three times two thousand years (8, conclusion) – in six days

13-03-2026 - Posted by Geert-Jan

Originally posted on March 12, 2026 – by Andre Piet
Reading time: about 4 minutes

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8

In this series of articles we follow the main line of world history as Scripture portrays it: from Adam to the Messianic kingdom. In doing so we have seen that the Bible portrays history in periods of millennia that ultimately culminate in the Kingdom of Christ.

Remarkably, that pattern already appears at the very beginning of the Bible.

God declares the end from the beginning

The prophet Isaiah quotes God with the words:

Declaring the end from the beginning, and from aforetime what has not yet been done, saying: My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.
Isaiah 46:10

That is a remarkable statement. God not only knows the future—He also declares it beforehand.

The word history literally means: that which has happened. It describes events that lie behind us. But God also says beforehand what will happen. That is something a human cannot do. We can predict, but God foretells. Precisely for that reason it is very significant that Scripture from the very beginning already shows how the outcome will be.

Genesis 1: history and prophecy

Genesis 1 describes how God orders heaven and earth and gives life its place. It is therefore history: it tells what God has done. But at the same time the beginning of the Bible also proves to possess a prophetic dimension. In the structure of the creation week a pattern is embedded that points forward to the entire history of salvation.

Genesis 1 is therefore not only history, but also prophecy.

one day as a thousand years

In this series repeated attention has been given to the biblical fact that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years. Psalm 90 says that a thousand years in God’s eyes are as yesterday when it passes, and Peter repeats this when he writes: “One day with the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day” (2 Pet. 3:8).

Genesis 1 describes six days in which God made the creative words known to mankind. They are real days of revelation, yet at the same time they form a pattern that points forward to the course of history.

When we relate the biblical principle of “one day as a thousand years” to this, the creation week also receives a prophetic dimension. The six days then form a blueprint of six millennia of history, followed by a seventh millennium of rest. Thus it appears that the beginning of the Bible already contains the pattern of the history that follows.

day 1 – light

The first day is characterized by the first creative word: “Let there be light.” God thereby makes known how in the beginning He called forth the light. From the beginning humanity finds itself in a world darkened by sin and death. Yet immediately light sounds from God’s side. Right after the fall God gives the promise that the seed of the woman will overcome the serpent (Gen. 3:15). That is the first great point of light in the history of humanity.

day 2 – separation of the waters

On the second day God makes known how He separated the waters and formed the firmament. In Scripture waters often symbolize the world of the nations. In the early history of humanity the waters indeed play a decisive role. In the second millennium the great flood takes place, when the waters from above and below overwhelm the earth. From the house of Noah the nations of the earth then arise.

day 3 – land appears

On the third day it is described how the land emerged from the waters and the earth brought forth seed-bearing vegetation. That image recalls the moment when in the third millennium God calls Abraham out of the world of the nations and promises him a land and a seed. With that a people appears in history that receives a central place in God’s plan.

day 4 – light-bearers

On the fourth day mention is made of the great and the small lights that God has placed in the heavens. At the end of the fourth millennium the great light actually appears: Christ. He says of Himself that He is the light of the world. His coming is announced by a star, while John the Baptist comes to testify of that light—just as the moon reflects the light of the sun.

day 5 – life in waters and heavens

On the fifth day it is made known how the waters were filled with living creatures and the heavens with birds. It is striking that the land remains out of view in this section. That recalls the fifth millennium in which salvation goes to the nations. The evangel spreads and from it arises a people that comes forth from the sea of the nations, but has a heavenly destiny.

day 6 – Adam appears as ruler

The sixth day reaches its climax when God makes known how man was appointed as ruler over the creation. That looks forward to the appearance of the Son of Man—the Ben-Adam—who will ultimately receive dominion over the earth. When He appears at the end of the sixth millennium, humanity will reach its destiny: to rule the earth under God’s authority.

the sabbath

After six days the seventh day follows.

And God rested (lit. ceased) on the seventh day from all His work
— Gen. 2:2

This day is blessed and sanctified by God. Scripture also speaks of a future sabbath rest. In Hebrews 4:9 we read that a sabbath rest still remains for the people of God.

the crowning of six millennia

The creation week ends with the seventh day: the sabbath. It is the day on which God rests from all His work and which He blesses and sanctifies.

In prophecy this sabbath also appears to have a future perspective. In Revelation 20 it is spoken six times of a thousand years in which Satan is bound and the nations are no longer deceived. In this way the seventh period of world history is even explicitly designated as a thousand years.

Thus it appears that the end of the Bible connects exactly with the beginning. Just as the creation week culminates in the sabbath, so six thousand years of history culminate in a seventh millennium of rest.

The series of articles about three times two thousand years described the six millennia of human history. But those six millennia do not form the end point. They are the prelude to the great sabbath—the seventh millennium which in Scripture is explicitly called a thousand years.

 

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