On my FB page, there have been three primary comments to my graphic that I want to address here in my blog:
1) One is that the year is actually 3983, not 3982.
This is correct ... well, we're both right! I'll explain below. This is the main issue I want to address here in this article and will be the bulk thereof, doing the math, by the book.
2) Was Terah 70 (as the KJV/Masoretic states) or 130 (deductive reasoning) when Abram {Abraham} was born?
It's so important to me to *get it right* that I took the time to actually research whether what I have in the KJV (from the Masoretic) is correct (up to and including the 4th year of king Solomon's reign) that I took ALL DAY yesterday researching. I'm not sorry to report that all that I was able to find regarding Terah & Abraham seems to confirm Terah was 70, not 130, when Abraham (the youngest of the three, according to Jasher) was born. Even though I have now completed a whole different article on this particular topic, I am going to leave what I've already said here as this article was written first and it does make some important points regarding Terah's age at Abram/Abraham's birth. If you still disagree, that's OK, we can agree to disagree and still love each other in the Lord. See my other article, also posted today. Consider: If the scriptures, as written, are not correct then we might as well close up shop and go home (quit). Why is it all years mentioned below are right ... except one (Terah @ 70) is wrong??? Just sayin'! Here's my second article for today, on this very topic ... https://thelambswife.blogspot.com/2018/02/022018-terah-abraham.html
3) The other comment was that Jesus was born in -7BC to -6BC because Herod the Great died in -4BC, which, I believe, is not correct.
I won't be delving into this one specifically but I will post my response links below where some researchers have discovered that Herod more likely died in -1BC (not -4BC) and that Jesus was probably born between -3BC to -1BC (not -7BC to -6BC).
Scriptures to ponder as you continue ...
"These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so." {Acts 17:11, speaking of the Jews in Berea (aka: Bereans)}
"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." -Jesus {John 5:39}
"For the word of the LORD [is] right; and all his works [are done] in truth." {Psalm 33:4}
"So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me: for I trust in thy word." {Psalm 119:42}
"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." -Jesus {John 17:17}
"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." {2 Timothy 2:15}
Here's how I came to my dates ... yes, I'm going to go through the entire drab line of the fathers' ages at the begetting of their -significant- sons as biblically listed. I'm doing this strictly by the KJV (Masoretic) and none of these figures are changed to work with my own ideas or reasoning. I'm doing it BY THE BOOK:
*** THIS IS THE START OF THE GENEALOGY OF THE FATHERS' AGES AT SONS' BIRTHS ***
0 Adam (& Eve) created Genesis 1-2
130 Seth born, son of Adam with Eve Genesis 5:3
105 Enosh born, son of Seth Genesis 5:6
90 Kenan born, son of Enosh Genesis 5:9
70 Mahalalel born, son of Kenan Genesis 5:12
65 Jared born, son of Mahalalel Genesis 5:15
162 Enoch born, son of Jared Genesis 5:18
65 Methuselah born, son of Enoch Genesis 5:21
187 Lamech born, son of Methusaleh Genesis 5:25
182 Noah born, son of Lamech Genesis 5:28-29
500 Shem, Ham, Japheth: sons of Noah Genesis 5:32
{Noah is 500 years old at the birth of at least one of his three sons}
100 years later, Noah is 600, flood begins Genesis 7:6
____
1656 years, from creation to the flood
Some will object ...
- "There is no year zero!" Well, you have to start somewhere, you can't start at one year until a full 12 months pass. Thus I start at zero. You can't say a baby is a year old until it completes it's 12th month, right? You can't say Adam is 130 until he lives to his full 130th year, and somewhere within that year Seth is born. The bible begins with numbers at Seth's birth, therefore so do I. Adam & Eve were created on the sixth day, that does not count as a year in the chronology as recorded.
- "But ... Shem, Ham & Japheth's births are *probably* different years!" OK, well I'm simply putting the number the bible has ... I'm sure the writers thereof knew, they were there, I was not. The likelihood that Shem was 98 when Noah was 600 would be accurate as you'll see in the next section because the bible says Shem was 100 when his son Arphaxad was born two years AFTER the flood. Also, Noah's children have NO bearing on the father's age (600) when the flood starts, as the bible states. This is a *non-issue* and does NOT in any way conflict with the numbers. I'm going with what is recorded in God's word, argue with that ;o}
2 Arphaxad born, son of Shem Genesis 11:10
{Shem is 100 years old, Arphaxad is born 2 years after the flood}
35 Shelah born, son of Arphaxad Genesis 11:12
30 Eber born, son of Shelah Genesis 11:14
34 Peleg born, son of Eber Genesis 10:25, 11:16
30 Reu born, son of Peleg Genesis 11:18
32 Serug born, son of Reu Genesis 11:20
30 Nahor born, son of Serug Genesis 11:22
29 Terah born, son of Nahor Genesis 11:24
70 Abram (Abraham) born, son of Terah Genesis 11:26
_____
292 years, from the flood to the birth of Abram (Abraham)
Some will object ...
