January 29, 2011 - Timeline from Adam to 2011 O Malley Family Bible Study To understand the bible you need to know: who, what, where, when, why and how. This study s purpose is to show how to put together a timeline in years from Adam to today s date just by reading your Bible carefully and knowing some of the history events occurring around the Bible. Some of the dates are easily gotten while others are challenging. In the process you ll get more of an understanding of when some of the patriarchs of the bible lived and when many events happening. Once you know when certain main events occur at, then it s easier to find where other events of the Bible fit in either before or after these main events. You get a better understanding on how the 66 books of the bible fit together. Calculating the time spans goes from easy, to medium to difficult however it s rewarding once you finally pieced the puzzle together. 1
There are different time spans that we ll be searching for: 1) Time from Adam to Abraham using who begat who 2) Time from Abraham to Mt Sinai 3) Time from leaving Egypt to Solomon laying the Temple foundation stones 4) Time from the Kings to Assyria & Babylonian Captivity 5) Time from the Babylonian Captivity to Present Time from Adam to Abraham using who begat who In Genesis you can easily find the time from Adam to Abraham by seeing what age the father was when his son was born (or in Bible terms begat). Example in Genesis 5:3 Adam was 130 years of age when Seth was born. ASV Genesis 5:3 And Adam lived a hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth: You read further along and find out how old Seth was when his son was born. If you chain the father to the son then to the next son and so on then you discover a timeline. Complete Exercise #1 by going to the Bible verse and writing the age of the Father when his Son was born. On the final box for Abraham, write the age of Abraham that is mentioned in the Scripture Verse that s mentioned. In this time period was the Story of Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah s Flood, Tower of Babel, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and how they went into Egypt. Genesis sets up the people and places that will be referenced through out the entire Bible. You miss out on the how the Bible ties together and how the people mentioned in the Old Testament are now interacting with each other in the New Testament if you haven t read the book of Genesis. Time from Abraham to Mt Sinai This time frame covers the setting up the 12 sons of Jacob (renamed to Israel) and their subsequent moving to Egypt then their captivity in Egypt. Finally it covers their escape from the grips of the Egyptians. This is covered in the book of Genesis and Exodus. Complete Exercise #2 Time from leaving Egypt to Solomon laying the Temple foundation stones This time period covers the time the Israelites left Egypt, their 2 year trek to the promise land, their 40 year punishment for rejecting the promise land the first time that they reached there, their wandering around in the desert for 40 years, their entering the promise land the second time and clearing out the squatters, the fall and rise (multiple times) of the country. This period ends with the setting up a King over the nation, first by Saul then David and followed by Solomon. Solomon lays the foundation of the Temple of God in Jerusalem. This is covered in the Books: Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1& 2 Chronicles (and others) Complete Exercise #3 2
Time from the Kings to Assyria & Babylonian Captivity Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter. Calculating the King s reigns is more challenging task than the time lengths that we have previously found. It s difficult due to the lack of a verse that gives the total length The Kingdom of Israel was split into 2 nations after the death of King Solomon: the 10 northern tribes called the Nation or Kingdom of Israel and the 2 southern tribes called the Nation or Kingdom of Judah (Judah and Benjamin (1 Kings 12:23). The calculation bounces between both nations as it reference the beginning of each King s reign as such: 2 Kings 3:1 Now Jehoram the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned twelve years. In the passage above, the King of Israel s reign begin date corresponds to a date within the King of Judah reign. To make matters more difficult you have similar named Kings in both Nations ruling around the same time and you have overlapping King reigns (Son begins reigning while the father is still reigning). Some of the King s names change within the verses. Working thru 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles you can piece together like a puzzle the timeline from Solomon to the destruction and divorce of the Nation of Israel by the Assyrians and then the destruction of the Nation of Judah by the Babylonians. The books 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles describe how far off track the Israelites went and how patient God was however there came a point when God had enough and sent in the foreign armies to take down both Nations. 3
