Jim,
You wrote: I don't care exactly how many years from Adam to Christ.
That being so, I have no idea why I am discussing Bible chronology with you.
I guess I am thinking that someone else here may find it to be more
interesting than you do.
You wrote: Galatians 3:16-17 reads "Now the promises were spoken to Abraham
and to
his seed. He does not say, "And to seeds," as referring to many, but rather
to one, "And to your seed," that is, Christ. 17 What I am saying is this:
the Law, which came four hundred and thirty years later... .... *For
starters, my Believer's Bible Commentary (MacDonald) claims "The 430 years
are reckoned from the time that God confirmed the
Abrahamic Covenant to Jacob, just as Jacob was preparing to enter Egypt (Gen
46:1-4), and they extend to the giving of the law about three months after
the exodus." p. 1884
If you feel you need their help (I don't), you may want to read some other
commentaries on these verses. For instance, Adam Clarke says quite plainly,
"The Law was given 430 years after the covenant with Abraham." The wording
of Galatians is very simple. It tells us that the Law was given 430 years
after God's promises were "spoken to Abraham and to his 'seed'." The passage
your commentary referred to, Gen. 46:1-4, says absolutely nothing about God's
promises to Abraham and does not in any way refer to Abraham's "seed," who
Paul identified as Christ. The promises Paul referred to, the ones God made
430 years before the Law was given, were ones which he said were "spoken to
Abraham," not to Jacob.
That this is a proper understanding of scripture can also be seen from the
fact that God told Abraham that his descendants would return from Egypt to
Canaan "in the fourth generation." (Gen. 15:16) A generation according to the
scriptures is "70 years." (Ps. 90:10) "In the fourth generation" would mean
after three generations had passed. Three times 70 years is 210 years. Bible
chronology indicates that the Israelites were in Egypt for only 215 years. If
the Israelites were going to be in Egypt for 430 years why did God tell
Abraham that his descendants would return from Egypt "in the fourth
generation"?
You wrote: please show me your start and stop points for Gal 3:17.
I believe Bible chronology dates the Exodus as having occurred in the Jewish
civil year which began in 1492 BC. (If this is true, the Exodus actually
occurred in 1491 BC since the Jewish civil year began in the fall and the
Exodus took place in the spring.) The Law was given to Moses in that same
year. Paul said in Gal. 3:16,17 that the Law was given 430 years after God
gave His promises to Abraham. That puts Abraham's arrival in Canaan, when God
made His promises "to Abraham and to his seed," in the Jewish civil year
which began in 1922 BC. (Gen. 12:6,7)
You wrote: And how do you expect anyone to see that there are 4,000 years
from Adam to Christ if you can't provide a timeline?
I can. The fact is I have given it all to you before in previous E mail
conversations. Maybe you don't realize it since our conversation has been in
bits and pieces, or maybe your memory is starting to go. (Hey, it happens to
all of us sooner or later.) But I'll do so for you again as simply as
possible. (I could provide many more details to better establish all of these
dates, but I think right now you are asking for a simple framework.)
You started your chronology with the most widely accepted date for the
division of the kingdom, 931 BC. However this date is by no means universally
accepted. Some date the schism as early as 976 BC. However, 99% of Bible
historians date Solomon's death within a few years of 931 BC. I myself date
the division of the kingdom to 935 BC. Because of the uncertain nature of the
exact time of kingdom's split I will start my chronological reckoning using a
far more certain date, one that all historians and Bible scholars accept as
being accurate. The date of Jerusalem's destuction by Babylon. Historians
have absolutely no doubt that Jerusalem was destroyed by Babylon in either
587 or 586 BC. The debate only involves a matter of one year. I've studied
this matter thoroughly. Most reference works cite the date 586 BC which Edwin
R. Thiele also preferred, the scholar who popularized the 931 BC date for the
division of the kingdom.
* So, I'll use the date 586 BC for Jerusalem's destruction by Babylon to
start things off.
* The Bible tells us Babylon's siege of Jerusalem began two years earlier. (2
Kings 25:1,2) Thus the siege began in 588 BC.
