Advancing the Revelation of Truth

Jacob's Life

Just before Jacob died, he gathered his twelve sons together to tell them what would befall them in THE LAST DAYS [Genesis 49:1] This is the first use of the well known phrase which has become a household reference. Non of the twelve sons queried its meaning, so we must assume that they understood what Jacob meant. How could this be ?

If there is no previous use of the phrase, how are we to understand what was meant by its use in this context? 

If we can determine how the word 'days' was intended to be understood by Jacob's sons, a glimmer of light might fall on the phrase. Going back through the preceding verses to see where this Hebrew word DAYS is used, we will be able to make a list of those references which might apply. There are many, but it was the last, the one prior to the use of the phrase 'The Last Days', which seemed to be pregnant with a hidden meaning, 

And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: and the days of Jacob were the years of his life, seven years and a hundred and forty years [Genesis 47:28]

This is the Interlinear Literal Translation, the KJV loses the meaning. Here in this literal translation is the phrase: 'The days of Jacob'.  The Scripture seems to be indicating a parallel between the years of Jacob's life and the days of Jacob's life. In the Scripture the word 'days' is implied, or used, to indicate long periods of time. Here are a few examples:

• In God's forming and creating of the Earth which He describes in the contents of the first chapter of Genesis, there are seven DAYS referred to. It has been found that each day was 700years in length. See here.

• The book of The Revelation describes The Day of The Lord [Rev.1:10] Certainly not 24hours.

• The Day of Man[1Cor. 4:3] is a vast period of time, from Noah's day to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

• The Day of God seems to have no limit in time[2 Peter 3:12]

• The Lord says that A Day with Him is as a thousand years.[2Peter 3:8]

Using the name 'Jacob' suggests that the period is related to his time in the flesh. If so, then the events in the life of Jacob reflect events in the life of the Israelites. What is the limiting span of that life? Jacob lived for 147years and we know from a study of all the Last Days references that the 'parousia' is the limiting event of the days of the life of the tribes of Israel.  This being so, those chosen of God from Jacob, all the tribes of The whole House of Israel, begin their span of life at Jacob's birth and end it at the parousia of Jesus Christ which is the equivalent of Jacob's earthly walk, his death.

When Jacob described The last Days of his twelve sons, they therefore understood that he was describing the equivalent time to the Last Days of his own life.

Let us therefore examine one or two events in the life of Jacob in an attempt to define the meaning and span of The Last Days.

The age of Jacob is given as 147years....49 x 3. [three Jubilee Periods]  

He died in 1877bc [see here], therefore he was born in  2024bc.

The whole House of Israel in the flesh, prior to The Christ's personal presence, began at the same time, 2024bc and will have concluded by 2477ad [see here]  

This covers a span of [2024 + 2477 = 4501(-1 adjustment bc to ad)] = 4500 years.....10 x 10 x 5 x 9

Therefore each 49years in Jacob's life is equivalent to 1500years in the life of the Tribes of Israel

The Last Days period is the concluding part of the life of the tribes of Israel leading up to The Christ's second coming.

In the belief that the events in the years of the life of Jacob indicate the events in the days of the nation of Israel, we therefore need to find a point of time at which The Last Days commence, the length of which is proportional to a similar period in the life of Jacob. Mathematically that time in Jacob's life can be expressed as 'X', and that time in the life of the House of Israel can be expressed as 'Y'. To be clear about this analogy, let us consider the following simple diagram:

As can be seen in the diagram, the first and second comings [Gk: parousia] of The Christ are noted as a possible answer to our need to define the length of days known as The Last Days. If this period between the first and second coming is The Last Days, then we would expect to find a major event at the beginning of the 'X' years in the life of Jacob.

1.  The year of the Second Coming of The Christ in 2477ad [see here], a total of 4500years from the birth of Jacob. See below:

 

The last part of the life of Jacob was spent in Egypt. As we are aware, this came about because of a severe famine in Canaan in which Jacob and his family were dwelling, causing him to trek into Egypt with the whole of his family to avail them of the abundance of corn which his son Joseph had stored during the years of plenty. We are also aware of the very important position Joseph held in the state of Egypt.

