Elias was sitting in his recliner with the Bible open on his lap, the same worn NIV he had carried since seminary. He had turned to 2 Peter 3 again—the passage the pastor always read when someone asked about the delay. “With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
Elias had quoted that verse hundreds of times. Tonight the words felt like they were written for someone else. He closed the Bible and looked out the window at the dark street. It had been two thousand years since Christ walked the earth. That was longer than the entire history of the United States, longer than the Roman Empire had lasted after Christ, and longer than most civilizations on earth. Jesus had ascended into heaven while the disciples were still watching, and the world had simply kept going. Wars, plagues, and genocides continued century after century.
He whispered into the empty living room, “Lord, if You’re really coming back, why does it feel like You left and never looked back? I don’t know if I still believe You’re coming. I want to. I’ve told other people to keep waiting, but I’m tired, Lord. Two thousand years is a long time to keep promising something and never showing up. Maybe we got it wrong. Maybe the early church got excited and it turned into a fable we’ve been telling ourselves ever since.”
After Jesus went back to heaven, He promised that He would return soon (see Revelation 22:7,12). Two thousand years later, He has still not returned. This is causing some people to doubt that He will come back.
God looks at time very differently than we do. Since human life expectancy is less than 100 years, we think 100 years is forever. God lives forever, so 100 years is nothing in His mind. The 26th chapter of Numbers contains the results of a census. This is boring reading, but it is evidence that God takes action over the course of centuries, not decades.
Right before Jacob died, he summoned his sons and prophesied about their futures (see Genesis 49). He predicted that Joseph would be very fruitful (see Genesis 49:22).
After that prediction, Israel lived in Egypt for 400 years. Then Moses led them out of slavery. After receiving the Mosaic Law at Mount Sinai, Moses conducted a census of Israel and then led Israel as they wandered in the wilderness for forty years. Near the end of their wanderings, Moses took another census, which shows that God had fulfilled His promise to make Joseph fruitful. The promise had not been fulfilled immediately; it had been fulfilled over decades and centuries.
The first 22 verses of the 26th chapter of Numbers list the populations of Reuben (43,730 men), Simeon (22,200 men), Gad (40,500 men), and Judah (76,500 men).
Num. 26:23 ¶ The sons of Issachar according to their families:
of Tola, the family of the Tolaites;
of Puvah, the family of the Punites;
Num. 26:24 of Jashub, the family of the Jashubites;
of Shimron, the family of the Shimronites.
Num. 26:25 These are the families of Issachar according to those who were numbered of them, 64,300.
At the first census, Issachar numbered 54,400 men (see Numbers 1:29). They had gained almost 10,000 men.
Num. 26:26 ¶ The sons of Zebulun according to their families:
of Sered, the family of the Seredites;
of Elon, the family of the Elonites;
of Jahleel, the family of the Jahleelites.
Num. 26:27 These are the families of the Zebulunites according to those who were numbered of them, 60,500.
At the first census, Zebulun numbered 57,400 men (see Numbers 1:31). They had gained over 3,000 men.
Num. 26:28 ¶ The sons of Joseph according to their families: Manasseh and Ephraim.
Num. 26:29 The sons of Manasseh:
of Machir, the family of the Machirites; and Machir became the father of Gilead:
of Gilead, the family of the Gileadites.
Num. 26:30 These are the sons of Gilead:
of Iezer, the family of the Iezerites;
of Helek, the family of the Helekites;
Num. 26:31 and of Asriel, the family of the Asrielites;
and of Shechem, the family of the Shechemites;
Num. 26:32 and of Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites;
and of Hepher, the family of the Hepherites.
Num. 26:33 Now Zelophehad the son of Hepher had no sons, but only daughters;
and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah.
Num. 26:34 These are the families of Manasseh; and those who were numbered of them were 52,700.
At the first census, Manasseh numbered 32,200 men (see Numbers 1:35). They had gained over 20,000 men.
Num. 26:35 ¶ These are the sons of Ephraim according to their families:
of Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthelahites;
of Becher, the family of the Becherites;
of Tahan, the family of the Tahanites.
Num. 26:36 And these are the sons of Shuthelah:
of Eran, the family of the Eranites.
Num. 26:37 These are the families of the sons of Ephraim according to those who were numbered of them, 32,500.
These are the sons of Joseph according to their families.
At the first census, Ephraim numbered 40,500 men (see Numbers 1:33). They had lost 8,000 men.
After the first census, the descendants of Joseph, which were the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, numbered 72,700 men, but Judah numbered 74,600 men, meaning Judah had the most descendants. After the second census, Joseph had a total of 85,200 descendants, which was more than any other tribe; thus, fulfilling the promise that Joseph would be fruitful, as prophesied by Jacob over 400 years earlier. God did not fulfill the prophecy immediately. He did it centuries later.
Num. 26:38 ¶ The sons of Benjamin according to their families:
of Bela, the family of the Belaites;
of Ashbel, the family of the Ashbelites;
of Ahiram, the family of the Ahiramites;
Num. 26:39 of Shephupham, the family of the Shuphamites;
of Hupham, the family of the Huphamites.
Num. 26:40 And the sons of Bela were Ard and Naaman:
of Ard, the family of the Ardites;
of Naaman, the family of the Naamites.
Num. 26:41 These are the sons of Benjamin according to their families; and those who were numbered of them were 45,600.
At the first census, Benjamin numbered 35,400 men (see Numbers 1:37). They had gained over 10,000 men.
Num. 26:42 ¶ These are the sons of Dan according to their families:
of Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites.
These are the families of Dan according to their families.
Num. 26:43 All the families of the Shuhamites, according to those who were numbered of them, were 64,400.
At the first census, Dan numbered 62,700 men (see Numbers 1:39). They had gained almost 2,000 men.
Num. 26:44 ¶ The sons of Asher according to their families:
of Imnah, the family of the Imnites;
of Ishvi, the family of the Ishvites;
of Beriah, the family of the Beriites.
Num. 26:45 Of the sons of Beriah:
of Heber, the family of the Heberites;
of Malchiel, the family of the Malchielites.
Num. 26:46 And the name of the daughter of Asher was Serah.
Num. 26:47 These are the families of the sons of Asher according to those who were numbered of them, 53,400.
At the first census, Asher numbered 41,500 men (see Numbers 1:41). They had gained almost 12,000 men.
Num. 26:48 ¶ The sons of Naphtali according to their families:
of Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites;
of Guni, the family of the Gunites;
Num. 26:49 of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites;
of Shillem, the family of the Shillemites.
Num. 26:50 These are the families of Naphtali according to their families; and those who were numbered of them were 45,400.
At the first census, Naphtali numbered 53,400 men (see Numbers 1:43). They had lost 8,000 men.
Num. 26:51 These are those who were numbered of the sons of Israel, 601,730.
At the first census, the total population was 603,550 men (see Numbers 1:46). Overall, Israel had lost almost 2,000 men.
After 2,000 years, it is tempting to start thinking that Jesus will never return. However, just as Yahweh waited several centuries to fulfill a promise to make Joseph fruitful, so too He is waiting many centuries to fulfill His promise to return.
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“Scripture quotations taken from the (LSB®) Legacy Standard Bible®, Copyright © 2021 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org and 316publishing.com.”