A Calendar of Biblical Dates and Events Beginning with the Creation of Adam.pdf

A CALENDAR OF BIBLICAL AND HISTORICAL DATES AND EVENTS

BEGINNING WITH THE CREATION OF ADAM

By Harry Peyton

Table of Contents: INTRODUCTION (2) TWO THOUSAND AND EIGHTY-THREE YEARS (4) Adam to God’s Pledge to Abraham of A Promise Seed FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS (5) God’s Pledge of A Promise Seed to Abraham to the Law Given at Mt. Sinai FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY YEARS (7) The Giving of the Law to the Fourth Year of Solomon’s Reign The Rule of the Leaders or Judges of Israel (396 Years) FOUR HUNDRED YEARS (7) The Fourth Year of Solomon to Babylonian Captivity The Reign of the Kings of Judah and Israel The Holy Prophets of God The Babylonian Captivity and Deportations SEVENTY YEARS (10) The Reign of Nebuchadnezzar to Belteshazzar Kings of Babylon EIGHTY-SEVEN YEARS (12) The Reign of Cyrus over Babylon to Artaxerxes’ Twentieth Year Kings of Persia FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-THREE YEARS (20) Artaxerxes’ Twentieth Year to Christ’s Death Daniel’s Seventy Weeks of Years

First Part of Daniel’s Prophecy: Rebuilding Jerusalem Second Part of Daniel’s Prophecy: The Coming and Death of Messiah the Prince

Astronomical, Biblical, and Historical Proof that Jesus Was Born on the 19th of Nisan

in 1 BC (23) Copyright May 30, 1996 by Harry A. Peyton under the title of “The Doctrines Of Christ.”

A Note from the Author: Since Almighty God, the Lord Jesus Christ, gives His

Salvation and His Word to all freely (Rev 22:17, Mt 10:7-8), this book, and all other books, written by Harry A. Peyton are given without charge, and can be accessed through the Internet at the following address: http://www.DoctrinesOfChrist.com. Therefore, fell free to copy it in digital or written form, and share it with others. Since this book is copyrighted,

1

the author forbids any alteration of its contents, and the reproduction of it in any form for Marketing Purposes. This book may be placed on anyone’s web page, as long as my website address is attached to it.

The author believes that the Word of God is infallible in the ORIGINAL LANGUAGE it was written in, and all translations of the Bible regardless of how good they may be are NOT. Since the author has implicit faith in the infallibility of the Word of God, the author has formed his beliefs firmly on the truth of the Bible. This author uses the ancient ANTIOCHIAN LITERAL-HISTORICAL METHOD OF INTERPRETING THE BIBLE, which was used by early Christian Prophets and Apostles of the Bible.

I definitely believe that the ancient Alexandrian Allegorical Method of spiritualizing scripture, which was made popular by the ancient Jewish philosopher Philo Judaeus (13 BC – 50 AD) and later used by the Ante-Nicene Catholic Priests, especially Origen and his student Clement of Alexandria (200 AD), is an abomination to our Lord. Therefore, all scriptures will be interpreted in a literal exegetical fashion, unless the language used and the context demands a spiritual interpretation.

All CAPITALIZATION and ITALICIZATION in QUOTES used in this book is always MINE. All Biblical quotes used in this book will be in dark red, and from the New King James version of the Bible, unless another version is stated as the reference. The vast majority of all translations of the Bible, as well as Hebrew and Greek Lexical definitions and grammar, will come from BibleWorks computer software program version 7.0. The author in most places will quote verses from the Bible instead of commenting on a verse and giving a reference; for He believes that the written Word of God’s has greater power to inspire and enlighten a heart to understand and act upon truth, than the elegant oratory or writings of any man.

If this book has been a blessing to my beloved readers, and they would like to send an offering to the author, feel free to do so. If anyone wishes to send any biblical or historical materials to the author, my address is: Harry A. Peyton, 148 Little Creek Hills Rd., Alto, NM 88312: Phone # 575-336-2800: Email address: [email protected].

INTRODUCTION

According to the Histories of Herodotus, a 9 volume history of the Persian Empire of Achaemenian era by the Greek Herodotus of Halicarnassus (484 - 425 BC):

The Egyptians, they said, were the first to discover the solar year, and to portion out its course into twelve parts. They obtained this knowledge from the stars. To my mind they contrive their year much more cleverly than the Greeks, for these last every other year intercalate a whole month, but the Egyptians, dividing the year into twelve months of thirty days each, add every year a space of five days besides, whereby the circuit of the seasons is made to return with uniformity (Herodotus – Thucydides, vol 6, bk 2, Euterpe, sec 4, pg 49).

A link to a document entitled “Calendars” by Dr. P. Kenneth Seidelmann can be found

on NASA Eclipse Home Page website. It gives the following history of Calendars:

2

The principal astronomical cycles are the day (based on the rotation of the Earth on its axis), the year (based on the revolution of the Earth around the Sun), and the month (based on the revolution of the Moon around the Earth).... Three distinct types of calendars have resulted from this situation. A solar calendar, of which the Gregorian calendar in its civil usage is an example, is designed to maintain synchrony with the tropical year…. A lunar calendar, such as the Islamic calendar, follows the lunar phase cycle without regard for the tropical year… The third type of calendar, the Lunisolar Calendar, has a sequence of months based on the lunar phase cycle; but every few years a whole month is intercalated to bring the calendar back in phase with the tropical year. The Hebrew and Chinese calendars are examples of this type of calendar….

However, a count of years from an initial epoch is the most successful way of

maintaining a consistent chronology. Whether this epoch is associated with an HISTORICAL or LEGENDARY EVENT, it must be tied to a SEQUENCE of RECORDED HISTORICAL EVENTS. This is illustrated by the adoption of the birth of Christ as the initial epoch of the Christian calendar. This epoch was established by the sixth-century scholar Dionysius Exiguus, who was compiling a table of dates of Easter…. Bede, the eighth-century English historian, began the practice of counting years backward from A.D. 1 (see Colgrave and Mynors, 1969). In this system, the year A.D. 1 is preceded by the year 1 B.C., without an intervening year 0.

The ancient Jewish Lunisolar Calendar added: three intercalary months every eight

years, as Julius Africanus stated in the third century (Ante Nicene Fathers, The Extant Writings Of Julius Africanus, vol 6, pg 137, sec 2). Therefore, the years stated in the Bible included the above extra months, which would make their Lunisolar Calendar consisting of 354 days equal to the Solar Calendar of 365.24 days every 8 years. In other words, the 11.24 days difference between these calendars would be equal every 8 years (11.24 X 8 = 89.92 days or 3 months of 30 days). They did this so their feasts, which took place in certain seasons, would not change to any significant degree.

All BC dates given in this book will follow the Scriptural Historical Method of Dating and also the Astronomical Dating System, which use solar and lunar eclipses to confirm time periods of historical events and the reign of certain kings. Church historians, in many cases, use astronomical chronology to verify or correct dates given in history for certain events or the reign of kings.

Astronomical Dates: The Assyrian solar eclipse in the 40th year of King Uzziah (6\15\762 BC), the three lunar eclipses recorded in Babylon, i.e., in the 7th year of Cambyses (7\16\522 BC), in the 20th year of Darius (11\19\501 BC), and in the 31st year of Darius (4\25\490 BC), also the solar eclipse in the 6th year of Xerxes (10\2\479 BC). The lunar eclipse that took place at Herod’s death on 1\09\0000 BC, and the 3 hours afternoon lunar eclipse at the death of our Lord and Savior on Wednesday Nisan the 15th (Hebrew Calendar) or April the 14th (Julian Calendar) in 32 AD.

The greatest sign from God in heaven was no doubt the great conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Venus in 2-1 BC, which were so close that the two planets would have appeared to touch each other. I believe this conjunction, which was very near to the bright star Regulus in Leo, was the Star of Bethlehem that God used to announce the birth of His

3

Son on the 19th of Nisan in 1 BC. According to the Holy Bible, God ordained: “there be lights [sun, moon, stars, & planets] in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for SIGNS and seasons, and for days and YEARS” (Gen 1:14).

Some of the above eclipses and the year of the reign of these kings are taken from The Almagest, a book written by an earlier astronomer by the name of Claudius Ptolemy (70-161 AD). The dates of these eclipses can also be confirmed on NASA’s Eclipse Home Web Page. I will use the above dates and work backward and forward using Scripture and the writings of the ancient Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (37-100 AD) to establish the birth of Patriarchs, and the length of reign of all Judges, Kings, and events mentioned in the Bible. I will also use the writings of ancient Grecian historians, such as Herodotus (484 - 425 BC) and Thucydides (401 BC), to confirm the reigns of Babylonian and Persian kings. So with these things in mind, let us begin our journey through biblical history.

In all the following biblical charts the BIRTH BC COLIMN represent the ACTUAL BC YEAR, and not the historical year, that each Patriarch was born, or the year a Judge or King began to rule, or the year an event happen.

TWO THOUSAND AND EIGHTY-THREE YEARS Adam to God’s Pledge to Abraham of A Promise Seed

Creation of Birth Age as Age Died Adam Patriarchs BC a Dad Scripture Died Scripture BC Notes 0 Adam 4001 130 Gen 5:3 930 Gen 5:5 3071 130 Seth 3871 105 Gen 5:6 912 Gen 5:8 2959 235 Enos 3766 90 Gen 5:9 905 Gen 5:11 2861 325 Canaan 3676 70 Gen 5:12 910 Gen 5:14 2766 395 Mahalaleel 3606 65 Gen 5:15 895 Gen 5:17 2711 460 Jared 3541 162 Gen 5:18 962 Gen 5:20 2579 622 Enoch 3379 65 Gen 5:21 365 Gen 5:23 3014 Raptured 687 Methuselah 3314 187 Gen 5:25 969 Gen 5:27 2345 874 Lamech 3127 182 Gen 5:28 775 Gen 5:31 2352 1056 Noah 2945 502 Gen 5:32 950 Gen 9:29 1995 (cp Gen 11:10) 1558 Shem 2443 100 Gen 11:10 600 Gen11: 11 1843 1656 FLOOD 2345 Gen 5:32 2sd Mo, 17th Day 1658 Arphaxad 2343 35 Gen 11:12 438 Gen 11:13 1905 (Earth split into1693 Salah 2308 30 Gen 11:14 433 Gen 11:15 1875 continents when1723 Eber 2278 34 Gen 11:16 464 Gen 11:17 1814 Peleg was born 1757 Peleg 2244 30 Gen 11:18 239 Gen 11:19 2005 Gen 10:25) 1787 Reu 2214 32 Gen 11:20 239 Gen 11:21 1975 (Abraham was 1819 Serug 2182 30 Gen 11:22 230 Gen 11:23 1952 75 when Terah 1849 Nahor 2152 29 Gen 11:24 148 Gen 11:25 2004 Died and God 1878 Terah 2123 130 Gen 11:31 205 Gen 11:32 1918 gave him the 2008 2083

Abraham Abraham

1993 1918

100

Gen 21:5 Gen15:3-18Gen 12:1-4

175

Gen 25:7 CpGa 3:6-17 Gen 16: 3

1818

Promise Seed Covenant 205-75 = 130)

Total Years from Adam to God’s Promise Seed Covenant were 2083, which was 1918 BC

4

FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY YEARS God’s Pledge of A Promise Seed to Abraham

to the Law Given at Mt. Sinai

“Now to Abraham and to his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many but as of one, ‘And to YOUR SEED, 'who is Christ. And this I say, that the LAW, which was FOUR HUNDRED and THIRTY years LATER, cannot annul the COVENANT” (Ga 3:16-17). As one carefully examines all the following scriptures, one must conclude that Paul is declaring that the Law of Moses, which was given 430 years AFTER God gave Abraham the PROMISE SEED COVENANT cannot annul this covenant. Therefore, it would behoove us to discover when God gave this great covenant to Abraham.

