A Simple Man's Bible Chronology

8/10/2019 A Simple Man's Bible Chronology

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My email: [email protected] 1

World Event Year Possible

Error Reference

Dates derived from Bible prophecy and math calculations:(Math explanation follows the chart)

Temple to be reconsecrated 2135 A.D. Modern Daniel 8:14 and calculated by Bob

oore

Blessed is the one who waits for andreaches the end of 1335 days 2060 A.D. Modern Daniel 12:12 and calculated by Boboore

the time of the end 1985 A.D. Modern Daniel 12:9-11 and calculated by

Bob Moore, 75 year period to 2060.

The power of the Holy People finallybroken

1935 A.D. Modern Daniel 12:7 and calculated by Bob

oore, holocaust, etc.

Dates acquired from secular history sources:

Titus Destroys Herodian Temple 70 A.D. Modern Newton (footnote 1)

Jesus crucified. 33 A.D. Modern A controversial date. Most authorities

think this to be the most likely date

Desecration of 2nd Temple by AntiochusEpiphanes

167 B.C. Modern Scofield NIV footnote

Jerusalem captured by Alexander 333 B.C. Modern Microsoft Encarta

Artaxerxes I issues decree to rebuild Jer-usalem

445 B.C. Modern Scofield NIV footnote,Neh. 2 andMicrosoft Encarta, Artaxerxes I

Second Temple Consecrated 516/15 B.C. Modern Easton/Britannica/Encarta

Nebuchadnezzar Destroys First Temple 586 B.C. Modern Britannica

Dates acquired from the Bible:

Zedekiah's Reign Begins 597 B.C. +/- 1 *2 Kings 24:18

Jehoiakim's Reign Begins 608 B.C. +/- 2 2 Kings 23:36

Jehoahaz's Reign Begins 608 B.C. +/- 3 2 Kings 23:31

Josiah's Reign Begins 639 B.C. +/- 4 2 Kings 22:1

Amon's Reign Begins 641 B.C. +/- 5 2 Kings 21:15

Manasseh's Reign Begins 696 B.C. +/- 6 2 Kings 21:1

Assyrian Captivity (Northern tribes) 719 B.C. +/- 7 2 Kings 18:9-12Hezekiah's Reign Begins 725 B.C. +/- 7 2 Kings 18:2

Ahaz's Reign Begins 741 B.C. +/- 8 2 Kings 16:1-2

Jotham's Reign Begins 757 B.C. +/- 9 2 Kings 15

Azariah's {Uzziah) Reign Begins 809 B.C. +/- 10 2 Kings 15:1-33

Amaziah's Reign Begins 838 B.C. +/- 11 2 Kings 14:1-2

Joash's Reign Begins 878 B.C. +/- 12 2 Kings 12:1

Athaliah's(Ahaziahs Mom)Rule Begins 884 B.C. +/- 13 2 Kings 11:4-21

Ahaziah's Reign Begins 885 B.C. +/- 14 2 Kings 8:26

Jehoram's Reign Begins 893 B.C. +/- 15 2 Kings 8:17

Jehoshaphat's Reign Begin 918 B.C. +/- 16 1 Kings 22:42

Asa's Reign Begins 959 B.C. +/- 17 1 Kings 15:9-10

Abijam's Reign Begins 962 B.C. +/- 18 1 Kings 15:1-2

Rehoboam's Reign Begins 979 B.C. +/- 19 1 Kings 11:42-43

Temple Completed 960 Sec.

1008 B.C. NU

1 Kings 6:38 (Secular sources place this 960 BCE.From this point on, the secular date will be listed over thedate derived from scriptures.)

Temple Construction Begins 967 Sec.

1015 B.C. +/- 20 1 Kings 6:1

Solomon's Reign Begins* 971 Sec.

1019 B.C. NU *1 Kings 6:1


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Davids Reign Begins 1011 Sec.

1059 B.C. NU 1 Kings 2:11

Moses Dies 1407 Sec.

1455 B.C. +/- 20 Deut. 34:7, Joshua 5:6-7

Exodus from EgyptLaw Given

1447 Sec.1495 B.C.

+/- 21 Exodus 12:40-41

Moses Born 1527 Sec.1575 B.C. +/- 21 Deut. 34:7, Joshua 5:6-7

Death of Joseph 1808 Sec.

1856 B.C. +/- 22 Genesis 50:26

Jacob Dies 1860 Sec.

1908 B.C. +/- 22 Genesis 47:28

Israel's Sojourn in Egypt BeginsJacobs 130th year(Link between eras.)

1877 Sec.1925 B.C.

+/- 22 Genesis 47:8-10 (This date establishes thelink between ancient and modern eras.)

Josephs 30th year 1888 Sec.

1936 B.C. Gen. 41:46 ; Gen. 45:4-6

Birth of Joseph 1918 Sec.

1966 B.C. Gen. 41:46 ; Gen. 45:4-6

Death of Abraham 1992 Sec.

2040 B.C.

+ /- 23 Gen. 25:7-8

Birth of Jacob (Israel) 2007Sec.

2055 B.C. +/- 23 Genesis 47:8-10

Birth of Isaac 2067 Sec.

2115 B.C. +/- 24 Genesis 25:26

Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed 2068 B.C.

2116 B.C. Genesis 18 & 19

Gods Covenant with Abraham,99th year possibility

2068 Sec.2116 B.C.

NU Genesis 17:1-8

Birth of Ishmael 2081Sec.

2129 B.C. NU Genesis 16:16

Death of Terah, Gods Abrahamic Cove-nant, 75th year possibility

2092 Sec.2140 B.C.

+/- 24 Genesis 12:4

Birth of Abraham 2167 Sec.

2215 B.C. +/- 25 Genesis 21:5

Death of Noah 2169 Sec.


Death of Peleg 2179 B.C.

2227 B.C. Genesis 11:18-19

Birth of Terah 2297 Sec.

2345 B.C. +/- 26 Genesis 11:32, 12:4

Birth of Nahor 2326 Sec.

2374 B.C. +/- 27 Genesis 11:24

Birth of Serug 2356 Sec.

2404 B.C. +/- 28 Genesis 11:22

Birth of Rue 2388 Sec.

2436 B.C. +/- 29 Genesis 11:20

Birth of Peleg 2418 Sec.

2466 B.C. +/- 30 Genesis 11:18

Birth of Eber 2452 Sec.

2500 B.C. +/- 31 Genesis 11:16

Birth of Shelah 2482 Sec.

2530 B.C. +/- 32 Genesis 11:14

Birth of Arphaxad 2517 Sec.

2565 B.C. +/- 33 Genesis 11:12


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The Flood 2519 Sec.

2567 B.C. +/- 34 Genesis 11:10

Death of Methuselah 2519 Sec.


Birth of Shem 2517 Sec.


Birth of Noah 3119 Sec.3167 B.C. +/- 35 Genesis 5:28-29

God took Enoch 3188 Sec.

3236 B.C. NU Genesis 5:23-24

Death of Adam 3245 Sec.


Birth of Lamech 3301 Sec.

3349 B.C. +/- 36 Genesis 5:28

Birth of Methuselah 3488 Sec.

3536 B.C. +/- 37 Genesis 5:25

Birth of Enoch 3553 Sec.

3601 B.C. +/- 38 Genesis 5:21

Birth of Jared 3715 Sec.

3763 B.C.

+/- 39 Genesis 5:18

Birth of Mahalaleel 3780 Sec.

3828 B.C. +/- 40 Genesis 5:15

Birth of Cainan 3850 Sec.

3898 B.C. +/- 41 Genesis 5:12

Birth of Enosh 3940 Sec.

3988 B.C. +/- 42 Genesis 5:9

Birth of Seth 4045 Sec.

4093 B.C. +/- 43 Genesis 5:6

Creation of Adam* 4175 Sec.

4223 B.C. + /- 44 Genesis 5:3

Years in the Hebrew calendar are labeled with the era designation Anno Mun-di (Latin for "in the year of the world"), abbreviated AMand A.M., (Hebrew:

), and are numbered from the epoch that, by Rabbinical reckoning,

is the date of the creation of Adam. 30 September 2008 through 18 Septem-

ber 2009 corresponded to Hebrew year 5769; the Hebrew year 5770 beganat sundown on the evening of 18 September 2009 and will end on 8 Septem-ber 2010.Source: Wikipedia

(Example calculation: If we see a chart listing 1656 AM as the date of the flood, we know its author in-

tends that it could be translated to 3760 bc 1656 years = 2104 bc. The Rabbinical reckoning is thatAdam was created approximately 3760 BC in Julian calendar years.)

