparation for Jesus’ coming! For many, or even most, it will then be too late to prepare. Satan is even now stealing a march upon us and hoping we will not be awakened by his stealthy advances. Wait not, O sleeping virgins! The hour to receive from Jesus the extra oil in your lamps is now!
But what about the prophetic time lines coordinating the 1260, 1290 and 1335? I followed the pattern of the historic time period (7 BC 880 – see above), beginning all three on the date of the June 18, 2015 encyclical of Pope Francis, because on that date he consolidated and established his leadership of the world on the issue of climate change and saving the environment. I was surprised to see that counting forward from this date, and using all three time periods extending concurrently, brings us to the spring of 2019, just as the end of the fifth trumpet brings us to the spring of 2019, which is the close of probation. No wonder we are told, “Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1335 days”! Dan. 12:12. By that time every soul will have made their final decision, and God’s people will be forever sealed, and safe from the destruction of the wicked.
“The mark of deliverance has been set upon those ‘that sigh and cry for all the abominations that be done.’ Now the angel of death goes forth.” GC 656.
“The angel is to place a mark upon the forehead of all who are separated from sin and sinners, and the destroying angel will follow, to slay utterly both old and young.” 5 T 505.
God will see us safely through the terrible destruction of the great time of trouble, just as He kept Noah and his family safe through the flood. We will be secure in the second apartment ark of the heavenly sanctuary, just as Psalms 91 tells us:
“I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ Surely He will save you from the fowlers snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you make the Most High your dwelling—even the Lord, who is my refuge—then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” Ps. 91:2-11.
“The wickedness of the inhabitants of the world has almost filled up the measure of their iniquity. The earth has almost reached the place where God will permit the destroyer to work His will upon it. The substitution of the laws of men for the law of God, the exaltation . . . of Sunday in place of the Bible Sabbath, is the last act in the drama. When this substitution becomes universal, God will reveal Himself. He will arise in His majesty to shake terribly the earth. He will come out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the world for their iniquity, and the earth shall disclose her blood and shall no more cover her slain.” 7 T 141.
God’s final call to come into the safety of a secure, eternal relationship with Him is found in Isaiah 26:20, 21:
“Come, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until His wrath has passed by. See, the Lord is coming out of His dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed upon her; she will conceal her slain no longer.”
It is time now to give the loud cry of the fourth angel of Revelation 18 to come out of fallen Babylon! It is time now to let the people of earth know where we are in earth’s history, and what is the meaning of the things that are happening around the world. It is time now to come into the hiding place of the sanctuary and go through the perils of the end securely hidden under the shadow of His wings! Will you join me in making that commitment?
