2.
After Six Days…On The Seventh Day
God
makes the eons through His Son, and His purpose and plan is being fulfilled
through the eons. In Scripture, we discover at least five eons which, we could
say, are wedged between book ends with before
times eonian (1 Corinthians 2.6-8; 2 Timothy 1.9; Titus 1.1-2 CV) in the beginning and the
consummation of the eons (1 Corinthians 10.11; 15.24) at the end. The five
eons added to the before times eonian and
the consummation of the eons yields
the number seven, which refers to spiritual
perfection. Thus, the purpose of the eons reveals the perfection of God in
dealing with mankind and all creation.
There is another way to view
God’s purpose, and that is through the days―1,000-year days. Peter
cautions: But do not let this one fact
escape your notice, beloved, that with
the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day (2 Peter 3.8 NASB). Moses declared: For
a thousand years in Your sight are like
yesterday when it passes by, or as a watch in the night (Psalm 90.4 NASB). To the Lord, a day is like a thousand years.
Scripture indicates that there are
seven 1,000-year days set for our present earth until God makes all new by
ushering in a new day with a new heaven and a new earth. This final day is God’s day, and it is an eighth day, a new beginning, which could
be likened to the eighth day of the seven day Feast of the Tabernacles
(Leviticus 23.33-36).
The
As we begin, it is worthwhile to offer a few comments
about the
It is of some interest to study the past eons, for they
give us a framework for understanding God’s purpose and plan. However, I
believe that the purpose of the eons as referred to by Paul (Ephesians 2.11 CV) refers to the last two eons and not so much to the ones
that precede it. The seventh day is a sabbatical rest in accord with God’s
principle laid down in the beginning of the restoration of the earth, for God
has declared the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46.10).
The seventh day is a day
of renascence, “a revival.” In the Concordant Version, the word renascence is used when Jesus promised
thrones to His disciples.
Yet Jesus said to
them, “Verily, I am saying to you, that you who follow Me, in the renascence whenever the Son of
Mankind should be seated on the throne of His glory, you also shall sit on
twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
In other words, the earth that has existed since the
restoration in Adam’s day will be revived. If we count the earth that existed
before the disruption as the first earth, then the earth restored for Adam’s
race is the second earth. This does not mean that it is an entirely new earth
(i.e., new form, size, composition); but rather, it is a restored or revived
earth. In a sense, the old is revitalized into something beautiful. I liken it
to taking an antique car or furniture and restoring it to its original beauty.
This is what the renascence does. It
is not the coming forth of something that is entirely new. According to what
was revealed to John, this is reserved for the eighth day, which is when God
begins to make all things new (Revelation 21.50). It is a new beginning and a
new creation. The conquering believers of this present eon are forerunners of
this new creation (2 Corinthians 5.17; Galatians 6.16).
The renascence
will not only be about the earth but also about the people of the earth, for in
that day the greatest harvest of people into the kingdom of God will occur as
the conquerors of Christ take the gospel of the kingdom to all the nations to
disciple them in fulfillment of the word of the Lord (Matthew 24.14; 28.18-20).
This harvest will continue throughout the seventh and eighth day.
Now, to add to
our understanding of how God is bringing about His purpose, this chapter is
devoted to the concept of after six days there will be a seventh day, all in
accord with Scripture. It is only part of the picture but an important part.
Few
people in our day seem to teach or stress six days and then the seventh day,
but this does not mean that it is not a truth of Scripture. I believe it is a
truth that was lost early in the history of the ecclesia that the spirit of God
has recovered in some measure in these last days. At the end of the chapter,
references are provided of some who held this view early on, including Barnabas
who worked with Paul.
The
climax of the present eon.
The
cross is the crisis and the victory of the eons, and the death and resurrection
of the Son of God occurred at the midpoint of our present eon, as well as at
the midpoint of all the eons. This was the first advent of Christ that led to
the Pentecostal Age. The world now
awaits the second advent of God’s Son to take the scepter of the kingdom of
this earth, which will usher in the Tabernacles
Age.
I wonder how many of the Lord’s people are truly waiting
for the presence of the Lord or have an expectant hope, desire, longing, even a
hunger to be in the presence of the love of their life. Thank God; there is some
heightened awareness of His return in our generation. As God opens our eyes to
see more clearly, may the presence of the Lord be expected, not just accepted;
may it be preached with passion, not just
mentioned in passing; may it be the
very foundation of hope, not just many things hoped for; may it be the blessed hope, not just a faint hope; may it be relational, not just theological; may it be of the heart, not just of the mind; may it be “Oh Lord, come today!, not just “Yes, He will come one day.”
May the spirit of God
put in your heart a love of the appearing of the Lord! After all, Paul has left
a word for those who love His appearing.