The Jewish Mundane era, beginning in 3760BC, was not used until the 10th century AD.Jews now also use dates coinciding with those in the Christian era, but they treat thedates as belonging to a Common era and designate BC dates as BCE and AD dates asCE. The creation was dated by the 17th-century Irish archbishop James Ussher as

4004BC.1

1" Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Chronology," Microsoft Encarta Ency-clopedia 2000. 1993-1999


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This is How It Was Calculated

Lets do this thing the easy way and have some fun at the same time. You will need to

get out your Bible and check up on me. I love that old white-haired preacher on TVwhos always saying Get your Bible and check up on me. Check up on all preachers.Thats what I do. I get my Bible out and check up on him, and all the others too. Youcan learn so much when you check upon someone by finding out what the Bible has to

say about a topic.

I want to urge you to do that with me. I use an inexpensive Search Bible installed on my

laptop and have a high-speed internet connection that offers much more online capability

and many search Bibles. Honestly, Im so spoiled I dont know how the folks that donthave this capability can live without it. This paper contains numerous references to help

you with your checking if you dont use a computer.

Genesis gives us a long string ofbegatsthat cause the matter of a Bible chronology toappear deceptively easy. We find matters easy until we reach the time of the flood. The

Bible uses a distinct literary/math construction for all the patriarch from Adam throughNoah. Its of the form, When Joe was 28 years old he begat Sam. After Joe begat Sam

he lived another 50 years and begat other sons and daughters, and then he died. All the

years of Joe were 78 years.

With Shem the pattern changes subtly. When Shem was 100 years old, he fathered Ar-

pachshad two years after the flood.And Shem lived after he fathered Arpachshad 500 years and other sons and daughters.Now you have to add 100 to 500 and you want to know Shems lifespan, which turns out

a mere 600 years. We dont have to use a total span of life years to calculate the chronol-ogy until we get to Terah. At Terah, the form changes again, with calculation difficultyappearing to increase at an almost exponential rate.

Genesis 11:26 tells us that when Terah was 70 he fathered Abraham, Nahor, and Haran.

Isnt it so tempting to just say that well, since Abraham was certainly the most notable of

the three boys he must be the one born when Terah was 70. That turns out to be sowrong! Heres the solution. From Genesis 11:31, 12:4 and Acts 7:4 we find that Abra-

ham was 75 when Terah died at 205. From this we know that Terah was 130 years old

when Abraham was born. Some of historys most prominent power heads have fallen in-

to this little snare. So did I, but that doesnt make me a power head so I just do the best I

can.Abrahams age is precisely known at the time of Isaacs birth, and Isaacs age is precisely

know at the time of Jacobs birth. Since there is a passage in the Bible that tells us ex-actly how old Jacob was at the beginning of the 430 year sojourn of Israel (Jacob and his

family) in Egypt, we can now link the modern era to the patriarchal era. The passages

that allow us to do this neat little trick are Genesis 47:8-10 and Exodus 12:40-41. This isno small matter and the subject of much theological debate. Later, well go into a more

extensive explanation.


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What we do in this chronology is calculate from the known time Nebuchadnezzer ran-

sacked the Temple in 586 BC. We sum the years of the Judean Kings far enough back toreach the time Solomon began construction of the Temple. The period of time between

the Exodus and start of Temple construction is clearly given as 480 years and the 430

year sojourn in Egypt is now well defined. Through the scriptures relating to the precisebirth times for Jacob and Isaac, weve completed the link to the patriarchs through Abra-

ham. This completes the overview of how we calculate the chronology table, so now

lets get on with the nuts and bolts.

Chronology References and Calculations

Following are the Bible references for the chronology table and the simple arithmetic

process used. The first Temple was destroyed in 586 BC, a date well fixed in history

and used as the basis for this table. Calculating through the period of the kings we arenot concerned about the monarchs age. In most instances the facts are available but peri-

od of rule follows a more pronounced literary/math pattern and is much easier to use forcalculations.

The chronology chart begins with events of the future, simply because it proves to flow

more naturally when we start from near the present day and proceed backward to times ofantiquity. Due to their highly speculative nature, calculations for the first seven events

will be provided after the math in the next section. It seems a better idea than trying to

conjecture the future without establishing that there is sound knowledge of the past.

2 Kings 24:18 (NKJV) [11 + 586 = 597] (Zedekiah, the last Judean monarch ruled

until Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and took him captive to Babylon.)

18 Zedekiahwas twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven yearsin Jerusalem. His mother's namewas Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah.

Jeremiah 25:1 (NKJV) [608 4 = 604] (Nebuchadnezzar)1 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 (whichwas the first year of Nebuchadnezzarking of Babylon),

2 Kings 23:36 (NKJV) [11 + 597 = 608] (Jehoiakim)36 Jehoiakimwas twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven

years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Zebudah the daughter of Pedaiah of Rumah.

2 Kings 22:1 (NKJV) [31 + 608 = 639] (Josiah)1 Josiahwas eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jer-

usalem. His mother's namewas Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath.

2 Kings 21:19 (NKJV) [2 + 639 = 641] (Amon)19 Amonwas twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned two years in Jer-

usalem. His mother's namewas Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.


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2 Kings 21:1 (NKJV) [55 + 641 = 696] (Manasseh)1 Manassehwas twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in

Jerusalem. His mother's namewas Hephzibah.

2 Kings 18:1-2 (NKJV) [29 + 696 = 725] (Hezekiah)1

Now it came to pass in the third year of Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel,thatHe-zekiah the son of Ahaz, king of Judah, began to reign.2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years inJerusalem. His mother's namewas Abi the daughter of Zechariah.

2 Kings 18:9-12 (NKJV) [725 6 = 719] (Northern tribes captured by Assyria.)9Now it came to pass in the fourth year of King Hezekiah, whichwas the seventh year of

Hoshea the son of Elah, king of Israel, thatShalmaneser king of Assyria came up against

Samaria and besieged it.10 And at the end of three years they took it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, thatis,the

ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken.11 Then the king of Assyria carried Israel away captive to Assyria, and put them in Halahand by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes,12because they did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, but transgressed His cove-

nantandall that Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded; and they would neither

hear nor dothem.

2 Kings 16:2 (NKJV) [16 + 725 = 741] (Ahaz)2 Ahazwas twenty years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jeru-

salem; and he did not do what wasright in the sight of the Lord his God, as his father Da-

vidhad done.

2 Kings 15:32-33 (NKJV) [16 + 741 = 757] (Jotham)

32 In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uz-ziah, king of Judah, began to reign.33 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in

Jerusalem. His mother's namewas Jerusha the daughter of Zadok.

Eastons Bible Dictionary

Jotham

(2.) The son and successor of Uzziah on the throne of Judah. As during his last years Uz-

ziah was excluded from public life on account of his leprosy, his son, then twenty-

five years of age, administered for seven years the affairs of the kingdom in his fa-ther's stead (2 Chr. 26:21, 23; 27:1). After his father's death he became sole mon-

arch, and reigned for sixteen years (B.C. 759-743). He ruled in the fear of God, andhis reign was prosperous. He was contemporary with the prophets Isaiah, Hosea, andMicah, by whose ministrations he profited. He was buried in the sepulchre of the

kings, greatly lamented by the people (2 Kings 15:38; 2 Chr. 27:7-9).

2 Kings 15:1-2 (NKJV) [52 + 757 = 809] (Azariah{Uzziah})1 In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah the son of Amaziah, king

of Judah, became king.


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2 He was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusa-

lem. His mother's namewas Jecholiah of Jerusalem.

2 Kings 14:1-2 (NKJV) [29 + 809 = 838] (Amaziah)1 In the second year of Joash the son of Jehoahaz, king of Israel, Amaziah the son of

Joash, king of Judah, became king.2 He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in

Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem.

2 Chronicles 24:1 (NKJV) [40 + 838 = 878] (Joash)1 Joashwas seven years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusa-lem. His mother's namewas Zibiah of Beersheba.

