Revelation 11 is arguably the toughest chapter in the Bible, but it’s key for understanding the book of Revelation as a whole. Chapter 11 unveils the contents of the scroll which contains God’s plan for establishing his kingdom over all creation.
As we’ve noted, John’s revelation draws heavily upon the book of Daniel. In chapter 7, Daniel dreamed about a succession of four great beasts which arose from the sea. (In ancient Jewish thought, the sea was a symbol of chaos & evil.) These beasts symbolized blasphemous, idolatrous pagan empires which would seize authority over the world.
But God (“the Ancient of Days”) will not allow the beasts to rule forever. The divine court was seated, and the last & most terrifying beast was condemned: “The beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.”
Daniel then envisioned a human figure – “one like a son of man” – coming before the Ancient of Days. This son of man was given sovereignty over the world: “His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
When Daniel inquired about the meaning of this vision, he was told that the “son of man” represents “the saints of the Most High.” But Jewish readers also understood the son of man as a symbol for the Messiah – the anointed king of Israel who would be God’s agent in establishing his kingdom.
However, before the Ancient of Days pronounces his judgment again the beast, God’s people must endure a time of suffering: “this horn [of the beast] was waging war against the saints and defeating them.” This time of tribulation is given a cryptic time frame: “The saints will be handed over to [the beast] for a time, two times and half a time.”
What does this bizarre phrase mean? In order to answer that question, we must learn something about how the writers of the Bible regarded numbers.
Our modern Western world holds a strongly scientific outlook. We demand high levels of numerical precision. For example, we’ve been taught that the earth takes 365 days to complete its orbit around the sun. Astronomers might tartly point out that the earth’s annual journey actually requires 365+1/4 days, which is why we must add an extra “leap” day every four years. Likewise, Google tells me that in 2024 the population of the United States was 340.1 million. But if you were conducting a census, you would no doubt expect an even more accurate figure.
The writers of the Bible did not share our obsession with numerical precision. Rough estimations were considered perfectly acceptable. More importantly, ancient authors often used numbers to convey meaning. This concept is quite foreign to the modern mind. However, it’s crucial for understanding the Bible in general and specifically the book of Revelation.
The most strongly symbolic number in the Bible is seven. In the ancient world, the number seven signified completeness or wholeness. When the book of Genesis describes the seven days of creation, the writer is making the theological claim that God is the creator of all things.
Another example: the book of Revelation contains messages to seven churches in the Roman province of Asia (Modern Turkey). True, these were very real, historical churches. But the fact that John selects seven indicates that these churches were meant to represent the whole church. In other words, the seven messages were intended to be heard by all Christians. Thus, the repeated refrain, “Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”
With this in mind, how can we properly understand Daniel’s phrase “a time, two times and half a time”? This expression can also be translated “a year, two years and half a year.” You don’t need to be a math major to see that this adds up to 3 1/2. If 7 is the number of completeness, then it’s quite logical to conclude that half of seven indicates incompleteness. 3 1/2 therefore signifies a limited or finite period of time.
Neither Daniel nor John is suggesting that the number 3 1/2 should be taken literally. Remember, Revelation is an apocalyptic prophecy. Nearly everything in this book is symbolic! Strictly literal interpretations will only produce misunderstanding.
Unfortunately, many would-be interpreters of Revelation use numbers to construct precise graphs of the “end times.” These schemes are totally foreign to the mind of John. Here’s a good rule of thumb: if you find an interpretation of the book of Revelation involving exact timelines and complicated flow charts, you can safely deposit such materials to the nearest circular file.
What John is prophesying is that a time of persecution is rapidly approaching, when the church’s loyalty to Jesus will be severely tested. The important thing for them to understand is that God will not allow this time of tribulation to last forever. The reign of the beast will eventually be brought to an end. The Ancient of Days will pass judgment, and “the kingdom of this world will become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ and he will reign forever and ever.” (Rev 11:15)
In sum, Daniel’s “time, two times and half a time” will be a period of time during which there will be a great conflict between the beast and the saints. Revelation contains multiple references to this time of confrontation. For instance, we see it in Revelation 12, where the woman (representing God’s people) is given refuge in the wilderness for “a time, two times and half a time.”
Interestingly, John alters the expression. In Revelation 11:2, the nations are allowed to “trample the holy city for 42 months.” And in the very next verse, John introduces the enigmatic two witnesses, who are given the task of “prophesying…for those 1,260 days.” (While it’s fairly obvious that 3 1/2 years = 42 months, this second reference is a bit more subtle. It requires using the Hebrew calendar, which is based on lunar months containing 30 days. Thus, 42 months x 30 days = 1,260 days.)
The important thing to remember is that no matter what form this expression takes, it refers to the same reality. Again, it’s the time of conflict between the beast and the saints. God’s people will be called upon to bear faithful witness to all the nations. But fulfilling this task will come at a cost: Christians will suffer great tribulation and possibly martyrdom.
Many Christians have been taught that “the tribulation” is a discrete time period (often delineated as 7 years) in the future. But it takes only a moment of reflection to challenge this view.
Remember, John the Seer composed the book of Revelation around 90 AD, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian. At that moment, the Roman Empire controlled most of the known world. John was aware that the church had already suffered some persecution at the hands of the authorities. He even acknowledges one Christian named Antipas who was martyred in the city of Pergamum. But John warns his readers that much more suffering is imminent.
If “the tribulation” were an event wholly relegated to the distant future, John’s admonitions would make no sense. Why would he write a letter warning 1st century Christians to prepare themselves for a time of tribulation more than 2,000 years away? Far better to recognize that John’s epistle must have relevance to its original audience. From John’s perspective, the time of tribulation – “the time, two times and half a time” – was rapidly bearing down upon the church.
History teaches us that John was absolutely correct. Even as he completed the book of Revelation, the cult of emperor worship was rapidly gaining momentum throughout the Roman Empire. It was particularly strong in the province of Asia – among the very churches to whom John sent his letter. In fact, the first temple built to honor the emperor’s deity (then Caesar Augustus) was erected in the city of Pergamum in 29 BC. This explains John’s reference to Pergamum as the place where “Satan has his throne.” (Rev 2:13)
However, just as John warned that the “time, two times and half a time” would soon commence, so he also emphasized that God would one day bring this time of suffering to an end. The Ancient of Days would issue his verdict. The beast would be slain and the kingdom given to the son of man and the saints of the Most High. For John, that meant that the tribulation would end with the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
