The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners,
be crucified and on the third day be raised again.
Luke 24:7
Let’s continue along yesterday’s line of thinking, and consider the last 3,000 of the 7,000 proposed years. Specifically, this refers to the last 2,000-year segment and the 1,000-year reign of Christ to follow (if literal). There is another interesting pattern that appears from Bible stories to support this time structure. I am speaking of two “days” followed by a distinct third “day”.
There are several instances in the Bible of a third “day” that brings spiritual breakthrough or restoration. Here are most of the major examples:
- God giving Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:9-25)
- King Hezekiah’s healing (2 Kings 20:5)
- Esther going before the king and rescuing the Jews (Esther 5:1)
- Israel’s future restoration (Hosea 6:2)
- Jonah’s release from the fish (Jonah 1:17)
- Jesus’ death and resurrection (Matthew 16:21)
Pretty interesting, huh? You are probably tempted now to break out your calculator and try to figure out where we are. Here are a couple of important things to consider. First, it’s worth mentioning that perhaps these last 2,000 years shouldn’t be computed using our solar calendar of 365.25 days per year. The Jewish calendar is lunar based, which is 29.5 days per month. An extra month is added to their calendar every two or three years. This equates to seven leap years every 19 years. On the flip side, maybe this should be computed in solar years because this is the “church age”.
Secondly, when did the final 2,000 years actually commence? Did it commence when Jesus was born, began His ministry, was crucified, resurrected, or 40 days later when He ascended into heaven? Just as with yesterday’s devotional, I don’t believe we can know this for sure either, yet.
Scholars can’t agree on when these milestones happened. Most agree Jesus wasn’t born until just before or right at the turn of the millennium from B.C. to A.D. Most also agree that the crucifixion/resurrection/ascension happened between 30 and 33 A.D. If you went forward 2,000 solar years, it would mean 2030-2033. In lunar years, we would have passed 2,000 years over a decade ago.
It’s important not to get too dogmatic on exactness because of all the disagreements over the true dates of events long ago. Instead, let us focus on the fact that God is sovereign. He has a precise plan for man that will be fulfilled in His perfect and ordained time, and it could be right around the corner.
