The Pattern of the Third Count
There is a pattern in the Bible where, in a given sequence of things, the Lord chooses the third element in the set for some special purpose. The first two are passed over and the third is chosen, so it is kind of a passing over principle. This pattern is found twice in the holy day calendar, and a similar pattern relates to resurrection, so, we may expect prophetic signification for our day in these patterns. Here are some examples.
Of the sons of Adam and Eve: The blessing of the messianic lineage passed by Cain and Abel and came to Seth.
Of the patriarchs: The blessing of being the patriarch in whom the promise would be fulfilled where every male offspring would be of the favored race/nation passed by Abraham and Isaac and came to Jacob.
Of the tribes of Israel: The blessing of being wholly given to God among the sons of Israel passed by Reuben and Simeon and came to Levi. (Numbers 8:13-18)
Of the tribes of Israel - a second time: With Levi having been given to God and therefore removed from the numbering, the blessing of both the messianic lineage and the rulership authority over the other tribes passed by Reuben and Simeon and came to Judah, next in line after Levi.
Of the primary kings of Israel modeling the messianic King with consecutive rules of forty years each: The blessing of building the Lord's temple on earth passed by Saul and David and came to Solomon.
Of the twelve Apostles: The first among them to be martyred for the Lord was not the first disciple found nor the second (Simon Peter, Andrew his brother) but the third. (James) (Matthew 10:2-3, Acts 12:2)
Of the captains of fifty with their fifties: In II Kings 1, Ahaziah the King sent three consecutive captains of fifty with their fifties to fetch Elijah. Success passed by the first two groups but came to the third.
Of Moses' life: The life of Moses may be divided into three distinct forty year periods. The fulfilling of his ultimate destiny came not in the first two forty year periods but in the third.
The pattern is further exhibited in the following passages.
And He said to them, "Go and tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.'
33 "Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.
Luke 13:32-33
"It will come about in all the land," Declares the Lord, "That two parts in it will be cut off and perish; But the third will be left in it.
9 "And I will bring the third part through the fire, Refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. they will call on My name, And I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' And they will say, 'The Lord is my God.'"
Zechariah 13:8-9
The Lord also said to Moses, "Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments;
11 and let them be ready for the third day, for on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
Exodus 19:10-11
In the principle of Resurrection on the Third Day it is apparent that the first two are skipped over in order for fulfillment to come in the third. Consider such as the Acts 12 resurrection scenario, where Peter and the angel passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. They passed the first two barrier units, and, when they came to the third barrier, that was where their goal was accomplished; they made the transition into the city as the iron gate opened by itself.
There is another very significant incident involving Enoch.
By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; AND HE WAS NOT FOUND BECAUSE GOD TOOK HIM UP; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.
Hebrews 11:5
It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, " Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones,
Jude 1:14
How do I see the Pattern of the Third Count in Enoch? As I show in Resurrection on the Third Day the seventh is also considered a third, the second third of a seven count. Enoch was the seventh from Adam, and as it was another third count, the Lord took him!
The Rosh Chodesh / Feast Model
Twice a year, on the Lord's calendar, a special count is made to the time of a holy day. Every month begins according to the sighting of a new moon. It marks a Feast day celebrating that observation called Rosh Chodesh, meaning, "head of the month." This celestial sign signals the start of a count. In the first and seventh months marked from that sign, two weeks are counted off and then the anticipated season arrives. The feast is that third week. The pattern of the third count is modeled in both Hag HaMatzot and Sukkot! This pattern of the third count has been exhibited prominently every six months since the Feasts were instituted, roughly 2 × 3500 or 7000 times now!
Now, you must realize that everything about the holy day calendar is prophetically significant. The observance of the celestial sign beginning a count to the third week has been modeling something of prophetic importance for a very long time. Back around 2003 or so I got really excited when I put this insight together with a some other's I've had. I can't say at the present whether this observation is valid or not, but here it is. In 1991 I observed what I believe to be the celestial sign marking the beginning of the Lord's coming in judgment. I had been learning much about a season identified in scripture as being seven years in duration. I had no idea how to relate these two elements until I learned the Pattern of the Third Count. The sign appeared in 1991 as described in Genesis 49:10. Just like how the Feast count begins with the sighting of a celestial sign, so it is now that two weeks of years have been counted off from the celestial sign of 1991 with the third week arriving in the fall of 2005. Being now, as I write, May of 2008, if this is the week of years I had hoped it sure hasn't been as I expected. It might be too soon to say it isn't the week for fulfillment, so I'll just say let's keep watching and praying, preparing ourselves for service with humility and zeal. In the first two weeks, many of us were watching and were humbled. Necessarily, the processes of death and burial come to the Lord's people. So far, in the third week, I see more of the same.
The Sign of Jonah Model
There is a similar pattern where three of a series have to be completed before the time for fulfillment arrives. Consider the sign of Jonah.
for just as JONAH WAS THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS IN THE BELLY OF THE SEA MONSTER, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
Matthew 12:40
As Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the fish, so Y'shua was in the heart of the earth. Then came resurrection! Hallelujah!
I observed this same pattern where three things had to be complete before a resurrection in John 13.
Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times.
John 13:38
The rooster crowing is the (1 Thes. 4 and 1 Cor. 15) announcement of a resurrection in this parable of the church. The three denials had to pass before the rooster would crow.
What does this mean? Watch and pray!