For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. – Exodus 20:11
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. – 2Peter 3:8.
There is a strong tradition which states that human history will be 6,000 years long, before the Kingdom of God. Irenaeus of Lyons is one such source. And so as there are a week of days and a week of years (Dan 9:24-27), there’s also a week of millennia. Thus, the Millennial reign of Christ (Rev 20:6), is the Sabbath Millennium.
Preceding the Millennial reign of Christ are then 6000 years of human history, or six days if you will.
We chart the accuracy of this in a biblical chronology below. We will see that we’re in the latter end of the sixth millennium, and the Tribulation will soon begin. The Tribulation, also called the Day of the Lord, ends mankind’s failed utopias. This upheaval will usher in the Seventh Day, or the Millennium, bringing about the Kingdom of God on earth.
Biblical Timeline:
Deep Time Events
1. God creates the heavens and the earth, the other planets of our solar system (including the planet Rahab or Phaeton), and whatever planets in other solar systems, galaxies, or alternate dimensions and their inhabitants, angelic, pre-adamite, and numerous animal lifeforms.
2. The cherub Lucifer (Heb. Helel ben-Shachar) rebels from the (formerly 5th) planet Rahab, with subsequent angel-wars, and is cast down to the planet earth with 1/3 of the angels.
3. The destruction of the planet Rahab, and resultant meteor-shower destruction of the other planets of our solar system, and their pre-Adamite/angelic civilizations.
4. Subsequent flood-event of the earth, and destruction of the pre-Adamite civilizations.
Notes:
1. The amount of years of these events are unknown to mankind, but may span 100’s of millions of years to even billions of years. They are included in the events of Gen 1:1-2; Jer 4:23-27; Isa 14:12-17; Ezek 28:12-19).
2. To say creation below is in truth a recreation of the heavens and the earth, as the Hebrew text points out.
3. The fallen cherub known as Lucifer is now Satan, and his angels head up the hierarchical structure of the kingdom of darkness.
4. The inhabitants of these prehistoric worlds known as pre-adamites are now the disembodied spirits known as evil or unclean spirits and/or demons and devils.
From Creation to the Law
1. From the Creation to the Flood: 1,656 years (Gen 1:3-7:6).
2. From the Flood to Abraham’s Call (at 70): 422 years (Gen 11:10-32; 12:1-4a; Acts 7:2-3).
3. From Abraham’s Call to the Exodus: 430 years (Gal 3:16-18; Gen 12:1-4; Ex 12:40-41).
Notes:
1) We reckon the 430 years of the sojourning of Israel thus:
A. Abraham was 70 years old when he received his original call in Ur of the Chaldees. We learn this by counting 430 years back from the Exodus (Gen 12:1-4; Acts 7:2-4; Ex 12:40-41; Ga 3:16-18).
B. Thus 30 years later, when Abraham was 100 years of age, Isaac was born (Gen 21:5);
C. Isaac was 60 years old when Jacob was born (Gen 25:26);
D. Jacob was 130 years old when he came into Egypt (Gen 47:9);
E. Thus the amount of years that Israel suffered harsh bondage in Egypt is 210 years.
F. Hence, 30 + 60 + 130 + 210 = 430 years.
2) Israel afflicted for 400 years in a land not theirs (Gen 15:13), includes both Canaan and Egypt (Ps 105:10-12; Ex 23:9), and counts exactly from Isaac’s birth when Abraham was 100 years of age (Gen 15:13; 21:5).
Hence, the break down is the same as above, but beginning with the birth of Jacob (Israel) in Isaac’s 60th year: 60 + 130 + 210 = 400 years.
From the Law to Solomon’s Temple
4. From the Exodus to Solomon’s 4th year of his reign: 480 years (1Kgs 6:1).
Notes:
1) The 480 years from 1Kgs 6:1 seems to conflict with the 450 years given by Paul in Acts 13:17-22. The KJV (and others) state the 450 years as being the extent of the time of judges. But in adding the 40 years wandering, the 84 years of Saul (40), David (40) and Solomon’s 4th year, there are far too many years.
But these translations of the Alexandrian texts place the 450 years, not as during, but before the times of the judges: ASV, NIV, YLT, Latin Vulgate, RV, TLV, WEB, WNT, GW, BBE, CEV, DRB, ESV, etc… Thus, the 450 years of Paul point backwards to God’s calling of Israel, and not forwards through the judges. Thus we have this breakdown:
A. From the birth of Isaac to the exodus = 400 years (Gen 15:13; 21:5).
B. The wandering in the wilderness = 40 years (Acts 13:18; Num 14:33-34).
C. The conquest of Canaan under Joshua, and the allotment of the land = 10 years (Josh 14:7-10).
2) The 480 years of 1Kgs 6:1 seem to also conflict with the (at least) 432 years given in Judges, with the 40 years wandering, the 10 (plus) years conquering, allotting, and settling the Promised Land, and the 84 years between Saul, David, and Solomon’s 4th year. This would take us to over 566 years!
Robert B. Chisholm Jr., of Dallas Theological Seminary, provides an answer. Linguistic clues in the Hebrew text reveal two parallel narratives in Judges. Geography divides these parallel stories, though being a unified history of Israel.
The parallel narratives in the book of Judges:
Panel A (Jud 3:7-5:31): Othniel (3:7), Ehud (3:12), Deborah (4:1);
Panel B (Jud 6:1-16:31): Gideon (6:1), Jepthah (10:6), Samson (13:1). All the minor judges belong to this second panel.
When tallied up, the years covered in the book of Judges = 206 (panel A = 206, panel B = 204)! And the time of the judges of Israel, from Othniel to Samuel’s 20th year (1Sam 17:1-15; Acts 13:20-21) = 266.