2 Kings 11:2-3 (NKJV) [ 6 + 878 = 884] (Athaliahs reign of terror)2 But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of

Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sonswho werebeing murdered; and

they hid him and his nurse in the bedroom, from Athaliah, so that he was not killed.3 So he was hidden with her in the house of the Lord for six years, while Athaliah reignedover the land.

2 Kings 8:26 (NKJV) [1 + 884 = 885] (Ahaziah)26 Ahaziahwas twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned one year inJerusalem. His mother's namewas Athaliah the granddaughter of Omri, king of Israel.

2 Kings 8:16-17 (NKJV) [8 + 885 = 893] (Jehoram)16Now in the fifth year of Joram the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoshaphathaving been

king of Judah, Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat began to reign as king of Judah.17 He was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned eight years in Jerusa-

lem.

1 Kings 22:42 (NKJV) [25 + 893 = 918] (Jehoshaphat)42 Jehoshaphatwas thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five

years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi.

1 Kings 15:9-10 (NKJV) [41 + 918 = 959] (Asa)9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa became king over Judah.10 And he reigned forty-one years in Jerusalem. His grandmother's name was Maachah

the granddaughter of Abishalom.

1 Kings 15:1-2 (NKJV) [3 + 959 = 962] (Abijam)1 In the eighteenth year of King Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijam became king over Ju-dah.2 He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maachah the granddaughter

of Abishalom.

1 Kings 14:21 (NKJV) [17 + 962 = 979] (Rehoboam)


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21 And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboamwas forty-one years

old when he became king. He reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the

Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. His mother's namewasNaamah, an Ammonitess.

1 Kings 11:42 (NKJV) (40 + 979 = 1019) (Solomon

s reign begins.)42 And the period that Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israelwas forty years.

1 Kings 6: 1 (NKJV) [1019 4 = 1015] (Temple construction begins)1 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 over Israel, inthe month of Ziv, whichis the second month, that he began to build the house of the

Lord.

1 Kings 6:37-38 (NKJV) [1019 11 = 1008] (Temple completed, many historians

hold this to be 960 BC)37 In the fourth year the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid, in the month of Ziv.38 And in the eleventh year, in the month of Bul, which is the eighth month, the house wasfinished in all its details and according to all its plans. So he was seven years in building

it.(This may well be the single most controversial point in all chronology. Idont propose a solution. Rather from this point to creation I simply insert

two dates in the chart. The upper number reflects use of the 960 BC figure.

The bottom number is simply the arithmetic result, 1008 BC, obtained di-rectly from translations of the Masoretic text. May the reader discern that

which is true.)

1 Kings 2 (40 + 1019 = 1059) (Davids reign begins)

11. The period that David reigned over Israel was forty years; seven years he reigned in

Hebron, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years.

From this point, continuing back to creation time, we will list two dates in the Chronol-

ogy Table. The upper number will be calculated with the secular date for completion ofthe Temple, 960 B.C. The lower number is calculated using the date 1015 B.C. which we

have calculated from the Bible references above. With that being said, I see no reason to

claim this number is infallible, derived from the inspired word of God. The scrip-ture from which the numbers are gleaned does not appear to present itself as mathemati-

cally precise. The 48 year increment between these two numbers is some indication of

how many modern Bible scholars view historical records of the life and times of the

kings of Israel and Judah.

1 Kings 6:1 (NKJV) [1015 + 480 = 1495] (The Exodus)1 And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israelhad come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in

the month of Ziv, whichis the second month, that he began to build the house of the

Lord.


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Deuteronomy 34:7 (NKJV)7 Moseswas one hundred and twenty years old when he died. His eyes were not dim nor

his natural vigor diminished.

Joshua 5:6-7 (NKJV)6

For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, till all the peoplewhoweremen of war, who came out of Egypt, were consumed, because they did not obey the

voice of the Lord--to whom the Lord swore that He would not show them the land whichthe Lord had sworn to their fathers that He would give us, "a land flowing with milk and

honey."7 Then Joshua circumcised their sons whomHe raised up in their place; for they were un-

circumcised, because they had not been circumcised on the way.

Now we can calculate the years of Moses.

The following verses are not needed for calculations, but too important to ignore:Genesis 15:12-16 (NKJV)

12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror andgreat darkness fell upon him.13 Then He said to Abram: "Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a landthat is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years.14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with greatpossessions.15 Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age.16 But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yetcomplete."

In the fourth generation

1. Levi

2. Kohath

3. Amram4. Moses

the promise was dramatically fulfilled.

[1495 - 40 = 1455] (The year Moses died. Amos 2:10 (ESV))10 Also it was I who brought you up out of the land of Egypt and led you forty years in

the wilderness, to possess the land of the Amorite.

[1455 + 120 = 1575] (The year Moses was born.)

Following are some verses that are also helpful in establishing chronology for

the formative years of Israel but are not used in this chart:

Genesis 41:46-48 (NKJV)46 Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph

went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.47Now in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth abundantly.48 So he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and

laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which sur-

rounded them.


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Genesis 45:4-6 (NKJV)4 And Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come near to me." So they came near. Then he

said: "Iam Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt.5 But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me

here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.6

For these two years the famine has beenin the land, and there arestill five years inwhichthere will beneither plowing nor harvesting.

We can ascertain that the sojourn in Egypt began 11 years after Josephs 30th year. This

includes the seven years of plenty and two years of the famine at which time he sends his

brothers to get Jacob in Beersheba. Finally, after two years of traveling between Egypt

and Beersheba, Genesis 47:13-26 gives enough information to conclude that there werethree years of famine remaining after the sojourn began. While this is all very relevant to

determining Josephs place in chronology, it has no bearing on the chronology as a

whole.

Must add 2. Gen. 41:46 ; 45:4-6 (NKJV) [1925 + 7 + 2 + 2 = 1936] (Josephs 30th

year)

Gen. 41:46 ; 45:4-6 (NKJV) [1936 + 30 = 1966] (Josephs birth year)

Genesis 50:26 (NKJV)[1966 110 years = 1856] (Josephs death year)26 So Joseph died,beingone hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he

was put in a coffin in Egypt.

Exodus 12:40-41 [430 + 1495 = 1925] (Using the Exodus to calculate the beginning of

the sojourn in Egypt)40Now the sojourn of the children of Israel who lived in Egyptwas four

hundred and thirty years.41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty yearson

that very same day--it came to pass that all the armies of the Lord wentout from the land of Egypt.

This is when the sojourn of Israel in Egypt began. Jacob (Israel) moved all 70 people(Gen. 46:27) of the nation of Israel from Beersheba to Goshen. The following verses will

establish the officialbeginning of the sojourn in Egypt:

Genesis 47:8-10 (NKJV)(These verses relate the 430 year sojourn to Jacobs age.

This connects the modern era to post-diluvian patriarchs.)8

Pharaoh said to Jacob, "How oldare you?"9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred

and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have

not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrim-

age."10 So Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.

[1925 + 130 = 2055] (Jacob born 130 years before sojourn begins.)


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Genesis 47:28 (NKJV) [2055 147 = 1908] (The year of Jacobs death.)28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob's life was

one hundred and forty-seven years.

At this point, I suppose it would be a good time to interject a boxedmes-

sage. This is where the simple mans chronology varies considerably from

those of the theological power heads. Youve just seen how we used the sim-ple statement of the 430 year sojourn and Josephs introduction of his fatherto the new landlord (Pharoah) to tie the patriarchs to our present age in his-

tory. Power heads seem to want to talk about Jacobs blessing of Pharoah,the Hyksos place in Egyptology, Pauls mention of the sojourn in Galatians;quotes from historians, the Septuagint, the Samaritan Pentateuch, Church

Fathers, ect. In short, anything but the simple statement of Israel (Jacob)telling Pharoah his age at the time his family becomes the new tenant of

Egypt.

Lets recap: From 1 Kings 6:1, we can calculate the time of the Exodus as 1495 BC. From Exodus 12:40-41, we can calculate the time that the sojourn in

Egypt began as 1925 BC.

Gen. 47:7-12 establishes that Jacob (Israel) stood before Pharoahwhen he was 130 years old and the sojourn became official through a

spoken contract. This is actual ratification of the covenant as Paulspeaks of it in Galatians 3:17.

Though not really necessary, Gen. 46:27 establishes that the nation of

Israel in Egypt began with 70 people, 75 when you count Jacob, Ra-chel, Leah, Bilhah and Zilpah. The sons wives were not counted.