Above is a chart showing the Maximum length of time that both Nations reigned if you assume that each King s reign begins after the previous King has died. That assumption is not accurate since many of the reigns were co-reigns, meaning the Father was still ruling and the Son also was ruling (learning the ropes to take over the family business so to speak). This is an area that needs to be really studied since the passages cross reference each Kingdom as to when each King began to reign. After reviewing 1 & 2 Kings and 1& 2 Chronicles, I believe that the House of Judah s reign was 353 years instead of 363 years and the House of Israel reign was 255 years not 315 years. I believe that the number could be adjusted some more if a more detailed study is made. Complete Exercise #4 Time from the Babylonian Captivity to the 2011 There are 2 ways to calculate the time from the Babylonia Captivity to Jesus Death, Burial and Resurrection and then to the present date. 1) Use Josephus s writings and add/subtract some years 2) Use the Bible We ll do both calculations and compare the time length for both. This time period is mentioned in Jeremiah and Daniel and recorded in Ezra and Nehemiah. Using Josephus to calculate the Timeline Josephus Wars Book 6 Chapter 10 which states: And from King David, who was the first of the Jews who reigned therein, to this destruction under Titus, were one thousand one hundred and seventy-nine years; 2 time spans need to be found out A Time from King David to the laying of the Temple foundation stones B Time from the Temple Destruction to present Calculate Exercise #5 to find the total time from Adam to the present year of 2011. 4
To find the Timeline using the Bible There are a few additional calculations needed there is a span of time from the end of the Babylonia Captivity to the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem that is not recorded in the Bible (at least I haven t run across it but I have confidence that I will find a passage one day). If the King s reign computation was difficult then this time span far exceeds that since you have to know the definition of a certain word that isn t the same as you would use it today. The below time chart will be used to calculate A,B,C,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,L. King Solomon will be used also (calculated previously above). From Adam to A King David s Reign B King Solomon s Reign C Kings of Judah Total Reign D Babylonia Captivity E Rebuilding of the Temple decree by Cyrus the Great F Unknown time from Temple to City Construction G Rebuilding Jerusalem decree by Artaxerxes H 70 week prophecy of Jesus I Jesus Death, Burial and Resurrection J Time span from Jesus Resurrection to Destruction of Temple K Titus destruction of the Temple (70 AD) L Time span from 2011 to 70 AD First we ll compare Josephus time span to discover the unknown time span by Adding up time spans A to K which corresponds to Josephus time Complete Exercise 6 to find out the missing time from using the Josephus recorded time. The Exercise #6 number represents the missing time from the Bible. The question is: How accurate is this time period? Does it match any other historical documents? The Persian Empire has the following dates: 5
Since Nehemiah (Nehemiah 5:14) served as a cup bearer to Artaxerxes and Governor in Jerusalem from the 20 th to 32 nd year of the Kings then that means he could have served under Artaxerxes I or Artaxerxes II Since Josephus doesn t give how he calculated the number of years between King David and 70 AD (Temple destruction) then back dating the 70 week prophecy would settle the matter. The 70 week prophecy is a 490 year prophecy (70 weeks times 7 equals 490 days). In prophecy a day equals a year (Ezekiel 4:6) so 490 days equals 490 years The 70 week prophecy foretells the coming of Jesus ministry at age 30 (69 th week or 483 rd year) and Jesus death during the last week (483 to 490). The 70 week prophecy begins at the decree to rebuild Jerusalem (after it had been destroyed by the Babylonians). That decree occurred in the 20 th year of Artaxerxes I (Neh 2:1 & Neh 2:5-8) which would be 465 (year Artaxerxes I took office) 20 years = 445 BC Or Artaxerxes II 404 BC 20 years = 384 BC The graph above shows the backdating of the 70 week prophecy since the prophecy has 483 years to the beginning of Jesus ministry at 30 AD. To get the number of years in BC you subtract 483 by 30 to get 453. 6
