Sacred Chronology
Adjusting the Biblical Timeline
As time rolls along, one gains knowledge, finds more research and resources from which to draw more intelligent conclusions. Well, this is true in my study of Sacred Chronology. I’m a relative newbie to the world of biblical chronology as I’ve only been studying the biblical calendar and Sacred Chronology for about nine years now. I’m no scholar or expert, but when you see what appears to be problems in the biblical timeline, you look for solutions or answers to your questions. The case in point is1 Kings 6:1 HRB “And it happened in the four hundred and eightieth year from the going out of the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt, in the fourth year, in the month of Zif, it is the second month, in the reigning of Solomon over Israel he built the house [Temple] for Yahweh.” Any casual reader of the Scriptures can easily calculate up the years from the Exodus to the fourth year of Solomon’s reign, including forty years in the wilderness, Joshua’s remaining rule over Israel, the Elders’ rule, all the Judge years, all the Oppressor years, Eli’s years, Samuel’s years, Saul’s years, David’s years, and at least 3 years for Solomon before the Temple building began, and you come up with over 600 years of history that seems to conflict with the passage in 1 Kings 6:1. How can this be?
The problem is not with the original Hebrew text, for that was inerrant, but it may be a problem again with our poor English translation. The English word “four” found in verse 1, comes from the Hebrew word arba or arba ah, Strong’s # H702. It is translated 266 times as the English word four, BUT it is also translated 21 times as fourteen and 23 times as fourteenth! So, it’s possible the translators should have translated this word arba here as fourteen, so the text would read “fourteen hundred and eightieth year”. That is a significant difference in translation, adding 1,000 years to the biblical timeline.
Dr. Aardsma, over at the website www.biblicalchronologist.org came to this conclusion, but believes a digit was dropped from the number, from 1,480 to 480 years, but I have not been able to find where the ancient Hebrews used Roman numeral digits as we know them today. Hebrews used words for numbers, so to me it appears to be a simple translation error.
By adding the missing 1,000 years back into the ancient biblical timeline, a whole host of Sacred Chronology problems are dealt with. I’m just beginning to explore them. Now, the wilderness, Joshua in Canaan, Elders, Judges, Oppressors, Samson, Eli, Samuel, Saul, David, and first 3 years of Solomon can be lived out in real time without any artificial overlapping of rulerships/kingships by scholars and experts. The Sacred Chronology timeline can now breathe, with fresh Holy Spirit air!! You have no idea how exciting this is, unless you love the Word of Yahweh, and His Sacred Chronology and biblical calendar and timeline. Every person, place, thing and historical event mentioned in the Scriptures actually occurred in Yahweh’s perfect timing. Studying these things builds your faith and confidence in your Creator Yahweh and in His Word. You don’t have to doubt the accuracy of one jot or tittle in Yahweh’s Holy Word, it’s ALL truth and true and accurate history and prophecy. Only believe.
And guess what happens when this 1,000 years is added back into the Sacred Chronology? Now, the archaeological evidence for the conquest of Jericho and Ai fit the biblical timeline perfectly!! By placing the Exodus from Egypt in 2450 BC, instead of in 1447 BC, archaeology and the Bible’s real history come back into perfect harmony! Be sure to get Dr. Aardsma’s books and read his website. It’s all very educational and uplifting of the Word of Yahweh and the real empirical history it speaks about.
I have only just begun to expand my Sacred Chronology spreadsheet from 6,000 lines back into a 7,000 line chronology spreadsheet. It is a lot of work, but a beautiful thing to see. Dr. Aardsma’s theory of a missing millennium is fact instead of fiction and blows away some misconceptions and manmade ideas about the length of Yahweh’s plan for this world and man. So much for believing in 6,000 years as the reign of fallen man over the earth, followed by 1,000 years of the Millennial reign of Yahshua, as the perfect 7,000 year plan of Yahweh. It now looks more like 7,000 years of the reign of fallen man upon the earth followed by the peaceful 1,000 year reign of Messiah Yahshua, for a total of 8,000 years, before Yahweh recreates a new heavens and a new earth. I would love to hear Pastor Tim Warner, of www.answersinrevelation.org debate Dr. Aardsma on biblical chronology. Pastor Tim has discovered a perfectly symmetrical 7,000 year plan in the biblical chronology, Dr. Aardsma’s theory seems to blow that all up. And no one’s discoveries disturb one iota of Yahweh’s Word!!
Also, when adjusting the Sacred Chronology back another 1,000 years, we find two Egyptian Pharaohs that fit the Exodus story perfectly. Pepy II, the Pharaoh that wanted all Hebrew baby boys thrown into the Nile River, was reigning at Moses’ birth and died when Moses was about 79 years old! According to Egyptian history, Pepy II reigned for 94 years! According to this same Egyptian history, Pepy II’s son, Merenre II (also called Antiemdjaf), reigned only about 1 year, as he drowned in the Red Sea with his army after facing off with Yahweh and Moses! The Exodus event ended the Sixth Dynasty of the Egyptian Old Kingdom. Egypt was thrown into absolute chaos after the death of Merenre II. So what? Well, now you can write those two Pharaoh‘s names into your Bible text to gain more accurate realism in the Exodus story. For example, Exodus 1:8 HRB “And a new king [Pepy II] arose over Egypt, who had not known Joseph.” Exodus 1:11 HRB “And they put over them slavemasters in order to afflict them with their burdens. And he built store cities for Pharaoh [Pepy II]: Pithon and Raamses.” Exodus 2:10 HRB “And the child grew, and she brought him to the daughter of Pharaoh [Pepy II]. And he became a son to her, and she called his name Moses, and said, Because I drew him out of the water.” Exodus 2:23 HRB “And it happened after many days that the king [Pepy II] of Egypt died [after reigning for 94 years], and the sons of Israel groaned from the slavery. And they cried, and their cry went up to Yahweh from the slavery.” Exodus 7:7 HRB “And Moses was a son of eighty years, and Aaron was a son of eighty three years when they spoke to Pharaoh [Merenre II].” Psalm 136:15 NKJV “But overthrew Pharaoh [Merenre II] and his army in the Red Sea, For His mercy endures forever;” Moses personally knew Pharaoh Merenre II, because they grew up in the same royal household! Go ahead and mark your Bible all up, it’s OK!
If I ever get my spreadsheet cleaned up to a presentable state, I’ll let you know.
Blessings in Yahshua,
Gene Benjamin II
March 22, 2014 AD
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