Purpose of This Section…
Help you Explain Time Prophecies in the Bible
How?
By Seeing that a Day in Bible Prophecy = a Year in Calendar Time
Two Building Blocks
With these 2 Building Blocks, we can build the following Prophetic / Symbolic & Literal Time Chart:
- Day = Year (Num. 14:34; Eze. 4:6)
- Month = 30 Days (Gen. 7:11, 24; 8:3,4). We can calculate a 30 day month by the time the flood lasted:
Flood waters prevailed upon the earth for 150 days (Gen. 7:24; 8:3)
Month ark rested on “mountains” of Ararat 7th month, 17th day (Gen. 8:4)
Month flood began in Noah’s 600th year 2nd month, 17th day (Gen. 7:11)
= Months flood waters prevailed on the earth 5 months
Now, divide 150 days / 5 months = 30 days / month
Prophetic / Symbolic Units Literal Units
One Day = 1 Year (Num. 14:34; Eze. 4:6)
One Week (7 days) = 7 Years
One Month (30 days) = 30 Years
One Year (360 days) = 360 Years (12 mths / yr.) x (30 days / month) = 360 days / year
A Time (1 year = 360 days) = 360 Years Dan. 11:13, margin; 4:16, 23, 25, 32; 1 Chr. 29:26-30
70 Weeks (490 days) = 490 Years (70 weeks) x (7 days / week) = 490 days, or 490 years
42 Months (1,260 days) = 1,260 Years (42 months) x (30 days / month) (See 3rd box below.)
1,260 Days = 1,260 Years = Time, Times, & 1/2 Time (See 3rd box below.)
One Hour (1 / 24 day) = 15 Days (360 days / year) / (24 hours / day) = 15 days
1/2 Hour = Appr. 7 Days Since 1 hr. = 15 days, then 1/2 hr. = Approximately 7 days.
Literal and Symbolic Contexts
The context of time units in Daniel & Revelation shows if their units of time should be interpreted literally or symbolically. Generally, literal contexts use literal units of time, while symbolic contexts use symbolic units of time:
Context Correct Interpretation Incorrect Interpretation
Hour
- Literal (Dan. 3:6) Bow now (this literal hour) vs. …sometime in the next 15 days (sym. hour)
- Symbolic (Rev. 9:15) 15 days (Time Chart above) vs. 1 literal hour
Day
- Literal (Dan. 1:12, 14, 15) 10 day test vs. 10 year test (i.e., a day for a year)
- Symbolic (Dan. 8:14) 2,300 years vs. A literal 6 years, 4 months, 20 days
Week
- Literal (Dan. 10:2, 3) 3 week fast vs. 21 year fast = (3 weeks x 7 days / week)
- Symbolic (Dan. 9:24 – 27) 490 years (70 wk @ 7dy/wk) vs. A literal 1 year, 4 months, 10 days
Month
- Literal (Dan. 4:29) 12 months vs. 360 yrs = (12 mths) x (30 days / mth)
- Symbolic (Rev. 9:15) 30 years (30 days / month) vs. 1 literal month
Year
- Literal (Dan. 1:5) 3 year training vs. 1,080 yrs = (3 yr.) x (360 days / yr.)
- Symbolic (Rev. 9:15) 360 years (1 yr. of 360 days) vs. 1 literal year
Time
- Literal (Dan. 4:16) 7 years (or “times”) as animal vs. 2,520 yrs = (7 yr.) x (360 days / yr.)
- Symbolic (Dan. 7:25) 1,260 years (3 1/2 Times) vs. A literal 3 years, 6 months (See chart below.)
1260 Days = 42 Months = Time, Times, & 1/2 Time
Daniel & Revelation speak of 1,260 years of persecution of God’s people using 3 phrases that are mentioned 7 times, and all 3 phrases are equated either through their similar events or units of time:
Three Phrases Times Used References
Time, Times, and 1/2 Time 3 Dan. 7:25; 12:7; Rev. 12:14
42 months 2 Rev. 11:2; 13:5
1,260 days 2 Rev. 11:3; 12:6
Units: Time, Times, & 1/2 Time = 42 months = 1260 days
Events: Speak great words (Dan. 7:25) = Blasphemy (Rev. 13:5)
Events: Fled to wilderness (Rev. 12:13, 14) = Wilderness (Rev. 12:6)
Therefore, Time, Times, & 1/2 Time = 42 months = 1260 days
A Fun Proof. For those who want to prove that the plural “times” in Dan. 7:25, Dan. 12:7, & Rev. 12:14 is just 2 times vs. 3 or more times, try the following fun formula built on the following 2 points and the equation of the 3 expressions above that are equated either by their similar time units or similar events for pure mathematical fun:
“Time” = One year or 360 prophetic days (See 1st box above.)
One prophetic day = One literal year (See 1st box above.)
Formula: (1) Time + (?) Times + (1/2) Time = 1260 days
(1) 360 days + (?) 360 days + (1/2) 360 days = 1260 days
360 days + (?) 360 days + 180 days = 1260 days
(?) 360 days + 540 days = 1260 days
(?) 360 days – 540 days = 1260 days – 540 days
(?) 360 days = 720 days
(?) 360 days / 360 days = 720 days / 360 days
Therefore, (?) = 2
Check: (1) Time of 360 days + (2) Times of 360 days + (1/2) Time of 360 days = 1260 days
360 days + 720 days + 180 days = 1260 days