There is a special significance to the term 'third day' as it is used in scripture. This phrase is found 67 times in the Bible. I find that in most cases it has a spiritual or allegorical meaning related to end time prophecy.
First Principles
To see this you have to understand several basic ideas: God's week, the last days and the first principles of the oracles of God. Hebrews chapter 5 makes reference to "the first principles of the oracles of God", saying in effect that to be skillful in understanding the Word, you must know these first principles. The writer of Hebrews does not directly state these principles. He does indicate two levels of understanding. The unskillful is compared to a babe taking milk, the skillful, to one of full age who partakes of strong meat. This is to contrast the immature with the mature and the natural with the spiritual. The deep things of God are spiritual, and must be discerned by the spirit. That is the word is to be understood in its spiritual meaning. Therefore there is potentially a spiritual meaning to the term 'third day'. Another key principle is found is 1st Corinthians. "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." 1 Cor. 10:11. Briefly, this tells us that there is an 'end-time' application to be found throughout scripture. Specifically, it tells us that this term 'third day' might be understood in the context of the end times.
God's Week
Now what is God's week and what does it have to do with the end times? Simply put, God's week is the notion that God's timeline since the creation of Adam, is divided into seven, one thousand year periods. See Ps. 90:4 and 2nd Pet. 3:8. Each of these one thousand year periods can correspond to a day in a week. Thus from Adam to Abraham are two 'days', from Abraham to Jesus are two 'days', from Jesus till now are two 'days', and the coming millennium will be the last 'day'. It will be the seventh or Sabbath day of God's week.
Now the term 'last days' or 'latter days' is sometimes taken to mean the time period from the day of Pentecost till today; that is the so-called 'church age'. Sometimes it can mean the interval just before the second coming of the Lord. Looking at the first definition, you can see that the last days would then mean the last three days of God's week. And that the third day would be the last day. That is to say, when we are speaking in context of the last days, the 'third day' is the millennium! Thus the 'third day' is the 'seventh day'. To confirm this you can find several references in scripture that link the 'third day' with the 'seventh day'. For example: "He shall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean." (Num 19:12 KJV) See also Num. 19:19 and 31:19. Our conclusion then is that references to the third day in scripture will very often have a prophetic meaning that speaks of the millennium.
Examples
How about some examples. "And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai." (Ex. 19:11 KJV) The end time interpretation of this is that it refers to the second coming when 'every eye shall see him'.
"After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight." (Hosea 6:2 KJV) The end time interpretation of this is that it refers to the resurrection, when the dead in Christ shall be raised up.
"And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage." (John 2:1-2 KJV) This can be seen as a reference to the marriage supper of the Lamb. Note that the bridegroom and bride are not mentioned or named but that Jesus and his disciples, the church, are. Here is another reference using 'third day'.
"Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off." (Gen 22:4 KJV) What can this possibly have to do with the end times? If you check this verse in context, you will see that the place referred to is Mt. Moriah. This is where he was to sacrifice his son Isaac. It is the site that the Temple would be built on; and it thereby refers to Jerusalem, the holy city, also. Now consider this verse from Hebrews, speaking of Abraham. "For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." (Heb 11:10 KJV) This could easily remind one of the passage in Revelations where John sees the Holy City 'afar off'. "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." (Rev 21:2 KJV) This certainly is "a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." Now lets look at what Jesus has to say on this subject: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad." (John 8:56 KJV) In this passage, the phrase 'my day' could mean the time of Jesus' earthly ministry, or it could mean the Lord's Day, or the Day of the Lord. So what was it that Abraham saw by faith? He saw the City of God and the Day of the Lord. And this is exactly what John the revelator sees by vision, for he begins his vision telling us "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, ...." (Rev 1:10 KJV) Which day is the Lord's day? The Day of the Lord. Which day is that? The third day! Abraham, by his obedience, acting in faith, went to sacrifice his son Isaac. This action would ultimately result in God's final victory in the Book of Revelation. So to say "Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off." has prophetic meaning. He lifted up his eyes means he saw prophetically the day of the Lord and the New Jerusalem! Here he is a type of God the Father, who saw the end before the beginning, when He sacrificed His son, Jesus.