Abraham was 75 years old when he entered into Canaan and God at that time gave him

the Promise Seed Covenant: “Abram was SEVENTY-FIVE years old when he departed from Haran…. So they came to the land of Canaan…. Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, ‘To your descendants I will give this land” (Gen 12:4-5 cp 13:14-16; 2008 + 75 = 2083); the Lord also said: “Look now toward heaven, and count the STARS, if thou be able to count them’; and He said unto him: ‘So shall THY SEED [Christ] be.’ And he BELIEVED in the LORD; and He counted it to him for RIGHTEOUSNESS…. In that day the LORD made a COVENANT with Abram, saying: ‘Unto THY SEED [Christ] have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates” (Gen 15:3-6, 18).

According to the Masoretic Hebrew Text: “The length of time that the Israelites lived in

Egypt was FOUR HUNDRED and THIRTY years. And it came to pass at the end of the FOUR HUNDRED and THIRTY years -- on that VERY SAME DAY -- it came to pass that all the armies of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt” (Exo 12:40-41). In the Septuagint Geek OT the above verses in Exodus read thus: “The sojourning of the children of Israel, while they SOJOURNED in the land of Egypt AND the LAND of CHANAAN, was four hundred and thirty years.” Some historians use the Septuagint version to show that the 430 years started from the time Abraham received God’s Promise Seed Covenant to the time they came out of Egypt.

Josephus confirmed the Septuagint version when he declared that the Law was given at

Mt. Sinai:

430 years after our forefather Abraham CAME INTO Canaan, but 215 years only after Jacob removed into Egypt (The Complete Works of Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, bk 2, chp 15, sec 2).

Dr. Whiston in a footnote to the above statement made by Josephus stated:

Why our Masorete copy so groundlessly abridges this account in Exodus 12:40, as

to ascribe 430 years to the sole peregrination of the Israelites in Egypt, when it is clear even by that Masorete chronology elsewhere, as well as from the express text itself, in the Samaritan, Septuagint, and Josephus, that they sojourned in Egypt but HALF that time, - and that by consequence, the other HALF of their peregrination

5

was in the land of Canaan, before they came into Egypt, - is hard to say (Josephus, Antiquities, bk 2, footnote 28).

At no time in the Bible did Abraham’s descendants receive all the land God promised to

give. This promise will not be fulfilled until Christ, Abraham’s Promise Seed, reigns on the earth in His Millennial Kingdom. Also according to the Bible, Abraham’s descendants did not receive a portion of Canaan Land as a inheritance or a possession until they came out of Egypt. The great Christian martyr Stephen speaking of this said: “And God gave him NO INHERITANCE in it [Canaan Land], not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He PROMISE to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him. But God spoke in this way: that his descendants would dwell in a FOREIGN LAND, and that they would bring them into bondage and oppress them four hundred years. And the nation to whom they will be in bondage I will judge,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and serve Me in THIS PLACE.’ Then He gave him the covenant of circumcision” (Acts 7:5-8; cp with Gen 15:13-14).

In other words, Abraham and his descendants would be oppress in a land that was not theirs i.e. Canaan and Egypt 400 years, and this oppression did not begin until God gave Abraham the Promise Seed Covenant. The above truth can be verified by the following illustration revealing the year of our Lord’s death and birth: If the 430 years began when Abraham was 75 years old, or in 1918 BC, we must subtract 430 years from this, which gives us 1488 BC as year the Law was given to Moses (1918 BC - 430 = 1488 BC).

If we subtract 1488 from 480 years from the reign of the Judges to 4th year of Solomon, we have 1008 BC. We then must subtract 400 years from the 4th year of Solomon to beginning of the Babylonian Captivity, which gives us the year of 608 BC. After this we subtract 70 years from the beginning and end of Babylonian Captivity, which gives us the year of 538 BC. If we then subtract 87 years from the beginning of Cyrus’ reign over Babylon to the 20th year of Artaxerxes, we have the year of 451 BC. After this we subtract 483 year from Artaxerxes’ decree to death of Christ, we then have the year of 32 AD. If we subtract 32 AD from 33 years, which was the age of Christ at His death, we then have 1 BC as the birth of Christ.

Now, if one believes the Masoretic text is the correct text in the above passage in Exodus, they would have to believe the 430 year countdown began when Jacob entered into Egypt. Isaac was born 1893 BC, when Abraham was 100 years old. Jacob was born to Isaac in 1833 BC, when Isaac was 60 years old: “Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them [Jacob and Esau]” (Gen 25:26; 1893 BC - 60 = 1833 BC). We would then have to subtract 1833 BC from 130, i.e. the age of Jacob when he and his descendents enter into Egypt, we would then have 1703 BC: “And Jacob said to Pharaoh, ‘The days of the years of my pilgrimage are ONE HUNDRED and THIRTY years” (Gen 47:9; 1833 - 130 = 1703 BC).

6

After this we would subtract the 430 years from 1703 BC, which the Masoretic text stated was the time they were in Egypt, and this would be 1273 BC as the year the Law was given (1703 BC - 430 = 1273 BC). If we take the year 1273 BC and subtract it from the following years, we would then have the following dates: (1273 BC - 480 [the reign of the Judges to 4th year of Solomon] = 793 BC - 400 [from the 4 year of Solomon to beginning of the Babylonian Captivity] = 393 BC - 70 [the end of Babylonian Captivity] = 323 BC – 87 [from the beginning of Cyrus’ reign over Babylon to the 20th year of Artaxerxes] = 236 BC - 483 [Artaxerxes’ decree to death of Christ] = 247 AD - 33 [the age of Christ at death] =

214 AD [as the birth of Christ]). As my beloved readers can clearly perceive, this would be totally ridiculous!

FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTY YEARS The Giving of the Law to the Fourth Year

of Solomon’s Reign

“And it came to pass in the FOUR HUNDRED AND EIGHTIETH year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the FOURTH year of Solomon’s reign… he began to build the House of the Lord” (1Ki 6:1). The rule of the Leaders or Judges of Israel lasted 396 years. From King Saul (1092 BC) to the fourth year of Solomon (1008 BC) was 84 years, which equals to 480 years (396 + 84 = 480 years, or 1488 BC – 1008 BC = 480 years). The BC column represents the year that the Leaders or Judges of Israel began to rule. This chart also gives the name of the nations and the years they afflicted Israel.

The Rule of the Judges of Israel Creation Leader Judge Years Afflicting Years of Adam Judges BC Ruled Scripture Nations Afflicted Verse 2513 Moses 1488 40 Exo 7:7; Lawgiven Deu 31:2 Num 14:332553 Joshua 1448 5 Jos 14:1-10 Jud 2:8 Jos 15:1-222558 Othniel 1443 40 Jud 3:9-11 Assyrians 8 Jud 3:5-8 2598 Ehud & Shamgar 1403 80 Jud 3:15-31 Moabites 18 Jud 3:12-142678 Deborah\Bark 1323 40 Jud 4:1-6 Canaanites 20 Jud 5: 31 2718 Gideon 1238 40 Jud 8:28 Midianites 7 Jud 6:1 2758 Abimelech 1234 3 Jud 9:1-2, 22 2761 Tola 1240 23 Jud 10:1-2 2784 Jair 1217 22 Jud 10:3 Philistines 18 Jud 10:6-8 2806 Jephthah 1295 6 Jud 12:7 2812 Ibzan 1189 7 Jud 12:8-9 2819 Elon 1182 10 Jud 12:11 2829 Abdon 1172 8 Jud 12:13-14 Philistines 40 Jud 13:1 2837 Samson 1164 20 Jud 16:30-31 2857 Eli 1144 40 1Sa 4:18 Total Years 111 2897 Samuel 1104 12 (Samuel ruled 12 yrs alone & 18 yrs with Saul)

1Sa 7:1-2, 13; 8:6 (1104 – 12 = 1092 BC);Antiquities of the Jews, bk 6, chp 13, sec 5

Total Years of the Reign of the Judges 1488 – 1092 BC = 396 years.

FOUR HUNDRED YEARS The Fourth Year of Solomon to the Babylonian Captivity

7

The names of the Kings of Judah from Solomon to Zedekiah: “These were all the sons of David, besides the sons of the concubines, and Tamar their sister. Solomon's son was Rehoboam; Abijah was his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son, Joram [or Jehoram] his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, Amaziah his son, Azariah [or Uzziah] his son, Jotham his son, Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son, Amon his son, and Josiah his

son. The sons of Josiah were Johanan [Jehoahaz] the firstborn, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah” (1Ch 3:9-15). The BC column represents the year the reign of each king of Judah and Israel began.

The Reign of the Kings of Judah and Israel Creation Judah's King Years Israel’s King Years Reign Of Adam Kings BC Reign Scripture Kings BC Scripture 2909 Saul 1092 40 Acts 13:21 2949 David 1052 40 1Ch 29:26-27 2989 Solomon 1012 40 1Ki 11:42 [4th year 1008] 3029 Rehoboam 972 17 1Ki 14:21 Jeroboam 965 22 1Ki 14:20 3046 Abijah 955 3 1Ki15:1-2 Nadab 943 2 1Ki 15:25 3049 Asa 952 41 1Ki 15:8-10 Baasha 941 24 1Ki 15:33 3090 Jehoshaphat 911 25 2Ch 20:31 Elah 917 2 1 Ki 16:6-8 3115 Jehoram/Joram 886 8 2Ch 21:1, 5 Zimri 915 7 days 1Ki 16:15 3123 Ahaziah 878 1 2Ch 22:1-2 Omri 915 12 1Ki 16:23 3124 Athaliah (usurper) 877 6 2Ki 11:2-3 Ahab 903 22 1Ki 16:29 3130 Joash/Jehoash 871 40 2Ch 24:1 Ahaziah 881 2 1Ki 22:51 3170 Amaziah 820 29 2Ch 25:1 Jehoram 879 12 2Ki 3:1 3199 3250

Azariah/Uzziah Assyr. Eclipse 6/15/

802 762

52 40th yr

2Ch 26:1-3

Jehu 867 28 2Ki 10:36

3251 Jotham 750 16 2Ki15:32-33Jehoahaz 839 17 2Ki 13:1 3266 Ahaz (co-reign 1) 735 16 2Ki16:1-2 Joash 822 16 2Ki 13:10 3272 3278

Hezekiah (co-r. 10) Assyr. Captivity

729 723

29 6th yr.

2Ki 18:1-2 2Ki 17:6

JeroboamHoshea

806 9th yr.

41 2Ki 14:232Ki 18:10

3301 Manasseh 700 55 2Ch 32:33 Zechariah 765 6 mo. 2Ki 15:8 3356 Amon 645 2 2Ch 33:20-21 Shallum 764 1 mo. 2Ki 15:133358 Josiah 643 31 2Ch 33:25 Menahem 764 10 2Ki 15:17 3389 Jehoahaz/Johanan 612 3 Mos 2Ch 36:1-2 Pekahiah 754 2 2Ki 15:23 3389 3393

Jehoiakim 4th year Bab. Captivity

612 608

11 70 yr.

