1260 days; 42 months; time, times and half a time; 2300 evenings and mornings; and 701weeks are all atypical ways of expressing the passage of time, signaling a symbolic usage of somesort. The typical way in which one would express such periods can be found in the three and ahalf years of Luke 4:25 and James 5:17 (both references to the length of the drought in Elijahsday).

A summary of the year-day principle with significant arguments in its favor can be found2in William H. Shea, Selected Studies on Prophetic Interpretation, Daniel & Revelation CommitteeSeries, vol. 1 (Washington, DC: Biblical Research Institute, General Conference of Seventh-dayAdventists, 1982), 56-93.

The phrase 1260 days appears in Rev 11:3 and 12:6. The parallel phrase 42 months3occurs in Rev 11:2 and 13:5. Time, times and half a time (generally thought of as three and ahalf years roughly equivalent to the first two periods) is found in Dan 7:25; 12:7, and Rev 12:14.

1

The 1260 Days in the Book of Revelation

Jon PaulienAndrews University

Presented to the Biblical Research Institute Committeeat Loma Linda University

September 29-30, 2003

Introduction

From the beginning of the movement on, Seventh-day Adventists have grounded their

identity in the apocalyptic prophecies of Daniel and Revelation. Central to their interpretation has

been the year-day principle in which the unusual time periods of Daniel and Revelation are1

treated in terms of a day for a year. One of those unusual time periods in Daniel and Revelation is2

the 1260 days, a concept that occurs seven times in three different forms. 3

While Desmond Ford did not focus on the 1260-day texts, he hinted in his Glacier View4manuscript that there were problems with the traditional view, citing at length discussions amongchurch leaders at the 1919 Bible Conference (Desmond Ford, Daniel 8:14, The Day ofAtonement, and the Investigative Judgment (Casselberry, FL: Euangelion Press, 1980), 209-215).More recently Samuele Bacchiocchi has raised issues with the 1260-day texts in more detail. SeeSamuele Bacchiocchi,, ENDTIME ISSUES No. 86: Islam and the Papacy in Prophecy, an e-newsletter originating at sbacchiocchi@qtm.net; idem, ENDTIME ISSUES No. 87: A Reply toCriticism: Part I, and ENDTIME ISSUES No. 90: September 11 and Gods MysteriousMercy. He also shared with me and at least seven others a piece he chose not to publish widely.

Uriah Smith, The Prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation, revised and newly illustrated5(Nashville: Southern Publishing Association, 1944); C. Mervyn Maxwell, God Cares: TheMessage of Revelation for You and Your Family, vol. 2 (Boise, ID: Pacific Press PublishingAssociation, 1985). Some might question the absence of Ellen Whites writings here. It seems tome her work falls into a separate category and should be explored as a central issue in thisdiscussion. My sense is that her work on the 1260-day texts is not original, but is largely based onthe work of Smith and John Nevins Andrews.

2

In recent years significant objections to the traditional Adventist understanding of

apocalyptic time prophecies in general and the 1260-day texts in particular have been raised. The4

purpose of this paper is to explore the exegetical significance of the 1260-day texts in Revelation.

My exegesis of the five Revelation texts will be exploratory rather than definitive or apologetic. I

hope that this paper can stimulate discussions that will strengthen the base of evidence for

Adventist identity and belief.

The 1260 Days and the Foreknowledge of God

The Traditional Position

The traditional Adventist position on the 1260-day time prophecies of Daniel and

Revelation is expressed in works by Uriah Smith and C. Mervyn Maxwell. According to Smith,5

the seven 1260-day passages in the Bible all refer to the same period and should be calculated

Ibid, 533, 144-145.6

Ibid., 145.7

Maxwell, 276 (Joachim of Floris).8

Ibid., 277.9

Ibid., 281-292.10

C. Mervyn Maxwell, God Cares: The Message of Daniel for You and Your Family, vol.111 (Boise, ID: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1981), 124.

3

symbolically in terms of a year for a day. That period began in the year 538 AD when the Arian6

Ostrogoths were driven away from Rome, allowing the bishop of Rome to assert control of

Christian churches according to the decree of Justinian in 533. The period ended in 1798 AD

when the French general Berthier entered Rome, proclaimed a republic and took the pope

prisoner. The interpretation is largely asserted. He offers little in the way of exegetical argument7

and the accuracy of his historical account is assumed rather than argued.

Maxwell sought to strengthen the traditional position on both counts. He noted that the

1260-day period began to be seen as years around 1200 AD. While a variety of dates were8

suggested for this period by prominent writers from Martin Luther to Jonathan Edwards, a

consensus regarding the dates 538 and 1798 began to develop in the wake of the French

Revolution in the 1790s. Maxwell argued that the massive importance of the French Revolution9

in European history made it the fitting conclusion to the period.10

In his Daniel commentary Maxwell further notes that the 1260 days do not represent a

period of total papal dominance in Europe. Instead the period from 538-1798 AD is characterized

by a rising and then declining influence of Roman Catholicism over the minds of men. It was a11

Maxwell, God Cares, vol. 2, 304.12

In 1988, in a meeting at Newbold College, the Committee heard a paper on Revelation1311 but concluded that it was not a helpful starting point on the subject. The Committee wasdisbanded before another paper on the subject could be presented.

William H. Shea, Time Prophecies of Daniel 12 and Revelation 12-13, in Symposium14on Revelation Book I, Daniel and Revelation Committee Series, vol. 6, edited by Frank B.Holbrook (Silver Spring, MD: Biblical Research Institute, 1992), 329-360; William G. Johnsson,The Saints End-Time Victory Over the Forces of Evil, in Symposium on Revelation Book II,Daniel and Revelation Committee Series, vol. 7, edited by Frank B. Holbrook (Silver Spring, MD:Biblical Research Institute, 1992), 4-40; and C. Mervyn Maxwell, The Mark of the Beast, inSymposium on Revelation Book II, Daniel and Revelation Committee Series, vol. 7, edited byFrank B. Holbrook (Silver Spring, MD: Biblical Research Institute, 1992), 42-132.

Shea, Time Prophecies, 342-343, 345.15

4

period of great persecution for the people of God. In spite of the great size of Smiths and12

Maxwells works, the history is more asserted than argued and the exegetical base in Daniel and

Revelation is hardly touched at all.

The work of the Daniel and Revelation Committee was intended to remedy the perceived

defects in the Adventist prophetic positions. I will limit myself to a brief survey of the work on the

five 1260-day texts in Revelation 11-13. The Committee was disbanded for financial reasons

before it could examine Revelation 11 in any detail. Thus, there is no exegetical or historical

insight on the references in Rev 11:2-3 to be found in the Committees published works.13

Several chapters in the Daniel and Revelation Committee Series do address Revelation,

chapters 12 and 13. William Shea asserts that the time periods of Rev 12:6, 14 are the same as14

that of Dan 12:7, offering the language of Rev 12:14 as evidence. Literarily, Shea divides15

chapter 12 into three consecutive periods, with the two 1260-day texts both fitting into the middle

Ibid, 347-350.16

Ibid., 351.17

Ibid., 352-353.18

Johnsson, The Saints End-Time Victory, 12.19

Ibid., 18.20

Maxwell, The Mark of the Beast, 72-77.21

Ibid., 121-132.22

5

period, which favors a historicist interpretation over the preterist or futurist options.16

For chapter 13 Shea argues that the 42 months of verse five is the same period as Rev

12:6, 14 on account of their identical length. Since the beast from the sea is the successor of the17

dragon, the 42 months must come after the first period of Revelation 12. Thus the time periods18

of Revelation 12 and 13 refer to the same period of history.

In the next volume of the DARCOM series William Johnsson notes that Rev 12:6, 14

describe the 1260 days from the perspective of the people of God, portrayed as a woman in the

wilderness. Rev 13:5, on the other hand, portrays the same period from the perspective of the sea

beast, who embodies the dragons persecution of the church. He also notes that the double19

usage of Rev 12:6, 14 makes clear that three and a half times are the same as 1260 days.20

Maxwells chapter in the DARCOM volumes expands on the history behind the dates for 538 and

1798 as the commencement and the termination of the 1260-day prophecies. He also addresses a21

number of popular objections to the traditional interpretation.22

The best attempt to provide an exegetical approach to the five 1260 texts in Revelation

Hans LaRondelle, How to Understand The End-Time Prophecies of the Bible: The23Biblical-Contextual Approach (Sarasota, FL: First Impressions, 1997), 262.

Ibid., 258.24

See the sources listed in note 4. Recognizing the traumatic nature of his observations,25Bacchiocchi has chosen to suspend his efforts to explore these texts and hopes that ourdeliberations here will be open and rigorous.

6

came more recently from Hans LaRondelle. He argues that the three and half times of Daniel23

and Revelation all refer to the same period and are to be understood in terms of years, not literal

days. In contrast to Maxwell and Smith, however, he suggests that it would be unwise to be

overly dogmatic regarding the beginning and ending points of the period.24

Objections to the Traditional Position

Objections to the traditional position were recently raised by Samuele Bacchiocchi. He25

began with a study of Islam in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Coming to the

conclusion that Islam bears many of the marks of the Antichrist, he discovered that there was

great resistance to that possibility among Adventists for two reasons, 1) the difficulty of fitting

Islam into the interpretation of the 1260 days, and 2) explicit identifications of the papacy as the

Antichrist by Ellen White.

