The Apostle Peter thought he was living in the last days.
And not only Peter but also the writer of the Book of Hebrews believed he was in the last days of biblical prophecy. What are we to make of their interpretation of the last days? Did they misunderstand? Were they mistaken like so many false prophets of our day? Or is there an important truth presented in Scripture that has faded into obscurity over the last two millennia? I believe it’s the latter. The early Church believed the history of mankind would consist of a mere six thousand years and then judgment would come. It’s a belief too extreme for most modern believers. But it was a common belief during the time of Christ. And, if you’re bold enough to believe the Bible, that’s exactly what God’s Word indicates.
I won’t take the time now to discuss the scientific objections to this idea. But I’ll try to make time for it in later articles. The age of the earth and the biblical chronology are issues that many Christians prefer to ignore, or in most cases, just defer to the scientists. Let’s see what two of the most respected early disciples believed about this idea.
Other articles on this subject.
The one-thousand-year reign of Christ.
During the days of Pentecost, crowds gathered around Peter and asked him to explain the outpouring of the Spirit upon the early believers. And here’s what he said.
Peter Preached to the Crowd in the last days
…this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people; your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on My menservants and maidservants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy…
That verse is found in Acts chapter two. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Peter was led to quote from the Book of Joel. Peter seems to equate his day with the “Last Days” in Joel’s prophecy. Why did Peter think he was living in the last days? He obviously believed that what Joel wrote was taking place during Pentecost. But what’s not clear is that Peter might have believed the last days would last for two thousand years.
Now let’s look at Paul’s writing.
The Book of Hebrews and the Last days
The author of Hebrews was probably the Apostle Paul. I won’t discuss the reason for that conclusion but I’m not alone in that opinion. There are very good reasons to suspect that Paul was the author. So, if that’s the case, then two of the most prominent authors and leaders of the early Church believed they were living in the last days. Here’s what Paul wrote in the first chapter of Hebrews.
The Supremacy of the Son in the last days
On many past occasions and in many different ways, God spoke to our fathers through the prophets. But in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…
Paul writes to his readers and says, “in these last days.” And Peter, addressing the crowd who wanted to know about the outpouring of the Spirit said, “this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel… in the last days…”
That was nearly two thousand years ago. Were they wrong to think of themselves as living in the last days? Well not if they believed they were just two prophetic days away from the Millennial reign of Christ.
Let me explain.
To the surprise of many believers today, the early church believed the Bible predicted six-thousand years of toil for mankind. They believed the six days of creation were actual twenty-four-hour days. But each day represented a future thousand years. And after six thousand years were complete, the promised seed of Abraham would reign for a final thousand years. The last thousand years would match the seventh day of Creation in which God rested.
And remember what Peter wrote in his epistle, ‘one day with the Lord is as a thousand years.’ So, if that’s what the first and second-century Christians taught then they believed they were a mere two days away on God’s prophetic calendar.
But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the LORD a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
The six thousand years of the early Church
Read the following quotes from just three prominent early Church fathers.
Barnabas
“Therefore, children, in six days, or in six thousand years, all the prophecies will be fulfilled. Then it says, ‘He rested on the seventh day.’ This signifies at the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus, He will destroy the Antichrist, judge the ungodly, and change the sun, moon, and stars. Then He will truly rest during the Millennial reign, which is the seventh day.” Epistle of Barnabas 15: 7-9
Irenaeus
“The day of the Lord is as a thousand years, and in six days created things were completed. It is evident, therefore, they will come to an end in the six thousandth year.” Against Heresies, 5: 28
Hippolytus
“The Sabbath is a type of the future kingdom… For “a day with the Lord is as a thousand years.” Since, then, in six days the Lord created all things, it follows that in six thousand years all will be fulfilled.” Fragment 2: Commentary on Daniel 2:4
These quotes and many others are easily accessible by way of a simple online search, but I pulled them from a book by Ken Johnson Th. D. “The End-Times by the Ancient Church Fathers”
This idea might be a little hard for some people to accept, but that applies to most of the scriptures anyway. Even for Christians today, we are so ingrained with the mindset of billions of years and millions of galaxies that this idea just seems too far-fetched. But do yourself a favor and go through the ages of the Patriarchs. And as you do, ask yourself, “Why did God put all these dates and timelines in the scriptures if they weren’t very important?”
Let me know what you think.