THE
“7th DAY”
(YEAR 6000)
PROPHECY
“But, beloved, do not forget this one thing,
that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years,
and a thousand years as one day.”
(2 Peter 3:8 and Psalm 90:4)
The 6000 YEAR CLIMAX
TO ALL HUMAN HISTORY
“Here a little, there a little”…
God’s Word teaches us there are some matters found in the Bible that must be “searched out” through wisdom, understanding, and knowledge.
God likens them to an “enigma” or a “riddle”
“It is the glory of God
to conceal a matter,
But the glory of kings is
to search out a matter.”
(Proverbs 25:2) (Search the Scriptures to see who God now considers “kings.”)
“A wise man will hear
and increase learning,
And a man of understanding
will attain wise counsel,
To understand a proverb
and an enigma,
The words of the wise
and their riddles.
The fear of the Lord is
the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.”
(Proverbs 1:5-7)
“For precept must be upon precept,
precept upon precept,
Line upon line, line upon line,
Here a little, there a little.”
(Isaiah 28:10)
The 7000 Year Prophecy:
Another good reason to start testing Bible Prophecies
This prophecy is another good reason why it might be a good time to test the Bible prophecies.
The “matter” this prophecy helps to reveal is, “What is the future of Mankind?”
This is not a prophecy which has a single or specific verse that one can point to. Like solving a riddle or completing a puzzle, this prophecy is the answer which suddenly and clearly emerges when you diligently search out, compile, assemble, and analyze all of the “last days” and “end time” prophecies together, piece by piece, into a single message. This prophecy is the summation and conclusion of the matter.
This prophecy binds many prophecies together …
- Prophecies of the Apocalypse and Armageddon
- Prophecies of Messiah’s Return
- Prophecies of the 1000 Year Millennium: The Kingdom Age
- Prophecies of the New Heavens and the New Earth
God warned much of His prophetic word would be concealed (sealed) UNTIL “the Time of the End” …
“And he (the angel) said,
“Go your way, Daniel,
for the words (the remarkable “70 Weeks” end-time prophecies given to Daniel)
are closed up and sealed
UNTIL the time of the end.
Many shall be purified, made white, and refined,
but the wicked shall do wickedly;
and none of the wicked will understand,
but the wise WILL understand.”
(Daniel 12:9-10)
This prophecy is rarely taught or spoken of today.
This prophecy may be very timely. This prophecy appears to speak of a generation which could very possibly be alive today. This prophecy is a little unnerving when one considers the implications of these things written for us so very long ago.
Yet, this prophecy is the one thing both the early Jewish and Christian writers and teachers AGREED on!!
Amazingly, this prophecy is also the one thing both early Jewish and early Christian writers and teachers seemed to agree on. They all wrote as though it was common knowledge and teaching at the time that at the very end of 6000 years of human history (the year 6000 AM) a terrible cataclysmic global judgment will end Mankind’s (and Satan’s) rule over the Earth in order to make way for the 7th Day (the 7th Millennium) when we are told Messiah (Christ) will fully restore the Earth in peace and beauty, and will reign over Israel (and all nations) for 1000 years.
After this the Earth will be replaced. We are told our physical dimension of time will end and Eternity will begin with a new heaven and a new Earth at the beginning of the 8th Millennium …
“Now I saw a new heaven and a new Earth,
for the first heaven and the first earth
had passed away.”
(Revelation 21:1 & Isaiah 65:17)
The Year 6000 AM ≈ The Year 2000 A.D.
As noted, and as you will find below, both the ancient Jewish and the Christian writers believed sometime around the year 6000 AM, or approximately (≈) the year 2000 AD on our modern calendars, that Mankind’s (and Satan’s) rule over the Earth would come to an end, and the final chapter of human history as we know it would be complete.
The early Jews and Christians based their Biblical Calendar dates from the Year of Creation when God created Adam (and the world). The nation Israel still uses this calendar today. This is called Anno Mundi (or AM) for Year of the World or Year After Creation. If you study the Bible and then diligently cross-reference other ancient Jewish (and non-Jewish) historical records and writings you can arrive at a fairly accurate and well-documented time-line beginning with Adam.
When you study the Scriptures and other ancient Jewish manuscripts you will find the Year 6000 (the beginning of the 7th Millennium) roughly corresponds to the year 2000 A.D. (plus or minus 50-75 years or so).
