Overview
The “time, times, and a half” appears seven times in five different chapters of Daniel and Revelation:
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- Three times as “a time, times, and a half,”
- Twice as 42 months, and
- Twice as 1260 days.
It is, therefore, a very important period. Unless this period is understood, the prophecies cannot be correctly interpreted. Show More
| This also shows that God wants humanity to understand future events. “For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). We do not know when Christ will return, but there is much we can know.
The use of the same period in different prophecies shows the general principle that prophecies repeat the same thing with different symbols in different places (recapitulation), requiring some thinking to determine the true chronological sequence of events. |
The purpose of this article is to identify this period.
| 1. The “time, times, and a half,” 42 months, and 1260 days are the same period. |
For example, Revelation 12:6 and 14 describe the same event, but one verse describes it as 1260 days and the other as “a time and times and half a time.”
| 2. This period is not the End Time but always precedes the End Time. |
For example, after the 3½ times:
The woman (God’s people) will be released from the wilderness of obscurity in which she was held during the 3½ times (Rev 12:16-17).
Daniel’s prophecies would be unsealed, studied, and understood (Dan 12:4, 9).
Then will follow the final end-time war (Rev 12:17) when the False Prophet will convince the people to create an Image of the Beast, which will persecute all who do not have the Beast’s mark (Rev 13:15-18).
God’s message will be killed and remain dead (incapacitated) for 3½ days, but God will revive His message (Rev 11:7-11).
| 3. The 3½ times it is a symbolic period and not literally 1260 days: |
The apocalyptic time prophecies, literally interpreted, allow too little time for what must happen.
Since the 3½ times are found in prophecies that cover vast periods, it should also be a long period.
Revelation is a book of symbols. All numbers in Revelation are symbols, and the context in which the 3½ times are found is also symbolic.
| 4. A Day must be counted as a Year. |
The Reformers interpreted a day in apocalyptic prophecies as a literal year. This would mean that the 1260 days symbolize 1260 years. This article defends this view as follows:
(a) The Old Testament, outside the prophecies, associates days and years and uses days for years many times. For example, the Jews had both a weekly cycle of seven days and an annual cycle of seven years. Both the seventh day and the seventh year was a Sabbath of “solemn rest.”
(b) Daniel 9 promises 70 weeks, and this article shows that “weeks” is the right translation, but all commentators interpret this as 70 x 7 years, proving the day-year principle in apocalyptic prophecies.
(c) God Himself applied the year-day principle by sentencing Israel to wander in the wilderness for one year for every day of disobedience.
| 5. The 3½ times are the Middle Ages. |
The question is, where do we locate the 1260 Years in history?
Since it is the period of the 11th horn of the fourth animal (Dan 7:25), it began when that horn came into existence. Since the fourth animal symbolizes the Roman Empire (see here), the 11th horn is one of the kingdoms into which the Empire fragmented in the fifth to eighth centuries. That was when the 1260 days began.
Specifically, the 11th horn came up when it uprooted three of the other horns (Dan 7:8). That was in the mid-sixth century when the Eastern Emperor Justinian defeated and subjected three of the Arian nations in the West to liberate the Church of the Roman Empire from Arian domination. (Read article)
1260 years later bring us to the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century, a decisive turning point in the history of Europe and the Western World.
Therefore, if we define the Middle Ages as the period between the collapse of the Roman Empire and the modern era of religious freedom in the West, the time, times, and a half symbolizes the Middle Ages.
– END OF OVERVIEW –
The Same Period
That these three periods are the same period is confirmed as follows:
| (1) Revelation 12:6 and 14 show that the “time, times, and a half” is the same as the 1260 days. |
These two verses are very similar. In both, the woman (God’s people) has to hide from the Dragon (Satan’s forces) in the wilderness (difficult circumstances). However, while one verse describes the wilderness period as 1260 days, the other describes it as “a time and times and half a time.” Show More
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“Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days” (12:6)
“But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent” (12:14)
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| (2) Revelation 11:2-3 implies that the 1260 days are the same as the 42 months. |
These verses state that God’s two witnesses (God’s word) will prophesy in sackcloth (the same as the wilderness – obscurity, poverty) for 1260 days because the nations will trample the holy city (God’s people – Rev 21:2, 9-10) for 42 months. Both the proximity and the relationship between the two periods imply that they are the same.
| (3) The three periods describe the same activity. |
In all seven instances, God’s people and God’s Word are trampled. Show More
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Dan 7:25 – God’s people will be given into the hand of the 11th horn for a time, times, and half a time.
Dan 12:7 – “It would be for a time, times, and half a time; – and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people …”
Rev 11:2 – The holy city (God’s people) will be trampled for 42 months.
Rev 11:3 – The two witnesses (God’s word) will witness in sackcloth for 1260 days.
Rev 12:6, 14 – The woman (God’s people) will hide in the wilderness for 1260 days and for a time, times, and a half.
Rev 13:5, 7 – The Beast will have authority to act for 42 months and will “make war with the saints and to overcome them.”
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| (4) The strong allusions in Revelation 13 to Daniel 7 show that the 42 months are the same as the 3½ times. |
Based on the strong allusions in Revelation 13:1-2 to Daniel 7, a previous article concluded that Revelation’s Sea Beast is the same as the 11th horn in Daniel 7. (Read Article) However, while the 11th horn reigns for a time, times, and a half (Dan 7:25), the Beast has authority for 42 months (Rev 13:5). This confirms that these periods are the same.
| (5) The three periods are also numerically equal (3½ years = 42 months = 1260 days). |
In the Jewish calendar, where months were determined by the moon cycle, a typical month had 30 days. Using 30 days per month, the 42 months are equal to 42×30=1260 days. That is also numerically equal to the “time, times, and a half” because 3½ times or years are equal to 3.5×12=42 months. Show More
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A time = one year,
Times = two years
Half a time = half a year
=> “A time, times and half a time” = 3½ years.