2Ch 36:4-5Jer 25:1

Pekah Dan 1:1

752

20 2Ki 15:27

3400 Jehoiachin 601 3 Mo. 2Ch 36:8-9 Hoshea 732 9 2Ki 17:13400 Zedekiah 601 11 2Ch 3610-11

Total Years of Reign of the Kings of Judah from 4th year of Solomon to Babylonian Captivity: 400 years (1008-608 = 400).

According to Solar Eclipses of Historical Interest by NASA, the Assyrian Eclipse took

place in the: Astronomical year 6/15/762 (763 BC), Universal or Greenwich Time 08:23 (AM) (www.sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEcat/SE-0799--0700.html). Dr. Fred Espenak, an Astrophysicist at the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, in his Year Dating Conventions document explained the astronomical dating systems this way:

Christianity has played a dominant role in the development of Western civilization over the past two thousand years. A prime example is the dating system we commonly use which was instituted by the monk Dionysius Exiguus in or about the year AD 532…. In sixth century Europe, the concept of ‘ZERO’ was still UNKNOWN. Thus, the year 1 BC was followed by the year AD 1…. Of course, Exiguus' dating system still lacks a "0" year which makes calendrical calculations awkward.

8

The ‘astronomical’ dating system refers to an alternative method of numbering

years. It includes the year "0" and eliminates the need for any prefixes or suffixes by attributing the arithmetic sign [+ or -] to the date…. The astronomical year 0 corresponds to the year 1 BCE, while the astronomical year 1 corresponds to 2 BCE. In general, any given year ‘n BCE’ becomes ‘-(n-1)’ in the astronomical year numbering system. Historians should take care to note the numerical difference of one year between ‘BCE’ dates and astronomical dates (National Aeronautics and Space Administration i.e. NASA’s Eclipse Home Page: Website address: www.sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html).

God’s Holy Prophets

God’s Prophet BC King of Judah or Israel Scripture Gad 1052 David (Judah) 1Sa 22:5; 2Sa 24:11; 2Ch 29:25 Nathan 1052 David 2Sa 7:2-17; 12:1-2; 1 Ki 1:23 Shemaiah 972 Rehoboam (Judah) 1Ki 12:21-24; 2 Ch 11:2-4 Ahijah 965 Jeroboam (Israel) 1Ki 1:23; 11:27-37; 14:1-2;

2Ch 9:29; 10:15 Oded 952 Asa (Judah) 2Ch 15:8; 28:9-11 Azariah 952 Asa 2Ch 15:1-7 Hanani 952 Asa 2Ch 16:1, 7-10 Micaiah 911 Jehoshaphat (Ju.)/Ahab (Is.) 1Ki 22:7-29 Elijah 903 Ahab - Ahaziah (Is.) 1Ki 16:29; 17:1-4; 18:1 Elisha 879 Jehoram-Jehoash (Is.) 2Ki 1:3; 1Ki 19:1, 15-17;

2Ki 3:9-11; 13:14 Un-named (Ju.) 831 Amaziah (Judah) 2Ki 14:25 Amos 831 Amaziah - Uzziah (Judah)

Jeroboam (Israel) 2Ch 25:7, 15; Amos 1:1; 7:8-17

Jonah 806 Jeroboam (Israel) Jon 1:1 Isaiah 802 Uzziah-Hezekiah (Ju.) Isa 1:1; 2Ki 19:2-5, 20; Hos 1:1 Hosea 802 Uzziah-Hezekiah (Ju.) Jer 26:18-19 Micah 750 Jotham-Hezekiah (Ju.) Obadiah 729 Hezekiah (Judah) 2Ch 17:5-10; Oba 1:1 Nahum 723 Before Assyria fell Nah 1:1; 2:8-13; Zep 1:1 Jeremiah 643 Josiah - Zedekiah (Ju.) 2Ch 36:12, 20-23; Jer 1:1-3 Habakkuk 608 Before Bab. conquest Hab 1:6 Joel 608 Before Bab. conquest Joel 1:1-6 Urijah 612 Jehoiakim (Judah) Jer 26:20-23 Daniel 608 Jehoiakim (Judah) – Cyrus

(Persia) Dan 1:1-6; 2:1; 6:1-2; 10:1

Haggai 520 After Darius’ decree Ezra 5:1-2; 6:5-15; Hag 1:1 Zechariah 520 After Darius’ decree Ezra 5:1-2; 6:5-15; Zec 1:1

Malachi 520 After Darius’ decree Mal 1:1

Total Years God’s Prophets Prophesied: 552 years (1052 – 500 = 552).

As my beloved readers may have perceived by now, it appears from the information given by the unknown Jewish scribes, who wrote the history of First and Second Kings,

9

some of the kings of Judah must have co-reigned with their father. It definitely seems logical to assume this when these scribes make clear statements about the different kings of Judah began their reign in a certain king of Israel’s reign, and vise versa that is, different kings of Israel began their reign in a certain king of Judah’s reign. I must confess, as one carefully examines this impenetrable information, he or she is left in a quandary. There can be no doubt that the length of the reign of each king of Judah and Israel is correct. If there was no co-reign of the kings of Judah with their father, then there would be 411 years from the 4th year of Solomon to the Babylonian Captivity. This would mean that the creation of Adam took place in 4012 BC. The 11 year difference between these two forms of reckoning of sole reign and co-reign is not hard to believe when one is looking for a harmony in the infallible Word of God!

The Babylonian Captivity and Deportations Creation Deportation BC Neb’s

Reign Notes

3393 1st 608 1st yr. sole

This was the 4th year of Jehoiakim (Jer 36: 1, 9; 46:1-2; Dan 1:1).

3400 2nd 601 8th yr. Daniel’s 2nd yr. of captivity (Dan 2:1) and Jehoiakim’s 11th year of (2Ch 36:5-8; Jer 24:1; 52:28).

3401 3rd 600 9th yr. 1st year of Jehoiachin (2Ki 24:8-12). 3411 4th 590 18th yr. 11th yr. of Zedekiah (Jer 52:3-10, 29). 3412 5th 589 19th yr. God’s vessels taken (Jer 52:12-27). 3416 6th 585 23rd yr. (Jer 52:30).

Solomon’s temple was destroyed in the 19th year of King Nebuchadnezzar reign, i.e., in

589 BC on the 5th month and 10th day (Jer 52:12). This took place 3,412 years after God created Adam.

SEVENTY YEARS The Reign of Nebuchadnezzar to Belteshazzar

The Reign of the Kings of Babylon

Creation Kings of Yr. Years Notes: All of the following reigns of the of Adam Babylon BC Reign Kings Babylonian are from Josephus 3393 Nebuchadnezzar 608 45 +

mos. Sole reign

(608 – 563 BC) Nebuchadnezzar was the son of Nabolassar, who was the founder of the neo-Babylonian empire. Neb. in the Septuagint is called Nabuchodonosor. Josephus, who quoted Berossus (290 or 340 BC) the ancient Chaldaean historian and priest of Bel wrote: King Nabolassar sent his son Nabuchodonosor against Egypt, and against our land…. Nabolassar fell into a distemper at this time and died in the city of Babylon, after he had reigned

10

11

twenty-nine years…. Nabuchodonosor… departed this life, when he had reigned forty-three years (The Complete Works of Josephus, Against Apion, bk 1, sec 19-20; also Antiquities of the Jews, bk 10, chp 6, sec 1-2; bk 10, chp 11, sec 1). Nebuchadnezzar must have co-reigned with his father for a year or two before his sole reign began. This can be seen when the Bible called him King of Babylon before he besieged Jerusalem in 609 BC: “In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar [Nabuchodonosor] KING of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it” (Dan 1:1). Therefore, Nebuchadnezzar’s sole reign must have began in 608 BC, which was the 4th year of the reign of Jehoiakim as the following scripture reveals: “The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the people of Judah in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, that was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon” i.e. his 1st year of his SOLE reign (Jer 25:1, JPS & KJV; cp with 46:1-2 & Dan 2:1).

As one compares the above scriptures with the following two passages of scripture, one can easily see that Nebuchadnezzar reigned 45 years not 43 years: “Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officers went out to the king of Babylon; and the KING of Babylon, in the eighth year of his [Neb’s] reign, took him prisoner” (2Ki 24:12). Jeremiah declared: “It came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-fifth day of the month, that Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the first year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him out of prison” (Jer 52:31-32).

Since, the Bible equates the 37th year of Jehoiachin's imprisonment, which began in the 8th year of Nebuchadnezzar reign, with the accession year of Evil-Merodach, Nebuchadnezzar must have reigned 45 years (i.e. 37 + 8 = 45 years).

3438 Evil-Merodach 563 2 + mos.

(563 – 561 BC) Josephus: He governed public affairs after an illegal and impure manner, and had a plot laid against him by Neriglissoor, his sister's husband, and was slain by him when he had reigned but two years (Against Apion, bk 1, sec 20).

3440 Neriglissoor 561 4 + mos.

(561 – 556 BC) Josephus: Neriglissoor… reigned four years (Ibs.).

3445 Laborosoarchod 556 9 mos. (556 – 556 BC): Josephus Neriglissor’s son Laborosoarchod obtained the kingdom, though he was but a child, and kept it nine mouths… and he was tormented to death (Ibs).

3445 Nabonnedus (Belteshazzar)

556 17 + mos.

(556 – 538 BC): Josephus: After his [Laborosoarchod’s] death, the conspirators got together, and by common consent put the crown upon the head of Nabonnedus…. In… the seventeenth year of his reign, Cyrus… came hastily to Babylonia.... Nabonnedus… was beaten (Ibs). Josephus also calls Nabonnedus by other names such as Naboandelus and Baltasar (Ant., bk 10, chp 11, sec 2-4). The Bible calls him Belteshazzar, who was a grandson of Nebuchadnezzar (Dan 5:1-31).

Total Years: 70 (45 + 2 + 4 + 9 mos + 17 = 68 years & 9 months + 15 months from reigns of the above kings & 1st year of Cyrus = 70 years).

EIGHTY-SEVEN YEARS The Reign of Cyrus to Artaxerxes’ Twentieth Year

The Reign of the Kings of Persia

Creation Kings of Year Years Notes of

Adam Persia BC Reign 3443 Cyrus II

the Great 558 29

(558 – 529 BC): Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 99: When Cyrus became ruler of the Persian district of Anshan [558 BC], the district was subject to the Medes; five

12

years later he led a rebellion against the Medes that resulted in the capture of King Astyages [r. 584-550 BC] and the overthrow of the Median Empire [550 BC]. Thereafter Cyrus called himself king of Persia…. Babylon, Egypt, Lydia, and the city-state of Sparta in Greece combined to curb the power of Cyrus, but in 546 BC the Persians added Lydia to their realm, and in 539 BC the kingdom of Babylon fell to Cyrus (article: “Cyrus the Great”).

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia reveals that Cyrus’ reigned lasted: 29 years. He had ruled over Mediafor 11, and over Babylonia (and Assyria) for 9 years (vol 2, pg 775, heading Cyrus). Therefore, he was king of the Persians for 9 years, 11 years over the Medes, and 9 years over Babylon.

Herodotus of Halicarnassus (484 - 425 BC): Thus after a reign of thirty-five years, Astyages lost his crown…. It was the Persians who under Cyrus revolted from the Medes, and became thenceforth the rulers of Asia…. The overthrow of Croesus made him master of the whole of Asia…. [In the last battle with the Massagetae] Cyrus himself fell, after reigning NINE and TWENTY YEARS (Great Books of the Western World, Herodotus – Thucydides, vol 6, bk 1, Clio, sec 130, pg 31, and sec 214, pg 48).

