For six-thousand years, the race of Adam will work. After that — a Sabbath Rest.
Mankind was given six-thousand years to complete their ‘work,’ then the day of rest would begin. That was a commonly accepted truth among the early Church Fathers. The evidence is growing as newly discovered documents support this interpretation of scripture. The early disciples of Christ believed the history of humanity would change dramatically after six-thousand years.
But what about the billions of years, the dinosaurs, and Darwin’s theory? What about the millions of years it took for mankind to evolve? For now, I’ll skip over the weak arguments in those theories. In this article, I want to point out what the early Church believed regarding the teaching of the six-thousand years.
The second chapter of Genesis clearly states that before Adam fell from grace, the Lord prophesied about what would happen if he fell. If he ate from the tree, he would die on the day that he ate. In the future, a one-thousand-year rest will follow the six-thousand years of human toil and trial.
Let’s take a look at one key biblical text and how the early disciples interpreted it and others like it.
Genesis 2:15-17
15The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
But wait, Adam didn’t die on the same day that he and Eve ate the fruit.
Or did he? What did God mean when he said Adam would die in the “day that you eat of it?”
If the first thousand years were equal to one prophetic day, then Adam did die during the first day that he ate the fruit. If we interpret the passage in this way it avoids the confusing scriptural gymnastics that are needed in order to explain why Adam didn’t die on the day he ate.
I am increasingly convinced that God has a timeline of six-thousand years in which mankind will fulfill their destiny. After the six-thousand years are finished, the Millennial reign of Christ will soon follow. But though I am convinced of this, I am not prepared to suggest any hard-and-fast dates for the finish of the six-thousand years. The calendars are all messed up. There is a lot of work to determine a truly accurate assessment of the date from creation.
Let’s look at what some of the early Church Fathers taught regarding the six thousand years.
Irenaeus
“But when this Antichrist shall have devastated all things in this world, he will reign for three years and six months, and sit in the temple at Jerusalem, and then the Lord will come from heaven in the clouds, in the glory of the Father, sending this man and those who follow him into the lake of fire; but bringing in for the righteous the times of the kingdom, that is, the rest, the hallowed seventh day, and restoring to Abraham the promised inheritance, in which kingdom the Lord declared, that “many coming from the east and from the west should sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
Important note about the last days & the Church Fathers:
The above quote from Irenaeus stands in sharp contrast to the preterist teaching regarding the Antichrist. The early Church expected a literal man who would reign in Jerusalem. They expected a rebuilt temple which had been destroyed in 70 AD. And, the early disciples expected the promise of land to Abraham to be kept after the tribulation period was over.
In the following quotes, pay attention to what the early disciples clearly taught about their interpretation of the “days” until the consummation of all things. To them, one day was as a thousand. That’s just what the Apostle Peter quoted.
Papias (AD. 70-155)
“Taking occasion from Papias of Hierapolis, the illustrious, a disciple of the apostle who leaned on the bosom of Christ, and Clemens, and Pantaenus … of the Alexandrians, and the wise Ammonius, the ancient and first expositors [of Scripture], who agreed with each other, who understood the work of the six days as referring to Christ and the whole Church.
Barnabas & six-thousand years (AD. 100?)
“’And God made in six days the works of His hands, and made an end on the seventh day, and rested on it, and sanctified it.’ Attend, my children, to the meaning of this expression, ‘He finished in six days.’ This implieth that the Lord will finish all things in six thousand years, for a day is with Him a thousand years, And He Himself testifieth, saying, ‘Behold, today will be as a thousand years.’ Therefore, my children, in six days, that is, in six thousand years, all things will be finished. ‘And He rested on the seventh day.’ This meaneth: when His Son, coming [again], shall destroy the time of the wicked man, and judge the ungodly, and change the-sun, and the moon, and the stars, then shall He truly rest on the seventh day.”
Irenaeus & six-thousand years: (AD. 120-202)
“For in as many days as this world was made, in so many thousand years shall it be concluded. And for this reason, the Scripture says: ‘Thus the heaven and the earth were finished, and all their adornment. And God brought to a conclusion upon the sixth day the works that He had made, and God rested upon the seventh day from all His works.’
This is an account of the things formerly created, as also it is a prophecy of what is to come. For the day of the Lord is as a thousand years, and in six days created things were completed: it is evident, therefore, that they will come to an end at the sixth thousandth year … the whole apostasy of six thousand years, and unrighteousness, and wickedness, and false prophecy, and deception; for which things’ sake a cataclysm of fire shall also come [upon the earth].”
“These are [to take place] in the times of the kingdom, that is, upon the seventh day, which has been sanctified, in which God rested from all the works which He created, which is the true Sabbath of the righteous, which they shall not be engaged in any earthly occupation; but shall have a table at hand prepared for them by God, supplying them with all sorts of dishes.”
Hippolytus & six-thousand years: (AD. 170-236)
“And six thousand years must needs be accomplished, in order that the Sabbath may come, the rest, the holy day on which God rested from all His works. For the Sabbath is the type and emblem of the future kingdom of the saints, when they shall reign with Christ, when He comes from heaven, as John says in his Apocalypse. ‘For a day with the Lord is as a thousand years.’ Since, then, in six days God made all things, it follows that six thousand years must be fulfilled.”
These men were by no means infallible. But they did believe that history would reach six-thousand years, and then the Sabbath rest would immediately follow. And they obviously predated the modern theory of evolution. But they also predated the faulty theory of amillennialism. That theory supposes that the thousand-year reign of Christ is a myth. But if it was, why did so many of the early disciples teach it as truth?
I think the early Church fathers were much closer to the truth. They did have very close connections to the original twelve disciples. A day spent with Jesus is far better than a year in seminary. And a day spent with the earliest disciples would also be very valuable and instructive.
Let’s give more value to the teaching that was more closely connected to the original Word of God.
2 Peter 3:8 & six-thousand years
The war started six thousand years ago. It’s near the final stages.
Let me know what you think.