Since months of 30 days each result in years of 360 days each, the Jews added an extra month to some years to keep the calendars in line with the agricultural seasons. |
Conclusions:
(1) The three periods are the same, but while the 1260 days always describe what God’s people are doing during this period (Rev. 12:6; 11:3), the 42 months describe what the Beast-power is doing (Rev 11:2; 13:5).
(2) The five instances in Revelation are all based on the time prophecy in Daniel 7:25 (cf. Dan 12:7) and, therefore, should be studied together.
Not the End Time
It is often thought that the “time, times, and a half” is the End Time. By briefly describing each of the instances, this section shows that it is not. It always precedes the End Time:
Daniel 7
| The 3½ times are not the End Time because it is the period of the Church of the Roman Empire, which began in the sixth century. |
Since that 4th beast in Daniel 7 symbolizes the Roman Empire (read article), the 11 horns that grow out of it are the kingdoms into which the Roman Empire fragmented in the fifth to eighth centuries. Since the 3½ times (the time, times, and a half) is the period of the 11th horn (Dan 7:25), that period began in those centuries. Show More
| A previous article identified the 11th Horn as the Church of the Roman Empire (the ‘Roman Church’). In brief:
When the Roman Empire legalized Christianity in 313, the Church was divided into factions. In 380, the Roman Empire selected one of those factions and made it the State Religion of the Empire, outlawing other factions. That selected faction of Christianity became the Church of the Roman Empire, functioning as part of the system of authority in the Empire, with the emperor having final authority in the appointment of senior officials and acting as the final judge in doctrinal disputes, equivalent to the pope in later years.
After the Roman Empire collapsed in the fifth and sixth centuries, the ‘Roman Church’ survived as a distinct institution with its distinct theology and hierarchy of bishops. Daniel 7 depicts it as the 11th horn. At first, it was small, meaning that it was subject to the European monarchs, but it grew in power and became the Roman Church which dominated the nations of Europe during the High Middle Ages. (Read article)
The 3½ times is the period of the Church of the Roman Empire, implying that it represents the Middle Ages. |
Daniel 12
| The 3½ times are not the End Time because it will be followed by the “time of the end.” |
The “time, times, and a half” is next mentioned in Daniel 12, which also refers to the “time of the end” (the End Time) when Daniel’s prophecies would be unsealed, studied, and understood (Dan 12:4, 9). In other words, the End Time is a period of time and not a point in time. The final activities of the king of the north will also be in the “time of the end” (Dan 11:40).
When asked when this would be (Dan 12:6), “the man” said it would be after ”a time, times, and half a time” (Dan 12:7). In other words, the ”time, times, and half a time” is the period between the time of the prophet and the End Time.
Revelation 11
| The 3½ times are not the End Time because, after it, God’s witness will be dead for 3½ days, but then resurrected. |
In this chapter, the 42 months or 1260 days (Rev 11:2-3), which is the same as the 3½ times, are followed by 3½ days when God’s two witnesses (God’s word) will be dead (Rev 11:7-10). During the 1260 days, they witnessed in sackcloth (poverty & obscurity), but in the subsequent 3½ days, God’s message is completely dead (incapacitated). After the 3½ days, God will revive His two witnesses. They will stand on their feet, “and great fear fell upon those who were watching them” (Rev 11:11). This is not Christ’s return because the people now fear the two witnesses; not Christ (cf. Rev 6:17). In other words, the death and resurrection of the two witnesses describe the end-time events, and the 1260 days precede those events.
Revelation 12
| The 3½ times are not the End Time because, after it, the woman will be released from the wilderness, followed by the final war. |
This chapter is perhaps the clearest proof that the “time, times, and a half” do not extend to the end of the age:
While the dragon (Satan’s forces) tries to flood away the woman (God’s people), she hides in the wilderness (poverty, obscurity) for “a time, times, and a half” (Rev 12:14-15).
But the earth helps the woman by drinking up the flood (Rev 12:16-17), forcing the dragon to go away and allowing the woman to come out of the wilderness.
The dragon then prepares for war against the remnant of the Woman’s children (Rev 12:17; 13:1, 11), when the Mark of the Beast will be put on people (Rev 13:16-18).
Revelation 13
| The 3½ times are not the End Time because it is the period of the Sea Beast, which is not directly involved in the end-time war. |
Since Revelation 13 is an expansion of Revelation 12, and since Revelation 12 makes clear that this period is not the End Time, Revelation 12 must guide how we read Revelation 13.
Furthermore, Revelation 13:11-18 describes the end-time war. In it, the Image of the Beast, which was formed by the people at the behest of the False Prophet – the Land Beast, persecutes God’s people. The Sea Beast is only indirectly involved in the end-time war (Rev 13:11-12). Since the 42 months (Rev 13:5) are part of the earlier description of the Sea Beast (Rev 13:1-8) and not mentioned in the description of this end-time war, it is not related to the End Time. Show More
| Like the Sea Beast (the Church of the Roman Empire) receives its authority from the Dragon (the Roman Empire, Rev 13:2), the Land Beast receives its authority from the Sea Beast. It is this Land Beast which, after the Beast’s wound has been healed, makes the people worship the Sea Beast (Rev 13:12). |
It may seem as if the 42 months in Revelation 13:5 describe the end-time crisis because it is mentioned after the dragon’s final war against the remnant of the woman’s seed (Rev 12:17). However, 13:1-7 is the introduction of the Sea Beast. Such introductions jump back in time to explain the past history of the new character. Show More
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Consider the broad flow of events. Revelation 12 describes events from the time of Christ (Rev 12:5) until the dragon has to go away after another setback. He goes away to prepare for the end-time war (Rev 12:17). Revelation 13 describes that end-time war, but it first describes how the dragon prepares for that war. It receives two co-workers, the Sea Beast (Rev 13:1) and the Land Beast (Rev 13:11).
