Six Thousand Years and Beyond . . .
Are We Nearing the
END of this
World?
In Biblical
times it was commonly believed among
the Jews, and early Christians, that God was working
out a 6,000 year plan on this earth. Since
theory of evolution stole the scene, this concept has
become widely rejected and ridiculed. Nevertheless,
doesn't it seem strange that at this precise juncture
in human history, after 6,000 years since the time of
Adam and Eve,
mankind stands poised with the
ability to blow up and blast out of existence all life
on planet Earth? Is
there perhaps something to the
"6000-Year" theory after all?
William F. Dankenbring
God Himself
is the author and creator of "time."
We read in the book of Genesis,
"And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to
divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons,
and for days, and years" (Gen.1:24).
But wait a
minute! Days, weeks, seasons, and years
are NOT "human" measurements of time.
GOD HIMSELF defines a "day" (Genesis 1). "He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his
going down" (Psalm 104:19).
God told
Adam, "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely
die" (Gen.2:17). Adam died at the
ripe old age of 930 years (Gen.5:5). The
"day" in which he died was certainly not the "24 hour" day. But the Word of God also speaks of the
"millennial" day, or the "thousand year day."
In Psalm
90:4, we read: "For a thousand
years in thy sight
are
but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night."
The Apostle Peter's
Commentary
The apostle
Peter seems to have this Scripture in mind when he writes, in the New
Testament, "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that ONE DAY is
with the Lord as a THOUSAND YEARS, and a thousand years as ONE DAY. The Lord is not slack concerning his
promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the
day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night: in the which the
heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned
up" (II Peter 3:8-10).
When the Messiah returns, He will inaugurate a millennial
kingdom lasting one thousand years. As
John wrote, when Messiah comes, the Adversary -- Satan the devil -- will be
bound for one thousand years (Rev.20:1-3).
During that same period, John says, "And I saw thrones, and they
sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them; and I saw the souls of them
that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which
had not worshipped the beast, neither had received his mark upon their
foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and REIGNED WITH CHRIST A
THOUSAND YEARS. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand
years were finished" (Rev.20:4-5).
This
"millennial rest" of 1,000 years is termed a "Sabbath rest"
by Paul in the book of Hebrews. Paul
speaks of this mystery in the 4th chapter of Hebrews, saying:
"Let us therefore fear, lest, a
promise being left us of entering into
his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. . . For he spake
in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise,
And God did rest
the seventh day from all his works. . . . There remains therefor a REST
to the people of God" (Heb.4:1-9).
The Moffatt translation is even
plainer. It says: "There is a sabbath-Rest, then, reserved for the people
of God" (Heb.4:9). Moffat goes on,
"(for once a man enters His rest, he rests from
work just as God did). Let us be eager
then to enter that Rest, lest anyone fall into that same sort of
disobedience" (Heb.4:10).
Clearly,
then, the millennial reign of the Messiah is pictured in Scripture as lasting
one thousand years, and is called a "Sabbath Rest."
Why a
"Sabbath" rest?
Let's
understand this! The Sabbath day,
according to the Word of God, is the seventh day of the week. Almighty God commanded: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it
holy. Six days shalt
thou labor, and do all thy work. But THE
SEVENTH DAY IS THE SABBATH of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work . . ." (Exo.20:8-10).
And in
Deuteronomy, we read: "Keep the
Sabbath day to sanctify it, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee. Six days shalt thou
labor, and do all thy work: But the
seventh day is the SABBATH of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work . . ." (Deut.5:
The pattern
of the seven day week, concluded by a Sabbath day of rest from work, labor, and
toil, is a picture of the Plan of God.
If the Sabbath of rest from "man's works," lasts 1000 years
(Rev.20:4), then it stands to reason that the previous SIX "days"
would equal SIX THOUSAND years in fulfillment!
Thus when
Peter said a "day" with the Lord is as a thousand years,
he was not just joking, or being rhetorical!
Literally a "day" in God's plan is a thousand years, and
therefore a "week" in God's plan is seven thousand years!
The Origin of the Week
Is there any
prophetic significance to the "week," which God established at
Creation?
Let's face
the fact squarely. The "day"
has an astronomical basis -- the day is one diurnal rotation of the earth upon
its axis, every twenty four hours. The
"month" also has an astronomical basis -- it is based on one revolution
of the moon around the earth. Likewise,
the "year" also has a basis in astronomy -- the earth proceeds along
its orbit, the plane of the ecliptic, and completes one revolution around the
sun in what we define as the "year."
But what about the WEEK?
Is there an astronomical basis or derivation for the week?
The answer is
a resounding NO! There is no
astronomical event to explain the creation of the seven day
"week." It is a purely
NON-astronomical creation! Yet it is a
fundamental part of the beliefs of almost every ancient culture, and is the
major time interval given in the Scriptures after the day itself! This fact itself is incredible! The WEEK, then, is of DIVINE revelation!
Therefore,
when the apostle Peter tells us that a "day" is with God as a
thousand years, we should sit up and take notice! This implies that seven days of the week
would equal SEVEN THOUSAND YEARS. And
when we learn from prophecy that the Millennial day of "rest" or
Millennial SABBATH is "one thousand years," literally (Rev.20:4),
then this tells us plainly that the preceding six days equal six thousand
years!
Also, David
tells us, "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it
is past, and as a watch in the night" (Psalm 90:4). Thus the concept of a "day"
equaling a "thousand years" is well founded in Biblical eschatology
and testimony.
Biblical "Hints" of
a 6000 Year Plan
Aside from
this evidence, we have internal Biblical evidence which suggests strongly that
God is indeed working out a 6000 year plan on this earth.
The patriarch
Isaac was a "type" of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Even as he was about to be
"offered" as a sacrifice by his father Abraham, when God stopped him,
and supplied a ram instead (Gen.22:1-14), so God the Father did offer up His
only Son as our sacrificial redeemer (John
Solomon was,
of course, a "type" of the Messianic King who is coming. His bountiful reign was a "type" of
the coming
Also, in the
first two chapters of the Gospel of John, if we count carefully, we see another
picture of the "countdown" to the Kingdom of God and the Marriage of
the Lamb (Rev.19:6-9). John begins his
account [day one], saying, "And this is the record of John, when the Jews
sent priests and Levites from
Another
interesting parallel is the life of Noah.
Noah was 600 years of age when God destroyed the world with the Deluge
(Gen.7:6). Even so, when the world is
6000 years of age, God will once again intervene to destroy the wicked and
usher in the
In II Kings
we read the story of Joash, who was the rightful king
of
"And he was with her [his nurse] hid in
the house of the Lord [a type of heaven]
SIX
YEARS. And Athaliah did
reign over the land. And the SEVENTH
YEAR
Jehoiadah sent and fetched the rulers over hundreds, with
the captains and the
guard, and brought them unto him in the house of the Lord,
and made a covenant
with them . . . and shewed them
the king's son. . . . And he brought forth the
king's son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the
testimony, and they
made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands,
and said, God
save the king" (II Kings 11:3-12).