This Coming Cataclysmic Global Event
Will Utterly Destroy The World And All In It …
This cataclysmic global event is sometimes called the “Apocalypse.” It is also sometimes referred to as the 70th Week of Daniel, which means it will last one Biblical “week of years,” or exactly seven years. The book of Revelation provides the details of the events which will take place during this final “week of years” which was first revealed in the book of Daniel. The word “Apocalypse” is the original Greek word which was later translated into English as “Revelation.” Other Biblical names given to this coming time of trouble include:
- The Day of the Lord
- That Day
- The Day of God’s Wrath and Fierce Anger
- The Time of the End
- The End of the Age
- The Great Tribulation
- The Time of Jacob’s (Israel’s) Trouble
Do “The Day of the Lord,” “The Day of God’s Wrath,” and “That Day” all refer to the upcoming 7th Millennium, the seventh 1000-year “Day” since Creation? Most of the early Christian and Jewish writers thought so.
“The Great Day of the LORD is near,
near and hastening fast;
The sound of the Day of the LORD is bitter;
the mighty man cries aloud there.
A day of wrath is that Day,
A day of distress and anguish,
A day of ruin and devastation,
A day of darkness and gloom,
A day of clouds and thick darkness,
A day of trumpet blast and battle cry
against the fortified cities
and against the lofty battlements.
I (GOD) will bring distress on Mankind,
so that they shall walk like the blind,
because they have sinned against the LORD;
their blood shall be poured out like dust,
and their flesh like dung.
Neither their silver nor their gold
shall be able to deliver them on
the Day of the Wrath of the LORD.
In the fire of His jealousy,
ALL the Earth shall be consumed;
For a full and sudden end
He will make of ALL the inhabitants of the Earth.”
(Zephaniah 1:14-18)
Jesus Christ warns . . .
“For then there will be Great Tribulation,
such as has not been
since the beginning of the world until this time,
no, nor ever shall be.
And unless those days were shortened,
no human being (flesh) would be saved”
(Matthew 24:21-22)
Jesus warns that never in the history of Mankind has there ever been anything as terrible on Earth as the coming Great Tribulation (which technically is the second half, or the last 3 1/2 years of the 7-year Apocalypse), for we are told only a very small remnant of the world will survive.
It May Be Closer Than We Think …
Unless you are Jewish or a serious Bible student you probably didn’t realize the year 2000 A.D. marked a significant milestone toward the year 6000 AM, which marks the end of the 6th Millennium (6000 Years) and the beginning of the 7th Millennium (7000 Years) from the Biblical Date of Creation. According to the ancient writers we are now getting close, but we aren’t exactly sure how close.
When looking at the estimates below, and taking into account a documented 165+ year error in the current Jewish calendar, we find we may now be somewhere within 1 to 75 years till the end of the Biblical “6th Day” and the beginning of the prophetic “7th Day.”
Date Estimates Using Modern Day Calendar Years:
Biblical Approx. ….. 2000 AD ≈ 6000 AM
Bishop Usher …….. 1996 AD = 6000 AM
Bible Knowledge … 2028 AD = 6000 AM
Isaac Newton …….. 2060 AD = 6000 AM
Johnson Index ……. 2075 AD = 6000 AM
Official Jewish …….. 2239 AD = 6000 AM
Revised Jewish …… 2074 AD = 6000 AM (2239 -165 Persian “missing years”)*
Note: Johnson Index (Biblefacts.org) – Bible Knowledge Index (BKI.net)
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_years_(Jewish_calendar)
UPDATE:
Date Estimate Using the Biblical-Prophetic “360-Day” Years:
Biblical-Prophetic Estimate … 2020 AD = 6030 AM!!!
Note: God used the Biblical 360-Day Prophetic years in accurately fulfilling the remarkable mathematical prophecies concerning the revealing of Messiah (Jesus Christ) and the Return of Israel as a Nation and Jerusalem once again becoming Israel’s Capital.
As noted above, we may be closer than we think … (Jesus warns the World will be taken by surprise).