- "The Septuagint (LXX) version says the above years are cut short by hundreds of years!" I'm using the Masoretic, the KJV Bible. Argue with God on that one, not me. I believe the KJV is the most accurate.
- "My preferred version (pick yours and put here) says blah, blah, blah!" OK, see above LOL
- "Shem was 100, why did you only put 2!?" Because Shem was 100, TWO YEARS -AFTER- the flood, and that is when Arphaxad was born. The flood began in 1656 years from creation, so two years after the flood brings us to 1658 after creation.
- "Terah was NOT 70 when Abram was born, he was 130!!!" Seriously folks, CHILL! Why-o-why must we complicate things??? The bible says Terah was 70 and lists all three sons, including Abram {Abraham}, they could have been triples for all I know. I'm not going to question what the word says. I'm SURE that Moses knew what he was doing when he recorded 70. I'm not going to argue with the word, it says 70 so that's what I'm going with ... you argue with the word 0.o You have to put your own figure in this place if you use 130, no where in the bible does it say Terah was 130 when Abram was born, nowhere. I understand you get that by *deductive reasoning* but still, it's NOT what Moses had directly recorded. What it does say is Terah was 70 when his sons were (began to be) born, including Abram as listed in the passage thereof. The fact is, at least ONE of Terah's sons was born when he was 70 ... ok? Let's just go with how the bible records the years, we can ask God the meaning thereof when we see Him. Can we just take God at His word? Does the bible not say ... "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake [as they were] moved by the Holy Ghost." {2 Peter 1:21} ... so, let's just roll with what the bible records and not get tangled up in semantics.
*** Now to subtotal the years, by the book, let's add 1656 + 292 to get the total years from creation to the birth of (at least one of) Terah's sons:
1656 years, from creation to the flood
292 years, from the flood to the birth of Abram (Abraham)
_____
1948 years, from the creation to the birth of Abram (Abraham)
The LORD renames Abram (Terah's son) to ...
"Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee." {Genesis 17:5}
"Abram; the same [is] Abraham." {1 Chronicles 1:27}
"Thou [art] the LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;" {Nehemiah 9:7}
Some will object ...
- "Abraham was not born in 1948!" I addressed this above. The year given is 70, not 130 (or whatever Terah' may have been if not Abram's birth). The fact is Terah was 70 when at least one of the three sons was born and this is the number that is documented. Will you argue with God as to why He had the writer document 70? I am simply recording the years given, keep reading, it'll all work out in the end. Hey, it may be that even tho Abram *may have been* born in a later year, since he's the -significant- son, he gets credit for the elder's birth year? Maybe they were triplets!? Who am I to argue with what the bible records? I am not going to go to extra biblical sources and I am not going to go to what others have written because they don't like this record of 70 ... God's word is true and I'm sticking to it. Remember this warning from Jesus {Yeshua} ... "For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." {Matthew 5:18} We should not change the word to suit our understanding, we must conform to what the word says whether we understand it or not. See above for more info on why I'm going with 70 ... simply put, it's what the bible, through Moses, says ;o}
There's a great saying that goes like this, and it's my personal motto: "Keep it simple, stupid." In other words, don't complicate things, keep it simple, take the path of least resistance, the easiest and fastest way is usually the best way. Believe and take God at His word if you claim to believe His word (the bible) is truth.
Back to number crunching! So far we've added the first section of 1656 years from creation to the flood and the second section of 292 years from the flood to Terah's three sons {including Abraham} and we are now at 1948 years from creation to Terah's age at the birth of at least one of his three sons. Let's continue ...
100 Isaac born, son of Abraham {Abram} Genesis 21:4-5
60 Jacob {& Esau} born, son{s} of Isaac Genesis 25:24-26
_____
160 years, from Abram's (Abraham) birth to the birth of Jacob
*** Now to subtotal the years, by the book, adding 160 years to the 1948 (1656 + 292) years above: 1948 + 160 (100 + 60), which brings us to 2108 years from creation to the birth of Jacob.
