God created the heavens and the earth (and every living thing on the planet) in six days. “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them” (Genesis 1:31-2:1). God then rested on the seventh day. “And on the seventh day, God ended his work which he had made, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made” (Genesis 2:2-3).
God set this pattern of six days of work and one day of rest for mankind’s benefit. God didn’t need a day of rest as He doesn’t get tired. He could have also created everything in one day if He wanted to. God knew humans needed work to stay busy, and He also knew they needed to rest for a full day after six days of work. Before any astronomical calendar, be it solar, lunar, or lunisolar, there was the seven-day calendar, the Sabbath week.
When Moses and the children of Israel left Egypt and came to Mt. Sinai, God commanded the Hebrews to remember and keep the Sabbath. “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, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:8-11). This was number four of the ten commandments God gave Moses and the children of Israel.
In Exodus 16, the children of Israel had to be reminded of the law of the Sabbath day, when God sent manna from heaven for the Hebrews to eat. They could only gather manna for six days as God did not rain down manna from heaven on the Sabbath day. The Hebrews had to gather twice as much on the sixth day and bake or boil all of it that day. What remained from the sixth day, they were allowed to keep until the Sabbath day for their daily meal.
“See, for that the Lord hath given you the sabbath, therefore he giveth you on the sixth day the bread of two days; abide ye every man in his place, let no man go out of his place on the seventh day. So the people rested on the seventh day. And the house of Israel called the name thereof Manna: and it was like coriander seed, white; and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey” (Exodus 16:29-31).
The word ‘sabbath’ is derived from the Hebrew root שָׁבַת (shavath), meaning “to cease” or “to rest.” It is a holy day (or year) set apart for rest and worship, commemorating God’s rest after the creation of the world (Genesis 2:2-3). The Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between God and Israel, a reminder of God’s creation and deliverance.
TYPOLOGIES OF THE CREATION WEEK
The Sabbath year or Shemitah year, is first mentioned in Exodus 23:10-11. “And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof: But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner, thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy olive yard.” This law is a typology of the Sabbath week. Instead of the seventh day, this particular Sabbath is the seventh year. The law of the Sabbath year is reiterated in Leviticus 25.
“Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the Lord. Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the Lord: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. That which grows of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: for it is a year of rest unto the land” (Leviticus 25:2-5).
The seventh year was to be a blessing, but the sixth year was as well. God would make sure the sixth year’s harvest was plenteous enough to last for three years. “And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase: Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years. And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat of the old store” (Leviticus 25:20-22). To see how this works, this website has good information and graphs: When Does The Sabbath Year Begin? | TorahTimes.
This pattern of six and one (which, added together, equals seven) is prevalent throughout God’s word. Exodus 21 describes the law or ordinance concerning Hebrew servants. “If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve: and in the seventh he shall go out free for nothing. If he came in by himself, he shall go out by himself: if he were married, then his wife shall go out with him” (Exodus 21:2-3). The Hebrew servant would work for six years, then be set free and rest in the seventh year. The six days of work and one day of rest constitute a God-ordained’ week.’ Six years of work and one year of rest constitute a God-ordained “week of years” for the Jewish people.
At Mt. Sinai, God told Moses to go up the mountain, and He would give Moses the commandments and law on tablets of stone. “And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the Lord abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights” (Exodus 24:15-18). Here, we have another example of the importance of the sixth and seventh days.
In 2 Kings 11, we have the story of how “Jehosheba, the daughter of king Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons which were slain; and they hid him, even him and his nurse, in the bedchamber from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. And he was with her hid in the house of the Lord six years. And Athaliah did reign over the land” (2 Kings 11:2-3). Jehoiada and the loyalist Judeans killed Queen Athaliah in the seventh year and crowned Joash king of Judah. Joash was seven years old when he began to reign. His reign of 40 years began in the seventh year of King Jehu of Israel.
