Most people - even Christians - have never heard about God's 7,000-year master plan for mankind. This great plan is pictured by the seven-day week. As Genesis shows, God refashioned the earth and created all life forms in six days and then rested on the Sabbath (Genesis 1:2 - 2:3). God also gave man six days in which to work, followed by a day of rest (Exodus 20:8-11). On the seventh day, man is to put aside his normal routine of daily activities and worship the true God (Isaiah 58:13-14).

The apostle Peter undoubtedly understood that the seven-day week is a pattern that applies to time on a far grander scale. He writes, "But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" (II Peter 3:8). The apostle Paul also has this principle in mind when he explains that the seventh day of the week pictures the peaceful time of rest that will follow this present age of human activity (Hebrews 4:3-11). The apostle John tells us that this period will occur after Christ's intervention in world affairs and that it will last a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-4). This period is commonly called the "Millennium."

Since the seventh day of the week symbolizes 1,000 years of peace under the rule of Jesus Christ, the first six days of the week represent 6,000 years in which man has been allowed to govern himself and work out his own ideas and plans. In other words, each day of the week represents 1,000 years of human existence.

Where are we now in this great plan? Charts which list biblical events in time order (these can be found in some Bibles) are accurate enough to show that human life was created about 4,000 years before the first coming of Christ. History makes it clear that roughly another 2,000 years have elapsed since then, making a total of nearly 6,000 years of human civilization to date. In short, man's "week" is nearly over, and God's great Millennial rest will soon be here.