453 is not correct since there is no 0 year so subtract 453 by 1 to get 452. 452 BC is the date that the 70 week prophecy determines that the decree should start however in the Persian Kings time line it states that the decree occurred in year 445 BC. Which is correct? There are 7 years between 445 and 452 BC and 68 years between 384 and 452 BC. As we ll go over in the Biblical calendar bible study the present 365.2422 days length of a year was not that during Noah s flood it was 360 days. Next we need to find out how many days the 2 calendars are apart for 483 years 365.2422 360 = 5.2422 days difference between the two calendars. 5.2422 x 483 = 2531.98 days total difference over 483 years 2531.98 / 360 = 7 years total difference between the 2 calendars over 483 years. Subtracting 452 by 7 = 445 BC The 70 week prophecy and the historical date of the 20 th year of Artaxerxes I match up. 445 BC The correct missing time should be from 538 to 445 BC or 93 years The Josephus time was 153 years. 153 93 = 60 years difference. Now that we have all the time spans we can create a Time chart of the Bible from Adam to present. Additional homework: Calculate the average generation length using the calculations in this study with Matt 1:17 Complete Exercise #7 Closing point The 7 year difference in the calendars is a prophetic message I believe. I believe it caught the satanic forces unawares. I suspect King Herod knew of the prophecy but he was surprised by the early arrival of Jesus. Herod s forces were cut off at the pass the second time by going to the wrong city. King Herod sent the soldiers to Bethlehem instead of Nazareth, where Joseph, Mary, Jesus and the wise men bearing gifts. This will repeat again since Jesus will have to cut short satan s time otherwise no flesh will remain (Mat 24:22) thus cutting satan off again. 7
Biblical Calendar from Adam to 2011 8
***********Answers *********** Exercise #1 Write the age of the Father when the Son was born. For Abram, write the age that he was in the Bible verse. How many years passed from Adam to Abraham? 2045 Exercise #2 How many years passed from Abraham to Mt Sinai (Galatians 3:17) 430 Exercise #3 How many years passed from leaving Egypt to the Laying of the foundation stones of the Temple? (1 Kings 6:1) 480 How long did it take the Israelites to go from Egypt to Mt Sinai? (Exodus 19:1) 3 months Exercise #3 Total: Add up the top 3 times and subtract the Exodus to Mt Sinai time 2954 yrs 9 months_ Exercise #4 Read 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles and make up a detail chart or use the 353 year 6 months for now. Time of the King s of Judah s reign 9
Exercise #5 To Find A (add both values below together): 40 King David s Reign (2 Samuel 5:4 ) 4 Part of King Solomon s reign (1 Kings 6:1 ) To Find B: Temple destruction was in 70 AD. Calculate 2011 70 = 1941 To find the total number of year from Adam to Present Calculate: 2954 9 months Calculated previously Adam to Temple foundation laying 44 Minus A (calculated from above) 1179 Add Josephus time 1941 Add B (calculated from above) 6030 Total time from Adam to Present Exercise #6 40 A King David s reign: 2 Samuel 5:4 40 B King Solomon s reign: 2 Chronicles 9:30 353 C Kings Reign from Exercise #4 70 D Babylonian Captivity: Daniel 9:2 E Rebuilding of the Temple decree by Cyrus the Great: Ezra 1:1-2 F Unknown time from end of Babylonian Captivity to rebuilding Jerusalem G Rebuilding of Jerusalem: Nehemiah 2:5 483 H 70 week prophecy of Jesus Ministry: Daniel 9:24-26 (Ministry began in 69 week or 483 rd day) I Jesus death, burial and resurrection 40 J Time from Jesus Ministry begin (30 AD) to Destruction of Temple (70 AD) 1026 Total time of above 153 Subtract the Total time from above from 1179. Exercise #7 Abraham to David = (99+430+480-4-70)/14 = 66.78 years David to Babylon = (40+40+353)/14 = 30.93 years Babylon to Jesus = (70+93+483-30)/14 = 44.00 years Best Regards, David O Malley 6/27/2010 - Prayer Proclamations to bring down Curses from Jesus Christ 1/8/2011 God exists 1/15/2011 Moses: The Untold Years 1/29/2011 - The Biblical Timeline: From Adam to 2011 10
Future O Malley Family Bible studies (not in order) - The fall of Babylon - Indiana Jones vs the Bible: Location of the Ark - Passover: from Sodom and Ghemorra to Jesus - The Biblical Calendar: two confusing or two simple? - The Trinity: 1 in 3, 3 in 1 or 4 by 2 from 1??? - pt 1 - The Salvation Cycle: From hearing to preaching - pt 2 - Snake Survival Manual: Their Anatomy & Characteristics - pt 3 - Dress Code Strictly Enforced: What you should & should not be wearing - pt 4 - Spiritual Warfare Academy: repair the breeches & deploy counter offenses - Book of Enoch summary - Fall of Jerusalem: departure of the King of Kings - Feast days then and now - Psalms 69 Jesus troubled life - 5 stones for 5 giants: Peace in the land at last - Fear of the Lord - To forgive or not to forgive that is the question Special thanks to the late Pastor Gene Smith who in 1999 inspired me thru his detailed Bible studies that connected Biblical passages to history, science, astronomy and to the present world situation. His inspiring talks led me to read the Bible multiple times, cover to cover, in 1999 to 2004. That was a eye opening experience since I discovered what was actually in the Bible for the first time (rather than someone telling me what was in it). I created the timeline in 2002 using only the Josephus calculation method. It was the awakening of the fact that there are 2 different calendars (3 if you count the modern one that we use today)stated in the Bible