INTRODUCTION
In his conversation with Pilate, Jesus said: Everyone that is on the side of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him. “What is truth?” But instead of waiting for Jesus’ answer to his question, he turned his back to Jesus and went out to speak to the Jews. (John 18:37, 38)
Many people today are interested to know what the truth about God and his son Jesus Christ is. But most of them follow the example of Pilate by turning their back to the Bible, refusing to make a thorough study of the Bible to find the truth.
In this study, my focus will be those who “listens to my voice,” as Jesus said. And my question is: Who are they? Who are they who listens to the voice of Jesus? In his prophecy about events that will occur in the time of the end, he spoke about “the holy people.” (Daniel 12:7) The members of “the holy people” must be those Jesus had in mind when he spoke about those who are “on the side of the truth” and “who listens to my voice.”
The holy people can be identified as those who accepts all the Christian doctrines found in the Bible and who strive hard to follow the laws and principles of God. In this study. I will identify “the holy people” with Jehovah’s Witnesses on the basis of prophetic time periods that have been fulfilled on them.
The following time periods are mentioned: 3 1/2 times (1,260 days, 42 months), 1,290 days, and 1,335 days:
THE DASHING TO PIECES THE POWER OF THE HOLY PEOPLE AFTER 1 260 DAYS
The period of 1 260 days must be particularly important because it is mentioned four different places:
Daniel 7:25:
25 And he will speak even words against the Most High, and he will harass continually the holy ones themselves of the Supreme One. And he will intend to change times and law, and they will be given into his hand for a time, and times and half a time.
Daniel 12:7:
7 And I began to hear the man clothed with the linen, who was up above the waters of the stream, as he proceeded to raise his right [hand] and his left [hand] to the heavens and to swear by the One who is alive for time indefinite: “It will be for an appointed time, appointed times and a half. And as soon as there will have been a finishing of the dashing of the power of the holy people to pieces, all these things will come to their finish.”
Revelation 11:2, 3, 7:
2 But as for the courtyard that is outside the temple [sanctuary], cast it clear out and do not measure it, because it has been given to the nations, and they will trample the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. 3 And I will cause my two witnesses to prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days dressed in sackcloth.”
7 And when they have finished their witnessing, the wild beast that ascends out of the abyss will make war with them and conquer them and kill them.
Revelation 13:5
5 And a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies was given it, and authority to act forty-two months was given it.
The context of these four passages shows that they refer to the same period of time, and at the end of the period, there will be a catastrophic event for the people of God. The one who will cause the disaster is referred to in Daniel 7:25 as “he.” Four beasts representing four world powers will arise, and from the fourth beast, a horn will arise. The pronoun “he” in verse 25 refers back to this horn (kingdom) in verse 24. The holy ones will “be given into his hand,” and according to 12:7, this means that the power of the holy people will be dashed to pieces at the end of 3 1/2 times.
There is one who will cause disaster for the two witnesses (the people of God) after 42 months, according to Revelation 11: 2, 3, 7 and 13:5
SOME DETAILS ABOUT THE TIME PERIODS
Daniel 9:24-27 has a time prophecy of 70 weeks of years that “have been determined upon your people and upon your holy city.” After 69 weeks of years, the Messiah would come. In this prophecy, each day represents one year, and 69 weeks of years started in 455 BCE means 483 years, which ended in 29 CE, when Jesus Christ started his preaching about the kingdom of God. In a similar way, the seven appointed times (LXX: years) in Daniel 4:15-17 have been calculated as 2,520 years (7 x 360 days = 2,520 days of years) from 607 BCE to 1914 CE.
In view of the pattern of one day representing one year in these two calculations, how can we know that the 1,260 days in Revelation 11:3 and the 1,290 days and 1,335 days in Daniel 12:11, 12, represent literal days and not that each day represents one year?
The first reason: The events mentioned from 11:40 to 12:13 happen during the time of the end, and this includes the 3 1/2 times, 1,290 days, and 1,335 days. So, these prophecies must be fulfilled after the year 1914, when the time of the end started.
The second reason: The prophecies of Revelation will be fulfilled after the year 98, when the book was written (Revelation 1:1), and the visions John saw would be fulfilled on “the Lord’s day,” which is equated with the time of the end (Revelation 1:10).
The third reason: Revelation 1:1 indicates that God’s people would understand the prophecies of Revelation — the book was written “to show the things that must shortly take place.” The time period of 1,260 days is mentioned in four passages. What would happen at the end of these days is mentioned — the power of the holy people would be dashed to pieces. But none of the four passages tells what would mark the beginning of the 1,260 days.
If Jesus, who gave the prophecies to John, would show — give understanding to — his slaves of what would happen, the only starting point of the 1,260 days that the people of God could know was the end of the appointed times of the nations in 1914.
Regarding the calculation of the prophetic time periods, the Watchtower Society has used the Jewish calendar, in which I agree.
THE TWO WITNESSES THAT WERE KILLED
There are several details in the prophecy of the two witnesses that need to be elucidated. I quote Revelation 11:1-11
1 And a reed like a rod was given me as he said: “Get up and measure the temple [sanctuary] of God and the altar and those worshiping in it. 2 But as for the courtyard that is outside the temple [sanctuary], cast it clear out and do not measure it, because it has been given to the nations, and they will trample the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. 3 And I will cause my two witnesses to prophesy a thousand two hundred and sixty days dressed in sackcloth.” 4 These are [symbolized by] the two olive trees and the two lampstands and are standing before the Lord of the earth.
5 And if anyone wants to harm them, fire issues forth from their mouths and devours their enemies; and if anyone should want to harm them, in this manner he must be killed. 6 These have the authority to shut up heaven that no rain should fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have authority over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every sort of plague as often as they wish.
7 And when they have finished their witnessing, the wild beast that ascends out of the abyss will make war with them and conquer them and kill them.
