Daniel 12:11-12 – And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.

Revelation 12:6 – Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

Pastor David Guzik: The book of Daniel talks about a marking point at 1,290 days, and then another marking point at the 1,335 days, leaving a 45-day gap in between. What happens in that gap? It obviously has to do with the End Times, the final judgment, and the end of the age.

I don’t know exactly what happens during those 45 days, but I’ll give you the best explanation I’ve found. I believe that after Jesus returns in glory, what follows will be the judgment of the nations which Jesus described in Matthew 25. I believe that the judgment of the nations is for the purpose of determining who is allowed to enter into the Millennial Earth. I believe that this judgment happens during those 45 days. It’s a difficult passage, and that’s the best explanation I can offer.

Pastor Lance Ralston: The three and a half years works out to 1,260 days. Daniel refers to 1,290 days and then 1,335 days. I think that the 1,260 days will mark the actual return of Christ, and that the 1,290-day mark is the regathering of the Jews back to the land under His reign. Once He is seated and they’re all under His reign, He then judges the nations. Why? Because His people, the Jews, have been brought back to the land. I believe that the judgment of the nations will take place on day 1,335, which would also mark the commencement of the Millennium.

Pastor David Guzik: There are all sorts of wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ who would hear us describe that outworking the end times, and think, “You’re crazy; all of that has already happened,” or “It’s just symbolic.” We’re just going to agree to disagree. We agree that you’re wrong. We understand the Christians have different perspectives. My understanding of the end times or eschatology is premillennial and pre-Tribulation; I believe that the catching away the church will happen before the Tribulation. But I don’t believe in those positions because I think there are absolutely no problems with them scripturally.

I think there are problems or difficulties with every eschatological construct. But I prefer the problems in my camp. When I take it in whole, I think that the difficulties in the post-millennial and the amillennial camps are even greater. The pre-tribulation view seems to have the least amount of problems left to be resolved.

Pastor Lance Ralston: Another argument from those camps is, “It’s all symbolic.” I would answer that by simply asking, “Symbolic of what?” It can’t be symbolic of nothing. I think this view that we hold – pre-tribulational and premillennial – is the most straightforward taking of the text. It’s taking the text as literally as the text can be taken in our estimation.

Pastor David Guzik: Yes, it’s applying the same principles of biblical understanding to those passages as we would apply to other passages.

Q&A for September 18, 2025