1948 years, from the flood to the birth of Abram (Abraham)
160 years, from Abram's (Abraham) birth to the birth of Jacob
_____
2108 years, from creation to Jacob's birth
*** THIS IS THE END OF THE GENEALOGY OF THE FATHERS' AGES AT SONS' BIRTHS ***
The LORD renames Jacob to Israel ...
"And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed." {Genesis 32:28}
Since the fathers/sons information has now dried up, we glean yet more info, but still, by the book, to add in more years. The next -significant- mention of Jacob, as relating to our *math*, is that he enters Egypt when he is 130 years old (confirmed by the fact that he lives in Egypt for 17 years and he dies in Egypt at the age of 147; 147-17=130 being his age when he enters Egypt).
130 years, Jacob's age when he enters Egypt Genesis 47:7-9, 47:28
Then we see that Israel {Jacob's clan} were in the land of Egypt for 430 years.
430 years, Israel in the land of Egypt Exodus 12:40-41; Galatians 3:17
{includes the years of bondage thereof, the Jews only count 210 years +/-}
Now we add the 480 years from the time Israel {Jacob's clan} left Egypt (after the 430 years) until the 4th year of king Solomon's reign when he began to build the first temple (Solomon's Temple).
480 years, Solomon's 4th year reign 1 Kings 6:1
*** Now to subtotal the years, by the book, let's add 130 + 430 + 480, and we come to a total of 1040 years.
130 years, Jacob's age when he enters Egypt
430 years, Israel in the land of Egypt
480 years, Solomon's 4th year reign, he begins to build the 1st Temple
_____
1040 years, subtotaling (130 + 430 + 480) above
And then add those 1040 years to our 2108 years above (ages of fathers' at sons' births)
1040 years, subtotaling (130 + 430 + 480) above
2108 years, from creation by adding ages of fathers' at -significant- sons' births
_____
3148 years, from creation to king Solomon's 4th year (reign)
I now have to figure out how many years from king Solomon's fourth year (reign) to the time of Jesus' birth. This is purely speculation, no one knows for sure. My AM year (see previous articles) for creation came out to 3982 BC. So, continuing with that I would subtract 3148 from 3982 and the resulting years difference is 834. So, to 3148 above, I would then add 834 years, which brings us to 3982 years from creation to the birth year of Jesus. To see if I'm in the ballpark with *anyone* in cyberspace I went searching for 834 BC or 834 years since Solomon's 4th year where he began to build the 1st temple and I found two sources: Chabad.org and Askmoses.org, both of which show 833 years, or 833 BC(E) from king Solomon's 4th year (reign) to the beginning of our current Roman dating of AD (aka: CE). I'm still using my own figure of 834 BC in my figures because ... it's my page ;o} Here's a link to my previous *math* for 3982 being the year of creation ... https://thelambswife.blogspot.com/2016/04/041016-math-3982-bcam-to-2018-ad.html
3148 years, from creation to king Solomon's 4th year (reign)
834 years, from king Solomon's 4th year (reign) to the birth of Jesus
_____
3982 years, from creation to the birth of Jesus
Some will object ...
- "Blah, blah, blah!?" I'll get to those later LOL For now, let's continue to crunch the numbers!
3982 years, from creation to the birth of Jesus
2018 years, since Jesus' birth, which happens to be *this* year
_____
6000 years, from creation to 2018 (we are here)
Some will object ... OK! On to the objections! Are y'all still with me???
- "This year, 2018, is actually *still* 2017!" OK then. That would, of course, be if you are looking at the biblical months beginning at Nisan (Mar/Apr in our totally messed up Greco/Roman calendar, more on that below). You won't get any argument from me that God said that Nisan is the beginning of months! "This month [shall be] unto you the beginning of months: it [shall be] the first month of the year to you." {Exodus 12:2} Notice it says the "beginning of months" and it shall be "the first month of the year to you." You need to understand that there are FOUR New Years (five if a Jubilee year) in the Jewish year. Nisan and Tishri are the two main ones, I'll post links below and you can study that out yourselves.