8 And their corpses will be on the broad way of the great city which is in a spiritual sense called Sodʹom and Egypt, where their Lord was also impaled. 9 And those of the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their corpses for three and a half days, and they do not let their corpses be laid in a tomb. 10 And those dwelling on the earth rejoice over them and enjoy themselves, and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those dwelling on the earth.
11 And after the three and a half days spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon those beholding them. 12 And they heard a loud voice out of heaven say to them: “Come on up here.” And they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies beheld them.
The two witnesses can be identified by their actions because their actions show that the two witnesses fulfilled the same role as four persons who are mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures, the high priest Joshua, the governor Zerubbabel, Moses and Elijah.
JOSHUA AND ZERUBBABEL
Verse 4 says that the two witnesses are antitypes of the two olive trees and the two lampstands mentioned by the prophet Zechariah. I quote Zechariah 4:2-3, 11, 14 (above), and Haggai 2:4 (below):
2 So I said: “I have seen, and, look! there is a lampstand, all of it of gold, with a bowl on top of it. And its seven lamps are upon it, even seven; and the lamps that are at the top of it have seven pipes. 3 And there are two olive trees alongside it, one on the right side of the bowl and one on its left side.”
11 And I proceeded to answer and say to him: “What do these two olive trees on the right side of the lampstand and on its left side mean?”
14 Accordingly he said: “These are the two anointed ones who are standing alongside the Lord of the whole earth.”
4 “‘But now be strong, O Ze·rubʹba·bel,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘and be strong, O Joshua the son of Je·hozʹa·dak the high priest.’ “‘And be strong, all YOU people of the land,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘and work.’
Zerubbabel was the governor and Jehoshua was the high priest of the Jews after they came out of Babylon and settled in their own land. They represented the people of God after the Babylonian captivity. That they are types of the two witnesses, indicate that the setting of the two witnesses are that God’s people in modern times are released from the antitypical Babylon. (Revelation 14:8: 18:4)
THE PROPHET ELIJAH
The two witnesses had “to shut up heaven that no rain” should fall (verse 4), and this show that the prophet Elijah was a type of the two witnesses, as we read in James 5:17:
17 E·liʹjah was a man with feelings like ours, and yet in prayer he prayed for it not to rain; and it did not rain upon the land for three years and six months.
That the prophet Elijah was a prophetic type of the two witnesses shows that the two witnesses should fill the same function as the prophet and do the same work as he did. To what did that refer? We get an answer in Malachi 4:5, 6:
5 “Look! I am sending to YOU people E·liʹjah the prophet before the coming of the great and fear-inspiring day of Jehovah. 6 And he must turn the heart of fathers back toward sons, and the heart of sons back toward fathers; in order that I may not come and actually strike the earth with a devoting [of it] to destruction.”
How would this prophecy be fulfilled? The priest Zechariah was the father of John the Baptist, and before the birth of his son an angel spoke to him and said, according to Luke 1:14-17:
14 And you will have joy and great gladness, and many will rejoice over his birth; 15 for he will be great before Jehovah. But he must drink no wine and strong drink at all, and he will be filled with holy spirit right from his mother’s womb; 16 and many of the sons of Israel will he turn back to Jehovah their God. 17 Also, he will go before him with E·liʹjah’s spirit and power, to turn back the hearts of fathers to children and the disobedient ones to the practical wisdom of righteous ones, to get ready for Jehovah a prepared people.”
Jesus confirmed that John the Baptist fulfilled the prophecy of Malachi 4:5,6, as we read in Matthew 17:10-13?
10 However, the disciples put the question to him: “Why, then, do the scribes say that E·liʹjah must come first?”11 In reply he said: “E·liʹjah, indeed, is coming and will restore all things. 12 However, I say to YOU that E·liʹjah has already come and they did not recognize him but did with him the things they wanted. In this way also the Son of man is destined to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples perceived that he spoke to them about John the Baptist.
We note that John the Baptist was not a reincarnation of Elijah. But John should do the same work as Elijah to “get ready for Jehovah a prepared people” and “restore all things.” But what can we say about the words in Malachi 4:5, 6, that Elijah would come “before the great and fear-inspiring day of Jehovah”? This day did not come in the first century. But some prophecies and prophetic types got a miniature fulfillment in the first century CE but get the real fulfillment in the time of the end. This double fulfillment is confirmed in Matthew 16:28-17:10:
28 Truly I say to YOU that there are some of those standing here that will not taste death at all until first they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.”
1 Six days later Jesus took Peter and James and John his brother along and brought them up into a lofty mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured (metamorfoō) before them, and his face shone as the sun, and his outer garments became brilliant as the light. 3 And, look! there appeared to them Moses and E·liʹjah, conversing with him. 4 Responsively Peter said to Jesus: “Lord, it is fine for us to be here. If you wish, I will erect three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for E·liʹjah.”
5 While he was yet speaking, look! a bright cloud overshadowed them, and, look! a voice out of the cloud, saying: “This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved; listen to him.” 6 At hearing this the disciples fell upon their faces and became very much afraid. 7 Then Jesus came near and, touching them, said: “Get up and have no fear.” 8 When they raised their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus himself only. 9 And as they were descending from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying: “Tell the vision (horama) to no one until the Son of man is raised up from the dead.”
We note that the situation described above was a vision (horama), and this is confirmed by the word metamorfoō with the meaning “to change one’s form.” The words of Jesus according to Matthew 16:28 was that they would “see the Son of man coming in his kingdom,” and this was fulfilled by the transfiguration. One of those who were present was Peter, and in his second letter 1:16-18 he wrote about the transfiguration:
16 No, it was not by following artfully contrived false stories that we acquainted YOU with the power and presence (parousia) of our Lord Jesus Christ, but it was by having become eyewitnesses of his magnificence. 17 For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when words such as these were borne to him by the magnificent glory: “This is my son, my beloved, whom I myself have approved.” 18 Yes, these words we heard borne from heaven while we were with him in the holy mountain.
