The 1260 years
538 – 1798, and the time of the end
Seven times, in two books written six centuries apart, the Bible names the same stretch of time. The Great Controversy reads it as the long night of the church - and every event below is one the book ties to that date line, set out with the Scriptures it points to.
One period, named seven times
Daniel 7:25“until a time and times and the dividing of time”a time, times and half a time - 3½ years
25And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
Daniel 12:7“it shall be for a time, times, and an half”3½ years
7And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
Revelation 11:2“the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months”42 months
2But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.
Revelation 11:3“they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth”1260 days
3And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Revelation 12:6“that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days”1260 days
6And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
Revelation 12:14“for a time, and times, and half a time”3½ years
14And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Revelation 13:5“power was given unto him to continue forty and two months”42 months
5And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
& half a time=3½ years
of 360 days=42 months
of 30 days=1260 days→1260 years
A day for a year - the same rule the Bible gives in Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6, and the one that makes Daniel's 70 weeks land on AD 27.
The date line
Closer: 1750 – 1850
The long night
538 - 1517
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AD 538Prophecy
The 1260 years begin
“he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws” Daniel 7:25
Daniel sees a power rise from the fourth kingdom that would speak against God, wear out His people and "think to change times and laws" - for a time, times and half a time. The book dates the start of that period to AD 538.
In history The reason usually given for 538: in 533 the emperor Justinian, in a letter kept in his law code, recognised the bishop of Rome as head of all the churches; in March 538 the Ostrogoths gave up their siege of Rome, and his decree could take effect.
“The 1260 years of papal supremacy began in A.D. 538, and would therefore terminate in 1798.”
The Great Controversy, chapter 15: The Bible and the French RevolutionRead: ch. 3, The Apostasy
Daniel 7:25 KJV
Daniel 7:25 25And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.
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Through the Middle AgesHistory
The church in the wilderness
“the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God” Revelation 12:6
Through the long centuries, faithful believers - the Waldenses in their Alpine valleys among them - kept the Scriptures, copied them by hand, and carried them abroad in secret.
“To the Waldenses the Scriptures were not merely a record of God’s dealings with men in the past”
The Great Controversy, chapter 4: The WaldensesRevelation 12:6 KJV
Revelation 12:6 6And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
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538 - 1798Prophecy
Two witnesses in sackcloth
“they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth” Revelation 11:3
The book reads the two witnesses as the Old and New Testaments: for the whole 1260 years they were kept from the people, yet never silenced.
“The two witnesses represent the Scriptures of the Old and the New Testament”
The Great Controversy, chapter 15: The Bible and the French RevolutionRevelation 11:3 KJV
Revelation 11:3 3And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
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c. 1382History
The Bible in English
John Wycliffe and his helpers give England the whole Bible in its own tongue - "the morning star of the Reformation".
Read: ch. 5, John Wycliffe
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1415History
Huss at Constance
John Huss is burned at the Council of Constance rather than deny the truth; Jerome of Prague follows him a year later.
Read: ch. 6, Huss and Jerome
"Those days shall be shortened"
1517 - 1755
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1517 - 1529Prophecy
The Reformation: "those days shortened"
“for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened” Matthew 24:22
Jesus had promised the long tribulation would be cut short. The Ninety-five Theses (1517), Worms (1521) and the protest at Spires (1529) open the Bible again, and the book says the persecution itself ended before the 1260 years did.
“Through the influence of the Reformation, the persecution was brought to an end prior to 1798.”
The Great Controversy, chapter 15: The Bible and the French RevolutionRead: ch. 7, Luther’s Separation from Rome · ch. 8, Luther Before the Diet · ch. 11, Protest of the Princes
Matthew 24:22 KJV
Matthew 24:22 22And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
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21 January 1535History
Paris commits France to persecution
A great procession through Paris, ending in the burning of Protestants, binds France to the path of persecution - a date the book returns to 258 years later.
“The 21st of January, 1535, was fixed upon for the awful ceremonial.”
The Great Controversy, chapter 12: The French Reformation -
24 August 1572History
St. Bartholomew's night
At a bell rung in the night, thousands of French Protestants are killed in their beds.