In response, Bacchiocchi sought to demonstrate that the papacy fits the traditional dates

of the 1260 days no better than Islam does. And while Ellen White does explicitly follow the

traditional interpretation, he noted that she was quite willing to update and correct her historical

statements during her lifetime (and, in his opinion, wasnt able to finish the job) and that she is

not, in any case, to be the churchs final word on biblical issues. Although raising questions about

Personal conversation on July 17, 2003 in Berrien Springs, MI.26

Well documented by Kai Arasola, The End of Historicism: Millerite Hermeneutic of27Time Prophecies in the Old Testament, University of Uppsala Faculty of Theology (Sigtuna,Sweden: Datem Publishing, 1990).

The End of Historicism? Reflections on the Adventist Approach to Biblical28Apocalyptic Part One, Journal of the Adventist Theological Society 33 (2, 2003).

Some examples from one Adventist source: Kendra Haloviak, Singing New Songs:29Traditions in Conflict, Spectrum 31 (Winter 2003: 5-12); Douglas Morgan, Fear Not:Apocalypse Now Means Something Very Different, Spectrum 28 (Winter 2000): 24-27; CharlesScriven, Freedom Songs: The Apocalypse of John the Revelator and the Atonement of Christ,Spectrum 28 (Winter 2000): 28-33.

A scholarly example of such an interpretation is that of Adela Yarbro Collins. She argues30that The problems which arise when one tries to coordinate these periods of time and to relatethem to an absolute chronology show that they were not intended to be interpreted in a literal,chronological way. They do not indicate an interest in precise calculation on the part of the authorof Revelation. Cf. her piece in Aufstief und Niedergang, 1233.

7

the traditional position, Bacchiocchi remains committed to seeking the most biblical approach to

the exegesis of the 1260 texts and an appropriate use of history in relation to the period.26

Bacchiocchi is not alone in his concerns. Many Adventist scholars note that the historicist

approach to apocalyptic has been increasingly marginalized in the scholarly world. I have tried to27

address the larger situation in a forthcoming scholarly article. In response to the dominance of28

preterism in secular scholarship, many Adventist scholars have either avoided the study of

Revelation or taken up literary or sociological approaches to the book. Such approaches either29

ignore the 1260-day texts or treat them as somehow symbolic of the gospel and its opponents.30

A more widespread alternative to the traditional position sees most of Revelation as

concerned primarily with a short period of time still future from our own day. While rejecting the

dispensational form of futurism popularized by the Left Behind series, such SDA Bible students

Some outstanding analyses of post-modernism from a Christian perspective include31Bruce McLaren, The Church on the Other Side: Doing Ministry in the Postmodern Matrix(Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000); idem, A New Kind of Christian: A Taleof Two Friends on a Spiritual Journey (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2001); and J. RichardMiddleton, and Brian J. Walsh, Truth Is Stranger Than It Used to Be: Biblical Faith in aPostmodern Age (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1995).

Aspects of this issue are addressed below on pages 15-20.32

8

nevertheless see the 1260-day texts as referring to literal periods of time in the last few years of

earths history.

Perhaps of even graver concern for those who hold to the traditional view of the 1260-day

texts is the philosophical shift in our younger generation of Adventists toward post-modernism.31

Post-modern youth question both the exegetical certainties and the historical confidence of their

elders. The apocalyptic idea that there could be a detailed and orderly sweep to history seems

hard to grasp and even more difficult to believe. While post-modernists are more likely to believe

in God than their baby boomer elders, they tend to view God, and therefore prophecy, as open-

ended with regard to the future. The confidence Adventist pioneers had about their place in32

history seems to them out of step with the times.

In response to these challenges I will attempt to do the following in this paper:

1) Examine the way fulfilled prophecy works within Scripture as a model for prophecies that

extend beyond the New Testament era. 2) In light of that examination, explore the open- and

closed-endedness of biblical prophecy. 3) Do an exegesis of the five 1260-day texts in Revelation

with an eye to various objections. 4) Review the arguments for the year-day principle in light of

its widespread rejection among both preterists and futurists. Further issues which will not be

addressed in this paper include exegesis of the relevant texts in Daniel and a careful examination

The strength of the traditional position lies in the way it provides order and meaning to33history under the overarching watchcare of God. According to Adela Yarbro Collins, orderinghistory along numerical lines satisfies a basic human need for security. Cf. Adela Yarbro Collins,Numerical Symbolism in Jewish and Early Christian Apocalyptic Literature, in Aufstieg undNiedergang der Rmischen Welt, edited by Hildegaard Temporini and Wolfgang Haase, division2 (Principat), vol. 21 (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1984), 1224. The same article is also publishedin Cosmology and Eschatology in Jewish and Christian Apocalypticism (Leiden: E. J. Brill,1996), 55-138.

Based on my experience in camp meetings, workers meetings and gatherings of SDA34scholars.

9

of the history of the papacy with particular attention to the events surrounding its rise and

apparent fall during the Christian era.

Hermeneutical Explorations

Adventist evangelists today are the strongest advocates of a traditional position on the

1260-days of Revelation. They base their outlines of Scripture and history to a large degree on33

the writings of Ellen White. While confidence in Ellen White is not an issue in this committee, it is

recognized that Adventist use of Scripture and history may need some serious updating. The

approaches of the past have tended to be theological and homiletic rather than exegetical. Some

have even questioned whether an exegetical approach is appropriate to Bible prophecy. For this34

reason I would like to begin with a brief justification of an exegetical approach to the 1260-day

texts of Revelation.

God Meets People Where They Are

Foundational to an exegetical approach to Scripture is the concept that God meets people

where they are. In other words, Scripture was given in the time, place, language, and culture of

No Author, Problems in Bible Translation, Committee on Problems in Bible Trans-35lation, General Conference of SDAs (Washington, DC: Review and Herald, 1954), 95-96.

W. White, Jr., Greek Language, Zondervan Pictorial Bible Encyclopedia, 5 vols.,36edited by Merrill C. Tenney and Steven Barabas (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan PublishingHouse, 1975), 2:827-828; Problems in Bible Translation, 19.

10

specific human beings. This point is powerfully illustrated by the discovery of Koine Greek35

about a century ago. In the nineteenth century, New Testament Greek was thought to be unique.

It was quite different from both the classical Greek of Plato and Aristotle and the Greek spoken

today. Then papyrus remains of everyday life in the first century were found to exhibit the same

language and style as the books of the New Testament! The New Testament was not written in36

some heavenly language, nor in the cultured language of the traditional elite, but in the everyday

language of everyday people. God meets people where they are! The Sacred Word was

expressed through the cultural frailty of human beings.

This principle is clearly articulated in Selected Messages, Volume 1, 19-22:

The writers of the Bible had to express their ideas in human language. It waswritten by human men. These men were inspired of the Holy Spirit. . . .

The Scriptures were given to men, not in a continuous chain of unbrokenutterances, but piece by piece through successive generations, as God in His providencesaw a fitting opportunity (emphasis supplied) to impress man at sundry times and diversplaces. . . .

The Bible, perfect as it is in its simplicity, does not answer to the great ideas ofGod; for infinite ideas cannot be perfectly embodied in finite vehicles of thought.

Affirming this principle does not imply that the Bible contains merely exalted human

conceptions of God. The richness of the human elements in the Bible are not a liability, they are

part of Gods intentional design for His Word. God has chosen to reveal Himself in this way for

our sakes. At some points in the Bible the human elements of expression reflect the personality

and style of the human author, seeking to express Gods revelation in the best possible human

There is, perhaps, no clearer illustration of this than the ten commandments, which come37directly from the mouth and hand of God (Exod 20:1-19; 32:15-16), yet include significantelements of the cultural milieu within which they were received (including slavery, idolatry, andneighbors who possess oxen and donkeys).

In Rev 1:3 the Greek behind the phrase blessed are those who hear the words of this38prophecy (my translation) supports an immediate purpose for the prophecies in the book. InGreek the main verb for hearing (akouw), when combined with an object in the accusative case,means to hear with understanding (cf. A. T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek NewTestament in the Light of Historical Research, [Nashville: Broadman Press, 1934], 448-449,506). In other words, the book of Revelation is not sealed up like the book of Daniel, it is opento the understanding of its original readers and hearers.

I call the image an idol in part because of how the OT uses the term elsewhere: 239Kings 11:18; 2 Chron 23:17; Amos 5:26, etc. But Nebuchnezzars own reaction is instructive. Inchapter 3 he knows exactly what to do with the image, set it up so people can worship it!

11

language. But at many points in the Scriptural narrative, it is God Himself who bends down and

takes onto His own lips the limitations of human language and cultural patterns for our sakes. 37

While this principle is true for the Bible in general, does it also apply to the sweeping

historical sequences of apocalyptic? Did God consider the language, time and place of Daniel and

John when He provided the visions they record in their books? Indeed He did. The book of

Revelation is firmly grounded in the experience of seven churches in Asia Minor (Rev 1:11,19;

22:16). It was intended to make sense to those who hear (Rev 1:3). The vision of Christ utilized38

the language of Johns past, the Old Testament, as the primary source for its symbolism.

God meets people where they are in Daniel as well. To Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 2 God

portrays the future world empires by means of an idol. This makes sense in that time and place,39

because to the heathen king the nations of the world were bright and shining counterparts of the

gods they worshiped. For Daniel the Hebrew prophet, on the other hand, the nations of the world

were like vicious, ravenous beasts who were hurting his people. So in the vision of Daniel 7 God

In both Genesis and Daniel things begin with a stormy sea (Gen 1:2; Dan 7:2). In both40cases a son of man is given dominion over the animals.