- "This year is ____ (insert your year here), not 3982!" ...or... "The Jews say this is 5778!!!" I'll address that later. One friend (who inspired this article LOL) says he has this year as 3983 as being still equivalent to 2017, which he believes won't end until the Hebrew year ends on Mar 21st, that being Nisan 1 on the Hebrew calendar. Meaning (for him) that 2017 doesn't end until Nisan 1. He is right! But then, so am I! Check out what I'll write below, hopefully it'll clarify and not further confuse 0.o All in all, this is my own math, you may come to something else.
What my friend and I do agree on is that this year is 6000 from creation, we just differ slightly as to when that year starts/ends. His math: 3983 + 2017 = 6000! My math 3982 + 2018 = 6000! How can this be!??? There is no discrepancy between us using years from creation. The discrepancy lays in the Greco/Roman years of 2017-2018 -vs- the Hebrew calendar (not the Jewish year of 5777-5778, they are off by 222 years as I state in my NOTES below).
My friend is thinking that the year begins in spring, Mar/Apr ... or Nisan in the Hebrew reckoning.
My thinking is the year begins in the fall, Sep/Oct ... or Tishri in the Hebrew reckoning.
We are both right. But ... let us not confuse our *Greco/Roman* mindset with the correct Hebrew reckoning, this causes division. The key is to understand the differences between the Hebrew months of Nisan, and Tishri, and why those differences are important. As to which is THE "new year", there's just too much info for either/or so I'll post links below and you can decide for yourselves. Could it be there is a dual fulfillment on the celestial Hebrew calendar, that being of Nisan, and of Tishri, just like much of prophecy? Just sayin'. Just as some believe (Mar/Apr) Nisan is more important, I believe that (Sep/Oct) Tishri is just as important for, at the very least, a jubilee year, which I believe Sep 2017-Sep 2018 are just that, a jubilee, based on other years that end in 7/8s as relating to Israel. I'll post some links to websites with pros/cons for each are listed below, have at 'em!
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| Click Graphic to Expand |
Based on Tishri (Sep/Oct) being the Jewish "new year", I believe our King/Messiah, Jesus {Yeshua}'s, first coming was in Tishri, whereby, "God with us" tabernacles (Sukkoth) among us. We call this His first coming. Jesus was likely not born in a stable but rather He was probably born under a Sukkah in the month of Tishri and my guess was it was the beginning of the Feast of Sukkot (Tabernacles). In truth, He has already fulfilled this feast/harvest at His first coming (birth). Let's remember, God does things by the Hebrew calendar, not by our secular Gregorian calendar. He suffered, died, and resurrected, and many others were resurrected after His resurrection, during the spring, at the Jews' Passover & Feast of Firstfruits; He gave the gift of the seal of God, the Holy Spirit, at the Jews' Shavuot (Feast of Weeks, aka: Pentecost). I believe He will return for His bride sometime within these months (Mar-Aug) for the great summer harvest. As to His birth month ... I know, many will disagree, saying His birth was in the spring, Passover, citing that He would have been born when all lambs are born ... we can agree to disagree. He was crucified, buried, and resurrected in the spring during Passover and Firstfruits, on that we can agree ;o}
Then we have what Paul called the mystery of the church age, the church (believers) being the bride of Christ. Many people say we (the church) were *born* on Pentecost (Shavuot), at the end of the counting of the Omer, the Feast of Weeks when in fact we were not born, but rather, conceived. We are not yet born into our newly resurrected bodies, therefore I say the church/bride was conceived, not born. We've been baking for almost two thousand years during the "times of the Gentiles" and our birth is imminent when the Lord comes to meet us in the air whereby we shall be with Him where ever He is, for all eternity. The church is nowhere mentioned in the old testament, though it is hinted at here and there. It was not understood until the apostle Paul had the revelation of Christ gathering a bride unto Himself. This gathering will conclude just prior to Jacob's {Israel's} trouble.
I believe this gathering to Him could be anytime from now (the writing of this article) up until Sep/Oct 2018, IF this year, and possibly beyond if Hanukkah is relevant and we're still here. I say this as a huge IF ... as in IF it were this year (as opposed to perhaps next year or some other year future). I am NOT saying it is this year so don't go there with me. I freely admit my figures above *could be* off/wrong by up to 3 years +/- because we can't be sure when king Solomon's 4th year (reign) was, and we don't know for certain what year Jesus was born, and then there's the muddy waters of the Greco/Roman calendar verses the Hebrew months calendar. what I write here, or anywhere for that matter, is simply my own *educated* (or uneducated, if that makes you happy) guess. I am not claiming "thus saith the Lord". Ultimately, He will come for us ... when He comes for us. My suggestion: be ready, be watching, our redemption is certainly nearer than when we first believed!