Three Distinct World-Changing Prophetic Events
We will find there are three completely separate and distinct world-changing prophetic “events” associated with the very beginning, the middle, and the very end of the 7000 year prophecy (which is often called the Year 6000 or the 7th Day Prophecy) …
FIRST: The Coming Apocalypse … “Year 6000” (The END of the 6th Day)
At the very end of the 6000 years (the year 6000 AM or sometime around 2000 A.D.) there will come a 7-year period of time spoken of (and warned of) by all the prophets. We are told just before this time begins all those living on Earth who have endured and persevered through faith (and love) in God’s Word will be safely removed in an event which many call the “Rapture.” Soon after this happens we are warned a time of global destruction, testing, and judgment will come upon all those left living upon the Earth who have rejected, denied, or ignored God’s Word. This time will be unlike anything ever known to man. The World will be utterly destroyed. First by Mankind against mankind, and then by the awesome power of GOD against Mankind.
SECOND: The 1000 Year Millennium … The “7th Day” of Rest … (Messiah Reigns)
The Kingdom Age. Messiah (Christ) will return to Earth to save a remnant of Israel from the armies of the world who will one day come against Jerusalem. He will destroy Satan’s Antichrist, and will remove all the “ungodly” from the Earth. Jesus Christ will then fully restore the Earth in perfect peace and beauty. Human life spans will be greatly expanded, the lion shall lie down with the lamb, He will wipe away all tears, and He will destroy His last enemy, death. He will lovingly reign over Israel (and all the Earth) in righteousness during Earth’s final 1000 Year Millennium (the 7th Day) … the Day of Rest.
THIRD: A New Heaven and a New Earth … (The “8th Day”)
In the Bible, the number 8 represents “new beginnings.” At the very end of the 7000 years (or at the very beginning of the 8th Millennium sometime around the year 3000 A.D.) the “Great White Throne Judgment” will take place for all who have rejected God’s Word and the Savior whom He sent forth (Revelation 20:7-9, 21:1). Then soon after that will come a new heaven and a new Earth because the old heaven and old Earth will “pass away.” Time as we know it will cease, and Eternity will begin. It will be filled with peace, beauty, joy, happiness, laughter, love, and great thanksgiving … there will be no loneliness, no sickness, no death … and it will never be boring!
It will be perfect and eternal, just as our God and Creator originally intended.
JEWISH WRITINGS:
“THE YEAR 6000” PROPHECY
We will start this section with an “Ask The Rabbi” question found on Chabad.org which provides a pretty good summary of the 7000/6000 Year prophecy from a Jewish perspective …
Ask A Rabbi …
Rabbi Baruch S. Davidson
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/607585/jewish/Significance-of-the-year-6000.htm
Question:
“I heard from a rabbi that the year 6000 will be the last year”
Rabbi’s Answer:
“The Talmud tells us that this world, as we know it, will last for six thousand years, with the seventh millennium ushering in the cosmic Shabbat, the Messianic Era. Six days a week we work, and on the Shabbat we rest and enjoy the fruits of our labor; the same is true with millenniums. The source of the Talmudic statement quoted is Rosh Hashana 31a and Sanhedrin 97a.”
School of Elijah – Talmud
Sanhedrin 97a
The William Davidson Talmud
https://www.sefaria.org/Sanhedrin.97a.14?lang=bi
“The school of Eliyahu (Elijah) taught: Six thousand years is the duration of the world. Two thousand of the six thousand years are characterized by chaos; two thousand years are characterized by Torah, from the era of the Patriarchs until the end of the mishnaic period; and two thousand years are the period of the coming of the Messiah.”
When Messiah Will Come – Talmud
Sanhedrin 97
Kollel Iyun Hadaf
prepared by Rabbi Pesach Feldman of Kollel Iyun Hadaf, Yerushalayim
daf@dafyomi.co.il, www.dafyomi.co.il
Rosh Kollel: Rabbi Mordecai Kornfeld
http://www.dafyomi.co.il/sanhedrin/points/sn-ps-097.htm
“Tana d’Vei Eliyahu (Elijah): Six thousand years were decreed upon the world: 2000 years of emptiness (without Torah), 2000 years of Torah, and 2000 years for Mashi’ach (Messiah);”
Elijah Prophecies
Ancient Apocalypse of Ezra: Called 2 Esdras in the KJV 1611
Ken Johnson, Th.D.
