Our study focuses on God Almighty’s plan for the restoration of humanity to Himself, necessitated by the fall of humanity from the garden of Eden.

and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.  Acts 3:20-21  NASB

God Almighty’s restoration of humanity is being implemented according to His plan.

The LORD of hosts has sworn saying, “Surely, just as I have intended so it has happened, and just as I have planned so it will stand,  Isaiah 14:24  NASB

Calling a bird of prey from the east,  /  The man of My purpose from a far country,  /  Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.  /  I have planned it, surely I will do it.”  Isaiah 46:11  NASB

The culmination of this plan is the end of the curses imposed by God Almighty after the disobedience and sin in Eden.

And there shall no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His bond-servants shall serve Him; and they shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads.  Revelation 22:3-4  NASB

As we discussed in the last section, the age is a unit of time in God Almighty’s plan for the restoration of humanity.  For instance, at the time of the apostles, multiple ages had already come and gone.

To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things; in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.  Ephesians 3:8-10  NASB

What’s more, there are ages to come after the time of the apostles.

in order that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  Ephesians 2:7  NASB

So, we need to identify what ages have occurred, what age we are now in, and what ages are to come. The Bible does not give specifics of ages that have been and are to come, so these ages will have to be derived from the types and patterns embedded in the Bible.

Thus, we are looking for a sequence of time periods which can represent the progression of humanity from the disobedience and sin that originated in the garden of Eden to full restoration to God Almighty (Acts 3:20-21).  In this search, we take guidance from a principal which we have previously mentioned.

However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual.  I Corinthians 15:46  NASB

With that in mind, Genesis 1:1-2:3 presents a sequence of time periods (called days), describing events in the natural, which can serve as a pattern for the ages of spiritual progression for humanity.  Here is a synopsis of the events in the days of creation in Genesis 1:1-2:3.

Day 1.  God Almighty created light and separated the light from the darkness.

Day 2.  God Almighty created the expanse (or firmament) and separated waters above from waters below the expanse/firmament.

Day 3.  Dry land appeared from waters below the expanse/firmament, and plants and fruit trees grew without light from the sun.

Day 4.  The sun, moon, and stars appeared for light, for signs, for seasons, and for separation of the light from the darkness on earth.

Day 5.  God Almighty created water creatures and winged birds.

Day 6.  God Almighty created cattle, creeping things, beasts, man in God’s image, and the woman from the man.

Day 7.  God Almighty rested.

A common application of the days of creation of Genesis 1:1-2:3 as a pattern for the progression of humanity is the assignment of 1,000 years to each age based on the following scripture.

But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  2Peter 3:8  NASB

Guided by the life-spans of those in the Old Testament genealogy, one can construct a history of humanity that is approximately 6,000 years.  Applying the equivalence of 1,000 years and one day, one concludes that we now are at the end of the sixth “day” of one thousand years.  Therefore, many expect the millennium (Rev 20:2-4), a seventh day or age of rest lasting one thousand years, to begin soon.

We will use the seven days of creation of Genesis 1:1-2:3 as a pattern for the ages of the spiritual progression of humanity with a different criteria for the identification of the ages.  Specifically, we will use the events of each day of the creation of Genesis 1 as a prophecy of what is to occur in the corresponding age in the journey of humanity from disobedience and sin to cohabitation with God Almighty in the afterlife.  Thus, each age is determined by fulfillment of what was prophesied to occur in that age by the description of events for that day of creation.  Consequently, these ages of God Almighty’s plan do not need to be of identical lengths of time, and, in fact, we will find them to be of differing lengths.

We can determine the ages that have been and are to come by synchronizing events of the days of creation of Genesis 1 with biblical history, and we will denote this linkage by use of the term “day/age” to identify the seven time periods in God Almighty’s plan.  Specifically, God Almighty created and separated light and darkness in day 1 of creation, and God Almighty created and separated the spiritual realms of light and darkness in day/age 1.  In the second day of creation, God Almighty established an expanse (or firmament) in the midst of the waters, and He called it heaven (Gen 1:6-8).  The expanse or firmament which God Almighty created is the entire physical universe and all life within it.  Here is confirmation that the earth and all its inhabitants were created in one day/age.

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven.  Genesis 2:4  NASB

The heavens and earth, the physical habitat for humanity in the space-time realm, were made in one day, and that day is the second day/age of spiritual creation.

In day 3 of creation, God Almighty separated the waters and dry land appeared (Gen 1:9).  After the flood of Noah’s time, the waters separated and dry land appeared as prophesied.  So, the flood is the transition from spiritual day/age 2 to day/age 3.  In day 4, lights in the heavens were created to give light to the earth, and this was fulfilled with the coming of Jesus as the light of the world.

Again therefore Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in the darkness, but shall have the light of life.”  John 8:12  NASB

“I have come as light into the world, that everyone who believes in Me may not remain in darkness.”  John 12:46  NASB

The New Testament tells us of important events at the end of day/age 4.

Looking into the future, we find that the seventh day of the creation story of Genesis 1:1-2:3 is a day of rest for God Almighty and is a pattern for the millennium of rest for humanity from Satan.

And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.  And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.  …  Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.  Revelation 20:1-3,6  NASB

There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God.  Hebrews 4:9  NASB

Humanity will reign with Jesus Christ for a thousand years while at rest from the attacks and deceptions of Satan.

Genesis 2 ends with the creation and presentation of a “bride” for the man Adam.

So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh at that place.  And the LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which he had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.  Genesis 2:21-22  NASB

A culminating event of humanity’s restoration to God Almighty is the preparation of a spiritual bride for marriage with a spiritual man.

“Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”  Revelation 19:7  NASB

And I saw the holy city new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.  …  And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I shall show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb”.  Revelation 21:2,9  NASB

The presentation of the woman to the man Adam as wife is a type for the presentation of the bride as the wife of the Lamb.

After these events, there will be a complete restoration of humanity to God Almighty.

And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, and He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”  Revelation 21:3-4  NASB

God Almighty will dwell among humanity.

Thus, we have highlighted a few of the events of the days of creation of Genesis 1:1-2:3 that are prophetic of events that have or will occur during the corresponding day/ages.  In this study, the creation story of Genesis 1:1-2:3 will serve as a pattern for the multi-age progression of humanity from the chaos of sin and disobedience after the garden into cohabitation with God Almighty in heaven.  In other words, the seven days of creation of Genesis 1:1-2:3 are a prophecy of the ages in God Almighty’s plan that will bring humanity into the kingdom of God Almighty in heaven.

The seven days of creation can be represented as seven, ascending steps.

Six is symbolic of humanity because humanity appeared on day six of creation.  As we have previously mentioned, seven symbolically represents human completion.  From these meanings, we see that humanity by itself falls short of completion, for deity (1) added to humanity (6) achieves completeness (6 + 1 = 7).  God Almighty instituted a memorial of this relationship.

Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.  Genesis 2:3  NASB

God Almighty later gave the commandment to observe the seventh day as a rest.

“For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”  Exodus 20:11  NASB

Other representations of 7 as a sum suggest important associations among the days of creation.  Seven as 2 + 2 + 2 + 1 suggests the six days of creative activity as three sets of two days through the day-by-day connection between structuring and populating.  Specifically, in day 1, light is separated from darkness, and in day 4 lights in the heavens are created for signs, seasons, and days.  In day 2, the waters above and below the arch of the sky are separated, and in day 5, the birds populate the sky above while the fish populate the waters below.  In day 3, dry land appears, and in day 6 the creatures of the land are created, including humanity.  On the other hand, seven as 1 + 2 + 2 + 2 isolates day 1 and emphasizes humanity’s presence during days 2 through 7.  Here are these two associations of days.

The pairings of day 2 with day 5 and day 3 with day 6 are in both.  The difference between these two associations of seven days is whether day 7 is isolated and day 4 is associated with day 1 or whether day 1 is isolate and day 4 is associated with day 7.

Seven as 3 + 3 + 1 segregates the six creative days and the seventh day of rest and suggests two sets of three days.  In days 1, 2, and 3, God Almighty brought order to the universe, and, in days 4, 5, and 6, God Almighty endowed that structured universe with light and life, both plant and animal.

Seven as 3 + 1 + 3 suggests a symmetrical grouping of days around the fourth day.  A representation of this grouping is a seven step, decline-increase arrangement with a beginning similar to the ending and symmetry of the intervening steps.  Thus we have the following illustration which we will use to represent important sequences.

In this chapter, we have identified tools needed to construct what is envisioned in God Almighty’s plan for the restoration of humanity to Himself.  We have identified an outline of God Almighty’s plan that is much like the elevation view in the blueprints of a building, a broad view with little detail.  Divinely, types and patterns from the Old Testament, like the drawings of a set of blueprints, will add details of God Almighty’s plan.  For instance, the biblical history from Abram to the Jewish nation of Jesus’ time is a pattern that provides details of the progression of humanity through all of time.

Before us are six chapters which begin by meticulously laying a foundation for the God Almighty’s plan upon scriptural bedrock through consideration of Satan and his relationship to God Almighty and the garden of Eden and its symbolism.  Upon this foundation, using events in biblical history as building blocks, we will construct what has been prophesized about the first three, spiritual day/ages, securing everything in place with scripture.  Thereafter, we consider Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection, God Almighty’s blessings of grace and mercy, and spiritual characterizations of the church.  Prophecies, the apostle Paul’s teachings, and visions of future events allow us to put the finishing touches on God Almighty’s plan for humanity in day/ages 5, 6, and 7, just as the roof completes a building.  Thus, we consider The 144,000, the Two Witnesses, the Day of the Lord, the sequence of resurrections, the Millennium, judgment day, and the implementation of God Almighty’s blessings in the afterlife.  As the conclusion, like a cupola of a building, we will consider all humanity gathered before the throne in heaven, because Jesus is truly the Savior of all humanity.

God has found everyone guilty of not obeying him.  So now he can have mercy on everyone.  Romans 11:32  New International Reader’s Version

There will be tedium in this process of fitting all the pieces securely together.  There can be no shortcuts, for we all know that a poor foundation or unsecured building blocks will certainly lead to failure.

“Therefore every one who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon a rock.  And the rain descended, and and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon rock.  And every one who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand.  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall.”  Matthew 7:24-27  NASB

We must endure the tedium of building block by block upon a foundation of scripture, so that the finished product will not fall, but will stand against the winds of scrutiny.

In the next chapter, we will lay a solid foundation as we consider day/age 1 and day/age 2 of spiritual creation.