The first semicircle on the chart represents the world that was. It ends with two parallel, vertical lines representing the flood that ended that era (2 Peter 3:6). The age that followed, when God dealt with the patriarchs, ends with a single vertical line representing the death of Jacob. Alternatively one might end that age with the death of Joseph some fifty-four years later. But it was when Jacob died that God changed his emphasis from individuals to the nation as a collective whole. Thus began the Jewish age.

The chart does not show a single vertical line at the end of the Jewish age. It and the Gospel age following end with a series of lines showing an overlapping of the end of one age with the beginning of the next. These two overlapping periods are labeled “harvest.” Why that name?

The Harvest of the Jewish Age

Jesus was born when the Jewish age was reaching its end. He referred to his ministry as a harvest: “Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:37,38). On another occasion he said, “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest” (John 4:35).

Jesus himself was the chief reaper and those associated with him were co-laborers in the work of selecting “Israelites indeed” (John 1:47). Preparatory work was done by John the Baptist (John 1:23). Jesus’ actual earthly ministry lasted just three-and-a-half years and ended at the cross. After that the apostles and other willing workers continued the harvest work with unprecedented success: on the day of Pentecost at the end of Peter’s preaching “there were added unto them about three thousand souls” (Acts 2:41).

Did the Jewish age end at the cross? Yes, in a sense it did. Shortly before his crucifixion our Lord wept over Jerusalem and said, “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate” (Matthew 23:38). That nation’s period of favor was over and their “double” (Jeremiah 16:18) of disfavor began. The Hebrew word translated “double” is mishneh, Strong’s #4932, and means “a repetition” or “a duplicate.” The extent of relative favor would now be repeated during an identical period of relative disfavor. That 1,845-year time ended in 1878 when the first Jewish settlement named Petah Tikvah was established in the land of Palestine.

But in another sense favor was still being enjoyed by the Jewish nation. The wonderful Christian message of hope continued to be preached exclusively to them for a few years more in fulfillment of the seventy-weeks prophecy of Daniel (Daniel 9:24-27). This prophecy predicted when “Messiah the prince” would arrive. Understanding it as a code with one day of prophetic time representing one year of real time may have been why many were in expectation of Messiah (Luke 3:15), though of course everyone expected Messiah to be a triumphant king. Daniel’s prophecy talks of the sacrifice ending in the middle of the week, after three-and-a-half days [years]. Thus after a harvest of three-and-a-half years, Messiah was “cut off” in the “midst” of the last “week.” Even so, for the next three-and-a-half years the harvest continued to be a privilege enjoyed exclusively by the Jewish nation.

So, did the Jewish age end three-and-a-half years later when the footstep-followers of the Master welcomed the Gentile Cornelius and his family into their fellowship (Acts 10)? Yes, in a sense it did. Although individual Jews continued to embrace the gospel message after this time, the seventy-weeks prophecy had been fulfilled.

But, of course, as far as most Jews were concerned, things continued as they had always been. The Romans were in control and they had the cooperation of the Sanhedrin which allowed them to keep their military garrison as small as possible. But the steady deterioration of the nation finally reached the point where Rome destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D.; those not killed in the siege were scattered to the four corners of the earth. Conquering General Titus became the Roman Emperor in 79 A.D. undoubtedly thinking that his power was so great Rome’s dominion would last forever. But it did not. Pagan Rome’s empire fell to the Papal empire some four hundred years later.

So did the Jewish age finally end in 70 A.D.? Yes, it did. Because of the multiple endings of this age, there are several vertical time lines to show this reality. Similarly, one can see how the beginning of the Gospel age could be said to start with the ministry of our Lord and his anointing with the holy spirit, with the bestowing of the holy spirit upon his faithful ones at Pentecost, and with the broadening of the message to include the Gentiles a few years after that.

