Have you ever been confused about all the specific time-frames given to us concerning the final 7 years in the Bible?
I'm going to help you gain a perfectly clear understanding of these time-frames given to us!
At least I'm going to try my best to explain it well enough so that you can see it like I see it.
We have multiple places in the Bible that give us very specific times that things will happen:
Old Testament verbiage: A time is one year, times is two years, and an half or the dividing of time is half a year. So this is 1+2+.5 = 3.5 years.
Take note that the scriptures give us that time frame in several ways; 1260 days, time times and an half, and 42 months. This diversity in the verbiage gives us the proof that it's actually 1260 literal days. It's 3.5 years.
Which of these are referring to the time of the Antichrist?
There are two other places that specify 3.5 years:
So let's look at the timelines where it's very specifically talking about the Antichrist and the 3.5 years that he will reign.
Daniel 7, Daniel 12 and Revelation 13.
Here in Daniel it is specifically talking about how long the Antichrist will be in power.
So here we have 3.5 years exactly.
Here in Revelation it is also specifically talking about how long the Antichrist will be in power.
42 months is exactly 3.5 years.
Daniel 11 gives us a ton of information about the Antichrist, and continues into Daniel 12 where he gives us the time frame of these events.
Dan 12:7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. 8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? 9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand. 11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
So Daniel specifically tells us that this event will happen 3.5 years before "all these things shall be finished". (time (1 year), times (two years) and a half (half a year) = 3.5 years, and 1290 days = 3.53 years)
These things are what Daniel 11 and into Daniel 12 just said. It's the time of the Antichrist who will "come to his end", and "at that time", "there will be a time of trouble such as never was". This "time of trouble" is the same thing Jesus is referring to if we continue reading in Matthew 24:15 when He says "when we see the Abomination of Desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet", Mat 24:21 "then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."
So Daniel and Jesus together specifically say that the beginning of the reign of the Antichrist will be the Abomination of Desolation and that event will start the Great Tribulation, and that it will last for 3.5 years.
Again, the reign of the Antichrist will be 3.5 years.
Now put that together with Daniel 9:27
Daniel 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Daniel 9's prophecy is of 70 weeks of years, and this final week where "he", the Antichrist, confirms the covenant will be the last week (7 years), and in the midst of the week, 3.5 years in, he'll be this abomination of desolation that Jesus mentioned in Matt 24.The event Jesus is referring to in Matthew 24:15 is Daniel 9:27. The Antichrist will confirm the covenant for seven years and will be an abomination to God and will make it (the holy place; the Temple) desolate in the midst of the week.
This is the event that marks the beginning of the reign of the Antichrist, in the midst of that last 7 years.
So, again, we're shown that the reign of the Antichrist will be this 3.5 years.
So far we see that there's a final 7 year period, and that the last 3.5 years, the second half of that 7 year period, is the reign of the Antichrist. We know with absolute certainty that this is so.
The time of Satan's wrath - Rev 12:12
Revelation 12:14 shows a 3.5 year time period which matches the same time period which is the second half of the final 7 years where the Antichrist rules the world.
The Tribulation is the last 3.5 years, as Jesus said...
We've already proven that the time of the Antichrist's rule is 3.5 years after he sits in the temple claiming to be God. So we can know for certain that the tribulation lasts 3.5 years and it's the LAST 3.5 years.
Now let's look at the 1335 days in Daniel 12, and the 2300 days in Daniel 8
First, let's look at the 2300 days
In Daniel 8:13-14 we see that it will be 2300 days for the “vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot” to happen. This part of the vision is Daniel 8:9-12. 2300 days = 6.3 years. The interpretation of this part of the vision is Daniel 8:23-26.
This prophecy timeline is contained within the final 7 years. It's the Antichrist's rise in power and taking over the world. We see the actual rise of the Antichrist and his gathering of power happens for 2.8 years before he sits in the temple claiming to be God (the abomination of desolation), and takes over the world. Then it'll be that 3.5 years of his rule.
So .7 years after the beginning of the final 7 years, approximately 8 months into it, the Antichrist will "stand up" and start executing his plans to take over the world. He will continue to do so for 2.8 years, and at the mid-point of the final 7 years, 3.5 years in, he will sit in the temple claiming to be god and will take over the world. Then he will rule for that 3.5 years that we saw above.This 2300 days is 6.3 years contained within that final 7 years where the Antichrist rises in power and takes over the world, ruling with absolute power for 3.5 years up to the end when Jesus returns and destroys him.
The 1335 days is the 1290 days, plus another 45 days tacked on to the end.
This 45 days is almost certainly representing the time that God will be pouring out His wrath.
This will be after God takes His people out of the world (the Rapture) where He then unleashes His wrath on all those who worshiped the Antichrist and followed him.
It will be immediately after the tribulation, when Jesus appears in the clouds and gathers His elect. He will pour out His wrath while He's still in the clouds, but will finish His descent and touch down on the Mount of Olives at the very end and wipe out the Antichrist and his armies.
The 42 months in Revelation 11:1-2 and 1260 days in Revelation 12:6
Rev 11 - The temple area will be "trodden" down, under foot, by the Gentiles as also shown in Daniel 8.
This is most likely in the first half of the final 7 years where the temple will be rebuilt and the Jews will be performing animal sacrifices in a time of forced peace. This is one place that's not perfectly clear, however, and it could be the same timing as that 3.5 year period which is the time of the rule of the Antichrist, the second half of that final 7 years. It's not absolutely certain which part of the final 7 years this is speaking of, but it's certainly going to happen in the time period of those last years.
Rev 12 - Israel will be protected for the first 3.5 years
This is also most likely in the first half of the final 7 years where Israel will be at peace due to the signing of the treaty.
In Matthew 24, Jesus says for any Jews in the area of Judaea (the West Bank today) to run when they see the abomination of desolation. This is because the Antichrist will cause the sacrifice and oblation (offering) to cease and will begin hunting down and killing Jews and Christians when he takes over the world, and during his reign for 3.5 years. We see in Revelation 12:14 that Israel is protected from destruction and the wrath of Satan for the remaining 3.5 years (the same 3.5 years of the Antichrist's rule).
Some additional information for in-depth study: