6000 Years- Part 1 the 6-7 Pattern of Redemption

           

        “I am God, and there is none like me.  I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come...What I have said, that will I bring about, what I have planned, that will I do.” (Isaiah 46:9-11)’

        In Genesis, the book of beginnings, we are given the divine pattern of creation of the world in six days and a seventh day of rest. That pattern was of such significance that God commanded the Israelites to observe it in every aspect of their life and it would be  sign “for the Israelites forever–  for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested .” -Exodus 31:17 The  Israelites were to work 6 days and rest on the seventh. Indentured servants were to serve 6 years and be released on the seventh year. At the end of every seventh year, all debts had to be cancelled. Every seventh year was a Sabbath year  the land was to lie unplowed and unused. If you lost your land by default, you could redeem the land that had been forfeited– if you could afford to pay the price. If you could not pay the price, a relative (kinsman-redeemer) could redeem it on your behalf up until the Year of Jubilee, which was the year following seven Sabbath years (7x7). In the year of Jubilee,  the land would legally revert back to the original owner.  From these, we can see that the seventh is the day or year of rest, release from bondage, and redemption of property back to the original owner.

 

                                          SATAN IS THE RULER OVER 

                                    THE NATIONS OF THIS WORLD

Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”  -Luke 4:5-7

         In Genesis, God gave Adam dominion over the earth to rule it on God’s behalf. -Genesis 1:28 Adam forfeited his God-given authority over the earth to Satan, who became the “god” of this world who rules over the nations. We can be sure of this because Jesus did not contest Satan’s claim to ownership of this world’s kingdoms when tempted in the desert. And, in John’s gospel, Jesus Himself refers to Satan three times as “the ruler of this world”. Long after the crucifixion, the apostle John wrote that “the whole world is under the control of the evil one”. -1 John 5:20 And it remains so today, awaiting the appointed year of redemption at the completion of 6000 years from Adam’s default. On the cross, Jesus paid the full price for redemption of our spirit, body, and the earth,  but each of these are consummated at different times: redemption of the spirit when a person accepts Christ, redemption of the body of believers in Christ at the resurrection/rapture, and redemption of the earth during the seven year tribulation described in Revelation.  

                                  OUR KINSMAN-REDEEMER

Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals. Revelation 5:1-5 

       The seven-sealed scroll is the divine “title deed” to the earth and it’s kingdoms. John is weeping because, at first, no-one is found worthy to open the scroll and redeem the earth.  No mere human can pay the price to even redeem himself, let alone the earth.  And if no-one can pay the price of redemption during the year of redemption, then the world will continue under the rulership of Satan forever. But Jesus, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, is found worthy to open the seals. Jesus, as well as being God, is fully human, but without sin and is therefore fully qualified to redeem what Adam forfeited; He is our kinsman-redeemer. The apostle John is seeing this vision on the future "day of the Lord” – the time when the Lord both redeems the earthly kingdoms from Satan  and avenges the shedding of innocent blood: “The day of my vengeance was in my heart and the year of my redemption has come” Isaiah 63:4 According to every prophetic type in the Bible concerning the year of redemption, that year will follow the six-seven pattern. Therefore, it is at the completion of 6000 years from Adam’s forfeiture that redemption of the earth must take place. Revelation chapter 20 tells us that the 1000-year reign of Christ on earth will commence directly after Jesus’ work of redeeming the earth from Satan, completing the pattern of 7000 years.  And so we are shown in Revelation 11:15 that “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!”

Kevin John