Posted on 04/07/2021 10:09:49 AM PDT by inpajamas
Scripturally speaking, it is understood, by both religious Jews and Christians, that the truth must be established by more than one witness as written in the Torah. No one was to be found guilty by the word of one person. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul admonished them saying that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word was to be established.
So also is it to be when we come to our understanding of the Bible and the prophesies therein. For as the Children of Israel were led by a cloud, so are we to be led by a ‘cloud of witnesses’. Hebrews chapter 12 begins using this analogy,
“Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us…”
This becomes very interesting when we consider the correlation with a physical cloud. A cloud is comprised of tiny airborne particles forming water vapor which condenses into liquid or ice on the surfaces of airborne dust particles. If they remain light enough to stay airborne as they condense, a visible cloud forms. When they become of sufficient weight, they fall to the earth.
Understanding that all physical things teach of spiritual things, we can understand a cloud of witnesses as being an accumulation of things, which by themselves would not visibly appear, but when amassed together, they form something greater that is visible. Water in the Bible is often used figuratively for God’s word and spirit. Dust on the other hand is used figuratively of man, who was made of the dust and returns to dust.
Many things in the Bible are clearly stated. On the other hand, many things in scripture and prophesy contain mysteries which God purposely made somewhat obscure. Wherefore? That men might seek them out:
“It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” - Proverbs 25:2
As it is then with a cloud, so also it is with Biblical truth. When enough ‘particle vapors’ are amassed together, the truth becomes visible. Things that would go unseen by themselves, when put in context combined with other things that connect with them, become enlarged and make manifest things we would not otherwise see. God, in his word, used his prophets and his people, made of the dust, bonded with his word, to create examples and analogies which we can learn from and follow: a living picture. With this in mind, we increase our knowledge when many things in scripture confirm each other by coming together, affirming the truth in, “a great cloud of witnesses”. Study to show yourself approved.
A Cloud Of Witnesses For The End Time
When Moses was instructed to make the tabernacle, he was admonished of God: “...See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.” Likewise, in the book of Hebrews it is revealed how that the priesthood, the laws, sacrifices, and things in, and about the temple, were made after a pattern of heavenly things to create a shadow of things to come. Thus, the admonition of God was to make everything exactly as instructed; otherwise, the picture of spiritual things would be corrupted as it was when Moses smote the rock twice. Christ was to be smitten only once for the sins of the world. Moses was punished for his error by not being allowed to enter the promise land.
Furthermore; the use of physical pictures to reveal spiritual things goes far beyond those things that were given to Moses and Solomon to fashion. Indeed, God himself in the creation of all things, modeled physical things after spiritual things to serve as visuals and similitudes, that the invisible things may be known and understood by the things he made. Nothing physically created is absent a preexisting spiritual counter part.
It is, therefore, when God says, “Let there be light”, it is the knowledge of invisible things becoming manifest through the creation of physical things. All things, both living and nonliving, are models made to be examples, whereby we can understand the invisible things of the spiritual world.
With this in mind, consider the works of God; for in them lies the mysteries hidden from before the foundations of the world. And it is by these things he has made, that we can understand, even if only in part: signs, times, seasons, and purposes.
Six Days, Six Thousand Years
Much has been written on the matter of a six thousand year time-span for God’s work which is widely accessible; but with care, always read and study prayerfully; for there are many false teachers.
In the Bible there are few scriptures which make a reference to one day being as a thousand years. However, there are other things serving as witnesses which point to the correlation between one day of creation and one thousand years of time.
To sum up a few other commentaries; there is historical documentation showing that among first and second century Christians and religious Jews, it was widely accepted that the history of mankind would conclude at the end of six thousand years. Psalm 90 is a scriptural reference often used by Jewish sages along with other ancient writings to support this belief. It was a Jewish belief that the messianic age would begin at the end of 4000 years. When the time passed, they thought that in did not occur, it was reasoned that Messiah did not come because they were not ready. Many Christians believe the Messianic age did begin at the time appointed with the appearance of Christ and that we are now in the last days.