Dear Reader, please recall that I told you in the beginning of this paper thatyou need to get your Bible and check up on me. Now would be a good time.

Genesis 25 [2055 + 60 = 2115] (The year Isaac was born.)

26. Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau's heel; so his name

was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.

One of the most perplexing items in compiling a Bible chronology is determining the

birth year of Abraham and relating this year to the exodus. This is where the simple

chain ofbegottenbirthdates becomes derailed. Look at the following verse:

Genesis 11:26 (NKJV)26 Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, andHaran.

Its incorrect to just assume that Abraham, being the more prominent of Terahs three

sons, was probably the first born. This assumption turns out to be in error by 60 years.

Dont forget the earlier discussion of how Genesis 11:31 and 12:4 prove that Abrahamwas actually born when Terah was 130 year old. Using this information we can now cal-


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culate the time of Abrahams birth and relate the patriarchal era to the times of the so-

journ and exodus.

The Biblical information on Jacob and Isaac is plain enough to allow the following calcu-

lation of Abrahams birth year. The Bible provides everything we need when we searchthe right places. Thank God for computer Bibles!

Genesis 21:5 [2115 + 100 = 2215] (Abrahams birth year)5 Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

Acts 7:4 (NKJV) Establishes the year Abraham left Haran. (Terah died.)4 Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Haran. And from there,when his father was dead, He moved him to this land in which you now dwell.

Genesis 12 (NKJV) [2215 75 = 2140] (The yearTerah died, and possibly the year of

Gods statement of Abrahams Covenant.)

4 So Abram departed as the LORD had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. And

Abramwas seventy-fiveyears old when he departed from Haran.

Genesis 16:16 (NKJV) [2215 86 = 2129] (Ishmaels birth year.)16 Abramwas eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

Genesis 17:1-2 (NKJV) [2215 99 = 2116] (2nd possibility for Gods statement of

Abrahams Covenant.)1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, "I

amAlmighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.2 And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceed-ingly."

Genesis 11 (NKJV) [2140 + 205 = 2345] (Terah born.)31 And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daugh-

ter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram's wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chal-deans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there.32 So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.

Genesis 11 [29 + 2345 = 2374] (Nahor)

24. Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and begot Terah.

Genesis 11 [30 + 2374 = 2404] (Serug)

12. Serug lived thirty years, and begot Nahor

Genesis 11 [32 + 2404 = 2436] (Reu)

13. Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot Serug.

Genesis 11 [30 + 2436 = 2466] (Peleg, world divided in his time.)


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18 Peleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu.19 After he begot Reu, Peleg lived two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daugh-

ters.

Genesis 11 [2466 - 239 = 2227] (Death of Peleg)

It seems appropriate to include the following two verses which may also relate to the timeof Peleg:

Deuteronomy 32:8-9 (ESV) (See also Gen. 10:25, 1 Chron. 1:19)8 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he

fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God.9 But the Lords portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.

Genesis 11 [34 + 2466 = 2500] (Eber)

14. Eber lived thirty-four years, and begot Peleg.

Genesis 11[30 + 2500 = 2530] (Salah)

15.Salah lived thirty years, and begot Eber.

Genesis 11 [35 + 2530 = 2565] (Arphaxad)

16.Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and begot Salah.

A Calculated Value: (See the next reference.)

[2 + 2565 = 2567] (The Flood)

Genesis 11 [100 + 2565 = 2665] (Shem)

3. This is the genealogy of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old, and begot Arphaxad

two years after the flood.

Genesis 7 [600 + 2567 = 3167] (Noah)4. In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of

the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the win-dows of heaven were opened.

(These verses indicate Noah was 602 years old when Shem was 100.)

Genesis 5 [182 + 3167 = 3349] (Lamech)

5. Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and begot a son.

6. And he called his name Noah, saying, "This one will comfort us concerning our workand the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord has cursed.''

28. And Noah was five hundred years old, and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis 5 [3536 969 = 2527] (Methuselah died.)

7. So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died.

Genesis 5 [187 + 3349 = 3536] (Methuselah)

8. Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech.

Genesis 5 [65 + 3536 = 3601] (Enoch)


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9. Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah.

Genesis 5 [162 + 3601 = 3763] (Jared)

10. Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Enoch.

Genesis 5 [65 + 3763 = 3828] (Mahalaleel)11. Mahalaleel lived sixty-five years, and begot Jared.

Genesis 5 [70 + 3828 = 3898] (Cainan)

12. Cainan lived seventy years, and begot Mahalalel.

Genesis 5 [90 + 3898 = 3988] (Enosh)

13. Enosh lived ninety years, and begot Cainan.

Genesis 5 [105 + 3988 = 4093] (Seth)

14. Seth lived one hundred and five years, and begot Enosh.

Genesis 5 [130 + 4093 = 4223] (Adam)15. And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness,

after his image, and named him Seth.

Wonderful! Weve superficially finished this labor of chronology for the history of God

and man, but at this point lets pose an intriguing question. How oldwas Adam whenGod created him? How impractical if he were only 6 days old (constructed from 6 day-

old material) because he would not have a mother and God would be forced to baby sit.

From the Biblical account it appears that God was dealing with an adult man in His own

likeness. So what agedid God give Adam at the moment of his creation? For that mat-ter, what agedid God give the world at each specific moment of creation?

We can calculate that God created Adam back in 4223 BC, but we cant calculate how

oldhe was at the time of creation, nor the earth. We might speculate that Adam was

maybe 33 years old when he was created or that the earth was 3 or 4 billion years old

when it was created. God sure is lucky that He didnt have to do any of this stuff by ourrules. He might still be bottled up in committee.

Daniels Numbers Examined

1 day = 1000 yr (Psalms 90:4, 2 Peter 3:8)


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360 day = 1 yr (traditional in the time of Daniel)These two equations, based on Bible truth are key to breaking the Daniel seal.

Combine the equations by multiplying:

360 day2 = 1000 yr2

day2 = 1000

yr2 360

day/yr = square root of (1000/360)

day/yr = 10/6 = 5/3

1 = (5/3)yr/day

is therefore a conversion factor

which can be used to convert prophetic day numbers

into years. i.e.

1260 day X 1 = 1260 day X (5/3) yr/day = 2100 yr

Some conversions of Daniels numbers are summarized below:

1260 day X 5/3 yr/day = 2100 yr power of the holy people finally broken

1290 day X 5/3 yr/day = 2150 yr the end time


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1335 day X 5/3 yr/day = 2225 yr blessed is the one who waits for and reaches

2300 evening and mornings = 2300 yr the Temple reconsecrated

21 day X 5/3 yr/day = 35 yr angel withstood by Prince of Persia

Now then, back calculate 2300 yr (that is to say divide 2300 by 5/3) and you find it to be 1380 days

which was not listed in Daniel or any of the scriptures Ive researched. While it doesnt have any

relevance here, look how nicely its fits with the other numbers.

Note that in Daniel the time of thedesecrationof the Temple is given as the beginning of these day

spans. The year167 BCis the time widely accepted as this date. That means we must subtract 167from each of the year spans calculated above. Then, since the calendar loses 2 years mathematically

(1 BC to 1 AD, which is a single tick of the clock) we must add 2to the number of years. After per-

forming this minor arithmetic, we can summarize results in the following table:

1260 days 2100 yr 1935 AD power of the Holy people finally broken

1290 days 2150 yr 1985 AD ..the time of the end

1335 days 2225 yr 2060 AD .blessed is he who waits for and reaches

3 days 2100 yr 2133 AD11Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of lifefrom God .(From Zech. 4, Rev. 11)

1380 days 2300 yr 2135 AD Temple reconsecrated

Please note the 3 day interval added to the table above. This interval did not come from Daniel,rather Zechariah 4 and Revelation 11. Without presenting supporting arguments that the two olive

trees by the golden lampstands are symbolically the two witnesses, who are to lie dead in the streets

for 3 days, symbolic of 2100 years, i.e. 33 AD to 2133 AD. Notice how closely this matches Dan-

iels prophecy of 2300 evenings and mornings (Temple reconsecrated in 2135 A.D.) In this numeri-cal scenario we have the witnesses appearing shortly before the reconsecration of the Temple.