3463 Cyrus’ 20th year 538

This was the beginning of Cyrus’ first year as king over Babylon. It was at this time he gave the decree freeing the Jews from captivity, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Jeremiah 29:10 concerning the 70 years of captivity (608 - 538 = 70 yrs). Cyrus was the king mention in Ezra 1:1-18; 4:3-5; 5:12.

Josephus says it this way: In the first yearof the reign of Cyrus, which was the seventieth [year] from the day that our people were removed out of their own land into Babylon…. [Cyrus promised] he would restore them again to the land of their

13

fathers, and they should build their temple…. This was foretold by Isaiah one hundred and forty years before the templewas demolished [Isa 44:28; 45:1-4 (Ant., bk 11, chp 1, sec 1-3).

3472

3479

Cambyses II Ahasuerus II

Cambyses’ Lunar Eclipse

529

522

7 + 5 mos

7

(529 – 522 BC): Herodus: On the death of Cyrus, Cambyses his son… took the kingdom…. [After conquering King Amasis of Egypt, Cambyses heard about Smerdis the Magi usurping his throne. Cambyses toldhis army while dieing:] ‘When I was in Egypt I saw in my sleep a vision… that Smerdis sat upon the royal throne…. So I slew my brother…. It was Smerdis the Magus, and NOT Smerdis my brother…. He had reigned in all seven years and five months(Herodotus – Thucydides, vol 6, bk 2, Euterpe, sec 1, pg 49; bk 3, Thalia , sec 64 -66, pg 104).

Josephus declared: When Cambyses, the son of Cyrus, had taken the kingdom, the governors in Syria, and Phoenicia, and in the countries of Amlnon, and Moab, and Samaria, wrote an epistle to Cambyses…. When Cambyses had read the epistle… [he] gave order, that the Jews shall NOT be PERMITTED to BUILD that CITY (Ant., bk 11, chp 2, sec 1-2).

Cambyses was the Ahasuerus mention in Ezra 4:6, who stopped the building of the temple: “Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building, and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation AGAINST the inhabitants of Judah and JERUSALEM.” According to Claudius Ptolemy (70-161 AD): In the year 7 of Cambyses (which is the year 225 of Nabonassar, Egyptian wise Phamenoth 17-18 one hour before midnight) the moon was eclipsed in Babylon (Claudius

14

Ptolemaeus - The Almagest, (Great Books Of The Western World, Ptolemy, vol 16, pg 172). Ptolemy was an Alexandrian astronomer, geographer, historian, and chronologist who lived in Egypt and wrote around 142 AD.

The Egyptian month Phamenoth and the 17-18 day is July 16th. According to NASA’s Lunar Eclipse records this eclipse took place in the: Astronomical year -0522 (523 BC), July 16, Greenwich Time 20:38 [8:38 PM] (www.sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEcat/SEcatalog.html; Lunar Eclipse Page). Thus 522 BC was the 7th year of Cambyses’ reign.

3479 Smerdis the Magi 522

(Artaxerxes) 7 mos (522 - 521 BC): His biblical name was

Artaxerxes, the king mention in Ezra, who also gave a decree that the building of the temple should NOT be resumed: “Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to King Artaxerxes…. The king sent an answer…. Now give the command to make these men cease, that this city may NOT BE BUILT until the command is given by me” (Ezra 4:7-8, 17, 21).

According to Herodotus: The Persians who had heard his [Cambyses’] words, put no faith in anything that he said…. Thus they were convinced that it was Smerdis the son of Cyrus who had rebelled and now sat on the throne…. Thus then Cambyses died, and the Magus now reigned in security, and passed himself off for Smerdis the son of Cyrus. And so went by the seven monthswhich were wanting to complete the eighth year of Cambyses (Herodotus – Thucydides, vol 3, bk 3, Thalia, sec 66-67, pg 104; also see Josephus, Ant., bk 11, chp 3, sec 1).

3480

Darius I

521

36

(521 – 485 BC): Josephus: Those families which were called the seven families of the Persians appointed Darius, the son of Hystaspes, to be their king (Ant., bk 11, chp 3, sec 1; chp 4, 7- 8). L.W. King and R.C. Thompson in 1907made the following translation of the

15

16

3482

3488

Darius I (Temple began to be built)

Darius I (Temple built)

519

513

2

6

writings of the old Persian, Elamite, and Akkadian languages that were inscribed on the rock of Behistûn in Persia, i.e. the Rosetta Stone: I am Darius, the great king… the son of Hystaspes….

The kingdom of which Gaumâta, the Magian, dispossessed Cambyses, had always belonged to our dynasty…. On the tenth dayof the month Bâgayâdiš [9/29/522] I, with a few men, slew that Gaumâta, the Magian (Translation I, sec 1, 12, & 13; also seeHerodotus – Thucydides, vol 3, bk 3, Thalia , sec 71, pg 105). According to Herodus, after Darius became king he waged war with the Greeks: Now when tidings of the battle that had been fought at Marathon [490 BC] reached the ears of King Darius, the son of Hystaspes… he became more than ever eager to lead an army against Greece… but he was prevented by death while his preparations were still proceeding. He died… after having reignedin all six-and-thirty years…. At his death the kingdom passed to his son Xerxes (Herodotus – Thucydides, vol 3, bk 7, Polymnia, sec 1& 4, pg 215).

According to the Bible it was King Darius, who confirmed the decree of Cyrus and gave a decree to start building the temple again: Haggai 1:1-4, 14-15: “The LORD stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel… and the spirit of Joshua… and they came and worked on the HOUSE of the LORD of hosts, their God, on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month, in the SECOND YEAR of King Darius.” Ezra 4:24: “The work of the HOUSE of GOD which is at Jerusalem ceased, and it was discontinued UNTIL the SECOND YEAR of the reign of Darius king of Persia.”

Ezra 6:1-2, 8, 14-15: “I [Darius] issue a DECREE as to what you shall do for the elders of these Jews, for the BUILDING of this HOUSE of GOD…. And they built and finished it… according to the command of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. Now the TEMPLE was FINISHED on the

17

3500

3511

3516

Darius I 1th Lunar Eclipse

Darius I 2nd Lunar Eclipses

Xerxes I (Ahasuerus III)

501

490

485

20

31

14

third day of the month of Adar, which was in the SIXTH YEAR of the reign of King Darius.”

Ptolemy declared that there were two lunar eclipses in the reign of Darius. One: eclipse [was] observed in Babylon in the year31 of Darius, Egyptianwise Tybi 3-4…. [The other eclipse] is the one… in the year 20 of Darius… Egyptianwise Epiphi 28-29…. Each of these eclipses occurred when the moon was near the apogee (The Almagest, vol 16, pp 136-137).

The Egyptian month Epiphi and the 28-29 day is November 19th. According to NASA’s Lunar Eclipse Data an eclipse happen in the: Astronomical year 11/19/-0501 (502 BC), Greenwich 21:03 (9:03 PM) Darius’ 20th yr. (www.sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEcat/SEcatalog.html). The Egyptian month Tybi and the 3-4 day is April 25th, and there was an eclipse in the:Astronomical year 4/25/-0490 (491 BC), Greenwich 19:44 (7:44 PM) Darius’ 31st yr. (www.sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEcat/SEcatalog.html).

(485 – 471 BC): Xerxes I ascending the throne upon the death of his father Darius. Faussett Bible Dictionary under the heading of Ahasuerus: Darius Hystaspis’ son was Ahasuerus the third = Xerxes…. The gap between Ezra 6 and Ezra 7 is filled up with the book of Esther. The character of Ahasuerus III much resembles that of Xerxes as described by Greek historians…. In the third year was held Ahasuerus, feast in Shushan (Esth. 1:3): so Xerxes in his third year held an assembly to prepare for invading Greece (#132.01 sec 3).

Thucydides (401 BC), a Greek historian, in his History of the Peloponnesian War wrote: The battle of Marathon [in Darius I reign] was fought between the Medes and the Athenians. TEN YEARS afterwards, the barbarian [Xerxes] returned with the armada for the subjugation of Hellas

18

3522

Xerxes’ Solar Eclipse

479

6th year

(Herodotus – Thucydides, vol 3, History of the Peloponnesian War, bk 1, sec 18, pg 353).

Herodotus: In the year following the

death of Darius, he [Xerxes I subdued]… Egypt…. Reckoning from the recovery of Egypt, Xerxes spent four full years in collecting his host and making ready all things that were needful for his soldiers. It was not till the CLOSE of the FIFTH YEARthat he set forth on his march, accompanied by a mighty multitude (Herodotus –Thucydides, vol 3, bk 7, Polymnia, sec 7-8, 20-21, pg 215, & sec 37, pg 223).

According to Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Xerxes I: During the spring of 480 BC he [Xerxes] marched with his forces through Thrace, Thessaly (Thessalia), and Locris. At Thermopylae 300 Spartans, under their king, Leonidas I, and 1100 other Greeks made a courageous but futile stand…. At the Battle of Salamís later in 480 BC, however, his fleet was defeated…. Xerxes thereupon RETIRED to Asia Minor (article: “Xerxes I”).

Herodotus: A PRODIGY had caused him [Xerxes] to BRING HIS ARMY HOME, for while he was offering sacrifice to know if he should march out against the Persian, theSUN was suddenly DARKENED in mid sky(Herodus, bk 9, Calliope, pg 290, sec 10-11).

Dr. Espenak of NASA, in his article entitled Solar Eclipses of Historical Interest, gives Xerxes’ Eclipse as: Astronomical year 10/2/-0479 (480 BC), Greenwich 11:57 (AM) (www.sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEhistory/SEhistory.html).

Faussett Bible Dictionary under the heading of Ahasuerus continued by saying:In his seventh year Ahasuerus replaced Vashti by marrying Esther (Est. 2:16)… on his defeat and return from Greece…. (Herodotus 9:108). The ‘tribute’ … (Esth. 10:1) was probably to replenish his treasury (#132.01 sec 3).

19

3530

Artaxerxes I

471

41

Faussett Bible Dictionary under the heading of Esther, we read: In his 7th year the battles of Plataea and Mycale, according to secular history, drove Xerxes in fright from Sardis to Susa. So, in Scripture, it was not until the tenth month of this 7th year that Esther was made queen.... (Herodotus 7:35,114)... (#1187.02).

The Bible speaks of this king as Ahasuerus, which in Hebrew is 'Achashverowsh. Esther 2:16, 18: Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus [Xerxes], into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the SEVENTH YEAR of his reign.”

Esther 3:7; 9:31: “In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the TWELFTH YEAR of King Ahasuerus [Xerxes], they cast Pur (that is, the lot)… to confirm these days of Purim.” Xerxes was murdered at Persepolis by Artabanus, captain of the palace guard, the 14th year of his reign.

(471 - 430 BC): Faussett Bible Dictionaryunder the heading of Artaxerxes: Artaxerxes I was Artaxerxes Longimanus, son of Xerxes, who… allowed Nehemiah (Neh. 2:1) to spend 12 years at Jerusalem to settle the affairs of the returned Jews. He had 13 years previously permitted Ezra (Ezra 7:1) to go on a similar errand (#343.02).

