Bible Study Seattle

The preflood chronology in the LXX or Septuagint is over a thousand years longer than the Masoretic text.  Fortunately there is an internal way to know if this is correct.

“And Mathusala lived an hundred and sixty and seven years, and begot Lamech.  And Mathusala lived after his begetting Lamech eight hundred and two years, and begot sons and daughters.  And all the days of Mathusala which he lived, were nine hundred and sixty and nine years, and he died.  And Lamech lived an hundred and eighty and eight years, and begot a son.  And he called his name Noe,”  Genesis 5:25-29 Septuagint LXX

The flood started in Noah’s 600th year.  The flood was in 167+188+600=955 Methuselah’s 955th year.  How did he make it to 969 years if he didn’t get on the ark?  How or where did he live his last 14 years?  Clearly this chronology is wrong.

“As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.”  2 Kings 2:11

It appears as we read in 1 and 2 Kings that Elijah is suddenly taken to heaven without dying.  It should be pointed out that the word translated ‘heaven’ doesn’t mean the heaven we think of, it means, ‘sky’.  So Elijah was transported to another place on earth.  But it is possible he didn’t die.  There is precedence for this:

“By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”^{Hebrews 11:5}

Some say that since it is appointed for all men to die once, that Elijah and Enoch must have died.  It is possible Elijah died.  If Enoch died, then the writer of Hebrews is clearly wrong.  Is it possible that God miraculously preserved them as the two witnesses of Revelation who will die at that time?

“Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff; and someone said, “Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it.  Leave out the court which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months.  And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”  These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.  And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way.  These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.”  Revelation 11:1-6

Having power to shut up the sky is exactly what Elijah did for three and a half years in 1 Kings 17.  After three and a half years, Elijah challenged the prophets of Ba’al to a match.  Elijah won because the Lord breathed fire upon his sacrifice.  Immediately after this, Jezebel tried to kill Elijah.  Something similar will probably happen at the end times just before Jesus comes to save his people.

“When they have finished their testimony, the beast that comes up out of the abyss will make war with them, and overcome them and kill them.  And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which mystically is called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.  Those from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations will look at their dead bodies for three and a half days, and will not permit their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb.  And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them.  And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” Then they went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them.  And in that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.”  Revelation 11:7-13

Apparently, at the end of seven years, Enoch and Elijah are resurrected in plain sight to heaven, which may be descending toward Jerusalem at that point.  It seems to this author that Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy has a fulfillment starting somewhere between 1878 and 1918 terminating somewhere around 2368 and 2402 just before Jesus returns visibly.

“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.”  John 4:23

Beware any person or group who claims to be the only true religion.  While many denominations have good points, they all seem to be off on at least something.  In fact, it’s impossible to get everything right.  No one has a corner on the truth.  Even Jesus didn’t know everything, but only what the Father revealed to him.  “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.”  Matthew 24:36

If Jesus didn’t know everything, neither can we!  Every denomination and every believer has some error.  The full truth will be revealed in due time.

Moses went up the mountain for forty days and nights.  Since he seemed to take so long, Aaron instructed the people to make a God in the shape of a golden calf.  When Moses heard the revelry of the worship of this idol, he was incensed.

“Now when Moses saw that the people were out of control—for Aaron had let them get out of control to be a derision among their enemies— then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him.  He said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Every man of you put his sword upon his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill every man his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbor.’”  So the sons of Levi did as Moses instructed, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day.  Then Moses said, “Dedicate yourselves today to the Lord—for every man has been against his son and against his brother—in order that He may bestow a blessing upon you today.”  Exodus 32:25-29

The tribe of Levi won the rights of the firstborn by being obedient to the command to kill the instigators of this idol worship.  After this incident, Moses goes up the mountain a second time and returns with new stone tablets.  So the Levites became the firstborn between the first and second ‘comings’ of Moses.  In like fashion, those who demonstrate significant obedience will win the rights of the firstborn before Jesus’ second coming.  The firstborn were entitled to a double portion of the inheritance.

True wealth is relationships.