In both cases, after mentioning the new roleplayer, Revelation first gives some background information. In Revelation 13:1-8, the first seven verses are in the past tense, but Rev 13:8 abruptly switches to the future tense. This seems to indicate that 13:1-7 is the background information and verse 8 continues the sequence of events after 12:17. Therefore, the 42 months (13:5) are part of the background information on the Sea Beast, describing past action and not an event after 12:17.
Similarly, while the introduction of the Land Beast (Rev 13:11) is in the past tense, the rest of the chapter is in the present tense, making a distinction between the back story and the sequence of events.
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It may also seem as if the 42 months in 13:5 describe the end-time crisis because it is mentioned after the healing of the Beast’s fatal wound (Rev 13:3-4). However, Revelation does not describe events in strict chronological sequence. This is clear from the fact that the “time, times, and a half” were already mentioned in 12:6 and 14.
The word links in the text give us a sense of the chronological sequence. Verse 2, which precedes the fatal wound, describes what the Dragon gave the Beast, and verses 5-7, including the mention of the 42 months, elaborate on those gifts. Therefore, the 42 months belong chronologically with verse 2; before the fatal wound. Show More
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Revelation 13 first describes the origin of the Beast (13:1-2), including a list of things the Dragon gave to the Beast (“his power and his throne and great authority”).
The next two verses describe the fatal wound and the healing of the wound (Rev 13:3-4).
The next three verses (Rev 13:5-7) use the phrase “given to him” four times. This links these verses to 13:2, where “the dragon gave him his power and his throne and great authority.” This implies that 13:5-7 elaborates on what the Beast received from the Dragon in 13:2. The Beast will rule for 42 months because the Dragon gave it its “power and his throne and great authority.” Consequently, the 42 months are before the deadly wound and do not signify the end-time battle.
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Symbolic
So far, this article explained that the three periods are the same and that they do not reflect the End Time but precede the End Time. This section shows that it is a symbolic period and not literally 1260 days.
3½ years is too short.
| The apocalyptic time prophecies, literally interpreted, allow too little time for what must happen. |
The “time, times, and half a time” is a period when God’s people will be persecuted. Given the centuries of severe persecution, in which the Church killed millions of God’s people, many burnt to death, a persecution of 3½ literal years seems inconsequential. (Read article)
There are many other apocalyptic time prophecies in Daniel and Revelation and some of them are also clearly too short (literally interpreted) for their purposes. For example, the ten horns are ten kings who will rule for “one hour” (Rev 17:12). In that hour, they will destroy Babylon (Rev 17:16; 18:9, 17, 19). The insufficient time allowed, literally interpreted, means that all of the apocalyptic time prophecies, including the 3½ times, are symbolic for much longer periods. Show More
| More examples:
A fundraiser is broken up in a matter of days (Dan 11:20). A few days won’t give him much time to raise money.
God’s people would “fall by sword and flame, by captivity and plunder, for … days” (Dan 11:33). Persecution of a few literal days would not be very significant.
It is not possible for everything in Daniel 9:26, 27 to happen in a literal week.
The church in Smyrna was warned that it “will have tribulation for ten days” (Rev 2:10). But persecution that will last 10 literal days does not seem very significant. However, when this time period is interpreted according to the year-day principle, it fits very well with the Diocletian persecution from AD 303 to 313.
The Two Witnesses will be dead for 3½ days (Rev 11:9). During that period, “those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another” (Rev 2:10). This must be symbolic of a much longer actual time, for such celebrations will require much more than 3½ days.
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| 3½ times, literally interpreted as 3½ years, is too short for the context. |
The prophecies in which the time, times, and half a time are found cover the time from the prophet Daniel, before the time of Christ, to the end of the world. These prophecies outline the rise and fall of the major powers that were to rule the Near Eastern and Mediterranean areas. The 3½ times do not cover the whole time. However, since the 3½ times are part of prophecies that cover vast periods, the 3½ times should also be a long period, a much longer period than merely 3½ literal years. Show More
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Daniel 7 predicts four empires, covering hundreds of years each. The fourth empire, identified as the Roman Empire (see here), is more dreadful and destructive than any of the preceding beasts. But the main character in the prophecy and God’s main enemy is the 11th horn that came up from that fourth beast. It exists until Christ returns, but the period of its reign is identified as 3½ times (Daniel 7:25). 3½ years literal years do not fit the context. If the four empires cover many centuries, why would the main character of the prophecy reign only for 3½ years? It must symbolize a much longer period.
Revelation 12 uses the Dragon as a symbol for Satan’s forces over more than 2000 years, from the time of Christ (Rev 12:5), to the last war (Rev 12:17). This period includes the 1260 days or 3½ times (Rev 12:6, 14). Given this extended period, a literal period of 3½ years does not fit.
The same principle applies to other apocalyptic time prophecies:
Daniel 8 – In his opening statement of his explanation, Gabriel stated that the vision was for the “time of the end” (Dan 8:17). His explanation then began with the Persian ram (Dan 8:20). In the prophecy, a horn comes up and grows up to the Prince of Heaven and deprives Him of the “continual” (tamid). It tramples the sanctuary and the saints (Dan 8:11, 12). But the temple will be restored after 2300 evenings and mornings. Since this is the last part of the prophecy (Dan 8:14, 26), this period leads to that “time of the end.” Therefore, the 2300 evenings and mornings must cover the time from the Persian Empire to the End, it can’t be 2300 literal days.