12

again draws on the prophets knowledge and setting. This time, instead of symbolism drawn from

the Babylonian world, He shapes the vision in terms of the creation story of Genesis chapters 1

and 2. God describes Daniels future in terms of a new creation. The sequence of history in both40

visions is roughly the same (Dan 2:45; 7:17). The primary message of both visions is the same,

God is in control of history (Dan 2:37-38; 7:26-27). But in his choice of imagery, God meets

apocalyptic writers where they are!

The principle God meets people where they are means that in our study of apocalyptic

literature, it is imperative that we seek to understand it in terms of the original time, place,

language, and circumstances, as well as in relation to the whole of Scripture. Gods meaning for

today will not contradict the message that He placed in the vision in the first place. The

applications we make from our standpoint in history will be a natural extension of what the text

meant.

Vision and Interpretation

If God meets people where they are in Scripture, exegetical distinction must be made

between how time is used in apocalyptic visions and how it is used in the interpretation of those

visions. In a vision, the prophet can travel anyplace and anytime (from earth to heaven and from

time past to the end of time). While the vision is mediated to the prophet in familiar forms, the

vision is not limited to the time and place of the prophet. But when the vision is explained to the

prophet afterward, the explanation is always given in terms of the time, place and circumstances

Susan Niditch suggests a four-part pattern to Daniel 7; indication of vision (7:1-2),41description (7:2-14), request for interpretation (7:16, 19-22), and interpretation (7:17-18,23-27). Susan Niditch, The Symbolic Vision in Biblical Tradition (Chico, CA: Scholars Press,1983), 184. For our purposes here, her first category is irrelevant; the third and fourth categoriesare both part of what I am calling the interpretation or explanation part of the chapter.

It could be argued that in the midst of the explanation of Dan 7:15-27 comes an addition42to the vision. Dan 7:21-22 affirms, As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saintsand defeating them, until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of thesaints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. This seems to bea visionary extension of verse 8 and of the judgment interlude in Dan 7:9-14. Daniel goes on to

13

of the visionary.

We can clearly see this principle in Daniel 2. While the vision of the statue carries

Nebuchadnezzar to end of earths history, the explanation of the vision by Daniel is firmly

grounded in the time and place of Nebuchadnezzar. In the vision the whole chain of history

appears before Nebuchadnezzars eyes, as if he were present, including the end of history. But

when Daniel brings the interpretation, Nebuchadnezzar is firmly rooted in the reality of the living

moment. Daniel begins with the assertion (Dan 2:38), You are that head of gold (Not you

were the head of gold). Nebuchadnezzar is then told that the series of kingdoms that follow are

after you (2:39) in point of time. In other words, the explanation is grounded in

Nebuchadnezzars location in time and place. Present things are described as present, and future

things are described as future.

As was the case with Daniel 2, the apocalyptic prophecy of Dan 7 is divided into two

parts; the vision, in which the prophet is transported through time and space (Dan 7:2-14), and an

explanation of the vision, given in the language, time and place of the prophet (Dan 7:15-27).41

The explanation comes for the benefit of Daniel and, therefore, naturally comes in the context of

his location in the world and history, in terms he can understand. The same pattern can be seen42

record the answer to his request for further information on the fourth beast and the Little Horn.He gave me this explanation: The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. Itwill be different. . . . Thus vision and interpretation are not rigidly separated, but the two sub-genres can be intermingled. This seems also to be the case in Revelation 17, where the chapterbegins with a short explanatory introduction (following up on the vision of the bowl-plagues Rev17:1-2), followed by a short vision (17:3-6a), followed by a lengthy explanation of elements of thevision (17:6b-18).

Klaus Koch divides Daniel 8 into vision (Schauung 2-14) and meaning (Deutung4315-26). Klaus Koch, Vom Prophetischen zum apocalyptischen Visionsbericht, in Apocalypticism in the Mediterranean World and the Near East, Proceedings of the InternationalColloquium on Apocalypticism, Uppsala, August 12-17, 1979, David Hellholm, editor,(Tbingen: J. C. B. Mohr [Paul Siebeck], 1983), 415-421.

Niditch, 97, 184.44

The format of Zechariah 4 is strikingly similar to Revelation 17. See note 39.45

Niditch, 185.46

14

in Daniel 8.43

Another Old Testament example of vision followed by interpretation is found in Zechariah

4, which has a similar general pattern to Daniel 7. In Zechariah 4, however, the vision is44

extremely brief (Zech 4:2b-3), and is introduced by the interpreting angel (Zech 4:1-2a). The

interpretation of the vision involves a lengthy back and forth dialogue between the prophet and

the angel (Zech 4:1-2a, 4-14).45

A common pattern among all these examples is that prophets dont usually seem to

understand the revelation from visions alone. The explanation is necessary for the revelation to be

understood. Sometimes the visionary asks for further clarification, at other times the clarification46

comes without request. Since the visionarys need for understanding is at stake, it makes sense

that the interpretation would come to the prophet in his or her time and place, as is clearly the

case with the interpretations of Daniel 2 and 7.

This is why Adventist futurists see the seals, the trumpets and the bulk of Daniel 8-1247as focused on the final events only, rather than on the sweep of history from Daniels day on.

15

So whenever vision moves to interpretation, the interpretation is given for the benefit of

the visionary and, therefore, comes to him or her in the time, place and circumstances in which the

seer lives. Present, past and future are not to be seen in terms of visionary time, but in terms of the

prophets actual physical location in time. This principle has profound implications for the

interpretation of difficult apocalyptic texts like Revelation 10-11 and 17:7-11.

The Open-Endedness of Divine Prediction

A basic assumption of the Adventist pioneers and current evangelists is that God knows

the end from the beginning (Isa 46:9-10; John 16:13). He is capable of specifying, therefore, the

exact day or year when certain events will take place, hundreds and even thousands of years in

advance. From my humble standpoint in the universe I have no interest in questioning what God

can and cannot do. But I do not believe we have adequately explored the way in which God

actually fulfills His own predictions.

Is it in fact Biblical to expect point by point correspondence between prediction and

fulfillment in the actions of God? If predictive prophecies were given in the language, time, place

and circumstances of the prophets day, it may be reasonable to expect some flexibility with

regard to fulfillment. To demand absolute precision in prophetic fulfillment is to become a futurist,

since the fulfillments of the past are rarely so precise.47

The best way to test any assumption with regard to unfulfilled prophecies (or prophecies

like the 1260 days, whose fulfillment lies beyond the time frame of Scripture) is to study carefully

In Isa 11:11 God speaks about gathering the exiles of Israel a second time. Verse 1648asserts that the language of the second time is grounded in the original Exodus, when Israelcame up out of Egypt. For a detailed study of how the Exodus set the pattern for the Exile andReturn see Jon Paulien, Meet God Again for the First Time (Hagerstown, MD: Review andHerald Publishing Association, 2003), 45-54.

16

the fulfillments that are already validated within Scripture itself. In other words, the key to

interpreting unfulfilled prophecy is to observe the way God fulfilled prophecies already within

Scripture. Fulfilled prophecy provides a solid foundation for understanding the prophetic ways of

God. In fulfilled prophecy there is often considerable flexibility in the way God carries out the

prediction.

A good example of such imprecision in fulfillment can be found in Isa 11:10-16. The

prophecy states that Israel would be delivered from Assyria when God uses a scorching wind to

break up the Euphrates River so the remnant of Gods people could escape across it in sandals

(Isa 11:15). The basis for this language is clearly the Exodus experience in Israels past. But did48

Israel actually return from Assyria? No. By the time of the Exile, only Judah was left and Babylon

had replaced Assyria as the superpower that took the people of God captive. Did the remnant of

Gods people actually pass through the Euphrates River in sandals? No, they crossed the river on

the bridges right in the city of Babylon itself. Did a scorching wind dry up the river? No, Cyrus

used engineers to divert the water. In the fulfillment the river did not dry up in order for the

people of God to walk across, but in order for Persian soldiers to enter the city and free the

people of God by official decree.

I believe it is ridiculous to demand that since this prophecy was not fulfilled in detail, the

real fulfillment is in some future Middle-Eastern war. The prophecy was given in the context of

the time, place and circumstances of Isaiahs day, and was therefore open-ended. At the time

Ibid., 52-54.49

Ibid., 55-75.50

This statement summarizes an extensive study in ibid., 22-36.51

Ibid., 45-54.52

An excellent overview of this issue and its implications can be found in William G.53Johnsson, Conditionality in Biblical Prophecy with Particular Reference to Apocalyptic, in 70Weeks, Leviticus, Nature of Prophecy, Daniel and Revelation Committee Series, vol. 3, edited by

17

Isaiah was written, Israel had not yet been destroyed and Assyria still ruled the territory of

Babylon. The prophecy was not, therefore, fulfilled in detail, but in principle. Cyrus conquered

Babylon by drying up the River Euphrates and allowing Gods people to return to Jerusalem.

When the fulfillment came, circumstances altered the details of the case. This example makes it

clear that Biblical predictions are often open-ended enough to allow God freedom of action in

the fulfillment.

The interesting result of this imprecision on Gods part was considerable disappointment

on the part of the returning exiles themselves. Haggai 2:1-9 is a clear expression of this49

disappointment. A similar imprecision can be observed in the fulfillment of the messianic

prophecies. The outline of the Messiahs career was difficult to discern in advance, but the50

reality of the fulfillment became plain after the fact (John 13:19; 14:29).