From this time onward there is reserved for me the crown
of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that
day, and not only to me, but also to all
who love the thought of His Appearing. (2 Timothy 4.8 WNT)
The
entire history of this world and man has been and continues to move toward this
one event. Some people believe that history has been molded entirely by the
human race. It is as if man is the driving force of history. Some people look
at past history in the light of today and believe the world has become a
technological marvel of what man can achieve. Some people believe that there is
no limit to what man can accomplish in the years ahead. Some people believe
that the world is heading toward destruction. Still others believe it is
heading toward a utopia where all the world’s problems will be solved. To some
degree, each thought has an element of truth; but none is the correct view of
world history.
Man
might believe that he is in control of the destiny of this world, but he is
not; God is. God alone is the true driving force of all history, both of good
and evil. During some periods of world history, it might have seemed that God
was an absent ruler. But even in the darkest of times, God has ruled in the
kingdom of men because He has been moving toward one mighty climax of the eons
(ages). In His longsuffering, He has been pressing on toward the goal of the
restoration of all, which is centered on the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the Son of the living God, and His return to this earth to reign over the
nations.
According
to the Father’s appointed time, His Son will return to this earth one day to
take the scepter of the kingdom of the heavens to reign over this earth. His kingdom
is a kingdom of righteousness and peace. Righteousness and justice are the
foundation of His throne (Psalm 97.2), and He will rule with a rod of iron (Revelation
19.15), based on God’s divine law. All the enemies of God will begin to be
subjected to God’s King, for He must rule until all His enemies have been put
under His feet, until the last enemy, death, is abolished (1 Corinthians
15.25-26). He will head up or sum up all in heaven and on earth (Ephesians
1.10). All things will be gathered together in Him and He will fill all things
with His life. Christ will be all and in
all (Colossians 3.11). In that day, the Lord shall be King over all the
earth; it shall be—“The Lord is one,”
and His name one (Zechariah 14.9).
God
has been at work for nearly 6,000 years of world history with this in view.
God’s Son will sum up the history of the nations and of man. When He comes to
reign over this earth, He will take this earth from chaos to order, from war to
peace, from lawlessness to law, from unrighteousness to righteousness, from
injustice to justice. At the end of His millennial reign, a new heaven and a
new earth will be brought forth as He ushers in the day of God, the eon of the eons, the beginning of an eighth day
(1 Corinthians 15.27-28; 2 Peter 3.12).
Before
this glorious day arrives, there is one more eon that must come, which is the
millennial reign of Christ. It is the seventh day of world history that brings
to a close the six days or 6,000 years of man. It is when the reign of the heavens begins to truly take root on the earth. It
is the day of sabbatical rest for the earth, and in this rest, people will be
free to learn the ways of God in a way they have never known. God will put His
laws into their minds and write them on their hearts (Hebrews 8.10; 10.16).
What
has God been doing in history? He has been working to restore ruined man and
this earth which is in the bondage of corruption (Romans 8.21) in order to
usher in the day of His Son and bring many sons unto glory (Hebrews 2.10), until
all mankind and creation are brought in. He has been working to restore man to
the very purpose for which He created man—to
be in His image and to have dominion (Genesis 1.26).
According
to God’s word, He is coming and He will
not delay (Hebrews 10.37). How long will it be until God sends His Son back
to this earth to rule? God has appointed
a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has
ordained. He has given assurance of this to
all by raising Him from the dead (Acts 17.31).
We
may not know exactly when our beloved Lord will return, but we can stand on
God’s word that He will come, for the Father has assured all by raising His Son from the dead. Because He was raised from
the dead, we can be absolutely 100% sure that the Righteous One is coming back
to judge and rule the world in righteousness. A day has been appointed.
God
is precise.
God’s
timing is perfect. He does not delay. In fact, God is very precise in what He
does (see Revelation 9.15). Unfortunately, when we study Scripture, we read
with our own understanding and begin to believe that God works in ways similar
to fallen man. The result is that we fail to see that God works in a very
fixed, precise, accurate and deliberate fashion.
God’s
ways are so precise that Scripture is like a mathematical formula based on
God’s divine numbers. His word is so arithmetically accurate that if we want to
know His ways we need to know His numbers. The more one searches for clues of
His ways based on numbers, the more one is left in amazement and awe of God.
Some who have studied this matter in depth have come to the conclusion that the
Bible is so precise mathematically that it proves that only God could have
written it. It is probably safe to state that we have only touched the tip of
the iceberg in understanding and unraveling the mystery of God’s mathematical
formula.
Nevertheless,
there are many numbers we do understand in light of how God is working in
history to bring about His purpose. Some specific numbers are repeated often to
reveal God’s principles in dealing with man. For example, one refers to unity or oneness; two
refers to witness; three refers to resurrection,
divine perfection or completeness; five
refers to human weakness and grace; six
refers to the weakness of man, manifestation of sin and incompleteness; seven refers to the spiritual perfection
or completeness of that which is in view; eight
refers to a new birth, a new creation, a new beginning, the beginning of a new
series; ten refers to ordinal (an order
or series of numbers) perfection or completion of that which is under
discussion, and testimony; twelve
refers to governmental perfection or completeness; forty refers to a period of trial, testing, probation or
chastisement. [1]
[A list of the meaning of numbers is included as Appendix 1 of this book.]