It was Artaxerxes I who gave the decree to Ezra supply the TEMPLE of God in Jerusalem with whatever it need as far as furniture and sacrifices. He gave Nehemiahthe decree to rebuild its WALLS. The Word of God speaks of these events this way:

Ezra 7:1, 8, 11, 21, 23, 27: “In the reign of Artaxerxes [Heb. Artachshashta’ Septuagint Arthasastha] king of Persia, Ezra… came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the SEVENTH YEAR of the king…. This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxesgave Ezra…. ‘I, Artaxerxes the king, issue a DECREE… whatever Ezra the priest… may

3550

Artaxerxes’ Decree to build the City of Jerusalem and its walls

451

20

require of you… let it diligently be done for the HOUSE of the GOD.”

Nehemiah 2:1-8: “And it came to pass in the month of NISAN, in the TWENTIETH YEAR of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave itto the king…. The king said to me, ‘Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.’

So I… said to the king… ‘Why should my face not be sad, when the CITY [i.e. Jerusalem], the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies WASTE, and its GATES are burnedwith fire…?’ So it pleased the king to sendme.”

Nehemiah 6:15; 7:1, 4: So the WALL was FINISHED on the twenty-fifth day of Elul, in fifty-two days…. Then it was, when the WALL was BUILT and I had HUNG the DOORS.” Nehemiah 13:6-8: “But during all this I was not in Jerusalem, for in the THIRTY-SECOND year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I had RETURNED to the king. Then after certain days I obtained LEAVE from the king, and I CAME to Jerusalem.” It took 12 years from the DECREE to

accomplish this much and another 37 years to build the rest of the homes in Jerusalem and its streets (12 + 39 = 49 years). The CITY and STREETS were not finished until the 2nd year of Artaxerxes II (Menemon) or in 402 BC (451 - 402 BC = 49 yrs).

Total Years Persian Kings Reigned: 87 (9 + 7 & 5 mo + 7 mo + 36 + 14 + 20 = 87 years).

FOUR HUNDRED AND EITHTY-THREE YEARS Artaxerxes’ Twentieth Year to Christ’s Death

(Daniel’s Seventy Weeks of Years)

NIV “SEVENTY [shib`iym] ‘SEVENS’ [shabuwa`] are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. Know and understand this: From the issuing of the DECREE to restore and rebuild 20

Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be SEVEN ‘SEVENS,’ and SIXTY-TWO 'SEVENS.' It [Jerusalem in sevens 7 or 49 years] will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.

After the SIXTY-TWO 'SEVENS,' the Anointed One will be CUT OFF and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for ONE ‘SEVEN.’ In the MIDDLE of the 'SEVEN' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him” (Dan 9:24-27).

The word “seventy” is the Hebrew noun “shib`iym (shib-eem')” and the word “weeks” is the Hebrew word “shabuwa` (shaw-boo'-ah)” which literal means: “seven,” and since it is in the plural number, it should be translated as “sevens.” Therefore it literal refers to seventy sevens of years. The same angel that told Daniel of the Seventy Sevens of Years also gave him the interpretation of verse 27 and what is meant by “in the MIDDLE of the 'SEVEN' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering,” when he declared: “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days” or 3 ½ YEARS (Dan 12:11).

The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament by Drs, R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer Jr., Bruce K. Waltke defined “shabuwa” as:

While in Deut 16:9, discussed above, sh¹b¥±a represents a period of seven days, in

Dan 9:24, 25, 26, 27 it denotes a period of SEVEN YEARS in each of its appearances in these four verses. This is proven by the context wherein Daniel recognizes that the SEVENTY-YEARS period of captivity is almost over. The land had been fallow for SEVENTY YEARS and thus repaid the Lord the SEVENTY SABBATICAL YEARS owed to him for the prior SEVENTY PERIODS of SEVEN YEARS (Dan 9:2; Jer 25:12; cf. 2Chr 36:21). Just as Daniel is in prayer concerning this matter, the angel Gabriel appears and informs him that Israel's restoration will not be complete until she goes through another SEVENTY PERIODS-of-SEVEN, sh¹bûa± (Dan 9:24ff)! Note also the apparent reference in Dan 12:1 to half of Daniel's last seventy (Dan 9:27); it is 1290 days, approximately three and a half years. Thus here it means YEARS (#2318d).

Let my readers take note, the prophecy of Daniel, that is, the “seventy sevens” said

nothing of the TEMPLE, which was built in the 6th year of the reign of Darius (Ezra 6:14-15), before this prophecy began. Daniel’s prophecy was given in three parts. The first part contained “seven sevens” or “49 years,” which were given for the rebuilding of the City of Jerusalem. The second part declared that Messiah would come and die after “sixty-two sevens” or “434 years” were fulfilled in 32 AD (49 + 434 = 483 years - 451 BC (Artaxerxes’ DECREE) = 32 AD). The third part is found in verse 27, and it contains “one seven,” which speaks of the Antichrist making a “seven-year peace covenant” with the nation of Israel and then breaking it.

First Part of Daniel’s Prophecy: Rebuilding Jerusalem

21

Although the temple was finished in 516 BC, the city of Jerusalem laid wasted until 451 BC. This is why Nehemiah told king Artaxerxes: “The CITY [Jerusalem], the place of my father's tombs, lies WASTED.” The king then asked Nehemiah what he desired him to do about it; Nehemiah replied: “Send me to Judah to the CITY of my fathers' tombs that I may REBUILD it” (Neh 2:3-9). Artaxerxes granted his request and issued the decree to rebuild Jerusalem: “In the month of NISAN in the twentieth year” (Neh 2:1). Nisan is the month when the PASSOVER LAMB was killed for the sins of the people; and the twentieth year of Artaxerxes was 451 BC. Jesus died on Passover 483 years after this decree, that is, 32 AD.

According to the Bible, the walls were finished by the 32nd year of the reign of Artaxerxes I (471 BC - 32 = 439 BC, Neh 5:14; 6:1). The CITY and STREETS were not finished until the 2nd year of Artaxerxes II (Menemon) or in 402 BC (451 - 402 BC = 49 yrs). The Persian kings that reigned between Artaxerxes 1 and (Menemon) were Xerxes II (430 - 424 BC), Sogdianus (424 - 423 BC), and Darius II (Nothus 423 - 405 BC).

Second Part of Daniel’s Prophecy: The Coming and Death of Messiah the Prince

Daniel declared that after the city with its walls and streets were finished, there would

be 62 sevens of years (62 X 7 = 434 years) in which Messiah the Prince would come and be cut off or die. If we subtract 402 BC from 434 years, the answer is 32 AD or 4,033 years from Adam (434 yrs - 402 BC = 32 AD). It was on this day that Daniel 9:25 was fulfilled; for it was in April or Nisan of 451 BC that the Persian king Artaxerxes issued his decree to build Jerusalem; and it was exactly 483 years later, or in April or Nisan of 32 AD, that Messiah the Prince came and the Jewish people proclaimed Him as their KING. Five days later Messiah was cut off or crucified, thus fulfilling Daniel 9:26 (451 BC - 483 yrs = 32 AD). This means Jesus was born in the astronomical years of 1 BC (2 BC historical), or 4,000 years from Adam’s creation, for He was 33 years old when He died (32 AD – 33 = 1 BC).

According to NASA’s Lunar Eclipse Data, there was an eclipse in the: Astronomical and

historical year 0032 (AD), April 14, Universal Time 09:05 (AM), Lunar Eclipse Type T (Total), Saros 61, Gamma 0.102, Penumbral Magnitude 2.701, Umbral Magnitude 1.670, Semi-Duration Total 112 minutes, Semi-Duration Partial 51 minutes, Greenwich Sidereal Time (UT) 13.4, Moon’s Geocentric Right Ascension 13.37, Moon’s Geocentric Right Declination -8.7 (www.sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/LEcat/LE0001-0100.html).

Partial Eclipse Began: tm - S.D. Par = 09:05 - 1h 52m = 07:13 AM UT Total Eclipse Began: tm - S.D. Tot = 09:05 - 0h 51m = 08:14 AM UT

Total Eclipse Ended: tm + S.D. Tot = 09:05 + 0h 51m = 09:56 AM UT Partial Eclipse Ended: tm + S.D. Par = 09:05 + 1h 52m = 10:57 AM UT

Eclipse Lasted 3 HOURS & 44 minutes (10:57 – 07:13 = 3 hours & 44 minutes).

Jerusalem is about 3 hours ahead of Universal or Greenwich Mean Time, which means the eclipse began in Jerusalem at 12:05 AM. According to the Bible, the eclipse at the time of our Lord’s death lasted 3 hours or from the 6th hour (12 AM) to the 9th hour (3 PM) (Mk 15:33). Therefore, it was this Lunar Eclipse that cause the 3 hours of darkness in Jerusalem on Wednesday April 14 of 32 AD on the Julian Calendar, or the 15th of Nisan on the Jewish

22

Calendar. Since the Jewish day begins in the evening or sunset and goes to sunset the next day, Jesus died about 3 hours before the 16th of Nisan began. The following is some historical proof that the above eclipse took place at the Passover in 32 AD:

232 AD: Julius Africanus writing On the Circumstances connected with our Savior’s

Passion and His Life-giving Resurrection” wrote:

On the whole world there pressed a most fearful darkness; and the rocks were rent by an earthquake, and many places in Judea and other districts were thrown down. This darkness Thallus, in the third book of his History, calls… an ECLIPSE of the sun. For the Hebrews celebrate the Passover on the 14th day according to the moon…. Phlegon records that, in the time of Tiberius Caesar [14-37 AD], at FULL MOON, there was a FULL ECLIPSE of the sun from the SIXTH HOUR to the NINTH — manifestly that one of which we speak. (Ante Nicene Fathers, vol 6, Extant Writings of Julius Africanus, chp 18, , sec 1, pg 293). 350 AD: Eusebius in his Church History spoke of the Passover this way:

This may be learned from what is said by Philo, Josephus, and Musaeus… and the famous Aristobulus, who was chosen among the seventy interpreters of the sacred and divine Hebrew Scriptures by Ptolemy Philadelphus…. These writers, explaining questions in regard to the Exodus, say that all alike should sacrifice the Passover offerings AFTER the VERNAL EQUINOX, in the middle of the first month. But this occurs while the sun is passing through the first segment of the solar, or as some of them have styled it, the zodiacal circle. Aristobulus adds that it is necessary for the feast of the Passover, that NOT only the SUN should pass through the equinoctial segment, but the MOON also (Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers, Eusebius, series 2, vol 1, bk 7, From the Paschal Canons of Anatolius, chp 32, pp 512-513).

Some commentators believe Jesus died Sunday April 3 or the 15th of Nisan of 33 AD,

because there was a 2 hour and 52 minute afternoon eclipse that took place at that time. NASA’s Eclipse Data recorded it this way: astronomical year 0033, Apr 03, 14:47 or 2:47 PM; (http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/LEcat/LE0001-0100.html). But since this day was a Sunday and this eclipse would have started in Jerusalem at 5:47, it could not have been the time, day, and year our Savior died. Let us not forget Jesus rose early in the morning on the 1st day of the week, i.e. a Sunday, therefore he could not have died on a Sunday (Mt 28:1-7; Mk 16:1–9; Lk 24:1-8; Jn 20:1-17).

