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 Revelation¹ are treated in terms of a day for a year.² One of those unusual time periods in Daniel and Revelation is the “1260 days,” a concept that occurs seven times in three different forms.³

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.⁴ The 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.⁵ According to Smith, the seven 1260-day passages in the Bible all refer to the same period and should be calculated symbolically in terms of a year for a day.⁶ That period began in the year 538 AD when the Arian Ostrogoths were driven away from Rome, allowing the bishop of Rome to assert control of the 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.⁷ The interpretation is largely asserted. Smith offers little in the way of exegetical argument 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.⁸ While a variety of dates were 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.⁹ Maxwell argued that the massive importance of the French Revolution 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.”¹¹ It was a period of great persecution for the people of God.¹² In spite of the great size of Smith’s and Maxwell’s works, the history is more asserted than argued and the exegetical base in Daniel and Revelation is hardly touched at all. Nevertheless, the traditional position is very attractive in its assertion of a divine order and meaning to history, as noted by mainstream scholarship.¹³

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 Committee’s published works.¹⁴

Several chapters in the Daniel and Revelation Committee Series do address Revelation, chapters 12 and 13.¹⁵ William Shea asserts that the time periods of Rev 12:6, 14 are the same as that of Dan 12:7, offering the language of Rev 12:14 as evidence.¹⁶ Literarily, Shea divides chapter 12 into three consecutive periods, with the two 1260-day texts both fitting into the middle period, which favors a historicist interpretation over the preterist or futurist options.¹⁷

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.¹⁸ Since the beast from the sea is the successor of the dragon, the 42 months must come after the first period of Revelation 12.¹⁹ Thus the time periods 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 dragon’s persecution of the church.²⁰ He also notes that the double usage of Rev 12:6, 14 makes clear that three and a half times are the same as 1260 days.²¹ Maxwell’s 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.²² He also addresses a number of popular objections to the traditional interpretation.²³

The best attempt to provide an exegetical approach to the five 1260 texts in Revelation came more recently from Hans LaRondelle.²⁴ He argues that the three and half times of Daniel 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.²⁵

Objections to the Traditional Position

Objections to the traditional position were raised more recently by Samuele Bacchiocchi.²⁶ He began 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, wasn’t able to finish the job) and that she is not, in any case, to be the church’s final word on biblical issues. Although raising questions about the traditional position, Bacchiocchi remained 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.²⁷

Bacchiocchi was not alone in his concerns. Many Adventist scholars note that the historicist approach to apocalyptic has been increasingly marginalized in the scholarly world.²⁸ In response to the dominance of preterism in secular scholarship, many Adventist scholars have either avoided the study of Revelation or taken up literary or sociological approaches to the book.²⁹ Such approaches either 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 nevertheless see the 1260-day texts as referring to literal periods of time in the last few years of earth’s 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.³² The confidence Adventist pioneers had about their place in history seems to them out of step with the times.

It seems to me that these 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 referents in history need critical re-assessment.

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 today’s 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 if such a position is to carry weight in today’s world.

In response to these challenges, therefore, I will attempt to do the following in this paper: 1) Perform an exegesis of the five 1260-day texts in Revelation with an eye to various objections. 2) Review the arguments for the year-day principle in light of its widespread rejection among both preterists and futurists. Issues which will not be addressed in this paper include exegesis of the relevant texts in Daniel and a careful examination of the history of the papacy with particular attention to the events surrounding its rise and apparent fall during the Christian era.

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 God’s 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 God’s temple (11:2) and the sea beast who looks like the 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 Exodus³³ and the Garden of Eden.³⁴

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 Elijah’s drought³⁵ or the length of Jesus’ ministry.³⁶ The extremely strong allusions to Daniel 12 in Revelation 10 also provide a context for understanding John’s intention for the time period.³⁷ The Adventist tendency, therefore, to lump the 1260-day periods of Daniel and Revelation together has a strong foundation in the exegesis of Revelation.³⁸

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 trumpets³⁹ is that they portray a series of judgments against the enemies of God’s people running from the time of John⁴⁰ to the second coming of Jesus.⁴¹ Rev 10:1 - 11:14, however, focuses in on the people of God, although the actions of the wicked are also in view (11:2, 7-13). The sixth trumpet is the period of earth’s history that comes just before the close of human probation, as a careful study of Rev 10:7 indicates.⁴²

