THE UNFOLDING OF TIME

Even though it is not clear from the first twenty-five verses of Genesis One, when God decided to create the Universe,  He designed it for mankind.  Genesis 1:26-28 was not an afterthought.  It was a declaration that the time had come to create human beings.  Notice that He created the Sun, Moon, and Stars as signs; for whom if not for man (Gen. 1:14-17).  He created food for man (Gen. 1:11-12, 29).  God also had personal relationships with those created in His image and likeness.  For the first two thousand years beginning with the Creation, everyone was a Gentile (there were no Jews). 

But, beginning with Abraham in Genesis 12:1, God's approach to mankind changed from being focused upon the individual, to it being focused upon His people, Israel.  Of course, as it has been throughout the history of man, each person, Gentile or Jew, needed to place his trust in his Creator in order to be considered "saved" (righteous in the eyes of God - Rom. 4:3; Gal. 3:6; Jam. 2:23).  The second two thousand years, following the Creation, ended with the Jews rejecting their Messiah (Jn. 1:11).  There remains one seven-year period which belongs to this period, also known as "the Tribulation," "the Time of Jacob's Trouble," or "Daniel's Seventieth Week" (Dan. 9:27; Jer. 30:7; Mt. 24:3-29; Rev. 6-19). 

The Book of Acts reveals the transition from God's close relationship with Israel, to His relationship to the Church, which is open to "whosoever will" receive Christ (Acts 2 - Jews; Acts 8 - Samaritans; Acts 10 - Gentiles).  The Church Age has been going on for approximately two thousand years, from the Day of Pentecost, until today.  It will end when the Church, living and dead, ascend to meet the Lord in the air, an event known as the Rapture of the Church (Jn. 1:1-3; 1 Cor. 15:47-54; 1 Thes. 4:13-18; Rev. 3:10).  It is following the Rapture that the final chastisement of the Gentiles and Israel takes place.

So far, that covers three two-thousand-year periods.  They reveal the inadequacy of fallen man to "have dominion over the earth."  In actuality, man "sold his birthright" to Satan in the Garden (Gen.3:6), and Satan became the god of this world ever since that fateful day (2 Cor. 4:4).  But there is now, and there has been from that same fateful day, Good News (the Gospel - 1 Cor. 15:1-4); God is going to send His crucified, buried, resurrected, and ascended Son back to crush Satan, and to rule on this earth for one thousand years (Gen. 3:15; Rev. 20:1-9).  That will be the Kingdom spoken of by the Prophets and the Apostles, and longed for by the Jews.

 

"Six" is the number associated with mankind;

"Seven" is the number associated with God!

"Eight" is the number associated with new beginnings;

"Eight" begins with a New Heaven and a New Earth!