7,000-year Plan

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Cut off from God by sin (Isa. 59:1-2), mankind has believed the lies of the god of this world for 6,000 years. The core of God’s plan encompasses 7,000 years. Few have understood this. Many have correctly understood at least some of the verses describing Christ’s coming 1,000-year Reign, to begin at His Return (Rev. 20:4-6). But they know nothing of God allotting 6,000 years, or six millennial days of a “seven-day week,” to man’s rule, under Satan, prior to the seventh 1,000-year “day.” We are near the end of the “sixth day.”

We must understand! The Bible says, “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one dayis with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (II Pet. 3:8; Psa. 90:4). Of course, most are “ignorant” of almost everything that the Bible teaches. Will you comprehend?

Man (under the invisible sway of Satan) has been given six days, or 6,000 years, to try his own ways, governments, religions, philosophies, value systems and forms of education. Under the influence of Satan, he has practiced sin and disobedience to God’s commands for nearly 6,000 years. He has then tried to treat all of the ill effects instead of the cause, which is breaking God’s commandments. God is allowing man to learn painful, bitter lessons. The masses, who have never known the precious truth of God, must learn that their own ways do not work! (Read our booklet Does the Bible Teach Predestination? to learn about God’s plan.)

How it All Started

John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1) and then continued, “the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” If there is One who WAS God, but who was also WITH God, it is obvious that two Beings—two Persons—are described.

John 1:14 continues, “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” The only God-Being who ever became flesh in order to dwell among men is Jesus Christ. Remember, it says that the Word “was made flesh.” Christ was not flesh until He came to earth to become the Saviour of mankind—to pay the RANSOM, His life, and eventually DELIVER mankind from captivity.

Genesis 1:1 states, “In the beginning God…” Moses recorded the first five books of the Old Testament in the Hebrew language. The Hebrew word translated “God” is Elohim, a uniplural word like team, group, family or church. God is one Family—one God—composed of TWO Beings. This is why Christ could be God and be with God at the same time. John 4:24 states that “God is a Spirit.” God is made up of, or composed of, Spirit. Men are composed of flesh.

God and Christ enjoy perfect harmony and agreement in everything they do. They reflect perfect outgoing concern, love and cooperation. The Father is the supreme leader of a Family that both chose to expand. First, God created the angels and then the entire physical universe, including earth.

Then, later in Genesis 1:1-31, we find that God said, “Let US [more than one] make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness” (Gen 1:26). There was clearly more than one person involved in the creation of man. Gen 1:25 shows that each animal was made after “his kind.” Dogs come from dogs and have puppies that look like dogs. Cats come from cats and have kittens that look like cats. Horses come from horses and have foals that look like horses. This is true throughout the entire animal kingdom. This is no mystery.

But here is what HAS been a MYSTERY. Men are not part of the animal kind. They do not carry the likeness of any “beast of the earth” (Gen 1:25). They are made in the image and likeness of God. They are part of the GOD kind. So says your Bible!

Genesis 2:7 states, “God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Man is made out of physical matter—flesh. While he is not composed of what God is composed of—Spirit—man is FORMED in the “image and likeness” of God. Also take note that this verse says man “became”—not “had”—a soul. People do not HAVE souls.

They ARE souls!

Throughout the Bible are references to God’s body parts. They show that God has eyes, ears, hands, feet, a mouth, nostrils, arms and legs, etc. In just one location, Isaiah 59:1-2 mentions His face, ears and hands. Numerous verses make reference to the mind of God and Christ (Phil. 2:5). Humans have all of these same physical attributes that God Himself possesses, although made of flesh and not Spirit. Human beings have been given hands so that they can create. Paws, claws and hooves are not capable of building complex televisions, even if a mind is directing them—and, of course, animals have brains, not minds.

Animals function on instinct. Almost immediately after birth, they know exactly how to function—how to stand up, take steps and find where to get milk. Babies require far longer to even stand up and have to be taught how to do everything.

Human beings are capable of acquiring knowledge. Animals do not have this capability. God has programmed into animals, through instinct, everything that they need to function effectively within their environment.

Human beings do not instinctively know everything that they need to know in order to operate successfully throughout their lives. As they grow older and more demands are made upon them, they must acquire ever more knowledge.

All knowledge that men obtain falls into two categories. First is the knowledge of how to work with matter and physical things. Second is the kind of knowledge necessary to develop a personal relationship with both God and their fellow man. All knowledge, therefore, is either PHYSICAL or SPIRITUAL knowledge.

Physical knowledge is acquired through the five senses—sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste. People understand that they must acquire a certain amount of useful knowledge and keep adding to it throughout their lives. They recognize that they must learn to eat, learn to ride a bike, learn to play a piano, hammer a nail, cut the grass, get dressed, drive a car, master one or more skills en route to a career, and many other things. To function as adults requires much physical knowledge. Of course, this is not hard to understand. Most adults recognize that no one can succeed in life without a certain amount of knowledge. Today, people need more knowledge than ever to survive in an ever more complex world.

But there is a big problem in all of this. The physical knowledge that we have described has not been sufficient, or of the right kind, for mankind to be able to solve the complex problems afflicting all the nations of the world. For instance, he is utterly incapable of achieving world peace.

Why?

What Knowledge?

We must now examine what NO ONE understands. Remember, man is made of flesh. But he has another non-physical, critically important component that must be explained. The apostle Paul wrote, “For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knows no man, but the Spirit of God” (I Cor. 2:11).

Do not try to “interpret” this verse. Let it interpret itself. Accept it for what it says. This verse identifies TWO different kinds of spirit—the “Spirit of God” and the “spirit of man.” They are not the same. Each provides a different function in acquiring knowledge.

Human knowledge (“the things of a man”) is acquired because God has given men a human spirit—the spirit in man. Paul’s inspired statement also makes clear that spiritual knowledge (“the things of God”) can only be acquired by the presence of the Spirit of God. Even this very knowledge is in itself truly amazing! Think of it this way. Virtually no one has the knowledge about HOW either physical or spiritual knowledge is acquired!

It is the false doctrine of evolution that holds scientists and educators as captives, completely unable to understand the knowledge described here.

The book of Job plainly states, “But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding” (32:8). This confirms what Paul said. This identifies that there is a spirit in man, while recognizing spiritual understanding (knowledge) comes from God—“the Almighty.”

Animals do not have the spirit in man. Animal brains are entirely different from human minds. Humans are given the spirit of man from conception. It allows them, through use of the five senses, to acquire and retain knowledge. Without this unseen spirit element, man would be just another dumb beast. But he is made in the image of God and has been given the power to acquire, retain and use knowledge for all kinds of purposes.

All human beings were created by God to receive two completely different spirits. One comes at conception, and the other comes by an entirely different means. Without the Spirit of God, people are literally “not all there.” Their existence remains limited to what they can acquire on their own without God’s help.

Earlier, we left off talking about the Tree of Life. Let’s now return to it, remembering that Adam was offered the opportunity to eat of this Tree.

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