What we’re doing here is trying to get some perspective and get some continuity. That’s one thing that we are striving for here in ALL of our discussions, in all of our studying, as we’re talking about various ways to interpret. Whatever we interpret, whatever we are trying to do, must be consistent. Because of the fact that Revelation is written in this apocalyptic language and that there are some difficult sections for us to understand—that there are some things that, perhaps, we just can’t nail down completely—the one thing that we must always do is, be sure that any interpretation is consistent with the Scriptures. We can’t identify something in Revelation that would be inconsistent with something that we would find elsewhere in the Scriptures.

Back to 1 Corinthians, chapter 3, verses 16-17. Paul says, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” This is a very familiar text to us. We refer to this text frequently, and, of course, what Paul has in mind here is that he is speaking about us as individuals—he’s talking about our individual responsibilities to guard, to protect, to care for, and not to defile, the temple of God, which is our body. But what do we, collectively in our individual bodies, make up? Well, we make up the church, don’t we?

Then, let’s look briefly at 2 Corinthians, chapter 6 and verse 16a. “And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God,” Paul says. Once again, this is a reference to us, to our individual selves, as Christians, as children of God, but collectively being the body of Christ, the church.

Also, look at Ephesians, chapter 2 and verses 19-22: “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in Whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in Whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” Well, there it is, isn’t it? WE are all part of, pieces of, the construction that makes up the church.

So, here we see that John has been given this measuring rod, this measuring stick, and he is measuring. He is, for the purpose of preservation, of protection, measuring, defining, outlining, where the children of God are. And what about everything that is outside of that “sanctuary,” if you will? Don’t worry about that. We’re only concerned about those who are inside. They will be preserved; they will be protected. One is impressed here with the fact that God has not forgotten His people in the time of calamity, in the time of difficulty, in any age.

In verse 2, there is a period of time which is mentioned [“And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months,” verse 2b]. He says that the holy city will be trodden underfoot by the Gentiles for forty-two months. This is the same period of time that we’ll see in verse 3 [one thousand two hundred and sixty days] and again in chapter 12, verse 6 [one thousand two hundred and sixty days] and verse 14 [a time and times and half a time—the same period of time]. All of these expressions are the equivalent of 3 ½ years. 3 ½ years is half of seven. Seven is a perfect number, or a complete number. The suggestion is that the 3 ½ represents half of what is complete, what is perfect, if you will. If it were complete, then it would go on; it would be infinite in its nature. But again, it is not perfect, it is not complete. This is a period of time, a figurative, symbolic period of time with a beginning and with an end during which the church will be afflicted.

What does it represent? Well, of course, I told you what one commentator’s interpretation was, that it represented a specific period, a period from the time of the apostasy until the time of the Restoration Movement beginning in the late 1700’s. But…maybe…or maybe not.

What the 3 ½ years represents, like other numbers that we have seen and other numbers that we will see as we go though this study, is a specific period of time—specific in the sense that there is a beginning and there is an end to it, but not specific in the sense that it is exactly forty-two months (1260 days) and that on the one thousand two hundred sixty first day [1261^st day] something else is going to happen, or that after that 3 year and 6 month time, then something else is going to happen. It represents a space of time during which God is going to provide this protection, this special care, and that period of time has gone on, and continues on, even today. It represents the Christian era—the entire Christian dispensation—throughout which time there will be persecution and opposition, a time in which anti-Christian forces will oppose God’s people. In a sense, we are being measured, even today, as we are in that sanctuary, as we are in that protected space, as we are numbered among the 144,000 that have the seal of God on our foreheads.

By the way, this same length of time, this same period of time [the 3 ½ years], is mentioned in Daniel, chapter 7, verse 25 [“He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time(OR For a year, two years and a half year, which is 3 ½ years OR 1260 days, if a year, in this case, is 360 days and half a year is 180 days: 360 + 360 x 2 + 180 = 1260 days, or 3 ½ years).”] and in Daniel, chapter 12, verse 7 [“Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him Who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.”].