Are the 1,260 days mentioned in Revelation a reference to the first half or to the second half of the 70th Week?

Ted’s Response:

Revelation 6:1–10:7 is a chronological account (see The Chronology of Revelation) of the 70th Week, from the beginning to the end. Note that this account ends "when the seventh angel is about to sound his trumpet" (10:7). Then John writes,

Then I was told, "You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings" (Revelation 10:11).

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever. ... We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign" (Revelation 11:15,17).

There is another way we know that this is the end of the 70th Week. We can tell by a little study of chronology, concerning the "three woes":

1. the First Woe will occur after the blowing of the Fifth Trumpet (Revelation 9:1a, 9:12a),
2. the Second Woe will occur after the blowing of the Sixth Trumpet (9:12b,13, 11:14a) and
3. the Third Woe will occur after the blowing of the Seventh Trumpet (11:14b,15).

Thus, Revelation 11:1-19 is a restatement, by John, of the second half of the 70th Week, ending with the return of Jesus Christ back to earth. This will be concurrent with (or immediately prior to) the blowing of the Seventh Trumpet. (Incidentally, after describing this, John wrote yet another restatement of the second half of the 70th Week from yet another viewpoint: Revelation 12:1—14:20.)

Those who believe that the 42 months and 1,260 days cited in Revelation 11:2,3 refer to the first half of the 70th Week point to the "two witnesses" prophesying in 11:3. It is a fact that these two witnesses, who will prophesy for 1,260 days, will usher in the appearance of Jesus at the Rapture (see the two witnesses). The erroneous belief, however, is that the two witnesses will begin prophesying, the "Pre-tribulation" Rapture will take place (that is, a catching-up of believers, occurring prior to the beginning of the 70th Week), and then the prophesying of the two witnesses will continue onward to the midpoint of the 70th Week.

The error here is that the Rapture will not occur at the beginning of the 70th Week. Rather, it will take place well into the final seven years, imminently following the cosmic disturbances of the Sixth Seal. For more information about this, read Is the Pre-tribulation view of the Rapture the correct view? and The Rapture.