Theres a strong implication in Zechariah 6:12-13 that Jesus will build the Temple. Zechariah 4:8-9

solidify the notion that Jesus (the Branch) will finish the final Temple. You see, it turns out that thegenealogy of Jesus presented in both Matthew and Luke includes this very same Zerubbabel whose

hands Zechariah states will start and finish the Temple. None of this gives any clue as to when Jesuswill arrive.

The 2100 years prior to the death of the two witnesses would place the beginning of their prophecy

near the time of Isaacs birth. This would have also been near the time of the angelic appearances be-fore Abraham to announce the Covenant, including the appearance of Melchizedek, suggesting the

possibility of pre-incarnate Jesus meeting with Abraham. This further suggests that Jesus is very in-

tricately tied to all angelic appearances to his people from Abrahams day up to his crucifixion. The


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Gospel of John refers to Jesus as both the Word,and the Light. Three men appeared to Abraham

and delivered the message of hope regarding his son Isaac and spoke of future blessings for his nu-

merous descendents. Both Zechariah 4:11 and Revelation 11:4 tell of two faithful witnesses whostand before the God of all the earth. Its as simple as 2 + 1 = 3.

Moreover, Abraham used household servants trained as fighters to defeat four Assyrian tribal kings.Does this not suggest he had supernatural help? After his defeat of the four kings, Melchizedek, King

of Salem came out to welcome him with bread and wine and Abraham paid him a tithe. King ofSalem here means King of Jerusalem, where Abraham later prepared to offer his son Isaac as a sacri-

fice. In Abrahams time, it would appear there was no city or kingdom in the area. According to

Genesis 22:13, Abraham found a ram with its horns trapped in a thicket behind the altar where he

would have sacrificed Isaac. So at that time, King Melchizedeks kingdom was not an earthly king-dom such as was governed by the Assyrian tribal kings, or Sodom, Gomorrah or Egypt.

Heres a possible validity test of the numerical methodology presented above. Since bythis method, 2060 AD is the apparent end of the time of great trouble, the year 2011 falls49 years or seven sevens before this end. The year 2012 AD is the first year of this 49year period of tribulation. This time period could well begin a noticeable increase in thetribulation being experienced by people from our generation. Look for a significant in-crease in natural and man-made disasters because were talking about a time of troublesuch as never there was since there was a nation. Keep in mind that the end time mustextend 75 years, from 1985 until 2060. Its time now for things to start getting bad. Verybad! If not, then Im probably just a doofus, such as never there has been since there wasa nation.

Chronology of Events in the Life and Career of Daniel

(Gathered from the margins and footnotes of the Oxford NIV Scofield Study Bible, 1967)

602 BC Nebuchadnezzars dream of the large statue. (Chapter 2)

571 BC??? This may have been the year that the angel mentioned in chapter 10

began the journey to give Daniel the message concerning the time of

the end. (Calculated as 35 yr prior to 536 BC)

553 BC Daniel dreamed of beasts associated with world empires. (Chapter 7)

551 BC Daniels vision of Alexanders rise to power with the Greek empire

and the four rulers who succeed him. Gabriel is the messenger who

gives the decree of 2300 evenings and mornings for the reconsecration

of the Temple. (Chapter 8)

539 BC Daniel prays for forgiveness of the sins of Judah and Jerusalem. Ga-

briel brings the prophecy of the seventy sevens. (Chapter 9)


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536 BC Angel opposed by the Prince of Persia brings the great prophetic mes-

sage ofmany being purified, made white and tried.Also the time of

thepower of the holy people broken, the time of the end, and the

time ofblessednessgiven under seal. (Chapter 10, 11, 12) This great

one may well have been Jesus himself.

445 BC The decree to rebuild Jerusalem given by Artaxerxes. (Neh 2)

Monarchs in Daniels Time

Nebuchadnezzar 604562 BC

Belshazzar 553539 BC

Darius the Mede 539??? BC (perhaps ruled for less than a year)

Cyrus 539530 BC

Daniel 12:3,10 KJV3And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that

turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.10.Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly:

and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

Aryan Connection to the Prophecy of Daniel

The Iranian plateau was settled about 1500BC by Aryantribes, the most impor-tant of which were the Medes, who occupied the northwestern portion, and the

Persians, who emigrated from Parsua, a land west of Lake Urmia, into thesouthern region of the plateau, which they named Parsamash or Parsumash.The first prominent leader of the Persians was the warrior chief Hakhamanish,or Achaemenes, who lived about 681BC. The Persians were dominated by theMedes until the accession to the Persian throne in 550 BC of Cyrus the Great.He overthrew the Median rulers, conquered the kingdom of Lydia in 546BC andthat of Babylonia in 539BC and established the Persian Empire as the preemi-nent power of the world. His son and successor, Cambyses II, extended thePersian realm even further by conquering the Egyptians in 525BC. Darius I,who ascended the throne in 521BC, pushed the Persian borders as far east-ward as the Indus River, had a canal constructed from the Nile to the Red Sea,

and reorganized the entire empire, earning the title Darius the Great. From 499to 493BC he engaged in crushing a revolt of the Ionian Greeks living under Per-sian rule in Asia, and then launched a punitive campaign against the EuropeanGreeks for supporting the rebels. His forces were disastrously defeated by theGreeks at the historic Battle of Marathon in 490BC. Darius died while preparinga new expedition against the Greeks; his son and successor, Xerxes I, at-tempted to fulfill his plan but met defeat in the great sea engagement the Battleof Salams in 480BC and in two successive land battles in the following year.


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The forays of Xerxes were the last notable attempt at expansion of the PersianEmpire. During the reign of Artaxerxes I, the second son of Xerxes, the Egyp-tians revolted, aided by the Greeks; although the revolt was finally suppressedin 446BC, it signaled the first major assault against, and the beginning of the

decline of, the Persian Empire.2

In the 6th century BC the territory of present-day Iran was the center of thePersian Empire, the worlds preeminent power at that time. For more than2,000 years, the regions inhabitants have referred to it by the name Iran, de-rived from the Aryan tribes who settled the area long ago. However, until19353, when the Iranian ruler demanded that the name Iran be used, the Eng-lish-speaking world knew the country as Persia, a legacy of the Greeks whonamed the region after its most important province, Pars (present-day Frs).Iran was a monarchy ruled by a shah, or king, from 1501 until 1979, when ayearlong popular revolution led by the Shiite clergy culminated in the overthrowof the monarchy and the establishment of an Islamic republic. See Islamic

Revolution of Iran.4

The Indo-Iranian languages are generally divided into an Iranian branch andanIndo-Aryan, or Indic, branch. Major Iranian languages include ancient Ave-stan and Old Persian, various medieval languages (see Persian Language),and modern Persian, Pashto or Afghan, Kurdish (seeKurds), and Baluchi (seeBaluchistan). Also of Iranian stock are the languages of the ancient Scythiansand Sarmatians and a modern remnant, Ossetic (see Ossetians), spoken inthe Caucasus. The Indo-Aryan branch includes the ancient Sanskrit lan-guage; medieval languages called Prakrits; and modern languages such asHindi-Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati, and other languages of India (see Indian Lan-guages), Nepali (official in Nepal and Sikkim), and Sinhalese (official in Sri

Lanka). Considered to be an Indo-Aryan subgroup or a third Indo-Iranianbranch are the Dardic languages, which include Kashmiri and Romani(Gypsy).

Early Sanskrit literature is the oldest of any Indo-European literature exceptHittite. Sanskrit and Avestan resemble each other closely and are consideredto reflect extremely faithfully the consonantal system and elaborate inflectionsof the Proto-Indo-European language. The modern Indo-Aryan and Iranianbranches have tended to simplify the ancient consonantal system and to re-place inflections with word combinations. The Indo-Aryan languages were al-

2"Persia,"Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000. 1993-1999 Microsoft Corpora-tion. All rights reserved.3 Some sources contend that Hitlers SS under Heinrich Himmler reached a level of preparation

for full scale persecution of the Jews in 1935. Also, in 1935, the American psychic, Edgar Caycepredicted the Holocaust and a 40 year tribulation period beginning in 2007.

4"Iran,"Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000. 1993-1999 Microsoft Corporation.All rights reserved.