Let's look back at a verse we quoted earlier. "He shall purify himself with it on the third day, and on the seventh day he shall be clean: but if he purify not himself the third day, then the seventh day he shall not be clean." (Num 19:12 KJV) Consider not only how this links the third day with the seventh day, but the ideas of cleanliness and purification. These speak of sanctification or holiness. Now recall what the law says about the seventh day: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." (Ex. 20:8 KJV) What this tells us is that this coming day must be a day of holiness for the church. She must become a "holy city, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." Earlier we mentioned that God sees the end from the beginning. You can find this principle right in the very beginning of the bible. "And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made." (Gen 2:3 KJV)
Conclusion
In conclusion, the 'third day', is a reference, in
many passages, not necessarily all, to the end times. It means the third
thousand year period since the birth of Jesus. It is the prophetic Sabbath.
The Lords day and the Day of the Lord. It is the millennium where: "Blessed
and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second
death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and
shall reign with him a thousand years." (Rev 20:6 KJV) "This is
the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."
(Ps. 118:24 KJV)
Third Day Warfare
In Judges 19, 20 and 21 the Lord gives us the story of the War against Benjamin. There are certain end time lessons here especially in chapter 20 where the battles actually take place.
One of them is about how the Lord in his wisdom will keep certain things secret till the proper time for their revelation. Another is about the last days battles and how the martyrdom of the saints enables the final victory over the enemy.
The battle lasts 3 days. On the first day, when Israel sought the Lord, he told them to go up and attack Benjamin at the town of Gibeah. They were thrown back with heavy losses. On the second day, the Lord told them to go up and they suffered heavy losses again.
On the third day after much weeping and fasting, the Lord tells them Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand. [Judges 20:28] So they go into battle and practically wipe out the entire tribe of Benjamin.
Now from reading this account, it’s clear that the Lord’s battle plan was to let the enemy think that he was winning, and then trick him into an ambush. This required a certain amount of troops to be sacrificed. But if you send your troops into battle knowing that they are going to lose, the will not fight well if at all. In fact they might just head for the hills and just not show up to fight. So if the battle plan were revealed at the beginning, it would simply not have worked.
Likewise, in our lives, the Lord wants us to move in faith and trust. We are to be like Abraham, the father of faith, who went out, not knowing where he was going; but he was trusting God to get him there. If we were to know our immediate future, our behavior would change and we would miss what God has for us in the end.
End Time Application
The end time application here comes when you note that the victory comes on the Third Day. This is a prophetic clue, showing there is a double meaning to this lesson from scripture. The Third Day is the Third day of prophecy. It’s often called ‘that day’ or the ‘Day of the Lord’ and other such names. The first two days are the two thousand years since Jesus came in the flesh. The third day is the millennium, equivalent to the seventh day of creation and the seventh day of God’s week.
Points to note:
- The victory does not come immediately at the beginning of the third day.
- God does not reveal his plans or promise victory till the third day.
- Deep repentance and prayer is needed before God reveals all this.
- A sacrifice of troops is still necessary and the troops are quite willing to make it on the third day.
- The ambush from behind speaks of the Second Coming.
The warfare on the third day forms a parable of the end times. Many writers are aware that the third day is when God will bring things to a close and fulfill the remaining prophecies, yet they expect that all these things will come to pass immediately after we enter the third day. On the other hand many prophets are telling us that we have already entered the third day. So how to reconcile these ideas.
The story of the third day’s battle against Benjamin provides us an illustration of how it happens as a process. In Jewish time keeping the change from one day to the next does not come at 12 midnight. It comes at 6 PM. The day begins at evening, 6 PM and runs through the night to the following morning and up to 6 Pm again, when a new day begins. So in the story here lets see how it happened.
Judges 20:25-28
25 And Benjamin went forth against them out of Gibeah the second day, and destroyed down to the ground of the children of Israel again eighteen thousand men; all these drew the sword.
26 Then all the children of Israel, and all the people, went up, and came unto the house of God, and wept, and sat there before the LORD, and fasted that day until even, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD.
27 And the children of Israel enquired of the LORD, (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days,
28 And Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days,) saying, Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And the LORD said, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand.
On the second day, Israel was once again trounced by Benjamin. Then they go up to seek the Lord. They are seen weeping, fasting and offering sacrifices till evening. Then at evening, the third day commences! And the Lord reveals the plan and gives the promise of victory.