Jesus speaking of the length of time His body would be in the tomb said: “For as Jonah was THREE DAYS and THREE NIGHTS in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be THREE DAYS and THREE NIGHTS in the heart of the earth” (Mt 12:40; also see 27:39-40, 63; Mk 8:31; 14:58; 15:29: Jn 2:19-21). Jesus did not say 3 days of 12 hours or in 36 hours, but in 3 days and 3 nights of 24 hours or after 72 hours, I will be raised from the dead. Another way of proving Jesus was born in 1 BC astronomically and died in 32 AD can be seen in the following section.

Astronomical, Biblical, and Historical Proof Jesus Was Born on the 19th of Nisan in 1 BC

23

ASTRONOMICAL PROOF: There is historical and astronomical proof that that Herod the Great died in the historical year of 0001 BC, which is the astronomical year 0000 BC. According to Josephus certain teachers of the Law excited the young men to pull:

down the eagle [of Rome from the temple gate], and cut it into pieces with axes, while a great number of the people were in the temple.…. Herod deprived this Matthias of the high priesthood, and burnt the other Matthias, who had raised the sedition, with his companions, alive. And that very NIGHT there was an ECLIPSE of the MOON…. [After Herod’s death, his son] Archelaus paid him so much respect, as to continue his mourning till the seventh day; for so many days are appointed for it by the law of our fathers….

[At this time many of the Jews] lamented Matthias, and those that were slain with

him by Herod.... The people made a great clamor and lamentation…. The people assembled together, and desired of Archelaus, that, in way of revenge on their account, he would inflict punishment on those who had been honored by Herod…. This was granted by Archelaus, although he was mightily offended at their importunity, because he proposed to himself to go to Rome immediately to look after Caesar's determination about him….

Now, upon the approach of that Feast of Unleavened Bread, …which Feast is called

the PASSOVER, …the seditious lamented Judas and Matthias, those teachers of the laws…. Now Archelaus thought there was no way to preserve the entire government but by cutting off those who made this attempt upon it; so he… slew three thousand men…. After [this] Archelaus… sailed for Rome (The Complete Works of Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, bk 17, chp 6, sec 3; chp 9, sec 1, 3).

When one examines all the events that took place between the above lunar eclipse and

Herod’s death, it is only logical to assume there must have been at least 3 months between these events. Usually public mourning of kings were 30 days (Josephus, Wars of the Jews, bk 3, chp 9, sec 5), but the 7-day substitute for Herod’s funeral was not only because of the approaching of the Feast of Passover, which forbid mourning during this period (Mishnah, Moed Katan 3:5), but also because Archelaus was anxious to get to Rome to obtain Caesar’s approval of his kingship.

NASA’s Lunar Eclipse table gave the following information for a NIGHT ECLIPSE in the: Astronomical year 0000 (or 1 BC historical), on Jan 09 Greenwich Time (or Jan 10 US Time), at the Universal or Greenwich Time of 23:08 (or 11:08 PM) (www.sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/LEcat/LE-0099-0000.html). This NIGHT eclipse is a very realistic and probable date of Herod’s eclipse. Since there is no 0 BC, this date would be 1\9\1 BC historically. The only other lunar eclipses that took place in the astronomical year of 0000 BC were the July 5th and December 29th eclipses, which came AFTER the Passover and therefore could not be the eclipse Josephus mentioned.

24

Some biblical historians believe the lunar eclipse that occurred in the astronomical year of -0003 (or 4 BC historically), on March 13, at 00:40 AM Greenwich Time was the eclipse that Josephus spoke of. Since April 2 of that year on the Julian Calendar was the 14th of Nisan or the Passover on the Hebrew Calendar, 20 days would not have been enough time for the events that preceded Herod’s death and his funeral procession to take place. Therefore, this cannot be Herod’s eclipse. In the twentieth century, many Biblical

chronologists have argued in support for an atronomical 1 BC date for the death of Herod. Dr. John Pratt in his article Yet Another Eclipse For Herod stated:

The date of the reported lunar eclipse shortly before the death of King Herod has long been recognized to be important for delimiting possible dates for the birth of Christ. For many years it has been believed that the eclipse occurred on March 13, 4 B.C., and hence that Christ must have been born about 6-5 B.C. However, recent re-evaluation has raised questions about that eclipse…. This paper proposes… Christ was born at the PASSOVER SEASON of 1 B.C. [astronomical or 2 BC historical]….

PROBLEMS WITH 4 B.C.: Filmer proposed the Jan. 10, 1 B.C. eclipse for

Herod…. So many events are recorded by Josephus as occurring after the eclipse and before the following PASSOVER, that it appears impossible (or extremely unlikely) that they all occurred in only 30 days, as required by the 4 B.C. scenario. Each of these events probably took at least a week: Herod's sickness increased; part of his body putrefied and bred worms; He was taken at least ten miles to warm baths and returned when treatment failed; He ordered important men to come from every village in the nation (up to 70-80 miles); they arrived.

Herod's son Antipater was executed and Herod died five days later…. A

magnificent funeral was planned and held for Herod, whose body was carried about 23 miles and then buried; A 7-day mourning began, followed by a funeral feast; Another public mourning was planned and held for the patriots who had been executed during the day preceding the night of the eclipse…. Herod's son Archelaus would never have delayed until after the next Passover to go to Rome to confirm his kingship.

EMPIRE-WIDE REGISTRATION: Until recently, no empire-wide enrollment

(Luke 2:1) was known that would have been required of Joseph and Mary; the commonly cited taxation of 8 B.C. applied only to Roman citizens. Now Martin has identified it as a combined census and oath of allegiance to Augustus…. [that began at the time] the title ‘pater patriae’ (father of thy country) [was bestowed on Augustus] by the senate on Feb. 5, 2 B.C. (Res Gestae 35; Ovid, Fasti 2.129). Josephus records that over 6,000 Pharisees refused to pledge their good will to Caesar (about a YEAR or so BEFORE Herod died), (Ant. XVII.ii.4.) probably referring to that oath because the census would have recorded how many refused. Orosius (a fifth century historian) clearly links an oath to the registration at the birth of Christ….

If Christ was baptized in A.D. 29, one needs only to count back ‘about thirty’ years

[i.e. 1 BC]…. The early Christian fathers, such as Irenaeus and Epiphanius, accepted the straightforward interpretation that it meant a few months less than thirty. Christ made a point of fulfilling the law of Moses in every detail (Mat. 5:17), which would have included beginning his public ministry at age 30 (Num. 4:3)…. Luke says the decree was made ‘in those days’ (Luke 2:1), referring back to when John the Baptist had been born about six months earlier….

25

THE JUNE 17, 2 B.C. CONJUCTION: Many conjunctions in the 3-2 B.C. skies have been noted that might have been interpreted by the magi as being signs of the birth of Christ (Mosley, 1987, pp. 43-54), but one far excels the others as being truly outstanding. The conjunction of Jupiter and Venus on June 17, 2 B.C. was so close

that the two planets would have appeared to touch each other. Calculations indicate that there has never been a brighter, closer conjunction of Venus and Jupiter so near to the bright star Regulus in Leo in the 2000 years before or since…. It is hard to know how the magi might have read ‘signs’ in the heavens, but it has been noted that Jupiter/Zeus was the father god and was often associated with the birth of kings, that Venus was the mother, or goddess of fertility, and that Leo, with the bright king-star Regulus, was the ‘king’ constellation associated with Judah and royalty (Mosley, 1980, p. 8). Thus, this combination seems to be a natural to be interpreted as the coming of the ‘King of the Jews’ (Mat. 2:2).

It has also been noted that when the two planets ‘fused into one’ (Sinnott, Roger,

‘Thoughts on the Star of Bethlehem,’ Sky & Telescope, Dec 1968, 36, 384. He ‘discovered’ this conjunction) they would have appeared to be in a ‘marriage union’ with each other (Martin, p. 16)…. CONCLUSION: The principal conclusion is that Herod died in early A.D. 1…. A secondary proposal is that Christ was probably born near Passover, about April 6-9, 1 BC (NASA’s Eclipse Home Page, reprinted from the Planetarian, vol. 19, no. 4, Dec. 1990, pp. 8-14; The Planetarian is the Journal of the International Planetarium Society).

There were NO ECLIPSES that took place before the Passover in the astronomical

and historical year of 1 AD. There were 3 lunar eclipses that occurred that year, the first took place on: Jun 24 at 09:12 AM, the second on: Nov 19 at 16:35 PM, and the third on: Dec 19 at 05:26 AM. Professor William P. Bidelman of Case Western Reserve University (Warner and Swasey Observatory) in an article entitled The Bimillenary of Christ's Birth:

The Astronomical Evidence stated: There have been several attempts to date the events in Christ’s life by reference to astronomical phenomena. Since he was certainly born before the death of Herod the Great, much has been made of Josephus' statement that Herod died shortly after an eclipse of the moon visible from Jericho. Most chronologists, following the lead of the great Johann Kepler, have assumed that the relevant eclipse was that of March 13, of the year 4 B.C. Yet it has been known for centuries that there were several other eclipses, one as late as January 10 of 1 B.C., that could also qualify….

Another astronomical approach to the problem has been to attempt to determine

the nature and hopefully the time of appearance of the ‘Christmas Star,’ the sight of which inspired the wise men’s visit to Israel (Hughes 1979). In this connection it is well to refer to Matthew’s exact words concerning this phenomenon. I quote from the 1961 New English Bible: ‘After his birth astrologers from the east arrived in Jerusalem, asking, where is the child who is born to be king of the Jews? We observed the rising of his star, and we have come to pay him homage.’ And again: ‘They set out at the king’s bidding; and the star which they had seen at its rising went ahead of them until it stopped above the place where the child lay. At the sight of the star they were overjoyed.’

26

There are at least two important points raised by this account. First, the ‘star’ apparently had meaning only for the astrologers; no one else is reported to have seen it. And second, it is implied that the astrologers had lost sight of the ‘star’ during their trip from their homeland (Babylon? Persia?) to Jerusalem, but that they then saw it

again on their way to Bethlehem. The fact that the ‘star’ was not generally seen gives considerable credence to the idea that what the astrologers observed was not a conventional star like a nova or a supernova but rather what may be called a ‘sign in the heavens’ such as a conjunction, or close approach, of two or more planets. And if indeed, a planetary conjunction was meant, it appears that the same planets were involved in two conjunctions, occurring several months apart….

The discovery by Sinnott (1968) of two notable conjunctions of Venus and Jupiter

revealed in the extensive planetary tables of Tuckerman (Tuckerman B., 1962, Planetary, Lunar, and Solar Positions 601 B.C. to A.D. 1). Both occurred in Leo. The first of these was a close morning conjunction on August 12 of 3 B.C. which Mosley (1987) has shown to have been only about 4.3 arcminutes in separation, while the second was an extremely close (0.5 arcminutes) evening conjunction on June 17 of 2 B.C. Sinnott and others have assumed that it was the second conjunction that led to the astrologers’ trip to Jerusalem…. (NASA’s Eclipse Home Page, reprinted from the Planetarian, vol 20, #3, September 1991; International Planetarium Society).

According to the Bible, the birth of Christ happen during the following events: “Now it

happened that at this time Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census [apographo] should be made of the whole inhabited world. This census [apographe] -- the first [of its kind] took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria, and everyone went to be registered [apographo], each to his own town. So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee for Judaea, to David's town called Bethlehem, since he was of David’s House and line, in order to be registered [apographo] together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child” (Lk 2:1-5, NJB). Dr. Joseph Henry Thayer in his Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament defined apographo as:

(From Herodotus down); a. to write off, copy (from some pattern). b. to enter in a register or records; specifically, to enter in the public records the names of men, their property and income, to enroll (#605). He defined apographe: a. a writing off, transcript (from some pattern). b. ‘an enrolment (or registration) in the public records of persons together with their property and income,’ as the basis of an (census or valuation), i. e. that it might appear how much tax should be levied upon each one: Luke 2:2; Acts 5:37 (#604).