According to 2 Kings 18:10-11, during the sixth year of King Hezekiah of Judah, the King of Assyria took Samaria, Israel’s capital city, and conquered the northern kingdom. In the seventh year of King Hezekiah, the northern kingdom of Israel was no longer a nation, and its citizens were slaves to the Assyrians.
Matthew 17:1-9 gives the account of Jesus taking Peter, James, and John up a mountain where Jesus is transfigured before them. Also, Moses and Elijah appear with him. “And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John, his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him” (Matthew 17:1-3).
This supernatural event occurred six days after Peter answered Jesus’ question about who Jesus was. “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:16-18). Jesus wasn’t saying Peter was the rock, but the truth of his words regarding Jesus being the Christ, the Son of the living God, is what His Church would be built upon.
I believe the transfiguration occurred during the evening when the sixth day turned into the seventh day (“after six days”). This vision is symbolic and prophetic of the millennial kingdom. Jesus will return to the Earth at the end of the sixth millennial day. The seventh millennial day will begin when Jesus establishes His millennial kingdom on Earth. This typology, with the pattern of the numbers 6 and 1 (which, when added together, equals seven, God’s perfect and complete number), is seen throughout Scripture.
THE MILLENIAL DAY THEORY
According to Wikipedia, “The Millennial day theory, or the Sabbath millennium theory, is a theory in Christian eschatology in which the Second Coming of Christ will occur 6,000 years after mankind’s creation, followed by 1,000 years of peace and harmony. It is a widespread belief accepted by certain premillennialists who usually promote young earth creationism.
The view takes the stance that each millennium is like a 24-hour day to God (as found in Psalm 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8) and that at the end of the 6,000 years since the creation, Jesus will return. It teaches that the 7th millennium is called the Sabbath Millennium, in which Jesus will ultimately set up his perfect kingdom and allow his followers to rest. The Sabbath Millennium is believed to be synonymous with the Millennial Reign of Christ found in Revelation 20:1-6.” {1}
According to this ancient theory, just as God created the heavens and the earth in six days and rested on the seventh day (“For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:11), so mankind will toil upon the earth for six thousand years and then rest (in Christ) for one thousand years. This is known as the millennial reign of Christ or the Millennium.
Millennialism is a Christian doctrine based on the Book of Revelation (20:1-7), in which Jesus Christ will establish a kingdom on earth for 1,000 years. The term comes from “millennium” (Latin mille’ one thousand’ and annum ‘year’), which means “one thousand years.”
The Jews also believe in a Messianic Kingdom (although Jesus is not considered the Messiah), which is prophesied throughout the Old Testament. This kingdom is not given a specific duration like the one in Revelation but is said to be eternal (which it is). One of the most famous passages of scripture regarding this kingdom is found in Isaiah 11.
“He shall smite the earth: with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious” (Isaiah 11:4-10).
To employ the Millennial Day theory, one must first calculate when creation began. This is no easy task. As Bible-believing Christians, the only reference we have is the Bible itself. Various Bible scholars throughout the ages have researched the various genealogies and scriptures within the Bible, and the results for the creation date are varied indeed.
“Many of the earliest Christian scholars used the Septuagint version of the Old Testament to calculate the date for creation, so they reckoned it occurred around 5500 BC. Christians up to the Middle Ages continued to use this rough estimate: Clement of Alexandria (5592 BC), Theophilus of Antioch (5529 BC), Sextus Julius Africanus (5501 BC), Hippolytus of Rome (5500 BC), Gregory of Tours (5500 BC), Maximus the Confessor (5493 BC, Panodorus of Alexandria (5493 BC), George Syncelius (5492 BC), Sulpicius Severus (5469 BC) and Isidore of Seville (5336 BC). The Byzantine calendar has traditionally dated the creation of the world to September 1, 5509 BC.