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so influenced by the sounds and grammar of the non-Indo-European Dravidian

language family.5

Modern Aryans

Aryan Race, name for the white race used by white supremacists, who claimthe superiority of certain whites to other people. In Nazi Germany, the termwas narrowed to refer to certain pure Germans. In linguistics, it is some-times used to refer to people who speak any of the Indo-European family of

languages.6

Hitlers Racial Policies

In 1933 Hitler initiated polices to rid the Aryan race of undesirable elementsand eliminate other races that he considered inferior and dangerous to the Ger-

mans. First, the government approved marriage loans to the right kindof Ger-mansthose whose ancestors and appearance measured up to the Nazisstandard ofAryanpurity. These loans were repaid as the newlyweds producedbabies. To discourage the propagation of the wrong kind of people, a law re-quired the compulsory sterilization of men and women deemed likely to havedefective children, primarily those with physical or mental handicaps. By 1945

some 400,000 Germans had been sterilized. 7

July 5, 2010

On 10/3/2009 the following pages were added to this text. Isaac Newton also believed

that the year 2060 AD would begin the season of Christs return to earth to begin HisKingdom. The man who is arguably the worlds greatest natural philosopher and mathe-matician reasoned much differently than I did but arrived at the same number. Newtonchose not to calculate matters of prophecy, preferring to apply his powerful intellect tothese matters. He often chose not to summarize his reasonings, allowing the reader toarrive at his own conclusions.

7/5/2010, Bob Moore

5"Indo-Iranian Languages,"Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000. 1993-1999 Mi-crosoft Corporation. All ri

6"Aryan Race,"Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000. 1993-1999 Microsoft Cor-poration. All rights reserved.

7"Hitler, Adolf,"Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 2000. 1993-1999 Microsoft Cor-poration. All rights reserved.


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Statement on the date 2060Stephen D. Snobelen

March 2003; updated May 2003 and June 2003

2060: The date heard around the world

On 22 February 2003, the Daily Telegraph (London, England) published a front-pagestory announcing Isaac Newton's prediction that the world would end in 2060. The

story was based on interviews with myself and Malcolm Neaum, the producer of theBBC 2 documentary Newton: the dark heretic(first shown on 1 March 2003). I was

asked to make myself available to the media because some of my academic researchon Newton's prophecy and heretical theology was used in the documentary and since

I was not only interviewed for the documentary both in Jerusalem and Cambridge,but am also shown with the manuscript containing the 2060 date in Jerusalem.

Although the 2060 date was not news to the small community of scholars who studyNewton's theology, this was the first time the wider public became aware of New-

ton's prophetic views. Over the next few days, the news spread around the globe andwas covered in newspapers (making the front pages in Israel and Canada on 23 and

24 February respectively), on the radio, on TV and on a plethora of Internet newssites. The story was covered on the Internet in all the major European languages

from English, French and Spanish to Hungarian, Romanian and Russian. Websites in

South America, South Africa, Australia, China, Vietnam and India also covered thestory. Many of these websites picked up the story second and third hand, and several

of them treated the story as a bit of a lark, with one site including a picture of amushroom cloud (an image more readily associated with Einstein) with the caption

"Party like it's 2060". For almost a week, I received a barrage of requests for inter-views from the media. CBC Radio and TV, Global TV in the Maritimes, Agent France

Presse, the largest radio talk show in Chicago and even the Russian section of RadioFree Europe, which aired the interview in Russian translation. I tried to use this unex-

pected opportunity to fill in more details about Newton's theological and propheticthought, and to point out that Newton's apocalyptic thought was not just doom and

destruction. Although there was a sensational element in the way the news was cov-ered by many media organizations, the story has performed a very important role in

alerting the public to the fact that Isaac Newton was not merely a "scientist", but al-

so a theologian and a prophetic exegete (not to mention an alchemist). The publicwas therefore challenged to re-conceptualize Newton in all his complexity. The BBC 2

documentary, with its visual impact and much greater detail, challenged its viewersin an even more profound way.

Why did Newton's prediction for 2060 become such a big news story?

One reason why Newton's heresy, apocalyptic thought and prediction about the 2060date became news in February 2003 is because most members of the media and the

public had no idea that Newton was anything other than a "scientist". For many, therevelation that Newton was a passionate believer who took biblical prophecy seri-

ously came as something of a shock. It seems that both the media and the generalpublic have a notion of Newton as a "rational" scientist that makes it difficult to ab-

sorb the knowledge that Newton was practising both alchemy and prophetic exege-sisstudies many see as antithetical to the enterprise of science. The media has per-

petuated a myth that science and religion are inherently in conflict (the fact is, some-times they are; but religion has also often stimulated the development of science).

The story about Newton predicting the Apocalypse in 2060 is the sort of thing that


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one would expect to see on the covers of the tabloids. In this case, however, thestory is true. Ironically, the tabloids did not cover the story (perhaps because this

story, although counter-intuitive to many people, is authentic).

There is likely another reason why so many found the story about Newton and 2060so compelling. When the story broke, storm clouds of war were on the horizon. Con-

cern about the predicted war in Iraq (now a "fulfilled" prophecy) probably heightenedthe public's interest in Newton's date for the end of the world, particularly because

the pending war involved the nation who occupies the land of ancient Babylonaland that figures prominently in biblical prophecy and in Newton's own prophetic writ-

ings. The head of the Department in charge of the Newton collection in Jerusalem, ina TV interview pointed directly to the threat of war in Iraq as one reason for the in-

terest in the story. Reviewing footage of two Canadian television news items on the2060 story, I was struck by its placement in the midst of images of U.S. troops and

helicopters arriving in Kuwait, along with statements about the pending war frompresidential spokesman Ari Fleischer. It is clear that whether we are religious or secu-

lar, we are living in "apocalyptic" times. India, Pakistan and North Korea are rattling

nuclear sabres. Jetliners fly into skyscrapers laden with kerosene and human bodies.Terrorists strike around the world. Also beginning around the time the documentary

aired was the SARS outbreak, appearing seemingly out of nowhere like a biblicalplague. And then there are concerns about the degradation of our environment and

fears of a coming eco-apocalypse. In the context of these troubling realities, a dra-matic story about the greatest scientist of all time predicting "the end of the world"

carried with it added potency and poignancy. Curiously a couple months after the2060 story broke, Sir Martin Reese, one of today's leading scientists, published a

book entitled Our final hour (Our final century in the UK) in which he argues that thehuman race has only a fifty-fifty chance of surviving the 21st century. Apocalypticism

is not the exclusive domain of the lunatic fringe. It is a broader phenomenon that re-flects humanity's insecurity about the apparent fragility and tenuousness of our exis-

tence on planet earth.

Why is news of Newton's prophetic studies only coming out now?

Newton's theological and alchemical papers were kept from public scrutiny by the

Portsmouth family until 1936, when they were sold at Sotheby's in London. The larg-est single collection of the theological papers was acquired by the Jewish scholar

Abraham Shalom Ezekiel Yahuda. When he died in 1951, he left them to the newly-

founded State of Israel. His will was contested and thus the manuscripts did not ar-rive in Israel until 1969, when they were brought to the Jewish National and Univer-

sity Library in Jerusalem. It was only after this point that scholars had access to thisparticular collection of papers. But the manuscripts were only conveniently accessible

to scholars after the majority of Newton's scientific, administrative, theological andalchemical manuscripts were released on microfilm in 1991. Since 1991, there has

been a revolution in Newton scholarship as the theological manuscripts began to beassessed in earnest by a small group of specialist scholars. A significant element of

this revolution was the founding in 1998 of the Newton Project, based at ImperialCollege, London and the University of Cambridge. This project has already begun the

process of transcribing Newton's unpublished theological manuscripts in order tomake them accessible to the world. The BBC 2 documentary revealed to the wider

public for the first time and in dramatic fashion the results of this recent revolution in

the understanding of Newton's life works. The announcement about the 2060 datemust be seen in this context.


