Daniel 12:12

The Lord said that those people will be blessed who keep waiting, presumably for God to rescue them (Daniel 12:1), and attain to the 1,335 days. Why did he mention this particular number of days, and when will this period end?

The 1,335-day period is 45 days (one and a half months) longer than the 1,290-day period just mentioned (Daniel 12:11). Evidently this period will end after the Tribulation has ended, namely, after the millennial reign of Christ has begun or at least after He has returned to earth. We can only speculate about what these 45 days following the Tribulation will hold for people living on the earth then. One view is that Jesus Christ will appear in the clouds at the end of the Tribulation (Matthew 24:30), and 45 days later He will descend to the earth. [Note: Pentecost, "Daniel," p. 1374.] A better option, I think, is that it may take 45 days for Jesus Christ to accomplish the necessary judgments and set up His kingdom after returning to the earth. [Note: Archer, "Daniel," p. 156; Walvoord, Daniel . . ., pp. 295-96; Showers, p. 58; Feinberg, p. 187; Whitcomb, p. 168; Campbell, p. 143; Wood, A Commentary . . ., pp. 328-29; Culver, "Daniel," p. 799.] Some interpreters favor the view that these 30 and 45-day periods reflect the use of different calendars from the one that earlier prescribed the length of the three and one-half years as a period of 1,260 days. [Note: Goldingay, pp. 309-10.] Young took the numbers symbolically depicting a limited period of trouble. [Note: Young, p. 263.] Whatever the explanation, clearly this verse will encourage believers living during the Tribulation to remain faithful to the Lord. It encourages us likewise.