Peter showed that the situation of the transfiguration pictured the presence (parousia) of Jesus. Because Elijah was seen in the transfiguration, it shows that the fulfillment of the Prophecy about the coming of Elijah in Malachi 4:5 will happen during the presence of Jesus “before the great and fear-inspiring day of Jehovah.”
This means that the coming of the antitypical Elijah during the presence of Jesus indicated that a prepared people for Jehovah would be ready, as Luke 1:17 says.
THE PROPHET MOSES
Revelation 11:6 says about the two witnesses that “they have authority over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every sort of plague as often as they wish.” This shows that Moses also was a prophetic type of the two witnesses because the witnesses were able to do the same actions as Moses did.
Moses himself expressed some prophetic words indicating that he was a prophetic type. We read in Deuteronomy 18:18, 19 (above) and Acts 3:19-23 (below):
18 A prophet I shall raise up for them from the midst of their brothers, like you; and I shall indeed put my words in his mouth, and he will certainly speak to them all that I shall command him. 19 And it must occur that the man who will not listen to my words that he will speak in my name, I shall myself require an account from him.
19 “Repent, therefore, and turn around so as to get YOUR sins blotted out, that seasons of refreshing may come from the person of Jehovah 20 and that he may send forth the Christ appointed for YOU, Jesus, 21 whom heaven, indeed, must hold within itself 22 until the times of restoration of all things of which God spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets of old time. 22 In fact, Moses said, ‘Jehovah God will raise up for YOU from among YOUR brothers a prophet like me. YOU must listen to him according to all the things he speaks to YOU. 23 Indeed, any soul that does not listen to that Prophet will be completely destroyed from among the people.’
In the speech Peter gave according to Acts 3:19-23, Peter showed that Moses was a type of Jesus. Moses was the mediator of the old covenant, and Jesus was the mediator of the new covenant. The situation we are discussing in Revelation 11:2-11 occurs when the greater Moses, Jesus Christ, is present. That Moses, according to Revelation 11:6, is a prophetic type of the two witnesses is stressing their role as spiritual Israel whose basis is the new covenant. Moses stressed the importance of listening to the words of the one of whom he was a prophetic type, and this suggests that the two witnesses would preach the word of God and that it was important to listen to these words.
THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE TWO WITNESSES
The identification of the two witnesses by the members of the governing Body has changed parallel with the change of the dictatorial position of the leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses. In recent years, the identification of the two witnesses has been used to support the false view that the members of the Governing Body are chosen by God as a government for Jehovah’s Witnesses and that what they write are inspired by God.[1]
I quote the wrong application from The Watchtower of November 15, 2014, page 30 (above) and Our Christian Life and Ministry — Meeting Workbook December 19, 2019, page 3 (below):
Who are these two witnesses? The details of the account help us to identify them. First, we are told that they “are symbolized by the two olive trees and the two lampstands.” (Rev. 11:4) This reminds us of the lampstand and two olive trees described in the prophecy of Zechariah. Those olive trees were said to picture “the two anointed ones,” that is, Governor Zerubbabel and High Priest Joshua, “standing alongside the Lord of the whole earth.” (Zech. 4:1-3, 14) Second, the two witnesses are described as performing signs similar to those performed by Moses and Elijah.—Compare Revelation 11:5, 6 with Numbers 16:1-7, 28-35 and 1 Kings 17:1; 18:41-45.
What is the common denominator that links these references? In each case, the account refers to God’s anointed ones who took the lead during a difficult time of testing. So in the fulfillment of Revelation chapter 11, the anointed brothers who took the lead at the time of the establishment of God’s Kingdom in heaven in 1914 preached “in sackcloth” for three and a half years.
At the end of their preaching in sackcloth, these anointed ones were symbolically killed when they were thrown into prison for a comparatively shorter period of time, a symbolic three and a half days. In the eyes of the enemies of God’s people, their work had been killed, causing those opponents much joy.—Rev. 11:8-10.
“Two witnesses”: The small group of anointed brothers who were taking the lead when God’s Kingdom was established in 1914.
I quote the correct application from The Watchtower of February 1, 1959, page 80 (above), and The Watchtower of May 15, 1961, pages 296, 297 (below):
13 Down till the year 1914 this remnant of the spiritual seed of God’s woman Zion enjoyed an increasing measure of spiritual prosperity. But then came World War I. Along with it the religious and political and military powers of Christendom almost ruined this spiritual prosperity of Jehovah’s witnesses. They became like the “two witnesses” whom Revelation 11:3 described as prophesying in sackcloth, finally meeting a public death in this old world, particularly so in Christendom where they had been most active. It became with them as with the apostles and other disciples during the days that the Lord Jesus Christ lay dead in the tomb.
3 Today Jehovah God is inviting all lovers of truth and righteousness to assemble together with the happy New World society of his witnesses. God himself provides the sound reasons for rejoicing among his people. At one time Jehovah’s modern witnesses found themselves in a stricken and unhappy state, particularly at the end of the first world war, in 1918. They were depicted in prophecy as persons dressed in sackcloth, and even as dead corpses lying in the streets. (Rev. 11:3, 7-10) But Jehovah caused the condition of his people to be changed from that of sorrow and mourning to one of joy and happiness. He delivered his faithful witnesses from their deathlike state of inactivity, put his spirit upon them and caused the prophetic words of Isaiah to be fulfilled toward them, namely: “Then the redeemed ones of Jehovah themselves will return and must come to Zion with a joyful outcry, and rejoicing to time indefinite will be upon their head. To exultation and rejoicing they will attain. Grief and sighing will certainly flee away.”—Isa. 51:11.