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Although the initial Daily Telegraph article did not make this claim, some subsequentmedia reports mistakenly attributed the discovery of the 2060 date in Newton's writ-

ings to me. However, other media reports (which were based on direct interviewswith me) correctly stated that the 2060 date has been known for some time, but only

amongst Newton scholars (and academic publications, unlike television documenta-ries, generally do not make news). In fact, at least three important Newton scholars,

David Castillejo, Frank Manuel and Richard Westfall, examined the Yahuda manu-scripts (either in the original copies or, in the case of Westfall, in microfilm reproduc-tions) shortly after their arrival in Jerusalem in 1969. Castillejo was likely the first to

encounter the 2060 date, as he was the first scholar to examine the Yahuda collec-tion. He published the 2060 date in his 1981 work The expanding force in Newton's

cosmos (p. 55). Westfall published the date in his 1980 biography of Newton, Neverat rest(pages 816-817). I first came across the date in my own research (as op-

posed to reading it in Castillejo or Westfall) when I was studying Yahuda MS 7 on mi-crofilm while a PhD student at the University of Cambridge in 1997. I published the

date in my 1999 British Journal for the History of Science paper "Isaac Newton, here-tic: the strategies of a Nicodemite", pages 391-2. The real story is not the discovery

of the 2060 date, but that Newton's non-scientific work is being made known to thepublic in a spectacular manner.

How important was biblical prophecy for Newton?

Extremely important. For Newton, biblical prophecy forecast the divinely-ordainedevents of the future. He believed the interpretation of biblical prophecy was "no mat-

ter of indifferency but a duty of the greatest moment". Prophecy allowed Newton tosee history in advance. It also identified an evil, apostate system (Babylon) that pure

Christians must flee to avoid destruction and the wrath of God.

How does biblical prophecy work for Newton?

Newton believed both in God and that the Bible was a revelation from God. He also

believed that God was not bound by time as are humans, allowing Him to see the

"end from the beginning". Thus, to use Newton's own words, he was convinced that"the holy Prophecies" of the Scripture are nothing else than "histories of things to

come" (Yahuda MS 1.1, folio 16 recto). At the same time, biblical prophecy is writtenin highly symbolic language that requires skilled interpretation. Newton rose to this

challenge as he attempted to discover the future of the world in the words of theprophets.

Why did Newton only rarely add up the prophetic numbers?

Because he was wary of prophetic date-setting. Newton was worried that the failureof fallible human predictions based on divine prophecy would bring the Bible into dis-

repute. Ironically, in one of the two times Newton wrote down the 2060 date, herailed against date-setters (see below). Newton may have been aghast if he had

known his prediction would be broadcast around the world in the twenty-first cen-tury. His calculations about the 2060 date were private musings made on a scrap of

paper not meant for the public. Ironically, the media coverage of the 2060 date hasmade Newton look like a date-setter.

The logic of Newton's apocalyptic calculations


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Newton, like many historicist prophetic commentators of his age, believed that theprophetic time periods 1260, 1290, 1335 and 2300 days actually represent 1260,

1290, 1335 and 2300 years using the "day-for-a-year principle".

For Newton these time periods (especially the 1260 years) represent the time spanof the apostasy of the Church (for Newton this means the Trinitarian Church, chiefly

the Catholics). Thus, he looked in history for the likely date when the apostasy for-mally began (one sign of this for him was the date when the papal church obtained

temporal power). From there it was a simple matter of adding the time period to thebeginning date. However, things are rarely so simple with Newton. As already men-

tioned, Newton looked askance at "date-setting", and for this reason he rarely wroteout the end date for a time period once he had settled on a beginning date. There is

a small number of exceptions, and the date 2060, found twice in the Yahuda MSS atJerusalem, is one of them. The date 2060 is also significant because in addition to

the rarity of end dates in Newton's writings, the calculation giving the 2060 datecomes from fairly late in his life and is asserted with uncharacteristic vigour.

Finding the commencement date was of great importance to Newton, since once he

added the prophetic time periods to this date, he was able to determine when thegreat apocalyptic events of the end of the world were going to occur.

Although Newton believed there would be wars and cataclysms around the time of

the end, for him this period was also the storm before the calm. Newton's propheticfaith therefore has a positive element.

The prophetic time periods

The time period 1260 days appears in Daniel 7:25 (as "a time and times and

the dividing of time" [=a year, two years and a half year]), Daniel 12:7 (as "a

time, times, and an half" [=a year, two years and a half year]), Revelation11:3 (1260 days), Revelation 12:6 (1260 days) and Revelation 13:5 (42

months)

The time period 1290 days appears in Daniel 12:11.

The time period 1335 days appears in Daniel 12:12.

The time period 2300 days occurs in Daniel 8:14.

How did Newton arrive at the date 2060?

This did not involve the use of anything as complicated as calculus, which he in-vented, but rather simple arithmetic that could be performed by a child. Beginning in

the 1670s and continuing to the end of his life in 1727, Newton considered severalcommencement dates for the formal institution of the apostate, imperial Church. Ear-

lier commencement dates include 607 and 609 A.D. As Newton grew older, he pushed

the time of the end further and further into the future. In Yahuda MS 7 Newton twicegives 800 A.D. for the beginning of "the Pope's supremacy". The year 800 is a signifi-cant one in history, as it is the year Charlemagne was crowned emperor of Rome in

the west by Pope Leo III at St. Peter's in Rome. Since Newton believed that the 1260years corresponded to the duration of the corruption of the Church, he added 1260 to

800 A.D. and arrived at the date 2060 for the "fall of Babylon" or cessation of the

apostate Church. It seems that Newton believed the fall could perhaps begin some-what before the end of the 1260-year period and continue for a short time afterward.

Whatever the precise chronology, Newton believed that sometime shortly after the fall


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of the corrupt (Trinitarian, Catholic) Church, Christ would return and set up a 1000-year Kingdom of God on earth. On page 144 of his Observations (1733), Newton cited

Daniel 7:26-27 as evidence of this:

But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his

dominion to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And

the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the king-dom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people

of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an ever-

lasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey

him.

Newton espoused a premillenarian eschatology and thus held that Christ would re-

turn to earth to establish the Millennium.

Two examples of the date 2060 in Yahuda MS 7.3 (Jewish National and Uni-

versity Library, Jerusalem)

7.3g, folio 13 verso:

So then the time times & half a time are 42 months or 1260 days or three years & an

half, recconing twelve months to a yeare & 30 days to a month as was done in the

Calendar of the primitive year. And the days of short lived Beasts being put for theyears of lived [sic] kingdoms, the period of 1260 days, if dated from the complete

conquest of the three kings A.C. 800, will end A.C. 2060. It may end later, but I seeno reason for its ending sooner. This I mention not to assert when the time of the

end shall be, but to put a stop to the rash conjectures of fancifull men who are fre-quently predicting the time of the end, & by doing so bring the sacred prophesies in-

to discredit as often as their predictions fail. Christ comes as a thief in the night, & itis not for us to know the times & seasons wch God hath put into his own breast.

Comments:This excerpt demonstrates that Newton was not only reluctantto set dates, but that he was convinced the end would not come in his life-time. He took seriously biblical passages that assert that no-one except

God knows the time of the end. Nevertheless, this excerpt shows that evenNewton was fascinated with the prophetic conundrum of the date for the

return of Christ and the beginning of the Millennium. Finally, although New-ton's statement was meant to demonstrate that the time of the end was

several centuries away from his perspective, history has now caught upwith his predictions, which helps explain the current interest in his apoca-

lyptic calculations.

7.3o, folio 8r:

Prop. 1. The 2300 prophetick days did not commence before the rise of the little horn

of the He Goat.2 Those day [sic] did not commence a[f]ter the destruction of Jerusalem & ye Tem-

ple by the Romans A.[D.] 70.3 The time times & half a time did not commence before the year 800 in wch the

Popes supremacy commenced4 They did not commence after the re[ig]ne of Gregory the 7th. 1084

5 The 1290 days did not commence b[e]fore the year 842.


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6 They did not commence after the reigne of Pope Greg. 7th. 10847 The diffence [sic] between the 1290 & 1335 days are a parts of the seven weeks.

Therefore the 2300 years do not end before ye year 2132 nor after 2370.

The time times & half time do n[o]t end before 2060 nor after [2344]The 1290 days do not begin [this should read: end] before 2090 [Newton might

mean: 2132] nor after 1374 [sic; Newton probably means 2374]

Comments:These calculations are written on a letter-slip addressed to "Sir IsaacNewton", and thus dating from after 1705, when Newton was knighted. In fact, the

shaky handwriting suggests a date of composition late in Newton's life. The manu-script fragment contains a number of interesting features, including the remnants of

the red wax seal and a series of mathematical calculations. Thus, this sheet exhibitsboth mathematical calculations and calculations for the end of the world. It is this

manuscript fragment that is shown at the end of the BBC 2 documentary Newton:the dark heretic. When viewing the Yahuda manuscripts in Jerusalem on 9 December

2002, the day before the Jerusalem footage was shot for the documentary, I selected

this manuscript as one of a series of worthy candidates to film. My reasons were asfollows: not only does this letter slip show a date in Newton's hand that is relevant to

us today, but it is also visually interesting with its red wax seals, mathematical calcu-lations and prophetic chronology, all of which helps provide an insight into the range

of Newton's thought. Of course, only one thing emerged from this manuscript in thedocumentary: the date 2060 A.D.

