The people walk in darkness:

[LaSpino3]

The light of the sun is the dazzling display of nature, and is also the representative of truth. The sun sustains a relationship to the natural world, designedly compared to that of God to the moral universe. "God is light, a consuming fire, and in him is no darkness at all." 

Exodus 10:21, "And the LORD said to Moses, stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt."
Darkness is used figuratively for ignorance and unbelief, the people lacking any spiritual light.

Darkness is also spoken of in scripture as encompassing the actual presence of God, as that out of which He speaks, the envelope, as it were, of Divine glory.

Exodus 20:21, "And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was."

Let's begin this article with Jeremiah. Jeremiah wrote between the years 627 and 586 B.C. At that time, it was difficult for Jeremiah to find among the princes and the people who worshipped in the temple one just, truth seeking man. He wrote,

Jeremiah 5:1-2, "Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad (open) places thereof, if you can find a man, if there be any that executes judgment, that seeks the truth; and I will pardon it. And though they say, the LORD lives; surely they swear falsely."

The strange vision which had followed upon Jeremiah's calling in Jeremiah 1:11-16, taught him that the LORD would not hesitate in the performance of his word.
Verse 14, "the LORD said unto me, out of the north (Babylon) and evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land."

King Nebuchadnezzar was God's servant, Jeremiah 25:9, The LORD said, "Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon my servant," he doing the LORD's work, and was for a determined time to prevail over all Jewish resistance.

The prophet wrote in chapter Jeremiah 4:20, "Destruction upon destruction is cried; for the whole land (Judea) is spoiled:"

Verse 22-23, "For my people (the Jews) is foolish, they have not known me; they are sottish (stupid) children, and they have no understanding: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. I beheld the earth (land), and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light."

The people in Judea walked in darkness as had the 10 Northern tribes. So, the LORD sent the Babylonians to steal, plunder, rape and destroy the people that stood in darkness. And for the next 600 years until Jesus birth, the Jews continued in darkness.

We read in the following verses, at Jesus baptism, in 26 A.D.,

Matthew 4:16, "The people (the Jews) which sat (past tense) in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light (the glory of God) is sprung up."

Jesus was baptized by John in the river Jordon and then by the descending Holy Spirit, Matthew 3:16-17, the Holy Spirit "lighting upon him: And Lo a voice from heaven, saying, this is my beloved Son, in whom I (the Father) am well pleased." Now if that's not spiritual baptism, I don't know what is!

John 3:19, "And this is the condemnation, that Light is come (present tense) into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."

John 12:35, "Jesus said, "Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while you have the light, let darkness come upon you: for he that walks in darkness knows not whither he goeth."

So, we can gather from these verses that the Jews sat in spiritual darkness for some 600 Years until the Lord Jesus came as the promised Messiah. Yet for the most part the Jews continued in darkness because they loved not the truth.

We also know from the words of Peter in Acts 3:15, as he was speaking to the Jewish people, "But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer (Barabbas) to be granted unto you; and killed the Prince of life, whom God (the Father) hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses."

From scripture we understand that most of the general population of the Jews at the time of Christ to this day have reject Jesus as their Messiah except for a small remnant of Jews who over the centuries have received Jesus. But the masses remain standing in a moral and spiritual darkness.

I had to establish the above in order to establish the meaning of the 1290 and the 1335  years found in Daniel 1211-12.

Laspino3