Daniel 9 predicts a period of 69 weeks from the commission of the rebuilding of the temple until the Messiah (Jesus Christ). According to Ezra and Nehemiah, the reconstruction of Jerusalem began under a Persian king nearly 500 years before Christ. Roman soldiers crucified Jesus. This means that those 69 weeks began during the Persian Empire, included the Hellenistic (Greek) kingdoms, and extended into the Roman period. So, again, the 70 weeks can’t be 70 literal weeks (less than two years). It must symbolize a much longer period. (As discussed below, the Hebrew word shabua means “weeks” and not “sevens.”).
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While the apocalyptic prophecies in Daniel and Revelation cover much longer periods than the other (classical) prophecies in the Bible, the time periods in the apocalyptic prophecies, literally interpreted, are much shorter than in the classical prophecies. Show More
| The classical time prophecies predict literal persons, events, and periods. All of them predict time in years and were fulfilled literally. For example:
The 120 years to which man’s wickedness was limited before the flood (Gen 6:3),
The 7 years of plenty, followed by 7 years of drought and famine in the time prophecy given through Joseph to Pharaoh (Gen 41:26, 29),
The 400 years of tribulation that Abraham’s descendants would suffer in Egypt (Gen 15:13; Exodus 12:40),
The 3½ years of drought and famine prophesied through Elijah (1 Kings 17:1), and
The 70 years of exile for God’s people to Babylon prophesied by Jeremiah (Jer 25:11, 8-12; 29:10; Dan 9:2; 2 Kings 25).
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It is a Symbolic Period.
While some argue that the period is 1260 literal days, this section shows that the 3½ times, 42 months, or 1260 days are symbols.
| (1) Revelation is a book of symbols. |
This is explicitly affirmed by the first verse, which says that God gave Jesus this revelation to ‘signify’ (esêmanen– the KJV translates this one right) the things that must soon take place (Rev 1:1).
| (2) All numbers in Revelation are symbols. |
For example:
Two means truth.
Four symbolizes the whole world.
Twelve represents God’s people.
Seven means ‘always.’ Show More
| The numbers in Revelation are discussed in another article. It concluded as follows:
Two means truth. It is based on the Old Testament principle that the testimony of two people is required in a court of law. Jesus applied this principle when He sent His disciples out two by two. The number two is hidden in phrases such as “the commandments of God and … the testimony of Jesus” (Rev 12:17), representing God’s end-time message (cf. Rev 1:2). Revelation uses the number 2 in:
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- The Two Witnesses, symbolizing God’s word (Rev 11:3-6), and
- The two horns of the Land Beast (Rev 13:11), symbolizing that it is Christian in name.
Four symbolizes the whole world. For example, the earth has four corners and four winds (Rev 7:1). To signify the universal destruction of God’s foes, it is said that the blood from the winepress of His fury flowed to four times four hundred furlongs (Rev 14:20).
Twelve represents God’s people. Christ has 12 Apostles. The Woman has a crown with twelve stars (Rev 12:1). The heavenly Jerusalem has twelve foundations with the names of the Twelve Apostles on them (Rev 21:14) and twelve gates with the names of the Twelve Tribes of Israel (Rev 21:12). God’s end-time sealed people are symbolized as 12000 from each of the 12 Tribes (Rev 7:4). This is not literal. It would be a very great error to imagine that God’s people are limited to 144,000.
Seven means ‘always.’ It implies completion in terms of time – the whole time. It is based, no doubt, on the sevenfold acts of God at creation, resulting in the Sabbath being the seventh day of the week. The seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven plagues, like the seven days of the week, signify a sequence in which one follows after the other and the seventh in the final one. |
| (3) The context of these numbers is symbolic. |
The contexts within which these time prophecies are found are symbolic, describing the symbolic activities of symbolic persons. For example:
The 11th horn of the fourth animal in Daniel 7 reigns for a “time, times, and a half” (Dan 7:25).
The Holy City is trodden underfoot for 42 months (Rev 11:2).
The Woman hides in the wilderness from a dragon for 1260 days (Rev 12:6,14).
A Sea Beast persecutes God’s people for 42 months (Rev 13:5).
Since the ‘persons’ and their actions are symbolic, the time periods of those actions must also be symbolic. Show More
| In contrast, the classical time prophecies predicted literal persons, actions, and times and were also fulfilled in literal persons, actions, and times. For example:
In Genesis 15, the prophecy was given to Abraham that his literal flesh and blood descendants were to be oppressed in a foreign land, that is, Egypt, for a literal 400 years (Gen 15:13). This was fulfilled in these very terms (compare Exod 12:40).
As another example, Jeremiah 25 foretold that Judah was to be conquered by a literal king (Nebuchadnezzar); its inhabitants were to be exiled to his country of Babylon for a literal 70 years (Jer 25: 8-12). These events were also fulfilled in the terms in which they were prophesied (compare 2 Kgs 25; Ezra 1).
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| (4) The Units of Time and the numbers are unusual. |
Units of Time – All classical time prophecies are expressed in years. None of the apocalyptic prophecies are expressed in years but in unusual time units, such as “times” (Dan 7:25) and “evening-mornings” (Dan 8:14). The Bible does not elsewhere measure time in such units. The unusual units in the apocalyptic time prophecies imply that they are symbolic.
