Time and a half is the pay employees receive when they work over 40 hours during a week. It is a recognition of their hard work and an incentive to put in extra effort.
In the Bible, the period of ‘time, times, and half a time’ describes a persecuting power that will oppress God’s people. But how is this time measured?
Daniel 7:25
Clearly this one is an interpreter (cp Da 7:16, Da 7:21-note) and Keil suggests it may be an angelic interpreter. This interpretation is based on the four beastly Gentile kingdoms followed by the fifth everlasting divine kingdom of God.
The lion symbolizes Babylon; its transformation to a man reflects Nebuchadnezzar’s restoration of sanity; the human mind represents his regaining a sense of responsibility; and the plucked wings are symbolizing loss of power and being transformed into a human state. This is a very powerful image and a very important prophecy for all to consider.
The ten horns suggest that this king will be supreme over the four kingdoms of this world and will try to change times and laws, including changing the day of worship for Christians. This would contradict the New Testament teaching that Jesus is the only true High Priest and God’s Son who has the authority to change the law. It also contradicts the biblical prophets who warn that this will be a terrible end for Israel and all who support it.
Daniel 12:7
The angel continued his time, times and half a time explained of trouble destined for Israel. At that time, Michael, the great prince who protects God’s people (Jude 1:9) will stand up and avenge the Jews. He will be victorious and those whose names are written in the book of life will receive eternal salvation!
Then Daniel looked and saw two others standing, one on this side of the river and the other on that. The two could symbolize nations of Israel or the spiritual and physical houses of the Jews. The fact that there were two suggests contempt.
The angel said to Daniel, “Go, Daniel, for the words are kept secret and sealed until the end times.” Ryrie comments that conceal and seal up do not necessarily mean to hide and keep this book from the world but rather to preserve it so that in the tribulation period it can be used to help people understand what is happening around them.
Revelation 12:6
In Revelation 12 God protects the persecuted church by keeping her safe in the wilderness, the traditional Old Testament place of refuge for the afflicted. This protection lasts 1,260 days, a period that is also described as three and a half years (42 months) in other places in Revelation.
The Woman in Revelation 12 gives birth to a male Child, who is prophesied to rule the nations with a rod of iron. This Child is Jesus Christ, who will return to earth at the end of the Tribulation to establish His kingdom on this planet.
Many interpreters see this passage as a reference to the Rapture of the Church, which will occur prior to the beginning of the Tribulation. However, there are also those who argue that the Woman in Revelation 12 represents Israel, as opposed to the church. If this is the case, then this passage must be interpreted in light of other prophecies relating to Israel and her Messiah.
Revelation 12:14
Satan persecutes the woman and then goes to make war with the “remnant of her seed” (Revelation 12:17). This is a reference to Israel’s true Church, those who keep God’s commandments and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
The woman is able to escape because she is given “two wings of the great eagle” to fly from the serpent’s mouth into her place of safety. The two wings of the eagle are an emblem from the Exodus deliverance and symbolize the protection that God will provide for Israel. The woman will be nourished in her place of safety for a “time, and times, and half a time”–three and a half years.
This is the same period of time mentioned in Daniel 7:25 and Revelation 12. This is because prophetic “times” are actually based on the day-for-a-year principle that we find throughout Scripture (see Leviticus 25:1, Numbers 14:34, Ezekiel 4:4-6). These three and a half years correspond to the period of persecution by the little horn power and the period of protection for the remnant of Israel and God’s true Church.