Dr. John Mosley, program supervisor of Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, in his

article entitled, Common Errors in “Star of Bethlehem” stated:

[Section] 2. When determining the date of the birth of Christ, Dionysious Exiguus… a Scythian monk and prominent scholar who lived in Rome, and who had access to the state and church archives, including many records now lost to us… carefully selected the year we would call 1 B.C. for the birth of Christ....

27

[Section] 6. The Incorrect Translation of Luke’s Word ‘Apographe’ as ‘Tax’ in the King James Version: The correct word for tax is ‘apotimesis,’ while ‘apographe’ is properly translated as registration or enrollment and does not imply the payment of goods or money…. The corrected New English Version: ‘In those days a decree was issued by Emperor Augustus for a GENERAL REGISTRATION throughout the Roman world. This was the FIRST REGISTRATION of its kind; and it took place when Quirinius was governor of Syria….’

The correct identity of Luke's registration has been a longstanding puzzle to

historians. Recently Dr. Ernest Martin suggested that it was an OATH of ALLEGIANCE made on the occasion of Augustus’ Silver Jubilee in 2 B.C…. On February 5 of that year, Augustus was awarded the title ‘Pater Patriae,’ Father of the Country, in a year of celebrations that commemorated the 750th anniversary of the legendary founding of Rome.... In the autograph account of his own life, the Res Gestae, Augustus wrote: ‘While I was administering my 13th consulship the senate and the equestrian order and the entire Roman people gave me the title Father of My County.’

The 5th century historian Orosius told how in that same year Augustus ‘ordered

that a CENSUS be taken of each province everywhere and that all men be ENROLLED…. This is the earliest and most famous public acknowledgement which marked Caesar as the first of all men, and the Romans as lords of the world…. In this one name of Caesar all the peoples of the great nations took OATH, and at the same time, through the participation in the CENSUS, were made a part of one society.’ Josephus relates that ‘therefore the whole Jewish nation took an OATH to be faithful to Caesar and the interests of the king (Herod)’ (NASA’s Eclipse Home Page: www.sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/eclipse.html).

This census was completed in 1BC. Josephus speaking of this census wrote:

Caesar Augustus, high priest and tribune of the people, ordains thus: Since the

nation of the Jews hath been found grateful to the Roman people, not only at this time, but in time past also, and chiefly Hyrcanus the high priest, under my father Caesar the emperor, it seemed good to me and my counselors, according to the sentence and OATH of the people of Rome, that the Jews have liberty to make use of their own customs, according to the law of their forefathers, as they made use of them under Hyrcanus the high priest of the Almighty God…. And I give order that the TESTIMONAL which they have given me, on account of my regard to that piety…. And if any one transgress any part of what is above decreed, he shall be severely punished.’ This was inscribed upon a pillar in the temple of Caesar (The Complete Works of Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, bk 16, chp 6, sec 2).

Josephus speaking of the Pharisees who rejected this census declared:

These are those that are called the sect of the Pharisees, who were in a capacity of

greatly opposing kings. A cunning sect they were, and soon elevated to a pitch of open fighting and doing mischief. Accordingly, when all the people of the Jews gave ASSURANCE of their GOOD-WILL to CAESAR, and to the king’s government, these very men did NOT SWEAR, being above six thousand (Josphus, Antiquities, bk 17, chp 2, sec 4 also see bk 18, chp 5, sec 3).

BIBLICAL PROOF

The Bible reveals that Jesus was born in Bethlehem and raised or born from the dead on

the 19th of Nisan, which is Resurrection Day or three and half days after His death and burial. Jesus’ Birth at Bethlehem: “For to which of the angels did He ever say: ‘You

28

are My Son, Today I have begotten You’? And again: ‘I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son’? But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him” (Heb 1:5-6; also Psa 2:7). Jesus’ Birth from the Dead: “God has fulfilled this [promise] for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.’ And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption” (Acts 13:33-34).

Since the great apostle Paul applied Psalm 2 to Jesus’ natural birth and birth from the dead, i.e. His resurrection, this must mean that they both happen on the very same day. Jesus’ resurrection took place three days after He was crucified and buried on the 15th of Nisan on the Hebrew Calendar or Wednesday April 14th on the Julian Calendar, therefore His resurrection must have taken place on the 19th of Nisan or Sunday 18th of April. Therefore, both passages of Scripture harmonize perfectly, and there is no contradiction in scriptures. Let us examine other passages of Scripture that reveal this truth.

Jesus’ Baptism: “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar…. It came to pass that Jesus also was baptized…. Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about [hosei] thirty years of age” (Lk 3:1-3, 21-23). Drs. Young and Darby both translated verse 23 this way: “And Jesus himself was beginning to be about [hosei] thirty years old.” According to Drs. Timothy and Barbara Friberg, in their Analytical Lexicon to the Greek New Testament, the Greek adverb hosei, when used: with numbers and measures means: about, nearly (#29110). This to me would imply days, not months! Therefore, Jesus was almost 30 years old when He was baptized and started His ministry.

I believe that the 15th year of Tiberius’ reign began in late August of 28 AD. The proof for this date will be given in the next section of this book. Now reason dictates that John the Baptist did not immerged anyone in the Jordan River in the cold months of October, November, and December of 28 AD, or in January and February of 29 AD. The Word of God emphatically reveals that Jesus was NOT born in the winter months, for Luke declared that the Angel of the Lord told: the “Shepherds living out in the fields,” who were “keeping watch over their flock by night,” that Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Lk 2:7-18). Since the shepherds would not have been living in the fields, and keeping watch over their sheep and sleeping outdoors in the above cold months, Jesus must have been born in the warmer months. Therefore, the earliest time Jesus could have been baptized in 29 AD, would have been in March.

Jesus Ministered for A Little More Than Three Years, That Is from 29-32 AD: Jesus Himself declared that His Ministry lasted more than 3 years. Jesus declared this in His parable of the Fig Tree, which represented the Nation of Israel:

The Complete Jewish Bible (CJB) Luke 13:5-9: “Unless you turn from your sins, you will all die similarly.’ Then Yeshua [Jesus] gave this illustration: ‘A man [i.e. a Certain One - God] had a fig tree [i.e. the People of Israel] planted in His vineyard [i.e. in the Land of Palestine], and He [God] came looking for fruit but didn’t find any. 7 So He said to the man [i.e. Jesus God’s Humanity] who took care of the vineyard, ‘Here, I’ve come looking for fruit on this fig tree for THREE YEARS now without finding any. Cut it down - why let it go on using up the soil?’ 8 But He [i.e. Jesus God’s Humanity] answered, ‘Sir, leave it alone ONE more YEAR. I’ll dig around it and put manure on it. 9 If it bears fruit NEXT YEAR, 29

well and good; if not, You will have it cut down then.”

This TRUTH can also be seen in the Infallible Word of God in the New Testament by counting the NUMBER of PASSOVERS Jesus’ attended! In order to do this we must also take into account a Harmony of the Gospels of Christ. Since John and Matthew were apostles of Christ, and were actually with Him during the following events, I will mostly quote from their Gospels and give the Gospels of Mark and Luke as references that record the same events! So with this in mind, let us proceed:

JESUS’ FIRST PASSOVER

Jesus Baptism Just before His 30th Birthday: Matthew 3:13-17: “Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him…. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Jn 1:28-34; Lk 3:21-23).

John 1:28-34: “These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world…! And John bore witness, saying, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

Second Day: Jesus’ First Call for Men to Follow Him: John 1:35-51: “Again, the NEXT DAY, John stood with two of his disciples. And looking at Jesus as He walked, he said, ‘Behold the Lamb of God!’ The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus…. One of the two who heard John speak, and followed Him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother…. And he brought him to Jesus. The FOLLOWING DAY Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael.”

Third Day: Jesus and His Five Disciples Attend A Wedding Feast: John 2:1-2, 9, 11: “On the THIRD DAY there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding…. The water that was made wine…. This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.”

Jesus’ First Passover with Five of His Disciples: John 2:13-25: “Now the PASSOVER of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the TEMPLE those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers doing business…. Then His DISCIPLES remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up…. Now when He was in Jerusalem at the PASSOVER, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.” At this Passover, Jesus had a long discourse with Nicodemus about the New Birth (Jn 3:1-21).

30

Jesus Left Jerusalem and Returned to the Jordan River, Where He and His Disciples Baptized Converts: John 3:22-36: “AFTER these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized. Now John also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized. For John had NOT yet been thrown into prison.”

Salim was probably the Shalem mentioned in Genesis 33:18, which was about 7 miles south of Aenon, at the head of the great Wady Far’ah that formed the northern boundary of Judea in the Jordan valley. Let my readers take special not to the phrase “John had NOT yet been thrown into prison” at that time. This is very important to remember when judging the time sequence of events!

Jesus and His 5 Disciples Left Judea and Went to Samaria: John 4:1-43: “Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria…. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, ‘Give Me a drink. For His DISCIPLES had gone away into the city to buy food…. Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.”

Jesus Sent His Five Disciples to Their Homes in Galilee, As He Went into the Wilderness for Forty Days: Matthew 4:1-12: “Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted FORTY DAYS and FORTY DAYS NIGHTS, afterward He was hungry…. Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. Now when Jesus heard that John had been PUT in prison, He departed to Galilee” (also Mk 1:12-14; Luke 4:1-13). As one examines and compares the four Gospels of Christ, they will surely perceives that Jesus must have sent His 5 disciples home when He went into the wilderness. The following is the proof of this truth!

Jesus Goes to Several Cities in Galilee Without Any Disciples with Him: John 4:45-54: “So when HE [not they] came to Galilee, the Galileans received HIM, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the Feast [i.e. the Passover Feast]; for they also had gone to the Feast. So Jesus came AGAIN to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman… said to Him, ‘Sir, come down before my child dies!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your son lives.’ So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way…. This again is the SECOND SIGN Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.”

Jesus Goes to Nazareth Without Any Disciples with Him: Luke 4:14-30: “Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. So He CAME to Nazareth, where He had been brought up…. He said to them, ‘You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in Your country….’ Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way.”

Jesus’ Second Call for Men to Follow Him: Matthew 4:13-22: “And LEAVING

31

Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali…. And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ They IMMEDIATELY left their nets and followed Him. Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, and IMMEDIATELY they left the boat and their father, and followed Him” (also Mk 1:15-20).

Jesus Teaches the Beatitudes, which after His Death Becomes Some of the Laws of the New Covenant that Later Replaced the Mosaic Laws: Matthew 5:1-8:1: “And seeing the multitudes, He went up ON A MOUNTAIN, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven….’ When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him.” Jesus teaches the Beatitudes to a multitude twice, once when He was on a mountain and only had 4 disciples, and another time after He chose 12 apostles and came down from a mountain.

Jesus Calls Matthew to Be His Disciple: Matthew 9:9-17: “As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, ‘Follow Me.’ So he arose and followed Him…. [Jesus told the disciples of John, no one puts] new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved” (also Mark 2:13-22; Lk 5:27-39).

JESUS’ SECOND PASSOVER Sometime in the 5th chapter of the Gospel of John, the Feasts of Passover and Pentecost

is completed, as the following passages of Scripture will Prove!

