A Gap in Time


When it comes to time and Israel’s relationship with God there is an unusual thing takes place. According to a difference in writers in the Bible we find that when Israel was out of fellowship, to the point that he allowed them to be taken by their enemies, that they went off of God’s time clock. In other words time literally stood still for Israel until this period of judgement was over.

We find this difference in I Kings 6:1 and Acts 13:18-22. The subject is the time period from the Exodus from Egypt to the beginning of the building of Solomon’s Temple. In I Kings it says that the time period was 480 years but according to the apostle Paul there is a difference of 111 years. Paul gave a series of times that added together reveal this mystery of the Gap in Israel’s history. We will begin with the scriptures.

I Kings 6:1
1: And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.

This time period from the Exodus to Solomon’s Temple is 480 years.

Paul said in Acts 13:17-22:
17: The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it.
18: And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.
19: And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot.
20: And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.
21: And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.
22: And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

When using the times from Paul’s writings from the exodus to the beginning of the building of Solomon’s Temple we come up with a very large difference in time than the one found in I Kings 6:1.
From the Exodus to Canaan was 40 years.
From the dividing of Canaan to Samuel’s period of leadership was about 450 years. (Actual time was 448 years.)
From Samuel’s leadership to the anointing of Saul the King was 20 years.
Saul’s reign was 40 years.
David’s reign was 40 years.
3 years later in the 4th year of Solomon’s reign the Temple was begun.
These time periods adds up to 591 years.

The difference between 1stKings and Paul's writings amounts to 111 years. When we go back during this same time period and take a look at the times that Israel had sinned and were forced to serve other nations we will find this lost period in time.

Judges 3:8; Israel served Mesopotamia, 8 years.
Judges 3:12-14; Israel served the Moabites, 18 years.
Judges 4:2-3; Israel served the Canaanites, 20 years.
Judges 6:1; Israel served the Midianites, 7 years.
Judges 10:7-8; Israel served the Phillistines 18 years.
Judges 13:1; Israel served the Phillistines 40 years.

These time periods add up to 111 years. Which is the time difference between the writings of 1st Kings and Paul’s writings in the book of Acts. Which proves that when Israel was given over to their enemies that they go off of the time clock. Daniel's 69th week ended within just a few days of the crucifixion of Jesus, the veil of the temple was rent and Israel went off the time clock. 40 years later, 70AD Titus destroyed Jerusalem. At the beginning of Daniel’s seventieth week, God will once again begin to fight for Israel. At this time Israel will go back on the time clock.

I believe that this also applies to any of God’s children. If you served God for 20 years but were to backslide for 5 years and returned to God during that 20 year period, God would see this time period as 15 years. He wouldn’t see the 5 years that you were out of fellowship with him.

Thank you for reading this article. I hope that there is something in it to show how God often places gaps in time according to our relationship with him. According to this Israel has been off the clock since Israel rejected Jesus and crucified him. I believe that Israel was given a period of grace from the time of the crucifixion until 70 AD as a time period given to repent and turn to Jesus. This is why it took 40 years to see the actual judgement begin.

Since Daniel's 69th week of years ended at the time of the crucifixion that means that the 70th week of years is still yet to come. This is where we get the seven-year period that is often called the Tribulation period.

God Bless You
Brother Tommie