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This is the period during which the woman is nourished in the wilderness. In
Rev. 12: 6 we read:--
"They should feed her there 1,260 days."
It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that 1,260 days, and a time, times, and a half,
are periods of the same duration.
There is evidence in Scripture of the recognition of a year of 360 days. For example,
it is computed that between the seventeenth day of the second month, and the seventeenth
day of the seventh month is 150 days (Gen. 7: and 8:), a computation which supposes
a month of thirty days. Dividing 1,260 by 30 we have 42 months, or three-and-a-half
years. Now Scripture speaks of a period of 42 months, and places it in such proximity
to that of 1,260 days as to remove all doubt as to the length of the prophetic year:--
"The holy city shall they tread under foot 42 months" (Rev. 11: 2).
"My two witnesses shall prophesy 1,260 days" (Rev. 11: 3).
We have already seen that Rev. 13: speaks of the time when the fourth beast of
Dan. 8: shall be in power; and if Dan. 9: speaks of this same power and period, we
may expect to find here some confirmation:--
"He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (a period of 7 years) and in
the midst of the week (after the period of 3-1/2 years, 42 months, or 1,260 days) he
shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease" (Dan. 9: 27).
"And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and
power was given unto him to continue 42 months" (Rev. 13: 5).
That the Hebrew language can refer to "Sabbaths of years" is shewn in Lev. 25: 8,
where a period of 49 years is also called "seven sabbaths of years, seven times seven
years".
These things furnish sufficient proof that the final week of Dan. 9: is a period of
seven years. And if the last week be a week of years, it follows that the seventy weeks
are also weeks of years, so that the seventy weeks "determined" represent a period of
490 years.
When does the period of 490 years commence?
After revealing to Daniel a prophetic period of 490 years marked off on the divine
calendar, the angel proceeds to divide the number of years up in a rather strange way.
We first learn that during the 490 years the following events are to be fulfilled:--
"To finish transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for
iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, . . . . . and to anoint the most holy"
(Dan. 9: 24).