The next last quotation says that the two witnesses represent “the remnant of the spiritual seed of God’s woman.” This is a reference to all anointed servants of Jehovah after World War I. The last quotation says that the two witnesses refer to Jehovah’s modern witnesses. In contrast with this, the first two quotations say that the two witnesses are “the small group of anointed brothers who were taking the lead in 1914.”
The view that the reference is to the small group of anointed brothers contradicts both Daniel chapter 12 and Revelation chapter 11. As I will show, the “killing” of the two witnesses after a period of 1,260 days did not occur only to the leaders of the Bible students. But all the servants of Jehovah were “killed.” Moreover, the 1,260 days is the same period as the 3 1/2 times mentioned in Daniel 12:7 says that “the power of the holy people,” not only the power of the leaders of the holy people, would be dashed to pieces.
Why have the members of the Governing Body written that the two witnesses represent a small group of anointed brothers? Because they have moved the focus away from the whole people of God to themselves. While “the faithful and discreet slave” until the year 2013 was viewed to refer to all anointed witnesses, brothers and sisters, in that year the members of the Governing Body claimed that they were “the faithful and discreet slave.” They have also falsified the history of Jehovah’s Witnesses by claiming that God appointed “the faithful and discreet slave” and the Governing Body in the year 1919. So, claiming that the two witnesses represent a small group of anointed brothers who took the lead after World War I fits very well into the new view that the 11 members of the Governing Body are appointed by God as “the faithful and discreet slave.”
THE APPLICATION OF THE 1,260 DAYS
It is clear that 3 1/2 times in Daniel 7:25 and 12:7, as well as 42 months in Revelation 11:2 and 13:5 and 1,260 days in Revelation 11:3 refer to the same time period. None of the time periods point to an event at the beginning of the period.
But 3 1/2 times in Daniel 12:7 ends with the dashing to pieces of the power of the holy people, and Revelation 11:7 ends with the killing of the holy people (the two witnesses). These two events must refer to the same situation. The time of the end is mentioned in Daniel 11:40 and 12:9, so the 3 1/2 times occurs in the context of events in the time of the end.
Revelation 1:1 says that the signs in the book will be fulfilled in the future, which is after the year 98 when the book probably was written. Daniel 12:9 says that the prophecies of the book will first be understood in the time of the end, which can be shown to have started in 1914 CE. Revelation 1:10 shows that the spirit moved John to “the day of the lord.” On the mentioned background, it is logical that the day of the Lord is the same as the time of the end. This suggests that what happened with the two witnesses happened on the day of the Lord, which probably is the same as the time of the end.
I have shown that “the people of God” (Daniel 12:7) is the same as the people who started a thorough Bible study in the 1870s, and at first were called “Bible Students” and later were called Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Can we find an event in the history of this people when their power was dashed to pieces, and the two witnesses were killed? There is only one such situation, and that is what happened on June 21, 1918. On this day President J. F. Rutherford, Secretary-Treasurer W. E. Van Amburgh, Clayton J. Woodworth and George H. Fisher (the two compilers of The Finished Mystery), F. H. Robison (a member of the Watch Tower editorial committee), A. H. Macmillan, R. J. Martin and Giovanni DeCecca were sentenced to 80 years in prison.
Revelation 11:7 says: “And when they have finished their witnessing, the wild beast that ascends out of the abyss (abyssos) will make war with them and conquer them and kill them.” Revelation 13:1 speaks about “a wild beast ascending out of the sea (thalassa). Is this the wild beast that is mentioned in 11:7? Deuteronomy 30:13 (LXX) uses the Greek word thalassa (“sea”), and the reference to this passage in Romans 10:7 uses the Greek word abyssos (“abyss”). Therefore, “the wild beast that ascends out of the abyss (Revelation 11:7) is a reference to the wild beast that ascends out of the sea (thalassa). (Revelation 13:1)
The mentioned persons were the leaders of the people of God, and when they were taken to jail, the whole organization broke down, and the religious work of God’s people stopped. If we calculate 1,260 days back from June 21, 1918, we come to December, 1914. An event that would mark the beginning of the 1 260 days is not mentioned. But because the appointed times of the nations ended in 1914, and December is the last month of that year, it is logical to start the calculation of the 1,260 days in this month. The Watchtower of November 1, 1993, page 10, says:
13 Hence, from December 1914, this small band of witnesses ‘preached in sackcloth,’ humbly enduring as they announced Jehovah’s judgments. A shock to many was, in 1916, the death of C. T. Russell, the first president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. As war fever took hold, they encountered mounting opposition. Some were imprisoned. Individuals, such as Frank Platt in England and Robert Clegg in Canada, were tortured by sadistic authorities. Finally, on June 21, 1918, J. F. Rutherford, the new president, together with the directors of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, was sentenced on false charges to a long term in prison. Thus, at the end of the prophetic period, the “little horn” killed the organized public preaching work.—Daniel 7:8, King James Version.
The 1 260 days (Revelation 11:4) started in December 1914 and ended on June 21, 1918. |
THE REVIVAL OF THE TWO WITNESSES
The people of God, symbolized by the two witnesses, died on June 21, 1918 when the leaders were jailed. Regarding this situation. Revelation 11:8-12:
8 And their corpses will be on the broad way of the great city which is in a spiritual sense called Sodʹom and Egypt, where their Lord was also impaled. 9 And those of the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their corpses for three and a half days, and they do not let their corpses be laid in a tomb. 10 And those dwelling on the earth rejoice over them and enjoy themselves, and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those dwelling on the earth.
11 And after the three and a half days spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet, and great fear fell upon those beholding them. 12 And they heard a loud voice out of heaven say to them: “Come on up here.” And they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies beheld them.