running along at the same time that lead me to find the missing time from the end of the Babylonian exile to the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. Many thanks to Pastor Peter Peters, Scriptures for America, for that discovery. Reference Material Definition: In prophecy a day = a year (Ezekiel 4:6) Daniel 9:1-2 1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; 2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. A 70 week of years Prophecy found in Daniel 9:24-26 (70 years times 7 = 490 years) goes from the time Jerusalem is rebuilt (after the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple) to Jesus death, burial and resurrection. Daniel 9:24-26 24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. When the 70 years of captivity was complete then the House of the Lord was to be rebuilt. 11
Ezra 1:1-2 1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, 2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Cyrus proclamation was to build a Temple not to build Jerusalem. Nehemiah was charged to build Jerusalem which is where the prophecy of 490 years will begin. The wall was not completed by Ezra since he was charged only to build the Temple. Nehemiah will rebuild Jerusalem as directed by the 20 th year proclamation. The city hadn t begun in the 32 nd year of Artaxerxes. Nehemiah 1:3 And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province are in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire. Nehemiah 5:14 Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, KJV Nehemiah 6:15 and two days. So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty ASV Nehemiah 2:1 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, when wine was before him, that I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. ASV Nehemiah 2:5-8 5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it. 6 And the king said unto me (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. 7 Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the River, that they may let me pass through till I come unto Judah; 8 and a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the castle which appertaineth to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me. ASV Nehemiah 7:1-4 1 Now it came to pass, when the wall was built, and I had set up the doors, and the porters and the singers and the Levites were appointed, 2 that I gave my brother Hanani, and Hananiah the governor of the castle, charge over Jerusalem; for he was a faithful man, and feared God above many. 3 And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand on guard, let them shut the doors, and bar ye them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house. 4 Now the city was wide and large; but the people were few therein, and the houses were not builded. ASV Nehemiah 13:6 But in all this time I was not at Jerusalem; for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I went unto the king: and after certain days asked I leave of the king, 12
Exercise #1 How many years passed from Adam to Abraham? Exercise #2 How many years passed from Abraham to Mt Sinai (Galatians 3:17) Exercise #3 How many years passed from leaving Egypt to the Laying of the foundation stones of the Temple? (1 Kings 6:1) How long did it take the Israelites to go from Egypt to Mt Sinai? (Exodus 19:1) Time Check (add up all the years) Exercise #1 Exercise #2 Exodus to Laying of Temple Foundation Exercise 3 Total: Add up the top 3 times and subtract the Egypt to Mt Sinai time This is the Time from Adam to Laying the Temple Foundation by King Solomon. 13
Exercise #4 Read 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles and make up a detail chart or use the 353 year 6 months for now. Time of the King s of Judah s reign Exercise #5 To Find A (add both values below together): King David s Reign (2 Samuel 5:4 ) Part of King Solomon s reign (1 Kings 6:1 ) To Find B: Temple destruction was in 70 AD. Calculate 2011 70 = 1941 To find the total number of year from Adam to Present Calculate: 2954 9 months Calculated previously Adam to Temple foundation laying Minus A (calculated from above) Add Josephus time Add B (calculated from above) Total time from Adam to Present 14
Exercise #6 A King David s reign: 2 Samuel 5:4 B King Solomon s reign: 2 Chronicles 9:30 C Kings Reign from Exercise #4 D Babylonian Captivity: Daniel 9:2 E Rebuilding of the Temple decree by Cyrus the Great: Ezra 1:1-2 F Unknown time from end of Babylonian Captivity to rebuilding Jerusalem G Rebuilding of Jerusalem: Nehemiah 2:5 H 70 week prophecy of Jesus Ministry: Daniel 9:24-26 (Ministry began in 69 week or 483 rd day) I Jesus death, burial and resurrection J Time from Jesus Ministry begin (30 AD) to Destruction of Temple (70 AD) Total time of above Subtract the Total time from above from 1179. This is the missing time from the end of the Babylonian Captivity to the rebuilding of Jerusalem according to Josephus. Exercise #7 Matthew 1:17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. Abraham to David = David to Babylon = Babylon to Jesus = 15