What is a Time, Times, and Half a Time? Well, it’s a direct quote from Revelation 12:14. It is also a direct (well almost a direct quote) from Daniel 7:25 and Daniel 12:7. We say it’s almost a direct quote because Daniel 7:25 King James Version translates to the word “dividing” instead of “half” and the word “and” is missing between time and times in Daniel 12:7 which are both trivial and it really means the same thing, but let’s get back to what it means.
What is a time? A time is a year. For now the reader will just have to accept that as a fact. By the time we reach the end of this article we will have fully established that a time is a year.
So if a time is a year, then what is a Time, and Times, and Half a Time. Well it’s Three and one half years. A Time is one year, Times are two years and half a time is a half a year. So 1 year + 2 years + 1/2 year = 3-1/2 years, but how do we know that it’s three and a half years? For instance couldn’t “Times” mean three or four or some other number of years as opposed to two years? Once again, the fact that it means three and a half years will become clear as we move on.
This same time span of prophecy is also declared as both the 42 month prophesy and the 1260 day prophesy in the Bible. Let’s take a look at all the quotes, for a total of seven, which talk about this 1260 day prophesy. We’ll start with Revelation 12:14 for no particular reason, but that it is the one mentioned first in this article and the rest will be in the order in which they appear in the King James Bible from front to back.
Before we look at all the quotes, I’ll say just one more thing about this three and a half years interpretation. Among all Christian denominations three and a half years has been universally accepted as the correct interpretation of this time span. So if you go to just about any and/or every Christian denomination they will all agree that this is referring to a three and a half year time span.
Revelation 12:14 And 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.
Daniel 7:25 And 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 And 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 But 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 And 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 And 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 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
Before I go on I should mention that, at least in these quotes, when the Bible mentions the “woman” or “she” it is referring to God’s church. You can get a fuller understanding of how this interpretation came about by reading the article titled, “In Bible Prophesy a Woman Represents the Church.” The serpent represents the devil as can be seen in the following quote:
Revelation 12:9
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
So first we must establish that all these descriptions referring to a time span in the previous quotes above are speaking of the same span of time in history. We know that because each one is speaking of the persecution of the saints.
Rev. 14:12 says that she (the church) might fly into the wilderness from the face of the serpent (the devil). Daniel 7:25 says that He (the one who speaks against the most High) would wear out the Saints. Daniel 12:7 says, “he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people.” Rev. 11:2 says, “it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot.” Rev. 11:3 says, “they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.” Rev. 12:6 says “the woman, (the church) once again, “fled into the wilderness.” And finally Rev. 13:5 says that He (the Antichrist) spoke, “great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.”
So why did she flee into the wilderness? Why did the witnesses prophesy in sackcloth and ashes for 1260 days? Why was the holy city trodden under foot? Answer: Because she was being persecuted. All the verses refer to a period of time when the Church would be persecuted and that God would provide a place of safety for her in the wilderness. This happened during the dark ages. The period of time being spoken of her lasted from 538 AD unto 1798 AD which is twelve hundred and sixty years. The wilderness refers to the remote wilderness of Europe and America.
In Revelation 12:6 it says, “the woman fled into the wilderness,” and in Revelation 12:14 it says, “the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness.” They are obviously speaking about the same period of time. Revelation 12:6 calls it, “a thousand, two hundred and threescore days,” and Revelation 12:14 calls it, “a time, and times, and half a time.” Therefore we can see that the 1260 day prophesy is the same as the time, times and half a time prophesy. Now Revelation 11:2 calls this time period, “forty and two months,” and Revelation 11:3 calls it, “a thousand two hundred and threescore days.” So we can see that they are all three referring the same time period.
A year in prophesy is 360 days, because the Jewish calendar was a 360 day calendar. Note that a score is 20 days and so three score is 60 days, and so a thousand, two hundred and threescore day is, 1260 days, but how do we know that really equates to three and a half years? Answer: Because Revelation 11:2 and Revelation 13:5 calls it “forty two months.” Forty two months in any calendar equals 3-1/2 years.
It’s simple. It can’t mean anything else. All of these prophesies or references are referring to the same time period. It is a time when the saints would be persecuted. Four of the references to this prophesy come from two chapters in the Bible: Rev. 12:6 & 14 and Rev. 11 verse 2 & 3. They are all speaking of the persecution of the saints, they all add up to the same time and they use all three of the terms, “forty two months,” “Time, time and half a time,” and “a thousand two hundred and threescore days.”
1260 days and 42 months are obviously the same time span. Likewise there are 42 months and 1260 days in three and a half years when using the 30 day Jewish calendar. 42 multiplied by 30 comes out to exactly 1260 days. This in itself shows that a month in Bible prophesy is 30 days. In the Jewish calendar a month was 30 days. We now live under the Gregorian calendar, but the Bible was not established under the Gregorian calendar. The Gregorian calendar wasn’t established until 1582. Bible prophesy was established under the Jewish calendar.