The Chronicon of Eusebius (early 4th century) dated creation to 5228 BC, while Jerome dated creation to 5199 BC. Bede (673-735 AD) was one of the first to break away from the standard Septuagint date for the creation, and his work De Temporibus (On Time), which he completed in 703 AD, dated the creation to March 18, 3952 BC, but was accused of heresy at the table of Bishop Wilfrid because his chronology was contrary to accepted calculations of around 5500 BC.
After the Masoretic Text was published, however, dating creation around 4000 BC became common and was received with wide support. Proposed calculations of the date of creation using the Masoretic text from the 10th century to the 18th century include: Marianus Scotus (4192 BC), Henry Fynes Clinton (4138 BC), Henri Spondanus (4051 BC), Benedict Pereirs (4021 BC), Louis Cappei (4005 BC), Augustin Calmet (40002 BC), Isaac Newton (4000 BC), Petavius (3984 BC), Theodore Bibliander (3980 BC), Johannes Kepler (April 27, 3977 BC, Heinrich Bunting (3968 BC), Christen Sorensen Longomontanus (3966 BC), Melanchthon (3964 BC), Martin Luther (3961 BC), Joseph Justus Scaliger (3949 BC), Christoph Helvig (3947 BC), Gerardus Mercator (3928 BC), Matthieu Brouard (3927 BC), Benito Arias Montano (3849 BC), and Andreas Helwig (3836 BC).” {2}
Among the Masoretic creation estimates or calculations for the date of creation, Archbishop Ussher’s specific chronology dating the creation to 4004 BC became the most accepted and popular, mainly because this specific date was attached to the King James Bible. Bishop William Lloyd put Ussher’s chronology, with some of his own modifications, in the margins of a 1701 edition of the Bible. For many years, the King James Version was printed with these dates. It was included in the widely distributed Scofield Reference Bible as well. This led many to believe that Ussher’s dates were the correct Bible chronology, a position which is defended by some writers to this day. Usher’s chronology is about 44 years longer than my reckoning. See Ussher’s Chronology :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready.
The difference between Ussher’s chronology and Nettles’ chronology consists of the 45-year difference between Ussher’s reckoning of the kings of Judah and Thiele/Coucke’s reckoning of the kings of Judah. I believe Mr. Thiele had a better understanding regarding the reckoning of the accession years of the kings of Judah and Israel and how they were calculated differently. The biblical event of the destruction of Jerusalem and the First Temple in 586-588 BC is when the two chronologies are transposed. At this point, the BC/AD dates are mostly in alignment, but the AM dates are out of alignment by 45 years.
Ussher’s creation date of 4004 BC was at least partially influenced by the widely held belief that the Earth was approximately 5653 years old (2000 years from Adam to Abraham, 2000 years from Abraham to the birth of Christ, and 1650 years from Christ to Ussher), corresponding to the six days of Creation, because several passages of scripture indicate that “one day with the Lord is as a thousand years.” This tradition was believed to indicate that Jesus would return in 1997 AD, six thousand years after 4004 BC. We are now 27 years past that date and still waiting.
I have two chronologies based on Scripture and known historical events calculated from the BC/AD system (based on the supposed year of the birth of Jesus), such as the destruction of Jerusalem and the first Jewish temple by the Babylonians in 587-586 BC. The first one, Chronology of Mankind: 6,000 Years of History Pt 1 :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready, has a creation date of 3960 BC.
I tweaked the genealogies of Genesis 5 and 11 by eight years in my second chronology and came up with a creation date of 3968 BC. I believe these genealogies record only “rounded off” years (whole years) for the age of the patriarchs when their ‘named’ sons were born. I highly suspect these 19 patriarchs (from Adam to Terah) sons weren’t all born on their father’s birthdays, so there had to be some extra months (and weeks, days) involved. This could account for the purported ‘missing’ eight years. Of course, this is just a theory and can’t be proven, but it isn’t improbable.