* I believe Ezek. 4:1-5 indicates that Solomon's 40th year, at which time
Jeroboam began "the sin of the house of Israel," took place in the 390th year
before Babylon besieged Jerusalem. (This is not to say that the kingdom was
divided at that time. The Bible tells us that after Jeroboam rebelled against
Solomon he fled to Egypt and remained there for an unmentioned period of time
until after Solomon's death. - 1 Kings 11:40) So we add 389 ("390th" = 389
years had passed) years to 588 BC and we arrive at 977 BC as Solomon's 40th
year.
* If 977 BC was Solomon's 40th year than 1016 BC was his 1st year.
* If 1016 BC was Solomon's 1st year then 1013 BC was his 4th year, in which
we are told Solomon began to build God's temple. (1 Kings 6:1)
* 1 Kings 6:1 equates the 4th year of Solomon with "the 480th year after the
Israelites had come out of Egypt." This verse says "the 480th year" not "480
years." Thus we add 479 years to 1013 BC and we come to 1492 BC as the year
the Jewish civil year began in which the Exodus occurred.
* As discussed earlier, Gal. 3:16,17 tells us that God's promises to Abraham
were given 430 years before the Law was given. 430 years before 1492 BC
brings us to 1922 BC as the year in which Abraham left Haran, entered Canaan
and then recieved God's promises. (Gen:12:1-7)
* Abraham left Haran when his father Terah died at age 205. (Gen. 11:32) Thus
we can date Terah's birth 205 years before the year 1922 BC. That would be in
2127 BC.
* Gen. 11:24 tells us Nahor was born 29 years before Terah. That was in 2156
BC according to my math.
* Gen. 11:22 says Serug was born 30 years before Nahor. That brings me to
2186 BC.
* Gen. 11:20 says Reu was born 32 years before Serug. That brings me to 2218
BC.
* Gen. 11:18 says Peleg was born 30 years before Reu. That brings me to 2248
BC.
* Gen. 11:16 says Eber was born 34 years before Peleg. That brings me to 2282
BC.
* Gen. 11:14 says Shelah was born 30 years before Eber. That brings me to
2312 BC.
* Gen. 11:12 says Arphaxad was born 35 years before Shelah. That brings me to
2347 BC.
* Gen. 11:10 says Arphaxad was born two years after the flood. That tells me
the flood began in 2349 BC.
* Gen. 7:6 tells us that, "Noah was 600 years old when the flood waters came
on the earth." That puts Noah's birth 600 years before 2349 BC, in 2949 BC.
* Gen. 5:28 tells us that Noah's father Lamech was 182 years old when Noah
was born. That tells us Lamech was born in 3131 BC.
* Gen. 5:25 tells us that Lamech's father Methuselah was 187 years old when
Lamech was born. That tells us Methuselah was born in 3318 BC.
* Gen. 5:21 tells us that Methuselah's father Enoch was 65 years old when
Methuselah was born. That tells us Enoch was born in 3383 BC.
* Gen. 5:18 tells us that Enoch's father Jared was 162 years old when Enoch
was born. That tells us Enoch was born in 3545 BC.
* Gen. 5:15 tells us that Jared's father Mahalalel was 65 years old when
Jared was born. That tells us Mahalalel was born in 3610 BC.
* Gen. 5:12 tells us that Mahalalel's father Cainan (aka Kenan) was 70 years
old when Mahalalel was born. That tells us Cainan was born in 3680 BC.
* Gen. 5:9 tells us that Cainan's father Enosh was 90 years old when Cainan
was born. That tells us Enosh was born in 3770 BC.
* Gen. 5:6 tells us that Enosh's father Seth was 105 years old when Enosh was
born. That tells us Seth was born in 3875 BC.
* Gen. 5:3 tells us that Seth's father Adam was 130 years old when Seth was
born. That tells us Adam was created in 4005 BC.
Adam 4005 BC / Christ 5 BC (see the ASA article on the star of Bethlehem) =
4,000 years from Adam to Christ.
You may not agree with all I have here written. But I hope you will at least
no longer say that I cannot provide "backup" for my beliefs.
You also asked for some elaboration on the 390 years of Ezek. 4. This subject
matter is a bit complex. But I'll discuss it with you if you would like me
to, provided your response to this post is written in a kind and respectful
manner.
Mike
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