There are at least two reasons I can discern for the open-endedness of predictive

prophecy. 1) The prophetic future is predicted in the language of the past. For example, as51

already mentioned, throughout the Old Testament prophets the future exile to Babylon is

addressed in the language of the Exodus, Gods mighty act at the founding of the Israelite

nation. 2) Aspects of most predictions include conditional elements. The classic statement of52 53

Frank B. Holbrook (Washington, DC: Biblical Research Institute, 1986), 259-287.

LaRondelle, 262.54

While Gerhard Hasels DARCOM article on fulfillments of prophecy addresses the55closed-endedness of predictive prophecy, but he does not address the time prophecies directly,thus, further work is necessary. See Gerhard F. Hasel, Fulfillments of Prophecy, in 70 Weeks,Leviticus, Nature of Prophecy, edited by Frank B. Holbrook, Daniel and Revelation CommitteeSeries, volume 3 (Washington, DC: Biblical Research Institute, 1986), 288-322.

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this biblical principle is found in Jer 18:7-10. The classic illustration is the book of Jonah.

There is, then, considerable evidence in the Bible that predictive prophecy is more open-

ended than the typical evangelistic presentation would let on. This open-endedness is not

necessarily due to any limitations of knowledge on Gods part (such as are asserted in process

philosophy); rather it may well reflect the limitations of the prophetic recipient, who can only

understand the future in terms of what God has already done in the past. God couches the

language of prediction in the time, place and circumstances of the prophet.

The Closed-Endedness of Biblical Prophecy

The open-endedness of fulfilled prophecy raises legitimate questions regarding whether or

not prophecies like the 1260 days ought to be fulfilled with dated precision. Is looking for exact

dates like 538 and 1798 AD appropriate to what we know of Gods ways when it comes to

prediction? Should we think more in terms of a general period with a fluid beginning and ending

as LaRondelle seems to suggest? Are there any examples of biblical predictions where the timing54

of the fulfillment was exact?

There are a number of biblical possibilities that should be explored further in the future.55

The first that comes to mind is the 400 (or 430) years of Israels sojourn in Egypt (Gen 15:13:

Francis D. Nichol, editor, The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, 7 vols.56(Washington, DC: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1953-1960), 1: 314, 557.

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Exod 12:40-41; Gal 4:17). Exodus 12 clearly states that the Israelites left Egypt 430 years to the

very day (Exod 12:41 NIV) after they entered it. So this seems like a promising indication of

closed-endedness in Bible prophecy. There are clearly some problems with this period, however.56

The prophecy to Abraham speaks of 400 years rather than 430 (Gen 15:13), as in Exodus and

Galatians. And neither the Exodus text nor the one in Galatians specifically indicates that the

period was a fulfillment of the prophecy to Abraham, although the similarity in numbers and

events is striking.

A better example may be the seventy years of Israels captivity in Babylon. The period was

specifically predicted by Jeremiah in 25:11-12 and 29:10. Although Daniel does not announce the

fulfillment of that period in Dan 9:2, he clearly believes in the prophecy and is unclear as to why it

is not in the process of fulfillment. A clear statement of fulfillment is found in 1 Chr 36:21 (NIV):

The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years

were completed in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah. Not only does this

text indicate that the period was fulfilled to the year, it even cites the original prophecy of

Jeremiah in connection with the fulfillment. So while predictive prophecy often leaves room for

Gods creativity in fulfillment, the prophecy of Jeremiah indicates that there are times when God

determines a period of time in advance and carries it out to the year.

Unfortunately for our purpose, scholars do not seem completely unified on just how to

calculate the seventy years. Some point calculate the period from 605-536 BC, the time when at

least a portion of the people were in exile to Babylon. Other prefer to calculate the period from

Adela Yarbro Collins argues that this passage is the only place in ancient apocalyptic that57attempts a precise and accurate time calculation, she feels that the time periods of Revelation areless precise than Daniels. Cf. Aufstieg und Niedergang, 1230.

According to a major index of OT passages that are quoted or alluded to in the NT58(Eberhard Nestle et al, Novum Testamentum Graece, 27 revised edition [Stuttgart: DeutschethBibelgesellschaft, 2000], 797), other possible allusions to Dan 9:24-27 include Matt 4:5; 11:3;Mark 13:14 and Heb 9:12. A superficial reading of these did not seem promising to me.

I distinguish between the openness of God as an ontological question and the open-59endedness of predictive prophecy as a more-practical question. Even if God proves to be timeless,He might still choose to leave the predictive future somewhat open because of conditionality andthe limitations of the human beings receiving the predictions. In the end, God will be God, and wehave to do our best to respect that.

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586-516 BC, when the temple was in ruins. Daniel would appear to be calculating on the basis of

the former in chapter 9, the period when he personally was in exile.

The best analogy to the 1260 days prophecy, however, would be the seventy-weeks

prophecy of Daniel 9. As Adventists understand this text, it offers a prediction, not only of the57

year, but of the exact time of year when the Messiah would be cut off (Dan 9:25-27). Is there a

scriptural confirmation that this prophecy was fulfilled so exactly? Not that I am aware of. A

number of New Testament texts indicate that Jesus and the apostles believed that the onset of the

Christ event occurred at a specified time. (Mark 1:15; Gal 4:2-4, cf. Acts 17:26; Rom 5:6) Not

one of these passages, however, seems to make a direct allusion to Daniel 9, although Daniel 9

was clearly familiar to Jesus (Matt 18:21-23; 24:15). Further work on Daniel 9 and its potential58

NT fulfillment texts is indicated.

Is the idea that God specifies long and exact periods of time in advance ruled out by the

increasingly popular view sometimes called the openness of God? I dont think so. I would59

argue that the time periods of the Bible come under the rubric of limited determinism. God

William H. Shea, Selected Studies on Prophetic Interpretation, Daniel and Revelation60Committee Series, vol. 1 (Washington, DC: General Conference of SDAs, 1982), 56-93; idem,Daniel 7-12, The Abundant Life Bible Amplifier, edited by George R. Knight (Boise, ID: PacificPress Publishing Association, 1996), 40-44.

The books use of Daniel in Revelation 11-13 is evidence for the possibility.61

The total construction time for Herods temple (in the time of Jesus) was 82 years. See62John 2:20 for biblical verification of the beginning date (around 19/18 B.C.). Historical recordsindicate that construction was completed in 63 A. D.

Shea, Daniel 7-12, 42-43.63

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allows much of the future to be opaque to human awareness ahead of time (John 13:19; 14:29),

but there are times when He makes clear what He intends to do and when He intends to do it. At

such times prophecy is much more closed-ended than at others. In an open view of God,

exactness would reflect limited determinism rather than detailed foreknowledge.

The Year-Day Principle

One other hermeneutical issue that needs to be addressed is the year-day principle. While

this principle has been articulated by biblical interpreters for many centuries, the best current

treatment of the topic can be found in the writings of William Shea. When unusual time periods,60

such as 1260 days, 1335 days, and a time, times and half a time, occur in biblical apocalyptic, how

are these periods to be interpreted, as literal days or as symbolic of an equal number of years?

While in the book of Revelation it is not explicit that an interpreter should reckon a year for a

day, there is a strong exegetical basis for doing so in Daniel. Within the seventy weeks of Daniel61

9 Jerusalem and the temple would be rebuilt, the Messiah would come, and he would be cut off62

or killed. All of these events could not have been expected to occur in a year and a half.63

22

The possibility of year for day symbolism in Daniel is grounded in two aspects of the

interpretation of Daniel. 1) Belief in divine predictive prophecy of a fairly closed-ended nature.

No uninspired human being has ever succeeded in accurately predicting events hundreds of years

into the future. 2) A sixth century dating for the book. If Daniel was written in the sixth century

B.C. and the little horn is identified with Rome rather than Antiochus Epiphanes, the prophetic

time periods of Daniel must last several centuries at least. Taken in terms of literal time, the

prophetic periods of Daniel would not span even a small portion of that history.

Within the text, as Shea points out, the first feature of these time periods which points to

their symbolic nature is their symbolic context. For example, the 2300 evenings and mornings of

Daniel 8 are found in a setting containing various other symbols, such as a ram, a goat, four horns

and a little horn (cf. Dan 7:21,25). A second special feature of these time periods is the symbolic

nature of the units in which they are given, evenings and mornings instead of days, a time,

times and half a time rather than three and a half years. Third, the time periods are expressed in

quantities not normally used to date some event in the future, unusual numbers such as 1260 days,

70 weeks, and 42 months.

Are there any clear examples of a relationship between days and years in ancient times?

Biblically speaking the year-day principle is given explicit statement in the classical prophecies of

Num 14:34 and Ezek 4:6. In Num 14:34 the Lord tells Moses that the 40 days when the spies

explored the promised land would be prophetic of the 40 years Israel was to wander in the

wilderness. In Ezek 4:4-8, the prophet is to lie down for a total of 430 days to represent the 430

years that Israel and Judah have been disobedient to the will of God (the monarchy period). In

each case a day clearly represents a year. This principle of reckoning can be traced all the way

Michael Hudson, Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land: The Economic Roots of the64Jubilee, Bible Review, February, 1999: 31. There is also an interesting reference to this principlein ancient Chinese thought, referred to me by Florin Laiu of the Romanian Adventist Seminary. InThe West Journey of Wu Cheng there is a reply of The Monkey, saying: A heavenly day is asworth as an earthly year. Victor Kernbach, Dicionar de mitologie general: Editura tiinifici enciclopedic (Bucureti, 1989), page 589.

