Often when we consider what God is doing, we attempt to gauge it in terms of our lifespan. This is frequently disappointing. God operates outside of the time realm that we are accustomed to. Indeed, we have found that “God’s Footprints” are most easily seen if we view history in 1,000-year steps. Peter declared that with the Lord “one day is like a thousand years, and one thousand years like one day” (2 Peter 3:8b). The few years of our lifespan are like a flicker on the broader scale of human history.
Let me propose that God has been and is actively intervening in human history. He is shaping it and directing it toward the ultimate goal that He alone has determined. The Bible is the only source that provides insight into His activities. The first eleven chapters of the Bible (Genesis 1:1-11:25) provide a brief account of God’s intervention is the “pre-historic” period. During this era, we are given descriptions of three distinct interventions and the impact that those interventions had on human history. The remainder of the Bible (Genesis 11:26 through Revelation) outlines His activities in the present age. In each intervention, God acted or is acting to limit the destructive impact of “evil” operating in and through mankind.
The Prehistoric Period
In the Creation account, we see a picture of man living directly under the authority of God. Evidently there was perfect communion between God and man. Man existed with at least some attributes that we associate with God (Man was created in God’s image). We believe that these attributes originated in God and were delegated to man in order for him to fulfill his God-given mission. In this capacity, man served as a steward of the physical creation. He was only able to function in this exalted capacity due to his empowerment from God.
Another aspect of creation that we are forced to consider is “evil”. Sometimes evil is a bit difficult to clearly define, however, its impact should be evident to all. The ambition of evil is to oppose God’s will. Due to the pivotal position of man in God’s creation, evil targets man. The ultimate goal of evil is to destroy mankind.
Evil entered this picture through the serpent. The serpent twisted God’s commandments and as a result Eve was deceived and led Adam into disobedience and rebellion against God. God decided to intervene in this situation by driving Adam and Eve out from His presence (the Garden). Because of this separation from the source of life, Adam lost his anointing and became little more than the other animals over which he exercised dominion.
Following the fall of man from his exalted position, mankind multiplied on the earth. Without the anointing and blessing of God, he struggled to survive. Again, man was deceived by the lure of evil. Evidently, the extent of evil was almost boundless. The Bible declares, “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). God intervened by causing a great flood which destroyed all of mankind except for the relatively righteous household of Noah. Through this righteous branch would descend all subsequent generations.
Despite the righteousness of Noah and his family, their descendants succumbed to evil just as their forefathers had done. Again, the human community struggled for survival. In their struggle, they were organized under the leadership of the tyrant Nimrod (he was the original “community organizer”). The beginning of his kingdom was “Babel” (Genesis 10:10). The nature of the evil that was manifested at Babel is not apparent, but God decided that He must intervene once again. He did so by confusing their language, which made it virtually impossible for men to cooperate with one another. Again, the destructive impact of evil was limited. Since the time of the Babel event, man has struggled to overcome the limitation imposed by God. We believe that in the era in which we are now living man has practically overcome those limitations.
The Present Age
As stated previously, the remainder of the Bible (Genesis 12 through Revelation) reveals God’s intervention in history in the modern era. Again, mankind multiplied on the earth and developed into national units spread across the earth. Each nation struggled with others to survive. Again, the lure of evil influenced man and enticed him into paths and activities in opposition to God’s will.
God’s response has been to intervene to limit the influence and hence the impact of evil. According to the Biblical account, God is preparing to establish a king to reign over all mankind. This king will reign with absolute authority from Jerusalem in the midst of God’s people Israel. God chose Abraham and his descendants after him and made them stewards of a specific land (the land of Israel). He promised that kings would descend from Abraham and that through him all the families of the earth would be blessed (Genesis 12:3b). Now 4,000 years later (four God-days), we, as Christians, recognize that the king is Jesus. Before His death and resurrection, He promised that He would return “in the glory of His Father” (Matthew 16:27). According to the Bible, He will sit on the “throne of His father David” (Luke 1:32). The Bible also declares “so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of those who are in heaven and those on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11).
During His reign, the devil (the personification of evil) will be chained up for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:2). The Bible speaks of this period as “the period of restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21).
So, God initiated His plan by choosing a special servant and brought him to a special land. During the first day then, God prepared His people to settle into this special land. At the beginning of the second day, God chose the prototype (King David) for the coming king. During the second day, God revealed through the prophets the nature of the promised King and of His reign. At the beginning of the third day, the King stepped into mankind and established His credentials (supernatural conception, anointed ministry, resurrection and ascension following His physical death). During the third and fourth days, God has been choosing attendants for the King and has been preparing them to function alongside the King. At the beginning of the fifth day, the King will ascend (descend to) His throne in Jerusalem and begin His active reign over all mankind. This will be a Shabbat millennium. According to my calculations, the present date is about 5947. Therefore, it is my conclusion that we are near the end of the sixth day: we are ready for the Shabbat Millennium.
Finally, the Bible speaks of a future era in which evil will have been separated from the “New Heaven and the New Earth”. In this New Creation, it appears as if the initial state that existed in the Garden will once again be established without any influence of evil. Satan, his followers (both supernatural and natural) will be relegated to the “Lake of Fire” (meaning eternal separation from God’s New Creation). This will mark the completion of the redemption process.