“But blackest in the black catalogue of crime, most horrible among the fiendish deeds of all the dreadful centuries, was the St. Bartholomew Massacre.”
The Great Controversy, chapter 15: The Bible and the French Revolution -
1620History
Freedom to worship: the Pilgrims
Seeking liberty of conscience, the Pilgrims cross to the New World - the beginning of a land founded on civil and religious liberty.
“His little State, Rhode Island, became the asylum of the oppressed”
The Great Controversy, chapter 16: The Pilgrim Fathers
Signs, and the end of the period
1755 - 1798
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1 November 1755Sign
The great earthquake
“there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood” Revelation 6:12
The first of the signs John saw: a vast earthquake, centred on Lisbon, felt across Europe, Africa and America.
“Though commonly known as the earthquake of Lisbon, it extended to the greater part of Europe, Africa, and America.”
The Great Controversy, chapter 17: Heralds of the MorningRevelation 6:12 KJV
Revelation 6:12 12And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
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19 May 1780Sign
The dark day
“in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light” Mark 13:24
Jesus placed this sign "in those days" - inside the 1260 years - but "after that tribulation", once the persecution had ended. On 19 May 1780 New England fell into darkness at midday, and the night that followed was as dark.
“On the 19th of May, 1780, this prophecy was fulfilled.”
The Great Controversy, chapter 17: Heralds of the MorningMark 13:24 KJV
Mark 13:24 24But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
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1793Prophecy
The witnesses slain: France sets the Bible aside
“the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them” Revelation 11:7
In the Revolution, France's Assembly abolishes the Christian religion and sets the Bible aside - the book's reading of the witnesses' death "a little before" the 1260 years ended.
“It was in 1793 that the decrees which abolished the Christian religion and set aside the Bible, passed the French Assembly.”
The Great Controversy, chapter 15: The Bible and the French RevolutionRevelation 11:7 KJV
Revelation 11:7 7And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
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21 January 1793History
258 years to the day
Louis XVI is taken through the streets of Paris to the guillotine - on the same date as the procession of 1535.
“two hundred and fifty-eight years from the very day that fully committed France to the persecution of the Reformers”
The Great Controversy, chapter 12: The French Reformation -
Three and a half years laterProphecy
The witnesses stand again
“after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet” Revelation 11:11
The same Assembly reverses its decrees and tolerates the Scriptures once more.
“Three years and a half later a resolution rescinding these decrees, thus granting toleration to the Scriptures, was adopted by the same body.”
The Great Controversy, chapter 15: The Bible and the French RevolutionRevelation 11:11 KJV
Revelation 11:11 11And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
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February 1798Prophecy
The 1260 years end: "into captivity"
“He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity” Revelation 13:10
“I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death” Revelation 13:3
A French army under General Berthier enters Rome; the pope is taken prisoner and dies in exile. The book reads this as the "deadly wound" and the close of the 1260 years.
In history Berthier's troops entered Rome on 10 February 1798. Pius VI was taken from the city on 20 February and died at Valence, in France, on 29 August 1799.
“At that time a French army entered Rome, and made the pope a prisoner, and he died in exile.”
The Great Controversy, chapter 15: The Bible and the French RevolutionRead: ch. 25, God’s Law Immutable
Revelation 13:10 · Revelation 13:3 KJV
Revelation 13:10 10He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.
Revelation 13:3 3And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
The time of the end
1798 - 1844
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From 1798Prophecy
The time of the end: Daniel unsealed
“shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” Daniel 12:4
Daniel was told to seal his book "to the time of the end". The book dates that time from 1798 - and from then on the prophecies were studied as never before.
“But since 1798 the book of Daniel has been unsealed, knowledge of the prophecies has increased, and many have proclaimed the solemn message of the judgment near.”
The Great Controversy, chapter 20: A Great Religious AwakeningDaniel 12:4 KJV
Daniel 12:4 4But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
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Around 1798Prophecy
Another beast, coming up out of the earth
“I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb” Revelation 13:11
As the first power received its wound, John sees another rise - quietly, out of the earth, with horns like a lamb. The book applies it to the young United States, founded on civil and religious liberty.