George Wesley Buchanan, The Consequences of the Covenant, Supplements to Novum65Testamentum, edited by W. C. Van Unnik, vol. 20 (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1970), 9-18.

LaRondelle makes a similar point on page 256 of his book The End-Time Prophecies of66the Bible.

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back to the Babylonian king Hammurabi, in the time of the patriarchs. Hammurabi proclaimed a64

jubilee (a full cancellation of all debts) in 1762 BC to celebrate the thirtieth year of his rule, his

completion of a month of years.

The Hebrew concept of a year for a day is grounded in the sabbatical year concept. The65

weekly Sabbath became the basis for a seven-year agricultural cycle (Exod 23:10-12). The

seventh year the land was to lie fallow, so as to have a Sabbath of rest (Lev 25:4-5). The

sabbatical year is clearly modeled on the weekly Sabbath, a year for a day in principle. So in66

apocalyptic sequences, the presence of an unusual form of numbering (like 2300 evenings and

mornings or time, times and the dividing of time) should normally be understood in light of the

year-day principle.

The Possibility of a Traditional Reading

It seems to me that recent challenges to Adventist belief about the 1260 days of Daniel

and Revelation have enough substance to warrant a fresh exegetical approach to the issue. Each

of the seven 1260-day texts needs to be carefully assessed in its context and the traditional

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referents in history need critical re-assessment. I am glad that BRICOM has initiated such a study.

We need to recognize, however, that elements of mainstream biblical scholarship operate

within a worldview that is diametrically opposed to the way Adventists have traditionally read

Daniel and Revelation. We should not expect to encounter evidence that will convince all comers.

Having said this, there is much in recent scholarship that can be helpful to us. And our arguments

should be grounded in sufficient evidence so as to have reasonable credibility with those who are

not hostile to an Adventist view of the world.

I believe that neither the critics of the Adventist position nor its proponents have yet done

comprehensive and serious exegesis on the 1260-day texts. Neither has the history been fully and

critically re-assessed in the light of todays explosion of knowledge in all fields. My initial

assessment is that the Adventist position has not been ruled out in scholarly terms, but new

directions are necessary to develop a line of argument that can carry weight in todays world. I

offer suggestions toward one of those new directions in the material that follows.

Exegesis of the Five 1260-day Texts in Revelation

As mentioned earlier, there are five 1260-day texts in the book of Revelation. Two of

them utilize the phrase 1260 days, Rev 11:3 and 12:6. Two utilized the phrase 42 months,

Rev 11:2 and 13:5. One takes up the enigmatic time, times and half a time of Daniel, Rev 12:14.

Both of the 1260-day passages occur in contexts where positive images of Gods people are

found, the two witnesses of 11:3-6 and the woman in the desert in 12:6. Conversely, both of the

42 months passages occur in the context of powers in opposition to the work of God, the

Gentiles who trample the outer court of Gods temple (11:2) and the sea beast who looks like the

Escape in to the desert on wings of eagles. Exod 19:4.67

The mouth of the serpent. Gen 3:1-7.68

There is a strong allusion to Elijahs drought in Rev 11:6, but this single allusion cannot69be as central to the authors purpose as the three major allusions to Daniel 7 and 12 referenced inthe main text. A drought of three and half years is not found in the OT context anyway, it is a NTconcept (cf. Luke 4:25; James 5:17). In any case, the book of Daniel is much more central for thewhole book of Revelation than is 1 Kings. Cf. G. K. Beale, The Use of Daniel in JewishApocalyptic Literature and in the Revelation of St. John (Lanham, MD: University Press ofAmerica, 1984); idem, The Book of Revelation, 76-99, 152-161.

LaRondelle, 239. Other possibilities for the origin of the time period include the 4270encampments of Israels wandering in the wilderness (Num 33:5-49) and the possible reading ofthe Exodus as 42 years (2 years of progress toward Canaan before the 40-year punishment fordisobedience). Cf. G. K. Beale, The Book of Revelation, New International Greek TestamentCommentary, edited by I. Howard Marshall and Donald A. Hagner (Grand Rapids, MI: WilliamB. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1999), 565. Beale suggests that the 1260-day periods recall theExodus and Elijah backgrounds of Revelation, seen through the lens of Daniel.

Compare Rev 10:5-6 with Dan 12:4-7.71

Adela Yarbro Collins considers all five 1260-day texts in Revelation variants of Daniels72time, times and half a time. Cf. Aufstieg und Niedergang, 1232.

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dragon, blasphemes God and makes war against the saints (13:5). The time, times and half a

time allusion to Daniel (12:14) comes in the context of a series of OT allusions, including

references to the Exodus and the Garden of Eden.67 68

Since there are strong allusions to Daniel 7 in both Rev 12:14 and 13:5, it seems clear the

origin of the time period in Revelation is Dan 7:25 and 12:7 rather than Elijahs drought or the69

length of Jesus ministry. The extremely strong allusions to Daniel 12 in Revelation 10 also70

provide a context for understanding Johns intention for the time period. The Adventist71

tendency, therefore, to lump the 1260-day periods of Daniel and Revelation together has a strong

foundation in the exegesis of Revelation. 72

A paper on the trumpets delivered to the Daniel and Revelation Committee in Berrien73Springs, MI in 1986 argues and details a view of the trumpets that I still hold in essence. Thispaper can be viewed on my web site, http://www.andrews.edu/~jonp/inter7t.htm.

The first trumpet (Rev 8:7) is widely understood by Adventist scholars as a reference to74the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. See Edwin R. Thiele, Outline Studies in Revelation,syllabus (Angwin, CA: Pacific Union College, no date), 163-165; C. Mervyn Maxwell, GodCares, vol. 2 (Boise, ID: Pacific Press, 1985), 237-238; Jon Paulien, Interpreting the SevenTrumpets, http://www.andrews.edu/~jonp/inter7t.htm.

The seventh trumpet (Rev 11:15-18) encapsulates events after the close of probation75(Rev 10:7), including the seven bowls of Revelation 16.

In Rev 10:7 the blowing of the seventh trumpet immediately follows the completion of76Gods mystery (o[tan me,llh| salpi,zein( kai. evtele,sqh to. musth,rion tou/ qeou/), which is definedas the preaching of the gospel through Gods servants the prophets (euvhgge,lisen tou.j ea`utou/dou,louj tou.j profh,taj). So the event on earth that signals the opening of the seventh trumpet isthe close of human probation just before the end of history.

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Revelation 11

The first two occurrences of the 1260 days are found in Revelation 11. Along with chapter

10, Revelation 11:1-14 is part of an interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets. The

association of the sixth trumpet with the second woe makes it clear that this interlude is an

integral part of the sixth trumpet (Rev 9:12; 11:14). My understanding of the trumpets is that73

they portray a series of judgments against the enemies of Gods people running from the time of

John to the second coming of Jesus. Rev 10:1 - 11:14, however, focuses in on the people of74 75

God, although the actions of the wicked are also in view (11:2, 7-13). The sixth trumpet is the

period of earths history that comes just before the close of human probation, as a careful study of

Rev 10:7 indicates.76

Since the vision of Rev 10:1-7 focuses on the time of the sixth trumpet, some might be

inclined to locate the 1260-day periods of 11:2-3 in the last stages of Christian history (futurist

Beale, The Book of Revelation, 556.77

dei/ se pa,lin profhteu/sai evpi. laoi/j kai. e;qnesin kai. glw,ssaij kai. basileu/sin78

polloi/j The present tense of dei indicates a standpoint in Johns day looking forward to a timewhen John (or his writings) would prophesy again. The aorist infinite profhteu/sai suggests apoint in time when John, presumably through his writings, will fulfill the purpose of therevelations he had received. The infinitive is often used to express purpose or result, somethingnot yet carried out. So Johns sour stomach in Rev 10:10 may well illustrate his personaldisappointment at not seeing the end of all that has been revealed to him. Like Daniel, the finalconclusion of all things lay in Johns future, as expressed in chapter 11. Cf. Beale, The Book ofRevelation, 556-557.

It should be noted that in one place Aune treats the Rev 10 and 11 as if they were79distinct and separate visions with little or no relationship with each other. But in another place hesuggests that the abrupt beginning of 11:1 implies a connection to 10:8-11. Cf. David Aune,Revelation 6-16, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 52B (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers,1998), 585, 603.

Rev 11:2-- th.n po,lin th.n a`gi,an path,sousin mh/naj tessera,konta kai. du,o; Rev 11:3--80dw,sw toi/j dusi.n ma,rtusi,n mou kai. profhteu,sousin hm`e,raj cili,aj diakosi,aj e`xh,konta.