Understanding
God’s meaning to numbers in Scripture is a key that will unlock many truths.
This is a particularly important matter in understanding God’s timing and the
completion of the work that He is doing to bring all things under subjection to
His Son (Hebrews 1.13), and to bring in His kingdom (Matthew 16.27-17.1) and
His appointed times (Leviticus 23.2).
To
further understand God’s purpose and plan, it is helpful to understand the
principle laid down in the very beginning of God’s word. Numbers are critical
in understanding God’s restoration work and in them we discover His principle
of restoration. One number in particular, the number seven, is the key to Scripture. The study of Scripture based on the
number seven is called the septenary arrangement of Scripture. [2]
The
history of the heavens and the earth.
In
the book of Genesis, the book of beginnings, it is recorded that God took this
earth, which was in ruin and chaos because of the disruption and restored it in
six days. The spirit of God hovered over the raging waters and breathed life
into something that was in death and darkness. God spoke light into the earth
and began a work of restoration. On the sixth day, He formed man, Adam, from the
soil of the earth; He commanded man to have dominion over the earth. Man was
created in the image and likeness of God to rule over God’s earth under God’s
sovereignty (Genesis 1.26). When He finished the work of restoring this earth
and creating man, God declared that it was very good (Genesis 1.31). God was
very pleased, and He rested on the seventh day.
Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of
them, were finished. And on the seventh
day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which
He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it
He rested from all His work which God had created and made. This is the history
of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD
God made the earth and the heavens. (Genesis 2.1-4 NKJ)
This
is the history of the heavens and the earth. God set the principle of
restoration in the very beginning when He restored the earth the first time. He
firmly established the pattern for the entire history of the earth, from the
beginning to the end of its restoration. God restored a ruined earth, brought
on by the disruption, in six 24-hour days. On the seventh day, God rested. He
set apart the seventh day and blessed it.
Thus,
in God’s original restoration of this earth, we discover His unchanging
principle in the history of this earth, both then and now. He restores in six
days and He rests on the seventh.
Man’s
day.
Adam,
as the federal head of the new creation, man, was to take dominion over the
earth. He was created to be in the
image and likeness of God and was set in the garden to establish God’s kingdom
on earth. However, God did not intend for Adam or his descendants to take the full
reign over the earth in that day. In fact, it was not God’s intention for man
to take the reign of His kingdom on the earth in the first six 1000-year days
set for mankind. In this respect, we could call these six days Man’s day, for together they stand for
the day of man’s weakness due to death and sin that came in when Adam partook
of the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil when he
was probably 33½ years of age. [3]
To me it is for a very little thing that by you I
may be judged, or by man’s day, but not even myself do
I judge. (1 Corinthians 4.3 YLT)
Man’s day is not an accident; it is in the perfect will of
God who works all things after the counsel of His will (Ephesians 1.11 NASB). Before eonian times, God purposed that man would fail and be given
6,000 years or six days to attempt to rule on earth under the weakness of sin. This
explains why the serpent of old was allowed in the garden and why God Himself
planted the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the midst of the garden.
It surely appears to be a formula for failure. It was! God intended for Adam to
take of the fruit of the tree, so that there would be a need for a second Man,
the last Adam, to bring in the seventh day. Only God’s Son can bring creation
into rest. Consequently….
Through one man sin entered into the world, and
through sin death, and thus death passed
through into all mankind, on which all sinned. (Romans 5.12 CV)
In Adam [first Adam], all
are dying, thus also, in Christ [last
Adam], shall all be vivified [made
alive]. (1 Corinthians 15.22 CV [added by writer])
Death
entered into the picture, and God established one unchangeable principle: death
must precede life, or life comes out of death!
When
Adam sinned and lost the glory of God (Adam became naked) to rule over the
earth, he could not have dominion as God had intended. He was sent forth from
the garden to till the land. A good example of this loss of power to rule is
given to us through the animals. Adam named every animal that God brought
before him. There was no fear on the part of the animals or of Adam. They were
at peace together because they had been given to Adam to rule over.
After
death entered into Adam and his race, this all changed with Noah and the flood.
When he came out of the ark, Noah was given every moving thing as food, but the
Lord put fear of man into every moving thing (Genesis 9.2). Man was no longer
at peace with his world. He could no longer command or rule because he was not
in dominion. Instead, he had to till the land and hunt for his food. Consider
how the animals of the wild respond to man today; except for some domesticated
animals, those creatures in the wild (the bush) do not obey man, but at best,
they act fearful toward man, and at worst, they would just as soon devour man.
All
man can do is try to subdue according to his own strength and knowledge (of
good and evil) in a world that he has been disqualified from subduing. Since
the flood, all that man can do is “be
fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Genesis 9.1). Man cannot effectively “rule over the fish of the
sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth,
and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (Genesis 1.26 NASB). Man tries to rule but overall it is failure.