Numbers of Time – Furthermore, some of those periods are unusually numbered. It was not normal to count time as 70 weeks (Dan 9:24), 42 months (Rev 13:5), or 1260 days (Rev 12:6). These unusual units and numbers seem to be intentionally chosen to indicate that the time prophecies are symbolic.
| The historical parts of Daniel use the term “days” figuratively. |
The historical parts of the Book of Daniel never use the term “days” for literal days. It always uses that term figuratively. Sometimes, it seems to use the term as equivalent to ‘years.’ For example, Daniel and his friends appear before the king “at the end of the days,” meaning at the end of their schooling of three years (Dan 1:5, 18). Show More
| As another example, Nebuchadnezzar recovered his sanity “at the end of the days,” meaning at the end of the predicted seven times (or years as “times” is probably best interpreted) of insanity (Dan 4:25, 34). |
In other instances, the historical parts of Daniel use the term “days” less specifically for ‘time.’ For example, the “days” of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 5:11) could probably be understood as Nebuchadnezzar’s time, more than 50 years earlier. Show More
| Other examples:
The dream of Daniel 2 revealed to Nebuchadnezzar what was to come in the “latter days” (Dan 2:28).
The final end of the image of the dream was to come in the “days” of the kings who were to rule the divided kingdom of iron and clay (Dan 2:44).
Daniel is to stand in his lot “at the end of… days,” that is, he is to be resurrected at the end of time (Dan 12:13).
God is “the Ancient of days” (Dan 7:9-13).
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A Year for a Day
If the period is symbolic, the question becomes how to interpret it. The Reformers, including Martin Luther and John Calvin, interpreted a day in apocalyptic prophecies as a literal year. This would mean that the “time, times, and a half,” which is the same as the 1260 days, symbolizes a period of 1260 years. This section defends this approach. It shows that the idea that a day stands for a year was not limited to the apocalyptic prophecies but was but was ingrained in the Jewish thought pattern:
| Old Testament parallelism associates days and years. |
The parallelism of the OT poetic literature associates days and years. For example:
Are thy days as the days of man,
or thy years as man’s years? (Job 10:5)
Remember the days of old,
consider the years of many generations. (Deut 32:7) Show More
| Other examples:
The wicked man writhes in pain all his days,
through all the years that are laid up for the ruthless. (Job 15:20)
I said, “Let days speak,
and many years teach wisdom.” (Job 32:7)
If they harken and serve him,
they complete their days in prosperity,
and their years in pleasantness. (Job 36:11)
I consider the days of old,
I remember the years long ago. (Ps 77:5)
For all our days pass away under thy wrath,
our years come to an end like a sigh.
The years of our life [literally, “the days of our years“)
are threescore and ten. (Ps 90:9-10)
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In these examples, “days” and “years” refer to the same periods. “Days” are always mentioned first and then “years.” Therefore, the relationship between days and years did not suddenly appear in the apocalyptic prophecies but was ingrained in the Jewish thought pattern. An ancient Semite, whose mind was steeped in this parallelism, would intuitively have made an association with “years” when he hears the word “day,” especially in symbolic passages where literal days do not make logical sense.
| Other Jewish literature also associates days and years. |
In the historical passages of the Old Testament, the word “days” (plural) is sometimes used for a year. For example, the term “from days to days” is translated as “from year to year” (Exodus 13:10; 1 Samuel 2:19). Show More
| Other examples:
Yearly events, such as the Passover, were kept, literally, “from days to days,” meaning from year to year or yearly (Exod 13:10).
Hannah took the garments she had made for Samuel once each year (literally, “from days to days,” 1 Sam 2:19).
A service of mourning was held for Jepthah’s daughter “from days to days” (Judges 11:40), that is, yearly.
The “sacrifice of the days” is translated as “annual sacrifice” (1 Samuel 20:6; 1 Samuel 1:21), and “days and four months” is translated as “one year and four months” (1 Samuel 27:7).
During Israel’s wilderness journey, the tribes moved only when the pillar of the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle. Otherwise, they remained encamped, “whether it was two days, or a month, or days,” meaning days or a month or a year (Numbers 9:22), which is how translators generally put it.
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In discussing the ages of people, days and years were used as synonyms. For example, in the genealogy in Genesis 5, it is said ten times: “All the days of X were so many years, and he died.” Show More
| Other examples:
“King David was old and advanced in years” (literally, “in the days”) (1 Kings 1:1).
Jacob said to Pharaoh: “The days of the years of my sojourning are a hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning” (Gen 47:9).
When God determined the maximum age of man, He said, “His days shall be 120 years” (Genesis 6:3). This is the very first time prophecy in the Bible, and it directly links days to years.
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| Every 7th day and 7th year was a Sabbath, confirming the strong link between days and years. |
The Jews had both a weekly cycle of seven days and an annual cycle of seven years. Both the seventh day and the seventh year would be a Sabbath of “solemn rest” (Lev 23:3; 25:4, 5). Six days of labor were followed by the seventh Sabbath day of rest for the people, and six years of farming were followed by a seventh Sabbath year of rest for the land. Show More
| For six years, the Israelite farmer was instructed to sow his fields, prune his vineyards, and gather the harvest in his barns and storehouses. But in the seventh year, he had to leave the land to lie fallow and the vineyards and orchards unpruned. What grew of itself could be eaten as food by anyone – the alien, the poor, the slave, as well as by the owner; but it was not to be harvested and stored. (Ex 23:10-12; Lev 25:1-8; see also Lev 26:33-35; 2 Chr 36:20-21.)