“Now He was also saying to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions.  And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’  The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg.  I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.’  And he summoned each one of his master’s debtors, and he began saying to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’  And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’  Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘A hundred [e]measures of wheat.’ He *said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’  And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.  And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.”  Luke 16:1-9

This parable is not advocating fraud to make friends!  Jesus is merely observing how unscrupulous people admire other unscrupulous people getting out of a fix.  In some ways all of our monetary wealth is unrighteous in that we live in an unrighteous world.  But in any case, the main point is that friendship trumps all.  It is the only thing that cannot be stolen.  It will last into eternity.

The Fall of Adam & Eve was preceded by another Fall.  The serpent was a fallen creature used by Satan.  Also, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a fallen plant.  Satan himself was a fallen angel.  So the angels, the plants and the animals fell before Adam & Eve.  This is probably why God had to create the garden of Eden – the rest of the world was already corrupted.  Of course, this analysis could be wrong.  The restitution is larger than just mankind:

“For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.”  Romans 8:19-22

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them, and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”  Revelation 21:1-4

It appears that the fulfillment of all is at the feast of Tabernacles, which is shortly after the Day of Atonement.  This is when Jesus will hand the kingdom over to the Father.  “then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.  For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.  The last enemy to be abolished is death.”  1 Corinthians 15:24-26.  The above Revelation passage says there will be no more death, hence it is at the end of Jesus’ 1,000 year Jubilee reign.  The Jubilee will start on the day of Atonement (Leviticus 23:27).  6,000 years from the Fall is 1874; a little past half way through the next 1,000 years is 2402 AD.  The 1,000 year Jubilee would end about 3402 AD.  So the Jubilee will start and end with the feast of tabernacles (or Booths or Sukkots).  This will be strongly enforced throughout the Jubilee:

“Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths.  And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them.  If the family of Egypt does not go up or enter, then no rain will fall on them; it will be the plague with which the Lord smites the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths.  This will be the punishment of Egypt, and the punishment of all the nations who do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Booths.”  Zechariah 14:16-19

“ But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.  God “will repay each person according to what they have done.”      ^{romans 2:5-6}

Unfortunately, many Christians think this doesn’t apply to them because they are covered by the blood of Jesus.  All their sins are washed away.  Wrong.  Yes, Jesus will at some point in the future blot out all iniquities, but in the meantime we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling.  Work out?

But isn’t it faith alone?  Yes, but faith produces works.  Even the demons believe; will that save them?  Mere intellectual agreement is not enough.  Sin has to be purged, and we play a big part in that.  Paul wrote Romans to Christians!  Don’t forget that.  Christ guaranteed our resurrection, not eternal life.  This point is not brought out in most churches.

Jacob was born to Isaac and Rebekeh in 1960BC.  Abraham died fifteen years later in 1945BC.  Joseph was born 1870BC.  Jacob leaves Laban in 1863BC after 20 years of service to him.  Jacob then runs into Esau before Joseph is sold to the Egyptians in 1852BC.  Isaac dies aged 180 years in 1840BC.    Joseph ascends the throne in 1838BC.  Jacob dies age 147 in 1813BC.  Where was Isaac during the betrayal of Joseph?  Did Jacob confer with Isaac over the apparent loss of his favorite son?  Did the brothers get a talking to by their grandfather Isaac?

Why try to figure out bible chronology?  Some say it’s a useless endeavor, that it has nothing to teach us.  Chronology is very difficult, but not impossible.  Bishop Ussher is probably the most famous chronologist, concluding that Adam was created 4004BC.  But then, why were the Hebrews so meticulous recording dates?  There has to be a lesson for the faithful.  Someday, when all prophecy has been fulfilled, the chronology will prove to all that God declared the end from the beginning:

““Remember the former things long past,
For I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
Declaring the end from the beginning,
And from ancient times things which have not been done,
Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,
And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’”  Isaiah 64:9-10

God made the chronology very difficult to figure out in order to hide the truth in plain sight.  Only those that really seek will find.  But all will find out with ease in the resurrection.  The way to confirm the correct chronology is by the parallels that God has placed in history that only God could have orchestrated over thousands of years.