And he will speak even words against the Most High, and he will harass continually the holy ones themselves of the Supreme One. And he will intend to change times and law, and they will be given into his hand for a time, and times and half a time.

Daniel 7:23-26.

14. The “time, and times and half a time” are how long?

¹⁴ In Da 7 verse twenty-five where the expression “a time, and times and half a time” appears, The New American Bible (Roman Catholic) reads: “They [the holy ones] shall be handed over to him for a year, two years, and a half-year.” Moffatt’s translation reads: “And for three years and half a year the saints shall be handed over to him.” Similarly, The Complete Bible​—An American Translation reads: “And they shall be handed over to him for a year, two years, and half a year.” Historically, what years were they?

THE ANGLO-AMERICAN DUAL WORLD POWER

15. How did the “small” horn with eyes and mouth come to be?

¹⁵ The “fourth kingdom,” the Roman Empire, broke up into a number of nations, and one outstanding outgrowth from the empire was Great Britain. To establish itself as the mistress of the seven seas Great Britain with its colonies had to prove itself superior to the Spanish, the Dutch and the French naval powers. This was accomplished by the year 1763 C.E., so that then the British Empire became the foretold Seventh World Power of Bible prophecy.

It is the “small” horn that plucked up three other horns (Spanish, Dutch and French naval powers) and that had the eyes of a man and a mouth speaking grandiose things.​—Daniel 7:8.

16, 17. How did those three and a half years culminate in 1918?

¹⁶ It was during World War I, from July 28, 1914, to November 11, 1918, that the “saints” or “holy ones” were handed over to this Seventh World Power to do with as it wanted. It was on April 6, 1917, that the United States of America became involved in that world conflict on the side of the British Empire. Daniel’s prophecy specializes on three and a half lunar years during this World War I as the time when the Seventh World Power, the symbolic “small” horn, crushed the “holy ones” of the Most High God, Jehovah. This culminated in the sentencing to many years of imprisonment in the federal penitentiary at Atlanta, Georgia, of seven falsely accused Christian men who were engaged prominently in publishing world wide the good news of God’s established kingdom by word of mouth and by printed page.

¹⁷ This sentencing occurred on June 21, 1918, and on July 4, 1918, these seven leading promoters of Bible study were taken by train from Brooklyn, New York, to Atlanta, Georgia. This served as a crushing spiritual blow to the then-persecuted International Bible Students, who, now, since the year 1931, are known as Jehovah’s Witnesses.

18. Are the “holy ones” shown as wiped out by the “small” horn?

¹⁸ Daniel’s prophecy does not show that the “holy ones themselves of the Supreme One” were wiped out by harassment from the symbolic “small” horn, the Anglo-American Dual World Power. The Most High God, whose universal sovereignty they stick to and proclaim, is on their side. He will see to it that divine justice is done to them. (Luke 18:7, 8)