The prophecy says that after a short period symbolized as three days and a half, the two witnesses were revived. They had been in jail for nine months, but on March 25, 1919, they were released from prison. The brothers received much support, and the religious work that stopped on June 21, 1918, was continued. The headquarters in Pittsburg were renovated, and brother Rutherford was back on the job by July 1919. A convention was held in Cedar Point in Ohio on September 1-8, 1919, and the talks stressed the need for all Christians to proclaim the kingdom of God. It is clear that this convention stirred the Bible students to action, and it was clear that the two witnesses had been revived.
[1] The members of the Governing Body deny that they are inspired by God. But at the same time, they claim that they get information from God, and because of this, what they publish is what God wants his people to read at any time. this is the same as inspiration. For a detailed discussion of this, see my article, “The Governing Body and Divine Inspiration” in the category, “Bible study.”
THE PERIOD OF 1,290 DAYS
The period of 3 1/2 times (1,260 days) is mentioned in Daniel 12:7. That the prophecies of Daniel should not be understood before the time of the end, is mentioned in verses 8-10, and in verse 11 we read:
11 “And from the time that the constant [feature] has been removed and there has been a placing of the disgusting thing that is causing desolation, there will be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.
THE BEGINNING OF THE 1,290 DAYS
In connection with the beginning, “the constant [feature]” is mentioned. The Hebrew word tāmīd (“constant, continually”) refers to a sacrifice that was constantly placed on the altar in the temple. To what does it refer today when there is no temple and no offerings? We get an answer in Hebrews 13:15:
15 Through him let us always offer to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips which make public declaration to his name.
When were the sacrifices of praise removed? This happened on June 21, 1918, when the leaders of the congregations of the Bible Students were sent to jail. Because of this, the preaching of the good news of the kingdom, the fruit of lips, stopped.
The event that would mark the beginning of the 1 290 days was “a placing of the disgusting thing that is causing desolation.” The expression “a placing” is translated from the infinitive construct of the verb nātan, with the meaning “give, put, set, set up.” Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14 speaks about the disgusting thing that causes desolation, and in both places the Greek verb histēmi, with the meaning “put, place, set up” is used. The verb histēmi is perfect participle, indicating that the action has been completed, literally: “having been placed.”
In the first century, Jesus shows that the disgusting thing would be placed in a holy place. When this happened, the followers of Jesus should see it and react. The Hebrew infinitive is time indifferent, which means that we cannot know the time of the verb nātan. Therefore, the rendering “a placing” of NWT84 is excellent.
The disgusting thing that is causing desolation refers to the League of Nations, and later to the United Nations.[1] When was there “a placing” of the League of Nations, and who did this placing? There are three dates that must be considered:
The peace conference in Paris started on January 18, 1919.
The Versailles Treaty was signed on June 28, 1919.
The League of Nations was established on October 13, 1919.
The writers of The Watchtower have chosen January 18, 1919, as the beginning of the 1,290 days, and I agree with this choice. The reason for this is given in The Watchtower of October 1, 1959, pages 597, 598:
Before World War I ended on November 11, 1918, American President Wilson proposed a League of Nations. Before the Paris Peace Conference opened in 1919 the executive committee of the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America adopted a Declaration stating that the proposed League was “the political expression of the Kingdom of God on earth.” The executive committee also appointed a Special Commission to present officially the Declaration to the Peace Conference then soon to convene at Paris.
32 Did this Special Commission present the Declaration to the Paris Peace Conference after it opened on January 18, 1919? In the annual report of the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in America for the calendar year of 1919 there appeared on page 11 this sentence:
At the Peace Conference in Paris a representative committee of the Federal Council was received by officials of the government and presented the actions of the executive committee which they were instructed to convey to the Peace Conference.
33 More action than the above was taken. The Peace Treaty was signed on June 28, 1919. The Federal Council Bulletin as of June, 1919, on page 94, said the following in an article entitled “Resolutions Adopted by the Federal Council of the Churches of Christ in Special Session at Cleveland, Ohio, May 6-8, 1919”:
-
Social Justice . . .
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National and International Affairs
RESOLVED: That we express our gratitude for the establishment of the League of Nations as agreed upon by the Paris Peace Conference and pledge our support in securing its ratification by the Senate of the United States and our devotion to make it a success.
On the basis of the quotation above, we can say that Church leaders in the USA made the “placing” of the abomination by claiming that the League of Nations was “the political expression of the kingdom of God on earth. They did this before the peace conference and under the peace conference.
The Bible students under the leadership of J.F. Rutherford had a different view of the League of Nations than Church leaders in the USA and Great Britain, as we see in the following quotation from The Watchtower of November 15, 1970, pages 688, 689:
16 Did this disgusted God make protest to the nations that undertook the League of Nations? Yes, through his “holy people” on earth. In the spring of 1919 he brought to an end the condition in which his “holy people” had their power scattered or dashed to pieces. After the Versailles Peace Treaty was signed on June 28, 1919, but before the League of Nations went into effect on October 13, 1919, God’s liberated, reunited “holy people” celebrated their first international convention at Cedar Point, Ohio, September 1-8, 1919. There in the public lecture of “Hope for Distressed Humanity” it was boldly declared that the League of Nations, despite having the blessing of the clergy of Christendom, would never have Jehovah’s blessing and would therefore fail. Shortly afterward the League was identified in the Watch Tower issue as of January 1, 1921, as being the “image of the wild beast” foretold in Revelation 13:14, 15, set up for worldwide worship. Furthermore, in 1926, in the public lecture in Royal Albert Hall of London, England, it was proclaimed that the League of Nations was the Eighth World Power foretold in Revelation 17:11.
It is clear that J.F. Rutherford and the Bible Students even before the League of Nations started to function understood and expressed that it had God’s disapproval.