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view). These periods, however occur in the immediate context of Rev 10:8-11. A voice out of

heaven and the angel of the previous vision (Rev 10:1-7) engage John in an interactive

explanation (Rev 10:8 - 11:13ff.). As we have seen previously, explanations come to the prophet77

in terms of his own time and place. While Johns actions are mentioned in Rev 10:10 and 11:1, the

bulk of the passage is the scroll angels direct explanation of certain events in Johns future,

building on the vision of 10:1-7 (Rev 10:9,11; 11:1-13). The entire two witnesses passage seems

to be an elaboration of the angels prediction, You must prophesy again about many peoples,

nations, languages and kings (Rev 10:11).78

Since John continues to be engaged (Rev 11:1-2) and addressed (11:3ff.) in Revelation 11,

the standpoint from which John experiences chapter 11 is his own. Since the 42 months and79

1260 days are expressed in the future tense, these periods of time were future from the80

Note the present indicative tenses in Rev 11:4-6: 4 ou-toi, eivsin ai` du,o evlai/ai kai. ai`81du,o lucni,ai ai` evnw,pion tou/ kuri,ou th/j gh/j es`tw/tej 5 kai. ei; tij auvtou.j qe,lei avdikh/sai pu/revkporeu,etai evk tou/ sto,matoj auvtw/n kai. katesqi,ei tou.j evcqrou.j auvtw/n\ kai. ei; tij qelh,sh|auvtou.j avdikh/sai( ou[twj dei/ auvto.n avpoktanqh/nai 6 ou-toi e;cousin th.n evxousi,an klei/sai to.nouvrano,n( i[na mh. ue`to.j bre,ch| ta.j h`me,raj th/j profhtei,aj auvtw/n( kai. evxousi,an e;cousin evpi. tw/nud`a,twn stre,fein auvta. eivj ai-ma kai. pata,xai th.n gh/n evn pa,sh| plhgh/| o`sa,kij eva.n qelh,swsin

Beale, The Book of Revelation, 572, 577; Aune, Revelation 6-16, 585.82

This is clear from Rev 11:7: kai. o[tan tele,swsin th.n marturi,an auvtw/n. The testimony83of the two witnesses (cf. verse 3-- also referred to as prophesying or prophecy in verses 3 and 6)is to occur for a period of 1260 days in Johns future. That is all part of the introduction to theactions in verses 7-12. When the two witnesses have finished their testimony (the 1260 days areclosed), the actions of verses 7ff. begin; cf. Aune, Revelation 6-16, 616.

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perspective of John.

The two witnesses themselves are introduced with a description of their appearance and an

overall description of their characteristics and their actions in the present (11:4-6) and in the81

future tense (11:3). The description of the two witnesses (Rev 11:3-6) is based on the lampstand

passage of Zechariah (Zech 4:2-3,11-14), and also the exploits of Moses and Elijah in the Old

Testament (cf. Exod 7:17-21; 1 Kings 17:1; 2 Kings 1:10-12).82

The present and future tenses of the passage are to be understood from the perspective of

an explanation to John in terms of his own time and place. Whatever interpretation we place on

the two witnesses, they had some role already in the first century context. At some later point in

history, they would prophesy for 1260 days, clothed in sackcloth. But that would not be the end

of their experience. The entire character introduction passage (11:3-6), the elements in future

tense (3) as well as those in present tense (4-6), occurs prior to the visionary description of their

death, resurrection and ascension that follows (11:7-13).83

The following time sequence, therefore, is evident in Rev 10:8-11:12. John is addressed by

David E. Aune, Revelation 6-16, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 52b (Nashville:84Thomas Nelson, 1998), 586; Adela Yarbro Collins, Aufstieg und Niedergang, 1232. Collinsbelieves that if one takes the position that John intended the two witnesses as literal futureindividuals, the two time periods would probably be different.

Both the period of testimony and the ascension of these two witnesses seem to carry out85the statement of the angel in 10:11 that John is to prophesy again.

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a voice from heaven and a visionary angel in his time and place. He then measures the temple,

which is to be trampled for 42 months in Johns future, presumably the same period as the 1260

days of 11:3. Then the two witnesses are introduced. Whoever they are, they clearly exist in84

Johns day (present tenses) and have an ongoing existence. At some future point from Johns

perspective, the two witnesses pass through a 1260-day period of testimony. It is only after that

period of testimony that the martyrdom of these witnesses and their resurrection is to occur. So85

the three step time sequence of this passage is as follows:

The two 1260-day passages in Revelation 11, therefore, occur sandwiched between

descriptions related to Johns day and descriptions more appropriate to the last days of earths

history. The time periods seem, therefore, to be part of a great central period in the events running

from the time of John to the End. This conclusion is compatible with the traditional perspective of

1) The Time of John (Rev 10:8-11)John looks forward to a second prophesying (10:11)John measures the temple (11:1-2)Witnesses have ongoing existence (11:4-6)

2) The 1260 Days (11:2-3)The Gentiles trample the temple (11:2)The Two Witnesses prophesy (11:3)

3) The Death, Resurrection and Ascension of the Two Witnesses (11:7-12)At the same time an earthquake destroys a tenth of The City (11:13)As a result of both events a remnant glorifies God (11:13; cf. 14:7)

See, for example, Anderson, Unfolding the Revelation, 118-120; Mark A. Finley,86Predictions for a New Millennium (Fallbrook, CA: HART Books, 2000), 398-400; Haskell, TheStory of the Seer of Patmos, 221-222; Naden, 190; Uriah Smith, 517-519.

Aune, Revelation 6-16, 706; Beale, The Book of Revelation, 669.87

Among other things, if you total up the initial number of heads and horns among the four88beasts of Dan 7 you get seven heads and ten horns. This suggests that the heads of the dragonrepresent civil powers that Satan has used to oppress Gods people throughout history.

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the Adventist pioneers.

Revelation 12

Adventists have traditionally understood Revelation 12 to offer an apocalyptic prophecy

of three sequential stages of Christian history. The first stage is the Christ-event back in the first

century (Rev 12:1-5). The third is the final battle between the dragon and the Remnant (12:17).

The second is the vast middle period of 1260 years (Rev 12:6, 14) of papal supremacy in the

Middle Ages and beyond (Rev 12:6, 13-16).86

A major structural parallel in chapter 12 involves repeated reference to Daniel 7. The

cryptic phrase a time, times, and half a time (Rev 12:14) occurs only once in the entire New

Testament and is unquestionably based on a couple of the apocalyptic prophecies of Daniel (Dan

7:25; 12:7). The dragon of Rev 12:3-4 has a number of the characteristics of the beasts of87

Daniel 7 (Dan 7:7,24). The war in heaven (Rev 12:7-9) makes several allusions to Daniel in88

general (Dan 2:35; 10:13,20-21; 12:1). This broad utilization of Daniels apocalyptic prophecies

suggests that Rev 12 should be interpreted along similar lines.

But the strongest evidence for an apocalyptic reading of Revelation 12 lies in the way

various characters in the narrative go through successive experiences over time. First of all, a

Rev 12:1-2 is based on the Old Testament image of a virtuous woman as a symbol of89faithful Israel (Isa 26:16-27; 54:5; 66:7-14; Hos 2:14-20), anticipating the arrival of the messianicage. See Elisabeth Schssler Fiorenza, Revelation: Vision of a Just World, ProclamationCommentaries (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1991), 80-81; Aune, Revelation 6-16, 682, 687;Beale, The Book of Revelation, 640-641.

Fiorenza (Revelation: Vision of a Just World, 81) considers this identification without90question. See also Aune, Revelation 6-16, 687-689; Beale, The Book of Revelation, 639.

Beale, The Book of Revelation, 639; J. Ramsey Michaels, Revelation, The IVP New91Testament Commentary Series, edited by Grant R. Osborne (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsityPress, 1997), 147; James Moffat, The Revelation of St. John the Divine, The Expositors GreekTestament, 5 vols. (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1956), 5:425; J. P. M. Sweet, Revelation,Westminster Pelican Commentaries (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1979), 196-197.

The word for swept (su,rei) is, shockingly, in the present tense, which makes the92casting down prior to the sweeping if one takes the tenses at face value. Since this is part of thedragons introduction, sweeps is most likely a historical present, as Aune (2: 652) suggests.

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woman appears in heaven, clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of

twelve stars on her head (12:1). The woman of Rev 12 has a pedigree that carries back well into

Old Testament prophecy. But in verse 5 she acts in the context of the vision, giving birth to a89

male child who is generally recognized to be a symbol of Jesus. After she gives birth to the child90

(12:5) she is seen fleeing into the desert for 1260 days (12:6). So the experience of the woman

in Rev 12:1-6 is actually depicted in three stages; 1) the time of her appearance and pregnancy, 2)

the time of giving birth, and 3) the time of fleeing into the desert.

The second character to be introduced in this chapter is the dragon (Rev 12:3-4), who

represents the devil, or Satan (Rev 12:9). Scholars widely recognize that the dragons attack on

the male child in Rev 12:5 represents Herods attempt to destroy the Christ child by killing all the

babies in Bethlehem (Matt 2:1-18). And prior to his attack on the woman, his tail swept a third91 92

An allusion to Dan 8:10, according to Beale, The Book of Revelation, 635-636. In an93interesting anomaly, the dragon actually sweeps (present tense) and flung (aorist) them toearth. The shift in tense makes no sense in Greek, but appears in all manuscripts. In terms ofGreek, the obvious explanation is that sweeping is a historical present and should be read asswept, but see idem, 639, 608. It is also likely that this is an example of Revelations Semitisms.In Hebrew there is no grammatical tense, as we understand it, but two aspects indicating whetherthe action is finished or not. As a result John often seems to confuse present, imperfect and futurein many places in Revelation. It may be that the present tense here represents the imperfect(continuous action in the past), while he uses the aorist for more punctiliar action in the past. Tosweep the stars is a longer action, needing diplomacy and time, while flung is a momentary,violent act.

Aune, Revelation 6-16, 603-604.94

See Aune, Revelation 6-16, 688.95

32

of the stars out of the sky and flung them to earth (Rev 12:4). But the dragon isnt finished when93

the male child gets away in verse 5. The dragon pursues the woman into the desert (12:13-16) and

eventually makes war with the remnant of her seed. So the dragon in chapter 12 is actually

described in terms of four successive stages, 1) his attack on a third of the stars (12:4), 2) his94

attack on the male child (12:4-5, 7-9), 3) his attack against the woman herself (12:13-16), and

finally 4) his war against the remnant.