I believe the creation date is somewhere between these two dates. The 3968 BC date is “ideal” because that would make the year 2033 AD the 6000th year since Adam’s creation (from the fall of 3968 BC to the fall of 2033 AD). Of course, 2033 AD would also be the 2000th year since Jesus was crucified, resurrected, and ascended to heaven in 33 AD (IMO). It was also the year the Church was established and the Holy Spirit was given to the faithful in Christ.
The Bible says that a thousand years is like one day with the Lord. “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” (2 Peter 3:8). “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).
Regarding these 2000 years or two days for the LORD, the Old Testament prophet Hosea had this to say, “Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days, he will revive us: in the third day, he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD” (Hosea 6:1-2).
Was Hosea referring to two and three days for the LORD or man? I believe this is a prophecy concerning the last two millennia (two days for the LORD) after Christ’s first advent. Christ came at the end of the fourth millennium (968 BC-33 AD). He was crucified in 33 AD (3967 BC years + 33 AD years = 4000 AM). The fifth millennium was from 33 AD to 1033 AD. This is the first ‘day’ of Hosea’s prophecy.
In my chronological timeline (see below), the sixth millennium is from 1033 AD to 2033 AD. At the end of the sixth millennium, which is Hosea’s second millennial day, Jesus will return to the Earth to save the faithful remnant. At the beginning of the seventh millennium (2033 AD -3033 AD), which is Hosea’s third millennial ‘day,’ Jesus will begin His millennial reign on the Earth, and the Old Testament saints will be resurrected and live in the millennial kingdom with their Messiah. This will be the fulfillment of Daniel 12:2a. “And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life.”
Hosea finished his end-time prophecy with this verse, “His going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth” (Hosea 6:3). The latter rain comes to Israel during the spring season. The former rain comes to Israel during the fall season.
Israel has two basic calendars, the ecclesiastical and civil calendars. The civil calendar is the original calendar (pre-Exodus era) that begins in the fall season (when the agricultural season begins with the sowing of crops). The ecclesiastical calendar was developed at the time of the Exodus and began in the spring around the time of the Passover.
Jesus came the first time as the “latter rain.” As the “latter rain,” Jesus fulfilled the first four spring Feasts of the LORD. The “former rain” comes to Israel during the fall season around the time of the fall Feasts of the LORD. Jesus will return to the Earth as the “former rain” and will fulfill the last three fall Feasts of the Lord.
God made the sun, moon, and stars on the fourth day of creation. “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” (Genesis 1:14). These heavenly “lights” were to be used by mankind to keep up with time, by way of calendars. They were to divide the light from the darkness. Isn’t this exactly what Jesus, “the light of the world,” does spiritually? Interestingly, according to Matthew 27:45, the light went out in Israel during the last three hours of Jesus’ crucifixion. “Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.”
Of course, we know that man, who was made in the image of God, was made on the sixth day, and God gave him dominion over all of the other created beings (the animals) of the earth. 1 Corinthians 15:45 calls Jesus the “last Adam.” Just as Adam was made on the sixth day of the creation week, the “last Adam,” Jesus, will return to the earth at the end of the sixth day (if the Millennium Day theory holds), where his reign and dominion will be absolute. The seventh day/millennia will be characterized by peace, prosperity, rest, and completion.
SEVEN MILLENNIAL DAYS
Using The Hepta Week Cycle For Six Millennia of Mankind :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready for the chronology of mankind, the seven millennial ‘days’ (1000 years) could be briefly summarized like this:
Day 1: 3968-2968 BC – Adam and the Antediluvians – Enoch raptured within 6-11 years of the following 2nd millennial day.
Day 2: 2968 -1968 BC – Noah and his sons and the Great Flood – Post-flood patriarchs through Terah.
Day 3: 1968-968 BC – Abraham, Moses, and David all lived within this millennial day. God made a covenant with all three Hebrew men. The Abrahamic covenant of promise (unconditional land covenant) was given to Abraham and his descendants (Isaac and Jacob). The Mosaic covenant (conditional) of the Law was given to Moses and the children of Israel. God promised to establish David’s kingly lineage forever and to send the Messiah from it. David died in 970 BC (IMO).
