In this issue of Piecing Together Bible Prophecy, we’ll take up the duration of the ministry of Revelation’s two witnesses. The two witnesses are said “to prophecy a thousand two hundred and threescore days.”

In Revelation 11:2 and 13:5, the Book of Revelation mentions “forty and two months.” Here, in Revelation 11:3, and also in 12:6, the Book of Revelation mentions “a thousand two hundred and threescore days.” Finally, in Revelation 12:14, the Book of Revelation mentions “a time, and times, and half a time,” which is a more vague expression that also appears in the Book of Daniel (Daniel 7:25; 12:7).

Today’s most popular interpretation of Revelation’s “forty and two months,” “one thousand two hundred and sixty days,” and “time, times, and a half a time” is that each serves as a reference to the “Great Tribulation,” which is supposedly the last three and a half years of “The Tribulation”—the end-time’s final seven-year period. However, much to the chagrin of those who espouse this interpretation, it is totally void of scriptural justification and without biblical foundation!

Although the Bible definitely speaks of end-time “tribulation” and even of “great tribulation,” nowhere does it designate a seven-year period as “The Tribulation” or the final three and a half years of that period as “The Great Tribulation.”

As any serious student of the Bible knows, the number seven has great significance in the Scripture. Therefore, Scripture’s failure to specify anywhere on its sacred pages a seven-year period as “The Tribulation” should be more than enough to give one pause and to create serious questions about this widespread end-time belief.

Furthermore, the Book of Revelation, which is not only the Bible’s most important prophetic book, but also a book of sevens, fails to mention seven years. It speaks of: 1. Seven Spirits (1:4) 2. Seven churches (1:11) 3. Seven golden candlesticks (1:12) 4. Seven stars (1:16) 5. Seven seals (5:1) 6. Seven horns (5:6) 7. Seven eyes (5:6) 8. Seven angels (8:2) 9. Seven trumpets (8:2) 10. Seven thunders (10:3) 11. Seven thousand slain (11:13) 12. Seven heads (12:3; 13:1; 17:3) 13. Seven crowns (12:3) 14. Seven plagues (15:1) 15. Seven bowls (15:7) 16. Seven mountains (17:9), and 17. Seven kings (17:10). Yet, nowhere does it mention seven years!

As we have previously observed, the Book of Revelation tells us from the start that it is a book of signs and symbols and must be interpreted symbolically (Revelation 1:1). If we are to insist upon a literal interpretation of every number in Revelation, as some people insist, then, we will find ourselves ensnared in certain absurdities. For instance, consider the following.

In Revelation 5:6, we read: “And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.” The “Lamb” in this verse obviously symbolizes Christ, but are we to interpret from this verse that Christ literally has “seven horns” and “seven eyes.” In addition, are we to glean from this verse that the Godhead needs to be expanded, as Benny Hinn once taught, from three—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—to nine—Father, Son and “seven spirits”?

It is clear that the proper interpretation of this verse is symbolic, not literal. The verse is simply a symbolic depiction of the complete authority and anointing of our Lord. Since the number seven symbolizes completeness in the Scripture and horns symbolize power, the “seven horns” simply symbolize what Christ proclaimed about Himself in the Great Commission, namely, that “all power is given unto [Him] in heaven and in earth” (Matthew 28:18).

Likewise, the “seven Spirits of God,” which are represented by the “seven eyes,” simply symbolize what John the Baptist said of Jesus in John 3:34. According to John, unto Christ—the Messiah or Anointed One—“God giveth not the Spirit by measure”; in other words, Christ was completely anointed all the time!

Like other numbers in Revelation, Revelation’s “forty and two months,” “thousand two hundred and threescore days,” and “time, and times, and half a time” are not to be interpreted literally. This can be easily ascertained by the fact that no calendar—ancient or modern, lunar or solar—allows for a literal interpretation of Daniel and Revelation’s “time, and times, and  half a time” or the Book of Revelation’s “thousand two hundred and threescore days” as literally “forty and two months” or three and a half years.

A literal three and a half years in our modern-Gregorian calendar is not 1,260 days, but approximately 1,277 days, unless of course a leap year is included in the calculation, in which case an additional day must be added making three and a half years 1,278 days.

In the lunar calendar used by the ancient Hebrews, the length of months were determined by the phases of the moon—our word “month” actually reflects this ancient connection to the moon. Although the moon’s cycle was close to thirty days, it was not quite thirty days. Thus, additional months had to be added in certain years to keep the calendar in sink with the seasons. Every nineteen year cycle was comprised of seven 13-month-years and twelve 12-month-years. The closest one can get to a three and a half year period of 1,260 days in the ancient Hebrew calendar is 1,290 days.

We must therefore conclude that Revelation’s “forty and two months,” “thousand two hundred and threescore days,” and “time, and times, and half a time” should be interpreted figuratively rather than literally. In our next issue of Piecing Together Bible Prophecy, we will take up a figurative  interpretation of this mysterious time frame.

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