NOAH TO ABRAHAM [Part 3] – By Bro. David Rice
This is part three of our series on Bible Chronology.
In the first we explained that 6000 years from Adam expire with the year 2043 AD, marking this as the beginning of the grand, promised Millennium of Revelation chapter 20. During that Millennium Satan will be bound “so that he can deceive the nations no more” (verse 2) [Rev. 20:2], freeing the world of his deceptions. Then everyone, worldwide, will come to a knowledge of the Truth. God “will have all men to be saved, and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).
During the present Gospel Age, which lasts from our Lord’s death until the Millennium, God has not been converting the world — if that were his objective, then it surely would have been accomplished [Read Isa. 55:11]. Rather, His objective during this age has been to select from among the world an elect class, the “Church of the firstborn” (Hebrews 12:23), elsewhere termed a “Bride” for Jesus (John 3:29, Revelation 19:7, 21:2), composed of the 144,000 described in Revelation 14:1.
But soon the Millennium will come. If it begins, as we understand from the Scriptures, in the year 2043 AD, then we have but 24 [or now 18] years to that blessed time. However, that age will be born through final, severe spasms of trouble, and those distresses will take time to fade away. It may take some time for various nations to receive that Kingdom. Our confidence in the time of these expectations is founded on the record of years contained in the sacred text of the Old Testament. Here is a brief summary, to remind the reader.
SUMMARY OF CALCULATIONS
The first part of this summary — the years from Adam to the end of the Flood — was discussed in detail in our previous issue. This article considers the next portion, from the Flood to God’s Covenant with Abraham.
GENESIS CHAPTER 11
The history of this time begins in Genesis chapter 11. Verse 10 [Gen. 11:10] says Shem begat Arphaxad two years after the flood. [A]As mentioned in the closing note of our previous article, in a genealogy, “begat” refers to the birth of a son. Here is a list of generations beginning with Arphaxad, through Terah, the father of Abraham.
At the death of Terah Abraham left Haran for Canaan and received the Covenant from God at Shechem. The LORD appeared unto Abram (his name had not yet been changed to Abraham) [Name change from Gen. 17:5], and said, unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him (see Genesis 12:1-7). Stephen mentioned this during his trial recorded in Acts chapter seven. He says Abraham “came … out of the land of the Chaldean’s, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land (Israel). And … he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child” (Acts 7:4, 5).
THE AGE OF ABRAHAM
At this time “Abram was seventy-five years old … and into the land of Canaan they came” (Genesis 12:4, 5). This means that Abraham was born when his father Terah was 130 years of age (205 – 75 = 130). Some are confused by this because Genesis 11:26 says “Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran”, listing Abram first. However, this text [Gen. 11:26] is not giving the birth order of Terah’s sons. It lists Abraham first because of his importance in the record, for he was the one favoured by God. In this it is similar to Genesis 5:32, which lists the sons of Noah. “Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.” This lists Shem first because of his importance, for he was the ancestor of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the Israelites. But Shem was not the eldest. We know this, because Genesis 11:10 says Shem was 100 years old two years after the flood, whereas Noah’s first son was more than 100 at the time. (For Noah was 500 years old 100 years before the flood.)
THE TIME SINCE ADAM
Since there were 1656 years from Adam to the end of the Flood, and 427 years thereafter until God’s Covenant with Abraham, the sum of these years gives us 2083 years from Adam to the Covenant.
TO THE EXODUS
Moses led the Exodus, and then mediated the Law, at about the same time (there were only a few weeks in between). In Galatians 3:16, 17, Paul says the Law came 430 years after God’s covenant with Abraham. “The covenant that was confirmed before of God (to Abraham) … the Law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul” [Gal. 3:17] … It seems clear that Paul separates the two covenants by 430 years.
How did Paul know this, living so many years after the fact? He secured the number of years from Exodus 12:40, 41, where 430 years is mentioned twice. [B]We will discuss this text in our next issue. Here we only note that it is the source for Paul’s remarks in Galatians.
This means from Adam to the Exodus and the giving of the Law was 2513 years after the creation of Adam (2083 + 430 = 2513).