Notice! After six
years, which represent 6000 years, the king was brought forth to sit on his
rightful throne, and the usurper was put to death (v.16). Even so, Yesua the
Messiah will come to sit on His rightful throne, after 6000 years of rule by
Satan the devil. Satan, too, will be
banished, exiled, and destroyed (Rev.10:1-2, 10; Heb.2:14; Ezek.28:16-19).
The story of
Absalom also has Messianic insights. Absalom, whose name means 'Father of Peace," was a rebel and
adversary against David, a type of Christ (even though Absalom was a son, or
procreation, of David!). The
story begins with a temptor encouraging Amnon, another of David's sons, to seduce and rape his
sister Tamar. This seduction reminds us
of the temptation and fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Amnon, then, is a
type of Adam. Amon
sins, setting in motion a series of events that concludes seven years
later.
Absalom,
Tamar's brother, kills Amnon two years later (II Sam.13:23-29),
and flees for his life to another kingdom, and remains there three years
(vs.37-38). David longs for the
restoration of his son, but Absalom feigns repentance, and when he is allowed
to return to Jerusalem, dwelling there two years, he plots to take over the
kingdom at the beginning of the seventh year (II Sam.14:25-28). Absalom is a type of the Antichrist, or
Anti-Messiah, who will fight Christ at His return to retake His Kingdom. The story ends with Absalom being killed and
David, after fleeing for his life, being restored as King. Again, notice that the story is a seven year
story -- a type of the 7,000 year plan of God, which ends with
Christ overcoming Satan and the rulers of this world.
A final clue
to the 6,000 years of man, followed by the Messianic Kingdom, is found in the
New Testament, the story of the Transfiguration of Yeshua. Notice the account:
"And AFTER SIX DAYS Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother,
and bringeth them up into an high
mountain apart, and was transfigured
before them: and his
face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white
as the light" (Matt.17:1-2).
Here again, six days equals 6,000 years, in typology. At the end of 6,000 years, Jesus Christ will
appear IN HIS GLORY (Matt.24:30; 25:31; Rev.1:13-16;
But sadly,
most church denominations of the mainstream, as well as the Roman Catholic
Church, the Worldwide Church of God, and many others, today, deny and reject
the prophetic significance and symbolism of the "day" equalling a thousand years, and the "week" being
a pattern of God's plan. The vast
majority of professing "Christendom" have
allegorized away the plain, literal, simple teachings of the Word of God,
hiding spiritual truth behind a mountain of allegorical and metaphorical
garbage -- in a "classic snow-job."
And millions have been deceived by this powerful deception!
Notice, for a
moment, what the historic Worldwide Church of God used to teach, on this
crucial, fundamental prophetic subject!
Notice the Ambassador College Bible Correspondence Course,
lesson one, copyrighted in 1954 and 1965.
Beginning on page 11, we read:
"God's Plan"
"The
pattern for GOD's little-understood PLAN is
given in the first two
chapters of Genesis.
It is the WEEK of seven days. As
God originally
set time in motion, He gave man a week of six work days
followed by a
day of rest. In
Hebrews 4:4, 11, the seventh day is also a type of the peace-
ful rest -- a 1000-year rest --
that will follow this present age of human labor
and futile struggle to master the earth.
"Observe
that after Christ's intervention the time of peaceful rest under His
rule is specifically termed 'a thousand years'
(Rev.20:4). Since the last 'day'
of God's 7000-year plan is 1000 years, then the preceding
SIX DAYS WHICH
HE
HAS ALLOTTED FOR MANKIND to WORK out his own ideas would
amount to 6000 years.
And this is exactly what world events today are
prov-
ing. Look about you! This world is crashing to its DOOM!
"Notice
your Bible. Many Bibles are complete
enough to contain chronological
charts showing that human life began on this earth around
4000 years B.C. --
four millenniums before Christ. And almost another 2000 years have elapsed
since -- making nearly 6000 years of human civilization to
date. In other words
the TREND OF WORLD EVENTS is now PROVING we are VERY NEAR
the
time the scriptures reveal CHRIST will RETURN -- when the
probability of
world destruction would become a reality. Six thousand years of human history
are almost complete.
Here, then, is proof -- DOUBLE PROOF -- that CHRIST
IS COMING in our generation!" (emphasis
theirs throughout).
Notice
this! A decade or two or three ago, this
knowledge was literally SHOUTED forth in the pages of the Ambassador College
Bible Correspondence Course! Today,
it has been squelched, squashed, smothered, and BURIED!
The old
Correspondence Course continues:
"The
apostles did not fully understand this PLAN OF GOD when Christ was
yet on earth. They
thought the kingdom would be established in their day --
after only about 4000 years of God's plan had been
completed. But before
they died, the APOSTLES KNEW GOD'S PLAN. Peter said:
'The Lord is
not slack concerning the promise [of Christ's coming] . . .
but is longsuffering'
(II
Peter 3:9). God is patient. He has refrained from intervening in world
affairs for nearly 6000 years. Why?
"Because
He will not intervene until humanity is forced to cry out to God in
utter fear of COSMOCIDE!
"Notice
that this day of Christ's intervention and rule is compared to 'a thousand
years' (Rev.20:4).
Peter also says the same thing -- that a day in
God's plan is as
'a thousand years,' and 'a thousand years' of human
civilization is as one day in
His planned week of seven 1000-year days (II Peter 3:8).
"Peter
knew that CHRIST WOULD COME AFTER SIX ONE-THOUSAND
YEARS
of human struggle and slavery -- that God would send Jesus Christ to
set up His government in the seventh one-thousand years,
which will usher in
a time of rest and peace.
"How
AWE-INSPIRING that in our day-- at the very time the world is threatened
with extinction of life -- 6000 years have ALMOST
ELAPSED! How MARVEL-
OUS
that Jesus Himself said that when we see this taking place HE WOULD
COME
AGAIN!" (Lesson 1, ACBCC, p.11-12, emphasis theirs).
How amazing -- how clear -- how remarkable!
"A Thief in the Night"
This concept
of the 7000-year plan of God was a cornerstone of the teachings of Herbert W.
Armstrong -- and one of the major prophetic TRUTHS which he proclaimed boldly,
showing that we are living in the very TIME OF THE END, the END of this age,
very close to the SECOND COMING of Jesus Christ, the Messiah!
The very
thought that Jesus is coming soon sends chills down my spine; it causes my mind
to ripple with emotion, and our hearts to palpitate with anticipation and
longing. But now the end-time successors
of Herbert W. Armstrong have unceremoniously destroyed this pillar of faith and
foundation of truth. They have dug it
up, uprooted it, pulled it out of the ground, and thrown it on a heap of cord
wood, to be burned and incinerated.
But what does
this truth have to do with us, of this present generation?
Stop and
consider: IF the week is indeed a
"pattern" of God's plan in dealing with mankind, and the
"Sabbath" represents the Millennial Kingdom of the Messiah, then
since careful Biblical chronology shows that the Creation of mankind was about
4004 B.C., then man's "6,000 years" has
come to a smashing CLOSE!
TIME IS NOW
JUST ABOUT UP!