With
Adam’s transgression, death took hold and the entire human race began its
decline into ruin. Since man was created to have dominion over the earth, the
earth also went into corruption. Paul describes it as the bondage of corruption or slavery
to corruption. In fact, creation was
subjected to futility, not willingly, but because
of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set
free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the
children of God (Romans 8.20-21 NASB). The whole
creation groans in travail, awaiting the day that the sons of God are revealed
and brought into glory. What a day that will be!
Thank
God; He did not destroy man and start over with a new created being. Oh, there
were times that God wanted to start over, particularly in the days of Noah.
And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the
earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
And the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of
the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I
am sorry that I have made them.” (Genesis 6.6-7 NASB)
Noah
found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and mankind was not completely blotted
out, for eight people were saved during the time of judgment of the earth
through the flood. Eight is the
number of a new birth, a new creation, a new beginning. God made a promise: Never again shall the water become a flood
to destroy all flesh (Genesis 9.15). God used the water first to judge the
pre-Adamic world (disruption) and then man. The final judgment of the devil, mankind
and the earth and the heavens associated with this earth will be by fire, both
physical and spiritual (2 Peter 3.10-13; Revelation 20.10, 14, 15; 21.1).
One
day is as a thousand years.
God’s
purpose and plan cannot and will not fail. Following Adam’s fall,
God began a new work of restoration centered on man and brought about through the Man, the Son of God, the last Adam.
God’s plan of restoration is based on His principle of restoration—six days
followed by a seventh day, that is, six days of restoration work and a seventh
day of rest. However, God’s day is no longer a 24-hour day.
In
reference to the history of this earth, the Bible tells us that one day is as a thousand years and a
thousand years as one day (2 Peter 3.8). The order of the words in this
verse is important because they refer to God’s restoration work in the
beginning before the fall of man and
then after the fall. God’s
restoration started with a 24-hour day before
the fall that became a 1,000-year day after
the fall. In other words, God restored an earth in ruin and darkness in six
24-hour days; but when Adam fell in disobedience, God began a new work of
restoration that will last six 1,000-year days. He restored the earth and
brought forth man in six 24-hour days. Now, in six 1,000-year days, He is
restoring man and the earth brought into corruption by man. God has set 6,000
years to do this work. This is Man’s day,
for six is the number of man.
In
the very beginning, God left another proof of this principle of one day. When
Adam was commanded not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he
was told, for in the day you eat from it, to die shall you be dying. (Genesis 2.17 CV). When Adam ate of the tree, death took root and the
process of physical death began. In addition, his spiritual communion with God
was broken, and he was no longer clothed in the glory of God. He became naked.
No man since Adam except the Man,
Jesus, has ever walked in uninterrupted glory. But a fact that is often
overlooked is that Methuselah lived 969 years (Genesis 5.27); the most years
that any man has ever lived on the earth. Man has never lived a full day, a
full 1,000-year day. If Adam had not sinned, man would have come into
uninterrupted glory in the full day. One day is as a thousand years and a
thousand years as one day. For all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3.23).
However,
let us be reminded that it was not in God’s plan for man to live a complete
1,000 years in the beginning.
Praise
God; there is a day coming when a glorified people will live the full
1,000-year day in the millennial reign of Christ. This day is the Eon (Age) of
the Kingdom and Glory—the seventh day.
The
fourth commandments and the jubilee.
The seventh day is of such importance that when the Lord
gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, the fourth one specifically calls to
remembrance the history of the heavens and the earth and the sabbatical rest
of the seventh day. It seems clear that the Lord wants to ensure that we do not
lose sight of the purpose of the eons and, in particular, the seventh day in
which righteousness and justice will begin to rule.
“Remember the
sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six
days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you
shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your
female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days the LORD made the heavens
and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh
day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.”
(Exodus 20.9-11 NASB)
However, there is more to the seventh day, for the Lord
also instituted the jubilee, based on
seven times seven or 49 years, which leads to the 50th year of jubilee.
“You shall sow
your land for six years and gather in its yield, but on the seventh year you shall let it
rest and lie fallow, so that the needy of your people may eat; and
whatever they leave the beast of the field may eat. You are to do the same with
your vineyard and your olive grove.” (Exodus 23.10-11 NASB)
“Speak to the sons of
There is a great deal to
be learned from these verses; however, for the time being, let us take note
that the jubilee points to the consummation of the eons and the fulfillment of
the purpose and plan of the eons. In fact, a grand jubilee will come that will
end God’s day and consummate the
eons.
What we need to see at
this point is the significance of the number seven in reference to the seventh day that is nearly upon us.
The
seventh day—the reign of Christ.
A
seventh day is coming, the millennial kingdom age, when Christ will take the
scepter of the kingdom of the heavens and sit upon the throne of this earth. About
2,000 years ago or 4,000 years from the time of Adam, God sent His Son to this
earth; He took on the form of man and died for the sin of the world to redeem and
reconcile man back to God. Through Him,
God reconciled all to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His
cross; through Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven (Colossians
1.20 NASB).
At
“But as for me, I have installed My King upon
When
Christ appears the second time, His presence will bring in the seventh day or
the last 1,000 years of world history for the second earth. This day is the
millennial reign of Christ.
All
down through history, God has been working to culminate all things in the
triumphant return of Messiah, Jesus, who is the King of kings and Lord of
lords. The One who was despised, rejected, spit upon, marred as no man has been
marred; who had a crown of thorns thrust upon His head, was then hung on a
cross and crucified, and finally was raised from the dead to ascend to the
throne of God is coming back a second time. This time He is coming in glory and
power. He will be wearing many diadems or crowns (Revelation 19.12). He is the
ruler of all in heaven and on earth. In that day, He will end Man’s day and bring in His day, the day when He rules in
righteousness, justice, peace and lovingkindness.
The
writer of Hebrews reminds us that He has spoken in a certain place of the
seventh day in this way: “And God rested
on the seventh day from all His
works” (Hebrews 4.4 NASB). There is a seventh day coming, for there remains
a rest for the people of God (Hebrews 4.9). God’s word is true, and it shall
come to pass whether man knows it or not, even if some of His people believe it
or not.
Again,
God has given us His unchangeable principles through Hebrew Scripture as seen
through the establishment of the Sabbath and the Ten Commandments as given
through Moses to the sons of
“But as for you, speak to the sons of
“It is a
sign between Me and the sons of
The
sabbath that was set as a sign between God and the sons of
Another
sign that we see everyday is contained in the calendar. Time is based on seven
days. This is no coincidence.
It
is interesting that the Lord Jesus said, “Do
not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to
abolish, but to fulfill” (Matthew 5.17). He is the fulfillment of all the
Law, including the Commandments. When He comes, He will end the sixth day and
bring in the seventh day. He will fulfill all the days determined by the
Father.
The
cloud covered it six days, and on the seventh day.
In
Scripture, we discover that the type of the coming seventh day was revealed
when Moses went up on the mountain, which refers to a kingdom, to meet the Lord
and after six days God’s glory appeared. The antitype is found in the account
of the Lord Jesus going up on a mountain and being transfigured in the presence
of Moses, Elijah and three disciples. The antitype reveals that after six days
the Lord of glory Himself will appear in His kingdom and glory.
When
Moses was commanded to go up to the mountain, it is recorded: Then Moses went up into the mountain, and a
cloud covered the mountain. Now the glory of the LORD rested on
After
six days, on the seventh day, the
glory of the Lord appeared to Moses, and he received instruction for
After
six days.
Matthew’s
gospel reveals the antitype of the kingdom and glory when it comes in the
seventh day. When He walked this earth, the Lord Jesus took three of His
disciples up on a high mountain and appeared to them as the Son of Man coming
in glory and in His Kingdom.
“Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing
here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His
kingdom.” Now after six days Jesus
took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by
themselves; and He was transfigured
before them. His face shone like the
sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. And behold, Moses and
Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Then Peter answered and said to
Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three
tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was
still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice
came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased. Hear Him!” (Matthew 16.28; 17.1-5 NKJ)
After
six days, on the seventh day, what
did the disciples see? [4] They
saw the King standing, transfigured in glory. They saw the Son of Man coming in
glory on the seventh day. God’s voice boomed out: “This is My Son!” It is God’s Son who is coming to take the scepter
of the
As
an aside, Luke records the days differently from Matthew, which could lead one
to discount the seventh day, but Scripture never contradicts itself. Instead it
presents a fuller picture of the truth. Luke records that “some eight days
after these sayings” (Luke 9.28). The key to understanding the difference in
the six days verses the eight days is the time period to which each writer
referred. Luke counted his days from the time of “these sayings,” which started
in Luke 9.18. Matthew counted his days starting at the end of these sayings. In
other words, Jesus taught His disciples over a two-day period (Matthew
16.13-28; Luke 9.18-27). Matthew simply counted his days following these
sayings, and Luke counted his days at the beginning of these sayings. Three is a very important number; in the
prophetic Scriptures, relative to the coming of the Lord, the third day and the
seventh day are one and the same. Thus, if we take Luke’s account of two days
for the sayings and consider what these sayings actually reveal, we will see
that they all referred to the Christ
going to the cross, building His ecclesia and finally coming as the Son of Man
in the glory of His Father, ushering in the Kingdom Age or the seventh day.
Prophetically speaking, God has set aside two days or 2,000 years from the cross to glory. Using Luke’s account of the days, we arrive at the same
conclusion as Matthew—after two days, on the third day, the kingdom comes.
This
is the history of the heavens and the earth. Seven thousand years will complete
the history of the second heavens and the second earth. Following these days, a
new, glorious eighth day begins. It is God’s
day when all is new.
Before
moving on, there are other interesting indications in Scripture that point to
God’s appointed time of six days, then the seventh day.
2,000
cubits, perhaps 2,000 years.
