Does God have a plan for mankind?
Most people have never heard of God’s 7000-Year Master Plan for mankind.
That great plan is pictured by the seven-day week. As Genesis shows, God refashioned the earth (Psalm 104:30) and created all life forms in six days and then rested on the Sabbath. God also gave man six days in which to work, followed by a day of rest. In Exodus 20:11 we read: “For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.” On the seventh day of the week, man is to put aside his normal routine of daily activities and worship the true God (Isaiah 58:13-14).
The Apostle Peter understood that the seven-day week is a pattern which applies to time on a far grander scale. He wrote: “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:9). The Apostle Paul also had this principle in mind when he explained that the seventh day of the week pictures the peaceful time of rest that will follow this present age (Hebrews 4:3-11).
The Apostle John tells us that this period of rest will occur after Christ’s intervention in world affairs and that it will last a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-4). Since the seventh day of the week symbolizes 1000 years of peace under the rule of Jesus Christ (the Millennium), the first six days of the week represent 6000 years in which man has been allowed to govern himself and work out his own ideas and plans. In other words, each day of the week represents 1000 years of human existence.
It is important to note that Satan is the ruler of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4), and that he has deceived the whole world (Revelation 12:9). He began this deception in the Garden of Eden. Where are we now in this 7000-year plan? Charts which list biblical events in time order are accurate enough to show that human life was created about 4000 years before the birth of Christ. History makes it clear that almost another 2000 years have expired since then – making a total of nearly 6000 years of human civilization to date. In short, man’s “week” is nearly over, and God’s great Millennial Rest will soon be here!