"Closed Up and Sealed
UNTIL"
After the
prophet Daniel had finished writing the words of his prophetic book, God told
him, "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to
the time of the end: many shall run
to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased" (Daniel 12:4). Notice!
These prophecies were to be SEALED up and SHUT UP -- not forever, that
we could not understand them -- but UNTIL A SPECIFIC TIME -- until the
"TIME OF THE END"!
Daniel was
further told, "Go thy way, Daniel; for the words are closed up and
SEALED TILL THE TIME OF THE END.
Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall
do wickedly: and NONE OF THE WICKED SHALL
UNDERSTAND; but the wise shall understand" (Daniel 12:9-10).
Did you get
that fact? The knowledge of the End-Time
prophecies will be closed up and sealed TILL the End Time. Therefore, at the Time of the End, God will
reveal these HIDDEN PROPHECIES, which have been closed up for 2,500 years! God has now begun to do that very thing! But the WICKED will never understand these
things -- ONLY THE WISE and holy and obedient ones will grasp the truth of
these prophecies! The wicked, as God
calls them, will continue in their willful denial of the truth. They will disown prophesy; they will deny
prophecy; they will QUENCH the Spirit of prophecy! They will even FORBID to
prophesy!
As Paul wrote: "Quench
not the Spirit. DESPISE NOT
PROPHESYINGS. Prove all things;
hold fast that which is good" (I Thess.5:19-21).
Unfortunately,
for thousands of God's people, many End-Time religious leaders, including the
leadership of the Worldwide Church of God, have begun to TURN THEIR BACKS on
Bible prophecy, and ridicule it, snort at it, sneer and jeer at it, and hoot
and scorn it derisively.
Will YOU make
the same mistake? Will you follow them
in their pernicious, erroneous ways? As
Peter wrote of these false teachers, "And MANY shall follow their
pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth
shall be evil spoken of. And through
covetousness shall they with FEIGNED WORDS make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth
not" (II Pet.2;2-3).
Jesus' Step-by-Step Prophecy
Jesus'
disciples came to Him and asked Him privately, "When shall these things
be? And what shall be the SIGN of thy
coming, and of the END of the world [Greek aion,
"age"]?" (Matt.24:3).
Jesus warned them first of all to beware of false
prophets and false religious teachers who proclaim heresy
(Matt.24:4-5). He then prophesied wars
and rumors of wars, but said these did not signal the end (verse 6). He even predicted wars, earthquakes, famines
and plagues, but said these were but "the beginning of sorrows"
(verses 7-8).
Jesus then
warned that persecution of true Christians would greatly increase (verses
9-20), and many false prophets and deceivers would rise up (verse 11). This has begun to happen around the world --
with Christians being persecuted vehemently in Turkey, Egypt, India, China,
Moslem countries, and even in "secular" societies like the United
States, and the western world!
Jesus then
announced, "And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax
cold" (verse 12). This has begun to
happen! The world has seen a sharp
increase in violence, lawlessness, and general "immorality" and
iniquity. Riots, looting, arson, murder,
pornography, violence in movies, profanity, and the breakdown of the home and
family -- all are contributing to a world gone berserk and gangs and rioters
running amok! Civil disorder and ethnic
strife and hatred are rapidly increasing.
In the midst
of this, Jesus said, "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in ALL
THE WORLD for a WITNESS unto all nations; and THEN the END will come"
(verse 14). That also has begun to
happen! In the pages of Prophecy
Flash, and via short-wave radio beamed around the world, and via the
Internet, this final message of the coming of God's KINGDOM is being hurled
around the world though the airwaves, phone lines, and the postal service!
Jesus said
that the next thing to look for is "the abomination of desolation"
standing in the Temple of God in Jerusalem (Matt.24:15) -- and when we see that
happening, those in Jerusalem should FLEE to the hills and mountains for safety
(verses 16-20). That final invasion of
Israel and Jerusalem in the Middle East will lead to a captivity and time of
travail lasting 42 months (compare Matt.24:21-22 with Rev.13:4-6, 11:1-2, 12:6,
14).
Notice --
Jesus gave us a specific TIME TABLE of many sequential prophecies, each to be
fulfilled in their proper order, BEFORE and LEADING UP TO HIS SECOND
COMING! After this Great Tribulation,
Jesus foretold great signs in the heavens, followed by the "Day of the
Lord" -- the time He will return in awesome glory and power
(Matt.24:29-31). This will occur at the
seventh or "last" trumpet (I Cor.15:50-51; I Thess.4:14-17;
Rev.11:15).
Isn't this
plain?
Despite all
the current evidence around the world which points to the soon return of the
Messiah, including the threat of nuclear annihilation, biological and chemical
weapons which could also destroy all human life, worldwide pollution,
increasing world disasters, and such like, scoffers refuse to believe. Said the Plain Truth in the July 1992
issue:
"Thus, if there is any prophetic
significance to the year 2000 it is
unknown. Rather than
following UNCERTAIN SPECULATIONS
ABOUT
PROPHECY, we should concern ourselves with following
the sure instructions of Jesus Christ" (emphasis mine).
But wait a minute!
Is it fair to refer to all statements and facts about prophecy of the End
time, as "uncertain prophetic speculations"? Are the words of Jesus Christ, found in
Matthew, Mark, Luke and Revelation all "uncertain prophetic
speculations"?
These are NOT
mere "speculations"! The apostle Peter wrote in these terms:
"We have also a MORE SURE WORD
OF PROPHECY; whereunto
ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a LIGHT that shineth in a dark
place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your
hearts:
"Knowing
this first, that NO prophecy of the scripture is of any private
interpretation. For the prophecy came not
in old time by the will of man,
but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit" (II Pet.
1:19-21).
Prophecy is a
vital and integral part of the Word of God!
It is not something which should be treated lightly, cavalierly, with
disrespect and dishonor. It is vital to
our SALVATION! If it were not so
important, then God would not have inspired 2/3rds of His Word to deal with
prophecy, and 90% of that to apply to the LAST DAYS, the generation alive just
before the return of the Messiah in awesome power and glory to deliver His
people and to save the earth from utter annihilation, destruction, and cosmocide!
Paul wrote,
even commanded, "Never disdain prophetic revelations" (I Thess.5:20, Moffatt), or, "Do not scoff at those who
prophesy" (TLB). Have you become a
scoffer in these last days?
7000 Year Plan Understood by Early
Church!
The knowledge
of God's 7000-year Plan is not a new revelation from God to His Church during
this End-Time age. In fact, this
prophetic knowledge was known and understood by the early
Says the New
Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge:
"The early fathers most commonly
looked for the second advent at the
end of 6000 years of the world's history" (vol.VII, p.376).
The Epistle of Barnabas, written about 200 A.D., actually
expounded on the concept of the 7000-year plan of God, stating that the
"end" would occur at the point of 6000 years from the creation of
mankind. States this ancient document of
the early church period:
"Of the sabbath He speaketh in the
beginning of the creation; 'And God
made the works of his hands in six days, and He ended on the
seventh
day, and rested on it, and He hallowed it.' Give heed, children, what
this meaneth, 'He ended in six
days.' He meaneth
this, that IN SIX
THOUSAND
YEARS THE LORD SHALL BRING ALL THINGS TO
AN
END; for the day with Him signifieth a thousand
years; and this
He
himself beareth me witness, saying, 'Behold, the day
of the Lord shall
be as a THOUSAND YEARS.'