The break down of the 480 year time period is thus:
A. Wandering in the wilderness = 40 years.
B. Conquest of Canaan and allotment of the land = 10 years.
C. Settling in the Promised Land, and subsequent idolatry (Josh 24:29-33; Jud 1-2:15) = 80 years.
D. Time of Judges (from Othniel to Samuel) = 266 years.
a) Period of years for the judges covered in the book of judges = 206 years;
b) Period of years between Eli and Samuel’s 20th year = 60.
E. Saul = 40 years.
F. David = 40 years.
G. Solomon’s 4th year, begins to build the Temple = 4 years.
Thus, 40 + 10 + 80 + 266 + 40 + 40 + 4 = 480 years.
From Solomon’s Temple to Christ
5. The remaining years of Solomon (36) and of the kings of Judah, to the Babylonian Captivity: 426 years (1Kgs 6:38-2Chron 36:10-21).
Notes:
King Jehoram, though reigning for 8 years (2Kgs 8:17), reigned 3 years alongside his father, King Jehoshaphat (2Kgs 8:16-17; 2Kgs 3:1).
Thus after Solomon’s 4th year, 36 years remain of his reign, and added to the 390 years of the kings of Judah. Israel’s kings began (Jeroboam) near simultaneously with king Rehoboam, but their Assyrian captivity preceded Judah’s own.
6. Babylonian Captivity unto the decree of Cyrus: 70 years (Jer 29:10; 2Chron 36:21-23; Dan 9:2).
7. Cyrus’ Decree unto the birth of Messiah: 483 years (Dan 9:24-26).
Notes:
1) The 70 weeks of years (490 = 70 x 7 year periods) Daniel the prophet received from the archangel Gabriel (Dan 9:24-27).
2) We divide these 7 year periods into 3 parts (7 x 7, 62 x 7, and 1 x 7):
A. 49 years (or 7 x 7) for the rebuilding of the city and Temple (v.25), as recorded by Ezra and Nehemiah.
B. 434 years (or 62 x 7) is unto the Messiah (v.25).
C. The 70th week of years is in abeyance until the Day of the Lord. This period after the rapture begins when Antichrist makes a 7 year covenant with many (v.27).
Comments between Creation and Christ
1) The amount of years that have transpired from creation up to Messiah = 3,967 years.
2). The term upto the Messiah is at His birth, not at His crucifixion, because, as Scripture says, that occurs… after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off – Dan 9:26a.
3) The year 6 B.C. we reckon as Christ’s date of birth, as we reconcile with our Gregorian Calander. Why?
A. Dionysius Exiguus introduced our use of Anno Dommini, as he converted Roman year counting to a Christian perspective. He based the first year (1 A.D.) on the death of Herod, supposing that it was the same year Christ was born. But, he was 4 years off! The death of Herod the Great was in 754 (not 750) AUC (Anno Urbus Conditae). Additionally, Christ was at least 2 years of age when the Magi visited Him. Thus, most scholars date the birth of Christ, not to 1 A.D., but between 6 and 4 B.C.
B. I reckon the year 6 B.C. for when Christ was born, because He was 2 years of age when the wise men came to visit Him (Mt 2:1-12, 16).
C. With Christ’s birth at 6 B.C., our Gregorian calendar is off by at least 6 years.
4) Christ’s coming was in the year 6 B.C., 483 years from Daniel’s prophecy.
Christ to Current Year
8. The Messiah unto the current year (from 6 B.C. to 2020): 2,026 years.
9. The grand total of years, from creation to our current year (2020) = 5, 993 years!
10.In conclusion: 6,000 – 5,993 = 7 years!
Notes:
1) The rapture will be some time before Daniel’s 70th week, what we call the pretribulation rapture (Lk 21:36; Rev 3:10-11; Lev 23:15-17; 1Cor 15:23a; Rev 14:1-5).
2) The calculation above, in no way manipulated to simply push an agenda, leaves only 7 years before the 1,000 year reign of Christ, or the Sabbath Millennium begins.
3) While our conclusion emphasizes the imminency of the rapture, prior to the final 7 years (Daniel’s 70th week), there could also be a +3 year (?) period of time for a margin of error, placing Christ’s birth at 3 B.C., as many do. This would give us 10 years prior to the Millennium.
This is particularly true, as no matter how accurate we can possibly be, there’s much we could miss in terms of time, which only shows that no man knows the day nor the hour of Christ’s coming for His Church (Mt 24:36).
4) It must be noted, too, that the Hebrew year is 360 days, with 30 day months, whereas our solar years are 365 days. We must also account for leap years. Scribal error, too, probably on our ‘A.D.’ side of the equation, may also be in question.
5) As it turns out, based on Christ’s birth in 6 B.C., that it was exactly 33 years later that Christ was crucified, and it hits exactly on 4,000 years since the creation of the world (4,000 – 3,967 = 33)!
Projections
The current projection for the rapture of the Church, or the beginning of Daniel’s 70th Week: (to be updated)! When I originally wrote this blog (2012), I would update it each year with a new projection. Suffice it now to project the year [?] as when the rapture may occur. Beyond that, there’s a factor of 2-3 years where it could happen. Regardless, even since the first century of the Church (with 2,000 years ahead of them), there was always taught the imminence of His return. It’s in that spirit we approach this topic.
Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. – Mt 25:13
Disclaimer:
This is not an attempt to set a date, only to estimate with limited resources available, mostly from Scripture itself. Our calendars which could be off by an unknown amount of years. We literally DON’T know the day nor the hour when Christ will come. The purpose for this timeline is to give us a general idea, a proximation, of how close we may be. This, for the sole intent that we would watch and pray, especially as deception and confusion concerning His coming will be markedly increased.
Maranatha: even so, come, Lord Jesus.
Invite Leon to Speak