Did Newton believe the world would end in 2060?

No, not in a literal sense. For Newton, 2060 A.D. would be more like a new begin-ning. It would be the end of an old age, and the beginning of a new erathe era

Jews refer to the Messianic age and the era premillenarian Christians term the Mil-lennium or Kingdom of God.

What did Newton believe would happen around the time of 2060?

Newton was convinced that Christ would return around this date and establish a glob-al Kingdom of peace. "Babylon" (the corrupt Trinitarian Church) would also fall and

the true Gospel would be preached openly. Before the Second Coming, the Jewswould return to Israel according to the predictions made in biblical prophecy. The

Temple would be rebuilt as well. Slightly before, or around the time of Christ's return,the great battle of Armageddon would take place when a series of nations (the "Gog

and Magog" confederacy of Ezekiel's prophecy) invade Israel. Christ and the saintswould then intervene to establish a worldwide 1000-year Kingdom of God on earth.

Citing the prophet Micah Newton believed this Kingdom would usher in a time of

peace and prosperity, a time when people would "beat their swords into plowshares,

and their spears into pruninghooks" and when "nations shall not lift up a swordagainst nation, neither shall they learn war any more" (Micah 4:3). Although thedocumentary chose not to focus on this message of hope, Newton did believe that

there would be a positive outcome to the war and destruction that would take place atthe end of time. Newton took seriously the prophetic vision of world peace found in

Isaiah 2 and Micah 4a vision that sees Jerusalem as the beginning of peace. It isthus perhaps appropriate that the largest collection of Newton's prophetic papers now

resides in Jerusalem.


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Why are his theological and prophetic beliefs important to our understand-ing of Newton?

Newton was not a "scientist" in the modem sense of that term. Instead, he was a

"natural philosopher". Practised from the Middle Ages to the eighteenth century, natu-ral philosophy included not only the study of nature, but also the study of God's hand

at work in nature. Newton was committed to a notion of natural philosophy that sawthe discovery of God and His attributes as its chief end. For this reason, any serious

study of Newton's natural philosophy must include an understanding of his theologicalviews. For example, Newton's famous concepts of absolute space and time were fun-

damentally based on his notion of God's omnipresence and eternal duration. It is alsoclear from his private manuscripts that Newton believed the ideal natural philosopher

would also be a priest of nature. For Newton, there was no impermeable barrier be-tween religion and what we now call science. Throughout his long life, Newton la-

boured to discover God's truth - whether in Nature or Scripture. Although he recog-nized disciplinary distinctions, Newton believed that truth was one. Thus, Newton's

study of Nature and Scripture were in a certain sense two halves of a whole: the dis-

covery of the mind of God.

More information on Newton's attempts to date "the end of the

world"

Further details on Newton's end-time calculations can be found on pages 391-393 ofmy paper "Isaac Newton, heretic" (1999) and pages 106-108 of my paper "The mys-

tery of this restitution of all things'" (2001). Both these essays are available on thiswebsite in pdf format. More elaborate studies of Newton's eschatology will appear in

my paper "'At the sounding of the seventh trumpet': Newton, the Apocalypse and theend of time" and in my forthcoming book Isaac Newton, heretic.This the end of the Snobelen article.

Editorial Note:

This ariticle by Professor Snobelen is the most objective piece that Ive been able to

find thus far. I would like to be able to include the page of Newtons Yahuda Manu-

script that is referred to on page 6 of this article. Many people, including myself haveobserved that page from BBC 2 on the History Channel. The preceding article by Pro-

fessor Snobelen is the most informative explanation of this rare manuscript Ive found.

I found the following article from the Associated Press which does include a photo copyof the page which appears on the history channel program that features Dr. Snobelen:End of Note

Papers Show Isaac Newton's Religious Side, Predict Date of Apocalypse

By The Associated Press

Tue, Jun. 19 2007 07:43 AM EDTJERUSALEM (AP) Three-century-old manuscripts by Isaac Newton

calculating the exact date of the apocalypse, detailing the precise di-mensions of the ancient temple in Jerusalem and interpreting passagesof the Bible exhibited this week for the first time lay bare the lit-

tle-known religious intensity of a man many consider history's greatestscientist.

(Photo: AP / The Jewish National and Uni-versity Library, handout)


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In this handout picture released Monday June 18, 2007 by the Jewish National and University Library, one

of three-century-old manuscripts by Isaac Newton calculating the exact date of the apocalypse, detailingthe precise dimensions of the ancient temple in Jerusalem and interpreting passages of the Bible is seen.

The documents, exhibited this week for the first time lay bare the little-known religious intensity of aman many consider history's greatest scientist. Newton, who died 280 years ago, is known for laying muchof the groundwork for modern physics, astronomy, math and optics. The documents, purchased by a Jewish

scholar at a Sotheby's auction in London in 1936, have been kept in safes at Israel's national library in Jeru-salem since 1969.

Newton, who died 280 years ago, is known for laying much of

the groundwork for modern physics, astronomy, math and

optics. But in a new Jerusalem exhibit, he appears as a schol-

ar of deep faith who also found time to write on Jewish law

even penning a few phrases in careful Hebrew letters and

combing the Old Testament's Book of Daniel for clues about

the world's end.

The documents, purchased by a Jewish scholar at a Sotheby's auction in London in 1936, have been kept in

safes at Israel's national library in Jerusalem since 1969. Available for decades only to a small number ofscholars, they have never before been shown to the public.

In one manuscript from the early 1700s, Newton used the cryptic Book of Daniel to calculate the date forthe apocalypse, reaching the conclusion that the world would end no earlier than 2060.

"It may end later, but I see no reason for its ending sooner," Newton wrote. However, he added, "This Imention not to assert when the time of the end shall be, but to put a stop to the rash conjectures of fancifulmen who are frequently predicting the time of the end, and by doing so bring the sacred prophesies into dis-

credit as often as their predictions fail."

In another document, Newton interpreted biblical prophecies to mean that the Jews would return to theHoly Land before the world ends. The end of days will see "the ruin of the wicked nations, the end ofweeping and of all troubles, the return of the Jews captivity and their setting up a flourishing and everlast-

ing Kingdom," he posited.

The exhibit also includes treatises on daily practice in the Jewish temple in Jerusalem. In one document,

Newton discussed the exact dimensions of the temple its plans mirrored the arrangement of the cosmos,he believed and sketched it. Another paper contains words in Hebrew, including a sentence taken from

the Jewish prayerbook.

Yemima Ben-Menahem, one of the exhibit's curators, said the papers show Newton's conviction that impor-

tant knowledge was hiding in ancient texts. "He believed there was wisdom in the world that got lost. Hethought it was coded, and that by studying things like the dimensions of the temple, he could decode it,"she said.End of the AP article.

The following page is from Newtons published book, Observations Upon the Prophecies

of Daniel and the Apocalypse of St. John. Please note that at the time of this publica-tion, Newton chose not to link the 1260 years to the 800 A.D. ascension of Pope Leo

III to global supremacy. On page 58 of the same book, Newton cites Leos grasp fortemporal power in connection with his disdain for women using an anecdote about

Leos efforts to have his foot kissed. For Leo, having his foot kissed in lieu of his handdeceitfully elevated him above temporal rulers such as his mentor, Charles the Great

(Charlemagne). At the same time it afforded the opportunity to demean somethingelse he (Leo) didnt like very much; women. Leo is pivotal in Newtons calculation of

the date 2060. Historically hes characterized as a liar, a murderer, a politicalschemer, an adulterer and a misogynist, while the Roman Catholic Church still vener-

ates him as a saint. Newton has noted that Daniel described such a ruler.


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Daniel 11:37. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of wom-en, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.

Oct. 1, 2009, Bob Moore


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Documents

A Simple Man's Bible Chronology