The Restoration Print
Written by Victoria Radin   

The Fourth Day, The Bible's Symbol of Restoration

The Bible is full of prophetic symbolism and Messianic markers that are meant to give the reader insight into the nature of the Messiah and future events to which literal objects or events pointed. One obvious symbol would be substitutionary sacrifice and blood atonement (Lev. 4 & 17:11) that pointed to Yeshua's (Jesus') sacrifice on the cross. Others would be the prayer shawl (Numbers 15:37-40) and the mezuzah (Deuteronomy 6:9) which depict the characteristics of G-d, His Spirit, and His Son; or the symbolic use of the fig, vine, and olive trees in Israel’s relationship with G-d on a national, religious, and personal level. Likewise, the use of The Fourth Day in Scripture is a recurring sign that points to The Day of the L-rd when Israel will be restored to the place G-d originally intended for them.

"...that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which G-d has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began." (Acts 3:20, 21)

The Psalmist records the words of Moses, the greatest prophet that ever lived, when he said that “one day is as a thousand years in the sight of G-d” (Psalm 90:4). The apostle Peter repeats this theme in 2 Peter 3:8. These scriptures seem to suggest that there are places in the Bible that could be pointing to a far future day.

Jerusalem

Between the thirteenth and twelfth centuries BC, the Israelites crossed the Jordan River into the Land of Canaan to conquer and settle the territory that would eventually be known as Israel. In 1004 BC, King David conquered Jerusalem and made it the capital of G-d’s nation. According to the L-rd’s instructions, David made preparations to build the Temple of G-d there; but it wasn’t until much later that David’s son, King Solomon, completed the Temple in Jerusalem. In 1995, Israel celebrated the 3000th anniversary of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.  In viewing 1000 years as a day as the Scriptures imply, Israel is in its fourth ‘day’ of existence since the Israelites crossed the Jordan and entered the Land promised to them as an everlasting inheritance by G-d Himself (Genesis 15:18, Psalm 105:8-11, 1 Chronicles 16:15-22).

Jonah

Yeshua (Jesus) said that the story of Jonah was a ‘sign’ given to the Jewish people (Matthew 12:38-40). Allegorically, it speaks of The Fourth Day or the Day of the L-rd.

Jonah was a ‘type’ of the nation of Israel. He did not immediately carry out the plan of G-d for him. He was told to go to the Gentile nation of Nineveh [a type of the world] to tell them about the punishment that would be carried out against them if they did not repent of their wickedness. Instead Jonah [Israel] went the opposite way. He did not want G-d to forgive Nineveh [the world] for their evil treatment of Israel. He knew that G-d is “gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm” (Jonah 4:2), so he refused to go. Because of Jonah’s (Israel’s) rebellion, G-d caused a great fish to swallow him up for three days and three nights, symbolic of being blinded from the truth and scattered to the four corners of the earth for 3000 years. Then, on The Fourth Day, G-d caused the great fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land. It was then that Jonah [Israel] obeyed G-d and preached the good news about the One true G-d to the Ninevites [the world]. This story portrays the Israelites ceasing from their rebellion against G-d in The Fourth Day, the fourth day since Israel’s ‘birth’, the age in which we are now living.

Yeshua (Jesus) at Twelve

The gospel of Luke records a story that demonstrates Yeshua's (Jesus') return on The Fourth Day to the Temple in Jerusalem:

When Yeshua (Jesus) was still young (12) and had not yet come into His ministry, He appeared before the religious leaders to 'argue' the law. This was His first 'public' appearance. His mother and Joseph left the city with the crowd departing Jerusalem after the Passover. They didn’t notice that He was missing. When they became aware He was not among them, they searched for Him and found Him in the Temple after three days, that is on The Fourth Day (Luke 2:42-46).

In prophetic application, the Jewish people did not recognize the first appearance of Yeshua (Jesus). They didn't notice He was missing from their midst because they did not acknowledge His messiahship. During the 'fourth day', they will begin searching for Him and will find him when they search for Him with their 'whole heart'.

Resurrection On The Fourth Day

At the very end of His earthly ministry, Yeshua (Jesus) performed a miraculous sign that was not only meant to prove His divinity and Messiahship, but also to demonstrate the ‘resurrection of the Jewish people’ on The Fourth Day. The Hebrew sages had developed several traditions that related to their ability to identify the true Messiah when He would come.  One of the traditions stated that the true Messiah would raise someone from the dead after three days, that is, on The Fourth Day, after corruption had set in.

Yeshua (Jesus) received word that His friend Lazarus whom He loved [a type of the nation of Israel] was sick. Yeshua (Jesus) said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of G-d, that the Son of G-d may be glorified through it” (John 11:4). Yeshua (Jesus) did not go to Lazarus immediately, the Scriptures record. He waited *two more days [2000 years from His first appearing]. When He finally got there, Lazarus was dead and it was The Fourth Day (John 11:39). The tomb [the Land of Israel] was surrounded [representing the Nations of the World coming against Israel – Isaiah 29:7, Zech. 12:3] Nevertheless, Yeshua (Jesus) called to Lazarus to “come forth!” When he emerged from the tomb still wrapped in grave clothes, Yeshua (Jesus) told them to “Loose him, and let him go”, a picture of the Israelites freed from the ‘grave’ of spiritual blindness and unbelief, as well as being miraculously rescued from the hand of their enemies on the Fourth Day.

The Gentile Woman at the Well

*The story of The Woman at the Well prophetically speaks of Yeshua (Jesus) spending two days [2000 years] with the mostly Gentile Church:

A woman of Samaria (a Gentile) meets Yeshua (Jesus) at a well. He reveals to her all the sins she has committed and offers her Living Water [the Son of G-d who is everlasting life] (John 4:14). After telling the whole city that she had found the Messiah, He stayed with the Samaritans [Gentile believers] for two days [2000 years] (John 4:40).

Apostle Paul's Blindness Healed on Fourth Day

A story in the book of Acts also illustrates that the blindness of the Jewish people would continue until The Fourth Day:

Saul of Tarsus is a ‘type’ of the nation of Israel. Saul (Paul) was zealous for the L-rd but “breathed threats and murder against the Christians” (Acts 9:1). G-d “knocked him off his horse” [symbolic of religious pride] and blinded him for three days (Acts 9:8-9). On The Fourth Day, G-d raised up a believer in Yeshua (Jesus) to lay hands on Saul to heal his blindness because G-d said, “He [Saul/Israel] is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15).

The Man Born Blind

The ‘blindness’ of Israel can be summed up in the story of Yeshua (Jesus) healing the blind man brought to Him at Bethsaida. Yeshua (Jesus) said that the reason the man was blind was so that the works of G-d would be revealed in him. (G-d’s 'work' was creation.)

"And on the seventh day G-d ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done." (Genesis 2:2)

Yeshua (Jesus) spat on the ground and made clay with His saliva in order to ‘create’ new eyes for him [man was made from the dust of the earth, we are clay in the Potter's Hand]. He anointed the eyes of the blind man [a type of Israel] with the clay and he saw. The blind man could only see partially [This typified Yeshua's (Jesus') first appearance as the Son of Man]. Then a second time, Yeshua (Jesus) put His hands on his eyes and made him look up [typifying Yeshua's (Jesus') Second Advent]. This time, the man [Israel] was restored and saw clearly.

The Restoration

“For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; For this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.’ Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.”

Barukh HaShem (Blessed is the Name of the L-rd)