This Revelation Timeline Decoded Bible study focuses on the one day equals one year principle that people teach.
Most Pastors teach that one day in prophecy represents one literal day, which causes them to not see the true fulfillment, as many times one day points to one year.
Others, such as Seventh Day Adventists, proclaim that 1 day in prophecy always points to 1 year, and it causes them to not see the true fulfillment of some prophecies.
This page will provide a summary of the fulfillment of prophecies, and the links to more detailed studies.
The 70 weeks of Daniel pointed to 490 years, from 457 B.C. to 34 A.D., so one day represented one year.
70 weeks times 7 days per week results in 490 days. This prophecy could not have been fulfilled in 490 days, as Scripture proclaims that it took the Jews 46 years to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple. (John 2:20).
By that we know that the 490 days is pointing to 490 years, which spanned from the starting point of 457 A.D. until 34 A.D. History proves that Messiah appeared after the 69th week in 27 A.D.
The 1,290 and 1,335 days of Daniel 12 were fulfilled from 66-70 A.D., so one day represented one day.
The Roman army, referred to as the Abomination of Desolation (Luke 21:20), surrounded the Holy City of Jerusalem in 66 A.D.
The Roman army was ready to lay siege to the city when for no explained reason, they left. The Early Church obviously saw this sign and took opportunity to flee to the mountains of Pella, as Messiah had instructed them in the Olivet Discourse.
The majority of Jews stayed in Jerusalem, and the next division of the Roman army, the people of the prince from Daniel 9:26, led by Prince Titus, surrounded Jerusalem.
This led to 1.1 million Jews dying in and around Jerusalem from famine, pestilence, infighting, suicide, crucifixion and by the Roman sword. This was their punishment for rejecting the promised Messiah and delivering Him up to be killed.
Read Daniel 12 Is Not About The Antichrist Or The End Times
The 2,300 days of Daniel 8 pointed to 2,300 days from 171-165 B.C., so one day represented one day.
Seventh Day Adventist teachers say that the 2,300 days of Daniel 8 was 2,300 years, which began at the same time as the 70 weeks of Daniel, in 457 B.C. So based on that they proclaimed that Messiah would return in 1844 A.D. Obviously He did not.
It was fulfilled when Antiochus Epiphanes, the vile person, surrounded Jerusalem with his armies (the abomination of desolation) and killed 10’s of thousands of Jews. They defiled the sanctuary and caused the daily sacrifice to be taken away for 2,300 days (Daniel 8:14). His persecution of the Jews began in 171 B.C. and the temple was cleansed on December 25, 165 B.C., which is 2,300 days.
All of the following prophecies point to 1,260 days, which were fulfilled during the 1,260 years that the Popes reigned in power, from 538-1798 A.D., so one day represented one year.
So it is not referring to 3 1/2 years of Great Tribulation during the end times.
The Little Horn of Daniel 7 who persecuted the saints for “a time and times and the dividing of time.”
After the Roman Empire collapsed, it split into ten civil kingdoms (10 heads). Satan caused the Popes of Rome (the Little Horn) to rise to power, who caused three of the kingdoms to be plucked out.
The period during which the holy city is trodden under foot by the Gentiles for “forty and two months” in Revelation 11.
Revelation 11 describes Martin Luther measuring what the Popes of Rome taught against what the Word of God (the rod of iron) says. He found that the Roman Catholic Church is an apostate Church, a gentile church, who persecuted the holy city (the true church, the bride of Christ) for 1,260 years.
The period during which the Two Witnesses in Revelation 11 prophesy for “thousand two hundred and threescore days.”
The Two Witnesses are the Word of God and the Church of Christ, both of which witnessed that salvation is by faith in the atoning work of Messiah alone, not by the Roman Catholic sacraments; and they both testified that the Popes of Rome are the Little Horn of Daniel, the Son of Perdition of 2 Thessalonians 2 and the antichrist beast of Revelation 13.
The Church of Christ escaping to the wilderness for “a time, and times, and half a time” in Revelation 12.
After Messiah caused the Roman Empire to collapse, Satan empowered the Roman Catholic Church, who sent a flood of people, such as the soldiers of France and Spain, to persecute and kill the saints.
The reign of the sea beast for “forty and two months” in Revelation 13.
The Popes of Rome spoke blasphemous things such as proclaiming to be God and to forgive sins, and they persecuted the saints during the Dark Ages and Inquisition.
So history unveils that these prophecies all point to the same 1,260 year time period of Great Tribulation, from 538-1798 A.D., during which the Popes of Rome were the reigning power in the world.
Read Revelation 13 – Roman Sea Beast
The 10 days of tribulation spoken of by Messiah to the church of Smyrna, was fulfilled during 10 brutal years from 303-312 A.D., when Satan used the Roman Empire to try to wipe out the Early Church, so one day represented one year.
The most terrible, most prolonged persecution in the history of the early church occurred during the Tenth Persecution, as Diocletian sought to root out Christianity from the very face of the earth, from 303-313 A.D.
Revelation 2:10, “Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
The “ten days” of tribulation that Jesus prophetically spoke of were 10 years of the Diocletianic Persecution where so many saints were martyred.
In 312 A.D, Constantine supposedly converted to Christianity, and then in 313 A.D., the Edict of Milan ended the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire.
Read Revelation 2-3 Seven Church Eras
The 5 months of the 5th Trumpet of Revelation 6 represented 150 years of conquest by the Mohammedan army, from 612-762 A.D., so one day represented one year.
The 5th Trumpet represents the Lord using the Arabian (Mohammedan) army against the Western Roman Empire from 612-762 A.D., which is 150 years (5 months = 150 days). They wore turbans (crowns of gold); they had beards (faces of men); they had long hair like women; they wore chain-mail (breast-plates of iron); and they were fierce (teeth of lions). The falling star was Mohammed, the smoke out of Satan’s bottomless pit of lies is the Koran.
Read Revelation 9 – 5th Trumpet
The 6th Trumpet of Revelation 6 represented 391 years of conquest by the Turk army, from 1062-1453 A.D., so one day represented one year.
The 6th Trumpet represents the Lord releasing the Turks to cross over the Euphrates River to conquer 1/3rd of the Roman Empire for 391 years (prepared for the hour and day and month and year, 1 + 30 + 360 = 391) from 1062-1453 A.D., which ended when they used large cannons (out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone) to knock down the thick protective walls of Constantinople.
Read Revelation 9 – 6th Trumpet
So as you can see, one day does not always equal one year.
A great book to read is History Unveils Prophecy by Henry Grattan Guinness, which shows how history proves the fulfillment of prophecy; and thereby proves when one day represents one day, and when it represents one year.
David Nikao Wilcoxson
Related Study: Bible Prophecy Made Easy
Next Revelation Timeline Decoded Study: History Unveils Prophecy
