There is an eschatological concept found in the Num 24.17 that says, “I see him, but not now.” Another way of saying that is, “Here now, but not yet.” To fully understand what we are going to get into in this teaching, it is recommended that you study the previous teaching called “Torah and New Testament Foundations-Eschatology” first. It will give you a good foundation for many of the things we are gong to discuss. There is also a lengthy teaching on Biblical Eschatology that would be helpful also.
In 2 Kings 20.1-6, we find that Hezekiah is mortally ill. Isaiah tells him to get his house in order because he is going to die. As Isaiah leaves, Hezekiah prays and is granted 15 more years, during which he finally has an heir, Manasseh. The time of his death was “here now, but not yet.” We have a pattern in the Scriptures where we reach a point, but it is not over. In Exo 23.15 it says, “You shall observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days, you are to eat unleavened bread as I commanded you, at the appointed time in the month of Aviv, for in it you came out of Egypt. And none shall appear before me empty-handed.” This is after Exo 12 when the religious calendar was instituted, so this is the first of the year. The month of Adar is the end of the year (religious). Exo 23.16 goes on to say, “Also the Feast of the Harvest (Shavuot), the first fruits of your labors, what you sow in the field; also the Feast of the Ingathering (Sukkot) at the end of the year (Tishri) when you gather in your labors from the field.” The Feast of Ingathering is called Sukkot but also “Hag Ha Oseif.” It is in the seventh month, “at the end of the year.” This can only be possible if there are two calendars. The “turning” of the year is at Tishri 1, Rosh Ha Shannah. This is when the civil year begins and the religious calendar ends, as far as the festivals are concerned.
Deut 14.28 says, “At the end of every third year, you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and shall deposit in your town.” Exo 34.22 it says, “And you shall celebrate the Feast of Weeks, that is, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the turn of the year.” Again, we see the concept “Here now, but not yet.” We have the civil year beginning in Tishri, with the end of the religious year.
Now we are going to look at the ages. We went over this basically in the teaching of Biblical Eschatology and Torah and New Testament Foundations- Eschatology on this site. It would be good to go over these before you go any further. If you don’t want to do that, you can always go back to see it at any time. Don’t try to figure all this out as an American in the twenty-first century, born and raised in an environment that is Replacement Theology Christianity. There is a different line of thinking that goes with that. The ages will relate to two things, chronology and state of being. If you try to figure this out with just chronology, without state of being, you will get frustrated. Time was created by God, and he is not restricted in time. Time was not created for God, it was created for man.
There is a 7000 year Plan of God. If you draw a straight line, to the left we have the beginning of time called the “L’Olam Vaed (Forever). Then we have creation and the beginning of a 6000 year period called the Olam Ha Zeh (This Present Age). On Rosh Ha Shannah, year 6001, we enter the final 1000 year period called the Atid Lavo (The Furure Age/Coming, and this relates to the Messiah). This period is also called the “Day of the Lord” and the “Lord’s Day”, also idiomatically referred to by the phrases “In that Day”; “On that Day”; “In the Last Days” and similar phrases. After the 7000 years are over, we enter into the Olam Haba, the World to Come. Now, the Olam Ha Zeh “proper” goes on for 6000 years, but it can go on for a 1000 years more. It can “overlap” into the Atid Lavo. After the Olam Ha Zeh (6000 years), we begin the Atid Lavo. At the end of the Atid Lavo, all creation goes into the Olam Haba. We can sub-divide the Olam Ha Zeh into three sub-sections: the first 2000 years is called “Tohu” (desolation), the second 2000 years is called Torah (instruction) and the third 2000 years is called Yomot Mashiach (Days of the Messiah). Chronologically, we had the Messiah come forth at year 4000, the beginning of the Yomot Mashiach.
Yeshua dies and is resurrected, and he is now in the Olam Haba (the World to Come), three days after his death chronologically in the Olam Ha Zeh. However, the rest of the people were still in the Olam Ha Zeh. So, this is relative to whatever “state of being” we find ourselves in. It does not follow the chronological sequence. At the end of the Olam Ha Zeh “proper” (6000 years), those that have received the redemption are either changed or resurrected (1 Cor 15.50-58). They enter the Olam Haba, but those left are still in the Olam Ha Zeh and enter the Atid Lavo chronologically. When Yeshua returns, survivors of the Birth-pains are either slain (unrighteous) or remain alive in the Olam Ha Zeh/Atid Lavo, while those who came with Yeshua are in in the Olam Haba (have glorified bodies of the Olam Haba). So, in the Messianic Kingdom, three ages will “overlap” based on “state of being.” Now with that in mind, we are going to go to the Book of Hebrews.
There is a ministry that says this book should not be in the Epistles, but we reject that view totally. It is one of the most spiritual and mystical books you will ever find. Some have said it is a Midrash on Psa 110. We don’t necessarily agree that Paul wrote the book for two reasons. The first reason is Paul was sent to the non-Jews and all the books with his name attached are written to non-Jews. Secondly, it does not match the writing style of Paul. However, whoever wrote it had a deep understanding of the Scriptures and wrote in a deep, rabbinic style and technique. Now, the book will be about two main ages that we have been talking about, the Olam Ha Zeh and the Olam Haba. The contrast will be about what is better, the Olam Ha Zeh or the Olam Haba. Not knowing that has caused this book to be misunderstood by many. We are going to try and rectify that by using this book to teach the concepts of “Here now, but not yet”; using an understanding of the Olam Ha Zeh and the Olam Haba; the chronological and state of being concepts, and then interpreting the book with all this in mind.
So, we need to go over these things before we proceed. In Part 2, we will start in the Book of Hebrews, beginning with Heb 1.1-3 and we will go to Heb 8.13. This whole thing will be about two main ages in Hebrew; the Olam Ha Zeh and the Olam Haba. The contrast is about which is better, the Olam Ha Zeh (with sickness, sin and death) or the Olam Haba (with no sickness, sin and death). It is not contrasting the “old covenant” with the “new covenant” according to the teachings of replacement theology Christianity.
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