“What nation of the New World was in 1798 rising into power, giving promise of strength and greatness, and attracting the attention of the world?”
The Great Controversy, chapter 25: God’s Law ImmutableRevelation 13:11 KJV
Revelation 13:11 11And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
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1792 - 1816The Word goes out
The witnesses ascend: the Bible to the world
“they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them” Revelation 11:12
William Carey sails for India (1792); the London Missionary Society forms (1795); the British and Foreign Bible Society (1804) and the American Bible Society (1816) begin sending the Scriptures into every land.
“In 1804 the British and Foreign Bible Society was organized.”
The Great Controversy, chapter 15: The Bible and the French Revolution“In 1816 the American Bible Society was founded.”
The Great Controversy, chapter 15: The Bible and the French RevolutionRevelation 11:12 KJV
Revelation 11:12 12And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
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1831The Word goes out
"The hour of his judgment is come"
“Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come” Revelation 14:7
With Daniel now open, William Miller begins to preach that the 2300 days are nearly ended - the start of the advent awakening.
“in 1831 he for the first time publicly gave the reasons of his faith”
The Great Controversy, chapter 18: An American ReformerRead: ch. 20, A Great Religious Awakening
Revelation 14:7 KJV
Revelation 14:7 7Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.
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13 November 1833Sign
The stars fall
“the stars shall fall from heaven” Matthew 24:29
The last of the signs Jesus named: a meteor shower so great that witnesses said the stars fell like snow.
“This prophecy received a striking and impressive fulfilment in the great meteoric shower of November 13, 1833.”
The Great Controversy, chapter 18: An American ReformerMatthew 24:29 KJV
Matthew 24:29 29Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
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11 August 1840Prophecy
Revelation 9: the date that came true
“prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year” Revelation 9:15
Josiah Litch reckoned Revelation 9's "five months" (150 years) and "an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year" (391 years and 15 days) to end on 11 August 1840, and published it two years ahead. That day, the Ottoman empire placed itself under the protection of the European powers.
In history Litch counted the 150 years from 27 July 1299 and the 391 years 15 days from 1449. These starting points are his, not the book's.
“At the very time specified, Turkey, through her ambassadors, accepted the protection of the allied powers of Europe, and thus placed herself under the control of Christian nations.”
The Great Controversy, chapter 18: An American ReformerRevelation 9:15 KJV
Revelation 9:15 15And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.
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22 October 1844Prophecy
The 2300 days end
“Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed” Daniel 8:14
Counted from 457 BC, the longest of the time prophecies ends - and with it, the book says, Christ's closing work in the heavenly sanctuary begins.
“The tenth day of the seventh month, the great day of atonement, the time of the cleansing of the sanctuary, which in the year 1844 fell upon the twenty-second of October”
The Great Controversy, chapter 22: Prophecies FulfilledRead: ch. 24, In the Holy of Holies · ch. 28, The Investigative Judgment · The 70 weeks and the 2300 days →
Daniel 8:14 KJV
Daniel 8:14 14And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
Still to come, in the book's reading
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Still to comeStill to come
"His deadly wound was healed"
“his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast” Revelation 13:3
The wound of 1798 was not the end of the story. The book reads the rest of Revelation 13 as still ahead: the wound healed, and a final test of loyalty to God's law.
“The infliction of the deadly wound points to the downfall of the papacy in 1798.”
The Great Controversy, chapter 35: Aims of the PapacyRead: ch. 36, The Impending Conflict · ch. 38, The Final Warning
Revelation 13:3 KJV
Revelation 13:3 3And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
How others read it
This page follows The Great Controversy, which stands in a long line of Protestant interpreters who read these chapters as history unfolding. Other Christians read them differently: many see the 1260 days as a short time still to come at the end of the age, or as fulfilled in the first centuries; among those who read them as 1260 years, some start from other dates. The book's applications of 1840 and of Revelation 13:11 are particular to its own tradition.
The book is speaking of a system of power, not passing judgment on people - in its own words: It is true that there are real Christians in the Roman Catholic communion.
(chapter 35)
Every Scripture above is given in full, so you can weigh it for yourself.