THE END OF THE 1,290 DAYS
The book Our Incoming World Government — God’s Kingdom (1977), page 138, has the following calculation:
36 If, now, we measure 1,290 days from that marked date, January 18, 1919, when the eight representatives of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society were still under restraint in the Atlanta federal penitentiary, where do we end up? According to the Bible, those 1,290 days are the equivalent of three lunar years and seven lunar months. According to the lunar calendar, January 18, 1919, fell on Shebat 17, 1919. Three lunar years from then would lead up to Shebat 17, 1922, or February 15, 1922. Seven lunar months counted from that would end with Elul 16, 1922, or at sundown, September 9, 1922. So did the 1,290 days or three lunar years and seven months end at a significant time? The historical facts answer Yes!
This is a sound calculation, and it shows that the 1,290 days started on January 18, 1919 and ended on September 9, 1922, during the epoque-making convention in Cedar Point in Ohio, September 5-13, 1922. In order to show that the mentioned convention was a mile-stone in the history of the Bible Students, I make a long quotation from the book Our Incoming World Government — God’s Kingdom, pages 138, 139:
37 The following day [the day after the end of the 1 290 days], September 10, 1922, a Sunday, proved to be the sixth day of a nine-day international convention of the International Bible Students Association at Cedar Point, Ohio, U.S.A. It was entitled on the program as “Activity Day.” The feature of the day was the public address to an audience of 18,000, by the president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. At the close of his oral argument, the speaker submitted to his audience a resolution called “A Proclamation,” which set forth a challenge to all the world rulers. This Proclamation was meant, not for just those conventioners, but for all the world, and subsequent to the Cedar Point convention it was published in tract form and distributed by the tens of millions of copies in many languages.
38 The preceding day, Saturday, September 9, was entitled “Consecration Day” and was marked by the mass baptism of 361 men and women in symbol of their dedication to God through Christ. However, Friday, September 8, was entitled “The Day,” which featured the address of the Society’s president on the theme found in Matthew 4:17: “The Kingdom of Heaven Is at Hand.” (AV) Leading up to the climax of his address, the speaker said:
“Why, then, deliver the message to those who do not understand? Will any one hear? The Prophet of the Lord answers: ‘Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears. Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the people be assembled: who among them can declare this, and shew us former things? let them bring forth their witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them hear, and say, It is truth. Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour. I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God.’—Isaiah 43:8-12.
“Thus we see that those of the temple class are clearly designated as the Lord’s witnesses at this time, to bring a message of consolation to the people, that the kingdom of heaven is here, . . . ”
So, with all due fitness, the Society’s president could close his rousing speech with this exhortation: “Advertise, advertise, advertise, the King and his kingdom.”
39 Immediate opportunity to advertise was offered on the day after the public talk and the challenging resolution adopted by all the conventioners. That Monday, September 11, 1922, was entitled “Service Day,” and the conventioners sallied forth into the field service, more keenly aware than ever that they were advance publicity agents of God’s glorious kingdom.
40 Later on, it was discerned that the public message and the resolution adopted in connection with that public message was the start of the fulfillment of what was foretold in Revelation, chapters eight through sixteen. What was that? The sounding of the seven trumpets and the pouring out of the seven last plagues of Jehovah’s wrath upon this doomed system of things.
41 Calculating the 1,290 days of Daniel 12:11 in this here-given way, do we find that they terminated at a very significant time? We have every reason to believe so. There can be little question that the 1,290 days thus calculated mark an epoch for Jehovah’s “holy people” in this time of the end. The supreme issue before the whole universe was then coming to the fore, namely, Jehovah’s Universal Sovereignty.
The 1,290 days started on January 18, 1919 and ended on September 9, 1922. |
[1] See my article, “The abomination that causes desolation Matthew 24:15” in the category “Bible study.”
THE PERIOD OF 1,335 DAYS
I start this discussion by quoting Daniel 12:11, 12:
11 “And from the time that the constant [feature] has been removed and there has been a placing of the disgusting thing that is causing desolation, there will be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.
12 “Happy is the one who is keeping in expectation (hākā) and who arrives (nāgā‘) at the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days!
The Hebrew word hākā in the piel stem has the meaning “to lie in wait (ambush); hope for, long for.” (Kohlenberger and Mounce) The word nāgā‘ in the hifil stem has the meaning “cause to touch; reach, approach, arrive.” (BDB) The first verb is imperfect and the second is a participle, which suggests that the actions of the verse are in progress and are continuing. So, the meaning is that those who continue to hope and long for something and who continue with this until they arrive at the end of the 1,335 days are happy.
Daniel does not point to any event that would mark the beginning of the 1,335 days. But if they should have any chronological meaning, they had to start at the end of the 1,290 days. While the 1,335 days do not refer to events marking the beginning or the end, they evidently describe a time with some problems, and those who continue to serve Jehovah during this time are happy
The book Our Incoming World Government — God’s Kingdom (1977), page 140, makes the following calculation:
43 The second Cedar Point convention ended on September 13, 1922. If, now, we count from the next day, September 14, or, Elul 21, 1922, Bible calendar time, when would the 1,335 days end? As the 1,290 days amounted to three lunar years and seven months, so the 1,335 days would amount to three lunar years, eight months and fifteen days. Counting now from Elul 21 (or, September 14), 1922, we find that three lunar years from that date would end on Elul 20 (or, September 9), 1925. To this we add eight lunar months and fifteen days and arrive at the date Sivan 6 (or, May 19), 1926. That day was the 1,893rd anniversary of the happy day of Pentecost of 33 C.E., when the holy spirit was poured out upon Jesus’ disciples at Jerusalem.
44 Just prior to this, on May 13-16, 1926, a general assembly had taken place in Magdeburg, Germany, at which the president of the Watch Tower Society had addressed a public audience of 25,000 on the subject “Comfort for the People.” Now, on May 19, preparations moved ahead for the holding of the outstanding international convention of 1926, that at Alexandra Palace, London, England, May 25-31. Many happy delegates came from distant lands.
