Morning Light – August 3rd, 2016: The 1000 Year Day of God

Morning Light – August 3rd, 2016
Today: [Psalm 90] The 1000 Year Day of God. In Psalm 90 we find two very influential verses about God’s calculation of time and also a promise of human longevity. This psalm, written by Moses reflects in character and structure the Lord’s prayer. It compels us to look up from the myopia of focus upon our immediate personal lives and to take a generational view over time of God’s plan and our place in the kingdom.
[Psa 90:1-17 KJV] 1 [[A Prayer of Moses the man of God.]] Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. 2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou [art] God. 3 Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye children of men. 4 For a thousand years in thy sight [are but] as yesterday when it is past, and [as] a watch in the night.
Psalm 90 is attributed to Moses and is the only psalm where his authorship is suggested. The opening verse and the tone of the psalm is reminiscent of the Lord’s prayer. It has a cadence and a character that both glorifies God, acknowledges human frailty and petitions for divine grace to serve Him. The focus is generational in scope. The first verse acknowledges that in whatever generation we find ourselves or whatever history unfolds – God is still our dwelling place. This is a remarkable reference in light of the powerful and well known chapter that follows (Psa. 91) that begins as well with a reference to the dwelling place of God and the benefits of being in that state as a believer.
From a generational standpoint the most remarkable thing to make note of is the transmission of information and how it is handled from one generation to the next. For my own experience in my lifetime I have benefited from 3 generations of strong and dedicated service of my family members to the Lord. My grandfather was rooted in the early Pentecostal traditions going back all the way to Azusa street and the outpouring of God there. My father came up in the days of the 50’s healing revivals and served God during the early Charismatic renewal in the 60’s and during the Jesus movement among the younger generation in the 70’s. I came of age and began pastoring at the height of the “word of faith” movement and pastored during the Pensacola revival and the days of the Vineyard movement under John Wimber.
The interesting thing to me and something of concern is to note how much spiritual substance IS and IS NOT transmitted from one generation to the next. If you ask a young person if they know who Frank Parham was you will often get a blank stare. Frank Parham was the father of the Pentecostal movement and the mentor of William Seymour who led the Azusa street movement. Likewise many of the younger generation don’t know who William Branham was – although he was the touchstone of anointing that birthed the ministries of many of the well-known and influential men of God who have shaped what Christianity is today. Because these histories have not been successfully transmitted from one generation to the next there is much re-learning that has to be done and unfortunately many mistakes are repeated.
The same is true in our secular history. The generation that lived at the beginning of WWII would look at the world scene today and be aghast at the inability of our generation to learn from the horrors of the past. The political climate today across the globe is very similar to the conditions that led up to WWI and WWII. The inability of governments to bring stability and economic good health to their populations, the rising tide of isolationism among nations, and the shift from political ideology to personality driven leadership all points to continue unrest of nations that very possibly could result in world-wide conventional warfare on the scale of those previous conflicts.
Nonetheless the message to us is this – regardless of conditions around us there is nothing new. God is still our habitation. Though there may be no stability and surety in this life God is still on the throne and we look to Him as our strength and our anchor. This is the message of the writer of this psalm. Nations rise and fall. Cataclysm and happenstance may reshape word populations as empires rise and fall but God is our habitation and our trust is in Him. This was the great drawing influence on those that became a part of the early church. During the days of the Roman empire human life was sold cheap and held in very slight regard. The people flocked to the Christian faith because it held out the hope of security and blessing that transcended the instability and consternation of the times.
5 Thou carriest them away as with a flood; they are [as] a sleep: in the morning [they are] like grass [which] groweth up. 6 In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth. 7 For we are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled. 8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret [sins] in the light of thy countenance.
In verse 4 we now can see where Peter arrived at the conclusion that a day with the Lord is as a 1000 years and a 1000’s years as a day (2 Peter 3:8). How many days of the Lord then have we seen in human history? From Adam’s day until now 6000 years have passed. There are 2000 years from Adam to Abraham. From Abraham to Jesus were 2000 years. From Jesus time till now is just in the threshold of another 2000 years. When you add this up you see that we are one 1000 year day short of fulfilling God’s 7000 year week. If you account for the prophesied commencement of a 1000 year reign of Christ on the earth you can only conclude we are living in monumental times.
Hosea also confirms this by another 1000 year day calculation:
[Hos 6:1-3 KJV] 1 Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. 2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. 3 Then shall we know, [if] we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter [and] former rain unto the earth.
We are now 2 of God’s 1000 year days from the resurrection of Christ. The prophesy of Hosea is that in the 3rd day He will raise us up and we will live in His sight. What is the “raising up” that Hosea refers to? Is it the rapture of 1 Thess. 4:16?
[1Th 4:16 KJV] 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
The doctrine of the rapture of the church is reviled and scorned by Christian culture today only second to the doctrine of an eternal hell. By quoting that verse you might make an assumption of what my own personal viewpoint on this matter might be and you would probably be wrong. Whatever your viewpoint may be it is impious to dismiss the teaching of a parouisia in the light of 1 Thess. 4:16 and other scriptures. There is an event prophesied throughout the bible whose timing does seem to fall in our lifetimes or our children’s lifetimes. Again – we live in monumental times. We need not be distracted by the bluster or shrill voices of alarmist mentalities. We have nothing to fear – God is our dwelling place from generation to generation!
9 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale [that is told]. 10 The days of our years [are] threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength [they be] fourscore years, yet [is] their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. 11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy fear, [so is] thy wrath. 12 So teach [us] to number our days, that we may apply [our] hearts unto wisdom. 13 Return, O LORD, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants. 14 O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. 15 Make us glad according to the days [wherein] thou hast afflicted us, [and] the years [wherein] we have seen evil. 16 Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory unto their children. 17 And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.
There is another important reference here about the longevity of man. In the beginning man was intended to live forever. In reality it was possible that God intended from man (before the fall) to live 1000 years on the earth and then be translated to heaven without needing to die (as Elijah and Enoch). This is why when God told Adam in the day he ate of the tree that he would die. Adam did not fulfill 1000 years on the earth. God has never allowed any man to live longer than 1000 years because of the fall. Methusaleh lived 964 years and died the year of the flood – possibly in the flood itself.
Later in Gen. 6:3 God limited man’s years to 120 because of the ungodliness that characterized the earth before the flood of Noah’s day. Verse 10 in our chapter promises 70 years, 80 if our strength is greater than average. 70 is a number that has spiritual connotations – it represents God’s perfect order in creation and in our lives. The number 80 speaks of new beginnings and new order. My mother had severe health issues all her life and was not expected to live past her early 20’s. She believed God and passed away 9 months before her 70th birthday. Calculating from her conception – she received exactly 70 years! Does verse 10 limit our life’s span to 70 years? No – but there is simply a promise of at least 70 years. Currently in the developed world life expectancy is 76 years for men and 81 years for women. Regardless of the years of your life as a believer you can put your faith on longevity paralleled with quality of life and purpose in the kingdom. Psalm 91:16 promises us:
[Psa 91:16 KJV] 16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
So whatever stage of life you are in fret not because of the passing of time. You are an eternal creature. Your salvation is assured. Because God has time you have time. Never think of yourself as being cut off from opportunity or blessing because of your age. Many well-known and successful people never got their start until late in life. Regardless of your age God has a plan and it includes your portion and placement in His purposes.