Therefore, children, in six days, that is
IN
SIX THOUSAND YEARS, EVERYTHING SHALL COME TO AN
END. 'And He rested on the seventh day.' This he meaneth;
when His
Son
shall come, and shall abolish the time of the Lawless One, and shall
judge the ungodly, and shall change the sun and the moon and
the stars,
then shall He truly rest on the seventh day" (Epistles
of Barnabus, chap.
15, The Apostolic Fathers, pp.151-152).
Early
Christians expected the age of mankind's self rule to come to an end, to be
replaced by the Messianic Kingdom, after a period of 6,000 years. The "Epistle of Barnabus"
bears eloquent testimony to this historical fact.
Irenaeus, who lived from A.D. 120 to 202, was a disciple of
Polycarp, one of God's true servants in
In his battle
against raging heresies which were inundating the church at that time, Irenaeus wrote his Against Heresies. In book 1, chapter xxviii, 3, we read:
"For in as many days as this world
was made, in so many thousand
years shall it be concluded.
And for this
reason the Scripture says:
'Thus
the heaven and the earth were finished, and all their adornment.
And
God brought to a conclusion upon the sixth day the works that
He
had made; and God rested upon the seventh day from all His works.'
This
is an account of the things formerly created, as also it is a prophecy
of what is to come. For the day of the Lord is as a thousand
years; and
in six days created things were completed: it is evident, therefore, that
they will come to and END at the sixth thousand
year" (Ante-Nicene
Fathers, vol.1, p.557).
But, even
before the time of Christ, the Jews also understood that the Messiah would come
after 6000 years of human history!
Ancient Jews Understood This Truth!
States the Encyclopedia
Britannica, eleventh edition, concerning the Talmud:
"The view most frequently expressed
there . . . is that the Messianic
kingdom will last for one thousand (some said two thousand)
years.
'In
six days God created the world, on the seventh He rested. But a
day of God is equal to a thousand years (Ps.90:4). Hence the WORLD
WILL
LAST FOR SIX THOUSAND YEARS of toil and labor; then
will come one thousand years of Sabbath rest for the people
of God in
the kingdom of the Messiah.'
This idea must have already been very
common in the first century before Christ" ("Millennium," p.459).
Notice that
the concept of a thousand year "Sabbath" following six thousands
years of human toil and labor was "already very common" in the
"first century BEFORE Christ"!
The Jewish Encyclopedia goes even further:
"The Perso-Babylonian
world-year of twelve millenniums, however, was
transformed in Jewish eschatology into a world-week of
seven millenniums
corresponding with the week of Creation.
The verse, 'A thousand years in
thy sight are but as yesterday' (Ps.90:4) having suggested
the idea that the
present world of toil is to be followed by a Sabbatical
millennium, 'the
world to come.' Of
these the six millenniums were again divided, as in
Parsism, into three periods: the first 2000 years devoid of the law; the
next 2000 years under the rule of the law; and the last 2000
years preparing
amid struggles and through catastrophes for the rule of the
Messiah"
("Eschatology,"
The Jewish Encyclopedia, V, p.211).
The Encyclopedia Judaica
quotes a source written about 200 A.D. which declares that the world will exist
for "6000 years, of which the first 2000 will be a period of desolation,
2000 of Torah, and the last 2000 the messianic era"
("Eschatology," Encyclopedia Judaica,
VI).
The Jewish New Testament Commentary
A much more
complete and interesting explanation of this ancient Jewish belief, which long
ante-dated the time of Christ and Peter, is given in the Jewish New
Testament Commentary, by Dr. David H. Stern. In a commentary on II Peter, chapter 3,
dealing with the "day" for a "thousand years" equation, Dr.
Stern writes that this idea "has deep roots in Judaim,
specifically in connection with dating the Messianic Era." He then quotes the Talmud, in tractate
Sanhedrin, as follows:
"Rav Kattina said, 'The world will exist for six thousand years,
then
for one thousand it will be desolate, as it is said,
"The Lord alone will
be exalted in that day"' (Isaiah 2:11). Abaye said, 'It
will be desolate
two thousand, as it is said, "After two days he will
revive us; on the
third day he will raise us up, and we will live in his
sight"' (Hos.6:2).
"It
has been taught in accordance with Rav Kattina, 'Just as every seventh
year is a year of sh'mittah
[letting the land lie fallow], so it is with the world:
one thousand years out of seven are to be fallow -- as
proved by the follow-
ing three texts taken together [in
which the key word is "day"]:
'The Lord
alone will be exalted in that day' (Isaiah 2:11); 'A psalm
and song for the
day of Shabbat' (Psalm 92:1), meaning the day that is
entirely Shabbat;
and, "For a thousand years in your sight are but as
yesterday when it is past"
(Psalm
90:4).
"The
school of Eliyahu teaches: 'THE WORLD EXISTS FOR SIX
THOUSAND
YEARS -- two thousand of them tohu ["void"];
two
thousand, Torah; and two thousand, the era of the MESSIAH. But
because of our numerous iniquities many of these years have
been
lost'" (Sanhedrin 97a-97b).
Notice that
even the seven year Sabbatical cycle points to the truth of a Six Thousand Year
Plan of God. Each series of "six
years" is followed by a seventh year which is a SABBATICAL YEAR -- or year
of release, and rest to the land! (Leviticus 25:1-8).
Notice also
that that the first 2000 years are characterized, by the school of Elijah the
prophet, as years of "tohu" -- that is,
waste, emptiness, confusion and chaos -- or "void." That would be the world prior to Abraham,
including the Flood of Noah's time, from 4004 B.C. to 2004 B.C. The next 2,000
years is the time of the "Torah," or "Law" of God -- from
the time of Abraham, 2004 B.C. to the birth of Jesus Christ in 4 B.C.!
The "Messianic Era," then, runs from 4 B.C. to
1997-98 A.D. -- our time, today!
Yet, because
of the sins of the people, the prophecy states, the Messianic Era itself would
be "delayed." When Christ came
in 4 B.C., and began His ministry in 27 A.D., He -- the Messiah -- was rejected
by His people, and scorned, and crucified -- killed! That was the beginning of the Messianic Era,
when Christ came, and offered Salvation to His people. But since they rejected Him, He returned to
heaven where He sits today, waiting for His people to repent of their sins, and
cry out for Him -- at which point He will return to save them from utter
destruction!
David H.
Stern writes concerning this fateful prophecy:
"According to Jewish tradition, there
were 2,000 years without Torah
--
spiritual tohu -- between
the creation of Adam and the time when
Abraham,
aged 52, began convincing people to worship the one true God.