Consider
the dimensions of Moses’ tabernacle. The
Another
indication of 2,000 years is given through the account of Joshua taking the
sons of
At the end of three days the officers went through the
midst of the camp; and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark
of the covenant of the LORD your God with the Levitical priests carrying it,
then you shall set out from your place and go after it. However, there shall be
between you and it a distance of about
2,000 cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by
which you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.” (Joshua 3.2-4 NASB)
In other words, there is
a distance of 2 days (1,000-year days) or 2,000 years before the Lord’s people
will enter into the celestial land, which refers to receiving the inheritance
of glorified, immortal bodies in the likeness of the Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ (Philippians 3.20-21). This is the time during which God is taking
from among the nations (gentiles) a people for His name (Acts 15.14 NASB). It truly has been a long journey through the wilderness
for God’s people. May it come to an end soon to the glory of God!
Seventh
month, seventh day.
We
are given another glimpse of the seventh day as revealed through the Lord’s
appointed times given through Moses to the sons of
‘For six days work
may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy
convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the LORD in all
your dwellings. These are the appointed
times of the LORD, holy convocations which you shall proclaim at the times
appointed for them.’ (Leviticus 23.3-4 NASB)
Spiritually speaking,
the Lord reminds all His people that true rest can be found only in Him. The seventh day truly
represents that Christ is our rest. “Come to
Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew
11.28 NASB). Today, we are wearied by the wandering in the
wilderness as we wait for the promise of glorified and immortal bodies in the
image of the Son of God. But the good news is that the seventh day is coming;
it is the day of rest in the Lord.
For He has
said somewhere concerning the seventh day: “AND GOD RESTED ON THE
SEVENTH DAY FROM ALL HIS WORKS”…. (Hebrews 4.4 NASB)
It
seems clear that the Lord stresses over and over again that He has set six days
or 6,000 years for man and a seventh day, a 1,000-year day, for the Lord and
for His creation. We are given glimpses of the Lord’s heart through the words
spoken through Moses to the sons of
They
were given seven appointed times, holy convocations which they were to proclaim
at the times appointed for them. The appointed times were the Lord’s Passover, the Feast
of Unleavened Bread, the Wave of the
Sheaf Offering, the New Grain
Offering (Leavened Bread, Pentecost), the
Blowing of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement and the Feast of the Booths or Tabernacles.
You might recall that
Now,
the fifth appointed time by the Lord was the blowing of trumpets.
Again the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the sons
of
On the first of the seventh month, which according to the
Jewish calendar is the month of Tishri (September-October on our calendar), the
Israelites were to blow trumpets, not only to announce the beginning of a new
month but to prepare the people for the Day of Atonement, which occurred ten
days later. However, the blowing of trumpets also signified the beginning of
the last of the Lord’s dealings with His people for the year that ended with
the Feast of the Tabernacles, which commenced on the fifteenth day of the month
of Tishri.
Notice that this was to be done in the seventh month,
which given the meaning of the number seven,
gives us an indication of the timing of God’s dealings with His people. Perhaps
seven months prophetically speaks of seven days of 1,000-year days. This would
indicate that the blowing of trumpets commences the seventh day, that is, the
millennial
In Scripture, trumpets were blown to assemble the people
to worship, to order the people to break camp to move out and to give alarm in
preparation for battle. The best example of trumpets used in warfare is the history
of Joshua and the sons of
Prophetically speaking, the blowing of trumpets announces
not only the beginning of the day of the
Lord, the seventh day of 1,000 years, but it also announces the first
resurrection (Revelation 20.4-6; also see Matthew 22.29-32; Mark 9.10; Luke
20.34-38; Philippians 3.11; Hebrews 11.35) of the blessed and holy saints of
God, the conquerors of Christ. Paul tells us that the resurrection of the
saints will occur with the trumpet of God (1 Thessalonians 4.16-17), even the
last trumpet (1 Corinthians 15.51-57). The dead in Christ will be the first to
rise from among the dead. This event will not only be a shock to the world but
also to the ecclesia of God that are alive and remain on earth. This will lead
to a time of repentance ten days later, which is the Day of Atonement. The
entire ecclesia will repent for having been so spiritually weak and for so much
failure and error. Then, fifteen days into the seventh day will come the
Tabernacles, which is when all the conquering saints will be glorified as
Christ is glorified. They will be snatched away to meet the Lord in the air and
begin their ministry to the nations and among the celestials. During this time,
the King Himself will be manifest on the earth. Thus, we have six days for
man’s labor followed by the seventh day of rest.
I recognize that this scenario is not how most Christians
view end-time events, especially those who are waiting to escape this world
through the “rapture.” After all, many see the fulfillment of the fall feasts as
pertaining to the ancient nation of
Testimony
of others.
Now,
it is helpful to know that others have seen and held to this matter of six days
followed by the seventh day of rest, that is, we could say, the septenary structure of Scripture. It is
instructive that Barnabas, who traveled with Paul, wrote an epistle in which he
explained the 1,000-year day. Thus, we have an indication that the early Pentecostal
ecclesia held to this view. An expositor of Scripture has compiled a list of
men who have held this view. [5] An
excerpt of this list is presented for
your consideration as you are encouraged to search Scripture and discern under
the leading of the Holy Spirit.