The seventh year shall be “a sabbath to the Lord” (Lev 25:2), “a sabbath of solemn rest for the land” (Lev 25:4), and “a year of solemn rest for the land” (Lev 25:5) |
So, the Sabbath year is modeled from the Sabbath day. While the word “Sabbath” is used for certain days, it is here used for certain years, indicating a strong relationship between days and years. Show More
The command to keep every seventh year as a Sabbath is similar to the fourth commandment (Ex 20:8-11) except that the word year replaces the word day:
| Exod 20:8-10 – Seventh Day |
Lev 25:2-4 – Seventh Year |
| v8 “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. |
v2 “the land shall keep a Sabbath [year] to the Lord. |
| v9 “Six days you shall labor and do all your work. |
v3 “Six years you shall sow, . . . prune . . ., and gather . . .; |
| v10 “But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work.” |
v4 “but in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land; a Sabbath to the Lord; you shall not sow or prune.” |
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| Daniel 9 promises 70 weeks, but all commentators interpret this as 70 x 7 years. |
In 70 weeks, Jerusalem and the temple must be rebuilt, and the Messiah appear and be “cut off” (Dan 9:24-27). Commentators agree that this could not have happened in 70 literal weeks (a bit more than one year). So, the 70 weeks stand for a longer period of time. Commentators agree that the 70×7=490 days must be interpreted as 490 years, proving the day-year principle in apocalyptic prophecies.
Some argue that the word translated as weeks (shabua) should be translated as “sevens” and means groups of seven years. If that is the meaning, the year-for-a-day principle is not required. However, although shabua is derived from the Hebrew word for ‘seven,’ it is always used for a period of seven days (a week). Therefore, the year-day principle is required to convert the 70 weeks into 490 years. Show More
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In the NASB, “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people” (Dan 9:27). Given this translation, one needs the year-day principle to convert the 70 weeks into 490 years.
In contrast, the NIV reads, “Seventy sevens have been decreed for your people.” Assuming this translation and assuming that these “sevens” refer to groups of seven literal years, as in the Sabbath year cycle, one does not need the year-day principle.
So, the question is what the Hebrew word shabua means, ‘weeks’ or ‘sevens.’ The fact is that it means ‘weeks.’ It was derived from the word for “seven” (sheva). However, it was a specialized term used only for the unit of time consisting of seven days, that is, the “week.” To translate this term in Daniel 9 as “sevens” confuses its etymological origin with its derived form and function.
The word shabua occurs 13 times in the OT outside of Daniel 9, and virtually all translations render these instances as “weeks.” Therefore, it should be rendered “weeks” in Daniel 9, as almost all translations do (BibleHub). |
Daniel 10:2-3, using the term shabua to refer to a period of three weeks, qualifies it by adding “of days.” Some argue that this should be translated as “weeks of days,” implying that Daniel 9:24 should be understood to mean ‘weeks of years.’ However, the addition of “of days” does not change the meaning. It simply emphasizes that these are complete weeks. Show More
| When a time unit such as a week, month, or year is followed by the word for “days” in the plural, it means full or complete weeks, months, or years:
For example, the expression “a full month” in Hebrew reads literally “month days” or “month of days.” See Genesis 29:14; Numbers 11:20-21; Judges 19:2.
Similarly, the expression “full years” reads literally, “years days.” See Genesis 41:1; Leviticus 25:29; 2 Samuel 13:23; 14:28.
Thus, the Hebrew expression in Daniel 10:2-3, literally, “three weeks days,” means “three full weeks.” It does not imply that the weeks in Daniel 9 are weeks of years. It is quite arbitrary, therefore, to shabua as “sevens” in Daniel 9:24-27 and as “weeks” three verses later in Daniel 10:2, 3, as the New International Version does. |
Usages elsewhere in Daniel, the OT, extrabiblical Hebrew, and Semitic languages all indicate that this word should be translated as “weeks.” Show More
| The LXX, a translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek during the latter part of the intertestamental period (before Christ), consistently translates shabua with the feminine collective hebdomas and its derived forms. Since the 11 references to hebdomas outside of Daniel 9 are all translated as “weeks” and not as “sevens,” hebdomas in Daniel 9 should also be translated as “weeks.” |
| God applied the year-day principle. |
The Israelite spies explored Canaan for 40 days. Most of the spies reported that the people were strong, advising the Israelites not to invade. Contrary to God’s will, the Israelites accepted the majority report. Consequently, God sentenced them to wander in the wilderness for 40 years: “For every day a year, you shall bear your iniquity, forty years” (Numbers 14:34). That would have entrenched a strong year-for-a-day thinking in the nation of Israel.
God also applied the year-day principle in reverse by commanding the prophet to lie on one side for 390 days and then on the other side for 40 days, one day for each year of Israel’s rebellion (Ezek 4:5-6). Show More
| “The number of the days you lie on your side … I have given you the years of their evil according to a number of days, 390 days, and you shall bear the evil of the house of Israel. … and you shall bear the evil of the house of Judah forty days, day for the year … I have given you.” (Ezekiel 4:4-6) |
Thus, the “day-year” principle is used in different ways. The application in apocalyptic prophecies is one variation on a general theme, reflecting the equivalence of days and years in Jewish thought.
| Jesus applied the year-day principle. |
He spoke about days and said that His goal would be reached on the third day. But He linked the days to His death, implying that he would die on the third day, meaning that He would die in the third year:
Luke 13:31 Some Pharisees approached, saying: “Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.”
32 And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’
33 “Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.
Conclusions
(1) This closely parallel use of days and years prepared the ancient Semite, whose mind was steeped in this parallelistic type of thought, to intuitively associate the days of chronological prophecies with calendar years, especially in symbolic passages where literal days do not make logical sense (Shea, 67-69).
(2) The year-day principle was not applied to apocalyptic prophecies in the first centuries of the Church Age. Not until enough centuries had passed to make such long ages of prophecy comprehensible were the longer prophecies of 1260 and 2300 days understood as years.
The Middle Ages
The question is, where do we locate the “time, times, and a half” in history?
Since it is the period of the 11th horn of the fourth animal (Dan 7:25), it began when that horn came into existence.