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 view). These periods, however occur in the immediate context of Rev 10:8-11 rather than 10:1-7. A voice out of heaven and the angel of the previous vision (Rev 10:1-7) engage John in an interactive explanation of the vision (Rev 10:8 - 11:13ff.).⁴³ Explanations come to a prophet in terms of his own time and place.⁴⁴ While John’s actions are mentioned in Rev 10:10 and 11:1, the bulk of the passage is the scroll angel’s direct explanation of certain events in John’s 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 angel’s prediction, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings” (Rev 10:11).⁴⁵

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.⁴⁶ Since the 42 months and 1260 days are expressed in the future tense,⁴⁷ these periods of time were future from the 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)⁴⁸ and in the 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).⁴⁹

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).⁵⁰

The following time sequence, therefore, is evident in Rev 10:8-11:12. John is addressed by 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 John’s future, presumably the same period as the 1260 days of 11:3.⁵¹ Then the two witnesses are introduced. Whoever they are, they clearly exist in John’s day (present tenses) and have an ongoing existence. At some future point from John’s 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.⁵² So 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 John’s day and descriptions more appropriate to the last days of earth’s 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 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).⁵³

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).⁵⁴ The dragon of Rev 12:3-4 has a number of the characteristics of the beasts of Daniel 7 (Dan 7:7,24).⁵⁵ The war in heaven (Rev 12:7-9) makes several allusions to Daniel in general (Dan 2:35; 10:13,20-21; 12:1). This broad utilization of Daniel’s 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 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.⁵⁶ But in verse 5 she acts in the context of the vision, giving birth to a male child who is generally recognized to be a symbol of Jesus.⁵⁷ After she gives birth to the child (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 dragon’s attack on the male child in Rev 12:5 represents Herod’s attempt to destroy the Christ child by killing all the babies in Bethlehem (Matt 2:1-18).⁵⁸ And prior to his attack on the woman, his tail swept⁵⁹ a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to earth (Rev 12:4).⁶⁰ But the dragon isn’t finished when 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,⁶¹ 1) his attack on a third of the stars (12:4), 2) his 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 woman’s 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.⁶² The very next phrase reverts to the visionary past, “her child was 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 dragon’s 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 7-9.⁶³ So the first phase of the visionary sequence runs from the incarnation of Jesus through the expulsion of Satan’s influence in heaven.⁶⁴

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 woman’s exile into the desert. At first glance, one might get the impression that the parallel texts in verses 6 (1260 days) and 14 (time, times, and half a time) represent 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 7:25,⁶⁵ as do the seven heads and the ten 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 God’s 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 Israel’s experience in the desert.⁶⁶ The desert protected Israel from the “flooding waters” of both the Red Sea and the Egyptian army. If “sea” also represents the settled populations of the earth,⁶⁷ “earth” here may represent more desolate places where the true people of God obtained refuge from deceptive and persecuting opponents.⁶⁸ During that period of calm, the dragon prepares for his final attack (Rev 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 Revelation’s portrayal of a great final crisis at the conclusion of earth’s history.⁶⁹ It indicates that 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 dragon’s final war against the remnant of the woman’s seed (Rev 12:17).⁷⁰

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 Zero below), there are a total of four successive stages of apocalyptic history.⁷¹ These can be 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 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 earth’s history in a nutshell. Revelation 13 then outlines in more detail the dragon’s final war against the remnant of the woman’s 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? Let’s 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.⁷² These tenses need to be read in the context of the final attack of Rev 12:17. The setting of chapter 13 is the final battle of earth’s 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 past tenses (Rev 13:1-7; 13:11).⁷³ These past-tense portions begin with a visual description of each character that precedes an account of that character’s subsequent actions. These actions, therefore, are understood to have occurred prior to the dragon’s 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 moves from past tenses 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 12:17.⁷⁴ So two stages of history are clearly marked off by the Greek tenses signaling events prior to the dragon’s war (past tenses) and an elaboration of the events of the war itself (present and future tenses).⁷⁵ Beale has noted that Rev 13 is parallel in time with 12:13-17, which coheres with the Adventist position described earlier.⁷⁶

Revelation 13 does not contain all four stages of the dragon’s 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. The past-tense 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:

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” (Greek: edôken– aorist indicative) authority to rule for 42 months. The beast’s 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.⁷⁷

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 God’s final judgment at the end of the world (Matt 7:2; Mark 4:24; Luke 6:38).⁷⁸ But in this context the measuring seems to also have a protecting or preserving feature, as in the measuring of the temple in Ezekiel 40.⁷⁹ The 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.⁸⁰

John’s “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).⁸¹ If that perspective is followed through here, the nao.j itself is the place where the 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).⁸² The outer court, then, would represent the earth, where in the literal sense the people of God are in genuine peril from their enemies. God is in full control of the situation of His people, even when they suffer.⁸³

Does the outer court represent the faithful people of God or a professing but apostate church? Beale offers a strong case for both conclusions.⁸⁴ 1) Since Revelation acknowledges that 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).⁸⁵ 2) But if the “casting out” refers to what happens to God’s 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 God’s faithful people are spiritually secure, despite the physical harm that they suffer.⁸⁶ Either 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 God’s faithful people, then persecution is the theme of all five 1260-day texts.⁸⁷

The 42-month period had not yet begun in John’s 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.⁸⁸ The “trampling on the holy city for 42 months” (Rev 11:2) is paralleled by texts in Daniel and Luke that bear further investigation in relation to this verse.⁸⁹

Commentators often suggest that the 42 months and related periods in Revelation are more qualitative than quantitative in their significance.⁹⁰ They point to the three and a half years of the drought in Elijah’s 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, a qualitative significance does not exclude a chronological meaning.

Revelation 11:3

Rev 11:3 continues the scene that began in Rev 10:8. It is, therefore, closely related to 11:2. Since both the “1260 days” of 11:3 and the “42 months” of 11:2 are in the future tense, and occur side by side in the text, they must refer to the same period of time. Unlike the 42 months, which represent a time of Gentile “trampling,” the 1260 days of Rev 11:3 portray the time when the “two witnesses” prophesy in sackcloth. They will be given (Greek: dôsô) power to prophesy, presumably by God. Their prophesying is related to Rev 10:11, where John is told he must prophesy again.⁹¹ John does not do this personally, the two witnesses carry out this work in John’s behalf.⁹² The sackcloth with which they are dressed is related to the bitterness of 10:10 and the trampling of 11:2.⁹³ While dressed in sackcloth, however, the witnesses are not powerless. They can destroy enemies with fire (Rev 11:5, cf. 2 Kings 1:9-14) and manipulate the weather (11:6, cf. 1 Kings 17:1).

There are three main views regarding the identity of the two witnesses.⁹⁴ They are thought to be two eschatological individuals (modeled on Moses and Elijah) who function as divine agents,⁹⁵ symbolic of the people of God,⁹⁶ or symbolic of the Bible as Old and New Testaments.⁹⁷ Stefanovic thinks the evidence warrants a double identification that is not mutually exclusive. “It is through the preaching and teaching of the church that the Word of God is manifested.”⁹⁸ I would agree, but the exegetical evidence seems a bit stronger for the two witnesses representing God’s faithful, witnessing church.⁹⁹

Rev 12:6, 14

In Revelation, chapter 12, verses 6 and 14 seem clearly parallel. In both cases “the” woman¹⁰⁰ “fled” (12:6– Greek: ephugen) or “flies” (12:14– Greek: petêtai) into the desert for protection. In both cases there is a divine provision made for her safety.¹⁰¹ In both texts the time period is specifically designated as a time of “nourishment” (“taken care of,” NIV). While separated by the war in heaven passage (Rev 12:7-13), the two verses clearly refer to the same woman and the same event. The 1260 days of verse 6, therefore, make it clear that the “time, times and half a time” of verse 14 (and Daniel) are a symbolic way of referring to three and a half years.

As with the parallel time designations of Revelation 11, the time periods of chapter 12 reflect a period after the time of Jesus and before the final events at the End. There is no compelling reason to consider the time periods of Revelation 12 to be different from each other or from the parallel designations of Revelation 11.