1. Barnabas, the companion
of Paul in his travels. In the 13th chapter of the epistle ascribed to him, we
find the following passage: “God made in six days the works of His hands and He
finished them the seventh day; and He rested the seventh day and hallowed it.
The meaning of it is this: that in six thousand years the Lord will bring all
things to an end, for with Him one day is as a thousand years, as Himself
testifieth; therefore in six days—that is in six thousand years shall all
things be accomplished. And what is this He saith—He rested the seventh day?
He meaneth this, that when His Son shall come and abolish the season of the
wicked one, and shall judge the ungodly, and change sun, moon, and stars, then
He shall gloriously rest on that seventh day.”
Now,
to what does this witness testify? a) That at the end of six thousand years
from the creation of the world, the glorious or Millennial rest will begin. b)
That to inaugurate this period, Christ will come. c) That the wicked will be in
the ascendant, possessing the dominion till Christ does come. d) That at His
coming He will judge the ungodly, dethrone evil, and give the dominion to the
saints. e) That the seven thousandth year of the world will be the beginning of
the Millennium of rest.
2. Papias, our second witness, was a disciple of John, and the companion
of Polycarp. His works have perished, but an extract from them, given by
Eusebius, contains the following: “There will be a certain thousand years after
the resurrection of the dead when Christ will reign corporally [personally]
upon the earth”; and he says, “that what he relates are the very words of the
elders Andrew, Peter, Philip, Thomas, James, John, Matthew, Aristio, and John
the Presbyter, as related by them to those of whom he constantly made the
enquiry”; and he pledges himself to the “truth and fidelity of what he
reports.”
3. Justin Martyr, born ten
years before the death of the apostle John, says, in his dialogue with Tyrpho,
“I, and all that are orthodox Christians, are acquainted with the resurrection
of the body, and the thousand years in
4. Irenaeus was the disciple
of Polycarp, the pupil of John. He wrote, among other things, five books upon
the heresies of his time. Moshiem says that his writings are “the most precious
monuments of ancient erudition.” He says: “In whatever number of days the world
was created, in the same number of thousands of years it will come to its consummation.
God on the sixth day finished His work and rested on the seventh. This is a
history of the past—and a prophecy of the future—for the day of the Lord is as
a thousand years. Irenaeus sealed his testimony with his blood, being beheaded
under Severus, A. D. 202.
5. Cyprian says, “In the
divine arrangement of the world, seven days were first employed, and in them
seven thousand years are included.”
6. Clement of Alexandra, who
wrote between A.D. 193 and 218, says that both Greeks and Hebrews accounted the
seventh day sacred because it pointed to the renovation of all things.
7. Lactantius, A.D. 310, the
“Christian Cicero,” and reckoned one of the most learned of the fathers, says:
“He [God] shall restore the just that have been from the beginning unto life,
and He shall converse among men a thousand years, and rule them with a most
righteous government.”
8. Gibbon, the infidel
historian, speaking of this doctrine of the Millennium says: “The ancient and
popular doctrine of the Millennium was intimately connected with the second
coming of Christ. As the works of the creation had been finished in six days,
their duration in their present state, according to tradition, which was
attributed to the prophet Elijah, was fixed to six thousand years. By the same
analogy it was inferred that this long period of labor and contention would be
succeeded by a joyful Sabbath of a thousand years, and that Christ, with the triumphant
band of His saints and the elect who had escaped death or who had been miraculously
revived, would reign upon the earth.”
9. The celebrated Chillingworth says,
“This doctrine was by the Church of the next age after the Apostles held to be
true, and by none of that age opposed or condemned.” And now let the reader note
well, when and under what circumstances this Apostolic and primitive mode of
receiving and interpreting Scripture began. During these centuries of
persecution, this doctrine of the pre-millennial Advent of the Lord Jesus
Christ had been the church’s fondest hope. This had lit up the darkness of the
dungeon, fired the zeal of the martyrs, and blunted the edge of the
persecutor’s sword. The heathen persecutors recognized this at last, and said,
“It is no use persecuting these men and putting them to death, for they say
they shall rise again from the dead and live and reign with Him they call
Christ, a thousand years upon the earth.’
10. Luther. He believed that
“The great purposes of God’s mercy would reach their consummation at the end of
six thousand years from the creation,” and that the day of judgment was not
much more than three hundred years removed from his time.”
11. Malanethon affirmed that
the “Mohametan Empire and the Papacy would be destroyed about the same time,
not long before the first resurrection; that the world would endure six
thousands in its present state, and then enter upon a Sabbatic Millennium of
rest.”
12. Latimer says, “The world
was ordained to last six thousand years.”
13. The Rabbi Ketina, as
cited in Gemara, or gloss of their Talmud, says, “The world endures six
thousand years, and one thousand it shall be laid waste (that is the enemies of
God shall be destroyed), whereof it is said, ‘the Lord alone shall be exalted
in that day.’”