Since the fourth animal symbolizes the Roman Empire (see here), the 11th horn is one of the parts into which the Empire fragmented in the fifth to eighth centuries. Therefore the 1260 days began at that time.
The consensus among the Reformers was that the 11th horn is the Church of the Roman Empire (the Roman Church). Show More
| A previous article identified the 11th Horn as the Church of the Roman Empire (the ‘Roman Church’). In brief:
When the Roman Empire legalized Christianity in 313, the Church was divided into factions. In 380, the Roman Empire selected one of those factions and made it the State Religion of the Empire, outlawing other factions. That selected faction of Christianity became the Church of the Roman Empire, functioning as part of the system of authority in the Empire, with the emperor having final authority in the appointment of senior officials and acting as the final judge in doctrinal disputes, equivalent to the pope in later years.
After the Roman Empire collapsed in the fifth and sixth centuries, the ‘Roman Church’ survived as a distinct institution with its distinct theology and hierarchy of bishops. Daniel 7 depicts it as the 11th horn. At first, it was small, meaning that it was subject to the European monarchs, but it grew in power and became the Roman Church which dominated the nations of Europe during the High Middle Ages. (Read article)
The 3½ times is the period of the Church of the Roman Empire, implying that it represents the Middle Ages. |
The Reformers agreed that the 1260 days (years) began in the eighth century when the Roman Church received its own territory and was able to rule itself. Thus, the period should extend to about 2016. Show More
| 758-2018 – Robert Fleming, writing in 1701 (The Rise and Fall of Rome Papal), stated that the 1260-year period should commence with Pope Paul I becoming a temporal ruler in AD 758, which would expire in 2018 by counting Julian years, or the year 2000 if counting prophetic (360 day) years.
756-2016 – British Theologian Adam Clarke, writing in 1825, stated that the 1260-year period should commence with 756 AD, the actual year Pepin the Short invaded Lombard territory, resulting in the Pope’s elevation from a subject of the Byzantine Empire to an independent head of state. The Donation of Pepin, which first occurred in 754 and again in 756, gave the Pope temporal power over the Papal States:
“As the date of the prevalence and reign of antichrist must … be fixed at A.D. 756, therefore the end of this period of his reign must be A.D. 756 added to 1260; equal to 2016.”
Prior to Adam Clarke (Methodist), Jonathan Edwards, an Evangelical Reformed (Congregational) theologian, commented on the views of his more well-known predecessors and contemporaries and wrote that Sir Isaac Newton, Robert Fleming (Presbyterian), Moses Lowman (Presbyterian), Phillip Doddridge (Congregational), and Bishop Thomas Newton (Anglican), were in agreement that the 1,260 timeline should be calculated from the year 756 AD.
Thomas Williams also acknowledged that this was the predominant view among the leading Protestant theologians of his time:
“Mr. Lowman, though an earlier commentator, is (we believe) far more generally followed; and he commences the 1260 days from about 756, when, by aid of Pepin, King of France, the Pope obtained considerable temporalities. This carries on the reign of Popery to 2016, or sixteen years into the commencement of the Millennium, as it is generally reckoned.”
F.A. Cox (Congregationalist) confirmed that this was the view of Sir Isaac Newton and others, including himself:
“The author adopts the hypothesis of Fleming, Sir Isaac Newton, and Lowman, that the 1260 years commenced in A.d. 756; and consequently, that the millennium will not begin till the year 2016.”
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In spite of its one-time predominance, the 2016 prediction was largely forgotten, and no major Protestant denomination currently subscribes to this timeline.
In Daniel, the 11th horn came up when it uprooted three of the other horns (Dan 7:8). That was in the mid-sixth century when the Eastern Emperor Justinian, in wars that stretched over 20 years (533-553), defeated and subjected three of the Arian nations in the West to liberate the Church of the Roman Empire from Arian domination. (Read article) Therefore, the view proposed in this article is that the “time, times, and a half” began in the mid-sixth century.
1260 literal years later would bring us to the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century, a decisive turning point in the history of Europe and the Western World. It included the successes of French general Napoleon Bonaparte, specifically, the capture of Pope Pius VI by General Louis Alexandre Berthier in 1798. The French Revolution gave the Western World the concept of religious liberty. After that, the Roman Church was never again able to dominate the Western World as it did during the Middle Ages. Therefore, if we define the Middle Ages as the period between the collapse of the Roman Empire and the modern era of religious freedom in the West, the time, times, and a half symbolize the Middle Ages.
Although we are able to find precise events in history when the period began and ended, the changes were not sudden. Certain key events in history functioned as catalysts for change, but the change occurred over many decades and even centuries.
Other Views
An Abstract Principle
It was argued above that the “time, times, and a half” is symbolic for a specific period in history. Many others agree that the period is symbolic but argue that it does not symbolize a specific literal period in history but an abstract principle, just like the number 12 does not represent a specific quantity but symbolizes God’s people. Such commentators may argue that the “time, times, and a half” represents trial, spiritual toil, pilgrimage, and persecution. On this basis, many past commentators have identified this period as the whole Christian age. Show More
| Some commentators:
“The whole period of time from Patmos to the Second Advent of our Lord.” (Charles D Alexander)
“Denote the Christian era from its beginning to its close.” (William Milligan (1821-1892), Scottish theologian, Professor of biblical criticism at the University of Aberdeen)
“From the moment of Christ’s ascension almost until the judgment day” (William Hendriksen (1900-1982), Professor of New Testament literature at Calvin Theological Seminary)
“We find that the period of three years and a half represents an idea; one of spiritual toil, pilgrimage, and persecution.” (Wordsworth, Christopher, 1807-1885, Lectures on the Apocalypse. (Hulsean lectures) 2nd. ed. H. Hooker, 1852. pp. 205-209.)
