We will know we have entered the promised land when Jesus’ high priestly prayer becomes a reality in the church: “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (John 17:21, KJV).

This can only be realized through a mighty work of the Holy Spirit yet to come. I believe the purpose of God is to bring His church into the promised land in the third day.

Understanding, then, that the promised land is a place of maturity in our walk with God as individuals and as the church, some may still be wondering, “What is the third day?” While our purpose here is not to fully explore the significance of the third day as taught in the Scriptures, it is a fact that God chose to intervene in mankind’s affairs in special ways on the third day. It is an interesting study to trace through the Bible the promises of the third day.

The apostle Peter wrote that “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Pet. 3:8, KJV). When our calendar turns to A.D. 2000, we will have completed two “days,” and will be entering a “third day” era in God’s perspective. Because of the biblical pattern of God’s intervention into the affairs of men on the “third day,” many believe that God is going to do something special in and through His church in this new century.