Contents
Timeline
| Time, Times and half a Time | The Judgment of Babylon |
| the woman fled into the wilderness, Rev 12 | by the Angels, Rev 14 |
| the beast, Rev 13 | by the Kings, Rev 17 |
| the two witnesses, Rev 11 | by the White horse, Rev 19 |
| by the Martyrs, Rev 20 | |
| seven trumpets, Rev 8-9 | |
| seven bowls of wrath, Rev 15-16 |
The Two Main Time Periods of Revelation
The two main time periods in Revelation are the “time, times and half a time,” that the saints were given into the hands of the beast; and the 1,000 year rule of the martyrs with Christ.
The “time, time and half a times” is 42 months (12+24+6), 1278 days, called 1260 days by John and 1290 days by Daniel. It began in 193, when the Bishop of Rome exerted his supremacy over the saints, and ended exactly 1278 years later, in 1471, when the first Protestant church broke free from the Papacy.
Daniel’s statement “blessed is he who waits and comes to 1335 days,” (Daniel 12:12) refers to Martin Luther, who was not brutally murdered like his predecessor Jan Huss.
The 1,000 rule of the martyrs began when the “stone” hit the statue. This is described in Daniel 2. The rock, which is Christ, grew into a “great mountain.” The 1,000 years, is the 2,300 days in Daniel 8:14, less the 1,290 days in Daniel 12:11.
The Prophecy of the Messiah’s Coming
Daniel’s prophecy of the Messiah’s coming, after 69 weeks (483 days), is exact to the year, as 483 years, from 457 BC, until A.D. 27. This helps us to understand that Daniel’s days are really years. A day as a year can also be found in Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6. We can also understand a day as a year from the prophecy of the ten-year great persecution in Revelation 2:10, “you will have tribulation 10 days.”
Time, Times and Half a Time in the Hands of the Beast
The prophecies of the bondage of God’s people have always been exact, even to the day: 400 years in Egypt, 70 years in Babylon, and in Daniel’s prophecy, the Angel raised His right hand and swore by God in heaven, that it would be “for time, times and half a time.” And indeed, the saints were given into the hands for the beast for exactly 42 months (1278 years).
The Four Hours of Revelation
The Book of Revelation describes four “hours” of about 500 years, representing 1/12 of the human clock of 6,000 years.
The first hour is found in Chapter 17. John said that Ten Kings reigned with the beast as for “one hour.” This hour began with the East-West Schism of 1054 A.D., and ended in the Reformation, in the 16th Century. This “hour” is described three times in Chapter 18: “in one hour your judgment has come!”; “in one hour such great wealth has been laid waste”; “in one hour she has been laid waste.”
The second hour is in Revelation 11, where we are told that 1/10 of the Great City fell in an earthquake. An earth represents the people, and a quake is their shaking in war. In that hour, religious wars killed millions of people in Europe, and also God’s elect, so we are told that seven thousand died in the earthquake. These were the faithful saints in the time of Elijah.
In Revelation 8:1, we are told that there was “silence in heaven for a half an hour. This was the silence of the martyrs, from the end of the Reformation wars in 1648, until the second outpouring of the Holy Spirit in 1917.
The third hour is “the Hour of God’s Judgment,” that is announced in Revelation 14:6.
The fourth, and final hour, is the “hour to reap – the harvest” described in Revelation 14:15.
These “hours,” the “time, times and half a time,” and the “1,000-year reign of Christ,” give us a great overview of the Book of Revelation.
Symbolism
The Book of Revelation is filled with symbolism, most of which is used in other parts of the Bible. Understanding the meaning of the symbolism, is the key to understanding the message!
Below are some of the most common metaphors used:
Sun (God, and the glory of God); Moon (Christ, as reflecting God’s glory); Stars (Angels); Earth (People); Grass (All Flesh, All Men); Trees (those in the Kingdom of Heaven); Sea (Salvation); Hailstones (attack from heaven); Thunder (voices from heaven); Harps (Speaking in tongues); Great Mountain (the Body of Christ); Fire (Power of the Holy Spirit); Springs and Rivers (Spirits, and comfort of the Holy Spirit); Earthquake (War); Days (Years); Month (30 Years); Red Dragon (Roman Empire); The Dragon (Satan, the Antichrist); The Bride (The Sanctified Church); Birds, Eagles (the end time Saints); Mid Heaven (filled with the Holy Spirit); Lampstands (Churches)
New Jerusalem, the Holy City, the New Covenant saints
Babylon, the Great City, the Harlot, the Kingdom of the Beast
The Beast, the false Lord, false Christ, who corrupted the truth for 42 months, in days as years, as compared to Christ who preached the truth for 42 months.