Why I believe this year (from: Sep 2017 to Sep 2018) is significant is because significant things happened in Israel during the years of: 1917-1918, 1947-1948, 1967-1968 ... if the pattern of 7/8s continues it would stand to reason that 2017-2018 is likewise significant, right!? What exactly happened within each of those years???
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1917-1918 = 5678-5679
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1917, Nov 2 - Balfour Declaration
Friday, November 2, 1917 was Cheshvan 17, 5678
1918, Nov 11 - At the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month, WWI ends, collapse of Ottoman Empire's rule over Israel
Monday, November 11, 1918 was Kislev 7, 5679
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1947-1948 = 5707-5708
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1947, Feb 14 - British Government Refers the Question of the Future of Palestine to the United Nations
Friday, February 14, 1947 was Shevat 24, 5707
1947, Nov 29 - United Nations Partitions (GA 181) Palestine into Jewish and Palestinian States; Jews accept, Arabs (Palestinians) decline
Saturday, November 29, 1947 was Kislev 16, 5708
1948, May 14 - Israel Declares Its Independence
Friday, May 14, 1948 was Iyar 5, 5708
1948, May 15 - First Arab-Israeli War Begins
Saturday, May 15, 1948 was Iyar 6, 5708
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1967-1968 = 5727-5728
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May 1967 - Egypt Closes the Straits of Aqaba to Israeli Shipping after UN Emergency Force Troops Withdraw
May 1967 was Nissan or Iyar 5727 (depending on exact date, unknown)
Jun 5, 1967 - "Six-Day War" Takes Place
Monday, June 5, 1967 was Iyar 26, 5727
Sep 1, 1967 - Arab Summit Conference Held in Khartoum (Sudan) Declares That Israel Will Not Be Recognized
Friday, September 1, 1967 was Av 26, 5727
Nov 22, 1967 - UN Security Council Passes Resolution (242)
Wednesday, November 22, 1967 was Cheshvan 19, 5728
Jun 1968 - Egypt's War of Attrition (1968-1970) against Israel "officially" begins
June 1968 was Sivan or Tammuz 5728 (depending on exact date, unknown)
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2017-2018 = 5777-5778
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Dec 6, 2017 - US President Donald J. Trump recognizes Jerusalem as Israel's capital; will move US embassy from Tel Aviv (Jaffa) to Jerusalem by 2019
Wednesday, December 6, 2017 was Kislev 18, 5778
Hebrew begin/end dates from HebCal &/or here Chabad (more links below).
Soon, IMHO, the church/bride will be resurrected/raptured {Matthew 25:1-13} and taken to the Father's house {Heaven} and the Lord will "shut the door". Then, comes Jacob/Israel's trouble lasting up to seven years and ending with the second coming of King/Messiah Jesus {Yeshua}, Who will rescue them from utter destruction. I believe His second coming will occur in the month of Tishri (Sep/Oct) when He comes to: be gloried and crowned King of kings and Lord of lords; and to rule and reign on this earth from Jerusalem (with His church/bride) for 1000 years; God with us, on earth, once again to tabernacle with His people; when He comes to recover His people {Israel} a second time {Isaiah 11:11}.
.:: THREE HARVESTS, THREE RESURRECTIONS ::.
I covered this in other articles so I'll not do it again here since I don't have any more revelation to speak of to date. Also, notice the -dates- of these articles, which of course will -differ- from this current year ... https://thelambswife.blogspot.com/search?q=three+harvests
NOTES:
- AM = Anno Mundi, years since/from creation
- BC = Before Christ (seculars call it BCE, Before the Common Era)
- AD = Anno Domini, from/after Christ's birth (seculars call it CE, the Common Era)
- IMHO = In My Honest Opinion
- Some Jews only count 210-222 years (depending on which of their versions you go with) of Israel's time in Egypt, this is the *main reason* they have their current year at 5778 from creation -vs- what I believe (by the math shown above) that we're in year 6000 right now (Sep 22, 2017 through Sep/Oct 2018). I stuck to the word of God, without changing it to *suit* my theology.
- Greco/Roman calendars, what a mess of confusion! See links below on calendar differences and note that at one point the Roman calendar had 8-day weeks! Is it any wonder it's wrong in so many ways!?
