The Cosmic Clock: A brief explanation

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The Cosmic Clock

A brief explanation

God created the world in six days. He then rested on the seventh day, the Shabbat. The creation, taking place in the first six days was preparatory – and was brought to completion on the seventh day, as is stated in Genesis: “It was evening and it was morning, the sixth day. Heaven and Earth and all their hosts were completed. With [the advent of] the seventh day, God brought all the work He had done to completion. On the seventh day, he ceased from all the work he had completed. (Genesis 2:1-2).

The six days of creation followed by a Shabbat are a microcosm of a larger picture. The pattern of one week, serves as a template for what is known as the 6000 years of history that are followed by the Great Sabbath (Sanhedrin 97a). The universe in its present form is to exist for 6000 years followed by a 7th millennium. As per the verse, "A thousand years in Your sight are like a day gone by...," each millennium parallels one “cosmic day.”

By dividing every 1000 year period (1 "day") into 24 parts we can calculate that every 42 years and 8 months equals 1 "hour" on the “cosmic clock.” Similarly, every 250 years is 6 "hours." In this way we can equate every Biblical year to a particular Common Era year:

Biblical Years	Common Era
5000	1240 C.E.
5250	1490 C.E.
5500	1740 C.E.
5750	1990 C.E.
6000	2240 C.E.

According to this principle, and taking into account that a day in Genesis always begins at the onset of night, the year 5000 (1240 C.E.) was "nightfall" or the beginning of the 6th Day of creation. The year 5500 (1740) heralded the "dawn" or "sunrise," and the Jewish calendar year, 5750 (1990), corresponds to "high-noon." The year 5750 thus brings us 750 years or 3/4 into the 6th millennial day with a remaining 250 years or 1/4 until its completion. According to the kabbalists the first 250-year period from 5500 to 5750 is the messianic age of Mashiach ben Yoseph; the second and final period from 5750 to 6000 is the messianic age of Mashiach ben David. The demarcation between these two eras is not absolute, and there exists a period of overlap during which the two processes operate simultaneously.

According to the Biblical Calendar, we are in the year 5764, that is 764 years into the 6^th millennium, 236 years before its conclusion and the advent of the 7^th millennium. This time corresponds to the afternoon of the sixth day.

Biblical Years	Cosmic Clock	Common Era
5000	6:00 p.m. (“evening”)	1240 C.E.
5250	12:00 p.m. (“midnight”)	1490 C.E.
5500	6:00 a.m. (“noon”)	1740 C.E.
5750	12:00 a.m. (“noon”)	1990 C.E.