In these passages the author of Revelation takes up the New Exodus theme so common in the Old Testament prophets.¹⁰² The desert was the place to which the children of Israel escaped after leaving Egypt (Exod 13:18, 20; 14:11-12; 15:22; 16:1-3). They did not choose to go there; rather it was God who led them there (Exod 13:21-22; 14:15-18). In the desert God took care of Israel’s needs for food and water by miraculous means (Exod 16:4-36; 17:1-7). In the prophets the Exodus experience becomes the model for God’s future acts of deliverance.¹⁰³ In Early Judaism, as well as in the OT prophets, the Exodus becomes the model for the messianic age.¹⁰⁴ In the New Testament Jesus’ life, death and resurrection is also modeled on the Exodus (Matt 2:15; Luke 9:31; John 1:17-18; Acts 3:22-24; 1 Cor 5:7; 10:1-10, etc.).¹⁰⁵

Likewise, in Revelation the experience of the church is modeled on the experiences of Israel. In Jewish writings, the desert would be the place where the Messiah would gather the eschatological people and God would miraculously “prepare a table for them” in the presence of their enemies.¹⁰⁶ It would also, therefore, be the place of eschatological trial (cf. Deut 8:14-16). So the woman is also modeled on the saints of Daniel 7, who are persecuted by the Little Horn for a time, times and half a time (Rev 12:14, cf. Dan 7:25), and Eve in the Garden, threatened by what comes out of the mouth of the serpent (Rev 12:15, cf. Gen 3:1-7).¹⁰⁷ John’s first readers would certainly have applied these texts to their own experience.

Revelation 13:5

In Revelation 13 the 42 months are associated with the beast from the sea who utters blasphemies against God, His dwelling place (th.n skhnh.n auvtou/– literally “God’s tabernacle”) and those who live in heaven, makes war against the saints and has authority over the whole earth (Rev 13:5-7). The war against the saints in the context of blasphemy against the heavenly tabernacle seems an equivalent of the trampling of the outer court in Rev 11:2, although the persecuting nature of this activity is much clearer in chapter 13.¹⁰⁸

Stefanovic points out that blasphemy in the New Testament refers to the act of claiming equality with God (John 10:33; Matt 26:63-66).¹⁰⁹ The sea beast functions as part of the “demonic trinity” which seeks to counterfeit the work of God among the peoples of earth. The 42 months come in the part of Revelation 13 which sets the stage for the final battle, it is not part of the battle itself. Like the other four occurrences of the 1260 days, this too falls into the central period of Christian history, between the time of Jesus and His disciples and the final battle portrayed in Rev 13:8-10, 12-18. As is clearly the case with Rev 12:14, there is a strong allusion in Revelation 13 to the vision of Daniel 7. The activities of the sea beast mirror the activities of the Little Horn after the fall of the ten horns of the fourth beast.

Although the “fatal wound” of Rev 13:3 is mentioned before the 42 months, it is more likely at the conclusion of the 42 months (13:5) than at the beginning. Verse 5 is actually an elaboration of verse 2, where the sea beast receives authority (Greek: exousian) from the dragon. The length of the “authority” (Greek: exousia) given by the dragon is 42 months, according to verse 5. Since the sea beast offers a parody of Jesus Christ, it stands to reason that the beast’s death and resurrection would follow rather than precede a “ministry” of three and a half years.¹¹⁰ The mixup in order is consistent with the character of this section (13:1-7) as an introduction in past tenses, giving a “pedigree” of the sea beast in preparation for its actions in the final crisis (Rev 13:8-10, 12-18). The events of the past-tense introduction are clearly not in chronological order.¹¹¹

Concluding Reflections

This has been a most interesting process for me and I am grateful for the opportunity. They are written from the perspective of preserving the best of our heritage in the context of a new generation. All of the following is subject to discussion and further refinement, it is designed to provoke and guide our discussion rather than to be prescriptive.

The traditional position is exegetically defensible

In this paper are a number of elements that support the general validity of the historic Seventh-day Adventist understanding. 1) None of the five occurrences of the 1260-day period in Revelation is associated with either the time of Jesus and His disciples or the final events of earth’s history. All five texts seem to fall into the central part of the Christian age, the time of the Middle Ages, the Reformation and the centuries that followed them.

2) All five occurrences of the 1260-day period seem to point to the same period of time, a period in which key opponents of God attack His people and His people are correspondingly protected by God from total destruction, and this position is supported by the best non-SDA scholarship.¹¹²

3) The fact that the various forms of this time period occur a total of five times in Revelation and two times in Daniel suggests that this period was of pivotal importance to the authors of Daniel and Revelation. Interpretation of this period is, therefore, not a minor matter in the exegesis of Revelation.¹¹³ Historic Adventist interest in this time period is not, therefore, misplaced and continued study is appropriate.

