Newton and everyone else who has investigated possible countdowns using any kind of ratio or 1:1 actual days, runs into the difficulty that both OT and NT prophecies have non-specific relationships between 1260 days, 1290 days, or less precise ways of saying three and a half years (which is technically 1278 days or thereabouts). About half of attempts consider the two intervals to be consecutive (adding up to around seven years) and the other half assume one unified period where 1290 days is thirty days after the events of 1260 days.
Also causing difficulty is the fact that a number of different events take 1260 days — are they all the same 1260 days, or overlapping but not equally timed?
Newton’s effort involving one year per “day” is by no means unique, it is fairly common because if any triggering event was in the Biblical era, then 1260 days would have to involve a ratio of at least that much to prevent a logical disconnect (an end to the countdown before the present time). As we move further beyond any reasonable historical triggering event, even the year to day ratio is becoming obsolete and efforts to decode are generally returning to a “real time” basis, so that virtually all recent efforts consider actual 1260 day intervals.
When I said there were several different events, these include (a) Daniel’s interval to the “end of the shattering of power” which is delightfully obscure and could involve either the end of continuous shattering of power, or an end that is a shattering of power, (b) the period where the woman who brings forth the messiah is persecuted by the dragon, (c) the period of activity of the two witnesses, and (d) the period of the Beast’s control of the world.
Are all four of these to be expected concurrently? They could be concurrent, and they seem related to an abomination but one detail which is very puzzling is that an abomination occurring after all of those tribulation-type events seems like it occurs at the wrong end of the 3.5 years (one would think this abomination might precede not follow the tribulation).
Anyway, I don’t think Newton had any special insight, his scheme seems very obscure now, starting from an event in 800 AD that is not widely seen as significant to prophecy. The idea that an end could come in 2060 or later is just Newton’s realization (like many) that the 1260 days are followed by additional days, at least 30 (to the abomination) and perhaps more.
From all evidence, Newton’s error could turn out to be naming too late a time rather than too early. I don’t know what date to suggest but it does feel like we could already be into the 1260 days. We would not know about the struggles of the hidden figures described, but we can certainly see good candidates for beastly figures in our current situation. As for the Daniel concept of “shattering of power” that is so generalized and vague that it could refer to anything, probably one reason why these prophecies appeared to require a “do over” by New Testament angelic visitors to scribes like John of Patmos, adding to information Jesus already gave to disciples.
One time countdown to monitor would be any significant event related to Biden’s ascent to power, starting possibly before his (probably fixed) election, for example, COVID lockdown period in 2020-21. Events since then have appeared to converge on prophetic scenarios. I consider it possible that we are a long way into the 1260 days as of now, and the final events could appear before us at almost any time.
It is worth noting, “no one can know the exact day” is only half the picture, the other half being that the exact day clearly comes without warning, which tells us that no obvious valid countdown will be underway with thousands of people watching carefully using some well known timetable.
It implies that the trigger event for the countdown has to be relatively obscure, otherwise a lot of people would not be surprised by the end of the countdown.
So when you least expect it expect it.
Revelation 10:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.Things have been quite in Israel until this month. Chapter 12 might be over already. If the second prophecy of Revelation 10:11 began after the seventh trumpet then get ready for Chapter 13 next. The rapture in Chapter 14?