The Harvest of the Gospel Age

The work of the Christian or Gospel age also ends in a harvest. We know this from a parable of Jesus. Here is how the Contemporary English Version translates the Greek text:

“The kingdom of heaven is like what happened when a farmer scattered good seed in a field. But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and scattered weed seeds in the field and then left. When the plants came up and began to ripen, the farmer’s servants could see the weeds. The servants came and asked, ‘Sir, didn’t you scatter good seed in your field? Where did these weeds come from?’ ‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. His servants then asked, ‘Do you want us to go out and pull up the weeds?’ ‘No!’ he answered. ‘You might also pull up the wheat. Leave the weeds alone until harvest time. Then I’ll tell my workers to gather the weeds and tie them up and burn them. But I’ll have them store the wheat in my barn.’ ”—Matthew 13:24-30, CEV

This and the other parables in Matthew 13 describe the events of the Gospel age. Although the start was good, something unexpected happened. An “enemy” contaminated the wheat field and the servants did not know what to do. The master told them to wait until harvest because then it would be clear what was wheat and what was not.

Just as Jesus was the chief reaper at his first advent during the harvest of the Jewish age, he is present as the chief reaper at his second advent during the harvest of the Gospel age. This is clear from a description of the harvest in Revelation: “And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped.”—Revelation 14:14-16.

“Son of man” is one of many titles for our Lord. We know this by the answer Jesus gave the high priest during his mock trial: “The high priest asked him … Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:61,62).

Just as the harvest of the Jewish age occurred over a period of years, the harvest of the Gospel age requires a period of time as well. It is called the “time of the end” by Daniel: “At that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time … But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” (Daniel 12:1, 4). The name “Michael” is another title associated with our Lord in Scripture.

Daniel chapter 12 ends with a cryptic reference to time periods of 1,290 and 1,335 “days.” The phrase “time, times, and a half” in verse 7 has generally been understood to be 3½ “times” of 360 “days” each which is equivalent to 1,260 “days.” Because the seventy “weeks” refers to a literal 490-year period, the 1,260/1,290/1,335 prophetic days are understood as describing a 1,260/1,290/1,335 period of literal years. The 1,260 period ended in 1799 A.D. when the power of the papacy was crushed by Napoleon who took the pope as his prisoner from Rome to France.

Thus the harvest of the Gospel age began with the return of our Lord as chief reaper at the end of the 1,335 “days” in the year 1874 when he began to serve his people with “meat” (Luke 12:37). But it did not end within a single 24-hour day, nor a single year. It did not even end at the end of the Jewish “double” in 1878, nor did it end in 1914 with the collapse of the Gentile sovereignties and their reliance on what they claimed was the “divine right of kings.” It will end in every sense of the word when the “fullness of the Gentiles” will have come in (Romans 11:25), when the church is complete, glorified, and united with her heavenly bridegroom in “marriage” (Revelation 19:7). That will also be when earth’s existing polity will be destroyed in the great time of trouble called the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16). Because of these different “endings” of the Gospel age, the period labeled “Harvest” on the chart has multiple vertical ending lines.

Clearly the foot-step followers of the Master will make every effort to be faithful even unto death. Not all will be successful. A time will come at the close of the harvest when some realize they were not gathered “into the barn.” The prophet Jeremiah heard them say, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved” (Jeremiah 8:20).

The Harvest of the Messianic Age

The chart does not show a harvest at the end of the Messianic age. This is because no Scripture refers to that time by using the word “harvest.” It is called a “little season” (Revelation 20:3), a time after the kingdom processes have educated mankind in the ways of righteousness and when the restrained adversary shall be freed. Those who choose righteousness will receive everlasting earthly life. Those who choose unrighteousness by following the adversary will be destroyed with him in what Revelation calls a “lake of fire.” No torment is associated with the lake of fire. It is simply a metaphorical term for what in four different places Revelation calls the “second death” (Revelation 2:11; 20:6,14; 21:8).

What a grand prospect awaits those who choose righteousness: “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city” (Revelation 22:14).