“The thousand two hundred sixty days mentioned in the Apocalypse (12:6) denote all the time during which the Church endures, and not any definite number of years. … the number of days appointed by Daniel does not refer to a number of years to elapse before the end of the world or until the preaching of Antichrist, but to the time of Antichrist’s preaching and the duration of his persecution.” (Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Summa Theologica. Treatise on the resurrection. Question 77.2.2.)
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However, firstly, since the “time, times, and half a time” is the period of a specific institution – the 11th evil horn of Daniel 7:25 – it does not represent the entire Church Age. Show More
| The 3½ times are first mentioned in Daniel 7:25, where the 11th evil horn of Daniel 7 will “wear down the saints of the Highest One, … and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.” It has already been shown that the animal from which that horn grew symbolizes the Roman Empire and that its 11th horn is one of the parts into which that Empire fragmented in the fifth to eighth centuries. (Read Article) |
Secondly, for a number to have a specific theological meaning, it must be used as such outside the prophecies. For example, 12 symbolizes God’s people. This meaning is based on usages outside Revelation. For example, the number 12 is based on the 12 tribes of Israel and Jesus’ 12 disciples. But the “time, times, and a half,” 42 months, and 1260 are not used outside the prophecies. Therefore, they do not have a specific theological meaning. Show More
| Ways in which commentators try to get around this point include the following:
7 is the number of completeness, and 3½, being half of 7, represents an imperfect or semi-perfect state.
It alludes to the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for 3½ years, and a great famine was throughout all the land.
The earthly Ministry of Jesus Christ — a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, was 3½ years. The prophecy of Daniel 9 predicted that the ministry of Jesus would be three and a half years. This seems to be confirmed by John’s gospel.
However, these are fairly loose connections. And even if that can explain the “time, times, and a half,” the numbers 42 and 1260 are not based on usage outside the Book of Revelation and are used in Revelation only for a single thing, namely, the 1260 days and 42 months. Therefore, these numbers have no abstract theological meanings. No reason can be given for why God should choose 1260 days to mark out an indefinite time.
Another example of a period in Revelation that has no precedent outside the prophecies is the “2300 evenings and mornings” (Dan 8:14). Therefore, it must represent a specific period in history.
The number 144000 may seem as if it does not represent a theological principle, but it is a multiple of the basic numbers 12 and 10. |
No one knows
Others argued that since Jesus said that no one knows when He will return, no one knows the meaning of the 3½ times. This argument assumes that the 3½ times relate to Christ’s return but this article has shown that it does not.
3½ Literal Years
The Reformers identified Daniel’s evil horn as the Papacy and claimed that the 1260 days signify the many centuries of Papal rule. To counter that accusation, the Roman Church advanced the idea that it is a literal period of 3½ years. They then argued that the Pope has reigned for a thousand years and, therefore, cannot be the Antichrist. Today, Preterists and Futurists still interpret the 3½ times as a literal 3½ years. Show More
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“The Papists do draw one argument, by which they would prove that the Pope is not Antichrist. After this manner they reason: The Pope hath governed the Church many years: the great Antichrist shall reign but two and forty months, which is three years and a half … therefore say they, it is impossible that the Pope should be Antichrist.” (George Gifford)
“Cardinal Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621), head of the Jesuit College in Rome and a leader in the counter-Reformation, had sought to nullify the prophetic year-day principle that Protestant interpreters employed to support their theories identifying the papacy with the Antichrist. According to Bellarmine, the Antichrist would be a single human individual ruling for a literal 1260 days. Therefore, since the Pope has ruled for much longer, the Pope is not the Antichrist, and the Antichrist has not yet come.” (Pierre Jurieu (1637–1713), in his book titled, The accomplishment of the Scripture prophecies.) Jurieu was a professor of theology and Hebrew at the Huguenot Academy of Sedan in northern France, which was closed down in 1681 by Louis XIV. Jurieu took refuge in Rotterdam, where he became a pastor in the Flemish Walloon Church. While in Rotterdam, Jurieu wrote a book in which he applied the prophecies of Revelation to the troubles of the French Protestants. He argued against the idea that the 1260 days of Revelation 11 and 12 could refer to a literal three and a half years.
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Daniel 9
Some commentators explain the 3½ times as the last half of the last seven years (the 70th week) of Daniel 9. However, Daniel 9 has nothing to do with the other prophecies in Daniel. While the other prophecies deal with all nations and all time, Daniel 9 focuses on Israel and the additional 490 years allocated to her. (Read article) Show More
| One wrote: “The first half of the 70th week of the prophecy in Daniel 9 was fulfilled in the ministry of Jesus, but the last half symbolizes the entire Church age. The units of the first 69½ weeks are natural years, but the final half-week is represented in non-natural ways. So, the first half of the 70th week is Christ’s time and the last half is the Antichrist’s time.” |
Conclusions
The prophecies were given by God, but the prophets did not fully understand them fully. Only with the hindsight of history are we able to understand the prophecies in ways that were impossible for the prophets:
John 14:29 “Now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe.
Dan 12:8 As for me (Daniel), I heard but could not understand, so I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?” 9 He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time.
In the Preterist and Futurist views, for almost the whole Christian Age, God did not provide any prophecy. After this lengthy vacuum, Futurists propose that God provided a prophecy only for the last seven years of Earth’s history.
In the historical school, as reflected in this article, the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation provide a divinely inspired, descriptive overview of some of the most significant events of the Church Age. Consequently, the time prophecies signify much longer periods than a purely literal interpretation would allow.
Other Articles
Revelation 10-11
Other Topics
God’s two witnesses are described in Revelation 11. They: