Is it possible to date the creation of the world? Does the Bible give us proof of the exact year, even the day and hour?

Yes!

Daniel 9:26-27 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the MIDST OF THE WEEK he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

The sacrifice of Christ caused the sacrifice to cease. When he was “cut off”, he became the sacrifice that transcended the need for the sacrificial system.

Hebrews 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

All the sacrifice that will ever be required was paid for once, when the Messiah was “cut off”. This happened, according to Daniel 9:27, “in the midst of the week”.

Which week?

Like most prophecies, this one has multiple applications. Of course, it means that Christ was crucified on a Wednesday afternoon. This is solidly proved from other scriptures (Contact Us for details). But this is only PART of the meaning of this prophecy.

God is working on a plan. He has set aside 7000 years to begin to teach man about sin, the results thereof, and to create beings in whom His spirit can dwell. This is a “week”.

2 Peter 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Christ’s plan is to “confirm the covenant with many for one week”…for 7 “days” – For 7000 years He is confirming the covenant with this world. This is His plan. And in the MIDST of that plan He was cut off. Notice the chart below…

In Timeline #2, Christ died around 3pm Wednesday afternoon. He was laid in the tomb just before sundown on the same day. On the chart, you can see that He was laid in the tomb at dusk on the fourth day. Therefore, the 3 days and nights spoken of in Matthew 12:40 began right on the dividing line between Wednesday and Thursday.

In Timeline #1, you will see that traditional dating puts Christ’s death approximately 4033 years from creation – but this puts the “cutting off” of the messiah in the fifth 1000-year day from creation, NOT in the midst of the week, which is the fourth day!

Read the the prophecy in Daniel 9:27 once more…

“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease…”

Christ had to die, and be laid in the tomb, in the middle of the “week” – just as literally in the 7000 year week, as in the daily week. This means Christ HAD to die within the 4^th “day” – NOT 33 years into the next “day”! Timeline #1 CANNOT be correct! Christ HAD to be cut off IN the midst of the week, not outside of it!

A comparison between Timelines #2 and #3 will show you that the Christ was laid in the tomb just at sundown on *both* weeks – one a week of days, and one a week of Millennia.

Christ was laid in the tomb at the very end of the fourth Millennial day from Creation. Just as He was in laid in the tomb at the very end of the fourth weekly day.

But how does that prove when man was Created?

Remember how Christ had to die IN the fourth day of the week, from Creation? And how, just at the very end of that fourth day, he was laid in the tomb?

That means that to establish the year of Creation, all you have to do is to count 4000 years back from the Crucifixion year. This brings us to 3970 B.C.!

So we have the year – What about the day and hour?

Leviticus 23:10-12 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye be come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring a sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest unto the priest: And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it. And ye shall offer that day when ye wave the sheaf an he lamb without blemish of the first year for a burnt offering unto the LORD.

This he-lamb without flaw or blemish, representing Christ, was to be offered on the morrow after the sabbath during the days of unleavened bread.

On this same “morrow after the sabbath” in A.D. 31 , the morning after His resurrection, Christ told Mary Magdalene:

John 20:17 …Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.

He did not, at this time, have all power – He had not yet been accepted by His Father. First, He had to be “waved” – Shown before God, offered for His examination, to prove to all comers that He WAS without blemish. His sacrifice had to be tested, and approved. Christ was complete at His resurrection, but He could not receive all power until He first received His Father’s approval!

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

At this point, later in the same day, He HAD passed his test. He was waved, and He was accepted by His Father, and now ALL POWER, in HEAVEN and in earth, was given to Him. This momentous event happened on the 18^th day of the first month, in A.D.31. It is from this point that we measure back 4000 years.

TWO ADAMS

Consider the parallel to Adam – God created the earth and all that is on it in 6 days. But on the seventh day of creation, did God create anything? Yes! God gave Adam the law. The rules by which he was to rule himself in the 6000 years to come.

In Mark 2:27 you see that the sabbath was made for man…. ; When was it made? Clearly, it had to be made AFTER Man was made, since it was made FOR him. It can only have been made, then, on the seventh day of creation week! God hallowed the sabbath by resting in it, and by teaching Adam His laws.

Could you tell your child “I’m leaving you alone now for awhile, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do…” without first making sure that he knew WHAT EXACTLY IT IS that you wouldn’t do?? Of course not! And Adam could not have ruled himself, and therefore the 6000 years he had to rule himself could not have begun, until after he had received GOD’S RULES TO LIVE BY!

And that evening at sundown, on Saturday, the 17^th day of the first month, 4000 years before Christ’s resurrection – to the very hour – man was finished. He had all the laws, everything he needed to rule himself and the earth. He was now ready to be “Waved”, that is, offered or tested, starting the next day. It was at this point that the 7000 years of God’s plan began.

If Christ was sacrificed in 31 A.D. (see notes 10, 11, and 12), then creation week ended, and man’s 6000 years to govern himself began, on the 18^th Day of the First Month, 3970 B.C.

And yet despite this compelling proof, there is more. You will see that SAME DATE proved from a completely different and totally independent direction, using the chronology contained in your Bible, in the Timeline below. You can verify all of these facts in your Bible, and the historic ones can be verified in a good encyclopedia.

It is important to note that most of these dates are accepted by practically everyone as clear, and plain, in scripture – such as the 1656 years from creation to the flood. But I have tabulated each “problem area”, with the proof and explanation of why I made the decisions that I made in this chart at the end of this article.

There is a DETAILED graphic chart available that is very helpful as a general reference tool, and also as a reference while you read this document. Click here: Biblical Chronological Chart

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Note #1 Birth of Arphaxad

Arphaxad was born to Shem “two years after the flood” (Genesis 11:10), but counted from the beginning or ending of the flood?

Compare with Genesis 9:28-29 “And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.”

Noah was 600 at the beginning of the flood. He died at the age of 950, 350 years “after the flood”. This shows that the author of Genesis measured dates from the beginning of the flood.

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Note #2 Tower of Babel

The only Biblical dating for the tower of Babel is in Genesis 10:25 “And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided”

We know that Babel was built “lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:4). God wanted man to be scattered abroad, and but mankind did not. So they built Babel. Then God destroyed Babel and scattered them upon the earth. According to Genesis 10:25, this happened in the days of Peleg.

Peleg lived from the period 2213-1974 BC. This gives us a rather large window.

However, it likely happened early on in the life of Peleg. Remember, Nimrod and Asshur built Babel and Ninevah, respectively – and Nimrod was the grandson of Ham, and Asshur was son of Shem. Second and first generations after the flood. Therefore, it seems likely that Babel wasn’t built over 200 years after the flood, at the outside.

Beyond that, the most reliable information we have available is from the Roman historian Valleius Paterculus, in his “Roman History”.

“The Assyrians were the first of all races to hold world power, then the Medes (Babylonians), and after them the Persians, and then the Macedonians. Then through the defeat of Kings Philip and Antiochus, of Macedonian origin, following closely upon the overthrow of Carthage, the world power passed to the Roman people. Between this time and the beginning of the reign of Ninus king of the Assyrians, who was the first to hold world power, lies an interval of nineteen hundred and ninety-five years.”

Ninus was another name of Nimrod. His reign began at the tower of Babel. Philip of Macedon was defeated in 197 B.C. Adding 197 to 1995 years, the result is 2192 B.C. This would be the date of the beginning of Nimrod’s reign, and thus the beginning of the construction on Babel. Peleg would have been about 21 years old at this time.

Remember though, that this date is not proven completely from the Bible and therefore is not absolutely certain. However it agrees with all evidence, Biblical and otherwise, that we have available to us.

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Note #3 Birth of Abraham

This is a date of controversy, but there is a simple answer. The question is whether Abraham was born when Terah was 70 years old, or 130. The argument is based on the following scriptures

Genesis 11:32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

Genesis 12:4 …and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

Acts 7:4 Then came he (Abraham) out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.

Those who believe the latter argument say “We know his father died at 205. And we know he left Haran at 75. Therefore, he must have been born when Terah was 130” To begin with, lets state some questions that must be answered, in order to believe the argument outlined above.

Genesis 17:17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

How could Abraham have been so incredulous – so shocked at the concept that he literally fell over *laughing* at God – at a man “only” 100 years old having a child, if he, himself had been born to a man who was 130!

Sarah, too, scoffed at God when told. And she was ten years younger!

Many years later, about the same age as Terah would have been at the birth of Abraham, (if this argument is to be believed), Abraham’s servant made special mention of the incident, as if it were extremely unusual (Genesis 24:36)

And yet, the scripture in Acts does not actually say Abraham was born when Terah was 130 – it can be read that way, and usually is, but the SIMPLE answer to the confusion can be found in the pronouns of Acts 7:4.

“Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.”

The problem lies in the understanding of “he removed him”. The greek word for “removed” used here means “to carry away”. Modern translations usually imply that Abraham left Haran. But the original greek of this word carries a connotation of carrying or removing something, against its will or without its knowledge.

Genesis 22:20 And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying, Behold, Milcah, she hath also born children unto thy brother Nahor;

IT WAS TOLD Abraham… by whom? Abraham lived at least 500 miles from home, where Milcah and Nahor were, which was a considerable journey in those days. So who told him this? And why did they, after 60 years, choose now to make this trip?

This scripture follows the sacrifice of Isaac, and immediately precedes the death of Sarah. This certainly dates it before Abraham was 137, and probably after Abraham was 133. If indeed Terah had sired Abraham at 70 years old, then Terah would have died when Abraham was 135 – neatly inside this window, right where Genesis 22:20 is!

The death of the family patriarch would be a valid reason for a message from home. This message naturally also included news about the family, as it was almost certainly the first communication in 60 years.

So based on all of this evidence together with the original greek, a more valid translation of Acts 7:4 would be

“and from Haran, when Terah was dead, Abraham caused his bones to be carried up (removed him) into the land of Canaan”

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Note #4 “Selfsame Day”

There is much disagreement over where to begin the counting of 430 years. Yet here again, there is a very simple answer. There are three covenants in Abraham’s life from which it could be counted – when he left Haran and entered Caanan at 75, when the promises of children “as the stars of heaven and the sands of the sea for multitude” were made to him at 85, and the covenant of circumcision at 99.

To find out which of these events was being referenced, we must go to Galatians 3:17 (RSV)

“This is what I mean: the law, which came four hundred and thirty years afterward, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to make the promise void.”

So the only question is which of the three covenants was ratified by God. Only one was.

Genesis 15:8, 17-18 But he (Abraham) said, “O Lord GOD, how am I to know that I shall possess it? …. When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates…”

The covenant of circumcision was not the covenant of which Paul spoke, because that covenant was not ratified until much later.

Genesis 17:21 But I will [future tense] establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this season next year.

And there was no ratification at all mentioned at 75, when he left Haran. The covenant mentioned then was finally ratified ten years later, in Genesis 15.

Hence, the 430 years begins at the covenant ratified by God when Abraham was 85.

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Note #5 The Sons Of Jacob

It is commonly assumed that Jacob was married to Rachel and Leah when he was 84, and had the first 11 children over the next 7 years. This is based on

Genesis 31:38-39 THIS TWENTY YEARS HAVE I BEEN WITH THEE; …. THUS HAVE I BEEN TWENTY YEARS IN THY HOUSE: I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle; and thou hast changed my wages ten times.

If this is correct, it raises several questions. Remembering that Jacob was one hundred and thirty when he went down into Egypt…

1. Judah was Leah’s fourth child. If Jacob married at 84, Judah was born at least 3 years later. If that is true, from the time of Judah’s birth to the entry to Egypt was about 43 years.

Joseph was sold into Egypt at 17 (Genesis 37:2). Speaking of this event, (Genesis 38:1) And it came to pass AT THAT TIME, that Judah went down from his brethren… and took a wife. Judah was about 20 at this time, being conservative. So from this point, to the entry to Egypt is only 23 years.

Next he had Er, then Onan, then Shelah. Er grew up, married, then was killed. Then Onan was killed. At this time, Shelah was not old enough to be married. Later, when he WAS old enough, Judah had Pharez and Zarah by Tamar. Then, at the entry to Egypt, Pharez has two sons mentioned.

So, if this line of reasoning is true, no less than 3 generations must fit into 23 years.

2. According to this theory, 11 sons are born in 7 years. Issachar was Leah’s fifth son. Reuben picked mandrakes (a type of fruit), and Issachar was born after this happened. This would have had to happen when Reuben was about 5 years old, being generous.

3. Jacob left for Haran at 77, supposedly. AFTER this happened, (Genesis 28:9) Then went Esau UNTO Ishmael, and took … Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael … to be his wife.

Notice he went TO Ishmael after Jacob left when he was 77; But Ishmael died when Jacob was 63!

So HOW do we resolve these obvious impossibilities? The answer lies in a mistranslation of “this twenty years”.

Genesis 31:38-39 THIS TWENTY YEARS HAVE I BEEN WITH THEE; thy ewes and thy she-goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten. That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day or stolen by day or stolen by night. Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine THUS HAVE I BEEN TWENTY YEARS IN THY HOUSE: I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle; and thou hast changed my wages ten times.

Notice twenty years are mentioned twice. Once was “twenty years WITH thee”, and the other was “twenty years IN THY HOUSE”. In the Hebrew, each “twenty” is prefaced by the word “zeh”. When repeated, this word is used to separate two distinct things, as we say “This and that, the one or the other”. Examples of this usage in scripture:

Exodus 14:20 that the ONE came not near the OTHER:

Ecclesiastes 6:5 THIS hath more rest than the OTHER.

Job 21:23-23 ONE dieth … and ANOTHER dieth,

So the recommended translation is “DURING THE ONE TWENTY YEARS I WAS WITH THEE; thy ewes and thy she-goats have not cast their young, … DURING THE OTHER TWENTY YEARS FOR MYSELF, IN THY HOUSE, I served …“

Therefore our Chronology now is that Jacob left for Haran at 51. Married Leah and Rachel at 65. And had 11 children before he was 91. This solves all of the problems with Judah’s offspring, Ishmael, and Reuben mentioned earlier.

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Note #6 Kings Of Israel and Judah

1 Kings 6:1 In the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the house of the LORD.

This is a very straightforward and clear scripture. However, there is a somewhat less clear one in Acts 13:17-21 that would appear to contradict it.

Acts 13:17-21 The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with uplifted arm he led them out of it. And for about forty years he bore with them in the wilderness. And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave them their land as an inheritance, for ABOUT four hundred and fifty years. And after that he gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. Then they asked for a king; and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years.

Adding up the difference between these two scriptures, read at face value, will show you that there is a difference of 93 years between them. But the Bible never contradicts itself! It only has parts that we don’t understand, or do not properly translate, as we saw in the case of the birth of Abraham earlier.

But you’ll find if you compare Acts 13:17-20 in several different translations that few agree. Also, some original manuscripts disagree – for example, one places “and these things took about 450 years” near the end of verse 17.

A thorough study of the original texts will show that Paul actually said “And all these things took about (this word is definitely in the Greek) 450 years. Then God found David…”

David reigned 40 years. If this is the correct translation, then it makes the total of

• 450 for the wilderness, Judges, Samuel, and Saul
• 40 years of David
• 3 years of Solomon

Thus a total of 493 years – Only disagreeing with 1 Kings 6:1 by 13 years, which is a reasonable margin for an approximation, as Paul clearly said it was.

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Note #7 Period Of Judges

The period of Judges lasted about 356 years. Reading the book of Judges, this will appear impossible; For example:

Judges 3:12-15,30 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD: … So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud … So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years.

If you add up all the periods of captivity (in this case, 18 years) with all of the periods of rest (in this case, 80 years) you will arrive at a figure much larger than will fit into even the most generous chronology. The confusion stems from the fact that in the Hebrew, there is no distinction between Cardinal (80) and Ordinal (80^th) numbers. If the translation is done with Ordinal numbers:

And they did evil… so they served Moab until the eighteenth year (from the time they did evil)…then God raised up Ehud, to deliver them… and the land had rest until the EIGHTIETH year (from the time they did evil).

It fits very nicely in less than 356 years. Another comment on the judges period is that in Judges 11:26 it says “While Israel dwelt in Heshbon … three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them (the disputed lands) within that time?”

On the accompanying chart, you’ll see that it was roughly 288 years. 300 years was an expression, just as I might say to you “When are you going to pay me the $300 you owe me??” When we both know I only loaned you 288. (Compare Numbers 1:46, and 11:21) The reason I decided upon 288 is explained below.

The Last 40 Years:

Eli dies at 98, when the Ark is lost to the Philistines, because of the sins of Hophni and Phinehas and the rest of Israel. At this time, Samuel is a young man, who all Israel knows is going to be a prophet (1 Samuel 3:20). This battle was the beginning of Israel losing to the Philistines for 40 years.

Judges 13:1 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

Notice it doesn’t say they were slaves of the Philistines, but that each time they fought, Israel lost. This was the first loss. They stopped losing at the time of Saul. Therefore, between the time of Saul and the death of Eli was 40 years.

The period between the death of Eli and the first captivity under Mesopotamia is easy to establish as 279 years. This leaves 37 years from the entry to the promised land for Joshua, and the elders who outlived Joshua, to die, and for Israel to sin and enter the first captivity. (This in turn means Jephthah’s “300 year” claim was about 288 years).

After the Ark was lost to the Philistines, Samuel waited until 20 years had passed, and then he stirred up Israel to bring back the Ark from Kirjath-Jearim. Why did he wait 20 years? And what caused the sudden stir to action? The death of Samson.

Judges 13:5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; (Samson)… and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

This vision had to happen after the Ark was lost, and the Philistines’ 40 years began. And notice Samson was to BEGIN to deliver them; so it couldn’t be at the end of the 40 years, since he wouldn’t be the one finish the job.

Judges 15:20 And he judged Israel in the days of the Philistines twenty years (or until the TWENTIETH year).

So in the twentieth year of the Philistines, Samson died. And, amazingly, at this SAME TIME, Samuel stirred up Israel to bring back the ark. His response was a direct result of what happened to Samson. Samuel judged Israel for quite some time… long enough for his children (remembering that Samuel was probably about 40 at this time) to grow up, and be set as Judges themselves. 20 more years, making Samuel about 60, is plenty for this. Then, Israel demanded a King, and so Saul was appointed. At the time of Saul, there were still garrisons of the Philistines in Israel, and Saul led Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, ending the forty years.

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Note #8 Samson

How old was Samson when he died? It seems very likely that he was born shortly after the Ark was lost. And also that he died 19-20 years later. Will the events in Samson’s life fit?

Consider; He wanted a wife. He got married, but that turned out poorly so he killed some Philistines. The Philistines killed his wife and father-in-law. He killed more Philistines. The men of Judah bound him and gave him to the Philistines. He killed 1000 more Philistines. He loved Delilah, which also turned out badly. He tried to kill more Philistines (it was Samson’s answer for everything, it seems), but instead he was blinded and taken captive. At this point, he was chained to a mill, and his hair began to grow long again. Then, at a yearly festival for Dagon, presumably a few months later, when many Philistines were gathered together…

Judges 16:24 And when the people saw him, they praised their god: for they said, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the destroyer of our country, which slew many of us.

This could not have happened too long after he was captured, because the people evidently hadn’t seen him yet, and the news was still fresh in their minds.

25 And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport….

And, to make a long story short, Samson killed 3000 more Philistines. All of these things could easily have taken less than a year. And there are no good places to insert a large gap to allow 20 years of actual judging; So it seems that he indeed judged Israel “until the 20^th year”, of the Philistine domination.

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Note #9 Gaps in King-lists of Israel and Judah

The individual chronology of the Kings of Israel and Judah are too long to go into here. And you can easily tabulate them for yourself. However, I will point out three commonly overlooked mistakes that prove the validity of scripture.

When studying the books of Kings and Chronicles, if one simply reads the ages of each king, how long he reigned, and when he died, and add the next king, you will come up with figures for Israel and Judah that are irreconcilable. This causes many Bible students to claim that the Kings are not chronologically accurate, or to choose to follow Judah and ignore Israel, or vice versa.

However, you will see that without using both lines of Kings it would be impossible to come to the correct answer, and when you do use both, it fits perfectly.

2 Kings 14:16-17 And Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son reigned in his stead. And Amaziah the son of Joash king of Judah lived after the death of Jehoash son of Jehoahaz king of Israel fifteen years.

Amaziah, King of Judah, reigned 15 years into the reign of Jeroboam II, King of Israel, and died.

2 Kings 15:1 In the twenty and seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel began Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah to reign. {Azariah: also called, Uzziah}

But the next mention of a King in Judah is in the 27^th year of Jeroboam II! That is a gap of 12 years between King Amaziah and King Uzziah. There is a similar gap of 24 years after the reign of Jeroboam II, and one of 10 years after Pekah.

When all the reigns of the kings of Israel and Judah are added up now, taking into account these gaps, you come up with EXACTLY 270 years from the division of the kingdom to the fall of Samaria in both lines!

And, using the chronology we have already established, counting from the beginning in 3970 B.C, we arrive at 721 B.C – exactly! This is the first date that is established from secular evidence, and goes a long way towards proving the validity of my original premise.

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Note #10 Decree of Artaxerxes and the Ministry of Christ

Daniel 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks…

69 prophetic weeks is 483 years. Thus, according to this, when we take the date of the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem, and add 483 years, we’ll know the beginning of Christ’s ministry. This decree, according to Ezra 7:7, was in the 7^th year of Artaxerxes.

The date of the reign of Artaxerxes is very solidly established. Several archeological tablets have been unearthed containing no less than a dozen precise records of eclipses which, when calculated, prove beyond a doubt that the first year of King Artaxerxes was 464 B.C.

Other records have been found that were written in the month that Artaxerxes came to power. The death of Xerxes occurred in late December, 465 B.C. and his son, Artaxerxes, came to the throne in that month. This means that the seventh year of Artaxerxes, the year in which he issued his decree, was 457 B.C.

483 years later (keeping in mind there is no zero year), is A.D. 27. Viola, you have the beginning of Christ’s ministry.

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Note #11 The Ministry of Christ

It has often been assumed to be 3 ½ years. This is based solely on the scripture in Daniel 9:27.

“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease….”

However, we know that “the midst of the week”, in the case of the two other “weeks” (the 7-day week in which He was crucified, and the 7000 year millennial week), was used by the Bible to mean that He was laid in the tomb, not in the middle, but on the END of the fourth “day”, in both cases. Is it logical, then, to assume that He was cut off exactly in the middle of the fourth day (or year)? Without proof to show that it is different from the other two “weeks”, it is not.

No, this seven year “week” of prophecy should follow the pattern of the two other “weeks” which we can solidly prove – which is that Christ was “cut off” and laid in the tomb on the very end of the fourth day. Therefore, His ministry was 4 years, which means it had to begin in the spring – on the Wavesheaf day, with His baptism, in A.D. 27

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Note #12 When was Christ born?

The birth of Christ is easily established from the Bible as not taking place on the traditional December 25^th.

For one thing, Caesar called a census of all Israel. It would not make sense to force an entire nation to come to Jerusalem in the worst weather of the year (See Song of Solomon 2:11 and Ezra 10:9, 13 for a general idea of winter conditions in Jerusalem. Even Christ himself said “pray that your flight is not in winter”).

Far easier would be to catch them at a time they would already be assembling – one of the holy day seasons in spring or fall, for instance.

Also, the shepherds were in the fields tending the flock. Shepherds in Israel bring in their flocks around October, and don’t take them back to the fields until nearly April.

The Courses of Abia

The courses, or periods of work, of Abia (Abijah in the Old Testament), were served by Zacharias, father of John the Baptist. It was immediately after one of these courses that John was conceived. And 5-6 months later Christ was conceived.

The courses were set up by David because of the multitude of the priests. The course of Abia was the 8^th of 24 such courses. Each family of priests had 2 weeks per year, one week in the spring, and one in the fall. If the count began at the end of the spring and fall holy day seasons when all males and priests were required to appear, then the courses of Abia were the 2^nd week of the third month, and the 2^nd week of the 9^th month. Add to this 6 months for the conception of Christ, plus 9 months for the gestation of Christ, and the birth of Christ happens somewhere in either the first or seventh months.

In Which Season was He Born?

The strongest support for the fall birth theory is the fact that the greek word used for “dwelt” in John 1:14 (And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us), can also mean “tabernacle”. This has been taken by some scholars as a “clue” that Christ was born during the Feast of Tabernacles. However, it is always translated as “dwelt” in the KJV (5 times)… And even it’s strongest supporters have to concede that it is a very weak clue.

The Lamb of God

Christ is often referred to as the Lamb of God. Lambs are always born in the Spring. Although I concede that this point is not conclusive by itself, it is a far stronger indication of a Spring birth than the “clue” that John left, is of a Fall birth.

Also, a study of the meaning of the holy days will show that the spring feasts all involve the firstfruits. The fall feasts, on the other hand, revolve around all of mankind. It is therefore more logical to have Christ (The first of the firstfruits) born in the spring, than the fall, is it not? Nevertheless, I don’t claim that as proof, only as a reason to open your mind to the idea. The proof, I submit below.

Based on the prophecy of Daniel that, counting from the decree of Artaxerxes in 457 B.C., of the Messiah would be shown in 69 weeks (69×7=483 years), we know that Christ’s ministry began in 27 A.D. He was then 30 years of age, therefore was born in 4 B.C.

The Death of Herod

Josephus, (Antiquities of the Jews, XVII, vi, 4,) mentions an eclipse of the moon before the death of Herod. That eclipse, as calculated, occurred about March 13, 4 B.C. Quite some time later, according to Josephus, Herod went beyond Jordan to be cured of his illness. The physicians there could not cure him, but he had enough strength to return to Jericho. There, he tried to kill the principal men of the Jewish nation. Then, he had his own son Antipater killed five days before his own death. Josephus also says that these and other events occurred after the eclipse, and Herod died before a passover. Therefore, that passover must have been 13 months after the eclipse, not 1 month. So, he likely died somewhere midway in the year 4-3 B.C. The traditional date is November 26, 4 B.C. The accuracy of this is not critical, we only need a rough figure.

Christ was born some time before the death of Herod. We know this, because Herod commanded that all children under 2 years be slain. (Matthew 2:16)

Why did he choose 2 years old, if Christ was born in the spring of 4 B.C.? Because Herod didn’t know when the child was born! He didn’t know that, as he was speaking to the wise men, the child was probably only hours or a few days old. (Matthew 2:1) The only information he had to go on was…

Matthew 2:7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

But the time the star appeared was misleading! These men were “from the east”. “The east” referred to the area around Babylon – a journey which took nearly Ezra 4 months to complete, which he considered an excellent time (Ezra 7:9). Hence, the star would have appeared to the wise men months before the child was actually born.

Herod, knowing that the star had appeared many months before, and being a monster so paranoid that he had his own son killed 5 days before his own death, was unable to determine exactly how old Christ was from the wise men, so he wanted to be on the safe side. And a child that is 6 months old could be mistaken for a child who is a year old. However, he could not pass for a 2-year-old.