John 5:1-9: “After this there was a FEAST of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a POOL, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches…. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS…. Jesus said to him, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk.’ And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.” The phrase “FEAST of the Jews” is used by John to refer to the Passover Feast, as can be seen in: “Now the PASSOVER, a FEAST of the Jews, was NEAR” (Jn 6:4).

CJB John 5:1, 5: “After this, there was a Judean FESTIVAL; and Yeshua went up to Yerushalayim…. One man was there who had been ill for THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS.” CJB is the Complete Jewish Bible that is published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. and is distributed by Messianic Jewish Resources International.

180 AD: Bishop Irenaeus of France writing around this time against the Ebionites and other Gnostic Sects, refers to the above passage of scripture, and reveals that this Feast is indeed a Passover Feast, and it is the SECOND PASSOVER FEAST that our Lord attended in Jerusalem during His Ministry. This Bishop proclaimed for all Ebionites to read:

32

Moreover, they [the Gnostics] affirm that He suffered in the twelfth month, so that He continued to preach for one year after His baptism…. But it is greatly to be wondered at, how it has come to pass that, while affirming that they have found out the mysteries of God, they have NOT examined the Gospels to ascertain how OFTEN after His baptism the Lord went up, at the time of the PASSOVER, to Jerusalem, in accordance with what was the practice of the Jews from every land, and every year, that they should assemble at this period in Jerusalem, and there celebrate the FEAST of the PASSOVER.

FIRST [PASSOVER] of all, after He had made the water wine at Cana of Galilee,

He went up to the FESTIVAL day of the PASSOVER…. Afterwards He went up, the SECOND TIME, to observe the FESTIVAL day of the PASSOVER in Jerusalem; on which occasion He cured the PARALYTIC MAN, who had lain beside the POOL THIRTY-EIGHT YEARS, bidding Him rise, take up his couch, and depart. Again, withdrawing from thence to the other side of the sea of Tiberias” (Ante Nicene Fathers, vol 1, Irenaeus Against Heresies, bk 2, chp 22, sec 1 & 3, pp 808-810; also see Tertullian who taught in Africa in 200 AD: ANF vol 3, Tertullian, part 3, On Baptism, chp 5 – The Angel at the Pool of Bethsaida, pg 1259).

It appears to me that these Ebionites and other Gnostics Sects have not learned much in

2,000 years about the Infallible Word of God in the New Testament, of which they still denounce most of it as writings inspired by Lucifer, especially the Epistles of Paul, who was a great APOSTLE of the Lamb of God! I wonder how anyone can denounce the validity of God’s Word and the Deity of Christ as much as they do and still claim to be Christians; evidently they following the ways of their FATHER Lucifer, who deceived Eve into questioning the validity of God’s Word when he said: “Has God indeed said” and then completely denying its validity: “Then the SERPENT said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die” (Gen 3:1-4).

Passover Is Over and Countdown of Seven Sabbaths to Pentecost Begins: Luke 6:1-13: “Now it happened on the SECOND SABBATH after the FIRST that He went through the grain fields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. And some of the Pharisees said to them, ‘Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath…? Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles” (Mt 12:1-2; Mk 2:23-28). This event might have taken place in Jerusalem.

Leviticus 23:5, 15-16: “On the fourteenth day of the first month at twilight is the LORD's Passover…. And you shall COUNT for yourselves from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering: SEVEN SABBATHS shall be completed. COUNT FIFTY DAYS to the day after the SEVENTH SABBATH.” The day after the Seventh Sabbath is the FEAST of PENTECOST.

Jesus Teaches the Beatitudes a Second Time to A Multitude After He Came Down from A Mountain Near Capernaum: Luke 6:17-7:1: “And He CAME DOWN with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases…. Then He lifted up His eyes toward His

33

disciples, and said: ‘Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God…. Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum.”

John in Prison Inquires of Jesus: Matthew 11:2-30: “And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me” (Luke 7:18-35).

Jesus Gave the Parables on a Boat Close by the Sea: Matthew 13:1-3, 56: “On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore. Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: ‘Behold, a sower went out to sow…. Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these parables, that He departed from there. And when He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, ‘Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this Man get all these things” (also Mk 4:1-41; Lk 8:4-25).

Jesus Cross over the Sea and went to the Land of the Gadarenes with His Disciples: Mark 5:1-20: “Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes. And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains…. And he [the man whom Jesus cast demons out of] departed and began to proclaim in Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him; and all marveled.” (Lk 8:26-39).

Jesus Cross over the Sea again and Goes Back to Capernaum with His Disciples: Mark 5:21-29: “Now when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea. And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus… and begged Him earnestly, saying, ‘My little daughter lies at the point of death…. So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him. Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years…. Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction…. Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her [Jairus’ daughter], ‘Talitha, cumi,’ which is translated, ‘Little girl, I say to you, arise.’ Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age. And they were overcome with great amazement” (also Lk 8:40-56).

Jesus Returns to Nazareth this Time with His Disciples: Mark 6:1-6 “Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, ‘Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this, which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?’ And they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, ‘A

34

prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.’ Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.”

Jesus Sends Out His Twelve Apostles to All the Cities to Proclaim His Message: Mark 6:1-13: “And He called the TWELVE to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits…. So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.”

John the Baptist Is Martyred: John 5:33-35: “You have sent to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. Yet I do not receive testimony from man, but I say these things that you may be saved. He WAS [en] the burning and shining lamp, and you were willing for a time to rejoice in his light.”

CJB John 5:33-35: “You have sent to Yochanan [John], and he has testified to the truth. Not that I collect human testimony; rather, I say these things so that you might be saved. He WAS [en] a lamp burning and shining, and for a little while you were willing to bask in his light” (Complete Jewish Bible). The Greek verb “en” or “h=n” is in the IMPERFECT or PAST TENSE, no voice, indicative mood, 3rd person, singular number, and it is from the Greek verb “eivmi,” or “I am.” In other words, John is being referred to in the PAST TENSE, that is, he is DEAD!

Matthew 14:11-12: “At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus 2 and said to his servants, ‘This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the DEAD, and therefore these powers are at work in him….’ Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus” (also Mk 6:14; Lk 9:7).

JESUS’ THIRD PASSOVER

Sometime between the 6th and 8th chapters of the Gospel of John, the Feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacle is completed, as the following passages of Scripture will Prove!

Jesus Feeds 5,000 Men Plus Women and Children Just before He Goes to His Third Passover Feast in Jerusalem: John 6:1-9: “Jesus then goes over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. Then a great multitude followed Him…. Now the PASSOVER, a FEAST of the Jews, was NEAR…. One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, ‘There is a lad here who has FIVE BARLEY LOAVES and TWO small FISH, but what are they among so many…. They gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, "This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

35

Matthew 14:13-21: “When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities…. But Jesus said to them, ‘They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.’ And they said to Him, ‘We have here only FIVE LOAVES and TWO FISH…. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.

Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children” (also Mk 6:33-44; Luke 9:1-13).

Jesus Walks on Water: Jesus then left the mountain and walks on water to His disciples who were in a boat going to Capernaum. John 6:15-21: “Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. 16 Now when evening came, His disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into the boat, and went over the sea toward Capernaum…. 19 So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid” (also Matthew 14:22-25; Mk 6:45-52).

Jesus gives His speech on His body being the Bread of Life in a synagogue in Capernaum. Many of His disciples stop following Him at that time (Jn 6:22-67).

Jesus and His Apostles Go to the Land of Tyre and Sidon: Matthew 15:21-25: “Then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, ‘Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed.’ But He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, ‘Send her away, for she cries out after us.’ But He answered and said, ‘I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ Then she came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, help me!”

Passover Is Now Past and Jesus Goes to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles: John 7:1-2, 14, 37: “After these things Jesus walked in Galilee; for He did not want to walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill Him. Now the Jews’ FEAST of TABERNACLES…. Now about the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and taught…. On the last day, that great day of the Feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink”

At this time the religious leaders of Jerusalem brought to Jesus a woman caught in committing adultery (Jn 8:1-11). Jesus told the Jews, just before He left the temple, that Abraham saw His day and He existed before Abraham was born (Jn 8:56-59). Jesus then heals the man born blind at the Pool of Siloam and the religious leaders threw the blind man out of the synagogue (Jn 9:1-41). Jesus gives His good Shepard speech (Jn 10:1-21).

Jesus Goes to Jerusalem for the Feast of Dedication: John 10:22: “Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.” The Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem took place from December 19th-25th.

JESUS’ FOURTH PASSOVE

John 12:1: “Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead.”

Matthew 16:21: “From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day” (also Mk 10:32-34; Lk 9:51).

36

CONCLUSION: the above order of events that happen after Jesus baptism reveal that His birthday must have been in the month of the Passover, and since the apostle Paul compared Jesus’ natural birth with His birth from the dead, this can only mean that both took place on the same day, which no doubt was the day of His resurrection from the dead, i.e., the 19th of Nisan.

Jesus Attended Four Passovers After He Was Baptized: John definitely mentions 3 of the Passovers by name, and he calls 1 by the name of feast. The 1st Passover would have taken place in 29 AD on Nisan the 14th, which was 5 day before His 30th birthday (cp Lk 3:21-23 & Jn 1:29-34 with 2:13; 4:3; 5:1). Jesus’ 2nd Passover would have been in 30 AD on Nisan the 14th when He was almost 31 years old (Jn 5:1), even though the Bible does not name this feast, I believe it was a Passover Feast, and it took place after John the Baptist was dead (cp Jn 5:1, 33-36 with 6:1). The 3rd Passover Jesus attended took place in 31 AD on Nisan the 14th when He was almost 32 years old (cp Jn 6:4 with 7:2).

The 4th Passover was in 32 AD on Nisan the 14th when He was 5 days from being 33 years old; this would have taken place in the 18th year of Tiberius' reign (cp Jn 11:55 with 12:1). Since Jesus ate supper with Lazarus, Mary, and Martha 6 days before He died, this would have been on 4\8\32 AD (Jn 12:1). The next day or 4\9\32 AD, Jesus rode into Jerusalem and the Jews proclaimed Him as their KING (Jn 12:12-16). This was the day that Jesus wept over Jerusalem and said: “If you had known… THIS your DAY…. But they are hidden from your eyes” (Lk 19:37-42). Jesus no doubt said this in reference to Daniel’s prophecy of Seventy-Weeks of Years in which Messiah the Prince would come.

Another way of knowing that Jesus ministry lasted more than 3 years can be seen from the parable of the fig tree: “He also spoke this parable: ‘A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none.’ Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for THREE YEARS I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?’ But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone THIS YEAR ALSO, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down” (Lk 13:6-9). Therefore, if the above dates are correct, Jesus would have been born in 1 BC, and He would have been 30 year old in the 15th year of Tiberius’ reign, which would have been in 29 AD.

HISTORICAL PROOF

According to International Standard Bible Encyclopedia:

The question is, from what date is this [Jesus’ 30th birthday] to be reckoned - the date of Tiberius’ co-regency, 13 (or 11) AD, or from his accession, 14 AD (, vol 5, pg 2980)?

By comparing the length of reigns of each Roman Emperor from Tiberius through

Vespasian, which Josephus gave in his history, it will be easy to show that Tiberius’ reign must have began in 13AD, for only this year would place the fall and destruction of the city of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

All historical dates of the reign of Roman Emperors are taken from The Complete Works of Josephus and his history Wars of the Jews. Each date begins with the sole reign of that

37