"God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged." {Romans 3:4}
"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." -Jesus {John 17:17}
Regarding Herod the Great's death, and subsequently Jesus' birth, ultimately, we cannot know for sure. But, my figures are NOT based on BC/AD Greco/Roman dates, only that I try to correlate the "from creation" AM dates with our Greco/Roman calendar of BC/AD to try to show where we are in HIS-story (history) from creation.
Here's some links to get you started, all links should open in a new window ...
http://hope-of-israel.org/herodsdeath.html
https://strangenotions.com/jesus-birth-and-when-herod-the-great-really-died/
https://hermetic.ch/cal_stud/ph01.htm
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-jesus/herods-death-jesus-birth-and-a-lunar-eclipse/
More links, or do your own web searches for particular keywords of interest ...
http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Calendar/calendar.html
http://www.betemunah.org/rains.html
http://www.betemunah.org/calendar.html
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3915966/jewish/Timeline-of-Jewish-History.htm
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/144569/jewish/The-First-Temple.htm
http://www.askmoses.com/en/article/173,2107657/Timeline-of-Jewish-History.html
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/how-rosh-hashanah-became-new-years-day/
https://therefinersfire.org/two_new_years.htm
http://www.karaite-korner.org/holidays.shtml
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_calendars
And yet more links ...
http://zionism-israel.com/his/Israel_and_Jews_before_the_state_timeline.htm
http://www.zionism-israel.com/Balfour_Declaration_1917.htm
https://israelipalestinian.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000031
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/world-war-i-ends
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_Attrition#1968
http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/AboutIsrael/History/Pages/Facts%20about%20Israel-%20History.aspx
OK if you've gotten past all that, and read the linked pages and done your own research/searching, here's more stuff to give you food for thought, the *down side* as it were. Consider ... "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." {1 Corinthians 13:12}
Without changing what my KJV bible plainly says, I quote ... "And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran." {Genesis 11:26}. I'm simply crunching the numbers "by the book" and indeed have done so all the way from Adam to Jacob/Israel entering into Egypt as far as fathers/sons count goes. To say this passage is incorrect is to say the bible has errors, I don't believe it does. We have to go to extra biblical books, and/or others' opinions to make that change to 130. For what it's worth, almost EVERY translation and otherwise, such as the Book of Jasher (more on this in my next article) say "seventy". I think it's an error to change anything, right down to the 'jot' or 'tittle'. Rather, many don't correctly understand the written word regarding the timing of Abraham leaving Haran. I'm simply taking the bible as it's written and continuing on down to Jacob/Israel entering Egypt, etc, as the bible states. Honestly, I believe the writer put that 70 years there on purpose, so I roll with it. To avoid argument, instead of putting Abraham, I've done the dumbed down thing and put 'the birth of (one of) Terah's three sons'. Seriously tho, we could avoid a lot of *discussion* if we'd just take the bible at it's word. Biblically, I can get all the way to Solomon's 4th year, thereafter I cannot prove true or not, I have to wing it by faith just like everyone else.
I remember a time I was thinking (parroting) how the bible was written by some 40 authors (fallible men one and all) and may have mistakes thereby ... when all of a sudden the Lord *put a sock in it* ... and said to me, "So, I'm not able to get my word down to you in-tact over the millennia? What kind of God am I to you!?" Ya, He seemed annoyed. Well ... He's right. I had Him in a mighty small box to conform to what I'd heard. I've grown quite a bit since then. His word is true, exactly as it's written, whether we understand it or not makes absolutely NO difference. I have to conform to what the word says, not change it to match what I think it says. So, I choose to trust when it says: Terah was 70 at the three sons' births, mentioned in that passage was Abram and his two brothers, maybe they were triplets ... who's to say? I think people get side tracked by such things. I put that question to the Lord and asked if there was another line to follow and He told me to continue but not worry about perceived (by others) discrepancies regarding Terah & Abraham, rather to continue from Jacob's life, and so I've done. That's where I'm at and why I'm there ;o}
As I said, what I cannot prove is:
1) The exact year of Jesus' birth, there are many *theories*, I lean towards -3BC (which I believe may be the equivalent of the Greco/Roman calendar of 1AD). However, it could well be -1BC=1AD, which would work great with my math above; and
2) When exactly was the 4th year of Solomon's reign, again, there are *many* theories, but what I show above is what I believe is true and that is 834 BC. Askmoses.org and Chabad.org (both having the same source, links above) put it as 833 BC(E). Others put it at 966 BC(E). As I said tho, I'm sticking to what I came up with a few years ago, that being 834 BC. After king Solomon's 4th year as stated in the bible, the rest is anyone's guess. I freely admit I may be in error ... as I've already said, this is not a "thus saith the Lord" kind of post/article.