“Jewish historian, Josephus, stated that Elijah ran the school of the prophets and that Elijah’s outline of prophecy was written in what was called the Epistle of Elijah which still existed in his day (70 AD) … The Talmud and the commentary, Tanna Debe Eliyyahu, says that Elijah taught that there would be six thousand years of human history and then the establishment of a one-thousand-year Messianic Kingdom. The six-thousand years would be divided into three ages of two thousand years each. The first age is the “Age of Chaos,” the second is the “Age of Torah,” and the third is the “Messianic Age.” This temporary Messianic age must be the Church Age because what follows is a one-thousand-year Messianic Kingdom.”
Tanna debe Eliyyahu (Elijah) – Talmud
Hebraic Roots Global Network
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int’l
http://www.hebroots.org/hebrootsarchive/9807/980715_d.html
“It is traditional Jewish understanding that the Jewish Messiah would come 4,000 years after the creation of Adam and Eve. In the Talmud in Sanhedrin 97 it is written:
“‘The Tanna debe Eliyyahu teaches: The world is to exist six thousand years. In the first two thousand there was desolation; [i.e. no Torah. It is a tradition that Abraham was fifty-two years old when he began to convert men to the worship of the true God; from Adam until then, two thousand years elapsed] two thousand years the Torah flourished; and the next two thousand years is the Messianic era, [i.e. Messiah will come within that period] but through our many iniquities all these years have been lost. [He should have come at the beginning of the last two thousand years; the delay is due to our sins.]'”
Rabbi Ketina and Elijah the Prophet
Hebraic Roots Global Network
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int’l
http://www.hebroots.org/hebrootsarchive/9807/980715_d.html
“Rabbi Ketina: The world endures six thousand years and one thousand it
shall be laid waste, whereof it is said ‘The Lord alone shall be exalted in
that day’. As out of seven years every seventh is a year of remission, that
God alone may be exalted in that day.”
“Elias (Eliyahu) 200 B.C.: The world endures six thousand years; two
thousand before the Torah, two thousand under the Torah, and two thousand
under the Messiah.”
The School of Elijah
Hope of Israel
http://hope-of-israel.org/p161.htm
“‘It was taught in the school of Elijah: The world will endure 6000 years — 2,000 years in chaos, 2,000 years with Torah, and 2,000 years will be the days of the Messiah’ (‘Talmud,’ Sanh.97a). This remarkable quotation from the Talmud shows that Elijah knew of the 6,000 year plan of God based on the six working days of the week, each day representing a 1,000 years in God’s Plan, followed by a 1,000 year Sabbath rest (compare II Peter 3:8-10; Psalm 90:4; Rev. 20:1- 4).
“The phrase ‘2,000 years will be the days of the Messiah’ is also remarkable, showing Elijah — who lived in the ninth century before Christ — knew Christ would come after 4,000 years. Adam and Eve were created in 4004 B.C., and Christ Jesus/Yeshua Moshiach was born literally in 4 B.C. — after precisely 4,000 years. The implication is that He would be ‘preached’ for the next 2,000 years, till His second coming, which will be 2,000 years after His first coming — within the next decade!”
Jewish “Year 6000” Prophecies
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_6000
“Elaborating on the theme of the seventh millennium representing the Messianic Age are numerous early and late Jewish scholars, including Rashi, the Ramban, Chaim Vital, Isaac Abrabanel, Abraham Ibn Ezra, Rabbeinu Bachya, the Vilna Gaon, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, the Ramchal, and Aryeh Kaplan.”
“The acceptance of the idea of the seventh millennium representing the Messianic Age across the Ashkenazi – Sephardi divide, the Chassidim – Misnagdim divide, and across the rational Talmud and mystical Kabbalah perspectives, shows the centrality of this idea in traditional Judaism.”
6000 Year Messiah Clock
Breaking Israel News
Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz
“For the Jewish nation, thousands of years have been spent in counting down to a time period that will ultimately usher in the final redemption. A special clock, known as the Messiah clock, has been counting down the final arrival of the Messiah for the last 200 years, giving hope and inspiration to generations of Jews during turbulent times.
“The creator of the Messiah clock was none other than Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna, also known as the Vilna Gaon, an 18th century Judaic scholar who was considered to be the guiding light of his generation, and is revered to this day. The Vilna Gaon spent much of his life studying Jewish concepts about the Messiah and yearned to move to Israel to hasten the process of redemption.