All of this shows that if Christ was born in the spring of 4 B.C. this would fit perfectly with the established dates, without stretching them or forcing them at all. A fall birth in 4 B.C., however, considering Herod died that winter, is far less likely, and does require some stretching.

And again, based on the prophecy of Daniel that counting from the decree of Artaxerxes in 457 B.C., the Messiah would come in 69 weeks (483 years), Christ’s ministry began in 27 A.D. He was then 30 years of age, therefore was born in 4 B.C.

Overlooked significance of the wavesheaf

The wavesheaf was the day that the firstfruits of the harvest were waved before God, tested, proved and checked, to make sure that they were good enough. This happened to Christ on the Wavesheaf day in 31 A.D. (See note #13). This was the day when his sacrifice was tested or proved, to see if He had passed His test, and was QUALIFIED to rule the universe. 4 years earlier (See note #11), He was baptized and “waved” to see if He was qualified to lead others, which He then did for 4 years. He HAD to first pass this test to qualify for the final test in 31 A.D.

30 years before that He was born, on the wavesheaf day – and for 30 years, He was tested to see if He could, Himself, be without sin before He could even take the test of leading others. His life was a series of tests, each of which had to be passed to qualify to take the next.

The conclusion is that if He was born on the Wavesheaf day in 4 B.C., then the date of His birth was…

April 15^th, 4 B.C.

*****

Note #13 When was the crucifixion?

Luke 3:1-2 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee…. the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

The 15^th Year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius One can be misunderstood because of the joint reign he shared with Augustus for 2 years.

Tiberius was made co-ruler with Augustus Caesar around the beginning of A. D. 12. Tiberius reckoned his reign from this point, although Augustus continued to rule with him until A.D. 14. Thus, Tiberius’ 15th year commenced in A.D. 26.

Pilate ruled for ten years. He was deposed a few months before Passover near the end of his tenth year. He hurriedly sailed for Rome to appeal to Emperor Tiberius. On the way news came that Tiberius died. (Josephus’ Antiquities, XVIII, iv, 2.)

Since Pilate was in a hurry to reach Rome, having just lost his office, he probably left as soon as possible. However, a trip to Rome from Judea took quite some time. Tiberius died during the journey, in March, A. D. 37. Therefore, Pilate’s procuratorship evidently lasted from late 26 A.D., to late 36 A.D. Note that it could not have been spring-to-spring, because Tiberius died in March of A.D. 37, and Pilate was already traveling for his appeal.

This proves conclusively that John the Baptist had to begin preaching late in A.D. 26 – Probably Tabernacles season. He would be 30 years old at this time. (He was 5-6 months younger than Christ – Luke 1:36)

6 Months later, when Christ was 30, He was Baptised and began His ministry on the Wavesheaf day, April 13^th, 27 A.D. Compare this conclusion to notes #11 and #12.

We know he was crucified in the passover season. Hence, spring of 31 A.D. was the crucifixion. Now, to prove this from a different angle… the more proofs of a given fact, the more certain we can be of its veracity.

We know from scripture that the Passover fell on a Wednesday in the year of the crucifixion. So, we need to find the years in which this occurred. The dates for the Passover in this period are below:

• 27 A.D. Wednesday, April 9
• 28 A.D. Monday, April 26
• 29 A.D. Saturday, April 16
• 30 A.D. Wednesday, April 5
• 31 A.D. Wednesday, April 25
• 32 A.D. Monday, April 14
• 33 A.D. Friday, April 3

So it could only have been A.D. 30 or A.D. 31. If the former, then his ministry could only have been 3 years – and He would not have been cut off in “the midst of the week”. Only A.D. 31 fits all the facts of the Bible and history.

So you see – the dates stated in the Bible solidly prove the original argument, which is that Christ really was “cut off” in the midst of the week, at the end of the fourth “day”, just as the prophecy in Daniel stated He would be – Thus giving you a solid date, doubly proved, not only of Creation, but also every other major event in the history of the world!

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