45 This London assembly made a tremendous contribution to the happiness of the prophet Daniel’s people, the remnant of spiritual Israelites. At that time, not too many people were really happy about the taking over of Italy by the Fascists. Fears were excited by the progress of the Nazi (National Socialist German Workers’ Party) movement in Germany. But the six-year-old League of Nations was going strong and was about to admit postwar Germany to its membership—on September 8, 1926. In spite of this the International Bible Students Association (I.B.S.A.) continued to expose the League as a man-made political substitute for God’s kingdom that had come to power in the heavens since the end of the Gentile Times in 1914. These Christian Bible Students had responded to the question, “Who will honor Jehovah?” that the Watch Towerissue of January 1, 1926, had raised before its readers, and had chosen to honor Jehovah and his kingdom.
Why it was important to “keeping in expectation and arriving” at the end of the 1,335 days is described in The Watchtower of November 1, 1993, pages 11, 12:
17 Daniel 12:12 says: “Happy is the one who is keeping in expectation and who arrives at the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days!” These 1,335 days, or three years, eight and a half months, evidently began at the end of the previous period. Counting from September 1922, this brings us to the late spring (Northern Hemisphere) of 1926. What happened during those 1,335 days?
18 Despite the landmark nature of events in 1922, evidently some still looked longingly to the past. The Studies in the Scriptures, authored by C. T. Russell, were still basic study material. Further, the widely circulated booklet Millions Now Living Will Never Die presented the view that in 1925, God’s purposes regarding the restoring of the earth to Paradise and the resurrecting of the faithful ones of old would begin to be fulfilled. The endurance of the anointed seemed to be nearly completed. Nevertheless, some associated with the Bible Students did not feel impelled to share the good news with others.
19 As the 1,335 days progressed, all of this changed. To strengthen the brothers, regular group studies of The Watch Tower were organized. Field service was stressed. Beginning in May 1923, everyone was invited to share in field service on the first Tuesday of every month, and time was set aside during the midweek congregation meeting to encourage them in this work. In August 1923, at an assembly in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A., it was shown that Jesus’ parable of the sheep and the goats would be fulfilled before the Millennial Reign. (Matthew 25:31-40) The year 1924 saw the inauguration of radio station WBBR, which was used to broadcast the good news over the airwaves. The article “Birth of the Nation” in the March 1, 1925, issue of The Watch Tower gave an adjusted understanding of Revelation chapter 12. Finally, faithful Christians could properly understand the tumultuous events of 1914-19.
20 The year 1925 came to its conclusion, but the end was not yet! Ever since the 1870’s, Bible Students had been serving with a date in mind—first 1914, then 1925. Now, they realized that they must serve for as long as Jehovah wishes. The January 1, 1926, issue of The Watch Tower carried the landmark article “Who Will Honor Jehovah?” highlighting as never before the importance of God’s name. And finally, in May 1926 at the London, England, convention, a resolution was adopted entitled “A Testimony to the Rulers of the World.” This forthrightly proclaimed the truth about God’s Kingdom and the coming destruction of Satan’s world. At the same convention, the hard-hitting book Deliverance was released, becoming the first of a series to replace Studies in the Scriptures. God’s people were now looking forward, not backward. The 1,335 days were concluded.
21 Some were unwilling to adjust to these developments, but those who endured were truly happy. Moreover, as we look back on the fulfillment of these prophetic time periods, we too are happy because our confidence is strengthened that the small body of anointed Christians who lived through those times really is the faithful and discreet slave. In the years since then, Jehovah’s organization has expanded enormously, but the faithful and discreet slave is still at its center, guiding it. How thrilling, then, to know that for the anointed and the other sheep, still more happiness is in store! This will be seen as we consider another of Daniel’s prophecies.
The different events mentioned in the quotation showed the importance of continuing to serve Jehovah during the 1,335 days. The most important event that would need perseverance could have been the expectation that the faithful servants of God from of old would get a resurrection in the year 1925, and that did not happen.
The 1,335 days started in September 14, 1922 and ended May 19, 1926. |
Table 1.1 Prophetic time periods
1,260 days | January 1914 — June 21 1918 |
1,290 days | January 18, 1919 — September 9, 1922 |
1,335 days | September 14, 1922 — May 19, 1926 |
THE PROPHETIC TIME PERIODS IDENTIFY “THE HOLY” PEOPLE AS JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES
Which conclusions can we draw from the calculations of the three time periods? I quote Daniel 12:4-12 (above) and 11:33 (below):
4 “And as for you, O Daniel, make secret the words and seal up the book, until the time of [the] end (‘ēt kets). Many will rove about, and the [true] knowledge will become abundan.” 5 And I saw, I Daniel, and, look! there were two others standing, one on the bank here of the stream and the other on the bank there of the stream. 6 Then one said to the man clothed with the linen, who was up above the waters of the stream: “How long will it be to the end of the wonderful things?” 7 And I began to hear the manclothed with the linen, who was up above the waters of the stream, as he proceeded to raise his right [hand] and his left [hand] to the heavens and to swear by the One who is alive for time indefinite: “It will be for an appointed time, appointed times and a half. And as soon as there will have been a finishing of the dashing of the power of the holy people to pieces, all these things will come to their finish.”
8 Now as for me, I heard, but I could not understand; so that I said: “O my lord, what will be the final part of these things?”
9 And he went on to say: “Go, Daniel, because the words are made secret and sealed up until the time of [the] end. (‘ēt kets) 10 Many will cleanse themselves and whiten themselves and will be refined. And the wicked ones will certainly act wickedly, and no wicked ones at all will understand; but the ones having insight (maskīl) will understand.
