6,000 years of History and Jesus returns
The 6 millennia prophesied in the Bible
After the entrance of sin into this world, the Father quickly activated a 6,000-year redemption plan to restore eternal life to the fallen race. This redemption plan consists of sending the Son of God to die without sin, in order to redeem men and women who accept His sacrifice as a substitute payer.
Introduction
The second coming of Christ is one of the most solemn and glorious truths revealed in the Bible. The message of the second advent of Jesus is truly the centerpiece of the Holy Scriptures. From the day when the first pair departed in sorrow from Eden, the children of faith have awaited the coming of the promised Redeemer who is to annihilate the destructive power of Satan, to restore the fallen race to the lost paradise.
The great controversy between Christ and Satan, that has been carried forward for nearly six thousand years, is soon to close; and the wicked one redoubles his efforts to defeat the work of Christ in man’s behalf and to fasten souls in his snares. To hold the people in darkness and impenitence till the Saviour’s mediation is ended, and there is no longer a sacrifice for sin, is the object which he seeks to accomplish. (GC 518.1)
In the midst of the week He shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease. In A.D. 31, three and a half years after His baptism, our Lord was crucified. With the great sacrifice offered upon Calvary, ended that system of offerings which for four thousand years had pointed forward to the Lamb of God. Type had met antitype, and all the sacrifices and oblations of the ceremonial system were there to cease. (GC 327.3)
If history of mankind, from the entrance of sin to the second coming of Jesus, will last 6,000 years and 4,000 years have already passed from the entrance of sin to the death and resurrection of Jesus in the year 31, it easily follows that 2,000 years remain from the cross to the second coming of Christ. We need only add 2,000 years to the 31st year of our era, in which Christ died and rose again, just to know the year of the second coming of Jesus.
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Historical approach to the 6,000 years
God determined a duration of 6,000 years for the History of fallen humanity. This fact was always accepted and understood in the Jewish tradition and in primitive Christianity. The later development of evolutionism and false scientism managed to bury the knowledge of this important matter.
Jewish tradition always had a correct understanding of the duration of human history, as a consequence of the rigorous study of its sacred books. Today, it is relatively easy to find information on the writings of Rabbi Elijah or the Tanaim on the 6,000 years of history.
Likewise, early Christianity also knew the parallelism between creation, the Hebrew calendar and the Jewish feasts, which represent a 7,000-year time structure for history, the last 1,000 years of which correspond to the millennium mentioned in the book of Revelation.
Even the misnamed church fathers, who were in reality the influential ones who introduced Gnosticism and various beliefs of cabalistic origin into Christianity, accepted the issue of the 6,000 years of predetermined duration for the history of mankind. Figures such as Irenaeus, Hippolytus or Lactantius dealt with this matter in depth.
In less remote times, Ellen White’s writings reinforce the veracity of this line of thought and its relevance to the so close return of Christ.
Génesis 1:1 and the 6 aleph letters
The Bible shows us that God established a 6,000 year probationary time for this world. Once that time is fulfilled, Christ will come a second time in order to judge the world in righteousness. Throughout the biblical texts, the prophetic and chronological line of this world can be followed, alongside its events from the creation of our world until the second coming of Christ.
The first biblical verse, in its original Hebrew wording, already indicates that the History of fallen humanity has a predefined duration of 6,000 years.
📖 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
ְבּ ֵרא ִשׁית ָבּ ָרא ֱא ִהים ֵאת ַה ָשּׁ ַמיִם ְו ֵאת ָהאָ ֶרץ
At the forefront, it should be noted that the reading of the Hebrew language proceeds from right to left. In the wording of this first biblical verse, Moses included 6 aleph letters, marked in red. In the Hebrew language, the letters have a numerical value assigned to them. In this case, the letter aleph has the numerical value of one and one thousand. Therefore, God is telling us that creation was done in six days. At the same time, the verse prophesies that this world will come to an end when it completes 6,000 years of History.
One day as a thousand years
In biblical prophecy, prophetic days represent actual years of human history, as it is clearly defined in chapter 4 of the book of Ezekiel. But when prophecy is offered directly by God Himself, a day is equivalent to a thousand years, as the apostle Peter reminds us.
📖 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)
In that same biblical passage, Peter refers to creation week and the second coming of Christ as well.
📖 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. (2 Peter 3:3-7)
Peter clearly indicates that creation in 6 days prophesies that the History of mankind will last 6,000 years and that it will be finished by fire at the second coming of Jesus.
Creation week as a temporal prophecy
By creating this world in 6 days, the Almighty prophesies that it will last 6,000 years. But the week is completed by a Sabbath day, sanctified by God and set apart for a holy use. Therefore, there will also be a sabbatical period of 1,000 years that will complete the millennial week and will only be enjoyed by the redeemed saints of the Most High.
The 6 millennia of history of fallen mankind and the sabbatical millennium of the saints in Heaven will make up the 7,000 year period to be completed before the recreation of this world, which will possess more glory and beauty than in the first creation. Praise the Lord for it!
On the first day, Sunday, God created light (Genesis 1:1-5). On the second day, Monday, God created the atmosphere (Genesis 1:6-8). On the third day, Tuesday, God created the dry land and vegetation (Genesis 1:9-13). On the fourth day, Wednesday, God created the sun, moon and stars (Genesis 1:14-19). On the fifth day, Thursday, God created the water animals and flying animals (Genesis 1:20-23). On the sixth day, Friday, God created the land animals, Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:24-31).
On the seventh day, Sabbath, God contemplates His work and rests (Genesis 2:1-3).
Creation process also prophesies the time of the Messiah’s birth as Man. The sun is created on the fourth day. Jesus being represented as the Sun of Righteousness, God prophesies Christ would be born as Man in the year 4,000 from creation. Likewise, Jesus died and rose again 4,000 years after the entrance of sin. Therefore, the period that elapsed between creation and the entrance of sin is the same period that elapsed between the birth of Jesus and His death. This temporal lapse lasted 33 years and 6 months. For this reason, Jesus is considered the second Adam. At the same vital point where Adam fell, with 33 and a half years, Jesus triumphed over sin, thus consummating the redemptive act that will soon restore eternal life to the fallen race.
Just as creation of the sun on the fourth day prophesies the birth of Jesus in the 4,000th year of history since creation, the fourth commandment is also closely linked to creation and Jesus. This is the only precept of the Decalogue that contains the seal of God: his name, his title and his jurisdiction. Not for nothing does the Bible explicitly state that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8).
The Great Controversy
{ Ellen White }
Right after the Bible, The Great Controversy, written by Ellen White, is the second most important book for a true Christian.
Every man or woman who decides to accept the true faith of Jesus must read this magnificent writing which, inspired by God, details the ins and outs of the big battle for souls between Satan’s minions and faithful followers of Christ during the last 2,000 years of history.
But above all, The Great Controversy narrates in a prophetic way the events that will happend in these last times of history, the great final battle between Satan and Jesus, expanding on the prophecies that prophets, psalmists and evangelists wrote in the Bible about the end times and the so awaited second coming of Christ.
