52. The 3 1/2 year Great Tribulation

...the longest post so far, by far, so go get a cup of coffee (or coke or tea) and I'll see you right back here.

This post continues the discussion about the future 7-year period of tribulation, terror, chaos, and disaster coming upon the earth -- worse than any that happened before or ever shall happen -- brought about by various factors which include (1) unbelieving mankind, (2) the unleashed forces of nature, (3) Satan and his legions of evil spirits, (4) the good and mighty angels under God's direction, (5) the Lord Jesus Christ, and (6) God the Father himself. It does not appear that those who become believers during the tribulation play any role in unleashing the horrors and chaos of the tribulation, but are only the innocent recipients of the devastation and chaos.

The main topic of this post, however, will not be the 7-year tribulation itself, but rather the two three and a half year periods into which the 7-year tribulation period is divided.

Back in post #45 "Is the 7-year tribulation clearly mentioned in the
NT? ", as part of the answer, I said this:

In its simplest form, in Daniel 9:24 it says it will take 490 years (70 'sevens' of years) for God to accomplish 6 (or 7) things in His program for Israel. 483 of those years (69 'sevens' of years) have already occurred in God’s program, but the final 7 years have not yet happened. That 7-year period is still future.

In a future post [this is now that post], I will list and discuss all the Biblical references to 3 ½ years (half the 7-year period), and how the 3 ½ year-long events relate to the 7-year tribulation period, but here I will say simply that most pre-millennialists believe that the 7-year period is the entire tribulation period, and the last half (3 ½ year portion) is the great tribulation.

Interestingly, there are no verses in the New Testament which refer to the "7-year" tribulation. All the NT references (and all in Revelation) are about a three and a half year period, described variously as (1) "1,260 days", (2) "42 months" or "forty-two months", or (3) "time, times, and half a time". There are no New Testament references to "three and a half years" except those in Luke 4:25 and James 5:17, where it mentions an earlier (and lesser) time of trouble where Elijah the Old Testament prophet prevented the heavens from raining for 3 1/2 years. That period could be considered a forerunner and foretaste of the Great tribulation coming in the latter days.

One housekeeping issue needing discussion is whether all these terms above are equal. If we use our current calendar of 365 (and 366) days per year, they are not equal. But if we use the prophetic calendar, which from time to time has been the calendar in actual use, we will use 360 days instead of 365 (each month has 30 days). With this calendar,
(1) 360 days per year times 3 1/2 years = 1260 days,
(2) and 3 1/2 years times 12 mos per year = 42 months,
(3) and "time (a year), times (two years), and half a time (half a year)" = three and a half years.
Therefore, all the periods equal the same amount of time.

In the entire Bible, there are only seven verses that use the three descriptions listed above, which I am here listing in order in the Bible, with a short commentary following each one:

Starting in DANIEL:

(1) Daniel 7:25: "He will speak lofty words against the Most High [God], and will oppress and abuse the saints of the Most High, and will try to change the times and the laws. The saints will be given over to him for a time, times, and half a time."

This is one of the earliest prophecies given about the Antichrist, which shows his arrogance against God, his hatred of believers, his intention to change world systems, and his determination to annihilate the saints of God. The phrase "time, times, and half a time" is generally considered to mean "a year, years, and half a year", with the "years" being interpreted as two years. (1 plus 2 plus 1/2 equals 3 1/2).

(2) Daniel 12:7: [And the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, was asked "How long will it be before these astonishing things are finished?"] 7 And [the man] lifted up his right hand, with his left hand toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it would be for a time, times, and half a time. And when the power of the holy people is completely shattered [comes to an end], all these things will be finished.

The "man" clothed in linen is most likely an angel, perhaps Gabriel who is called a man elsewhere in Daniel (vs 9:20), and is most often God's messenger to deliver God's special messages to those on earth. All the events that have been shown so far in Daniel lead a different being on the scene to ask when will all these things be completed. The messenger angel replies that all these terrible events will occupy 3 1/2 years until the power of the saints is completely crushed.