The third character to be introduced in this chapter is the male child, the womans son.

After his birth the male child is described as the one who will rule (me,llei poimai,nein) all the

nations with an iron scepter (Rev 12:5). This allusion to Psalm 2:9 describes Jesus judgment

role at the end of time. The very next phrase reverts to the visionary past, her child was95

The Dragons Wars in Revelation 121) Attack on stars before the birth of male child (Rev 12:3-4)2) Attack on male child and war in heaven (Rev 12:5, 7-10)3) Attack on woman in desert (Rev 12:6, 13-16)4) Attack on remnant (Rev 12:17)

Aune, Revelation 6-16, 699-700; Rodriguez, 95.96

The time of the war in heaven is the time when the kingdom of God and the authority of97Christ were clearly established (12:10). In the book of Revelation, this took place at theenthronement of the Lamb as a result of His overcoming at the cross (Rev 5:5-6, cf. 3:21 seeJohnsson, The Saints End-Time Victory, 19; Rodriguez, 95. ). Throughout the New Testamentthe Kingdom of God was seen as a present reality in the person of Jesus (Matt 12:28; Luke 17:20-21, etc.) and was established in force at His ascension when He joined His Father on the heavenlythrone (cf. Heb 8:1-2, etc., see my elaboration on these issues with regard to Rev 5 in The SevenSeals, 200-221.).

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snatched up to God and to his throne. In 12:5 reference is made, then, to the birth, the ascension,

and the ultimate victory of Jesus Christ. The death of Christ on the cross is only brought into play

in verses 10-12.

The Time of the First Advent

The first phase of the visionary sequence of Revelation 12 focuses on the dragons attack

against the male child in verse 5. When the male child reaches heaven war breaks out there, with

the result that the dragon and his angels lose their place in heaven and are hurled down (evblh,qh)

to earth (12:7-9). When did this casting out take place? Verse 10 clearly addresses the same point

in time as the war of 7-9. So the first phase of the visionary sequence runs from the incarnation96

of Jesus through the expulsion of Satans influence in heaven.97

The Broad Sweep of Christian History

Revelation 12, verses 6 and 12, both seem to mark a transition between the experience of

Jesus, on earth in verse 5 and in heaven in verse 10, and the womans exile into the desert. At first

glance, one might get the impression that the parallels texts in verses 6 (1260 days) and 14 (time,

Aune, Revelation 6-16, 706.98

Beale, The Book of Revelation, 675-6.99

As Rev 17:15 may suggest.100

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times, and half a time) are two different time periods. But if the events of verse 5 are closely

related to the events of verses 7 through 10, the two time periods both follow the description of

Jesus earthly ministry and ascension to heaven. So it is likely that they refer to the same period in

history.

The language of 12:13-16 is reminiscent of several accounts in the Old Testament, the

vision of Daniel 7, the Exodus from Egypt, and the temptation and fall in the Garden of Eden. The

language of a time, times and half a time recalls Dan 7:25, as do the seven heads and the ten98

horns of the dragon who pursues the woman. In Daniel 7 the breakup of Rome into ten parts was

followed by a little horn power, which was to persecute and oppress Gods saints for a time,

times and half a time. (Dan 7:25)

The mouth of the serpent (Rev 12:15) reminds the reader of the deceptive words of the

serpent in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3). The flooding waters that attack the woman in the desert,

therefore, imply deceptive and persuasive words as much as persecuting force. In Rev 12:16 the

earth helped the woman. This is a further allusion to the Exodus and Israels experience in the

desert. The desert protected Israel from the flooding waters of both the Red Sea and the99

Egyptian army. If sea also represents the settled populations of the earth, earth here may100

represent more desolate places where the true people of God obtained refuge from deceptive and

I must honestly confess some discomfort with this traditional analysis. Turning sea into101populated areas on the basis of Rev 17:15 seems to fall into the trap of the totalization fallacy,where the meaning in one place (which is questionable even there) automatically applieseverywhere else. Symbols can change in meaning from one context to another.

There is perhaps another way to see this. In this text the earth helps the woman byopening its mouth and swallowing the dragons flooding river. The flood reminds us of the classicOT references to invaders of Israel (cf. Isa 8:5-8). It is further interesting that the earth opened itsmouth to swallow rebels like Korah, Dathan and Abiram (Num 16:32; 26:10). The earth opens itsmouth during earthquakes, so there may be a link to the earthquake of Rev 11:13, which is aforetaste of the last earthquake (Rev 11:19; 16:18). So the earth opening its mouth couldrepresent the Revolutionary (French, American, Russian) forces that put an end to papalpersecution at the end of the 1260 years and beyond. This obviously includes the Americanrevolution, but does not focus on the uninhabited areas that took in refugees.

In chapters 13 and 14. 102

Beale, The Book of Revelation, 680.103

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persecuting opponents. During that period of calm, the dragon prepares for his final attack (Rev101

12:17).

The Final Attack on the Remnant

Rev 12:17 is not only the conclusion to chapter 12, it serves as a summary introduction to

Revelations portrayal of a great final crisis at the conclusion of earths history. It indicates that102

there are two sides in the final conflict, represented by the dragon, on the one hand, and the

remnant on the other. Revelation 13 outlines in more detail the dragons final war against the

remnant of the womans seed (Rev 12:17). 103

In Revelation 12, therefore, one can detect three stages of Christian history running from

the time of Jesus and John to the end of all things. When we note that at least two of the main

characters in the chapter were active in the time before the birth of Jesus (which we will call Stage

It is most interesting that Aune has also identified four total stages in this chapter, with104the first being an introduction of the dramatis personae (Rev 12:1-4a). After the introduction,stage one is the birth and escape of the child (4-6), stage two is the expulsion of the dragon fromheaven (7-12) and stage three is the pursuit of the woman and her offspring (13-17). See Aune,Revelation 6-16, 603-604.

36

Zero below), there are a total of four successive stages of apocalyptic history. These can be104

summarized as follows:

The two 1260-day texts of Revelation 12, then, both occur in Stage Two, the central

period of Christian history. They characterize something important about the history between the

time of Jesus and His disciples at the beginning and the final battle at the End. This median

location in time after the writing of Revelation parallels the situation of the two occurrences in

1) Stage Zero: Before the Time of the Vision (12:1-4)The original war in heaven (4)The dragon embodies the kingdoms of the earth (3)The woman represents OT Israel (1-2)

2) Stage One: The Time of Jesus and John (12:5,7-12)The woman gives birth to the male child (5)He is snatched up to heaven (5)War in heaven (7-9)Enthronement and victory (10-11)Transition (12)

3) Stage Two: The Serpent Attacks the Woman (12:6,13-16)The dragon pursues the woman (13)She flees into the desert and is protected 1260 days (6,14)The serpent spews water to sweep her away (15)The earth helps the woman (16)

4) Stage Three: The Dragon and the Remnant, (Rev 12:17, etc.)The dragon is angry and goes away to make war (12:17)He calls up allies for the conflict (13:1-7,11)The unholy trinity deceives and persecutes (13:8-10,12-18)The remnant responds (14:1-13)The return of Jesus (14:14-20)

I have already elaborated on this in some detail in Jon Paulien, Lutherans and Adventists105in Conversation, edited by B. B. Beach and Sven G. Oppegaard (Silver Spring, MD and Geneva:General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and the Lutheran World Federation, 2000), 243-248.

The account of the beast coming up out of the sea involves a creative reworking of106Daniel 7; see Beale, The Book of Revelation, 683.

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chapter 11. This makes it exegetically likely that all four occurrences of 1260 days examined so

far are a reference to the same period of history.

Revelation 13

We noticed in the earlier section that Rev 12:17 summarizes the final stage of earths

history in a nutshell. Revelation 13 then outlines in more detail the dragons final war against the

remnant of the womans seed (Rev 12:17). Revelation 13, therefore, expands on the final battle

and fleshes out the opposition to God that will occur then. Does this mean that the reference to

42 months in Rev 13:5 belongs to the final battle and is, therefore, not to be equated with the

earlier references? Could the historical 1260 day periods of Revelation 11 and/or 12 be types of

an End-time period in literal days? Lets look more carefully at the evidence of chapter 13.

A little noticed feature of chapter 13 is the way the tenses of the main verbs shift at

significant points throughout the chapter. These tenses need to be read in the context of the105

final attack of Rev 12:17. The setting of chapter 13 is the final battle of earths history, in which

the dragon utilizes a pair of allies. In the context of that final battle, two beasts (from the sea and

the earth) are each given character introductions in the aorist tense (Rev 13:1-7; 13:11).106

These aorist portions begin with a visual description of each character that precedes an account of

that characters subsequent actions. Being in the aorist tense, these actions are understood to have

Rev 13:1-7 = aorist tense107Rev 13:8-10 = present and future tensesRev 13:11 = aorist tenseRev 13:12-18 = present and future tenses

Beale, The Book of Revelation, 680.108

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occurred prior to the dragons final war against the remnant (Rev 12:17; 13:8-10, 12-18).