In the terms of our parable, Israel is typical of the Church, and the first two days are speaking of the 2 thousand years of the ‘church age’. At the end of that time, judgment begins at the house of the Lord and the church is brought to a place of deep repentance [weeping] and worship [sacrifices]. The part where the Lord speaks and reveals the plan and gives the promise of victory represents the Revelation of Jesus Christ. This is the beginning of the end time events in the Book of Revelation.
In the third day of warfare, the men of Israel know that their part is to go up to battle and pretend to loose, as before. And that some of them will have to deliberately give their lives to do this. This speaks of the willingness of the church to obey the word of the Lord unquestioningly in the end times. Psalm 110 speaks of this as the Day of His Power.
Psalms 110:3 Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.
This is also seen as the day of power in Revelation 12. This is where we read of God’s people being willing to lay down their lives and die the martyr’s death.
Revelation 12:10-11
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
The Contemporary English translation says it like this:
Revelation 12:11 Our people defeated Satan because of the blood of the Lamb and the message of God. They were willing to give up their lives.
Here in vs. 30-31 is a description of Israel going up to battle. The word up is used several times in the text. This gives an impression that they were facing an uphill battle all along.
Judges 20:30-31
30 And the children of Israel went up against the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themselves in array against Gibeah, as at other times.
31 And the children of Benjamin went out against the people, and were drawn away from the city; and they began to smite of the people, and kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the house of God, and the other to Gibeah in the field, about thirty men of Israel.
But before this happened, Israel has ambushers stationed around Gibeah.
Judges 20:29 And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah.
Then as Israel is retreating down the highway, the ambushers attack the city from behind and above.
Judges 20:37 And the liers in wait hasted, and rushed upon Gibeah; and the liers in wait drew themselves along, and smote all the city with the edge of the sword.
The town of Gibeah is behind and above the battle area. This speaks of the high places of the earth.
Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
These liers in wait or ambushers speak of the armies of Heaven, the saints and angels who will accompany the Lord Jesus Christ as he returns to fight the last battles. The first thing The Lord does is to execute judgment on the High places, where the rulers of wickedness have their seats.
Micah 1:3 For, behold, the LORD cometh forth out of his place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth.
Amos 4:13 For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name.
Then after Gibeah is destroyed, the ambushers come down and hit Benjamin from behind and above. This speaks of the Lord and the armies of heaven continuing on after treading on the High Places to the final battles on the earth.
Judges 20:39-40
39 And when the men of Israel retired in the battle, Benjamin began to smite and kill of the men of Israel about thirty persons: for they said, Surely they are smitten down before us, as in the first battle.
40 But when the flame began to arise up out of the city with a pillar of smoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and, behold, the flame of the city ascended up to heaven.
The related passages in Revelation include these:
Revelation 16:16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
Revelation 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Revelation 19:14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
Now earlier we said the martyrdom of the saints enables the final victory over the enemy. Just how is this?
We see the people willing to sacrifice their lives. The children of Israel in Judges and the end time saints in Revelation. In Judges, their sacrifice is what makes the ambush work. What about in Revelation?
Well here the climax is not an ambush but the Second Coming of the Lord. We read about this in Jude for instance where the reason for the Second Coming is to execute judgments.
Jude 1:14-15
14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
In Second Thessalonians we read of Him coming to take vengeance.
2 Thessalonians 1:7-8
7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
And in Revelation 19 we see that he is avenging the blood of the martyrs.
Revelation 19:2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.
These are those who gave their lives for the Gospel. We see them crying for vengeance in Revelation 6.
Revelation 6:9-10
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held:
10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?
The Key to how the martyrdom of the saints enables the final victory is found in Romans 12, where we see that God uses the patience of the saints to open the way for his vengeance.
Romans 12:19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
This hearkens back to Romans 12: 1
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Here the Lord is asking us to offer our lives as a living sacrifice to that it will ‘give place to wrath’ as mentioned in vs. 19. This is what makes the vengeance and the final victory possible. And so we note in closing the words of Psalm 116.
Psalms 116:15 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
Summary
The two major lessons we are bringing out here are these.
First it is often necessary for the Lord to keep certain things secret from us, both for our own good, and because this secrecy is part of his plans.
Second the battle against Benjamin forms a parable or allegory of the end times and how the martyrdom of the saints enables the final victory over the enemy.