Well versed in mathematics and astronomy, the Vilna Gaon used his secular and religious scholarly background to come up with a unique method of tracking time based on the Hebrew calendar and a combination of Jewish sources found in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 97a). Based on his specific calculations, the Messiah clock was created and has been slowly ticking down towards his ultimate arrival.
“The clock is based on the six days of creation, with each day corresponding to 1,000 years on the Hebrew calendar. The Vilna Gaon centered his calculations around the Jewish tradition that the Messiah must arrive by the year 6000 in the Jewish calendar, which corresponds to the day before the Sabbath and God’s refrain from any work. Currently, the Jewish calendar year is 5775.
“Comparing days from the story of creation to millennial periods of time is consistent with the Bible … The Zohar states that just as Friday afternoon is entirely given over to preparations for the Sabbath, thus the time leading up to the 7000th year will be for preparing for the Messiah.
“By applying certain calculations based on Jewish law and tradition, the Vilna Gaon’s 7000 year clock can be used to make assertions about the process of redemption. Currently, based on the time of the Messiah clock, the year 6000 will occur in 2239 of the Gregorian calendar, indicating that the Messiah must arrive before then.
“It should be noted that a basic tenet of Jewish faith, based on the teachings of Maimonides, is that the Messiah can arrive at any moment. For Jews, the Messiah’s coming is always imminent. The Vilna Gaon’s calculations represent the last possible time the Messiah can arrive and, as we pray each day, he comes well before.”
Jewish Writings: Division of the Ages
From the Talmud we have learned Elijah taught the 7000 Years would be divided as follows:
2000 Years = Age of Chaos
2000 Years = Age of Torah
2000 Years = Age of Messiah
1000 Years = Millennial Reign of Messiah
Eternity = New Heavens and a New Earth
Biblical Fulfillments of the Talmudic (Elijah’s) Ages:
Adam to Abraham = 2000 Years (“Chaos”)
Abraham to Jesus Christ = 2000 Years (“Torah”)
Jesus Christ to 2000 AD ≈ 2000 Years (“Messiah”)
Jesus Christ’s Reign on Earth = 1000 Years – Revelation 20:4-6 (“Millennial Reign of Messiah”)
New Heaven and a New Earth = Eternity – Revelation 21:9-16 (“New Heavens and a New Earth”)
CHRISTIAN WRITINGS:
“THE YEAR 6000” PROPHECY
Ancient Church Fathers
“The End Times By The Ancient Christian Fathers”
Ken Johnson pp. 13-15
www.BibleFacts.org
Epistle of Barnabas 17:7-9 (First Century AD)
“Therefore, children, in six days, or in six thousand years, all the prophecies will be fulfilled. Then it says, ‘He rested on the seventh day.’ This signifies at the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus, He will destroy the Antichrist, judge the ungodly, and change the sun, moon, and stars. Then He will truly rest during the Millennial reign, which is the seventh day.”
Iranaeus Against Heresies 5:28 (180 AD)
“The day of the Lord is as a thousand years; and in six days created things were completed. It is evident, therefore, they will come to an end in the six thousandth year.”
Hippolytus, Fragment 2′ Commentary on Daniel 2:4 (205 A.D.)
“The Sabbath is a type of the future kingdom… For “a day with the Lord is as a thousand years.” Since, then, in six days the Lord created all things, it follows that in six thousand years all will be fulfilled.”
Commodianus; Against the Gods of the Heathens 80 (240 A.D.)
“Resurrection of the body will be when six thousand years are completed, and after the one thousand years (millennial reign), the world will come to an end.”
Lactantius; Divine Institutes 7:14 (304 A.D.)
“The sixth thousandth year is not yet complete. When this number is complete, the consummation must take place.”
Summary of Early Christian Writers
Jim Bramlett
Lambert Dolphin
http://www.ldolphin.org/angels297.html
“Consider the following evidence, far from exhaustive and only a sample: Early Christians looked to this Decade! Early Christian writers held that at the end of 6,000 years of history, Christ would return and reign for 1,000 years (referred to as the Millennium). These included Barnabas (c. A.D. 100), Justin Martyr and Irenaeus (c. A.D. 150), Lactantius (c. A.D. 325), and Methodius, Bishop of Tyre (c. A.D. 300). For example, Barnabas wrote: “As there had been 2,000 years from Adam to Abraham, and 2,000 from Abraham to Christ; so there will be 2,000 years for the Christian era and then would come the Millennium.” Church father Irenaeus wrote concerning a belief of the early church: “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 an end at the sixth thousand years.