In each of the two scenes (Rev 13:1-10 and 11-18) the Greek of Rev 13 then moves from

description in the aorist tense to a mixture of present and future tenses (Rev 13:8-10; 13:12-18),

describing the actions of these two beasts in the context of the final attack of Rev 12:17. So two

stages of history are clearly marked off by the Greek tenses signaling events prior to the dragons

war (aorist tense) and an elaboration of the events of the war itself (present and future tenses).107

Beale has noted that Rev 13 is parallel in time with 12:13-17, which coheres with the Adventist

position described here.108

Revelation 13 does not contain all four stages of the dragons war, as described in

Revelation 12. It offers information related to the last two stages of his activity, listed as Stage

Two and Stage Three in the chart for Revelation 12 (page 35). The aorist portions of Revelation

13 correspond to Stage Two, the events preceding the final battle. The present and future tenses

of the main verbs in chapter 13 correspond to the final attack on the Remnant, first mentioned in

Rev 12:17. Note the relationship between Rev 12 and 13 in the following chart:

Note this fascinating statement by Aune: It is clear that the author intends the reader to109understand that the period during which the first beast is active (Rev 13:5) coincides with theperiod during which the holy city will be trampled on by the nations (11:2) and the period duringwhich the two witnesses will prophesy (11:3). Their death must therefore coincide with the end ofthis predestined period of time. Aune, Revelation 6-16, 743.

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Stage One

Stage Two

Stage Three

The 42-month period of Rev 13:5 is not part of the final battle (Stage Three) of Christian

history. The beast from the sea was given authority to rule for 42 months. The beasts activity

does not move into the present or future tense until verse 8. As part of Stage Two, then, the 42

months of Rev 13:5 belong to the middle period of church history, between the events of the First

Advent of Jesus and the events leading up to His Second Coming. Note a comparison of all three

chapters in Revelation where 1260-day passages occur. They are firmly entrenched at the heart of

the Christian era, not at its edges.109

Ranko Stefanovic, Revelation of Jesus Christ (Berrien Springs, MI: Andrews University110Press, 2002), 335; cf. Kurt Deissner, mXtron, amXtroH, metrXw, Theological Dictionary of theNew Testament, edited by Gerhard Kittel, translated by Geoffrey W. Bromiley (Grand Rapids, MI:William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1967), 4:633. Beale agrees that the judgment is in view here

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Rev 11 Rev 12 Rev 13

10:8 - 11:1Time of John

12:1-5, 7-12Time of Jesus

---

11:1-1342 months1260 days

12:6, 13-161260 days

Time, times and half atime

13:1-7, 1142 months

Aorist

11:15-18Final events:

Wrath and judgment

12:17Final events:

Remnant

13:8-10, 12-18Final events:

Image and markPresent and future

A Theology of the 1260 Days

Given the general overview of the previous section, a few remarks regarding the function

of the 1260-day period within each of the five contexts may be helpful.

Rev 11:2

After being told he must prophesy again in 10:11, John is given a measuring stick and

told to measure the temple of God, and the altar, and count the worshipers there. But exclude

the outer court, do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on

the holy city for 42 months (Rev 11:1-2). Stefanovic points out that measuring in a figurative

sense has to do with evaluating or judging, often in the context of Gods final judgment at the end

of the world (Matt 7:2; Mark 4:24; Luke 6:38). But in this context the measuring seems to also110

and considers it part of the message that must be prophesied again. Cf. Beale, The Book ofRevelation, 556.

Deissner, 634; Aune, Revelation 6-16, 604.111

Kenneth Strand, An Overlooked Old-Testament Background to Revelation 11:1,112Andrews University Seminary Studies 22 (1984), 317-325. Stefanovic (339) points out that themeasuring of Ezekiels temple occurred on the Day of Atonement (Ezek 40:1-5, etc.). Aune, onthe other hand (Revelation 6-16, 604) considers an allusion to Leviticus 16 impossibly subtle.

Beale, The Book of Revelation, 562. See discussion of this and other options in Aune,113Revelation 6-16, 596-597.

On the concept that the people of God in Revelation are always depicted as being in114heavenly places while the wicked are those who live on the earth (cf. 6:10; 8:13; 13:8, etc.) seeBeatrice Neall, Sealed Saints and the Tribulation, in Symposium on Revelation Book I, Danieland Revelation Committee Series, volume 6, edited by Frank B. Holbrook (Silver Spring, MD:Biblical Research Institute, 1992), 270-272.

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have a protecting or preserving feature, as in the measuring of the temple in Ezekiel 40. The111

parts of the temple that are not measured are trampled by the Gentiles for 42 months. There may

also be overtones of the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 16, the only other place in the Bible

where sanctuary, altar and people are mentioned together.112

Johns prophesying again (Rev 10:11), therefore, seems to have something to do with

the temple (nao.j) of God. While scholars are divided on which temple is in view here, nao.j is

clearly associated with the heavenly temple elsewhere in Revelation (Rev 11:19; 14:15, 17; 15:5-

8; 16:1, 17). If that perspective is followed through here, the nao.j itself is the place where the113

people of God are protected, figuratively secure in heavenly places. As worshipers in the heavenly

temple they are in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph 2:6). The outer court, then, would114

represent the earth, where in the literal sense the people of God are in genuine peril from their

It is valuable to note that the earthly ministry of Jesus is symbolized by the furniture of115the outer court, the altar of burnt offering representing his death on the cross, and the laverrepresenting his baptism and, perhaps, resurrection. The heavenly ministry of Jesus is representedby the temple structure and its furnishings.

Beale, The Book of Revelation, 558-559.116

Cf. R. H. Charles, Revelation, 1:274-278; William Hendriksen, More Than Conquerors117(Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1962), 155; J. Massyngberde Ford, 176-177, andnumerous others listed in footnote 242 of Beale, The Book of Revelation, 558.

Cf. G. B. Caird, A Commentary on the Revelation of St. John the Divine (NY: Harper118and Row, 1966), 131-132; J. P. M. Sweet, Revelation (London: SCM Press, 1979), 183-184;Pierre Prigent, LApocalypse de Saint Jean (Paris: Delachaux et Niestl, 1981), 160-163, andnumerous others listed in footnote 243 of Beale, The Book of Revelation, 558. Beale himselfholds to this view, cf. Beale, The Book of Revelation, 560.

Beale, The Book of Revelation, 568-569.119

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enemies. God is in full control of the situation of His people, even when they suffer.115

Does the outer court represent the faithful people of God or a professing but apostate

church? Beale offers a strong case for both conclusions. 1) Since Revelation acknowledges that116

apostate believers exist in the church (Rev 2:4, 14-16, 20-23; 3:1-3, 16), the casting out

(e;kbale) of the outer court could represent exclusion from the true community of faith (cf. Matt

5:13; Luke 13:28; 14:35; John 6:37; 12:31; 15:6). 2) But if the casting out refers to what117

happens to Gods true people as they are rejected and persecuted by the unbelieving world (Matt

21:39; Mark 12:8; Luke 4:29; 20:15; John 9:34-35; Acts 7:58), the measuring implies that

Gods faithful people are spiritually secure, despite the physical harm that they suffer. Either118

view is compatible with traditional SDA understanding of the 1260 days. If the holy city of 11:2

(same as the outer court) is to be understood as Gods faithful people, then persecution is the

theme of all five 1260-day texts.119

Smith, (1944), 532.120

Stefanovic, 339.121

Stefanovic, 341.122

Dan 7:7, 19, 23 portray the Roman Empire trampling underfoot conquered nations. In123Dan 8:9-13 the Little Horn tramples the place of Gods sanctuary and the host of the saints,throwing truth to the ground in the process. Luke 21:24 speaks of Jerusalem being trampled untilthe times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

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Uriah Smith understood Johns actions in Rev 10:8-11 to represent the remnant church

after the Great Disappointment. Johns measuring of the temple (11:1-2) would then mean that

the church was to give the subject of the heavenly sanctuary special examination in the Time of

the End. For Smith the measuring rod was the special message about the sanctuary that would

distinguish the last-day people of God. While these ideas may not all have been in Johns mind,120

they seem a reasonable extension of the exegetical meaning. The heavenly temple in Revelation is

the center of all divine activities, the place where strategies and decisions regarding earth are

made. Gods end-time people do well to understand its role in final events.121

The 42-month period had not yet begun in Johns time, but would begin at some time in

the future, as indicated by the future tense of will trample (11:2). During this period the

measuring divides the true worshipers of God from the nations that may profess allegiance to

God yet are found in opposition to His true worshipers. The trampling on the holy city for 42122

months (Rev 11:2) is paralleled by texts in Daniel and Luke that bear further investigation in

relation to this verse.123

Commentators often suggest that the 42 months and related periods in Revelation are

Stefanovic, 338, 384. In saying this, Stefanovic is not ruling out a quantitative124interpretation. The most plausible interpretation understands these time designations (repeated inone way or another in chapters 11 and 12-13) not as a literal time period of forty-two months, butas referring to the prophetic period of more than twelve centuries, known as the Middle Ages,during which the church, like Israel at the Exodus, suffered the hardship of its wildernesspilgrimage (cf. Rev 12:6, 14). p. 338, cf. 411-412.

Beale, The Book of Revelation, 572.125

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more qualitative than quantitative in their significance. They point to the three and a half years124

of the drought in Elijahs day (1 Kings 17:1; Luke 4:25; James 5:17), when the sky was shut

(Rev 11:6). This certainly lies in the background of Rev 11:1-6 (but not of Revelation 12 or 13).

It is also associated with the presumed length of Jesus ministry. But since both of those periods

refer to the measurement of time, it is not clear to me why a qualitative significance necessarily

rules out a