"The
second 2,000 years supposedly lasted from then until 172 years
after the destruction of the second Temple, that is, until
244 C.E. That
was the year 4000 by the Jewish calendar. But no significant event in
Jewish
history took place then. However, Biblical chronology has a
number of uncertainties, so that not all agree that the
Jewish calendar
accurately dates the biblical beginning of creation. James Ussher, Arch- bishop
of Armagh, Ireland, writing in the 17th century,
placed the creation
according to Genesis at 4004 B.C.E., exactly 4000 years
before Yeshua's
supposed birthdate . . .
"Concerning
the third 2,000 years, a footnote to this passage in the Soncino
English
edition of the Talmud says, 'Messiah will come WITHIN THAT
PERIOD. He should
have come at the beginning of [it]; the DELAY is
due to our SINS.' It should be obvious that the Messiah, who
'should have
come at the beginning' of the last 2,000 year period is in
fact Yeshua, who
did come then. The
delay is not of his coming but of our recognizing him,
and this delay is indeed 'due to our sins.' . . .
"Yet
as Kefa [Peter] points out, there is a delay in his
second coming, and
this is, in a different sense, 'due to our sins': 'The Lord is not slow in keep-
ing his promise . . . on the
contrary, he is patient with you; for it is . . . his
purpose that everyone should turn from his sins,' literally,
'that everyone
should come to repentance' . . . ." (Jewish New
Testament Commentary,
page 763-764).
Notice that the "Jewish Calendar" says this fall
begins the Jewish year 5760 from Creation. This itself
creates confusion in terms of chronology.
The creation date set by the Jewish calendar is 235 years later than the
carefully reconstructed date discovered by Archbishop James Ussher,
of 4004 B.C. The Jewish calendar puts
creation at 3760 B.C.E. This date is
impossible. How could this have
occurred, since the Jews are a very talented, mathematically gifted people? It has been suggested that the Jewish
calendar actually begins with the
time or birth of Enos -- grandson of Adam and Eve
-- who was born 235 years after the creation of Adam (Gen.5:3-6). This fact may indicate or suggest that Adam
and his progeny discovered the secrets of the calendar, and began making
conclusions concerning astronomical timetables, the orbits of planets, and
comets, and the revolution of the earth about the sun, at the time of the birth
of Enos -- thus beginning the calendar from that
point.
Another Ancient Source of Evidence
A friend
alerted me to another astonishing passage found in an ancient manuscript called
"The Book of the Secrets of Enoch."
This book is found in The Lost Books of the Bible and the Forgotten
Books of Eden. We read of its
remarkable discovery and history in its introduction, which goes as follows:
"This new fragment of early
literature came to light through certain
manuscripts which were recently found in Russia and Serbia,
and so
far as is yet known has been preserved only in
Slavonic. Little is known
of its origin except that in its present form it was written
somewhere about
the beginning of the Christian era. Its final editor was a Greek and the
place of its composition Egypt. Its value lies in the
unquestioned influence
which it has exerted on the writers of the New Testament.
Some of the dark
passages of the latter being all but inexplicable without
its aid. . . .
"Here
is a strange dramatization of eternity -- with views on Creation,
Anthropology, and Ethics.
As the world was made in six days, so its
history would be accomplished in 6,000 years (or 6,000,000
years), and
this would be followed by 1,000 years of rest. . . . At its
close would begin
the 8th Eternal Day, when time should be no more" (p. 81).
Now, having read this introduction to this seminal work,
which purporsts to come down to us from among the
extensive writings of the patriarch Enoch, who was a righteous man and who
"walked with God" (Gen.5:22), notice what the author states about the
"plan of God":
"God shows Enoch the age of this
world, its existence seven thousand
years, and the eighth thousand is the end, neither years,
nor months,
nor weeks, nor days.
"And I appointed the eighth day also,
that the eighth day should be the
first-created after my work, and that the first seven revolve
in the form
of the seventh thousand, and at the beginning of the eighth
thousand
there should be a time of not-counting, endless, with
neither years nor
months, nor weeks nor days nor hours" (chapter 33:1,
p.93).
But are we
now on the threshold of the final "seventh day"? Have we come to the conclusion of mankind's
"six days" of human labour and work? Are we now approaching the END of this age,
and the New Age of the Messiah's Rule?
More Prophecies from
Daniel on the
Coming of the Messiah
One of the most powerful proofs that we are indeed living
in the End Time, is
the fact that the nation of Israel has been re-established in the Middle
East. Many prophecies of the second
coming presuppose the existence of a state of Israel existing at the time of
the End (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21).
The Jews did not return to Israel until after the Balfour Declaration in
1917, when General Allenby captured Jerusalem from
the Turkish Empire. The UN voted to
establish a state of Israel in the Middle East in fall of 1947. A state of Israel itself was formed in
1948. In 1967 the Jews recovered the Old
City of Jerusalem along with the Temple Mount, in the "Six Days War."
We know that
when ancient Judah was taken captive by Babylon in 604 B.C., "seven
times" of punishment were to pass over them (Lev.26). As a time is a prophetic year of 360 days,
seven "times" equals 2520 days.
And as each day is a year being fulfilled (Num.14:34; Ezek.4:4-6), this
means 2520 years were to pass, when Judah would be "restored." Counting 2520 years from 604 B.C., we come to
1917 A.D. -- the very exact year when General Allenby
captured Jerusalem and the British opened the gates for the Jews to return to
Palestine!
However, one
half of 2520 is 1260. If we count the
"time, times and half a time" mentioned in Daniel 12:7, as prophetic
years of 360 days each, then we have 1260 days -- one half of 2520 years. Midway between 604 B.C. and 1917 A.D. is
657-58 A.D. That was the year the Muslim
Empire in the Middle East permitted the Rabbinic
colleges to teach the truths of Judaism freely, without restraint, or political
pressure from opponents. From that
benchmark date we count 1260 years to
1917.
But then,
Daniel is told, there is to be "a thousand two hundred and ninety
days" -- that is, an additional 30 days or years (Daniel 12:11). An additional 30 years, added to 1917, brings
us to 1947-48 -- the very year the United Nations voted to create the state of
Israel -- and the very time when modern Israel was BORN!
Daniel
continues, "Blessed is he that waiteth, and
cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days" (verse
12). Here is 1335 days,
or years being fulfilled -- an additional 45 years. If we add 45 years to 1947-48, we come to
1992-93! What occurred then?
Amazingly
enough, in September 1993, fall to fall reckoning, the Oslo Peace process was
established and the Israelis and Palestinians signed the Peace Accords, setting
the framework for establishing "peace" in the Middle East, supposedly
by the year 2000 -- a seven year process!
Could this indeed be one meaning we can derive from this strange
prophecy of the 1335 days?
When Are the 6000 Years Fulfilled?
With these
things in mind, let's backtrack on chronology.
To know when the 6000 years are to end, we must establish when they
begin.
Archbishop Ussher, a brilliant Protestant theologian of the
seventeenth century, studied the chronology of the Bible and concluded Creation
was 4004 B.C. His calculations, if
right, would indicate the 6000 years would be up in the fall of 1997. To be precise, October 23,1997. Of course, the world did not end on that
date, nor did the Messiah come. However,
the stock market took a dive of 560 points on that day. Could that have been a warning of things to
come?