Christians also point to Psalm 90, along with Peter’s statement in 2 Peter 3:8, “... 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…”.
The teaching that the world will exist for 6000 years is still common among religious Jews today, and also in some Christian circles; but others understand differently and many beliefs that were widely embraced by early followers of Christ have been replaced in many cases by modern end time doctrines.
There are also early writings, from both Jewish and Christian sources, some from the first and second century, which agree that the time of mankind concludes at the end of six thousand years. But, other than ancient writings, what other things are there that may testify as a witness to this understanding in the Bible? For Israel followed a “cloud of witnesses”.
There is a paradox in Geneses which may indeed attest to this early understanding of the times. The first recorded statement of God in the Bible is, “Let there be light”. The paradox is this; the Sun, Moon, and stars, do not appear in the account of creation until the forth day. How then was there light when God spoke the light into being at the very beginning before the forth day? The answer can be found at the beginning of the first chapter of the Gospel of John. The Light is the Word of God.
What then of the light created on the forth day? That was the actual physical manifestation of light. But the physical manifestation created on the fourth day was created to bear witness of the true Light, the spiritual light spoken of the first day beginning the creation of God.
All of creation, being a model of spiritual things, teaches knowledge through similitudes. At the beginning, God said, “Let there be light, and God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness". God does this same thing, only in a physical sense on the forth day when he creates the Sun to divide the day from the night, and, “to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good”. God, on the forth day, creates a physical similitude of the true Light spoken of by John: The Word of God.
Christ is to be worshiped, and certainly not the Sun which is but a similitude; however, similitudes are the Instructor’s tools for teaching spiritual things. Many physical characteristics of the Sun can be related to the position Christ is given spiritually: life, warmth, cleansing, and light for example. The Sun represents a bridegroom in Psalm 19. Our world revolves around him, all life is dependent upon him.
How often the similitude of the Sun, and daylight also, is used in the Bible to express aspects of the Son of God. How often day is used as an expression of spiritual enlightenment and night as blindness and spiritual darkness.
With this in mind, it follows that if each day of creation represents a thousand years, and the Sun appeared the forth day, it becomes manifest that at some point in the fourth millennium, the time anticipated by religious Jews of the day, the Light of the world, Messiah would appear. This appearance of Light would take place to usher in the final two millennium.
Nothing God made in creation was without design and purpose.
On the forth day: “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”. This quote from Genesis 1 is literal; however, because there are two realms, it carries a far deeper spiritual meaning than in a physical sense alone.
The ancient belief that after six thousand years the world would end was also accompanied by a belief that the six thousand years is divided into three ages, each age consisting of two thousand years. The appearance of the Messiah at the end of the first two ages signified a transition into the final age before the eternal Sabbath.
Pharaoh had two different dreams foretelling one event. Joseph told Pharaoh God had doubled his dream because the thing was certain. Seeing then how God uses two or more witnesses to establish a matter, would it be surprising that two millennial days would be combined to form one age? There is about two thousand years from Adam to Abraham and about two thousand years from Abraham until Christ. There is one millennium from Abraham to David, and one from David to Christ. Both Abraham and David were given the promise of Christ issuing from their seed. Abraham and David, two witnesses, one thousand years apart, making two millennial days before Christ, both testifying to God’s promise of Messiah.
From Peter's statement in Acts chapter 2:17, where he quotes the prophet Joel, it is clear that the last days had begun either on, or before the day of Pentecost. Four thousand years are passed; two millennia from Adam to Abraham, two more from Abraham to Christ. Two thousand years more from Messiah would fulfill six millennial days. Not knowing the exact time, counting from Christ’s ministry on earth, we are now somewhere near the end of a third and final period of two thousand years.
After the six thousand years (three ages) are complete, six millennial days of work are finished. Then comes the seventh day, “The Day Of The Lord”. The fourth age is then ushered in, an eternal day of Rest; for God finished all his works in six days; and God rested from his work on the seventh, which is the Sabbath.
Watch and pray to know.
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