We need now to consider the fact that Joseph is regarded as a type of The Christ. The Rev. C.I.Scofield notes:

While it is nowhere asserted that Joseph was a type of Christ, the analogies are too numerous to be accidental. They are:

1. both were especial objects of a father's love.

2. both were hated by their brethren.

3. the superior claims of both were rejected by their brethren.

4. the brethren of both conspired against them to slay them.

5. Joseph was, in intent and figure, slain by his brethren, as was Christ.

6. each became a blessing among the Gentiles.

7. as Joseph reconciled his brethren to himself, and afterwards exalted them, so will it be with Christ and His Jewish brethren.

Thus The Whole House of Jacob/Israel submitted themselves to their close relative, Joseph, in fulfilment of the dream that prophesied that his Father, Mother and all his brethren would bow down to him, even as the God of Israel, Jesus Christ will receive obeisance from all of the Israelites.

Jacob was 130years old when he and his whole family moved into Egypt having their lives saved by Joseph, the type of Christ.  He remained in Egypt for 17years before his death. Could this momentous point in Jacob's life be directly related to the life of The House of Israel ?  What therefore is this equivalent date in the life of Israel ?  The proportions 17/147 and 'X'/4500 must be equated.

• [17yrs. divided by 147yrs] =  ['X'yrs. divided by 4500yrs] 

• Therefore 'X' yrs. equals 17 times 4500 divided by 147

• Therefore 'X'  equals 520 years

The determination of these times points to:

O  The probability that the statement..... 

and the days of Jacob were the years of his life, seven years and a hundred and forty years 

made in Genesis 47:28, indicates the meaning of the DAYS, of which the LAST DAYS are part, this being the length of the life in the flesh of Jacob, with the double meaning of the length of life of the Whole Tribe of Israel which culminates at the Day of The Lord at which The Christ will be present on Earth as King.

O  The correctness of the timings and their arrangement on the CHART.

O  The precise year of the parousia of Christ, that is His 'Second Coming', from the time of Jacob's birth. This long period, measured in Jubilees includes the years from Jacob's birth in 2024bc through to the LAST DAYS. It includes the date of The Christ's birth.  It includes both this present Administration of God's Grace and the period of  Daniel's 70 weeks of years, concluding at the parousia of Christ. This totals 2500years, a significant number in the numerology of Scripture. [It is erroneously assumed that the time of the parousia of The Son of Man cannot be known. The day and the hour are both hidden in The Father, but the year, is not........Mat.24:36 and Mark 13:32]`.

Addendum.

Jacob's life span was 147years. 147 is 49 x 3, i.e. 3 Jubilee periods. We might ask ourselves what events occurred in the life of Jacob at these important ages. A study of The Scripture tells us that Jacob had two major encounters with the God of Abraham and Isaac:

1.    And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.   And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.  

And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;  And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.  And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.  And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.  And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.  And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.  

And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,  So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God.       Genesis 28:11. 

This first encounter occurred when Jacob was about 49 years old. We cannot be precise regarding his age at the time, but experience of God's numerology tells us that such an important event most probably occurred at that age. This year was 2156 years from the sin of Adam, and 4984years from the future Day of God. At that time, this present day Administration of God was not revealed [Ephesians 3:9], therefore its duration of 1960years is not included in the figure 4984 years.

It has been shown in previous studies that, had this present secret Administration not been introduced, the Second Coming of The Lord Jesus Christ would have occurred in 517ad.  This Advent is 2492years from Jacob's first encounter with God, described above.   It is also 2492years from the future Day of God.

When Jacob was 98 years old, the second 49 year point of his life, this event occurred:

2.   And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.  And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.  

And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.  And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.  And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.  

And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.   And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.   GEN 32:24