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Forty-two months: This period is equivalent to three and a half years (42 divided by 12 months). And the Bible was written based on the Jewish calendar where every Jewish ear is of 360 days (30 days for each month). So, three and a half years and forty-two
months are both equal to 1260 days. The reason why we are changing the months to their
equivalent in days is that when God gave time prophecies, He often equated a day for a year: “I have appointed thee each day for a year.” Ezekiel 4:6.
Therefore, the forty-two prophetic months imply a period of 1260 years during which the beast was given, a “mouth speaking great things and blasphemies” and would “make war with the saints…and power was given him …” Rev. 13:5, 7, meaning that during this period the beast would blaspheme, persecute Christians, and have great
authority.
Blasphemy: In the Bible, blasphemy is defined in two ways. The first is when a person claims to be God or His representative: See John 10:33. The beast, this religio-political
power and kingdom, has blasphemed God by pretending to be in the place of God on earth. The second way of committing blasphemy is by granting absolutions (claiming the power to forgive the sins of others): See Mark 2:7.
The beast, this religio-political power and kingdom, has blasphemed God by claiming the right of absolution. No wonder the beast has the “name of blasphemy” and speaks “blasphemy against God”; this is because the beast claims powers that are
the sole prerogative of God. Rev. 13:1, 6.
Nine Key Marks
Having allowed the Bible to unlock the meaning of its own symbols, we can now highlight the nine major identifying