“Lactantius, tutor of the son of the Roman Emperor Constantine, categorically stated in his Book of Divine Institutes, Chapter 14: “Let the philosophers know that the six thousandth year is not yet completed; and when this number is completed, the consummation must take place.” Later, in A.D. 1552, Bishop Latimer wrote: “The world was ordained to endure, as all learned men affirm, 6,000 years. Now of that number, there be passed 5,552 years (as of A.D. 1552), so that there is no more left but 448 years (ending in A.D. 2000).” In the 17th century, Archbishop Ussher had access to many ancient church manuscripts that were lost in the burning of early Irish churches during the Irish wars. In A.D. 1650, in Latin, he wrote The Chronology on the Old and New Testament in which he calculated that the Millennium would begin in A.D. 1997. His chronology was based on Christ being born in 4 B.C. Modern scholarship places Christ’s birth between 6 B.C. and 1 B.C. which, according to Ussher, the Millennium would begin 1995-2000. The writings of other church fathers such as Victorinus, Bishop of Petau and Hippolytus support the argument that the Apostles and the early church believed and taught that the Millennium would commence at the end of 6,000 years.”
Testimony of Early Saints
Hebraic Roots Global Network
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int’l
http://www.hebroots.org/hebrootsarchive/9807/980715_d.html
“Epistle of Barnabas 15:3-5: He speaks of the Sabbath at the beginning of
the Creation, “And God made in six days the works of His hands and on the
seventh day He made an end, and He rested on the seventh day, and He
sanctified it. Consider, my children what this signifies: That He made an
end in six days. The meaning of it is this: that in six thousand years the
Creator will bring all things to an end, for with Him one day is a thousand
years. He Himself testifies, saying, ‘Behold the day of the Lord shall be as
a thousand years.’ Therefore children, in six days, that is in six thousand
years, all things shall be accomplished. And He rested on the seventh day:
He means this, that when His Son shall come He will destroy the season of
the wicked one, and will judge the godless, and will change the sun and the
moon and the stars, and then He will truly rest on the seventh day.”
“Irenaeus 150 A.D. (was trained by Polycarp who was trained by John who
wrote the Book of Revelation. Quote is from “Against Heresies” Book 5, 28,
3: For in as many days as this world was made, in so many thousand years
shall it be concluded…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 an end at the six thousandth
year.”
“Cyprian 250 A.D. (Archchampion of orthodox Christianity against heresies)
“The Treatises Of Cyprian” Chapter 11: The first seven days in the Divine
arrangement contain seven thousand years.”
“Lactantius 300 A.D. (Tutor to the son of the Roman Emperor Constantine, was
a highly respected scholar. He wrote sometime before his death in 330 A.D.
the following in “The Divine Institutes” Book 7, Chapter 25:
“I have already shown above that when 6000 years shall be completed this change
must take place.
Chapter 26: “But he (Satan) also, when the thousand years
of the Kingdom, that is, 7000 of the world, shall begin to be ended, will
be loosed afresh, and being sent forth from prison, will go forth and
assemble all the nations, which shall then be under the dominion of the
Righteous, that they may make war against the Holy City.”
“Methodius 300 A.D. (Banquet Of The Ten Virgins, Discourse 9, Chapter 1):
For in six days God made the heaven and earth, and finished the whole world…
and blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, so by a figure in the
seventh month (Tishri) when the fruits of the earth have been gathered in,
we are commanded to keep the Feast to the Lord, which signifies that, when
this world shall be terminated at the seven thousand years, when God shall
have completed the world, He shall rejoice in us … Then, when the
appointed times shall have been accomplished, and God shall have ceased to
form this creation, in the seventh month, the Great Resurrection Day, it is
commanded that the Feast of our Tabernacles shall be celebrated to the
Lord.”
What did our Forefathers Think?
