The signification of the time-period of three days and a half claims our attention next. According to the foregoing explanation, it will be seen that the writer applies it as three centuries and a half, or three hundred and fifty years--from A.D. 1530 to A.D. 1880. It will be necessary to adduce strong reasons for thus applying it. In the first place, the time-prophecies of the Bible are by no means confined to the year-day manner of interpretation. Many times in the Old Testament the expression occurs, "And it shall come to pass _in that day_," which expression is admitted by all to have reference to the gospel day, or the entire gospel dispensation. When the church of Philadelphia was promised deliverance from the _hour_ of temptation which was to come upon all the world (chap. 3:10), no one supposes that a short period of only one week is specified. The rulers of the ten kingdoms were to "receive power as kings _one hour_ with the beast" (chap. 17:12), which expression will be shown later to really cover many years. We might point out many such exceptions were it necessary. Again, it was the beast that came up at the expiration of the twelve hundred and sixty years, or Protestantism, that slaughtered the witnesses, and we could not expect their resurrection during the reign of Protestantism, which every one will admit was longer than three and one-half years, according to the year-day application. The events as they have developed prove that it was just three and one-half centuries before Protestantism was entirely ignored and the Spirit and Word recognized as the sole Governors in the church of God. Besides, the general trend of events following the formation of Protestantism naturally divide the succeeding centuries into separate periods. The first (sixteenth) was a fierce conflict for the establishment of Protestantism; the second (seventeenth) was a violent reaction, wherein the church of Rome nearly triumphed over her hated opposers; while the third (eighteenth) is specially noted in history as the period of infidelity or reason. This division of time was so noticable that D'Aubigne, who wrote about A.D. 1835, in his famous History of the Reformation, refers to it in the following remarkable language: "It has been said that the three last centuries, the sixteenth, the seventeenth, and the eighteenth, may be conceived as an immense battle of _three days'_ duration. We willingly adopt this beautiful comparison.... The first day was the battle of God, the second the battle of the priest, the third the battle of Reason. What will be the fourth? [1830-1930] In our opinion, the confused strife, the deadly contest of all these powers together, TO END IN THE VICTORY OF HIM TO WHOM TRIUMPH BELONGS." Book XI, Chap. 9.