Meaning of Number Three and a Half
The meaning of 3 1/2 (three and a half) in the Bible is strongly linked to both end time events and Jesus' sacrifice. This number is a testament to the sure words of prophecy.
Appearances of Three and a Half
The phrase "three and a half" appears twice in the Bible.
Then those of the peoples and tribes and languages and nations shall see their bodies three and a half days, for they will not allow their bodies to be put into tombs (Revelation 11:9).
Then after the three and a half days, the spirit of life from God entered into them and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them (Revelation 11:11).
Verses 3 to 13 of Revelation 11 centers on the ministry of the Two Witnesses. After they fearlessly proclaim God's truth for 1,260 days (a hidden number reference to three and one half years) the end time Beast power will be allowed to kill them.
Revelation 11:9 reveals the bodies of the Two Witnesses will be left unburied in Jerusalem as a brutal testament to the unmatched power of Satan's world ruling system. All those who willingly adopted the mark of the Beast will rejoice at their deaths to the point of sending each other gifts (verse 10)!
The Two Witnesses, after their corpses are exposed for three and a half days, will be resurrected back to life by God (Revelation 11:11). They will then ascend to heaven as the very first humans to participate in the first resurrection of the dead in fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy (Matthew 19:30, 20:16, Mark 10:31, Luke 13:30).
Daniel's Hidden References
The prophet Daniel provides two hidden references to the number three and a half.
And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change the set times and the laws. And they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and one-half time (Daniel 7:25).
And 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, saying, "It shall be for a time, times, and a half a time. And when the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things shall be finished." (Daniel 12:7).
The time period of Daniel 7:25 and 12:7 is time (1) + times (2) + half time which is equal to three and a half. Both verses refer to the Great Tribulation period when the end time Beast power will rule the earth.
Revelation's Hidden References
Revelation contains additional hidden references to the number three and a half (3 1/2).
But leave out the court that is within the temple area, and do not measure it because it has been given up to the Gentiles; and they shall trample upon the holy city for forty-two months (Revelation 11:2).
And two wings of a great eagle were given to the woman, so that she might fly to her place in the wilderness, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent (Revelation 12:14).
And a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies was given to him; and authority was given to him to continue for forty-two months (Revelation 13:5).
Forty-two months is the same as a "time, times and half a time" which is the same as three and a half (3 1/2) years. All these refers to the period when Satan the devil will be allowed to rule over all humans and receive worship as a god!
Jesus Cut Off Mid-Week
Daniel 9:27 is part of the famous seventy-weeks prophecy. This verse reveals not only that Jesus would die, thus abolishing the need for a sacrificial system, but also the day of his death.
And he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week. And in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease . . . (Daniel 9:27)
Jesus died "in the midst" or middle of our seven-day week. It was on Wednesday April 5 in 30 A.D. that the Lord was arrested, tried, condemned, tortured and hung on a pole to die like a common criminal.
There is, however, another level to the meaning of this Bible prophecy. The midst or middle point of the number seven is three and a half. This speaks not only to the day of Jesus' crucifixion, but also to the time of his greatest trial as man's Savior.
It was on a Wednesday (day three), when the day was half over (noon), that darkness covered the land (Matthew 27:45). The last three hours of Jesus' life were undoubtedly his most difficult. It was during this period that the Lord became the sin-offering for the world. As such, the Father had to separate himself from Jesus, an act that led the Lord to cry, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" (verse 46). When his sacrifice was complete he gave up his spirit and died (verse 50).