Shofar Ministries
http://www.shofarministries.net/timelinescience.html
“Lactantius, an apologist and historian, who wrote Divine Institutions in 300 A.D. Chapter 14 states:
“But we, whom the Holy Scriptures instructs to the knowledge of the truth, know the beginning and the end of the world (age), respecting which we will now speak in the end of our work… Therefore let the philosophers who enumerate thousands of ages from the beginning of the world, know that the six thousandth year is not yet completed, and that when this number is completed the consummation must take place. All wickedness abolished; and justice should reign for 1000 years.”
“Irenaeus who wrote “Against Heresies,” a commentary on Genesis in A.D. 150 states this as a belief of the early church:
“This is an account of the things formerly created, and also a prophecy of what is to come. For the day of the Lord is as a thousand years, and in 6 days created things were completed; it is evident therefore that they will come to an end at the completion of 6 thousand years.”
“Bishop of Worcester, Latimer
“Surprisingly, even in 1552 the Bishop of Worcester, Latimer (who was burned at the stake in 1553 for refusing to accept Roman Catholic doctrine on the Mass) states:
“The world was ordained to endure as all learned men affirm, 6000 years. Now of that number, there be passed 5,552 years, so that there is no more left but 448 years” = 2000 A.D.
“Other Writings
“Other writings can be produced from other church fathers including Victorinus, Bishop of Petau, Hippolytus, and Justin Martyr who believed that the Millennium would commence upon the completion of 6000 years from Adam.”
“I understand even others during the Reformation period who were a remnant (God always has His remnant that understands deeper Biblical truths and its no different today) indicated that the time of the “last days” would occur around the year 2000 A.D.”
PRE-JEWISH WRITING
(THE THIRD WITNESS):
“Every matter must be established
by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”
(2 Corinthians 13:1 and Deuteronomy 17:6 NIV)
The Bible tells us a matter is established when two or three witnesses agree. Concerning the 7000 Year Prophecy we have just read, the testimonies of two “witnesses” who both agree … Jewish and Christian … should effectively establish and validate the matter.
We will now read the testimony of even a third witness (who we might call pre-Jewish) whose ancient prophecy appears to agree perfectly with the two others.
The third witness is Enoch (from the book of Enoch)
The book of Enoch is an ancient book (Enoch was seventh from Adam and was Noah’s great-grandfather), and portions of at least 10 copies of the book were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. Although the book of Enoch is relatively unknown because it is in disfavor with many churches today for its detailed description of angelic interactions with mankind, many of the early church fathers such as Justin Martyr, Tatian, Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Origen, Methodius of Philippi, and Ambrose of Milan also accepted the book of Enoch as worthy of study (but they did warn to stay away from the Enoch 2 and Enoch 3 books because they were never accepted by the early church or by Jewish rabbis). The ancient Ethiopian Church and the Coptic Church in Egypt have always accepted it as Biblical. Another prophecy from Enoch (which concerns Christ’s Return at the time of the 7th Day or 7000 years) is found quoted directly in the New Testament book of Jude 1:14-15.
The Biblical Number Seven:
In the Bible the number 7 means “completion” or “perfection,” and in the Biblical Calendar it plays a key role:
1. Week of Days …………………. 7 days
2. Week of Weeks ……………….. 7 weeks (Shavout – Pentecost)
3. Week of Months ………………. 7 months (High Holidays/Tishrei)
4. Week of Years …………………. 7 years (Sabbath Year)
5. Week of Weeks of Years ….. 7 x 7 years = 49 years (50th Year Jubilee)
6. Week of Millennia ……………. 7000 Years … (The 7th Day) … Seven 1000-Year “Days”
7. Week of Centuries ……………. 700 years (Book of 1 Enoch)
The 7000-Year prophecy we find in the book of 1 Enoch introduces us to a Week of Centuries, which seems reasonable because it would then give us a total of seven different prophetic types of Calendar “weeks.”
Enoch’s 7000 Year Prophecies
Enoch also tells us that the world as we know it will end at the end of 7000 years of human history. We find Enoch divided his prophecies concerning the prophetic 7000 years into ten 700-year periods of time (“10 Weeks” of Centuries) rather than the seven 1000-year periods of time (“1 Week” or “7 Days” of Millenniums) which the prophet Elijah and the early Church fathers used.
From Enoch’s “9th” Week Prophecy
(Approximately 1600 – 2300 A.D.)
