The Great Tribulation - the second 3.5 years

Scripture describes this period using three equivalent expressions: 

 

42 months = 1,260 days = time + times + half-a-time

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• "42 months" (Revelation 11:2; 13:5)

• "1,260 days" (Revelation 11:3; 12:6)

• “Time, times and half a time” (Daniel 7:25; 12:7; Revelation 12:14)

 

These all equal 3½ years — the final half of Daniel’s Seventieth Week (cf. Daniel 9:27). This period begins at the midpoint of the seven years and is marked by the unveiling of the final lawless ruler, global persecution, satanic wrath, and the final purifying of Israel before the visible return of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Himself defined this period:

“For then there will be great tribulation, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” — Matthew 24:21–22
 

This is the most intense and unparalleled period of distress in human history — both judicial and redemptive in purpose. "For then" possibly refers to Matthew 24:15 regarding the defilement of the Third Temple by the Anti-Christ.

 

Daniel 9:27 — Is the ‘Covenant’ More Than a Seven-Year Peace Treaty?

This event is confirmed by the prophet Daniel:

 

"He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him." — Daniel 9:27

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Many interpret this as a future seven-year peace treaty. However, the language suggests something deeper than diplomacy.

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• "He" - The Anti-Christ (1 John 2:18-23), ruler who is to come (Daniel 9:26) or the man of lawlessness (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)

• "confirm a covenant" - not a diplomatic phrase like peace treaty. It appears to involve a binding arrangement that affects Israel’s religious function under external authority.

  • The Hebrew phrase does not say the ruler creates a covenant, but that he “makes strong” (higbir) a covenant.

  • The word berit (“covenant”) in Scripture carries theological weight. It describes binding, oath-based relationships — especially those involving Israel and worship. (see Israel's Covenant with YHWH)

  • This covenant with the Gentiles may be connected to the broader "the rebellion" identified in 2 Thessalonians:

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"3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God." — 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4

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• "temple" - Although Daniel does not say Third Temple. The assumption is based on sacrifices that are stopped at the midpoint.  This arrangement must be functioning prior to that moment as this appears to involve Temple access and religious legitimacy, not merely political security.

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Covenant Compromise Pattern

The prophets repeatedly rebuked Israel for trusting foreign alliances instead of trusting YHWH:

 

• “Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help…” (Isaiah 31:1)

• “We have entered into a covenant with death…” (Isaiah 28:15)

• “Ephraim has hired lovers.” (Hosea 8:9)

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Daniel 9 may describe a final repetition of this pattern — a binding arrangement that appears protective but ultimately proves destructive.

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Temple and Messianic Expectation

Scripture associates the Messianic age with Temple restoration (Ezekiel 40–48; Zechariah 6:12–13). Jewish expectation does not teach that building the Temple causes Messiah to appear, but that Messiah builds the Temple. Temple restoration is seen as a sign of redemption — not a ritual that forces it.

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If a powerful ruler were to secure Temple access and sacrificial restoration, such developments could be interpreted by many as the beginning of prophetic fulfillment.

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The False Messiah Motif

Jesus warned:

 

“False messiahs… will deceive many.” (Matthew 24:24)

 

Paul described a future ruler who:

 

“Sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” (2 Thessalonians 2:4)

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If Daniel 9:27 describes a covenant that enables Temple worship, that covenant could become the platform for deception. What begins as stability could culminate in self-exaltation and desecration — the Abomination of Desolation.

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