King James Bible
"And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days."
This refers to the cessation of the twice-daily temple offerings, a catastrophic event for Jewish worship that historically occurred under Antiochus IV Epiphanes (167 BC) and later during the Roman destruction (70 AD). The removal of these sacrifices signaled both religious persecution and the disruption of the covenant relationship between God and Israel. This phrase describes a sacrilegious object or act that defiles the temple and causes horror among the faithful, likely an idolatrous altar or statue. The term connects to multiple fulfillments: Antiochus's altar to Zeus in the temple and Jesus's later warning about a similar future desecration. This specific time period (approximately 3.5 years) represents a divinely determined limit to the persecution and desolation. The precision of 1,290 days emphasizes God's sovereign control over these dark events and assures the faithful that their suffering has a definite end.