Other things that muddy the waters are how the Roman calendar was in the past ... in their history they've had years where weeks consisted of eight days making up a week, or so I read: "The Romans had an eight-day week, with the market-day falling every eight days. It was called a nundinum or 'nine-day' in inclusive counting." (more here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_calendars); they've renamed months to add to the confusion, the four remaining months that can be correlated to the Hebrew months are: September (Sept=7th), October (Oct=8th), November (Nov=9th), December (Dec=10th), all the other months were renamed for pagan gods &/or Roman rulers who thought they were gods. They attempted to wipe out any semblance of the Jews and thus the truth, even so, God prevails. So, IMHO, the Greco/Roman dating (BC/AD) is not trustworthy. Jesus lived under a Roman (Julian) calendar that today is some -13 days- behind our current Gregorian one. I've studied these things somewhat, until it gave me a headache and I wanted to quit. Unfortunately, our Greco/Roman BC/AD years are all we have to go by after king Solomon's 4th year (reign) since the bible doesn't specify any years after Solomon's 4th year (the year he began to build the 1st temple).
All of our math hinges on the secular year for when the 1st year of Solomon's temple began to the birth of Jesus, was it 966 BC or was it 834 BC (833 BCE for some Jews to get to 1AD as shown in the graphic since they don't believe in Jesus and don't refer to Him) ... we just can't know for sure. And then, do we go with the Jews calendar or Israel's calendar (after the kingdom split in two)? Check out the article links above for info on how the two kingdoms of Israel viewed the new year (one kingdom observed Nisan while the other observed Tishri ... so which kingdom was right?). Will the *real* new year please stand up! Nisan or Tishri ... or ... both!? Talk about your Assyrian/Babylonian confusion! Personally speaking, I think the Jews have it right on this one. Why do I think that? Because the Lord said He'd save the tents of Judah (the Jews) first so that Israel would not be able to magnify themselves against Judah {Zechariah 12}. And so He has done. The word "Jews" is short for Jewish but even before that it represented the tribe of Judah in the land of Judea (southern kingdom, with Jerusalem as its capital).
And then there's the issue of which chronological version is correct? The Masoretic (KJV, what I'm using), the Septuagint (LXX), the Seder Olam, Judaism, Isaac Newton's chronology, Bishop Ussher's chronology, the teachings of the: Mishna, Krishna, or Buddha, or instead of dating from Jesus' birth, perhaps we should be dating from Jesus' death/resurrection, and what year exactly was that; there are likewise many opinions to choose from, I tend to believe it was 30AD (possibly 33AD). On and on throughout the ages the confusion goes. I have to believe at least one bible has to be correct -as written-, no mistakes/errors; I choose the KJV (Masoretic). Others swear by other bibles such as the Septuagint (LXX), or the Geneva, or the Wycliffe (all differ a little here and there, except the LXX which differs a lot in chronology). If we consider the LXX then those of us that believe this is year 6000 (2017-2018) are *done* as far as the math goes because time would now be WAY OVER 6000 years. If Ussher was right then we're now 22 years over 6000. Newton believed the rapture would be closer to 2060! If Judaism is right and we're only at year 5778 from creation then we've got 222 years to wait! Many believe 6000 years from creation doesn't matter ... ???really??? ... that just *happens* to correlate with a 7-day week whereby the 7th day (1000 years more) is a time of rest during Jesus' millennial reign! Others tell me by their counts it'll be in 2028 saying that Jesus died in 28AD therefore you add 2000 years and voila, 2028 AD is the year of the rapture! Quit frankly, I hope & pray my figures are much closer to reality. Even so, I'd be willing to give my years a wide birth of +/-3 years ... although I truly hope it's this year, NOW would be great!!! However, +/-3 years would totally not mesh with the super significant years for Israel of: 1917-1918, 1947-1948, 1967-68 ... 2017-2018 ;o}
