I watched an excellent 19-minute video at prophecyupdate.com titled “Watchman Report: God’s 7,000 Year Plan,” and it inspired this article on the subject.
It can be viewed at https://youtu.be/JaQzallV10U
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In the Bible, the word “week” means seven.
A week of days means 7 days, a week of weeks means 7 weeks, and a week of years means 7 years.
When we see the word “week” in the Bible, we need to determine if it is referring to a week of days (7 days), a week of weeks (7 weeks; 49 days), or a week of years (7 years; 2520 days; see Num. 14:33-34a; Dan. 9:24-27).
The Greek word “Millennium” means 1,000 years.
Milli means 1,000. Annum means years. The Millennium means 1,000 years.
The Jews have a collection of religious writings called the Talmud, and it contains the writings of thousands of Jewish rabbis.
In the Talmud, one of the Jewish rabbis wrote that there will be a 1,000-year period of rest [a Millennium of rest in the world] after 6,000 years of history (Psa. 90:4; II Pet. 3:8; Heb. 4:4-6; Rev. 20:7).
The New Testament teaches that Jesus will come back after the Tribulation Period, Satan will be bound and chained, Jesus will sit on the throne of David in Jerusalem and the world will rest from war, natural disasters, etc., for 1,000 years.
Those that believe this way call this 1,000-year period of rest the “Millennium.”
But notice that the Jewish rabbi said there will be 6,000 years of history plus 1,000 years of rest, for a total of 7,000 years.
In addition to what a Jewish rabbi wrote in the Talmud, at least 3 famous early Christians taught that the world will go through a 7,000-year cycle (6,000 years of history plus a Millennium or 1,000 years of rest).
Barnabus, the companion of the Apostle Paul, taught it in his writings called the Epistle of Barnabus (Chp.15). (Note: the Epistle of Barnabus is different from a fake document called the Gospel of Barnabus).
Irenaeus, a disciple of Polycarp who was a follower of Jesus’ disciple John the Beloved, taught it (see Prophecy in the News; 6/08; p.6).
Justin Martyr, also a disciple of Polycarp, taught it (Prophecy in the News; 6/08; p.6).
To summarize, this teaching appears in the Jewish Talmud, it was taught by the Apostle Paul’s companion Barnabus, and at least two famous early Christians that were considered followers of Jesus’ disciple John.
The Apostle Paul wrote at least 13 books (14 if he wrote the book of Hebrews) in the New Testament, and the disciple John wrote 5, and it is difficult to imagine that their followers would be wrong on this.
But that is not all. In his book Armageddon & the 21st Century, Colin Deal said he found information on this teaching in the ancient books of Enoch and Jubilees (at Enoch 33:1 and Jubilees 4:29-30; End Time Ministry, 1988, pp. 76-77,), and he found it implied in the Epistle of Barnabus (found in the Sinaiticus or Codex Aleph).
The teaching begins with the belief that God created all things in six 24-hour days and rested on the seventh 24-hour day (Bible says created, not evolved).
The teaching rationalizes that there must be a reason why God used six 24-hour days to create everything because God could have spoken everything into existence in the blink of an eye.
The teaching theorizes that God took six 24-hour days to create everything and rested on the seventh 24-hour day because God plans to deal with humanity for six 1,000-year days and rest on the seventh 1,000-year day.
The teaching uses Scripture to equate 24-hour days into 1,000-year days.
First, God told Adam he would die in the day he ate of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gen. 2:17), and all the days of Adam were 930 years (almost 1,000 years; Gen. 5:4-5).
Second, the Bible teaches that one day is with the Lord as 1,000 years (Psa. 90:4; II Pet. 3:8).
Third, the Bible presents the Millennium (1,000 years) as a day of rest (Heb. 4:4-11; Rom. 8:22; see Ex. 20:8-11).
Fourth, the Bible speaks of a 1,000-year period of time when Satan will be bound and chained and the world will rest (Rev. 20:1-9).
To summarize again, the teaching says that God will deal with mankind for 6,000 years (6 God-days or 6 Millennium days), Jesus will come back, and the earth will rest for 1,000 years (1 God-day or 1 Millennium day or 1 sabbath of rest).
Here is where it gets interesting.
First, some scholars say about 2,000 years (2 God-days or 2 Millennium days) passed from Adam to Abraham.
Second, some say about 2,000 years (2 God-days or 2 Millennium days) passed from Abraham to Jesus (probably His ascension).
Third, some say about 2,000 years passed between Jesus and the present.
That is a total of 6,000 years (6 God-days or 6 Millennium days).
This is the point: Because it has been about 6,000 years since the days of Adam, the Second Coming of Jesus and the Millennial Sabbath could be close.
God may have given us more reasons to believe that the seven 24-hour days of Creation in Gen. 1 are pictures of seven Millennium days (7,000 years) of history.
First, God told Moses to select a Passover Lamb without blemish at the beginning of the year on Nisan 10 and to kill it 4 days later in the evening of Nisan 14 (Ex. 12:1-6).
God selected Jesus our Passover Lamb without blemish (I Cor. 5:7) when the world was founded (Rev. 13:8) to be killed 4 days (4 God-days or 4 Millennium days or 4,000 years) later on Passover at evening time (Matt. 26:2; 27:46-50).
Second, Jesus made His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem on Nisan 10 and was killed four 24-hour days later on Nisan 14 (Jn. 12:1, 12; Luke 19:41-44) on the fourth Millennium day of Creation.
Third, God created the sun, moon and stars to provide light in the firmament of heaven and on earth on the fourth 24-hour day (Gen. 1:15).
Jesus came on the fourth Millennium day as the light of the world (John 1:9; 8:12).
Some think the three sources of physical light (sun, moon and stars) reveal three sources of spiritual light (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).
Fourth, without the light that was created on the fourth 24-hour day, all life would perish.
Jesus is life (Jn. 14:6), and without Him giving up His life on the fourth Millennium day, we would perish (I Jn. 5:11-13).
This article is not an effort to set a date (and there are errors in the different calendars), but this teaching is a long-held, Bible-based Church teaching that people should consider because the world is very close to the end of the first six days.
Many believers agree that the Church and the last days (days 5 and 6 of the 6 days that God will deal with humanity) began about 30–33A.D., and the sixth day will end at the Second Coming of Jesus.
Pre-Trib believers believe the Rapture will be at least 7 years (and perhaps more) before the end of the sixth day to allow for the Tribulation Period and perhaps a gap.
Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc.
Daymond & Rachel Duck
duck_daymond@yahoo.com