14. The Jewish Cabbalists taught
the same. The first letter of the Hebrew Alphabet (Aleph) occurs six times in
the first verse of the first chapter of Genesis; and as a numeral in Jewish arithmetic it stands for 1,000, which being six
times repeated in the same verse, they regard as prophetic, or typical of the
six thousand years of secular history as well as the six days of creation.
From
these quotations one cannot help but be impressed with the fact that some
living nearest the Lord and His apostles believed beyond any shadow of a doubt
that history is divided into the two periods of six days of work and a day of
rest. Because the word tells us that “one day is with the Lord as a thousand
years,” the true significance of the days means that God is working with the
world six 1,000-year days, which leads to the seventh day, the day of rest.
Knowing
the signs of the times
The
question arises as to when the six days of man will conclude. The simple answer
is that we do not know.
Obviously,
down through the centuries men have held many views on when the Lord will come
and take the scepter of the kingdom over this earth. Just as many truly thought
the Lord was coming in their day. Starting in the 20th century, there have been
many who have set dates, convinced in their minds that they were absolutely
correct in their conclusion. All of these dates and expectations have come and
gone, and many men have been left embarrassed, with an untold number of
brethren left discouraged.
It
is possible to calculate with some reasonableness the years from Adam to our
present day. Scripture, along with the world’s historical record, gives us a
close proximity to how long it has been since Adam. For example, we know that
roughly from Adam to Abraham was 2,000 years (more like 2,008), and from
Abraham to Christ was 2,000 years. We also know that from
First, perhaps we have misunderstood Scripture regarding
how the day will unfold, and in fact, it has come, and we are in it right now. Is
it possible that we have been misled as to how the seventh day unfolds? What if
the last seven years of Daniel’s 490 years that so many are looking for was
fulfilled at
Second, perhaps it has not come because we are in a time
of transition. Simply, the Lord has
built in transitions between the eons and possibly other times in history. Accordingly,
we have reached the conclusion of the six days as far as the actual years of
world history, as we know them. However, what we do not know is how God views
these years and how many transitions have been built into the six days. We need
to keep in mind that although the Lord works with man in time, He also sees
outside of time. Although He has set six days, He sees those days from His
perspective, not ours. I believe that we are presently in a transition. When
this transition is up, perhaps the seventh day will come. May it be so!
What are we to do? Keep
seeking and searching for the truth! I believe that God is pleased with seekers
of His truth that is yet hidden in His word, and that He will reveal the season
to His servants who are diligently searching and inquiring. After all,
Jesus was critical of the religious elite of
Today, we are often warned by many commentators that we
cannot know the times and the seasons, based on a few Scriptures.
One of the most-often quoted verses is: “It is not for you to know the times or the
seasons which God has put in His own power” (Acts 1.7 CV). The understanding of Jesus’ words rests on the latter
half of the verse, which states that we cannot know those things that God in
His sovereignty has chosen not to reveal to anyone. This does not state that He
never reveals His secrets, even secrets about His appointed times and seasons.
It is simply God’s prerogative what secrets He will reveal and when and to whom
He will reveal them. In fact, Amos reveals another principle of God that seems
to be an absolute truth.
Surely the Lord GOD does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His
servants the prophets. (Amos 3.7 NASB)
Consider the brethren in Thessalonica to whom Paul wrote: Now concerning the times and the eras, brethren, you have no need to be written
to you, for you yourselves are accurately aware that the day of the Lord is as
a thief in the night—thus is it coming! (1 Thessalonians 5.1-2 CV).
The Thessalonian brethren needed encouragement regarding
the times and the eras because of the trial that they were experiencing. They
needed to know something about the times and the eras, so that they could
discern the season they were in and be encouraged to go on in the faith.
Consequently, it seems apparent that for the benefit of
His people, God conceals His secrets from some in certain eras only to reveal
them to others in later eras. For example, it was not God’s will to reveal to
Jesus’ disciples when the kingdom would be restored to
So, to say that His secrets always remain secrets is not
according to Scripture. All one has to do is consider Paul the apostle who was
given much revelation from the Lord, which he referred to as the secrets of
God.
As we press on toward the goal, let us be seekers of the
truth, including knowing the appointed times and seasons, perhaps God will
reveal them to our hearts.
May we have spiritual sight as we wait for the presence of
the Lord, which is in accord with the purpose and plan of the eons!
[1] Number in
Scriptures by E.W. Bullinger, Kregel Publications, 1967; Biblical Mathematics, Keys to Scripture
Numerics by Ed. F. Vallowe, The Olive Press, 1998.
[2] The Study of
Scripture by Arlen L. Chitwood, The Lamp Broadcast, Inc., 2005.
[3] The point is made elsewhere that Man’s day could have started with either
Adam or with Noah. For this discussion, the position is taken that it started
with Adam. We could say that whenever man reigns in sin it is his day.
[4] Since in type glory appeared on the seventh day,
in antitype we can assume that Christ was transfigured on the mountain on the
seventh day as well, even though the account does not specifically reference it
as such. It follows that after the sixth day was the seventh day.
[5] Selected
Writings of A. Edwin Wilson, Schoettle Publishing Co., Inc., 1996.