4) Given the two thousand year length of the Christian era, as we currently know it, understanding these periods in terms of a year-day principle seems reasonable from the perspective of a belief in predictive prophecy that includes either complete foreknowledge on God’s part or at least a limited determinism.

5) At least two of the 1260-day texts (Rev 12:14; 13:5) offer strong allusions to Daniel 7. So Adventist interpretations that rely heavily on Daniel 7 for indentifying the enemy actions of the 1260 days have a solid basis for doing so in the exegesis of Revelation.¹¹⁴ Daniel’s picture of four successive empires followed by a breakup into ten parts, the destruction of three of those parts and the rise of the Little Horn who oppresses the saints for a time, times and half a time is a relevant backdrop to the 1260-day texts of Revelation.

Areas for Further Research

1) This paper has not addressed the biblical, historical or theological validity of the Year-Day Principle, as Seventh-day Adventists have come to call it, except to note in number 4 above that the two thousand year length of the Christian era is supportive of such a reading. When the Adventist pioneers first applied the Year-Day Principle to Revelation, there was a great deal of social support for them to do so. This stance was inherited them from Protestant forebears like William Miller. But in the aftermath of the Millerite movement and the Great Disappointment, scholarship in general discarded both historicism and the Year-Day Principle.¹¹⁵ So a fresh investigation into the biblical basis for the Year-Day Principle is needed. Such a study would make an excellent prequel or sequel to this paper.

I am thinking such a study should begin with an examination of everything Leroy Edwin Froom had to say about the Year-Day Principle. In the course of his near 4000 pages on the development of prophetic interpretation there are hundreds of observations that set a basic outline of how the Year-Day Principle was discovered and developed. A review of the primary sources can sharpen our understanding of the arguments that convinced the advocates of the YDP to adopt that position. A review of the current literature, both positive and negative, could set the context for a fresh look at the biblical evidence.

2) The history related to the rise and the fall of the medieval papacy is less and less well understood in our generation. A fresh look at the historical context for the beginning and ending of the 1260 years should be undertaken by people expert in the history of the early medieval period of Europe and the Europe of the 18th and 19th Centuries. A brief work by Hans Scheidinger and the massive work of lay scholar Edwin de Kock would be two starting points in the direction of this proposal. While I might try my hand at the proposal above, this one would require specialized skill and training in the relevant periods of European history.

3) While biblical and historical work is needed in regard to the Year-Day Principle, it is important to remember that the Adventist pioneers did not approach this topic primarily from an exegesis of the biblical texts, but rather from a broad-based systematic approach that embedded the biblical evidence in an overarching philosophy of history, grounded in God’s foreknowledge, His workings and His predictive capability. The biblical and historical evidence were only a part of that approach. Gaps in one place are filled with information from other places. While such an approach may need tweaking in light of the limitations of listeners in a post-modern environment, it should not be lightly discarded. The evidence of Scripture and history was filtered through a grand, comprehensive scheme that transcended the parts. Theology is not limited to the evidence of Scripture but seeks to understand God’s hand in history and in later revelation.

Conclusion

This paper contains an exegetical overview of the 1260-day texts in the book of Revelation. The exegesis concludes that several aspects of traditional SDA interpretation of these texts can be defended from the text. In recent years, Seventh-day Adventist scholarship on prophetic texts has been largely ignored by mainstream scholarship. But Adventist positions are not as weak as scholarship has sometimes assumed. It may be time for a paradigm shift in the study of Revelation, from a scholarly focus on preterist or futurist views to a fresh exploration of what Revelation might have to say to Christian history as a whole.

Adventists themselves also have much they can learn in this area. The exegetical and theological perspectives of mainstream scholarship can provide fresh windows into aspects of Scripture we may have overlooked in the past.¹¹⁶ A fresh look at history, the Scriptures and theology can re-invigorate a historicist approach with its focus on the Year-Day Principle. I intend to follow up this biblical study with a historical review of the grounds upon which the Year-Day Principle was developed and promoted in the course of Christian history with particular focus from the 18th century through today. Truth has no fear of investigation, it can afford to be fair.