And, that's not getting into the whole can of worms as to whether a year is 365.2425 solar days, or 354 lunar days (29.5 days/mth x 12 months), or is it a *prophetic year* of 360 days, or maybe it's an Enochian/Essene year of 364 days? Were years different pre-flood -vs- post-flood to today? Maybe it's the Mazzaroth (celestial calendar)? You know, those gigantic symbols in the sky that we all date your days, months, seasons, and years by!? Did you know that the sun progresses through the sky on months that are different now then they were back in 3982? Really! I kid you not. My celestial birth sign is *suppose* to be the Scorpion (Scorpio) ... and NO I'm NOT talking about astrology (predicting your *future* via the *zodiac*, that's just plain playing with the devil), I'm talking about Astronomy (the study of the stars and God's celestial timeclock), completely different things ... anyway, the sun is no longer in Scorpio at my birthday as it us to be; same birth date (Nov 3) but nowadays the sun is in LIBRA during my birthday. Ask Stellarium! Go ahead, download that and look up your birthday with your birth year ...vs... 3982 BC ...or... 2018 AD ... where is the sun for each? Betcha it's not where you think it is! Darn! And some of you have been thinking you're daily *sign* readings are true LOL not! Oh, and what about leap years, leap months, and/or leap days? I chose to go with years as the bible states them believing that whoever wrote those years ... well, that was 'years' according to them and so they'd be right! I don't have to do any extra figuring or converting as others do and swear by. Likewise I did not try to figure out days or months, such as the flood began in the 2nd month, 17th day of the month, etc. I simply use the years given and believe the writers knew what they were talking about. I believe it all balances itself out over the span of time. And don't get me started on *Jubilees*. OK, lets! Many swear a jubilee has 49 years. I don't think so myself, the bible says 49+1 ... that equals 50 years. But does the jubilee start at Nisan or does it start at Tishri (six months later), yet more confusion. A good argument I read once was that the new year starts in Nisan and then six months later the Jubilee (if it's a jubilee year) so the 49th year begins in Nisan and six months later in Tishri the Jubilee starts the 50th year. IF that is true and we are in a Jubilee year (Sep 2017 to Sep 2018), then the Jubilee began in Tishri (Sep 2017). I've also read that Jewish tradition says Tishri is the month for Jubilees. Others, of course, would beg to differ. Perhaps the confusion we have is a result of the *duality* of scripture?
Another thing to consider, regarding the timing of Jesus coming for His church/bride, is ... IF He comes for us in the spring, will He hold off on beginning Jacob's trouble until the fall when He can then let them go through 7 years of said trouble? Or, does it make more sense that He may come during or at the end of the summer (maybe Shavuot/Pentecost or Tu B'Av) with Jacob's trouble of seven years beginning immediately thereafter? Will the world have peace and tranquility after we leave? I don't think so, I think it'll be plunged into utter chaos. Seven years from mid-late summer is much closer to His expected 2nd coming in Tishri (Sep/Oct) -vs- waiting six months and then starting Jacob's trouble and counting seven years, which would actually be 7-1/2 years.
Could these many differences be the reason He said no one will know the day nor the hour? Believe me, I'd much rather "we fly" sooner than later, going sooner than later is my first choice. But I'm not hanging my hopes and dreams on any timing since I've believed He would come a few times in the past and been highly disappointed when He didn't. Now, I wait, I watch, I hope, I am as ready as I can be ... EVERY DAY ... nothing being more important than that blissful wedding day to come. I find it quite encouraging that even though I went another line I still come to the year 6000, again, that's twice I've come to 2017-2018 being year 6000, by two different lines after Terah. So, let's keep looking up!
Please, don't believe the farce that "God is done with Israel", it's simply not true. The bible says: "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in." {Romans 11:25} Notice, it says they {Israel} are blinded in part. Much of what they have recorded is still valid today, they just are blinded as to Whom the One is for which their writings point to: "And when he {Jesus} was come near, he beheld the city {Jerusalem}, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things [which belong] unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes." {Luke 19:41-42}
So, after all this, could I be wrong? Might my *math* be incorrect? Short answer: Yes. But, I *hope* not! God bless you in Jesus {Yeshua} our Messiah and Savior. May He come soon, in our lifetime. Maranatha Lord!
A strong word of caution: IF your date, or my date, comes and goes in 2018, try not to be so crushed that you stop looking altogether. God is in control. He sets the calendars, He calls the shots. It's His prerogative to tarry if for no other reason but pure grace and mercy to usward.
Thanks for reading.
{ALL scripture is KJV unless otherwise specified, you can mouseover &/or click to go to the source text. IF this article is Firefox Reader View friendly it'll be due FF finally getting around to properly allowing reader view for blogs. If any {Curly Bracket} comments are within scripture, they are my own addition for clarification purposes only. Minor corrections: 03/07/23}
