The Phrase “Time, Times, and Half Time” as a Limited Period of Trouble and Suffering in the Book of Daniel and the Apocalypse of Saint John
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15633/sts.4183Keywords:
time, persecution, suffering, Book of Daniel, Revelation, eschatology, kairosAbstract
This article presents an analysis of the biblical texts of the Book of Daniel and the Apocalypse of St. John which use the term “time, times and half time.” This expression describes a period of evil forces working against God, when God’s people experience persecution and oppression. In addition, in the book of Revelation, there are equivalent expressions based on the conversion of the above-mentioned expression for a period of three and a half years: „forty-two months” and „one thousand two hundred and sixty days,” as well as the numerically identical period of „three and a half days.” First, the concept of time in Scripture is briefly discussed and Hebrew and Greek terminology concerning time is reviewed. Then, the texts in which the phrase „time, times and half time” appear directly are analyzed (Dn. 7:25; 12:7; Rev 12:14) and places with synonymous terms (Rev 11:2.3; 12:6; 13:5). The summary indicates the main ideas behind the analyzed terms. As a result of this analyzes, it will be shown that the term “time, times and half time” and equivalent expressions that indicate a time interval characterized by suffering and persecution caused by the apparent triumph of evil. This victory, however, is illusory and entirely transitory, limited by the power of God who rules over time and history.
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