11 “And from the time that the constant [feature] has been removed and there has been a placing of the disgusting thing that is causing desolation, there will be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.
12 “Happy is the one who is keeping in expectation and who arrives at the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days!
33 And as regards those having insight (maskīl) among the people, they will impart understanding to the many. And they will certainly be made to stumble by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plundering, for [some] days.
WHEN IS THE “TIME OF THE END”?
I will focus on two expressions in the quotations above: “the holy people,” which is identical to “those having insight.” The angel says that the prophecies in the book of Daniel should first be understood by those having insight in the time of the end. So the question is: When is the time of the end? In order to understand that, we need to compare the meaning of Greek and Hebrew words in Matthew 24:3 (above) and Daniel 12:9:
3 While he was sitting upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately, saying: “Tell us, When will these things be, and what will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion (synteleia) of the system of things?”
9 And he went on to say: “Go, Daniel, because the words are made secret and sealed up until the time of [the] end (‘ēt kets).
The important point here is that the Hebrew word qets is translated by synteleia in the LXX, as we see in table 1.2:
Table 1.2 Comparison of Hebrew and Greek words
1 | Daniel 11:27 | |
Hebrew | And nothing will succeed, because it is yet for the appointed time (mō‘ēd) of the consummation (qets). | |
LXX | And they will not prosper, because it is yet a consummation (synteleia) at the appointed time (kairos). | |
2 | Daniel 11:40 | |
Hebrew | And in the time (‘et) of consummation (qets) he will gore against him. | |
LXX | And according to the hour (hōra) of consummation (synteleia) he will fight him with horns. | |
3 | Daniel 12:4 | |
Hebrew | And seal the book until the time (‘et) of consummation (qets). | |
LXX | And seal the book until the appointed time (kairos) of the consummation (synteleia). | |
4 | Daniel 12:13 | |
Hebrew | You will rise to your lot at the consummation (qets) of the days (hayyāmīm). | |
LXX | You will rise upon your glory at the consummation (synteleia) of days (hēmerōn). |
In four passages in Daniel chapters 11 and 12, the Hebrew word qets (“conclusion, end”) is translated by the Greek word synteleia (“conclusion, end”) The Greek word synteleia is used in Matthew 24:3 as a parallel to parousia. This shows that the presence (parousia) of Jesus is the same as “the time of the end” that is mentioned in Daniel 12:4, 9.[1]
The time of the end is identical with the presence of Jesus from 1914 to the great tribulation. |
HOW THE PROPHETIC TIMES IDENTIFY THE PEOPLE OF GOD
According to Daniel 12:4-12, the holy people should understand the prophecies of Daniel in the time of the end, that is, after 1914. There are two identifiable events in connection with the time prophecies. The neutral event is “the placing of the disgusting thing that is causing desolation” at the beginning of the 1,290 days (12:11). The other event is the dashing of the power of the holy people to pieces at the end of the 1,260 days (12:7).
The disgusting thing can be identified as the League of Nations and is sucsessor The United Nations.[2] This shows that the prophetic time periods would be fulfilled on the people of God at the beginning of the time of the end, and this is also supported by the fact that the power of the Bible Students were dashed to pieces on June 21, 1918, when their leaders were arrested and put into jail.
Above, I have discussed the time periods in detail, and each period fits perfectly on the Bible Students who later got the name Jehovah’s Witnesses. I am certain that no other Christian denomination has pointed out time periods that fit the numbers in Daniel chapter 12 in their history, except Jehovah’s Witnesses. But Daniel said that the people of God should understand these time periods. This shows that Jehovah’s Witnesses are “the people of God” (Daniel 12:7) and “the ones having insight” (’12:10) who will understand the prophecies of Daniel during the time of the end.
There is also one ting more about the prophetic time periods, namely, that they support the year 1914 as the beginning of the presence of Jesus and the time of the end. This is shown by the fact that the first time period, one of 3 1/2 times (1,260 days), started in December 1914 and that the two other periods followed in the same period of time.
The fulfillment of the 1,260, the 1,290, and the 1,335 days prove:
1) That Jehovah’s Witnesses is the people of God (“the holy people”). 2) That the calculation of the appointed times of the nations, ending in 1914, is correct. |
[1] In my book, When Was the Book of Daniel Written? A Linguistic, Philological, and Historical Approach, pages 291-302, all the words referring to time in the book of Daniel and their Greek counterparts are discussed in detail.
[2] See my article, “The sign 4: The abomination that causes desolation Matthew 24;15” in the category, “Bible study.”
CONCLUSION
In his conversation with Pilate, Jesus said: Everyone that is on the side of the truth listens to my voice.” Pilate said to him. “What is truth?” But instead of waiting for Jesus’ answer to his question, he turned his back to Jesus and went out to speak to the Jews. (John 18:37, 38)
In this study, I have now presented calculations of the three prophetic time periods mentioned in Daniel chapter 12. Do these calculations represent the truth? Instead of turning your back to this issue, there are two ways that you can proceed, one positive way and one negative one.
The positive way is that you can make a thorough study of Bible subjects related to prophetic times, as well as other subjects that can identify the people of God. I recommend chapter 1 entitled “The Religion of the Bible” in my book My Beloved Religion — and the Governing Body. Particularly important is the discussion of “the appointed times of the nations” leading to the year 1914.
The negative way is related to the words of Daniel in 12:9, 10. The text says that the prophetic times will be understood in the time of the end, and that the ones having insight will be able to do the right calculation of the prophetic times. In order to make a test, you should make at thorough study of different religions to find if any of these religions have calculated these prophetic times and can point to events in their history that fulfill the time periods. The negative evidence is that when no other people can point to a fulfillment of the time prophecies, and Daniel says that they should be understood, this gives strong support to the calculations made by Jehovah’s Witnesses.