TO THE TEMPLE
1 Kings 6:1 tells us that the founding of Solomon’s Temple began in the 480th year after the Exodus. “And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.”
The second month, Zif, is the one which followed Abib, later called Nisan, in the spring time. The Exodus began in the middle of Abib, so it also occurred in the spring of the year. One complete year after the Exodus brings us to the 2nd year … 479 complete years after the Exodus bring us to the 480th year.
[C]This means from Adam to the founding of the Temple was 2992 years (2513 + 479 = 2922 [or rather 2992]). Adding this number of years backward, from the date of Solomon’s founding of the Temple (966 BC), we arrive at 3958 BC as the year of Adam’s Creation. 6000 years from there forward brings us to 2043 AD (6000 – 3958 BC = 2042, plus one to adjust for crossing the BC / AD divide, yields 2043 AD for the close of 6000 years from Adam).
Pause a moment. Note that at each step, the scriptures provide the necessary information to connect the chain of testimony and count of years, from the remote beginning of our race in father Adam, to historical times. This count of years could easily have lapsed at any time — as it does in the history of every people, other than the Hebrews, God’s chosen people.
Thus God has supplied what we have in no other way, namely a means of counting the years from Adam to our day. Why this particularity and care? That we have this remarkable testimony suggests a value to it, leading us to the grand Seventh Millennium, toward which the Plan of God is building for a grand climax. (See chart below.)
It is our privilege, as the Lord’s children, to look into the deep things of His word, and secure from it a prospect for the fruition of our hopes in the near future. “Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants” (Amos 3:7).
ANOTHER ENGAGING SYMMETRY
Before we close, let us observe another engaging feature about this material. The feature here introduced is one of symmetry. It begins with the passing of the Old World at the opening of the Flood. Because the Flood episode consumed one year (and a few days), the date opening the flood was 2303 BC.
From there until the Exodus and giving of God’s Law to Israel was 858 years. That also marked the end of an Old World — Israel’s bondage to Egypt and its Pharaoh.
Now the point of symmetry. If we advance from the Exodus forward another 858 years, one arrives at the date 587 BC. [D]As mentioned in the Daniel article earlier in this issue, that was the date of the end of the Kingdom of Judah. There Zedekiah lost his throne, Jerusalem was sacked, its people removed to Babylon, and the temple burned.
God brought that kingdom to an end because of the wickedness of the leaders and the people, just as he brought the Old World to a close, and the rule of Pharaoh over Israel to a close. Note the illustration above, showing this symmetry.
It seems the Lord is giving us evidence of design and thoughtful arrangement in the time periods composing His Plan of the Ages. The various stages of God’s Plan did not occur randomly, but as we might expect of the brilliance of the Divine Mind, there is an underlying order and symmetry. By observing this, our confidence is deepened that we have apprehended the evidence of scripture correctly about these periods of time, which lead us, ultimately, to the establishment of Christ’s Millennial Kingdom.
This symmetry is elegant. But is it too simple? Might it be coincidence? In our next issue we will augment this diagram, to show how it extends both backward and forward, in an expanded symmetry. Line upon line, precept upon precept, feature by feature, let us absorb each portion in sequence.
– By Br. David Rice – From Faithbuilders Fellowship, January 2006.
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Good chronology subject.
- As mentioned in the closing note of our previous article, in a genealogy, “begat” refers to the birth of a son – From the previous issue “The word begat is used repeatedly in the common version of our English translation. Modern translations clarify the meaning, such as the New American Standard Version, which says became the father of. The Hebrew word is yalad, which according to Strong’s Concordance means to bear young: causative, to beget. Thus it can refer either to birth or begettal, but it seems clear in the context, and is generally conceded, that in these genealogies the time of birth is referred to, rather than the begettal nine months earlier.”
- We will discuss this text in our next issue – Refer to the subject, Abraham to Exodus from February 2006 issue of Faithbuilders Fellowship.
- This means from Adam to the founding of the Temple was 2992 years (2513 + 479 = 2922) – The total is evidently a typo and should have been 2992.
- As mentioned in the Daniel article earlier in this issue, that was the date of the end of the Kingdom of Judah – Refer to the subject, Daniel Chapter One from the same issue of Faithbuilders Fellowship.
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