Archbishop Ussher was a great Biblical historian and theologian. He was born in Nicholas Street, Dublin, in
1581 A.D., and was one of the first scholars admitted to Trinity College, at
the tender young age of 13. Ussher believed the Bible was literally true, like other
scholars of his day, and attempted to work out the precise day and time of
Creation, and when we could expect Christ's second coming. He was an expert in Hebrew, Latin and Greek,
and was assisted by one of the largest libraries in all of Western Europe.
Ussher concluded Creation occurred on noon, October 23rd,
4004 B.C. His reasoning was simple: Since history showed Nebuchadnezzar died in
562 B.C., and Biblical chronology showed his death was 3,442 years after
Creation, then Creation had to be 4004 B.C.
3442 plus 562 equals 4004. Simple.
Ussher's scholarship was published in 1650 as The Annals
of the World. Ussher
also deduced that the Temple of Solomon was finished on 2004 B.C., 2000 years
after Creation, and Christ was born 4 B.C., 4000 years from Creation.
Ussher believed, as many did in his time, that the end of
the world or age would occur 6000 years from Creation. His calculations were widely accepted at the
time and were inserted into the margins of many published Bibles of the
Authorized King James Version in 1701.
6000 years
from 4004 B.C. brings us to the year 1997.
However, as we can all see, at this time, the world did not end and
Christ did not return at that date. Why
not? Was Ussher
wrong? Or is there more to the story?
The Plot Thickens -- The Book of
Jubilees
The Jewish
book of Jubilees tells us that the 6,000 years of man's rule should not be
counted from the date of Creation, but implies that we should count from the
date of Adam and Eve's transgression in the garden of
Eden -- when they came under the influence of the serpent, Satan the
devil. This was seven years after
their original creation!
Although
we cannot state with absolute certainly, the indication from Biblical prophecy
and Biblical evidence, is that the 6,000 years from Adam and Eve should be
counted from the time they sinned, and were expelled from the Garden of Eden. That's when the countdown began. The book of Jubilees tells us that this
occurred seven years after their original creation in 4004 B.C. Notice:
"And during the first week of the
first jubilee Adam and his wife had been in the
garden of Eden for SEVEN YEARS tilling and guarding it. And we gave him work
and we were teaching him to do everything which was
appropriate for tilling. And
he was tilling. And
he was naked, but he neither knew it nor was he ashamed. And
he was guarding the garden from the birds and beasts and
cattle and gathering its
fruits and eating.
And he used to set aside the rest for himself and his wife. And what
was being guarded he set aside.
"At
the END OF SEVEN YEARS which he completed there, SEVEN YEARS EXACTLY,
in the second month on the seventeenth day,
the serpent came and drew near to the woman"
(Jubilees
3:15-17).
As we know, Eve and Adam both sinned, were enticed into
transgression, and banished from the Garden.
This occurred most likely, therefore, seven years after their original
creation, in 4004 B.C. -- or in the year 3997 B.C. The seven years of idyllic paradise should
not be counted in the 6,000 years during which mankind has been subject to the "god
of this world," Satan the Adversary (II Cor.4:4, Eph.2:2). Thus we have:
4004 B.C. 6000 years 2003 A.D.
-7 -3997
B.C. +1
3997 B.C. 2003 A.D. 2004
A.D.!!!
Some may wonder why we "add"
a year in the final column, to reach 2004 A.D.
The answer is simple. There is no
year "zero." Therefore, when
counting from B.C. to A.D., we must "add" an extra year for the years
to correspond to reality.
This suggests that the Messiah could
return at the Feast of Trumpets, in the fall of 2004 A.D. -- unless God cuts
short the time (Matt.24:22). But there
is even more to the story!
The Year 2000 in Prophecy!
Interestingly, we note from God's Word
that He placed the heavenly bodies in the sky for a very special purpose. We read in Genesis 1, "And God said, Let
there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the
night; and let them be for SIGNS, and for seasons, and for days, and
years" (Gen.1:14).
A "sign" in Hebrew is owth and means "a signal, as a flag,
beacon, monument, omen, prodigy, evidence." Gesenius'
Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon points out that this word
means "a sign," "a token" (Exo.12:13; Josh.2:12),
"signs and times" (Gen.1:14), i.e., "signs of times." It is
used of a military ensign, a sign of something past, and a sign of something
future, a portent, as well as a sign of anything which cannot be seen.
Thus heavenly bodies, and the periodic
return of comets, and celestial meteor showers, can be, in Biblical terms, a
"heavenly sign"! Yeshua spoke of such signs occurring berore
His return to planet Earth (Matt.24:30-31).
The apostle John also associated them with the coming of "the Day
of the Lord" (Rev.6:12-17). Such
signs are also mentioned as occurring before the day of the Lord in the Tanakh -- the Old Testament Scriptures (Joel 2:30-31; Joel 2:10;
Joel 3:14-16).
What is most interesting is that in the
year 2000 several "heavenly signs" are going to appear in the
heavens. In the year 2000 we will
witness the following conjuctions:
Mars, Jupiter
and Saturn -- will
be in alignment
May 31, 2000
A.D. -- a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn
The Jewish expectation of a Messiah was
connected with a peculiar sidereal conjunction.
According to the well-known Jewish commentator Abarbanel,
in his commentary on the book of Daniel, the Rabbi declared that --
"the conjuction of Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation
Pisces betokened
not only the most important events, but referred especially
to
further argues that, as that conjunction had taken place
three years before
the birth of Moses, which heralded the first deliverance of
also precede the birth of the Messiah, and the final
deliverance of
(quoted in Edersheim's The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, p.211).
Such a conjunction occurred two years before the birth of
Christ. The conjunction of Jupiter and
Saturn in the constellation of Pisces only occurs once in 800 years -- but did
take place three times in the year 747 A.U.C. (in May, October and December),
or two years before Christ's birth. Says Edersheim, "This conjuction is admitted by all astronomers. It was not only extraordinary, but presented
the most brilliant spectacle in the night sky" (p.212).
Do these amazing conjunctions
scheduled for May, 2000, also forecast the SECOND coming of the Messiah to
bring about the Reign of God on the earth?
Another Hidden Prophecy Points the Way
Another
Biblical "SIGN" points to our day as being the "Time of the
End," or the "crisis at the close" (Dan.12:9), or "crisis
at the end" (Dan.12:4, Moffatt translation).
We read in Deuteronomy 32:7, "Remember the days of old, consider the years
of many generations . . ."
Jewish
rabbis believe that the "days of old" are a reference to the
"days of creation." If so,
then there were six days of creation, each day with 24 hours -- or a total of
144 hours. Let's apply these to the
"years of many generations."
Since a "generation" in Scripture is revealed to be 40 years
(Num.14:34), all we need do is multiply 144 X 40 which equals 5,760.
What is so significant about 5760? Just this:
According to the Jewish calendar, the year 5760 begins
What
makes this story even more interesting is the fact that Jewish rabbis began
counting the verses in the Hebrew text of the Torah -- the first five books of
the Bible. According to their simple
count, Deuteronomy 32:7 -- the verse just mentioned -- is the 5,760th verse
in the Bible!
