Time, and God's plan for history

Dear friends

In rummaging through some old books I found C.S. Lovett's 1980 book, Latest Word on the Last Days. I have always liked Lovett for the clarity of his writings on many biblical subjects.

Interestingly, in the book he shows a chart that appeared by Dr. Robert Gentry in Popular Science magazine way back in November 1969 (odd medium for such a chart). That was 31 years before all the current and often scoffed-at speculation about the significance of the end of the millennium.

The chart shows man's 7,000-year history divided into the usual segments, beginning 4,000 years before Christ. It shows the 2,000 years after Christ as the "Age of the Holy Spirit." Then it shows the Second Coming of Christ as "Cir. 2000." He did not say 1988, 1998, or 1999, but "Cir. 2000." That's exactly where we are now!

Lovett also shows graphically

                                                            All of "time" is in the dot below

                 Eternity _________________________ . _________________________ Eternity

All of time and all of God's entire story and program for human history is compressed into that one little dot in the middle!

I was also reminded of something I wrote on January 1, 2001

13th century rabbi prophecy.  Some 700 years ago, a Rabbi Simeon prophesied "When the sixtieth year shall have passed over the threshold of the sixth millennium, the God of heaven will visit the daughter of Jacob with a preliminary remembrance... The children of Ishmael will at the same time rouse all the nations of the world to come to war against Jerusalem to battle (Zechariah 142)."   (It is assumed that he is speaking of the Jewish year 5760, just finished.)

In late November 2000, a Messianic Jewish leader in Israel wrote, "We have entered the prelude to Zechariah chapter 12, if not actually crossed the threshold into its apocalyptic grip with many of its profound predictions seemingly ready to take place in our days…"

Now, just four months later, this week we read that on March 22, 2001, 27 leading rabbis in Israel have made the profound declaration that we are now in the "time of Jacob's trouble," prophesied by Jeremiah (30:7) over 2,500 years ago.

These are truly the times spoken of by the prophets! "Then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh" (Luke 2128).