Enoch’s 9th Week prophecy corresponds to our modern calendar years 1600 AD – 2300 AD. This 9th Week would include the end of the 6000 years (6th Day) and the beginning of the 7000 year millennium (7th Day). In Bible Prophecy, this period would include both the coming Apocalypse (when the “ungodly” will be removed) and Messiah’s Return (when “righteousness” will reign), which takes us into the first part of the prophetic 7th Day (or 7th Millennium).
From the Book of Enoch 1 …
“In the ninth week, (1600 AD – 2300 AD)
the Righteous Judgment
will be revealed to the whole world. (The coming Apocalypse)
And all the deeds of the impious (Godless)
will vanish from the whole Earth.
And the world will be
written down for destruction (the Great Tribulation)
and all men will look
to the Path of Uprightness.” (“The Way”… Messiah)
(Enoch 1 91:14) (This takes us into the 7th Day)
From Enoch’s 10th Week Prophecy (To the end of the 7th Day)
(Approximately 2300 – 3000 A.D.)
This prophecy focuses on the end of the 7th Millennium (or 7th Day) when the terrible Great White Throne Judgment will take place for all rebellious angels and unbelieving humans. The Bible tells us Hell was originally created for Satan and his angels. We are also told that all humans who have turned away from God and have rejected God’s Word are considered “children” of Satan and will be cast into Hell with him and his angels (and demons). Enoch then also tells us of the new eternal heaven which has been prepared for the “Righteous.”
“And, after this, (the Apocalypse and Messiah’s Return)
in the tenth week, in the seventh part, (at the very end)
there will be the Great Eternal Judgment
in which He will execute vengeance
among the Watchers
and the great eternal Heaven
will spring from the midst of the angels.”
(Enoch 91.15) (See Revelation 20:7-9, 21:1 for more prophecies describing this coming Judgment)
“And the first Heaven
will vanish and pass away,
and a new Heaven will appear,
and all the powers of Heaven
will shine forever,
with sevenfold light.”
(Enoch 91.16) (See Revelation 21:9-16 and Isaiah 65:17 for this same prophecy!!)
Enoch’s Prophecy For After the 10th Week (7th Day)
This prophecy takes us from the very end of the 7th Day (7000 years) to the beginning of the 8th Day when Eternity for the Righteous will begin. As noted earlier the number 8 represents “new beginnings” In the Bible,
“And after that (the end of the 7000 years)
there will be many weeks (of centuries)
without number forever, (Eternity)
in goodness and in righteousness,
and sin shall no longer
be mentioned forever.”
(Enoch 91.17)
We find Enoch’s prophecies parallel and agree with the prophecies found in both the Old and the New Testaments.
From the Book of Jude
As noted, we find Enoch is directly quoted in the book of Jude …
“Now Enoch,
the seventh from Adam,
(the first person “raptured” in the Bible)
also prophesied about these men, saying,
‘Behold, the Lord comes with
ten thousands (millions) of His saints,
to execute judgment on all,
to convict all who are ungodly among them
of all their ungodly deeds
which they have committed
in an ungodly way,
and of all the harsh things
which ungodly sinners
have spoken against Him.’”
(Jude 1:14-15)
This prophecy quoted directly from the book of Enoch by Jude is a prophecy of an event which will take place at the final Battle of Armageddon which will mark the end of Satan’s/Mankind’s rule over the Earth and the beginning of Messiah’s/Jesus Christ’s (God’s) Rule during the 7th Day, when God will defeat His final enemy … “Death”!!!
Written For Our Generation?
It is interesting that the Book of Enoch begins by telling us it was NOT written for his generation, but it was written for those who will be living around the time of the Great Tribulation …
“These are the words of the blessing of Enoch,
to bless the elect and righteous
who will be living
in the Day of Tribulation, (the Great Tribulation)
when all the wicked and godless
will be destroyed …
“I (Enoch) understood that the vision I saw
was NOT for my generation,
but for a far distant one.”
(Enoch 1:1,2)
Many copies of the Book of Enoch 1 were found with the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the early church fathers quoted from it frequently. You can easily find free downloads of the book of Enoch from translations such as R.H. Charles or M. Knibb, but if you are interested in finding a thorough Biblical study and commentary, I recommend The Ancient Book of Enoch by Ken Johnson (Biblefacts.org).
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