Your recent post was was both interesting
and enlightening. By my way of thinking, God doesn't introduce a new
pattern, but consistently uses established patterns repeatedly. In
other words He is true to His nature and consist ant as well. We find
other "gaps" in the scriptures as you, no doubt, know. There are
multiple times when gaps appear in genealogies...
Example: Matthew 1:8 says that Joram
fathered Uzziah. But, in 1st Chronicles we find that Joram fathered
Ahaziah, who fathered Joash, who fathered Amaziah, who begot Uzziah who
was also called Azariah. Matthew knew his readers would know Joram was
the great, great grandfather of Uzziah.
You pointed out, "Isaiah 61:2 and the Lord's separation of the two
advents in Luke 4:16-21 clearly indicate a "Gap" of time separates His
grace and His wrath. Jesus stops in his reading, precisely, at a point
the English text inserts a 'comma', to note a "Gap" of time between the
two fulfillments of Bible prophecy.
"...if there are no "Gaps" in the prophetic program of God,
prophecy could not have a literal fulfillment, for in many major
prophecies the events were not consecutive."
Ancient Jews understood the practice of putting gaps in the
geneaologies. When Jesus is called the Son of David it wasn't a
mistake, but was a commonly accepted pattern. In the garden of Eden, God
said eat of the fruit and in that day you shall die. Well obviously
there was a gap in time. Once again, it wasn't a mistake because with
God a day is like a thousand years.
You made a strong case for "gaps" in the Biblical narrative to denote a passage of time. Thank you for your insight.
YBIC
Bruce Baber