What does "time, times, and half a time" signify in biblical prophecy? Locating the Phrase in Scripture • Daniel 7:25 — “He will speak against the Most High… and will try to change times and laws; and the saints will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.” • Daniel 12:7 — “…it will be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these things will be completed.” • Revelation 12:14 — “But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, away from the serpent.” Breaking Down the Expression • “Time” = 1 prophetic year • “Times” = 2 prophetic years • “Half a time” = ½ prophetic year • Total = 3 ½ years Corroborating Numerical Equivalents Scripture restates the same period in different units: • 42 months — Revelation 11:2; 13:5 • 1,260 days — Revelation 11:3; 12:6 A prophetic month = 30 days (cf. Genesis 7:11; 7:24; 8:4), so 42 months × 30 = 1,260 days, matching 3 ½ years. Events Assigned to This 3 ½-Year Span • Rise of the little horn/Antichrist oppressing the saints (Daniel 7:25). • Final shattering of Israel’s power before national deliverance (Daniel 12:7). • Preservation of the faithful remnant in the wilderness (Revelation 12:14). • Beast’s authority to blaspheme and persecute (Revelation 13:5-7). • Ministry of the two witnesses (Revelation 11:3). Place Within Daniel’s Seventieth Week • Daniel 9:27 divides the 7-year “week” in halves. • The first 3 ½ years: covenant enacted. • Mid-week: sacrifice stopped, abomination set up (Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). • Last 3 ½ years = “time, times, and half a time,” commonly called the Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21). Why the Period Is Limited • Showcases God’s sovereign restraint: evil is permitted only within fixed boundaries (Job 1:12; Revelation 20:3). • Provides a definite countdown for hope and endurance (Daniel 12:11-12). • Ensures fulfillment of every prophetic detail without delay or extension (Habakkuk 2:3). Practical Encouragement • God foreknew and foretold the darkest span of human history; He remains in control of its duration. • The same timeframe that unleashes intense persecution also guarantees its end. • Believers endure by clinging to the certainty that 3 ½ years cannot become four; the Lord has set the limit. |
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