Day 4: 968 BC- 33 AD – Solomon and the Kings of Israel/Judah – First Temple era – Elijah raptured – Second Temple era – History of the Jews and Gentiles until Jesus’ death (33 AD), including the 69 ‘weeks’ of Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27).
Day 5: 33 – 1033 AD – Church is created, and the Holy Spirit is given – 2nd Temple destruction (70 AD) – Jewish dispersion and persecution – Gentile domination.
Day 6: 1033 – 2033 AD – The East-West Schism separates Orthodox churches (east) and Catholic churches (west) in 1054 AD – Time of the Gentiles- Protestant movement – Return of the Jews to Israel (1948 AD) – Possible timing of the Rapture (could the Rapture be timed to occur similarly to Enoch’s, say within 7-8 years of the following millennial day?) – Possible timing of Daniel’s 70th ‘week’ (the Tribulation) ending with the Second Coming of Christ.
Day 7: 2033 – 3033 AD – Possible timeframe for the Millennial reign of Christ.
CONCLUSION
Most Bible scholars believe the children of Israel entered the Promised Land on Nisan 10 (Jewish calendar) in our proleptic Gregorian calendar year of 1406 BC. If that is true (and according to my calculations and many others, it is), then in Nisan 10, 2025 AD, it will have been 3430 years (70 x 49). 3430 years is the equivalent of 490 Sabbath (or Shemitah/Shmita) cycles (3430 ÷ 7 = 490).
If the Shemitah (and Jubilee) cycle/s began in (Tishri 1)1406-1405 BC (Elul 29/30 ) and is reckoned continuously regardless of the Jews leaving and re-entering the land, and if the 50th year is also the first year of the following Shemitah week, then 2025-2026 AD is the 70th Jubilee year for the Jews. It is also the first year of the next Shemitah cycle and the first year of the 70th Jubilee cycle (which lasts until 2073-2074). 70 is a significant number in the Bible. See Multiples of Seven – God’s Perfect Number :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready.
If 2025-2026 is the 70th Jubilee year for Israel, could the 70th week (the seven-year Tribulation) of Daniel 9:27 start sometime within this year (2025-2026)? If so, I would venture to theorize it would start in the fall of 2026, as that would be seven years from the fall of 2033. As mentioned, 2033 AD is two millennial ‘days’ from the crucifixion of Jesus in 33 AD. In this scenario, Jesus Christ would return in 2033 AD, within the 70th Jubilee cycle, fulfilling Daniel’s 70th seven. The six conditions of Daniel 9:24 will finally be in place for the Jews to live with their Messiah.
Here is an interesting timeline concerning the creation date: If you begin the Sabbath and Jubilee cycles from 3968 BC and deduct 3430 years, the 70th Jubilee year would be 538 BC. In 538 BC, the Persian king Cyrus the Great issued the Edict of Cyrus, allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem (and the Land of Judah) to rebuild their Temple, thus fulfilling the prophecies of Isaiah, who named Cyrus as one who would carry out God’s purpose for Israel, and of Jeremiah, who prophesied a return to the Promised Land after 70 years. As I said in my last article, The Third Temple :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready, Scripture (see 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4) is clear that a third temple will be built in Jerusalem. Will construction on the temple begin in 2025 or 2026? We’ll know soon enough.
Even if you don’t believe in the Millennial Day theory, you have to ask yourself why there is evidence for nearly 6000 years of recorded history per the Bible and historical secular sources. If you’re not a believer in this theory, then that is a fantastic coincidence. However, I don’t believe the word ‘coincidence’ is in God’s vocabulary. After all, He knows the end from the beginning.
“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it. Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness: I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory” (Isaiah 46:9-13).
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Randy Nettles
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