Three and a Half Years
“In the midst of the week, he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease” (Daniel 9:27).
Thus are the 3½ years of our Master’s earthly ministry defined – half of the last, or seventieth week, of the prophecy. Probably all would agree that these are the most important 3½ years for the human race. During this time the very son of God himself graced our planet with the sweet teachings of godliness, and shewed by his life, compassion, and devotion, a reflection of the character of God, and the example for all Christians to pattern their own lives and characters after, ever since.
These 3½ years of Christ’s first advent are represented also in a parallel period commencing the work of Christ’s second advent. The first advent began at Jordan, in the autumn of 29 AD. The second advent began when Michael, our Lord Jesus, “stood up” at the close of the 1335 days of Daniel 12:12 – namely, 1874. As Israel lost their national favor after their crucifixion of Christ, at the end of his 3½ year ministry, so Israel 3½ years into the second advent began to have their fortunes reversed. In the year 1878 the first Jewish colony of modern times, Petah Tikvah, was established. This was in consequence of the Berlin Congress of Nations adopting a treaty to close the Russo-Turkish War. This treaty stipulated that all people of Palestine would have equal rights under the Law. This meant that Jewish people could now purchase and settle land in their former state of Israel, and this they began to do.
THE 3½ YEAR APPENDAGE
This means that the 1335 days of Daniel, closing with 1874, are “extended” as it were, by another 3½ years, the same amount of years as the period of our Lord’s ministry. But if this is the case with the 1335 years, it suggests the question whether its companion prophecies might have a similar extension.
The prophecy of 1335 years is found in the 12th chapter of Daniel. The two time prophecies in the same chapter which precede this are of 1260 years and 1290 years. Is there a similar 3½ year extension in these cases?
As to the 1260 years, yes. Such an appendage is directly referred to in the book of Revelation. Revelation 11:3 says of the 1260 years – “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.” This refers to the difficult days during the Gospel Age when the Old and New Testaments were in “mourning” because of the oppression of the Papal “man of sin.” Now notice what follows.
“And when they shall have finished their testimony” – that is, when the 1260 years of verse three have expired – “the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them” (Revelation 11:7). This beast is not the Papal Beast, but the peoples formerly ruled by Papacy who rose up briefly, during the French Revolution, revolting against Papacy and against the King of France in league with Papacy.
The French Revolution commenced in 1789, and the “reign of terror” was in the year 1793. It was late in that year that France took formal steps to abolish Christianity. Their anger was presumably chiefly against Papacy, but they did not distinguish the good from the bad. When Papacy was vanquished, “headless” by the death of the Pope in 1799, Napoleon refusing to allow the election of a successor, Christianity was in deepest remission, both false and true. So was its standard, the Bible, represented as the “two witnesses.” This would be just at the close of the 1260 years of the scriptures prophesying in sackcloth. So what would happen next?
We might suppose there would follow a triumph of scripture, but it was just the reverse. The two witnesses were killed, and “their dead bodies … lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt … three days and an half” (Revelation 11:8, 9).
Subsequently they would rise again and ascend to heaven. “And after three days and a half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet … and they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them” (Revelation 11:11, 12).
Three and a half years from 1799 – a day for a year – takes us to 1803. That was the year of a concordat between Napoleon and Papacy, on behalf of Italy, which effected a restoration of “Christian” authority.
This was exhibited through an agreement with apostate Christianity, but the effect was toward bad and good alike, not distinguishing. Now it was time for the ascent of the scriptures into greater prominence, and this occurred through the Bible Societies which sprang up in this era of history. This renewed influence of the Scriptures is referred to also in Revelation 10:10, 11, where the “little book” represents the testimony of Scripture.
1290 YEARS
Noting that there is a marker 3½ years following the 1335 years, and following the 1260 years, the question is apparent – is there any such marker 3½ years after the 1290 year prophecy?
The 1290 years take us to 1829, and this is “about” the time of the Miller Movement. Yes, “about” – but not exactly. William Miller himself had studied deeply by this time, but he had neither published nor preached his views publicly. His first preaching would not be until 1831, and his first series of articles would be published in 1832.
Probably the 1829 date points more directly to the stirring of Adventist thought in England. This was the year a series of prophetic studies at Albury Park, England, came to a head. These were convened on the private estate of Henry Drummond, perhaps 50 thoughtful prophetic students contributing to the deliberations. It achieved the following points of consensus.
(1) Christianity will not gradually fade by a universal preaching of the gospel into the Thousand Year Kingdom, but will find her end by verdicts … the visible church and state are destroyed, as once the Jewish state has been destroyed.
(2) At the time when these verdicts will come over Christianity the Jews will be restored in their country.
(3) These verdicts will probably … come … most heavily over that part of the church of God that has been blessed mostly, and therefore bears the greatest responsibility.
(4) After these verdicts the Thousand Year Kingdom commences for the entire human race, even for the unwitting creation.
(5) The Return of the Messiah takes place before the beginning of this Thousand Year Kingdom.
(6) Our blessed Lord will return soon.
These are remarkable conclusions, so much in keeping with the compendium of Present Truth which would emerge in the Harvest period a generation later.
Meanwhile, in America, the activity in the Miller Movement took a step forward. To find a marker 3½ years following 1829, we would look at the year 1833. Was there anything significant about that year, respecting the Adventist movement? There was a marker. Bro. Miller’s early success in preaching about the coming of Christ induced some to formally recognize, and thus facilitate, his preaching. In 1833 he was licensed as a Baptist minister by a local congregation, the Low Hampton Baptist Church (Wikipedia, William Miller).
2520
The 2520 years of Israel’s national punishment point us to the date 1914, widely held among the brethren. But a date a few years later – in 1918 – was also noted. This appeared as a tentative suggestion in a late Watch Tower article in the year 1916. The article is a famous one, titled “The Harvest is Not Ended.” On Reprint page 5951, Bro. Russell made this observation. “Incidentally we remark that some historians put the end of the Jewish Time of Trouble as April 73 AD, which would correspond to April 1918.” On the page preceding that, his brief chart of years also gives the date 73 AD, corresponding to 1918.
That article was published in September, 1916, two years before the close of the Great War. Bro. Russell passed into glory at the close of the following month, October, 1916. Thus he did not live here to see that the date he saw some potential for, did in fact have some meaning. It did not mark the close of the High Calling, or the completion of the Church. But it did mark the close of the Great War, just as the fall of Masada in 73 AD marked the close of the Jewish revolt in the Jewish Age harvest.
Thus all of these prophecies appear to have had a noteworthy “extension” about 3½ years following the ending time of the prophecy itself. In passing, we notice that even the date Miller anticipated for the second advent of Christ – namely 1843 – was followed by a similar marker in 1847. For the latter date was the one anticipated by Joseph Wolf, whose preaching about the approaching second advent of Christ was well known in Asia, as the preaching of Miller was well known in America.
SUMMARY
In each of these cases, the closing date appears to have an “extension” as it were, something of note, related to the original date, which appeared 3½ years later. This period of years is significant because it is the same length of time as the ministry of our Lord Jesus. The period from 1874 to 1878 is a direct parallel to this span. This “extension” of the 1335 year prophecy seems to be matched also by similar periods at the close of the 1260, 1290, and 2520 years of prophecy.
This observation suggests something of order, plan, and precision. This in turn gives us greater confidence that the prophetic periods themselves have been properly applied.
– Bro. David Rice