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THE CHURCH-AGE NIGHT
Sometimes I get accused of posting things without enough explanation for newer believers. I plead guilty. Here's a bit of info. for the Big Picture chart that I frequently post . . .
Matthew 14:25: "And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea."
The night here consisted of four watches: 6-9, 9-12, 12-3, and 3-6. Luke 12:38 tells us that ?the lord? could come in the second or third watch, but Matthew 14:25 tells us that He did come in the fourth watch. The symbolism is very instructive as it places the return of Jesus at the end of the church age night. The Millennial Day begins when Jesus the ?Sun? arises (Mal. 4:2; II Pet. 3:8), so it is nighttime until then, with the church being like the moon (Song. 6:10). This means that the church age divides into four separate periods, or watches. What?s interesting is that the middle of the church age is referred to by historians as the Dark Ages or the Middle Ages, running from 500 AD till 1500 AD. This corresponds to the darkest part of night, from 9:00 pm till 3:00 am. This just happens to be the period in which the Roman Catholic Church ruled Europe. After that comes the reformation and then the falling away of the last days before Christ returns at the end of the fourth watch.
Sometimes I get accused of posting things without enough explanation for newer believers. I plead guilty. Here's a bit of info. for the Big Picture chart that I frequently post . . .
Matthew 14:25: "And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea."
The night here consisted of four watches: 6-9, 9-12, 12-3, and 3-6. Luke 12:38 tells us that ?the lord? could come in the second or third watch, but Matthew 14:25 tells us that He did come in the fourth watch. The symbolism is very instructive as it places the return of Jesus at the end of the church age night. The Millennial Day begins when Jesus the ?Sun? arises (Mal. 4:2; II Pet. 3:8), so it is nighttime until then, with the church being like the moon (Song. 6:10). This means that the church age divides into four separate periods, or watches. What?s interesting is that the middle of the church age is referred to by historians as the Dark Ages or the Middle Ages, running from 500 AD till 1500 AD. This corresponds to the darkest part of night, from 9:00 pm till 3:00 am. This just happens to be the period in which the Roman Catholic Church ruled Europe. After that comes the reformation and then the falling away of the last days before Christ returns at the end of the fourth watch.