Is this mere "coincidence"?
Could this verse be a prophecy for the
future -- indicatring that the Jewish year of 5760,
which is the Roman year 2000, will be a "year to remember" -- a
"year of consequences" -- a "year of the turning point" in
prophecy? Is this a year that sets apart
"the end of days," the "time of the end"?
According to a thirteenth century
Jewish commentary:
"The 'days of old' are the six days
in which God made the world; and these days
know and are acquainted with all the years of the world, and
all generations up
to this generation to which we ourselves belong" (R.
Abba).
Writes J. R. Church in Prophecy in the News:
"In other words, the six days of
Creation, along with the seventh day wherein
God
rested, represent a heavenly plan in which this present world should last
for seven thousand years -- that man's work will cease at
the end of six-thousand
years , followed by a thousand years of utopian Divine rest.
"It
is astounding that such a statement should appear in a verse that corresponds
to our calendar year 2000.
According to accepted biblical chronologies, 4,000
years transpired from the creation of Adam to the birth of
Christ. There have
been 2,000 years since then.
"Think
of it! We are approaching the conclusion
of 6,000 years of human
history. It is
certainly time for us to consider those six Creation days" ( J.R.
Churc, "The
Days of Old," November 1998, Prophecy in the News, p.13-15).
The Year 5760 in Hebrew Gematria
It should be obvious that the year 5760 in the Jewish
calendar, which corresponds to the year 2000 in our modern Roman calendar, is a
very significant year -- a year of great mystery -- a year of amazing prophetic
fulfillment! Shortly after the beginning
of this fateful year, in December 1999, the Leonid meteor shower is expected to
create a most marvelous, tantalizing spectacle of meteor fireworks in the night
sky -- perhaps the greatest such spectacle in hundreds of years!
But there is even more to the
story. The numbers "5" and
"7" in Hebrew numbers are represented by the letters Tau [t] and Shin [v]. Together, these letters signify "in the
days of," or, "as it was in the days of." The number "60" in Hebrew is
represented by the letter Samech [s]. This letter is shaped like an "O"
in English, with a "hook" on the upper left, and represents an
endless cycle, beginning and recycling at the "hook." It symbolizes the fundamenteal
truth of the Word of God -- the whole Torah of God. The "end" is inwedged
in the beginning, and the beginning in the end.
Thus this letter signifies the end of a cycle and the beginning of a new
cycle -- in other words, a fateful year of TRANSITION!
The
letter Samech means "to support," and
"Divine presence." It can also
mean "to rely on." It reflects
the power of God to support His people -- shows that we can "rely on"
God in time of need. Will the year 5760
be such a year, when we will need to learn to RELY ON GOD AND HIS DIVINE
PRESENCE FOR OUR SUPPORT -- THIS YEAR OF THE BEGINNING OF A NEW "CYCLE"
-- THIS "TRANSITION YEAR"?
The circular shape of Samech also symbolizes a "wedding ring." This emphasizes our Christian-Messianic
relationship with the Bridegrrom, Yeshua
-- our covenantal relationship, as His Bride for all eternity, based on the
"marriage" vows of the Torah, which is our marriage document. In a circle, all points on the perimeter are
equidistant from the center -- Christ.
This illustrates how all of us are equally loved and important before
God -- and He should be the center of our lives. Just as in the Israeli "hora" dance, where the participants all form a circle,
if we all together hold hands, and look to God as our center, our central
focus, we should cling together in perfect harmony, unity, hand in hand and
shoulder to shoulder.
It is also interesting that the Aaronic blessing recited by the priests in the
Thus the "Year of Samech" -- the year 5760 in the Hebrew calendar -- is
pregnant with powerful meanings and symbology! It represents the end and beginning of a
cycle -- and the support and divine presence and blessing of God! Surely, we will need God's help and support
more than ever as we enter this "transitional period" -- the entrance
to Daniel's 70th week -- this onrushing "chamber of horrors" called
the Great Tribulation which separates us from the rest of eternity and the
Kingdom of God!
Jesus Christ foretold,
"And there shall be
SIGNS in the sun, and in the moon, and in the
stars;
and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the
seas
and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and
for
looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for
the
powers of heaven shall be shaken. And
then shall they see the
Son of man coming in a
cloud with power and great glory" (Luke
21:25-27).
Daniel's 2300 Day Prophecy
Another
crucial prophecy proving that this is the END TIME is found in Daniel 8 -- the
mysterious 2300 day prophecy! Daniel is
given a vision of a great goat with one huge horn from the west trampling a two
horned ram in the east alongside a riverbank (Dan.8:
How does this
mysterious prophecy tie together?
History records that Alexander fi5st defeated the huge Persian army at
the river Granicus in 334 B.C., after which all
Truly this
was an earth-shaking, prophecy-fulfilling war!
1967 was, interestingly enough, exactly one Jubilee cycle of 50 years
from 1917. It pinpoints the "time
of the end."
What is the
real significance of this amazing fulfillment of Biblical prophecy? Since this prophecy terminates with the year
1967, that year itself must be a key linchpin in the overall plan of God. It must be extremely significant. Could it be the key pointer that tells us we
are now living in the "time of the end"?
The Messiah, Jesus Christ, told us, "Verily I say unto
you, This generation shall not pass, till all
these things be fulfilled" (Matt.24:34).
What is
"this generation"? He
is talking about the generation that sees these signs of fulfilled prophecy
given in the
In Biblical
language, a "generation" is generally a period of forty years
(Numbers
1967
A.D. = Six Day War
40 years = End-Time Generation
2007
A.D. = Time Limit for End of Age
Could the
year 1967 be the beginning point of this final end-time "generation,"
pointing to the coming of the Messiah as being no later than the year 2007
A.D.?
The
fulfillment of this prophecy shows that we are surely living in the days called
"the birthpangs of the Messiah"!
The Evidence of Rosh
Hashanah
Another
indication or "evidence" that this scenario may indeed be the correct
one is the fact that in God's Holy Day Plan, Rosh Hashanah, the Blowing of
Trumpets, is a warning to the nations and peoples to repent of their sins and
to prepare themselves for judgment. It
occurs 10 days before the "Day of Judgment," Yom Kippur. The intervening ten days, counting from the
beginning of Rosh Hashanah to the ending of Yom Kippur, are known as the
"Days of Repentance" or "Days of Awe."
Since a
"day" can equal a "year" being fulfilled (Num.14:34), in
prophecy, therefore these 10 days can equal ten years!
The year of
1997, the end of 6000 years from Creation, may be the deadline or target date
when God began the final countdown to the Messianic Age -- giving mankind TEN
YEARS to repent of its sins, and return to God's path! Rosh Hashanah, in God's Holy Day sequence, is
the day of "blowing of trumpets" -- the day of calling the people to
repentance of their sins! Thus if 1997
(the end of 6,000 years according to Ussher's
chronology) represents "Rosh Hoshanah," the
call to repentance, for the world, then ten years later brings us once again to
2007 A.D.!
The Hale-Bopp comet appeared in in the sky
in 1997, as a mighty "sign" from God that this age is nearing its
end. Could it not have been a Rosh
Hashanah type "final warning" from God for the world to begin
repenting of its sins, and to prepare for final judgment?