Moving to REVELATION:

(3) Revelation 11:1-2: Then I was given a staff like a measuring rod and was told (some versions add 'by an angel'), "Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and [count] those who worship there. 2 But do not measure the court outside of the temple; leave that out, for it has been given to the Gentiles [the nations]; and they will trample on the holy city for forty-two months.

The "I" in verse 11:1 is the apostle John who, while still "in the spirit", has been given the staff in his vision. Two things are in view here, (1) the temple of God (there is not one currently standing), and (2) the holy city Jerusalem which will house the temple yet to be built. This temple will be the fourth temple in Jerusalem, following (1) Solomon's temple, (2) Ezra's temple -- the temple of the exiles, (3) Herod's temple, and (4) the tribulation temple mentioned in this verse. There will apparently be a fifth temple, the Millennial temple, if the tribulation temple does not survive the tribulation disasters. And the event that happens in the 3 1/2 years mentioned is the trampling down of the holy city Jerusalem by the nations of the world (gentiles = non-Jewish nations). By extension, the temple may be trodden down by the nations also.

Here is something to consider as we move through these 7 verses. Are the events mentioned going to occur during the first 3 1/2 years, or during the second 3 1/2 years, or some in both, or don't we have enough information to know? I will give you my view at the end of this post (which differs from the view taken in the "Left Behind" series of books).

(4) Revelation 11:3 : And I will give power [and authority] to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.

This verse 11:3 directly follows the previous verse, and must surely occupy the same space in time. If verse 11:2's "42 months" is the first half of the tribulation, then surely verse 11:3's "1,260 days" is the same period. If verse 11:2 refers to the last half of the 7 years, then so must verse 11:3. The verses could not be linked any closer together. The verses following the above verse (11:4-6) explain the two prophet's mission, power, and indestructibility during their time of witnessing.

(5) Revelation 12:6 : Then the woman fled into the wilderness [desert], where she had a place prepared for her by God, where she is to be taken care of for 1,260 days.

In the first five verses of chapter 12, John the Apostle sees an amazing sign in heaven. Simplified, it involves a woman, a male child waiting to be born, and a terrible red dragon. As she prepares to deliver the child, the dragon positions himself to devour the child as it is born. But the child was snatched up to the throne of God. Who are these three? Are they merely symbolic? In Rev 12:9, we are told that the dragon is Satan, the devil. Yes, the dragon is a symbol, but not 'merely' a symbol. The symbol refers to an actual literal someone, the devil, Satan.

Who is the male child? In Rev 12:5 we are told that this child is to rule all nations with a rod of iron. Comparing scripture with scripture (a good policy!) we find that it is the Messiah who will do this. Messiah means Christ, and vice-versa. So we have the woman left. Who is this woman who gave birth to the Messiah/Christ that Satan wanted to devour? It is generally taken that this is Israel who gave birth to the Messiah.

So it is Israel that is going to flee to the wilderness, where she will be protected for 1,260 days. Who will she be fleeing from? From Satan for sure, but it would also seem she will need protection from the nations that are trampling Jerusalem. But there is more:

(6) Revelation 12:13-14 : Now when the dragon (Satan, aka the serpent) saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman (Israel) who had given birth to the male child (Christ). 14 But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to the place where she will be taken care of for a time, times, and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.

Revelation 12:14 sounds like the same event in 12:6 just above, and with essentially the same cast of characters and information, except that it adds that Satan is persecuting the woman some time after he was cast out of heaven. And when was that? There are Biblical passages that seem somewhat contradictory about the timing of Satan having been cast out of heaven. This may be explained by the different relationships that he has had with heaven over time:

First, before the creation of the world, before Satan attempted to usurp God's authority and demanded to be like the most high, he lived and walked in the presence of God, perhaps the fairest of all fair angels. Second, after the creation of the world, he was cast out of heaven for his arrogance, audacity and pride, and banished to earth which became his main base of operations (John 12:30, "prince of this world"), but he still had access to heaven and to God (see book of Job, chapters 1 & 2). This casting out of heaven may be the one that Jesus refers to when he said "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." Third, his permission to enter heaven and approach God was cut off at the cross. We do not find him having access to heaven any more after the resurrection of Christ. This is his current situation where he yet rules the demons, and deceives, harasses, and empowers those of mankind who rebel against the true and living God (Eph 2:2, "Prince of the power of the air"). Fourth, and still future after the battle of Armageddon, he will be cast into the abyss (the bottomless pit) which is the dwelling place of dead men and of demons; and finally, after a short time of release on the earth, Fifth, after the millennium, Satan will be thrown into hell, into the lake of burning sulfur, where he will remain throughout eternity.

And last, (7) Revelation 13:1-4, And I saw a beast rising out of the sea ... and to it the dragon (Satan) gave his power, his throne, and great authority... and the whole earth worshiped the dragon, and they likewise worshiped the beast ... 5 And the beast was given a mouth speaking exceedingly haughty and blasphemous words, and he was permitted to exercise authority [over mankind, including believers] for forty-two months.

The final piece of the "three and a half year" puzzle is here laid out on the board of Biblical prophecy, and a very important piece it is. For this beast mentioned here in this chapter of Revelation can be none other than the Antichrist. It is clear from the surrounding verses, that Satan is the one who gives the Antichrist his power, which, during the tribulation period will be that of Satan himself.

The only other verse of the seven that mentions the doings of the Antichrist is the first one, Daniel 7:25, where it says "He will speak lofty words against the Most High [God], and will oppress and abuse the saints of the Most High, and will try to change the times and the laws. The saints will be given over to him for a time, times, and half a time."

This thirteenth chapter of Revelation deals almost exclusively with the Antichrist and his right-hand man, the False Prophet, and we will look at it extensively in a later post.

By way of reminder, this post is primarily a survey of the seven passages that specifically mention the three and a half year period during the tribulation. There are hundreds of other verses that describe the events that will go on during the tribulation, which we will look at in the future. And we have one item more to discuss now: do these events occur during the first 3 1/2 years, the second 3 1/2 years, or some in the first half, and some in the second?

The "Left Behind" series written by Tim Lahaye and Jerry Jenkins have placed some of these events during the first half, but most notably, the time of the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation 11:3, verse #4 in our list above. I have not read their reasons for that placement, although I have read the "Left Behind" series twice now, and appreciate the care and concern with which they have dealt with these sensitive and difficult issues.

But here is an alternative view: Since (1) the first half of the seven years will be a time of relative peace for Israel and Jerusalem (due to the 7 year peace treaty that begins the tribulation period), and since (2) the breaking of the treaty by the Antichrist is what begins the second half (the Great tribulation), and since (3) Revelation 11:2 appears to occur after the breaking of the treaty ("holy city trampled underfoot for 42 months"), and because (4) Revelation 11:2 and 11:3 seem so intricately linked, then the (5) two witnesses of 11:3 must surely be testifying in Jerusalem during the Antichrist's attacks of the second half.

And how like God, to have these special prophets testifying and witnessing during the worst part, as Noah testified prior to the great flood, and as Isaiah did before the taking away of Israel by Assyria, and as Jeremiah and Ezekiel did prior to and during the removal of Judah by Babylon, and as the New Testament apostles and prophets did during the time of the Caesar's wrath against the early church -- then how like God to have his two miracle-working, fire-breathing, God-empowered, indestructable dual prophets to be a spectacular and burdensome thorn in the side of the Antichrist and his False Prophet during the last 42 months of the tribulation.

For the reason of simplicity itself, and holding to the possibility that the mention of the three and a half years is primarily to define a single 3 1/2 year period, I believe that all seven of the verses above and their surrounding verses, all refer to the second half of the tribulation period, the Great tribulation.

Do you think otherwise? Please post your reasons as a comment, and we'll discuss it here or on another post.
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