Reconciliation of the Two Scenarios
At this
point, then, we have two scenarios: One
depicts Christ returning at the end of 6,000 years beginning the count from the
expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden of
Eden. This expulsion occurred seven
years after Creation. This could put the
return of the Messiah in 2004 A.D.
The other
scenario puts the time of the end as beginning in 1967, and the "Six Day
War," and lasting 40 years for a "generation." It would end in 2007. Fitting in with this would be calculating the end of the
6,000 years in 1997, as Archbishop Ussher calculated,
from the Creation of man, and counting that as the beginning date of the final
"Ten Days of Awe," or final ten years, leading up to 2007 A.D.
Is it
possible that these two scenarios can both be reconciled? The answer is an emphatic YES! Notice this astounding fact! Our Saviour, Jesus
Christ, had a ministry lasting 3 years, precisely, and then He was crucified in
30 A.D. Jesus' ministry started in 27
A.D., at Passover, and this date was specifically prophesied in Daniel 9:24-27. That is, He was to "come" 69
prophetic "weeks" (or 483 prophetic years) after the decree went
forth to rebuild
How does this
relate to the End Times?
In the next
few years we expect to see the rebuilding of a
re-introduction of sacrifices on the
Just as it
was in the first century, Jesus Christ was crucified in 30 A.D. and 40 years
later -- during one generation -- the
Jesus Himself
said, "Verily, I say unto you, THIS generation shall not pass [the
generation that SEES these things!], till all these things be
fulfilled" (Matt.24:34).
Jesus Christ came as the personification and manifestation
of the
Prior to His
ministry of three years Jesus, qualified to rule this earth and replace Satan
as world ruler, when He defeated him in spiritual battle during 40 days
of fasting in the wilderness (Matt.4:1-11).
Shortly after this event He commenced His three year ministry of
preaching the gospel of the
During His
ministry, Jesus -- Yeshua -- the coming KING of the
But what does
this mean? Jesus at one point in His
ministry was asked by unbelieving Pharisees when the
Yeshua added:
"Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo
there! for behold, the
Jesus told
His disciples that they would one day hope to see the coming of Christ (v.22),
but "ye shall not see it."
Why? Because He did not return in
that generation! They did not
"see" Him again. But He is
coming in OUR generation! And He will be
VISIBLE (Rev.1:7). Every eye will behold
Him, as He descends from heaven like lightning (Luke
What is the
significance, then, of Jesus appearing on earth and preaching, for three years,
after having defeated the devil? During
those three years the
Therefore, it is very possible that in determining the
final "COUNTDOWN" to the coming of the Messiah, and the END of man's
6,000 years of rule under the sway of Satan the devil, we should consider those
three years as not being counted as years of Satan's rule and
domination. Therefore, those three years
would be subtracted from Satan's rule, and ADDED to the end of the 6,000 year
countdown from Adam and Eve's expulsion from
This would in
effect make the final week of seven years of this age, of Daniel's
prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27, to extend from 2001 to 2007 A.D.!
2007 A.D. in Bible Prophecy!
Will Christ
return in 2007 A.D.? Or will He
"finish the work and cut it short in righteousness: because a short work
will the Lord make upon the earth" (Rom.9:28)? Speaking of the last days, the end-time
generation, Jesus said: "And except
those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved [alive]: but for the elect's sake, those days SHALL
BE SHORTENED" (Matt.24:22). Luke 13:32-33).
More and
more, as we approach the end of this age, we see a world careening out ofcontrol, and rapidly coming to a smashing crescendoing CLIMAX!
This new understanding of Biblical chronology would also
imply that the "final week" of Daniel's "70 weeks prophecy"
will begin in 2000 A.D. (Dan.9:24-27).
This "seven years" corresponds to the "time of Jacob's
trouble" (Jeremiah 30:6-8), and the "crisis at the close" spoken
of by Daniel -- a "time of trouble" such as has never been upon the
earth in all its gory,
bloody, sanguinary,
cruel history (Daniel 12:1). It also
corresponds to the "seven times" punishment prophesied in Leviticus
26 and expounded also in Deuteronomy 28.
Remember, a "time" in prophecy refers to a "year" in
fulfillment (compare the 3 1/2 "times" of Dan.7:25, 12:7 and
Rev.13:5, with Rev.11:2-3 and 12:6 and
Therefore,
the last year of this world's "crisis at the close" (Dan.12:4, Moffatt translation) would very likely be from 2006 A.D. to
2007 A.D (either spring to spring or fall to fall reckoning, we don't know for
sure). This means that the prophesied
"Great Tribulation" foretold by all the prophets, and the Messiah
Himself (Matt.24:21-22) will begin very possibly in the MIDST of the final
week, and be the last 3 1/2 years of this age,
from 2003-4 to 2007 A.D. The
final YEAR, 2006-2007, would then be the ultimate and calamitous and awesome
"Day of the Lord" -- the final year of this age of Satan's
dominion! (Zeph.1:14-18; Joel
1:15-20).
Nevertheless,
no matter how we examine it, the indication is that the coming of the Messiah,
Jesus Christ, to put an end to man's hellish inhumanity, is less than ten
years away -- He will most likely come back to Planet Earth within the next
DECADE!
The exact
date of the end of the 6,000 years, of course, is not the crucial thing. Jesus Christ indicated that no one would know
the precise day or hour of His return.
He said, "But of that day and hour knoweth
no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only"
(Matt.24:36). Nevertheless, He did give
us distinct signs to look for! And He
did not say we could not know the approximate date and time of His
return! Certainly, as we see these
events unfold, in the future, and see the "abomination of desolation"
spoken of by Daniel the prophet, that should be firm indication that there are
only "three and one half years left" (see Dan.9:26-27, 12:7 and
Matthew 24:15-16). However, those days
could also be "shortened" (Matt.24:22 and Rom.9:28).
What is the
main lesson these vital End-Time prophecies show us? Simply this:
Despite the cries of the critics and the taunts of scoffers, the
prophecies of Daniel and the Word of God reveal that
OUR
GENERATION -- this present generation --
will be
the FINAL, LAST, END-TIME GENERATION that will
see all these things come to pass, and that will WITNESS
the awesome, spine-tingling return of JESUS CHRIST,
THE
MESSIAH in tremendous power and unimaginable
GLORY!!!
Jesus Himself
said: "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till ALL these
things be fulfilled" (Matt.24:34).
You and I -- those of us of THIS present generation of the Atomic Bomb,
nuclear weapons, biological and chemical weapons of mass destruction -- WE
are the ones living in the Biblical "time of the end" -- the FINAL
generation! The time has come. The Messiah's footsteps are approaching. His coming is near. His heavenly stallion is getting nervous,
chomping at the bit, getting ready for that great ride through the sky
(Rev.19:11-14). The heavenly army is
growing tense with excitement and anticipation.
The time is near -- the moment we are all breathlessly waiting for.
Blessed is He
that comes in the Name of the Lord! Barch haba ha shem Adonai!